Human resources Essay -- Business Management Studies

Human resources Human resources is concerned with the employees who work for the organisation. Wise organisations regard staff as the most important resources. Other resources include money, equipment, buildings, land and, materials, however, if the employees are not motivated and only do the minimum work that us requires, then all the money or equipment in the world won’t make the business successful. On the other hand if the employees are keen to do their best, are well trained and committed to the aims of the business, them most organisations will be successful, this is why employees or human resources are so important. The main activities is the human resources function: - The recruitment, retention and dismissal of staff. - The training, development and promotion of staff. - The monitoring and maintenance of the good working conditions. - Health and safety. - Liaison with employee organisations and trade unions. Denbenhams department store human resources policies RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION POLICY & PROCEDURE POLICY The recruitment and selection decision is of prime importance as the vehicle for obtaining the best possible person-to-job fit which will, when aggregated, contribute significantly towards the Company's effectiveness. It is also becoming increasingly important, as the Company evolves and changes, that new recruits show a willingness to learn, adaptability and ability to work as part of a team. The Recruitment & Selection procedure should help managers to ensure that these criteria are addressed. The Company Recruitment and Selection Policy will: - be fair and consistent; - be non-discriminatory on the grounds of sex, race, age, religion or disability; - conform to statutory regulations and agreed best practice. To ensure that these policy aims are achieved, all appointing managers will receive training in effective recruitment and selection. PROCEDURE THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS The following procedure should be used when a post is to be filled. The appointing manager must: Define the job. If it is an existing post, is an exact replacement required or is this an opportunity to revise the requirements. If it is a newly established post be clear on the exact requirements, draw up a job description and consult the appropriate Director / Human Resources Department in relation t... ...ventative measures. Each level of management shall conduct its undertaking in a manner so as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in the Company's employ are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. Every employee shall take reasonable care for his/her own health and safety and for that of all other people who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work. Failure to comply with this policy or with any health or safety requirement by Debenhams shall render any employee(s) responsible liable to disciplinary action, which may include dismissal. All Executives and Managers are responsible for following through to conclusion any particular matter, which gives rise to a risk to the Health and Safety of employees or customers. Health and Safety at Work is a mutual objective of both the Company's management and employees. The Company shall regard its health and safety functions equal to all other functions and therefore will expect the co-operation of all employees. This Health and Safety statement shall be circulated to all employees and displayed on all notice boards in order to ensure full awareness of its contents.

Barack Obama State of the Union Critique

President Barack Obama State of the Union Address Critique The leader of the free world, President Barack Obama, addressed Congress and the fellow citizens of the United States of America on the current State of the Union. The President enlightened America on multiple issues concerning the economy, education, jobs, foreign affairs and more. The speech given on the night of January 27th 2010 attracted over 48 million television viewers. Strong attitudes and opinions were exemplified immediately following the completion of his address. A poll administered by CBS News illustrates that 65% of the (3,968) respondents feel as if the President has accomplished far less than what they expected within his first year in office. Another poll taken by CBS suggests that 47% of (3,571) respondents feel that the biggest blunder under the Obama administration is the lack of focus on creating jobs and unemployment. These statistics are of severe importance to the American people and it is for this very reason that I address this particular issue within this assignment. As a current senior at the collegiate level, career opportunities and job security becomes more of a significant issue as graduation approaches at a rapid pace. Currently, the traditional thought of going to college and attaining a degree and doing well in school does not guarantee a safe-secure career. The direction that this country has been headed for the last decade has frightened many college students into thinking that, â€Å"If a college degree does not solidify a good job what will? † This issue increases the growth of concern for our nation. It did not take very long for the President to address the job dilemma that the country is facing. Within 15 minutes of his lecture, he noted that creating jobs is the focus for 2010. In concordance with the President, I also believe that jobs should be at the top of the agenda because in order to revamp the economy it is very essential to get the unemployment rate down. If the unemployment rate stays where it is or gets worse by increasing, Americans will continue to look for ways to cut back spending. Due to the lack of jobs being created and fear of job loss, we, the people, are currently on edge and have trouble deciding whether to invest or save. With the addition of new jobs, our faith will strengthen and confidence will grow within us to do both and that is what has to happen in order for the economy to regain legs and get the country running as it should. Later in his speech the President goes on to note that the engine of the American economy has been and will always be that of small businesses. In a valiant attempt to spur hiring, the president called for the elimination of capital gains taxes on small business investment and tax credits for new hiring and investments in new equipment. He also states that, â€Å"It’s time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America. † With this plan, the President has called for an end for tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas but to help fund tax cuts that reward companies for investing and creating jobs in the United States. Moreover, the President future supported his notion to create new jobs in America by mentioning that the government will invest $8 billion into a rapid train system which will start construction in Florida later this year. He states that this attempt to have the fastest most-reliable train system will format over 2 million additional jobs for Americans. In another attempt to decrease the unemployment rate he mentions that the United States will increase our exportation of goods to other countries around the world by doubling our number of exports now over the next five years. He continues by saying that to meet this goal, Congress will launch a National Export Initiative that will help farmers and small businesses increase their exports and expand their markets. This will allow other countries to opt for our homeland goods which mean that increasing the production of goods within the United States will create increases in revenue and job opportunities. The President also called on the Senate to pass a jobs bill that he can sign. Stating thatâ€Å"The House has passed a jobs bill†¦. As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same, and I know they will. People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay. † The bold and difficult steps the President took to stabilize the financial system have reduced the cost of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) by over $200 billion, providing additional resources for job creation and for deficit reduction. Within the ladder portion of 2009, the President outlined a package of targeted measures to help further stimulate private sector hiring, including measures to facilitate small business growth, green jobs and infrastructure. Urging for support of the Republicans, the President mandates that it is time for strong legislation to be passed on behalf of the Senate. Out of the major initiatives presented by President Barack Obama I think that there is not a major need for a rapid train system as of right now, I do believe that the ultimate good would be the creation of 2 million jobs because of it. Other than this minor rebuttal, I wholeheartedly agree with majority of the different ideas and concepts that the President proposed in reference to jobs during his the State of the Union Address. In addition, I also have full belief in the fact that this country will arise from economic corruption and return to being the nation of superior power and financial stability. Marcques D. Aghedo February 09, 2010 History & Theories of Leadership 201 Dr. Savage Morehouse College

History of Behavior Modification Essay

Behavior Modification is defined as the use of rewards or punishments to reduce or eliminate problematic behavior, or to teach an individual new responses to environmental stimuli. The goal of a behavior modification program is to change and adjust behavior that is inappropriate or undesirable. Two main tools used in behavior modification are positive and negative reinforcement. Behavior modification can be traced to lab research as far back as the 1800’s and 1900’s. Most of this research was done through experimenting with animals. Many had impacting research, here are a few. Ivan P. Pavlov (1849-1936) -Concerned with stimuli that evoke responses (noise, food, lights, etc.) -Pavlov’s famous dogs: Gastric secretions were stimulated at the sight of food (a reflex response). Indicated that digestive processes could be stimulated without direct contact. -He then focused his research on how connections were made between environment stimuli and reflex reactions. This type of learning became know as Classical Conditioning. -Classical conditioning is concerned with stimuli that evoke involuntary or automatic responses. Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949) -Not concerned with reflex responses like Pavlov. -Focused on the learning of new behavior. -Well known for his research involving cats and a puzzle- box. -Placed hungry cats in a maze and timed how long it took for them to reach the food at the end of the puzzle. He found that the cats got faster and faster. (learned behavior) -From this research Thorndike formed laws of behavior, one of the most famous being the Law of Effect. -The Law of Effect states that the consequences that follow behavior help learning, and that rewards, positive and negative, provide consequences that increase the learning of behavior. B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) -Like Thorndike, Skinner focused on learning that resulted from consequences. -From his research, such as, the Skinner Box, the pigeon project, and the baby box, Skinner stated that all behavior is followed by a consequence, and that consequence determines the likeliness of repeating that behavior. -When an association between a behavior and a consequence is formed it is known as Operant Conditioning. -Operant conditioning is learning that is based on a trial and error process in which a subject remembers what behaviors have elicited positive, pleasurable, responses and which elicited negative ones. Simply put, behavior modification is based on the idea that events occur before a specific behavior, and events occur after that behavior as well. The appropriate behavior is learned by observing and changing the pre-event behavior and the post-event behavior so that the appropriate behavior  increases and the inappropriate behavior decreases. The use of rewards to help affect this increase in appropriate behavior is called positive reinforcement- i.e.–strokes, gifts, more privileges, etc. The use of punishment is called negative reinforcement. i.e.–spankings, withdrawal of privileges, etc. To stop an inappropriate behavior, first the behavior must be observed. Then, a pattern can be recognized and a system of rewards can then be constructed. Using positive reinforcement, a choice is presented and if a desired action occurs, a reward is presented. If undesirable behavior takes place no reward would be given. This is an example of negative reinforcement. As the juvenile justice system enters a new era, it is faced with major challenges. Each year it is estimated that police arrest nearly 2 million youths under the age 18 on criminal charges. Nearly 10,000 children under 17 appear before judges in the Cook County Circuit Court Juvenile Justice Division every year. The court refers many of these to the juvenile probation department because they offer several alternatives to detention. Electronic monitoring, home confinement, and intensive supervision are among their abundant services. With the collaboration of social service agencies and community-based organizations, the department works to afford every youth in its supervision structured programming and services. All services are performed with an emphasis on public safety while also attending to the needs of minors. The current mission statement of the Juvenile Probation Department is as follows: â€Å"To serve the welfare of children and their families within a sound framework of public safety. The Department is committed to providing the guidance,  structure and services needed by every child under its supervision. In partnership with the community, the Juvenile Probation Department †¦directs delinquent children toward reforming their behavior and making responsible decisions according to the principles of Balanced and Restorative Justice.†(cookcountycourt.org) Alongside this mission the probation department has a prescribed set of objectives that it operates under that assists them in being able to effectively respond to the increasingly complex need of delinquent children. Of the 8 goals named in conjunction with the mission there are two that spotlight principles set forth by the balanced and restorative justice initiative. *To assist the court in developing interventions that serves the needs of the minor and facilitates the restoration of the victim and the community. *To instill in all children a sense of responsibility for their actions and a belief in their own innate value and potential through a combination of individualized attention and community networking (cookcountycourt.org). Prior to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998 the department always encouraged community involvement. But, a more sophisticated approach has been implemented to create equilibrium between the offender, the victim, and most importantly the community affected by the crime committed. They believe no child is beyond the realms of rehabilitation. They are confident that any child can benefit from rehabilitation and treatment. With these realizations in mind, and an increase in juvenile offenders, the probation department has moved away from locking youth up and taken a kinder, gentler approach in dealing with troubled youth. Innovative alternatives to detention are becoming more prevalent worldwide, especially within the confines of juvenile probation. Several program improvements and changes in legislation can be in part credited for these changes. However, the most important factor responsible  for effecting change in the mission of the department is the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998. This reform has put in a call to † strike a balance between the juvenile justice system’s long standing orientation toward rehabilitation and the more recent trend toward a more punitive system that holds juveniles accountable for their actions†(ICJIA). The adoption of the balanced and restorative justice plan is outlined in a purpose and policy clause of the Act. Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Randall Roberts, one of the principal facilitators of the legislation, says the clause gives â€Å"specific guidance to judges, as well as others who work in the system† (ICJIA). With the introduction of this reform the probation department and other agencies working within the juvenile justice system have had to reassess their objectives in a manner that addresses the communities’ need for balance. Keeping the Promise to America’s Youth Nearly five years after this reform the juvenile justice system has recognized the benefits both the system and the child receive when cases are referred for probation instead of detention. Children are indeed responsive to intervention, supervision, mentoring, and other forms of growth and development offered by probation. Proof can be seen in the stories of the 19 men and women in Second Chances who’s lives changes because of the flexibility and leniency of the juvenile justice system. Without the commitment and service of probation departments nationwide such successful second chances would be hard to obtain. aftercare focuses on reintegration into the community, using a counselor. This counselor includes the family and community when assessing their method of care. After a program is made to suit the individual, there is strict supervision, used in conjunction with rewards and sanctions available to the successful candidate.

Slowing down Population Essay

Slowing down Population Essay Slowing down Population Essay Slowing down human population growth by Abortion By way of background there have been over 50 million abortions since the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, in the year 1973; in fact, this year marks the 38th Anniversary since that decision was made. Almost four decades later an estimated 19 million infants would now be old enough to contribute to the economy today, paying taxes, and paying into Social Security Fund, but they are not here. Furthermore, can be a huge contributing factor in slowing down human population growth. Since the year 2005, it was announce that the Social Security Fund was in trouble. I wonder if anyone ponders this question about of abortion is slowing down human population growth and could have contribute to the Social Security deficit. Should this question be researched in more depth by congress and/or should abortion be outlaw? Abortion is a personal choice and not left for anyone to judge, but it is a huge factor in slowing down our human population growth. In part, The Social Security deficit is funded through committed payroll taxes under the authority of the Federal Insurance Contributions ACT (FICA). The main part of the program is sometimes referred to as OASDI (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance). Due to the recent deficit there has been and continues to be intense discussions concerning the Social Security system and the possibility of it becoming insolvent. Social Security currently pays out to approximately 53 million Americans and if the government does not find a workable resolution, it said to be bankrupt by the year 2037. It is a fact that abortions lower labor force growth fewer babies mean fewer consumers, less demand for goods and services, and fewer jobs. Pro-Choice economic argues this point, as they tell us that children are too expensive to justify their actions. In addition, to claiming, that the cost of raising children burdens their parents and it also burdens the public with additional welfare spending when poor and unfit mothers bear children. Additionally, that abortion is necessary to check population growth and all costs associated with it. What if that was not the case and the 19 million infants inevitably grew into responsible adults work and pay taxes, or otherwise spend, save, invest and innovate? This could help the slowing down human population growth and our current Social Security deficit immensely. It has been said that abortion is a moral issue and has nothing to do with the economy. Is the USA government going to slow down human population growth by becoming more like China and Forced Abortion as part as Population Control Regime? Over 30 years this has been in force limiting most urban couple to one child in a bid to curb population growth and conserve its limited resources. China has the world’s largest population with more

How to Pronounce the Name of Taiwanese Politician Tsai Ing-wen

How to Pronounce the Name of Taiwanese Politician Tsai Ing-wen In this article, we will look at how to pronounce the name of the president Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen (è” ¡Ã¨â€¹ ±Ã¦â€"‡), which in Hanyu Pinyin would be written Ci YÄ «ngwà ©n. Since most students use Hanyu Pinyin for pronunciation, we  will henceforth use that, although the notes about pronunciation are of course relevant regardless of system. Ci YÄ «ngwà ©n was elected president of Taiwan on Jan. 16, 2016. And yes, her personal name means English, as in the language this article is written in. Below are some easy instructions if you just want to have a rough idea how to pronounce the name. Then we’ll go through a more detailed description, including analysis of common learner errors. Pronouncing Names in Chinese Pronouncing can be very hard if you havent studied the language; sometimes its hard, even if you have.  Ignoring or mispronouncing tones will just add to the confusion. These mistakes add up and often become so serious that a native speaker would fail to understand. Read more about how to pronounce Chinese names. Easy Instructions for Pronouncing Cai Yingwen Chinese names usually consist of three syllables, with the first being the family name and the last two the personal name. There are exceptions to this rule, but it holds true in many cases. Thus, there are three syllables we need to deal with. Cai - Pronounce as ts in hats plus eyeYing - Pronounce as Eng in EnglishWen - Pronounce as when If you want to have a go at the tones, they are falling, high-flat and rising respectively. Note: This pronunciation is not correct pronunciation in Mandarin (though it is reasonably close). It represents an attempt to write the pronunciation using English words. To really get it right, you need to learn some new sounds (see below). How to Actually Pronounce Cai Yingwen If you study Mandarin, you should never ever rely on English approximations like those above. Those are meant for people who dont intend to learn the language! You have to understand the orthography, i.e. how the letters relate to the sounds. There are many traps and pitfalls in Pinyin you have to be familiar with. Now, lets look at the three syllables in more detail, including common learner errors: Cai  (fourth tone) - Her family name is by far the hardest part of the name. c in Pinyin is an affricate, which means that it is a stop sound (a t-sound) followed by a fricative (an s-sound). I used ts in hats above, which is sort of okay, but will lead to a sound that is not aspirated enough. To get that right, you should add a considerable puff of air afterward. If you hold your hand a few inches from your mouth, you should feel the air hitting your hand. The final is okay and is pretty close to eye.Ying  (first tone) - As you have probably guessed already, this syllable was chosen to represent England and thereby English because they do sound quite similar. The i (which is spelt yi here) in Mandarin is pronounced with the tongue closer to the upper teeth than in English. Its as far up and forward you can go, basically. It can almost sound like a soft j at times. The final can have an optional short schwa (as in English the). To get the right -ng, let your jaw drop and your ton gue withdraw. Wen (second tone) - This syllable seldom clauses problem for learners once they sort the spelling (its uen but since its the beginning of the word, its spelt wen). It is actually very close to English when.  Its worth pointing out that some English dialects have an audible h, which should not be present here. It should also be noted that some native speakers of Mandarin reduce the final to sound more like un than en, but this is not the standardized way of pronouncing it. English when is closer. The are some variations for these sounds, but Cai Yingwen/Tsai Ing-wen (è” ¡Ã¨â€¹ ±Ã¦â€"‡) can be written like this in IPA: tsÊ °ai jiÅ‹ wÉ™n Conclusion Now you know how to pronounce Tsai Ing-wen (è” ¡Ã¨â€¹ ±Ã¦â€"‡). Did you find it hard? If you’re learning Mandarin, dont worry; there arent that many sounds. Once you’ve learned the most common ones, learning to pronounce words (and names) will become much easier!

Greenhouse gas effect and ways to stop them Term Paper

Greenhouse gas effect and ways to stop them - Term Paper Example This paper also seeks to suggest plausible ways on how to reduce GHG emission in order to diminish the impacts of global warming. Data from various sources revealed that the primordial effect of increased GHG is global warming, which is also implicated in changes in the pattern of precipitation and rainfall, sea water level, melting of glaciers, and animal and plant species composition and distribution. Several strategies to reduce GHG emissions are reforestation, proper waste disposal management, and the use of renewable energy such as water, solar energy and thermal energy to generate electricity instead of using fossil fuels. Introduction Greenhouse gases (GHGs), consisting primarily of water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are those gases that can absorb infrared radiation from the atmosphere. These gases are capable of trapping heat, resulting to warming of the earth’s surface (Snyder et al., 2009; Rea y and Hogan,2010). Greenhouse gas emission and the human activities associated with increasing GHG concentration in the atmosphere, is perhaps one of the most controversial issues worldwide yet to be resolved. In fact, it has been reported that since the industrial period, the concentration of these GHGs in the atmosphere has been constantly escalating (Krupa and Kickert, 1989; IPCC, 2011). A time-lapse carbon dioxide monitoring conducted by Muller et al. (2007) revealed that the present CO2 concentration in the troposphere is, by far, the highest level ever recorded during the last 670,000 years, making CO2 the most anthropogenically-driven GHG. Meanwhile, the total amount of atmospheric methane was revealed to have increased by as much as 15% at the end of the 18th century and almost tripled over the last 150 years. Although methane concentration is much less compared to that of CO2, Ramaswamy et al. (2001) reported that CH4 is actually 23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas in comparison to CO2. Ramaswamy and colleagues (2001) also provided evidence that nitrous oxide is even more effective per molecule as a GHG than CH4 and 296 times more potent than CO2. The presence of GHGs in the atmosphere accounts for the phenomenon known as greenhouse effect, so called because the mechanism by which it works is reminiscent to that of a greenhouse. Shown in Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the processes governing the greenhouse effect. As sunlight strikes the planet, radiant energy from the sun with short wavelengths is absorbed by the earth’s surface without being caught trapped in the atmosphere (Krupa and Kickert, 1989). As this energy is absorbed, it warms the earth’s surfaces and is then re-radiated back into the atmosphere at longer wavelengths. Once again, this long-wavelength energy is captured by GHGs in the atmosphere and is reflected in different directions. Energy directed upwards is released into space while energy directed downwards, wh ich accounts for 90% of the long-wavelength emission, goes back to the earth (Pidwirny, 2006). It must be noted, however, that the greenhouse effect is a naturally-occurring phenomenon. In fact, it makes the earth habitable (Krupa and Kickert, 1989).On the other hand, if GHGs in the atmosphere increase beyond the normal range of GHG levels, the greenhouse effect is enhanced, posing a great threat to all of earth’

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

Evaluate Auditing Processes - Essay Example The essay will also evaluate the various accounting processes that are being adopted by the federal government in a succinct manner. It is evident that there lay certain specific criteria, which need to be adhered while complying with a standard auditing process. This aspect is also evident in the case of auditing a town or a city. The audit, which has been conducted for the Town of Maywood can be evaluated based on the requirements of GAAS. Theoretically, GAAS is a particular framework, which provides a set of guidelines to be followed by auditors for ensuring accuracy, reliability as well as fairness in the auditing process. The audit conducted for the Town of Maywood was executed with proper observations of the activities performed by the people who were involved with the preparation of its financial statements. It can be affirmed that this particular auditing procedure adhered to the guidelines of GAAS (Kinney Jr, 1986). Notably, the audit report also presented the reason for not considering the financial reports of other towns with which Maywood is associated. This particular aspect also shows compliance of the audit report with the GAAS framework (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 2014). Through analyzing the audit report, it can be determined that the audit conducted for the Town of Maywood is in alignment with most of the requirements of the GAAS framework and very little has been omitted or not complied with the same. Prior to the preparation of an audit report, individuals interested both in public administration as well as working as accountants for governmental units must possess an in-depth knowledge about the objectives along with the standards to be followed while preparing an audit report. This may be owing to the reason that the effectiveness of public administration is directly relevant with appropriate