Portfolio Management of Research Projects Essay

1 Introduction More and more, organizations rely on research projects in order to stay updated on new technologies, processes and practices on their fields. Through them, they remain ahead in the competition and sustain their competitive advantages. This is specially the case for organizations that are on the top of their industry and which other organizations follow closely to benchmark their strategic moves. This seems applicable for private organizations, however research and development also plays a big role in public organizations. In the last few decades there has been an increased belief that organized research and development could stimulate economic growth and contribute to improving economic welfare. Given this, governments provide research and development (R&D) funding in order to promote scientific and technological development. With the increased need for production of scientific and technological knowledge in the public sector, there has been an increase in R&D activities performed by private organizations in order to match these production needs. Whether they are of a public or private nature, organizations rely on projects as means to deliver results. This derives in the tendency to engage in several projects simultaneously. Organizations group these projects in portfolios which should be managed in order to decide its composition and strategic moves. This managerial task is known as Portfolio Management which applied to R&D projects is defined as:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"a dynamic decision process, whereby a business’s list of active new product (and R&D) projects is constantly updated and revised. In this process, new projects are evaluated, selected, and prioritized; existing projects may be accelerated, killed, or deprioritized,; and resources are allocated an reallocated to the active projects. The portfolio decision process is characterized by uncertain and changing information, dynamic opportunities, multiple goals and strategic considerations, interdependence among projects, and multiple decision-makers and locations† (Cooper, Edgett, & Kleinschmidt, 2001). Portfolio Management of Research Projects in the Public and Private Sectors The aim of the present thesis is to gain a better understanding on how this process is applied in both a public and a private setting. The thesis work focuses on the analysis of one public organization and two private organizations. While the sample may not be representative to completely understand the behaviour of organizations and their portfolio management, it provides an opportunity to model the process in these settings. The project is lead through a series of iterative literature review supported by interviews and document analysis. The research questions represent the point of reference to start the research. This project is approached with an open mind, which allows re-evaluating the initial assumptions of the thesis and gives flexibility to the researcher. A more in-depth description of the  methodology followed in this report can be found in the fourth chapter of this project. The motivation behind this master thesis developed from previous studies on project management of research projects. During these studies a less known topic came up: portfolio management of research projects. It appeared that, while it was a less known topic, it was not of less importance. Through discussions with professionals from both research institutions and industrial organizations, it became evident the relevance of the topic. I was motivated by this relevancy which is present in both the public and private sectors. 2 Trondheim, NTNU MSc in Project Management, Thesis 2 Problem Formulation This master thesis aims to present a description and comparison of the process of portfolio management of research projects undertaken in a public and a private organization. The major focus in this regard is to identify the commonalities and differences of the organizations’ practices with respect to portfolio management and obtain a better understanding on how the process works in both organizations. This understanding and thesis will hopefully be helpful for organizations that seriously consider R&D and for researches who will work on this topic in the future. There may be several research questions that can be studied in connection with portfolio management of research projects. I choose to consider some important research questions within the scope of this master thesis. The research questions are presented and explained below. 2.1 Research Questions The focus of the investigation behind this project is based on the following  questions: How do organizations perform the portfolio management process? How do organizations select which research projects should make up their company’s project portfolio? How do public and private organizations define success in research projects? What drives the difference across firms, if any? 3 Portfolio Management of Research Projects in the Public and Private Sectors The model is based on my assumption that organizational strategy plays a major role in the way an organization proceeds to lead the activities associated with managing its portfolio of research projects, which in turn have the main purpose of generating knowledge and possibly bring competitive advantages to the organization. Based on this understanding the research approach, as will be explained in a later section, was developed in order to study to what extent the model reflects reality. Though the terms strategy and knowledge are not explicitly mentioned in the research questions, both terms are underlying aspects that reflect on the research questions and hence this study. The research questions and research model are connected to each other and complement each other in such a way to highlight the topic this thesis. 2.3 Importance of Thesis As part of a previous project for the Specialization Course of the Master in Project Management at NTNU, I got acquainted with the challenges and  uncertainties associated with research projects. During the research phase and in discussions with interviewees from research institutions and industrial organizations, peers and professors it became evident that one area of interest in R&D for those developing in the R&D environment is the one related to portfolio management of such projects. While portfolio management is an important topic in the literature of Project Management, there are fewer investigations that link this topic with specifically research projects. This may be because only recently the interest in research projects has been growing and this discipline is now seen as a potential tool for business success and competitive advantage. It became clear that organizations rely more on projects as a means to deliver results. Organizations arrange projects in portfolios according to their goals and strategy. Research projects, which may be among the projects in the portfolio or be the sole elements of the portfolio as will be explained later, help organizations keep updated in new technologies, methodologies, processes, etc. However, in private organizations investing in Research projects, whether internally or externally obtained, may seem as an unnecessary expenditure given the focus on day to day processes. On the other hand, there are public 4 Trondheim, NTNU MSc in Project Management, Thesis  organizations specifically dedicated to generate or fund research projects in order to generate knowledge and development of public interest.  Either way, both private and public organizations that wish to remain competitive have a tendency to undertake research projects. The nature of both organizations may lead to different approaches on how to manage their portfolios. This could develop into managerial activities that while work on one setting may not be useful on the other and vice versa. Getting to understand how these managerial activities are performed in the public and  private settings can give future researchers and organizations interested in R&D projects an insight on some of the current practices in these settings. 2.4 Research Approach Once the importance of the topic was clarified the topic was better delimited through literature review and brief discussions with academics and professionals knowledgeable in the area. Literature review includes basic theory of portfolio management, research projects, portfolio management of research projects. Furthermore I used theories on portfolio evaluation and selection and tools and techniques for portfolio management. This general literature provides a framework within which I could look at and describe portfolio management of research projects. Portfolio management of research projects can be seen in two ways. One is when a company has a portfolio that includes all types of projects (IT, construction, R&D, etc.) and makes selection, resource allocation or termination decisions considering all of these projects. I will call this a Mixed Project Portfolio (Figure 2: Project portfolio), where Project (P) 1, 2†¦ N, coexist with Research Project (RP) 1, 2†¦ N. Figure 2: Project portfolio consisting of mixed projects The other way of looking at portfolio management of research projects can be when a company either undertakes only research projects or they simply manage them Yolanda Yebra Aguado 5 Portfolio Management of Research Projects in the Public and Private Sectors  independently of the projects which support day to day activities (IT, procurement, etc.) In this case, it is possible to talk about a Portfolio of Research Projects (Figure 3: Portfolio of research projects), in which activities of portfolio management are done only considering the interdependencies of research projects within the portfolio. Figure 3: Portfolio of research projects For purposes of this project, the focus is on this second way of looking at portfolio management, where the organizations’ portfolio consists only of research projects; hence the context of this study. This research study is based on an iterative process – a learning cycle – which helped refine the course of the study and further investigation. Based on this an interview guide was created; this interview represents the basis for the qualitative approach in this paper. The interview, as it will be explained later, is a semi-structured interview allowing the researcher to address the issue with an open mind as well as giving the opportunity to direct the interview in the desired direction or adding relevant topics. In addition to the interviews, document analysis is also used to support the topic. The analysis of the document is done adhering to the same premises and perspective of the interviews with the aim of finding important and relevant information. This process helped create a framework within which it was possible to operate in a flexible manner. Through this, the research questions were refined and fine-tuned in order to emphasise the main elements of the research topic. To complete the research, I present an analysis of the findings. Whenever comparisons are possible, they will be presented. Finally conclusions that resulted from the analysis will be drawn. Further information on the methodology followed for this project is explained in the following chapters. 6 Trondheim, NTNU MSc in Project Management, Thesis 2.5 Scope and Limitations The major limitation associated with this project comes from the amount of time dedicated to the investigation. The project is developed during the spring semester of 2011 as a master thesis for the Project Management program. Due to this time limitation, the number of cases to be analysed will be limited to three organizations. Though the sample may not be representative to fully understand the behaviour of organizations and their portfolio management, it provides an opportunity to look at some kind of pattern in organizations’ practices with respect to portfolio management of research projects. Furthermore, this thesis can be used as a base for further research in the matter; a stepping stone to go further. In the cases where specific literature regarding research and development projects was hard to find or of no access, general literature on portfolio management and project management is used as a source to discuss relevant issues. The same applies to models and tools consulted on the matter. Regardless of these limitations, I believe that a better understanding on the topic will be possible through this study to reach conclusions and provide a base or reference for academics, practitioners as well as general public who are interested in the topic. 3 Theoretical Background This chapter presents the theoretical background of the report. To begin  with, the concepts associated with the main topic Portfolio Management of Research Projects (PMRP) are presented. The objective of this is to get acquainted with them, to have a better understanding of what is discussed by different authors and to choose specific definitions to work with. Once the main topics and definitions are introduced, three main concepts related to PMRP are presented. The first one is the influence of Strategy in PMRP and why organizations choose to rely on strategy to support it. The next section deals with the Selection process and presents some methods and criteria for project evaluation and selection suggested by the literature available. The third concept is project Success, which is explored from an overall project management perspective and more particularly from a public and private organization perspective. The concept of success is looked at in order to understand what organizations perceive as successful and how it impacts their business in future strategy, project selection and other areas. 9 Portfolio Management of Research Projects in the Public and Private Sectors 3.1 Basic concepts of the Portfolio Management of Research Projects This section presents the definitions of the basic concepts associated with the report. First, I begin by briefly introducing the evolution of research and development projects and their nature. Next, the definition of portfolio management is presented. After these two presentations, other relevant topics are described. Finally the main topic of the research, portfolio management of Research projects, is introduced. 3.1.1 Research and Development Projects: a Private and Public Approach David et al. (2000) present a very comprehensive analysis of the development of R&D research in the US. According to the authors the end of the 19th century marked the beginning of organized research and development activities upon  the productive resources for societies. Since then, the percentage of national gross product directed by both private and public organizations towards increasing the scientific and technological knowledge has increased. The same study claims that during the 1930s, the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"total R&D expenditures in countries such as the US, the UK and Japan remained in the range between two-thirds and one-quarter of one percentage point of their respective national product figures.† (David, Hall, & Toole, 2000). Since then there was an increased belief that organized research and development could stimulate economic growth and contribute to improving economic welfare, which led governments to create public institutions supporting civilian science and engineering. This gave way to an expansion of government agency research programs in non-defence as well as military technologies, and established models for the performance of governmentfunded R&D by private sector contractors. With the increased need for public production of scientific and technological knowledge, there was an increase in R&D activities performed by private organizations in order to match this production needs. This is given that technology is the most crucial factor for the progress of a nation’s economic development and living standards (Chang & Hsu, 1997). In order to promote scientific and technological development, governments provide R&D funding. As a result, support for selective development of specific industries is provided through direct, project-oriented subsidies. Government policy concentrates resources on long-term R&D problems and on expensive basic research that could not be undertaken by industry. Whether they are of a public or private nature, organizations rely on projects as means to deliver results; this tends organizations to engage in several projects at a time. The nature of these projects varies from  marketing to IT, environmental issues, procurement, new product development and research and development (R&D). More and more, organizations rely on research projects (R&D, new product development, innovation) in order to stay updated on new technologies, processes and practices on their fields. This is how they remain ahead in the competition and sustain their competitive advantages. This is specially the case for organizations that are on the top of their industry and that influence other organizations to follow them closely to benchmark their strategic moves. In order to maintain competitive advantage, organizations need to develop successful product and process innovation (Archer & Ghasemzadeh, 1999; Mikkola, 2001) for what they turn to R&D projects to achieve this. However R&D projects have a very particular nature. Research projects are characterized for being associated with a high degree of uncertainty and unpredictability (Balachandra, K, & Pearson, 1996). Therefore, large scale R&D projects require large budgets and high risk and long term programs (Chang & Hsu, 1997). This is mostly due to the fact that the outcome of a research project, such as knowledge generation, is intangible and hard to measure through standard project evaluation. 3.1.2 Portfolio Management Given the importance of developing research projects, organizations are faced with the task of conforming portfolios of projects. For practical purposes, this report considers project portfolio as: â€Å"a group of projects that are carried out under the sponsorship and /or management of a particular organization† (Archer & Ghasemzadeh, 1999). The task of selecting which projects should be a part of the company’s project portfolio is an important activity in many organizations. It is presented in the following definition. Portfolio Management is defined as the strategic choices, resource allocation, project selection and balance of the pool of projects available for organizations to undertake (Cooper, Edgett, & Kleinschmidt, 2001; Linton D. & Walsh T., 2002; Wang & Hwang, 2005). However this activity is not an easy one to do. Managers find challenges in deciding which projects to undertake, how to allocate resources to them through their whole life cycle and how to balance the portfolio once projects are completed or have to be terminated. Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is a critical task in company performance. Some key questions to be considered before deciding to do project portfolio management are known as â€Å"Five Ws and One H† (The Enterprise Portfolio Management Council, 2009): Who can use the PPM process? Everyone from Chief executives, heads of department, managers, supervisors, portfolio, project and program managers, to systems engineers. What should PPM be used for? To manage multiple projects, programs, assets, software applications, resource allocation, products.  When should PPM be used? When there is more than one project or program or decisions must be taken when it comes to proposal ideas competing for a slot in the portfolio, whether projects or programs should go forward or terminated, resource allocation, strategic changes, mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures to mention some. Where is PPM used? In both profit and non-profit organizations, government agencies, universities, investment firms.  Why should PPM be used? To ensure that projects and programs are aligned with strategies, goals and business objectives, to communicate project and program details, to manage projects and programs as a whole. PPM is a holistic, systems approach to business projects. How to decide whether to use PPM or not? Conversations and discussions between executives, managers, project and program managers and experts are encouraged in order to assess the situation and define the business case. Screening, Selecting and Prioritization Reprioritiza tion of projects Allocation and reallocation of resources according to priority Figure 5 Managerial activities related to PPM, based on (Blichfeldt & Eskerod, 2007) p. 358. Literature on PPM has widely focused on these managerial activities of project screening, selection, prioritization, balancing and resource allocation, while most recently focus has shifted to actual day to day management of the portfolio. Theories and literature have gone from focusing on tools, techniques and methods to a more managerial approach of how the activity is actually done. Thus, this thesis studies documented techniques and methods PPM, but keeps in sight the importance of the actual activities undertaken by the institutions. 3.1.3 Portfolio Management of Research Projects Global market changes and the interest of business organizations to remain ahead of their industry, tend organizations to rethink their competitive  strategy more often than before. Firms that cannot supply innovative products faster than competitor, lose competitiveness. R&D projects are used as a source of strategy, because they help target the increasing complexity demanded by shorter life cycles of products and services that wish to remain ahead and up to date (Mikkola, 2001). Most importantly, organizations have an increasing interest in evaluating their R&D projects from a portfolio’s perspective; in which project selection, resource allocation and balancing remain the main activities to be performed. According to McNally (2007), managing R&D is considered as one of the three core business processes.  Perhaps the most comprehensive definition of Portfolio Management of Research Projects, and the one to be considered for this thesis, is given by Cooper, et al. (2001). The authors describe the term as: â€Å"a dynamic decision process, whereby a business’s list of active new product (and R&D) projects is constantly updated and revised. In this process, new projects are evaluated, selected, and prioritized; existing projects may be accelerated, killed, or deprioritized,; and resources are allocated and reallocated to the active projects. The portfolio decision process is characterized by uncertain and changing information, dynamic opportunities, multiple goals and strategic considerations, interdependence among projects, and multiple decision-makers and locations.† This is an important and critical task to be undertaken because it requires a considerable amount of human resources and opportunity costs incurred as projects go from the selection phase to the implementation. At the same time this is a difficult task because decision makers have to work relatively fast with little reliable and highly changing information. Therefore the selection and development of successful innovations has a high degree of risk associated with it (Nesse & Velde, 2010). In order to manage portfolios of research projects, organizations rely on different tools or techniques. Literature (Wang & Hwang, 2005) points that R&D portfolio decisions are hard to take given the nature of R&D projects and environment. On the one hand, R&D projects have long lead times, and on the other hand, market and technology are so dynamic that it makes information for portfolio management seem unavailable and unreliable. All organizations that wish to engage in R&D are faced with the problem of managing the portfolio of research projects, where projects have to fight for a limited pool of resources. At the same time project selection becomes a complicated task because the decision maker has to determine which new proposals should be funded, which existing projects should be continued and to what extent a resource should be involved in the selected project of the portfolio (Chien, 2002).

Pro Gay Marriage

The controversy over gay marriage has become highly publicized. However, this issue is not a new debate. Society has voiced its opinions on the subject for many years. Everyone knows that people are able to choose, according to their body and instinct, their sexuality; most of the time, tabulated statistics state that in nine out of ten times option chosen is heterosexual. On the other hand, the other ten percent belongs to the homosexual population, which has been suffering all kinds of persecution and marginalization throughout history, forcing them to live in hiding, with permanent fear, and in scandal.If there were no such people, we would be unfairly deprived of the works of a lot of painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, and many more. Works that we admire today and were created from their homosexual point of view. A few years ago in Europe, some governments, like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain, that are countries of western thought and Christian tradition, have dared t o legalize marriage between same sex persons, giving them all the rights and obligations of heterosexual couples, even including adoption.Obama has not made a firm promise on either side of this issue, but he has recently indicated that he will do his part to push for equal rights regarding the gay population. These steps are acts of justice that recognize the right of citizens to choose their sexual orientation by themselves without feeling discriminated or diminished, and they give homosexual couples the same right to form a family and offspring that marriage concedes to heterosexual couples. Unfortunately these steps are not enough; there are still a lot of people contrary to the marriage between people of same sex.The arguments against the right of gay couples to marry can be beaten when they are examined closely. One of the most used has been that there is a deathblow to the family as an institution. Why? How? Cannot heterosexual couples continue to marry and have children if t hey want to. Does anyone, because of the establishment of this right, force someone to marry or not marry differently from the traditional? Of course not. On the other hand, by allowing gay couples to marry and adopt children, this will inject new vitality to an institution, the family, that – someone did not otice yet? – suffered from a long time in a deep crisis in western society. Counting the number of divorces, which grows each year, there are voices who predict a hopeless obsolescence. The paradox is that probably only through homosexuals, who as all persecuted minorities want to get out of the ghetto in which society has confined them, the family can reestablished the illusion and the respect that in a very large number of heterosexuals, particularly young people, seems to have been lost.So there is no irony in me saying that I think that it is very possible that in twenty or thirty years statistics will discover more stable families among gay marriage. Identica l prejudgment says that children adopted by gay couples will suffer anomalous behavior because a child to be â€Å"normal† needs to have a father and a mother, not two fathers or two mothers. This dogmatic assertion does not have any psychological support. Children needs love, either from two fathers, two mothers or both of them.There are also some people who have a stubborn blindness and have not learned that a lot of cases of violence and sexual abuse have been discovered in heterosexual couples. Those parents, either heterosexual or homosexual, are unique, and regarding the education of their children may be admirable, tyrannical, loving or cruel. It is clear that those people have fought so hard to be able to adopt children, fortunately now in some parts of Europe they can do, are raising children with enthusiasm and taking on the responsibility of their role.There is no reason behind all these arguments. There is an inveterate prejudice, an instinctive revulsion toward t hose who practice love in a way that centuries of ignorance, stupidity, and obscurantism have demonized by calling it abnormal. It is important to be said that a recent statistic in the United States revealed that 33% of young people who commit suicide are gay, and half of them were rejected by their parents. Tell me what then is the reason for adolescent boys and girls who will be committing suicide right now because they are attracted to someone of the same sex?Maybe because society has failed to accept them, and one of the key points for acceptance can be if their union in marriage is considered legal. Actually, science, biology, anthropology, psychology, and history have put ideas in place long ago and have established that talk of abnormality of sexual vocation in human beings is risky and alienating; unfortunately, the church has never been aligned with these assertions. The fact is that the gay population has been wondering through the years why they cannot marry as heterosex uals.The church has tried to explain for many years that marriage has to be between men and women under God’s eyes. This position is understandable especially from the Catholic standpoint. The other thing the church gives importance to along with marriage is procreation. So far, there is no need to do a fertility analysis on heterosexual couples who wish to marry. This is another point at which we realize that the church is not acting fairly.They expect us to believe that procreation is more important besides love in marriage, but really they do not care too much, because they do not punish the infertile heterosexuals. Homosexual population cannot accept that they are deprived of a fundamental right such as marriage. It should have to be a possibility that the church accepts to change the rules and includes in their definition of marriage that can be either same or different sex. There is a lot of the homosexual population keeping their faith and they would like to marry in a church.Others, instead, have chosen to stay away from the church because the ongoing ridicule they are actually suffering from the church. There has to be a point where we can put both parties together. The way to do it will be difficult, but not impossible. We have already seen that the church will never consider marriage between same sex people, but let me invite them to a little reflection. It would be that the purpose of marriage is the union of a man and a woman in front of God’s eyes, based on love that they profess.If they could think about people regardless their gender, gay marriage would fall into this category. That is what we have to make them recognize. We love each other regardless of sexual option. It is the same love. Love between two people who want to share their lives Everyone knows that in the beginning of the twenty first century no one follows some of the church recommendations. There are very few believers who have endured celibacy until marriage; this is one of the proofs with which we realize that the church needs a renovation to make them adapt to contemporary times.It would be fair to reflect and could accommodate a definition of marriage to speak of only the union between two people regardless of gender. The governments of as many countries as possible should urge their language academies to update the term and recommend the church does not put any barrier and even marry homosexual believers if they want to. Given that society has advanced so much, and some minorities are fortunately vanishing because rights are slowly recognizing.We have the opportunity to change the course of history and ensure that our generation be remembered for changes that really changed things for the better live in the beginning of twenty first century. Therefore, it may be fair to say that the definition of marriage should be changed in order to give homosexual couples the same rights and obligations as heterosexual couples. We are all individuals, and we have the same rights and nobody because of his or her sexual choice should be excluded.People cannot turn a deaf ear to all these cases of boys and girls who are committing suicide, and an extraordinary step forward to normalize the situation would be by treating gay marriage as normal. Also a lesbian bride should have the same right looking forward to her wedding day, and have an engagement ring or even have and raise babies. It would be an important step towards a fundamental equalizing right of human beings, to be equal and to be able to live in a climate of respect, harmony, and fairness.

Employment

In legal terms, during the later portion of the nineteenth century, â€Å"at will† termination, whether initiated by employer or employee, came into focus in the United States. Simply because a person desires to disassociate oneself with the business, whatever it is, for whatever reason, whenever one chooses, is fine and acceptable. This doctrine exists because it is presumed to exhibit and respect freedom from contract. It applies to the all of â€Å"U. S† except the state of Montana primarily because of the belief that employee and employer prefers employment relationship to be â€Å"At Will† instead of Job security (NCSC, 2014).In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader, other than that he will divest himself of prejudice and prepossession, and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themselves; that he will put on, or rather that he will not put off, the true character of a man, and generously enlarge his views beyond the present day-? Thomas Paine, Common Sense† (Paine, 1779), (Grotto, 1995).In other words we can debate claims and notions that employment-at-will is all about exacting a contract of redeem and respect, but, wholeheartedly agree, truthfully, that the optimistic picture of equality and freedom is tainted by the continuing subordination and discrimination imposed primarily by employers. Summarization: Employment – At – Will Doctrine The employment-at-will doctrine avows that, when an employee does not have a written employment contract and the term of employment is of indefinite duration, the employer can terminate the employee for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all (Mull, 2001).The genesis of this ill-fated relationship began to taking shape when employees started to unionize work efforts and initiatives, albeit for a good cause; employees were at the mercy of employer discr etion. The sass gave employees a voice to dispel wrongful actions perpetrated against them, whether it was wrongful discharge based on race, religion, sex, age, and national origin, certain Federal legislative protections, and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was available to defend. (Mull, 2001). Allowable Exceptions to Legally Fire. The recognition of employment as being central to a person's livelihood and well-being, coupled with the fear of being unable to rotate a person's livelihood from unjust termination, led to the development of common-law, or Judicial, exceptions to the employment-at-will doctrine beginning in the late sass. † (Mull, 2001) Much of what was contained in the original employment-at-will doctrine developed exceptions that did not fully materialize until the sass. However, have since become subject to erosive statutory and common-law protections all levied against wrongful discharge actions taken by an employer.In certain instances, the â€Å"at- will† dismissal of an employee by his or her employer is halted. There are three established exceptions widely upheld. The first of these is public- policy exception, under which, wrongful discharge is factual if an employee is terminated because he or she files a workers' compensation claim following a Job related injury, or say the employee is expected to break the law based on an employer's request. These acts infringe upon adopted public policy of the particular state.The first case was held in 1959, in California, involving the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and an employee fired because he refused to perjure testimony under oath, as requested. Courts struggled then and continue so, with the meaning of public policy. Some courts in various states found the term â€Å"public policy' vague. The definition differs; limits may include exclusion to clearly defined statements in the constitution or statues, or â€Å"public policy is defined to allow Judges rights to d etermine it a state's public policy locally or beyond.Secondly, when terms agreeable to an employer and an employee exchange verbal or written in some form to express terms of security or other procedures, it constitutes an implied contract exception. The employer through conversation and planning implied that if certain actions are carried out then you will remain here or etc. A common occurrence in the recent past was courts finding that the contents and representations made in employee handbooks could create an implied contract, absent a clear and express waiver that the guidelines and policies in such did not create contract rights. Mull, 2001) â€Å"The third exception is titled covenant-of-good- and-fair-dealing exception. Rather than narrowly prohibiting terminations based on public policy or an implied contract, this exception-?at its broadest-?reads a event of good faith and fair dealing into every employment relationship. â€Å"(Mull, 2001). A termination may become subj ect to interpretations. An employer's decisions motivated by malice are not permissible; done so in bad faith, and thus subject to answering a charge to show â€Å"Just cause†.By 2001, this exception was only recognized by eleven states. Decision and Reasoning to Limit Liability and Impact Operations. Granted when an employee is â€Å"off duty', on his own time, the doctrine offers protection that disallows termination, for what is perceived as unlawful engagement into activities. But, there is an exception to this ruling as well. It states that an employer can basically dictate what activity lawful is and what is not, when it is reasonable related to employment and responsibilities (NCSC, 2014).Therefore, both John and Ellen committed acts worthy of termination when they violated the statue as defined, John, by posting a rant against an important company customer, and Ellen, when she began a blob that protested the Coo's bonus. Retaliation provides that employees may engage in proper, legal, necessary, or desirable activity without being fired in retaliation by their employer (NCSC, 2014). Neither Jim in his email soliciting support of others to protest a situation involving a perceived injustice, nor the accounting department secretaries physical stance in protest against a perceived injustice have legal grounding for terminations.In defense of the employer, Employment-At-Will Doctrine holds no exception that can prevent the company employing Bill from effecting his termination. Joe, having threatened the company with suit for invasion of his privacy is not protected against wrongful discharge under the common law exception of public-policy. The exception allows effusing to break the law at the request of the employer, Joe instead was disciplined for use of company property, to discredit a customer, albeit from his personal account, he also used company time.Joe received the lesser of what could have resulted in Justifiable termination. On the other hand, the department supervisor is covered under this common law exception of public-policy. To terminate this person the company is poised for legal liability actions. Anna did not choose to participate on a Jury team, she was appointed to do so by the courts. The common law exception f public policy offers Anna protection against termination from employment during her absence for Jury duty; her boss has no choice in the matter except to comply.Position Recommendation; Pros and Cons of Whistle Blower Policy â€Å"Whistle blowing is the terminology that defines the actions of organization employees to bring attention to the wrongdoings happening in the organization. A whistle blowing policy by an organization is a step by the higher level management to keep account of all the happenings in its organization which can possibly cause harm to the organizations. It has become extremely important for large-scale organization to have a whistle blowing policy because it is almost impossibl e for them to be aware of the complete happening at all levels of their organization. (Dolomite, 2012) In any organization it is imperative to have in place a mechanism by which all know negative matters can and will be resolved. The basic mechanics are already established; the organization is Just fine tuning it for ownership. It should be simple, easy to follow, and ably proven highly effective. Ethical Theory supports willingness to get involved or the greater good of the largest population (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012).Based on that greater good recommendation is that: the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) form a roundtable steering group comprised of level one, two, and three management and leadership staff to draft a whistle blower policy that, is concise with clear written instructions easily understood, and ensures not a lengthy process (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012) will develop a training program; help employees accept the process and understand it is not about tattling, but more so, building an organizational inundation where each is holding the other accountable (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012) defines the procedures through which an individual will report; develop strict response times for investigation and resolution (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012) The CEO has the burden to set an environment that invites a high level of integrity, accountability, and transparency. When the drafts have gone through legal for lawful compliance review, the CEO and the steering group should hold information sitting for all employees to introduce the new Whistle Blower Policy as a fresh start for all toward ethical, relational, and success values. Further recommend considerations to create a position that oversees training, compliance, reporting, and resolution.Finally, recommend the CEO become visible and canvas the different areas, inquire to come to know the people, to invite genuine feedback, find out what is going on, where are issues of concerns. The CEO will do well to focus attent ion to follow-through on any issues shared while out among workers, and to stay abreast of actions pursued by the steering group; make certain they are addressed as the policy is developed. Fundamentals and Rationale of a Whistle Blower Policy. There are critical elements that ensure proper follow-through of any claim from a whistler's. Integrity is the key of what is disclosed, to who disclosed, and the method that address the issue presented. This policy is instituted to assist those who choose to question what does not appear correct and in accordance with known practice.The first of three fundamental elements critical to assurance of a Whistle Blower Policy effectiveness provides that, where an individual discloses in good faith, not for malicious or for personal gain, some indiscretion of public interest, they are retorted from factorization, harassment or disciplinary action. Secondly, the issue disclosed will be thoroughly investigated to include interviews of all persons inv olved. Third, every effort is made to protect the identity of the individual making the disclosure. Employment In legal terms, during the later portion of the nineteenth century, â€Å"at will† termination, whether initiated by employer or employee, came into focus in the United States. Simply because a person desires to disassociate oneself with the business, whatever it is, for whatever reason, whenever one chooses, is fine and acceptable. This doctrine exists because it is presumed to exhibit and respect freedom from contract. It applies to the all of â€Å"U. S† except the state of Montana primarily because of the belief that employee and employer prefers employment relationship to be â€Å"At Will† instead of Job security (NCSC, 2014).In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader, other than that he will divest himself of prejudice and prepossession, and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themselves; that he will put on, or rather that he will not put off, the true character of a man, and generously enlarge his views beyond the present day-? Thomas Paine, Common Sense† (Paine, 1779), (Grotto, 1995).In other words we can debate claims and notions that employment-at-will is all about exacting a contract of redeem and respect, but, wholeheartedly agree, truthfully, that the optimistic picture of equality and freedom is tainted by the continuing subordination and discrimination imposed primarily by employers. Summarization: Employment – At – Will Doctrine The employment-at-will doctrine avows that, when an employee does not have a written employment contract and the term of employment is of indefinite duration, the employer can terminate the employee for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all (Mull, 2001).The genesis of this ill-fated relationship began to taking shape when employees started to unionize work efforts and initiatives, albeit for a good cause; employees were at the mercy of employer discr etion. The sass gave employees a voice to dispel wrongful actions perpetrated against them, whether it was wrongful discharge based on race, religion, sex, age, and national origin, certain Federal legislative protections, and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was available to defend. (Mull, 2001). Allowable Exceptions to Legally Fire. The recognition of employment as being central to a person's livelihood and well-being, coupled with the fear of being unable to rotate a person's livelihood from unjust termination, led to the development of common-law, or Judicial, exceptions to the employment-at-will doctrine beginning in the late sass. † (Mull, 2001) Much of what was contained in the original employment-at-will doctrine developed exceptions that did not fully materialize until the sass. However, have since become subject to erosive statutory and common-law protections all levied against wrongful discharge actions taken by an employer.In certain instances, the â€Å"at- will† dismissal of an employee by his or her employer is halted. There are three established exceptions widely upheld. The first of these is public- policy exception, under which, wrongful discharge is factual if an employee is terminated because he or she files a workers' compensation claim following a Job related injury, or say the employee is expected to break the law based on an employer's request. These acts infringe upon adopted public policy of the particular state.The first case was held in 1959, in California, involving the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and an employee fired because he refused to perjure testimony under oath, as requested. Courts struggled then and continue so, with the meaning of public policy. Some courts in various states found the term â€Å"public policy' vague. The definition differs; limits may include exclusion to clearly defined statements in the constitution or statues, or â€Å"public policy is defined to allow Judges rights to d etermine it a state's public policy locally or beyond.Secondly, when terms agreeable to an employer and an employee exchange verbal or written in some form to express terms of security or other procedures, it constitutes an implied contract exception. The employer through conversation and planning implied that if certain actions are carried out then you will remain here or etc. A common occurrence in the recent past was courts finding that the contents and representations made in employee handbooks could create an implied contract, absent a clear and express waiver that the guidelines and policies in such did not create contract rights. Mull, 2001) â€Å"The third exception is titled covenant-of-good- and-fair-dealing exception. Rather than narrowly prohibiting terminations based on public policy or an implied contract, this exception-?at its broadest-?reads a event of good faith and fair dealing into every employment relationship. â€Å"(Mull, 2001). A termination may become subj ect to interpretations. An employer's decisions motivated by malice are not permissible; done so in bad faith, and thus subject to answering a charge to show â€Å"Just cause†.By 2001, this exception was only recognized by eleven states. Decision and Reasoning to Limit Liability and Impact Operations. Granted when an employee is â€Å"off duty', on his own time, the doctrine offers protection that disallows termination, for what is perceived as unlawful engagement into activities. But, there is an exception to this ruling as well. It states that an employer can basically dictate what activity lawful is and what is not, when it is reasonable related to employment and responsibilities (NCSC, 2014).Therefore, both John and Ellen committed acts worthy of termination when they violated the statue as defined, John, by posting a rant against an important company customer, and Ellen, when she began a blob that protested the Coo's bonus. Retaliation provides that employees may engage in proper, legal, necessary, or desirable activity without being fired in retaliation by their employer (NCSC, 2014). Neither Jim in his email soliciting support of others to protest a situation involving a perceived injustice, nor the accounting department secretaries physical stance in protest against a perceived injustice have legal grounding for terminations.In defense of the employer, Employment-At-Will Doctrine holds no exception that can prevent the company employing Bill from effecting his termination. Joe, having threatened the company with suit for invasion of his privacy is not protected against wrongful discharge under the common law exception of public-policy. The exception allows effusing to break the law at the request of the employer, Joe instead was disciplined for use of company property, to discredit a customer, albeit from his personal account, he also used company time.Joe received the lesser of what could have resulted in Justifiable termination. On the other hand, the department supervisor is covered under this common law exception of public-policy. To terminate this person the company is poised for legal liability actions. Anna did not choose to participate on a Jury team, she was appointed to do so by the courts. The common law exception f public policy offers Anna protection against termination from employment during her absence for Jury duty; her boss has no choice in the matter except to comply.Position Recommendation; Pros and Cons of Whistle Blower Policy â€Å"Whistle blowing is the terminology that defines the actions of organization employees to bring attention to the wrongdoings happening in the organization. A whistle blowing policy by an organization is a step by the higher level management to keep account of all the happenings in its organization which can possibly cause harm to the organizations. It has become extremely important for large-scale organization to have a whistle blowing policy because it is almost impossibl e for them to be aware of the complete happening at all levels of their organization. (Dolomite, 2012) In any organization it is imperative to have in place a mechanism by which all know negative matters can and will be resolved. The basic mechanics are already established; the organization is Just fine tuning it for ownership. It should be simple, easy to follow, and ably proven highly effective. Ethical Theory supports willingness to get involved or the greater good of the largest population (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012).Based on that greater good recommendation is that: the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) form a roundtable steering group comprised of level one, two, and three management and leadership staff to draft a whistle blower policy that, is concise with clear written instructions easily understood, and ensures not a lengthy process (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012) will develop a training program; help employees accept the process and understand it is not about tattling, but more so, building an organizational inundation where each is holding the other accountable (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012) defines the procedures through which an individual will report; develop strict response times for investigation and resolution (Halberd & Inguinal, 2012) The CEO has the burden to set an environment that invites a high level of integrity, accountability, and transparency. When the drafts have gone through legal for lawful compliance review, the CEO and the steering group should hold information sitting for all employees to introduce the new Whistle Blower Policy as a fresh start for all toward ethical, relational, and success values. Further recommend considerations to create a position that oversees training, compliance, reporting, and resolution.Finally, recommend the CEO become visible and canvas the different areas, inquire to come to know the people, to invite genuine feedback, find out what is going on, where are issues of concerns. The CEO will do well to focus attent ion to follow-through on any issues shared while out among workers, and to stay abreast of actions pursued by the steering group; make certain they are addressed as the policy is developed. Fundamentals and Rationale of a Whistle Blower Policy. There are critical elements that ensure proper follow-through of any claim from a whistler's. Integrity is the key of what is disclosed, to who disclosed, and the method that address the issue presented. This policy is instituted to assist those who choose to question what does not appear correct and in accordance with known practice.The first of three fundamental elements critical to assurance of a Whistle Blower Policy effectiveness provides that, where an individual discloses in good faith, not for malicious or for personal gain, some indiscretion of public interest, they are retorted from factorization, harassment or disciplinary action. Secondly, the issue disclosed will be thoroughly investigated to include interviews of all persons inv olved. Third, every effort is made to protect the identity of the individual making the disclosure.

Ozone Story and Significance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ozone Story and Significance - Research Paper Example According to the study the book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update examines that industrial production, food production and pollution all contributes to economic and societal collapse in the 21st century. Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update have taken into consideration various factors that cause change in the Ozone layer. These factors include the behavior of the people and their population, and pollution. The variables stated in the book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update may increase, decrease, oscillate, remain constant or combine with a number of factors to impact on the Ozone layer. The 30-year period given in the book is also long enough to observe, research, and evaluate the effects human activities to climatic changes. The book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update has played a huge role in setting up the standards of evaluation of the effects on Ozone layer. The book has identified the collect parameters to be used when undertaking a research on the Ozone layer and form s a guideline for other interested researchers as a secondary source of information. The Ozone layer protects the earth from the ultraviolet rays that are sent down to the earth from the sun. There is a great need to protect this layer since it protects people from the possible consequences caused by the damaging rays of the sun. If the Ozone layer in the stratosphere is destroyed by human activities on earth, the effects could be catastrophic. According to scientists, the Ozone layer is a layer of gases that contains much oxygen as compared to the one found around the earth, which protects the earth from ultraviolet rays of the sun. It is found around the stratosphere region of the earth that stretches more than 30 miles above the earth’s surface. This paper outlines that the Ozone acts by absorbing the ultraviolet rays of the sun from reaching the earth. The Ozone layer has been a source of much discussion in the recent years since it has been found to be depleting. The mai n course of the depletion of the Ozone layer is the amassed discharge of CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, which is a form of pollution. Most recently, there have been strong connections the depletion of the Ozone layer and the climatic changes occurring in the environment. Depletion of Ozone layer affects climate and vice-versa. After many countries called for convection on the effects of global warming to curb the increasing effects of ultra-violet rays, scientists have noted a slow increase in their effects. Ultra-violet rays are responsible for skin cancer and thus ought to be minimized. Moreover, it is important to protect the Ozone layer in the stratosphere to prevent eye cataracts that are also caused by ultraviolet rays.  

Enviromental science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enviromental science - Essay Example As a consumer, there are a variety of products that I use on a daily basis. I usually buy various commodities that are packed in plastic containers from supermarkets. Further on a daily basis I often use paper wastes and dump the extra wastes. Moreover, a large proportion of my trash consists of food scraps and food remains. To a larger extent, my utilization of metal wastes, leather, textiles, wood and inorganic wastes form a large component of my wasted products. But even with such I have learnt that proper waste management technique is the most important practice geared towards preventing the occurrence of a number of pests such as ants, cockroaches, flies, mice, rats, raccoons among others. Prevention of pests from contaminating our foods also increases the attractiveness of our surrounding and suppresses pests increase. Certain wastes such as rubber, and certain household wastes that are not so hazardous to the environment such as fruits and vegetable pod products can be easily composted. (Rudolph and Goss 79) It therefore suggests that to reduce wastes we need to recycle, reuse, and

Personal/ Professional Goals Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

/ Professional Goals - Personal Statement Example I am interested in Public Health program with the aim of specializing in Community Health Education Promotion. Completing the program will empower me to directly serve the underserved and impart knowledge where people lack knowledge on the importance of healthful living. Attained potentials will also help me to work with stakeholders such as government agencies and non-governmental organizations for policy and strategy development and implementation towards better health. I completed my nursing and midwifery studies in England, an opportunity that exposed me to people from different cultural backgrounds and widened my perspective of people’s health care needs and effects of culture on care provision. I then moved to the United States where I completed my undergraduate and graduate studies from the University of Phoenix. I completed the undergraduate program in the year 2002 and the graduate program in the year 2005 and later began my PhD but floods, which forced my relocation, terminated the studies. Extensive social responsibility that includes taking care of my niece and my ailing mother has also been a challenge to my studies. The strain has however reduced as my mother is currently in a nursing facility and my niece is an adult, in college. These explain my better potential to focus my studies and research process and complete the PhD program within the stipulated schedule. My research experience is limited to academic research at my earlier programs. My background knowledge in the nursing profession and my experience in public health however form a strong basis for my research activities in the PhD program such as identification of problems in public health. I am currently working with a Medical Mission group and we travel across the Caribbean and South America. Our work involves identification of people in need and meeting their needs. I have also worked as a bedside

Pathophysiology exams questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pathophysiology exams questions - Assignment Example 2. Stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the blood vessels. Stenosis is accompanied by unusual blood sounds resulting from the narrow blood vessels. Regurgitation or incompetence is a condition where the left atrium during systole becomes incompetent in functioning. Prolapsed is a condition where the valves of the heart fall out of place. This is caused by the displacement of the left valve during the systole because of the thickening of the mitral valve prolapsed. 3. Asbestosis is a general term given to heart disease resulting from a person inhaling too much dust. It is a chronic pneumoconiosis disease, which affects the parenchymal tissues of the lungs making the lungs to undergo slow and repetitive fibrosis. Straight, thin amphiboles asbestos fibers penetrate deeply into the lungs alveoli thereby interacting with blood, oxygen and carbon dioxide. The interaction of the amphiboles leads to the provocation of body’s immune system leading to rejection of defensive cells known as macrophages, which are responsible for destroying the fibers. Amphiboles also stimulate fibroblast cells of the lungs to lay continuously on the alveoli walls leading to thickening of the walls thus preventing or reducing the process of breathing which can lead to heart failure. 4. Clubbing results from people experiencing chronic low blood oxygen levels. The fingertips enlarge and nails appear extremely curved from front to back. The bulbous swelling gives the fingers a club shape. The normal angle of the finger changes from 160Â º to 180Â º due to this disease mostly associated with people with heart disease. Adults experience this disease because of liver disorders, gastrointestinal disorders pulmonary disorders and heart diseases. 5. Sleep apnea is a condition in which one pauses in breathing while asleep. Narcolepsy is a condition, which usually attacks people of ages 15-30 years, and it encompasses excessive sleepiness and regular daytime sleep attacks. Cataplexy

The effect of freezing water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The effect of freezing water - Essay Example The transition phase is the next stage in the process, and it occurs at the stage between freezing and formation of ice blocks. Where water now starts to expand after falling below the 39 degree mark, here, water molecules slow down and start moving away from each other. The molecules form a pattern which is really interesting. The last effect happens when it starts expanding to form ice. When the temperatures drop, the molecules separate and begin to expand in the form of ice; this explains why if water is kept in a water bottle, after ice forms, the bottle might explode. In conclusion, we may not know how just water turns into ice. In the past when fridges were not around, merchants used to sell ice after cutting blocks of ice from frozen lakes and selling them. But now we can actually make our own ice; this is possible through improvement in the technology sector of today. So the next time ice forms, you know what

Great man Theory-Leadership traits Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Great man Theory-Leadership traits - Term Paper Example ording to Carlyle, certain people are born with essential qualities that differentiate them from others allowing them to assume positions of power and authority (Tulsian 94). In the great man theory, leadership is something intrinsic, which implies that people are born leaders, but not natured to become leaders (Johnson 171). The theory regards a leader as a hero who is there to accomplish anything for his followers against all odds. The theory further postulates that persons in power deserve to be there due to their peculiar endowment. In addition, the theory argues that distinctive characteristics of leaders remain stable in different groups over a prolonged period. Thus, the theory is of the opinion that all outstanding leaders share similar characteristics regardless of where and when they exercised their leadership skills (David & Frank 173). Fredrick Adams Woods who was an American scholar supported Carlyle’s work further. Wood studied the historical impact of all the great rulers in Western Europe from the 12th century up to the French revolution in the late 18th century (Johnson & Pierce 177). The fact that early influential leaders were all men inspired the use of the term great man. In addition, majority of those who researched on leadership were male researchers, which further influenced the use of the term great man. Therefore, the evolution of the great man theory never took into consideration gender issues, which created a notion that only men had the traits of distinguished leaders. However, due to the continued emergence of many distinguished women leaders, the great man theory assumed a new name of the great person theory (Nance & Timothy 412). There have been several critics who have come forward to question the applicability of the great man theory in determining who is a great leader and vice Versa (Murugan 337). The main criticism arises as a result of the set traits used to determine a great leader terming them as masculine traits. In

The marketing environment audit Essay Example for Free

The marketing environment audit Essay Brisk innovation and globalization have produced great opportunities and alternatives in the marketplace for consumers and business organizations alike. Competitive demands have led to sourcing and manufacturing on a global scale, resulting in a significant rise in product offerings. As businesses grow more multifaceted, so as their supply chains. This paper will attempt to describe Dells supply chain as one of the most successful and leading supply chain in the personal computer industry, including its processes and material flow. Comparison and contrast with its competitors, recommendations for process improvement and its ethical considerations will be discussed. Existing Supply Chain Process Dells business concept based on direct-sales and build- to-order has achieved superior performance in the PC industry in terms of inventory turnover, reduced overhead, cash conversion and return on investment. Building PC to order means that Dell must have parts and components on hand to build a wide array of possible configurations with little advance notice. In order to fill orders quickly, Dell must have an excellent manufacturing and logistics capabilities supported by information systems that enable it to substitute information for inventory. Order? taking The supply chain process begins when orders come in, mostly from internet/intranet (90%) using the built-to-order model. Integrated with direct to consumer, the system allows consumers to decide what features are needed for their computers before product manufacturing is completed. Dell offer standard models configured by the customers themselves as they generate the orders. It is called built-to-order as opposed to built- to-stock that requires inventory. Built-to-order significantly lowers financing costs and increases customer satisfaction for Dells chosen market segment. Dell records an order, clears credit (as they take no chances) and Demograpic the competitive rivalry that exists in the PC market globally become one of the threaths to dell’s company. There are some actions that have been taken by dell’s company to respond to the demographic’s developments and trends , such as innovation approach, technology initiatives, flobal product development,etc. Economics The computer industry expects a growth of approximately ten percent over the next years. 5 This growth is influenced by the economic situation in a specific country, having an impact on the purchasing power of potential customers. Additionally, changing inflation rates and currency fluctuation also determine the profitability of a company. To respond to the economic development, dell is making and selling low cost , low price computers to PC retailers. Dell is the world’s largest PC maker. For the last couple years, it has held its position as market leader. Environmental Dell led firms in the computing sector, Dell scored particularly well in renewable energy use , recycling, and its integration of a sustainability strategy in its business. Moreover, Dell sources about 35 percent of its U. S energy use from green power and app. 20 % globally, and its offers free computer recycling to consumer world wide. Technological There is hardly any industry that is characterised by a faster technological development than the computer industry. Increased Research Development have caused permanent innovation processes which lead to short product life cycles resulting in a faster depreciation of the products Politic and legal Political factors include government regulations and legal issues determining the conditions under which companies have to operate. In this field, the computer industry has to face certain restraints. Problems can arise in countries where political stability is not guaranteed, no matter whether companies operate production facilities or if they do business with that country through exports. Many countries still have restrictive policies which are maintained to protect domestic manufacturers and production. Such policies often hinder foreign companies from entering into these markets. The only possibility to do business in those countries is to establish partnerships with local companies, where they are additionally forced to accept minority shares and to provide money and technological know-how. However, the computer industry sees great potential in those countries which loose their restrictions. 4 This is especially true for China which has opened for many industries since its accession to the WTO in 2001. In the course of globalisation trade barriers decline and new markets emerge, allowing free trade to expand. Cultural and social The national demand for computers is dependent on the educational level prevailing in a specific country. The higher the educational standard, the higher is the demand. Furthermore, computers get more and more involved in daily life. Today, children already get familiar with the use of computers at a very young age, representing a generation that will hardly live and work without a computer in the future. Additionally, the brand image of a computer and lifestyle trends get more and more decisive for the purchasing decision. The computer industry adapts to this trend, e. g. by offering a wider range of notebooks and by trying to create a strong brand name. For Dell’s company, this lifestyle can give benefits for them. There are some respon of the Dell’s company to factors in the micro environment. I’ll explain it in this paragraph. Firstly, the market for laptop computers has distinguished its self as the fastest growing segment in the computer industry. Throught out its growth and development,this market, like many others , has changed a great deal as a result of customers demands. In an effort to carter to these demands, the company like dell look to market trends to aid to the development of new products. In its most recent stages, the laptop has been specifically influenced by an number trends. Secondly, customers are becoming more educated about their purchase so dell believe in creating loyal customers by providing a superior experience at a great value. Dell are committed to direct relationships, providing the best products and services based on standards-based technology, and outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience. Besides, there are many competitors that must be looked by dell’s company. Therefore, to response to the markets, customers, competitors , distribution and dealers, and supplier and facilitators, Dell’s company use direct strategy which selling low cost , low price computers to PC retailers.

Twelve Angry Men | Film Analysis

Twelve Angry Men | Film Analysis The jury of twelve angry men, entrusted with the power to send an uneducated, teenaged Puerto Rican, tenement-dwelling boy to the electric chair for killing his father with a switchblade knife, are literally locked into a small, claustrophobic rectangular room on a stifling hot summer day until they come up with a unanimous decision either guilty or not guilty. The compelling, provocative film examines the twelve mens deep-seated personal prejudices, perceptual biases and weaknesses, indifference, anger, personalities, unreliable judgments, cultural differences, ignorance and fears, that threaten to taint their decision-making abilities, cause them to ignore the real issues in the case, and potentially lead them to a miscarriage of justice. The Prosecutions Case: At the beginning of the play, eleven of the jurors believe that the boy killed his father. They summarize the compelling evidence of the trial: A 45 year old woman claimed she witnessed the defendant stabbing his father. She watched through her window as the citys commuter train passed by. An old man living downstairs claimed that he heard the boy yell Ill kill you! followed by a thump on the floor. He then witnessed a young man, supposedly the defendant, running away. Before the murder took place, the defendant purchased a switchblade, the same type that was used in the murder. Presenting a weak alibi, the defendant claimed he was at the movies at the time of the murder. He failed to remember the names of the films. Finding Reasonable Doubt: Juror #8 picks apart each piece of evidence to persuade the others. Here are some of the observations: The old man could have invented his story because he craved attention. He also might not have heard the boys voice while the train was passing by. Although the prosecution stated that the switchblade was rare and unusual, Juror #8 purchased one just like it from a store in the defendants neighborhood. Some members of the jury decide that during a stressful situation, anyone could forget the names of the movie they had seen. The 45 year old woman had indentations on her nose, indicating that she wore glasses. Because her eyesight is in question, the jury decides that she is not a reliable witness. Characters: Juror 1 (Foreman; coach)Martin Balsam Non-confrontational, Juror #1 serves as the foreman of the jury. He is serious about his authoritative role, and wants to be as fair as possible. Juror 2 (Bank clerk; inexperienced juror)John Fiedler He is the most timid of the group.Juror #2 is easily persuaded by the opinions of others, and cannot explain the roots of his opinions. Juror 3 (Angry gentleman with photo of son)Lee J. Cobb In many ways, he is the antagonist to the constantly calm Juror #8. Juror #3 is immediately vocal about the supposed simplicity of the case, and the obvious guilt of the defendant. He is quick to lose his temper, and often infuriated when Juror #8 and other members disagree with his opinions. He believes that the defendant is absolutely guilty, until the very end of the play. During Act Three, Juror #3s emotional baggage is revealed. His poor relationship with his own son may have biased his views. Only when he comes to terms with this can he finally vote not guilty. Juror 4 (Stock Broker)E. G. Marshall A logical, well-spoken stock-broker, Juror #4 urges fellow jurors to avoid emotional arguments and engage in rational discussion. He does not change his vote until a witnesss testimony is discredited (due to the witnesss apparently poor vision). Juror 5 (Grew up in the slums)Jack Klugman This young man is nervous about expressing his opinion, especially in front of the elder members of the group. He grew up in the slums. He has witnessed knife-fights, an experience that will later help other jurors form an opinion of not guilty. Juror 6 (Painter)Edward Binns Described as an honest but dull-witted man, Juror #6 is a house painter by trade. He is slow to see the good in others, but eventually agrees with Juror #8. Juror 7 (Sports fan)Jack Warden A slick and sometimes obnoxious salesman, Juror #7 admits during Act One that he would have done anything to miss jury duty. He represents the many real-life individuals who loath the idea of being on a jury. Juror 8 (Architect; Man who doesnt know)Henry Fonda He votes not guilty during the jurys first vote. Described as thoughtful and gentle, Juror #8 is usually portrayed as the most heroic member of the jury. He is devoted to justice, and is initially sympathetic toward the 19-year-old defendant. At the beginning of the play, when every other juror has voted guilty he is the only one to vote: not guilty. Juror #8 spends the rest of the play urging the others to practice patience, and to contemplate the details of the case. A guilty verdict will result in the electric chair; therefore, Juror #8 wants to discuss the relevance of the witness testimony. He is convinced that there is reasonable doubt. Eventually he persuades the other jurors to acquit the defendant. Juror 9 (Nice older gentleman)Joseph Sweeney Described in the stage notes as a mild, gentle old man, defeated by life and waiting to die. Despite this bleak description, he is the first to agree with Juror #8, deciding that there is not enough evidence to sentence the young man to death. Also, during Act One, Juror #9 is the first to openly recognize Juror #10s racist attitude, stating that, What this man says is very dangerous. Juror 10 (Prejudiced older gentleman with cold)Ed Begley The most abhorrent member of the group, Juror #10 is openly bitter and prejudice. During Act Three he unleashes his bigotry to the others in a speech that disturbs the rest of the jury. Most of the jurors, disgusted by #10s racism, turn their backs on him. Juror 11 (Foreign watchmaker)George Voskovec As a refugee from Europe, Juror #11 has witnessed great injustices. That is why he is intent on administering justice as a jury member. He sometimes feels self-conscious about his foreign accent. He conveys a deep appreciation for democracy and Americas legal system. Juror 12 (Advertising Executive; doodler)Robert Webber He is an arrogant and impatient advertising executive. He is anxious for the trail to be over so that he can get back to his career and his social life. EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR Juror 8 In this movie, Juror 8 emerged as a leader because he gains respect by other jurors. At the beginning of the movie, he is the only one to vote not guilty during the jurys first vote. It is because he is convinced that there is a reasonable doubt. He wanted to talk about seriousness of the case without emotionally pre- judging the 18 year old boy. He showed empathy by asking other jurors to imagine themselves in the boys shoes awaiting death sentence, physically abuse by his father, growing up in the slums and etc. Juror 8 convince the other jurors that the boy isnt guilty by persuading them in a calm manner .He stay calmed and talked over the evidence presented by the prosecution and finding flaws in it. Juror 8 analyzed every detail of the evidence with the other jurors. He was presenting calm and used logical theories about why he has doubt that the boy didnt kill his father. As Juror 8 always stay calm, polite and respectful, many of the other jurors are persuaded easier and prefe r to side with him rather than juror 3 and 10. He persuaded almost half of the jurors to vote not guilty towards the middle of the movie. He elaborated what every juror was trying to say and making suggestions to keep the group focus even thought it was a long and tedious process. Juror 8 focus on task oriented approach .He does not seek status or ego enhancement. In this movie, he used a lot of questioning skill and able to lead other juror to analyze the evidence in a concrete manner. He encourages the jurors to think in bigger picture: defendants background, witnesss credibility, defending attorneys motives and etc. He asked jurors to put aside their personal biases, and stressing the importance of resuming their responsibility seriously. He aims for group success. As time passes, other jurors adopt his strategies. Together, they synergistically find flaws in the trials evidence and reached informed conclusions eventually. Juror 8s interpersonal style is classified as open receptive and objective. This leadership trait is extremely effective in questioning other jurors motives and their views .It helped bring out an efficient jury in this case. Throughout the movie, he openly admitted that he did not know if the boy indeed killed his father. Instead, he solicited feedback from other jurors in order to make an accurate decision. He encouraged others to discuss their doubt on the case and he was ready to receive feedback. He guided other jurors to make decision based on facts and conscience, and not using rush judgment and personal prejudice. Task Oriented Behaviour Juror 8 has throughout this movie, at various occasion, showed consistency in clarifying the objective that is expected of the group. Where most jurors started with the notion that the task at hand was simply to determine whether the accused is guilty or not and based their judgements on various reasons and emotions, juror 8 clarified that the objective of the group was to establish whether or not there exist reasonable doubt with the evidence and arguments presented during the court hearing. The first 15 minutes of the movie sees Juror 1 exhibiting promising leadership potential. In the beginning when the jurors first came back to their room after the deliberation in court, he was the first to organise the group. Juror 1 showed many examples of task-oriented behaviour. He organised ballots, organised seating arrangements and called for a start. These are example of organizing work activities to improve efficiency, and short-term operations planning. Relations Oriented Behaviour In the beginning, Juror 8 did not seem to show much of relations oriented behaviour, and therefore did not seem to make much of an influence. Many other jurors seemed to display more extrovert personalities and socialized more among their peers. At this time, Juror 1 already showed significant amount of relations-oriented behaviors. For example, he suggested a 5 minutes break in consideration for the gentleman in the washroom. He also consulted with other jurors, asking them for their suggestions on how they wanted to start, whether to discuss or to take a quick vote first. He provided support and encouragement to Juror 12 when Juror 12 seems to lack the confidence after he suggested the idea for the 11 jurors to convince Juror 8 of their arguments why they think the boy is guilty. Change Oriented Behaviour Juror 8 showed by far the most and strongest change oriented behaviours throughout the length of this movie. The first instance of this is after the first vote where he alone votes for a not guilty verdict. When he was asked to clarify his decision he encouraged the other jurors to view the case at hand differently. He articulated that its a big decision that they have to make since its a life at stake and that he is not comfortable to make such a decision in less than 5 minutes. Juror 8 also took some risk and experimented with a creative approach to make a point across to the other jurors. First he asked to view the knife again. When the knife was made available and all the other jurors were convinced that the knife was quite unique, Juror 8 took out an identical knife that he bought and manages to grab everybodys attention. Although owning a switch blade knife is illegal, he took this risk in return for a firm foothold into challenging the pre-conceptions of the other jurors. Afte r this event, he gained a vote for not guilty. INEFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR Juror #3 Juror #3 has been informed to be a juror via mail like everyone else for this case. As he is the most important counterpart to juror #8 we will have a closer look at him. In the following we will characterize him and point out important scenes. This will be supported by a look at the body language and rhetoric. We will show inwhich leadership style juror #3 can be categorized and what mistakes have been done. In the end we will point out how juror #3 could have avoided his ineffective leadership style. We will begin with characterizing juror #3 and explaining his role within the jury. He is used to having authority from his work, because,as the owner of a messenger service, he has 37 subordinates that listen to him.At the very beginning he is pointing this out and shows that he is proud of his achievement. In the discussion he behaves like he is at his workplace where he can order people around and has the authority to do so. The only time he shows respect to anyone is when he is speaking about his father and how he used to call him Sir. In this scene he also shows how preoccupied he is about the youth and therefore also about the defendant. Juror #3 thinks that the youth shows no respect nowadays and is reminded of his own son. When his son at an early age was running away from a fight, he swore that he would make a real man out of him. After a couple of years this behavior has led to a fight where he got hit by his son. Since 2 years there was no relationship between them and it is very clear that the relationship to his son is affecting the decisions of juror #3. From the start juror #3 has expressed disrespect, aggressiveness and ignorance, but all these attitudes were becoming worse when he saw that more jurorswere changing their minds and more jurorswere openly showing dislike towards him. The later it gets, the louder he speaks. Of course this results in the fact that other jurors like him even less.Juror #8 uses this and provokes him to isolate him even more. A crucial point in the play is when juror #8 is attacking juror #3 verbally. #8 calls him a sadist and being confronted like that he tries to attack #8 physically. The other jurors hold him back so that he cannot reach #8. In this scene he also cries out that he will kill #8, which supports one the argument of juror #8 that you do not always mean what you say and do not necessarily act accordingly. After this incident juror #3 tries to change his tactics a little bit. He is still loud and disrespectful, but in two situations he tries to influence other jurors while speaking to them alone. In the first instance he tries to justify the attacking of juror #8 and in the second one he tries to convince everyone to call for a hung jury. His new behavior shows that he is realizing that his position within the group has changed. He tries new methods in order to turn the situation around. It does not succeed because he has lost all trust among the other jurors. In the end he is the last of the jurors to plead guilty. At the first pressure to defend his arguments he crumbles. A last outburst of his anger shows his hidden agenda. He is not able to change his mind and admit that he has been wrong. Looking at the picture of him together with his son he realizes that he has done wrong with him and he tears the picture apart. Immediately he regrets his action as it is probably the only picture of them together. The action lets him admit what to him looks like a defeat. He pleads not guilty as well. Finally he breaks down crying on the table. Juror #3 can be described best as an authoritarian/autocratic leader. He tries to use his authority to make the decision basically on his own. Of course this has to fail, because he does not have the authority in the first place and has not the ability to gain the authority as well. As already mentioned he does not listen to other arguments and positions except for his own. Additionally he is not willing to discuss his own points as well. When asked about his reasons for pleading guilty, he states that the facts are clear and cannot be questioned. He sticks to this point right until the end. Another aspect is that he does not support other juror even when they argue for him. Here he shows that he does not trust other members of the jury to help him and he does not think he needs their help (at least not in the beginning). Rarely does he agree with stated points, and when he does, he only states this in a short sentence without explaining why and especially without adding any content or arguments to the discussion. The last point to be mentioned here is that he tries to dictate the procedure and the methods of the discussion in an autocratic way. The other jurors are screamed at, bullied and insulted by him in order to pressurize them into his way of working. All this is supported by his body language and his rhetoric. There is an observable development regarding his behavior and communication during the movie. First he seemed structured, calm and self-confident. He talks with a normal voice and his mimic and gesture are serious but not angry. After the first vote, when it turned out that not everyone supports `guilty ´,his behavior changed. He got angrier which is expressed with his face and body language. Especially when a juror changes the vote, he showed humiliating behavior. When that happened, there was always the same, non-verbal reaction observable: He stands up, walks straight to the juror and stands at the jurors back, with his hand on the hips, screaming and shouting at them. This shows that he tries to bring himself in the stronger position and awe the others by looking down at them. He is directly addressing them, trying to make them feel uncomfortable. That particular behavior occurred three times during the movie. His angry and loud voice appeared when he got the feeling that he lost the power over the situation, when jurors changed their vote or the others have better arguments. It is hard for him to keep his countenance when he has weaker arguments and tries to get his self-confidence back in treating the others disrespectfully. That happens with laughing at others ´ arguments or shouting at them. Especially juror #8, as he is the activator of the whole discussion itself, is the target of his disrespect. When juror #8 wanted to make a point, juror #3 played `Tic Tac Toe ´ showing obviously his disinterest. The situation between juror #8 and him heated up first, when juror #3 tries to re-enact the stabbing of the victim. That gesture showed clearly the dispute of the two and the attitude of Juror #3. Now, the communication skills will be discussed. The character used several phrases that support the statements about him made before. At one scene he said to juror #2: `Be quiet for a second. ´ Thisjuror is a very shy and unconfident person. Addressing to him in that way shows that juror #3 has little knowledge of human nature. By discussing the testimony he said once: ` [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and I say it ´s not possible ´. This undermines that he is self-centered and not open for other opinions. His disrespect against juror #8 gets clear when he addressed to him by pointing at him and saying: You over there ´. This impolite communication is present during the whole time. Also when the last man changed his opinion, he asked: What ´s the matter with you? The verbal and non-verbal traits align with the leadership style reviewedin the first part of the analysis. In the following the reasons for the failing of juror #3 will be outlined. Therefore we will check if the different sources of failure fit to this situation. One reason here is a poor character. His inappropriate behavior is based on his character. As mentioned early in the movie, he had a strict father what may influence his traits as an adult. When a leader shows disrespect, little knowledge of human nature and no concern about others he will fail sooner or later. No interest in different opinions, suggestions or the person itself creates less or no followership. The second reason for his failure is the poor communication skills of juror #3. As described before, he shows verbal and non-verbal lacks of an adequate behavior. He doesn ´t listen actively and doesn ´t know how to address at different personalities in a right way. He is not able to communicate effectively what is undermined by his unsuccessful chain of argumentation. A leader, who can ´t convince or influence his followers and can ´t express himself well, will fail. A leader will also fail, when he puts own interest above the interests from those he leads. The consequences are no trust, no confidence and therefore no loyalty. The leader views himself or herself as superior to everyone else, refusing to accept other arguments.Juror #3 doesn ´t build a connection to the others and always insists on his point of view without even listening to several opinions. That is why it was not possible for him to create a relationship to other members of the jury. He is not interested in the needs of a person and is therefore unsuccessful with his leadership style. His arrogance and self-centered behavior made him stand alone at the end of the movie. The final reason why he failed is because he had no clear vision. He voted for `guilty ´, even when all the facts showed the opposite. During the movie it got obvious that he is personally affected regarding the case and that leads to situations where he got unconfident and insecure. Now that the problems are clear we suggest how to avoid ineffective leadership. Ineffective leadership comes along with several improper traits and behaviors. The challenge is to avoid these and adapt the leadership style individually to the organization and the followers. First of all: People are the key. A good knowledge of human nature facilitates to be the leader of a group. That is why an effective leader is able to listen and respond to his followers in a proper and satisfactory way. The ability to treat different characters in the right way is necessary. `One leadership-style fits to all ´ is not helpful. Therefore a good leader can identify how capable and self-confident a person is and react in the adequate way. The way of how a person behaves towards a team and tasks requires different leadership styles.Of course, some followers need an autocratic leadership style. So authority, as showed by juror #3, is not always wrong. The problem was that it was too much and that this kind of leadership doesn ´t fit to all of the jurors. The ability to show authority and do it with respect is the key. This trait will only lead to success when the leader owns the respect of the followers.Hence a leader don ´t have to be `everybody  ´s darling ´but has to know how he should appear in particular situations and to particular kinds of people. An absolute mistake is bullying in an organization. That is what juror #3 showed in some of his behavior patterns and it creates a defense attitude of the others.To avoid immediate failure, a leader should never bully the people in the organization. To succeed in the relationship to the followers a leader should know how to communicate. Influencing people and bringing the vision of the business to them requires good skills and techniques in communication. Therefore to avoid ineffective communication a leader should clearly, effectively and respectfully communicate to followers as well as to the external environment of an organization. Another point, to avoid ineffective leadership, is to learn from own mistakes as well as from mistakes of others. Learning effects are valuable for a leader,adapting to situations and not repeating the same unsuccessful behavior over and over again.Realizing the current behavior is unsuccessful and promptly changing it would have been the right solution for juror #3. Being a good leader is also about actively avoiding wrong decisions not only about making the right ones. Analyzing the past and project it properly to the future will create a good result.Therefore it is also important that the leader knows what business the company is in to avoid misguided efforts and lead his team appropriately. A clear goal is necessary to give the direction and creating trust of the followership. As well as for the leader to come up to expectations regarding performance. An effective leader is also able to keep his emotions and concerns under control. In contrast to that juror #3 showed that he was personally affected and had an emotional breakdown at the end of the movie. That should absolutely be avoided if a leader don ´t want to lose the trust, loyalty and respect of his followers. A good leader can react calmly in turbulent times as well when stress and tensions are present, like it was at end of the movie.

Student Essay -- essays research papers

The current advertising for Target’s CE department is not helping sales. In fact in some cases, it may be hurting sales. This section will address Target’s current advertising strategy and the problems associated with it. Then alternative methods of promoting Target as a credible CE department with large variety of products will be proposed. Target’s commercials are currently showing clips of music videos for approximately 20 seconds, followed by less than a 10 second advertisement announcing that Target carries that particular artist’s CD. This advertisement may be hurting your CE sales. The viewer is made aware of this popular artist’s recent album release, and the consumer’s first thought is not who is carrying it, but which retailer is closest him/her because that popular artist will be sold everywhere. This is ineffective advertisement. Another Target commercial flashes a multitude of Target trademark symbols, a few CE products, current selection of seasonal clothes, and our current spokes dog. This commercial is also ineffective. This current advertisement strategy does not give the viewer something to focus on, and it does not create a need to buy products from Target. Instead, it is advertising on behalf of all major retailers. It is essential that Target starts advertising Target, not just the products it carries. Commercial advertisements need to stress customer service, product variety, and product quality. The first step is finding a representative for commerc...

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder :: Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

In all honesty I did not hear the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) until some time after I re-deployed from Iraq in mid August 2003. Surely the term had been around long before them, but it wasn’t commonly used acronym in the military. I didn’t have nearly the frequent use that is has in today’s Army. Nowadays, everything a Soldier does is associated with PTSD even if the Soldier has not been diagnosed with it; it has become such a ill-used word that from what I can see everyone is try to jump on the band wagon. So if Soldier is late for my formation, the first thing he says is, â€Å"I must have PTSD or something, I need to get check out†, well the whole time I am thinking the Soldier just didn’t want to get up this morning, he doesn’t have PTSD. So I can understand how the screening for PTSD may be a bit diluted as everyone [thinks] they have it, even those who are new recruits and have never even been to combat. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). Although not all individuals who have been traumatized develop PTSD, there can be significant physical consequences of being traumatized. For example, research indicates that people who have been exposed to an extreme stressor sometimes have a smaller hippocampus, the region of brain that plays a role in memory, than people who have not been exposed to trauma (MedicineNet, 2011). Often family member those diagnosed with PTSD find themselves often feeling hurt, alienated, or discouraged because the patient has yet to overcome the ordeal of this trauma (Hall, 2008, p. 226). The additional stressors that families face by their uniformed Soldier going to war is both physical and emotionally draining, however, they must understand in order for the Soldier to be effective, they must be able to cope with the warrior culture and warfare associated with the 21st century (Hall, 2008, p. 227). When a family member goes to war, the impact on those left at home can be challenging.