Research: Buying behaviour and culture

Research: Buying behaviour and culture Data Analysis The following chapter aims to provide the reader with the results generated form the questionnaire distributed manually. The analysis and discussion is focused on evaluating the primary data in the line with objectives of the proposed study which is about Buying behaviour and culture. Respondent to Questionnaire: There are total of 80 Questionnaire was given to people belong to Pakistani community and only 33 Questionnaires are returned which is 41 % of total and taken for further research. Overall there are 59 % Questionnaires was not respondent and could not include for analysis. Feels Happy in Cultural Clothes: The below chart shows that females and males of almost all the category of ages considerably have strong point of view that it give them feelings of happiness when they wear their cultural clothes because it create a difference and also it gives them feeling of belonging to the traditional cultural as well. Cultural Clothes as Identity: The below Graph is showing that females of age 26-35 and also females of age 18-25 are significant believes that cultural clothes are their identity and the Males of middle age 36-49 and above 50 believes that cultural clothes are their identity. Here the difference between the Females and Males age difference shows that Female of Young age are more concern about their cultural identity as compared to Males because they mostly do not bother about clothing as cultural identity. Peer Group and Reference Group influencing: The below graph shows that females of age group 18-25 and age 26-35 consider the compliments of the family and friends for the destining and also males of age 18-25 and 26-35 believes that opinion of the family and friends are important follow for choice clothing. It shows tat Overall males and females of Pakistani community is influenced by the reference groups compliments and opinions. According to the studies about the Pakistani community it was observed that they have strong influences of peer group specially the family and parents who always give them guidance and opinion about their behaviour and culture. Cultural Influences for shopping of Clothes: The below Graph is about the point of view when Pakistani community looking for shopping .When people are going for clothes shopping they consider the cultural they belong as this graph shows that females of the community between age group of 18-25, 26-35 and 36-49 consider that culture influences the shopping for clothing but males have not shows the large impact of cultural for their shopping. According to studies carried for Pakistani community also discussed that people have strong feeling and believes about the culture and also feel happy when they do something depending on their culture. Western and Eastern Clothes Likeness between Old and New Generations: The below graph shows that New generation Strong believed that western clothes are good to wear and they like it. It show that Female and male of age between 18-25 and 26-35 are significantly agreed that they likes the western clothes and it is important for Marketers to know that this segment have strong view point about likeness of Western clothes. The blow graph shows that Old Generation likes the Eastern Clothes. If we look at graph it clearly shows that Females and Males of middle age 36-49 are more interested towards the eastern clothes and hey have strong believe that eastern clothes are good to wear. If we look at old and new generations Likeness about eastern and western clothes we can analysis that new generation likes more western clothes and they follow the western clothing trend as compared to old generation which is still following the eastern cultural clothes and fashion. It show that old generation have more impact of the cultural believes and values on them as compared to new generation. Religious Gathering and Traditional Clothes: The below graph show that females of all age consider that traditional clothing is important for religious gathering and they prefer to dress up according to the gathering requirements on this preference of traditional clothing males have not show he significant impact of gathering and traditional clothes which shows that females are more concerned about the traditional clothing as compared to males for the religious gathering. According to the Studies shows that Pakistani Community have strong religious, traditional, beliefs, Rituals which reflects in their buying behaviour which seen in research carried out as secondary research. If Western Brands Offer Eastern Clothes: The below graph shows that Pakistani community will feel happy if they can find eastern clothes in western brand shops like Asda and next etc. Females and males of young to middle age are strongly believed that it would be pleasure to shop when they can buy eastern clothes in western brands shopping. It is important to know about this segment point of view about this and Asda is already considering this eastern clothing for this segment and they are working good and people also showed their interest in this research (secondary research about Asda). If Eastern Shops Start selling Western Clothes: The below graph showing that people are somehow interested to buy western clothes if eastern shops start selling. But their point of view about this in both gender males and females are not significant considerably so it is telling about that they feel more happy to busy western clothes from western brand shops rather than eastern. It is important for marketers to know about this to start any new product for this community. Quality is more important than Price: The below Graph shows that Pakistani community have strong believe that quality is more important than price. Females and males both consider this that quality is more important and also this graph shows that young and middle age people are always considering quality as important factor to buy clothes. It shows that old age people are still not that much aware about the quality product they still try to consider the price and it is also social class factor that people look for the low price even if the quality is not good and it was seen in secondary research as well. According to secondary research about the Pakistani community also shown that people are brand lover yet they are still conscious about price as well because of exchange rate but as far as young generation they are not that much price conscious they are brand lover and take brand as status symbol it can be the reason that they are born here. Research Ethics: Research ethics is the appropriateness of how the researcher behaves in relation to the rights of the respondents who become the subject of the researchers work, or are affected by it (saunder et all 2003), Throughout the whole research there will need to be a consideration of the ethical issues. Ethnical responsibilities like honestly and with integrated work have been taken care. Fraud has been avoided to bring new finding by the research. Data analysis has been done on in right direction by using excel sheet. Conclusion: According to the secondary research and the result of primary research which is done by questionnaire shows that Pakistani community Have strong believes, values and ritual consideration when they are buying Clothes. They consider their culture as important factor and have strong influence towards shopping for dresses. Growth Prospects And Outcomes: Due to increase in Pakistani population and their economic status as leading high earning community with huge expenditure capacity, marketer should study more cultural and consumer buying Behavior of this community in UK market, by forming Pakistani consumer market segment, targeting and Positioning Pakistani consumer in UK to make business more profitable, expandable and providing better customer services. Currently there are few branded shops target perfectly the Pakistani consumer, but still to marketers need to understand the Pakistani consumer and explore their cultural influences to make this segment important. Further Research Due to limited resource of manpower and time, Research can be further carried out on larger scale, more geographically, aged group and big target consumer. Further researched is needed on Pakistani consumer buying Behaviour, understanding cultural and social characteristics and its implication. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens | Analysis Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens | Analysis Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Given the reputation and gravity of Oliver Twist, it is sometimes difficult to recall that this was only Dickens’ second novel, written and serialised in 1838. Moreover, it was a risky project because Dickens had won massive popular acclaim on the basis of his preceding novel, The Pickwick Papers (1836), which could not have been more different in its comic recording of the adventures of the ‘Pickwick Club’. Nevertheless, Dickens’ novel of the pauper child’s struggles in the wickedness of London’s thieves’ kitchens was to become one of his most enduring, popular successes, adapted for stage and screen multiple times since its inception and as popular today as when it was first published. When Dickens began Oliver Twist, he was a young man with a mission: to expose the evils of society’s treatment of such children as Oliver represents and expose the invidiousness of the contentious Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. From his birth in the workhouse, where he is ‘badged and ticketed’, Oliver is the essence of all that Dickens believes to be wrong with Victorian Society. Indeed, the author believed that by making his readers care about one such boy, he could make them care about many. Though it may be ‘a mistake to think of Oliver Twist as a realistic story’ it nevertheless contains enduring truths and such descriptions as ‘the paupers funeral in Chapter Five [were] also historically accurate’. The novel concerns the story of a child, born out of wedlock in the workhouse of ‘a certain town’. By refusing to name the town, Dickens is not only dismissive of all such places as not worth the ‘trouble’ of mentioning but also imposing a comprehensively applicable generic, as he is on the emblematic child himself. After a series of early struggles, set pieces, such as Oliver’s asking for ‘more’, having become so powerfully entrenched in the public consciousness as to make them almost clichà ©d,   Oliver becomes so desperate that he walks to London and is immediately sucked into the world of thieves and vagabonds which so powerfully populate the novel. A palpable concern with these characters, such as Fagin and Sikes, is that they are, in common with many of Dickens’ villains, more charismatic than the benevolent and certainly, one of the reasons readers continue to be drawn to the story is the evil genius that is Fagin, persis tently referred to as ‘the Jew’. This is in itself problematic in contemporary society, as the inherent anti-Semitism which attaches to Dickens’ descriptions of him are difficult for the modern reader to dispassionately assimilate. Yet, ‘in his rendering of Fagins gang and their surroundings, Dickens intended a realism that he felt was lacking in the popular crime fiction of the time, the so called ‘Newgate Novels’. Oliver finds some solace in the company of the urchin robbers, such as Dodger, nurtured by Fagin and in this the reader perceives a connection with Dickens’ own early struggles alone in London. When the intricacies of the plot deliver Oliver back and forth between what we later learn is his ‘natural’ environment, that of the upper-class Brownlow et al, a certain energy is removed from the novel until, via Nancy and Bill’s violent relationship and her betrayal of him to save the child, the appalling vitality of the story reappears. This complex relationship is in fact possibly one of the more contemporaneously resonant within the novel. Indeed, it is said that Dickens, when acting out the scene of Sikes murder of Nancy, frequently came close to physical collapse since this, combined with the insidious malevolence of Fagin that urged Sikes to it, is one of the more terrifying yet gripping moments in the book. Its potent appeal, indeed, may cause the reader to question his own moral sensibility in finding such wickedness such a compelling draw. It is, indeed, interesting to note that when David Lean filmed the novel so brilliantly in 1948, possibly due to censorship, he cut away from the violence to focus on Sikes’ dog desperately trying to escape. Nancy remains one of the finer and more subtle creations in a novel teeming with emblematic caricatures, her pain at betraying Bill fully revealed in her ‘confession’ to the character of whom she is in many ways the inverse, Rose, who cannot understand her compulsion to return to Sikes any more than Nancy can herself: ‘I dont know what it is, answered the girl; I only know that it is so, and not with me alone, but with hundreds of others as bad and wretched as myself. I must go back. Whether it is God’s wrath for the wrong I have done, I do not know; but I am drawn back to him through every suffering and ill usage; and I should be, I believe, if I knew that I was to die by his hand at last.’ Nancy is describing the purest of loves and by rendering a prostitute capable of such delicacy and depth of feeling Dickens was yet again giving a voice to those that had none. Both in his fiction and in his life, indeed, Dickens spoke out time and time again for those whom society, for one reason or another, ‘cast out’. In the final analysis, Dickens’ achievement in Oliver Twist is fundamental to its continuing appeal. It has, within its pages, the evocation of both the era in which it was set and the possibility of the perpetuation of evil which continues to dwell within mankind. Historically, one cannot imagine the possibility of a realisation of social iniquity which is beyond or above that realised in Oliver’s story and in this, the child does indeed, as Dickens intended, represent the small voice of the innocent against   the power and invidiousness of an uncaring mass. As an enduring emblem of the many, this one, lonely child, Oliver Twist, became, both contemporaneously and for future generations, a symbol of both the deep despair and profound hope he definitively embodies. Bibliography: Peter Ackroyd, Dickens, (Sinclair Stevenson, London, 1990). Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999). John Forster, The Life of Charles Dickens in Two Volumes, (J.M. Dent Sons, London, 1966). Ruth Glancy, Student Companion to Charles Dickens, (Greenwood Press, Westport CT, 1999). F. Hopkinson Smith, In Dickenss London, (Charles Scribers Sons, New York, 1916). John Manning, Dickens on Education, (University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1959). Steven Marcus, Dickens, from Pickwick to Dombey, (Basic Books, New York, 1965). John R. Reed, Dickens and Thackeray: Punishment and Forgiveness, (Ohio University Press, Athens, OH, 1995). Paul Schlicke, Dickens and Popular Entertainment, (Unwin Hyman, London, 1988). Types of Neighbourhoods: Exam Revision Types of Neighbourhoods: Exam Revision Malachi-Chaim Robinson Jason Rhodes Essay Exam 1 Part 1- Short Answer: Jacobs to contend there are only three types of neighborhoods: (1) the street neighborhood, (2) districts of 100,000 people or more, and (3) the city as a whole. This ideas definitely reflect in the idea of city planning. It is noteworthy to note that Jacobs considers these to be the ideal take on what a neighborhood to have in order to not be dependent on economics and that these three types of neighborhoods enable people to come together in unity and harmony and that is when the neighborhood is most successful. And also she believes that the continuity these neighborhood bring definelty help foster the social interactions among the people to have a healthy and safe environment. These three types are also related as they describe that the planning of a city needs to take place from the street level perspective and the goal needs to support and promote the vitality of city streets. And the biggest thing of how these are related is that the city is organized in a complex fashion. Thus , everything is interrelated and everything is related to everything. So any attempts to simplify anything hurts the people of the city and planning. Kevin Lynch was able to introduce urban designers to a new idea about the urbanism of a city. He focused on how the people in the city used and perceived the physical environment and not the traditional way by the use of learning about the city through maps. Lynch was able to gather his research after a five year long examination of the most important elements of the city perceived by the residents in that area and his goal reflected his vision of identifying the most important features to the people in that area. His core concept was the idea of â€Å"legibility† which is how easy the paths of the cityscape can be organized into a recognizable pattern. He conducted his research in three cities and identified the five key elements that make up the perceived elements of the city: path, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. The path consists of the channels along which the observer moves. This includes streets, paths, routes and this the single most important mechanism in the idea of promoting urban legibility because this is how people experience the city. And the idea that people are using paths constructed in their mental capacity demonstrates the idea of the promotion of legibility as they are able to recognize the paths of the cityscape. Landmarks are point references which are similar to nodes. Contrasting nodes, landmarks are external features to the individuals and where they enter during their travels. They are often physical structures and is extensive. Landmarks help promote the idea of urban legibility as they are used by people to help better understand and navigate the environment that was built. In â€Å"Building American Cityscapes,† Edward Muller argues that the American urban landscape reflects â€Å"a unifying consensus founded on a capitalistic economy and liberal social philosophy† (304). Basically, in lament terms, Muller is arguing that the characteristics of the American system ideals is written into the landscape and is shaped differently from other cities and countries. An example of this in the text is when he argues that ideally, the transformation of the American system has been transformed and impacted by the change from the original urban settlements in North America that reflected the derivative transplants of European societies (304). The furtherization from the idea of the founding roots built the nationwide enterprise of the current state and premise of which Muller argues of the capitalistic economy. The liberal social philosophy stresses the freedom and rights of the individual marked by the government protecting these fundamental rights. An example of this is in the text is when Muller said: â€Å"Substantial infusionsofdiverse immigrant groups have testedthissocial vision,butageneral adherenceto theliberal philosophyin agrowingeconomy diminished rigid class stratification, effected a sharing of the power and wealth with upwardly mobile generations, and produced a dynamic yet untidy social geography (304). Thus, changes and marks have impacted the environment and changed the way in how the environment is looked and perceived as the current American urban landscape according to Muller. And due to the new center of the economics at the center of the American landscape, these changes have been reflected the consequences by the geographical nature. Part 2- Essay Answer to Question 1: More and more people have been moving to the suburbia since the 1950’s and it has become the place to live. But, also to geographers it has become and study and a huge cultural discussion. Geographers have researched and tried to create a set of definitions or a criteria that defines a suburbia. In fact, contrary to popular belief while researching and trying to determine the suburb is from different approaches and cultural angles, it has been found that the concept and idea of the suburbia is a hotly discussed and popular issue among geographers. So many definitions are proposed for the suburbia, but geographers do agree on the fact there are few people who even understand the idea and concept in this world as to what a suburbia truly is. So what exactly is a suburbia? The urban settings are inside of the main city and urban areas have high population densities and lots of businesses that are centralized in that area in order for people and there is some stress on interpersonal relationships because of overcrowding. On the contrast, rural settings are completely different and are far from the city and the density of the population in the rural settings is low. Few businesses can cater to the people. The suburbia is the level between the rural and urban areas. It consists of neighborhoods that surrounds the city but not located in the centralized location of where people go or congregate to. The suburbia exists really on the outer edge districts and is characterized by housing area, some shopping avenues, and some schools. In James Howard Kunstler’s TED talk, he basically is able to dictate that public places should be inspired by the centers of civil life and the idea of common good. Also, he argues that he believes that there are locations or places in America that should not be worth caring about. Kunstler is a sense relates to the ideas and concepts proposed by Jane Jacobs. Jane Jacobs was an urbanist pioneer that examined how planners plan the city and the various concerns that arise when planning the city. She even researches as to what factors directly lead to the success of neighborhoods, sidewalks, and such. She has even contributed this success because of the rising demand for diversity. In Kunstler’s view we see his fear of the trust in the suburbia because no one cares to know each other and develop social interactions. People keep to themselves and there is a sense of a lack of trust in the eyes of the community among neighbors. This critique reflected the idea of Jacobs in s ense. Both agree that lack of trust and fear is evident among urbanism and both agree that if this problem is captured it can be definitely changed and impacted. Kunstler believes that if you get to know the people and environment around you, this can definitely have an impact on how the fear can be resolved in a sense. Jacobs, on the other hand argues for the development of surveillance. Even though the two have different solutions, both can agree on the concept that neighborhoods become successful when the problem is identified and fixed in the best way possible. Another concept that be realized is that both Jacobs and Kunstler agree on the fact that a change in the planning of the city needs to be in order to bring continuity in order to have social interactions in order to foster a healthy and safe environment, which Kunstler argues. In James Howard Kunstler’s TED talk, he basically is able to dictate that public places should be inspired by the centers of civil life and the idea of common good. Also, he argues that he believes that there are locations or places in America that should not be worth caring about. Kunstler is a sense relates to the ideas and concepts proposed by Kevin Lynch. Lynch was an urban farmer that was able to research and dissect on the perceptions and the navigation of the environment by the people in relation to city planning. He is able to examine how the external factors of the environment affects the people along with space and time. Lynch says that specific and definite elements such as the path, district, landmark, edge, and node exists in the complexity in every structure. Kunstler’s ideas as a stretched part on my end also reveals a want for the city to be transformed into an imageable landscape which is similar to Lynch. In fact, both can agree on the fact that the ci ty can be transformed into different view by considering the environment. If this is done, both also agree the people in that community can perceive the place with different perceptions and meanings. Thus, change can impact the people living in that area. Both Kunstler and Lynch both definitely share the idea that there needs to be a change in the development and planning of the city. Both Lynch and Kunstler stems from different backgrounds and different approaches ideally, but both argue on the same premise that the environment needs to be altered in order to impact the people around it. In a sense, the landscape of the environment are being shaped and reshaped by the social interactions and perceptions of what it should be in that particular area. It seems as if both Lynch and Kunstler seems to grasp the concept of the urban life and environmental images. In conclusion, Kunstler ideas seems to relate back to the pioneers of the great field of urbanism in this subject. There is a definite parallel of Kunstler’s work to Jane Jacobs and Kevin Lynch. Kunstler is definitely able to cover the history and development of the planning of specific cities and suburbs. He is able to critically examine how land have been used and misused, rather than for the collective group effort. Kunstler definitely blames the fall of suburbia due to the automobile industry and the destruction on the idea of what a community is in the idea of an urban sprawl. Kunstler definitely has some good points to show how history has shaped the ideas of neighborhoods. The fact alone is that Kunstler is a controversial figure. Reflection: Human Resources and CSR Reflection: Human Resources and CSR This essay would cover three major aspects of human resource management in my previous employment. HRM in my organization HRM and CSR HRM policies during recession Human resource management can be described as an approach to management that consider people as its key resources. For every organization their employees are the key resource for success. Without co-operation or commitment from employees, organizations cant achieve heights. In a broader sense HRM is defined as the part of management process that specializes in the management of people in work organizations.HRM emphasizes that employees are critical in achieving sustainable competitive advantage, that human resource specialists help organizational controllers to meet both efficiency and equity objectives'(The human resource management:Theory and Practice pg11) HRM in my organization In my limited experience I have seen a range of HRM activities by HRM professional in my organization.HR managers are considered as single point of contact for employees for all the HR related issues.HRM holds a significant role in managing employees in an organization. Behaviour theorists suggests that behaviour and performance of the human resource is a function of at least four variables: ability, motivation, role perception and situational contingencies.(McShane,1995). Strategic management of people has been considered as a primary goal for HRM. Strategies has been formulated at the organizational level by the senior management and then it has been distributed to the Business level and then to Functional level.HR managers has to leverage the organizational strategy to the line managers.HR managers has to motivate employees to achieve the common goal or the organizational strategy. HRM activities includes a range of activities from recruitment, training, appraisal and rewards.HR managers are linked to an employee from the time he joins the organization to the time he leaves the organization. An HR manager has to keep record of all the employees working in the particular organization. In my experience HR team conducts recruitment based on the requirement from each business unit to carry out a project.HR team first analyze the available internal work force and then if not found enough resources, then conduct recruitments. Appropriate candidates are shortlisted and then interviewed.HR manager role also includes planning induction training for the new joiners, creating training plan from the employees, making a buffer pool to manage surplus employees in the organization and also to take care of employee separation processes. In my personal view my previous employer Tech Mahindra limited follows Guest model of HRM. According to Guest model of HRM core set of HRM practices can achieve superior individual and organizational performance. The central hypothesis of HRM is that if an integrated set of HRM practices are applied in a coherent fashion with a view to achieving normative goals of high commitment, high quality and task flexibility then superior individual performance will result.(Braton, Gold : Human Resource Management:Theory and Practice pg21).In Techmahindra HR practices are performed in such a way that employees are given proper training and are rewarded properly so that their commitment to the organization will increase. They are made aware of the organizational strategy and the organizational goals. By doing like that each employee will work towards achieving that common goal. We also had a forum call JOSH which represents fun and entertainment of employees in the organization. JOSH club will o rganize events throughout the year so that employees can participate in those events and can relax from the work load. This will create a good work environment for the employees. I consider this as a good HR strategy to give employee a warm feeling in the organization. Picture adapted from Lecture2 hand out. I can clearly say that in my previous employment the HRM cycle was similar to the HRM Cycle developed by Fomburn(1984).Once the employee is selected to the organization then he will be evaluated yearly based on his performance. Manager will assign goals to employee that needs to be achieved during the financial year. At the end of financial year appraisal discussion will take place between employee and manager and will review how far the employee achieved his/her goals. Based on that if required manager will ask the employee to attend training programmes or if the employee performs exceptionally then he/she will be nominated for a reward and will receive a hike in his/her pay. HRM and CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate conscience, corporate citizenship or corporate social performance, is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model.(Source: Wood, D. (1991)). CSR focused business promotes public interest by encouraging community growth and development and eliminating practices that harm public sphere regardless of legality. All major multinational firms have CSR policy associated with their organizational policy. All organization has a responsibility to the society. Many organizations follow different procedures for CSR.CSR based business promotes public interest by encouraging community growth and development. Organizations focus on growth of the community and society by implementing several welfare schemes.CSR is also considered as a welfare policy that each multinational firms or organization dedicate to the society. In my previous employment we had several schemes included in the CSR policy. In my organization it was considered as an initiative which is voluntarily undertaken by every employee to improve quality of life in the society.CSR reflects organizations brand and value by addressing societies most complex problems and try to bring a sustainable solution(source:TechMahindra website). HR policies are tailored in such a way that organizational and project goals are not affected by employee participation in CSR activities. Several issues that a society faces include lack of proper education in villages, lack of computer in some schools etc. So these issues are taken as part of CSR and each organization with the help of their employees tries to find out a solution. In my previous employment we have taken care of an orphanage. We have supplied them with all the necessary food, provided education and invited them for all the celebrations that we conducted in our office. All employees who are actively involved in the CSR spend valuable time with them when they visited our office. Similarly we have also conducted tree plantation and also implemented Go Green policy in office premises. We have taken up a rural village and provided education for women and children. Employees can actively participate in these programs during their free time and on weekends. We have Techmahindra foundation to help and support Education in rural areas, women empowerment and to support the needy. HR policies are made in such a way that employees can provide support to the foundation by giving donations or being a volunteer of the foundation to help and support the CSR activities. HR Policies during recession Every organization has a change in their organizational strategy during the economic recession time. Senior management has asked HR professionals to come up with a new HR strategy to deal with the financial crisis. The primary objective of senior management was to reduce cost and maintain financial stability in the organization. Due to financial crisis many organizations had to shut down their operations, many employees lost their job and those organizations that survived the crisis are due to proper organizational and HR strategies. Creative human resource management is necessary during the recession period. HRM function has to develop new ideas to bring change to HRM process. These changes bring change in the procedure in which an organization works. The main idea behind brining in new procedures is to reduce cost of the organization. Usually recession period is not considered as a good time to bring HRM Innovations. For most organizations during recession their policies and practices should be base lined on cost cutting In my previous employment, during recession period HR professional came up with a strategic plan to find out number of employees that are currently working on projects and employees that are not allocated to any projects. As cost cutting was one of the main objectives HR professionals implemented job rotation scheme so that employees that are working on a project is given an opportunity to work on another project where the organization was actually looking for an external resource. When they found that by job rotation the requirement of external candidate is not required as the internal employee was able to manage the new challenge. Another HR policy was to identify real key employees in the organization. This was done to ensure that key employees dont leave the organization during the recession time. They were made intact to the organization.HR professionals has also implemented some policies to find out employees that are not performing up to the expectation. Those employees were put in a job pool and have given opportunity to develop their skills and apply for new roles outside the organization. Most organizations were following lay-off scheme during the recession time as an easy way of cost cutting. In my organization we valued commitment of employees to the organization. So instead of relieving employees they were given a nominal amount as salary and a space to develop their skills. If an employee shows his/her skills then he/she will be taken back into project with the normal pay. During recession period HR officials were forced to revisit the training plans and make suitable arrangements so that trainings will not incur heavy cost for the organization. CONCLUSION I could clearly state that in my previous employment the HR strategy was intact with the organisational strategy, where the strategy was driven by HR. Resource based view of strategy was given more importance.HRM policies and practices should be tailored by considering employees as their key resources.

Organic Food

Jessica Perez Professor A. Madsen English VO1 A 6 November, 2012 Is Organic Food Worth the Extra Cost? With technology reigning, it’s no wonder that in today’s world, food is being processed more quickly and efficiently to feed millions of mouths a day; however, there are also a handful of people who decide not to eat processed foods which is why in recent years, organic foods have begun to rise in popularity. Most people purchase organic foods because they believe it is healthier for them and that it pledges to be 100% pesticide and chemical free.Unlike non-organic foods, organic foods are also better for the environment. Despite these advantages, only a few people are able to afford the purchase of organic foods since the cost is twice that of non-organic foods. While organic foods have a reputation for being better than non-organic foods, consumers have many misconceptions about the term organic. As a result, many consumers have no clue that the underlying facts behi nd organic foods which may not be worth the extra cost.What consumers need to understand first is the meaning of the term organic and how foods qualify as organic. Jennifer Rose, staff writer and new media manager of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), explains that organic foods are simply processed and distributed using natural agricultural methods. These natural methods include without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and any type of form to genetically modify the foods (Chen 13). In order for organic foods to qualify as organic, they have to pass through US standards.The USDA, which stands for the United States Department of Agriculture, is an accredited agency that assures the products are organic so they fulfill the qualifications of the National Organic Program (Chen16). The qualifications include that the ingredients that are added to organic foods music be at least 95% organically produced. If they are 70% organically produced then they ha ve to say â€Å"made with organic ingredients. † Anything below 70% cannot be sealed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture 21); however there are many problems whether or not these products are really organic. One of the common isconceptions is that most consumers believe that by purchasing organic foods, they are supporting small farm owners but that is not the case. Michael J. Potter, founder of Eden Foods, is one of the last remaining men left in the organic industry, meaning that his company is one of the last remaining independent industries along with a few others that are not affiliated with the big businesses (Strom). Some of the biggest organic industries for example, Bear Naked, Wholesome & Hearty, and Kashi are owned by the big corporations which include Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kraft, and many others (Strom).What is worse is that these corporations have complete control of these organic industries and many consumers are unaware of the ultimate powe r these corporations obtain. For example, Potter attended a meeting in Albuquerque to decide along with the big corporations of both organic and non-organic to decide upon which ingredients from the farm, should be allowed to be included in organic foods since some ingredients did not look fresh. Carrageen, a seaweed-derived thickener with a somewhat controversial health (Strom), was one of the main ingredients to be decided whether it should be on organic foods or not.Potter voted it down, but since most of the people in the meeting were from big corporations, they decided that Carrageen should be added to organic foods thus winning (Strom). Not only does this prove that the organic industry is corrupted but as well as demonstrating that they have no interest in keeping the integrity and value of organic foods since these companies decide to associate with the big corporations. In addition, the increase in the number of corporate board members has caused for more non organic ingred ients to be added to organic foods which will then be processed and sealed by the certified USDA (Strom).Corruption indeed lies within the organic industry; therefore, the best thing to do if consumers want to continue to purchase organic foods is to buy either from farmers markets or from Eden, Cliff Bar & Company, Amy’s Kitchen, Lundberg, Family Farms and other independent organic companies whom still remain true to organic (Strom). Another common misconception of organic foods is that most consumers believe that organic foods are better and healthier to consume. Even if they have to pay double the price for it, they will continue to purchase it as long as the foods are labeled as certified organic.But is it really worth the price? According to a recent study of this year by a research team in Stanford University, they have concluded that there is no strong evidence that proves organic foods are healthier or carry fewer health risks than non-organic foods (Brandt). This stu dy immediately brought the attention of many consumers who purchase organic foods and many refused to believe that this study is true although other studies even before Stanford have also concluded that there is no difference; however, Smith-Spangler, another member of Stanford’s research team, noted some differences between organic and non-organics.He noted that, â€Å" We did not find strong evidence that organic foods are consistently more nutritious than conventional foods, [but]the exception was for levels of phosphorus, which were higher in organically grown produce organically grown food† but â€Å"those differences are not likely to be of any health significance†(Mestel).Other minor differences were that organic eggs and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids but Smith explains as well that, â€Å"the data are scant and quite variable† (Mestel) There is only a little amount present of nutrients in organic foods than conventional fo ods so why do consumers continue to purchase organic foods despite all the studies that have been shown? Most conventional foods like eggs have a higher of being contaminated with bacteria like the most common one salmonella.Salmonella can be contaminated when animals are being confined into very tight places and therefore the bacteria can be spread faster (Kluger). This is the reason why consumers want to avoid conventional foods; however, that does not mean that organic foods can’t be contaminated. According to studies in Holland, Denmark, and Austria a bacterium called Campylobacter was found in all organic chickens and a third of conventional flocks despite being vaccinated against it while 72 percent of organic chickens were infected with parasites.With all these infections occurring, both organic and non-organic chickens can come in contact and spread the infection if processed in the same production line (Johnston 26). Consumers should not be assuming that the risk of organic foods getting contaminated is low. Both conventional and organic foods have the same risks of getting infected with some type of infection. Organic foods causing less damage to the environment is another misconception that consumers buy into. For example, Starbucks decided that the milk they usually use to make their famous drinks with will no longer be sing milk that contains RbGH, which is a hormone given to cows so they produce more milk. Instead they will be purchasing milk that contains no RbGH which comes from milked cows. Subsequently, milking cows’ causes 80% of more land to be cultivated with fossil fuel burning factors, 20% capacity of global warming risks, and a 70% contribution to acid rain; in addition, cows that are milked tend to burp a great amount of methane which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (Avner, Johnston 24).So farmers will be milking thousands of cows for the thousands of consumers who purchase Starbucks. Not to mention thousands of more that buy organic milk in stores. For the most part, milking cows is not only inefficient to feed thousands of organic consumers, but can lead to drastic repercussions that add up to more damage for Mother Earth; however, Earthbound, which is a similar to the Whole Foods business, comments that, â€Å"its farming techniques annually obviate the use of more than quarter of a million pounds of toxic chemical pesticides and almost 8. million pounds of synthetic fertilizers† (Shapin). Still, the farming techniques used by most organic farmers and industries is less efficient since they do not utilize the latest technology and they have to rely on man-made resources such as fuel and land to get the job done(Avner). Plus, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Natural History of Four Meals, quotes a scientist at Cornell University that, â€Å"growing, processing, and shipping one calorie’s worth of arugula[plant] to the East Coast costs fi fty-seven calories of fossil fuel†(Shapin).Recalling that more land means more burning fossil fuel tractors so in the end, organic farming will redo the damage rather than taking the steps to reduce environmental damage by using organic methods. In regards to whether organic foods contain pesticides, many consumers easily believe that they are pesticide free. Organic trading groups such as The Soil Association claim and spread this misconception so unfortunately, consumers do not know that some infections can actually occur.According to Stanley Feldman, a medical professor and the author of several textbooks including Scientific Foundations of Anesthesia, mentions that most infections are caused by natural bacteria which can come from organic fertilizers (37). In order to kill the bacteria, organic farmer apply a pesticide of copper to kill the fungal diseases; however the pesticide copper remains in the soil for a long time filled with toxins (Johnston 25). Feldman then adds to this that â€Å"If a fungicide is not used and the ergot fungus infects cereal crops, then the unsuspecting organic consumer may end up with gangrene of fingers and toes (37).This clearly shows that organic foods can harm consumers because of the use of organic fertilizers. Furthermore, advocates of organic believe as well that natural occurring substances such as sulphur and copper based compounds are less harmful than the use of chemical based pesticides (Feldman 39). On the contrary, these natural compounds can be just as poisonous as chemical based pesticides. Paracelsus, a German-Swiss doctor and chemist that lived from 1483-1551, reasons that, â€Å"nothing is without poison; it is the dose alone that makes it so† (Feldman 39).Even though pesticides in conventional foods has caused more birth defects and illnesses, this only applies when consumed in high a dose which is exactly what Paracelsus pointed out. Studies have shown that the small traces of pesticides lefto ver in conventional food have not shown to multiply with the body thus failing to demonstrate as a cause of a medical condition. Besides, pesticide levels are kept in level that will assure no harm for consumers and the small accumulations of pesticides that build in the body have not shown to cause any severe poison for consumers (Feldman 39).On the contrary, the use of pesticides has played a role in the past 50 years, increasing the life span of a human for up to 7 years (Ellison 71). Pesticides may not be added to organic foods as much as conventional foods, but it and can still cause some harm to consumers. Despite all studies done for organic foods, consumers will continue to believe that organic foods are healthy, grown locally, environmentally friendly, and free of pesticides.Although these studies are not meant for consumers to stop purchasing organic foods, it is necessary for them to become more aware of the underlying facts instead of having mere misconceptions of the tr uth. The battle to determine whether organic foods are better than convention foods will continue until more evidence is presented. Until then, consumers that support organic will continue to purchase that. So next time consumers, who have obtained knowledge of organic foods, come in contact with an organic produce vs. a non-organic, the choice will be all up to them to decide if it really is worth the extra expense.Work Cited Avner, Jackie. â€Å"Organic Food for Thought Reasons You Should Buy Regular Goods: [Final Edition]. † Http://search. proquest. com. vlibdb. vcccd. edu/. ProQuest LLC, 29 July 2007. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. Brandt, Michelle. â€Å"Little Evidence of Health Benefits from Organic Foods, Stanford Study Finds. † Http://med. stanford. edu. N. p. , 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. Chen, Katherine J. â€Å"Organic Food: An Overview. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 13-18. Print. Ellison, Andrew. â€Å"Organic Food Is Not Worth The Extra Expense. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D.Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 69-72. Print. Feldman, Stanley. â€Å"Organic Fertilizers Pose More Health Risks than Pesticides. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 35-43. Print. Johnston, Rob. â€Å"Consumers Should Not Support Organic Foods. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 23-28. Print. Kluger, Jeffrey. â€Å"Health Checkup: Who Needs Organic Food? † Time. Time, 18 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. Mestel, Rosie. â€Å"Organic Food — Better for You or Not? A Study Takes a Look. † Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 Sept. 2012.Web. 01 Nov. 2012. Shapin, Steven. â€Å"Organic Food and Farming Has Drawbacks. † The Local Food Movement. Amy Francis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from â€Å"Paradise Sold: What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic? † The New Yorker 82 (15 May 2006). Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Strom, Stephanie. â€Å"Has ‘Organic' Been Oversized? † The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 July 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. United States Department of Agriculture. â€Å"National Standards for Organic Food. † Is Organic Food Better? By Ronald D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. 19-22. Print.

Illustrate Typical Phases of a Project Lifecycle Essay

Here is an example diagram of a project life cycle. The project starts with the initiation, this is where you need to define what your project is so you have a clear specification of what you want to achieve at the end. The next stage is planning, when planning it is important to make a clear and simple action plan. With this it will be easier for you to not only follow the plan, but also to check back at you plan and see what you still need to do. Financial plans are also vital to achieve your goals, Clear budgets and forecasts should be made to allow you to be ready for your costs. A action plan would also be useful so you are ready in case any unforeseen costs should arise The next stage is project execution. This stage is obvious, you build your project and implement it. The final stage is project closure, this is where you evaluate the project and review what you could change, after a while of testing your project you can write a comprehensive review of what you need to change and fix with your project. It is also important to communicate throughout the project. If you are working as part of a large team communication is essential to achieving your goals. Poor leadership and lack of direction is main reason why a project can fail, this is linked with planning in that if the team members don’t know whats going on they can’t work. Key reasons why a project can fail: The first reason is poor planning. Big projects can be very complicated, if your team are not sure what they are supposed to be doing there will be sections missing, there may even be people working on the exact same thing. Also, as shown by the second example bellow, not accounting for all factors when planning can result in failure. Financial planning is also essential for a leader to correctly budget the project and allocate each section a suitable spending limit. Without a good financial budget that allows for unexpected costs and problems, the risks are significantly raised since you may not be able to cover your costs and thus run out of cash. Lack of communication can also result in failure, one good example of this was NASA loosing their mars rover, were one team was working in metric, and the other was working in imperial units. If you don’t release your product in time, it is possible that it will be out of date by the time that it is released. This is extremely important in the technology business, take a look at example 3 bellow. You must also ensure that the product you are releasing is fit for the times. Here are some examples of failed projects from a range of backgrounds. 1: Apple Power Mac G4 Cube This is an example of how Tech giants can still fail. In 2000 Apple released the G4 Cube and sales were slow. The reasons for this were: High price tag Flawed design Poor quality Since apple had the reputation of premium quality products for a premium price, when they released the system and the plastic case cracked and had mold lines consumers were not happy. There were also several things overlooked in the design, such as the fact that you had to tip the machine on the side to connect wires and the hidden power button. These two flaws combined with the extortionate price tag resulted in a failed product for Apple. This example goes to show that even huge companies projects can fail. Apple did all the planning right and had plenty of financial backing to push the project forward, they just messed up the product it’s self. 2: Soviet missile early warning system In ’83 the soviet’s had a early warning system which would warn them should America launch an attack on Russia. However the system had triggered that 5 ICBM’s had been launched by America, when in reality the system had been triggered by sunlight reflecting of clouds. Fortunately the operator did not believe the warning and did not respond. 3: Nokia Rather than updating their phones to smart phones, Nokia stuck with just regular phones which were in very low demand. Nokia were not with the times and released outdated products which led to a massive fall in market share and stock prices Relation to my project These examples and points relate to my project and every project. I have learnt from my research of project failures, I can bare these failures in mind while I am working on my project. So, from the powermac g4 cube example I will ensure that the design meets the standards that are required as well as the quality of the final product. From the Early warning example I will carefully consider all of the factors that i can see which would affect my project. Finally from the Nokia example I will ensure that the project meets the technology standards of the time.

China s Governance And Censorship - 2000 Words

1.0 Executive Summary Media systems can differ dramatically based on what the specific political system is like. Countries with a more liberal democracy, like the United States, have a more lenient political system, therefore their media system is more tolerant of free speech and letting the public have further guidance on regulations of governance and censorship. On the other hand, countries with a command and control style government, like China’s Communist Party, the public has no control or insight over regulations. A unique characteristic of China’s governance and censorship is that it is completely in the hands of the state, along with any media systems that might be available. Without loosening their regulation on media policies, Chinese citizens will never know the luxuries of personal growth and development with other nations. 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