AMA2.2ETHDB Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AMA2.2ETHDB - Article Example A physician has the responsibility of explaining to the patient the benefits, risks, and alternatives so as to enable the patient to make informed decisions or give informed consent. The nurse has the duty of acting as the patient’s advocate and playing a key role in getting patients consider the consequences or alternatives of refusing or accepting care (Weingart et al 2009). The nurse ought to document all efforts to give the patient the necessary information to decide to accept or refuse care. Documentation, thus, ought to be objective including information such as the date, time, who spoke with the patient, the content of what the information that the patient was given, the comments that the patient made, and the final disposition. Documentation of details such as telephone numbers, names, and referrals made by the nurse should be given to the patient on discharge with a listing or description of any instructions given verbally or preprinted forms (Pennycook et al 2011). P roper documentation would be done in the body of the chart of the patient. Other elements to be documented would be their capacity for decision-making, the decision of the patient, the risks that were revealed, the patient’s understanding of the risks, and the signatures of both the physician and the patient. It is advisable to use a comprehensive AMA form to increase proper documentation. Emergency physicians ought to do an assessment of the AMA form to ensure that it is adequate, and in cases where a patient declines to sign the AMA form, the physician is expected to read it aloud, keep a documentation of refusal to sign including the fact that the patient was made aware of the risks of leaving (Schaefer, 2012). With the prevalence of against medical advice medical discharges and the severe problems that they present, physicians of emergency departments always make attempts to prevent patients from leaving against medical advice, but when it is unavoidable, three requiremen ts are normally expected to be met so that the AMA process can grant optimal legal protection; the patient should be considered to have the capacity to refuse care, a disclosure of all potential risks to the patient, and the against medical advice consent be documented properly in the chart (Brown, 2012). Since the law dictates the patient’s right to refusal of medical care, and since treatment without consent could be considered battery, at the point where a patient signs out AMA, they are exercising this right of refusing medical care. Should it be determined that the patient is incapable of making the decision, then it will be unethical and illegal for the physician to allow a discharge that could lead to imperiling the life and health of the patient. In as much as a patient has the legal right to refuse medical care, the exercising of this right is solely dependent of the patient’s capacity of decision-making. A formal assessment would normally be done on the patie nt to determine their decision-making capacity (Brown, 2012). The ethical obligation of disclosure of all risks associated with the patient’s leaving AMA is a secondary tool and requirement for risk management. It is also worth-noting that the appearance of the patient’s signature on the AMA form does not necessarily give a

Managing Professional Intellect Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing Professional Intellect - Case Study Example The case study "Managing Professional Intellect" discusses what is the professional intellect and how can the organization develop and in what ways can we leverage this professional intellect since a number of leaders and managers in most organizations have created systematic answers to questions concerning professional intellect. Accor group of hotels (China) is one of the major hotel groups in the world. It commands an economy which is constantly growing in most parts of the country. Ibis Hangzhou in Shanghai China is one of the leading hotels of the group. This hotel group offered a good environment for the study of the manner in which information is exchanged between the workers, administration and their customers. It also provides a good opportunity for one to learn the nature of questions asked as well as the kind of knowledge which is shared around. The major reason for selecting this hotel is because it is in the service industry where there is a lot of exchange of information exchanged between customers and stuff workers because of the nature of the services offered. The stuff has to communicate and handle the customers who choose to use their services thus there is need of using information and employ the necessary knowledge to deal with every situation. The hotel was also selected because of the hos pitality it offered for one who is willing to conduct any study there. It offered a good environment for one to make enough direct observations of the required information. 1.20 Study of the Knowledge shared and information exchanged in the Hotel. The Study would cover observation the manner in which the stuff workers of the hotel interact with each other and their customers, the way they approach the customers and the manner in which they approach and respond to each other and the administration. It would also study the manner in which Ibis Hangzhou hotel as an organization share and manage the knowledge they have and the kind of questions asked by the workers to clients as well as the questions asked by the administration to the workers. The aim of this would be to investigate the kind of knowledge and information employed in the hotel environment, how this information and knowledge is managed and how it assists the organization generally. The study would be carried out by participating in the hotels daily operation for a whole day. This would involve interacting directly with the customers and the employees while making direct observation and recording of their behavioral reactions to different individuals. There would also be interview of certain customers and workers within the organization to find their perception of the kind of services hence information provided within the organization. The way every information or question was asked and responded was keenly noted as well as the manner in which the customers were treated was also noted. This was necessary it would enable the researcher in evaluating the kind of information and knowledge is available within the organi

Climate Change Effects On Water Resources Environmental Sciences Essay

Climate Change Effects On Water Resources Environmental Sciences Essay The last two decades climate change is increasing due to the change of human activity such as cars, planes, factorys and other sources we use that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Because of these human causes the earth is heating up. One effect that climate change has is the effect the change will have upon human water freshwater resources. I believe that climate change will have an effect on human water resources because of the close connections with the hydrological cycle, the raising temperature will increase in floods and droughts that will lead to the demand on more freshwater resources. Climate change has close connections with the hydrological cycle. The hydrological cycle is located in the earths hydrosphere this is the area in around earth which holds all the water. The water is moved around the earths hydrosphere in a cycle. The hydrological cycle is moved in five different steps evaporation, precipitation, condensation, runoff, collection and infiltration. The as you can see in Figure 1 the hydrologival cycle all starts of with evaporation this is the change of liquid water to water vapour. The next step is condensation this is the process of changing water vapour, from a liquid and then to form clouds as you can see from the clouds in figure 1. This process can be notice for example when you look out for dew on the ground in the morning. As the clouds you see in the sky move around earth spreading the water vapour from place to place. The clouds become over loaded with moisture so they have to release the overloaded moisture. They release the moisture by a pr ocess called by precipitation which is usually rain, hail or snow. Infiltration occurs they when all the precipitations lay on the ground. If there is to much precipitation on the ground this becomes runoff. Runoff stays on the earth ground and runs into streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. So when the precipitation run into the these streams, rivers, lakes and oceans this process is called collection. As infiltration, runoff and collection are being processed, the sun is causing a the cycle to return back to the begaining of the cycle to the process called evaporation.Sunlight heats up the liquid in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. The warm air rises upwards into the atmosphere and becomes the vapour involved in condensation. Without this process life on earth would be impossible. Freshwater that we use in or day to day lifes usually comes from Aquifer, Streams, Rivers, Lakes. Aquifer are constructed when rocks of the upper part of the earths crust contain holes or pores. Theses holes are big or joined together so that water can flow through them easily. This is a part of rock that is easy for water to pass through known as permeable. Streams usually get most of its water from runoff, rain and melting snow. A stream is formed when the rain and melting snow met at the same place and get into a line of channel. Streams usely flows into lakes, rivers, aquifer and seas. Rivers are a natural stream of freshwater resource. Water within the river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge, springs and the release of stored water in ice and melting glaciers. Lakes are usually filled with deep freshwater or salt water. Lakes are inland usly on mountains areas and are not part of the Ocean. They are filled by rivers or streams that connect to them. Some Lakes can be man made and are constructed for industrial or agricultur al use and even for hydro- electric power or domestic water supply. Water is one of the most importent inputs the human body needs for us humans to cope with everyday life . We need it for so many things e.g. health, growing food, irrigation, industry. Despite the importance of Freshwater Resources decreasing, we are beginning to take the freshwater resources for granted. Most of the freshwater we use is wasted and polluted. Because the hydrological cycle temperature is rising it will lead to a change in the horological cycle, This will have an impact on the weather. The dry seasons will become alot more dryer and the wet seasons will become alot more wetter. Leaving us with more floods and droughts. This change will therefore will impart the availability and quality of water. Some of the countries on this earth already have a hard enouch time getting water because of increaseing industrial pollution and population growth. Climate change just adds to the problem to the quality of water, which in some parts of the world the reduce rainfall and rising temperatures decrease the freshwater. By the year 2025 most of humans living in countries with poor water quality levels will increase from approximately 34 percent (in 1995) to 63 percent.R K Pachauri (2005) The change in accessing water stressed areas will have a potential conflict. As there will be a pressured demand on freshwater because of household, agricultural and industrial uses. These conflicts will occur in water stressed areas fighting against areas of natural springs and rivers as well as this it will lead to conflict on boundary areas for example the region of Northern Kenya and the Samburu is having to cope with the changing patterns of rainfall and dry periods which with other pressures on the natural resources are leading to increasing conflict among tribal groups over access to scarce water.Smith (2006) 2 Discussion Most of the earth has 70% of ocean. While just 30% of the earth is land. Around 84% of the worlds population is living on dry land. Humans are trying to fix this by reconstruction the hydrological cycle system by building dams and creating waste water treatment plants etc. These elements will provide water for agriculture, household, Industrial, environmental and other uses. But these changes will also lead to some defects in years to come. India is one of the most effected by climate change. The snow ice caps of the Himalayas is experienceing less snow because of snow melt. The glaciers is melting and there is signs of increase flooding. The increasing rising temperatures is starting to dry up the rivers. The Himalayas holds the largest amount ice on the earth. Researchers have figure out that there is a strong combination between snow and the temperature. In recent years the Himalayas have experienced warm periods in the years between 1960- 1990, causing a reduction in snow fall. Glaciers has been watched by researchers in the the past years. The United Nations climate report predicts by 2035 some Himalayan glaciers will disappear with the rising temperatures. Because of the glaciers melting the melting ice will run off into rivers such as the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and some tributaries coming from the Himalayan ice field. This will cause flooding to riverside cites e.g. Varanasi, Kanpur and Patna. These citys have a population of millions and have already experience floods during high monsoon season and it will be ongoing. Flooding will also cause interruption for the farming areas in northern parts of India and cause damage to the roads and rail way line. The dams such as the dams in Kosi ans Sutlej could over flow causing more destruction to cornfields and settlements. When the point of no ice is reached by 2035 the ice melting will have either stopped because of a solution to climate change or be dried up because of the continued temperature rising. If the ice does start to minimise the river will become weaker and dryer during the monsoon mouths and summer. As the earths temperatures rises from about 14 degrees C based in 2000 to a estimated 19 degrees C in 2100 the following effects will be cause by the increase; Agricultural, Household, Industrial, Environmental and health sea levels will rise to an estimated 3.9 in to estimated 35 by 2100. Some parts of the coastal cites around India e.g. Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and other parts of the world will be underwater. Even most of the island around India will be covered in water. The island of Lohachara is the first island in the world to be covered in water due to climate change. The island is located on the southern edge of the Ganges delta in the bay of Bengal. Its 10,000 residents became the first refugees created because of climate change. There is a group of 27 island called Lakhadweep around the Arabian sea off the coast of south Indian state Kraal. They have a population of about 61,000 people living on them. The low lying islands are in huge danger of being covered in water as well. India is one of the world biggest countrys that effects the greenhouse effect. With the increased temperatures they will create a increase in precipitation. Rising the process of evaporation resulting from warmer sea temperatures in the Indian ocean and Arabian Sea will increase that destroy process around the west Indian Rajasthan Desert As well as the water resources being shorten because of climate change there is also another problem and that is that usually boundary countries sometime share the same water resource. There is some indentation that there has been conflict over freshwater shared by two or more countries. Freshwater is very important to all the worlds Humans activity, including the Agricultural, Household, Industrial and Environmental. But bad management and the impact of climate change can lead to tensions between different countries. For some years the counties such as India and Bangladesh have encountered conflict on river resources. It all started In 1993 when India and Bangladesh came under pressure when the Ganges River started to reach its record lows. Because the water level was low it affected Bangladesh agricultural and killed most of its crops. In October 1995, The Prime Minister of Bangladesh addressed the United Nations(UN) .The prime minister called India ¿Ã‚ ½s share of river water resources  ¿Ã‚ ½a gross violation of human rights and justice. ¿Ã‚ ½ India ¿Ã‚ ½s establishment of the Farrakka Barrage which is a barrage built near the border of Bangladesh. The barrage was build was to separate water for the Calcutta port. But Bangladesh says that because of this separation it has resulted in falling water tables and greater water resources for Bangladesh. India has a different view of the issue. Indian leaders says that Bangladesh was wrong in describing this issue. Bangladesh has asked India for a  ¿Ã‚ ½minimum guarantee ¿Ã‚ ½ agreement which will give Bangladesh a minimum flow of water. In 1996 India and Bangladesh agreed in the agreement then the  ¿Ã‚ ½Treaty on the Sharing of the Waters of the Gang ¿Ã‚ ½ was signed. Some political leader were unhappy about the agreement. But it was accepted my most political leaders. Since the treaty Bangladesh continues to have a number of problems. Some of the agreements that was agreed in the treaty have not been met. How are we going to fix this problem is the question we need to ask ourselfs I can see from my research that some efforts are being made to improve management in freshwater resources. Different organiseions have been developed to help the mather of climate change for example, the United Nation(UN) have organised the first water conference to take place in 1977 and developed an action plan to take action on the improved management and development of water resources and the UN designated 2003 as the international year of freshwater resources. The mission of the organision is to increase awareness of the importance of freshwater use, management and protection, provide an opportunity to change the implementation of the principles of integrated water resources management, use the year as a platform for promoting existing activity and spearheading new initiatives in water resources at the international, regional and national levels, and Launch the world water development report at the thir d world water forum in Kyoto. The World Summit on Sustainable Development(WSSD) 2002 has emphasised on the development of an integrated water resources management and water efficiency plan.DEVELOPMENT (2003). Global Water Partnership(GWP) Is a network of agencies and intuitions to promote  ¿Ã‚ ½integrated water resource management ¿Ã‚ ½ in developing countries. It facilitates the exchange of knowledge, experience and practise related to water resources management.Partnerships (2010). World Water Council(WWC) is an international think-tank for water issues. It objective is to  ¿Ã‚ ½increase advocacy for improved water resources management ¿Ã‚ ½. WWC has been organising the World Water Forum(WWF) bi-annually. The 3rd Forum was held in Japan in march 2003.Council (2010). European Water Association Act as a focal point for the exchange of information related to water and water activities.Association (2010) 3 Conclusion I can conclude that because of climate change and the hydrological cycle it is having a slight long term effect on human water resources. I can see that it has close connections with the hydrological cycle. Because of this it will increases flooding, create dry lands and encounter conflict within countries. More acceleration to the hydrological cycle may result in more severe weather and extreme conditions.Anne E. Egger (2003) If we dont address this issue there will be further more problems in the future and lead to even more droughts and flooding. According to the Comprehensive Assessment Of Water Manage in Agriculture, one in three people are already facing water shortages(2007). Almost one-fifth of the world ¿Ã‚ ½s population, live in areas of physical scarcity. Climate change has a close connection between hydrological cycle. Rising temperatures will increase the changing liquid to vapour and lead to the increases in rainfall and snowfall. Because of this the overall supply of freshwater resources will increase, Droughts and floods will happen more frequently and changes in snowfall and snow melt are expected in mountainous areas more frequently. Reading about climate change has made me release that we take our freshwater for granted and dont think about what will happen if we lose the freshwater. Will we have to introduce water charges maintain better water systems.

Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaires

Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaire's Candide    In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century.   Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism.   Religious leaders are the targets of satire throughout Candide. Voltaire portrays the religious clergy as men who use their positions to further their own causes. In addition, the priests keep the less fortunate oppressed, so the clergy members can continue to enjoy extravagant luxuries. Candide discovers the young Baron, whom he thought to be dead, living among the Jesuit Priests of Paraguay. Assuming the native people must be thriving under the protection of these religious/military leaders, Candide believes this to be a most pleasant place to live. However, he soon discovers that the religious leaders are pilfering the resources of the natives. The young Baron is found eating from golden bowls while the native people live in poverty with very little food. Th... Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaire's Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaire's Candide    In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century.   Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism.   Religious leaders are the targets of satire throughout Candide. Voltaire portrays the religious clergy as men who use their positions to further their own causes. In addition, the priests keep the less fortunate oppressed, so the clergy members can continue to enjoy extravagant luxuries. Candide discovers the young Baron, whom he thought to be dead, living among the Jesuit Priests of Paraguay. Assuming the native people must be thriving under the protection of these religious/military leaders, Candide believes this to be a most pleasant place to live. However, he soon discovers that the religious leaders are pilfering the resources of the natives. The young Baron is found eating from golden bowls while the native people live in poverty with very little food. Th...

Flannery O’Connors’s short story Essay

I believe the main theme in Flannery O’Connors’s short story, † Good Country People† is approval; everyone wants to believe that they are beautiful and we seek approval from both our parents and friends. In this short story a girl, Joy, longs for her mothers approval. After she is unable to get her mothers approval Joy starts believing that she is unworthy of anyone’s admiration. Joy is thirty-two years of age and has a wooden leg, which makes it even harder for her to be socially accepted. Joy’s wooden leg represents the on going theme of approval in O’Connor’s story. Joy changes her name to Hulga which Mrs.Hopewell feels is one of the ugliest names she could have chosen. This could be interpreted as a representation of how Joy â€Å"Hulga† feels about herself. I do not want to say that I do not have any beliefs, honestly I don’t know what it is that I believe in. To me this story depicts the real meaning of life and how you can be happy with your own self, disability or not. By changing her name to Hulga I believe that Joy not only accepts herself but realizes that not everyone is meant to be made perfectly. Hulga’s main accomplishment is her education, a Ph. D in Philosophy. Joy’s mother, Mrs. Hopewell did not like the fact that her daughter had gotten a Ph. D in Philosophy. † My daughter is a schoolteacher, or even my daughter is a chemical engineer. You cant say, my daughter, the philosopher. That was something that had ended with the Greeks and Romans,† (O’Conner, 276). Hulga’s mother was never really accepting of her daughters choices. Another main character in this short story is, Manley Pointer. I could consider his role in this story to be very ironic. He goes around selling bibles to so called â€Å"non-believers† but can never leave without stealing something. This character is a very smooth talking and can almost always out talk his way out of any tight or difficult situation. Ultimately, the deception of portrayal and deceiving has been seen to symbolize the devil. Pointer starts his deceiving by coming off as to good to be true and overly friendly; all in all a true christian. † I hope you don’t think,† he said in a lofty indignant tone, ‘that I believe in that crap! I may sell bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going,† (O’Connor, 290). Manley finally comes clean to Hulga and admits that he is not really who he says he is and that he is not a christian. Manly had beaten the Hulga, a woman who believed that he was such an innocent man and not much else, began to believe in the man he was and who they could be together. Hulga had â€Å"decided that for the first time in her life she was face to face with real innocence†. (289) This short story has opened my eyes, in the simple fact that the characters are so symbolic. Each one representing faith in their own way. From their names such as, Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman to Hulga’s symbolic wooden leg. We discussed in class the importance of the characters names such as: Mrs. Freeman, free; Mrs. Hopewell, hope; Joy Hopewell, joy; Manly Pointer; man. Each name or figure represents some sort of theme; which makes this short story much more ironic. O’Connors depiction of this story is both comical and very meaningful in many different ways. Mrs. Freeman is comical at the beginning of the story when her facial expressions are described as never being wrong and when she is, it is evident â€Å"her face comes to a complete stop†. (271) Mrs. Hopewell considers herself to be a good person, with each character she sees the good and focuses on that. The reason behind this may be a way of comfort to just see the good, and ignore the bad in people. Joy uses her education as a way of having wisdom and avoiding a belief in any type of religion. Manly is a symbol of deception and control, he takes every situation and manipulates it to his advantage. The characters in this short story portray many people that I associate with in real life. From Mrs. Hopewell who always sees the good things in everybody and does whatever she can to help people out. And Manly, who is like almost every male in this world; in it only for the benefit of himself and in the end hes only going to do something if it benefits him in the end. Then there is Hulga, who is very conscious of the people around her and she also lacks confidence. She lives a very timid life and is afraid to live her own life, shes to worried about what someone is going to say to her. This short story is a very good deception of everyday life and challenges that people are faced with daily. It also contains many different symbols and opened my eyes to the meaning of faith.

Cosmetics and Products

AVON -STUDY CASE- Analiza contextului global al afacerilor prin prisma factorilor de impact asupra industriei cosmeticelor The cosmetic industry is one of which products tend to be countercyclical. Demand for such products normally remains constant and unaffected by economic distress. The color cosmetics are predicted to see a slowdown in volume demand. A growing trend in the cosmetic industry is the introduction of ‘green’ products. More than one in seven (16%) of global beauty products launched in 2008 were certified organic, ethical or natural.There are concerns that the global economic climate will stifle new product development, innovation and sustainability programs in 2009. An economic slowdown usually curbs companies from investing in research and development and it is that research that has brought forth a wealth of green cosmetics. For example, retailers such as Wal-Mart are increasingly requiring more ecofriendly supply chain. There are forecasts that consumer s are unlikely to give up their commitments to organic products just to save a few pennies. 8% of consumers will remain loyal to a company that has a social and environmental commitment. Many consumers are now ‘voting with dollars’ for organic products and supporting brands that support values similar to their own. Economic factors mainly affect the purchasing power of customers. The more customer demand for the product the more profit to the organization, at the same time if there is no customers demand it’s going to affect the organization in a negative manner.So economic factors are very important external factors and affect the cosmetic industry. Economic factors include: Unemployment rate, Economic growth rate, Interest rate. Other factors that influence the cosmetic industry are the government and legal basis. Also for AVON some of the risk factors are: Success depends on our ability to execute fully our global business strategy, May experience financial an d strategic difficulties and delays or unexpected osts in completing our multi-year restructuring programs or long-range business review, including achieving any anticipated savings and benefits of the initiatives thereunder, The key personnel, The business is conducted worldwide primarily in one channel, direct selling, The taxes, political issues, legal and regulatory risks are also to be taken intoconsideration on international markets, May be subjects to financial risks related to their international operators, including exposure to foreign currency fluctuations, Competition,A general economic downturn, a recession globally or sudden disruption in business conditions, A disruption of a key information technology system, process or site could adversely affect their operations, The ability to anticipate and respond to market trends and changes in consumer preferences, Government reviews, inquiries, investigations, and actions could harm our business or reputation, Protection the i ntellectual property rights, specifically patents and trademarks, Involvement in future, in the legal proceedings. Analiza mediului ramurii Avon Production considers its two closest competitors to be Mary Kay and Revlon.Avon is nearly 8 times larger than Revlon. In terms of channel of distribution, Mary Kay most closely resembles Avon because both use a direct marketing approach. Revlon in contrast sells its products through cosmetic counters in department stores and pharmacies. Avon has 42000 employees worldwide and Mary Kay has 5000 and Revlon has 5600. The large difference in company representatives is attributable to the necessity of employing more people to sell directly to customers than selling products through a storefront. The revenues of Avon also far exceed those of its closest competitors, with Mary Kay selling $2. 0 billion and Revlon selling $1. 35 billion in 2008 as compared to Avon’s $10. 37 billion. [pic] We face competition from competing products in each of our lines of business, in both the domestic and international markets. Worldwide, we compete against products sold to consumers by other direct-selling and direct-sales companies and through the Internet, and against products sold through the mass market and prestige retail channels. We also face increasing competition in our developing and emerging markets. Within the direct selling channel, we compete on a regional and often country-by-country basis, with our direct-selling competitors.There are also a number of direct-selling companies that sell product lines similar to ours, some of which also have worldwide operations and compete with us globally. Unlike most other beauty companies, we compete within a distinct business model where providing a compelling earnings opportunity for our Representatives is as critical as developing and marketing new and innovative products. Therefore, in contrast to a typical consumer packaged goods (â€Å"CPG†) company which operates within a broad-based consumer pool, we must first compete for a limited pool of Representatives before we reach the ultimate consumer.Direct sellers compete for representative or entrepreneurial talent by providing a more competitive earnings opportunity or â€Å"better deal† than that offered by the competition. Representatives are attracted to a direct seller by competitive earnings opportunities, often through what are commonly known as â€Å"field incentives† in the direct selling industry. Competitors devote substantial effort to finding out the effectiveness of such incentives so that they can invest in incentives that are the most cost effective or produce the better payback.As the largest and oldest beauty direct seller, Avon’s business model and strategies are often highly sought after, particularly by smaller local and more nimble competitors who seek to capitalize on our investment and experience. As a result, we are subject to significant competition for t he recruitment of Representatives from other direct selling or network marketing organizations. It is therefore continually necessary to innovate and enhance our direct selling and service model as well as to recruit and retain new Representatives.If we are unable to do so our business will be adversely affected. Within the broader CPG industry, we compete against large and well-known cosmetics and fragrances companies that manufacture and sell broad product lines through various types of retail establishments. In addition, we compete against many other companies that manufacture and sell in more narrow Beauty product lines sold through retail establishments. This industry is highly competitive, and some of our principal competitors in the CPG industry are larger than we are and have greater resources than we do.Competitive activities on their part could cause our sales to suffer. We have many competitors in the highly competitive gift and decorative products and apparel industries globally, including retail establishments, principally department stores, gift shops and specialty retailers, and direct-mail companies specializing in these products. Our principal competition in the highly competitive fashion jewelry industry consists of a few large companies and many small companies that sell fashion jewelry through retail establishments.The number of competitors and degree of competition that we face in this beauty and related products industry varies widely from country to country. If our advertising, promotional, merchandising or other marketing strategies are not successful, if we are unable to deliver new products that represent technological breakthroughs, if we do not successfully manage the timing of new product introductions or the profitability of these efforts, or if for other reasons our Representatives or end customers perceive competitors’ products as having greater appeal, then our sales and financial results may suffer.Global cosmetic and t oiletries market is witnessing significant growth in terms of sales and technological advancements over the past few years because of increasing consumer awareness towards personal hygiene and health. Growing concerns regarding skin care is particularly fueling the robust growth across all market segments and geographies. Increasing demand for organic and natural cosmetic and toiletries products is creating new growth opportunities in this field which is encouraging the emergence of new market players in this arena.One of the major reasons behind the considerable growth of global cosmetic and toiletries industry is the shifting of production units to cost effective Asian economies like India and China. Emergence of new distribution channels like online retailing is driving the growth of this market. Increasing consumer preferences towards the use of herbal and natural cosmetic products is forcing the cosmetic and toiletries manufacturers to change and adapt strategies according to c onsumer preferences.Worldwide market for cosmetics and toiletries products was severely affected by economic downturn, but with the global economy recovering, this market is projected to witness a significant growth and reach the value of USD 19. 2 billion by the year 2015. However, difficulty in obtaining credit and weakening consumer confidence are affecting consumer spending on cosmetics which is one of the major challenges faced by this industry. Presence of large domestic markets is helping emerging economies to recover from deepening economic crisis.Cosmetics and toiletries market is still in its embryonic stage and holds strong growth potential in near future. Consumption of cosmetic and toiletries products is no more limited to female population alone. Male grooming products are emerging as an important segment of this market. Skin care products, hair care products, face cleansers, and premium shaving products are important offerings for male grooming products market. The US and Europe is the largest market for sun care and skin care products. Products with natural and organic ingredients are in increasing demand in European and North American markets despite of high cost.Major reason behind this increased demand of organic products is better health benefits offered by these products. Rising environmental concerns, carcinogenic nature of synthetic cosmetic ingredients, and increasing awareness about sustaining resources are some of the major factors propelling the growth of organic and natural ingredients in cosmetic industry. Worldwide market for cosmetics and toiletries is categorized into skin care, hair care, fragrances, make-up, oral care, baby care, bath and shower, deodorants, color cosmetics, men’s grooming, sun care, and others.For the environmental analysis, it should be taken into consideration the five forces of Porter: 1 Threat of new entry This factor analyzes the ease with which firms may enter into an industry. Competitive indust ries are likely to attract many firms which will strive to capture a market share. This is likely to reduce the overall profitability of firms which are present in the industry. In order for firms to enjoy long term profitability, they should develop customer loyalty within their industry.This will ensure that although new firms enter an industry, their market share is unaffected since customers have faith on their products. Development of customer loyalty is achieved through innovating new products which meet the unique market needs. The cosmetic industry has a low threat of new entrants. This is due to several factors. The first is the huge costs of entry. Developing unique cosmetic products requires a lot of resources both in terms of research and development and the actual manufacturing process. Few middle and small scale firms have access to the funds and expertise required to perform this effectively.Another factor which discourages entry into this industry is the huge competi tion present in the industry. In addition to the huge competitors such as Avon, Revlon, Clinique, Estee Lauder, LR, Mac and Unilever, who have a large market share, there are many other small scale competitors who also have a small market share and who reduce the overall profitability of firms in the industry. 2 3 Bargaining power of customers The bargaining power of customers analyzes the power which consumers have relating to price changes in the industry.This factor analyzes the power which consumers have in manipulating price changes due to shifts in demand (Aaker, 2000: 102-120). When consumers have a high bargaining power, the manufacturers and sellers may not adequately predict future demand by the market. This may make them unable to achieve long term profitability due to unpredictable demand patterns. The cosmetic has a high bargaining power of customers. This is due to the increase competition and availability of cosmetic products from a variety of manufacturers.Since thes e products have high substitutes, then it is possible for consumers to force manufacturers to reduce their product prices through purchasing those of their competitors. This is a challenge which manufacturers of cosmetic products face across the world. 4 Bargaining power of suppliers This factor analyzes the power which suppliers have regarding making price changes for their products. Suppliers who have a high bargaining power are able to influence price changes through using techniques such as market manipulation through hoarding and restraining supply.Although some of these strategies are illegal in many countries, suppliers usually apply them when they want to effect price changes. The cosmetic industry has a low bargaining power of suppliers. This is due to the high number of market players and large supply of diverse products to the market. There are many cosmetic products which are developed by both large and small scale manufacturers. Due to the huge supply, consumers have th e power to influence the market prices as opposed to the suppliers. 1 Threat of substitutesThe threat of substitutes arises when there are similar products developed by competitors which satisfy the market needs. When consumers have access to substitute products which can satisfy their market needs, then manufacturers and suppliers lose their bargaining power. Consumers are able to purchase competitor’s products if they are not satisfied with product price or quality. In order for suppliers to tackle the challenge of threat of substitutes, they have to innovate products which meet the needs of their target market segments. In the cosmetic industry, there are many competitors as has been discussed.There is therefore a high threat of substitute products. If manufacturers sell their products at higher prices, or if the products are of low quality, then consumers are able to purchase substitutes from the many competitors who are present in the market environment. It is therefore essential for the market players in the cosmetic to be innovative if they are to tackle the challenge of the threat of substitute. 2 Barriers to entry and exit Barriers to entry and exit refer to the challenges firms face when entering or leaving the industry respectively.It has been discussed that there are huge costs which are associated with entry to the cosmetic industry. These costs include costs for developing the products as well as research costs. These are some of the barriers to entry in the cosmetic industry. In addition, there are many competitors who reduce the overall profitability of the industry, which makes it a barrier to entry. Finally, the many large scale cosmetic firms which enjoy economies of scale make it a barrier to entry especially for middle and small scale firms. Barriers to exit include the high development and research costs.Due to the high costs associated with developing cosmetic products, it is difficult for firms to leave the industry without achie ving the costs for production. There are also many machines and equipment used in developing cosmetic products and disposing these at a fair market value is difficult hence making it an exit barrier. 3 4 Seller and buyer concentration The cosmetic industry is appealing fir people of all age groups and social backgrounds. There are many cosmetic products which are tailored to meeting the needs of different market segments. The buyer concentration can herefore be deemed as low since there are many buyers who cut across different market segments both in the developed countries and the developing countries. However, the seller concentration may be deemed as high in developed countries. Many large scale cosmetic producers are concentrated in develop countries such as the United States, France and Germany. For instance, the cosmetic industry is valued at $6 billion in France and $12 billion in Germany. In the US, it is valued at over $20 billion. However, the seller concentration in devel oping countries and emerging markets is relatively low.Few firms have ventured into developing products which meet the specific needs of this market segment. In order to achieve long term profitability, new market entrants should focus on this neglected population segment. The high seller concentration in the developed countries leads to high competition and an overall reduction in profitability for cosmetic firms in this industry. Analiza competentelor functionale Avon Distribution We presently have sales operations in 65 countries and territories, including the U. S. and distribute our products in 42 other countries and territories. Unlike most of our competitors, which sell their products through third party retail establishments (e. g. drug stores, department stores), we primarily sell our products to the ultimate consumer through the direct-selling channel. In our case, sales of our products are made to the ultimate consumer principally through direct selling by approximately 6 . 4 million active independent Representatives. Representatives are independent contractors and not our employees.Representatives earn a profit by purchasing products directly from us at a discount from a published brochure price and selling them to their customers, the ultimate consumer of our products. We generally have no arrangements with end users of our products beyond the Representative, except as described below. No single Representative accounts for more than 10% of our net sales. A Representative contacts customers directly, selling primarily through our brochure, which highlights new products and special promotions for each sales campaign.In this sense, the Representative, together with the brochure, are the â€Å"store† through which our products are sold. A brochure introducing a new sales campaign is usually generated every two weeks in the U. S. and every two to four weeks for most markets outside the U. S. Generally, the Representative forwards an order for a campaign to us using the Internet, mail, telephone, or fax. This order is processed and the products are assembled at a distribution center and delivered to the Representative usually through a combination of local and national delivery companies.Generally, the Representative then delivers the merchandise and collects payment from the customer for his or her own account. A Representative generally receives a refund of the price the Representative paid for a product if the Representative chooses to return it. We employ certain web enabled systems to increase Representative support, which allow a Representative to run her or his business more efficiently and also allow us to improve our order-processing accuracy.For example, in many countries, Representatives can utilize the Internet to manage their business electronically, including order submission, order tracking, payment and two-way communications with us. In addition Representatives can further build their own business through pe rsonalized web pages provided by us, enabling them to sell a complete line of our products online. Self-paced online training also is available in certain markets, as well as up-to-the-minute news about us. In some markets, we use decentralized branches, satellite stores and independent retail operations to serve Representatives and other customers.Representatives come to a branch to place and pick up product orders for their customers. The branches also create visibility for us with consumers and help reinforce our beauty image. In certain markets, we provide opportunities to license our beauty centers and other retail-oriented and direct to consumer opportunities to reach new customers in complementary ways to direct selling. In the U. S. and selected other markets, we also market our products through consumer websites (www. avon. com in the U. S. ). Promotion and MarketingSales promotion and sales development activities are directed at assisting Representatives, through sales aid s such as brochures, product samples and demonstration products. In order to support the efforts of Representatives to reach new customers, specially designed sales aids, promotional pieces, customer flyers, television and print advertising are used. In addition, we seek to motivate our Representatives through the use of special incentive programs that reward superior sales performance. Periodic sales meetings with Representatives are conducted by the district sales or zone managers.The meetings are designed to keep Representatives abreast of product line changes, explain sales techniques and provide recognition for sales performance. A number of merchandising techniques are used, including the introduction of new products, the use of combination offers, the use of trial sizes and samples, and the promotion of products packaged as gift items. In general, for each sales campaign, a distinctive brochure is published, in which new products are introduced and selected items are offered as special promotions or are given particular prominence in the brochure.A key current priority for our merchandising is to continue the use of pricing and promotional models to enable a deeper, fact based understanding of the role and impact of pricing within our product portfolio. From time to time, various regulations or laws have been proposed or adopted that would, in general, restrict the frequency, duration or volume of sales resulting from new product introductions, special promotions or other special price offers. We expect our pricing flexibility and broad product lines to mitigate the effect of these regulations.Competitive Conditions We face competition from various products and product lines both domestically and internationally. The beauty and beauty-related products industry is highly competitive and the number of competitors and degree of competition that we face in this industry varies widely from country to country. Worldwide, we compete against products sold to co nsumers by other direct-selling and direct-sales companies and through the Internet, and against products sold through the mass market and prestige retail channels.Specifically, due to the nature of the direct-selling channel, we compete on a regional, often country-by-country basis, with our direct-selling competitors. Unlike most other beauty companies, we compete within a distinct business model where providing a compelling earnings opportunity for our Representatives is as critical as developing and marketing new and innovative products. As a result, in contrast to a typical CPG company which operates within a broad-based consumer pool, we must first compete for a limited pool of Representatives before we reach the ultimate consumer.Within the broader CPG industry, we principally compete against large and well-known cosmetics and fragrances companies that manufacture and sell broad product lines through various types of retail establishments. In addition, we compete against many other companies that manufacture and sell more narrow beauty product lines sold through retail establishments and other channels. We also have many competitors in the gift and decorative products and apparel industries globally, including retail establishments, principally department stores, gift shops and specialty retailers, and direct-mail companies specializing in these products.Our principal competition in the fashion jewelry industry consists of a few large companies and many small companies that sell fashion jewelry through retail establishments and direct-selling. We believe that the personalized customer service offered by our Representatives; the amount and type of field incentives we offer our Representatives on a market-by-market basis; the high quality, attractive designs and prices of our products; the high level of new and innovative products; our easily recognized brand name and our guarantee of product satisfaction are significant factors in helping to establish an d maintain our competitive position.International Operations Our international operations are conducted primarily through subsidiaries in 64 countries and territories outside of the U. S. In addition to these countries and territories, our products are distributed in 42 other countries and territories. Our international operations are subject to risks inherent in conducting business abroad, including, but not limited to, the risk of adverse currency fluctuations, currency remittance restrictions and unfavorable social, economic and political conditions.See the sections â€Å"Risk Factors – Our ability to conduct business, particularly in international markets, may be affected by political, legal, tax and regulatory risks† and â€Å"Risk Factors – We are subject to financial risks related to our international operations, including exposure to foreign currency fluctuations† in Item 1A on pages 7 through 15 of our 2011 Annual Report. Manufacturing We manufac ture and package almost all of our Beauty products. Raw materials, consisting chiefly of essential oils, chemicals, containers and packaging components, are purchased for our Beauty products from various suppliers.Most of our Fashion and Home products are purchased from various third-party suppliers. Additionally, we design the brochures that are used by the Representatives to sell our products. The loss of any one supplier would not have a material impact on our ability to source raw materials for our Beauty products or source products for our Fashion and Home categories or paper for the brochures. Trademarks and Patents Our business is not materially dependent on the existence of third-party patent, trademark or other third-party intellectual property rights, and we are not a party to any ongoing material licenses, franchises or concessions.We do seek to protect our key proprietary technologies by aggressively pursuing comprehensive patent coverage in major markets. We protect our Avon name and other major proprietary trademarks through registration of these trademarks in the markets where we sell our products, monitoring the markets for infringement of such trademarks by others, and by taking appropriate steps to stop any infringing activities. Research and Product Development Activities New products are essential to growth in the highly competitive cosmetics industry.Our research and development department’s efforts are significant to developing new products, including formulating effective beauty treatments relevant to women’s needs, and redesigning or reformulating existing products. To increase our brand competitiveness, we have sustained our focus on new technology and product innovation to deliver first-to-market products that provide visible consumer benefits. Our global research and development facility is located in Suffern, NY.A team of researchers and technicians apply the disciplines of science to the practical aspects of bringing products to market around the world. Relationships with dermatologists and other specialists enhance our ability to deliver new formulas and ingredients to market. Additionally, we have satellite research facilities located in Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, Poland and South Africa. In 2010, we invested in our R&D facility in Shanghai, China to increase our ability to develop products to better meet Asian consumers’ needs. In 2011, our most significant product launches included: SuperShock MaxMascara. Moisture Seduction Lipstick, Outspoken Intense by Fergie Fragrance, Step Into Fragrance, Anew Genics Treatment Cream, Anew Solar Advance Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 45, Solutions Youth Minerals Restorative Night Cream, Skin So Soft Perfecting Oil, Advance Techniques Damage Repair 3D Rescue Leave-in Treatment, Super Enchant Mascara, and ExtraLasting Makeup. The amounts incurred on research activities relating to the development of new products and the improvement of existing prod ucts were $77. 7 in 2011, $72. 6 in 2010 and $65. 4 in 2009.This research included the activities of product research and development and package design and development. Most of these activities were related to the development of Beauty products. Environmental Matters In general, compliance with environmental regulations impacting our global operations has not had, and is not anticipated to have, any material adverse effect on our capital expenditures, financial position or competitive position. Employees At December 31, 2011, we employed approximately 40,600 employees. Of these, approximately 5,400 were employed in the U. S. nd 35,200 in other countries. Seasonal Nature of Business Our sales and earnings typically have a seasonal pattern characteristic of many companies selling Beauty, gift and decorative products, apparel, and fashion jewelry. Holiday sales generally cause a sales peak in the fourth quarter of the year; however, the sales volume o holiday gift items is, by its nat ure, difficult to forecast. Fourth quarter revenue and operating data was as follows: | |2011 |2010 | |Fourth uarter revenues as a % of total revenue |27% |29% | |Fourth quarter operating profit as a % of total operating profit |2% |33% | The fourth quarter operating profit comparison between 2011 and 2010 was unfavorably impacted by a $263. 0 impairment charge, or 31% of full year operating profit, recognized in the fourth quarter of 2011. The fourth quarter operating profit comparison was partially offset by lower costs to implement our restructuring initiatives in 2011 compared to 2010.The fourth quarter of 2011 included costs to implement our restructuring initiatives of $8. 7, whereas the fourth quarter of 2010 included $58. 3 of costs to implement our restructuring initiatives. Finance The financial statement of the company in 2011 is: Internationalizare Avon [pic] As the world's largest direct seller, Avon markets leading beauty, fashion and home products to women in more th an 100 countries through more than 6 million active independent Avon Sales Representatives. The countries are:Albania, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grand Cayman Island, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand,Nicaragua, North Cyprus, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Africa, Spain, St. Croix, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Tortola, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks & Caicos, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay,Venezuela. When the Avon lady comes knocking at the door, she'd better speak good Portuguese. Or Spanish. Or even Russian. Cosmetics giant Avon Products (AVP) is increasing its revenue these days, with sales outside of the United States really driving business. The company reports first quarter 2011 total revenue of $2. billion, 7 percent higher than that of first-quarter 2010 and in line with company targets. Net income jumped 238 percent to $143. 6 million, thanks to stronger sales and restructuring. â€Å"We are pleased with the early progress against our commitment to return the business to mid-single digit revenue growth,† says Avon's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Jung in an earnings statement. â€Å"We are squarely foc used on restoring growth in Brazil and Russia in the second half, and ensuring execution in gross margin improvement and cost control. † Revenue in Latin America, which includes Mexico, was up 16 percent during the quarter while North American revenue was down 2 percent.Central and Eastern European sales were flat although Russia was up 3 percent, while Western Europe, Middle East & Africa's first-quarter revenue increased 16 percent and Asia Pacific, which includes China, reported a first quarter revenue decline of 6 percent. Analysts are pleased with the company's results, but some wonder if the company can keep the momentum going. Zacks Investment Research has assigned a short-term hold rating, although the long-term recommendation is currently underperform. Restructure, then compete Avon is currently in the middle of a multi-year restructuring program designed to accelerate investments toward growth opportunities, streamline manufacturing operations, and improve cost effec tiveness and efficiency in general. Restructuring should save the company $430 million a year when fully implemented by 2012. After that, keep an eye on the competitors. Avon faces competition from various products and product lines both domestically and internationally,† Zack says. The internationalization of Avon most take into account some factors, such as: Political Factors †¡ Tax policies †¡ Employment laws †¡ Trade restrictions and tariffs †¡ Political stability Economic Factors †¡ Economic growth †¡ Interest rates †¡ Exchange rates †¡ Fluctuation in oil and gas prices Social Factors †¡ Emphasis on safety †¡ No animal testing †¡ Green Environment †¡ Philanthropic Issues †¡ Technology Factors †¡ Automation †¡ Technology incentives †¡ Rate of technological change †¡ Technologies Adaption External Assessment: Avon Opportunities 1. A growing trend in the cosmetics industry is the introductio n of ? green? products.More than sixteen percent of beauty products launched in 2008 were certified organic, ethical, or all natural. 2. Eye makeup market 3. The cosmetics industry tends to be countercyclical. This means that those are industries for which the demand is either not correlated with the business cycle. The demand for their products is not much affected by availability of current income, but by other personal, social or economic factors. The recession also contributes to the industry being counter-cyclical. There is an upsurge in people joining the industry in the past six or eight months and there's absolutely no doubt that this is because of the recession and the effect on employment. 4.Aveda cosmetics found that sixty eight percent of consumers will remain loyal to a company that has a social and environmental commitment. 5. Urban Trendsetters markets 6. Geographic growth  ± enormous growth opportunities existed in countries with huge populations such as China, Ind onesia and India. 7. Demand for cosmetic products normally remains constant and unaffected by economic distress 8. The baby boomers are aging and they are more conscious on their appearance, beauty and also improving their looks. Emphasize direct selling in emerging and developing markets External Assessment: Avon Threats 1. Competition such as Mary Kay and Revlon 2. Rejection of internet selling by sales representative 3.Global economic climate stifled new product development, innovation and sustainability programs in 2009. 4. In terms of color cosmetics, environmental International Inc. predicted that many of these markets will see slowdown in volume demand. 5. Inflation rate and Rising cost of commodities 7. Direct-selling becoming more popular – Amid the financial crisis Aussie mums are increasingly turning to direct selling and at-home product parties to supplement their household income. 8. They are a multilevel based company that sells inferior quality with a higher pr ice tag than what it is worth 9. Avon products outpaced by ‘jazzier? products to women who favored more exciting product lines 10. Decreased earning opportunities

Free Essays on Diversity In The Workplace

Organizational Behavior STAYING AFLOAT IN THE STORMY SEAS OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION While the benefits of diversity in the workplace have long been trumpeted, businesses would do well to consider the problems surrounding diversity and diversity training. Research into the subject reveals startling and costly problems that can arise if the subject is handled wrong. A focused approach is necessary to avoid any one of the problems that can lead to disaster for a business. The first of these problems is that managers face an automatic uphill battle: most employees, minority and majority groups alike, are largely distrustful of diversity training. This effect is multiplied by the tightrope walk of neither over- or under-emphasizing diversity, with either extreme leading to resentment and ineffectiveness. This is possibly the biggest danger in diversity training and helps explain the controversy of whether or not diversity is really good for business. Many companies using ineffective programs have either seen no advantage or worse, the programs have caused the opposite effect of resentment and a fractured corporate culture. While sustaining this balancing act, managers must also face pressure from above. During the economic downturn of the last few years businesses have cut spending across the board. In this environment expensive diversity programs have been among the first areas that businesses look to scale back in order to conserve. The final challenge facing diversity programs is a new dimension in diversity programs. Learning the etiquette and customs of other cultures becomes necessary as companies look to expand into the global market. The sheer complexity and breadth of knowledge needed to operate on an international scale promises to bring the subject to the forefront of diversity programs in the next decade. RESEARCH Employee cynicism is the first hurdle that diversity managers must ov... Free Essays on Diversity In The Workplace Free Essays on Diversity In The Workplace Diversity in the Workforce Diversity is the things about people that make them different, not just culturally but human differences. Having a multitude of differences in the workforce gives an organization the ability to utilize many ideas to reach one common goal. One could say that a diverse group of people together in one room can accomplish greater achievements than a room filled with the same types of individuals. In the workforce diversity can be gender differences, age, education levels, and marital status. Diversity in the workplace can also create diversity in the other areas of life. When companies value diversity it gives the organization the ability to utilize the opinions and viewpoints of all it employees to create a better working environment as well as allowing the employees to know that the company they represent cares about its workers. Manager?s understand this concept of diversity and how important diversity is to the success of a companies ability to implement programs that continues to de velop a harmonious and diverse workplace. According to Daft (2003) such programs that ?builds a corporate culture that values diversity; changing structures, policies, and systems to support diversity, and providing diversity awareness training? (p.450). Cultural change starts with the CEO?s, the presidents, as well as top managers. They are the leaders of organizations. Managers should first educate themselves of different cultures and the behaviors of people, how they interact with one another. Managers can utilize this information to understand the behaviors of their employees. They can also get to know different cultures so that there are no bias opinions about a particular group of people. Employees want to know that the organization they are with will be concerned with their personal needs as well as continuing to provide a comfortable work environment no matter what their cultural background is. Centuries ago, workin... Free Essays on Diversity In The Workplace Organizational Behavior STAYING AFLOAT IN THE STORMY SEAS OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION While the benefits of diversity in the workplace have long been trumpeted, businesses would do well to consider the problems surrounding diversity and diversity training. Research into the subject reveals startling and costly problems that can arise if the subject is handled wrong. A focused approach is necessary to avoid any one of the problems that can lead to disaster for a business. The first of these problems is that managers face an automatic uphill battle: most employees, minority and majority groups alike, are largely distrustful of diversity training. This effect is multiplied by the tightrope walk of neither over- or under-emphasizing diversity, with either extreme leading to resentment and ineffectiveness. This is possibly the biggest danger in diversity training and helps explain the controversy of whether or not diversity is really good for business. Many companies using ineffective programs have either seen no advantage or worse, the programs have caused the opposite effect of resentment and a fractured corporate culture. While sustaining this balancing act, managers must also face pressure from above. During the economic downturn of the last few years businesses have cut spending across the board. In this environment expensive diversity programs have been among the first areas that businesses look to scale back in order to conserve. The final challenge facing diversity programs is a new dimension in diversity programs. Learning the etiquette and customs of other cultures becomes necessary as companies look to expand into the global market. The sheer complexity and breadth of knowledge needed to operate on an international scale promises to bring the subject to the forefront of diversity programs in the next decade. RESEARCH Employee cynicism is the first hurdle that diversity managers must ov...

The current Political issue of legalizing drugs in the United States Essay Example

The current Political issue of legalizing drugs in the United States Essay Example The current Political issue of legalizing drugs in the United States Paper The current Political issue of legalizing drugs in the United States Paper Essay Topic: Current In todays world, drugs are everywhere, some of the legal ones include; coffee, alcohol and medicine from hospitals Some illegal ones include heroin, cannabis and cocaine. People take drugs for various reasons, for example people take drugs because of curiosity, peer pressure, mental stress, guilt, enjoyment, low self-esteem, ignorance, running away from problems and idleness. Drugs interfere with the physical body, health, social, emotional being, psychological, job life of a person, spiritual and financial life of an individual. Many people have been involved in the abuse of drugs. Abuse is where an individual has, too much of a drug and also has it too often. In the United States just like in other countries, arguments have been concerning the legalization of drugs. It has been a time of push and pull, where some people think that it essential to legalize them, and others think that legalizing them would be unethical. Doug Husak of Rutgers University in New Jersey says that legalizing drugs would lead to the careless use of drugs by young people hence leading to a declined species of young people as some will die, while others will have mental related difficulties. Another argument put forward is that legalizing drugs would not have a great effect on issues that regards law and making and passing of policies, therefore, there would not be any problem in legalizing it. Secondly, it is argued whether drugs will be used to defend a person in a criminal case. For example, if a person is caught having murdered, will your case be written off because you were found to be under the influence of Heroin? It is also argued that legalizing drugs would mean banning the Food and Drug Administration which looks into the safety of food and drugs. If drugs are legalized it would mean baning FDA, because allowing it to function would be hypocritical, because it would continue to ban dangerous drugs. For example the ban of the use of Red Dye number 2 which was conceived to be causing cancer, this however will not work since the other drugs will still be existing having been legalized. Therefore what will be the need of the continual existence of FDA? The other argument is, if drugs are legalized what would happen to â€Å"Dram Shop† laws, these are laws that are used to govern the people who sell in bars. If a bar person sells alcohol to a person, and then the drank person goes on and commits a crime,the bar person will be held responsible. The question is, if drugs are legalized will those laws still be functional and if they will not what about those laws protecting the ethics of the people. Are we then going to allow crimes to keep happening in the name of making profit and legalizing drugs? In June 2005, there was an argument whether Marijuana should be used for Chronic related cases. In June 6, 2005, the supreme court ruled against the use of doctors using Marijuana to treat diseases like cancer. For a period of time,there has been an outcry for the government to legalize the use of Marijuana and defy the FDAs rules, but it has not worked. However Marinol, that is found in Marijuana is being given to patients by doctors especially to those who suffer chronic pain. Recently, the anti-drug effort has held many people in the courts and charged them highly for selling drugs that are a health hazard to people. However, legalizing drugs to the government is seen as a means of gaining more taxes.. In this endless war on drugs, Hilary Clinton, in 8th October 2008, said that once drug criminals are held and agree to stay out of drugs, they should not be held for criminal acts, however, they should be offered treatment so as to get out of their addiction. Drugs legalizations has it own pros and cons, the Unites States would benefit a s well as be affected if they would decide to legalize drugs. The advantages towards legalizing the drugs would be as follows. There would be an increase in employment opportunities once the drugs are legalized. Many people would have to be employed in the manufacturing, sales and marketing industry. The manufacturing industry would require personnel to help in the process and mixing of the ingredients that make some of those drugs. The sales industry would employ people to help in distributing the drugs while the marketing industry would employ people who would assist in making the products known to the public domain The Agricultural sector would still benefit from employment opportunities. Farmers would be able to plant Marijuana and other drugs at a great deal. There would have to be massive and large scale production of these drugs, as a result farmers would accumulate profits. The farmers would also have to employ other people to be assisting them in the farm. Legalizing drugs would lead to a tremendous decrease of people in the prison, since most of the people in the prison are those held on drug related crimes. Consequently, if drugs were legalized, once in the market, they would be charged taxes, the money would then be used for massive developments such as build more schools, roads and even rise the economy of the country. As the government embarks on legalizing the drugs, an economic boom would be realized. This would be felt from the other products that are used along with the drugs. For example, heroin drug is used together with needles, they are injected in the body. With a rise of the drug in the market, the syringes would also be massively bought. This would result to a rise in the economy. Legalization of drugs would also have some negative effects on the country. The disadvantages of the action strikes a balance to the advantages. With there being an increase of the drugs in the market, this would lead to the drugs being acquired at a lower price. The lower prices of drugs would lead to lack of business for drug dealers, since drugs will become cheaper, many people will be selling them and therefore the big companies will also have to lower prices. There will lack a healthy competition in the economy. Big companies will have to buy the drugs in large amounts but sell to small scale people at a cheap price, these cheap prices will destroy the drug dealers. With the price of producing the drugs being lower, the cost of the drug will cheaper too and this might lead to drugs being cheaper than even grain foods like bread which would be a great economic fall. The results of the drugs being cheaper, would lead to many people wanting to experiment the drug. This would eventually lead to addiction. An upcoming generation of drug addicts would be raised, in addition to a lawless society that is, physically, emotionally and mentally unstable. As a result of this the employment sector would go down, since the age of being employed would all be affected by the addiction. With the legalization of these drugs, there would be a total collapse of the corporate sector and the employment arenas. This is because the drugs would find their way in the offices and corporate sectors. Once taken, there will not be sound decision making because of the drugs influence. Mental diseases would largely affect people causing them to be taken to rehabilitation centers. The increase of the drug addicts would require an increase of those centers. More money would have to be dispensed leading to taxpayers money being increased. In the United States there isnt any drug producing producers, therefore, the Government would have to import the drugs from other neighboring countries like Costa Rica. These imports, requires billions of money which would not be if there were no imports being bought. It is worth noting that drugs are still finding their way in the US, this means that they still get entry into the country. Despite the much fight against the drugs, they are still thriving. In conclusion, the legalization of drugs is a hot debate, either side is convincing however, every good side seems to be producing a bad element in it. The US has got a lot to do as well as other countries especially the developing ones where the used of drugs is spreading like bush fire. Chapter nine: legal; issues surrounding the legalization of drugs. Accessed on 27th September 2008, from druglibrary. org/schaffer/DEBATE/myths/myths Prons and cons of drug Legalization. Accessed on 27th September 2008, from bookrags. com/essay-2006/3/8/84936/88453 War on drugs -pros and cons. Accessed on 27th September 2008, from angryharry. com/esWaronDrugs. htm Balanced politics – legalization of Marijuana. Accessed on 27th September 2008, from balancedpolitics. org/marijuana-legalization Pros and cons. Accessed on 27th September 2008, from echeat. com/essay. php? t=31349

A Study Of A Caucasian Preschool Student

however, they spell Cherokee as Tsalagi. Tsalagi was an Iroquoian language invented by a Native American Scholar. Moreover, a scholar named Lizette Peter published a scholarly journal article called â€Å"Our Beloved Cherokee: A Naturalistic Study of Cherokee Preschool Language Immersion.† In this article, she mentioned how and why the Cherokee language speakers have decreased over the years. â€Å"Since sustained contact with the British in about 1700, Cherokee people have struggled with social, political†¦ dieting to technology to study habits. The following literature review will take a look at four surveys that were taken place on college campuses to see what is needed to properly collect data. In spring of 2009 between April and May, The Project Information Literary team decided put out a survey to further understand the usage of Wikipedia among college students and here is how they did it. First they had to create the question on the survey. They did this by creating an 11 student focus groups across†¦ David S. Kreiner. â€Å"Student Perceptions of Study Time.† Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research 19.1 (2014). Google Scholar. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. The first part of the research focuses on the difference between perceived study time and actual study time as well as how this affects students’ progress. A few interesting hypotheses were brought up in the research. Basically, they state that students overestimate the time needed to complete arbitrary academic tasks and that students, who practice time†¦ read to your child. What are your personal biases? (if you feel uncomfortable mentioning a few, just let me know by stating that) †¢ I would say before reading this book that I had similar biases that were stated in the book. That young non-Caucasian students struggle greatly in school. This book helped me realize and see how important my teaching and other teachers teaching really is! †¢ Last year, when I got stuck in Freshman Seminar as a 24-year old and already college graduate, I definitely†¦ Data This research study takes place in a private preschool that is located in the middle of a semi-rural area. The town that the preschool resides is home to less than three thousand residents (By Type, 2016). In the county the school is placed in, there are just under three-hundred thousand residents (By Type, 2016). Of all whom reside in the county, there are over one-hundred thousand unemployed persons, and less than twelve-hundred students are enrolled in a private preschool (By Type, 2016). The†¦ are two different groups of participants in the study who were chosen for the study arbitrarily. The goal of the study was to find the best way to help students learn better. The researcher chose to use quizzes that were given on a weekly basis. Since the quizzes are only a very small part of the students ' final grade, it is more logical to conclude that the investigator would use the exams that were given to the students as a better measure of student learning than their marks on the weekly quizzes†¦ As an international student study abroad, everyone will face lots of challenges when we came to the United States. We should overcome the language problem, loneliness, suit for the local food and etc. Now I have been the United States near two years, and I am going to give some suggestions for freshman to solve these challenges. The language challenge is the most common problem, it include daily talking and academic language. It was really hard for me when I arrived the United States, I cannot†¦ of the Social Studies class. This will be done by a more creative, pro-active, attentive, participating matter. Teacher should be able to observe the difference of students participating, successfully identifying amendments within the first 10 and comparing/contrast each. They will assist making sure students is on task, and actively socializing among peers. This is called terminal performance objective. Basically is describing what the target goals and intentions of what students have learned toward†¦ How Should Students Study? Learning is a challenging process and learning habits have always been an intriguing topic for researchers, but this topic is the greatest concern to us, the students. Students learn a variety of things in a limited time, and they would benefit from the so-called learning strategies. It appears that how information is presented not only changes what we have learned but also affects how well we have acquired it. Thus, I am going to talk about two learning strategies – the†¦ Measurement of this performance will be ascertained by separating students into two diverse classrooms. This study will examine the effects of child-directed play, teacher-directed play, and strenuous physical activity on the achievement of preschool students. For the first test, Classroom A will remain as a control group and receive a standard lesson with no activity. Classroom B will receive this same lesson after a period of child-directed play. A second lesson will be taught, but the control†¦

Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capstone - Essay Example Strengths –one of its major strengths is its reputation for high-quality, technological innovations, and excellent customer service. This ability to leverage new technological ideas into something useful for business and especially appealing to consumers is exemplified by its catch phrase of â€Å"Think Different† which was the personal motto of its founder Steve Jobs. The people at Apple, Inc. had continued this legacy as it ventured into new areas of consumer electronics. In a sense, Apple, Inc. is a good example of the learning organization as shown by its flexibility and agility to constantly re-invent itself (Schermerhorn 2010) to respond to various threats like the rise of Samsung from South Korea and in several pending patent lawsuits still in the courts. Weaknesses – a key weakness of Apple, Inc. is it is being viewed as solely the product of the sheer force of will of Steve Jobs and who is gone due to cancer, there are some lingering doubts whether his successors can continue his legacy of innovation and thinking out of the box, so to speak. This company had transitioned well without Steve Jobs at the top but its future is not assured as it continues to battle many new entrants to an already over-crowded industry. Opportunities – the company can enter into strategic alliances with its competitors so it can better grab market share and shorten the period in bringing a new product to the market. It is a strategy adopted by the faster and nimbler Samsung when it allied itself with Apple, Inc. in the early stages of the smart phone industry but has since parted ways and now dominated the global market for this hand-held device. Apple, Inc. can further tighten its grip on the high-end tablet market by entering into business agreements with retail chains like what it did with Starbucks for its vast music catalog to create new demand for its products (Ireland et al.,

Blue Ocean Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Blue Ocean Strategy - Essay Example The overall concept of Blue Ocean Strategy is innovation. It is understood from the book that companies should identify, plan a strategy and create a business of which no competition exists. Kim and Renee (2005)2 divide the competitive business world into two segments of Red Ocean and Blue Ocean. It is further explained that 'Red Ocean' is the business world full of competition where the existing organizations compete with each other to acquire its share in the market whereas 'Blue Ocean' is the unidentified market area. The Blue Ocean is the space wherein the business is new in the market and has no threat of competition instead it has to create competition. The giants of particular commodity or product or services, who are termed as leader, find it difficult to survive in the competitive world of business without marketing. American Marketing Association has defined marketing as the performance of the business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or user. Marketing assists in identifying specific markets for products and services, guiding the development of products, packages, and services, etc. (Kumar)3 In blue ocean strategy this concept has a new meaning and a new method to implement in the firms. Blue ocean marketing concept proposes a method based on the segmented target group and the product development and marketing is based on the conduct of this group. The concept is good but cannot be fitted with all firms and their marketing procedures as it lack competition, which is vital in the marketing concept. (Kim and Renee, 2005)4 Marketing Strategy David (2007)5 states that creating a marketing strategy is only the first step towards the attainment of goal and after the strategy has been built; its solidarity has to be maintained to attract external stakeholders. He criticizes the marketing directors who are using B2B model while the others in the market have adopted real and valuable marketing strategies. The first principle of blue ocean strategy is to reconstruct market boundaries to create blue oceans so that it doesn't face any level of competitions and existence of competitors is zero. In order to create Blue Ocean, it becomes necessary to identify the threats and difficulties that make Red Ocean such a difficult world to live in. The red ocean companies are trapped in this area due to following reasons, 1) they define their industry similar to which exists in the market and try to provide the best other than others, 2) they try to and follow the strategic accepted methods, models, principles of developed and successful companies and strive to stand out in their strategic group, 3) as they produce similar products and provide service similar to that of the other industry, they focus the same consumer, which further makes the competition stiff and harder, 4) they define the scope of products and services similarly, 5) they accept the rules and regulations of the specific industry as they are governed by the governing body and functions accordingly and 6) some seasonal products produced by the companies will face stiff competition from its rivals as all the companies will

Business Security and Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Security and Terrorism - Essay Example Google was more economical, using just around half a million dollars. Big corporations are clearly noticing that the wellbeing and safety of their summit leaders is a vital component of doing business (Lerer, 2007). Particular business executives are in added danger compared to others. Whereas the Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt is worth very much, other directors are subjected to further scrutiny. For example, Schering-Plough top executive Fred Hassan has been presented with several threats from the activists of animal rights for Schering-Plough's participation in animal testing. Other top executives move their dealings to distant sites where security can be turned to a necessity. When business heads travel to countries such as Guatemala they frequently employ security to guarantee secure movements. All of the funds used up on protection of executive can compensate for itself if it averts just a single major misfortune. Terrorist attacks on business executives does not merely result in human suffering, it as well drives down the prices of stock and undermine the leadership of the company. A solitary abduction or robbery could cause damages of up to several million dollars. This figure can be overblown by medical and even legal costs. Paying out a mere portion of this to thwart such like instances is turning into a major priority for the major business industry stakeholders (Alexander, 2004). Countless executives are resorting to private security firms to offer the security they require. Technologically savvy protection means are utilized by the specialized private firms in protecting the executives and it is not unusual for the business leaders to move around the globe with executive bodyguards who present urgent security and support in precarious periods. How should businesses shield themselves and Executives against terrorism Being a top business executive could not be risky money-wise, but it is surely hazardous. That is a logical conclusion if it is based on the tens of millions of dollars that a number of firms will spend shielding their top echelon managers. The Executive recompensing information archived by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States, over the last year or so reveals precisely the amount of funds companies use up to shelter their summit executives. From the archived information, firms take protection against terrorism so critically, furnishing their "C-level" workers with automobiles, airplanes and residence alarm systems. Others withhold on the security costs, reimbursing nominal sums for minimum security arrangements. Leading the group of firms investing in executive protection is Oracle that used up 1.8 million dollars shielding their CEO, Larry Ellison in 2007, (a 40 percent rise from the previous year. Tellingly, the 1.8 million dollars did not cover up each and every one of Larry Ellison's protection expenses. The billionaire executive, in addition, used up his personal resources in the installation of high-tech security system in his personal residence in

Reverse Discrimination Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reverse Discrimination - Term Paper Example Reverse Discrimination The claim of reverse discrimination linked to affirmative action has become a leading argument against the affirmative action policy (Beauchamp, 2007). â€Å"The charge of reverse discrimination rests on the implicit premise that whites are denied access to advantages to which they are entitled, and which they would have obtained had not preference been given to minorities† (Livingston 1979, 40). Reverse discrimination was the basis for Barbara Grutter's lawsuit against the University of Michigan Law School. Grutter maintained that because she had higher scores than the minorities that were accepted into the program, the law school discriminated against her on the basis of race. Reverse discrimination advocates argue that by favoring minorities, the affirmative action plan discriminates against the majority. In Grutter, a qualified member of the majority was denied admission while a less qualified minority was admitted which depicts the perfect illustrat ion of how affirmative action is reverse discrimination. ... Those who defend the premise that affirmative action serves as reverse discrimination adduce that discrimination is unconstitutional. If past discrimination is unjust, so is discrimination against whites (Livingston 1979). Preferential Treatment Critics of affirmative actions content that preferential treatment is not necessary to eliminate discrimination since existing protection prohibiting discrimination will suffice. Moreover, affirmative action creates further injustice through what critics contend is actually reverse discrimination. Vocal critics of race based quotas point out that such policies undermine American ideological notions of individuality and personal responsibility, treating the group as the measure of significance and not the individual (Berry 1996). The concept of a "colorblind" society originated in Justice John M. Harlan's dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). Justice Harlan wrote, There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind and neithe r knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man, and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved (Berry 1996, 138). In Plessy, â€Å"the Court upheld a Louisiana statute, passed in 1890, which provided for separate railway carriages for white and colored races† (Goring 2000, 4). Through Plessy and other Supreme Court decisions, the notion of a "colorblind" society has become an integral argument against affirmative action. Advocates of a "colorblind" society maintain that Because race really is, and properly only would be, a matter of unchosen appearance

Historical document analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Historical document analysis - Essay Example At the close of the Second World War, America’s role in the world had changed drastically, from merely a great power to a superpower – one of the two in the world. It was also clear that there would be a long ideological, and possibly military, conflict with the other superpower. This, combined with the lessons learned from the Second World War, meant that America had to change its traditional military presence – it had to form a standing army and ensure that it was on the forefront of research and development for military techniques. The two responses for this week, one by Marshall and one by Eisenhower, show two sides of this coin. Marshall emphasizes the way warfare had fundamentally changed, essentially stating the need for a military-industrial complex. Eisenhower largely agreed with Marshall’s analysis of the lessons of the Second World War, but argued for a more cautious approach, and espoused serious concerns with the kind of social and governmenta l changes that could come with a large and growing military industrial complex. Marshall’s description of the lessons learned from the Second World War make it clear that he believes that the only way to possibly maintain peace in the world is to constantly be on alert for war. An unarmed peace is unlikely to persist, he argues, because it makes the violence such a tempting option. He equates it to a society that outlaws murder, but does not introduce any mechanism to enforce the laws that it has established (211). He says that America laying down its arms, as it always had after a war would â€Å"court disaster† (211). He does not, however, envision a large standing army per se, but rather would like to see the development of a military industrial complex – a group of researchers, producers and so on that keep America at the forefront of development. He noted that â€Å"98%† of America’s war effort had been technological – it

Doctrine of election and its application to biblical studies Essay

Doctrine of election and its application to biblical studies - Essay Example The doctrine of election is a critical aspect in theology as it plays a vital role in the lives of many Christians. This doctrine has overwhelming biblical support and has extensive application in biblical studies. The doctrine of election is has been one of the most debated doctrines in theology. Those who support the doctrine, and who are the majority, claim that God predestined the fate of all humans. In this context, election means that from the beginning, God selected some people out of his sovereignty for salvation. On the other hand, opponents of the doctrine claim that there is no way that God can select or choose some individuals at the expense of others. They deem that is the doctrine of election was true, then there should no be evangelism and that God could not have wasted his time creating the individuals he did not select. However, there is considerable evidence in the scriptures that God has his chosen people both in the Old and New Testament. The doctrine of election rests in the premise that man does not have power to choose his fate, but God has the sovereign authority to predestine the fate of man. This paper will discuss in detail the doctrine of election. It will provide a historical overview of the doctrine, tracing its origin. It will also discuss the nature of the doctrine in terms of its validity, uniqueness and distinguishing features. In addition, this paper will seek to analyze the biblical defense of the doctrine and discuss its application in biblical studies. Finally, the paper will analyze some opposition to the doctrine and provide a conclusion based on the findings. ... It will also discuss the nature of the doctrine in terms of its validity, uniqueness and distinguishing features. In addition, this paper will seek to analyze the biblical defense of the doctrine and discuss its application in biblical studies. Finally, the paper will analyze some opposition to the doctrine and provide a conclusion based on the findings. Introduction The doctrine of election depicts that God singled certain persons in his mind from both angles and men and ordained them into the eternal life and blessedness. Prior to creating them, he decided their destiny just as a builder plans and determines every part of the building before laying the building materials for performing his design. Therefore, election may be the part of advice of God where He did it from all perpetuity purpose in Himself to show His grace upon His creatures. A definite decree about the creatures made the election effective (Pink, 2). The largest podium for discussions in the Christian community is t he doctrine of unconditional election. Most opponents of the doctrine of election deem that God bestows the choice of each person’s salvation upon himself or herself. They assert that people are the one to choose whether they will believe in God or not. This means that the person has to decide upon his life and it applies even in the modern society. In support on the doctrine of election, Piper counters that God chooses whom to save, which is the meaning of election. He claims that man is dead in sins and therefore, no condition where man has to meet with God before He chooses to save him from his sinful actions (1). God chose some individuals before the foundation of the world. Such chosen people acquired their redemption at the cross and God