Sam 489 unit 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sam 489 unit 9 - Assignment Example this regard, the 911 commission conducted investigations across the government’s security departments and presented its findings to the then president George Bush (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2011). The major findings/recommendations of the 911 commission were that the security intelligence failed to prevent the attacks. It emerged that the intelligence failed to disclose vital information obtained at the airports, before and after the attacks, to the military and police forces. This is because the commission realized that there were loopholes at the airport when the terrorists accessed the country to execute the attacks (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2011). The commission also found that most of the attackers were Saudi Arabian citizens drawn from the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The evidence was derived from video footages obtained from the airport control unit (Felzenberg, 2006). As a result, the commissioners recommended more funding to be added towards the security kitty to enable them to adequately prepare. The Bush administration received grades from the commission on their efforts towards national security. For instance, the Congress performance was low because it failed to mark terrorism as a major policy to handle. The intelligence agencies were also ranked below average because of their failure to liaise with other security department for maximum protection (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2011). It is apparent that the government did not consider threats from Al-Qaeda to be serious and ignored calls for tight security measures along the borders. The report grading also indicated that the citizens should be vigilant by cooperating with the security teams in case of threats or risks in their neighborhoods (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2011). The grading provided a challenge to the US government to design new measures of approach the emergent terrorist extremism. This is because the occurrence of the 911 attacks exposed considerable challenges and

How can strategic HRM contribute to strategic planning Essay

How can strategic HRM contribute to strategic planning - Essay Example The purpose of HRM is the proper deployment of an organisation's workforce to ensure achievement of organisational goals, simultaneously taking care of the interests of the workforce. Strategic HRM involves the development of an HRM policy that supports the strategic planning and management of an organisation. HRM strategies can support organisational strategies in the following areas; A strategic HRM ensures job satisfaction, justice, and congruence. Congruence implies that there are no discrepancies between different groups of employees, or disparity between an employee's organisational responsibilities and personal commitments. Every organisation needs to train and develop its staff to get the most out of them. Small and Medium Enterprises, especially, as compared to larger organisations operate with less manpower, so they must focus on getting the maximum out of their workforce to succeed in a competitive environment. Training is both formal and informal. Informal training is what an employee picks up on the job, and formal training involves being sent for a specific programme by the organisation. Training is of three types - to improve knowledge, skills or attitude. If a person learning to drive is told how to do it (turning the ignition, changing gears, using the steering) he acquires knowledge. He acquires skill when he can drive by himself; he acquires the correct attitude when he learns how to drive safely and without annoying others. An SME needs to assess the training requirements for its employees by first making a list of the knowledge and skills required to perform well, and then checking on how far its employees are qualified, and who needs what training. A company should take care of training right from the recruitment stage, by looking out for the right employees, who have the required qualities, and require less training, as training is costly. However, many companies are willing to recruit people with less formal qualification if they have the right attitude, because teaching skills/ knowledge to a person with the right attitude is easier, than getting work out of a person who has skills but is not interested in working. Once assessment is done, a plan should be formulated to send the employees for training, and this plan should to followed. Training activity should be seriously undertaken. The activity itself could be fun, without in any way reducing its seriousness. The training should also be relevant. In fact it should be clear to the employee that what he learns in a programme should be put into practice at the workplace, as soon as he is back. Training evaluation can be done by the

Human Resource Management in the Uk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Management in the Uk - Essay Example The HR department must know how to measure performance in a global setting. The HR staff must pursue talent management initiatives for executives. The HR staff must revamp organizational capabilities and competencies to enhance the performance of company employees. The HR department must help the employees identify with and actively push for corporate global brands. In addition, international joint ventures, transfer of knowledge and foreign direct investment also pose several challenges to HR staff. The recurrent challenges refer to subsidiary to Company Headquarters relations and the management of expatriate employees. (Sparrow et.al., 2004). The effective deployment of human resources is a strategy which helps firms attain competitive advantage. The HR departments of UK companies respond to the needs of the firms as these participate in global competition. (Sparrow, et. al., 2004). Most UK companies start operations in the domestic marketplace. This set-up demands that all of the firm's facilities, employees, and customers within the boundaries of one country. In this context, employees may differ to a certain degree in terms of their regional or ethnic origins but the pool of employees is homogeneous. International firms consider their international markets as part of their domestic operations. This strategy requires that firms enter international markets by building production facilities in foreign countries. Multinational firms build facilities in different countries to make use of costs and production efficiencies. The HR problems tackled by multinational companies are similar to those faced by international companies. The HR department needs to consider the cultural, financial, legal, and economic linkages of several countries. (Sparrow, et. al., 2004). Transnational firms utilize modern, high quality products and services at minimum costs. These firms combine the strength of global efficiencies with local responsiveness. Transnational companies specialize in economies of scale and emphasize flexibility and mass customization of products. In this set-up, HR systems should encourage flexible production create synergies through the cultural differences. Multinational firms locate facilities in a particular country to tap that country's market. The transnational firms take into account the cultures, political, legal and economic framework to choose locations around the globe. These firms have multiple headquarters spread across the globe, which redounds to less hierarchy, hence, emphasizing decision-making. These HR systems attract, train and retain executives who are not only competent in cross-border transactions but are also competent in decision-making in flattened organizations. In a transnational firm, the HRM issue is to identi fy strategic advantages of a given set of labor resources. (Sparrow, et. al., 2004).In a study by Deirdre McCaughey and Nealia S. Bruning (2005) global corporations such as McDonalds and Hewlett Packard derive more than 60% percent of their revenues from international operations. The HR departments of these companies hire employees for foreign assignments as a strategic human resource strategy (Brewster, 1997). The assignment failure of expatriate employees is due to the failure of the HR Department to provide training to engage with people from varying cultures. Other

Interview Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interview - Article Example She said completing a project like educating others about engineering is a source of outreach and it helps to engage the community about issues or problems in engineering. Maya does say that it is very complicated to work within a school setting but that the outcomes are very rewarding. Maya will fix an engineering problem by using educational strategies. Additionally, in educational research, experimentation is a way to gain insight into methods of instruction. Even though teaching is context-specific, results can provide a starting point for further research. Working on research not only helps to solve existing problems, but it also is challenging. For Maya, educational research primarily focuses on experimentation to gain awareness on a specific topic. Although teaching an engineering class encompasses working with specifics, research is often a preliminary stage for further study. She will go on to build new methods in research as she learns by dealing with students. She recognizes that completing research is necessary in order to solve a specific problem and may often receive attention from a large audience and additionally may often require urgent results depending on the

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay Example for Free

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay The short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson is one pf the most shocking stories I have ever read. It caused controversy when it was published in a New York newspaper and for good reason. The ending is very unsettling and I would even categorize it as a horror story. The picture the story paints prepares you for the exact opposite of what actually happens, making this a confusing, yet unforgettable story. It is hard to figure out what the message is in this story. Starting from the beginning there are many things one must notice upon a second reading. Subtle symbolism is used in a genius manner so that only on a second reading can the reader understand what the author is doing in every paragraph she writes. Throughout the story we are never sure about what exactly this lottery is, which keeps the reader in suspense. The story begins with a cheerful mood. It is summertime in a small town of 300 people. Every character comes off as friendly and full of positive energy. Jackson sets the scene for a beautiful day by describing growing flowers and beautiful grass. The reader is reeled into a peaceful mood and becomes comfortable in knowing this is peaceful story. The only confusion in the beginning is when the children are gathering stones and making piles of them. The reader may indicate the children will be throwing the stones, yet in a childlike playful manner and no violent premonitions can be made due to the peaceful setting counteracting and overpowering any violent thoughts. The interaction between characters is 100% friendliness. The story informs us that everybody in town is gathering at the town square, which is located between a post office and a bank. At first this means nothing extraordinary until you realize that no other buildings are mentioned. No courts or police stations, which are usually found in a towns square, are mentioned. No mentions of authority whatsoever except for Mr. Summers, who runs the yearly lottery. It is also interesting how we are informed that he runs a Halloween program, which is known for trickery, yet no other holidays are mentioned. The mood of the story seems to take a turn when we learn about the villagers reaction to the black box that holds the lottery slips. They seem to be  nervous around the box. Once the winner was found, we notice his reaction is not a good one. Then we read on to find that the villagers will throw stones at the winner until they kill him. This is done so casually that it creates an eerie feeling as we read how the villagers surround the victim and prepare to kill him. The story ends there. The Lottery is definitely an interesting tale by Shirley Jackson. But what is she implying by this story? Surely she didnt write this ending because she felt it was cool. There is a not so obvious message we must analyze. My conclusion leads me to believe that this is a story about tradition. The villagers follow tradition without even knowing why the tradition exists. In the story, Old Man Warner states, Theres always been a lottery he said petulantly. In this statement, the reader sees the most ignorant of all excuses for doing anything. This, however, seems normal for the community. The reader then discovers That much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded, Mr. Summers had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used for generations.' While reading, the reader starts to understand the lottery tradition from which many rules and regulations disappeared for convenience reasons. This leads the reader to believe that the villagers do not truly understand the origins of the lottery. Mrs. Jackson states The people had done the lottery so many times that they only half listed to the directions?' In this passage, the reader learns through the nonchalant ness of the villagers actions that an important event does not gander much attention. They kill the victim simply because its tradition. To put it simply, the author is trying to say that you shouldnt do things simply because others have done them. There may be a better way of doing things. I think she is implying that traditions found across the globe may be foolish at times and people should think logically and not do things simply because they were born doing it, like the baby who is handed stones, yet to make sense out of things, and discard those which do not make much sense. This is a strong message in todays society where tradition may cause destruction and hate amongst human beings. I could be wrong, but if I am correct, those who read should learn a powerful lesson and take a look at  their beliefs and make the right change.

Briefly Describe The Term Operation Management Information Technology Essay

Briefly Describe The Term Operation Management Information Technology Essay Chapter 1: 1. Briefly describe the term operation management. The observation operations management relates to the management of methods or processes that produce goods or provide services. These procedures require planning, coordination, and execution of all actions that produce goods and services. It is also been described as the maintenance, control, and improvement of organizational activities that are required to produce goods or services for consumers. For the most part, Operation management has traditionally been associated with manufacturing activities; however, it can also be applied to the service sector. The measurement and evaluation of operations are usually undertaken through a process of business appraisal. Efficiency and effectiveness may be monitored by the application of ISO 9001 quality systems, or total quality management techniques (William, 2009, p. 4). 2. Identify the three major functional areas of business organizations and briefly describe how they interrelate. The three primary functions are operations, finance, and marketing. Operations are concerned with the creation of goods and services. This is done by making best use of the businesss staff, machinery, building and raw materials. Marketing is concerned with promoting and/or selling goods or services. They do this by maximize the level of sales by carrying out market research and promoting the goods or service through a motivated sales team. Finance is concerned with the provision of funds necessary for operation, have the task of producing the goods or service in the most efficient way. They do this by keeping a record of all money coming in and going out of the business. Last, they have responsibility for securing finances for future expansion and paying staff and suppliers (William, 2009, p. 4). 11. Why might some workers prefer not to work in a lean production environment? For the most part, workers do not like to work in a lean production environment because there are fewer opportunities for an employee to advancement within the company. Pursuant to a leaner production line, more workers become stress due to higher levels of responsibility. This is a result of fewer managers. Moreover, Workers also experiences larger variability and expansion of job requirements. This is where a worker is required to do more with less. Such cases of companies within the American auto industry have become lean to reduce cost and waste. Last, such cuts backs have allow the U.S. auto industry a second chance to be more competitive with other companies (William, 2009, p. 29). Chapter 2 6. Contrast the terms strategies and tactics. Strategy is the fundamental approach used by a company to attain its goal where tactics are the actions taken to accomplish strategies to carry out operations. The importance of strategies cannot be overemphasized an organizations strategies have a great impact on what the organization does to achieve its organizational goals. Strategies can be long-term, intermediate, or short term. In order to be effective, strategies ought to be designed to support the organizations mission and its goals. In contrast, tactics are the methods and actions used to accomplish strategies. They are more specific than strategies, and they provide guidance and direction for carrying out operations, high need detailed plans and decision making in an organization. Last, most consider tactics as the how to part of the process and operations as the execution part of the process (William, 2009, p. 43). 8. Explain the term time based strategies and give three examples. Time-based strategies are approaches that focus on lowering the time required to conduct the different activities in a procedure. The logic is that by curtailing the time, costs are generally smaller, productivity is larger, quality is improved, new products appear on the marketplace much earlier, and customer service is enhanced. Last, organizations have achieved time reduction in some of the following: Planning time: The time needed to react to a competitive threat, to develop strategies and select tactics, to approve proposed changes to facilities, to adopt new technologies, and so on. Product/service design time: The time needed to develop and market new or redesigned products or services. Processing time: The time needed to produce goods or provide services. This can involve scheduling, repairing equipment, methods used, inventories, quality, training, and the like. Changeover time: The time needed to change from producing one type of product or service to another. This may involve new equipment settings and attachments, different methods, equipment, schedules, or materials. Delivery time: The time needed to fill orders. Response time for complaints: These might be customer complaints about the quality, timing of deliveries, and incorrect shipments. These might also be complaints from employees about working conditions (e.g., safety, lighting, heat or cold), equipment problems, or quality problems (William, 2009, p. 51). 10. List some factors that can affect productivity and some ways that productivity can be improved. The factors that can affect productivity are methods, capital, quality, technology, and management. The various ways productivity can be improved. For instance, since, productivity measures all operations it helps to eliminate bottlenecks. Another improvement would be to solicit new ideas from workers that reduce unnecessary waste. Sometimes the formation of work teams helps a firm to be organized with their activities. A further improvement is the study other firms. From this, a firm can reexamine its work methods where it cans reestablishment new goals for improvement. Other features also include support from management, rewards, and publicize improvements, and lastly, it is significant not to confuse productivity with efficiency because productivity to an organization as a theory is concededly broader than efficiency (William, 2009, p. 59). William, S. J. (2009). Operations Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. page 35-36. Chapter 2: 6, 8,and 10,   page 61. These are due by Monday in the Discussion Board. Please have your responses to the questions submitted to the Discussion Board by DAY 5 Monday. This will give everyone the opportunity to discuss them before the end of Seminar 1. 2. Chapter 2 Case Study Paper Read the Case Study Home Style Cookies, found in Chapter 2, page 64-65. 2. What are two ways that the company has increased productive qty? Why did increasing the length of the ovens result in a faster output rate? The use of automation in the mixing process resulted in a reduction in waste; cookies are cut on a diagonal; and the company recently increased the length of its ovens (i.e., more cookies can be baked at the same time). 3. Do you think that the company is making the right decision by not automating the packing of cookies? Explain your reasoning. What obligation does a company have to its employees in a situation such as this? What obligation does it have to the community? Is the size of the town a factor? Would it make a difference if the company was located in a large city? Is the size of the company a factor? What if it was a much larger company? All companies have a moral obligation to their employees. Small companies with local owners, particularly in a small community, are more likely to be influenced by such considerations than large companies, in large communities, even with local owners, and even less likely to be influenced if owners are distant, or uninvolved in operations. The issue is a difficult one, often without easy solutions. Cost and efficiency may favor layoffs, but ill will and the effects on morale of employees that remain are important considerations. 6. What advantages and what limitations stem from the companys not using preservatives in cookies? By not using preservatives, the product probably appeals to health-conscious buyers, and there are fewer ingredients to purchase, store, and mix, but without preservatives, the shelf life is limited. 7. Briefly describe the companys strategy. The companys strategy is to provide a high quality (good food) cookie that appeal to a particular market niche. Then, respond to questions 2, 3, 6, and 7. Be sure to answer each of the questions posed (even if there are questions within questions).   Please send this  case study  via  the Assignments Link.   This assignment is due on Day 6 Tuesday. 3. Weekly Summary Please submit your Weekly Lessons Learned via the Assignments Link. Due no sooner than Tuesday and no later than Wednesday. NOTE:  ALL Weekly Lessons Learned (Weekly Summary) for Weeks 1 -6 must adhere to the following: Summarize what you have learned from the text reading, class discussions, assignments, etc.  You can even include (in addition to the aforementioned) how what you have learned each week has or can help you professionally.  Therefore, it should not be merely a listing of topics covered each week in your textbook.  Also, this assignment should be a minimum of 200 words. PARTICIPATION: Please submit at least 2 meaningful comments per day to the discussion board (for at least 5 of the 7 days of the week) to receive full participation points. ItemWeek 1 Discussion Questions Discussion Questions: Please respond to the Discussion Questions: Chapter 1: 1, 2, and 11, page 35-36. Chapter 2: 6, 8,and 10,   page 61. These are due by Monday in the Discussion Board. Please have your responses to the questions submitted to the Discussion Board by DAY 5 Monday. This will give everyone the opportunity to discuss them before the end of Seminar 1. >> View/Complete Assignment: Week 1 Discussion Questions ItemWeek 1 Case Study Paper Chapter 2 Case Study Read the Case Study Home Style Cookies, found in Chapter 2, page 64-65. Then, respond to questions 2, 3, 6, and 7. Be sure to answer each of the questions posed (even if there are questions within questions).   Please send this  case study  via  the Assignments Link.   This assignment is due on Day 6 Tuesday. >> View/Complete Assignment: Week 1 Case Study Paper ItemWeek 1 Lessons Learned Weekly Summary Please submit your Weekly Lessons Learned via the Assignments Link. Due no sooner than Tuesday and no later than Wednesday. >> View/Complete Assignment: Week 1 Lessons Learned ItemWeek 1 Particiption Please do not post anything here.   I will post your points earned for participation this week.   Please refer to the course Syllabus for information on how participation points are earned.

Accounting :: essays research papers

Preface Financial statements are prepared and presented for external users by many enterprises around the world. Although such financial statements may appear similar from country to country, there are differences which have probably been caused by a variety of social, economic and legal circumstances and by different countries having in mind the needs of different users of financial statements when setting national requirements. These different circumstances have led to the use of a variety of definitions of the elements of financial statements; that is, for example, assets, liabilities, equity, income and expenses. They have also resulted in the use of different criteria for the recognition of items in the financial statements and in a preference for different bases of measurement. The scope of the financial statements and the disclosures made in them have also been affected. The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) is committed to narrowing these differences by seeking to harmonise regulations, accounting standards and procedures relating to the preparation and presentation of financial statements. It believes that further harmonisation can best be pursued by focusing on financial statements that are prepared for the purpose of providing information that is useful in making economic decisions. The Board of IASC believes that financial statements prepared for this purpose meet the common needs of most users. This is because nearly all users are making economic decisions, for example, to: (a) decide when to buy, hold or sell an equity investment; (b) assess the stewardship or accountability of management; (c) assess the ability of the enterprise to pay and provide other benefits to its employees; (d) assess the security for amounts lent to the enterprise; (e) determine taxation policies; (f) determine distributable profits and dividends; (g) prepare and use national income statistics; or (h) regulate the activities of enterprises. The Board recognises, however, that governments, in particular, may specify different or additional requirements for their own purposes. These requirements should not, however, affect financial statements published for the benefit of other users unless they also meet the needs of those other users. Financial statements are most commonly prepared in accordance with an accounting model based on recoverable historical cost and the nominal financial capital maintenance concept. Other models and concepts may be more appropriate in order to meet the objective of providing information that is useful for making economic decisions although there is presently no consensus for change. This Framework has been developed so that it is applicable to a range of accounting models and concepts of capital and capital maintenance.