Use of Wireless local area network

AbstractionIn many sectors wireless local country web ( wireless local area network ) has been widely used.mobility, scalability, easiness of installing, reduced cost-of-ownership, installing flexibleness are the grounds were wireless local area network gained popularity.WLAN have some security menaces apart from the benefits mentioned above.the scenario begins by presenting the construct of WLAN, and how wired tantamount privateness ( WEP ) works, which is the IEEE 802.11b/WIFI standard encoding for radio networking.Examining WEP failing, it is being much less secured than what was orginally intended.further research sing practical solutions in implementing a more secured radio lan.new criterions excessively better the security of wireless local area network such as IEEE 802.1X criterion, comprises of point to indicate protocol ( palatopharyngoplasty ) , Extensile Authentication protocol ( EAP ) and 802.1x itself.802.1x is included in 802.11i, a new criterion for cardinal distributi on and encoding that will play of import function in bettering security capablenesss of future and current radio local area network networks.802.11i criterion provides WEP To be replaced by two encoding algorithms, which are ( TKIP ) Temporal cardinal unity protocol, ( CCMP ) cbc-mac protocol.1.Introduction to WLANTo utilize either infrared or radio frequence engineering to convey and have information over the air, flexible informations communicating system called wireless local country web ( wireless local area network ) is used.802.11 was implemented as the first WLAN criterion in 1997.it has a maximal througput of 1 to 2 mbps and operated in 2.4 gigahertz frequency.IEEE 802.11B is the most dispersed and deployed criterion, was introduced in 1999.the maximal velocity is 11mbps and frequence scope is the same.sectors from instruction, corporate, warehousing, retail, health care, finance WLANS has been used widely.the demand for installing flexibleness, scalability, cost-of-ownershi p, mobility wireless local area network has been an of import engineering to fulfill.2.0 Security Threats of WLANDespite the productiveness, convenience and cost advantage that WLAN offers, the wireless moving ridges used in wireless webs create a hazard where the web can be hacked. This subdivision explains three illustrations of of import menaces: Denial of Service, Spoofing, and Eavesdropping.2.1 Denial of ServiceIn this sort of onslaught, the interloper floods the web with either valid or invalid messages impacting the handiness of the web resources. Due to the nature of the wireless transmittal, the WLAN are really vulnerable against denial of service onslaughts. The comparatively low spot rates of WLAN can easy be overwhelmed and leave them unfastened to denial of service onslaughts [ 9 ] . By utilizing a powerful plenty transceiver, wireless intervention can easy be generated that would unable WLAN to pass on utilizing radio way.2.2 Spoofing and Session HijackingThis is where the aggressor could derive entree to favor informations and resources in the web by presuming the individuality of a valid user. This happens because 802.11 webs do non authenticate the beginning reference, which is Medium Access Control ( MAC ) reference of the frames. Attackers may therefore spoof MAC references and highjack Sessionss. Furthermore, 802.11 does non necessitate an Access Point to turn out it is really an AP. This facilitates aggressors who may masquerade as AP? s [ 9 ] . In extinguishing spoofing, proper hallmark and entree control mechanisms need to be placed in the WLAN.EavesdroppingThis involves attack against the confidentiality of the information that is being transmitted across the web. By their nature, radio LANs deliberately radiates web traffic into infinite. This makes it impossible to command who can have the signals in any radio LAN installing. In the radio web, eavesdropping by the 3rd parties is the most important menace because the aggressor can stop the transmittal over the air from a distance, off from the premiss of the company.3.0 Wired Equivalent PrivacyWired Equivalent Privacy ( WEP ) is a standard encoding for radio networking. It is a user hallmark and informations encoding system from IEEE 802.11 used to get the better of the security menaces. Basically, WEP provides security to WLAN by coding the information transmitted over the air, so that merely the receiving systems who have the right encoding key can decode the information. The undermentioned subdivision explains the proficient functionality of WEP as the chief security protocol for WLAN.3.1 How WEP Works?When deploying WLAN, it is of import to understand the ability of WEP to better security. This subdivision describes how WEP maps accomplish the degree of privateness as in a wired LAN [ 16 ] . WEP uses a pre-established shared secret key called the base key, the RC4 encoding algorithm and the CRC-32 ( Cyclic Redundancy Code ) checksum algorithm as its basic edifice blocks. WEP supports up to four different base keys, identified by KeyIDs 0 thorough 3. Each of these basal keys is a group key called a default key, intending that the base keys are shared among all the members of a peculiar radio web. Some executions besides support a set of unidentified per-link keys called key-mapping keys. However, this is less common in first coevals merchandises, because it implies the being of a key.3.2 Failings of WEPWEP has undergone much examination and unfavorable judgment that it may be compromised. What makes WEP vulnerable? The major WEP defects can be summarized into three classs [ 17 ] :3.2.1 No counterfeit protectionThere is no counterfeit protection provided by WEP. Even without cognizing the encoding key, an antagonist can alter 802.11 packages in arbitrary, undetectable ways , deliver informations to unauthorised parties, and masquerade as an authorised user. Even worse, an antagonist can besides larn more about the encoding key with counterfeit onslaughts than with strictly inactive onslaughts.3.2.2 No protection against rematchsWEP does non offer any protection once more rematchs. An adversary can make counterfeits without altering any informations in an bing package, merely by entering WEP packages and so retransmitting later. Replay, a particular type of counterfeit onslaught, can be used to deduce information about the encoding key and the informations it protects.3.2.3 Recycling low-level formatting vectorsBy recycling low-level formatting vectors, WEP enables an aggressor to decode the encrypted information without the demand to larn the encoding key or even fall backing to hi-tech techniques. While frequently dismissed as excessively slow, a patient aggressor can compromise the encoding of an full web after merely a few hours of informations agg regation.4.0 Practical Solutions for Procuring WLANDespite the hazards and exposures associated with radio networking, there are surely fortunes that demand their use. Even with the WEP defects, it is still possible for users to procure their WLAN to an acceptable degree. This could be done by implementing the undermentioned actions to minimise onslaughts into the chief webs [ 5 ] :4.1 Changing Default SSIDService Set Identifier ( SSID ) is a alone identifier attached to the heading of packages sent over a WLAN that acts as a watchword when a nomadic device attempts to link to a peculiar WLAN. The SSID differentiates one Wireless local area network from another, so all entree points and all devices trying to link to a specific WLAN must utilize the same SSID. In fact, it is the lone security mechanism that the entree point requires to enable association in the absence of triping optional security characteristics. Not altering the default SSID is one of the most common security error s made by WLAN decision makers. This is tantamount to go forthing a default watchword in topographic point.EAPThe Extensile Authentication Protocol ( EAP ) is a general hallmark protocol defined in IETF ( Internet Engineering Task Force ) criterions. It was originally developed for usage with PPP. It is an hallmark protocol that provides a generalised model for several hallmark mechanisms [ 15 ] . These include Kerberos, public key, smart cards and erstwhile watchwords. With a standardised EAP, interoperability and compatibility across hallmark methods become simpler. For illustration, when user dials a distant entree waiter ( RAS ) and utilize EAP as portion of the PPP connexion, the RAS does non necessitate to cognize any of the inside informations about the hallmark system. Merely the user and the hallmark server have to be coordinated. By back uping EAP hallmark, RAS waiter does non actively take part in the hallmark duologue. Alternatively, RAS merely re-packages EAP packages t o manus off to a RADIUS waiter to do the existent hallmark determinationWI-FI PROTECTED ACCESS ( WPA )The WPA can be expressed as: 802.1x Authentication + TKIP + ( optional ) AES. 802.1x Authentication WPA relies on the 802.1x hallmark described in the old subdivision for authenticating wireless clients via a RADIUS waiter and bring forthing the secret keys which are so used to make encoding keys. This implies that 802.1x must utilize an hallmark method ensuing in the secret key coevals ( such as EAP-TLS or EAPTTLS ) . Because shared secret keys, generated as the consequence of 802.1x hallmark are alone for each client, WPA-enabled APs will manage multiple keys. To do WPA useable by little concerns and place offices, which do non hold RADIUS-based hallmark environment, 802.1x hallmark may be replaced with the shared key hallmark which resembles WEP hallmark. This manner of WPA hallmark is known as Pre-Shared Key ( PSK ) manner ( vs. Enterprise Mode used with the 802.1x hallmark ) [ 22 ] .TKIPTKIP ( Temporal Key Integrity Protocol ) is responsible for bring forthing the encoding key, coding the message and verifying its unity. Although the existent encoding is performed utilizing the same RC4 Cipher algorithm as WEP, specific sweetenings are added to make stronger encoding key and guarantee that italterations with everypacketis alone for every clientA cryptanalytic message unity codification, or MIC, called Michael, to get the better of counterfeits.A new IV sequencing subject, to take rematch onslaughts from the aggressor? s armory.A per-packet key blending map, to de-correlate the public IVs from weak keys.A re-keying mechanism, to supply f resh encoding and unity keys, undoing the menace of onslaughts stemming from cardinal reuse.Encrypted Tunnel or VirtualPrivate Network ( VPN )Packages are unbroken private by the usage of encryption.Encryption systems are designed to supply avirtual tunnel that the information base on ballss through as it traverses the protected portion of the network.If the system is decently designed and correctlyimplemented, the contents of the warhead will be indecipherable to those without the proper decoding key. The contents that the receiving system decrypts must non merely be private, but precisely as the senderintended. In other words correct tunnel will notonly maintain the contesnts private, but besides free from alteration. This requires the usage of acryptographic unity checker or checksum.Tunneled Transport Layer Security( TTLS )It is non clear whether or non EAP-TLS can be implemented without a public key substructure for certificate exchange. We believe that it ispossible to put in the certifications on the client andserver without utilizing a PKI but we are non perfectly certain that this is the instance. But there isno uncertainty that TTLS does non necessitate a PKI.TTLS differs from EAP-TLS in that it is a two phase protocol. In the first phase an encrypted tunnel is established between the client and waiter. In making so, the waiter presents itscertificate to the client and therefore the client is confident of the waiter? s individuality. In the 2nd stage the client? s certificates are given to thefor proof. These certificates are in theform of attribute-value braces and non digital certifications. [ Gas02 ] All EAP hallmark protocols run into this standard. Because the certificates are passed in an encrypted tunnel a digital certification is non necessary.Protected ExtensileAuthentication Protocol ( PEAP )PEAP is really similar to TTLS. It is truly merely a different spirit of TTLS. It is besides a two stage protocol. The first stage is used to authentic atethe waiter and set up an encrypted tunnel between the client and the waiter. Then alternatively ofusing the older attribute-value brace to authenticate the client, hallmark is limited to any EAP method. Since EAP includes a broad array of hallmark protocols this is non a terrible limitation, but it does let less flexibleness than TTLS. [ Gas02 ]

ABC Inc. Case Study Analysis Essay

Executive Summary ABC Inc. hired 15 new employees with the intention of starting the orientation on June 15. Carl has only six months experience and has made several critical errors. This may have been created due to lack of qualifications, training, or overstating of qualification on Carl’s resume. Due to this, certain tasks were not addressed in a timely manner. Four problems are readily apparent; employee applications are incomplete or missing documentation, lack of training manuals, no drug screenings have been administered, and the training room intended for the orientation is book for the entire month of June. See more: Homeless satire essay Introduction Carl Robins, a newly hired campus recruiter for ABC, Inc, hired 15 new employees within his first six months on the job. These newly hired employees will be working for Monica Carrolls, the Operations Supervisor. The new employees require an orientation on company policy, manuals to learn such policies, physicals, and drug screening. Carl is behind on preparation for the orientation and has not completed the required processing for the new employees. Some of the new hires do not have completed applications or their transcripts on file, and none of them had the required drug screening. The orientation manuals were also missing pages and Carl could only locate a total of three. Carl also discovered the training room he was going to use for the orientation is booked for the entire month of June for software training. Now he needs to find somewhere else to hold the training sessions. Once all these tasks are completed, Carl needs to reassure his colleagues that future orientation for new hires will run smoother. He can do this by being more proactive, planning, analyzing his errors, and improving on the  identified weak areas. (University of Phoenix, 2006) Background Carl had sufficient time to complete all tasks required to prepare for the orientation, but exhibited poor planning, execution, and follow-through of his duties, which would appear he is either not qualified or trained properly to do his job effectively. The goal is to have new hires trained in time to start work in July. Carl is new at the job himself, and this is his first recruitment effort. This, however, is no excuse for not being prepared for the task at hand, especially knowing the importance for the company and making a good impression on the new hires. The main concern is that there are many problems and not much time to complete them. Carl will need to evaluate, prioritize, and find solutions to each issue quickly. Carl has many obstacles to overcome, but the July deadline is still a reachable goal. Key Problems Carl’s performance, leading to his failure, began when he did not think ahead in his process for new hires and the requirements of himself and the new employees for the company. Before Carl started recruiting these individuals he did not have a plan in place for after he met his goal of recruiting 15 new people for the company. His only focus and concern was getting the new hires in the door, and the rest was an afterthought. Some of the things he should have thought about were â€Å"What happens next after the recruits are hired?† Problem 1 – He did not take in consideration all of the elements involved with the hiring and training of the new hires; like making sure all documents were up-to-date prior to hiring. A company should not hire new employees without all required documents. If a company requires a complete application and transcripts upon the interview process, and this is not provided, the applicant should not be considered for hire or given the chance to complete prior to entering the hiring process. Proposed Solution – Ensure all documentation is complete prior to hiring. This will ensure all records are up-to-date before entering the training process. Therefore, leaving time to focus on scheduling the drug screening and reserving the training room. Problem 2 – Incomplete and not enough manuals required for training the new hires. Carl did not check the inventory of manuals needed for training prior to the hiring process. Proposed Solution – Once a hiring  goal is set Carl should have checked all manuals. If there were not enough needed and incomplete manuals, more should have been ordered/made prior to or once the interviews commenced. It is better to be prepared for the unexpected than not prepared for the expected. Problem 3 – Scheduling the required physical and drug screening. If any of the 15 new hires fail their screening then the company will not have the amount needed for July, thus requiring Carl to continue his hiring efforts putting him behind schedule even more. Proposed Solution – Each new hire should have been scheduled for their individual physical and drug screening immediately. Notify the new hire of their appointment time. Once the results come back, review, and if approved, notify the individual and add to their record. If not approved, notify the individual and continue the interview efforts to find qualified individuals. If this is done properly the chances of not meeting the July deadline would be minimal. Problem 4 – Not reserving training room for new hires orientation. He was not proactive in ensuring the training room was reserved. As it turned out, the room he intended on using was already booked for the rest of the month. Proposed Solution – Knowing the deadline for new hires to enter orientation, Carl should have immediately scheduled the training room. If the training room was already booked a possible alternative would be another conference room at the facility or renting a nearby hotel conference room. To avoid this issue in the future Carl should schedule the training room once the commence date is communicated to him or he needs to request this info from his supervisor immediately. Alternatives Numerous solutions exist in correcting the challenges in the time available. The case study states the Carl is required to have all new hires working by July with a hire date of June 15. Carl must contact Monica Carrols, the operations supervisor, to get a solid deadline for the new hires. Seeing that Carl completed the hiring of 15 new employees in early April, he had ample amount of time. He had anytime in July, up to and including the last day, to have the new hires ready for work. Carl will also need to contact all new hires, inform them of their incomplete application, missing transcripts, and drug screening appointments. Alternatively, Carl could contact the HR department for application review and follow-up actions. Ensuring each applicant understands the deadlines with a built in backup due  date for unexpected problems. Carl should also make HR aware of the deadlines prior to them contacting the new hires. The three training manuals on hand were incomplete and he was also short by 12. Carl needs to make arrangements with either an in-house reproduction center or outsource this task with an extra manual for Carl as an instructors copy. Carl appears to be deficient in his working knowledge pertaining to the company policies, procedures, and formal norms, which means he must become intimately familiar with the material in the orientation manual prior to training. Further, Carl needs to coordinate for training space. This challenge is effortlessly completed by checking for available conference rooms within his company or renting convention or conference room space close to the corporate location. Additionally, corporate management need to design a system for checking and reserving training/conference rooms, web based, or paper based with a point of contact to coordinate scheduling. An additional option could be to create a permanent schedule for new employee orientation training, thus ensuring proper resources are allocated appropriately. Moreover, root cause analysis from company standpoint will need investigation and corrective measures enacted; whether the problems stem from management, employee screening of qualif ications, training, and revision of policies as well as any combination of the previous mentioned problems. Recommendations Execute proposed solution with an additional task for corporate managers and supervisors to meet and determine root-cause analysis using the company Process Improvement Program and implement proposed improvements. References University of Phoenix. (2012) Week Two supplement, Case Study for Student Analysis. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from University of Phoenix, Week Two, COMM215 Essential of College Writing. University of Phoenix. (2012) Week Two supplement, Sample Short Report Case Study Format. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from University of Phoenix, Week Two, COMM215 Essential of College Writing.

Discuss your educational and professional goals, short and long term, Essay

Discuss your educational and professional goals, short and long term, and address how earning the Doctor of Nursing practice (DN - Essay Example I am currently working as an inpatient psychiatric nurse at the Green Oaks Psychiatric Hospital where I have been working for more than a year and have volunteered at the Great Mission Rehab for the homeless and for psychiatric patients. Prior to my job at Green Oaks, I had worked as a medical and surgical nurse but I find more fulfillments working as a psychiatric nurse. As a psychiatric nurse I have more opportunities to connect with my patients by understanding their feelings and emotions, by understanding the meaning behind their stories and finding explanations for their psychiatric problems. I define my patients holistically, by their total personality, as a whole person, and not by the disorder that afflicted them. In my experience as an inpatient Psychiatric RN, I have come to know the prevalence of mental disorder and it is affecting all ages. If not treated on time, serious mental disorder could be totally disabling and could be a source of pain for the whole family, and a loss to the society. I have also known that medicines alone cannot heal a person with a mental problem.

Manufacture and Sale of Counterfeit Goods Essay

Manufacture and Sale of Counterfeit Goods - Essay Example Peter Law, in his article, â€Å"A Call for more Sweatshop† and others who favor sweatshop labor argue that it provides a means of employment for the weaker section of the population which helps the lower income population to lead a better livelihood. In addition, such companies provide employment for women, and that would, in turn, help them to become more independent and self-supportive. While sweatshop labor does provide a means of employment for the people, the mental and physical turmoil endured by the employees is much more than the benefits gained. In addition, the manufacturing of fake goods by itself is illegal as it is a deliberate infringement of the intellectual property rights of companies that produce the original goods. Hence, stricter policies and judicial changes should be introduced to close down companies producing fake goods and help save the lives of millions of women and children who are forced to work under horrendous conditions. The production of fake or counterfeit products is a violation of intellectual property rights and it poses a significant threat to the world economy as both businesses as well as the consumers are at a loss. As mentioned by Goodwin, the intellectual property theft has affected the world economy to the tune of nearly $600 billion a year. The number of fake products being seized is increasing at an alarming rate with a recent report from the EU customs showing seizure of nearly 100 million products in 2001. This illegal trade is part of every sector such as the information technology sector, clothing, toy industry and pharmaceuticals to name a few and the global market of counterfeit products have risen from 3 billion a year to nearly 100 times more (Counterfeiting and Organised Crime). The sale of counterfeit products has risen sharply over the past decade. A recent report shows that both industrial and commercial counterfeiting represents about 5 to 7% of trade in the world.

Developing an Ethical Business Environment Essay

Developing an Ethical Business Environment - Essay Example (Kuhn, 2005, 12) Organizational management involves several serious tasks that concern not only the whole company but also its stakeholders. This is the reason why the need for the fine application of ethical leadership is essential for the pursuance of rightful managerial policing processes. Management, as known to many is a performed function in every organizational set up that is essential for arranging the activities of certain business groups. The said act of organizing a business group indeed requires a high level of leadership skills. As for this reason, governance then is considered a responsibility that demands effort and patience in dealing with other people (Humes-Schulz, 2002, 15). As the present human society advances to being economically global, the need for management especially on commercial business organizations is heightened. Hence, there are necessary points of consideration when good governance is being talked about. Today, as management of businesses deal with multicultural differences of the people making up the company, it could be noticed that the challenges in dealing with organizational matters becomes harder to deal with, hence, requiring more skillful attitudes and acts towards the responsibility of organizational management (Cragg, The Shopping Mall Challenge). Certainly, the following organizational issues are the major responsibilities that the leaders must address in their daily activities: - High Profile organizational Failures This concerns the issue that is concerned with the failure of the company, which in some way becomes controversial and in a way destroys the company's reputation in the business industry. Leaders of the organization should see to it that a certain measure of damage control should immediately be taken into consideration to be able to answer to the doubts raised against the company through the existence of the said issue. - Higher expectations on the part of the public sectors and regulators Since the business organizations are mostly aiming for globalization, the public then as well as with the regulators within the society have higher expectations form the organizational governance. Since the aim for progress is high, the effort to be placed forward should also account for the goals that are to be reached. - Increasing litigation and concerns about legal liability Because of being multinational, the business organizations today are subjected to more complex and more systematic legalities that give them their capabilities and limitations in operating with their business on certain countries around the world. - More takeovers, mergers, acquisitions Since the organizations are expected to become larger, the issue concerning the takeovers and merging of the organizations with other business companies, it easy to conclude that the responsibility of the governing department of any business organization subjects the leaders to resort to different resolutions to be able to deal with the said business transactions with other. - Global Competition and Technological change Carrying these things into consideration

An investigation of the role that the Libyan government and civil Essay

An investigation of the role that the Libyan government and civil society organization can play in facilitating the humanitarian activities of the Libyan red crescent - Essay Example The research is based on the challenges that are faced by LRC or Libyan Red Crescent in terms of providing quality service to all those victims who are affected. The Libyan Red Crescent in the recent years has been deprived of many such facilities that were provided by the civil society organizations. This in turn has resulted into more serious issues for LRC as they are finding it difficult to maintain their humanitarian activities. This study would be focused towards identifying the key issues along with the probable solutions so that the organization can achieve the stage of sustainability in its business operations. The Libyan Red Crescent organization was incorporated in the year 1957 and it comprised of 34 branches in total across Libya. The Libyan government and even the civil society organization of Libya have made the operations of this voluntary aid organization LRC worsen due to lack of support and negligence on their behalf. The primary functions of this organization have greatly been affected due to the unavailability of resources and support that was required to be extended by the Libyan Government. The research study would not be based on the total LRC organization but it would focus majorly on one branch that is Zintan branch. This branch is selected mainly because the researcher is the indigene of the town so it would enable the researcher to gather more appropriate information about the challenges faced by the organization. The major aim of this research study is to identify the possible solutions that would help the organization to enhance their activities by means of leveraging the civil society as well as Libyan government.

Retailing Management - Target Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Retailing Management - Target - Research Paper Example The company makes its international strategy effective by incorporating its UK strategy and fine tuning it to suit the cultural differences in order to meet the specific needs and preferences of customers in the different international markets it operates in. In order to achieve excellence in international operations, Tesco needs to maintain consistency in its quality and consumer experience by venturing into the business insights (Tesco, 2011). The main and critical component in the Tesco’s decision making process is its web-based business intelligence application product. This application is recognized for its speed, functionality and the flexibility necessary for the timely delivery of fashion products to the Tesco users worldwide. This is based on the technology developed by Tesco along with its Group retail MIS system. The Group retail MIS system helps the company in identifying the key areas of operations, finance, customers and people. This guides and facilitates the to p management in measuring the store based performance of the company. Tesco’s strategic objectives thus have been focused upon the Group MIS which encourages and improvises on the local reporting and gives strategic insight into the functioning (Coriolis, 2004). Tesco: Environmental and Strategic analysis Understanding the environment and the influences which results from the changes provides different dimensions and challenges to strategic decision making but making sense of this diversity requires greater efforts and involves identifying the political, economic, social and technological influences which affect the organization. The PESTLE Analysis of Tesco involves the political environment which analyzes the local and national impact of the government. It also looks into the government laws and policies that have an impact on international business operations. The activity and momentum in the economy, such as fluctuations in the stock market and increase in the tax rates w ill have a significant impact on the company. Sociological factors include the changes in the culture and way of living of the people in general. It includes the changes in consumer behavior and their pattern of purchasing. For example, the new trend of e-commerce and online shopping brings in new technologies that the company will have to adapt. Environmental factors also play an important role as Tesco has to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities. It has to work on reducing the usage of fossil fuels in its transportation process (Case study, 2006). Possible environmental issues which Tesco will face in the near future are: Political - Ban of sale of alcohol to public above the age of 21 by the government. Economic - Implementation of tax on food by the government. Sociological- Tesco’s entry into US and Russia will help in expanding its operations and increasing its sales and profit levels. It helps in expanding the company’s horizon beyond the UK and overcom e cultural barriers. Technological- A significant part of Tesco’s distribution costs consists of hydrogen powered lorries. Legal- The task of paying huge compensation claims has been disputed by Tesco. Environmental- The changes in the climatic conditions could have an impact on suppliers’ strategies and objectives. Porters Five forces Model affecting Tesco The

Emergency Operations Plan in an Emergency Situation in the Campus Essay

Emergency Operations Plan in an Emergency Situation in the Campus - Essay Example Therefore, there requires an emergency plan that will respond to all the necessary issues that arise at the time of an emergency situation. Weber State University has developed a similar plan to address emergency situations effectively. The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) aims to address the potential hazards that can give rise to an emergency situation in the campus and to provide a comprehensive implementation plan to cater to these issues. The EOPs scope is wide as it covers the natural disasters, technological hazards and extraordinary situations like criminal events. Therefore, earthquake, mudslide, flood, tornado, weather extremes and fire breakout in the wildland are all possible emergency situations in which EOP will be effective. Likewise, transportation accidents, utility failure, incidents with hazardous materials or chemicals and structural fire are covered under EOP as technological hazards. Similarly, civil disturbances, sabotage between student and staff member, bomb threat and criminal or violent behavior are covered under the extraordinary emergency situations. The Weber State University EOPs will cover the potential emergency situations, provide an effective plan for implementation, develop institutional responsibilities and highlight the mechanism for monitoring and control in emergency situations. The EOPs will be adhered by all the employees and the students of the University, alike. In order to activate the EOPs, the University has assumed several situations and circumstances that will make it easier for all the stakeholders to effectively implement and execute the plan in their best interests.  

The Millennium Development Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Millennium Development Goals - Essay Example And so, the UN was quick to distinguish the Goals from its predecessors (Millennium Campaign). For one, says the UN, the MDGs are a "compact", with the distribution of responsibilities across the North-South divide made clear. Poor countries - the so-called "South" - must be more accountable, utilize its national resources more efficiently, and practice good governance all around. In return, the wealthier countries of "the North" will grant debt relief, pave the way for fair trade, and provide funding for national MDG campaigns, together with international finance institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as their regional counterparts, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The UN also notes that the world enjoys an unparalleled level of prosperity - hundreds of billions are being spent on the campaign against terrorism and on agricultural subsidy. Meanwhile, it has been estimated that, every year, the MDGs will require an additional US$50 billion in aid. The UN believes that sufficient resources are available to put an end to poverty. The MDG signatories also designed the Goals to be time-bound. To monitor progress, each goal is broken down into 18 targets and 48 corresponding quantitative indicators. These serve as guideposts, especially at the national level, for preparation of country reports. Finally, the UN firmly believes that the MDGs are "achievable" and deems that "to set the bar any lower than this would be morally unacceptable". 2007 MDG Report Reveals "Uneven" Results In 2007, the UN released the much anticipated mid-point report. While it boasts of "visible and widespread gains", it also discloses that the overall results are "predictably, uneven" (UN, 2007, p.4). Progress for some of the goals is discussed below. One of the targets of Goal 1 is to "halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than US$1 a day". From 1.25 billion in 1990, the number of people living in "extreme poverty" dropped to 980 million in 2004, benefiting mostly the poor people in Asia (UN, 2007, p.6). At this rate, the UN is hopeful that this target will be achieved on the whole, despite a less rosy picture in Western Asia and in so-called "transition countries" in Eastern Europe and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It also notes that any benefits from the improved economic situation are not shared equitably; in fact, the "share of national consumption" by the poorest 20 percent in developing countries even decreased. In other words, the poverty

Laundered Clothes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Laundered Clothes - Essay Example Sometimes I feel that, even doing this is quite a chore! Well can you imagine how it must have been a hundred-and-fifty years' back, when there were no washing machines, no detergent powder (only cakes of soap) and no electric irons Well, let's cut back to 1858 Monday used to be weekly washing day. The washing process being a long one, it was necessary to allot a full day to it. Most homes tried to keep enough linen to keep them going through the week. (Old and Interesting) The coloured and the whites are separated the previous night, and the whites are soaked in water to loosen the dirt. On washing day, the clothes-both coloured and whites-are sorted out again. Those which are really dirty, oily or sweat-stained, including those whites which have been soaked the previous night, are soaked again in a large tub of a solution of soda bicarbonate (washing soda) and water. (WiseGEEK). Hot water was used if the clothes/ household linen were really dirty. Soda bi-carb was available in a powder form (it is a white powder) from the local grocery store. Alternately, some housewives boiled the clothes in a large metal pot, in water containing soda-bicarb. The pot was stirred with a long stick, and a large fork used to be used to handle the boiled clothes. Next, the clothes were individually washed with cakes of lye soap, by being beaten onto a serrated washboard, by hand, or sometimes a flat wooden bat was used to beat the clothes. (Old and Interesting) Homes which didn't have a washboard, just used a flat, wooden board or a hard, flat stone. Collars, cuffs and hems (dresses were long then) needed special attention to get dirt out; likewise delicate clothes with lace had to be handled gently. After this, the clothes were rinsed out in clean water. Several rinses had to be done in tubs of water kept alongside in a row, till the water ran clean from the clothes. Then the whites had to be 'whitened'. For this, washing blue (made of indigo) (Old and Interesting) was used. Washing blue was bought from the corner store, in little blue chunks. A chunk was tied in a linen cloth and dipped into a clean bucket of water. The water turned blue from this. To this was added starch and mixed well. Whites dipped into this came out starched and sparkling. As more and more clothes were dipped into the starch-blue solution, the solution itself had to be strengthened by adding more starch and blue. Care had to be taken to mix the starch well into the water so that the solution was not lumpy. Starch was not always available in the market, a hundred years back. It could be prepared at home by cooking corn flour in water, which yielded a sticky, viscous liquid, which was added to the water to p repare the starch water. The coloured clothes received the same starching as the whites did, except that the starch solution did not contain the blue. Personal linen (underwear) did not need starching, of course. After the starching, the clothes were wrung out (if too heavily wrung, they would lose all starch) and hung out on clothes-lines to dry. Wooden clothes-pegs were used to ensure that the clothes did not fly off the lines. While hanging them out, care had to be taken to see that they were sufficiently 'spread out', for one layer of wet starched cloth could get stuck to another. White clothes could be hung out in the sun, but not the coloureds, at least not in strong sunshine. Warm weather helped in drying out the clothes

The World That Trade Created Essay Example for Free

The World That Trade Created Essay The topic of The World That Trade Created by Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven Topik is mostly dealing with society, culture and economy. The book takes place all over the world from 1400 to present. The time periods are so interesting because it relates to the modern day economy. It also shapes how our economy came to be, where these ideal strategies for industry and etcetera originated- the cultural and traditional background of societies first using these tactics- and an overall extensive, lively history of economics. The modern day results in success and that is helpful for readers living within the new age society. Corporations are widely discussed today and take on a big role in the growing debate about the role of corporations should have in society today. â€Å"Why did the seventeenth- century Europeans create the worlds first corporations?† demanded Pomeranz and Topik. â€Å"looking back from 2005 the answer seems obvious: the corporation seems like such a logical way to do business..† but corporations had a violent birth. The first corporations didn’t have a permanent life, nor did they self-liquidate. Other Europeans, like- Middle East, India, South East Asia, Japan and China all through the eighteenth century had no need for the corporate form. Northern Europeans would need to seize and fortify and arm ships to patrol the waters, to be in play with the Asians. Europe however couldn’t create monopolies. After years of conflict and many revolts by shareholders who wanted the company to wind down rather than grow, the company was re-chartered rather than liquidated after twenty-one years, the directors got the flexibility to lower dividends (amongst partners) when they needed to build up capital, and Dutch investors learned to operate like shareholders today.†Ã¢â‚¬  The idea of companies that took care of their own protections costs did not last, of course.† â€Å"by the 1830’s all these companies had collapsed, and their colonies had been taken over by governments-just as a new era of capital-intensive industry was about to create more productive uses or the corporate form that they had pioneered.† The World That Trade Created is a history of society, culture, and economics. It taps in tp the painful and brutal truth of our global economy system. Modern world emerges with varied foods, advanced societies, a background of poverty and violence and monopolies and so on and so forth. The society aspect touches base on the trade of slaves. These slaves would mine necessities like gold, silver, cotton, tobacco, coffee, tea, sugar and rubber on plantations in different regions. Culture like Christianity came ion hand with the law. Culture and central planning were works in progress acting on one another’s evolutionary development. The economy of it all deals with so many trade tactics. It helps readers understand that economic activity cannot be divorced from social and cultural contexts. It was made from flesh and blood to its relevance today. The relevancy of the books information today outlines moral economy and how its being held somewhat fair today. It also relates to market economy to understand our world. Nature and culture continue to transform economics today. As much understanding there is of economics it is still playing out and unwinding today. It continues to have situations that need fixing and is still being debated over today. Economy ultimately impacts society.

Profession Selected Essay Example for Free

Profession Selected Essay An accountancy firm provides a vast number of services, such as accountancy, assurance, information technology and secretarial services. For the scope of this paper, we will select and focus on assurance services entailed by an external auditor on public limited companies in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act. 1. 1 Research Methodology The research methodology adopted in this assignment shall utilize both primary and secondary data in order to attain sufficient information necessary for the job research on assurance services. The primary data will comprise a qualitative research carried out through interviews with audit managers and in-charge auditors of one of the big four accountancy firms, KPMG, which is shown in Appendix A. Secondary information shall entail relevant textbooks, journal articles and web documents as portrayed in the bibliography section. 1. 2 Daily Demands of a Professional Auditor in Public Practice The comments provided by the audit manager interviewed, shown in Appendix A of this paper are much in line with what is stated in auditing textbooks, with respect to the work of the auditor. Planning is the initial stage of the audit, once the auditor is selected and the directors sign the engagement letter (AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 2005, p 14). The audit strategy commences with the objectives of the audit, which normally are identifying key audit areas, nothing-potential problems, assigning the staff properly and facilitating the audit review (AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 2005, p 94). This planning step normally entails an examination of the industry, and the company’s management in order to ascertain the inherent risks of the firm. The flow of documentation and extent of controls present in the organization are also examined with the goal of setting the control risk. Once the inherent and control risks are set, the detection risk, which is the only risk within the auditor’s control, is established. The setting of the materiality level, which is an integral part of risk assessment lead to the end of the planning stage of the audit (AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 2005, p 96 – 101). The actual testing of account balances and transactions commences when the fieldwork starts, normally at the client’s premises. Tests of control will be applied on the internal controls present in the corporation with the aim of evaluating their effectiveness in detecting and preventing error and fraud. This aids the auditor in determining the substantive tests necessary. In organizations with effective internal control systems, restrictive substantive testing is usually carried out, which comprises audit test on the areas where reasonable assurance was not provided by reliance on the internal controls (AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 2005, p 15). The daily demands of an auditor are not only on testing, especially when considering the in-charge auditor. Direction and supervision of audit assistants is necessary in order to ensure proper co-ordination. Meetings with the engagement partner, manager and audit staff is also carried out during the audit, both at the planning stage, fieldwork and completion phase (AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 2005, p 110 – 114). 1. 3 Skills and personality traits necessary in an audit environment A generic answer was provided by the audit manager interviewed, in which he stated that technical, communication and computer application skills are necessary. Good appearance and ethical behavior were noted as regards the personality traits. We can further compound on such matters by amplifying the skills necessary and expounding the ethical attitude necessary for such profession. Communication includes three main skills, speaking, listening and interpersonal skills. Speaking skills comprises clear articulation, intonation effects and the pace and pauses adopted during the conveying of the message. During a conversation, both face-to-face and over the telephone it is important that we listen. Our ability in properly decoding messages and responding to his feedback even through a â€Å"yes† can build a positive relationship, which will ultimately enhance proper communication (AAT Interactive Text Units 22 and 23 2005, p 224). Interpersonal skills include a mixture of speaking and listening abilities. An individual with good interpersonal abilities will be highly effective in motivating staff, team-building and customer care, which are very important in auditing. Such important benefits are derived from staff who is able in negotiating and persuading other people, managing conflict and communicate informatively and supportively (AAT Interactive Text Units 22 and 23 2005, p 201). The computer applications and technical knowledge pointed out during the interview are also important skills. Computer software that is normally utilized by an auditor are office software like Microsoft word and excel, and accounting packages such as sage, which will be adopted by the client in order to record accounting transactions and provide the necessary reports. As regards the technical competence, which is frequently attained through formal training in a university needs to be further enhanced once achieved. A degree qualification is not an end, but a means to an end. It is therefore vital that once enrolling in such profession we continue covering important technical areas, such as accounting and auditing standards in order to progress our knowledge on such aspects. Indeed it is common practice for audit firms to induce and support staff to higher formal education relevant to the auditing profession to increase and widen their technical abilities. The ethical behavior outlined by the manager interviewed can be further illustrated with the aid of the code of ethics of accountants and auditors. An auditor is required to be independent and portray technical competence, integrity and professional attitude in his behavior and judgments (Cottell G. P. et al. 1990, p 29). Independence is achieved by not having close relations in the company, not accepting gifts from customer and the client does not entail a substantial part of the auditor’s income, which is outside the scope of the employee (AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 2005, p 25 26). Technical abilities are sustained through the license requirements, which will be further referred to in the following section. While the latter two, highly depend on the character of the individual and the attention devoted to his behavior. The individual interviewed outlined the importance of proper behavior as shown in Appendix A. 1. 4 Licensing Requirements for an Auditor The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the representative body in charge of licensing accountants and auditors in public practice (The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). The person interviewed outlined this point. From such interview the case of technical competence and practical experience also emerged in order to attain such license. A degree majoring in accountancy is necessary from an accredited university, together with a number of years of practical experience with a licensed auditor working in public practice. 1. 5 Remuneration of an Auditor The point that initially an auditor employed in an audit firm will be remunerated a lower wage in relation to the industry arose from the interview. Indeed the interviewee outlined that an average wage of $20 per hour is achieved. This stems from the fact that at the beginning an assistant auditor would need considerable on the job training and could not be given a job alone. However, through progression and promotion, the wage can increase reaching a mean of $32. 21 per hour. The possibility of room for growth arose for such job. 1. 6 Opportunities and Threats of in an Audit Environment The audit manager highlighted the fact that a correlation exists between the industry performance and the demand for auditors, like every industry related job. In this respect, the better the economy the greater the job opportunities for auditors. However, the unification of a number of different countries in North America and Europe is providing the opportunity of international markets. As a result, the rewards that successful candidates can achieve once attaining the qualification and entering in such profession are improving (Successful Students get their just reward 2005, p 8). For instance, in the big four audit firms, like KPMG, secondment opportunities are frequently provided to staff, once they gain sufficient experience in the profession. This thus enables them to work in other countries and widen their practical experience on auditing. It was also noted in section 1. 3 that audit firms are supporters of formal education in order to improve the technical competence of staff. Therefore employees also have the opportunity to increase their education with the aid of the company. Such help may consist of study leave and even financial assistance on the course fee. In the industry such training opportunities are difficult. The manager interviewed showed his concern upon the main threat of an auditor, which consists of providing an incorrect audit opinion and losing the firm’s reputation. At the beginning of our employment in such profession, however the threat will stem from the increasing competition arising from the rise of students undergoing accountancy courses to commence working as auditors. In addition, such industry is considered as a monopolistic market, in which a vast number of clients and auditors exist (Shailer G. et al 2004, p 263). This leads to tough competition requesting the need of high efficiency and service quality, which will be exerted on a tougher selection of employees in the firm. Thus it is important that we enhance the skills necessary for an auditor, portrayed in section 1. 3, to overcome such threat. 1. 7 Final Thought – My Strengths and Weaknesses in relation to this Profession I am already involved in an accountancy course and therefore the technical skills are being achieved. My commitment to studies is also boosting me in such area. I also possess a good knowledge of computer applications software and always successfully managed to work in a team. The main weakness that I can presently identify is the inability to apply such technical knowledge in practice. This arises from my limited working experience in such area. However, I am confident that once I commence working as an assistant auditor, I will mitigate this problem through the on the job training provided and my dedication to such work. Appendix A – Questions and Answers attained from the interview 1. Is planning necessary in auditing? If yes explain what it entails? An external auditor is required by Auditing Standards to properly plan an audit before the commencement of the audit itself. This aids the auditor is assessing risk and identifying key areas of the audit. A properly set plan also promotes coordination and efficiency in the audit team. 2. What is main objective of the audit? The primary duty of the auditor is to prepare a report on the truth and fairness of the financial statements. 3. What are the salient daily demands during the audit fieldwork? Once the in-charge auditor starts the audit assignment, he should coordinate his and the teams efforts in order to complete the audit within the specified deadline. The internal control system should be checked first via tests of control in order to identify the internal control strengths and weaknesses, which will ultimately affect the audit tests carried out. This is followed by substantive procedures on the important elements of the financial statements. 4. Name the main skills that an external auditor necessitates? Apart from technical competence in accountancy and auditing, an auditor requires good communication skills both written and verbal and knowledge of computer applications. On advancement, management and leadership skills are also necessary in view, that he will be managing an audit team. 5. How should an auditor behave at the client’s premises? A professional attitude is a must in auditing. We have to keep abreast the fact that due to the lack of tangibility in a service, the customer will frequently seek tangible factors such as the behavior of audit staff in assessing the service provided. This is thus an important facet to sustain the reputation of the firm. Apart from dressing smartly, the auditor is required to behave ethically, paying particular attention in the communication style and words used when discussing the audit with the client. 6. What is the current compensation of a recent graduate in this profession? At the beginning, the normal average wage of an assistant auditor would be $20 per hour. Such low wage is provided at the commencement in relation to the industry in view of the on the job training necessary to such staff. Upon progression and promotion the employee can reach $32. 21 per hour. 7. What are the current opportunities in the audit profession? This profession is highly correlated with the industries performance. The more the companies incorporated, the greater the job opportunities for an auditor. The increasing unification of countries, like the European Union is also providing access to international markets. 8. Name the main threats of an auditor? The most critical threat that an auditor faces is the public exposure in instances where an incorrect audit opinion is provided and the organization faces financial problems. In these cases the reputation of the audit firm is destroyed, like Arthur Anderson in the Enron incident. The increasing competition in such profession is also exerting considerable pressure on efficiency and audit fee. 9. What are the licensing requirements to operate as an auditor in public practice? A special license is necessary to operate as an auditor, which is provided by American Institute of Chartered Accountants once sufficient technical competence and audit training are achieved. Bibliography AAT Interactive Text Unit 17 (2005). Implementing Audit Procedures. London: BPP Professional Education. AAT Interactive Text Units 22 and 23 (2005). Health and Safety and Personal Effectiveness. London: BPP Professional Education. Cottell G. P. ; Perlin M. T. (1990). Accounting Ethics: A Practical Guide for Professionals. Westport: Quorum Books. Shailer G. ; Cummings L. ; Vatuloka E. ; Welch S. (2004). Discretionary Pricing in a Monopolistic Audit Market, International Journal of Auditing, Vol. 8, Issue 3. Successful Students get their just reward, The News Letter, 29th June 2005. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Legislative Activities and State Licensing Issues (on line). Available from: http://www. aicpa. org/Legislative+Activities+and+state+licensing+Issues/ (Accessed 21st May 2007)

Hotels in Bangkok

Hotels in Bangkok The Regency Grand Hotel is one of the most prestigious and luxurious hotels in Bangkok, Thailand. Since its inception, it has earned a brand name in the industry owing to the exceptional salaries and benefits offered. The hotel staff and managers felt privileged being a member of the hotel, and perceived that they were being taken well care of under the leadership of the then General Manager. The following case study illuminates the dilemma of the employees undergoing the management changeover following its acquisition by an international group. In the earlier set-up, the employees were expected to follow the orders of their managers without questioning them. Initiatives to solve problems at personal level were discouraged and it led to lack of innovation and risk-averse behavior. Eventually, the hotel staff got accustomed to the style of management over the past fifteen years, and it made the work go smoothly with minimal number of conflicts. However, the recent sale of the hotel to a new American group introduced an altogether new style of administration to the employees. The management style of the new GM was entirely opposite to what the staff was familiar to, and it caused problems bringing the hotels performance and reputation down the drain. Problem symptoms and indications The former style of management gave limited authority to the front line employees and did not permit them to take any action on the spot without referring to their superiors. On the contrary, the new General Manager (John Becker) encouraged them to perform beyond their routine duties to provide customized services and thus make them feel special. This is directly related to empowerment, which is a key aspect in the service industry especially the hotels (Hubrecht Teare, 1993). Beckers motive in employee empowerment was linked with his intention to achieve competitive advantage through upgrading the staff competencies. As stated by Wall, et.al (2002, p.147) employee empowerment results in motivation, inventiveness, implied knowledge, participation, and enthusiasm necessary to survive in todays cutthroat competition. Although, Becker saw empowerment as a means to enthuse employees and delight the customers (Barbee Bott, 1991, p. 27) the hotels current managers expressed their disappointment. They were discontented with the idea of giving bottom line employees more authority and decision powers. The disparity in management approach is attributed to the cultural differences in these countries, for instance power distance, and uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 1980, p.45-55). Thailand and USA fall in the extreme ends of the cultural continuum presented by Hofstede (1980). Efforts are generally focused towards equal distribution of power in USA, while only a few people are given authority in Thailand given the larger power distance in the latter. Also, there is strong uncertainty avoidance in Thailand, calling for more written rules regulations, whereas uncertainty is easily accepted in USA and emphasis is laid on minimal formal rules (Hofstede, 1980, p.51). Becker failed to recognize these cultural differences while implementing his theories into practice. Joining a new organization and country demands awareness about the various social and cultural issues involved before transforming the existing practices (Lane Beamish, 1990, p.88). What worsened the situation further was his previous experience in places with poor performance and low employee morale. It is noticeable that his new assignment was doing sound business; therefore, his approach ought to be different in this case. Becker spent a great deal of time with the employees in an effort to elucidate his expectations from them. The role theory (Bush and Busch, 1981; Teas et al., 1979) mentions that the frontline employees have a greater need for role precision to carry out their duties efficiently. Role clarity perceived by the customer-contact employees is not only advantageous for customer satisfaction, but is also associated with employees job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance (de Ruyter et al., 2001). Yet, he did not succeed in putting a clear demarcation between complex and small issues. This kind of uncertainty was a continuous threat and led to higher anxiety and stress among the employees since strong uncertainty avoidance prevails in Thailand (McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p.47). The employees did not have a clear role perception due to role ambiguity. In this regard, Saks (1996, p.301-23) states that role perception is a result of role ambiguity, and with time this may result in stress specially when working under a new management. In addition to that, the employees were not able to distinguish between a major and a minor problem because of the lack of training (assumption). They had never been assigned a decision-making role before, and unfortunately did not receive a proper guidance from their seniors in such difficult situations. A further study into the Regency Grand Hotel shows that in quest of employee empowerment, power was transferred from the middle-line managers to the lower rank staff. Daft (1995) suggested that the recent trend of flatter organization structures have considerably altered the traditional role of supervisors. Consequently, the managers found their job meaningless and reversed employees decisions by terming them complex issues. They insisted that upper managements approval is required to address such problems and thus, tried to regain their supremacy. The managers reactions are associated to their control needs, achievement needs, and recognition needs () that forced them to maintain their grip on routine decisions. Furthermore, the employees did not receive any kind of support, feedback or appraisal for taking initiatives and going out of their way to enrich customers experience. As per Herzberg (1959) theory, motivation techniques such as superiors support and a positive and timely feedback have enduring productive influence on the employee behavior and resulting performance. In this context, experts have referred to the ABCs of behavior modification theory (McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p. 85-86) which states that employee behavior can be modified by managing its antecedents (for example encouraging staff to take initiative) and its consequences (for instance approving their decisions and constructive feedback). The theory further states that people have a propensity to repeat behaviors and actions that are followed by pleasant consequences, and extinction occurs when no consequences follow at all. Since the managers did not provide any support to the employees engaged in the desired work behavior, their self-driven decision-making process disappeared. The absence of motivation from the superiors eroded the employees self-confidence and they started to totally rely on their superiors to make decisions on their behalf. This is because of the high collectivism in Thailand (Hofstede, 1980, p. 45) where there is a strong need for consensus. The overall problem with the Grand Regency Hotel is directly linked to the MARS model, which identifies four key factors that have a direct effect on employee behavior, viz. motivation, ability, role perception, and situational factors. The employee performance levels drop if any of these factors is absent from the organizational context (McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p. 36). It is apparent from the study that the employees were not motivated to continue the new task behaviors, and they lacked the ability to define the complexity of the decisions, which again led to ambiguous role perceptions. Moreover, the dissatisfaction of the hotels staff affected their work behavior as evident by the increase in the number of turnovers and absenteeism. These are undoubtedly identifiable with the EVLN model of employee responses to dissatisfaction at work. It is found that exit is the most frequently used response of the four reactions in a notion that no better alternatives exist. (Withey Cooper, 1989, p.533). As indicated by (Lau et al., 2003, p.77) role conflict and a low degree of job involvement leads to a higher absence rate. Low levels of supervisory support and immediate social control resulted in increased absenteeism. (Price, 1998, p.227-246). The number of employees mistakes reported to upper management increased; this is because of the lack of training, feedback and motivation. With passage of time, an organization wide culture emerged in the hotel where lower level employees throw their work over the wall to upper level employees indulging in counterproductive act (Lau, et al., 2003, p.75). As a result, the performance of the employees dragged the overall hotel performance down leading to an increase in the number of guest complaints.(Heskett, et al., in Koys, 2001, p.113) This was demonstrated in the heightened criticism in the newspaper and magazine reviews where the hotel was named as one of the Asias nightmare hotels. The hotel General Manager and the employees experienced high levels of stress. Beckers stress was clear from his statement unless the hotel is on fire dont let anyone disturb me. He was annoyed by the increasing number of consultations from managers regarding minor issues, which otherwise were supposed to be sorted out by themselves. This reflects lack of training on the managers front as well. The role ambiguity was the main reason behind the employees stress as they misunderstood their roles. Role conflict and role ambiguity have been found to be the major causes of role stress (Boles Babin in Siegall, 2000, p.427). The ever-increasing stress levels experienced by the employees weakened all the good relationships that were existent under the older management. The employees were no longer united, and because of that, counterproductive behaviors surfaced in the form of backstabbing and employees not taking responsibility for their actions. In brief, even though Becker introduced empowerment with kind intentions, his plan failed because of poor implementation. He acted too fast that the spontaneous empowerment in fact snatched power from everyone involved. He did not give sufficient time to the newly empowered to be trained or get mentally prepared for their new roles. The next blunder Becker made was of believing that the managers would readily pass on their powers to their subordinates the minute he declared empowerment program. In his zeal to initiate empowerment, he ignored all other factors to support his decision. RECOMMENDATION The recommendations for improving the performance of Regency Grand Hotel are presented for all the three hierarchal levels mentioned in the case study. General Manager The current managers of the hotel backlashed on the new General Managers decision of giving more decision powers to the front line employees. Those dissatisfactions were the consequences of cultural differences (low power distance in America, while high power distance in Thailand). Obviously, dealing with cultural clashes is difficult since cultural patterns change very slowly (Hofstede, 1980, p.53). Therefore, Becker should consider these issues and address them beforehand. We would recommend higher degree of compatibility in his leadership style. In this situation, he should conduct meetings with the managers in order to clarify their doubts, and communicate the same down the hierarchal levels. It would be logical to check on their performance on regular intervals of time. Next, he should try to lessen the power distance between the managers and the front office staff by means of social events and gatherings. It would definitely ease out the managers egos and identify the hidden potential of their subordinates. In the end, this would help them to act like mentors to facilitate change rather than being directive in their approach. As said by Quang William (1998, p.361) influence of multicultural leadership on flexibility, empathy, understanding problem solving, and communication leads to a successful organizational change. Moreover, emphasizing on trust, communication and mutual objectives should be taken into account. Becker should train the managers in their new roles as coaches to assist the employees in taking independent decisions. Goal sharing for improving customer service and hotels overall performance should be implemented to bring them together as a team. In order to have a successful implementation of empowerment we must have strong self-determination, meaning, competence and impact. If any of those four dimensions is weak then it reflects directly on the empowerment process. (Forrester, 2000) Though Beckers idea of empowerment was positive in itself, yet his plan proved disastrous. One way to make the process more effective is selective empowerment, which limits delegating power to employees who display the appropriate competencies. Invest in enhancing their knowledge and skills through formal training, mentoring, and self-learning because rightful application of power depends on ones capabilities. Employees should be given a chance to demonstrate expertise by employing simulations, case studies, mentors, and supervised trials. They should be assigned low-risk decisions first, and progressively work up to challenging judgments since achievement at the safer levels would boost confidence through expectancy of success. The employee pe rformance could be improved due to the self fulfilling prophecy of the managers. (McShane and Travaglione, 2007, p.80) Becker should influence the managers perceptions that better results are obtained through empowerment than not. This may be done by following a sequential approach. First, focus on empowerment that does not steal complete authority from the mid level managers. Instead, enhance employees power by widening their knowledge set and providing them with more training and development opportunities. Second, begin the process from the top levels of management and trail down the changes to the subsequent lower ranks. This would allow the seniors exercise greater power and, going through a successful empowerment experience would raise their expectations from the change. Finally, concentrate on specific materialistic results, for instance initiating a performance appraisal and reward system based on the level of power demonstrated by a managers subordinate and reward more generously to team work as compared to individual performance. For successful implementation of empowerment, managers need to believe that they are in control of their outcomes. Middle Managers The employees were confused in differentiating major and minor problems, which originated from their lack of role clarification. Role clarity implies the required information that is provided for employees in order to do their jobs efficiently (Kelly and Hise, 1980 cited in Mukherjee and Malhotra, 2006, p.446). In the given case study, it could be prevented by following the three key essentails of role clarity, i.e. feedback, participation and finally team support. The effectiveness of employees depends on their perception about wielded power by superiors. (Yukl, 1981). Managers should focus on providing their employees with feedback, paying more attention to normative feedback as it positively affects the individuals performance by improving either perceived competence, competence valuation (Sansone 1989) performance pressure (Butler . Nisan, 1986; Ryan, 1982) or a combination these factors. The effect of positive normative feedback on the performance would not be relevant unless employees were well trained in a way that their skills would match the tasks they were entailed to handle. This would enhance their perceived competence (Sansone 1988), which is handling customers minor problems without referring back to their supervisors. The employees were uncomfortable in their newly assigned role and hesitated to accept the responsibilities. In addition, lack of motivation from the seniors wore down their confidence. Instead, the performances should be followed by adequate rewards to ensure staff that they are on the right track (Locke and Latham, 1990, p.241). Providing on the job training to employees should be one of the middle managers priorities, as it has been proven a good way to learn (Wood, 1994). Also, well-trained employees will be better prepared to face the organizational change (Lange, 2006) occurring at the Regency Grand Hotel, which will in return help them overcome the challenges involved with the process of empowerment. Employees Apart from General Manager and the managers, the front line employees should also share responsibilities for making the empowerment program successful. McShane Tavaglione (2007, p.186-89) identifies four core necessities in employees behavior, namely competencies, self-monitoring and designing natural rewards. To participate in the empowerment process, employees should possess adequate capabilities to deal with the additional decision making roles. Another suggestion for the employees proposes practicing self-leadership. Certainly, it was the managers duty to provide the employees with proper training and feedback, but we should not overlook the part of employees themselves. They should try to set goals for themselves to create self-direction and self-motivation required to execute the new tasks. Self-leadership incorporates five key elements that is personal goal setting, constructive thought pattern, designing natural rewards, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement. Employees who indulge in all the above-mentioned practices would perform jobs better than the ones being supervised by others, and as Larkin asserts, high self-monitor generates more confident individuals to adapt to the empowerment approach. In addition, speaking up of the employees should be regarded as an important solution (Premeaux Bedeian, 2003, p.1537). They should express their point of views about work related issues, recommendations, or requirement of changes and alternative approaches. The problem rose in Grand Regency Hotel because employees were hesitant to speak out their positions due to the fear of punishment. McShane Travaglione (2007) argue that the voice of employees should be established as a way to communicate dissatisfaction and to propose ideas to the manager to improve situations. Finally, employees who possess self-awareness, as one of the four dimensions of emotional intelligence, would have better emotional responses. Higher level of working emotions and attitudes would help employees attain better performances and prevent the tensions among the hotel employees. REFERRENCES Barbee, C. Bott, V. (1991). Customer treatment as a mirror of employee treatment, Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 5, p.27. Boles, J.S., Babin, B.J. (1994). in Siegall,M., 2000, Putting the stress back into role stress: Improving the measurement of role conflict and role ambiguity, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 15 (5), p.427. Retrieved from www.emerald-library.com on 25 September 2009. Butler, R., Nisan, M. (1986). Effects of no feedback, task-related comments, and grades on intrinsic motivation and performance, Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. l, p. 210-216. Cohen, J., Ryan, R. (1982). Control and information in the intrapersonal sphere: An extension of Cognitive evaluation theory, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 43, p.450- 461. Daft, R. (1995). Organization theory and design, 5th Edition, West Publishing Co., St Paul, MN. Forrester, R. (2000). Empowerment: rejuvenating a potent idea, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 14 (3), p.67-80. Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., Snyderman, B. B. (1959).The motivation to work(2nd Edition) New York: John Wiley Sons, p.134. Heskett, J.L., Sasser, W.E., Schlesinger, L.A. (1997) in Koys, D.J., 2001, The effects of employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and turnover on organizational effectiveness, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 54(1), p. 113. Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, Leadership and Organization: Do American Theories apply Abroad? American Management Association, p.45-55. Hubrecht, J. Teare, R. (1993). A strategy for partnership in total quality service, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 5 No. 3. Lange, T. (2006). Knowledge and Innovation for New Zealand: Dynamic Benefits of a Two-Stage Wage Strategy an Its Unlikely Application, Policy Studies, Vol. 27(1), p.71-85. Mukherjee, A., Malhotra, N. (2006) Does role clarity explain employee-perceived service quality? A study of antecedents and consequences in call centres, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 17 (5) p.446. Price, J. L. (1998). Estimation of Causal Model of Absenteeism, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 41(2), p.227-246. Lau, V.C.S., Au, W.T., Ho, M.C.J. (2003). A Qualitative and Quantitative Review of Antecedents of Counterproductive Behaviour in Organizations, Journal of Business and Psychology, Vol. 18(1), p.75-77. Saks, A.M., Ashforth, B.E. (1996). Proactive Socialization and Behavioural Self- management, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Vol 48, p.301-23. Sansone, C. (1989). Competence feedback, Task feedback, and Intrinsic interest: An examination of process and context, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Vol.25, p. 343-361. Wall, T.D., Cordery, J.L., Clegg, C.W. (2002). Empowerment, Performance, and Operational Uncertainty: A Theoretical Integration, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Vol 51 (1), p.146-169. Withey, M.J., Cooper, W.H. (1989). Predicting Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 34 (4), p. 533. Wood S. (2004). Fully on-the-job training: Experiences and steps ahead, National Centre for Vocational Education Research. LARKIN, The implicit theories approach to the self-monitoring controversy, European Journal of Personality, Volume5, Issue1, Date:March 1991, Pages:15-34 Premeaux and Bedeian, Breaking the Silence: The Moderating Effects of self-Monitoring in Predicting Speaking Up in the Workplace, Journal of Management Studies 40:6 September 2003 p1537-1562

Slaughterhouses and the packing companies Essay -- Literary Analysis,

â€Å"I wished to frighten the country by a picture of what its industrial masters were doing to their victims; entirely by chance I stumbled on another discovery--what they were doing to the meat-supply of the civilized world. In other words, I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident hit it in the stomach† (Bloom). With the publication of a single book, Upton Sinclair found himself as a worldwide phenomenon overnight. He received worldwide response to his novel and invitations to lectures all over the world including one to the White House by President Roosevelt. In late 1904, the editor of the Appeal to Reason, a socialist magazine sent Sinclair to Chicago to tell the story of the poor common workingmen and women unfairly enslaved by the vast monopolistic enterprises. He found that he could go anywhere in the stockyards provided that he â€Å"[wore] old clothes†¦ and [carried] a workman’s dinner pail†. Sinclair spent seven weeks in Chicago livi ng among and interviewing the Chicago workers; studying conditions in the packing plants. Along with collecting more information for his novel, Sinclair came upon another discovery--the filth of improper sanitation and the processing of spoiled meat. With the publishing of his novel, Sinclair received international response to its graphic descriptions of the packinghouses. The book is said to have decreased America’s meat consumption for decades and President Roosevelt, himself, reportedly threw his breakfast sausages out his window after reading The Jungle. However, Sinclair classified the novel as a failure and blamed himself for the public’s misunderstanding. Sinclair’s main purpose for writing the book was to improve the working conditions for the Chicago stockyard workers. Sinclair found it... ...ivities. Sinclair promotes socialism, government owned companies that endorse more rights for its worker’s, as government own corporations will be less about the individual profit but the common good. Sinclair publicities socialism in The Jungle in many methods: a capitalist society provides their workers with sickening working condition, a capitalist society consists of corruption all over the board, and a socialistic society will mean a perfect world. Upton Sinclair was dubbed by President Roosevelt as â€Å"a muckraker†, a writer who investigates and publishes issues happening around America. Even though Sinclair’s novel did not do as much for the poor as he hoped, it did bring about change to America: stricter meat packing regulations, standards of cleanliness in processing plants, and public knowledge of what the Chicago corporations were doing to their canned meat.

Summary and Analysis of Tale of Melibee :: Canterbury Tales Melibee Essays

Summary and Analysis of Tale of Melibee (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Tale of Melibee: The Host interrupted the Tale of Sir Thopas, pleading with the narrator to desist. He told him that the rhymes were doggerel, and asks him to tell a tale in prose. The narrator agrees and asks for the group's attention once more. Analysis The connecting passages between the tales that Chaucer himself tells are more dramatically fulfilling than the stories themselves, which are little more than comic anecdotes. These passages best illustrate the narrative behind the tales themselves. The tales exist as they relate to one another in a complex set of interactions between the various pilgrims; they are not simply a set of free-standing short stories given a rough context. The tales themselves are products of this interaction; the Tale of Melibee that Chaucer will give is a response to the Host's unfavorable reaction to the Tale of Sir Thopas. The Tale of Melibee: A young man called Melibee, mighty and rich, had a wife named Prudence and a daughter Sophie. One day while he was in the fields he left his wife and daughter in his house. Three of his old foes broke into the house, raped his wife and left his daughter for dead by wounding her in five places  ­ her feet, hands, eyes, nose and mouth. When Melibee returned he began to weep. Prudence consoled him, then asked him to desist and to be as patient as Job. She tells him to call on the counsel of his true friends. His physicians vowed to cure Sophie. They advice him to set guards at his house, but not to attempt vengeance. The younger men, however, advised him to declare war. Prudence agreed with the elders, who did not want to attack the perpetrators in haste. However, Melibee cites Solomon, who advised that no wife or child should ever have mastery over a husband. Melibee and Prudence continue to debate on the subject, discussing every bit of minutiae in the subject debated. Finally she a dvises that he delay his attack on his enemies, telling them that if they will accept peace they shall be forgiven. They came to the court of Melibee and he gives them an option: they can put the punishment in the hands of Melibee or Prudence. The wisest of his enemies admits that they are unworthy to come into his court, and submit to his judgment.

Susan Brownell Anthony Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays Women Suf

Susan Brownell Anthony: The Mother of America If the Majority of this nation agrees that George Washington was the founding father of America, then Susan B. Anthony would have to be the founding mother of America. She was the ultimate leader in the woman's suffrage movement. The Suffrage movement started around 1840 and in a way, it still continues today. Women have only been voting for 84 years (in America) while men could vote from the start of civilization. In her time, women were not allowed to have anything under their name from the moment they were born. If anything had the potential to be theirs, it would instead legally be their father?s or male guardian?s until she was married. Even then, the object would be given to her husband because women were not considered to be worthy of such things. There was only one college in the whole world that admitted women and women doctors and lawyers were unheard of. Although women are still not treated with complete equality, the constitution fuly supports their right to defend themse lves. If the 19th amendment was not created in 1920, then it would have taken that much longer for women to gain respect. Susan B. Anthony revolutionized America?s outlook on women of all colors; without her, women would not have attained complete enfranchisement in 1920. Susan was born on February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts to Daniel and Lucy Anthony. She could read and write at the age of five and learned arithmetic even though most other girls weren?t allowed to. She continued her education at Miss Deborah Moulson?s Select Seminary for Females and became the assistant principal of a boarding school in New Rochelle (Untermeyer 61). When she succeeded a man to work as a teacher, after havin... ...or giving them every right that men have been given. There are a few people who still discriminate women, but because women have rights, they are forced to accept the equality of women regardless of their opinion. Works Cited Burns, Ken. ?Our Big Time.? American Heritage. Nov 1999: 98. Kowalski, Kathiann. ?Cady Stanton and Anthony Friends Fighting for the Cause.? Cobblestone. March 2000: 14. Stansell, Christine. ?The Road from Seneca Falls: the Feminism of the Mothers, the Feminism of the Daughters, the Feminism of the Girls.? The New Republic. 10 Aug. 1998: 26-38. Susan B. Anthony. Thompson Gale. 9 Feb 2004 . ?Susan B. Anthony: Women?s Suffrage Movement.? Monkeyshines on America. May 1997: 28. Untermeyer, Louis. Makers of the Modern World. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1955.

The Need to Prevent Supervisory Workplace Bullying

Much has been said about workplace bullying and its harmful effects to the victims. With a purpose to clear the area of discussion, this paper will talk about several areas of workplace bullying particularly the one which is manifested between bully superiors and subordinate victims. The paper will also present significantly essential components of discussion such as the issue’s characteristics, hypotheses, causes, implications and precautionary measures. The paper focuses on the supervisory workplace bullying, which involves supervisors and managers who use their power and position to intimidate and eventually inflict harm on their subordinates. The paper ultimately aims to make people realize the need to prevent, if not end, supervisory workplace bullying in order to avoid the unhealthy consequences that it brings in. It cites concrete ways to go about protecting the organization from such threat. Introduction Brief Introduction to the Topic The workplace is one setting that provides people with many experiences. As such, employees’ success or failures depend much on the particular situations that the office environment offers. Given a motivating surrounding, employees are expected to perform well and to deliver the things expected of them. Similarly, workers who are subjected to any form of work-related irritations, whether inflicted by their colleagues or superiors, are likely to manifest inefficiency and dissatisfaction at work. One particular kind of job-related nuisance which has significantly gained concern is workplace bullying. The workplace is an area that is least expected to provide employees with harmful or damaging feelings and thoughts. This is because it is in such environment where employees can supposedly have the opportunity to do their tasks and show their potentials hence the need for the workplace and its employees to be free from any manifestation of bullying. Bullying is, at present, alarmingly manifested in various workplaces. To make matters worse, workplace bullying is not limited among employees themselves. Bullying has escalated to a level that has involved no less than supervisors and higher management of companies. Supervisor or manager bullies use their authorities or positions to inflict harm to their subordinates. Purpose of the Project The purpose of this paper is to discuss, in particular, workplace bullying perpetuated by the immediate superiors of employees – or supervisory workplace bullying. In doing so, this paper seeks to present and analyze the essential details surrounding supervisory workplace bullying as an issue: its nature and characteristics, what causes the superiors to engage in it, its effects on the victimized employees, its overall cost to the company, and the things needed for its prevention. Problem Statement Supervisory workplace bullying has turned out to have a damaging impact on the employees and ultimately on the entire organization. It triggers consequences that bring more harm, as compared to the bullying that employees can do amongst themselves. Needless to say, efficient mechanisms for detecting and preventing supervisory workplace bullying have to be determined and put in place. Problem Background It is unfortunate to note that the workplace is the primary setting where employees are intimidated or bullied in today’s modern world. Bullying is no longer a common happening in recreational areas with children as the involved parties. The occurrence of bullying – especially supervisory bullying – in workplaces has become a serious concern that authorities both in the public and private sectors of society ought to address. Otherwise, its casualties would continue to increase day by day and its growing total adverse effects would remain unchecked. Scope of Problem Analysis In order to have a better and clearer understanding of supervisory workplace bullying, it is necessary to present its nature and characteristics. A detailed account of the dire consequences of supervisory workplace bullying and its quantified harm would help emphasize the urgency of preventing it from ever taking place. Then to advocate measures against the prevalence of supervisory workplace bullying, specific ways to deal with it are included in this paper. Description of the Proposed Project There will have to be ways for properly dealing with supervisory workplace bullying. Solving the problems it gives rise to will require adequate information on it – its causes and origin – and on how such problems arise from it. Research Questions †¢ Which supervisors are likely to bully their subordinates? †¢ Which subordinates are likely to fall prey to the bullying of their bosses? †¢ Which organizations are likely to have bullying supervisors? †¢ What can be done to prevent supervisory workplace bullying? Hypotheses Hypotheses have been drawn for confirmation through research on printed reports and materials about workplace bullying as a whole, and through the use of survey results as reliable data to base conclusions on. A set of hypotheses are focused on why supervisory workplace bullying has to happen. One states that supervisors who are likely to bully their subordinates are those who are not equipped with sufficient professional expertise or know-how. Thus, these supervisors try to cover or make up for their incompetence by bullying selected subordinates – in particular, those who are yet in probationary status and at the same time fearful of losing their jobs. Another hypothesis states that organizations with well-oiled and transparent working systems do not provide settings where supervisory workplace bullying will thrive; these organizations, in fact, deplore supervisory workplace bullying of any form and degree. The third hypothesis affirms that active involvement of management in the bid against supervisory workplace bullying and adequate information dissemination about it as something that is not tolerated within organizations would successfully ward it off. This would then form part of compliance to the enacted laws that require employers to see to the health and safety of all their employees. These questions and hypotheses serve as basis for doing a comprehensive research on the subject. This project aims to emphasize the need to undo the damages of workplace bullying and to establish that mechanisms that will address the prevalence of bullying in the workplace are not complicated or difficult to accomplish. This will encourage an anti-bully culture to prevail in the workplaces, which should eventually wipe out bullying as a common threat to the emotional wellbeing, the productivity level and the general welfare of organizations. Results Origin of the Concept Workplace bullying phenomenon traces its root from the trauma resulting from continued psychological fear of employees in the work environment. Heinz Leyman, the founder of a three-decade-old international anti-bullying association, has cited in her documentations that Namie (2003) used the term â€Å"mobbing† to describe such harmful act. The term â€Å"workplace bullying† was later used by Andrea Adams in the early part of 1990s to refer to the same form of intimidation when the victims happened to be employees doing their work in their respective workplaces. Thereafter, the concept of workplace bullying was introduced to the United States organizational setting by Namie in 1998 while an associate formally presented to the criminal justice system the legal issues emanating from it. Namie, 2003) Nature and Characteristics of Workplace Bullying Different sorts of threats and intimidation coming from supervisors and managers cannot be ignored. They are bound to cause stress, anxiety, discomfort and disappointment or even to inflict pain on the victimized employees. The workplace, then, becomes a hostile place. T here is no doubt that the presence of the bullying bosses doing their bullying tactics does not create a healthy culture. In general, supervisory workplace bullying damages the organization. Workplace bullying is generally characterized by the fact that it is unwanted, intentional, frequent and intense inappropriate behaviors which are enough to inflict harm and trauma-related manifestation to employees’ physical, psychological and emotional conditions (Namie, 2003). Hence, bullying in a work setting is a manifestation of either the supervisor or co-workers’ terrorizing, insulting, demeaning and embarrassing attitudes committed against employee-victim. The workplace bully wants power over his co-workers; the supervisory workplace bully wants control over his subordinates. Namie further said that workplace bullying is often caused by issues pertaining to gender, race, economic or financial status and positions of employees in an organization (Namie, 2003). Workplace bullying can be accomplished in various ways. The Trades Union Congress, by defining the term, names the factors that can lead to it: Workplace bullying can be defined as offensive, intimidating, malicious, insulting or humiliating behavior, abuse of power or authority which attempts to undermine an individual or group of employees and which may cause them to suffer stress (TUC website). Samples of Bullying Acts of Supervisors The Workplace Bullying Institute has described that supervisory workplace bullies generally inflict verbal or spoken abuse against subordinate employees, create work distractions such as sabotage that hampers workers’ tasks from being completed and manifest insulting behaviors with a purpose to threaten, humiliate and intimidate the victims (Workplace Bullying Institute, 2008). Specifically, supervisor and manager bullies can manifest several intimidating conducts which vary from physical or spoken offenses and from subtle and blatant manners. Some of the evident workplace intimidations done by superiors towards their subordinates include demeaning opinion or regular criticisms; shouting or use of offensive language; belittling or unreasonable statements or jokes about an employee’s physical looks, way of living and background. Additionally, the conducts include insulting acts; segregating employees from regular job interaction and development-related opportunities; excessive workload; unimportant pressure; illogical deadlines; meddling with personal and work belongings; aggressive conducts; intentional withholding of needed details, access, assistance and resources; fabricating the idea of uselessness; uncalled work alterations; unmerited jobs; not providing due recognition; exaggerated performance checking, and illogical disciplinary actions (â€Å"Workplace Bullying and Intimidation,† 2008). Prevalence of Bullying in the Workplace and Its Cost Bullying has become so common an occurrence in the working place. This statement is confirmed by documented surveys. Among them are the following: Date of bullying survey Survey origin Ratio of employees bullied % of workforce Number of employees bullied Bullied over the period†¦ Nov 1996 IPD 1 in 8 12 3. 5m 5 years Oct 1998 TUC 1 in 6 18 4. 5m 1 year Feb 2000 UMIST 1 in 4 25 7m 5 years Oct 2003 CHI 1 in 3 37 10. 4m 1 year Apr 2002 Lyn Quine 1 in 3 37 10. 5m 1 year Jan 1999 Lyn Quine 1 in 3 38 10. 5m 1 year Jun 1994 SUBS in 2 53 14m working life Source: UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line webpage With the frequency of bullying incidents in workplaces, the total productivity of workforces of various organizations has been greatly affected. Needless to say, lowered productivity is tantamount to wastage of time and a general failure to maximize the resources – especially the human resources – that would have been available for the organizations and their respective pursuits. A noted psychologist, Michael Harrison, Ph. D. , has cited the results of a survey involving 9,000 federal employees. The entire exercise has led to the significant findings: that 42 percent of the female and 15 percent of the male employees all experienced harassment of any form within two years from the conduct of survey in 2002. In monetary terms, such incidents of harassment have accumulated costs pertaining to lost time and productivity amounting to over US$180 million. (Farrell, 2002). Source: Working to Halt Online Abuse, 2000 Also according to surveys, the male gender composes the majority of the harassers while the female gender composes the majority of the harassed parties. Source: Working to Halt Online Abuse, 2000 Causes of Supervisory Workplace Bullying Given the fact that workplace bullying is not only contained among employees themselves but is more apparent between superiors and subordinates in current work settings, it is empirical to determine and analyze the causes of the problem. This leads to the identification of the reasons behind the inappropriate and unreasonable bullying acts committed by supervisors or managers with their subordinates as victims and the motivating factors that make them engage in such untoward acts. Throughout these procedures, theories related to supervisory workplace bullying will be analyzed as to relevance and applicability. In an analysis of 148 organizational ethnographies, Hodson, Roscigno and Lopez (2006) learned that the relative and organizational bases of workplace bullying are established by three main theories. The first supporting hypothesis stated that powerlessness is related with the vulnerability of subordinates against the bullying of their superiors. Subordinates who are not yet secured with their employment such as casual and probationary employees, members of minority groups and workers engaged in low-end services fall prey to workplace bullying by their supervisors and managers. Secondly, the hypothesis about the context or culture of an organization – the bureaucracy therein and involvement of the company management people in general – also fail to stop workplace bullying and to support initiatives that would help the organization to rationally in dealing the issue. This led to the third hypothesis which explained that common path to workplace bullying is organization chaos. This means that workplace bullying is likely to be committed by supervisors and manager against their subordinates when there is chaos in the organizational set-up or where relational powerlessness adds to the lack of transparency, liability and competence of the superiors or within the organization in general (Hodson, Roscigno & Lopez, 2006). Effects of Supervisory Workplace Bullying Namie further reported that the prevalence of workplace bullying in the country was based on a ballpark figure derived from a random survey of Michigan workers that was conducted in 2000. The study indicated that the lives of a significant number of employees were severely affected because of existence of workplace bullying in their respective companies (Namie, 2003). The issue of workplace bullying has gained significance because of the apparent implications that it has inflicted on the lives of the victims. In particular, Parker-Pope (2008) has noted that supervisory workplace bullying has taken its toll on the emotions of subordinate employees. In fact, its seriousness and the gravity of its negative effects have surpassed another sensitive work-related offense which is sexual harassment. Parker-Pope added that in the current corporate setting, supervisors and managers tend to be insensitive to its damaging implications and even regard bullying as one of the harsh management styles (Parker-Pope, 2008). Workplace bullying is generally bad for any industry. This is due to the fact that bullied subordinates are inclined not to report for work and this scenario, coupled with increased turnover of employees, eventually affects the organization. Aside from emotional impact, workplace bullying results to serious health concerns where bullied subordinates suffer tension, misery, nervousness and even signs of post-traumatic strain illness (Parker-Pope, 2008). This finding is relevant in order to have an increased awareness on the harmful effects of workplace bullying. Aside from these apparent effects, the harm inflicted to bullied employees such as financial problem, reduced self-respect and phobias as well as other physical problems are alarming signs of the issue that need to be addressed. Prevention of Supervisory Workplace Bullying Citing previous studies which proved the negative implications of workplace bullying to the victims, Namie noted that it has definitely spurred an escalated lack of civility in workplaces. Hence, there is indeed a need to regard it in the same way as the other serious work-related offenses such racial discrimination and sexual harassment. In doing so, there will be a clear identification of the bullies and establishment of guidelines. Additionally, an increased awareness will pave the way for companies to create punishments as well as for the lawmakers to enact laws addressing workplace bullying and for the criminal justice system or law enforcement to implement the penalties (Namie, 2003). Supervisory workplace bullying can be prevented if the victims will have the conviction to work on putting such harmful treatment to a stop and if the company management is committed to address the concern. It is only through the collected efforts, therefore, of both the victims and management that workplace bullying can be totally eliminated from the organization. With this kind of cooperation in place, the problem of workplace bullying would be efficiently dealt with. More importantly, the bullies would hence be restricted from taking in more victims. The initial move to prevent, if not stop, workplace bullying is to accept its existence (Union Safe, 2005). When the problem is recognized as an issue that needs to be addressed, it is essential for the company, through its management, to formulate guidelines that will punish bully supervisors and managers as well as precautionary measures or steps that will protect the subordinate victims and punish. For the part of the company, the employers need to present a clear statement among all employees that such act is inadmissible and not tolerated. Another move to prevent economic losses that can stem from bullying acts within organizations is to arrange for training programs to be cascaded from managerial to staff levels and to impose anti-harassment policies that will brook no exceptions. Such policies should cover any act of bullying as something that will not be tolerated by management. (Farrell, 2002) A four-step process for recognizing and removing the risks of workplace bullying has been outlined to specifically guide management in handing the bullies right. Step 1 involves identifying the bullies as hazards; step 2 begins the assessment of the risks of having such bullies around; step 3 brings in effective measures to control such risks identified and assessed; and, step 4 requires the evaluation and review of how the bullies were accordingly dealt with. (Preventing Workplace Bullying: A Practical Guide for Employers) The following is an illustration of these four steps: Source: Preventing Workplace Bullying: A Practical Guide for Employers Preventing any form of bullying from occurring within an organization is not simply a move that top management would want to make for the sake of avoiding the huge costs and non-quantifiable but equally dire consequences that arise from its prevalence. Instead, such prevention is a specifically required by law – specifically, by the S ection 5a of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This law defines the safe and healthy workplace that all employers ought to provide employees; such workplace should, then, be free of threats and other hazards caused by the presence of an individual bully therein. (Farrell, 2002) Putting in concrete writing the campaign of the organization against workplace bullying and its serious policies against all forms of it should come a long way in discouraging everyone from ever bullying fellow members of the organization. A sample written company rule against workplace bullying is as follows: Source: Safety & Health Assessment Research by Prevention Conclusion The support and participation of everyone – the management and the victims themselves – are significant in achieving a good fight against workplace bullying. Subordinates should be able to stop it even at its initial stage by being confident and firm in telling the bully supervisor or manager that the action is a serious offense. The union, in turn, needs to ensure in the first place that the workplace is free from any form of intimidation as well as assist and give essential service to the victim. In doing so, a victim is assured that he or she is not alone in the fight against bullying while the bully superiors are warned as well that resorting to bullying will expose them to moral and legal liabilities. Workplace bullying is a serious and dangerous issue that should not be taken for granted. With heightened consciousness about workplace bullying in general, the bulling supervisors and the bullied subordinates will know their places in the organization and the rights of everyone therein. The management and staff of companies all ought to be properly apprised as to the specifics of workplace bullying – in particular, its characteristics, signs and manifestations, causes, theoretical basis, effects, and precautionary measures against it. Through the collected efforts of the employers, management, employees and the union, the subordinate victims are saved from the ill effects of being bullied while the needed help is provided to the bully supervisors or managers. Indeed, bullying bosses would have to come to terms with issues that they have to face within themselves. They should realize that their bullying actions are manifestations of psychological disorders that would have to be treated for their own good. The significance of supervisory workplace bullying is emphasized by the above discussion on the specific bullies’ actions which threaten the victims. It is important to recognize what causes the bully superiors to intimidate their subordinates in order to identify the appropriate actions to be taken. The extent of the adverse effect of supervisory workplace bullying is more than enough to spur action aimed towards preventing it at all cost. The materials gathered from related literature confirm the hypotheses on which this research has been based. Such materials on workplace bullying indeed confirm that bullying and intimidation are done by the very people who, as supervisors and managers, should have been first to see to the generally healthy working environment that their subordinates are entitled to. The workplace bullies have turned out to be mostly superiors who delight in abusing the authority and power that go with their positions in the company by causing the people at the bottom of the organization chart all sorts of despair and anxiety. They are sick people needing psychological therapy and, unless treated, they ought to never have been designated to occupy supervisory or managerial positions. The alarming increase in the frequency of reported workplace bullying has thankfully triggered higher levels of awareness and resolve on the part of management people to be vigilant in detecting slightest signs of bullying in their respective turfs and to decisively put an end to it all. This should mean that the bullying bosses will cease to make victims of their subordinates and that the non-bullying ones will not anymore hesitate to stop colleagues from engaging in their bullying ways. Increased consciousness should generally limit the opportunities of bullies to do any bullying. It has also been an acknowledged truth, as seen by the rising prevalence of workplace bullying, that management has not been proactively battling it as something that can harm the organization, in terms of both the individual circumstances of its members and the overall effectiveness of the group. Websites of various government welfare agencies and all kinds of published materials have been decrying workplace bullying as a menace to the entire organization, citing specific reasons to substantiate the harm that it is purported to cause. This rising consciousness will equip employees with sufficient ammunition against being victimized by a bullying boss, who is most likely to get away with his bullying when dealing with an intimidated and uninformed subordinate. Thus, bullying now becomes associated with bad bosses who are harboring some insecurities, tendencies toward racial discrimination, imbalanced value systems, or psychological disorders. Gone are the days when victims silently suffer from the ill treatment that they get from bullying bosses. These days, workers now know their rights as provided by enacted laws. Articles have been written to repeatedly emphasize that bullying is a threat against the overall safety and welfare of employees, which are protected by laws as vital to all organizations. In organizations that are inadequately set up, there is bound to be chaos and lack of transparency in different matters that ought to be well-established and systematized. Indeed, bullies would not thrive in an organization where everything is in order. Among the things to be clearly made known to everybody in an organization is how each of them is supposed to epitomize the vision, mission and objectives of their organization. These ideals would encourage virtues and good traits such as honesty, willingness to work hard, treating people right, and concern for other people’s well-being. Needless to say, these ideals go against the motives that lead people to bully other people. Improvement of corporate governance, therefore, is a step toward prevention of bullying in the workplace. Healthy organizations have efficient, skilled, well-trained and confident people, both officers and staff. In such organizations, bullying will not at all be tolerated. In general, competent superiors would never feel the slightest inclination toward bullying as a management tactic or as a way to get their needed confidence-boosting. Good managers deliver what is expected of them and get people to do their own share of work without at all having recourse to bullying. In fact, it is the absence of malpractices like bullying that bolster the integrity and authority of management people. Bullying managers do not at all win the respect and admiration of their subordinates – they get only fear, and even this fear is not known to last simply because bullying either will cease once detected or once the victim has decided to leave the company for good. Workplace bullying brings in unnecessary costs and losses. In totality, it triggers all sorts of dire consequences and not a bit of beneficial result. The development in the area of proactive fight against workplace bullying has undoubtedly improved the lot of the victims thereof. But a lot remains to yet be accomplished in this line of endeavor.