Answering Questions On Ethics In Marks And Spencer Accounting Essay

Answering Questions On Ethics In Marks And Spencer Accounting Essay Marks Spencer is one of the UKs leading retailers, with over 21 million people visiting their stores each week. MS offer stylish, high quality, great value clothing and home products, as well as outstanding quality foods, responsibly sourced from around 2,000 suppliers globally. MS employ over 75,000 people in the UK and abroad, and have over 600 UK stores, plus an expanding international business. MS is the number one provider of womens wear and lingerie in the UK, and are rapidly growing our market share in menswear, kids wear and home, due in part to our growing online business. Overall, our clothing and home ware sales account for 49% of our business. The other 51% of our business is in food, where we sell everything from fresh produce and groceries, to partly-prepared meals and ready meals. 1.1 Marks Spencers Code of Ethics Marks Spencer is committed to Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust. Trust is earned from others as a result of commitment to long held values and the ethical manner in which MS behave that underpins t. Having trust is a very important part of what makes Marks Spencer a special company and MS all have a responsibility to protect this heritage This includes: Complying with the law in the UK and all others countries in which M S operate. Following company policies and procedures. Acting in a professional manner with honesty and integrity at all times. If in doubtdoing the right thing! Detailed policies on specific issues are maintained by the relevant area of the Company. This Code of Ethics describes the behaviours that Marks Spencer expects by stakeholders. Question 1 The Code of Ethics applies to everyone working for MS .code of ethics will apply each company which are you are located in the world. In other words Code of Ethics will apply all the stakeholders of Marks Spencer .As follows Customers MS code of ethics will apply to its all customers. MS values the loyalty and confidence of our customers above all else. MS offer the highest possible standards of Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust. Colleagues There are separate code of ethics will apply to the Colleagues of M S. It includes the committed to an active Equal Opportunities Policy, from recruitment and selection, through training and development, appraisal and promotion, right up to retirement etc. Shareholders MS is owned by the individuals and organisations that invest in our shares. MS code of ethics will apply to its all shareholders. MS focused on building a sustainable business for the long term, generating shareholder value through consistent, profitable growth. Suppliers MS sources products from around the world, respecting third party rights and design integrity. There are unique code of ethics procedure apply to suppliers of MS to provide customers with the best quality products at competitive prices. Environment The natural environment provides all the raw materials need to operate MS business. MS is committed to the principle of sustainable development which underpins their eco plan which in line with code of ethics Government Public There are different roles expected from managers and employees. Managers have more power than employs as well as more responsibilities than employees. All MS employees are required to comply with the Code of Ethics and the policies including managers. Managers (level E and above) have additional responsibilities under the Code: Ensure the Code is understood by those they manage; Provide advice and guidance on interpreting the Code; Uphold and promote the requirements of the Code; Individually sign their acceptance of the Code each year. Managers expected to behave differently from Employees because they have more responsibilities and power than employees. If any employee do wrong thing with knowledge should not their managers must take action agency it and do not remain silent. Managers must take action to all matters of malpractice, improper action or wrongdoing in very seriously and managers has to strongly encouraged to raise incidents or behaviours that are not in accordance with the Code of Ethics, or the policies Question 2 MS Code of Ethics outlines the behaviours that upholds as a Company and MS conduct business with the highest standards of honesty and integrity. MS has different different standard of business conduct expected from each group. As example employees, suppliers etc. Suppliers : MS work in partnership with all suppliers to ensure that they comply at all times with the high standards and commitments set out in our Global Sourcing Principles, in addition to requiring all suppliers to work towards achieving the adoption of the recognised international standards contained in the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code, as set out in the MS Global Supplier Workbook. Employees standard of business conduct expected by customers from MS will be highest possible standards of Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust. MS will always try to make sure their labelling, advertising and other forms of Communication are clear, honest and accurate and MS always work to respect cultural and ethical beliefs. Failure to comply with the Code and its policies and procedures will result in disciplinary procedures being applied that may result in dismissal from the Company. In instances of fraud, where financial loss has been incurred, individuals will be prosecuted and the Company will seek to recover losses. Consequences of Failure to Comply 1.If a director or employee violates this Code, fails to properly report a violation of this Code or intentionally submits a false report, he/she will be subject to discipline. In the event of a violation of any law, rule or regulation, the violation may be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. The discipline imposed will vary depending on the nature, severity, and frequency of the violation as well as the status of the person involved. Discipline will be imposed for violations of this Code, failure to report violations and withholding relevant and material information concerning violations. Directors and employees will be informed of the charges against them and will be given the opportunity to explain their actions before any disciplinary action is imposed. 2. Varying levels of disciplinary action may be imposed, including: (a) Verbal Warning (b) Written Warning (c) Written Reprimand (d) Probation (e) Suspension (f) Termination or Reminders 3. Offenders may also be subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability, including compensating the Company or other injured parties for their loss. 4. No employee may be retaliated against for reporting in good faith to the Company, in accordance with this Code, any suspected misconduct or violation of this Code. Any employee who believes he or she has been retaliated against, or threatened with retaliation, should inform the Director of Human Resources, the Compliance Officer or a representative of the Board immediately. Employees or directors who violate this non-retaliation policy will be subject to discipline. Individuals are expected to act responsibly and ethically in reporting under this Code. Employees and directors must not use this Code or any of its procedures in bad faith or in a false or frivolous manner. A code of ethics is a set of guidelines that are applied when conducting business. It often includes the correct way to deal with customers. It is used to address everything from conflicts of interest to standards of professional conduct. Purpose of code of ethics is Businesses develop a code of ethics to build a moral and ethical workplace and to help guide employees when conducting day-to-day business. . It also tells others what the organization stands for and what to expect when doing business with it A whistle blowing is the process which raises a concern about wrongdoing occurring in an organization or body of people. whistle blowing revealed misconduct may be classified in many ways; for example, a violation of a law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat to public interest, such as fraud, health/safety violations, and corruption. Purpose of Whistle blowing Guide is provide better understating about the organizational process of Whistle blowing and make reminder to all employees there will be some one unknowingly concern about wrongdoing occurring in an organization as well as reduce the wrong doing such as violation of a law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat to public interest, such as fraud, health/safety violations, and corruption Bribery, Gifts and Entertainment Ethical issue involved is taking Bribery, Gifts and Entertainment. It is unethical. Bribery, a form of corruption, it is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime. According to The UK Bribery Act received Royal Assent in April 2010 and bribery can be as follows Making a bribe, Accepting a bribe Bribing a Foreign Public Official Failing to prevent bribery at a corporate level MS code of ethics is not allow its employees to give or accept improper payments, or gifts in order to conduct business anywhere in the world As well as Do not allow suppliers to pay travel or accommodation expenses. Any employee should not get involved in any business transactions that could result in personal benefit. You should not use their position as an MS employee to get discounts from contractors/suppliers unless they are corporate agreed discounts notified and made available to all employees, or do personal business, unless expressly authorised by management. Why is it relevant in business? The major impact for business is that noncompliance with rules and regulation of the country as well as company code of ethics. Taking Bribery, Gifts and Entertainment is criminal offence. in other words Failure to prevent bribery by taking adequate measures is a criminal offence, which in effect makes company directors liable for the actions of their employees if they do not introduce sufficient controls any organization should have responsibility to prevent taking bribery, gift and entertainment through the introduction of adequate measures. The UK government had introduced new rules to cover Bribery, The new offences cover the briber and the bribed as well as taking Gifts and Entertainment The Act also introduces a new offence of failing to prevent such bribery taking place. relevance of this kind of unethical practices to the business is The sentence can be up to ten years imprisonment for an individual and/or an unlimited fine. Senior management could be deemed to be personally liable if the corporate body commits an offence where the senior officer was a participant in the offence (1-3 below) or knew of the offence. Businesses can face an unlimited fine

Social Media And Its Impact On Branding

Social Media And Its Impact On Branding ABSTRACT: Social Media is a new age concept which has taken world by storm; companies are trying to promote products actively on social media and interact with customers. This research paper includes the findings of the research based on the hypothesis that Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image. This research paper highlights the increasing trends of social media marketing, how brands are being affected and what impact theses tactics have on the sales of the respected companies. A sample of 50 respondents was taken into consideration as primary research. It consisted of a good mix of people across gender, age groups and income demographics. The study aimed to analyze the awareness and acceptability of social media marketing by measuring the different factors that are associated with branding and PR; and conclude whether social marketing enhances sales or not. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to understand and identify the various methods of e-marketing with respect to social media. It is essential to identify the changing trends in branding with the advent of blogging sites, Twitter, Facebook and other networking options. With more advancement in technology; everyone uses this facility for multiple purposes, moreover the concept of the online community and interconnectivity has changed the way people share views. Therefore the prime purpose of my research analysis is to facilitate the study of various social media trends that affect branding and online marketing. It has been analyzed whether social media is a mere feedback facility or an actual revenue enhancing tool. PROBLEM STATEMENT Social media is a promotional tool and connectivity medium for companies; there is a need to determine whether it is effective in enhancing sales or not. HYPOTHESIS H0: Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image. H1: Social media marketing does not affect sales, it enhances brand image. SAMPLE SIZE The sample size of the research consists of a total of 50 individuals whose ages range between 15-25, 26-35 and 36 above. All respondents belonged to SEC A+,A, A-, B+ and B; with an educational level to understand the study. DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES Primary Research: Questionnaire interviews. Secondary Research: Literature Review Literature Review Social marketing is the new age concept in the world of branding and business. With advent of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc the way we communicate has changed. It has surely evolved from being a teenagers space to a global phenomenon for social interaction. Mark Zukerberg has been named person of the year by Times for instilling unlimited possibilities in the world of communication. A national survey of reporters and editors revealed that 89% use blogs for story research, 65% turn to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and 52% utilize microblogging services such as Twitter (George-2010). While the use of social media sources by journalists is growing rapidly, the reliability of such information remains an issue, as the survey also made it clear that reporters and editors are acutely aware of the need to verify information they get from social media Nearly half of all Americans are now members of at least one social network, double the proportion of just two years ago. While social network use is highest among the young, its not limited to this age bracket: two-thirds of 25- to 34-year-olds and half of those aged 35 to 44 also now have personal profile pages. Among the worlds 100 largest companies, two-thirds are using Twitter, 54% have a Facebook page, 50% manage at least one corporate YouTube channel and 33% have created company blogs. Overall, 79% of Fortune 100 companies are using at least one social media channel. (Pick-2010) Social media has enabled business leaders to create marketing opportunities which were untapped before. PepsiCo uses social networks to reach millions of entrepreneurs at the Superbowl. Whereas Leaders like IBMs Sam Palmisano, PepsiCos Indra Nooyi, Apples Steve Jobs, Microsofts Steve Ballmer, Carlsons Marilyn Nelson, and Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria (George-2010) are all active social network users. This transformation in business is possible today because these social networks are a unique way of broadly communicating real-time messages to the audiences they want to reach. They can write a message anywhere, anytime, and share it with interested parties without any public relations meddling, speech writers, airplane travel, canned videos, or voicemail messages people. The business area it has affected the most is marketing, a new promotional weapon adding new dimensions to consumer awareness. Social media is an interactive forum to reach the consumer at a personal level. Consumer marketing companies are lining up to use these networks to reach their tailored demographics with highly personalized messages, social channels give a chance to the consumers to share feedback readily about products and services. It is not just brand awareness but a chance to build a strong relationship with the customer. A major contribution are the blogging sites, astonishingly the fate of leading brands may be reliant on comments of regular bloggers. This may be seen as a positive by a lot of branding experts since it can lead to endless business growth. Social media is user-controlled, which means that sociologic components play a large role in any companys social media business strategy. The limits of social media are only set by the limits of the technology of social media tools (Hobsbawm-2009). At one time, companies had a monologue with its customers. Companies put out television commerci als or print ads about its products and waited to see whether the sales rolled in to determine success rates. Now, social media allows companies to have a dialogue with its customers and gain valuable feedback and input as it creates the message. Information and messaging for a company was once controlled by its marketing and sales departments. Now, with the democratization of information, no one owns the message about a product or company. Every company must become part of the conversation or risk letting users become the voice of the company. Customers are using social channels to instantly share positive and negative feedback about products and services, influencing countless other people. Word-of-mouth marketing has existed since the dawn of man, but today, it uses a massive megaphone to extend farther than ever. People exchanging feedback, ideas, recommendations and more are changing the way customers shop and the way businesses produce. The study, carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by SAS, the software vendor, suggests that social media is making the relationship between companies and their customers much more transparent. In particular, customers are more likely to try to deal with C-level executives through social media than through other channels. Businesses should respond, the report suggests, by integrating the multichannel feedback from blogs, community sites and social networks with their conventional marketing and market research data. Social media presence is a fundamental today, ranging from business to fortune 500 corporations. However social media marketing is a savior for small businesses. Its cost effective and they can easily Tweet new offers or update Facebook fanpage for latest offers. Moreover companies like Dell have used twitter to increase sales by $1 million in the past one year (Henry-2010). This whole social community allows your companys name and brand to be viewed by a significant amount of people. Continuous use of social media over time creates brand awareness and thus helps to increase sales. Competitions on social networks and interactive sessions are a new promotional tool being used, for example Top bartender page on Facebook by Absolut Vodka or Apples blogging on ipods dirty little secrets. What companies need is a financial justification, ROI on social media marketing has consistently been high, with Addidas having upto 70% returns. There are a total of 13 million internet users in Pakistan including Broadband, dial up, and mobile. Figures given by the PTA regarding internet users is that of 19 million from which face book consists of 2.2 million, (Pick- 2010) Yahoo around 4 million, MSN around 4 to 5 million and You Tube around 4.5 million. Based on these figures internet marketing is highly lucrative. Businesses in Pakistan have been marketing their products, brands and businesses using social media but still the industry has to come out. There are number of brands that have used such websites to promote their brands but still the results of such marketing tool in Pakistan are yet to achieve. Though, our neighboring country India has been using these websites as a marketing medium and they have been able to get positive results from using promotional campaigns. There are at least 500 companies with a Facebook presence. Brands like Ego, HSY, Gunsmoke etc rely on Facebook advertising. An average ad costing Rs. 10000 to Rs. 35000 on other mediums can only cost 3 to 10 cents on this site. (Syed-2010) Julie Roehm parses out the numbers from the Pew Internet and American Life study that were mentioned in the New York Times article, finding that theres a great disparity in how different generations consume content and that the older we get, the more likely we are to spend time on longer form content. Where will this lead us? Are we doomed to sound bites, tweets and trite self-absorbed updates for the foreseeable future? The viral effect that social media has in marketing is shaping a new face of branding. Moreover social media is the place people trust for seeking information. Be it feedback, product information search or tackling PR disasters, social media has it all. Social media would evolve into a decision making tool in future when mashed with other online options; making brand equity highly vulnerable to social verdicts. What lies ahead is a fierce branding battle which can be won with innovative social marketing solutions. The addictiveness can be cashed by generating a mix of the virtual society and physical customer support banded together. Many of the people involved in this study believed that information they have seen on social networks didnt influence their purchasing decision. On the surface, we would agree with them because most information you see on social networks isnt shown to you when you are in the process of making a buying decision. The real power of Social Media Marketing is the brand building and the longevity of the content a company adds to a social community (Baekdal-2009). A statement made by a company and picked up by someone you Follow on Twitter can impact a purchase you make at a later point but you wouldnt necessarily correlate that with your buying decision. There may also be content that was created on a social network that gets displayed in the results of your Google search that may influence your decision to purchase a product but you also may not realize that the information is even coming from Social Media Marketing. The lesson to be learned here is that marketing doesnt always correlate easily to direct sales. We have become too dependent on measuring your ROI from Internet Marketing. Marketers need to understand and respect the long term value of building a brand through the web and just because you dont see instant revenue from a marketing campaign doesnt necessarily mean it wont be effective. (Pick-2010) Large companies and small businesses who have used social media to promote their products and services could attest that they have experienced remarkable increase in sales. Exposing your brand in social media can be an excellent way to make the existence of your business known to the public. It is a fact that members of social media are pouring in and is still constantly increasing. So, you can just imagine the number of potential views your business can get simply by being a part of these social networking sites (Gunelius-2009). Whether you are just starting out or your business is already a multinational corporation, there are many social marketing tools available to provide the needed marketing exposure of your business. And another good thing is that most of these tools are for free therefore giving you an edge especially if your marketing budget is limited. If one is wondering how sales can be increased with social media, the answer is simple: Social media can reach millions of people worldwide. Anyone with an internet access can view your advertisements online. With TV commercials, only those people watching at the time can see broadcasted advertisement and interaction is not possible. Social sites, on the other hand, allow you to post blogs or tweets about your product and surely your company will get noticed resulting to increased sales. At the same time, you can interact with customers and gather insights on what they expect from you and how you can improve your products and services to meet the demands of your market. As observed by most companies that use social media for marketing purposes, the effect is truly viral. The case is especially true for Facebook and Twitter where friends tell each other about the products offered by small companies by word of mouth. With the tweets, recommendations and positive reviews, your company a nd your brand will be made known to a significant number of interested people. (Henry_2010) PRIMARY RESEARCH ANALYSIS PROCEDURE GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS EXPECTED RESULTS Before conducting the research, I expect that my Null hypothesis that is Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image will prove to be true. RESULTS OBTAINED/DERIVED SAMPLE: The above table shows the demographics of the survey that around 44% were male candidates and 56% of them were female. This also shows that the sample size was ideal as the percentages of both male and female are taken in consideration for survey The above graph shows the Age demographics that from each age bracket what percentage of people were taken in consideration. 68% were young adults forming the largest usage segment, followed by 22% of users between age of 26-35 years of age. The survey also included 10% of middle aged users. The above chart shows daily online presence of respondents, whether they are active users or passive users. Reason for this question was to get the insight of the consumer that how much is the highest usage of internet and to what extent internet usage effects their life. The result was 44 % of the sample use less than 1 hour a day, 36% use between 2 to 3 hours a day, 8% use between 3 to 4 hours a day and 12% use more than 4 hours a day. The results depict that most of the users use internet up to 3 hours a day. RESEARCH FINDINGS: The above pie chart shows the number of people effected by product branding while making a buying decision. The results help to determine whether it is important for marketers to enhance brand image to effect sales or not. 54% of the respondents believe their buying decision is dependent on branding while 26% believe it is not. Whereas 20% are not sure if branding can impact purchase decision. The chart above shows the usage of social media sites by respondents. Out of the 50 most of the respondents are present on more than 1 site. Most of them are on Facebook followed by a heavy use of Youtube. Whereas; presence on Twitter and blogging sites is almost equal. This shows socializing and content viewing both are important aspects of social media experience. The above chart shows consumer insight on information search, which medium is most used for product information search. 56% relied on word-of-mouth which in turn highlights social media importance. Moreover 15% relied on TV, 11% on newspaper and magazines and 18% on internet. The above pie chart shows results on buying decision of a friends Facebook status update and Tweet. Whether, people consider this feedback or not. 42% said yes they did 36% said no however 22% were somewhat influenced. The above chart shows if people would purchase a product because of positive social media response. 43% said agree, that they would purchase a product. 28% disagree, they would not buy a product because of social media influence whereas 26% were neutral. The above pie chart shows if negative feedback through social media would affect respondents Brand loyalty. 58% said yes, 32% said no and 10% being affected to a limited extent. The results depict the dependence of brand loyalty on feedback. The above chart shows if people consider social media to be best source of promotion. 36% disagreed, 32% were neutral whereas 22% agreed. The results identify the importance of social media as promotion tool, which according to the results is not very strong. The above pie chart shows which factor most influences sales, 32% said product features and 29% said price whereas only 6% said feedback. This shows that social media feedback may not directly influence sales of a product. The above analysis show the different factors influencing sales, brand image and consumer loyalty. Is can be depicted that sales is most affected by price and features and brand image is affected mostly by company PR and promotion. Moreover consumer loyalty is also dependent mostly on PR and product features. CONCLUSION The conclusion derived from my research report is that my null hypothesis being: Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image did not prove to be true. People prefer word-of-mouth (56% respondents) as the best source of information search; moreover feedback on social media may affect their purchase decision. But at the same time feedback was not rated as the most important factor in purchase decision, it is believed that sales are affected by product price and features (32% respondents). My research also depicted a key consumer insight which identifies brand presence on social media for image building and consumer loyalty is important. Consumers may not purchase anything because it is praised on social media but also be disoriented if a lot of negative feedback is received. Social media is also crucial for interacting with consumers, hence aiding the process of customer care. The research also analyzed that brands today need social media for promoting and rem inding consumers about the product, but it is true that consumers do not rate social media as a major influence of purchase decision. Therefore, the inductive hypothesis of social media only affecting brand image and not sales stands to be true. Social media in todays internet age is online presence of a brand, just like any person. Brands need to intervene in feedback, captivate consumer preference and enhance brand image. However relying on social media for increasing sales is not viable. SUGGESTION/RECOMMENDATIONS E-marketing is a really effective mode of communication and advertisement which is overwhelming the traditional means of promotion and PR. E-marketing is a very convenient way of promotion and conveying the message to the public. The rate of internet penetration has increased by more than 100% since the past few years resulting in more access to web by the new generation. The recommendations brought forth by my research findings include that presence on social media is a must. Social media content may include pages on Facebook, regular tweets on Twitter by employees and content available on Youtube. Now a days companys readily upload latest advertisements on Youtube and at times their corporate documentaries. Blogging is also a very important mode for interactions, consumers turn to these sites for answers, regular blogging may enable marketers to attain consumer insight and simultaneously discuss product related issues. It is recommended that social media marketing should be used as a secondary medium of promotion following the conventional promotion mediums as primary. Sales may not be directly affected by social media presence however companies may cash on brand equity in the long term. Social marketing may prove to be ideal for small and medium sized businesses. Where spending a lot on promotion may not be feasible, social media may prove to be a blessing. Today more than 500 businesses have a mere Facebook presence in Pakistan, it is also the cheapest and most interactive forum for such companies. FUTURE WORK: Social media is considered the next big idea by some marketers whereas others consider it to be a mere fad. Now organizations need to analyze the fact that today social media marketing may prove to be beneficial for brand image but return on investment is a crucial factor to be considered. Investment in social media marketing has to be regulated according to future needs of the company and product itself. Internet usage is part of life but modes of interaction have dynamically changed, hence to conclude ideal scenario is to build a strong brand support through social media to have a long lasting impact on the future.

Stalinization: Justifying the Terror :: Russian Russia History

Stalinization: Justifying the Terror No other nation has developed at a more fast and alarming rate than Russia under the control of Comrade Joseph Stalin. The 'Stalinization' of Communist Russia may have seemed brutal and unjust, however, many historians agree that many of Stalin's actions were completely necessary for Russia's industrialization. Some of the actions taken included the Five Year Plan for Industry, Five Year Plan for Agriculture, and rapid urbanization. These are the three most important aspects of transforming The Soviet Union into a world economic power. It was soon realized that Lenin's NEP (New Economic Policy) could not continue for much longer. It was granting Russian farmers to own they're own land and to sell they're produce for a profit. The NEP may have been effective for a short while to pull Russia out of her economic slump, but Marxist beliefs dictate that farms must be collectivized. This was the only way that the farms might be able to meet they're target for grain production (which had fallen short by nearly 7 million tons under the NEP). In light of this, Stalin introduced the new Five Year Plan of Agriculture. There was about 25 million plots of privately owned land that were too small to be effective for Grain production. So under the Agriculture Plan, the walls between these small holdings were knocked down and the farms were collectivized. This meant that land could be cultivated much more efficiently with the use of fertilizers, tractors, and other such machinery that otherwise could not be used in a small, privat e holding. Thousands fled the countryside in fear of collectivization to join newly built cities. This led to a rapid urbanization of cities such as Novosibirsk and Moscow, that were expecting to house little more than three million, instead found themselves having to support over six-and-a-half million people that were finding jobs in the industrial work force. This was, however, very hard on the living conditions of the Russian people in these cities. Many people found it hard to get work. Others, with the highest paying jobs, still, were forced to have they're families share one bedroom accommodations with one or two other families! With so many people in urban areas of Russia there were twice the amount of people working in the coal mines and drilling more oil wells. This in turn helped with Stalin's Five Year Plan for Industry.

Beowulf: Changes In People :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The tale of Beowulf is one of constant tranformation. Great warriors and leaders turn into cowering peons. Faithful Christians convert to devil worship. Devout followers flee at the sight of trouble. Many people's morals change quickly and drastically at the sight of change. Personal turmoil abounds with changing values brought by changing times. People remain content as long as nothing challenges them, but at the first sight of change chaos occurs. One case of how change causes people to forsake their values happens when Grendel makes his first appearance at Herot. In Herot lives Hrothgar who "...led/ The Danes to such glory that comrades and kinsmen/ Swore by his sword, and young men swelled ( Beowulf lines 64-67). Hrothgar is a mighty leader of the Danes, but at the sight of a different foe, a change, Hrothgar turns tail and runs. He does not once try to face Grendel. He instead lets his people live in terror. The Hrothgar that is described before the arrival of Grendal is a completely different person, mentally, than the Hrothgar that is terrorized by the monster. He knows only one type of enemy, humans, and once that changes he loses all his leadership power. A true man of value will keep his values no matter what change takes place. Fate does not play a role in Hrothgar's actions. He is caught up in pride about all his achievements. This makes him weak to being caught by change. He beomes so comfortable in his station that he narrows his comfort zone to such a level that any amount of change will throw him off. Everything that happens is by his own accord. Hrothgar is a perfect example of how people cannot mentally fight evil. Without the constant attack of evil, one will not be able to deal with it when it arises. Hrothgar is not exposed to evil, so when it rears its ugly head his only reaction is to flee. If someone lives in a utopia and leaves, they will not be able to deal with the evil they find because they have never dealt with it before. Good cannot combat evil if it has never known evil. The only way to resolve Hrothgar's situation is to bring in someone who knows evil and faces it well, is not prideful, and can adapt to change well. In the tale, that is exactly how the problem is solved.

Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho :: Film Films Movie Movies Psycho Essays

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho has been commended for forming the archetypical basis of all horror films that followed its 1960 release. The mass appeal that Psycho has maintained for over three decades can undoubtedly be attributed to its universality. In Psycho, Hitchcock allows the audience to become a subjective character within the plot to enhance the film's psychological effects for an audience that is forced to recognise its own neurosis and psychological inadequacies as it is compelled to identify, for varying lengths of time, with the contrasting personalities of the film's main characters. Hitchcock conveys an intensifying theme in Psycho, that bases itself on the unending subconscious battle between good and evil that exists in everyone through the audience's subjective participation and implicit character parallels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psycho begins with a view of a city that is arbitrarily identified along with an exact date and time. The camera, seemingly at random, chooses first one of the many buildings and then one of the many windows to explore before the audience is introduced to Marion and Sam. Hitchcock's use of random selection creates a sense of normalcy for the audience. The fact that the city and room were arbitrarily identified impresses upon the audience that their own lives could randomly be applied to the events that are about to follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the opening sequence of Psycho, Hitchcock succeeds in capturing the audience's initial senses of awareness and suspicion while allowing it to identify with Marion's helpless situation. The audience's sympathy toward Marion is heightened with the introduction of Cassidy whose crude boasting encourages the audience's dislike of his character. Cassidy's blatant statement that all unhappiness can be bought away with money, provokes the audience to form a justification for Marion's theft of his forty thousand dollars. As Marion begins her journey, the audience is drawn farther into the depths of what is disturbingly abnormal behaviour although it is compelled to identify and sympathize with her actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is with Marion's character that Hitchcock first introduces the notion of a split personality to the audience. Throughout the first part of the film, Marion's reflection is often noted in several mirrors and windows. Hitchcock is therefore able to create a voyeuristic sensation within the audience as it can visualise the effects of any situation through Marion's conscious mind. In the car dealership, for example, Marion enters the secluded bathroom in order to have privacy while counting her money. Hitchcock, however, with upper camera angles and the convenient placing of a mirror is able to convey the sense of an ever lingering conscious mind that makes privacy impossible. Hitchcock brings

Interview Questions Essay

1. Tell me something about yourself. I am a hard working employee who is dedicated to get the job done successfully, effectively and efficiently. I have a strong background in business management and a variety of job experience. This has helped me to develop valuable skills and abilities I use in my personal and professional career path. 2. Why should I hire you? I am confident that my professional skills and abilities would bring value to your company as well as your staff. I will use my current management skills and abilities to evaluate, improve and maintain employee production by setting specific employee job goal, increasing employee motivation and providing frequent employee feedback. 3. What are your strengths? I have developed strong business management and customer service skills that I will use to manage employees, increase production and decrease company expenses. I also have a strong communication, leadership, organizational, creativity and safety skills and abilities that help me to provide a positive, safe and secure leadership. 4. What are your weaknesses? I tend to over analyze simple Ideas and solutions to basic problems. This is where I try to identify all aspect of a situation or process before making an educated decision. My weakness lies in my slightly impaired ability to make quick radical decisions to simplified problems. I also tend to be a workaholic where I become more concerned with solving problems and completing projects then my own personal welfare. 5. Why are you applying for this position? I feel this position is a great opportunity to increase and utilize my  professional skills, abilities and education. These skills will provide a valuable resource to your business while increasing my own personal and professional development. 6. Why are you interested in working for our firm? Outside of a benefit scope, your company shows appreciation and loyalty to employees providing needed security and support. You also provide strong career development benefits and incentives that I plan to participate in as I build my career in your company. 7. What can you contribute to this company? I plan to contribute my time, skills and abilities to completing company goals and developing new innovative strategies to decrease company costs, increase production or productivity and increase the overall value and success of your business. Group B: Behavior-Based Questions 1. Tell me about a difficult situation you dealt with when supervising others. What did you do, and what were the results? One summer I acquired a job position as a shift supervisor for the lodge services department. This position consisted mostly of janitorial duties, supervising employee job functions, developing work schedules and reporting employee activity to department managers. While working under this position, an employee was hired to provide additional help during periods of higher service demand. After working for a few weeks his job performance started to drastically decrease. He hide himself in closets, bathrooms or other secluded areas where he would read personal books he brought from home. After verbally warning him several times with little to no compliance I felt the need to escalate this situation to the attention of my supervisor. After doing so, my supervisor showed little interest in disciplining his poor performance. When it came to time to develop new work schedules, I took it upon myself to drastically decrease hours he was to work and offered these additional hours to more productive and resourceful employees. This action eventually lead to a dismissal of his services, slightly decreased company costs and lead to my personal promotion as hotel service manager. 2. Tell me about a time when someone made an unreasonable request of you. How did you react, and what  happened? When I worked in the plating lab for a company, my boss on many occasions would change the job duties and requirements I was to perform. On one occasion I was reprimanded and written up for following the specific guidelines for disposing of nickel sulfa mite, a hazardous chemical used to plate steel with nickel. When I started working for my boss, I was given a detailed list of specific actions to be taken when disposing of company chemicals. The action plans for disposing of nickel sulfa mite consisted of checking current hazardous material disposal drums for partially filled or empty drums. If no drums were available I was to go directly to our chemist and have him supply me with a new waste drum. The following day after executing this procedure, an employee reported that a practically filled nickel sulfa mite waste drum had been misplaced by another department. This is when I received disciplinary action for not following specific orders. At the end of the day, after my boss and I had time to calm down, I approached my boss and explained how I followed the direct procedures I was given for the circumstances, he agreed that without additional information I would not have known to check other departments for waste drum that may have been misplaced. The penalties were dropped and I received the additional training needed to fulfill my job requirements more effectively. 3. Describe the last time that you did something that went beyond what was expected in work or school. While volunteering my services as a water safety officer and public safety driver for a fire company and the county zone water task force, I personally found it very difficult to meet specific requirements and expectations when using company gear. These requirements and expectations are set by training and state law standards to insure a moderate level of safety and job success is provided. After identifying the main issues for these complications residing with the company’s gear, I took it upon myself to analyze record and report current equipment, as well as additional needed water rescue equipment. This action resulted in a better understanding of water rescue requirements, acceptable equipment and additional support from higher officials including the company’s chief, deputy and captain. The company is now evaluating the cost and resources needed to acquire this additional equipment and increase the safety and security of our water rescue personnel.

Long Term Health Care

The long term health care problem has been acknowledged by many health care institution and health care organization as difficult to address.   Dennis Robbins admitted that the difficulty lies in obtaining â€Å"accurate and up-to-date guidance† (p. 1), towards addressing conflict, developing policies, and also the many ethical problems that usually come up in health care context. Robbins noted that despite of those vast arrays of health care institutional settings. Many legal cases came up when the patient was no longer confined in these institutions.   Robbins pointed out that there are about 21,000 long term care facilities, 14,000 hospitals, and 38,000 nursing and personal care facilities that caters to these problem of long term health care.   He emphasized that long term care are services provided in institutional settings, yet, he also disclosed that estimates showed that almost â€Å"three quarters of the seventy disabled who receive home care services received that care from family members or volunteer care givers (p.1). However, long term health care institutions are not exclusively the sole provider of a long term health care.   Home care is an alternative; those who need long term treatment may opt to choose considering cost of hospital bills.   However, the problems that need to be solve both by the long term health care and home care is the lack of sufficient â€Å"health care professionals to staff many of these committee in home care and long term care† (Robbins, p. 16). Robbins pointed out that these problems are resulting to a diminished or lacking in post accurate care settings that include quality assurance and risk management committees, attending physicians and related groups.   Thus, long term care facilities are viewed by some as â€Å"necessary evil† (p. 17). Beyond the many legal and ethical issues that surround long term health care, are the problems that deserve to be addressed.   These are: under-funding of the long term health care, high staff turn over, and quality of report card. According to an advisory issued by the committee on ways and means sub-committee on health of the United States House of Representatives â€Å"about nine million adults are receiving home term care assistance, either in community settings or in nursing homes† (p.2).   This report cited that â€Å"nearly sixty percent of these elderly persons receiving long term care assistance and rely wholly on unpaid care givers mainly their immediate families either their spouses or the children; only seven percent of these elderly can afford of paid services. The report further cited of around one hundred thirty five billion dollar on long term care for the elderly through the different agencies that caters to the needs of these groups such as Medicard and Medicare and other private insurance (p. 2).   However, this budget did not include any amount devoted to long term care provided by the informal care givers. In this report, United States law makers are alarmed of the growing numbers of elderly people and booming problems of long term care in the face of diminishing numbers of professional health care givers.   The hearing of the committee was to address the current financing for long term care services and the range of services available in the continuum of care from home as well as community-based services to nursing home care† (p. 2). According to some studies presented in this hearing, there was actually substantial funding for the long term health care.   The Director of Congressional Budget office pointed out a total of over two hundred billion dollar was spent in 2004 equivalent to twenty four thousand dollars per senior with impairment (p. 9).   The problem that they see was not on funding but rather on government rules that hinder public from preparing for their own future.   The statement says, â€Å"Those rules create incentives that discourage people from making their own financial preparation and encourage them to rely on government assistance† (p. 9). The anticipated increase of number of elderly people by two and a half times poses another problem as the number of adult eighty-five and older who uses long term care are likely to increase by five percent in 2050, triple more than the 1.5 percent in 2000.   Thus, the committee on health is encouraging to promote alternative delivery systems such as an â€Å"early intervention and care management in nursing homes and the community as well as greater use of home and community based care† (p. 36).   They saw institutional long term care as costly and in efficient and leads only to poor outcome. Dr. Meghan Gerety of the University of Texas, College of Health and Sciences, testified that the current system is lacking of necessary incentives for promoting â€Å"alternative delivery systems† (p. 36).   Dr. Gerety said, â€Å"Many people have signified their desire for care in the home and community yet, the current financing system has a strong institutional bias (p. 36). Dr. Gerety revealed that of the 83 percent who need long term care, seventy-eight percent of their help come from unpaid sources such as family and friends (p. 37).   The problem therefore of under funding does not necessarily pose problem in such a way that there is sufficient funding being allocated for elderly and those adults with impairments.   What is lacking is a more creative, more practical approach into this part of the society. The next question that needs to look into is the high turn over of staff. Various orientations on nursing home administrations provide training for long term care workers.   Learning modules are easily available and it seems that there are pretty much demands of long term health care workers all over as the number of elderly people are looming and those who are seeking long term care are doubling. As we have seen in the committee report of the Subcommittee on Health by the United States Congress, there is an anticipated increase of numbers of elderly people of about five percent by 2050, as the so-called baby boomer generation is coming to end.   Not only this pose financial burden but it also needs additional long term care personnel.   But according to Douglas A. Singh, despite of efforts to identify the cause of turn over, and despite efforts to prevent the erosion of manpower, â€Å"staff turn over remains one of the most daunting problems of nursing home industry† (Singh, p 468).   Singh noted that the efforts to address the issue have produced only a little success up to this time.   He disclosed that despite of the turnover, there was no attempt to increase staff retention given the fact that turnover is expensive.   Singh identified two major costs related to turnover problem namely the placement cost and the training cost for the new worker (p. 468). Singh identified one of the staff turnover causes is easily burnout among new employees.   He noted that consistent shortages of staff and often picking up of employee to fill the slack is demoralizing and leaves feelings of disillusion powerless and incompetent for the position (p. 471). Another source of turnover of staff is sexual harassment on the part of women health workers.   Jeff Hearn said, there was a very â€Å"high turn over of female care staff in this area.   Hearn noted that management knew about the high staff turnover in this area and which the reason was just to choose not to act on it.   Hearn observed that â€Å"grievances were simply ignored and never got any action; and that management is likely to prefer to replace female care worker than dismisses the officer† (p. 116). The high turnover of staff therefore is not simply related to compensation but rather more personal reasons which the management often chooses to ignore or not act on it.   Solution to this problem according to Douglas A. Singh is to impose an effective Human Resource and Staff Development orientation which would offer learning modules to all personnel, concerning their duties, obligation, rights and accountabilities.   This module also serves as encouragement as they will be oriented of their benefits and other incentives that would keep them stay in their work without fear of harassment or exploitation. The Report Card Florence Kavaler and Allen Spiegel said that â€Å"Health care providers’ helps consumers make informed about a provider refutation through the report card.†Ã‚   But they noted that the report made by a United States Health Plan Employer Data and Information in September 2001 indicates â€Å"declining member satisfaction with the New York Health Plan (p. 105).   They also noted the decline in satisfaction of members with diabetes from 53.7 percent in 1994 to only 49 percent in 2000 (p. 105). This report card is one of the three clusters-smarter markets through report cards.   It seemed that this card offered only limited benefit for the holder as it only provides option for a better choice of a service.   This is probably the reason for the decline of report card use.   As one observer commented, report cards have not the desired effects because consumers are not aware of the quality problems that have been observed in health care.   Therefore, it is not surprising then the decline of the use of this report card. What to do with this card? I would suggest they dissolved it and think of a more relevant initiative that would cater to better health care option. Work Cited Dilulio, John and Nathan, Richard (1994) Making Health Reform Work: The View from the States.   Brookings Institution Press Hearn, Jeff (1989). The Sexuality of Organizations. Sage Publications. Kavaler, Florence and Spiegel, Allen D. (2003) Risk Management in Health Care Institutions: A Strategic Approach.   USA: Jones and Bartlett Publisher, Inc. Long Term Care: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Ways and Means.   US House of Representatives One Hundred Ninth Congress (April 19, 2005, Serial 109-46). Diane Publishing Robbins, Dennis A. (1996) Ethical and Legal Issues in Home Health and Long Term Care: Challenges and Solutions. Jones and Bartlett Publishing, Inc. Singh, Douglas A. (2005) Effective Management of Long Term Care Facilities. MA, USA: Jones and Bartlett Publisher, Inc.