Hrm and Employment Relationships

HRM and Employment Relationships Employment Relationship Employment Relationship can economical, social and political relationship in which employees provide manual and mental labour in exchange for reward from employers (Gospel and Palmer 1993) There are 4 Dimensions within the employment relationship * Economic exchange – Wage-effort bargain * Socio-political – Power * Legal/Contractual * Psychological contract/social exchange Contract of employment is formed when an offer of employment is made and accepted There are 3 ‘types’ of contract in the employment relationship (Schein 1980): 1. Formal – Economic and legal; 2. Informal – Reflecting the social norms in the workplace (the organisational ‘culture’) and those in wider society about how people should treat each other (‘Natural justice’); 3. Psychologrcal (implicit ‘contract’ made up of unspoken expectations and obligations). The Psychological Contract of Employment A set of unwritten reciprocal expectations between an individual employee and the organisation’ (Schein 1977) Positive psychological contract through particular configurations of HR policies and practices * Behavioural and performance outcomes such as job satisfaction, employee commitment, motivation and lowered intention to quit. The Explicit Contract of employment An agreement between two parties enforceable by law†¦ a contract of service and comes into being when an employee agrees to work for an employer in return for pay’ (ACAS) * Accumulation of rights and responsibilities for both parties * The terms of a contract can be: * Express (explicitly agreed between the parties, either in writing or orally) * Implied (not explicitly agreed but which would be taken by the parties to form part of the contract Control VS Commitment With the evolution of people management there is now more of a focus on control. The logic of control Direct control * Low trust employment relationship * Strict supervision and task specification * Subordination of labour to capital. Responsible autonomy High trust commitment relationships A degree of worker discretions and responsibility Edwards (1979) developed this analysis by identifying two ‘structural’ strategies for control: Technical control -built into machinery and technology (Fordist) Bureaucratic control -Control via internal labour markets, career structures and the position of individuals relative to one another with regard to job security, status and ‘rank’. Social control Conformity and compliance with a set of formal or informal rules Internalisation of norms and values of a group Handy (1976), referring to organisations in their broadest possible sense (not only work organisations), identifies three types of psychological contract: Coercive * Contract is not entered into freely (e. . prisons) * Majority dominated by minority who exercise control by rule/punishment * Emphasis on conformity. Calculative * Contract is entered into freely but control is maintained by management * Power is expressed in terms of their ability to give desired rewards to the individual. Co-operative * Individual tends to identify with the goals of the organisation and strive for their attainment through individual effort. * Effort is based on the degree the individual has input in the company's goals. Commitment is closely associated with motivation, but whereas motivation is focused mainly on the individual, commitment is more strongly associated with the individual’s attachment to, and identification with, the work organisation and the organisation’s goals’ (Blyton ; Jenkins 2008; 139) Employee commitment and association with the aims and values of the firm are the mediating link between HR policies and practices and enhanced individual and organisational performance Relationship reflects form of ‘labour’ involved and that can be ‘bought’ in this exchange: * Physical * Mental (‘thinking’) * Emotional (‘the act of expressing organisationally-desired emotions during service transactions’: Morris ; Feldman 1996; 987) * Aesthetic (‘looking good’ or ‘sounding right’: Nickson et al. 2003).

Personal Financial Planning Worksheet Essay

Based on your readings and discussions in class this week, answer the following multiple choice questions. 1. The process of creating a detailed plan to meet your financial needs and prepare for the future is called a. developing goals b. personal financial planning c. collecting financial information d. personal finance The answer would be (B) Personal financial planning. 2. Which of the following is not one of the five major steps of the financial planning process? a. Analyze your current finances. b. Establish and implement your plan. c. Collect and organize your financial information. d. Reevaluate and revise your plan as needed. The answer would be ( C) Collect and organize your financial information. 3. Which phase in life is commonly associated with focus on marriage, family, purchasing a home, and career development? a. Teenage years b. Between your 50s and 60s c)Late 20s through your 40s c. During retirement The answer would be (c) 4. Which of the following is a benefit of having a college degree that can affect your financial planning? a. The potential to make a higher salary b. Jobs with retirement plans and benefits c. The ability to receive promotions and wage increases d. All of the above The answer would be (D) All of the above 5. Which of the following elements of a comprehensive financial plan involves analyzing future needs, such as saving for retirement or college funding for dependents? a. Building wealth b. Securing basic needs c. Establishing a firm foundation d. Protecting wealth and dependents The answer would be (a) Building wealth Directions Respond to the following short-answer questions in 50-to 100-words: 6. People have different styles when it comes to handling their money. List the two things that affect your personal beliefs and opinions about financial planning. How well do you feel you manage your money? Can you spot areas for improvement in your money management style, and if so, where/how? I feel lthat I don’t manage my money as well as I should . I find myself waisting money on things I don’t need.I defiently need to improve on making a list when going to the grocery store.I always write a list but never stick to it .I end up spending more money than I budget for. 7. Which element of the comprehensive financial plan focuses on your housing  needs, setting aside money for emergencies, and establishing a career path? Consider your own finances. Do currectly own a vehicle and/or home? If yes, how well do you manage monthly home and auto expenses? How well do you save for unforeseen expenses? I manage my home and auto expenses pretty well . I place these things high priority. With having kids things are pretty tight . I have a small rainey day savings. I try to save for things like this as much as possible , because my car and home is two things I need. 8. The economy is unpredictable and can affect your personal financial planning. List one factor in economic conditions that may affect your financial future. How could you reduce the impact of that factor on your finances? One factor in economic conditions that may affect my financial future would be Job employment and security. In a tough economy its hard to maintain a job and job security. To reduce the impact of job employment I will save and do whats needed to maintain my job. That is honestly the best plan for me in this economy. 9. Which step in the five-step financial planning process requires you to organize your financial information, create personal financial statements, and evaluate your current financial position? Have you ever completed this step? If so, is it still applicable to your current financial situation? If not, do you plan to do this soon? Why or why not? 10. Step Five in the five-step financial planning process discusses the importance of regularly reevaluating and revising your plan because personal circumstances often change. List two life changes that may require you to update your financial plan. Have you recently experienced a change that requires you to reevaluate your financial plan? If so, what was it and how have you accommodated it? (Please share only what you are comfortable sharing)

Loss and Grief

What is loss? What is grief? Loss is most often equated to death but generally, â€Å"loss occurs when an event is perceived to be negative by individuals involved, and it results in long-term changes in one's social situations, relationships, or way of viewing the world and oneself† (Marriage and Family Encyclopedia 2008). One tends to experience loss in one’s lifetime. Children usually experience loss through a death of a pet or a parent. Adults likewise experience loss through death of a spouse or because of divorce; they may also experience job or health losses.When we value something or someone that we lost, we experience grief. â€Å"Grief is the psyche’s natural healing response when faced with change and loss† (PsychCentral 2008). This suggests that grief is a normal and natural experience to a person who has experienced personal loss. Furthermore, it is said to be a â€Å"process, not an event† (PsychCentral 2008) which means that grief sho uld be allowed and given time to completely take place. Strayhorn enumerates the characteristics of grief (PsychCentral 2008). First, he says that pain is a natural part of grieving.One may choose to repress or ignore the pain but he says that further losses in life can always trigger it and eventually, the hurt only doubles. Second, he maintains that ‘grieving is a highly individualized process’ (PsychCentral 2008). This demonstrates how different each person is while in grief. Though grief is said to be a universal and a natural occurrence, the way one person grieves differs from another. Furthermore, being aware of the five stages of grief: â€Å"shock, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance† (PsychCentral 2008) helps one to cope with grief.Lastly, Strayhom states that â€Å"grief has no timetable† (PsychCentral 2008). Grief therefore should be allowed to take its own course. However, each individual in the process of grieving should also do activiti es to help them heal. Constantly sharing ones deepest sentiments to a trusted friend is always beneficial to a person in grief. There have been known grief responses, â€Å"such as a yearning for the lost person or state of affairs, a need to think repeatedly about past events, a sense of guilt, or even thoughts of suicide.(Death Reference 2008)† According to the Death Reference website (2008), Terry Martin and Kenneth Doka formulated 3 basic patterns of grief. First is the Intuitive Pattern, where the griever freely manifests his/her feelings. He/She can display intense emotions such as outbursts and crying. Any means to allow the griever to vent out his/her emotions is beneficial for coping. Second is the Instrumental Pattern where the griever would recall memories of the dead person and doing something in relation to those thoughts.An example cited by Martin and Doka (1999) where a man who has lost his daughter in a vehicular accident fixed the fence which his daughter has ruined during the accident. He said that it was the only thing he could repair. Third is the Dissonant Pattern. â€Å"Dissonant grievers are those who experience grief in one pattern but who are inhibited from finding compatible ways to express or adapt to grief that are compatible with their experience† (Death Reference 2008). For instance, when a man loses his wife, he can feel the urge to cry with his daughters and to show weakness.However, he chooses to keep it, as it is inappropriate for a man to do so. Women who lose spouses can experience the same situation, when she inhibits emotions and puts up a strong stance to protect her children. Loss and Grief on Different Perspectives There have been various studies about grief and prove that its characteristics are individualized and unique. On the one hand, children, grieve differently from adults (PsychCentral 2008). Young kids often think that the person who died will soon come back as seen in cartoon shows.Meanwhile, the re are signs which tell whether the child is experiencing significant grief. He/She tends to become immature for his/her age and there is also a considerable decrease in school performance. When these are present, Cohen advises the child be seen by a child psychologist (PsychCentral 2008). On the other hand, men and women also have distinct characteristics of grief. In an article written by Karen Carney in PsychCentral (2008), she enumerates the key points on how men grieve basing from Tom Golden’s book entitled ‘Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing’ (1997).Golden mentions that counselors tend to use approaches similar to what they use towards women, which was later on found to be ineffective to men. Men usually cope by busying themselves with any activity that would either use the mind or the body (PsychCentral 2008). Moreover, men try to go on living their lives as normal as possible like going on their usual routine. In contrast, wom en are attached to their feelings. They have the tendency to recall memories of the loved one who died (Linda-Angel 2005).It is significant to note that there are differences between the characteristics of the male and female human brain, which can be a cause of the distinction on how each sex grieves (PsychCentral 2008). In a study by Buchebner-Ferstl (2002), she mentions the differences between how a woman and a man deal with loss of a loved one (death). She said that women have broader social networks than men, and that women are often the source of social support between the couple. Being the case, she says that some experts would conclude that because of this, women cope better with loss.Moreover, â€Å"women are said to have a more emotionally-oriented behaviour, and men are said to be more problem-oriented† (Buchebner-Ferstl 2002). This means that women are more geared than men to grieve and share their emotions with other people. In addition to this, she mentions that research shows that women are said to have a â€Å"stronger sense of survivability †¦ [and] men are biologically more susceptible to the negative effects of stressors† (Buchebner-Ferstl 2002). This demonstrates that women are more apt to survive loss than men.Also, it was mentioned in the Death Reference website (2007) that men were socially conditioned to hide their emotions. In contrast, women can openly share their feelings to other people, allowing grief to take its course. Further, Louis LeGrand states that the gender difference â€Å"does not mean that men are not grieving; it does indicate that they may not accomplish the task as successfully as women† (LeGrand 1986:31). In a research conducted by Martin and Doka (1999), the differences between how women and men grieve were tackled. Their research showed the following:†¢ Upon the death of a spouse, the widower would usually engage in activities such as working or gym activities and are likely to resor t to alcohol. Conversely, widows spend time with friends and family for emotional support. †¢ Similarly, for those parents who have lost a child, the mothers tend to show emotions than the father. †¢ For those middle-aged children who lost a parent, the sons were more likely to engage in busy activities to deal with the loss while daughters show grief. †¢ Basing on the older generation, there are only slight differences on manifesting grief.†¢ â€Å"Differences in gender are also affected by other variables such as social class, generational differences, and cultural differences† (Death Reference 2008). †¢ The paper suggests that studies show varying results in terms of which gender copes with grief more effectively. The study of grief on the basis of gender is remarkable however Doka claims that the â€Å"[grief] pattern is not determined by gender† (Death Reference 2008) alone but is affected by other factors as well. Cultures differ in socia l norms and practices.There are societies where the sight of a man crying in grief is as acceptable as when a woman does (Death Reference 2008). Additionally, cultures differ in valuing relationships and attachment towards people and things, thus they also differ in grief experiences. Models of Loss and Grief There have been a number of loss and grief models that is based on the notion that every person in grief goes more or less in ‘the same sequence of stages in the recovery from grief, and at relatively the same speed’(Slap-Shelton 2008). Particularly on death, Kubler-Ross has formulated a model composed of 5 stages, as follows:1. ‘Denial and Isolation’ – The person who experienced death cannot accept that he/she actually lost a loved one. In severe cases, the person completely denies that death took place (Slap-Shelton 2008). 2. ‘Anger’- Here the person expresses anger towards others, and towards God, questioning Him why the loss had to happen to him/her (Slap-Shelton 2008). 3. ‘Bargaining’ – This is when one bargains and tries to compromise with God. 4. ‘Depression’ – As the person realizes and acknowledges the loss, he/she now experiences depression and deep sadness.5. ‘Acceptance’- The bereaved now accepts the reality of loss and is able to project a new life ahead. Based on a number of literatures on grief, Kubler-Ross’s model has become one of the most known and familiar. This model appears to define the stages of dying, phases of grief and is applicable not only to death but in other losses such as divorce or a break up. In the University of Kentucky website, Kastenbaum criticizes Kubler-Ross’s model, saying that these are not supposed to be stages as they do not happen chronologically (1998).In addition, he says that all these five stages are not necessarily undergone by a person dying or grieving. He further maintains that grief is uniqu e to every individual (University of Kentucky 1998). This demonstrates that these stages limit the process of grieving which is supposed to be individualized. Following this, various theoretical models on loss and grief were formulated. Charles Corr, specifically believed in the individuality of coping with death (University of Kentucky 1998). People differ in values therefore they also differ in need and coping mechanism for the same experience of loss.Meanwhile, Worden, Leick & Davidsen-Nielson (1991) proposed four means to understand loss and help accept its reality. First, one should recognize the fact that someone died or left for good. Second, one should not suppress the emotions but let them take their course. According to Slap-Shelton, (1998) among the intense emotions that one can feel during loss include â€Å"sadness, despair, anger, guilt, fear, loneliness, shame, jealousy. † Furthermore, to allow feeling these and letting these manifest will help in recovering ov er the loss.Third, it is advisable to let in something new in your life. For instance, one can learn a new skill or find a new set of friends. Through the process the person who experienced loss can grow despite the circumstance. Lastly, one ought to â€Å"reinvest emotional energy into the present† (Slap-Shelton 1998). This means that the bereaved person should focus on what is ahead and what he/she can do to live this new life without the person who died. Some, for example, do activities that commemorate and celebrate the goodness of the dead person.Furthermore, grief can be more understood in two other perspectives: psychoanalytic and attachment perspectives Basing from psychoanalysis, grief stems out of the griever’s uncertainty of where his/her relationship stands, now that the partner died. At the same time, â€Å"the psychological function of grief is to free the individual of the tie to the deceased and allow him or her to achieve a gradual detachment by means of a process of grief work† (Death Reference 2008). Many counselors and therapists have been influenced by this however such theory has also been criticized.On the other hand, Bowlby’s theory was based on the biological aspects of grieving. He maintains â€Å"that the biological function of grief was to regain proximity to the attachment figure, separation from which had caused anxiety† (Death Reference 2008). This means that when humans are separated from a figure whom or which they had attachment to, this results to reactions of grief. Conclusion According to the Marriage and Family Encyclopedia (2008), more recent models on loss and grief are now focused on â€Å"identifying symptoms [rather than] the process of grieving† (Marriage and Family Encyclopedia 2008).Stroebe and Schut (1990) formulated the Dual Process Model of Coping. Humans cope with grief with a combination of both â€Å"loss orientation† and â€Å"restoration orientation†. Loss orientation is allowing grief to take place for instance crying and reaching out to others while restoration orientation is â€Å"adjusting to the many changes triggered by loss† by engaging in new activities. Such dual model recognizes grief as a â€Å"dynamic and fluctuating process, labeled ‘oscillation,’ that incorporates confrontation and avoidance of different components at different times, and includes both positive and negative reappraisals† (Death Reference 2008).For instance, a man who lost his wife learns how to paint and takes pleasure in the activity (restoration orientation). However in the process, he is asked to paint a memorable place and thus reminded of the wife who has died and feels sad about it (loss orientation). Basing from the literature reviewed, grief can be described as universal since all humans at one point in their lives experience grief. Grief is natural since it is said to be an inevitable response to loss. However, th ere has not been an encompassing theory that can gauge grief; perhaps due to its vastness and complexity.Further studies and research, particularly on the biological perspective, how grief starts and where it ends, will allow a deeper understanding of human grief. List of References Buchebner-Ferstl, S 2002, Gender-specific differences in coping with bereavement, Osterreichisches Institut fur Familienforschung, Austria, viewed 30 Maarch 2008, . Carney, K 2006, How men grieve, 4 November, viewed 1 April 2008, . Cohen, H 2007, Children and grief, 4 June, viewed 1 April 2008 Coping With Loss 2008. Marriage and Family Encyclopedia viewed 28 March 2008 . Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2008. [online]. [accessed 29-31 March 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: . LeGrand, L. 1986 Coping with separation and loss as a young adult. Springfield, IL: Charles C.Thomas. Martin, T. & Doka, J. 1999. Men don't cry, women do: Transcending gender stereotypes of grief. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis . Rosenblatt, P. , Walsh, R. & Jackson, D. 1976. Grief and mourning in cross-cultural perspective. Washington, DC: HRAF Press. Schwab, R n. d. ,Gender, Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, viewed 29 March 2008, . Slap-Shelton, S 1991, The phases and tasks of grief work, Self Help Magazine, viewed 31 March 2008, .Strayhorn, D 2008, Surviving a life crisis, 21 January, Psych Central, viewed 1 April 2008,. Stroebe, M. , & Schut, H. , 1990. The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement: Rationale and Description. Death Studies 23, p. 197–224. Stroebe, M, Stroebe, W & Schut, H, Theories on grief, viewed 29 March 2008, . Women, men & grief 2005, Child Bereavement Trust, viewed 31 M arch 2008, .

Final Report - INTERNSHIP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Report - INTERNSHIP - Assignment Example First, I got an opportunity to work with the Muslim American Society, where I was asked to do things I did not have prior knowledge about, though I tried my level best. But it had become extremely difficult for me to continue with them given my brother had been in the Rush Hospital for over three days because of extremely bad health. I had to take care of my brother along with my work. since it was getting impossible to continue, I thought better of it and left the internship temporarily. However, I did not spare my program of internship and looked for another opportunity. I was fortunate enough to have been asked by the American Muslim Society to go to Chicago and work with a person named Mohammad Nasir who was the Executive Director of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. It was a very good opportunity for me since it offered me a chance to apply my knowledge to various problems concerning my field. My responsibilities included were not limited to the following: features of the website and the related formalities. It was also a part of my duties to assemble and organize pictures to create the flash and start working on the website for sub-organization. In order to accomplish that, I made use of the knowledge and skills I had formerly gained at the Dominican University specially related to the web development including HTML, Java Script, Flash Photoshop and CCS. Working with the Muslim American Society was an extremely nice experience that added tons to my knowledge as a computer professional. Having done an internship, I would strongly recommend everybody to do an internship if some opportunity is

Sequence Diagram Flight Reservation System Assignment

Sequence Diagram Flight Reservation System - Assignment Example The sequence diagram is a critical part utilized in procedures of analysis and design documentation of user requirements. The sequence diagram is a tool of Unified Modelling Language (UML) that represents the interaction of different actors with the system in order to get a result/response (Bell, 2004). The Sequence diagram is one of the most usable and useful diagrams to represent the interaction of one or more objects’ interactions with one or more systems. It is pertinent to mention here that we have to develop / draw a Sequence diagram for each and every Use Case. The Sequence diagrams are used to model the usage scenario of the system, the logic of the methods and logic of the service. The sequence diagrams are used to describe the complicated operations, methods or functions in graphical or pictorial mode. Moreover, it also represents the services provided by the system to their clients, for example, the web services i-e online flight reservation system. The Use Case dia gram enables modelling of a business view of the scenario, the Sequence diagram contains implementation details of the scenario, including the objects and classes that are used to implement the scenario, and messages passed between the objects (Ambler, 2012). As per the sequence diagram (given below) of the online Flight Reservation System and the definition of the sequence diagram, the actors that were identified in Use Case Diagram (customer, website) has been utilized in the Sequence Diagram. The first actor is the 'Customer' that would interact with the 'Website' (system). As shown in the following figure, the customer does all the interaction with the system from searching flight till the provision of the PIN code. Initially, the customer opens the website of the service provider (airline or agent of the flight reservation) and clicks the search flight tab of the website. The website would open the flight search form and the customer has to enter the required information includ es: the departure and arrival airport, one way or round trip, the date of departure and return (if round trip) and the number seats / tickets. The customer submits the form and after processing, the website shows the search results. At this point the customer can go back to the search page and re-enter all the information, otherwise, the customer can select and book the flight. The website provides the review page along with payment information. The customer has to fill the form with required information include: full name, passport number and payment method (credit card information). The website provides the confirmation page and the customer confirms the booking. The system processes the customer’s request and presents a personal identification code (PIN) for the future reference (Popkin Software, 1998). Sequence Diagram Reference List Janssen, C., 2010. Sequence Diagram. [online] Available at: [Accessed 02 December 2012] Ambler, S. W., 2012. UML 2 Sequence Diagrams. [onlin e] Available at: [Accessed 02 December 2012] Bell, D., 2004. UML basics: The sequence diagram. [online] Available at: [Accessed 02 December 2012] Popkin Software., 1998. Modelling System with UML. [online] Available at: [Accessed 02 Dec

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Review - Article Example Although the rates are low, the plan is continued to be criticized for its failure to maintain or raise the GDP and worsen the fiscal outcomes. The plan was only seen to raise the economic level at its initial stages of launch when the GDP increased by 8.3% in 2013-14 as compared to2010-11. It seems that the Prime Minister is trying to force this plan which not according to the opinions of the fiscal policy makers however much harm it might be causing to the economic development. The government should apply fiscal policy to come out of the economic problems it’s currently facing and the efforts to correct the situation without consideration of the fiscal policy will lead to the argument that discretionary fiscal policy is unnecessary. The fiscal policy is supposed to be sustainable and cyclic with adjustments to balance the economic situations. Like it had been experienced, criticism like those from Keynesians had brought back the economy to its recovery in the 1980 when the retail price inflation was seen to peak at 21.9%. This was reduced by the action of the bank which peaked its rate at 17%. By so doing, the rate of borrowing was raised hence only few people could afford to borrow funds. This reduces the money supply in the market which further raises the value of money thus reducing the inflation level. The prime minister should not expect monetary policy to achieve much since the debt of the country only changed from over-indebted banks to the over-indebted household borrowing. What the government should do is to use direct monetary financing of even larger fiscal deficits as this is seen to be more effective and less damaging than using looser monetary policy. The prime Minister however do not want to use the monetary and the fiscal policy to change the economy and this has made the UK economy by six times weaker th an it was

The Impact of Changes to Financial Management and Organizational Research Paper

The Impact of Changes to Financial Management and Organizational Culture - Research Paper Example Australian Industrial Relations of collective bargaining coverage too is falling, albeit under a quite different set of circumstances. Let us start with the obvious: Australia is a federation of states and territories. Nolan (1998) has provided a useful perspective of the Australian labour law reforms in the latter half of the last decade of the previous century. His concept was to undertake Australia as a federation and then state by state analyzing the status, of collective bargaining. Multi-employer awards, procured through conciliation and arbitration, at both federal and state level, were historically the primary forms of wage fixing. In 1990 such awards were estimated to cover some 5,652,200 employees – about 80 per cent of the labour force (McCarry, 1998). At the federal level in Australia, enterprise bargaining has been promoted through the Reform Act 1993, amending the Industrial Relations Act 1988 and the Workplace Relations Act 1996. (Patterson, 2001) The 1993 amend ment allowed for certified agreements and enterprise flexibility agreements; the Workplace Relations Act restricted the nature of awards and provided for Australian Workplace Agreements. Both certified agreements and Australian Workplace Agreements can be union-free and individual employment contracts. According to ACIRRT (1999) at this situation level, only New South Wales and Queensland (both underneath industry governments) have promoted legislation painstaking to protect reconciliation and arbitration and multi-employer awards. Victoria has ceded its industrial relations powers to the Federation; Western Australia has adopted a voluntarism system that has spread rapidly.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 19

Summary - Essay Example The rationale of this paper has been to improve the quality of service delivery and develop the investment of human capital in serving this noble task. According to Liu 2006, plans are fundamentally important to improve human resource for tourism by the local individuals to conform to grow and more sophisticated demands in the developing countries. There is increasing concern for academic institutions to go beyond the hospitality orientation and further integrate and equip personnel with quality and practical skills. Despite the fact that tourism has been prioritized in the national development plan, there have been minimal efforts employed to improve human resource for tourism, which is essential in achieving this plan (Dale & Robinson,  2012, p.  82). Institutional framework and concerns have constrained the type and focus of accumulation of human capital in developing countries. International standard compliance and professionalism has limited individual involvement through integrating local cultural concerns. Liu and wall addressed conceptual reflection of the accumulation of human capital in tourism in a policy-industry-locality structure that includes broad issues of tourism policy, employment concerns that influence tourism in the developing countries and the contribution of local people in this industry. They also identified the nature and the probability of acquiring education or rather training facilities and opportunities for developing countries. The primary concern of this article was to identify and determine the contribution of tourism plan and policies as well as tourism institutions and opportunities in delivering internationally demanded human resource for tourism (Sigala,  2012, p.  96). The article identified that local tourism plans and policies have not been adequately addressed human resource issues for tourism.

Week 5 discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Week 5 discussion - Assignment Example The employer is the coach who executes coaching actions to his or her employee. The results of a successful coaching process include acquisition of new skills, improvement in performance and development of profession (Kloster, Teresa and Wendy 6). Young employers suffer from inadequacy of experience hence needs to undergo a coaching period to help orient them in the line of duties by more experienced personnel. After undergoing the coaching sessions, the young employers should set up an employee relations department to start to enable them coach the employees. Coaching is essential in such a circumstance in the sense that it allows the young employer to ascertain the majors and weaknesses of their employees. Coaching effects conflict resolution mechanisms like mediation and dialogue at personal level amongst the employees. However, time factor may limit the coaching session thereby undermining the quality and efficiency of the coaching in the workplace. Coaching process should focus on an improvement plan that aims to improve workplace efficiency. The impact of this is an improvement in service delivery and competence amongst the workers (Butteriss 19). Coaching, therefore, is essential, and every organization should embrace it to realize an increase in output thereby attracting more

Audit Procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Audit Procedures - Essay Example They include order management, sales transaction, and delivery to the customer, invoicing and posting to the financial statements. It also includes short-term investments and cash equivalents. In order to know aspects of the revenue cycle of an entity the auditor looks at the general ledger, which is a primary source of financial data and with the internal controls this figures should be accurate and true. For mobile streams plc the revenue cycle may comprise of sales account, trade payables and receivables account, other incomes account, cash and cash equivalents and stock ( Georgiades, 2006, 22). Audit procedures are the tests that the auditor carries out to ascertain that the revenue is stated correctly. The auditor must understand the industry that the company belongs to and this will enable him make a comparison to see if the figures are correct. Audit procedures involve designing the tests that will be carried out on the accounts, gathering the evidence, evaluating the results of the tests, and finally making decisions on the whether the evidence is sufficient. The procedures can be classified into risk assessment and further audit procedures such as test controls and substantive procedures. The overall objective of the audit will determine the risk assessment, test controls, and substantive procedures to be used (Cangemi , & Singleton, 2003 p. 272) Risk assessment involves finding out the inherent risks associated with the transactions and this information is obtained from the financial statement and accounts and assumptions level of the company. One can also source inherent risks from the strength and weaknesses of the Internal control system or form carrying out analytical procedures. An example of inherent risk is timing of the revenue recognition and it should be guided by professional rules like IASB. Example of a test control to ascertain the validity of the revenue would be to look at

Ethics of social media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics of social media - Essay Example However, such responses from the veterans are subjected to continue rejections and challenges with time as the technology of the social networking is changing and facing new horizons. The main aspect of the use of this technology can be seen by the transformation of the communication process, but the social bonding is virtually ethical or not needs a constant reply. The bonding is in terms of friends, parents’ children bonding, and employer link to employee, coworker to other coworker, student and teacher, neighbors, buyer and sellers, doctor connections with patients and many others. The ethical conclusions on such networking technologies are not based on personal grounds. The interacting web service is complex in nature with connection to the online and offline world, the different motives of the developers and corporations comes out to be disputable and therefore, it is in the basic need of some strict philosophical and ethical balances for the future years of the networkin g world. Definition and history of social networking services: The phrase â€Å"social networking† has diverse meaning and concepts with no clear definition. As humans on earth are in constant reach of social networking by one way or the other since the time of the birth (Boyd 16). History has showed that humans developed several ways to came in contact with one another and in social interaction by many means and ways, thus, making the particular institutions and affiliated places like private or public clubs, lodge and church. Moreover, humans developed and invented tools for communication like telegram, telephone, postal services and others. So, when philosophers maintain the ethical balance for the social networking communication, they are of the means that what would be the ethical influence of the ambiguous social networking service, which is formed from the web 2.0 software standards. The same was evolved first in the beginning of the twenty first century. Before the ap pearance of web 2.0 standards, the internet based social networking was there for the last many years through computer operations. The first official networking was done through computer in 1970 in the U.S by the military ARPANET and after that it began to expand in order to provide facility to many newsgroups based on the internet use, mailing electronically, bulletin board system, multi user dungeons and other rooms dedicated for the chat purpose that were based on topics and social identities. The initial form of social networking communication evolves organically for the purpose of discovering medium for institutional, academic and commercial ranges. Therefore, web 2.0 standard were introduced in order to provide the users with collective, user formatted and sharing of internet based content and during this, the major purpose of the web 2.0 developers was commercialized and institutional based. They knew the potential of the internet based subsystem and worked to improved it fur ther. Particularly, the web 2.0 gave the platform to the users to make their online and offline presence- a latest practice that moved the internet communication from its general form that was based on anonymous discussions without concealing the true identities. The latest standard of interaction through internet was initiated by orkut, MySpace, LinkedIn, Friendster, habbo, bebo and facebook by revealing true identities. The next standard was based on sharing of intern

Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example for Free

Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Martin Luther King Jr.s revealing, Letter from Birmingham Jail, delves into the segregation, injustice and violence of Birmingham, Alabama, probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States(Inquiry, p.#391, paragraph 6) In response to criticism from eight clergymen of Birmingham, King details the process of preparation for the nonviolent protest that took place in Birmingham. Imprisoned for protesting without a license, Dr. Kings words continue to reach far beyond the bars of his prison in his letter from Birmingham jail. Martin Luther King addresses the concerns and criticisms of his fellow clergymen, explaining why the African-American population of our nation cannot always be expected to wait for a more appropriate time to voice their concerns. Justice too long delayed is justice denied.(Inquiry, p. #393, paragraph 13) Dr. Kings wisdom is a well-known and well-cherished part of American history. Reading his words have cemented my admiration for his methods and his ideas. In Letter from Birmingham Jail he exposes the hypocrisy of the South and expresses his willingness to break an unjust law to pave the way for a just one. In case peacefully going to jail for his protests isnt a loud enough demonstration, his letter, specifically addressed to eight fellow clergymen but meant for the nation, gets the message across. Reading this letter has made me wonder how an eloquent, charismatic and just man such as Martin Luther King could be criticized, imprisoned and eventually assassinated. I question whoever cannot see the reason in Dr. Kings words. The issues of prejudice and segregation have been well worn since Martin Luther Kings time, but his words still hold passion and wisdom. His work on these issues was ground breaking, and I doubt our country would be as it is today if Dr. King had never spoken out in a time of injustice and inequality.

Pakistani Community In Britain Sociology Essay

Pakistani Community In Britain Sociology Essay Ali (1982) Pakistanis main concentration is in U.K. where they began in the early 20th century as sailors in the Merchant Navy and soldiers in the British army. They had an opportunity to migrate in large numbers following the economic expansion and shortage of labour resulting from the two world wars. However, their migration did not have a set pattern up until the last half of the 1950s. (p. 5-7) Post world war two migration to Britain from the Asian subcontinent was based on imperial ties and largely driven by economic imperatives. Rebuilding post war economy entailed a demand for labour that could not be satisfied by the British population itself. After 1945, virtually all countries in Western Europe began to attract significant numbers of workers from abroad and by the late 1960s they mostly came from developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East (Massey, D. et.al , 1993, p. 431). Islam in the UK has a South Asian character. The largest number of Muslims originates from Pakistan (Samad Sen, p.43). Further to this, the largest group of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent have come from Pakistan, both West and East (Ibid.) In Pakistan, major impetuses to emigrate came from the poorer agricultural areas of the Mirpuri district in southern Kashmir and the Cambellpur district of the north-eastern Punjab. Smaller numbers left from the North-west Fron tier Province next to the Afghani border. In the case of Mirpur, a further factor was the disruption caused by the Mangla Dam project which started in 1960, and was ultimately to flood about 250 villages. In East Pakistan, which was later to become Bangladesh, the two main sources of immigration were in the Sylhet district in the north-east and the maritime region around Chittagong. Due to the struggles of a newly developed state and poverty, many Pakistanis took the opportunity to come and work in Britain. (Neilsen, 2004, p. 41) Before 1962, Pakistanis were British subjects (under the 1948 British Nationality Act) and could enter Britain without restriction. There was a dramatic increase in the rate of immigration just before the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962  [1]  was passed. Before the act of 1962 was passed about fifty thousand people entered Britain within 18 months, in comparison the 17,000 who entered between 1955 and 1960 (Shaw, 1998: 25). The threat of Britains immigration controls also coincided with a change in the Pakistani Governments policy on immigration. In 1961, when the 1962 Common wealth Act was imminent, Pakistani government withdrew restrictions on immigration and promoted the migration of 5,000 people in a move to compensate Mirpuri villagers who had been dispossessed of land by the construction of the dam (Shaw, 1998: 25). Until the beginning of the 1960s, entry into the UK by the citizens of British colonies and member countries of the Commonwealth Immigration Act of 1962, introduced restrictions on immigration to the UK. Although it was intended to discourage Pakistanis and people from Commonwealth countries from migrating to the country, it turned out to have the opposite effect. The unintended effect of the 1971 Immigration Act  [2]  was that a significant number of Pakistanis and from the other countries entered the UK to beat the ban (Shaw, 1994, as quoted in Samad Sen, 2007, p. 28). 1970s family reunification marked a turning point for the establishment of Islam in Europe. Along with emergence of community through family reunification, some of the conventional norms rooted in social relations, through the practice of Islam began to emerge (Ibid., p.38) These labour migrants despite their social origins and qualification levels were largely confined to low-paid manual work and faces racial discrimination when being recruited for jobs (Modood, 2005, p. 60). In the 1970s Ethnic minorities were branded as scroungers and the threat of overcrowding was becoming a grave concern. Enoch Powell, in 1967, openly advocated a policy of repatriation where he argued not for migrants; families to be reunited in Britain but rather that migrants should be returned home and reunited with families over there (Jones and Wellhengama, 2000: 16). Further to this, by emphasising that Britishness comprises common biological roots, a common language and an allegiance to the Crown; parliamentarians easily excluded certain migrants (Ibid, p. 31). With the consequences of state led policies of migration, and arrival and settlement of a growing Pakistani community, emerged socio-economic problems that this new community had to face. The next part of the essay will discuss the various ways in which the British Pakistanis are disadvantaged and ways in which they responded to the underlying and changing political, social and economic conditions in Britain. While the disadvantage of Pakistanis actually predates the rise of anti-Muslim prejudice, the latter threatens to exacerbate the former and to prevent the formation of goodwill required to act against the chronic disadvantage of Pakistanis in Britain. (Modood, 2005, p. 80) As the Labour force survey (Spring, 2000 as quoted in Saman Sen, p. 45) illustrates, Pakistanis are two and a half times more likely than the white population to be unemployed and nearly three times more likely to be in low-paid jobs. According to Cessari (p. 58) the socio-economic marginality of Pakistanis is most often accompanied by residential segregation. She argues that the data from the British census show that Pakistani immigrants tend to live in the most dilapidated or unhealthy housing conditions. Chain migration processes have a strong influence on locating minorities in clusters. Hostility from the society within which the settlement takes place can reduce the ability of the group to disperse and defence may be an important element in clustering. There are both positive and negative reasons for clustering in most ethnic clustering patterns and, given their simultaneous presence in many situations, it is difficult to disentangle dominant from recessive factors. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that not all segregation results from negative factors such as white racism (Peach, 1996, p. 228) Rex and Moore (1967) demonstrated high levels of discrimination against immigrants, particularly against Pakistanis, in their field area of Sparkbrook in Birmingham. They showed high concentrations of Pakistans in their lowest housing class, the rooming house. Work by Dahya (1974), on the other hand, argued that Pakistani concentration in multi-occupied accommodation was a preferred, not an enforced, strategy. He argued that chain migration by village and family, the desire to maximize savings, shared language and religion, culinary needs and so forth all argued in favour of sharing accommodation. Thus, although discrimination existed, it was not material to the patterns of concentration that arose. Many of the early Pakistani migrants to Britain have been the most reluctant to attach a British identity to themselves. With the effects of globalisation, Pakistanis are also worried about losing their traditions, customs and values and hence hold onto the security of their close knit society with a hesitance in accepting anything British; (Jacobson, 1997, 185). Pakistani British Muslims have been vastly influenced by cultures and customs emanating from the subcontinent, and this will continue to happen for another generation or two. The context within which they practice their religion is after all, Pakistani one: not only because they younger generation learned about Islam from their Pakistani parents but also because Pakistanis are the dominant group within the local Muslim community. They are used to hearing Urdu spoken in mosque, eating Pakistani food and wearing Pakistani clothes at religious festivals, follow Pakistani customs at weddings and other religiousceremonies and abide by and rail against definitions of moral behaviour which have more to do with the norms of Pakistani village life. For them the interconnections between ethnic culture and religion are dense and intricate (Jacobson, J. 2003, p. 147) V.S. Khan (1979), writing on Mirpuris in Bradford, discusses the effect of migration on those arriving in Britain and ways in which this shapes their socio-cultural behavior. He maintains that the very means of coping with migration could lead to inherent stresses, in that the knowledge of traditional culture in the homeland, constant evaluation through the process of migration to Britain and prior expectations have a direct affect on the migrants life-style and values. The stressful experience of migration is alsoa crucial determinant of a migrants perception of his situation, and the actual options open to him. While many of the supportive institutions of village life buffer confrontation with the new and alien world in Britain, in the long term they not only restrict access to it, but also hinder the attainment of things valued (Ibid. p. 55) Werbner discusses similar factors: the social stresses experienced by Pakistani migrants in Britain derive from three main `arenas; the traditional culture and emigration area; the migration process; and settlement in the new environment and society (1990: 37). Her analysis however, presents a more positive view of the adaptability of Pakistanis to new circumstances, in particular to those concerning women, and regarding the expansion of kinship networks to inculcate friends and members of other sub-castes. (Imtiaz, 1997, p. 36) Significance of Bradford: The Bradford Metropolitan District is situated west of Leeds; north of the trans- Pennine highway. To the north and east lies North Yorkshire, with its manor houses, farms and cathedral cities, while to the west and north lies the Lake District. The city has been the centre of the wool trade since the 18th century and, until recently, wool dominated the local economy. Even the engineering and chemical industries were associated with the wool trade by supplying the needs of the textile industry. Throughout the 19th century it was mainly a working class city structured around a low wage economy. The global networks, stretching out to the colonies, in particular, were constructed around importing wool and reprocessing it for export. These networks persisted into the mid-twentieth century (Samad Eade, Community Laison Unit) Although Pakistani Muslims settled in various parts of the United Kingdom, Bradford still has one of the highest concentrations of Pakistani Muslims in the country (and more than any other Yorkshire and Humber region) (Din, 2006). Bradford is one of many towns and cities that have ethnically diverse populations in terms of religion as well such places as Tower Hamlets, Birmingham and Slough (National Census, 2001). The Bradford area also has one of the highest numbers of individuals who were born outside the European Union (National Census, 2001). The majority of Muslims in Bradford have roots in rural areas, with a large majority of Pakistanis from Mirpur in Azad Kashmir, a mountainous region and one of the least northern areas of Pakistan. This Pakistani community has a growing underclass with a significant section of young men under achieving in schools. They are generally characterised by low educational qualifications and occupational concentrations in restaurants and taxi driving. Along with low participation of women in the formal labour market and marriage at an early age, fewer years of education, lower educational skills and large average family and household size contributes to multiple deprivations (Lewis, 2007). Bradford has a rich religious, ethnic and cultural diversity. With a range of ethnic communities, it is predominantly Muslim (16.1 per cent) and largely of Pakistani origin with 14.5 percent of the total population of the city (National Statistics, 2003 as quoted in Gilligan, 2005). The Pakistani communities are very much concentrated in the inner wards of the city, where they tend to live amidst a relatively self-contained world of businesses and institutions, religious and cultural, which they have created to service, their specific needs (Lewis, 2002, p. 203.) Compared to other majority white communities, Bradfords Asian population is relatively young (National Statistics, 2003). They also tend to be located in areas facing relatively high levels of deprivation and disadvantage (DETR, 2000; Cantle, 2001; Denham, 2001 as quoted in Gilligan Akhtar, 2005). According to the Change Institutes report on the Pakistani Muslim Community in England, (2009) currently Bradford has the largest proportion of its total population (15%) identifying itself as of Pakistani origin in England. The report suggests that the latest estimates (from Bradford Metropolitan District Council) have indicated that the South Asian population has grown considerably over the last decade to 94,250, and that the people of Pakistani/Kashmiri origin number about 73,900. It further states that the South Asian population now represents about 19 per cent of the total population of Bradford and 16 per cent of Bradfords residents are Muslims, compared to the national average of 3 per cent. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis (young and old) have an attachment to Bradford. For many older Pakistanis, who arrived in the late 1950s and early 60s, Bradford is Mirpur is their home from home. For the young generations of Pakistanis it is their home (Din, 2006) Studies on Mirpuris: Much of the literature on Pakistanis in Britain, particularly from the late 1970s up to the late 1980s, tends to be based on studies of communities in particular towns, such as Anwar (1979) on Rochdale, Currer (1983) on Bradford, Jeffrey (1979) on Bristol, Shaw (1988) on Oxford, and Werbner (1985 1990) on Manchester. A number of studies have explored the extent of Asian (or Pakistani) migration and settlement across various geographical towns and cities (see Khan, 1974, 1979; Anwar, 1979; Shaw, 1988, 1994; Werbner, 1990). Some have had a particular focus on employment and housing issues (in particular Dahya, 1974; Werbner and Anwar, 1991; Anwar, 1991). Measuring the economic position of communities is easier to determine; what is more difficult is to examine the experiences and attitudes of young people towards their parents/elders; their community and the wider British society. There is an enormous amount of published work on the early immigrants (Rose et al, 1969; Dahya, 1974; Khan 1979). Rose et al (1969) is a good starting point for cultural studies relating to the Pakistani community. Rose explored issues such as the need to recruit labour immigrants to meet the needs of the British economy and the settlement process of the early immigrants in textile cities like Bradford. In addition he explored the problems encountered, such as obtaining suitable accommodation, access to public services, integration and the problems of adapting to a very different way of life. The experiences of families of early settlers joining their husbands in the United Kingdom have also, to an extent, been explored. This shows close-knit family ties which exist in Pakistani families, arranged marriages, biraderi and gender inequalities in Pakistani households (Khan, 1979). One of the earliest writers on Pakistanis in England is Dahya (1973 1974), who began his research in Birmingham and Bradford in 1956 and continued to publish into the 1980s. He remains amongst a hand full of researchers who have endeavoured to describe daily life amongst the single, male migrants and the control exercised over them by heads of families back in Pakistan. He clearly explained the nature of the links between the migrants in England and the social structures operating in Pakistan, based on the need for the migrant, whose family has sent him abroad in order for him to send back remittances and thus benefit not only immediate relatives but also the whole of the biraderi or kinship group. He concludes that: the Pakistani migrant community is in a very real sense a transitional society going through the phase of development from a rural to an urban industrial society (1973: p, 275). Today, with the constant movement between the villages of origin of Pakistani migrants and their places of inhabitancy in Britain, paving way for a constant, rapid social and economic change in both societies, his conclusion tends to be within a situational context of a time, when both were much more separate than they are today. Jamal (1998) carried out a research to explore food consumption experiences the British-Pakistanis in Bradford, UK and the ways the British Pakistanis perceive their food, and their perception of English food in the UK. He identified that the first generation of British-Pakistanis perceive their own food to be traditional, tasty but oily and problematic. Various English foods are perceived by them as foreign, bland, but nonetheless, healthy. The young generation of British-Pakistanis are increasingly consuming mainstream English foods while also consuming traditional Pakistani food. Rex and Moore (1967) demonstrated high levels of discrimination against immigrants, particularly against Pakistanis, in their field area of Sparkbrook in Birmingham. They showed high concentrations of Pakistans in their lowest housing class, the rooming house. Work by Dahya (1974), on the other hand, argued that Pakistani concentration in multi-occupied accommodation was a preferred, not an enforced, strategy. He argued that chain migration by village and family, the desire to maximize savings, shared language and religion, culinary needs and so forth all argued in favour of sharing accommodation. Thus, although discrimination existed, it was not material to the patterns of concentration that arose. According to the Labour force survey (Spring, 2000 as quoted in Saman Sen, p. 45), Pakistanis are two and a half times more likely than the white population to be unemployed and nearly three times more likely to be in low-paid jobs. According to Cessari (p. 58) the socio-economic marginality of Pakistanis is most often accompanied by residential segregation. She argues that the data from the British census show that Pakistani immigrants tend to live in the most dilapidated or unhealthy housing conditions. Another study of south Asian Muslims in Bradford by Khan (2009) refutes the commonly held belief that British Muslim alienation is an entirely Islamist narrative. In fact, the subjects of the study are alienated not only from British society but also from the cultural traditions and values of their own families. The author of the study was struck by their disconnected individualism and described them as libertines. This clearly contradicts the stereotype of Islamists radicalised by a hatred of Western society. Recent study by Bolgnani (2007) highlights forms of homeland attachment and analyses their significance among second- and third-generation British Pakistanis by comparison with the myth of return that characterised the early pioneer phase of Pakistani migration to Britain. He highlights that Homeland attachment for young British Pakistanis is constituted through school holidays spent in Pakistan, participation there in life-cycle rituals involving the wider kinship network, and the older generations promotion of the idea of Pakistan as a spiritual and cultural homeland. It further suggests that, for the pioneer generation, the myth of return justified a socio-economically motivated migration. He further argues that for the second and third generations, the homeland attachments and the idea of a possible return to Pakistan is a response to contemporary political tensions and Islamophobia. Therefore, he concludes that while myth of return still remains, for the majority, that myth has been revitalised and has a new political significance in the contemporary political context of British Pakistanis. However, another study of south Asian Muslims in Bradford by Khan (2009) refutes the commonly held belief that British Muslim alienation is an entirely Islamist narrative. In fact, the subjects of the study are alienated not only from British society but also from the cultural traditions and values of their own families. The author of the study was struck by their disconnected individualism and described them as libertines. This clearly contradicts the stereotype of Islamists radicalised by a hatred of Western society. Marriages: The governing principle of marital choice in any community is homogamy the selection of a partner from a similar social background shaped, for example, by race, class, ethnicity, religion, age and education, thus those who do not conform to these norms, in some circumstances, suffer sanctions, ranging from disapproval to ostracism (Bradford Commission Report 1996). For Pakistanis, the life-cycle with weddings, births and funerals is particularly lived in a shared way by the family extended and split over two continents, Europe and Asia. Adults make return trips for various reasons, but most centrally to arrange or perform a childs marriage (Ballard 1987, p. 21; Shaw 2001, p. 319-325). Among British Pakistanis marriage is not only within the same ethnic group, but consanguineous-arranged with relatives-according to clan as well as caste systems. In a complex context of ethnicity and caste, marriage is often seen as the chosen mechanism to consolidate biradari  [3]  loyalties. Furthermore, due to chain migration, stronger village and kin networks were created, that were later reinforced by transnational arranged marriages, often with cousins from the same area or village. Pakistanis, like many other groups, consider it an important parental responsibility to find spouses for their children. They prefer to select someone they know well, to be sure that he or she has the qualities they appreciate and will make a caring partner. However, Khan (1977) argues in his research that ethnic minorities such as Pakistanis, face two problems namely the limited availability of suitable persons in the restricted local community, and another the fact that their circle of acquaintance in the country of origin tends to shrink within the limits of the extended family. Therefore, for groups with a tradition of consanguineous marriage, it is only natural for the choice of partner to fall progressively closer within the family circle. This argument is supported by Rao Inbaraj (1979) who give evidence to support this view from South India, arguing that for South Asians monogamous, close consanguineous marriage has been practised for thousands of years. Moreover, Bano (1991) discussed the upward social mobility through the institution of marriage amongst British Pakistanis, which she sees as being marked in the Netherlands in comparison to Pakistan. She described the practice of cousin marriages explaining their common prevalence amongst relatively wealthy, rural, as well as landowning families. She then discusses the extension of cousin marriage (Ibid. p.15), proposing that it could include partners being chosen from distant family, or from the same religious tendency, or from the parents close business contacts. According to a research conducted by Overall and Nichols (2001), the U.K. Asian population, particularly within the Pakistani communities, tends to have high levels of consanguineous unions which are correlated with high rates of morbidity and mortality (Darr and Modell 1988; Terry et al. 1985; Bundey et al. 1991 as quoted in Overall Nickols, 2001). It is not unusual to observe a proportion of first-cousin marriages of around 50% (Darr and Modell 1988). Modood et al. argue that the Asian older generation prefers marriages to be arranged by families within the clan or extended family and that love marriages were not the most appropriate way of finding a life-partner. The most frequent argument supporting this view was that love marriages are equated with high levels of divorce. Arranged marriages are seen as diminishing the likelihood of divorce because the partners are chosen for their compatibility and suitable family backgrounds (Modood et al. 1997). According to most researchers there is a continuing prevalence for high rates of intercontinental and intra-caste marriages (over 50%) between British Pakistani spouses and brides or grooms in Pakistan (Charsley, 2003; Shaw, 2001). It is suggested that the pressure for such marriages is apparently exerted by close relatives in Pakistan who use marriage as a route for their children to migrate legally to Britain. According to recent research, however, the spouses marrying into Britain often suffer isolation, and have poor employment prospects (Charsley, 2003). Furthermore, most Pakistani children are compliant and agree, however reluctantly, to cousin and intercontinental marriages (Jacobson, 1998). The Home Office statistics show an influx of 15,000 prospective marriage partners (male and female) from the Indian sub-continent arriving in Britain in 2001 alone, the vast majority arranged by parents for their British-born children (Werbner, 2005). Charsley (2003) reports that, in 2000, there were 10,000 people both men and women, who married into Braitian. Werbner (2005) explains this phenomenon by arguing that Islam permits marriage with a wide range of close kin and affines, and according to recent researches, the majority of Pakistani marriages continue to take place within the biradari; a local agnatic lineage and, more widely, an ego-focused kindred of traceable affines and consanguineous kin. She argues that this notion of biradari helps mediate between kinship, locality and zat (caste), and that such biradaris are ranked and reflect class and caste status in the Pakistani society (Werbner, 2005). Darr and Modell (1988) conducted a research that carried inculcated an enquiry answered by 100 randomly selected British Pakistani mothers in the postnatal wards of two hospitals in West Yorkshire, Bradford, showed that 55 were married to their first cousins, while only 33 cases had individuals whether their mother had been married to her first cousin. Darr and Modell argued that there results indicated an increasing rate of consanguineous marriage in the relatively small group studied, contrasting with the decreasing rate which was observed in some other countries. They had enquired 900 women in hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1983 showing 36% first cousin marriages, 4% first cousin once removed, 8% second cousin, and 53% unrelated (of which 25% were in the Biraderi (same kinship). These figures are almost identical with those reported in Britain for the grand parental generation (who were married while they were in Pakistan), and supported their conclusion that the frequency of c lose consanguineous marriage was increasing among British Pakistanis (p. 189). According to another research by Modell (1991) both in Pakistan and the UK about 75% of marriages are between relatives, but the frequency of closely consanguineous marriage has increased with migration, about 55% of couples of reproductive age in England being married to a first cousin. In many cases the relationship is closer than first cousins because of previous consanguineous marriages in the family. The proportion of cousin marriages is likely to fall but the absolute number will increase, at least for the next generation, because the population is growing. According to the results of a study by Alam Husband (2006), Muslims comprise the UKs largest religious minority, and are the object of analysis and concern within various policy arenas and popular debates, including immigration, marriage and partner selection, social cohesion and integration. Their research analysed experiences and narratives from 25 men aged 16 to 38, their accounts shedding light on what it means to be a Bradfordian of Pakistani and Muslim heritage. It also highlighted the policy context surrounding the mens attitudes toward various facets of their lives, including marriage, family, work, the city in general, and the neighbourhood in which they lived. Alam Husband concluded that although there were some generational continuity of cultural values and norms, several significant changes were also simultaneously taking place. Shaw (2001) began his study by supposing that in the 1990s, forty years after Pakistani migration to Britain began, the rate of consanguineous marriage among British Pakistanis would show signs of decline, as the urbanized and British-educated descendants of pioneer immigrants adopt the values of many contemporary Westerners and reject arranged marriages. However, on the contrary based on the statistical data he gathered, he saw that Pakistani marriage patterns showed no such clear trend, and instead there was some evidence that, within certain groups of British Pakistanis, the rate of first-cousin marriage had increased rather than declined. The study offered an analysis and interpretation of a high rate of marriage to relatives, especially first cousins, in a sample of second-generation British Pakistanis. It argued that the high rate of such marriage is not a simple reflection of a cultural preference. The research also underlines the inadequacy of a blanket category Pakistani in relation to marriage patterns and choices. Shaw suggested that certain variations in region of origin, caste, socio-economic status, and upbringing must be considered in analysis in order to reveal the processes that have generated this pattern and allowed it to persist. Simpson (1997) claims that in Bradford 50 per cent of marriages are trans-continental, i.e. the partner sare from Pakistan. He has proposed two reasons that help explain the reasons for choosing partners from outside Britain, and has analysed the ways these reasons operate independently or may reinforce each other. Firstly, there is a cultural preference for consanguinity, usually marriage to a cousin, which is prevalent among the Pakistani community. As Sarah Bundey et al. (1990) showed in her research that 69 per cent of Birmingham Pakistani marriages are consanguineous and it is expected that if current researchers were carried out they will show similar levels in Bradford, considerably higher than in Pakistan itself. Simpson (1997) further argues that since emigration from Pakistan to Britain is usually seen as a positive achievement, marriage also functions specifically to fulfil a commitment to improve the family fortunes. He gives the second reason that many Muslim young peopl e in Bradford express a cultural preference for partners with traditional values and that sentiment is echoed by their parents who then arrange or help to arrange their marriage partners from Pakistan. Simpson nevertheless points out that, this trend should not be seen as simply a preference for subservient wives albeit this may be true for some. He further points out that there is qualitative evidence that some young Muslim women see men with traditional values from Pakistan as providing a more secure family future than the more liberal friends with whom they have grown up in Bradford. This Simpson points out may coincide both with the strong Muslim and the strong Pakistani identities that are noted among Bradford young women, based on researchers by Kim Knott and Sajda Khokher (1993) and by Kauser Mirza (1989). Modood and Berthoud (1997) carried out a research to show that among ethnic minority groups 20 per cent of African-Caribbeans

The Failure of Integration Essay -- essays research papers

The Failure of Integration After four decades of school integration America has given up, and the question is: "Why?". I believe the answer is because absolutely nothing worked! Bussing was a hassle, most magnet schools were set up for false reasons, and everything was very costly. With everything they tried there were still no significant changes in the test scores of the minority students. So now here we are in the late 21st century and it can all be summed up with what Chris Hansen of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York City believes the courts are saying, "We still agree with the goal of school desegregation, but it's too hard, and we're tired of it, and we give up." It all started with Brown v. Board of Education saying "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." There began a plan to desegregate public schools across America. The first plan was bussing when Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education stated that federal courts could order bussing to desegregate schools. However in most cases bussing became much more of a hassle than a helper. There were many revolts from parents making situations even more horrible. Most students wanted to go to their neighborhood schools and not be bussed for long trips to attend a 'better' school. In Seattle the school board unanimously voted to "avoid race-based school assignment and increase enrollment in s...

National Origin Discrimination Essay -- essays research papers

Statute and Case Law Relationship Paper Florida and Federal Discrimination laws were put in place to prevent discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, physical disability, and age by employers. Discrimination includes bias in hiring, promotion, termination, job assignment, compensation, and various types of harassment in the state of Florida. It is unlawful for supervisors or managers in the workplace to make employment related decisions based on stereotypical assumptions about individuals of a particular national origin, race and/or color or for any employee to engage in bias motivated conduct that creates a hostile work environment for anyone. All this can be found in Chapter 760 of the Florida Statue and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The United States of America is known for being a nation of immigrants, but history shows that at one point our Nation officially practiced national origin discrimination in the form of legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1881, and immigration quotas enacted in the 1920's where employers adopted policies discouraging applicants based on their country of origin. One of the justifications for these legislations was that some cultures were not capable to adapt into a predominately white, northern European society. At times when jobs were scarce, national origin discrimination was based on the protection of jobs for native born Americans. After much search I was able to locate a discrimination employment suit based on national origin and race filled by the EEOC's suit, Case # 8:02-CV-1769-T-30 MAP, filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that a naturalized American citizen of Palestinian descent was singled out and discharged within days of the 9/11 attacks for no other reason than his national origin. The suit was against Chromalloy Castings Tampa Corporation, a manufacturer of precision investment castings for the aerospace industry. The EEOC's Miami District Office was heavily involve in this case and stated that â€Å"For any employee to lose a job on the sole basis of his or her national origin in unacceptable† and this suit is one of the first filed by the agency nationwide after 9/11 alleging that an employee was unlawfully discriminated against as a direct result of the September 11th attacks on the United States. The EEOC reports that since 9/... ...yer reacts and investigates initial complains. The EEOC has reported an increase in such cases post 9/11 but they have made a firm commitment to figth companies whose actions are not within status and laws placed to protect possible discrimination cases. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex and national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 amended several sections of Title VII. Section 703 (a)(1) of Title VII provides that it shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer : "to fail to hire or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to ... terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, religion, color, national origin or sex ." Civil Rights Act of 1964 References: http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-30-02-e.html http://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/ http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1950 http://www.law.stetson.edu/courses/empdis/partIII.htm http://www.sgglaw.com/employmentdiscrimination.html http://fchr.state.fl.us/complaint.htm http://www.mobar.org/journal/2004/julaug/cavanaugh.htm

The Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Systems :: Computer Technology

The Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Systems Introduction Not too long in history were computers invented. In fact, computers were first invented within this very century. Today we can see that computers are extremely helpful in our daily lives. The field in technology has improved so much in just the last few decades. We can see this by examining the technological advancements in computers themselves--such as having more capacities, storing more memories, performing more tasks and even in a less amount of time, etc. By observing the inconceivable progressions, one can see that not only will the field in technology will grow but grow exponentially. Thus, the growth in technological innovations will be promising to society. With this in mind, for the past few decades, many people especially scientists, researchers, and inventors have devoted so much time and energy in AI (artificial intelligence). The subject matter of artificial intelligence has brought many anticipation in society. Not only does artificial intelligence has many pr omises such as efficiently solving "numerous technical problems," but also AI would promise for a better understanding in "cognitive processes, particularly, the human mind" 1. Before we go any further, let's take a look at the history behind artificial intelligence. History The concepts of the development of artificial intelligence can be traced "as far back as ancient Greece." 2 Even something as small as the abacus has in somehow led to the idea of artificial intelligence. However, one of the biggest breakthroughs in the area of AI is when computers were invented. So who was this genius that came up with this idea of computers? One would have thought that computers were first â€Å"originated in the United States, but this is not true.† 3 Nonetheless, the United States of America, Britain, and Germany all happened to create the computer during the same era. Germany was actually the first country that developed the computer. And the man that represented Germany is Konrad Zuse. Zuse â€Å"had the world’s first general-purpose programmable computer up and running† by the end of the year 1941. 3 Next came Bletchley Park, who represented Britain; he was a "top secret wartime establishment which was devoted to breaking the We hrmacht's codes." 3 With the help of mathematicians and engineers, Park was able to build "an electronic computer for deciphering coded messages" called the Colossus.

Zara: It for Fashion

Report Title: Zara: IT for Fashion Executive Summary: Zara is a fashion company founded by Amancio Ortega in Spain in 1975. It is part of Inditex holding company, a large fashion retail chain that operates five other clothing brands. Since its inception, Zara has been financially very successful as it contributes the most to Inditex’s overall revenue. Also, Zara’s fast growth is represented by its massive global presence; it has stores all over the world from Americas to Middle East to Europe, its principal market. In my analysis, Zara’s competitive advantage lies in its ability to mass produce a large range of highly demanded latest designer clothes faster than its other competitors in the industry. By virtue of being first in the market, Zara is able to gain a larger chunk of the revenue pie than its competitors. However, Zara’s financial success and global brand recognition hides many structural inefficiencies and wastages across its business units. My analysis shows that Zara’s main problem stems from its inability to value the importance of having the right information at the right time. This is evidenced by Zara’s hesitance to invest in suitable technological infrastructure that collects, analyzes and interprets valuable data to make the most effective decisions. Furthermore, Zara’s organizational structure is plagued with disjointed business units that fail to understand the relationship between two separate units within the organizations. This faulty organizational structure has not only severely hampered Zara’s ability to garner synergies among its business units but also has become the source of lost revenue due to inefficiencies and wastages. Finally, the culture of making important business decisions within Zara by its management based off of gut feeling rather than a well analyzed business information, patterns and statistical method, greatly dangers Zara’s competitive advantages over its competitors. I would recommend Zara to tackle its two biggest problems– a) absence of modern technological infrastructure and b) lack of collecting, storing and sharing infrastructure needed to generate vital business information to make quality decisions. This recommendation entails the use of Windows based new POS system for all the Zara stores. Also, the use of cloud computing to collectively store all its data that could be used in generation vital business information. Furthermore, I would recommend the use of tablets instead of handheld computers to increase efficiency and communication capability in all of Zara stores. I would broadly divide the structural problems with Zara into two categories: 1. Outdated Technological Infrastructure The biggest problem within Zara is that they lack appropriate technological infrastructures that aid in the decision making process. I absolutely disagree with Sanchez’s argument that Zara does not need to fix something, in this case its POS system, if it is not broken. He also argues that upgrading the POS systems would make it more complicated. In my analysis, Sanchez’s argument fails because he sees Zara’s current comparative advantage in various market segments as a permanent thing rather than something that is constantly changing. Secondly, by opting for simplicity, Zara is sacrificing efficiency and effectiveness. Ultimately, the absence of the suitable infrastructure that can collect, analyze and interpret data to aid Zara’s commercials, store product managers and store managers to make quality decisions, makes Zara vulnerable to fall behind its competitors. Below are the few examples, where Zara’s lack of advanced technological infrastructure hurts them and possible solutions. First, Zara’s outdated technological infrastructure is inhibiting its speed and decision making ability throughout the organization. Zara is a company that depends heavily on capitalizing on new fashion trends rather than on expensive advertising campaign. Thus, it is imperative for Zara to correctly identify new market trends and execute manufacturing orders before its competitors. But it is unlikely that commercials at Zara will be able to consistently predict the new fashion decision without analyzing relevant data to derive information and business decisions. They may guess the new fashion designs correctly few times, courtesy of their experience, but in general their prediction will miss the target more often than not. So, unless Zara updates its archaic infrastructure that can efficiently collect data, help managers develop patterns and better understand the market, they will be forced out of the market. Second, Zara’s ability to forecast and analyze its performance under various market situations is handicapped by its old infrastructure. Most businesses that are successful take into account and analyze all the possible scenarios that can affect them before making critical decisions. Usually called event-driven analysis or simply, what if analysis; it gives a business a sense of all the possible opportunities and threats out there in the market. However, a business mostly requires a large amount of data that they need to analyze in order to conduct a successful what if analysis. In Zara’s case, they lack that data gathering and sharing ability because of their old infrastructure. So for example, Zara has no clue how their revenue is going to be impacted if Benetton opens up a hundred new stores in Madrid. This is serious problem for Zara because it may be losing market share but they have no accurate way of verifying it. Furthermore, Zara’s dependence on MS-DOS based POS system is threatening its viability as a business at a store level and limiting its expansion opportunities. Mainly because Microsoft has discontinued its support for MS DOS and Zara’s suppliers aren’t willing to a long term contract that guarantees future supplies of MS DOS based POS, Zara is in a vulnerable position. Also, the situation within a Zara store, in terms data collection and sharing, is dangerously low. For example, a Zara store manager currently cannot access critical business information necessary for decision making. Even information on simple things such as the sales figure, the pattern of sales, and the number of unsold items are unavailable to the store manager. Rather a Zara store manager currently has to rely on canvassing the store to determine generate business intelligence. Similarly on the hardware side, a Zara store managers over reliance on an outdated handheld computer is putting the prospective revenue of the Zara’s business at tremendous risk. Currently, a Zara store manager uses a hand-held computer with a very small screen, probably with poor image quality, to analyze information about the new clothing designs and then decide. In an artistic industry as fashion where people care about even smallest of small details, the store managers are asked to value and to decide their portfolio of new clothes using a device that is inadequate. Furthermore, the store managers have to rely on a dial up connection, which has a host of issues frequently, to link up with the office at La Courna once every night. With the store managers facing â€Å"hard deadlines† to post their orders and they having to rely on a dial up connection to send that important order, the pressure on the store managers must be very high. Possible Solutions: First, at a store level, Zara can choose from Windows, Unix or Linux based POS to replace all of its outdated MS-DOS based POS. In my analysis, a new POS based on Windows OS is the best solution for Zara’s current needs. First, the regular OS upgrades provided by Microsoft eliminate Zara’s concern about its OS being outdated. Zara can also leverage Microsoft’s variety of well tested software packages to aid in the collection, storage, analysis and interpretation of business information. Furthermore, with windows Live software such as SkyDrive, individual Zara store can store all its vital data in the cloud and share it among commercials and store product managers in different locations. Also, one benefit of using Microsoft OS is that almost all big software developers use MS OS as their primary platform. This ensures that Zara will not be disadvantaged due to incompatibility of major software. While on the other hand, licensing and maintaining fees for Windows can be expensive. Also, the issue with security may be a big concern for Zara as it uses Microsoft OS which has a history of being vulnerable to hacking, virus infection and so on. Second, Zara should upgrade to new POS terminals rather than reprogramming the new OS to fit the old hardware. First, there can be a problem if old hardware is not compatible with the new OS despite re-writing and customizing the new OS. Furthermore, the old hardware may fail to fully utilize the capabilities of the new OS system. More importantly, it may be faster for Zara to replace all the POS than reqrite the program for the old hardware. But the criteria for the new POS system should be that it should be able to store and communicate data to the central office at La Courna and to the store manager. Finally, an android based over an iOS based tablet could be a reasonable alternative to the current use of handheld computers. Because android tablets are more compatible with the Windows OS, which was the OS of choice for Zara, I would recommend an android tablet. Also, android tablets provide Zara store managers the ability to access critical business information from the cloud and easily communicate with the central office to place orders, evaluate new fashion designs, and send or receive critical business information from La Courna. Also, these tablets are compatible with a host of different spreadsheet and document applications that a Zara store manager could rely on to get vital business information before making purchase decisions. 2. Bad Business Practice: Random Decision Making, a Culture inside Zara. In my analysis, the culture inside Zara of allowing lower management to take important decisions such as production schedule and stock distribution based on their gut feeling and yet not checked by senior management, is simply too dangerous. Any business management student can attest that delegation of higher responsibilities to junior staff members and independent decision making is positively correlated with higher performance and returns, and I am all up for it too. However, research also has shown that in terms of decision making, the best decisions are made when experiences of managers are combined with their analysis of business information. While currently in Zara, decisions are solely based off of experience with no use of business information to draw inferences about pattern and trends. The primary two problems with such method are that those decisions tend to random and also, heavily biased towards personal preference and beliefs. A company like Zara cannot afford bad decision when its comparative advantage lies in producing clothes of the future. Below are the few examples of random decision making within Zara which have resulted in wastage and time lag and possible solutions to eradicate them. First, the decisions about Zara’s production based on random experiences can be very costly. Currently Zara’s store product managers, who decide what new design is approved in Zara, largely rely on their random observations of what people are wearing and conversations with Zara store managers to predict the next big fashion hit. However, decision making on the basis of experience alone tends to produce more misses that hits. And for a company like Zara which heavily depends on rapid production of latest fashionable clothes, â€Å"fashion misses† can be extremely costly. The ideal situation would be to allow business managers to combine their experience with valuable business information to derive business strategies and then apply them to decisions about future fashion trends. Similarly, the approach of commercials within Zara to decide the allocation of replenishment, highly demanded clothes in SKUs or DCs and most importantly, newly designed clothes is misguided. The current practice within Zara regarding allocation is to divide the available stock among all the Zara stores who wanted it. The critical problem with this approach is that it ignores the concept of opportunity cost. For example, let’s assume that using a detailed analysis, a commercial within Zara concludes that a piece of clothing â€Å"A† is highly demanded in London than in Bahrain. With this information the Zara commercial can push clothing â€Å"A† completely towards stores in London where it is highly demanded at the expense of stores in Bahrain. Rather than allocating among all stores, the approach of using business information to decide which stores have higher opportunity will be better for Zara’s bottom-line. Conversely, when the demand for the clothes exceed supply the Zara’s commercials allocated by looking at past performances and previous supply records. Although, this method is significantly better than the simple allocation, it could be much better if the commercials used further scenario analysis using previous business information to check if the success of the stores were a one off events or whether previously unsuccessful stores have turned a corner. Possible solutions: Zara’s main problem stems from its lack of infrastructure that is able to collect, store and communicate data so that all the responsible individuals within Zara can use it to make good individual decisions. Among the myriad of a Network options with the aforementioned capability, In my analysis, could computing is ideal for Zara. The advantages associated with using the cloud is its scalability. In the near future, Zara aims to expand its stores and its operations to new locations all across the globe. With a cloud based software the increased need to collect, store and share data within the Zara network will be as easy as buying extra space from the a cloud hosting services. In addition, cloud computing almost infinite amount of storage to store and backup data. This will be ideal for Zara who has a large number of store spread across many continents. Furthermore, unlike a distributed network, with cloud computing Zara store managers, commercials and store product managers can share common application software directly from the cloud without having to purchase or physically transport the software. However, security of the highly sensible data is a big concern when using cloud computing. Unlike a distributive network, there remains a threat that a close competitor in the industry unfairly accesses critical business information such as Zara’s new clothes design or cost of production, supplier’s list, when using cloud computing. Final Recommendation: My final recommendation for Zara aims to tackle two big problems within Zara – a) absence of technological infrastructure and b) lack of collecting, storing and sharing vital business information to make quality decisions. My first recommendation for Zara is to build a sophisticated technological infrastructure across the company. Zara should replace its old MS DOS based POS with a Windows based POS with advanced features such as touch screens, bar code reader and credit card to increase the overall efficiency and speed of transaction. Also, the development of a customized software that automatically stores detailed data about the transaction such as type of design, time (days, months), and cost automatically from the POS system and saves it in a cloud space. Also, I would recommend the use of tablet, preferably android, for individual store managers so that they can have easy access to vital business information in real time and also be able to communicate with the central office and DCs. Furthermore, I would even suggest providing tablets to all commercials and store product managers so that they can have access to specific and vital information about all aspect of the business directly from the cloud. The analysis and interpretation of all the information will enable them to making production, future design decisions, and allocation decisions. My second recommendation for Zara would be to subscribe to a cloud computing service provider in order to store all relevant data from all its stores, its DCs and SKUs. Also, I would suggest Zara to build customized software that has the capability to correctly organize relevant data into different categories according to specific need of different management levels within Zara. Regarding the security issues with using a cloud computing, Zara can enforce cloud storage access password on the basis of seniority in the management hierarchy. So for example, a temporary sub-store manager cannot access the future clothes design for Zara while a commercial has a full access. However, I would not recommend Zara to get involved in selling clothes online. Zara’s comparative advantage lies selling clothes through it well designed and strategically located stores that span all over the world. Thus, unless Zara can build up huge storage and distribution centers, hire e-commerce specialists and figure out a new business model, I wouldn’t suggest Zara to go online. Within the current organizational framework, going online would do more harm than good. The implementation of these two recommendations will insure that all the members of the management team have all the vital business information in real time in order to make an informed decision. Also, it will insure that Zara’s stores serves dual function efficiently serving customer and also providing important data back to the head office in Spain. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Stock Keeping Unit [ 2 ]. Distribution Centers