Critical Thinking Part 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Thinking Part 4 - Assignment Example The authors clearly and openly recognize the subjects of the research, but have failed to indicate whether their Human Rights were protected. However, I feel that the subjects’ Human Rights were protected to prevent them against any exploitation or discrimination. Yes, the authors have acknowledged that they were given the permission to carry out this study which was approved by local university and hospital moral review committees. Also, the authors obtained informed consent from all the participants (Wilkins & Woodgate 458). In interpretive account, participants’ conscription focused on persons having the knowledge under study. In view of that, the insertion standards were as follows: cancer survivors who were out primary cancer diagnosis for 5 or more years, 19 years of age at the time of interview, taking residency in the region where the interviews were to be conducted, and fluent speakers of English. Research participants were conscripted from hospital based catalog and regional cancer registry. The regional cancer registry was consulted to exclude persons with malignant tumor diagnosis, second cancer diagnosis, amid others. Although the authors tell us that the participants were recruited, they have not indicated that the subjects received any money. There was no unseemly conflict of interest during recruitment. Most of the participants were from the vulnerable cancer survivors. Ideally, after one is diagnosed with cancer, the danger of developing a second cancer is an ingredient of day after day life. All the research subjects accounted that they had the full knowledge of their second cancer. Second cancer was expressed in terms of probable danger features for cancer, providing detailed information to the cancer survivors with a view to preparing them to conceptualize the theoretical nature of danger. This information forms the bulk of the argument that the subjects came from the vulnerable population (Wilks &

Kierkegaard and Sartre's versions of existentialism Essay

Kierkegaard and Sartre's versions of existentialism - Essay Example On the other hand, they are similar in ways such as their trust on individuality, will power and meaningful decision making through choices. Sartre defines existentialism in ways that deduce the nature of man as man himself and that he uses his wills to accomplish his own destiny using various principles. The first one is that a man is only what he designs of himself. This means that men in the world shoulder responsibilities due to their mere existence on earth and each man knows his in full. He further explains that every man is responsible for humanity in its entirety and not merely for himself (individuality). Every choice that a man makes affects the rest of his species. In another perspective, he declares that God does not exist. Therefore, all men carry the responsibility of their actions. He defines an ethical person as an independent thinker who lives generously in consideration to the needs of others. He sets goals, pursues them actively and enumerates decisions on how to achieve them. This is under the choice of active life. This drives to invisibility of a man’s existence if he fails to pursue his goals in an active manner or make plans of achieving them. This eventually leads to despair, where a man loses hope and the meaning of life itself. Kierkegaard however contradicts this by setting three models of existentialism, namely: aesthetic, ethical and supranational religious faith. The importance of making a choice and the difference between ethical and aesthetical choices are the areas of emphasis. Men shape their personalities through their choices, which in itself is an ethical quality. High levels of determination together with thorough thinking enables man to make an ethical choice that is absolute and genuine. Aesthetical choices are neither meaningful nor stable and usually made for timely or sensual pleasure. Thus, they are not as genuine as

The Motivation Behind Corporate Acquisitions And Mergers Finance Essay

The Motivation Behind Corporate Acquisitions And Mergers Finance Essay Research that considers the motivation for corporate acquisitions takes essentially two forms. There are studies that concentrate on providing a theoretical analysis based on economic and behavioral theories and those which subject the theories to empirical tests. Friedrich Trautwein (1990) provides a critical review of the predominant theories of merger motives and merger prescriptions. the theories of merger can be categorized into seven groups : efficiency theory, monopoly theory, valuation theory, empire-building theory, process theory, raider theory and disturbance theory. 7 Motivations for MA: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Monopoly Theory: Gaining market power. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Efficiency Theory: Operating synergies, financial synergies and Management synergies. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Valuation Theory: Bidder managers have better information about the targets financial performance than the stock market. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Empire Building Theory: Planned and executed by managers who Maximize their own utility instead of their shareholders value. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Process Theory: Mangers have only limited information and base Decisions on imperfect information. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Raider Theory: Managers creating wealth transfers from the stockholders of the companies they bid for. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ £ Disturbance Theory: Merger waves are caused by economic disturbances. Why Are There So Many Mergers and Acquisitions? The most important motivation engaging in an MA is to assure the existence or the continuity of the firms activity. If all the major competitors become bigger through the MA transactions, then a firm may take on in an acquisition to ensure competitive parity. Profits left for a firm after investing in all current positive net present value opportunities is the firms free cash flow. The free cash flow can amount to billions of dollars. For example, Microsoft is reported to have had a free cash flow of $45 billion in 2004! Dominant firms in mature businesses often find themselves in such situations. For firms with free cash flow the obvious decision should be to invest the money in MA activity because such transactions may at least generate competitive parity. Today many businesses recognize the uncompromising demand to seek merger and acquisition transaction, to seek growth and profits. In the strategy literature acquisitions are explained by two main classes of theories: first is the value-maximizing theories and secondly is the managerial theories (Seth1990a). Merger and acquisition literature suggests that managers do have various motives for mergers (Trautwein, 1990). Managers may have personal goals and ambition that differ from the strategy and the need of the firm. At times the managers shareholder conflict arise during the mergers and acquisition transactions. These motivations originate from the ambition to get rich and securing their position hence reducing the risk of the firms bankruptcy. Managers may be motivated to engage in MAs even when such operations do not benefit the entity because acquisition is the fastest and the easiest way to expand the scope of their control. In the context of MA activity, this means that managers may engage in an MA even when there is zero economic value for bidding firms. The argument made by managers here is that they can perform better than the managers of the target firm. Examining the phenomenon of mergers and acquisitions what is the driving force behind it? Mergers and acquisitions is reaching record braking levels, The 1980s and 1990s were characterized by a rash of mergers and acquisitions (MA) with both domestic and foreign partners. The wave of mergers during recent years has drawn widespread attention because The fact that some firms create positive economic value in MA activity spurred some firms to pursue such transactions. In the 1990s we saw a number of mega-mergers between multinationals-for example, DaimlerChrysler and Exxon-Mobil- CitiCorp and Travelers Group, MCI and WorldCom, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq which changed the entire competitive environment of their respective global markets. These high-profile corporate  mergers  become an great example for any corporation considering a potential acquisition. The 1990s also saw the rise of privatization of enterprise in many emerging markets, creating growth opportunities to gain access to previously closed markets of enormous potential. Looking into the mergers and acquisition literature, merger motives do not play a significant role; MA give out more merger consequences than theoretical effort (Trautwein, 1990). In fact, taking into consideration the work of Allen et al (2002) that was based in Trautwein (1990) findings and assumptions, most observers agree that mergers are motivated by a complex pattern of motives and that no single motive or method can provide a full explanation (e.g. Steiner, 1975; Ravenscraft and Scherer, 1987). Such motives include increasing profitability, the pursuit of market power, and marketing economies of scale, cost reductions and creation of barriers to entry. What is the true motivation for cross-border mergers and acquisitions? The eloquent answer is the traditional one: building shareholder value! Corporations frequently seek growth in search of new markets, resources, productive advantages, profit, investment opportunities and elements of competition through the acquisition of other companies. Corporations undertake mergers and acquisitions transaction for a variety of reasons. The drivers are strategic responses by firms to defend and enhance their global Competitiveness by: à ¢-  Gaining access to strategic proprietary assets à ¢-  Gaining market power and dominance à ¢-  Achieving synergies in local/global operations and across different industries à ¢-  becoming larger, and then reaping the benefits of size in competition and negotiation à ¢-  Diversifying and spreading their risks wider à ¢-  Exploiting financial opportunities they may possess and others desire We can summarize that the Motives behind mergers and acquisition activity by listing Some motives: To create a number of new business opportunities (Healy et al. 1990, 23) and entry new Markets (Black, Carnes and Jandik 2001,5) To reduce earnings volatility (Healy et al. 1990, 23; Black, Carnes and Jandik 2001,5) Technical Efficiency (Chaaban, Rà ©quillart and Trà ©visiol 2005) and economies of scale employment risk i.e., risk of losing job, professional Reputation, etc. Managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ personal wealth is linked more to firm size and risk ofBankruptcy than to firm performance (Amihud and Lev 1981). The merger offers anopportunity to improve oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s social identity as well (Terry, Callan and Sartori 1996) Value maximization (Halpern 1983, 314) is specially a shareholderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s goal (Bethel and Liebeskind 1993, 29) Use of control position (Halpern 1983, 314) Synergy (Halpern 1983, 314; Chatterjee 1992) Monopoly (Halpern 1983, 314) Corporate restructuring is needed industry wide (Hatfield, Porter Liebeskind, Opler 1996; Markides 2006; Chatterjee 1992) cost reduction (Dranove and Shanley 1994) -managerial vs. shareholder interests (Taffler, Holl 2006; Holl and Kyriazis 1997; Mahoney and Mahoney 1991; Mahoney and Mahoney 2006; Firth 1991). Motives for takeovers tend to reflect managerial rather than shareholder interests in abandoned mergers (Taffler and Holl 1991). Amit, Livnat and Zarowin (1989) have investigated owner-manager conflict of interest. Reputation enhancement (Dranove and Shanley 1994): local systems do not appear to have lower cost but do appear to enjoy reputation benefits Innovation performance (Ahuja and Katila 2001) Resource redeployment (Capron, Dussauge and Mitchell 1998) Power, achievement, sensation seeking and prestige (Lausberg and Stahl 2006)

Essay --

Unit Title: THE ORGANISATION OF THE BODY Task: 1.1, B) Q) Discuss the major historical events, which led to the birth and the evolution of both the Light and Electron Microscope? History of Light Microscopes It is not clear who invented the microscope but it is said that in Circa 1000AD, an implement called a reading stone was discovered by an unknown inventor, this sphere shaped glass object magnified reading material when placed over it, this then began the birth of the microscope. In 1284 an Italian inventor named Salvino D’Armate was credited for inventing the first pair of wearable spectacles. It wasn’t then till 1590 that things developed with Dutch glassmakers, Zaccharias Janssen and his son Hans, experimented by placing multiple lenses in tubes, observing objects placed in front of the tubes they realised that the objects appeared massively larger, thus creating both the forerunner of the compound microscope invented about 1595 and the telescope. In 1609 a father of physics and astronomy, Galileo Galilei made a better instrument with a focusing device, by working out the foundations of the lenses after hearing rumours about the Dutch eyeglass makers. In 1674 a man called Antony van Leeuwenhoek made a simple but useful microscope using only one lens to look at other tiny objects such as insects, yeast and to examine blood cells. Antony van Leeuwenhoek back round, to others, he would have been seen as an unpromising candidate to become a scientist of his time, due to him having no fortune, higher education or university degrees, but with his endless curiosity and an open mind he successfully came to make some of the most important findings in biology history, discovering bacteria, protists, sperm cells and many mor... ...entify individual molecules of biological importance. The microscope does suffer from a serious flaw, as no living sample would be able to survive under its extreme vacuum, not being able to show the character of an actual living cell. Ernst Ruska received half a nobel prize in physics in 1986 for his invention, the other half was split between Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig for their invention of the Scanning Tunnel Microscope (STM) enabling scientists to see images in three-dimensional, allowing them to define surface roughness, defects and arrangements of molecules and collections on the surface of the sample. This powerful STM is the strongest microscope to date. http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/microscopes.htm http://www.ucmp http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1986/ruska-bio.htmlberkeley.edu/history/leeuwenhoek.html Essay -- Unit Title: THE ORGANISATION OF THE BODY Task: 1.1, B) Q) Discuss the major historical events, which led to the birth and the evolution of both the Light and Electron Microscope? History of Light Microscopes It is not clear who invented the microscope but it is said that in Circa 1000AD, an implement called a reading stone was discovered by an unknown inventor, this sphere shaped glass object magnified reading material when placed over it, this then began the birth of the microscope. In 1284 an Italian inventor named Salvino D’Armate was credited for inventing the first pair of wearable spectacles. It wasn’t then till 1590 that things developed with Dutch glassmakers, Zaccharias Janssen and his son Hans, experimented by placing multiple lenses in tubes, observing objects placed in front of the tubes they realised that the objects appeared massively larger, thus creating both the forerunner of the compound microscope invented about 1595 and the telescope. In 1609 a father of physics and astronomy, Galileo Galilei made a better instrument with a focusing device, by working out the foundations of the lenses after hearing rumours about the Dutch eyeglass makers. In 1674 a man called Antony van Leeuwenhoek made a simple but useful microscope using only one lens to look at other tiny objects such as insects, yeast and to examine blood cells. Antony van Leeuwenhoek back round, to others, he would have been seen as an unpromising candidate to become a scientist of his time, due to him having no fortune, higher education or university degrees, but with his endless curiosity and an open mind he successfully came to make some of the most important findings in biology history, discovering bacteria, protists, sperm cells and many mor... ...entify individual molecules of biological importance. The microscope does suffer from a serious flaw, as no living sample would be able to survive under its extreme vacuum, not being able to show the character of an actual living cell. Ernst Ruska received half a nobel prize in physics in 1986 for his invention, the other half was split between Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig for their invention of the Scanning Tunnel Microscope (STM) enabling scientists to see images in three-dimensional, allowing them to define surface roughness, defects and arrangements of molecules and collections on the surface of the sample. This powerful STM is the strongest microscope to date. http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/microscopes.htm http://www.ucmp http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1986/ruska-bio.htmlberkeley.edu/history/leeuwenhoek.html

International Human Resource Management Essay

The practise of Human Resources is moving from the traditional forms of managing people to a more strategic form whereby the Human Resources function is closely linked with organisational performance and success. This strategic form of human resources has increased the need for the Human Resource professional to understand the linkages between Corporate Strategy, Human Resource Strategy and Employee Integration. Our firm has set out to Internationalise its operations by opening to different facilities One in China Assembling and Maintaining Aircraft Engines and the other in Europe fabricating turbine blades for Aircraft engines. We have shown in the case of China the key strategies required for Organisational success and we have identified that success in China is assured if the Firm can get its strategy of Recruitment and Retention right. We have also identified that expatriate managers which are core to the operations of the facility must have a fit with the Chinese environment and as Internationally mobile employees must have an indepth understanding of the cultural and societal norms of the Chinese people thus be enabled to  manage employees to achieve success. In locating our facility in China, we chose to locate it the Shanghai area as this area is key to the aviation industry of China and has an abundance of Key Skilled and Competent people even though these people are in short supply. We have articulated a strategy for ensuring commitment and loyalty from our staff. Our Europe facility is located in the UK. We have identified the UK as a suitable location because of the abundance of the required technical skills as well as the flexible and business friendly labour laws. Even though the cost of labour is higher than some Eastern European countries, we believe that this is overshadowed by the quality of the work we would get, access to the global markets as well as the stability of the UK which is essential to the aircraft industry as delays on orders leads to very losses for all concerned in the Industry. The UK’s tax structure for business is also less stringent than comparable European economies and Airbus Industries with its main factories in France is much closer to the UK than most Eastern European countries. The issues we identified with Human Resourcing in the UK is mostly in the area of ensuring Equal Opportunities and Union/Labour Relations. The UK has very strong Unions and the laws allow the formation of Unions for willing employees thus managing this strong Unions will be one key task for HR Managers in the UK facility. We have shown in the two facilities that HR is an integral part of the organisation structure as its strategic inputs are required to guide organisational direction, visions and strategy. AEROPLANE ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY INTRODUCTION The Peoples Republic of China is a one party state with Power centralised in the Chinese Communist Party. Though a Communist state their have been significant capitalist models applied in the certain areas of National development mainly the Economic, Industrial and Financial sectors. This liberalization of certain sectors has led to substantial growth in the Chinese economy with average â€Å"Real GDP growth rates of 10% between 2001 and 2006† (Source: Global Insight, 2007). The â€Å"Open Door Policy† adopted by China in 1979 has brought about enormous growth in the industrial output as well as the economy as a whole. As the country moved away from its â€Å"iron rice bowl† system consisting of state-owned enterprises and â€Å"lifetime† workers, various types of employment contractual agreements have begun. The past two decades have witnessed the rapid growth of Chinese and foreign owned multinational enterprises which are set to play an increasingly important role in the future of the global economy. The opening up of the vast market has created many opportunities and, at the same time, many problems to foreign enterprises. Because of the unique political, economic and cultural environment in China, it is difficult for foreign joint ventures and wholly owned foreign subsidiaries to introduce their preferred approach in managing the employees and the organisation in China. This has highlighted a crucial issue for international companies to be aware of the cross-cultural implications in the conception, design and implementation of the various market entry strategies for the Chinese markets, especially when considering the Human Resources Management strategies since Corporate Strategy will in turn determine the Human Resource (HR) strategy to be deployed. China graduates about 1.5 million students from institutions of higher learning each year. This large pool of graduates are of varying quality and those with scientific and technical degrees are very much in demand thus there is a shortage of Skilled and graduate engineers in the Chinese market.  This has led to intense competition amongst firms trying to secure these persons employment loyalties. Potential employees, having more choice in the labour markets need to be assured of the value of working for the various firms and thus Compensation and Benefit models need to be well structured. As a Wholly Owned Foreign subsidiary in the Chinese market Our Aero Engine Assembly and Maintenance firm will encounter significant challenges as a Greenfield start up within the Chinese markets and our Human Resource Strategy will be key to competitive advantage. To achieve this objective of basing our Competitive advantage on our Human Resources, there is a need for us to answer the following questions: What are the key employment issues likely to be encountered in the Chinese market? Based on the identified employment issues, what key principles of HR strategy would we suggest? What strategy are we going to deploy to manage our key skills within the firm? What other HR related issues should be considered within the Chinese market? EMPLOYMENT ISSUES IN CHINA The principle statute that governs employment and labour issues in China is the 1994 Labour Law. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security occasionally promulgates rules and regulations that supplement the law. Apart from National legislation, foreign enterprises in China are subject to Labour regulations of the area in which they operate. In June 2007, China’s parliament passed a new labour contract law requiring employers to, among other things; provide written employment contracts to their workers. To be implemented on January 1 2008, the law will require employment contracts to stipulate minimum wage and safety regulations. They  must also be drawn up within a month of starting work. The new ruling will apply to both domestic and foreign firms, except for foreign representative offices in China. These new labour laws though good for the Chinese worker do not necessarily guarantee success for a Foreign Investment Entreprise (FIE) in China. There were roughly 460,000 approved foreign companies in China at the end of 2003 (Zhou, Lu and Jiang, 2005). Many of these 460,000 firms discovered that human resources management is different in China (Zhu and Dowling, Summer 2000). CENTRAL GOVERNMENT INFLUENCE Some reasons adduced for the difference in HRM practise in China are though the country has significantly embraced market led business practises, central planning still exists in certain areas i.e. a government run mandatory personnel file system, a single labour union for the whole country and restrictions on city migration (Dessler, 2006). CULTURAL ISSUES Secondly the issue of culture and cross cultural sensitivities are critical to success of an FIE in China. Many HR practices commonly used in western countries being introduced through the operation of foreign invested enterprise in China, do not take cognizance of the cultural and social backgrounds in China. These cultural norms include: Preserving â€Å"Face† in Public (Chen in 1995 refers to face as a combination of dignity, self respect and prestige, one’s social standing and position as perceived by others). Another norm is the concept of guanxi. This concept is defined as â€Å"relationships that imply a continued exchange of favours which need not be founded on friendship† (Chen, 1995). The concept of time for the western manager is sequential, in short supply and strictly limits the amount of time he can afford to give to others while Chinese culturally view time as synchronic, in abundant supply and subordinate to person relationships (Trompenaars, 1993, Chapter 9). The above norms as regards Chinese culture have been ascribed to â€Å"Confucian work dynamism† as studied by Bond and his colleagues (Brewster et al, 2007). The Confucian work dynamism basically shows that countries with high Confucian work dynamism are generally long term oriented with a focus on the future, thrift and persistence. There is evidence that these cultural issues are gradually being better managed in the workplace with the adoption of training and career development programmes, and a closer linkage between personnel strategy and business strategy. EXPATRIATE STAFF MANAGEMENT The issues associated with expatriate staffing include inadequate selection methods and the lack of attention to cultural adaptability of the expatriate staff and family. Research has shown that a number of FIEs in the Chinese markets send out expatriate managers without any prior cross cultural training. The other issues encountered include the management of repatriation after the overseas assignment with issues ranging from limited continuity in International assignments, and difficulties of adjusting to more specialized and less autonomous positions at home, lack of career prospects and under valuation of the International experience. Management succession in the case of sudden expatriate manager departure and balancing the local and expatriate staff at Chinese FIEs can also be a problem. Finding local managers with strong managerial skills in the areas such as  problem solving, decision making and management of human resources could also be difficult as more foreign multinationals seek local management after expanding into China (Gamble, 2000; Melvin and Sylvester, 1997). RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION The market for skilled and graduate engineers in the Chinese market is tight resulting in rapid wage increases and high turnover rates. Poaching of employees is a common thread. Nepotism and over hiring can be a problem where there is a heavy influence of _guanxi_ and arranging for the transfer of staff from one firm to another maybe difficult due to the influence of the state and the need for staff to gain approval from former work units. The poaching of an employee could lead to liability for economic loss payable to the former employers of the FIEs new recruit. EMPLOYEE RETENTION The retention of well trained local staff has been a big challenge for FIEs in China due to the tight labour supply against overwhelming demand. To address the situation of retention most foreign owned firms in China have taken advantage of the labour laws in setting Compensation and benefits that are very competitive and also providing the other career building services into labour contracts e.g. over attachments, thus making themselves more attractive than the competition. OUR HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY IN CHINA Our firm is an aero engine assembly and maintenance in Shanghai, China. This firm is a Wholly owned Foreign subsidiary or Foreign Investment Enterprise (FIE). This strategy of market entry is as a result of a need to keep complete control over the entire Aero Engine Assembly and Maintenance process by applying World class Business and Quality Management tools. The firm has entered into partnership with Key Chinese Aero Engine parts suppliers for certain parts. These partners are recognised world wide for the quality of their products and have been supplying other aero engine  firms globally. We have recognised as fundamental to our success in China the need to employ and integrate the highest quality of staff including Home Country Nationals, Home Country Expatriates and Foreign Expatriates. Home Country Nationals are Chinese nationals based in China and recruited in China, Home Country Expatriates are Chinese Nationals who we have recruited overseas and have worked in our company with the end goal being they would be a spearhead in our move into the Chinese market while Foreign Expatriates are Nationals of other countries using their skills in China to optimise business potentials and ensure quality. Our aim is to deploy an all engaging Human Resource Strategy and our strategy is to develop the firm as a Learning Organisation. RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Recruitment and Selection in our Chinese operations is going to be conducted on a localised basis with the local HR Managers being responsible for the Process of recruiting staff at the graduate level and middle management level for Home Country Nationals. The selections and recruitment of Expatriates either Home Country or Foreign would be conducted by the Head Office and the same applies for the Recruitment and Selection of senior management and executive Management staff. Where the senior or executive management staff is Chinese the local HR Managers would have an input into the process as they would have been involved in the process from the onset. Our recruitment process would differ according to the type of staff we are seeking to recruit. We would divide this process into three parts mainly Graduate Engineers and Skilled Technicians Middle Management Senior and Executive Management Expatriate Staff GRADUATE AND SKILLED TECHNICIANS The process for recruitment and selecting graduate engineers and skilled technicians would be carried out with a low cost model in mind. This is as a result of the expected high number of applications. In ensuring that we recruit the best Graduate Engineers, we would be seeking to develop relationships with Universities thereby targeting these engineers as they are leaving the Colleges and thus moulding them from the start to fit with our organisation style and culture. We would also use the mass media to reach out for applications mainly newspapers and the internet. We would deploy a web based filter system, so even though we have placed adverts in newspapers we still expect that all applications will be filled out online. The application forms would all be in Chinese but we expect any prospective applicant to be ready to learn English. Our selection process is going to be based on Testing and Interviews, we would not encourage the use of psychometric tests as we cannot assure of the validity in this environment (Chow, 2004) MIDDLE MANAGEMENT The recruiting of staff at this level would be carried out by placing adverts in newspapers, head hunting and poaching. The shortage of skilled labour in China has made employees highly mobile and thus headhunting and poaching are socially acceptable means of recruiting. Though poaching is allowed, an employer can be sued for economic damages by the former employer if the employee’s termination was not properly done. In other to ensure our indemnity any prospective employee that has been poached needs to provide evidence that his past employer has released him without any liabilities. Selection for Graduate Engineers, Skilled Technicians and Middle Management staff would be conducted via interviews. These interviews would be structured interview, job oriented questions with pre determined answers that tuned around the prospective job descriptions. These interviews will be conducted by a panel which ensures that an all round assessment is performed. SENIOR AND EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT The recruitment of this class of persons would be carried out with the assistance of an executive management recruitment agency though we expect to have difficulty in finding such agencies (Chang, 2004). We also plan to head hunt and seek the opinion of other businesses within the Chinese markets. The process of identifying, Interviewing and selection would involve the Head Office from start to contract signing. Interviews for these positions would be conducted at the head office, this is to ensure that key members of staff at the head office have the opportunity to evaluate the potential staff. EXPATRIATE STAFF The recruitment of expatriate staff would be the sole responsibility of the head office while the local HR Managers would be responsible for managing the expatriates when they are in country. The head office must ensure that the clear objectives are set for Expatriate staffs and that these persons have been selected to fit the job and the culture. The success of this class of staff will ultimately lead to organisational success as they would drive the process of instilling, Corporate culture and values, Quality Management targets and process and they would also facilitate Knowledge Transfer in the work place. It is intrinsic to success that these persons understand the values and fundamentals of local cultures as highlighted above in the section under employment issues. A thorough culture immersion programme and pre-departure visits may also be ideal. The local HR Managers must also develop programmes geared at ensuring  cultural and in country integration for expatriates both foreign and Home Country (because a national who has not lived in country for a number of years would most certainly need some form of integration back into the society). It would also be expedient for the home office HR Managers when recruiting married expatriate staff to consider the fit of the spouse to the new environment as poor spousal fit has been attributed to some expatriate failures. All offers made after selection must be written in clearly constructed contracts stating the Job description and responsibilities, remuneration, working conditions, conditions of termination and liabilities for breach of contract. Agreed clauses based on benefits structure include: terms of probation, training, confidentiality, holiday days and paid leave (www.hr.com). All labour contracts must be in Chinese and copies kept in both Chinese and English. The local HR managers must also ensure that personnel files have been received from the labour bureau before any prospective employee signs a labour contract. It has be noticed that this process could delay employment (China Staff, 2003) so it is expedient to start making the request immediately the employment process starts. RETENTION STRATEGY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Training in China is more focused on improving current performance deficiencies than on career development. The absence of career development plans plus a heavy emphasis on material incentives have contributed to the problems of high turnover and disloyalty observed in many enterprises, including foreign invested enterprise (Tomlinson, 1997). We consider training and development an integral part of our retention  strategy. As a study carried out showed that even in state owned enterprise â€Å"the level of ambition and commitment to learning and self improvement among the young employees was quite remarkable† (Lewis, 2003). The HR department intends to use ongoing training, well mapped out and articulated career development plans, and out placement services as a tool for employee loyalty and retention. All graduate engineers employed would have the opportunity to undergo a 24 month out placement in our UK based Aero Engine plant. This out placement is contingent on the employee returning to China after the outplacement period. The outplacement period also gives the employee the opportunity to attend several career developing programmes instituted between the firm and certain engineering universities in our own internal continuing education programmes. This use of outplacement is not limited to Graduate engineers alone as Middle Management and Senior Management staff would also undergo outplacement albeit to a much shorter duration and to meet certain function specific requirements. The use of in house sessions and on the job training would also be encouraged and all expatriates have a Performance related objective of ensuring Knowledge Transfer in the work place. COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND REWARDS The compensation strategy of the firm would be based on a combination of salaries and wages, Performance based remuneration for collective efforts and individual performance bonuses. The salaries and wages would be determined by level and grade within any specific levels these salaries and wages would be constantly reviewed to be competitive with what obtains in the Engineering Industry but these reviews would also be tied to organisational performance. Workgroups meeting certain set targets would be eligible to collective  bonuses and staff performing excellently in the Graduate and Middle management would be compensated via promotions and awards while senior management and executive management staff both Home Country Nationals and Expatriates would be eligible to promotions and individual performance bonuses as set out in their contracts of employment. We have to be careful in Compensation structure because of Chinas cultural and traditional values of collectivist approach to work but at the same time we need to reward those who are contributing to organisational performance. Benefits would be determined by the contractual agreements and the stated benefits for individual positions. To foster more employee loyalties we would tie certain benefits to length of stay with the firm e.g. Leave days increase the longer you are in our employ, our contribution to social security on behalf of employee increases above that required by government increases the longer you are with the firm but this would be tied to employee performance, and we will introduce end of year profit sharing formulas for all staff which we believe is key to fostering employee commitment and loyalty. STRATEGY FOR MANAGING KEY SKILLS In developing a strategy for managing our organisations key skills we would need a model that considers how the human resources function will manage the key skills of the firms employees and at the same time create value for the stakeholders of the organisation. The Balance Scorecard model of strategic management developed by Kaplan and Norton can be adapted for this purpose. Figure 1. overleaf shows a model Human Resources Strategy Map for an organisation it has been developed based on the concept of the Balance Scorecard and does well to link all the processes from which value is added. We hope to use a similar model in managing the Key skills of our employees and one very key thing about this model it recognises that culture is an essential ingredient in ensuring organisational success. Figure 1. Human Resources Strategy Map (Source: www.hr.civilservice.gov.uk) OTHER HUMAN RESOURCES ISSUES IN CHINA UNION AND LABOUR RELATIONS Threatened by the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the notably anti-union Wal-Mart recently agreed to let its Chinese workers unionize if they asked (MMR, 2004). The above statement shows that though the unions in China are normally passive, there is a growing movement in China and its beginning to make itself felt in the Business environment. The ACFTU is the only Union permitted to operate in China but this Union has about 906,000 affiliates, with 123 million members. About 40% of the two million private companies have trade unions, representing about 67% of private sector employees. Of the approximately 460,000 foreign companies in China, 20% have trade unions (Hewitt, Nov. 2004). The trade union law of China as amended stipulates amongst other things, that employees form Unions on a voluntary basis but those unions â€Å"should be established† in enterprises with more than 25 employees. The above law has been met with some confusion e.g. must firms with 25 or more employees have a union, or only if employees request one (Hewitt, Nov. 2004). This law also does not stipulate whether it’s the unions, employees or employers that are responsible for setting up this union. It has also been noticed that after years of non adversarial relationships between unions and managements, unions in China are growing more aggressive e.g. the ACFTU has also threatened to blacklist any firms refusing to allow  its workers unionize and has also been active in identifying multinationals as non compliant and ensuring wages are agreed and paid (Hewitt, Nov. 2004). UK AERO PARTS FABRICATION PLANT INTRODUCTION In the 1980’s there was a vigorous and academic debate about the nature of the American models of HRM and their relevance to UK situation. The US value system which is not truly reflected in the UK, and is certainly not reflected in continental Europe. There were a number of similarities in 1980’s between the UK and the US. Despite its cultural distance from many European countries, the nature of HRM in the UK is significantly different from the rest of Europe. As a member of European Union and a significant target for Foreign Direct Investment practisers in the UK are undergoing as much change as are those in continental Europe. As a wholly-owned large fabrication plant based in the Filton, United Kingdom, we would be producing core components (turbine blades) for a broad range of aero and related engines. In order to gain a competitive advantage over our competitors, it is very important for us to develop and encounter key human resource issues and strategies. After a long series of researches, United Kingdom was an easy choice as the ideal location to set up our plant due to the various reasons. Firstly, in the United Kingdom, the government laws relating to setting up a new plant are quite flexible, compared to most other countries in the European Union. Also, the infrastructure, as in, the technology, communication and transport systems are highly developed. Thus setting up a new plant would be easier and faster as compared to other under-developed countries. Secondly, the trade unions in the United Kingdom are not as strong as they are in a few other European Union countries (For example, Germany). So, it is easier to deal and negotiate with trade unions. Thirdly, there is easy availability of skilled labour. With the European Union working for close integration between countries, it is also easy to  acquire labour and staff from all over the European Union. Fourthly, language is not going to be a barrier in United Kingdom, as English is widely spoken all over the country. Cost of production is obviously, one of the most important issues when considering setting up a new unit. We believe that cost is going to be an issue in the United Kingdom, but the corporate strategy model we have implemented is a low cost model because we do not have a large requirement for skilled labour, expatriate staff and senior level executives. We would employ more fresh graduate engineers and managers. This is due to the fact that our assembly and maintenance plant is based in Shanghai, China, where we require more skilled labour and senior executives. As the level of education in the United Kingdom is extremely sound, it would be easier for us to employ fresh and talented graduate engineers and managers, thus reducing cost. We would now like to elaborate on the key employment issues in the UK and discuss the strategy we have adopted to combat the various human resource issues we would be facing. KEY EMPLOYMENT ISSUES IN THE U.K. The trends in the UK human resource management (HRM) are shaped by its cost-driven and competitiveness-enhancing nature. The development and implementation of HR policies is crucial to obtaining and retaining a high performing workforce. The policies need to reflect the strategic objectives of organizations together with recognizing the impact of wider demographic, sociological and technological trends and consider the medium and longer-term implications of these. The intro of new labour government since 1997 there has been signs of more protective values towards employees. However, it is the influence of EU membership that has become a greater source of initiatives aimed at employee welfare and involvement. This scene must be placed in context, with an ageing population and an uneven distribution of employment, to gain some understanding of the challenges facing HRM in the UK. The drive for leaner organizations has led to increased use of labour flexibility, downsizing and outsourcing, whilst rewards have become more performance related and benchmarking is seen as a tool for HRM  practitioners. Such trends have received strong government support. The workforce requirements need to be considered strategically and help deliver national priorities as set out in local delivery or business plans. It is essential that there is a clear ‘line of sight’ between HR practices and the delivery of high quality services. Of central importance is creating the ‘right’ culture and developing ‘customer’ focused values. This section outlines the thinking behind these goals and explains the various strategies that are helping to achieve them. KEY HRM ISSUES RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS: The Company ‘s greatest assets are the staff force hence the right recruitment and induction processes are vital in ensuring that the new employee becomes effective in the shortest time. The success of the Company depends on having the precise number of staff, with the precise skills and abilities. The best Human resource practice which can be adopted by and aero engine unit: Defining the job process of each individual skill required to ensure it meets our business desires. If a member of staff is leaving the company analysis over a short period of time if there is a real need to replace the role, if required will do it immediately or compensate within the current work force. Before recruiting company draws up a job description and the candidates are judged based on whether he/she will possess the key skills to meet key tasks. This process helps opportunities to outline the key tasks and responsibilities. The process of recruitment involves key steps: Advertising using the right medium to attract the right person. Using recruitment agency, describing them the job profile of the vacancy to  match the requirement with the apt candidate. Internet can serve as good tool for recruitment. Fresh talent recruitments (graduates). Campaigns, road shows, job fairs, etc†¦.. LEGISLATION Company’s responsibility to ensure current legislation is covered when applying any employment process and failure to do so could mean that the organization is breaking the law. The law prohibits for company to take into account a person’s gender, marriage, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin or disability in employment decisions. Taking these legislations into consideration, company adopts an important strategy when developing a job description and person specification that it must be undertaken thoroughly and objectively as the first step to ensure compliance with legislation Key areas, if legislation to be considered is: Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 & 1986 Race Relations Act 1976 Working Time Regulations 1998 HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK: The health and safety at work is majorly concerned in U.K. Each and every company needs to adopt the health and safety. The company which fails to will be fined a huge amount. At manufacturing unit it is regularly monitored and nearly recruited employed are briefed with health and safety. The employee who fails to follow the procedure will be dismissed from work  according to the health and safety regulation law. TRADE UNIONS A trade union is an organized group of employers or labours. Its main goal is to protect and advance the interests of its employee .A union often negotiates agreements with employers on pay and conditions. It may also provide legal and financial advice, sickness benefits and education facilities to its members. If a union is recognized by an employer, it can negotiate with the employer over terms and conditions known as ‘collective bargaining’. For it to work, unions and employers need to agree on how the arrangement is to operate. For example, they might make agreements providing for the deduction of union subscriptions from employers wages, which is to represent workers in negotiations and how often meetings will take place. Both these agreements on procedure and agreements between employers and unions changes the terms applying to workers are called ‘collective agreements’. EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND CONDITIONS: A contract of employment is an agreement between an employer and an employee. Type of Contracts: Fixed-term contract: Fixed-term workers have the same minimum rights as permanent workers. There are special regulations which protect fixed-term employees. The fixed-term employees are issued contract for certain period of time. Additional staff recruited for six months during a peak period A specialist employee taken on for the duration of a project. Someone employed to cover during another employee’s maternity leave/absence. The fixed-term employees have the right as the permanent staff: The same pay and conditions as permanent workers. The same or equivalent benefits package as permanent workers The right to be informed about permanent employment opportunities in the organization Part-time: Working part time can be a good way of balancing the work and personal commitments. Part-time, workers will be having the same right and be treated fairly in comparison to full-time colleagues. OUR HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY IN UK RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION: Recruitment is the process of generating a pool of candidates from which to select the appropriate person to fill a job vacancy. Vacancies may also be created when additional or new work has to be undertaken or significant changes occur in technology, procedures, or circumstances. Recruitment and selection are the processes by which organizations solicit, contact and engender interest in potential new appointees to vacant positions in the organization, and then in some way establish their suitability for appointment. The traditional or normal view regarding recruitment and selection is to assert that it is perhaps the most basic of personnel activities- if we get the wrong people in the organization, there will be problems. The problems that we might face are high labour turnover, absenteeism, disciplinary problem, disputes and low productivity. Therefore, having the right people in the organization is very crucial. A key feature of our recruitment and selection strategy would be to follow the traditional approach of interviews, application forms and references and at times, more sophisticated techniques like psychometric tests and assessment centres. Internal candidates may be sort by searching the records, asking managers or supervisors for recommendations, or internal advertisement on notice boards and in-house journals. Besides, we would also be selecting candidates with the help of recruitment agencies and consultancies, advertisements in newspapers, Internet recruitment will also play a major part in our recruitment strategy, for example, vacancy pages on our company website, providing vacancies on commercial job websites, websites of educational institutions, etc. We would also be recruiting fresh talented graduates directly from universities in UK. This is very important to us as we would require a large number of fresh graduates for our plant. Recruiting fresh graduates directly from un iversities would save us both time and money. GRADUATE ENGINEERS AND SKILLED TECHNICIANS: As mentioned above our main focus would be to recruit fresh graduates directly from universities in UK and Europe. As our plant in UK would only be a fabrication plant and does not involve assembly or maintenance, there would not be a very high requirement of skilled technicians. We would use recruitment agencies, advertisements, and references to recruit our skilled technicians from UK and Europe. MIDDLE MANAGEMENT There is a considerable requirement of middle managers for our concern and thus internet recruitment, word of mouth, application forms and interviews will be used for recruiting such managers. SENIOR AND EXECUTIVE MANAGERS The need for senior and executive managers in our UK fabrication plant is limited and so we would only be following the process of applications and one-on-one interviews to assess senior managers.

The best place to live in the world – Montenegro

There are many beautiful places in the world that offer people a nice and comfortable life, regardless of some minor problems that exist even in the most developed countries in the world. One of those places where life is pleasant is Montenegro. Actually, it is not one of the nice places, but it is the best place to live among all of those beautiful places. Montenegro was a republic of former Yugoslavia, and it recently became a part of a new state called Serbia and Montenegro. Although it is a small place with about six hundred thousands people living there, Montenegro has everything that a big place can offer for living. Its schools, hospitals, public transportation, and various institutions that are important for making life comfortable are all organized as in any other developed country. But what this place distinguishes from all other places in the world are the following characteristics: climate, seaside, nature, sustainable development, mountains, and many other important factors that determine the attractiveness of Montenegro. The climate is the most significant factor that makes the life in Montenegro unique. There are all of the four seasons throughout a year. Winter, spring, summer and autumn are all equally important seasons. The whiteness of snow and the fresh air of a winter day, the exhilarating feeling of spring and melting of the white cover in spring time, the constant sunshine in summer, and the calm yellow color of falling leaves in autumn are all factors that determine the physical and the mental health of people. For example, winter brings fresh air and various snow sports can be played at this time to improve the physical condition, while the colors of spring can affect our mood and determine ones mental state. Although it seems that one place having four seasons is a widespread appearance, it is not the case very often. Many places have only one season, and many of them have two seasons, usually summer and winter combined. Definitely, the splendor and benefits of all of the four seasons cannot be replaced by any other advantage that any place in the world can offer to its citizens. Furthermore, the beautiful Montenegro is set on the Adriatic coast. All its beaches have kept their natural beauty; there is no artificial sand as it is the case with many famous beaches all over the world. The beaches vary from very long to quite small. Some of the largest reach up to three kilometers. Some of the main advantages of the long beaches are that entrance on these beaches is always free, price of food and beverage is lower, and the offer of sport and entertainment programs is wider. On the other hand, the small beaches can offer more privacy. Business people who want to escape from everyday duties and responsibilities, and who want to spend their holiday in a peaceful environment usually visit these more expensive and serene beaches. In addition, Montenegro has some very small beaches that are very difficult to reach, or they can be reached only by boat. They offer an extra quiet holiday for only a couple of people who want to be in a complete isolation. Thus the advantage of Montenegrin seaside is that there are different kinds of beaches created to meet needs of different people. Moreover, there are many foreign investors who recognized the potential of Montenegrin cost for tourism, and whose investments should make the cost even more attractive. Since the core consequence of the investments would be increased population (because of newly build facilities), the conservation of the environment could be in question. In order to protect nature from the consequences of the new investments, the government of Montenegro issued some regulations that protect natural beauties of Montenegro. Therefore, one of the main conditions for the foreign investors who want to invest in development of the tourism was not to destroy nature, but to make it better and more attractive. The investors will have to find out new ways of maintaining water, air, beaches and parks clean and unpolluted while building new facilities and bringing tourists into Montenegro. These environmental regulations are very significant because they help sustainable development of this wonderful place. Beside fabulous seaside, Montenegro has two mountains. On one of them, there is a ski center that is visited not only by domestic visitors, but by foreign tourists as well. The domestic guests benefit a lot from having the ski center in Montenegro. First of all, they do not have to travel abroad in wintertime when the trip can be unpleasant because of wet and slick roads. Than, prices are much lower than anywhere abroad, which allows people to stay longer for the same amount of money than they would stay anywhere else. Also, because of the convenient climate in wintertime, the quality of snow is mostly excellent, which means that artificial snow is never used. That is very important for skiers (especially for professionals), because quality of snow directly affect quality of skiing. To sum up, Montenegro is definitely the best place to live in the world. Some of the convincing reasons have already been mentioned, but there are many of them that could be further discussed and used as the supporting material. This small place that offers everything needed for pleasant and comfortable life, say enough for itself. Whoever visits it or comes to live there is amazed by its gorgeousness, and wish to stay to live there. Therefore, I have not been trying to convince readers that Montenegro is the best place, but to convince them to visit it. Once they visit it, the people will have their own opinion that can be nothing else but that Montenegro is the best place on earth.

A Law Unto Themselves

A Law Unto Themselves A Law Unto Themselves A Law Unto Themselves By Maeve Maddox I heard someone on the radio refer to a particular group of people as being â€Å"a law into themselves.† The only version of this idiom that I’m familiar with is â€Å"a law unto themselves.† The expression derives from Romans 2:14. Numerous English translations of the Bible render the phrase as â€Å"a law unto themselves,† but some use a different preposition, like to or for. Here are three translations: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves.- King James Version (KJV) Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,  they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.- New International Version (NIV). For when Gentiles, who do not have the law,  by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.- English Standard Version (ESV) The passage refers to Gentiles who, although they lacked the law that had been given to the Jews, had their own laws that taught them how to live righteously. The preposition unto is a fossil. It once had several meanings, including some of the modern meanings of into, but, by the 18th century, its use had become obsolete in standard speech- except for the idiom â€Å"to be a law unto oneself.† Note: The word unto, meaning to, is sometimes heard in an elevated religious context, as in We cry unto the Lord. The modern use of â€Å"a law unto themselves† differs in meaning from the way it is used in the Bible passage. In the biblical context, the Gentiles are perceived as obeying a different law, but presumably their law applies to all of them. In modern usage, â€Å"to be a law unto oneself† suggests that the person or people so described ignore laws that apply to everyone else, doing as they please, as if they were above the law. Here are some examples from the Web: The NYPD may enforce the law, but they’re also a law unto themselves.- The Guardian. They [the khap panchaya] believe theyre supreme, a law unto themselves.- The Times of India.   The Soviet Politburo was a law unto itself.- The Washington Post The CIA: A Law Unto Itself- The Nation Nicole Kidman Law Unto Herself- New York Magazine Here are some non-idiomatic uses that use the preposition into instead of unto: French waiters are a law into themselves- TripAdvisor Hobby Lobby threatens to make religious believers a law into themselves.- UCLA law professor. Its a real policy dilemma because people begin to believe they can be the [sic] law into themselves.- Another law professor. Note: The quotations from the law professors appeared in newspaper articles; the fault of substituting into for unto may lie with the reporters or their editors. If a speaker does not wish to use archaic unto, the idiomatic choice of preposition is plain to: French waiters are a law to themselves. Hobby Lobby threatens to make religious believers a law to themselves Its a real policy dilemma because people begin to believe they can be a law to themselves Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 40 Synonyms for â€Å"Lie†50 Words with Alternative Spellings

Article review

Article review The article under consideration is written by Huston and Sakkab (2006). It dwells upon the application of a new model for innovation by one of the largest companies in the world Procter Gamble. The model is called connect and develop (CD).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Article review â€Å"Connect and Develop: Inside Procter Gambles New Model for Innovation† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The authors compare the new model with the model largely used in 1980s ‘research and develop’ (RD). The RD model is proved to be less effective in the contemporary business environment (Huston Sakkab, 2006). The authors comment upon the peculiarities of the new model and provide some advice for the implementation of the new CD model. Huston and Sakkab (2006) point out that Procter Gamble first used the new model in 2002. The first product to be developed was a â€Å"line of Pringles potato crisps† which was launched in 2004 (Huston Sakkab, 2006, p.58). The company decided to find the necessary solutions outsides the company. The experience was very successful. Therefore, A.G. Lafley, CEO, decided to change the RD model into more appropriate and effective model for innovation. The authors state that the use of the new model led to the increase of innovation success rate whereas costs of innovation fell. Apart from providing good examples of the effectiveness of the new model, the authors give some advice. For instance, they note that it is important to determine the area of innovations. The company should determine the categories of products to be developed. When the categories are determined, it is possible to find institutions and individuals to collaborate with. The authors provide an effective pattern to determine areas of innovation: researching top 10 consumers’ needs, defining adjacencies and technology game boards. The authors also comment upon possible networ ks to use. Procter Gamble use propriety networks (technology entrepreneurs and suppliers) or open networks specially designed for CD model (NineSigma, InnoCentive, YourEncore, Yet2.com).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Huston Sakkab (2006) also comment upon the most appropriate time to use this model. Finally, the authors emphasize the rapid change of business environment which requires the use of the new model for innovation. Key points The article under analysis provides a detailed description of the use of the new model for innovation, CD model. The authors share a valuable experience of one of the largest companies in the world. It goes without saying that such a detailed and exemplary illustration of the model’s effectiveness can be very helpful for many other companies. The authors justify the effectiveness of the new model for innovation. They state that there are far too many resources outside companies, so it is but natural that companies can use those resources. However, they point out that it is impossible to create new products using the new model only as it can lead to failure. This is a very valuable tip for companies which are trying to adapt in the modern business environment. More so, Huston Sakkab (2006) stress that ideas taken from outside have been still analyzed by researchers in the labs of Procter Gamble. The authors provide particular examples when ideas were taken outside, but they were checked and developed by researchers of Procter Gamble. It is important to note that the authors comment upon each stage of the process of creating new products. Huston Sakkab (2006) outline helpful strategies of developing new products. For instance, many companies fail to implement the new model as they fail to choose the right ideas and develop new products. The authors note that it is essential to choose products which will meet top ten consumers’ needs and will ‘support’ existing products. The authors also name precise networks used by Procter Gamble. Of course, the same networks can be used by many other people interested in suggesting or acquiring various ideas. Finally, the authors highlight certain threats.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Article review â€Å"Connect and Develop: Inside Procter Gambles New Model for Innovation† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The authors point out that it is crucial not to overestimate external sources or underestimate internal resources as ideas found outside usually need further development. Basically, the authors draw a successful pattern of the use of CD model illustrating all their arguments with particular examples. Follow-on research The new model for innovation has been discussed for at least two decades by researchers. Huston Sakkab (2006) focus on th e experience of Procter Gamble whereas Huizingh (2010) and Li Kozhikode (2009) deal with some other examples concentrating on more theoretical points. Thus, Huizingh (2010) dwells upon the essence of the notion. The author provides an analysis of the major peculiarities of the model. Interestingly, Huizingh (2010) states that there will be no such a term ‘open innovation’ (or Connect Develop model) soon as the model will be used by all companies. In other words, it will become a norm. Nonetheless, the author also stresses that although many companies used the model effectively, the further study is necessary as there are many essential phenomena to be identified. Huizingh (2010) points out that profound quantitative and qualitative research should be implemented. Li and Kozhikode (2009) also note that further study is necessary. The authors also mention several successful examples of the model implementation, but they stress that companies should be prepared to face certain threats as the strategies used by multinationals cannot be always used by smaller companies. It is important to note that Li and Kozhikode (2009) concentrate on Asian companies (and individuals) which are regarded as the main sources of outside ideas for Western companies. The researchers suggest that smaller companies should work out their own strategies using the successful experience of other companies (both multinationals and smaller companies). Li and Kzhikode (2009) focus on the implementation of the new model by multinational companies and smaller enterprises. The researchers point out threats which can both multinationals and smaller companies face. It is necessary to point out that both articles provide several successful examples of the use of the open innovation model.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Applications The article under consideration provides new insights into the process of new products development. The article depicts a successful model of new products creation. This model can be useful for many companies. The detailed analysis of the CD model provided can help companies develop their own strategies. More so, companies or even individuals can make use of the mentioned networks. Huston Sakkab (2006) also depict certain threats. For instance, the authors point out that companies should not underestimate internal resources. This is a very important observation which can be helpful for many companies. Admittedly, lots of companies fail to launch new products as they misuse successful strategies used by others. The authors comment upon every stage of the new products development using the CD model (providing helpful tips). Following that pattern companies will be able to work out their own successful strategies. The article under consideration can help companies to adap t and succeed in the contemporary rapidly changing business environment. Reference List Huizingh, E.K.R.E. (2010). Open innovation: State of the Art and Future Perspectives. Technovation, 31(1), 2-9. Huston, L. Sakkab, N. (2006) Connect and Develop: Inside Procter Gambles New Model for Innovation. Harvard Business Review, 84(3), 58-66. Li, J., Kozhikode, R.K. (2009). Developing New Innovation Models: Shifts in the Innovation Landscapes in Emerging Economies and Implications for Global RD Management. Journal of International Management, 15(3), 328-339.

Belonging represented in Peter

Belonging represented in Peter Essay As illustrated in Peter Jerkinesss Immigrant Chronicle poetry, having a strong sense of self-knowledge understanding and a deep connection to ones own culture, beliefs and values develops a feeling of belonging to and knowing ones self, and in turn, a strong sense of belonging to humanity. Feline Crooknecks, SST Patriots College and 10 Mary Street all support this thesis and position the reader to consider the concepts of belonging from the perspective of someone who feels alienated, excluded and alone. The poem Feline Crooknecks tells us of Pewters father, his life, and his clear sense of belonging. It explores the concepts of familial, cultural and self-belonging, and reveals the regretful feelings of Peter, in relation to his alienation, his familys migration and the filial bond with his father. The clear and possibly most significant message of the poem is that belonging comes from within, and requires an accepting and peaceful attitude. These concepts are expressed through the use of poetic devices and language techniques, which show the differences between the attitudes of father and son. The admiration Peter has for his father is evident in the first line -My gentle father. The use of the word gentle introduces Feline as a kind, peaceful man, and the possessive pronoun my can suggest a sense of ownership or the yearning to be associated with Feline. The fathers independence and emotional self- efficiency is evident in the first stanza Kept pace only with the Joneses of his own minds making. The reference to The Joneses is important to consider, as it not only refers to mainstream society, but Australian mainstream society. It shows that Feline is at peace with himself and has retained his own cultural beliefs, despite being pressured to assimilate and adopt a new way of life, and in result, has a strong sense of belonging. The repeated reference to Feline garden shows his compassion, connection with nature and dedication, and also his willingness to work hard. It signifies something that belongs to him, in a foreign and unfamiliar world. Throughout the poem, ideals of language are discussed. This shows language as a factor of belonging, and that it can be seen as a potential barrier that prevents the development of belonging. The language indifference between father, son and the community illustrates this barrier, and presents cultural identity as a concept of inclusion and belonging. As the distance between Peter and his Polish heritage grows, Feline accepts that his son, growing up in Australia, cannot adopt the same sense of cultural belonging that he has. While Feline is at peace and accepts the unavoidable, Peter has a completely different attitude. He feels a strong sense of regret and affliction towards his past, and feels that if only he had embraced his Polish culture, he would have belonged in his family. However, this is not the case. Peter felt isolated because he failed to form a strong connection with his inner self, not because he adopted the Australian way of life. As Peter has not developed a strong sense of self-belonging, he does not feel at peace, and does not realism that the cultural indifference and eventual complete disconnection between father and son was inevitable. Peter Crooknecks expresses feelings of regret throughout the poem, which can reveal he does not truly understand the concept of belonging. His fathers beliefs and circumstances provide a contrast to Pewters perspective and suggest that the poets reflection of his childhood and adolescence is not relative t the concepts of truly belonging that acceptance and self-sufficiency lead to a strop sense of belonging to ones self, and therefore, to humanity. Peter realizes that to truly belong somewhere or with someone, you must firstly establish a strong sense self. In addition, Pewters regret indicates a yearning to belong to his family and ultra. READ: The poem Brothers explores the relationship between two brothers EssayThis disconnection is evident in the third stanza, as we learn of Pewters detachment from his fathers Polish heritage, illustrated in the line l never got use to and with the use of an ellipsis to suggest uncertainty, doubt and deep thought. Appears that Peter Crooknecks has become more familiarized with feelings of isolation and alienation, than feelings of completion and belonging. This shows that without sense of belonging to ones self, belonging to humanity is impossible. SST Patriots College discusses Jerkinesss feelings of isolation at school. It provide a reflective account enabled by hindsight and his experience. It reveals his feelings that erupted from migration, alienation and not developing a sense of belonging u much later in life. The overall theme of the poem is Pewters failure to assimilate despite the years he spent at school and that, ironically, it was not until after shoo that Peter feels he truly learnt anything. This theme is established through the use techniques such as repetition, symbolism, and imagery, which help to create and maintain a sarcastic, mocking tone. The first line of the first stanza For eight year would indicate routine and familiarity. However, this idea is contradicted in lines seven of stanza three, where Peter describes himself as a foreign tourist, which would indicate feelings of being lost in a strange, unfamiliar place. The word tour could also represent Pewters feelings of isolation in the way that a tourist is an observer and is on the outside, looking in. The poets attitude towards his school uniform a well-known indication of belonging to a group shows his disrespect of the school. This is emphasized by his mockery of the Latin motto embroidered onto his shirt he sticks pine needles into the stitching and remarks that he thought it was a brand of soap. The motto Lucent Lug Vestry actually translates to let your light shine, which is again referred to in the last line, proving its significance. Pete careless attitude towards the motto shows his lack of understanding, because he h contempt for the school. The motto is emblematic of the hypocrisy prevalent at the institution: it claims to be inclusive, protective, embracing, when, for Crooknecks, it brings fear. He has not explored the concepts of self-knowledge and self-belonging sense of cultural belonging that h, unavoidable, Peter has a complete regret and affliction towards his p Polish culture, he would hove bell Peter felt isolated because he tail not because he adopted the Status strong sense of self-belonging. En the cultural indifference and even son was inevitable Peter Screener poem, which can reveal he does n fathers beliefs and circumstances suggest that the poets reflection the concepts tot truly belonging t sense of belonging to ones self, al truly belong somewhere or With SST self In addition, Pewters regret mind culture. This disconnection is avid detachment from his fathers Polio to and with the use of an ellipsis appears that Peter Crooknecks has and alienation. Han telling tot co sense tot belonging to ones self, b SST Patriots College discusses Sir a reflective account enabled by hill that erupted from migration, alien much later in life. The overall there despite the years he spent at such that Peter feels he truly learnt any techniques such as repetition. Sync maintain a sarcastic. Cocking tom would indicate routine and family seven of stanza three, where Pet would indicate feelings of being LLC could also represent Pewters feeling observer and is on the outside, lot monitor a Nell-known Indication the school. This IS emphasized by his shirt he sticks pine needles as a brand of soap. The motto l light shine, which is again referrer careless attitude towards the mot contempt for the school. The motto Institution: t claims to be Inclusive brings fear. READ: Poetic Devices Used To Convey EssayHe has not explored TTL so therefore does not value what the motto is jugs means embracing your own identity, and as Peter s poem, without embracing your own identity, you ca with alienating circumstances that can prevail at e did not belong to himself, SST Patriots College was n the line For eight years emphasizes the words to the effect of suggesting that even after eight years, Peter still felt isolated at school. The eight years Pee like a prison sentence. A statue of the Virgin Mary Meant to act as a welcoming figure at the entrance makes Peter feel afraid and anxious. The line UNC indicates that even after almost a decade, the stats figure of fear for the poet. The last four lines show yearning for approval. The recurrence of his mot seen as Peter blaming his mother for his poor expel dominantly represented in the poem by showing idea that belonging cannot be achieved without e Peter tells the reader how his mothers desire to co expectations has led to his feelings of unhappiness The poem 10 Mary Street focuses on describing t ensue of belonging it provides. It presents different through representations of people, relationships, p stanza, a key represents a sense of comfort, owner sense of continuous routine. The key symbolizes the leads to ownership of the home, which leads to owe belonging. The poems constant references to the support this idea. As the house will soon be pulled feelings of contentment and security will be lost. T to a key towards the end of the poem suggests a did disconnection, discomfort and disruption, as after will be useless, and therefore powerless. A familial nourishment is created using poetic devices. The is hyperbolic Bursting at the seams imply that Pete much love and care. The cultural heritage of the FAA with reference to cultural and social aspects such cigarettes. The lines heated discussions and embed passion and strong sense of belonging to their cult house The house stands in its china-blue coat of a strong, stoic and, perhaps even, noble house. Characteristics can also position the reader to view receptive the family has a strong connection with part of the family. The use of parentheses in the the been gazettes for industry) could be considered indicate extra and unimportant information, but the airily significant, and outlines a major event in the lives of the family. An important message of this poem is that the family will once more feel as though they do not belong, continuing the constant struggle faced by a family forced to dismiss what leads to self-belonging, and living in a country where they feel as though they do not truly belong. These families, like Peter Jerkinesss, are often met with the challenge of fighting exclusion, and remaining true to their culture and to themselves which, in essence, is the key to belonging. Peter Jerkinesss poems Feline Crooknecks, SST Patriots College and 10 Mary Street envoy a strong sense of belonging by exploring the concepts of not only feeling accepted and allied, but also displaced and insecure.

Auditing Committee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Auditing Committee - Essay Example Audit Committees Introduction An audit committee can be defined as a committee that generally comprise of non-executive directors and is responsible for liaising between the board of directors and the external auditors (Parker, 1992). The responsibilities of audit committee encompass matters related to audits, financial reporting and internal control (Spira, 1998). Because of the importance of audit committees, major stock exchanges across the world such as US, UK, Canada, India, France, Australia, Honk Kong, Japan and Germany have given significant importance as a part of their listing requirements. Audit committees started from the US and percolated to other countries of the world. Audit committee of an organization is expected to perform the following activities: Make recommendations in the area of external auditor to the Board of Directors. These include selecting the external auditor, deciding the audit fees, renew/terminate the contract with the external auditor, decide the sco pe of work done by external auditor and other liaising activities between the external auditor and BoD. ... r major contributions that an audit committee can make to the corporate governance of an organization are (Cobb, 1993): Reduction of board liability Establishing a link between the external auditor and the board Reduction of illegal activity and Proper representation of the financial statements Besides these, audit committees also reduce the agency cost of an organization. This is achieved by reduction in the information asymmetries between executive and non-executive directors (Eichenseher and Shields, 1985; Pincus et al., 1989). Audit committees also lead to reduction in the legal liability of the directors. Audit committees also help the process of corporate governance by: enabling BoD to meet their responsibility; improving auditor independence (Bradbury, 1990); and strengthening the role of non-executive directors (Porter and Gendall, 1998). Audit committees ensure that the external audit has performed its job well. At the same time they are also responsible for ensuring the rel iability of the internal audit processes. This aspect of the audit committee will strengthen the overall audit process and positively impact the corporate governance of the organization. Audit committees also lead to generation of wealth for shareholders. This is based on the premise that non-executive directors are more likely to act in the interest of the shareholders (Rosentein and Wyatt, 1990). Limitations of audit committees Although audit committees play a very pivotal role in managing the corporate governance of an organization, there are certain areas which do not fall under the preview of the committee. An audit committee is not responsible to plan and conduct audits. At the same time, an audit committee is not responsible to determine if the company’s financial statements are

In what ways have your previous educational experiences prepared you Essay

In what ways have your previous educational experiences prepared you to be a college scholar - Essay Example As a result, my grades have fallen and due to the low GPA, I could not pursue college education. Later, after I earned a job in a bank and got married, I saw that people around me are continuing their education irrespective of the other commitments in their lives. This has made me fully realize the value of education and further motivated me to pursue college studies so that I can get a better job and thus improve the quality of my life. During my school years, especially when I was studying in high school, I have not given much priority to my studies. I did not fully realize that lower grades at this stage will hamper the chances of my going to college. Thus, I failed to pay the required attention to my academics and rather focused on other activities. After high school, when some of my friends who have taken their studies seriously received college admission and began pursuing higher studies, I realized my mistake. Even then, I did not feel like pursuing my studies and instead I started looking for a job thinking that this will compensate my lack of education. However, none of the jobs I got was good enough to motivate me to stay on and I kept switching between workplaces until I finally got a job in a bank. It is here I understood that people can pursue their studies even after getting a job and being settled in life. I saw my colleagues as well as seniors doing higher studies part time and this motivated me to c ontinue my education. I joined an evening class, being determined that this time I will take my studies seriously and work hard for higher education. The best part of failure is that it enables people to realize where they have gone wrong and help them make appropriate amends. During my school years I have never attempted to understand any subject thoroughly but just read my textbooks to gain pass marks. Now I know that this will not help me gain in depth knowledge in any subject and I will

Perception of nuclear power associated risks and communication Dissertation

Perception of nuclear power associated risks and communication stratergy - Dissertation Example The current research focuses on public perceptions of nuclear power both within the UK and abroad, namely the pattern of their formation and evolution over time, considering ways of approach to the general public, which would allow of better acceptance of this energy source; with the overall aim to suggest starting points for further discussion about how the public perceptions of nuclear power could be improved, which would eventually result in adequate communication strategy being produced. The research meets its objectives through an extensive study of relevant literature, including newspaper articles, books and book chapters, online publications, study reports and case studies, governmental reports and regulatory organisations’ reviews, which contain various statistical data, including such as views on nuclear power electricity generation and development of new nuclear plants; information on nuclear accidents occurrence and impact, global energy demand and supply, alternati ve energy sources (fossil fuel and renewables) in regard to climate change and their economic accessibility and competitiveness, etc. The research also includes a case study based on a survey, which was being conducted within a 100-strong sample of respondents in the UK via Survey Monkey on the Internet. Finally, the research has produced a number of key findings and drawn certain conclusions and recommendations. Acknowledgements I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my Dissertation Supervisor, Dr Sara Thorne (nee Gentle), for her valuable advice, constructive criticism and direction, without which, completing this research wouldn’t be possible. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 3 Table of Contents 4 List of Acronyms 5 List of Figures 7 Introduction 9 Background 9 The problem 10 The research in outline 12 Literature Review 14 Introductory notes 14 Nuclear power plant operation and related issues 15 Energy statistics 17 Public opinion polls & statistics c oncerning nuclear power 18 Nuclear power associated risks, accidents and current level of safety 19 Public perceptions of nuclear power 20 Costs Competitiveness 21 The anti-nuclear point of view 21 Other 21 Research Methodology 24 Research focus 24 Research aims and objectives 24 Research questions 25 Research method 27 Research limitations 28 Energy vs Energy 29 Introductory notes 29 Nuclear power overview 30 Primary energy demand and supply, and electricity generation 31 Economics of different forms of electricity generation 36 Environmental Impact and Health Effects 40 Safety and Security Issues 43 Joe Public and Nuclear Power – a Rather uneasy Relationship 47 Introductory notes 47 The nuclear power debate – standpoints and leading actors 48 The role of the mass media 50 Politics’ Involvement 51 The Experts’ View 52 Case Study: Perception of Nuclear Power – Variations and Motives 53 Let’s Get Real 58 The Current Approach: What is Wrong? 5 8 Could Refined Communication Make a Difference? 60 Nuclear Power is Safe - Does it Work? 64 From Theory to Practice 66 Summary and Conclusions 68 Summary 68 Conclusion and Recommendations 70 Appendices 71 Questionnaire design 71 References 73

The paper is about the minimum wage Why should the minimum wage be Essay

The paper is about the minimum wage Why should the minimum wage be increased - Essay Example The wave of technological advancements and climate of modernity has given money a different value piling pressure on people to find ways of achieving financial solace and offering labour to industries and has been one of the many actions that people have indulged in especially in UK. People get into the workforce with expectations of earning some money that can support and sustain them. Although minimum wage rates were initially meant for teenagers who offered simple services for low payments, the poor wages have progressed up to today. In 2011, approximately four million American workers sweated for less than seven dollars an hour (Risher, 2013:7). This shocking statistics has brought up several arguments about whether the governments should consider raising the compensation a little bit higher so that citizens working in the ‘employed’ sectors can take home some wages that are worth their toils. Thesis Statement: Increasing minimum wage will bring many benefits not onl y to workers but also to the whole economy. Marx (2007:21) describes minimum wage as the lowest compensation that a labourer gets from their employer on hourly, daily or weekly basis for their informal services that they offer. Wages are compensations paid to unskilled labourers for the manual labour that they offer to their employers. For example, a nanny who baby sits a child when the parents are away can be paid daily once they are done with their jobs. The amount paid may be calculated based on the number of hours that they took with the baby and offered their services. In most states ad nations, there clearly stipulated guidelines that safeguards the lowest compensations that a worker can get. For example in the UK, anyone who is above 21 years is supposed to be paid a minimum wage of  £6.5 (As of 2014 official rates). Other countries also have their limited wages that the employers cannot go below. In a nutshell,

Anomaly Detection Methodologies Research Proposal

Anomaly Detection Methodologies - Research Proposal Example Besides, current practices and procedures aimed at identifying such patients are slow, expensive and unsuitable for incorporating new analytical mechanisms. Buckeridge (2007) argues that Current algorithms used for achieving this risk stratification are dependent on the labelling of the patient data as positive or negative. This classification implies that determining trends and subsets that are rare in a given population requires an analysis of large data sets and the identification of positive aspects up to a threshold level. This process, as explained above, is not just slow or expensive, but puts additional burden on patients and hospital administrators, thereby affecting the validity and effectiveness of such practices. The proposed study aims to use appropriate anomaly detection methods that are known to be suitable for detecting interesting or unusual patterns in a given data set. Bohmer (2009) says that new frameworks allow anomaly detection to be applied towards determining anomalous patterns in subsets of attributes associated with a data set. In simpler words, anomaly detection methods identify unusual occurrences with the data that appear to deviate from the normal behaviour exhibited by a majority of the data set. Examples of such anomalies include an epidemic outbreak, traffic congestion in a certain section of roads or an attack on a network (Applegate, 2009). The proposed research aims to extend the standard approach to anomaly detection by devising techniques to identify partial patterns that exhibit anomalous behaviour with the remainder of the data set. Such techniques are believed to aid in the detection and assessment of unusual outcomes or decisions related to patient management in healthcare institutions. Anomaly Detection Several studies by researchers like Nurcan (2009) and Anderson (2007) have applied anomaly detection techniques to healthcare. In fact, anomaly detection has proved useful in areas under clinical behaviour and medical t echnology such as blood samples, vestibular information, mammograms and electroencephalographic signals (Brandt, 2007). However, the same principles have found little application in enhancing the quality of patient care or identifying existing deficiencies in the assistance extended to patients. The proposed study aims to improve and extend anomaly detection techniques to such relatively unexplored domains. While previous studies have relied primarily on detecting existing conditions such as diseases, the proposed research will apply similar methods to ascertain the level of risk that accompanies a potential outcome being analyzed. Thus, the measurement of this risk as a result of uncovering anomalies is likely to help in forecasting the vulnerability of patients to certain diseases or deficiencies. The study proposed to utilize several anomaly detection methods by applying them to existing clinical data on patients. In doing so, the number of outcomes and patients being analyzed wi ll be much larger and wider than those adopted by previous studies. Some of the detection methods that will be included as part of the proposed study are listed below: Nearest Neighbour method As the name suggests, the nearest neighbour method helps detect patients (anomalies) from a given population based on information pertaining to their ‘n’ nearest neighbours. This method is based on the principle of vectors that are used to sum the distances between a point and it ‘n’ closes neighbours. As a result, dense and sparse regions are identified based on the total score which is lesser in the former case

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more Essay

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more sociable or is it creating an introverted generation - Essay Example Thus social media usage is creating an introverted generation that consists of people who often strive to shrink into themselves and stop taking part in constant social media interactions. The very first reason why people become introverts by constant using of social media is because it is always easier to communicate when nobody watches you. In fact this means that it is certain anonymity and opportunity to dissimulate feelings and personal features during communication, what makes people feel freely while communicating through social media services more than in real life situations. A famous psychologist Phillip Zimbardo defined anonymity as a crucial factor that triggers human feeling of freedom from social responsibility, which often leads to negative consequences (255). Furthermore, social media allows people to create some false personalities and identify themselves with persons different from who they really are. Thus it turns out that people start alienating from themselves and later this may cause certain communicational disability, social anxiety, and even asceticism. For most people exposure of the personalities that they use as masks in social media commun ication would become a social catastrophe; thus, for instance, Facebook privacy breaches have without a doubt become a nightmare for its users. The fear of losing social media privacy has led to appearance of cyber bullying, which is a huge problem nowadays. Social media bullies play on people’s dependency on social media images, so they often manipulate people by creating breaches in their social networking profiles’ security. Also, cyber bullying contributes to development of introspective tendencies of modern social media generation. Researches on the topic of cyber bullying revealed that cyber bullying not only makes people (more often adolescents)

Anomaly Detection Methodologies Research Proposal

Anomaly Detection Methodologies - Research Proposal Example Besides, current practices and procedures aimed at identifying such patients are slow, expensive and unsuitable for incorporating new analytical mechanisms. Buckeridge (2007) argues that Current algorithms used for achieving this risk stratification are dependent on the labelling of the patient data as positive or negative. This classification implies that determining trends and subsets that are rare in a given population requires an analysis of large data sets and the identification of positive aspects up to a threshold level. This process, as explained above, is not just slow or expensive, but puts additional burden on patients and hospital administrators, thereby affecting the validity and effectiveness of such practices. The proposed study aims to use appropriate anomaly detection methods that are known to be suitable for detecting interesting or unusual patterns in a given data set. Bohmer (2009) says that new frameworks allow anomaly detection to be applied towards determining anomalous patterns in subsets of attributes associated with a data set. In simpler words, anomaly detection methods identify unusual occurrences with the data that appear to deviate from the normal behaviour exhibited by a majority of the data set. Examples of such anomalies include an epidemic outbreak, traffic congestion in a certain section of roads or an attack on a network (Applegate, 2009). The proposed research aims to extend the standard approach to anomaly detection by devising techniques to identify partial patterns that exhibit anomalous behaviour with the remainder of the data set. Such techniques are believed to aid in the detection and assessment of unusual outcomes or decisions related to patient management in healthcare institutions. Anomaly Detection Several studies by researchers like Nurcan (2009) and Anderson (2007) have applied anomaly detection techniques to healthcare. In fact, anomaly detection has proved useful in areas under clinical behaviour and medical t echnology such as blood samples, vestibular information, mammograms and electroencephalographic signals (Brandt, 2007). However, the same principles have found little application in enhancing the quality of patient care or identifying existing deficiencies in the assistance extended to patients. The proposed study aims to improve and extend anomaly detection techniques to such relatively unexplored domains. While previous studies have relied primarily on detecting existing conditions such as diseases, the proposed research will apply similar methods to ascertain the level of risk that accompanies a potential outcome being analyzed. Thus, the measurement of this risk as a result of uncovering anomalies is likely to help in forecasting the vulnerability of patients to certain diseases or deficiencies. The study proposed to utilize several anomaly detection methods by applying them to existing clinical data on patients. In doing so, the number of outcomes and patients being analyzed wi ll be much larger and wider than those adopted by previous studies. Some of the detection methods that will be included as part of the proposed study are listed below: Nearest Neighbour method As the name suggests, the nearest neighbour method helps detect patients (anomalies) from a given population based on information pertaining to their ‘n’ nearest neighbours. This method is based on the principle of vectors that are used to sum the distances between a point and it ‘n’ closes neighbours. As a result, dense and sparse regions are identified based on the total score which is lesser in the former case