Make a Case to Legalize Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Make a Case to Legalize Marijuana - Essay Example In 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act placed marijuana in Schedule I with heroin, mescaline, and LSD, perceiving the drug as low medical utility while highly liable for abuse, consequently rendering it unavailable for medical use. Despite this classification, the federal government permitted its use for a few patients as part of a compassionate use program. By the early 1990s, increasing numbers of people with AIDs applied for the compassionate use program for relief from nausea and loss of appetite. In 1992 the Department of Health and Human Services officially terminated the program. Opposing federal legislation, nearly half the states as initiated by California and Arizona legalized the medicinal use of the drug by the end of 1996. Although the â€Å"possession of cannabis , even for medical purposes, remains a federal offense† (Earleywine 169), its rates of use for medicine continues to be high. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to p ersuade the reader on the necessity for legalizing marijuana. The exploitation of drug cartels, the medicinal and economic benefits, and the requirement for responsible usage will be examined. Legalizing Marijuana: Elimination of Drug Cartels and its Black Market If marijuana prohibition ended, the black market in the drug would disappear to a great extent. Better and safer marijuana would be available to buyers, who will not be required to come into contact with criminals or hard drug users. Thus, â€Å"legalization would save society billions of dollars now spent on pursuing users, and a legal marijuana industry could bring in billions more in revenue† (Ruschmann 87). Further, the government would still be able to punish abusers of the drug, and educate the public about using marijuana responsibly. Moreover, businesses and schools could discourage the use of the drug and prohibit its use in their domains. Legalizing Marijuana does not Result in its Increased Use Other count ries have not experienced serious problems as a result of relaxing marijuana laws. For example, in Australia with tough mariguana laws, decriminalizing the usage of the drug in three states resulted in its increased use in all regions including jurisdictions with a total prohibition approach to cannabis, with the largest increase in Tasmania, a prohibitionist state. The Swiss government, as well as the Canadian Senate Committee have found that based on scientific studies there was no relationship between the harshness of marijuana laws and the percentage of people who use the drug. Similarly, in the United States itself, with the decriminalization of marijuana in some states for more than twenty years, the Connecticut Law Revision Commission found that â€Å"larger increases in marijuana use occurred in states that did not decriminalize than those that did† (Ruschmann 85). Further, although in the United States and Canada there are very restrictive laws on the use of the drug , it is used more extensively than in Belgium, Germany and Spain with highly liberal laws. Additionally, there was no consequent increase in hard drug use caused by the liberal policies of Spain, Italy and Portugal or from over thirty years’ experience of relaxed marijuana laws in the Netherlands (Ruschmann 85). Moreover, in Canada despite the increasing numbers of cannabis users, there has not been a proportionate increase in the users of hard drugs. The

Discuss Shakespeares Essay Example for Free

Discuss Shakespeares Essay The women of Shakespearean literature have been known to have a strong emotional complexity, where each of them find themselves subject to adversities based around the powerful men who influence them. From Lady Annes striking romantic confusion in Richard III, to Violas challenges in morality throughout Twelfth Night, such a Shakespearean signature in portraying women persists in Hamlet; through Gertrude, a Queen dealing with her questionable actions and Ophelia, who struggles with the pressures of male authority. It should come as no surprise that although being a 16th century play, the exploration of female issues of tradition, misogyny, romance and mortality allows Hamlets treatment of women to maintain a highly significant relevance in todays modern world. Elizabethan women held very little social rights and power, with strict roles in child bearing and household duties allowing them to have very little say even within their own lives. Despite clearly being set in Denmark, Shakespeare who was writing during this time, extended this traditional roles to Ophelia and Gertrude. Ophelia in particular displays the role more strongly, with critic David Leverenz noting [Ophelia] has no choice but to say I shall obey, my lord'. In this example of Ophelias compliant nature, after her father, Polonius orders her to not give words or talk with Lord Hamlet- (I. 3), the reader is able to view the customary relationship between a woman and the male figures in her life. Though Gertrude does not give any particularly submissive dialogue, even she as Queen reinforces this relationship in her minimal speech in scenes for which she is not only present, but concerned. It is important for modern critics like Leverenz as well as critical feminist readers to recognize that Ophelia and Gertrude are not necessarily weak and passive in personal character, but instead they are reflection of women (especially royal women) who were oppressed of empowering traits by the socially acceptable customs. Readers should instead appreciate this traditional treatment of women, in not only allowing the men in positions of power to be focused on for the sake of theatrical entertainment and drama, but for also extensively juxtaposing with motifs of insanity, revenge, sin, and violence associated with the powerful male leads; King Claudius, the Ghost of King Hamlet and Prince Hamlet. Though Shakespeare has been regarded as a feminist due to his relatively respectful treatments of women, the existence of this respect in Hamlet has been debated ever since the plays inception. As previously stated, the traditional portrayal of obedient women cannot be taken out of context, however as the play increases in intensity, as does its treatment of women. In his very first soliloquy for which he reveals his anger towards his mothers marriage to his uncle two months after his fathers death, Hamlet makes the striking universal comment Frailty thy name is woman (I. 2). In an example of Shakespeares unparalleled literary craftsmanship, he supports this quote through their actions, how upon her husbands death, Gertrude immediately marries his brother and how after her relationship with Hamlet is doomed, Ophelia begins to go mad herself. The quote is also infamously regarded as the establishment of the plays theme of misogyny, the quote indicates how Gertrudes traditionally incestuous marriage to her late husbands brother has ruined his faith in women and love all together. In an almost Freudian pattern, Ophelia then becomes victim to his misogyny with Hamlets refusal to continue their relationship. More analytical readers would then go beyond this basic evaluation and then find possible interpretations of Hamlets treatment, or as it seems, mistreatment of women. Those sympathetic to Hamlets negative attitude to Ophelia would perceive it as a defense mechanism, where between his grief of his father and desire to please his father through revenge, he must then resort to such discrimination to avoid further pain. In contrast to this sympathetic reception, quotes such as Frailty thy name is woman and [tis brief, my lord].. as a womans love (III. 3) may be seen as to defy fictional character and be the manifestation of Shakespeares own personal opinion, though evidence for this in his marriage with Anne Hathaway is not very strong. Through either interpretation, it is undeniable that so far in the play the women have yet to find themselves in a state of happiness. Another significant aspect of Hamlets treatment of women, is how the currently negative treatment is extended to how Shakespeare portrays their sexuality. For instance, after Ophelia is warned to not lose your heart, or [her] chaste treasure open by her brother Laertes, she gives her virginity to Hamlet. When Hamlet discards marriage, she says with in a particularly distressed tone Quoth she, before you tumbled me, /You promised me to wed. /So would I ha done, by yonder sun, /An thou hadst not come to my bed -(IV. 5). During Act 3, Scene 2 when the mouse-trap play is taking place, Ophelia must also be subjected to Hamlets sexual innuendos such as Thats a fair thought to lie between maids legs. for which she cannot reply in order to remain as a respectable lady. Again, Shakespeare indicates another aspect of Elizabethan women, with how female sexuality was highly conservative and their virginity very strictly only being lost with marriage with those not doing so being thought of as a disgrace. The readers sympathy for Ophelia is therefore increased substantially, where, who then later tells her to get the to the nunnery (III. 1) which shows her as an exploited figure. Gertrudes sexual behaviour, more specifically her decision to marry Claudius, has come under immense scrutiny not only by Hamlet who defeminised her by saying A beast would have mourned longer , but also by critics viewing her as sinful and in blunt Elizabethan terms, a whore. Critic Rebecca Smith commented on how this view is commonly translated to stage productions where she is often played as a sensual and deceitful woman. For a balanced view on Gertrude, it is imperative to note how she too is attempting to deal with her grief and there is a great possibility she is doing this for reasons of maintaining her families power. As for being deceitful, Carolyn Heilbruns 1957 essay Hamlets Mother defends Gertrude, arguing that the text never hints that Gertrude knew of Claudius poisoning King Hamlet. . As Hamlet progresses towards its conclusion, instead of the female characters developments becoming positive, the plot continues to prove devastating for them. Ophelia, upon the death of Laertes and Polonius, as well as Hamlets mistreatment seems to drive herself into madness and her death by drowning. Although truly saddening, the way in which Shakespeare presents her death reveals the beauty which has been overshadowed by tragedy. In expected Shakespearean style, the poetic announcement given by Gertrude uses beautiful naturalistic imagery to testament to Ophelias femininity, with When down her weedy trophies and herself/Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide;/And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up: /Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes;(IV. 7). From that point on she is referred to as beautiful and sweet by Hamlet and Gertrude respectively, further emphasizing her graceful nature. To directly juxtapose with this, is the death of Gertrude, who poisoned by her son makes her last words with grace, No, no, the drink, the drink! -O my dear Hamlet! /The drink, the drink! I am poisoned. (V. 2). Her elegant demise in the midst of the blood and violence could be seen as her true nature also obscured by the plays tragic events like Ophelia, where Shakespeare perhaps reveals the real personalities of the women upon their death. However Gertrude sympathetics, may acknowledge that the murder and negative perception of Gertrude by Hamlet whose state of mind is generally perceived as mad and insane, calling her a wretched queen may in fact be incorrect because of this therefore proving her relative innocence. Shakespeare in both their developments and deaths, shows a treatment of women where through the violence of their deaths they still maintain a pleasant feminine quality that is given a focus that was previously absent in the play. No matter the perceptive of the reader on the plays treatment of women, they should be able to appreciate Shakespeares realistic portrayal, where although he took creative liberties in some circumstances, he gave true Elizabethan indications of female traditional roles and sexual attitudes on women. It was through writing with conviction (not only through staying true to the context but in showing Ophelias and Gertrudes emotion and complexity) that the play attains its status of one of the best of his classics. The two women are thought to be superficial, but considering the devices such as tone, juxtaposition and imagery as well as analysing their character intentions and behaviour it should be extremely apparent that this is not true and that they obviously do display depth. Secondly, I feel that in the question of whether Shakespeare was a feminist or even a misogynist that the answer cannot be found in Hamlet where his treatment of women in Hamlet is actually neutral. The female characters were designed not for the reader to be focused on who they were, but for what they brought out in other characters. More specifically, Ophelia and Gertrude were therefore created to see how romance, affection and love can truly drive a man insane.

Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management

Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management Introduction As globalization takes place, rapid development and increasingly competitive market have become the immediate challenges for organizations. Surrounded by such environment, organizations should create business strategies to survive the challenges and sustain the competitive advantage. Beside developing on new products, new processes and expanding business to larger market, the investment on the biggest potential that most organizations recognize, human resource, has received more and more attentions. Nowadays, the most valuable resource in a organization is suggested to be the human resource. Human capital, the knowledge, experience and skills that individuals possessed are pivotal for the successful performance of the federal government’s missions (J.L. Perry, 1993). Similarly, other types of organizations have no exception, also treasure the values that individuals bring to the companies. Thus, the management of human resource is closely related to the success of organization al performances. in fact, as argued by many management scholars, human resource management is currently an important, perhaps the most important factor that determines the effectiveness of organization (Devanna, Fombrun, and Tichy, 1984; Schuler,1990). Strategic human resource management (SHRM), as a term first given from the USA, is of more interest recently. It is defined as the pattern through planning human resource deployments and activities such to enable an organization to achieve its goals (J.L. Perry, 1993). SHRM creates a link between the overall strategic business objectives and the human resource strategy and implementation (E. N. Caliskan, 2010). Thus, it is important to understand that how the organization manages its human resource and link to its business strategies have a significant impact on the improved organization’s performance. Impact of human resource management In order to explain the importance of SHRM to the success of organizational performance, the impact that human resource management has on the organizations should be examined first. There has been growing number of studies that indicated a positive relationship between human resource management and organizational performance (E.N. Caliskan, 2010). A research reported by Arthur in 1990 (M. Armstrong, 2006) gave data from 30 US strip mills used to assess how high-commitment strategy or a control strategy influenced labour efficiency and scrap rate. The results showed that firms with a high-commitment strategy was higher in both productivity and quality as comparing to those with a control strategy. In 1995, Huselid (M. Armstrong, 2006) did an analysis of the responses of 968 US firms regarding the use of high performance work practices, the development of synergies between them and alignment of these practices with the competitive strategy. The results showed that the impact of employe e motivation is significant on productivity, and the impact of employee skills, motivation and organizational structures is also significant on the financial performance. Later Patterson et al. in 1997 (M. Armstrong, 2006) did a research to examine the link between business performance and organization culture as well as the use of some human resource practices. The results showed that human resource practices gave explanations to significant variations in profitability and productivity. Two of the practices were particularly important: (1) the acquisition and development of employee skills (2) job design which includes flexibility, responsibility, variety and the use of formal teams. The workplace employee relations survey conducted in 1998 also suggested a strong association existed between HRM and employee attitudes as well as workplace performance through the sample survey of 2000 workplaces and views of 28000 employees (E.N. Caliskan, 2010). Purcell et al. in 2003 (M. Armstrong , 2006) did a longitudinal study of 12 companies to establish the impacts of people management on organizational performance. As indicated, the most successful companies all had a clear vision and a set of integrated values such as embedded, enduring, collective, measured and managed. It was clearly evidenced that positive attitudes towards HR policies and practices, levels of satisfaction, motivation and commitment influenced operational performance. From the research results, we can easily conclude that effective HR practices have positive impacts on the overall performance of organizations. For suitable HR policies and processes to be applied, the firm’s performance will be substantial and sustainable. Regardless of what type of industry the organization is aiming at, the ultimate strategic goal of the chief is to maximize wealth of the shareholders. Financial performance depends largely on operational performance. This can be accounted as a function of its people, process and technology. Effective combination of such function requires people in the organization to be competent enough with adequate knowledge, skill and abilities. Such requirement is closed linked to certain HRM practices such as hiring selection, training of staff, work environment and performance assessment. These practices may enhance the competence of employees, thus improve the performance of organizations. Impact of Strategic human resource management The strategic base of HR practices has a great impact on improved performance. Firstly, in the strategy of hiring employees, HRM tends to attract, develop and retain high-quality people. By matching employees to the strategic and operational needs of the company, can improve the working efficiency. In addition, the talent management also has effective measures. Winning ‘war for talent’ is achieved by making sure that both present and future needs of talented and well-motivated people required by the organization are met. Baring in mind the most important strategy which is to create happiness within the workplace and make the organization a great place to work. This can inspire people to be more innovative and energetic in their work. As the employees’ happiness increases, their performance also improves, thus enhance the overall organizational performance. The job design, as mentioned in the past research, plays an important role in productivity. It is necessary t o provide employees with stimulating and interesting work and give them autonomy and flexibility to complete their jobs. This can enhance job satisfaction of the employees, thus encourage higher performance and productivity (E.N. Caliskan, 2010). Training and initiating a learning culture within the organization can develop the level of competence of the workforce. Encouraging discretionary learning when individuals actively seek to acquire knowledge and skills that match with the objectives of the organizations. By creating a learning atmosphere in the workplace, employees would be more motivated and more competent to face the fast-paced and global challenges. From the case of Snowden, we noticed the importance of building cooperation trust among the employees. Adopting the strategy of increasing motivation, commitment and role engagement to encourage people to identify themselves with the core values of the organizations and to make them willingly contribute to achieve organizatio nal goals. Last but not least, for high-performance management, a positive performance culture should be built to deliver the desired values from the shareholders. For more contribution made, the people should be awarded, in order to encourage him to keep it up and also motivate other employees to devote themselves strive for better performance. As we discuss on how various HR strategies can be implemented to collaborate with business strategies to achieve higher performance of organizations, it is not hard to conclude that SHRM is the driver to improve organizational performance. Human resource, as a source of sustained competitive advantage, is worth being invested to increase the potential of an organization. So long as the people in the organizations are improved in both performance and attitude, the ultimate goal of the shareholder is approachable. The present linkage has given HR managers a clue on how to adopt various strategies onto HRM. These strategies do not only improve the human resource performance, most importantly, also directly affect the overall performance of the organization, thus, determine if or not the organization can achieve its goals. Case study of Google Inc. Backgroud In order to understand the importance of SHRM in practical situation, we introduce the unique and outstanding organization : Google inc. in the following part. Certain SHRM practices within Google would be discussed to show how actively it is focused on managing its people and how this helps Google to achieve its goals. Google inc., the biggest search engine known to the whole world has gained its success largely by the people, the googlers they have. This is a technological organization. Engineers are the main workforce of the organization. However, the HR department, or the POPS as themselves called, is the key factor which determines their past and present success, also perhaps the future as well. Under the lead of Bock, the POPS has helped Google to become the best employer in the US. It has been rated as the best place where people want to work for in the States. Let us see how Google succeeded over the years. Successful examples of SHRM Several years ago, there was a problem noticed by the POPS, that many female employees left the company. Although this IT based organization has mainly male employees, the role of female employees is as important as males. The problem was not about gender equality, but it has affected the bottom line. Regardless of gender, the market of the talents is very thin, fighting for the talented people determines the competence of Google with other organizations such as Apple, Facebook and so on. In addition, the departure of every employee will be inefficient because it will involve a costly and time-consuming recruiting process. Thus, the POPS investigated and researched until they realized it was a problem of happiness. At that time, the company offered an industry-standard maternity leave plan. As long as a female worker gave birth, she would have 12 weeks of paid time off, and only for those new parents in California offices. Those outside the state only got paid time off of 7 weeks. Af ter they figured out the problem, in 2007, Bock announced new policy. New mothers would get 5 months off at full pay and full benefits, also they are allowed to manage the time on their own wish. If she likes, the mother could return as part time after her birth, and then take the balance back when the baby grows older. In addition, Google offered 7 weeks new-parent leave to every worker around the world. It may sound overly generous that this investment outweighs the benefits it brings to the organization. However, this policy was actually a win for the company that after it was carried out, the departures of new mothers had dropped down quickly by 50%. Being compensated by the savings in recruitment costs, the new policy does not cost Google any more money (F. Manjoo, 2013). Google’s POPS does not only solve problems for new mothers. They concern about every little detail that the employees are involved. Surveys about the best way to manage a large firm were done a lot of times to the employees. The questions were such as do successful middle managers have certain skills in common- and can you teach those skills to unsuccessful managers? And say you want to give someone a rise-how should you do it in a way that maximizes his happiness? Should you give him a cash bonus? Stock? A raise? More time off? (F. Manjoo, 2013) Although some may argue that Google’s HR practices may not apply to all companies. Some of their findings such as how to improve interviews, will still be applicable to most of the firms. In the hiring process of Google, within the first few years, it required its candidates to endure many interviews. The interviewer was also played by all the staff currently in the company. The HR department thought this approach would help bo th current employees and prospective ones to be more competent and more capable. However, it slowed down the hiring process and became more and more ineffective on examining candidates’ true values. Later, they realized the problem and studied about the optimal number of interview times. It was found that 4 times interviews will yield the most effective hiring process. After fourth one, the results begin to turn negative. Google was able to correct their HR practices to demonstrate the most strategic HRM. Besides these two major examples, Google POPS did way more. They investigated the way to increase employees’ paying. Whether paying a bonus of more or giving rise to monthly salary with less amount makes no difference to the firm, but the latter one can largely increases the level of happiness of the employees, thus encourage them more to work their best for the company. Even for cafeterias, besides providing free food, drinks and snacks, the size of the table was also concerned. The tables are long, so that workers who do not know each other will have to sit together to interact. The social coherence will improve teamwork spirit. In such a competitive and globalized environment, teamwork is especially important as diversity and combination of different powerful minds can create miracles and successes. In addition, the size of the plates were also considered to change to smaller size, so that the employees would have more healthy portions of food. In such ways, the employees d o not just feel happy about the free services that they receive, they are also satisfied and motivated by the cares that the company shows to them. The learning atmosphere is also maintained well in Google. Googlers can enjoy free classes of dancing, training sessions and choose their interested projects. Such free and encouraging environment inspires the googlers to create more values to the company. It does not only improve the overall performance, but also brings benefits to the entire world as their internet business has already changed people’s life and will continue this mission. Discussion on Google’s SHRM practices Google’s POPS head Bock has revealed that the ultimate goal is to use Google’s experience to answer some important questions about workplace such as: are leaders born or made? Can individuals sustain high performance over their lifetimes? Google would eventually be able to figure out the answers and they believe that the unique luxury that they have as being a date-driven company with people who can do the math will assist them to achieve the goals. So far, Google has set many good examples for all other companies. Their successes in SHRM lead to greatly improved performance. Through the example of Google, other companies are able to see the importance of taking care of the human resource. The strategic management of people does not only enable better alignment of jobs, but also increases people’s happiness. As working professionals are happy about their jobs and workplaces, the development and civilization of the entire society will go to a higher level. The wor ld would not only be economic based, but also more utilitarian and more humanitarians. Conclusion The report has illustrated the importance of HRM to organizational performance. Then SHRM, as a link to connect HRM to business strategies to achieve final organizational objectives can improve overall performance of the organization. Through the example of Google inc., we see how actively Google focused on SHRM. They also gained success in SHRM and also become the most successful search engine in the history. Their ultimate goal is not merely helping Google to achieve business goals through SHRM, but also collecting experience for other organizations on how to improve their employees’ happiness and welfare as well as achieve their business goals. Reference Devanna, M.A.,C. Fombrun, and N. Tichy. A Framework for Strategic Human Resource Management. Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley. 1984. E. N. Caliskan. The Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management on Organizational Performance. Journal of Naval Science and Engineering, 2010, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp 100-116. F. Manjoo. The Happiness Machine, How Google became such a great place to work, 2013,retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/01/google_people_operations_the_secrets_of_the_world_s_most_scientific_human.2.html J. L. Perry. Strategic Human Resource Management. Transforming Federal Civil Service. Fall 1993. p 59-71. M. Armstrong. Strategic Human Research Management: A Guide to Action. Kogan Page. London. p 73-74. Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management The business that I have chosen to study as part of this assignment is TESCO. TESCO is a public limited company, which is very successful and renowned in all over the world. I am always interested about TESCO and do my shopping very regularly from there. So I chosen to do my study about this particular business and it will help me to get information quite effectively and efficiently than any other organisation or business. Definition: Human resource management is the organisational function which is focused on recruitment, management, and providing direction for the employees of an organization. Strategic human resource management is linking of human resources with objectives and strategic goal in order to develop business culture and performance with flexibly, innovative. In an organisation SHRM means involving the HR function and implementing companys strategies through recruiting, selecting, training and rewarding personnel. 1.1-Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management: Strategic human resource management is a part of human resource management. Rather than focusing on internal issues of HR, SHRM focus on addressing and solving problems what effect people management related issues in the long run globally. So the main importance of strategic human resources is to increase employee skills by focusing on business problems that happens outside of human resources. The actions that needed to be taken at first for a strategic human resource manager is to identify key HR areas ,where strategies will be implemented in the future to improve employees productivity, motivation and skill. Human Resource managers are facing with some issues such as performance management, employee participation, human resource flow, reward systems and high commitment work systems in the context of globalization. These are some of the major issues that HR management involved in SHRM that implemented in the first decade of the 21st century: Internationalization of market integration. Significant technological change. New concepts of general management. Cross-cultural factors The economic trend transferring from developed to developing countries in the world. SHRM also reflects some of the contemporary challenges faced by Human Resource Management. Such as aligning HR with core business strategy, demographic trends on employment and the labour market, integrating soft skills in HRD and finally Knowledge Management. 1.2-The Purpose of Strategic Human Resource Management: The purpose of SHRM is to stimulate interest in the field of Human Resources by inviting HR professionals to speak about different aspects of their job and other HR issues. SHRM was created to provide assistance for development of its members, to provide leadership opportunities, and establish and support standards of excellence in Human Resource Management. SHRM aims to provide a sense of direction in an often turbulent environment so that organizational and business needs can be translated into coherent and practical policies and programmes. SHRM should provide guidelines for successful action, and the ultimate test of the reality of strategic HRM is the extent to which it has stimulated such action. There is an overall corporate purpose and that the human resource dimensions of that purpose are evident. A process of developing strategy within the organization exists and is understood, and that there is explicit consideration of human resource dimensions. The organization at all levels establishes responsibility and accountability for human resource management. It includes the responsibility to identify and interact in the social, political, technological and economic environments in which the organization is and will be doing business. 1.3-Contribution of SHRM to the achievement of TESCOs objectives: SHRM is normally helps us to achieve knowledge about strategic goals in different ways. The main thing of using this strategic advance is maintain the level of the organization for the organizational goals. Different HR policies are providing some good replies that are very necessary for the organizational strategy. HRM task helps us to achieve corporate goals such as growth and development by recruiting, training and orientating, and put them in new job role. The growth plan of an organization requires staffs and recruitment is the only functions that make sure that employees got sufficient skill. The retention policy enable to differentiation through retaining best of the ability force. Retaining appropriately of the employees enables to provide quality works, customer pleasure, and higher proficiency. The strategic approaches boost its performance management of the whole organization. The training and development process enables employees to know that they have proper skills that are required to achieve the whole tasks. The training plans are structured to train the human resources for particular skills that will enable them to achieve the essential goals. So that the organization is benefited as in there appropriate utilization of financial resources available to accomplish the training and development process. This process also maintains the growth of the organization through career improvement of the staffs. Tesco is the UKs largest supermarket. It has more than 240000 employees, and is making constant profit over the last few years. During the last few years Tesco used participative management which helped the organization for its development. The organization tried to apply of competitive circumstances by developing the technique how they can relate with the customers. Tesco used constant improvement, customer relation, welfare management in combination with the HRM strategies to achieve this reputable place in the UK supermarket industry. It makes employees champions and makes them able to make decisions. It also enables to increase employee pleasure, motivation, work proficiency and make able to adopt in any change. Overall the development of the organizational employees is the most important strength of Tesco. It is mainly focus on proper accomplishment and utilization of HR strategies that help it to do well in the market. In Tesco Human Resource policies perform with marketing str ategies that is placed into the operation. The management practice and its participation helped Tesco to improve its employees and the whole company. These steps enable them to obtain appropriate performance through their participation and engagement. The strategic human resource practice enables to produce competencies that distinguish product and service. Task 2: In this part of my assignment I am going to explain about Marks and Spencer 2.1-Internal and external business factors that underpin human resource planning: At this time of year lots of companies are thinking a strategic plan for the coming period. There are some external and internal business factors that effecting Mark and Spencer business policy. Some of them are in below: Labor cost control Increase efficiency and productivity Employee development Business decline Business growth Business change Marks and Spencer is one of the leading companies in UK. Internal business factor like as business growth can strengthen human resource plan on Marks and Spencer. When the whole companys business is growing then definitely management make different human resource plan for the organizational success. It can include recruitment of new personnel or making the existed personnel more efficient through a better training. Similarly when Marks and Spencer business is going through a bad time Marks and Spencer management make a different HR plan, like as redundancies of staff or other HR related expenses. Sometimes for other changes in business its Marks and Spencer Company make some change on the HR planning. Control of labor cost is one of the important factors on Marks and Spencer business policy. Computing a labour cost percentage in addition to other used way of labour efficiency. Justifying labour productivity Maintaining a Productive Workforce Measuring Current Labour Productivity Managing Payroll Costs Dropping Labour-Related Costs Now a days IT is making a huge change in the field of industrial, agricultural and human resources of Marks and Spencer. In this present 21st century IT has been playing a very important role on human resource planning. Due to technological advancemans its been taking some changes on the basis of HR planning in Marks and Spencer. 2.2-Human resource requirements: Marks and Spencer is always looking for particular amount of skills from the employees of different department. Among of these department specific skills is generally required by the employers. Similarly experience and other qualifications also required from the employees. These skills are related with their ability. Depends on the making plan, organize, design, implementation. It also helps his goal-setting. Some of them are in below: Honesty, integrity and morality. Adaptability, Flexibility. Dedication and hard working. Dependability/Reliability/Responsibility. Loyalty. Positive Attitude/Motivation/Energy/Passion. Professionalism. Self-Confidence. Self-Motivated/Ability to Work with Little or No Supervision. Willingness to Learn. In the specific areas whoever is weak can develop these skills by better training, acquiring knowledge on specific field, professional development from the people who possess these skills. Internal factors e.g. (labour requirements, Skill requirements, Workforce profiles etc): Marks and Spencer consider skill requirement, labour requirement and workforce profile. HR planning ensures that Marks and Spencer has suitable access to talent and ensure future business success. Talent means the knowledge, skills and ability to assume some activities like as decision making. HR resource plan consider some iterative discipline. External factors e.g. demand for labour, Supply of labour: Sector Skills Councils, government departments, professional bodies or dedicated employer or trade associations are likely to produce specific labour market studies. Specialist recruitment agencies and local further and higher education establishments will have useful insights into the labour markets they serve. Government polices e.g. employment, Education, Training, Industrial, Regional: Government role and activity can have a good role on the basis of human resource requirements. If government keep a good look on how peoples can develop their skills and requirement. The answers definitely indicate a few things, one of them is education. This is the key factors for the development of a nation. So the developments of Marks and Spencer, even a countrys development mainly depend on educational development. Government need to analyse every single point and focus on that point after that must be taken step by step action to reach the success, the another key point is employment. Government should have developed the opportunity in the job market, need to think about how to make job market better. Must need to try the best how to create vacancies according to the peoples interest and skill. For this reason employees must be skilled, and to be a skilled worker he must be properly trained in both practically and theoretically. Government can support that directly or indirectl y. It can be regional basis or industrial basis. 2.3-Human resource planning: HR planning is the process by which a company can ensure that it got right personnel. To fulfil organisational requirement MS make some HR planning for the development of human resource these are: Recruitment Retention Employee development Re-skilling Up-skilling Succession planning Fulfil recruitment requirement: an organised process of recruitment can avoid the problem of unpredicted wastage, shortage, blockages in the promotion flow, redundancies and so on. Determining training needs: It is very important to have a planning training programme. And in the term of skills requirement these programmes are improving not only quantity but also in quality in Marks and Spencer. Management development: One of the main purposes of HR planning is management development. Because a well trained and experienced manager is very important for the effectiveness of Marks and Spencer Industry. This thing depends on accurate information for both present and future requirement. Setting Smart: To engage SMART objectives in Mark and Spencer is focus on all the SMART criteria to meet with every objective. The full abbreviation of SMART is Specific, Measurable, Achievable or Agreed, Realistic and Time phased. These criteria can help MS to achieve the goal on the basis of HR management. Specific: The goal must be specific. It can be done by drafting a goal statement. For an example MS aimed to make sure this year that they will make a specific amount of profit this year, to reach that goal they planned to make the HR department more skilled. That plan must be specific. Measurable: MS aim must be measurable so that the benchmark of the metrics will be used and it can be tricky. Strategic goals of MS are basically measured making earning or profit. So that it must be careful that it may find that employees use unethical behaviours to achieve the specific goal. Achievable: The goal must be achievable. If the mission is then it will be easier to fix that the goal is whether achievable or not. An awareness campaign or a meeting can ensure that how it can be achieved. Realistic: There is no point of making a goal that necessitates the resources which are unavailable. A tactful session might help to make that realistic. To help and find new alternative MS use empowering staff if its resources are considered. Time based: The goals must have deadline. If the deadline is not affix properly the whole SMART will be useless. Every year MS got an agenda on HR management, which means it plan, its agenda on the basis of a time limitation. That specific deadline allows it to create a benchmark to ensure the goals achievement is on the plan. Outcomes: The purposes of HR planning are to enable organizations to anticipate their future HRM needs and to identify practices that will help them to meet those needs. HR planning may be done on a short- or long-term basis. Its aim is to ensure that people will be available with the appropriate characteristics and skills when and where the organization needs them. The use of HR planning enables companies to gain control of their future by preparing for likely events. When failing to properly plan for their human resources, employers are forced to respond to events after they occur, rather than before; they become reactive, rather than proactive. When this outcome occurs, an organization may be unable to correctly anticipate an increase in its future demand for personnel. At best, such a company would be forced to recruit personnel at the last minute and may fail to find the best candidates. At worst, the company may become seriously understaffed. Resources required: In spite of of the size of the human resources department it is essential to have the necessary personnel in position to develop, apply and monitor a suitable written human resources plan. 2.4-how a human resource plan contributes to the meeting of organisational objectives: A comprehensive Human Resource plan plays a very important role on the achievement of organisational objectives. Human resource plan support some strategic objectives related with marketing, financial, technological and operational departments. HR strategy is aim to explain about the people element, what an organisation is expecting to achieve in medium to long term, which ensure that: The organisation has right people It got perfect mix of skills Employees present good attitudes and behaviours Staffs are improving in the proper way. Fundamental issues which are addressed by the organisation. It identified if employees are motivated, committed and operate successfully. In MS these fundamental issues are: Employees planning issues Employees skills and equity plans Motivation and fair treatment issues Keep level on the basis of payment, recruit and motivate people. A career development framework which is normally focusing on the development of organisation, organising the staffs with employability so they can adopt with regular changes in the employment pattern. HR plan is showing a careful planning of the people issues that make it quite easier for the achievement of the organisation. HR plan have major impact on the changes in the wider market environment which are: Changes in the overall market. Cultural changes that will effect on the future employment pattern. Changes in the legal framework Providing and implementing practical idea on HR planning and making it stronger an organisational performance can be developed such as focusing on good management practice. 3.1-Purpose of human resource management policies: Human resource management policies include different type of activities such as deciding about staffing need that M S Company got. To fulfill these requirements MS Company do recruiting and selecting employees then training for making them better skilled, ensuring their good performance, monitoring the performance issues. Activities also include managing the approach to employees benefits and compensation, employees personal policies and records. During the period of recruiting company must show the balance of equality on the basis of sex, culture, religion or cast. Employers should: Pay workers according to the agreement. The agreement will maintain some areas such as work period, amount of paid holidays etc. The employment contract is the important legal document between the employer and staff. Pay men and women equally for doing the equal values of work, should not be discriminate between men and woman. Make sure they fulfil the requirements of Minimum Wage Act 1998 and pay at least the national minimum wage to appropriate the employees Benefit and expenses: Benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are provided to the employee in return for their contribution to the organization, that is, for doing their job. Some benefits, such as unemployment and workers compensation, are federally required. Employee benefits typically refers to retirement plans, health life insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, vacation, employee stock ownership plans, etc. Benefits are increasingly expensive for businesses to provide to employees, so the range and options of benefits are changing rapidly to include, for example, flexible benefit plans. Training and development All managers at Mark Spencer are making a career planning profile that helps them to think about next target. Then they can develop their career. Identifying staff, specific training such as technical skill and business competencies needs for the specific role. The profile highlighted what kind of training program Mark and Spencer need to take. There are two forms of training are: On the job training: while employees are on the work then this training form take place. Off the job training: when employees are away from the work then it take place. On-the-job training takes place while employees are carrying out an activity in their place of work. Involving a range of project and training can improve business competencies and technical skills. The purpose of the training is to make the enjoyable to their work, and make them feel that have all the skill that is needed for the role. Off-the-job training, as its names suggests, takes place away from the workplace. For example, within MS there is internet and staff finds required learning materials to develop their technical skills and business competencies. 3.2-Impact of regulatory requirements on human resource policies: Regulatory requirements: Employment legislation include different types of regulatory requirements which is related with business structure, pay, data protection, health and safety, discrimination, equality, employment right and responsibility, contractual terms and condition and data protection. Employment relation act 2004: This act is generally concerned with collective labour law and trade union rights. This is the reviewed one of Employment Relations Act 1999 that was announced on July 2002. The act 1999 was conducted with connecting of interested parties, after that it included a public consultation. Government reviewed that and provides a detailed analysis that is known as Employment Relations Act 2004. Equal Pay Acts 1970 and 1983 This act was came to force on 1975. Its intention was to remove discrimination between men and women in pay. This act allows someone to claim equal amount of payment for both of the gender. approximating work Work rate as equal under a job estimation scheme Work of Equal Value in terms of weight made under such headings as attempt, skill and decision-making Claims to be pursue on the basis of the Employment Tribunal system. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 This act came to force on 2nd of December 1996. This act works like as Sex Discrimination Act and Race relation act. It also put the duty on the employer to make a reasonable adjustment in the premises to the disable people. Disable means physical disable, visual or hearing disable, mental problem such as Multiple Sclerosis and Aid, learning problem. Data protection Act 1998: The Data Protection Act 1998 requires every data controller who is processing personal data to notify the Information Commissioner unless they are exempt. Failure to notify is a criminal offence. The Information Commissioner maintains a public register of data controllers. Each register entry includes the name and address of the data controller and a general description of the processing of personal data by a data controller. Individuals can consult the register to find out what processing of personal data is being carried out by a particular data controller. There is no requirement to notify manual records which come within the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998. However, it can be chosen to notify them voluntary to notify them voluntarily. If notification is needed, there are two ways to notify: By internet notification form can be completed on the internet, printing it and send the form by post with the notification fee or direct debit instruction By telephone it can be telephone the notification help line and a draft notification form will be sent to which is based on the information that is been asked to provide on the telephone. Further guidance and other publications can be accessed from the website of the Information Commissioner http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/dpr/dpdoc.nsf Task 3: In this task of my assignment i am going to discuss about ACI Company Ltd Bangladesh. 4.1- Impact of organisational structure on the management of HR: Role of HR department on the development of ACI: On the development of ACI Company Ltd Bangladesh, HR department got a huge role. Organisational development of ACI is based on some personnel assessment and HR audit. Its also depending on the basis of how personnel departments are being observed and evaluated. On the viewpoint of a HR consultant here I am going to describe some of them: Recruiting, interviewing and hiring New employee related factors Performance assessment Wages or compensation issues Staff benefit issues HR plan and policies Job categorization Training and interviewing Decision-making skills 4.2- Impact of organisational culture on the management of HR: Organisational culture: organisational culture can be defined as thorough concept of knowledge, belief and thoughts of mind and customs in where peoples are expressing their organisational conditioning. Aci organisation have different shared belief and values which sometimes convert into policies and practice. Aci organisational culture has some impact on the HR management that are: Decision making that can centralised of decentralised Freedom of different level of staff and management Frankness on communication Different leadership styles that is conducted by managers Educational involve and intelligence of employees Attitude of team then if needed training and development. Attitude to change specially with the technology. Commitment on the quality and service. 4.3- How the effectiveness of HRM is being monitored: ACI Companys HRM effectiveness depends on some major components which are mentioned bellow and these components are being monitored by ACI regularly for the organizational development. These are: HRM strategy: Human resource strategy is indicating some objectives like as training and developing, motivation and control workers. ACI Company is one of the most successful organizations in Bangladesh, it achieving its success through business strategy and HRM strategy and company believe that the more successful it is likely to be in terms of achieving the organizational outcomes. So if the whole companys effectiveness is mostly depend on its HRM strategy. HRM operations There are lots of responsibility and functions required for running a business. Performance, productivity, each and every department must be monitored constantly and HR department is responsible for achieving these. These things ensure the overall success of ACI Company. Using human resource properly: Some people might think that HR department is not a most important factor in a company. It is totally a wrong concept. ACI Companys HR department basically focuses on hiring the people and which would build up the workforce of the company. If this department is not performing well then whole process of hiring and recruiting will be on the question for any company. So for the effectiveness of the ACI Company proper using of HR is very important. Efficiencies and inefficiencies: An organizational effectiveness mostly depends on having right people on the right post to fulfill organizational requirements on the appropriate time. Right people can only be obtained by measuring efficiencies. The more efficient the employee will, the more effective the company will be. On the other hand an inefficient employee is a great obstacle for the whole company. So making him efficient the companys development can be obtained. So monitor efficiencies and inefficiencies must be considered on the effectiveness of human resource management. Overall monitoring the above few section ACI Company is performing its organizational success. 4.4- Recommendation to improve the effectiveness of human resource management in ACI: To improve the effectiveness of human resource management in ACI Company, there must be a list of recommendation. The following few factors can be implemented for the improvements of its effectiveness. Benchmarking HR performance: Benchmarking provides an organization with a detail analysis of national and employees satisfaction. It also provides HR effectiveness based on in detail feedback form and the whole companys surveys. ACI Companys benchmarking reports let it to compare the organization with the current and future industry norms. Thats how the management can determine whether the present HR practices are fulfilling the companys need and the needs of employees. Employees attitude survey: Employee attitude survey provides information to improve efficiency and commitment on ACI industry. Finding out the root issues of attitude in the organization ACI Company must take the direct action to broaden its overall job satisfaction. Involving the information that was gathered from the survey will improve the productivity. Improving the attitude of the employees will lead to better cooperation and communication throughout the whole company. So employees attitude must be considered for the future improvement of the effectiveness of HRM in ACI Company. Employee retention: Employee retention is helping an organization to encourage employees to remain in the organization for a long time. Now a days so many companies are facing a lot of problem in employees retention. Hiring skilled and knowledgeable people for the job is very necessary for any company. But retention is more important than hiring. ACI Company is always looking for such a kind of talent employees. If an employee is not satisfied on his present job then he might try to find a better one, as a result it can be a huge lose for the company. So employee retention should be followed for the future development of the company.

The Concept of Power in International Politics Essay -- International

The concept of power is central to the study of international politics. International politics has been defined in terms of influencing major nations in the world to advance the purpose of a nation against the opposition of other nations. Thus, it is rather not surprising that power, either by means of influence or control, has been a dominant concept that is intertwined in discussion when it comes to the study of international politics. Before getting into the fundamental nature of power in international relations, it is needed to consider just what power is. Power in the study of international politics can be derived in several ways as a goal of states or individual; as a measure of influence or control over actors, events, outcomes, and international affairs; as reflecting triumph in conflict and obtaining security; as control over capabilities and resources. Power can broadly be considered of as the ability to manipulate others to act according to our benefit, and to avert them f rom doing the same to us. Power is the creation, in and through social relations, of outcomes that characterize the ability of actors to find out their status and fate. This wide-ranging concept involves two fundamental critical dimensions: the types of social relations through which power works in relations of interaction or in social relations of constitutions and specificity of social relations through which effects are produced. The more power inclines more foreign policy choices; the lesser-known theory of "balance of power," where nations compete for dominance in a complicated chess game of military spending and diplomatic posturing. Possession of power permits both individuals and countries to successfully endorse and guard their interests con... ... Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Stronger states such as the US waged war against weaker states such as Vietnam. Interestingly, the defeat of the United States in Vietnam and of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan indicates to a more intricate concept of power which is broader than mere financial or military strength. In fact, a lot of the current theories of international relations dispute that power as conventionally described by realists is intrinsically unclear and open to analysis based on particular state of affairs. Nevertheless, it can be successfully concluded that power is primarily associated with what a state can stop another state from doing to it and what a state can do. The ways by which power is executed may be changing, yet the fundamental nature of competing desires and interests remain predominant in defining the international relations.

Lebanon War 2006 Essay

The Lebanon War of 2006 began on July 12th, when Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on Israeli military positions stationed near the border between Lebanon and Israel. In the minutes during the ensuing chaos, Hezbollah militants crossed the border into Israel, and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers who they intended to use as collateral in a prisoner exchange with Israel. The war lasted until August 13, 2006, at which point the United Nations intervened. During the war, both sides targeted civilian areas, resulting in the deaths of over one thousand civilians and the displacement of thousands more. In an account of the 2006 Lebanese War published by the Anti-Defamation League, Hezbollah militants are accused of launching rockets into Israel with the intention of harming civilians. Conversely, it is explained that the Israeli military targeted Lebanese civilian areas because Hezbollah has been known to operate out and live amongst civilian homes and stores. In addition, it appears that the author of the account places the blame upon Hezbollah for igniting the war against Israel by launching rockets across the border in the years following the departure of Israeli forces from Lebanon, after the Lebanese Civil War and the Israeli siege on Beirut. The ADL reports that there were over twenty occurrences of attacks launched by Hezbollah militants on Israel between 2000 and 2006. The ADL, however, does not conclude its account of the events without addressing errors made by Israel. Many Israelis allegedly held their own government accountable for the destruction of parts of the country, not because the government retaliated against Hezbollah’s attack, but because â€Å"the military and country had been ill-prepared for the conflict and its soldiers ill-equipped† (ADL). Such accusations prompted the Israeli Prime Minister to order a commission of inquiry to address the accusations. In 2007 and 2008, the Winograd Commission announced that questionable decision making had taken place during the war by Israeli government officials. Rasha Salti’s personal account of the 2006 war from the perspective of a citizen living in Beirut makes no mention of Israel’s self-proclaimed guilt, however. Her compilation of notes written during the war instead portray the violent attacks and practical demolition of Lebanon – a country that had only recently managed to rebuild itself after the conclusion of the fifteen year civil war in 1990. Her frustration about the situation and her devastating accounts of civilian casualties during the 2006 war blame only the Israeli military and government because of the brutal force and destruction used against Lebanon. Salti even makes reference to the abduction of the Israeli soldiers, and criticizes the Israeli government for overreacting and launching a war against Lebanon in retaliation. The ADL’s description provides factual data that is not included in Salti’s â€Å"siege notes†, and alternately the â€Å"siege notes† provide a personal account of the war that any reader would be able to relate to and identify with. Despite reporting upon Israel’s Winograd Commission, the ADL clearly maintains the perspective that Hezbollah functions as a terrorist organization and was at fault for the 2006 Lebanon War. Salti, on the other hand, conveys a clear message about Israel’s vicious military and menacing government. The comparison of documents such as the ADL and Salti accounts of the 2006 Lebanon War illuminates the importance of collecting multiple sources of information before drawing conclusions about any historical event. References: http://www.mepc.org/ http://www.google.com

Little Gemini

Describe your favorite food. You should say: What it tastes like When people eat it How it is made and explain why you like it. Describe a child you know well. You should say: Where you met him/her What he/she looks like What personality he/she has and explain how you feel about him/her. Describe a close friend of yours. You should say: Who he/she is How you got to know each other what activities you do together and explain why you feel close to him or her. Describe a toy you used to play with. You should say: What it was made of How you got it What you did with it and explain whether you liked it or not and why.Describe an exciting period of your life. You should say: When it was Who was with you What you did and explain why it was exciting for you. Describe a garden/park you enjoyed visiting. You should say: Where it is What it looks like When you first visited it and explain how you enjoyed the visit. Describe a change in the past few years in your city. You should say: What the c hange was What caused the change Whether it was easy to change and explain what you think of the change. Describe a popular TV program in your country. You should say: What time it is on What is it about Who watches it and explain why it is very popular in your country.Describe a book you enjoyed reading very much. You should say: What the name of the book was When you read it What the book was about and explain why you liked it. Describe a recent news story that you heard or read about. You should say: How you heard about the news story What people, places or events were involved How you felt about the news story and explain why you found this news story particularly interesting. Describe a subject you enjoyed studying at school. You should say: When and where you started studying it What the lessons were like What made the subject different from other subjects And explain why you enjoyed the subjectDescribe an artist or entertainer you admire. You should say: Who they are and what they do How they became successful How you found out about them And explain why you admire them. Describe an important choice you had to make in your life. You should say: When you had this choice What you had to choose between Whether you made a good choice And explain how you felt when you were making this choice Describe a job you have done. You should say: How you got the job What the job involved How long the job lasted Describe how well you did the jobDescribe an area of countryside you know and like. You should say: Where it is What its special features are What you and other people do in this area And explain why you like it Describe an object you particularly like. You should say: What it is and what it looks like What it is made of What it is for And explain why it is special for you Describe a newspaper or magazine you enjoy reading. You should say: What kind of newspaper/magazine it is Which parts of it you read regularly When and where you read it Explain why you enjoy reading it Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.You should say: What you do Where you do it Who you do it with And explain why you think doing this is healthy Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing. You should say: What kind of sport it is Who you play it with Where you play it And explain why you enjoy playing it Describe someone in your family who you like. You should say: How this person is related to you What this person looks like What kind of person he/she is And explain why you like this person Describe a museum or art gallery that you have visited. You should say: Where it is Why you went there What you particularly remember about the place.Describe an enjoyable event that you experienced when you were at school. You should say: When it happened What was good about it Who was there And explain why this event has special meaning for you. Describe a song or piece of music you like. You should say: What the song or music is What kind of song or music it is Where you first heard it And explain why you like it Describe a festival that is important in your country. You should say: When the festival occurs What you did during it What you like or dislike about it And explain why this festival is important