Social Work in College Agency Essay Example for Free

Social Work in College Agency Essay From the observations that have been made, it seems the agency is very committed to excellence. This can be deduced by how they ensure that the environment is friendly and comfortable and thus enabling both the staff and the clients to feel at home and be able to work comfortably. One is happy in such an environment and is motivated to come back the next day (http://sme.osha.europa.eu). The peoples morale is high and so the students feel welcome in such an environment and this makes them work even harder thus improving their rate of output. It seems that the practices that the agency uses is to provide incentives to the students to make them come back again. The policies in place take into consideration that the students are disenfranchised in the society and need much more incentive to believe in themselves and be able to change their lives by getting quality education in an environment that is comfortable for them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The place is also very clean and this means that the people work in a healthy place. The students are very happy with the cleanliness status of the college. Every student has a right to study in a clean and healthy environment. This is usually denied to the disenfranchised students in most public schools. This college strives to ensure that they provide this to the students. The building used by the agency to provide education is very professional. Inside this building, silence is maintained thus enhancing the possibility of the learning process taking place. The clients range from young ex-gang members to older non-traditional students of around 40-70 years. By ensuring that they are learning in a clean, healthy and quiet environment that is also comfortable and appealing, the agency is protecting their rights and promoting the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From its arrangement, the environment seems to be giving more care to the clients than the staff. This can be deduced from all the effort put into making sure that the place is conducive for learning. The classes are well arranged and the students are happy with how the space has been utilized. The colors used in the classes are also very student friendly and they are happy with the colors chosen for their classrooms. In the whole building people talk in whispers including the staff. This is for the benefit of the students who are reading. It however, oppresses the staff members who may want to talk but can only do so in whispers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The students are provided with food but the staff are supposed to bring their own or buy from outside. On the overall, the school benefits the students and their families most but also the general public.   This is because there is provision of good education to the students who were otherwise considered to be degenerates in the society where public schools failed. The executives also benefit from the environment because it attracts more students who will mean that more money comes to the school. However, by providing education to these people the policy makers benefit because the policies regarding education have been fulfilled. It seems that the executives and the policy makers have most authority while the social work department which is supposed to advocate for the rights of the staff seems to have failed since the staff are considered to be non-entities in the agency. The students’ needs are catered for while the staff members are given no incentives. Their rights are oppressed for the benefit of the students and this shows that the social work department has little or no authority in the agency. The staff members are not adequately represented. This means the social work department in the agency has no power at all to influence the decisions that are made nor the policies and even how they are implemented.      Ã‚   Reference: European Agency for safety and health at 2005 improving poor working conditions. Retrieved on 17th September 2007 from   http://sme.osha.europa-eu/publications/fs2002/2003/en/index-65.htm

Racial Discrimination in the Workplace Essay

Racial Discrimination in the Workplace Essay In the current time, the pay gap between the genders is still significant in most countries, which shows that there is discrimination against women in the workplace, as the graph below illustrates that women were more than twice as likely as men to say they have been victims of discrimination (Wilson, 2006). In the past century many people did not have equal rights to choose their jobs. For example women could not find jobs easily as men, because certain people believed that men were more qualified than women. In the current time, people strongly believe in human rights, but discrimination still exists, and the impacts of discrimination are serious in the workplace and in society. The effects of discrimination in the workplace are shown mainly in two ways. Firstly, discrimination directly deals with the increasing rate of unemployment. Gender discrimination exists in some companies. There are companies that do not employ women, and as a result women have less job opportunities. In addition, age discrimination exists in other companies. Young people may not find jobs after graduation, because some companies think that young peoples lack of experience would not benefit them. Secondly, discrimination results in decline in work efficiency. If a company discriminates against women, consequently this company will lose work balance. Furthermore age discrimination is also harmful to a company. For one, at an older age people have a lot of experience, but young people are full of enthusiasm and ideas, so these two groups are both important for a company. Racism has been identified as the belief that race is the main determinant of human capabilities, that a certain race is better than others, and that individuals should be treated differently according to their racial designation (Racism, 2010). The United States has come a long way in defeating discrimination in the workplace but it still has a long way to go. Although many minorities made great steps during the Affirmative Action years, today there is still a very low percentage of minorities in comparison to whites in corporate America. In addition, the graph below shows the percentage of minorities in the workplace, where they got only 34% of the total employment (Chow, 2010). Racism acts dont affect the racist himself/herself or only the people working with him/her, it involves the customers and the staff also. As seen in the graph below, the effect of racism is not limited to certain kind of people (Jones, 1996). The customers should be served in the best way possible no matter where they are from. Some employees may make the company lose many customers because of their actions. In the workplace there has to be harmony between the employees so the work flows easily and work gets done efficiently. But when there is discrimination between the staff, the environment becomes unhealthy, and consequently such actions would affect the company as a whole. For example, when employees are racist against each other, they wont be helpful to each other, and as a result the work wont be done effectively. Discrimination can be caused by many reasons in the work place, such as religion, hatred, and stereotyping. One of the main reasons of discrimination is religion, which can endanger the workplace. Religion may be a sensitive issue, and it might cause conflicts. Furthermore, in the workplace discrimination could occur just because of hatred. For example, some employees may think that another employee got a raise just because of his race, so they would discriminate and hate him/her. In the current time, most of the companies hire employees from different nationalities, because of globalization. Moreover, some of the employees may be racist to other nationalities and they would not accept having other nationalities working at the same level as they are. Moreover, stereotyping is another reason of discrimination. Someone may have had a bad experience with people from a certain region, and as a result this person may discriminate and stereotype anyone from this area because of the past experience. The consequences for racism in the workplace is massive, it includes lack of work flow, lost customers, and lawsuits. Racism would eliminate the efficiency of the work dynamics, as some employees may not work effectively with others so there will be a lack of the work flow. Furthermore, this might affect the company adversely. Additionally, if the company has racist employees this will affect the way they treat their customers. Consequently, the operation of the company will be affected, as many customers might feel discriminated or not appreciated and may leave the company and start going to other competitors. As well, the company might be at risk of racism lawsuits if it acquires racist employees. As a result, this is going to put the company and the employee at jeopardy. Moreover, if the company gets a reputation of race discrimination it would be harmful for its business. The graph below shows the number of discrimination cases filed by category to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (PERFORMANCE RESULTS, 2008). For a company to survive its business it has to have solutions and preventive measures for racism acts. This could be achieved by awareness by peer review, training, disciplinary acts, and even terminations. Companies that take efforts to attain cultural diversity are open to changes in corporate policies that give incentives for employees who increase productivity in their departments based on cultural diversity. Often, this translates into major changes in corporate policies, such as in engaging in peer reviews over the traditional boss/underling scenario. When managers are reviewed by those underneath them, there is less of a chance that they will engage in racist comments or actions. Plus, the company should give cultural diversity training to their employees so that they will be aware of their actions and words, that they might think its acceptable to say or do but its considered racist. Many times, racism is not a public, overt action. Sometimes, many people who think of themselves as without prejudice may make racist comments without even knowing they made them. They may hear others putting down a fellow worker and take notice but be completely ignorant of their own prejudices and behaviors. Saying something like â€Å"you sure are smart for a black man,† or a woman, or a Latino, is the kind of comment where the person usually has no sense of his or her own racism and many times think they had sincerely given the person a compliment. Furthermore, the graph below demonstrates the rate of discrimination while working in most countries around the world (Nita, 2008). Also, there has to be some kind of disciplinary acts within the company, so employees would be more careful of their actions toward each other, and toward customers. Disciplinary acts is important in such cases as it shows the importance of the issue and that such discriminating actions are not tolerated in the company. Furthermore, termination is considered as the final result of racism acts. For example, an employee is known of discriminating acts and the disciplinary acts have not shown any improvement in his/her actions. Therefore, termination must be considered so that the work environment would not be affected by such employees, and so that this racist employee would act as an example to all the other employees. In conclusion, racist are very successful at keeping their actions private, thats why racism in the workplace still exists. The fact that an employee doesnt publicly say discriminating words at the workplace does not absolutely mean he has had a change of heart. He still may meet outside of work with his/her colleagues, and engage in racist jokes or put-downs. The basic prejudice is still there, and as long as it is, there can be no comfort taken in the fact that actions in the workplace have changed. A racially-biased attitude remains. People cannot feel comfortable on making progress on discrimination in the workplace until this kind of attitude no longer exists (Racism In The Workplace, 2009). Chow, L. (2010, January 14). Mad Men Havent Changed Much Since The 1960s. Retrieved April 03, 2010, from National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122545036 Jones, J. M. (1996). Prejudice and racism. In J. M. Jones, Prejudice and racism. McGraw-Hill Humanities. Nita. (2008, March 5). Job discrimination at the workplace. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/job-discrimination-at-the-workplace/ PERFORMANCE RESULTS. (2008, November 26). Retrieved April 10, 2010, from The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: http://archive.eeoc.gov/abouteeoc/plan/par/2008/performance_results.html Racism. (2010, April). Retrieved April 02, 2010, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism Racism In The Workplace. (2009). Retrieved April 11, 2010, from Knowledge Galaxy: http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/racism_in_the_workplace/racism_in_the_workplace.html Wilson, D. C. (2006). When Equal Opportunity Knocks. GALLUP Management Journal , 1-4.

The Usefulness Of Swot Analysis To Organisations Business Essay

The Usefulness Of Swot Analysis To Organisations Business Essay Change is a very significant word in business. Modern business is defined as the most competitive and active. To survive in the modern competitive business environment, the organizations have to adopt their strategies to meet the changing demands and needs of the customers. SWOT analysis is one the most significant business strategies which helps the organizations to assess their current situation both internally and externally and to implement a new strategy where necessary. Moreover, modern high technology, communication system and online shopping are highly influencing the customers and thus their demands and needs are becoming volatile. They have more choices, alternative products and services to get. Also, the changing life style of human beings is also another important reason why the business organizations need to modify their strategies. To balance these changes, both technological and social, the managers should plan a SWOT analysis and implement a new business strategy. However, change in business enables an organization to compete with its rivals and win the business position. Business organizations, particularly fashion, clothing, perfumed, mobile companies, technological instruments consider change as the most vital part of business strategy. For manufacturing companies, change is important in the sense that it gives variety to the existing customers and satisfies their unexposed desires. However, to bring change in business environment, the first thing is to identify the need of change, which will be followed by a specific plan for these changes. Various business tools, process, technology and performance meters are used to incorporate these changes. There is no alternative for continuous improvement in business environment. To survive in a competitive business environment, continuous improvement is mandatory to meet the business objectives. So, SWOT analysis is very important for business organizations to implement a new business strategy in order to cope with the modern competitive business market and to meet business objectives. Modern Business Environment: Volatile Change is one of the most significant and vital elements in business market. There are lots of reasons whey business market is changing and getting affected by it. The word change has now become the part of corporate business. Change management is a modern business philosophy which is adopted almost by every renowned business organization to meet the challenges of volatile business environment. The reasons of rapid change in business can be economic instability, inflation, changing life style, extensive use of modern technology, etc. Rapid rise and death of new companies also affect business environment. What is SWOT Analysis? An internationally recognized and extensive used business tool, SWOT analysis is a powerful technique to assess the current situation of a business organization and to predict the future business life. It is the primary level for marketers to plan and focus on key issues. However, SWOT is an abbreviated term for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors, while opportunities and threats are external. History of SWOT analysis: Albert Humphrey developed the SWOT analysis technique. Team Action Model was the research project that Humphrey led a Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s from where the term was derived. He collected the data for this research from many top companies. However, SWOT analysis is an extended form of TAM, which helps to manage change in business organization. Moreover, since 1960s organizations have been using SWOT analysis as a business concept. It has been also used in management structure and corporate marketing. Indeed, with the passage of time the concepts of SWOT have been modified to suit the needs of business setting. Significance of SWOT analysis: SWOT analysis is one of the most significant business tools, which aims to assess the current situation of an organization in order to develop business strategies to encounter competition. It is a key element of strategic development. It helps a company to predict its future prospects and the financial environment. Again, it helps an organization to develop its critical and specific decisions to plan strategic objectives. It helps organizations to predict future difficulties or problems. Notably, SWOT analysis can also be used in human life. It helps individuals to get an instant view of personality or career. In fact, SWOT analysis is a magnificent tool for appraisal both in business and individual life. Apart from these, there are numbers of other reasons whey an organization uses SWOT analysis. It can be used as a tool of problem solving, decision making, planning, brainstorm meetings, workshop sessions, product evaluation and also personal development planning. Discussion and Analysis: SWOT A tool for auditing an organization and its environment, SWOT analysis is the primary stage of planning which helps marketers to focus on key issues of business strategies. However, SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors. SWOT ANALYSIS: INTERNAL FACTORS Strengths Strengths are the first elements of SWOT analysis which assesses the positive tangible and intangible attributes of an organization internally. These attributes are controllable and within the organizations. These strengths of a person or a company help to achieve the objectives. Strengths can also be defined as the elements which enable an organization to do well, comparing to the competitors. It focuses on the advantages of the organization over the business. For example, the strengths of an organization can be good quality of the products, brand image, attention of electronic media, customer loyalty, best location, strong communication, etc. Weaknesses Weaknesses include the elements which are harmful and stand in the way of achieving the business objectives. These are the internal factors within an organizations control that prevent to gain the desired objectives. It helps the organizations to identify the specific areas where improvements are necessary. The weaknesses of an organization, for instance, can be poor quality standards, broken reputation, past loss project, rejected by customers, old fashioned products, poor communication system, negligence of media, etc. SWOT ANALYSIS: EXERNAL FACTORS Opportunities Opportunities are the external factors over which the organization does have control. But, these factors affect the companys profitability and business processes both directly and indirectly. These are the factors why an organization exists and develops. These factors help an organization to foresee the future possibilities and opportunities that the organization may encounter. They help the organization to plan and identify the time line to achieve the objectives. Indeed, opportunities are the objectives of organization in a broad sense. For example, the opportunities of an organization can be a new business market, extending business overseas or to other outlets, launching a new product, adding new value (such as, online marketing), moving to global market, etc. Threats Threats are the external factors which cause dangers and risks for an organization to achieve the goals and objectives. As external factors, organizations do not have control over them, but are highly affected by them. These factors help an organization to have safeguard from risks and dangers. These factors also guide the organization to drive on the right road. Threats of an organization, for example, can be: Rising popularity of the competitors in local or global market Changing habits of customers Pricing competition with competitors Arrival of new alternative product in the market New taxation policy Difference between external and internal factors of SWOT: The difference between external factors and internal factors of SWOT analysis is very obvious. The basic difference between the two is that internal factors are controllable, while external factors cannot be controlled by the organization. Usually, the external factors (strengths and weaknesses) of an organization are mainly based on organization itself, corporate market or customer needs and demands. The strength of an organization can be defined as the way of meeting customer needs and satisfaction, while weaknesses are the problems or shortcomings that the company faces to fulfill the market or customer demands. However, the internal factors of an organization usually affect the following factors, such as sale and profitability, product quality and brand image, product cost and customer needs, employee potentiality and the financial ability of management, etc. On the other hand, the external factors of an organization are the issues that affect not only organization but the total business system. The common issues that affect the company externally can be business segments, customer motivations and unmet needs, business strategies, overall business structures, environmental issues (such as governmental, technological, economic, cultural, demographic, etc.), etc. How to implement SWOT Analysis? Though appeared as a simple and easy business tool, SWOT analysis is very powerful and meaningful technique. To implement SWOT analysis, the first thing an organization needs to have is time and adequate information and resources. It is not possible to implement a SWOT analysis in an organization by one person, because it requires team work and efforts. The positive traits of this technique are that it is quick, flexible and comprehensive managing tool, which make the process easy to implement. However, the process of SWOT analysis follows a sequential order. Obviously, there are four steps to follow in this analysis. Whether analyzing a product or a service, the SWOT analysis is done in the same way. First Step: Collection of information In this stage, an organization collects all the information regarding the first two internal factors, strengths and weaknesses. However, this information collection can be done through a number of different ways. One-to-one interview or a group discussion can be carried to gather information. There will be number of different views, questions and issues that related to these elements. Second Step: Listing possible Opportunities and Threats Here, the organization can make a list of all the opportunities that it may encounter in the future. It can make another list of all the future possible threats within the organization. Third Step: Planning action In this stage, the plan of action will carried out to meet these opportunities and to secure the company from the threats. In this stage, the organization makes sure that they can maintain the strengths, change or stop the weaknesses, prioritize opportunies and minimize threats. Again, there are other ways to implement SWOT analysis. The following chart shows another different technique of SWOT analysis. SWOT Analysis Framework Environmental Scan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  / Internal Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  External Analysis /   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  / Strengths  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weaknesses  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Opportunities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Threats | SWOT Matrix According to the SWOT matrix formula, there must be a balance between these elements. The formula follows the following chart: SWOT / TOWS Matrix Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities S-O strategies W-O strategies Threats S-T strategies W-T strategies S-O strategies: strengthening positive traits or opportunities W-O strategies: stopping or conquering weaknesses to meet opportunities. S-T strategies: strengthening ways to win external threats W-T strategies: having a strong plan to avoid weaknesses and threats CASE STUDY: SWOT ANALYSIS OF TESCO There are numbers of organizations which are using SWOT analysis almost every day in this modern business environment. This analysis can be carried on a small area of the organization or on overall company. TESCO is one of the major global business installations which can be analyzed by applying SWOT analysis as a whole. Strengths in Tesco The first strength of Tesco can be found in their popularity and business achievement of World Retail Award. Again, the constant increase of overall sales is another significant strength of Tesco. Likewise, Tesco has another strength in their reserve funds for business expansion and meeting economic crisis. Weaknesses in Tesco The primary weakness of Tesco can be found in their bad debt, house insurance claims and credit card arrears. Being a price leader in the market, Tesco is losing profit. Again, Tesco business and its profitability is mainly based on the UK market. Opportunities in Tesco Being the 3rd largest global trader, Tesco has strong buying power. Tesco is a global business organization which has number of different products and services. It is still extending to the global market and gaiting global trust. Extensive use of modern technology is enabling Tesco to meet the modern challenge of marketing. Constant increase of Tesco mobile customers can also be considered as a business opportunity. Threats in Tesco Economic inflation is one of the major business threats that Tesco had encounter in the recent past. The rising cost of food and non-food raw materials is another threat for Tesco. Changing buying habits of customers also affect Tescos business strategies and thus it requires reassessment of the current market. Competition with rivals, particularly with Wal-Mart which can takeover Tesco business position anytime is another noteworthy threat that Tesco is encountering nowadays. CONCLUSION To sum up, SWOT analysis is one of the powerful business tools which can be used in almost every business situation and also in individual affairs. It helps organizations to assess their current position and to plan their future plans. It is decision making tool that provides the framework for an organization to generate business strategy, mark its position and direct its objectives. Though very simple, SWOT analysis requires close attention and experienced application. In the modern changing business market, SWOT analysis has been proved to be a very important tool to the marketers. SWOT analysis is often said to be paralleled and alternative to the PESTEL analysis. Often, organizations use both these business tools together to plan their strategies. Once again, the SWOT analysis helps organizations to get an overall picture of the company and the starting point of strategic planning. It is the primary tool of business analysis. To conclude, experienced marketers when utilizing SWOT analysis make sure that the company is based on its strengths and opportunities, able to stop and correct its weakness, and can protect itself from external threats. They consider the business environment extremely unpredictable and thus use this tool that may help organizations to predict their future through this process.

Pushing the Limits :: Personal Narrative Papers

Pushing the Limits Late one Friday night in the fall of 1995, while I was hanging out with the girls, my laughter stopped short as Jenny Williams’ large grandfather clock struck one time loudly throughout the old farmhouse. Our laughter and fun came to a halt. My parents’ curfew as well as my school driver’s permit curfew had long expired. Curfew would not have been an issue that night because most fifteen-year-olds would have been at home in bed. Because of my right to drive, my pride in being one of the few freshmen with their school permit came with its own benefits as well as consequences. The privilege to drive to school and back was a privilege easily taken advantage of. One of my rule breaking attempts was driving home from Jenny’s house at 1:00 in the morning. The plan to get home quickly almost backfired and I was almost stuck in a sticky situation, literally! I raced around Jenny’s cluttered house looking for my large wood carved key chain. I knew I needed to make fast tracks before the clock hands worked their way any farther. I found my keys at last and I was racing to my car. My competition with the undefeated clock was soon to begin. I started the engine and took off with the radio blaring like a foghorn, and the accelerator floored. I was about 15 minutes northwest of my house, but I was attempting to cut those minutes in half. As I approached Wellman, I pictured the late shift policeman, Jack Wright, sitting in his car at the town park parking lot just waiting to pull over and ticket some immature teenager like me. I decided to take a short cut down a dirt road, which would allow me to cut some time and avoid any unfriendly policemen. I charged away in my lightweight, manual, gray Chevy Spectrum that I liked to call â€Å"Junior.† While speeding along to Tom Petty’s, â€Å"You Wreck Me Baby,† I had not noticed the shower of mud flying from my cardboard-looking hub capped wheels. The thought crossed my mind to turn back, but the tires had already begun to spin hopelessly like a hamster’s wheel. I realized that turning back towards a possible cop was not an option. This road was not about to let me maneuver a three-point-turn-about either.

Thomas Jefferson: Contributions to Literature and Other Fields :: essays research papers fc

Thomas Jefferson is commonly most notable for his contributions to American political history. He was President of the United States, the first secretary of state to George Washington, minister to France with Benjamin Franklin, governor of Virginia, and congressman. (725) Jefferson’s literary works strongly reflect the focus, love, and ambition that he had for this country. Aside from the aspirations for the United States, he also very much appreciated it’s then un-tainted beauty, as he makes note of in Notes on the State of Virginia when he speaks of the Natural Bridge, â€Å"It is impossible for the emotions, arising from the sublime, to be felt beyond what they are here: so beautiful an arch, so elevated, so light, and springing, as it were up to heaven, the rapture of the Spectator is really indescribable!† (733)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, or what is now known as Albemarle County, Virginia. He was born unto Jane Randolph Jefferson and Peter Jefferson. His mother was from a wealthy, and one of the first families of Virginia. His father was a self-educated man that became a country official and surveyor. (725) Sadly, Peter Jefferson died when young Thomas was only fourteen leaving him two thousand seven hundred and fifty acres of land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jefferson entered the college of William and Mary in 1760 when he was but seventeen years old. His habits were those of patience and severe application. Math was his favorite study, at which he very much excelled in. When came time for relaxation, he exercised his skill at the violin. Jefferson swiftly graduated in only two years with the highest of honors that the school offered. Afterwards, he studied law with a friend from William and Mary, George Wythe. In 1769 he began six years of service as a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses. The following year he began building Monticello on part of the land inherited from his father. The exquisite mansion, which he designed in every detail, took years to complete, but part of it was ready for occupancy when he married Martha Wayles Skelton on January 1, 1772. They had six children, only two of whom survived into adulthood. (web) Jefferson's reputation began to reach beyond Virginia in 1774, when he wrote a political pamphlet, A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Arguing on the basis of natural rights theory, Jefferson claimed that, â€Å"ties to the British monarchy were voluntary and not irrevocable.

How Great Companies Think Differently

Strategic Management How Great Companies Think Differently Making money has long been the ultimate aim of a business. This capitalism vision has influenced the majority of corporations limit their goals in generating the highest profits and returns to owners, regardless the health and safety of employees, the environment, and general public. An institutional logic, therefore, has been raised by professor of Harvard Business School-Kanter. Unlike traditional practices, this logic addressed a successful company is a vehicle for enhancing societal welfares, rather than only a machine to make money.Not only can most well-established companies distribute sound returns to shareholders, but also build long-lasting institutions. In high-performing business, both institutional logic and economic logic are critical to operations and strategic decision making. There are six fields mentioned in the passage, which are a common collaborative purpose, a enduring focus, emotional engagement, partner ing with society, innovation, and self- organization-changing corporate and leadership behavior at all, as well as constructing the base of a solid and stable competitive advantage.Effective governance that ties the decisions of managers up with the interests of shareholders can help develop a competitive advantage. (Ireland, P. 250) The article, however, suggests a different way of governing the corporate, which I think is more comprehensive to develop a sustained institution. In order to ensure continuous returns, a company need to empower the employees, engage emotion, lead based on esteem, and contribute to related community. Corporate social responsibility, actually, should be internalized as the governance mechanism.As far as the business can offer, it is aimed at satisfying the needs of customers and continuous value creation. A company, therefore, should create an identity, which can reflect the standing values, for the people to recognize what it is and how it will achieve. For example in Hong Kong, Hang Seng Bank has a non-profit educational institution called Hang Sang School of Commerce in Shatin. It is aimed at providing professional business education and to equip personnel with capability, solicitude, conscientiousness and creativity.It aligns the goals of Hang Seng Bank in pursuit of excellence for the customers and common good for Hong Kong society. It is wise for a business to focus on long term sustainable development by performing ethical roles to society. When Hang Seng Bank educates and nurtures the next generations, it can also benefits from recruitment of quality employees from Hang Sang School of Commerce. This secures the future development of Hang Seng Bank, which would keep going with its ultimate goals. The morale of the employees, indeed, is a key determined factor for a successful corporate.In Hang Sang School of Commerce, it is obvious that all teachers want to educate the best students—to get the more â€Å"A†s, s o that they can also be rewarded from promotion and bonus. Associated with social enterprise is also critical to build an enduring institution. Through demonstrating the company's commitment to furthering the development of the countries, the company can get supports from public and know more about the preferences of the residents. Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), holds marathon races every year, demonstrating the core value of Hong Kong—diligence.Honestly, Standard Chartered has customized services with high efficiency and effectiveness. It has won numerous awards in Hong Kong and Asia, such as best employee engagement, bet retail bank and so on. It would probably the attributes of intensive involvement in social affairs. Extending the corporate social responsibility in a creative way can explore new business opportunities. There is annual Employee Volunteering Month in Standard Chartered to encourage the staff in taking part in any kind of volunteering services, such as drum event with special educational needs students at Shatin Public School.The interaction of corporate individuals with society can further institution-building goals by the way of expressing corporate values and producing valuable learning. By devolving authority and responsibility to employees, an institution can benefit from self-discipline of employees their own. When the jobs are controlled by themselves, employees are more willing to devote their greatest efforts to the company. As a result, the corporate can also gain from some fresh ideas and maximum fulfillment of employees.To conclude, this article is worth for reading that it proposed building an enduring institution, rather than a short-sighted profit-making machine. Success is accumulated from every drop of human effort. Laying the groundwork of social responsibility can reciprocally develop a sustained corporation. (Total: 726 words) Works Cited: Ireland, R. D. The Management of Strategy : Concepts. 9th ed. / R. Duan e Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt. ed. Singapore]: South-Western/Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. â€Å"How Great Companies Think Differently. †Ã‚  Harvard Business Review  89. 11 (2011): 66-78.Business Source Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Corporate Responsibility† Hang Seng Bank. n. d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. ;http://bank. hangseng. com/1/2/about-us/corporate-responsibility/corporate-responsibility; â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility – Hong Kong† Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited. n. d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. standardchartered. com. hk/sustainability/en/; â€Å"Standard Chartered drums up Employee Volunteering Month By Visiting Special Needs School † Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited. 8 May. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. standardchartered. com. hk/news/2012/press_20120509. pdf;

Discipline and Corporal Punishment

Corporal punishment by definition is the deliberate infliction of physical pain as a system of changing behaviour. Corporal punishment may consist of methods such as shaking, pinching, kicking, punching, slapping, hitting, painful body posture, or use of different objects such as sticks, belts and paddles (National Association of School Nurses, 2002, p. 1). In the past, corporal punishment was a technique of disciplining youth and children in the school setting.At present, several States in America have enacted legislation banning corporal punishment in schools. On the other hand corporal punishment has been an accepted mode of reprimand that several parents choose to integrate into their lives without giving a careful consideration. The mode of punishment can commence at any time but is generally initiated within the start of the child’s grade school (Mathews, 2006, p. 1). The physical inflictions can be tolerated all the way until the teenager grows old enough to leave or be independent.This type of correction is purely torture, which has been employed for centuries and is still a frightening and disturbing incidence in several families today. Dr. Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire Family Research Laboratory revealed that corporal punishment: when regularly imposed to children it increases their antisocial behaviour such as bullying, cheating, stealing, lying, assaulting peers or sibling, and lack of repentance for erroneous doings (The Center for Effective Discipline, n.d. ); provides as a model for violent behaviour and for improper ways of dealing with disagreement among the punished children; erodes trust between a child and parent; and badly influences cognitive development of the child. Corporal punishment is not desirable for the reason that it increases the risk of child abuse and adults who were frequently hit during their childhood are likely to experience depression and other unconstructive mental health and social effects.This form of punishment can have a negative effect on the affected children as it relates to their physical and mental growth and health, as they are at a period of fragile mental capacity. Finally, corporal punishment is not desirable because children are entitled to security, care and good rearing from their parents and teachers. Adults should understand the significance of recognizing corrective discipline instead of outright imposition of corporal punishment in disciplining children.Because children’s ability to control their own behaviour is limited, corrective discipline is an important characteristic of adequate parenting for the reason that it generates the best preventive steps, which is reducing the occurrence of misconduct, and not eliminating it (Straus, Fauchier, 2007, p. 5). Corrective discipline incorporates positive in addition to disciplinary behaviours, and combinations of the two. Conclusion Corporal punishment has a strong possibility to influence the childâ⠂¬â„¢s self-image and contribute to violent and disruptive behaviours.However, the practice remains a commonly used method of discipline in most American families and is still legal in educational institutions in several States in America. The progress of social skills after the infliction of corporal punishment may be severely changed, leading to belligerent behaviours. The imposition of corporal punishment also advances the message that cruelty is an acceptable form of behaviour in the society. Clearly, corporal punishment is not desirable and effective in enforcing discipline among children.