Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Evaluation on Companies’ Social Accounting

Evaluation on companies’ social accounting Executive summary This report explains the concept of â€Å"social accounting† and analyzes the execution of social accounting in the two companies Corning incorporated and AM-PM Glass Company. The analysis is based on the â€Å"good† principles of social accounting and the accordance to the global standards.And the analysis shows that Corning’s sustainability has a better understanding and consideration about the requirement of social accounting and it makes its own evaluation system based on ISO 14001, and build up a series of standards, but the standards of EMS can not match with GRI on the completeness and concreteness. AM-PM begins well in the practicing of social accounting. But it is not that easy to do well in all aspects of the social accounting, so it has only considered four â€Å"good† principles.While AM-PM takes both AA1000 and GRI as the evaluation standards to assess its performance, and got clear and systematic report results and good reference to its development in the future. Contents Evaluation on companies’ social accounting1 1. Introduction3 2. Definition and explanation of the concept of Social Accounting3 2. 1 Definition and development of concept3 2. 2 Reasons for producing social accounting4 2. Principles of â€Å"Good† and global standards5 3. Critical evaluation on quality of social accounting of two glass companies5 3. 1 Corning Incorporated6 3. 2 AM-PM Glass & Mirror Company8 4. Conclusion10 Reference12 1. Introduction Social accounting is a voluntary process that organizations use to account for their environmental and social impacts. There are both pros and cons telling why organizations decide to engage with this concept of social accounting.The purpose of the report is to evaluate the two glass companies Corning and AM-PM’s social accounting according to the â€Å"good† principles and global standards of social accounting. 2. Definition and explanation of the concept of Social Accounting 2. 1 Definition and development of concept Social accounting refers to the process dealing with organizational assessment and communication of its impacts and activities on relevant issues related to ethics, society and the environment with their appropriate stakeholders (Yanovsky, 2006).It aims to address companies’ social and environmental impacts. Social accounting is also known as social and environmental accounting, corporate social responsibility reporting, or sustainability accounting, and different individual companies usually give different titles, like in Corning, it is called corporate social responsibility report, and in AM-PM Glass & Mirror, it is called sustainability report. The concept of social accounting has got more than 40 years’ development.Abt Associates is among the earliest social accounting practitioners, its social concerns included contribution to knowledge, environment and so on, but there is no specific definition for social accounting. In 1980s, the short book â€Å"Social Audit- A Management Tool for Co-operative Working† is the basis of the early private sector companies’ social responsibility reporting (Spreckley, 1981), and â€Å"Social responsibility reporting† is the early relative formal concept.And in this book, an internal organizational social accounting and audit model are designed to measure individual companies’ social and environmental performance. And with the development of economy and society, the concept of social accounting also gets to a broad and deep domain, which includes the evaluation about every aspect of companies’ social and environmental impacts (Rohinson, 2001; Schwartz and Carroll, 2003). 2. 2 Reasons for producing social accountingThe reasons that individual companies develop social accounting and related reports are as follows. On the negative aspect, employees’ internal pressur es in their urge of wanting to report the environmental and social impacts of the company (Crane and Matten, 2007) can make companies practice the social accounting; and external forces by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, consumers or investors as they seek the company to disclose its impacts of social accounting can also lead to the social accounting.On the positive aspect, social accounting can help individual companies identify and utilize opportunities for cost effectiveness, introduction of profitable eco-friendly products and services, energy saving and environmental protection (Defourny and Thorbecke, 1984). Also, both current and future concerns of stakeholders forewarn companies about any possible area of conflict. Yanovsky (2006) further claimed that companies become aware of the probable risk factors that are capable of affecting their business operations, which afford the chance for companies to prepare the coping mechanism. . 3 Principles of â€Å"G ood† and global standards â€Å"Good† accounts must accord a series of principles. In general, good principles of social accounting have to be inclusive, involving dialogue with stakeholders; to be complete, highlighting the key areas of the individual company’s activities; to be embedded within the organization; to be comparable, undergo external verification, and give room for continuous improvements.These principles should take both companies own management practices and the performance measurements comparison with other companies into consideration (Montgomery and Porter, 1991). Such principles have to be incorporated within the organizational structure, be verified by external auditors and be reviewed on regular basis in order in relation to the targets of its performance and cost effective business opportunities. There are some global standards that are available for companies’ social and environmental reports.For example, Social Accountability Inter national produced SA8000, and it provides workplace issues standards; AccountAblility developed the AA1000S Assurance Standard; The SAN framework, which is suitable for third-sector organisations; ISO1400, which are series of international standards that deal with issues related to environmental management (Porter, et. al. 2009) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which is one of the most practiced standards across the globe and is in its third generation format (G3). 3.Critical evaluation on quality of social accounting of two glass companies This report provides a critical evaluation of two case studies of how the organizations have made use of social accounting concept. The Corning Glass and AM-PM Glass & Mirror Company will be used as examples of companies which have fully put into consideration the social accounting concept. It is a reflection of organizational values and evidence-based actions they undertake towards showing concern to their stakeholders in dealing with thes e issues.The evaluation about the two companies is mainly focus on analyzing the adoption of the â€Å"good† principles and their accordance to the global standards. 3. 1 Corning Incorporated Corning is a multinational company which has about 160 years’ history. Corning is among the best social responsibilities practitioners. The history practicing social responsibilities began before World War One. The chairman James Houghton laid out Corning’s seven Corporate Values: Quality, Integrity, Performance, Leadership, Independence, Innovation, and the Individual.Corning’s strategies are based on the attributes of collaboration, risk-taking, and long-term thinking and so on. According to Corning’s strategy and value system, the best form of corporate social responsibility is equal to â€Å"simple good business† or â€Å"enlightened self-interest† and the good business is constructed by a series of good behaviors including constant interacti on with customers, local communities and government. The social accounting in Corning is named sustainability report. 3. 1. 1 The adoption of â€Å"good† principlesFirst, Corning emphasizes the care and feeding of its major stakeholders, especially the care and feeding for its customers and employees, according to Houghton’s speech in 2004’s company strategy conference. Corning clearly obeys its seven values and takes a set of stakeholders into consideration. It puts attention to labor, women and minorities. Since 1970s, Corning began made efforts to employee women and minorities (Graham, 2010). Second, Corning has complete consideration on social accounting, and highlights impacts of the company’s producing activities to the society and environment.Corning put attention to working conditions, products safety and efficacy, and the environment. According to Corning’s sustainability report, the central elements of the companies’ operation exce llence are protection safety, health and environment (Graham, 2010). Specifically, in order to protect the air, Corning produces ceramic substrates for catalytic converters and tries to eliminating hazardous chemical materials. Third, Corning has a continuously improvement in practicing the social responsibility. Since 1970 to now, Corning consistently shows its care to its stakeholders and the environment.The recent sustainability report is also planed for a long period, and forms a completed environmental protection system, which is including mission, vision, strategy and specific action plans. In process of the energy management, Corning track and measure its greenhouse gas emission, and conducts its related inventory, also, corning launched a global energy management program to guarantee the energy productivity and environmental negative influence. Fourth, Corning has got verification from external organization.Corning reports its previous greenhouse gas emission and got the Reg istry from California Climate Action and the Registry can give a consistent supervision on the continuous execution of the environmental protection and energy management. Fifth, Corning emphasize find the potential improvement, especially those related to performance targets, cost-saving and profitable business opportunities. Corning commits to maintain a long period view of energy and the advanced view require its facilities to utilize energy in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible way.Sixth, corning has embedded professionals related to the social accounting in the process key to success. Corning’s approach embeds an environmental, health and safety professional in the designing group. This embedibility enhance the safety and facilitate the health management system in Corning. 3. 1. 2 Accordance to the global standards In the year of 2004, Corning developed and deployed an Environmental Management System, short for EMS, whose format and substance follows ISO 140 01(Corning Environmental Health & Saftey Brochure, 2007).ISO 14001 is a very series of recognized global standards, and it affords clear and specific requirement for the corporate environmental control group in Corning. Corning facilities have gained many benefits through instituting and adopting the management systems, and due to the rigorous execution, the bad influence to the environment has been reduced. Corning has a pyramid system about EMS, the ISO 14001 stands in the center of the pyramid. And the pyramid shows clear the social accounting procedures. 3. 2 AM-PM Glass & Mirror CompanyAM-PM Glass & Mirror is a residential and commercial glass company that provides exceptional craftsmanship, unsurpassed satisfaction to their customers and gives prompt service through their sustainable innovation and social accounting concept. The company recently outlined its values and objectives in the annual sustainability report, which encompass support to community trade of glass products and its internal judgments on environmental and social performance in relation to achieving its objectives (AM-PM, 2012). 3. 2. 1 The adoption of â€Å"good† principlesAM-PM Glass & Mirror Company follows the three principles of completeness, materiality and responsiveness. First, AM-PM’s sustainability report relates to complete contents of the social responsibilities. It has put attention to both inside and outside of the organization, for example the employee relationships, the sexual and racial ratio, the consideration of the disabled people inside of the organization; and the communication with communities, the campaigns to protect environment outside of the organization. Second, AM-PM’s emphasize the materiality of the action.It stresses that social responsibilities should not only be written in the sustainability report, it must be based on specific actions first, the real practice result and data of the protection, but not only the plans in the report. T hird, responsiveness is the main part that is stressed in the report, it means that AM-PM not only like to be the pioneer in the practice of environmental protection, but also would like follow other companies’ environmental steps. Forth, the values reported in the sustainability report have been externally verified by auditors and a panel of stakeholders.The customers, employees and the communities all give positive comments on the values and actions of AM-PM. 3. 1. 2 Accordance to the global standards AM-PM Glass & Mirror values follow the AA1000 standards of assurance. And its three principles are from these standards. Also, the company values are compliant with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Level A guidelines. And the third generation version of GRI gives a series of very clear standards for AM-PM to evaluate its performance comprehensively, which is with respect to specific assessment according laws, codes, norms, and voluntary initiatives.Specifically speaking, the compilation of AM-PM Glass & Mirror Company report was based on covering all the company activities that is vital as far as environmental and social impacts are concerned (AM-PM, 2012). Its social accounting also responds to issues that arise out of its previous reports. The wholesomeness of this report is also realized in that it covers all the areas that the company operates on as required by global reporting initiative which covers the company management approaches, overall company profile, and the categories for measuring performance. . Conclusion In summary, it can be deduced that social accounting is a voluntary process that organizations use to account for their environmental and social impacts. Both pros and cons exist why organizations decide to engage with this concept of social accounting. The analysis of Corning Glass Company and AM-PM Glass & Mirror gives a specific evaluation about their execution of social responsibilities. The result shows that the two organizati ons both have embraced the concept of social accounting.Corning incorporated is a big multinational which has long history of practicing social responsibility, and it has enough experiences to evaluate what kinds of actions would do well to both the company and the environment, and afford benefits to all the shareholders. So in the adoption of â€Å"good† principles, Corning’s sustainability report shows that it has a better understanding and consideration about the requirement of social accounting. In the accordance to the global standards, Corning makes its own evaluation system based on ISO 14001, and build up a series of standards.Corning has not used GRI as its standards to evaluate performance. To some extent, the standards of EMS can not match with GRI on the completeness and concreteness. AM-PM is also a glass company that has short history. It enters the glass industry in a new age that stresses environmental protection and the full communication with sharehol ders. So, it begins well in the practicing of social accounting. But to a new company, it is not that easy to do well in all aspects of the social accounting, so it has only considered four â€Å"good† principles.While AM-PM did well in the accordance to the global standards, it takes both AA1000 and GRI as the evaluation standards to assess its performance, and got clear and systematic report results and good reference to its development in the future. Reference 1. Spreckley, F. (1981). Social Audit: A Management Tool for Co-operative Working. Wales: Beechwood College. 2. Rohinson, S. et al. (2001). â€Å"Updating and Estimating a Social Accounting Matrix Using Cross Entropy Methods†. Economic Systems Research. Vol. 13, No1:47-64. 3. Schwartz, M. S. , Carroll, A. B. (2003). Corporate Social Responsibility: A Three-Domain Approach†. Business Ethics Quarterly. Vol. 13, No. 4:503-530 4. Defourny, J. , and Thorbecke, E. (1984). â€Å"Structural Path Analysis and Mu ltiplier Decomposition within a Social Accounting Matrix Framework†. The Economic Journey. Vol. 94, No 373:111-136 5. Graham, M. B. W (2010). â€Å"Corporate Responsibility at Corning. Incorporated†. History of Corporate Responsibility Project. No. 7 6. Crane, A. , and Matten, D. (2009). Business Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 9-286. 7. Montgomery, C. A. , and Porter, M. A. 1991). Strategy: Seeking and Securing Competitive Advantage. New York: Harvard Business Press. 8. Porter, M. E. , Kramer, M. R. , and Zadek, S. (2009). Corporate Social Responsibility (HBR Article Collection). New York: Harvard Business Press. 9. Yanovsky, M. (2006). Accounting Systems. London: Transaction Publishers. 10. Corning Environmental Health & Saftey Brochure, 2007. Available at http://www. socialfunds. com/csr/reports/Corning_Incorporated_2007_EHS. pdf [Accessed 10th JUNE 2012]. 11. AM-PM. , 2012. Available at http://www. ampmglass. com/ [Accessed 10th March 2012].

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Psuedo Science essays

Psuedo Science essays Psychology and Psychologists alike view the psuedo sciences astrology as non-scientific, with no empirical evidence to support its many claims. Rather then using empirical research, astrology uses broad based statements that are likely to appeal to most people. Astrological readings almost always tell the reader that something good is going to happen and gives them some kind of false sense of hope, and this is why most people are coned into thinking that the position of the planets can influence their lives. Astrology also puts to use persuasive language to prey upon insecure people who are unhappy with the direction of their lives. In the star sign section of Sunday Life , Jessica Adams writes for the star sign libra You have always been skilled at wrapping your iron fist in a plush, pink velvet glove. That suits your style, as you are no less fond of control then the rest of us, but you also feel unbalanced by any situation where one side is allowed to be overbearing. Sure its true that we like to be in control, no one likes to have someone else telling them what to do. It isnt uncommon for someone to be the sort of person who feels unbalanced by any situation where one side is allowed to be overbearing. Approximately one twelfth of the world falls under the star sign of libra, yet this astrology reading targets people on an individual level, making them feel as though they are the only person in the world that something like that could be written for. I have never read an astrology forecast that predicts that something bad is going to happen and my life is going to become really hard to handle or that Saturns mood swing is going to cause the break up of a long running close relationship. People dont want to read things like this as they like to believe that they are in control and that life is good. If someone who has just had something bad happen i ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

star trek essays

star trek essays Television programs provide one of the most popular forms of entertainment today. From The Simpsons to The X-Files, television shows amuse, shock, sadden, and excite us by turns. Television does more, however, than simply entertain. Television shows are cultural products, and as such, they reflect, reinforce, and challenge cultural ideas. It acts as a mirror and a model for society. In examining and understanding those cultural messages and popular appeal of certain television shows, we should understand something about the society that has created and sustained them. Arguably, Star Trek is one of the most popular television shows ever produced. Today Star Trek includes four television series and nine motion pictures . Like some of the other television shows, Star Trek has been subject to the vagaries of producers and writers so it is difficult to generalize about the intent of the authors of Star Trek or the viewpoint of the readers. Yet, it is also clear that Star Trek has at various times been reflective, informative, and critical about the culture -American culture- that produced it. Star Trek has addressed a wide variety of issues, including war, capitalism, individualism, technology, race, gender, prejudice, religion, etc. The list can be extended to many other issues but here I will focus on race, gender, prejudice and religion only. As portrayed on television such issues are representations of socio-cultural perspectives on broad human concerns. For taking a closer look to those issues, in the continuing parts I will give some exam ples from a number of Star Trek episodes that had written in different times. The portrayal and treatment of religion in the Star Trek television series and films provides an important cultural commentary on the place of religion in society. Although no single coherent approach to religion appears in Star Trek, the series is nevertheless variously reflective of, informed by, an...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Handle Medical School Application Rejection

How to Handle Medical School Application Rejection Most applications to medical school get rejected. Its a hard, unhappy fact. When applying to medical school, you need to accept this possibility and make a contingency plan in case your application isnt accepted. The best advice is  to apply early. If at all possible, take the April MCAT and get the AMCAS application completed before summer starts or at least before August starts. If you wait until August to take the MCAT for the first time, your application will be delayed until the scores are available. The entering class may have already been selected before your application is completed! An early application may improve your chances of admission. At the very least, an earlier decision will help you plan for the following year. Rejection Letter If you get a rejection letter, follow these steps: Call or visit the Office of Admissions and ask if you can have an Admissions Counselor review your application and give you advice for improving it for the next application cycle. Be courteous and grateful. Follow the advice! Review your own application and make notes of ways to improve it.Take your application to your pre-med advisor or other academic advisor and ask him or her to review the application and suggest a way to improve it.Take some action that will show improvement in next years application. If you get an interview next year, expect to be asked what you did all year to help you on your career path. Work hard so that you can have a great answer to this question! Improving An Application These are common means of improving an application: Get higher MCAT scores. Remember, a school sees your most recent scores, which may not necessarily be your highest scores. If you are pleased with your scores, dont retake the test unless you are confident you can improve them. Get more experience. If you were granted an interview, you probably came away with a sense of how the interviewer perceived your experience. If at all possible, build upon your past experiences. You may seek employment in the medical field.Consider taking more college courses, particularly upper-level courses in the sciences. These additional courses could raise your grade point average and will help reinforce concepts. Look critically at the writing on your application and make it even better on the new application.Think hard about the letters of recommendation used for your application. If you waived your right to review these letters, are you 100% positive the letters were glowing recommendations? Were the letters written by respected sources? You need new letters for the new application, so make sure your letters are great. If you have any doubt about the quality of the letters on the rejected application (an Admissions Counselor might clue you in about this), consider not waiving your right to review the letters for the new application cycle. If you dont get accepted to medical school, you need to re-evaluate your desire to become a physician, as well as your aptitude and skills. A lot of rejected applicants never reapply. Those who take steps to improve their applications and then reapply greatly improve their chances of success. Admission Committees like to see perseverance! Getting a rejection letter is disheartening, yes, but how you handle failure is your choice.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Feminist Movements and the Emancipation of Females Essay

The Feminist Movements and the Emancipation of Females - Essay Example However, by the end of 1950s, women’s magazines had started to voice concerns over the early marriage of females and to change the existing attitudes of women whose concept of life remained confined to getting married, having â€Å"four children† and living in a â€Å"nice house in a nice suburb† (60). By the early 60s, women began to recognize their unhappiness which stemmed from causes other than marriage or family and then the media came into the scene to report a common trend of women’s discontentment over their status in society through prominent newspapers and magazines as well as TV programmes such as â€Å"The Trapped Housewife† (66). Thus, the intervention of the media, which promoted a â€Å"collective awareness† of women’s common condition, has played a key role in the success of the feminist movement (Lamb 2011:46). Another major factor that helped the success of feminist mobilisation could be evidenced from the dramatic tr ansformation in women’s social condition including the â€Å"mechanisation of domestic chores† and the â€Å"contraceptive pills† (The Feminist Movement: Slide 6). ... The protest tactics of females have remained on symbolic forms because of the traditional notion of women as being peaceful and protective rather than aggressive. In addition, strategies of â€Å"civil disobedience† and â€Å"playful† marches were adopted to garner media attention and, thus, women relied on these forms of agitation to attain their goals (Slides 15, 16, 17). The strike by the Ford machinists at Dagenham factory in East London on June 7, 1968 where 850 females participated to protest â€Å"against sex discrimination of job grading† can be seen as an example of women’s involvement in â€Å"direct action† (Hughes n.d: 3, 4). In the present day, where feminism takes a â€Å"backlash† due to rampant violence against the gender, the movements such as â€Å"End Violence against Women campaign† have become significant, as it can be seen as an example of symbolic form of action (Cochrane 2008). 3. What obstacles and challenges d o feminist organisations face today in their mobilization efforts? In the modern day of technological development, feminist organisations encounter a lot of challenges such as â€Å"religious fundamentalism,† sex determination tests and the tendency of many people to blame women’s liberation movements (The Feminist Movement Slide 20). Besides, the issue of gap in pay of women as well as the fact that violence against women has reached â€Å"crisis levels† are grave concerns for them (Rake 2006). This will pre-empt the feminist organizations from focusing on the core strategy of mobilisation as their attention will be remain concentrated on fighting violence against women and other such issues. In addition, the women’s organisations today also encounter a main problem where they struggle to keep the â€Å"faith in

Friday, October 18, 2019

HD-DVD vs. BLU-RAY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

HD-DVD vs. BLU-RAY - Essay Example Weaknesses are happening on a couple of fronts. On the content development front, the DVD authoring front, we continue to see extreme price pressure in authoring services. The price of DVD authoring software has come down. The fact that more and more people are doing it puts incredible pressure on the production community to develop a quality product that is certifiable over all of the various players, delivers the same experience to the customer, and builds and maintains margins in their production services. (Sweeting, 2004, p7-46) On the other side, when we look at the next generation high definition DVD disc, which will certainly be all the rage in 2006, a weakness there is how soon the consumer will embrace this technology, particularly if there are two formats. As we all know, DVD was the most successful consumer product ever launched, but if you look at it now, most people have DVD players and are very content with the experience that they get in watching DVDs in their home. How quickly will they want to purchase a more expensive DVD player to play high definition material is something everyone is grappling with right now. (Capps, 2005) It is likely that moving forward the next wave [of opportunity] will fall to special interest categories and even corporate video--outreach and recruiting applications. Certainly, the opportunities for DVD in 2006 are tremendous. Beyond the applications in the corporate, marketing and outreach programs, we'll see special niche DVDs having greater acceptance. Then, of course, we have the whole next-generation issue, which hopefully will come to the forefront in 2006. The threat, especially for high definition, will definitely be how quickly the consumer will embrace that technology, particularly if there are two competing formats. You'll also have, on another front, a continuing piracy concern. That will bring pressure on studios and on the production community to figure out ways to safeguard the transmission of the information and the actual content on the DVD. We will see more movies being released more quickly to DVD. We will see the continued growth of TV programming and music on DVD, We will see the emerging market of 'special interest' DVDs [from educational, travel, marketing, outreach, recruiting, etc.]. And of course we will see the next generation of DVDs, in high definition.Blu Ray will win the high definition DVD arms race, but my guess is that it will take some time for the 75 percent of households who already own a standard definition DVD player to slowly warm up to parting with the cash to upgrade. In all likelihood the adoption wi ll be much slower than standard DVD. The entire industry is holding off until March to launch both formats [DVD HD and Blu Ray]. So we won't be able to see until March of this year how well the fall of this year will be. Also, how fast will HD disc formats be adopted by consumers It took four years for consumers to adopt DVD; will it take six years to get them over to HD We don't really know. (Laser Focus World, 2004. p11-11) A cross-industry debate over the next-generation high-definition optical-disk format turned uglier after Microsoft and Intel publicly backed the HD-DVD standard over its Blu-ray rival. Moving beyond the turf war talk of whether PCs or consumer electronics will rule the digital living room, the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray battle

International Human Resources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

International Human Resources - Research Paper Example As globalization continues to emerge as an expanding trend, are also expectations that are a part of the market. One is based on finding the right regions that carry specific characteristics for expansion. The regions differ by specific characters as well as approaches to the work force that create a sense of legitimacy for the needs within the system. The international human resource management system is a large factor in the production of corporations as well as the ability to leverage the growth within any business. Comparing various regional characteristics can help to define the best international human resource management systems within the area. The aim is to find which is more suitable for international management. The objectives which are associated with this include: - Comparison of human resource management systems in both regions - Cultural and social values that are within the work structures in both regions - Structure of organizations and how individuals associate with this - Legalities of the system, including health options, ethics and obligations - Compensation, training and other internal expectations and how this affects the work environment - Overall expectations that differ in each region By looking at the multiple dimensions that affect both Singapore and Bangkok, there is the ability to understand what is associated with each group and how this affects the growth of both regions. This determination will assist in compensating with the right region while allowing any corporation to move into the right area for stability and growth among human resources in an international pool. 3.0 Background The concept of international human resources management is one that is more pertinent today then in the past. This began in 1990 when an emergence of multinational corporations began to move into various overseas locations. Outsourcing became a large part of this, specifically with many that associated other countries with lower currencies and costs, while opening the international market to exchange. During the initial movement of multinational corporations in overseas areas were also expectations that were linked to using resources in the correct manner. Cultural gaps, implica tions of what was expected and different organizational environments and business structures created complexities and problems with the initial use of human resources for businesses. Today, the use of regional areas has grown; however, multinational corporations have recognized that using the right region with the most benefits ensures stability and avoids problems within the work structure (Dowling, Festing, Engle, 2008). Today, the use of international human resource management is expected to be associated with building a competitive advantage above others. The internal structure is able to depict how the customers respond to a specific business and the way in which they interact. Specifically, there is an association with saving on compensation and resources through the amount of talent that is available. This is combined with expectations of the cultures, such as individuals expecting to stay within a corporation for longer amounts of time, having different associations with tea m work and looking at problem solving in a different manner. These different attributes of various teams have allowed for the human resources to work with creating a competitive advantage in creating more alternatives within the internal structure. To do this, there needs to be a combined set of values with

Coca-Cola India Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Coca-Cola India - Case Study Example For more than 100 years, coca-cola has maintained the leading position in demand for soft drinks in the industry. The company made its entry into India through Coca-Cola India Private Limited; Coca-Cola India PVT is a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. In 19963, the company re-launched coca-cola two years after opening up the Indian economy (Banerjee, 2009). Since the re-launch of Coca-Cola in 1963, the company’s operations have increased rapidly. Coca-Cola Company uses a model that supports bottling operations that are both locally and company owned. Indian distributors are approximately 7000 while retailers are 2.2million. This wide distribution network has made Coca-Cola products a leading brand in most of the beverage segments. Coca-Cola India produces a variety of brands including Coca-Cola, Limca, Thumbs Up, Kinley, Minute Maid, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Burn, Maaza and Vitingo. The authorized bottlers are engaged in independent development markets for these products and distribute them to grocers, small retailers, restaurants, and supermarkets. In addition to USD 2 billion that Coca-Cola has already invested in India, there are plans for investing additional USD 5 billion by the year 2020 (Banerjee, 2009). Coca-Cola’s operations in India has not been streamlined despite huge investments. One of the crisis in the company’s history in India revolves involves August 5, 2003 attack. The Centre for Science and Environment, an activist group comprising of engineers, environmentalists, scientists, and journalists attacked coca-cola citing evidence of unsafe products in the company’s beverages (Banerjee, 2009). The press release stated that Coca-Cola India’s twelve major brands sold in Dheli contained deadly cocktail pesticide pesticides. The accusation caused fear concerning the sustainability of Coca-Coca Company in India and the safety of its products. This incidence had significant implications on the company’s profitability, corporate

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The elements of a conflict of the Soviet-Afghan war Research Paper

The elements of a conflict of the Soviet-Afghan war - Research Paper Example All types of conflicts, be they political, economical, social or ethical, have stemmed because of the occurrence of the war itself. It would be imperative, therefore, to study the causes of the war so that the basis of the conflicts can be analyzed. The Soviet occupation of the Afghan territory had a myriad of reason, including political as well as economic factors. It started with the Soviet interest in the natural mineral deposits of Afghanistan, including the huge stores of natural gas that were discovered not long before the occupation (Assifi, 1982/83). There were also hopes of finding other minerals like coal, iron, and oil (Assifi, 1982/83). Afghanistan, although a land-locked country, holds a key position geopolitically due to its placement on the map (Assifi, 1982/83). The Soviets could make their way to the Indian Ocean, and into the neighboring territories, such as Pakistan, which many believe to be next on the Soviet’s war list (National Review, 1987). To make matt ers easier, the Soviets had, two years prior to the official occupation, installed a pro-communist regime in the Afghan government (Assifi, 1982/83). The major players of the war were of course the USSR and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Assifi, 1982/83). USSR, a communist force rising in the world against the capitalist Western giants like the United States posed a serious threat to the Western world (National Review, 1987). ... ly made their way into their homeland owing to the cooperation of the pro-communist regime installed in the country a couple of years back (Assifi, 1982/83). The population itself was divided into different sects and groups, which made the freedom fight slightly ineffective (Lamothe, 2004). The major parties that influenced the war were the Jamiat-i-Islami, Hizb-i-Islami, Mujahideen, and the Taliban (Lamothe, 2004). Individuals such as Ahmad Shah Massoud (Lamothe, 2004) also played pivotal role in the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion. Apart from the key players of the war, several countries took part in the resistance against the invasion although not directly becoming a part of the war. Such states are said to play a supportive role in the conflict. Pakistan was one of major supporters of the freedom fighters (Chapman, 1982). It couldn’t help getting involved in the war, though, given its geographical closeness to the Afghan territory. Also, it was believed that it was the next target of the Soviets (National Review, 1987), who had apparently greater aims than just occupying Afghanistan. Therefore, Pakistan fought the invasion politically and with manpower. It provided a constant supply of trained soldiers, called Mujahideen, to the Afghan freedom fighters, most of whom were Pashtun and of Afghan nationality (Lamothe, 2004). These soldiers were trained in military and religious camps all along the border of the two countries, and a huge fraction of these camps were funded by the United States government (Chapman, 1982). Pakistan, suddenly, was very prominent on the world map due to its geopolitical role in the conflict (Assifi, 1982/83). It also provided health care facilities to the wounded soldiers, both on the battlefield and on its own land among

Leadership and Management of Strategic Change Assignment

Leadership and Management of Strategic Change - Assignment Example The paper tells that at the three main levels, strategic leadership is tasked with providing the scope and direction that is needed to assist in the pursuit of success in the organization. A key component of this success is derived from the effective management of continuous change through improving both people and procedures. Therefore, all the executives, as well as the managers, should possess the necessary instruments needed for strategic creation and execution while being ready to use the same instruments rapidly. Managing in an environment that is characterized by change and uncertainty needs leaders who are strategic con steadily maintain a sense of direction while at the same time developing ownership objectives as well as goals within the groups they are supposed to lead. The blend between an analytical perception that is used to develop processes for a winning strategy and a human element that enables the managers to create effectively, inspired and accomplished teams is im portant to the success of strategic leadership. More often than not, strategic leadership fails since the right equilibrium between the two perspectives is not achieved. In the event that there is a high concentration on the execution as well as the outcome while disregarding the human dimension, the leader will be perceived as a taskmaster and the individuals who are demoralized will not have the motivation to perform. If the leaders pay more attention to the human dimension and forget about the process and the work ethic, then the situation at work will be similar to one at a country club which is a good place to work with very little distinction about what people are supposed to do. Therefore, successful strategic leadership should be carefully balanced between analytics and the process development as well as the human dimension.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Coca-Cola India Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Coca-Cola India - Case Study Example For more than 100 years, coca-cola has maintained the leading position in demand for soft drinks in the industry. The company made its entry into India through Coca-Cola India Private Limited; Coca-Cola India PVT is a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. In 19963, the company re-launched coca-cola two years after opening up the Indian economy (Banerjee, 2009). Since the re-launch of Coca-Cola in 1963, the company’s operations have increased rapidly. Coca-Cola Company uses a model that supports bottling operations that are both locally and company owned. Indian distributors are approximately 7000 while retailers are 2.2million. This wide distribution network has made Coca-Cola products a leading brand in most of the beverage segments. Coca-Cola India produces a variety of brands including Coca-Cola, Limca, Thumbs Up, Kinley, Minute Maid, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Burn, Maaza and Vitingo. The authorized bottlers are engaged in independent development markets for these products and distribute them to grocers, small retailers, restaurants, and supermarkets. In addition to USD 2 billion that Coca-Cola has already invested in India, there are plans for investing additional USD 5 billion by the year 2020 (Banerjee, 2009). Coca-Cola’s operations in India has not been streamlined despite huge investments. One of the crisis in the company’s history in India revolves involves August 5, 2003 attack. The Centre for Science and Environment, an activist group comprising of engineers, environmentalists, scientists, and journalists attacked coca-cola citing evidence of unsafe products in the company’s beverages (Banerjee, 2009). The press release stated that Coca-Cola India’s twelve major brands sold in Dheli contained deadly cocktail pesticide pesticides. The accusation caused fear concerning the sustainability of Coca-Coca Company in India and the safety of its products. This incidence had significant implications on the company’s profitability, corporate

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Leadership and Management of Strategic Change Assignment

Leadership and Management of Strategic Change - Assignment Example The paper tells that at the three main levels, strategic leadership is tasked with providing the scope and direction that is needed to assist in the pursuit of success in the organization. A key component of this success is derived from the effective management of continuous change through improving both people and procedures. Therefore, all the executives, as well as the managers, should possess the necessary instruments needed for strategic creation and execution while being ready to use the same instruments rapidly. Managing in an environment that is characterized by change and uncertainty needs leaders who are strategic con steadily maintain a sense of direction while at the same time developing ownership objectives as well as goals within the groups they are supposed to lead. The blend between an analytical perception that is used to develop processes for a winning strategy and a human element that enables the managers to create effectively, inspired and accomplished teams is im portant to the success of strategic leadership. More often than not, strategic leadership fails since the right equilibrium between the two perspectives is not achieved. In the event that there is a high concentration on the execution as well as the outcome while disregarding the human dimension, the leader will be perceived as a taskmaster and the individuals who are demoralized will not have the motivation to perform. If the leaders pay more attention to the human dimension and forget about the process and the work ethic, then the situation at work will be similar to one at a country club which is a good place to work with very little distinction about what people are supposed to do. Therefore, successful strategic leadership should be carefully balanced between analytics and the process development as well as the human dimension.

Riordan Manufacturing Team Building Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Team Building Essay Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer employing 550 people with projected annual earnings of $46 million. The company is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Its products include plastic beverage containers produced at its plant in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. The companys research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. Riordans major customers are automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers. As you can see Riordan is a large company with offices worldwide and communication and travel can be a major expense for the company especially when implementing new lines and technology at one of their facilities. Future statements made by Riordan, We will maintain an innovative and team oriented working environment. By assuring that our employees are well informed and properly supported, we will provide a climate focused on the long term viability of our company. We must be focused in achieving and maintaining reasonable profitability to assure that the financial and human capital is available for sustained growth. As Riordan moves forward with their mission statements the cost of implementing new technology and training employees to operate and manage these new systems costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. The companys most recent expansion took place in 2014 when it opened its operations in China. At that time, the entire fan manufacturing operation was moved from Michigan to China and the Pontiac, MI facility was retooled for the manufacture of custom plastic parts. During the first quarter of the  expansion travel costs alone just for the training of the ongoing systems integration project surpassed one hundred thousand dollars. We know that Riordan will always be on the forefront of applying new technology and systems to keep up with market trends in the future. This is why implementing the creation, deployment, and support of effective interactive distance learning and communication systems to improve business, is crucial to the ongoing success of the company. The CADE system will reduce thousands of dollars of travel expenses directly related to the training required with each new system at all of the company’s facilities. Developing a distance learning system that will allow Riordan to provide effective training through teleconferencing from their headquarters in San Jose CA to facilities all over the world will reduce expenses by millions of dollars over the long term. The Need for Training and Communication The cornerstone of a competitive organization is its highly trained workforce. In today’s market, product life-cycles are shorter, more complex. The available time for training is greatly reduced. Many companies are downsizing and the responsibilities of those that remain are increased, jobs are consolidated. Corporate communication and training needs have never been more important Time becomes one of the most limited resources. Regardless of the industry, many of these issues are very much the same: (Velocedge Inc, 2014). High cost and increased difficulty of travel Inability to reach all employees anywhere, anytime High cost of training, continuing education Lack of qualified instructors or presenters Time it takes to get a message to all employees Expensive to develop effective training and communication programs Loss of productivity when employees take off work for travel, training, or meetings Difficulty in transferring knowledge throughout the organization The CADE System The Communications And Distance Education (CADE) system is designed to  facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. Interactive Satellite Delivery During an interactive broadcast, the instructor or presenter can ask multiple choice, true/false, yes/no, numeric, and multiple selection questions and participants can respond with either wireless remote controls in a classroom setting or through a personal computer. The PC at each remote location collects participant responses from the wireless remotes and transmits them back to the presenter over an intranet or Internet connection. Participants may also speak with the presenter, using voice over IP, PBX, or standard telephone line, and everyone in the broadcast can listen to that conversation. Interactive Web Delivery With CADE eTutor, interactive training and communication programs can be delivered over the Internet/Intranet. It provides the same capabilities of the satellite delivery system, as well as a few extra features, in a desktop version using highly compressed audio and video over IP. Capture All Interaction Participant responses are captured, time-stamped, and stored in a web-based learning management system. In addition to capturing the satellite based information, the CADE system also supports web based training, classroom, paper based, and is fully SCORM compliant. All data in the CADE system is created, managed, and accessed through this web-based portal to the database. CADE System Components The CADE system is comprised of a number of software applications. These applications include: Studio Control System The instructor or presenters interface Virtual Classroom The remote site control program eTutor The web-based interactive delivery system Learning Management Web The web-based learning management system New System Flow Diagram for CADE System at Riordan Manufacturing The new CADE is a free standing system that has virtually no effect or interaction with any of the present Information systems or processes currently in use by Riordan Manufacturing. The CADE system is designed to facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. CADE is primarily a software based product but it represents a new paradigm in software development, utilizing an effective integration of world-class software components and Internet technologies in an adaptive architecture. To keep pace with todays rapidly changing world, CADE was designed to incorporate change as quickly as an organization realizes the need for change. Corporate management faces many issues that can keep an organization from being as competitive and profitable as it needs to be CADE wont be one of them. As a new or better technology solution is identified, an idea to improve a feature, or a new function desired, that change can be easily incorporated into the CADE products keeping your system continually up to date, meeting each new requirement, and keeping your investment protected. Satellite -Live -On-demand -Prerecorded Interactive Web Training Audio/Video -Live -Prerecorded Web Courses SCORM Classroom Video On Demand Desktop Classroom CADE Advantages to Riordan Interactive Distance Learning Even though there is a lot of talk about distance education, over 90% of all formal training continues to use classroom delivery. The major cost driver of training is delivery. Satellite or web based, Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) provides the benefits of classroom without the large cost. (Velocedge Inc, 2014). . Faster Deliver to more people in less time, Concept to delivery time in hours or days, Cut classroom delivery time in half, Deliver to entire target population in one broadcast Cheaper Fewer experts needed to deliver message, Deliver to more people with less cost, Low cost to develop and deliver content, Incalculable cost savings: time off work, travel, per diem, etc. Better Over 25% improvement in student retention, Most consistent message delivery, one voice Standardized design , Utilize only the most qualified instructors, Provides detailed tracking and reporting (Velocedge Inc, 2014). Presently Riordan’s first quarter number’s pertaining to the General Administrative line item is over budget one hundred thousand dollars due to travel and per diem expenses related to emergency training of the new systems that have been added. By incorporating the new CADE system to provide long distance training this will eliminate any additional over budget expenses caused by the new systems and also provide low cost long distance training for any future systems that are put in use by the company. The new CADE system will reduce company expenses in many ways: reducing or eliminating travel and per diem costs, reducing course development costs, reducing the number of trainers, reducing the time off work, reducing the time to develop a course, and many other ways. Pricing is based on the number of remote sites you have and the Presentation Studio System that is specified. However, the cost is a fraction of what you are spending now to train your employees. References Velocedge Inc. (2014). velocity and knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/ Learn.net. (2014). The CADE System. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/CADEnew/Products/index.htm