Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East Essay

Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East - Essay Example The main question is whether the uprisings were effective in meeting their goals. The people were not aware that after the revolution they would have to rebuild their countries. The revolution was experienced differently across different countries and the effects were felt across the region due to the destabilisation of trade and political sphere. The revolution that started in Egypt and Tunisia was unexpected and many were caught unawareness because of the number of people that came out to support the calls for change in the countries. This triggered a wave of pro-democracy protests across the region, with many achieving their goals. Essentially, the two countries had similar problems facing them mainly social-economic grievances and political objectives (Beinin & Vairel 2011:150). They knew that the only way of attaining their freedom was by changing the political class and instituting change starting from the highest office in the country. The major problem especially amongst the Tunisians and Egyptians was not that the economy was falling, their living standards were. The poor were experiencing harder economic times and the richer were enjoying the spoils without caring about those at the bottom (Anantram, Chase-Dunn & Reese 2010:605). A combination of high inflation rates, decreasing wages and high unemployment amongst t he middle and poor classes was disturbing. The people wanted changes but the government was not listening to the people. The leaders were buys looking the other side instead of creating platforms to improve the lives of their people. The demographic growths were also a point of concern because the jobs created were for the low-skilled and low-wage earners, yet the number was stagnant despite an increase in the population. Political oppression and repression was another cause of the revolution. Many of the basic

Due Process Rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Due Process Rights - Research Paper Example The Due Process also is intended to make people feel that the government is fair in the way it treats citizens in the legal process by listening to both sides of the story (Cornell University Law School, 1992). In Procedural Due Process, the government has to do more than just act in accordance with the law, by observing and granting citizens far procedures, whether or not the procedures are provided for within the law. It would be unconstitutional for the government to deny citizens the due process. The Procedural Due Process is intended to guarantee basic fairness to all citizens regardless of the crimes purported to be committed. Fairness entails a variety of aspects including a chance to be heard in a timely and meaningful manner, the making of a decision based on substantial evidence and the right to even appeal the decision if need be. Due process also puts in focus the importance of individual rights and interests in question, so that the more important the interests are, the more reason why the due process must be afforded to a citizen. The Procedural Due Process entails three main steps, which begin by asking whether there has been a deprivation of rights. Secondly, it has to be established whether the deprivation is of life, liberty or property, and thirdly, there needs to be established what procedures to follow to ensure justice (Chemerinsky, n.d.). The first step determines whether the court would go through the due process, because if there has been a deprivation then it is important to undertake a procedural due process analysis. By undertaking the process, the court must determine the right procedures to follow, and consequently if the government procedures available are inadequate, this will constitute a deprivation of the due process. In these three steps, the Constitution advocates for a fair hearing, before a tribunal or court. The citizen in question must e given the opportunity to present their evidence, while

The Beginning Of Modernity In Europe Sociology Essay

The Beginning Of Modernity In Europe Sociology Essay Modernity, began in Europe, but yet it affected every nation in the West and, to some degree, all the nations of the world. The transition from traditional medieval society to modernity is easy to identify. The Enlightenment brought about a period of change. God was no longer thought to be at the centre of the universe, there was a move from agriculture to industry which saw three revolutions signalling the advent of modernity in the forms of the industrial revolution in England 1780-1840 the democratic revolutions of the United States of America in 1776 and France in 1789 and the The scientific revolution (1500-1700). Capitalism became the predominant economic force and sociological concept of modernity is therefore associated with industrialization, urbanization, secularization, bureaucracy and progress. Kramnick, Isaac. Thematic Essay: Political and Social Thought of the Enlightenment, Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopaedia 2009 http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Essentially, the English and French revolutions were significantly different. The nature of the Industrial Revolution within England provided the people with an ideal towards greater freedom and cultural expression, as consumerism began to dominate society. France on the other hand, was more visibly concerned with the issue of religion than England was. Medieval Europe thought the authority was the word of God and was revealed through the teachings of the Roman church. The enlightenment challenged this whilst accepting new ideas of religion, myth and tradition thus helping create a new faith through knowledge and reason. The enlightenment ushered a period of uncertainty for religion in Europe, and Christianity in particular was criticised by the enlightenment writers. One theory that gained wide attention in the enlightenment suggested that religion was the invention of cultic leaders or priests, whose prime consideration was the furtherance of their own interests (Yolton et al 1996: 447). Yolton, J et al (1996) Enlightenment (Blackwell) Galileo was in fact imprisoned and nearly killed because of his beliefs and theories that questioned the traditional ideas and attitudes of the church. In order to escape Galileo had to swallow his pride and admit he was wrong, even though he knew has was correct. Although the philosophers involved in the enlightenment continued to believe in God, the findings they made meant the basis of knowledge was no longer seen as the word of God as the church believed, as described by Hamilton in his book The Enlightenment and the Birth of Social Science (1992: 55-56). For the first time man could dare know about the social arrangements under which he lived, rather than have them presented to him through the obscuring haze of a religious ideology. By knowing about these social arrangements their operation would become clear and thus open to change. In other words the enlightenment leads to science and natural philosophy replacing religion as the means of knowledge. During the enlightenment faith in divine revelation, and the authority of the Church, were increasingly undermined by the new confidence in the ability of human reason to provide an understanding of the world. Similarly, the understanding of history as the chronicle of the fall of man from Gods grace, with spiritual salvation only attainable in the next world, was largely replaced by a belief in human perfectibility and the increasing faith in mans power and ability to use his new-found knowledge to improve mankinds state. (Badham 1986:79) Badham (1986) Theories of Industrial Society Enlightenment brought about a cultural change in what creates knowledge and what the purpose of knowledge is. After the enlightenment, history was no longer seen as synonymous with God working his purpose out. (Smart, 1992, Pg8) Smart, B (1992) Modern Conditions, Postmodern Controversies (Routledge) Power of human reason was now used to create knowledge. The enlightenment period challenged sources of authority dramatically, never before had people dare question the word of church until this time, and the enlightenment brought about a great deal of change in the way people perceived the world. The idea of a social contract is another important feature of the Enlightenment. The central concept in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus thought is liberty and most of his works deal with the mechanisms through which humans are forced to give up their liberty. . This issue which Rousseau confronted most of his life is summed up in the first sentence of his most famous work, The Social Contract: Man is born free but everywhere in chains. (Rousseau (1762), 1973: 165).Rousseau, J.J ([1762] 1973) The Social Contract, Everyman The liberals welcomed the dramatic changes because individuals are naturally rational and should be able to pursue their own interests, the removal of traditional restraints and the emergence of governments which guaranteed the rights of the individual were therefore seen as progressive developments. For socialists this did not go far enough, human beings are naturally sociable and their needs can only be met collectively, this necessitates the replacement for capitalism which divides people by socialism which enables them to cooperate. On the other hand to these two optimistic responses to social change, conservatives exhibited horror; human beings are naturally a member of a social organism, unequal but depending on each other. These revolutions in their disregard for tradition and their rupture of the natural order were seen as dangerous developments. The three most commonly mentioned sociological perspectives are Functionalism, which is a system theory. Marxism which is often seen as a conflict theory and in addition there is also Social Action Theory. August Comte, Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons are known as the three best-known Functionalists. When you look into the Social Action Theory you come across many articles by Max Weber, who is one of the earliest known Social Actionist and George Herbert Mead. Very few sociologists actually write about Marxism other than Karl Marx himself. Functionalism is a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can be best explained in terms of the functions they perform, that is the contributions they make to the continuity of society. Moreover, they view society as a complex system whose various parts work in relationship to each other in a way that needs to be understood. (Giddens 4th Edition, 2001, page 689). Functionalism is based on a systems theory. The ideas behind the perspective are that our behaviour is governed and constrained by social forces. In other words, we are what we are because of the social groups that we belong to. Functionalists see society as a system based upon the same lines as the human body. The analysis used to describe functionalism is often compared to the working of the human body. Therefore, if you describe how the human body works, you can compare society to the same system. Each part of the body i.e. the heart/family, lungs/workplace and brain/government, have a particular j ob to fulfil within the overall system. However, you need them to be working in conjunction for the system to work properly. In a similar way it is the contribution we make within our society, which enable us to flourish. The various parts of the society, such as the family or religion must be seen in relation to society as a whole. (Haalambos and Halborn, 5th Edition, 2001,page 9) The term sociology was coined by a French man named Auguste Comte (1798-1857) in 1838. He wanted to understand the great social changes that had occurred around him and made the earliest contribution to the development of sociological thinking. He set about devising a science of sociology. A science in the manner set down by the scientist and philosophers of the Enlightenment. He believed that the methods used in the natural sciences could be applied to the study of society, thus Comte was a proponent of Positivism, defined as an epistemological position that advocates the application of the methods of the natural sciences to the study of social reality and beyond (Bryman, A, 2004: 542). Bryman A. (2004) Social Research Methods, New York: Oxford University Press Comte has particular prominence given to him because his thinking reflected the turbulent times of his age and also because he coined the word sociology in other to be different from other thinkers. He was a French man who no ticed that the French revolution had introduced significant changes into the society and he also sought to explain and create a science of the society that could explain the social laws of the world just as science explained the laws of the physical world. He argued that the society conforms to the invariable laws in much the same way that the physical world does. His law of three stages claims that the human efforts to understand the world have passed through the theological and metaphysical and positive stages. He was keenly aware of the state of the society that he lived. He was concerned with the inequalities being produced by industrialization and the threat they posed to social cohesion. In his view, the long term solution was the production of moral consensus that would help to regulate or hold the society together. His visions for the society were never realized, his contribution to systemizing and unifying the science of society. Another Key thinker is Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), He did draw on many aspects of Comtes Work but he believed that Comtes ideas where too speculative and vague and that Comte had not successfully carried out his programme (Giddens, 2001: 8). Giddens, A. (2001) sociology (4th edition), Cambridge: polity Durkheim did believe that social life could be studied with the same objectivity as the natural world and he developed the concept of social facts, which should be studied by sociologists; social facts are aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals, such as the state of economy or the influence of religion (Giddens, 2001: 9). Giddens, A. (2001) sociology (4th edition), Cambridge: polity for him his main intellectual concern of sociology is the study of social facts. He stated that the aspects of social life shape our actions as individuals, such as the state of the economy or the influence of religion. However, he conceded that social facts are difficult to study beca use they are invisible and intangible and they cannot be observed directly. He instead states that they must be revealed indirectly which is by analyzing their effects or by considering attempts that have been made at their expression, such as laws, religious texts or written rules of conduct. He was concerned with the changes that were transforming society in his own lifetime. He was particularly interested in social and moral solidarity; this was in other words what held the society together and held it from descending into chaos. He stated that there are two types of solidarity and he contrasted them together, mechanical and organic, relating them to the division of labour and the growth and distinctions between the different occupations. However, the forces of industrialization and urbanization led to a growing division of labour that contributed to the breakdown of solidarity. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Marxs ideas were strikingly different from that of Comtes and Durkheim. Marx ideas where inspired by the industrial revolution and argued that the system of capitalism affected human experience. He focused on conflicts between the classes, and the need for substantial social change to a communist society. His political activities brought him into conflict with the German authorities, after a brief stay in France, he settled permanently in exile in Britain. He however witnessed the growth of factories and the inequalities that resulted. His viewpoints were grounded in what he called the materialist conception of history. According to this view, it is not ideas or values human beings hold that are the main sources of social change. Rather social change is prompted primarily by the economic influences. He believed in the inevitability of a workers revolution which would overthrow the capitalist system and usher in a new society in which there would be no classes, t he rich and the poor. Marx gave names to the haves and have nots, they are known as the Bourgeoise and the Proletariats. One way of assessing the power of the upper class is through the study of elites (people who fill the top positions in each of the major institutions of society); most of the sociological debates have centered on economic elites and political elites. (Sociology in focus 5th Edition, 2000, page 53) They differ from functionalists in the way that they see the difference. He did not mean that inequalities would disappear; he rather stated that society would no longer be split into a small class that monopolizes economic and political power and the large mass of people who benefit little from the wealth their work creates. He believed that in the society of the future production would be more advanced and efficient than production under capitalism. Karl Marx is quoted as saying ideology is a distortion of reality, it binds members of society to the contradictions and conflicts of interest that are built into their societys. (Haralambos and Holborn, 5th Edition, 2002, page 13) Max Weber (1864-1920) was influenced by Marx, but saw class conflict as less significant and believed that ideas and values had as much impact on social change. He developed the idea of ideal types, which are conceptual and analytical models that can be used to understand the world. Weber made use of ideal types in his writing on forms of bureaucracy and the market. He therefore simply cannot be labelled a sociologist as his interest and concerns ranged across many areas. He was born in Germany where he spent most of his academic career. He was most concerned with the development of modern capitalism and the ways in which modern society was different from earlier forms of social organization. In common with thinkers of his time, he sought to understand the nature and causes of social change; he was influenced by Marx but was also critical of some of his views. He saw class conflict as less significant than Marx. ` He believed that sociology should focus on social action, not structur es; he argued that human motivation and ideas were the forces behind change. According to him, individuals have the free will to act and shape their future. Social Action Theory is often described as the alternative theory. Social Actionists see people as individuals who have a right to react as and how they wish. They say that how we react with each other in our society is largely up to us as individual social being. It is a social perspective that focuses on the meaning and intensions that underpin human actions. Social active perspectives are concerned with the way in which the human actively and creatively interprets the world around them. Rather than the external forces which could be used as a guide (Giddens 4th Edition, 2001, page 698) It is worth pointing out here that sociology did not become the institutionalised and professional discipline that we know today until the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. As Jenkins puts it Comte first gave it a name and Marx sketched out some of its most enduring ideasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sociology as we know it today was establishedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by Weber, Simmel, Durkheim and Mead (Jenkins, 2002:21). Jenkins R. (2002) foundations of sociology, Basingstoke: Palgrave The enlightenment period is often referred to as the age of reason. The enlightenment influenced people lives a great deal, and without this period, the world would not be how it is today. It enabled people to have the right to express their views freely and publicly without the fear of being imprisoned or even killed.

Reflection on a Critical Incident Essay example -- Nursing Reflective

Reflection has its importance in clinical practice; we always seek to be successful and that can be achieved by learning every day of our life through experiences we encounter. In that way we can reconsider and rethink our previous knowledge and add new learning to our knowledge base so as to inform our practice. Learning new skills does not stop upon qualifying; this should become second nature to thinking professionals as they continue their professional development throughout their careers (Jasper, 2006). According to Rolfe et al. (2001), reflection does not merely add to our knowledge, it also challenges the concepts and theories by which we try to make sense of that knowledge. Acquiring knowledge through reflection is modern way of learning from practice that can be traced back at least to the 1930s and the work of John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator who was the instigator of what might be called ''discovery learning'' or learning from experience. He claimed that w e learn by doing and that appreciating what results from what we do leads to a process of developing knowledge, the nature and importance of which then we must seek to interpret (Rolfe et al., 2001). In this assignment, the reflection will be structured using the educational cycle (framework) of Graham Gibbs, as per the recommendations of Rolfe et al. (2001), in that it is often neither the subject nor the content of what we reflect on that is necessarily important, but rather its analysis in terms of what can be drawn out in understanding and learning. In keeping within current legislation on the protection and respect of an individuals’ right of anonymity, (Clamp, Gough and Land 2004; Polit and Beck 2007), and to confidentiality, (Burns and G... ... and Wilkins. Philadelphia. p180. Rolfe, Gary; Freshwater, Dawn; Jasper, Melanie (2001). Critical reflection for nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York: Palgrave. pp. 26–35 Summary of Rolfe et al.’s (2001) Reflective Model Web. 23 May 2015. http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Public/LISS/Documents/skillsatcumbria/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf Standards of Proficiency (2014) Operating Department Practitioners 2 June 2014 http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10000514standards_of_Proficiency_ODP.pdf Standards of conduct, performance and ethics. (2008) Health Professions Council UK http://www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/standards/index.asp?id=38 Webster CS, Merry AF, Larsson L, McGrath KA, Weller J. The frequency and nature of drug administration error during anaesthesia. Anaesth Intensive Care 2001; 29: 494-500.

Human Resources and Management Control Essay

An International bank, Santander Ltd. Has taken over the Abbey National bank, due to this take over, the Abbey National bank has been subjected to change you are the nominated senior managers at Abbey National bank ( at strategic level) using the available public domain information kindly execute the following takes in your role as strategic HR manager / change consultant. Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization and also HRM is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. As Abbey National Bank is one of the largest banks in UK. The bank provides banking and insurance services nation-wide and is the backbone for country’s banking infrastructure despite arrival of a dozen other banks, including giants like Barclays and Nat west. The characteristic of human resource management are by no means universal. There are many models and practices within different organizations are diverse. The most significant feature of HRM is importance attached to strategic integration, which follows from top management‘s vision and leadership and which require the full commitment of people to it. There are different models of HRM Fiedler Contingency Model The contingency theory allows for predicting the characteristics of the appropriate situations for effectiveness. Three situational components determine the favourableness of situational control: Leader-Member Relations: Referring to the degree of mutual trust, respect and confidence between the leader and the subordinates. To build a strong team: There should be a great relationship among the employee, manager and the general manager because it is the foundation of the organization. Without a great relationship, the general manager or the manager cannot qualify to speak into the lives and influence the employees. It is communication that brings life into relationships. When communicating a lot with a particular person, the person will grow closer. From the case, there’s a lack of communication leads to a breakdown in relationship which leads to a loss of leadership. The manager needs to rebuild the relationship with his staffs and also communicate much more effectively than before. That is why if you want to make any organization work, communication is the key. David Guest’s (1989, 1997) model of HRM it has 6 dimensions of analysis * HRM strategy * HRM practices * HRM outcomes * Behaviour outcomes * Performance outcomes * Financial outcomes The model is prescriptive in the sense that it is based on the assumption that HRM is distinctively different from traditional personnel management (rooted in strategic management, etc.). It is idealistic, implicitly embodying the belief that fundamental elements of the HRM approach (essentially those of the Harvard map) such as commitment have a direct relationship with valued business consequences. However, Guest has acknowledged that the concept of commitment is ‘messy’ and that the relationship between commitment and high performance is (or, perhaps, was – given the age of this material) difficult to establish. It also employs a ‘flow’ approach, seeing strategy underpinning practice, leading to a variety of desired outcomes. We have discussed two model of HRM both are good but as Abbey National is a growing company so that the D.Guest’s model of HRM is best for Abbey National so if Abbey National follows this model it must be succeed to ach ieve its goal. HRM leads to improvement in organizational performance. HR practices have the quality to improve the employee attitude and behaviour, impact of technology, increase the efficiency of employees , higher levels of productivity, quality and customer services, Assess the impact of strategic human resource management activities in Abbey National and evaluate the contribution of strategic human resource management to the achievement of a Santander’s objectives at Abbey National In today’s businesses, the right approach and management of the company’s employees can greatly affect the company’s overall performance. A strategic approach in Human Resource Management is vital especially in growing companies. Through the adoption of best human resource management practices the Abbey National bank aims to make a real difference in people’s lives. Skilled people combined with other resources have the capacity to generate value. First and for most , people in work organization set over all strategies and goals , design work system , produce goods and services , monitor quality , allocate financial resources and market products and services. Human beings therefore become a â€Å"Human resource â€Å". The efficiency and performance of staff and their commitment to the objectives of the Abbey National bank are fostered by good human relationship at work. Due to this fact, it is necessary to give proper attention to human resource management and harmonious employee relations. The human resource management of Abbey National not only helps to establish, develop, maintain and communicate office policies throughout the entire company and also to represent, help, advice and consult with the most important asset of the company â€Å"the employee†. Abbey National ‘s human resource management team develop hiring plans and recruiting policies, it also works for employee relations, separations, contracts, performance, reviews, benefit and pension plans. The purpose of Abbey National’s human resource management team is basically to utilize an employee‘s ability effectively by coaching them to improve those abilities and at the same time improving their working environment so that they feel satisfied with their job. The purpose of an organization is to accomplish the goals and objectives which indicate within the organization and human resource management indicates how they plan on reaching those goals and objectives. Strategy planning is indicating where Abbey National is going over the next year or more, the focus of a strategic plan is depending on the entire organization. There is a verity of perspective, models and approaches which used in strategic planning. The strategic plan is developed on the nature of the Abbey National’s leadership, culture of organization, complexity of the organization’s environment, size of the organization, expertise of planner etc. Companies fail because a number of reasons and mismanagement can be one of them. Operations may spin out of control if personal agendas and politics are placed, and in growing companies, this should be monitored and prevented. Developing not only management but also its employees is significant. To keep up with competition, employees should be given with a number of reasons to stay with the company, and do their jobs exemplary well. Their continuous growth, the right compensation and benefits, and Work-life balance is just some of the things that motivate employees to perform better, producing better results for the customers and ultimately, the company. Abbey National‘s human resource management should increase the interest return on the investment in the organization’s human capital and decrease the financial risk. According to Armstrong 2006 human resource management policy refers to â€Å"the continuing guidelines on the approach the organization intends to adopt in managing its people† Abbey National‘s human resource management policies reflect the values and philosophies of the organization. Abbey National‘s human resource management policy is notably a reference point when employment practices are being developed and during decision-making regarding the people in the organization. Abbey National ‘s human resource management provides guidance on implementation of procedures and what actions should be taken in line with the policy to effectively carry out day to day taken. Before establishing a new work system or change process, a careful evaluation of operating policies is vital to determine their impact on employee attitudes and behaviors. It is important to note that human resource policy is the key to a successful change effort, resulting in greater acceptance and a more positive, motivated workforce. So first Abbey National evaluates the operating policies of change and after that they can apply the same and for this purpose Abbey National mu st know the following:- Analyse the business factors that underpin the new human resource planning in Abbey National and assess the human resource requirements for next two years for the process of developing a human resource plan for Abbey National Ans. Human resource planning is a process of evaluation and identification of HR requirement to achieve the organizational goals to ensure competitive advantage in the market place. Human resource planning is a key component of every corporation’s strategic business planning. Human resource planning describes the organization’s objectives and plans and helps the workers to achieve these objectives. HR Planning involves gathering of information, making objectives, and making decisions to enable the organization achieve its objectives. HR have an enormous task keeping pace with the all changes and ensuring that the right people are available to the Organization at the right time. It is changes to the composition of the workforce that force managers to pay attention to HR planning. The changes in composition of workforce not only influence the appointment of staff, impact of technology increase in productivity but also the methods of employee development and changing nature of work. It becomes very critical when Organizations merge, plants are relocated, and activities are scaled down due to financial problems. The most important reason why HR Planning should be managed and implemented is the costs involved. Because costs forms an important part of the Organizations budget, workforce planning enable the Organization to provide HR provision costs. When there is staff shortage, the organization should not just appoint discriminately, because of the costs implications of the other options, such as training and transferring of staff, have to be considered. There are many business factors in Abbey National bank that underpin human resource planning, some of them are the stage of business, business growth, business change and decline, labour cost control, labour budgeting, labour market trends and regulations and demographic trends etc. Human resource requirement HR Planning requires that we gather data on the Organizational‘s goals and objectives. Once Abbey National understands where the Organization wants to go and how it wants to get that point. The needs of the employees are derived from the corporate objectives of the Organization. They stern from shorter and medium term objectives. Therefore, the HR Plan should have a mechanism to express planned Company strategies into planned results and budgets so that these can be converted in terms of numbers and skills required. The HR profession has undergone some changes in recent years. There has been some movement away from staff welfare and administration-centered activities towards strategy and planning. HR departments are now expected to add value to the organization they support. The exact nature of the work varies according to the organization, but is likely to include: Working closely with departments, increasingly in a consultancy role, assisting line managers to understand and implement policies and procedures; Developing with line managers HR planning strategies which consider immediate and long-term staff requirements; Planning, and sometimes delivering, training, including inductions for new staff; the human resource management also know the government policies and internal and external requirement of the organization like labour requirement, skill requirement, labour market and competition. Present a critical evaluation on how the human resource plan can contribute to meeting an Abbey National objectives in your evaluation, analyses the impact of organizational structure and organizational culture? People are the greatest asserts in any Organization. The Organization is at liberty to develop its staff at full pace in the way ideally suited to their individual capacities. The main reason is that the Organization’s objectives should be aligned as near as possible, or matched, in order to give optimum scope for the developing potential of its employees. Once Abbey National in action, the HR Plans become corporate plans. Having been made and concurred with top management, the plans become a part of the company’s long-range plan. Failure to achieve the HR Plans due to cost, or lack of knowledge, may be serious constraints on the long-range plan. Child (1997) defined organizational structure as comprising â€Å"all the tangible and regularly occurring features which help to shape their members behavior†. The structure of an organization can be regarded as a frame work for getting things done. It consists of unit, functions, divisions, departments and formally constituted work, teams into which activities related to particular processes, projects, products, markets, customers, geographical areas, or professional disciplines are grouped together. The structure indicates who is accountable for directing, coordinating and carrying out these activities and defines management hierarchies, the chain of command as who is responsible to whom for what at each level in the organization. The organization has to design the organization structure. It may be hierarchical or flatter. It may, also, be, traditional, line and staff organization, Functional organization Or modern viz, Project organization, Matrix organization etc. Weber‘s bureaucratic theory emphasized the need for a hierarchical structure of power. It recognized the importance of division of labor and specialization. In functional organization a form of departmentalization in which employees engaged in functional activities such as marketing or finance are grouped into one unit. In divisional organization under the structure, activities and people are grouped into divisions according to products, market or a combination of both with each division self-managed and operating as a profit centre. However, there is overall control which comes from the corporate headquarters. In here, financial as well as R&D activities are centralized in order to profit from economies of scale and reduced cost. In project organization a team is formed temporarily which works with restricted resources within a defined time to accomplish a certain task and after the task is achieved the team is disbanded. Matrix structure involves dual hierarchy that is balance between project and functional departmentalization. In a matrix organization each employee reports to both a functional or divisional manager and to a project or group manager. Research has shown that structure plays a vital role in human resource performance, for example, the level of management, grouping of people and tasks will determine the amount of relationships and co-ordination in the organization. However, structure does not act in isolation as the link to performance. According to Galbraith and Nathanson, they noted that high performance is achieved by congruence between structure and other variables such as culture, reward system and business strategy. Therefore, organization should align all these factors in order to enhance organizational performance. Organizational culture is the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not have been articulated but shape the ways in which people behave things get done. There are a number of ways in which to classify different types of organizational culture. Handy (1981) describes four main types of organizational cultures * The power culture is one with a central power source that exercises control. There are few rules and the atmosphere is competitive. A power culture is frequently found in small entrepreneurial organization and relies on trust, empathy and personal communication for its effectiveness. Control is exercised from the centre by the selection of key individual. * Role culture is one in which work is controlled by procedures and rules and the role description, is more important than the person who fills it. Role culture rests on the strength of strong organizational pillar. For example, finance, purchasing and production. * Task culture is job oriented or project oriented. It is one in which the aim is to being together the right resources and people and utilizes the unifying power of the group. * Person culture is one in which the individual is the central point. The organization exists only to serve and assist the individuals in it. For example architects, doctors or consultant. Culture is an important factor in successful technology, implementation, innovation, mergers, job satisfaction, organizational success and team effectiveness and to the importance of determining whether organization has an organic or mechanistic culture. Culture impacts most aspects of organizational life, such as how decision are made, who makes them, how rewards are distributed, who is promoted, how people are treated, how the organization responds to its environment and so on. Culture is clearly an important ingredient of effective organizational performance. Chatman and Cha refer to the use of the following three managerial tools for managing and changing culture and if Abbey’s human resource management follow these tools they should succeed in achieving its goals and objectives. Examine how the effectiveness of human resources management could be monitored in Abbey National and make justified recommendations to improve the effectiveness of human resources management The goal of human resource management is to help an organization meet its strategic goals by attracting, developing and retaining employees and also by managing them effectively. It aims to achieve a fit between managing the organization’s employees and the overall strategic direction of the organization. Abbey National‘s human resource planning deals with recognizing and fulfilling the human resource needs of the organization. In order to meet the effectiveness objectives of management control, Abbey National’s human resource plan should be formulated in such a way that it conforms to the organizational strategies and corporate plan. At the micro level, Abbey National needs to do career planning for employees and succession planning for key positions in the organization. At a macro level, Abbey National needs to carry out workforce planning and salary planning; the nature of the human resource planning process is primarily dependent upon the organizational size and the hierarchical structure within the organization. For the Abbey National‘s human resource plan to be successful, it has to be supported fully by the top management, the Abbey National‘s human resource department, and the line managers. Recruitment and selection, training and development and compensation management are some of the areas over which the organization needs to exert control. One of the effective ways of assessing human resource functions is to use metrics in the control process. Abbey National ‘s evaluation of the recruitment process will help in exercising control over certain aspects of the recruitment process like the costs incurred on the recruitment process, the people involved in the process, the quality of the new recruits, the final number of recruits selected, and the success rate of each sourcing channel. The effectiveness of training and developing activities of the Abbey National can be assessed by monitoring job-impact indicators. The returns on the investment made one the training activities can also be measured by using quantitative tools like benefit to cost ratio. The attrition level in Abbey National can be assessed by using two metrics employee turnover rate and employee retention rate. These metrics are periodically computed and the values compared with the industry average and with the past records of the Abbey National. Abbey National‘s human resource auditing/ accounting refers to the process of identifying measuring, and communicating the value of the human resource of the Abbey National. Various human resource accounting models have been developed to aid managers in valuing their human resource assets. Employee engagement has to distinct yet related main factors employee satisfaction and employee commitment. Employees who are both satisfied and committed to the Abbey National are said to exhibit a high degree of engagement with their employer. Employee’s engagement levels can be periodically assessed through surveys. High levels of employee engagement are characteristics of the Abbey National which is considered by employee s as a great place to work or as an employer of choice. The workforce scorecard approach views the workforce in term of the contribution made by it instead of cost incurred on it. It makes use of metrics instead of benchmarking. It also makes the line managers jointly responsible with the human resource professionals for execution of the Abbey National‘s strategy. The workforce scorecard has four dimensions. Workforce success, leadership and workforce behaviour, workforce competencies and workforce mind set and culture. All these four dimensions help in assessing workforce effectiveness. Abbey National’s human resource information systems are specialised application software built for implementing, monitoring and benchmarking human resource processes in Abbey National. At an operational level, the HRIS is used for transaction processing and administrative purpose. With a change in the competitive scenarios Abbey National is using the HRIS for strategic human resource management and decision making. The HRIS is useful for controlling human resource management in the Abbey National and achieving its management control objectives of efficiency, effectiveness, disclosure and compliance. References and Bibliography 1.Abbey National Bank 7,Dec 2012 web.7,Dec 2012-12-07 http://www.banking-business-review.com/companies/abbey_national_plc 2.Human Resource Management 7,Dec 2012 web.7,Dec 2012-12-07 http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/f/hr_management.htm 3.Contingency Model of HRM 7,Dec 2012 web.7,Dec 2012-12-07 http://www.studymode.com/essays/Fiedler-Contingency-Model-666139.html 4.Guest’s model of HRM 7,Dec 2012 web.7,Dec 2012-12-07 http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/introduction_to_hrm/guest-hrm.htm 5Human resource requirement 7,Dec 2012 web.7,Dec 2012-12-07 http://www.prospects.ac.uk/human_resources_officer_job_description.htm 6.Basic information of human resource management 7,Dec 2012 web.7,Dec 2012-12-07 http://humanresources.about.com/od/hrbasicsfaq/a/hr_faq.htm 6.Strategic approach to human resource management 8,Dec 2012 web.8,Dec 2012-12-08 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HxRaqrcGn-0C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=true 7.Importance of human resource management 8,Dec 2012 web.8,Dec 2012-12-08 http://www.aimpapers.com/samples/Strategic_Importance_of_Human_Resource_Management_1_.pdf 9.Armstrong’s policy of human resource management 9,Dec 2012 web.9,Dec 2012-12-09 http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Armstrong_s_Handbook_of_Human_Resource_M.html?id=vZHCLf0YJpcC&redir_esc=y

Groupon

Emilio M. Perez MKTG 360 Prof. Sauber Groupon 1. An understanding of consumer behavior helped Groupon grow from 400 subscribers in Chicago in 2008 to 60 million subscribers in 40 countries today by developing the concept of making offers that are only carried out if enough people commit to participate in them. Groupon’s simple business model offers subscribers at least one deal in their city each day, but the coupon is only valid if a certain number of subscribers sign up for this deal. 2. The Groupon Promise is that any customer can return a Groupon, no questions asked, if they feel like Groupon has let them down.The Groupon promise affects a consumer’s perceived risk and cognitive dissonance by allowing the customer to feel as if there is no risk when purchasing a Groupon. The customer is even able to return the Groupon if they have already used it and were not satisfied. This allows a subscriber to purchase the Groupons without the worry of wasting money. 3. The five -stage purchase decision process for a typical Groupon user experiences: problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase decision, and evaluation.Problem recognition is created by triggers that present consumers with an opportunity to do something that they wouldn’t normally do. Information search may occur due to a previous experience with the merchant making an offer or a conversation with family and friends regarding a product or service. The alternative evaluation stage is when the consumer focuses on the price as being the most important evaluative criteria. Then, there is the purchase decision stage that is unique to Groupon, in which a purchase is made online and then confirmed when the deals tip.Finally, the consumer will evaluate the purchase by comparing their experience with their expectations to determine if they are satisfied or dissatisfied. 4. The possible psychological and sociological influences on the Groupon consumer purchase decis ion process are the effects of the recession, the Groupon demographic, and the personalization of deals for subscribers. The recession has increased the importance of spending money wisely, in which people whom are attracted to deals are also attracted to Groupon.The typical Groupon user is an 18 to 34 year old woman, whom relies heavily on social media such as e-mail and smartphone apps. This works out well for Groupon because the whole concept relies on the use of those social media channels. Also, Groupon is able to use variables such as, gender, location, and buying history to match deals with the customers. The combination of all of these influences allows Groupon to provide offers that are best suited for the respected customer, which is beneficial to the customer and the vendor. . The challenges that Groupon face in the future are the use of the coupon, managing the growth, and the extraordinary level of competition. The actions I would recommend related to each challenge are to possibly create more coupons that consist of buying things at full price and receiving an item or service free. This will promote more full price products n services, also this could ensure returning customers to receive that free product or service at a future date.I feel this approach could create a higher percentage for returning customers and alleviate the fear of customers only purchasing at discounted rates. To help manage the growth that Groupon is experiencing, the company may want to look into hiring marketing consultants for the newly entered country to help the company understand the spending habits faster than they would on their own. Also, employing local people to form a research and development team could help Groupon understand the differences as well as having concrete evidence to support their international buying behavior theories.Finally I feel, in order to address the issue of the level of competition, Groupon could approach several merchants that are in the same area and attempt to create a coupon that includes both services or products into a â€Å"package coupon†. This could include dinner and a movie type combination, but involving various vendors with a variety of combination coupons. I feel this type of advertising would be difficult for one company to replicate.