Discussion questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion questions - Article Example few colored people on campus, their tendency is to forgo class divisions in favor of building friendships, companionship, and protection for themselves in a land or campus that they consider strange. Therefore, it is highly possible to disentangle race and class from one another due to the existence of segregation in a given social setting. I do not approve of the government promoting economic diversity in communities through deconcentration of poverty and mobility programs. While I agree that the government must support the desire of the lower financial bracket to advance themselves, advancing them into communities before they are actually ready to become a part of it has disastrous results. Just because the government subsidizes a group of individuals does not mean that the individuals are ready to be part of that community and can do their part. I make these claims based upon the results of the Gautreaux plaintiffs whose forced move to the suburbs resulted in a program that was small, finite, and slow to move families, relying on existing housing, voluntary landlord compliance, and the willingness and ability of individual black families to relocate to the suburbs. 1 While the government integration plans seem feasible on paper, it may work with disastrous results in real life. This then creates a chain reaction of negative effects upon the community the integration was supposed to

Helen and Hosea Client Profile Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Helen and Hosea Client Profile - Assignment Example Hosea parents were missionaries in Africa, which was where he was born.   Hosea spent the better part of his childhood and teenage years. He studied in different international schools where he developed a love for sports. He graduated from Africa University in 2001 and went on to work for three years with a Sports organization called â€Å"Cheza† which means â€Å"Play† in the African Swahili dialect where he was paid $ 30,000. He later went to Regent University for his Master's degree, which was fully sponsored by the religious organization that employed his parents. He managed to save $ 10,000 by keeping all his expenses to a bare minimum while at college. He started working as an assistant college coach the month after his graduation earning $70,000 for three years then got promoted and started earning $80,000. He plans to continue working with this club for as long as he can. Hosea has written some books on sporting in Africa, which has brought him quite good reve nue returns. He got 475,000 as net income, which he got after the book sales. He plans to write more books before he retires. Helen originally trained to be a social worker. She worked for the inner city program in Ontario for five years after graduating earning $35,000. The pay was not so good but she liked what she was doing and felt fulfilled. It was while working there that she got involved with her current school that was doing a better job in the inner cities. They offered her a job, which paid better; $55,000 and provided free housing within the school’s grounds. It was during a sports tournament when she met Hosea, and later got married. She decided to further her education by pursuing an online Masters degree in education at Regent University, which confirmed her credentials as a teacher. Helen now earns $73,000 and plans to continue working with the school until retirement. She also just opened up old peoples home in a house she inherited from her maternal grandmother, which has been bringing in $150,000 per year. She had taken out a loan of 300,000 to renovate the property and to hire new staff but she believes she will be able to repay the loan in about three to five years. The house is worth $ 2.5 million, as it is located in the more expensive side of town. Her grandmother had come from old money. Helen though believed in living a modest life.  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Radiographer Abnormality Detection Schemes

Radiographer Abnormality Detection Schemes Maariyah Iqbal   INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the background of the problem will be presented. This will be followed by the research problem as well as the particular purpose and question, specifically highlighting why the topic area chosen is of great interest. 1.1 Background The National Health Service (NHS) provides healthcare for all citizens within the United Kingdom (UK) and it is funded by taxes; the core principles of the NHS are to meet the needs of everyone and it is based on a patients clinical need(s) and not on their ability to pay (Slee et al., 2008). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2017 provides guidance on how to promote good health as well as prevention and treatment of health. The NHS in England receives over 1 million patients approximately every 36 hours, and this organisation employs over an estimated of 1.5 million people making it to one of the top five worlds largest workforces (NHS Choices, 2016). Despite the success of the services of the NHS there is more work needed to continue to improve services and deliver care (NHS Improvement, 2015). Therefore, the NHS continues to remain under pressure as there are further increases in demand for care (NHS Improvement, 2015). This means an increased demand for all health care practitioners, including Radiographers. The demand for services means increased waiting times, may lead to increased work pressure. To improve services the department of health set an ongoing standard for the NHS where the patient spends four hours or less in the Accident and Emergency (AE) from arrival to admission or discharge (House of commons, 2005). However, a report from the Kings Fund (2016) shows that AE departments are soaring to six million patients attending, this is placing a huge strain on services making it difficult to meet this target. Data from the briefing paper from Houses of Parliament (Appendix 1) show that in some areas such as; Greater London and Manchester there was 26-32% of patients that waited for more than four hours. Increased demands of work continue to leave the NHS under pressure as there are further increases in demand for care, and issues with being able to discharge medically fit patients (NHS Improvement, 2015). Extracted from the quarterly data summary issue (2008), in England one of the main issues surrounding discharging of patients is that they are still awaiting results of tests and discharge forms are not being complete in time (NHS England, 2015). Good planning in regards to discharging is imperative as it will improve patient flow and satisfactory, and can also decrease the chances of patients being readmitted again (Family Caregiver Alliance, 2016). The department of health puts forward ten operating principles in regards to discharging, one of which is the multidisciplinary team working together to plan care, and make decisions on the process and timing of discharging (Nursing Standard, 2010). Professionals can extend their roles beyond their scope of practice, and can be further trained to contribute to discharging of patients which can ease pressures of other staff in the AE department such as; doctors. Research also taken from (Graysons, no date) showed that a search search by the NHS Litigation Authority for descriptions of failure/delay diagnosis or incorrect diagnosis in 2014/15. The results of the response showed, 183 mentions of fractures. This highlighted that misinterpretation of images was also one of the factors of delayed discharge. In the context of clinical imaging, radiographers reporting on images is well established in the UK and it makes a major contribution to clinical imaging services and contribution to multidisciplinary care (The Society of Radiographers, 2017). A study was carried out by Snaith (2007) whereby three reporting radiographers were trained to discharge patients or refer to AE (Accident Emergency) for further assessment. The results were significant and showed that that 1760 examinations were reviews, 5% of these were discharged and 2% were referred. However, the number of patients recalled due to incorrect interpretation was decreased by 52% in those 4 months compared with the previous 3 years data (The College of Radiographers, 2017). This shows that Radiographers can extend their role not just within clinical imaging services, but also outside of their department by contributing to the management of patients and decreasing the risk of radiographic misinterpretation. Initially, radiographers produce high quality images of the body, screen for abnormalities and take part in surgical examinations to identify and diagnose injury and disease (The National Careers Service, 2016). Thus, being able to distinguish between normal and abnormal appearances that are evident on images is one of the standards that should be met by a radiographer (HCPC, 2017). The red dot system is implemented by radiographers in emergency departments to highlight acute abnormalities. Radiography Abnormality Detection Schemes (RADS) is one of the ways in which radiographers interpret images produced. They are able to make an initial interpretation on images obtained which gives them a proactive role in the diagnostic process, and assists doctors in the correct interpretation of radiographic images (SoR, no date). However, despite there being a set standard for radiographers to meet. Clinical imaging services are under increasing pressure year on year as radiographers are required to enhance the quality of the image, productivity, which is difficult due to staffing levels (Beardmore, 2013). In addition, these problematic areas can have a knock-on effect on other significant areas within the NHS; such as supervision of newly qualified and students that are training there. After research, the author has found that there is a variation in of training in hospitals and university, as the time that students spend on clinical placement has found to be different. The University of Leeds (2017) 50% of the course is in clinical placement, however, students at the Birmingham City University (2017) spend 35% of their course on clinical placement. This highlights there is a variation in clinical placement and this could affect the new registrants that may not be equally competent once qualified or even mee t a certain threshold. Ultimately, all students must meet specific standards in order to receive their Health and care professions council (HCPC) registration to be able to become and work as a newly qualified radiographer (the Society and College of Radiographers, 2017). The HCPC is an independent regulator, it regulates 15 other professions besides radiographers, they are established to protect the public by maintaining a register of all those that hold the protected title of social worker, so that registrants practice safely, legally and effectively (University of Bedfordshire, 2017). The HCPC set standards, approve courses that meet those standards, register those who pass the courses and clinical competencies, and hold them to their standards. In relation to diagnostic radiography, they set standards of proficiency for all radiographers which set out safe and effective practice, it covers areas in depth; so, all radiographers should be able to maintain fitness and practice (Health and Care Professions Council, 2013), this is elaborated on further from on section 3 to 3.3 (Appendix 2). It is vital that all standards that are discussed and mentioned, are met in order to be able to receive the registration. Additionally, once qualified and registered under the HCPC; a newly qualified radiographer is supported on their job role by a period of preceptorship. Although there is no defined period of preceptorship it is support for those that have newly qualified. It is a period of adaptation to a job role, consolidating knowledge and skills till he or she is able to work as an autonomous radiographer. (The Society and College of Radiographers, 2017). Moreover, as there is a shortage of staff as the NHS staff survey conducted in 2013 that showed that the staff stated that they felt under pressure and over worked, as they were working extra hours increasing from 69.7% to 70.5% from the previous year (UNISON, 2014). This highlights that training students, or even supporting staff within an organisation can be difficult as staff can be difficult due to staffing issues and work pressures. However, from research the author has found that an increase of patients will mean an increase in the range and capability of clinical images which will consequent needs of training radiographers to safely extend their roles. Moreover, initial training whereby it leads to either role extension, or continuing professional development are integral to radiographic practice (The Society of Radiographers, 2017). Radiographers are expected to build on their postgraduate qualifications and clinical managers are encouraged to embed this use of learning tool in radiographers personal development reviews (The Society of Radiographers, 2017). In context, of this radiographer are able to extend their roles by Radiographer Abnormality Detection Schemes (RADS). RADS allows radiographers to red dot images which put a mark on the image suggesting there is an abnormality present (Carver and Carver, 2012). Thus, making it easier for the clinician/referrer to look at when reporting on it. Being able to implement RADS can help to reduce errors and improve accuracy (Chan, 2007). The aim of this system is to assist emergency departments, especially when there is a shortage of staff such as; radiologists that do the reporting w hich helps location of the abnormality to be commented on sooner (Coelho and Rodrigues, no date). The basis of the problem around RADS will now be further discussed, which will be able to give an insight of the purpose of this research. 1.1 Research Problem RADS has become an accepted norm for radiographers (Carver and Carver, 2012). Before implementing RADS, it is essential that radiographers are able to evaluate and manipulate images for quality purposes which allows them to the be able to understand the image to implement RADS. A study carried out by Brearly et al., 2005 which looked at the accuracy of radiographers use of the red dot system with and without training on this area, and whether or not they can assess how a normal image would be presented. There was a significant improvement found in the sensitivity for detecting abnormalities, however, there was no change in the actual specificity. This highlights that, after training took place radiographers were able to red dot more images than before the training took place, however, the number of radiographs that radiographers selected as being normal there was no change found. Therefore, the validity of this study is limited as it not clear on whether the sample of radiographs before and after training were comparable. However, Hardy and Culpan (2007) carried out a study whereby they assessed radiographers before and after training in their ability to red dot images. They introduced a training programme for 10 weeks, the results showed that their accurac y as a group increased for 89.9% to 93% and their sensitivity (number of abnormal images) however, the specificity (number of normal images) decreased slightly from 96.4% to 96.1%. The study highlights, that although the results are not statistically significant, with appropriate training it can have an overall positive effect on the use of radiographer abnormality detection schemes. Despite there being a significant amount of research on this topic area, there is no clear evidence whether or not training improves the implementation of red dotting. 1.1 Research purpose and question The purpose of this research is to give an insight on whether training improves newly qualified radiographers in implementing RADS in practice or not. This case will be further developed with the use of a literature review. References Birmingham City University. (2017). Diagnostic Radiography: BSc (Hons). Available: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/diagnostic-radiography-2017-18. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017 Net Doctor. (2017). What is the NHS?. Available: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health-services/nhs/a4489/what-is-the-nhs/. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. NHS Choices . (2016). The NHS in England. Available: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/overview.aspx. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. NHS Improvement. (2015). NHS providers working hard, but still under pressure . Available: https://improvement.nhs.uk/news-alerts/nhs-providers-working-hard-still-under-pressure/. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. Teesside University. (2017). BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography. Available: https://www.tees.ac.uk/undergraduate_courses/Health__Social_Care/BSc_(Hons)_Diagnostic_Radiography.cfm. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The Kings Fund. (2017). Demand for NHS services soars to record levels. Available: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/press/press-releases/demand-nhs-services-soars-record-levels. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The National Careers Service. (2016). Radiographer. Available: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/radiographer. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. UNISON. (2014). Running on empty NHS staff stretched to the limit. Available: https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2014/04/On-line-Catalogue222452.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. Parliamentary. (no date). Accident and Emergency Statistics: Demand, performance and pressure. Available: http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06964. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The Health and Care Professions Council. (2017). Standards of Proficiency. Available: http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10000DBDStandards_of_Proficiency_Radiographers.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The Society of Radiographers. (no date). Radiographer abnormality detection schemes in the trauma environment. Available: http://www.sor.org/system/files/article/201109/ab_detection_clinical_260607.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=j8vohIcgiiACpg=PA264dq=what+is+red+dotting+in+radiographyhl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwia0cm_h4vSAhVTF8AKHXsnDu0Q6AEIQDAG#v=onepageq=what%20is%20red%20dotting%20in%20radiographyf=false https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_W0RhyluKncCpg=PT33dq=why+is+the+red+dot+system+importanthl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwimt62ak4vSAhVpJ8AKHUm6DPoQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepageq=why%20is%20the%20red%20dot%20system%20importantf=false http://repositorio.chporto.pt/bitstream/10400.16/842/1/CR11a.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6998900_Accuracy_of_radiographers_red_dot_or_triage_of_accident_and_emergency_radiographs_in_clinical_practice_A_systematic_review https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5Hf4xWVXwxoCpg=PA376dq=The+National+Health+Service+(NHS)+provides+healthcare+for+all+citizens+within+the+United+Kingdom+(UK)+and+it+is+funded+by+taxes.hl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwjm3tWB-Y3SAhWKD8AKHbTzAtcQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepageq=The%20National%20Health%20Service%20(NHS)%20provides%20healthcare%20for%20all%20citizens%20within%20the%20United%20Kingdom%20(UK)%20and%20it%20is%20funded%20by%20taxes.f=false https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmpubacc/445/445.pdf http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?EntryId45=59854 http://www.radiographyonline.com/article/S1078-8174(05)00159-8/abstract http://www.graysons.co.uk/advice/the-top-misdiagnosed-conditions-in-nhs-hospitals/#misdiagnosed https://www.caregiver.org/hospital-discharge-planning-guide-families-and-caregivers http://journals.rcni.com/userimages/ContentEditor/1373367855606/Discharge-planning.pdf http://www.radiographyonline.com/article/S1078-8174(03)00069-5/abstract https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/appliedsocialstudies/reforms-in-social-work-education/the-health-and-care-professions-council-hcpc http://www.radiographyonline.com/article/S1078-8174(05)00159-8/abstract Appendices Appendix 1: AE waiting times in England: Patients spending over 4 hours in major AE departments (Parliamentary, no date) Appendix 2 (Health and Care Professions Council, 2013). Further websites could be used https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232221820_Evaluating_the_true_clinical_utility_of_the_red_dot_system_in_radiograph_interpretation could be used for intro and literature review http://shura.shu.ac.uk/9450/1/Naylor_PhD.pdf

The Conflict of Paideias in Gadamers Thought :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

The Conflict of Paideias in Gadamer's Thought (1) ABSTRACT: Although Gadamer's study of Greek paideia has been virtually ignored in the scholarly literature, I argue that it is central to his philosophy of education. Gadamer singles out three kinds of paideia: traditional, sophistic and philosophic. Traditional paideia, grounded in an unaware habit or disposition of the soul, was vulnerable when sophistic paideia brought reasoned argument against it. This 'new' paideia originally supported traditional notions of the just and the good with its conscious art of argumentation and pragmatic enhancement of success. But this paideia also undermined conventional morality by arguing that it is only convention, thereby corrupting the youth of Athens by appealing to the untrammeled desire for power. Philosophical paideia takes its bearings from the sophistic as its deepest opponent and counterimage. It turns out, however, that the two are virtually indistinguishable. Both bring thinking to consciousness; both are rhetorical arts; both create confusion; and both are subject to the 'weakness of the logoi.' In the end, the difference between them rests not on distinctions of reason, but the intent of the reasoner. This conflict of paideias is relevant to the situation of education today. Problems of narrow technical perspective and the broadest ideological manipulation are directly traceable to sophistic paideia. Thus, Gadamer points to hermeneutical praxis as 'the heart of all education that wants to teach how to philosophize.' Hans-Georg Gadamer describes the traditional ideal of Greek education as turning the student toward everything exempt from necessity comprising the beautiful. (2) This paideia consisted above all in developing a harmonious disposition of the soul, a hexis or "habit," through early training in music and gymnastic. (3) Its guiding purpose was to create citizens fit to govern in freedom. Clearly the importance of paideia as an educational concept can hardly be over-emphasized. Gadamer is an increasingly influential figure in the philosophy of education. He is also one of the eminent classicists of our times. Yet although paideia and its relevance to contemporary education forms a recurring theme in Gadamer's writings, this historical dimension of his approach to education has been virtually ignored in the scholarly literature. (4) One may speculate that the reason for this lacuna is a tendency to approach the subject more analytically than historically. Moreover, the theme appears in so many essays, spanning Gadamer's entire career, that it is difficult to follow the trail of his study. The Conflict of Paideias in Gadamer's Thought :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers The Conflict of Paideias in Gadamer's Thought (1) ABSTRACT: Although Gadamer's study of Greek paideia has been virtually ignored in the scholarly literature, I argue that it is central to his philosophy of education. Gadamer singles out three kinds of paideia: traditional, sophistic and philosophic. Traditional paideia, grounded in an unaware habit or disposition of the soul, was vulnerable when sophistic paideia brought reasoned argument against it. This 'new' paideia originally supported traditional notions of the just and the good with its conscious art of argumentation and pragmatic enhancement of success. But this paideia also undermined conventional morality by arguing that it is only convention, thereby corrupting the youth of Athens by appealing to the untrammeled desire for power. Philosophical paideia takes its bearings from the sophistic as its deepest opponent and counterimage. It turns out, however, that the two are virtually indistinguishable. Both bring thinking to consciousness; both are rhetorical arts; both create confusion; and both are subject to the 'weakness of the logoi.' In the end, the difference between them rests not on distinctions of reason, but the intent of the reasoner. This conflict of paideias is relevant to the situation of education today. Problems of narrow technical perspective and the broadest ideological manipulation are directly traceable to sophistic paideia. Thus, Gadamer points to hermeneutical praxis as 'the heart of all education that wants to teach how to philosophize.' Hans-Georg Gadamer describes the traditional ideal of Greek education as turning the student toward everything exempt from necessity comprising the beautiful. (2) This paideia consisted above all in developing a harmonious disposition of the soul, a hexis or "habit," through early training in music and gymnastic. (3) Its guiding purpose was to create citizens fit to govern in freedom. Clearly the importance of paideia as an educational concept can hardly be over-emphasized. Gadamer is an increasingly influential figure in the philosophy of education. He is also one of the eminent classicists of our times. Yet although paideia and its relevance to contemporary education forms a recurring theme in Gadamer's writings, this historical dimension of his approach to education has been virtually ignored in the scholarly literature. (4) One may speculate that the reason for this lacuna is a tendency to approach the subject more analytically than historically. Moreover, the theme appears in so many essays, spanning Gadamer's entire career, that it is difficult to follow the trail of his study.

First to Fight

FIRST TO FIGHT BOOK REPORT PFC WALTERS 1. TITLE: FIRST TO FIGHT 2. CBRN 1st Marine Division 3. AUTHOR: Victor H. Krulak Lieutenant General, USMC (Ret. ) 4. PUBLISHER: U. S. Naval Institute 5. PUBLISHED: 1984 6. PAGES: 227 7. COST: Base Library 8. SUBJECT: First to Fight is about Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak’s personal experiences in the Marine Corps, and his ideas and opinions on how he views the Marine Corps. 9. OPINION: I thought First to Fight was a good book that went into a lot of detail into what Lieutenant General Krulak was a part of in the Marine Corps throughout his career.I did like the way he pointed out how the Marine Corps has always stood up for the American people’s rights in a roundabout way, without actually spelling it out. I also believe that every Marine needs to read this book because it shows how the Marines were almost absorbed and disbanded throughout history, and how close we were to not having a Marine Corps today. 10. INTRODUCTION: The book First to Fight starts off with a letter from then commandant General Randolph McC. Pate to Lieutenant General Krulak asking why the U.S. needs a Marine Corps. He responded five days later by answering the question conversely by asking why the U. S. does not need a Marine Corps. And the truth is America does not really need a Marine Corps. But the people want us to be here, not on any technical level but on a whole different level. The American people want it that way not on what we know what we are or what we know we can do, but what our country believes we are and believe what we can do. If that ever disappears, then so will the Marine Corps. 11.BODY: First to Fight starts out with Lieutenant General Krulak asking Gunnery Sergeant Walter Holzworth how the Marine Corps came by its reputation as of the world’s greatest fighting formations. He answered by stating that â€Å"they started right out telling everybody how great they were. Pretty soon they got to believing it themselves. And they have been busy ever since proving they were right. † He then goes on to talk about the beginning of the Marine Corps back in 1775 and how the Marines were initially raiders against British Commerce. The Continental Marines actually disappeared after the Treaty of Paris in 1783.They were revived in 1794, and their position was solidified in law in 1798. The Marines were used as seagoing police to help the Navy maintain discipline in its ships. Lady Luck has played a big role in keeping the Marines around also, by Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon at Derna, Floyd Gibbons report of Belleau Wood, and by playing the photographer Joe Rosenthal on top of Mt. Suribachi at the precise moment five Marines and one Corpsman raised the flag. There have been several big thinkers in the Marine Corps history that had the foresight to see what it would take to keep the Marine Corps alive in the future.The continuous struggle for a viable existence clearly fixed one of th e distinguishing characteristics of the Corps, a sensitive paranoia that has led to the Marines always challenging themselves to higher standards just to stay in the fight. The Marines have almost been disbanded several times throughout history. The Army has tried to disband or absorb us on more than one occasion. The Navy has tried to kick us off of their ships and hinder us from having any say so in any major military actions.Each time we have succeeded through congress and the American people to stay alive by showing we live, fight, and act to a higher standard than any of the other services. It is said the Marine Corps is the best in amphibious assault. In truth we were the first of the U. S. military to study it in depth. The Marines developed the Tentative Manual in 1934, which in 1935 was renamed the Manual for Naval Overseas Operations. It took seven months to write. This was a major part of the strategy for World War II, and was crucial for the Pacific island hopping campai gn.The Marines Corps has always struggled with the need for money, and one major example is outlined in Chapter Five and Chapter Six about how most of the doctrine was made before the Marines even had enough boats that could actually storm a beach. By the end of 1941, the Navy finally decided that the Marines were right and adopted the Higgins boat and the LVT and the Pacific Campaign was finally possible. The United States Congress sees the Marines as very frugal. This is another point that has kept the Marines here throughout the last two hundred years.They have been able to get into the Seminole War and the Mexican War because the Commandant told the President Marines would be cheaper to use than the Army. Under Commandant Lejeune the Marines actually returned money to the Treasury at the end of the fiscal year. From uniform items to equipment, compared to the other branches, all have been cheaper or out modeled. Finally in 1954 the Department of Defense engaged in a massive stan dardization program. Contracting and Manufacturing were consolidated but the Supply Depot still sits where it always has as a testament to the frugality of Marines over generations. 2. LESSON: The Marine Corps has been tested again and again about their very existence over the years. Each and every time the Marine Corps has stepped up to the test, and will continue to do so. The U. S. Congress has had to step in a few times to help the Marines, but they only do so because of our actions they have seen and the American people still want the Marine Corps alive. From the time a recruit steps on the yellow footprints all the way to a commissioned officer, all must strive to be better than they are, and continually raise the bar.If not the Marine Corps will cease to exist. If it was not for a small group of extremely dedicated Marines, the Marine Corps would already be a thing of history. 13. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, I think this is a very motivated book. It goes through past events th at made the Marine Corps what it is today. It is extremely detailed into what Lieutenant General Victor Krulak did and was a part of during his career. There is pride and purpose in it that show through his words what it means to be a United States Marine.

Mughal Emperor Akbar

Muhammad Akbar was born at Aurangabad in the Deccan to Dilras Banu Begum, Aurangzeb's first wife and chief consort. She was a member of the Safavid dynasty and was the daughter of Mirza Shahnawaz Khan, a minister at the mughal court. She died when Akbar was only one month old. For this reason, Akbar was brought up with special care and affection by his father. He was his father's favourite and most-loved son as Aurangzeb, himself, said in a letter to him, â€Å"God be my witness that I have loved you more than my other sons. † At the age of 15, Akbar was wed to a granddaughter of his paternal uncle, Dara Shikoh, who had been killed at Aurangzeb's behest. Salima begum was the daughter of Sulaiman Shikoh, eldest son of Dara Shikoh. Later, Akbar also married a daughter of an Assamese nobleman. He was the father of two sons and two daughters, including Nikusiyar, who briefly became mughal emperor in 1719. Like other Mughal princes, Muhammad Akbar administered various provinces and fought minor campaigns under the guidance of experienced officers. His first independent command was during Aurangzeb’s war of the Jodhpur succession. The Rajput War[edit] Jaswant Singh, who was Maharaja of Jodhpur, was also a high-ranking Mughal officer. He died at his post on the Khyber Pass on 10 December 1678. He died without leaving male issue, but two of his wives were pregnant at the time of his death. The succession was thus unclear. When the news of the death reached Aurangzeb, he immediately dispatched a large army (9 January 1679) to occupy the state of Jodhpur. One of the division of this army was commanded by Akbar. Aurangzeb occupied Jodhpur ostensibly to secure the succession for any male infant born to Jaswant's pregnant widows. He declared that such rightful heir would be invested with his patrimony upon coming of age. However, relations between Jaswant and Aurangzeb had not been very happy, and it was feared that Aurangzeb, a notorious bigot, would annex the state for good on this pretext. Indeed, incumbent officers in Jodhpur state were replaced by mughal officers. Many temples in Jodhpur were broken and the idols were carried to Delhi, where they were placed at the entrance of the Jama Masjid so that they could be trampled underfoot and defiled by the Muslims. After thus effectively annexing the largest Hindu state in northern India, Aurangzeb reimposed the jaziya tax on the non-Muslim population (2 April 1679), almost a century after it had been abolished by his tolerant ancestor Akbar I. All this made the emperor extremely unpopular among the Rajputs. One of Jaswant's pregnant wives was duly delivered of a son, who was named Ajit Singh. Officers loyal to Jaswant brought his family back to Jodhpur and rallied the clan to the standards of the infant. The Rajputs of Jodhpur (Rathore clan) forged an alliance with the neighboring Rajput state of Mewar (Sisodia clan). Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar withdrew his army to the western portion of his kingdom, marked by the rugged Aravalli hills and secured by numerous hill-forts. From this position, the smaller but faster Rajput cavalry units could surprise the Mughal outposts in the plains, loot their supply trains, and bypass their camps to ravage neighbouring Mughal provinces. In the second half of 1680, after several months of such setbacks, Aurangzeb decided on an all-out offensive. Nicolao Manucci, an Italian gunner in the Mughal army, says: â€Å"for this campaign, Aurangzeb put in pledge the whole of his kingdom. Three separate armies, under Aurangzeb's sons Akbar, Azam and Muazzam, penetrated the Aravalli hills from different directions. However, their artillery lost its effectiveness while being dragged around the rugged hills and both Azam and Muazzam were defeated by the Rajputs and beaten back. Akbar’s rebellion[edit] Akbar and his general Tahawwur Khan had been instructed to try to b ribe the Rajput nobles to the Mughal side, but in these attempts, they themselves were ensnared by the Rajputs. The Rajputs incited Akbar to rebel against his father and offered all support. They pointed out to him that Aurangzeb’s attempt to annex the Rajput states was disturbing the stability of India. They also reminded him that the open bigotry displayed by Aurangzeb in reimposing jaziya and demolishing temples was contrary to the wise policies of his ancestors. Prince Akbar lent a willing ear to the Rajputs and promised to restore the policies of the illustrious Akbar. On 1 January 1681, Akbar declared himself Emperor, issued a manifesto deposing his father, and marched towards Ajmer to fight him. As the commander of a Mughal division, Akbar had a force of 12,000 cavalry with supporting infantry and artillery. To this, the Maharana of Mewar added 6,000 Rajput cavalry, being half his own army. As this combined army crossed Jodhpur state, numerous war-bands of Rathores joined up and increased its strength to 25,000 cavalry. Meanwhile, various Mughal divisions deployed around the Aravalli hills had been racing to come to Aurangzeb’s aid. Aurangzeb however resorted to threats and treachery: he sent a letter to Tahawwur Khan promising to pardon him but also threatening to have his family publicly dishonored by camp ruffians if he refused to submit. The Mughal noble secretly came over to meet his master but was killed in a scuffle at the entrance to Aurangzeb’s tent. The crafty Mughal Emperor then wrote a false letter to Akbar and arranged it such that the letter was intercepted by the Rajputs. In this letter, Aurangzeb congratulated his son for finally bringing the Rajput guerillas out in the open where they could be crushed by father and son together. The Rajput commanders suspected this letter to be false but took it to Akbar’s camp for an explanation. Here they discovered that Tahawwur Khan had disappeared. Suspecting the worst, the Rajputs departed in the middle of the night. The next morning, Akbar woke to find his chief adviser and his allies gone and his own soldiers deserting by the hour to Aurangzeb. The would-be emperor escaped the prospect of war with his father by hastily departing the camp with a few close followers. He caught up with the Rajputs commanders and mutual explanations followed. Aftermath[edit] Seeing that Akbar had attempted no treachery and that he could be useful, the Rathore leader Durgadas took Akbar to the court of the Maratha king Sambhaji, seeking support for the project of placing him on the throne of Delhi. For fully five years, Akbar stayed with Sambhaji, hoping that the latter would lend him men and money to strike and seize the Mughal throne for himself. But at that time, Sambhaji was engaged in uncovering the conspiracy against him. After which, he was engrossed in wars against Siddhis of Janjira, Chikka Dev Rai of Mysore, Portuguese of Goa and Aurangzeb. In September 1686, Sambhaji sent Akbar to Persia. In Persia, Akbar was said to pray daily for the speedy death of his father, which alone would give him another chance to wrest the Mughal throne for himself. On hearing of this, Aurangzeb is said to have remarked, â€Å"Let us see who dies first. He or I! † As it turned out, Akbar died in 1704, three years before his father’s demise. He died at the town of Mashhad in Persia. Two of Akbar's children were brought up by the Rajputs, until as a result of peace negotiations, they were handed over to the old emperor. Akbar's daughter Safiyat-un-nissa was sent to her grandfather in 1696 and his son Buland Akhtar was returned in 1698. The latter, when presented in court, shocked his grandfather and nobles by speaking fluently in the Rajasthani language. Legacy[edit] In the words of Jadunath Sarkar: â€Å"The rebellion of Prince Akbar, though it was fostered by the Rajputs and originated, grew to fullness, and expired in Northern India, changed the history of the Deccan and hastened the fate of the Mughal Empire as well. His flight to Shambhuji raised a danger to the throne of Delhi which could be met only by Aurangzib’s personal appearance in the south. But for this alliance, the Emperor would have left Bijapur and Golconda to be occasionally threatened and fleeced by his generals, while the Maratha king would have been tolerated as a necessary evil and even as a thorn in the side of Bijapur. But Akbar’s flight to the Deccan forced a complete change on the imperial policy in that quarter. The first task of Aurangzeb now was to crush the power of Shambhuji and render Akbar impotent for mischief. For this he patched up a peace with the Maharana (June 1681) and left for the Deccan to direct the operations of his army. † Notes[edit] ^ According to Tarikh-i-Muhammadi, his death of death is 31 March 1706 (Irvine, William (1922) Later Mughals, Volume I, Jadunath Sarkar ed. , Calcutta: M. C. Sarkar & Sons, p. 1) ^ Sir Jadunath Sarkar (1919). Studies in Mughal India. W. Heffer and Sons.

Maximizing the Life Cycle Logistics Essays

Maximizing the Life Cycle Logistics Essays Maximizing the Life Cycle Logistics Essay Maximizing the Life Cycle Logistics Essay As a brief description of the subject in the study, the life cycle of logistics can also be maximized through establishing effective management organizing efforts to maintain a certain companys operational structure that will avoid or prevent errors and mismanagement that can take place within the corporation. In this case, the 360 degree logistics can be found when there will be a capital expenditure that will be reared out to fund materials and human resources that will be helping to manufacture product. As soon as the product will be made and distributed to the market, there will be an exchange of commodity as well as financial trade value. This process will undergo the procedural profit taking to collect the monetary amount of profits that has been sold to the market. The monetary value be distributed to the accounting department of a certain organization to fund services, raw materials, and salaries to employees that completes the life cycle of the business operating organization. Image is one of the most sensitive factors that should be taken cared In long-term basis for the reason that It can be used for the marketing plan that will promote the companys products to boost sales to the public as mentioned by Pointers (2008). Location is one of the most important considerations that will be considered for companies such as Panasonic because it is an electrical distributing company that aims to Identify potential target market to maintain their production capacity and market endurance in monopolizing output in specific period of time. The organizational structure of the company is also focused on establishing officers that will be destined to key manufacturing areas in all satellite areas around the world to maximize the production facilities and operation. In addition, manufacturing all kinds of electrical equipments and appliances utilizes the standards of manufacturing practice that are abided according to the laws and policies imposed in the market. Logistics minimization is one of the most effective management activities that will help to sustain transporting finished products that will be available anywhere around the world. These kinds of ways that can be made by using logistics will help to restructure and implement effective strategies that conform to the production and management capacity of the company to perform OFF Life-cycle cost analysis purpose is to determine the system, product, and process of the future total life cycle cost that includes design and development, production/ construction, system utilization, maintenance and support, and retirement and disposal, high cost contributors, cause and affect relationships, potential risk, and identification for improvement to reduce cost if possible (Blanchard, 2004). When this kind of analysis is conducted the person is looking at the entire life span of the product and how much it cost to sustain it through logistics and maintenance at first, because it is the most expensive part of the total life cycle cost. The supportability analysis helps developed the information to input into the life-cycle cost analysis, this enable the analysis to be initiated in the beginning of the design phase where it is most cost beneficial. The analysis is usually conducted as the design progress toward completion to gather vital assumptions and facts on the how the analysis findings an be applied through the acquisition process. Factors are broken down into the types of cost that makes up the overall total cost, such as acquisition cost, operating cost, and disposal cost. A complete life cycle cost also includes other costs such as financial and labor cost as well. The evaluation will usually start with initial cost of making a product by looking at element like capitol cost, which is needed to start and complete the project. Then there is operation, maintenance, and repair cost that factors in heavily to the life cycle cost analysis, that can be the largest percentage of the total cost. The number and timing of capital replacements of systems or products depend on the estimated life of the system, so replacement cost must be calculated in also. It is helpful for companies to use the same sources that provide cost estimates for initial investments to obtain estimates of replacement costs and expected useful lives (Blanchard, 2004). Without logistics planning, the company will not be able to identify potential resource markets that will be significant to boost their competitiveness as well as their productivity in creating better financial performances. Logistics is important for he reason that it helps the company to fulfill all kinds of goals and without this factor will affect the companys growth performance in a specific period for having a stagnant or negative flow of financial productivity. The absence of logistics planning halts the companys ability to produce quality products, which will result for having health threats for users and will not be safe to use in the market according to Barman (2011). The standards of production performance without logistics planning will fail to reach goal standards for producing quality products by having defects that an cause potential accidents for users that will be acquiring the product. Lucas are usually performed early in the design process when only estimates of costs and savings are available, rather than certain dollar amounts. Uncertainty in input values means that actual outcomes may differ from estimated outcomes. It has been proven that LOCAL provides a significantly better assessment of the long-term cost- effectiveness of a project than alternative economic methods that focus only on first costs or on operating-related costs in the short run The effects of the current economy have made the business and logistics world hang the way products are secured, transported, and financed. The global economy is slowly rebounding from the World Financial Crisis of 2008, where major unemployment record rose to an all-time high. There are major factors that contributed to the new challenge that transportation and logistics managers currently faced; most of the challenges are a result of the current Global Financial Crisis the world. There was a large reduction in capital investment for business shortly after the downturn of the world markets due to the decline in financial credit availability from banks; causing businesses to lose profits. In early March 2009, the number of massive container ships sitting idle globally was estimated at an all-time high of 453 vessels, but the global transportation sector rebounded sharply in 2010. The declining economy had a detrimental affect within transportation and logistics management; that created transportation and logistical management challenges for companies to get financial backing for procurement of supplies and services (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). Over the last four years, economists have been in an uproar over the flow of exports and imports have slowed in the lobar trade market that has caused delays within the supply chain. The crisis in the economy has also caused high cost in fossil fuels, geographical fragmentation in production processes, along with the creation of wide-spread macroeconomic risk facing domestic and global economies. The uneven recovery the economy continues to have major impact on freight transports flows that was facilitated by good and cheap transport, according to an International Transport Forum review (Barman, 2010). The Surface Transportation Board is continuously working on the challenges and lotions to intermediate transportation in regards to the aging of infrastructure, environmental issues, and congestion. In 2009, congestion was one of the biggest issues concerning the transportation sector of transportation and logistics management was congestion (TTS, 2009). The Surface Transportation Board reiterates the growing consensus of that petroleum based fuels have significant impacts on the environment, including greenhouse emissions and air pollutions. Congress started debating proposals that are approved today to reduce greenhouse emissions and have met plans to meet fuel economies standard by 2016 (TTS, 2009). Congress have been tasked to provide solution to fund improvement to the critically aging transportation infrastructure systems across the United States; with rising issues of gaining funding support on critical issue of infrastructure preservation. The Department of Homeland Security issues critical and mandatory regulations for the United States trading partners and the Transpiration Security Administration to ensure security of supply chains (TTS, 2011). The Coast Guards goal is to integrate maritime cyber security with the wider defense system that the U. S. Is building. Congress order to screen 100 percent of international inbound cargo; international efforts are more difficult since the agency has no authority to require foreign countries to screen cargo on passenger aircraft. Port Security have made efforts to protect US ports by mandating 100 percent cargo screening of all inbound containers, but TTS argues that even if containers are being screened, the basic act of putting aluminum foil around a nuclear weapon can negate that procedure (TTS, 2011). Businesses and the government had taken actions to implement a risk management approach but had not conducted comprehensive risk assessments for o help ensure that resources are allocated to the highest-priority risks. In the Global Logistics management article, posted by Jeff Barman, he stated that the potential for innovations for potential management of greenhouse gases emissions transports are foster by technology in order to improve fuel economy (Barman 2010). This seems like one solution to promote climate change policy in the transport sector, since some research insists that policy do affect logistics and transportation; as well as the economy. Refinancing global growth is more a matter for policy-makers, that would be creating the right macroeconomic conditionsfor instance by ensuring that credit is available, that exchange rates reflect economic realities and, in transport, by setting the rules of the games in such a way that we are getting the prices right (Barman, 2010). Perhaps the key to improving the supply chain management is to strictly enforce demand forecasting based off the climate of the economy and eliminating unnecessary costs to the total cost of a products cycle. This suggests that that converting back to basic fundamentals in supply chain management could consumer confidence in spending and improve the global trade arrest. As an implication, facility planning will involve to establish bidding procedure that are important in creating new products because this will determine the most effective product as well as choosing the product that has the highest quality rate that will be available in the market. Facility planning improvement matters because it helps to restructure all kinds of equipments that will be used for the production of new products that will be sold to the market. In this process, facilities are needed to be maintained and regularly checked by maintenance personnel to identify potential effective facilities that will be subjected to replacement to avoid finished products that are defective and not safe to use as claimed by Pointers (2008). The main benefit is saving cost, plus assessing whether a system can be operated and supported in an effective and efficient manner. All the costs associated with the development of the system become available at the beginning of the actual implementation of the project. This greatly assists the organization in deciding whether the project is to be developed or not from a costing perspective. It helps to analyze the business function interrelationships. By referencing the analysis report on expenditure, managers of a firm can predict accurate revenues at quite an early stage. This will give managers the data they need to weigh the total amount invested against the estimated return on investment before the product is fully produced. Allowing a look at all design alternatives that will provide the lowest cost to manufacturer without compromising the quality or functionality of the product.

Families and Young Children What Constitutes Effective Parental Discipline

Families and Young Children What Constitutes Effective Parental Discipline Background Good discipline in children is always the desire of every parent and for this reason; parents must know and learn strategies that constitute good discipline among their children.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Families and Young Children: What Constitutes Effective Parental Discipline? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In advising parents about effectiveness, methods of instilling discipline in their children the relationship between the parents and the children, importance of good behaviours and consequences of bad behaviours are of great concern (Carey, 2003). The word discipline is adopted from a Greek word discipline, which can be interpreted as teaching or instructing. The early stages of a child’s development are essential in the development of a child discipline and any values that a child acquires at this stage of development will be reflected in their adulthood (Powers, 1990). The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate how parents can be effective in disciplining their children. The study therefore was an investigation on the effectiveness of the various methods that can be applied in instilling discipline among children (Kohlberg, 1992). In this study, the investigation was carried out among children below the school age. In addition, the main aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the different approaches that are taken by parents in disciplining their children. Good relationship between parents and their children is an effective method of promoting good discipline among children (Papalia, 2006). Good behaviour among children requires an effort from both the child and the parents and for this reason rewarding desirable behaviour is not only important in encouraging good behaviour but it can be an effective tool for instilling discipline among children. Punishment for bad behaviour has always been thought to be a solution for bad behavi our among children. However, corporal punishment is not an effective method of disciplining children (mash Wolfe, 2008).Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Synthesis The relationship between parents and their children is an effective tool of promoting good behaviour. Children cannot be forced to have good behaviour and therefore encouraging good behaviour among children becomes effective in promoting good behaviours. Good relationship between the child and the parents ensures children of their security and hence promote their behaviour (Wallis, 2003). Rewarding children for good behaviour is an effective strategy of encouraging children to behave well (Sears Maccoby 1976). The parents or guardians must make an effort in the promotion of good behaviour among children and hence rewarding children for their good behaviour is a method that has been known to work. Although punish ing children for the mistakes they commit has been applied by many parents, as a method for promoting good behaviour among children the fact is that this method is not effective. Continued use of this method will also promote bad behaviour among children. Actually, it will harden their response to any effort meant at promoting good behaviour that is it will make children rebel against the authority and their parents. Corporal punishment is one of the biggest mistakes that parents can make as a method of promoting good behaviours among children (McCord, 1996). Method During the investigation, several methods were applied to collect and analyze the data with the main aim of producing a comprehensive report on children behaviour. The subjects of the investigation were parents, children below school age and nurses assigned with the role of taking care of children in children homes and homes of individual parents. The investigation was divided into two parts where the first study was to focus on response from children and the second part was to focus on the parent’s side of the story. In this study, the data collection tools that were applied were questionnaires, interviews and direct observation. These tools were applied on the two phases of the study according to their suitability. In the first phase of the investigation, parents and baby sitters were given questionnaires, which they were expected to fill and hand back to the field interviewers within one day.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Families and Young Children: What Constitutes Effective Parental Discipline? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The questionnaires used had structured question where some were open-ended questions while others were closed ended questions. These questions were designed in such a way that they could provide us with sufficient information that was required in the study. The questions in the questionnaires were designed in a way that they addressed the interests of both the parents and the children. The questions therefore enquired about the methods that parents and guardians think are effective in promoting good behaviour among children. The questions also investigated on how children view the discipline measures applied by their parents and guardians (Pantley, 2007). Observation was also another effective tool that was used in the investigation. During the study, our fieldwork representatives were supposed to select a case study, which was supposed to be a home or a baby care centre. The representatives then spent about one day in this selected place and carried out an observation on the behaviour of children and on their response from various disciplinary measures that were applied by their guardians. The field representative also observed on the relationship between the child and the parent or the guardian before and after a child was punished or was involved in bad behaviour. The use of secondary resources was also applied as a method of finding ideas about the research problem. The secondary sources used to find the information that were required in the study were books, magazines, and journals, which were obtained from the library resources. Each member of our group was involved actively in identifying and finding these recourses (Wendkos-Olds, 2006). In the study, the data collected was recorded in tables and various parameters were assigned according to the research findings. The data was then analyzed using statistical software SPSS to evaluate mean, median and the variance. Results In the study, the findings were that children who had good relationship or those who took their parents as their friends had good behaviors. Parents who did not have good relationship with their children used inappropriate methods to discipline their children. Children who were rewarded for good behaviors by their parents or guardians had better behaviors than those who we re not rewarded. Children who were constantly punished for a particular bad behavior were more likely to repeat the same mistake than those who received counseling. Parents who applied corporal punishment as a method of dealing with children who misbehaved did not have good relationship with their children as compared to those who did not punish their children. Children were afraid of punishment. Parents use corporal punishment on their children as the last alternative. Discussions Good relationship between children and their parents or guardians is a known effective method that can be applied in promoting good behaviours among children. In the study, there was a direct correlation between good behaviour in children and strong relationship between children and their parents (Salkind, 2006).Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The reason why children who have good relations with their parents behaved well is because such children confided in their parents and they believed in their parents as their guides and mentors (MacDonald, 2000). In the investigation, it was found out that children who were rewarded for good behaviours are likely to behave badly in the future (Sears Maccoby, 1976). Children learn through imitations and for this reason, rewarding children for good behaviours are an incentive that has been known to work. On the other hand, children who lacked incentive for good behaviour did not see the reason for continuing with good behaviour and in the end; they behaved badly (Straus Donnelly, 2001). Although most parents and guardians have the idea that corporal punishment is a tool for discouraging bad behaviour in children it does not work in the long term. In a report released recently less that, 59% of paediatricians recommend it (McCormick, 1992). Children who are constantly punished for co mmitting a certain mistake become used to the punishment and therefore at the end they stop responding to the punishment and misbehave constantly (Garmezy Rutter, 2003). Conclusion Good behaviour in children is an important factor in their development and in building strong relationship between them and their children. Punishing children for bad behaviour is a short-term solution or method of dealing with bad behaviour among children. Although establishing good relationship between parents and their children do not have immediate results it is a good method of ensuring good behaviour among children in the long term. References Carey, S. (2003). The whole child: Rrestoring wonder to the art of parenting. Oxford. Rowman Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Garmezy, N., Rutter, M. (2003). Stress, coping, and development in children. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Kohlberg, L. (1992). Development of moral character and moral ideology. New York, NY: Russell-Sage Foundation. MacDonald, A. (2000). Parenting with heart. Haverford: Infinity Publishers. Mash, E., Wolfe, D. (2008). Abnormal Child Psychology. Belmont: Cengage Learning McCormick K. (1992). Attitudes of primary care physicians toward corporal punishment. JAMA267, 3161, 3165 McCord, J. (1996). Unintended consequences of punishment. Pediatrics. ; 98:832–834 Pantley, E. (2007). The no-cry discipline solution: Gentle ways to encourage good behaviour: New York: McGraw Hill. Papalia, D. (2006). A childs world: Infancy through adolescence (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Powers, S (1990). Adjusting chair time-out enforcement procedures for oppositional children. Behav Ther21, 257, 271 Salkind, N. (2006). Encyclopedia of human development Volume 1. Michigan: Sage Publication Sears, R., Maccoby, E. (1976). Patterns of child rearing. California: Stanford University Press. Straus, M., Donnelly, D. (2001). Beating the devil out of them: Corporal punishment in America. New Jersey. Transaction Publishers. Wallis, M. ( 2003) A parent’s guide to preparing your child for school: London. Pascal Press. Wendkos-Olds, S. (2006). A childs world: Infancy through adolescence (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

What is APA format Where to Learn APA Format

What is APA format Where to Learn APA Format The APA format has become standard for academic papers nationwide. The ease of its citation methods and the simplicity of its style has made it widely used in business and academia, alike. By using the APA format, you put yourself ahead of your competitors, by presenting your information in the most correct and most desirable format available. Click Here For Our Recommended APA Format Site! The Need for Learning the APA Format You might ask yourself, Didnt I already learn how to format term papers in college? You very well might havebut that doesnt mean you know as much as you could. In fact, those who have been out of college for a while might be surprised to learn just how much has changed since then. Additionally, while many institutions presume familiarity with the APA format, many schools neglect to teach it. This oversight is usually because most universities expect their students to already have a firm grasp on APA style. Because of this, youll want to make sure that you truly do know how to format an analytic paper in the correct form. Where to Learn APA Format While you can purchase books on APA guidelines, most will be either too sparse or too verbose. Its doubtful that you can absorb every single rule given, but lite versions are rarely helpful, too. Luckily, by purchasing APA format software, you can receive APA style reference in an easy-to-use, need-to-know basis. These programs usually include easy one-click parenthetical citations, along with APA templates to use with your word processing program.

Properties of an element Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Properties of an element - Essay Example The value of silver has not been affected by time. The metal is still being used to make ornaments and championship medals. However, its use as a medium of exchanged has been replaced by the use of legal tenders. Human beings are gaining knowledge with the passage of time. Many applications of the silver metal have been unearthed. For instance, silver is used in the manufacture of the crystalline solar photovoltaic panel. Due to its reflectivity, the metal is being used in the making of the mirror-like panels that act as air conditioners when mounted on a building. Silver’s catalytic action helps in the sanitization of water. The metal is therefore used in water purifiers. It goes ahead to prevent the buildup of bacteria and algae in the filters. Many hospitals and spas prefer the use of silver to chlorine in the purification of water. Due to the imperfect nature of human beings, any organ in the body fails. In cases of tooth decay, silver is mixed with mercury and the amalgam is used to fill the teeth (Garg and Garg, 2010). The conductivity properties of silver are very high. Therefore, some electronic products make use of silver for its superior conductivity and immunity to rusting (Silverinstitute.org, 2015). Other manufacturers go a step further to produce audio connector cables and wires that possess a six percent higher conductivity than ordinary copper. Silver dioxide batteries are preferred by many due to their long life. Silver can reflect some forms of infrared radiations. That is why the metal is used in the making of the inf rared telescopes. Silver is very important in the world of biology. Its stains are used in biology to enhance the contrast and visibility of cells in the microscope thus facilitating research. Silver is very essential in the medical field. The metal is incorporated into the dressing of wounds and as an antibiotic

Compare and critically analyze the UK marketing strategies of Domino's Essay

Compare and critically analyze the UK marketing strategies of Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut - Essay Example This paper will compare and critically analyse their business objectives will be made, followed by further comparisons and analyses of their marketing mix, marketing segmentation, and positioning in the UK market. The main priority for Domino’s Pizza is to provide timely and customer friendly service, which is reflected in its marketing objectives. For example, Domino’s considered the time when customers place and receive pizza orders as a great opportunity to connect with their customers. To do this, Domino’s offers their customer’s real time updates on order confirmation and delivery time to improve their delivery service. On the other hand, Pizza Hut’s main marketing objective is to engage with its customers by identifying their characteristics in order to provide them with relevant and timely offers. Moreover, Pizza Hut wishes to grow and retain its present customer base through the use of various promotion campaigns. Both Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza also seek to build their brand names to become household names in the UK, while also building customer loyalty through the provision of excellent and quality foods and quick service (Yohn, 2014). The basic product offered by Pizza Hut is dining experience, although they also provide food (Yohn, 2014: p1). The main product offering for Domino’s Pizza is their food, while their excellent delivery services that promise pizza in 30 minutes flat also counts as part of the product offering. As a result, customers whose basic need is food may visit Domino’s for a pizza or order for pizza from the comfort of their residence expecting good taste and hot pizza. The main difference between Pizza Hut and Domino’s is that Pizza Hut is mainly concerned with the dining experience because they run a restaurant operation, unlike Domino’s that mainly offers a home delivery service (Yohn, 2014). With

Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans Regarding Assignment

Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans Regarding Unions, privatization, Pensions , and Productivity, Part 4 - Assignment Example Workers have rights to impact wages work hours, benefits, health, safety and among others through unions. Agencies prefer not to have representation in the unions because, the workers influence the wages, and this may cause loss and workers lose their jobs. The reason being employees demands the agency to raise their salary, and if they do not do that, then they will end up losing workers and henceforth experience closure. Safety is another factor that they should consider; safety is the most important thing in companies. If t workers cannot feel safe where they work, most probably they are going to quit jobs and find other places where safety is in place. Privatization is whereby agencies move from being public and becomes private. Implementation of privatization gets control from a legal entity that that promotes initiative such as the Air Force. When the utility systems become old, obsolete and reliable, the Air Force began efforts to convey ownership of these service systems to the private sector through privatization efforts. The costs to upgrade these utilities are so costly whereby the government will cost the public more money and provide a lower level of service. Therefore, the independent private sectors ensure government initiatives meet their destined reliability and how it retorts to its utility systems. This effort helps to subside the need for the public to pay more taxes to the government. Instead, when the government receives support from the private sector, it is an opportunity for the air force. It will get more advanced utilities from the sponsors at large. It is a retirement plan usually tax exempt, whereby, an employee makes the contribution towards funds that is set aside for an employees future benefits. Plans represent an enormous future expense for companies. Companies, according to Frangakis, Hermann and Huffschmid (2010), review individual employee information held in the

Inclusion in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inclusion in Education - Essay Example This was replaced by a revised version which was issued in 2001, coming into effect in January 2002 (DFES 2001). The nature of provision for special educational needs has changed drastically over the last few years following the Warnock Report and the 1981 Education Act, with an increased awareness of educational needs and a consonant focus on improving the quality of provision for much larger numbers of children (Griffiths, 1998, 95 in Quicke, 2007, 2-15). This implies improvement of education of all and specially of those with special needs that would impart knowledge and power to all (QCA/DfEE, 2001). Department of Health has recently published a White Paper for people with learning disabilities in 2001 (Department of Health, 2001, 1-10). The United Kingdom has separate educational systems for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. As far as education is concerned, the countries are split up into so-called local education authorities that carry a large part of the responsibility for organising education at local level. Historically, for a long time, England and Wales had separate systems for regular and special education. Since the Warnock Report in 1978, it has been assumed in the UK that about 20 per cent of school-aged children will have special educational needs requiring additional help at some point in their school careers. Furthermore, approximately 2 per cent of children will have severe physical, sensory, intellectual or emotional difficulties, some of which will remain with them throughout their lives. Historically this 2 per cent of children have been exclud ed from mainstream schools, receiving their education in special schools instead. In recent years, a growing sense of injustice regarding the idea of segregated special schooling for these pupils has led to calls for more inclusive educational opportunities as a matter of human right and equal opportunity (Amatea, 1988, 174-183). By the Education Acts 1981 and 1993, which latter consolidated into the Education Act 1996, the policy of parental choice in the field of special educational needs has in most respects been merely built on key recommendations in the Warnock Report in 1978, namely that the education system should pay heed to parental knowledge about their child's needs and respect parental wishes regarding the child's education (Farrell, 2001, 3-9). Warnock's other recommendation was to integrate the education, meaning pupils with special educational needs should, as far as possible, be educated alongside other children in mainstream schools (Lewis, 2004, 3-9). In relation to this, this process must acknowledge the diversity of needs of all students creating opportunity to support learning of all students inclusive of those who have impairments or needs for special educations. While the White Paper was explicitly a response of the authorities from the concerns to promote better life chances for people with special needs for education, it identifies the many barriers that such children and their families face in fully participating in their communities. This paper promotes the benefits to be obtained by these children through educational opportunities, good health, and social care while living with their families. It was evident later that constructive and sustainable relationships between pupils with speci

Medical Precision Systems Human Resources Management Case Study

Medical Precision Systems Human Resources Management - Case Study Example "A share is a unit of ownership. When you own a share you become a part-owner (shareholder) of a company and you will have the right to: receive any dividends paid on each share that you own; receive a copy or summary of the company's annual report A performance management culture exists at MPS and appraisals, remuneration, and promotions are highly performance based. Artley and Stroh (2001, p. 5) reports, "All high-performance organizations, whether public or private, are, and must be, interested in developing and deploying effective performance measurement and performance management systems, since it is only through such systems that they can remain high-performance organizations." For fifteen years MPS has been employing a total quality management (TQM) program. Ten employees are on a team and they elect their leader. Group, or team, leaders hold feedback sessions and report what they gather to the senior production managers. (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p.742.) A great deal of time, effort, and money is involved in providing excellent training in teamwork, people skills, and job education. Along with all of this training, company benefits, and a caring staff MPS also offers recreational facilities, sports, and social events for its employees. The company has strong values and a clear vision and it lives up to its mission statement, "MPS-working for the health of America". (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p.742.) In the early 1990s MPS took its business worldwide and expanded into Europe, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and France. The strategy had to be adjusted as the company was now global and the system had to cater to global commitments and developments. Although business on the production and marketing side were going well Last Name 3 and the United Kingdom subsidiary in Bath and the Swedish subsidiary in Uppsala experienced steady growth, the overseas HRM experienced many difficulties. Reports revealed there was much potential for the French subsidiary. ((Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 742.) The company faced some disadvantages of going global and the lack of success with HRM that other firms run into. These include, as listed on 03 October 2003 by easterangel-ga (a blogger on Google Answers): -Flexibility and change in mindset: Cultural taboos or sensitivities of the market -Level of commitment -Organizational structure: Ensure multinational legal compliance such as labeling, packaging, product safety, and liability laws) -Language barriers MPS's HRM worked for its home-based parent company but did not do quite as well with its subsidiaries. Expatriate managers exerted strong controls over employees in different countries based on goals in financial and production terms, which were set by the parent company, did not give the local subsidiaries much input. They did not have much say in business activities. (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p.742.) Keeping unions out or making sure that their influence was kept to a minimum were the

Organizational Behavior And The Criminal Justice System Term Paper

Organizational Behavior And The Criminal Justice System - Term Paper Example With the idea that the criminal justice system consists of diverse individuals, it is clear how the organization can be characterized by numerous personalities, attitudes, and perceptions that can define or influence the overall organizational culture and impact its objectives. Such diversity can lead to chaos, non-performance, and inefficiency. In order to convert this into an advantage, the study of organizational behavior can be undertaken. For example, there is the job-skill match principle. Here, human resource managers in the criminal justice system must take pains to ensure that people being employed matches or fits their job. Say, a police officer's qualifications, character, and attitude must be suitable to his position. A good fit or match, wrote Mills et al. (2006), is one in which the potential employee and organization are compatible. (p. 98)Another excellent example is the way prisoners are managed in correctional facilities. As prisons play the important function of pr otecting the community from criminals, its fundamental responsibility is to rehabilitate offenders so that they do not become recidivists when they finally return to society. Rehabilitation programs involve changing the prisoners’ criminal behavior and tendencies that is why the organizational behavior is crucial. The sheer number of prisoners – with their varying profiles and attitudes – must be considered in measures that would provide opportunities for personal change and skills acquisition. This example leads us to the need to regulate and direct the way individuals within the organization interact with each other. In prisons, offenders in their relations with each other could create conflict when unchecked. Directing organizational behavior can help establish effective rules as well as mechanisms of conflict resolution and negotiation. Organizational Processes There are many other instances wherein individual processes in the context of organizational behav ior can help organizations to function better and become more productive. Because of this the top organizational managers of the criminal justice system make it a point to define and direct the organizational behavior of their respective organizations. For instance, the Central Office Strategic Apex of the American Correctional organization, in its mission statement, aims to: ensure that organizational behavior is in accordance with organizational goals and values; and, correct significant deviations in the

Medical Precision Systems Human Resources Management Case Study

Medical Precision Systems Human Resources Management - Case Study Example "A share is a unit of ownership. When you own a share you become a part-owner (shareholder) of a company and you will have the right to: receive any dividends paid on each share that you own; receive a copy or summary of the company's annual report A performance management culture exists at MPS and appraisals, remuneration, and promotions are highly performance based. Artley and Stroh (2001, p. 5) reports, "All high-performance organizations, whether public or private, are, and must be, interested in developing and deploying effective performance measurement and performance management systems, since it is only through such systems that they can remain high-performance organizations." For fifteen years MPS has been employing a total quality management (TQM) program. Ten employees are on a team and they elect their leader. Group, or team, leaders hold feedback sessions and report what they gather to the senior production managers. (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p.742.) A great deal of time, effort, and money is involved in providing excellent training in teamwork, people skills, and job education. Along with all of this training, company benefits, and a caring staff MPS also offers recreational facilities, sports, and social events for its employees. The company has strong values and a clear vision and it lives up to its mission statement, "MPS-working for the health of America". (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p.742.) In the early 1990s MPS took its business worldwide and expanded into Europe, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and France. The strategy had to be adjusted as the company was now global and the system had to cater to global commitments and developments. Although business on the production and marketing side were going well Last Name 3 and the United Kingdom subsidiary in Bath and the Swedish subsidiary in Uppsala experienced steady growth, the overseas HRM experienced many difficulties. Reports revealed there was much potential for the French subsidiary. ((Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 742.) The company faced some disadvantages of going global and the lack of success with HRM that other firms run into. These include, as listed on 03 October 2003 by easterangel-ga (a blogger on Google Answers): -Flexibility and change in mindset: Cultural taboos or sensitivities of the market -Level of commitment -Organizational structure: Ensure multinational legal compliance such as labeling, packaging, product safety, and liability laws) -Language barriers MPS's HRM worked for its home-based parent company but did not do quite as well with its subsidiaries. Expatriate managers exerted strong controls over employees in different countries based on goals in financial and production terms, which were set by the parent company, did not give the local subsidiaries much input. They did not have much say in business activities. (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p.742.) Keeping unions out or making sure that their influence was kept to a minimum were the

Sujata Bhatt Biography Essay Example for Free

Sujata Bhatt Biography Essay Sujata Bhatt (b. 1956) grew up in Pune but emigrated with her family to the United States in 1968. She studied in the States receiving an MFA from the University of Iowa and went on to be writer-in-residence at the University of Victoria, Canada. More recently she was visiting fellow at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Bremen, Germany. Her first collection, Brunizem, won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Asia) and the Alice Hunt Bartlett Award. Subsequent collections have been awarded a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and in 1991 she received a Cholmondeley Award. For Bhatt, language is synonymous with the tongue, the physical act of speaking. She has described Gujarati and the Indian childhood it connects her to as the deepest layer of my identity. However, English has become the language she speaks every day and which she, largely, chooses to write in. The repercussions of this divided heritage are explored in her work, most explicitly in Search for My Tongue which alternates between the two languages. The complex status of English its beauties and colonial implications are also conveyed in the moving ironies of A Different History and Nanabhai Bhatt in Prison about her grandfather who read Tennyson to comfort himself during his incarceration by the British authorities. Such division finds geographical expression in poems which explore ideas of home (The One Who Goes Away) and question our mental mapping of the world (How Far East is it Still East?). Its present too in her voice, with its musical melding of Indian and American inflections. However, its in the non-verbal world of animals and plants that Bhatt finds a source of unity denied to humans except for the very young, as in her poem The Stare in which the monkey child and the human child experience a moment of tender connection. Perhaps it is this longing for unity which makes Bhatts writing so sensual; her poems are rich with the smell of garlic, the touch of bodies, the vibrant plumage of parrots. An intense colourist like the women artists who inspire some of these poems, Bhatt acknowledges that language splits us from experience but through the physical intensity of her writing brings us closer to it so that the word/is the thing itself. Her recording was made for The Poetry Archive on 1 September 2005 at The Audio Workshop, London and was produced by Richard Carrington.

Talent Management in the Corporate Sector

Talent Management in the Corporate Sector A Talent Management INTRODUCTION:- Talent management is the process that emerged in 1990 and continues to be adopted, as more companies came to realize that their employees talent, skills drive their business success. Companies that have put into practice talent management have done so to solve an employee retention problem. The issue with many companies today is that many organizations put tremendous effort into attracting employees to their company, but spend little time into retaining and developing talent. A talent management system must be worked into the business strategy and implemented in daily processes throughout the company as a whole. It cannot be left solely to the human resources department to attract and retain employees, but rather must be practiced at all levels of the organization. The business strategy must include responsibilities for line managers to develop the skills of their immediate subordinates. Divisions within the company should be openly sharing information with other departments in order for employees to gain knowledge of the overall organizational objectives. Talent management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for your company. Talent management in this context does not refer to the management of entertainers. The term was coined by David Watkins of Softscape published in an article in 1998. The process of attracting and retaining profitable employees, as it is increasingly more competitive between firms and of strategic importance, has come to be known as the war for talent. IMPORTANCE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT IN US CORPORATE SECTOR US sector always want to grow and improve their system and processes must focus on people practices that allow or foster their growth and improvement. The best practices are known. The key variables (leadership competencies, experience and skill, interest rewards) that motivate people to succeed have been identified and successfully put into practice. Talent Management is no loger a cutting-edge field being solely tapped by pioneers. It is a viable path towards and improving organizational performance. Integrated, strategically aligned human capital asset management systems have provided significant economic benefits to companies that have embraced them as ongoing processes instead of one-time events. Research done on the value of such systems to companies consistently finds benefits in these seven critical economic areas: revenue, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, cost, cycle time, and market capitalization. This research clearly shows that adopting and investing in best-practice talent management systems results in bottom-line improvement in each of these key areas:- 1) Increase Revenue It was initially thought that companies that make more money were associated with better talent management practices only because they could afford them (.19 correlation), but the 2001 Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index Study showed that talent management practices actually increase financial performance (.41 correlation). According to Watson Wyatts research 15% of profit performance is driven by: Management participation Open management style Taking some risks, but not too many Top managers spending 20% of time with customers Around 20% of top management should be outsiders Management training is deemed important Top managers are effectively incentivized Succession planning is done A good appraisal system is in place Employees get feedback In addition to supporting Becker and Huselids 1998 results, the 2001 Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index study showed precisely which HR practices have an impact on the bottom line. 49 specific HR practices across 6 dimensions played the greatest role in creating shareholder value. The research quantified exactly how much an improvement in each practice could be expected to increase a companys market value. For example, a company that makes a significant improvement (one standard deviation) in all of the practices categorized under Total Rewards and Accountability should see its value improve by 16.5 percent, and a significant improvement in 43 key HR practices is associated with an increase of 47 percent in market value. Results included: 16.5% impact on company market value from total rewards and accountability 9% impact from a collegial, flexible workplace 7.9% impact from recruiting and retention excellence 7.1% impact from the integrity of communications 6.5% impact from the implementation of focused HR service technologies 33.9% loss from non-prudent use of resources Careful inspection of all the data shows that for every available correlation calculated over time, the relationship between past HR practices and future financial performance is stronger than the relationship between past financial outcomes and future HR practices. This is the first study to show that HR practices actually increase financial performance (.41 correlation) instead of inferring that companies that make more money can afford better HR practices (.19 correlation). Given companies of comparable size, those whos CEOs exhibited more emotional intelligence competencies showed better financial results as measured by both profit and growth. The divisions of leaders with a critical mass of strengths in emotional intelligence competencies outperformed revenue targets by a margin of 15-20 percent. 2) Customer Satisfaction Knowing and using the critical competencies associated with success creates results. The 1998 Watson Wyatt study, Competencies and the Competitive Edge, showed that when an organization identifies and communicates the core competencies that it needs to be successful in the present and the future, it has developed a powerful tool to help meet its goals. Competencies define and communicate an organizations strategy and help employees to understand that strategy and achieve its goals. The many roles that competencies can play in an organization include: Articulating what the organization values Providing a common language for employees and managers to describe value creation Establishing a new paradigm for human capital management programs (organizational levers) Focusing on the development of the individual instead of an organizational structure Linking pay, promotions and growth directly to what the organization values to be successful Guiding employees and managers to what is expected and how value is defined even in times of dramatic change and restructuring Competencies serve as a powerful communication vehicle to focus all members of the organization on the skills and activities that will create both value and wealth. Competency-based programs can make a difference to the bottom line. Analysis of the financial data clearly shows that companies with competency- based programs perform better in the marketplace. Such programs help focus the organization and all the individuals in it on what they can do to add value to the organization. Contributions are role-related rather than position-related. Adopting this view of contribution to value will help organizations think differently about their human resource and development programs. Organizations can focus on competencies needed for the future and identify the roles that employees do and must play. Programs that build employee commitment can bring great returns. Data from this and other Watson Wyatt studies clearly demonstrate that both individual and organizational performance increase when employees are committed to their companies. Ensuring that organizational levers that build employee commitment are in place and working will affect the bottom line. This was most notable when the competencies focused on attributes and behaviors that promoted customer satisfaction. Training is important, but it is no substitute for good management. A large majority of the organizations participating in Watson Wyatts study identified training and development as the driver of future corporate success. The high-performing companies identified it slightly more often than the others. Putting people first by adopting high performance management practices translates into improved morale, more innovation, better customer service, higher productivity, greater cost reduction, greater flexibility, and increased skills development. 3) Improve Quality Motor vehicle manufacturing firms in US implementing flexible production processes and associated practices for managing people enjoyed 47 percent better quality and 43 percent better productivity than firms relying on traditional mass-production approaches, according to a worldwide study by Wharton Schools John Paul McDuffie. Overall financial performance improved 3.8% per year for ten years when companies stayed with traditional talent management practices, 6.8% when they realized they needed to re-design their talent management practices, and 10.1% when they launched a completely new talent management system Watson Wyatts 2002 European Human Capital Index study shows that 36 key human capital variables (practices and policies) are associated with an almost 90% increase in value. 4) Increase Productivity Initial research on 740 companies HR practices found that those using high performance work systems (HPWS are defined as integrated talent management practices) had economically and statistically significantly higher levels of company performance. One standard deviation of improvement on their bell curve of integrated talent management systems was associated with changes in market value from $15,000 to $60,000 per employee. Employee productivity was calculated as the logarithm of net sales per employee using gross rate of return on assets (GRATE), which is less sensitive to depreciation and other non-cash transactions, and Tobins q, a future-oriented and risk-adjusted capital-market measure of performance that reflects both current and anticipated profitability and often mirrors the price that the market will pay for intangible assets (goodwill). Further research that included three US surveys and the experience of more than 2,400 companies continued to show significant impact of systems that select, maintain, develop, and reinforce employee performance on both market-based and accounting-based measures of company performance (while statistically controlling for RD investment, industry market changes, capital improvements, sales growth trends, etc.). Moving from the 60th percentile of integrated HPWS to the 80th percentile improved market valuation by $20,000 per employee. This reflects both operational excellence and alignment with the companys strategy. When the elements are present, but not aligned with the company strategy there is a 27% drop off in measured gains. Gallup Management Journal reported the following in 2001: †¢19% of all employees are actively disengaged from their jobs †¢55% of all employees are not engaged in their jobs and †¢26% of all employees are engaged in their jobs at a cost of $292-355 Billion per year to the US economy. Great people management equals great shareholder value: European companies with the best human capital management deliver around twice as much shareholder value as their average competitors. 5) Reduce Cost ASTD and SHRM studies companies that is renowned for their ability to retain top talent (Linbeck, Kennedy Rossi, Zachary, Dow Chemical, Edward Jones, Great Plains, Sears, and Southwest Airlines). One key finding was that all of these companies implemented competency-based position profiles so that employees understood the skills and abilities required to move into leadership positions. They must also avoid wasting their money on bad human capital investments: The 2001 Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index study showed precisely which HR practices have an impact on the bottom line. 49 specific HR practices across 6 dimensions played the greatest role in creating shareholder value. Additionally, one dimension, Prudent Use of Resources identifies six practices that diminish shareholder value (e.g. training that is not connected to the business objectives and not evaluated for ROI). A new book shows how Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, Starbucks, Singapore Airlines and 20 other world-class organizations are luring and holding high-quality employees. One senior executive said, Microsoft has a market capitalization of $450 billion, the largest in the world. If you add up every desk and chair, every computer, every building, every piece of land, everything we own, including the $17 billion or so we have in the bank, it comes to about $30 billion. If you then add in things like goodwill and other financial assets, maybe youll come up with another $70 billion, if you really struggle. But that means that there is $350 billion more that people have given us credit for that is not there. What is it? Well, its the stuff in smart peoples heads. With that knowledge Microsoft has built and maintains a human capital management system very similar to Mundo Strategies system to prevent employees from wanting to leave the company even as the stock took a beating in the past few years. Supervisors who received training in how to listen better and resolve employee problems found that lost-time accidents were cut by 50 percent, formal grievances were reduced from 15 to 3 per year, and productivity goals were exceeded. Retention is one of the more obvious areas that effective talent management practices can affect. What attracts and retains high performers? 79% stay because of opportunities for advancement 69% stay because their job is redesigned 65% stay because they are learning new skills in their current job. Why do high performers resign? 56% leave because they are dissatisfied with company management 56% leave due to inadequate opportunity for promotion 50% leave due to dissatisfaction with pay 6) Reduce Cycle Time There is very little research into the impact of talent management practices on company cycle time. One classic work on cycle time showed that steel mini-mills using a high-commitment approach to management required 34 percent fewer labor hours to make a ton of steel and had a 64 percent better scrap rate than mini-mills using a command and control approach. 7) Increase Return to Shareholders Market Capitalization The five highest return to shareholders from 1972-1992 (Southwest Airlines Co. 21,775%, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 19,897%, Tyson Foods, Inc. 18,118%, Circuit City Stores, Inc. 16,410%, and Plenum Publishing 15,689%) differentiated themselves from their competitors and the market only through the way they managed their people during the infancy of talent management. Whereas at the start of the 1990s studying its earnings and fixed assets and adding a token amount for goodwill invariably gauged a companys stock market valuation, by the end of the decade a seismic shift had taken place. When accountants Ernst Young came to look at the issue, they found that the largest slice of most companies market capitalization was held in intangibles primarily, the talent, knowledge and teamwork of its staff. In high-tech companies like Nokia, the percentage was as high as 95 per cent; but even old economy stalwarts like BP, despite its huge investments in oil platforms and exploration equipment, notched up a significant 74 per cent. The upshot was that even companies operating in the same sector with similar earnings could experience widely differing stock valuations. Those ignoring the new emphasis on intangibles invariably found themselves penalized by the markets. Watson Wyatt also reported that a 26% increase in market value in 2000 was driven by common talent management best practices: Use of knowledge and contract workers Recruiting excellence Consistent pan-European HR practices Good union-management relations Lack of hierarchy, clear leadership Teamwork and 360 ° feedback Customer-focused environment Remuneration Sharing information with employees The difference between a non-strategic HR system and one that has removed the barriers to performance are dramatic. Improving the relative sophistication of the HR system by adopting best practices does not provide measurable value (20%-60% adoption of a strategic HR system). Integrating the strategic elements of HR into the broader fabric of the organization provides a significant improvement in shareholder value (60%-80%). When HR systems have adopted best practices and aligned those systems with business priorities and initiatives they return the greatest shareholder value (80%-100%). The five-year survival rates of initial public offering showed that firms whose talent management practices scored in the top one-sixth of IPO firms had a 33 percent higher probability of surviving than those in the lowest one-sixth. Firms in the upper one-sixth in providing financial rewards to all employees, not just managers, had almost twice as much chance of surviving for five years, according to research by Theresa Welbourne of Cornell and Alice Andrews of Vanderbilt. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT IN US CORPORATE SECTOR Taking a systemic approach to talent management Getting the right people in pivotal roles at the right time should be nothing new to HR professionals, but done effectively, talent management can create longterm organizational success. Here, Lynne Morton and Chris Ashton show how to align talent management strategies to business goals, integrate all related processes and systems and create a talent mindset in organization. TALENT MANAGEMENT (TM) IS more than a new language for old HR work, or just the next hot new thing for HR practitioners and managers to get involved in. For many organizations, it has become a strategic imperative. McKinsey research1 reveals that 75 percent of corporate officers were concerned about talent shortages and Deloitte reports that retaining the best talent is a top priority for 87 percent of surveyed HR directors. This need for talent and, therefore, its expert management is also driven by macro trends including: †¢ New cycles of business growth, often requiring different kinds of talent. †¢ Changing workforce demographics with reducing labor pools and, therefore, a talent squeeze. †¢ More complex economic conditions which require segregated talent and TM. †¢ The emergence of new enterprises which suck talent from larger organizations. †¢ A global focus on leadership which is now permeating many levels of organizations. The strategic importance of talent management:- On the basis of substantive research undertaken for our forthcoming report , they argue that good TM is of strategic importance and can differentiate an organization when it becomes a core competence and when its talent significantly improves strategy execution and operational excellence. For example, imagine your company has the right talent in pivotal roles at the right time. What difference will these people make to revenues, innovation and organization effectiveness compared with having to operate without them? What is the cost of the lost opportunities and the downtime and replacement costs of losing critical talent? What are the consequences of having to make do with the wrong kind of leaders and managers in the top two executive layers or of not having successors groomed and ready to replace them? Yet generally, organizations still struggle with TM. According to research, three-quarters of business leaders have invested dedicated resources in TM but most say they havent yet felt the impact of doing so.3 Why not? Through one of the research, they tried to provide reasons by asking these questions: †¢ Why are they doing TM? Is it for the individual, the organization or both? †¢ What do they mean by talent and talent management? †¢ What are their propositions for attracting and retaining talent? †¢ How do they manage and use the talent in their organization needs? †¢ How are internal roles and resources deployed appropriately to support TM? †¢ How is TM integrated across HR processes and with business planning and strategy execution processes? Talent management at FDC its focus, leadership, acquisition, retention, evaluation and tools has evolved over five years, and continues to be a work in progress. The evolving talent plan aligns with goals, business strategy and their organizational implications. The talent office annually reviews analytics and recalibrates talent to align with growth and other organizational needs. The current growth objective is 15 percent. Ours is a numbers business, which tends to reflect a short-term view, says Annmarie Neal, senior VP, organization development. Yet, we also have to build a leadership bench and talent pools, not around the execution capabilities were known for, but on a customer-solutions focus and strategic foresight. Investments in talent arent short-term they need at least three-year horizons to see returns. The key issue for FDC is to accurately identify high potentials with different capabilities such as strategic thinking, partnership building, results orientation, innovation and talent leadership and then build succession depth. In effect, they are building talent balanced with buying it, guided by the notion of critical positions that is, those positions that positively impact on the strategic goals or their execution. They are now applying their processes for identifying, assessing and growing future leaders to our more junior, untested populations who we expect to be our next VPs. Technology, as Neal explains, has allowed them to do more in depth and breadth with the same headcount. TM initiatives at FDC include: †¢ Talent profiling of individuals. †¢ Conducting calibrations of business performance and key results behaviors. †¢ Assessing and forecasting succession depth. †¢ Implementing organizational assessment summaries to give status reports for leadership talent. †¢ Using just-in-time, action-learning programs and talent-sharing assignments. †¢ Developing talent at risk tools based on potential derailers and defection triggers. †¢ Introducing a talent scorecard with five perspectives, each of which has critical indicators hiring. As we see it, TM is a strategic and holistic approach to both HR and business planning or a new route to organizational effectiveness. This improves the performance and the potential of people the talent who can make a measurable difference to the organization now and in future. And it aspires to yield enhanced performance among all levels in the workforce, thus allowing everyone to reach his/her potential, no matter what that might be. Though this interpretation of talent is inclusive, it strikes a strategic balance between performance and potential. Performance historically, the primary focus of measurement and management concerns both the past and the present, whereas potential represents the future. Our position assumes that potential exists, it can be identified and it can be developed. Here are specific ways that two case organizations inthe report define talent: †¢ Executive management team leaders, directors/VPs and A-player managers in all functions plus Bplayers as potentials. †¢ Future business leaders with more strategic capabilities than just operational excellence skills -plus specialist talent able to execute business integration projects on time and to budget. Clearly, there isnt a single consistent or concise definition. Current or historic cultural attributes may play a part in defining talent, as will more egalitarian business models. Many organizations acknowledge that talent, if aligned with business strategy or the operational parameters of strategy execution will change in definition as strategic priorities change. For example, in start-up businesses, the talent emphasis will be different to the innovative or creative talent needed to bring new products to market. Any definition needs to be fluid as business drivers change, so will the definitions of talent. What TM involves Talent management is the integration of different initiatives, or constructs, into a coherent framework of activity. There are certain crucial components and a useful model for defining TM is to think of it in these key words: †¢ Ethos embedding values and behavior, known as atalent mindset, to support the view that everyone has potential worth developing. †¢ Focus knowing which jobs make a difference and making sure that the right people hold those jobs at the right time. †¢ Positioning starting at the top of the organization and cascading throughout the management levels to make this a management, not HR, initiative. †¢ Structure creating tools, processes and techniques with defined accountability to ensure that the work gets done. †¢ System facilitating a long-term and holistic approach to generate change. Integrating TM through a system Its worth emphasizing that integration is critical. Our research shows that without integrating TM activities, the effort invested will tend to be dissipated with patchy results. Integration is knowing how all the pieces of TM fit together within a TM system. This will not operate in isolation from strategy, business planning and the organizations approach to people management. In this sense, the work of talent management cuts across what has been traditional HR silos. If integrated, it functions in a more facilitative, OD-like nature. It will also reach higher up the organization than other HR initiatives, often attracting the attention of boards and senior teams. Similarly, TM reaches down the organization, to include new recruits along with tenured professionals. Lastly, talent planning must be done in parallel with business planning, creating a rich integration of people and strategy. One way of achieving such system integration and alignment is the CRF Talent Management System (see Figure 1, above right). This systemic view of talent has five elements: Need the business need derived from the business model and competitive issues. Data collection the fundamental data and intelligence critical for good talent decisions. Planning people/talent planning guided by data analysis. Activities the conversion of plans into integrated sets of activities. Results costs, measures and effectiveness criteria to judge the value and impacts of TM Using this system can help TM become a strategic differentiator rather than a standard set of HR processes if the right conditions, context, timescales and offerings exist in the first place. System integration and alignment ensures that TM efforts are rational and fit for purpose. Since the arrival of the current era of talent is widely acknowledged, its not surprising that renewed significance is being placed on the management of that talent. And as talent continues to be viewed as a strategic differentiator, its management will take more of a strategic role. How fascinating it will be to take the pulse of talent management in the business community in another five years. We believe that while the management of talent will most likely become embedded in the fiber of cultures by then, the HR executives who led those initiatives will have achieved much more prominence. OBJECTIVES OF TALENT MANAGEMENT: There are some basic objectives which need to be fulfilled by the US corporate sector while applying Talent Management in the organisation and the objectives are:- 1) TO DETECT TALENT:- It is very important for the US corporate sector to determine or detect their best talent for the organisation and this Talent Management helps the selector to select the best talent among the pool of various alternatives present in the organisation. Because the best talent helps in generating more and more good ideas which help organisation to achieve or innovate something new. As Talent Management helps in detecting best talent of the organisation within the organisation, this helps organisation to achieve their goal more efficiently and effectively which are set by the organisation. 2) TO DEVELOP TALENT:- After detecting the talent in the organisation the US corporate next step for applying Talent Management is to develop the talent. It is not necessary that every person has a some talent in him or her but talent can also be developed through regular practice such as training, educating, providing them with the basic guidelines of the respective talent so that the talent of any person can be used for the effective utilization of the talent for the sake of the organisation which will be helpful for the organisation to came up with a new idea with the help of talent which will provide them with the best competencies among the competitor so that they can stay in long run of the business giving tough competition to their competitors and by developing talent US corporate sector tried to change the scenario of the employees by developing their talent and making them more confident, reliable and motivating factor for themselves and for others too which improves the behaviour and efficiency t o work. There is a huge change when a person come to some hidden talent in him and this makes them to be more responsible to the work and take the work as natural as play 3) TO MAKE TALENTS MORE RELIABLE:- Talent Management helps in making talent more reliable and US corporate sector use the Talent Management as their one of the important tool for making their employees talent more reliable as talent management helps in detecting and developing talent by the different mode they used while developing their talent they make the employees to be more confident in their talent which makes them more reliable which means that they will be confident in using their talent and organisation can rely on their talent while doing or making effective decision. Until and unless employees believe themselves in their talent then the organisation too will not have any faith on the employee and US corporate sector never keep such employees in the organisation as US corporate sector is best known for their talent and technologies and the technology is the result of the talent only. 4) TO PROMOTE TALENTS TO STRATEGIC PROJECTS OR TO HIGHER POSITION:- Talent Management helps in promoting talent to strategic projects or to the higher position because US corporate sector that every talent should be given their own position. If the talent deserves higher position then he should be given the higher position irrespective of any other things which might be taken in account such as education or qualification. They think that if the post deserves that talent then that talent should be given that post. When talent is promoted it acts as a motivating tool for the employees to make them more responsible and work towards the achievement of the goal set by the organisation which also enhance their style and attitude towards their work. Talent Management in the Corporate Sector Talent Management in the Corporate Sector A Talent Management INTRODUCTION:- Talent management is the process that emerged in 1990 and continues to be adopted, as more companies came to realize that their employees talent, skills drive their business success. Companies that have put into practice talent management have done so to solve an employee retention problem. The issue with many companies today is that many organizations put tremendous effort into attracting employees to their company, but spend little time into retaining and developing talent. A talent management system must be worked into the business strategy and implemented in daily processes throughout the company as a whole. It cannot be left solely to the human resources department to attract and retain employees, but rather must be practiced at all levels of the organization. The business strategy must include responsibilities for line managers to develop the skills of their immediate subordinates. Divisions within the company should be openly sharing information with other departments in order for employees to gain knowledge of the overall organizational objectives. Talent management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for your company. Talent management in this context does not refer to the management of entertainers. The term was coined by David Watkins of Softscape published in an article in 1998. The process of attracting and retaining profitable employees, as it is increasingly more competitive between firms and of strategic importance, has come to be known as the war for talent. IMPORTANCE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT IN US CORPORATE SECTOR US sector always want to grow and improve their system and processes must focus on people practices that allow or foster their growth and improvement. The best practices are known. The key variables (leadership competencies, experience and skill, interest rewards) that motivate people to succeed have been identified and successfully put into practice. Talent Management is no loger a cutting-edge field being solely tapped by pioneers. It is a viable path towards and improving organizational performance. Integrated, strategically aligned human capital asset management systems have provided significant economic benefits to companies that have embraced them as ongoing processes instead of one-time events. Research done on the value of such systems to companies consistently finds benefits in these seven critical economic areas: revenue, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, cost, cycle time, and market capitalization. This research clearly shows that adopting and investing in best-practice talent management systems results in bottom-line improvement in each of these key areas:- 1) Increase Revenue It was initially thought that companies that make more money were associated with better talent management practices only because they could afford them (.19 correlation), but the 2001 Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index Study showed that talent management practices actually increase financial performance (.41 correlation). According to Watson Wyatts research 15% of profit performance is driven by: Management participation Open management style Taking some risks, but not too many Top managers spending 20% of time with customers Around 20% of top management should be outsiders Management training is deemed important Top managers are effectively incentivized Succession planning is done A good appraisal system is in place Employees get feedback In addition to supporting Becker and Huselids 1998 results, the 2001 Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index study showed precisely which HR practices have an impact on the bottom line. 49 specific HR practices across 6 dimensions played the greatest role in creating shareholder value. The research quantified exactly how much an improvement in each practice could be expected to increase a companys market value. For example, a company that makes a significant improvement (one standard deviation) in all of the practices categorized under Total Rewards and Accountability should see its value improve by 16.5 percent, and a significant improvement in 43 key HR practices is associated with an increase of 47 percent in market value. Results included: 16.5% impact on company market value from total rewards and accountability 9% impact from a collegial, flexible workplace 7.9% impact from recruiting and retention excellence 7.1% impact from the integrity of communications 6.5% impact from the implementation of focused HR service technologies 33.9% loss from non-prudent use of resources Careful inspection of all the data shows that for every available correlation calculated over time, the relationship between past HR practices and future financial performance is stronger than the relationship between past financial outcomes and future HR practices. This is the first study to show that HR practices actually increase financial performance (.41 correlation) instead of inferring that companies that make more money can afford better HR practices (.19 correlation). Given companies of comparable size, those whos CEOs exhibited more emotional intelligence competencies showed better financial results as measured by both profit and growth. The divisions of leaders with a critical mass of strengths in emotional intelligence competencies outperformed revenue targets by a margin of 15-20 percent. 2) Customer Satisfaction Knowing and using the critical competencies associated with success creates results. The 1998 Watson Wyatt study, Competencies and the Competitive Edge, showed that when an organization identifies and communicates the core competencies that it needs to be successful in the present and the future, it has developed a powerful tool to help meet its goals. Competencies define and communicate an organizations strategy and help employees to understand that strategy and achieve its goals. The many roles that competencies can play in an organization include: Articulating what the organization values Providing a common language for employees and managers to describe value creation Establishing a new paradigm for human capital management programs (organizational levers) Focusing on the development of the individual instead of an organizational structure Linking pay, promotions and growth directly to what the organization values to be successful Guiding employees and managers to what is expected and how value is defined even in times of dramatic change and restructuring Competencies serve as a powerful communication vehicle to focus all members of the organization on the skills and activities that will create both value and wealth. Competency-based programs can make a difference to the bottom line. Analysis of the financial data clearly shows that companies with competency- based programs perform better in the marketplace. Such programs help focus the organization and all the individuals in it on what they can do to add value to the organization. Contributions are role-related rather than position-related. Adopting this view of contribution to value will help organizations think differently about their human resource and development programs. Organizations can focus on competencies needed for the future and identify the roles that employees do and must play. Programs that build employee commitment can bring great returns. Data from this and other Watson Wyatt studies clearly demonstrate that both individual and organizational performance increase when employees are committed to their companies. Ensuring that organizational levers that build employee commitment are in place and working will affect the bottom line. This was most notable when the competencies focused on attributes and behaviors that promoted customer satisfaction. Training is important, but it is no substitute for good management. A large majority of the organizations participating in Watson Wyatts study identified training and development as the driver of future corporate success. The high-performing companies identified it slightly more often than the others. Putting people first by adopting high performance management practices translates into improved morale, more innovation, better customer service, higher productivity, greater cost reduction, greater flexibility, and increased skills development. 3) Improve Quality Motor vehicle manufacturing firms in US implementing flexible production processes and associated practices for managing people enjoyed 47 percent better quality and 43 percent better productivity than firms relying on traditional mass-production approaches, according to a worldwide study by Wharton Schools John Paul McDuffie. Overall financial performance improved 3.8% per year for ten years when companies stayed with traditional talent management practices, 6.8% when they realized they needed to re-design their talent management practices, and 10.1% when they launched a completely new talent management system Watson Wyatts 2002 European Human Capital Index study shows that 36 key human capital variables (practices and policies) are associated with an almost 90% increase in value. 4) Increase Productivity Initial research on 740 companies HR practices found that those using high performance work systems (HPWS are defined as integrated talent management practices) had economically and statistically significantly higher levels of company performance. One standard deviation of improvement on their bell curve of integrated talent management systems was associated with changes in market value from $15,000 to $60,000 per employee. Employee productivity was calculated as the logarithm of net sales per employee using gross rate of return on assets (GRATE), which is less sensitive to depreciation and other non-cash transactions, and Tobins q, a future-oriented and risk-adjusted capital-market measure of performance that reflects both current and anticipated profitability and often mirrors the price that the market will pay for intangible assets (goodwill). Further research that included three US surveys and the experience of more than 2,400 companies continued to show significant impact of systems that select, maintain, develop, and reinforce employee performance on both market-based and accounting-based measures of company performance (while statistically controlling for RD investment, industry market changes, capital improvements, sales growth trends, etc.). Moving from the 60th percentile of integrated HPWS to the 80th percentile improved market valuation by $20,000 per employee. This reflects both operational excellence and alignment with the companys strategy. When the elements are present, but not aligned with the company strategy there is a 27% drop off in measured gains. Gallup Management Journal reported the following in 2001: †¢19% of all employees are actively disengaged from their jobs †¢55% of all employees are not engaged in their jobs and †¢26% of all employees are engaged in their jobs at a cost of $292-355 Billion per year to the US economy. Great people management equals great shareholder value: European companies with the best human capital management deliver around twice as much shareholder value as their average competitors. 5) Reduce Cost ASTD and SHRM studies companies that is renowned for their ability to retain top talent (Linbeck, Kennedy Rossi, Zachary, Dow Chemical, Edward Jones, Great Plains, Sears, and Southwest Airlines). One key finding was that all of these companies implemented competency-based position profiles so that employees understood the skills and abilities required to move into leadership positions. They must also avoid wasting their money on bad human capital investments: The 2001 Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index study showed precisely which HR practices have an impact on the bottom line. 49 specific HR practices across 6 dimensions played the greatest role in creating shareholder value. Additionally, one dimension, Prudent Use of Resources identifies six practices that diminish shareholder value (e.g. training that is not connected to the business objectives and not evaluated for ROI). A new book shows how Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, Starbucks, Singapore Airlines and 20 other world-class organizations are luring and holding high-quality employees. One senior executive said, Microsoft has a market capitalization of $450 billion, the largest in the world. If you add up every desk and chair, every computer, every building, every piece of land, everything we own, including the $17 billion or so we have in the bank, it comes to about $30 billion. If you then add in things like goodwill and other financial assets, maybe youll come up with another $70 billion, if you really struggle. But that means that there is $350 billion more that people have given us credit for that is not there. What is it? Well, its the stuff in smart peoples heads. With that knowledge Microsoft has built and maintains a human capital management system very similar to Mundo Strategies system to prevent employees from wanting to leave the company even as the stock took a beating in the past few years. Supervisors who received training in how to listen better and resolve employee problems found that lost-time accidents were cut by 50 percent, formal grievances were reduced from 15 to 3 per year, and productivity goals were exceeded. Retention is one of the more obvious areas that effective talent management practices can affect. What attracts and retains high performers? 79% stay because of opportunities for advancement 69% stay because their job is redesigned 65% stay because they are learning new skills in their current job. Why do high performers resign? 56% leave because they are dissatisfied with company management 56% leave due to inadequate opportunity for promotion 50% leave due to dissatisfaction with pay 6) Reduce Cycle Time There is very little research into the impact of talent management practices on company cycle time. One classic work on cycle time showed that steel mini-mills using a high-commitment approach to management required 34 percent fewer labor hours to make a ton of steel and had a 64 percent better scrap rate than mini-mills using a command and control approach. 7) Increase Return to Shareholders Market Capitalization The five highest return to shareholders from 1972-1992 (Southwest Airlines Co. 21,775%, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 19,897%, Tyson Foods, Inc. 18,118%, Circuit City Stores, Inc. 16,410%, and Plenum Publishing 15,689%) differentiated themselves from their competitors and the market only through the way they managed their people during the infancy of talent management. Whereas at the start of the 1990s studying its earnings and fixed assets and adding a token amount for goodwill invariably gauged a companys stock market valuation, by the end of the decade a seismic shift had taken place. When accountants Ernst Young came to look at the issue, they found that the largest slice of most companies market capitalization was held in intangibles primarily, the talent, knowledge and teamwork of its staff. In high-tech companies like Nokia, the percentage was as high as 95 per cent; but even old economy stalwarts like BP, despite its huge investments in oil platforms and exploration equipment, notched up a significant 74 per cent. The upshot was that even companies operating in the same sector with similar earnings could experience widely differing stock valuations. Those ignoring the new emphasis on intangibles invariably found themselves penalized by the markets. Watson Wyatt also reported that a 26% increase in market value in 2000 was driven by common talent management best practices: Use of knowledge and contract workers Recruiting excellence Consistent pan-European HR practices Good union-management relations Lack of hierarchy, clear leadership Teamwork and 360 ° feedback Customer-focused environment Remuneration Sharing information with employees The difference between a non-strategic HR system and one that has removed the barriers to performance are dramatic. Improving the relative sophistication of the HR system by adopting best practices does not provide measurable value (20%-60% adoption of a strategic HR system). Integrating the strategic elements of HR into the broader fabric of the organization provides a significant improvement in shareholder value (60%-80%). When HR systems have adopted best practices and aligned those systems with business priorities and initiatives they return the greatest shareholder value (80%-100%). The five-year survival rates of initial public offering showed that firms whose talent management practices scored in the top one-sixth of IPO firms had a 33 percent higher probability of surviving than those in the lowest one-sixth. Firms in the upper one-sixth in providing financial rewards to all employees, not just managers, had almost twice as much chance of surviving for five years, according to research by Theresa Welbourne of Cornell and Alice Andrews of Vanderbilt. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT IN US CORPORATE SECTOR Taking a systemic approach to talent management Getting the right people in pivotal roles at the right time should be nothing new to HR professionals, but done effectively, talent management can create longterm organizational success. Here, Lynne Morton and Chris Ashton show how to align talent management strategies to business goals, integrate all related processes and systems and create a talent mindset in organization. TALENT MANAGEMENT (TM) IS more than a new language for old HR work, or just the next hot new thing for HR practitioners and managers to get involved in. For many organizations, it has become a strategic imperative. McKinsey research1 reveals that 75 percent of corporate officers were concerned about talent shortages and Deloitte reports that retaining the best talent is a top priority for 87 percent of surveyed HR directors. This need for talent and, therefore, its expert management is also driven by macro trends including: †¢ New cycles of business growth, often requiring different kinds of talent. †¢ Changing workforce demographics with reducing labor pools and, therefore, a talent squeeze. †¢ More complex economic conditions which require segregated talent and TM. †¢ The emergence of new enterprises which suck talent from larger organizations. †¢ A global focus on leadership which is now permeating many levels of organizations. The strategic importance of talent management:- On the basis of substantive research undertaken for our forthcoming report , they argue that good TM is of strategic importance and can differentiate an organization when it becomes a core competence and when its talent significantly improves strategy execution and operational excellence. For example, imagine your company has the right talent in pivotal roles at the right time. What difference will these people make to revenues, innovation and organization effectiveness compared with having to operate without them? What is the cost of the lost opportunities and the downtime and replacement costs of losing critical talent? What are the consequences of having to make do with the wrong kind of leaders and managers in the top two executive layers or of not having successors groomed and ready to replace them? Yet generally, organizations still struggle with TM. According to research, three-quarters of business leaders have invested dedicated resources in TM but most say they havent yet felt the impact of doing so.3 Why not? Through one of the research, they tried to provide reasons by asking these questions: †¢ Why are they doing TM? Is it for the individual, the organization or both? †¢ What do they mean by talent and talent management? †¢ What are their propositions for attracting and retaining talent? †¢ How do they manage and use the talent in their organization needs? †¢ How are internal roles and resources deployed appropriately to support TM? †¢ How is TM integrated across HR processes and with business planning and strategy execution processes? Talent management at FDC its focus, leadership, acquisition, retention, evaluation and tools has evolved over five years, and continues to be a work in progress. The evolving talent plan aligns with goals, business strategy and their organizational implications. The talent office annually reviews analytics and recalibrates talent to align with growth and other organizational needs. The current growth objective is 15 percent. Ours is a numbers business, which tends to reflect a short-term view, says Annmarie Neal, senior VP, organization development. Yet, we also have to build a leadership bench and talent pools, not around the execution capabilities were known for, but on a customer-solutions focus and strategic foresight. Investments in talent arent short-term they need at least three-year horizons to see returns. The key issue for FDC is to accurately identify high potentials with different capabilities such as strategic thinking, partnership building, results orientation, innovation and talent leadership and then build succession depth. In effect, they are building talent balanced with buying it, guided by the notion of critical positions that is, those positions that positively impact on the strategic goals or their execution. They are now applying their processes for identifying, assessing and growing future leaders to our more junior, untested populations who we expect to be our next VPs. Technology, as Neal explains, has allowed them to do more in depth and breadth with the same headcount. TM initiatives at FDC include: †¢ Talent profiling of individuals. †¢ Conducting calibrations of business performance and key results behaviors. †¢ Assessing and forecasting succession depth. †¢ Implementing organizational assessment summaries to give status reports for leadership talent. †¢ Using just-in-time, action-learning programs and talent-sharing assignments. †¢ Developing talent at risk tools based on potential derailers and defection triggers. †¢ Introducing a talent scorecard with five perspectives, each of which has critical indicators hiring. As we see it, TM is a strategic and holistic approach to both HR and business planning or a new route to organizational effectiveness. This improves the performance and the potential of people the talent who can make a measurable difference to the organization now and in future. And it aspires to yield enhanced performance among all levels in the workforce, thus allowing everyone to reach his/her potential, no matter what that might be. Though this interpretation of talent is inclusive, it strikes a strategic balance between performance and potential. Performance historically, the primary focus of measurement and management concerns both the past and the present, whereas potential represents the future. Our position assumes that potential exists, it can be identified and it can be developed. Here are specific ways that two case organizations inthe report define talent: †¢ Executive management team leaders, directors/VPs and A-player managers in all functions plus Bplayers as potentials. †¢ Future business leaders with more strategic capabilities than just operational excellence skills -plus specialist talent able to execute business integration projects on time and to budget. Clearly, there isnt a single consistent or concise definition. Current or historic cultural attributes may play a part in defining talent, as will more egalitarian business models. Many organizations acknowledge that talent, if aligned with business strategy or the operational parameters of strategy execution will change in definition as strategic priorities change. For example, in start-up businesses, the talent emphasis will be different to the innovative or creative talent needed to bring new products to market. Any definition needs to be fluid as business drivers change, so will the definitions of talent. What TM involves Talent management is the integration of different initiatives, or constructs, into a coherent framework of activity. There are certain crucial components and a useful model for defining TM is to think of it in these key words: †¢ Ethos embedding values and behavior, known as atalent mindset, to support the view that everyone has potential worth developing. †¢ Focus knowing which jobs make a difference and making sure that the right people hold those jobs at the right time. †¢ Positioning starting at the top of the organization and cascading throughout the management levels to make this a management, not HR, initiative. †¢ Structure creating tools, processes and techniques with defined accountability to ensure that the work gets done. †¢ System facilitating a long-term and holistic approach to generate change. Integrating TM through a system Its worth emphasizing that integration is critical. Our research shows that without integrating TM activities, the effort invested will tend to be dissipated with patchy results. Integration is knowing how all the pieces of TM fit together within a TM system. This will not operate in isolation from strategy, business planning and the organizations approach to people management. In this sense, the work of talent management cuts across what has been traditional HR silos. If integrated, it functions in a more facilitative, OD-like nature. It will also reach higher up the organization than other HR initiatives, often attracting the attention of boards and senior teams. Similarly, TM reaches down the organization, to include new recruits along with tenured professionals. Lastly, talent planning must be done in parallel with business planning, creating a rich integration of people and strategy. One way of achieving such system integration and alignment is the CRF Talent Management System (see Figure 1, above right). This systemic view of talent has five elements: Need the business need derived from the business model and competitive issues. Data collection the fundamental data and intelligence critical for good talent decisions. Planning people/talent planning guided by data analysis. Activities the conversion of plans into integrated sets of activities. Results costs, measures and effectiveness criteria to judge the value and impacts of TM Using this system can help TM become a strategic differentiator rather than a standard set of HR processes if the right conditions, context, timescales and offerings exist in the first place. System integration and alignment ensures that TM efforts are rational and fit for purpose. Since the arrival of the current era of talent is widely acknowledged, its not surprising that renewed significance is being placed on the management of that talent. And as talent continues to be viewed as a strategic differentiator, its management will take more of a strategic role. How fascinating it will be to take the pulse of talent management in the business community in another five years. We believe that while the management of talent will most likely become embedded in the fiber of cultures by then, the HR executives who led those initiatives will have achieved much more prominence. OBJECTIVES OF TALENT MANAGEMENT: There are some basic objectives which need to be fulfilled by the US corporate sector while applying Talent Management in the organisation and the objectives are:- 1) TO DETECT TALENT:- It is very important for the US corporate sector to determine or detect their best talent for the organisation and this Talent Management helps the selector to select the best talent among the pool of various alternatives present in the organisation. Because the best talent helps in generating more and more good ideas which help organisation to achieve or innovate something new. As Talent Management helps in detecting best talent of the organisation within the organisation, this helps organisation to achieve their goal more efficiently and effectively which are set by the organisation. 2) TO DEVELOP TALENT:- After detecting the talent in the organisation the US corporate next step for applying Talent Management is to develop the talent. It is not necessary that every person has a some talent in him or her but talent can also be developed through regular practice such as training, educating, providing them with the basic guidelines of the respective talent so that the talent of any person can be used for the effective utilization of the talent for the sake of the organisation which will be helpful for the organisation to came up with a new idea with the help of talent which will provide them with the best competencies among the competitor so that they can stay in long run of the business giving tough competition to their competitors and by developing talent US corporate sector tried to change the scenario of the employees by developing their talent and making them more confident, reliable and motivating factor for themselves and for others too which improves the behaviour and efficiency t o work. There is a huge change when a person come to some hidden talent in him and this makes them to be more responsible to the work and take the work as natural as play 3) TO MAKE TALENTS MORE RELIABLE:- Talent Management helps in making talent more reliable and US corporate sector use the Talent Management as their one of the important tool for making their employees talent more reliable as talent management helps in detecting and developing talent by the different mode they used while developing their talent they make the employees to be more confident in their talent which makes them more reliable which means that they will be confident in using their talent and organisation can rely on their talent while doing or making effective decision. Until and unless employees believe themselves in their talent then the organisation too will not have any faith on the employee and US corporate sector never keep such employees in the organisation as US corporate sector is best known for their talent and technologies and the technology is the result of the talent only. 4) TO PROMOTE TALENTS TO STRATEGIC PROJECTS OR TO HIGHER POSITION:- Talent Management helps in promoting talent to strategic projects or to the higher position because US corporate sector that every talent should be given their own position. If the talent deserves higher position then he should be given the higher position irrespective of any other things which might be taken in account such as education or qualification. They think that if the post deserves that talent then that talent should be given that post. When talent is promoted it acts as a motivating tool for the employees to make them more responsible and work towards the achievement of the goal set by the organisation which also enhance their style and attitude towards their work.