SLP - 2 RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND RETENTION Essay

SLP - 2 RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND RETENTION - Essay Example The employees need to feel that they are part and parcel of the organization and to own its success as well as failures. This can be attained through sharing of bonuses or shares of the company in times of huge profits as well as increasing their remuneration and rewarding top performances in order to boost their morale. Making employees to own the organization will make them cautious on how they relate among each other and how they will handle the assets of the organization. Choosing the right reward for employees offers another approach to retention strategies (Dibble, 1999). The management needs to devise creative techniques of appreciating the performance of employees which is not only based on monetary terms but the inclusion of other incentives. Such may include time off, initiation of shifts, leave days or exclusion from work on certain occasions. It has been realized that some employees quit their jobs because of lack of proper treatment by their immediate managers who may not have the basic knowledge required to relate well with their juniors. Therefore another strategy of retaining employees is by investing in the line managers through training so that they can be well equipped to empower employees to success and growth. It is proper for the management to create more opportunities for the check-ins of employees with their respective managers as well providing avenues for both formal and informal interactions. Some of the retention strategies that are not appropriate for the organization to adopt include the use of strict supervision to ensure to ensure that employees comply with the laid down rules and regulations of the organization or setting stiffer penalties for employees who wish to resign from their positions. Some organizations do not allow their employees to exit at their own free will so that they can be retained in the organization which only serves to lower the morale of the employees thus reducing their performance. Another

Macondo Blow Out Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Macondo Blow Out - Research Paper Example On April the 20th at 9:45 PM the Macondo oil rig experienced a blow out that resulted from a jet of seawater being ejected from the riser accompanied by a slushy of mud and oil followed by jets of methane. This mixture, especially the methane, ignited and caused a series of explosions that served to cripple the well and eventually took the lives of 11 personnel.1 At the time the explosion occurred, the Deepwater Horizon rig was drilling at a depth of around 5000 feet into what experts have described as the Macondo Prospect which is located approximately 40 miles from the coast of Louisiana (Rose et al 2). Although the ownership of Deepwater Horizon has remained unclear to a host of individuals, the fact of the matter was that BP did not operate the rig solely under its own direction. Rather, BP was the owner of the rig itself but only held a 65% share of ownership in relation to the Mississippi Canyon drilling expedition that resulted in the disaster of Deepwater Horizon. Additionally, the remaining 35% of interest in the rig was split between Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, aka Halliburton Corporation, (which held a 25% share) and MOEX Offshore 2007 (which held a 10% share). After the explosion took place, the Macondo Blow-Out began to gush crude oil into the ocean at a rate of around 2.6 million gallons per day. This figure is disputed by different groups that either wish to minimize or maximize the effect that the Deepwater Horizon disaster had on the surrounding environment; however, for this study, the author has chosen to employ the Coast Guard’s estimates as those which were most likely to not experience any form of particular bias with relation to the disaster. Most scholars agree that the rate of flow of the oil seepage continued virtually unabated until the well was capped on the 19th of September of the same year. Certain experts disagree with this analysis and claim that the well gushed more oil in the initial stages  whereas, near the time when the well was capped, most of the pressure had been relieved thus much less oil was flowing.  Ã‚  

The Betrayal of Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

The Betrayal of Julius Caesar Essay 1- Julius Caesar lives in Rome, Italy. Some of his most famous battles were in Alesia, Pharsalus, Zela, and Munda. (biography.com) 2- Brutus spent much of his adult life in Rome, Italy. (livius.org) 3- Caesar was born in 100 BCE and died 44 BCE. He may have lived longer if he lived in modern times. (biography.com) 4- Brutus was born 85 BCE and died 42 BCE. He too may have loved longer if he lived in modern times. (biography.com) 5- Some cultural differences are that many people in Rome valued public service above almost anything and many people also depended on the work of slaves. In a republic the people rule and make decisions through series of elections. The people wanted Caesar to rule because Rome was experiencing many problems they believed he could fix and because he was kind to the middle class. Brutus didnt want Caesar to become lifelong dictator mostly because he wanted the title for himself. For the republic to have a king, it would actually mean that it would no longer be a republic, having a king means sovereignty and power no longer lies with the people, it lies with the king. In our culture this situation would be handled a lot differently considering we are a democracy and do not want a king, dictator, or ultimate ruler. 6- Caesars story is one of betrayal because Brutus murdered Caesar when Caesar trusted Brutus. (bbc.co.uk) 7- Ultimately Brutus and other liberators conspired to kill Caesar and did just that. This happened because many people did not want Rome to fall back into monarchical rule and did not like Caesars growing popularity. (biography.com)

Impact of ICT on Accounting

Impact of ICT on Accounting Effect  of  ICT in the Accounting Records Keeping and how ICT features in todays organization in Sierra Leone 1.  Introduction Information and communication technology (ICT) connectivity (PCs and Internet) is very widespread in businesses of all sizes in Sierra Leone. As is the case with all technologies, small businesses are slower than large ones to adopt new ICTs. Potential small business benefits and firm and sector-specific strategies drive the adoption and use of ICTs. Furthermore, sectors are increasingly global and dominated by large firms and the structure of their values chains and operations shape opportunities for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Principal reasons for non-adoption are lack of applicability and little incentive to change business models when returns are unclear. SMEs also face generic barriers to adoption including trust and transaction security and IPR concerns, and challenges in areas of management skills, technological capabilities, productivity and competitiveness. The issues for governments are to foster appropriate business environments for e-business and ICT uptake (e.g. Sierratel to diffuse broadband, enhance competition), and target programmes to overcome market failures to the extent that they are needed in particular areas (e.g. Skill formation, specialized information). Advancement in technology has affected the way things are done in various domains. Accounting is no exception. The traditional books are being replaced by computers. Accounting staff are required to be computer literate and spend more time in front of a computer screen than writing on papers and in books. Information and communication technology (ICT) and e-business applications provide many benefits across a wide range of intra- and inter-firm business processes and transactions. ICT applications improve information and knowledge management inside the firm and can reduce transaction costs and increase the speed and reliability of transactions for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. In addition, they are effective tools for improving external communications and quality of services for established and new customers. For small firms to adopt e-business and e-commerce strategies and tools, benefits must outweigh investment and maintenance costs. Commercial considerations and potential returns drive adoption. Beyond a certain level of connectivity (PC, Internet access, on-line information or marketing), not all SMEs will necessarily catch up with large firms, simply because e-commerce may not bring large benefits and SMEs will stay with traditional business processes. Other barriers have been seen to be the availability of ICT competencies within the firm, and availability and cost of appropriate interoperable small-firm systems, network infrastructure and Internet-related support services. Lack of reliable trust and redress systems and cross-country legal and regulatory differences also impede cross-border transactions. 2. Why Have So Few SMEs Adopted ICT in Sierra Leone? Given the benefits that ICT can bring to SMEs, SMEs in Sierra Leone have been slow to adopt it. For example, 90 percent of SMEs still use basic communication technology such as fixed phone line and fax, and approximately 10% percent use CRM software. Meanwhile, their counterparts in developed countries are using advanced ITs. One cause of limited adoption is the lack of dynamism between ICT firms and SMEs outside of the ICT sector. ICT firms have not provided goods and services tailored to SMEs in the past because demand from SMEs has been low. However, their demand is low in part because ICT products available in the market are too complex and expensive. The result is a vicious cycle of limited supply and limited demand that ultimately excludes SMEs from the benefits of ICT. Other factors also contribute to the limited supply and demand of ICT for SMEs: Supply Side 1. Poor communications infrastructure results in limited access and higher costs.Sierra Leone have poor communications infrastructure. Outdated equipment and state-owned monopolies often result in expensive charges and limited coverage, especially in rural areas. This discourages SMEs from adopting even the basic ICT of fixed lines or mobile phones. 2. Most advanced ICT products are designed for larger firms and not SMEs.ICT firms used to target large enterprises because they had a larger budget and were willing to pay for more complex ICT services. Their products are often too expensive and too complex for SME users. However, competition in this market is making firms both large and small turn their attention towards the untapped SME market. Rosetta, for example, is pushing to capture SME customers by lowering prices by 50 percent and increasing awareness. Demand Side 1. Limited ICT literacy of SME owners hinders their ability to choose the appropriate technology and understand the concrete benefits it can bring to their business. Many SME owners in Sierra Leone are unfamiliar with operating a computer, are skeptical of the concrete benefits to its core business, and have the stereotype that ICT is only for larger companies. Even if they have the will and financial resources to integrate ICT into their core business, SME owners are often at a loss when needing to choose the most appropriate and cost-efficient product. 2. Limited ICT literacy of employees in SMEs hinders ICT adoption. Even if SME owners have a strategic understanding of why they should adopt ICT, their staff is often untrained. Training costs both time and money resources that SMEs usually lack. 3. Adopting ICT is an adaptive challenge, not a technical challenge. Adopting ICT is a difficult task for companies of all sizes, whether they are in developed or developing countries. In fact, a lot of management literature focuses on the organizational changes that firms must go through in order to effectively adopt ICT because they change the way firms do business. While the changes may be beneficial in the long run, they often hurt one department and strengthen another. For example, Zhang Hongwei, senior consultant with DLong International Strategic Investment, comments that in order to make ERPs cost-saving and efficiency-building features work, managers must be willing to take measures that can be anathema in the state-owned sector, such as selling businesses, laying off workers, and changing longstanding vendor relationships. All of this can be tough to do. Thus, SME owners are often reluctant to bring their firm through a learning curve that may be difficult and costly. 4. Lack of financing options limits SME ability to purchase ICT. Lack of financing and appropriate technology is clearly a major handicap to developing country producers and exporters, and it inhibits developing countries from deriving full benefits from their trade rights. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General of UNCTAD, 18 February 2002, Geneva SMEs in Sierra Leone usually have limited ability to make larger investments in their firm due to the lack of financing options. Given the financial squeeze, IT budgets are usually small or nonexistent. In addition, adopting ICT is not a one-time cost because there are ongoing costs of maintenance, upgrading, and human capacity building. 3. Why Should SMEs Adopt ICT? SMEs are often the main driver for a countrys economic growth. However, as the number of SMEs increases, competition increases, which then results in a decrease in prices, customer base, or both. This in turn will erode existing profits, creating less incentive for people to start SMEs. This dynamic is captured by balancing feedback loops where the greater the number of SMEs, the greater the competition, resulting in a slower rate of growth for SMEs. To counter the increasing competition, firms can lower prices, increase promotion of their product, improve their product, add new distribution channels, and/or improve their internal processes. The challenge is to counter competition when the firm still has the financial resources to do so. Otherwise, once the pressure of competition sufficiently erodes the SMEs profits, it will no longer have resources to counter the competition and will have to exit the market. Foreign firms in both the import and export markets further add to competi tive pressures, especially if they react faster to improve their product, process, promotion, or distribution channels. This is the problem of the Digital Divide. When firms in developed countries adopt ICT, firms in developing countries like Sierra Leone will lose out on the competition. This in turn can slow the growth rate of SMEs and hurt the economy as a whole. ICT can thus play a very important role because it can help SMEs both create business opportunities and combat pressures from competition. Appropriate ICT can help SMEs cut costs by improving their internal processes, improving their product through faster communication with their customers, and better promoting and distributing their products through online presence. In fact, ICT has the potential to improve the core business of SMEs in every step of the business process. In Sierra Leone where SMEs already have basic ICT, adopting more advanced ICT still brings enormous benefits. Advanced communication technologies such as email can help firms communicate faster and cheaper with both its suppliers and clients. In 2000, an organization that uses paper took on average 7.4 days to move a purchase from request to approval, but if done electronically, only took 1.5 days. Advanced ITs such as ERP software can capture cost savings. Beyond cost savings, SCM software can also help increase productivity, efficiency of inventory controls, and increase sales through closer relationships and faster delivery times 4. Conclusion ICT has been now boon to every modern system to perform all its operations with computer as the middle principle. The application of ICT in Financial management has also accounted a lot more success and efficiency in performing various operations related to different activities to commit a financial transaction. So for as the efficiency and effectiveness of ICT is concerned it has notably produced better throughputs which were acceptable and reliable. The need of the hour is the plan and develops more security measures to ensure authentic and secure client and server communication. Sierra Leone SMEs in addition to dont having required expertise and knowledge and also lack of familiarity with technology is also beginning to use ICT with face fixed costs very high in comparison to their size, while for large businesses, this is not so. These costs include costs such as creation website, using e-commerce and costs associated with projects of electronic auctions, search engines and similar cases. While the costs associated with deploying advanced ICT technologies for industries and big businesses are not very significant. These are issues that a broad group of SMEs doesnt know digital technologies related to their business and their goods and services do not know appropriate for e-commerce (E-Business Policy Group 2002). SMEs often have to accept market conditions and they are not in a situation like the big companies that form the market conditions (this issue is concerned follow and leader companies in the market). Moreover, instability (such as financial insecurity in SMEs) and potential risks in e-commerce, many SMEs may be inclined to risk aversion and the choice of conservative policies and in fact they adopt policy of wait and observed in acceptation of digital technology. For many SMEs, there is considerable uncertainty about the opportunities and benefits of ICT adoption, this opportunities for them is still unproven. This problem causes that they are reluctance to complete the adoption of new business models and technology. 3. Small and medium companies due to limitations such as low investment, lack of laboratories, capacity less for communicating with and external consultants is facing to experiment with more serious problems for testing new procedures of business. Although financial cons traints are the most important limitations but factors such as less time, fewer resources and also imposed to these enterprises. Using modern ICT technology is In fact new ways that SMEs will face a substantial risk. Accordingly, we can say that the use of ICT in enterprises depends on the size of the firm. References [1] Aliyu A.A, Tasmin R.B.Hj (2012), The Impact of ICT on Bank Performance and Customer Service Delivery in Banking Industry, InternationalJournalofLatestTrendsinFinance,Economicsand Science, 2(1): 80-90. [2] Adwin A.M, Opkara A, Mike A.O, Francis A.O (2014), The Impact of ICT in The Strategic Management of Financial Institutions, International Review of Management and Business Research, 3(3):1588-1602 [3] Adesola M.A, Moradeyo O.A, Oyeniyi K.O (2013), Impact of ICT on Nigeria Banks Operations: A Study of United Banks for Africa (UBA) Plc, International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 2(9): 7-12. [5] Ashrafi, Murtuza. M (2008), use of impact of ICT on SMEs in Oman, Electronic Journal Information SystemandEvaluation, 10: 125-138. [6] Gichoya D (2006), Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of ICT Projectsin Government, Electronic Journal of EGovernment, 3(4): 175-184. [7] Binuyo A.O, Aregbesola R.A (2014), the impact of ICT on Commercial Bank Performance: Evidence from South Africa, Problems andPerespectives in Management, 12(3): 59-68. [8] Curristine T, Lonti Zsuzsanna, Jaumard I (2007), Improving Public Sector Efficiency: Challenges and Opportunities, OECD Journal of Budgeting, 7(1): 1-42. [9] Gadamsetty Sai Arun (2013), understandin financial inclusion in India and role of ICT in ICT, InternationalJournal of InnovativeResearch andDevelopment, 2(12): 198-201.

Agent Orange Essay -- essays research papers fc

Agent Orange: The Pesticide   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Agent orange was a mixture of herbicides that the U.S. forces sprayed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Through many studies, scientists found that any exposure to Agent Orange may cause cancer. Hamilton Jordan feels that he may have been exposed to Agent Orange while he was in Vietnam. He developed cancer, and felt that Agent Orange contributed to this cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Agent orange was the chemical that was dropped over Vietnam in the late 1960’s. It was not until the 1970’s that the use of Agent Orange finally ceased. These chemicals were used for two general purposes; one of these was to kill the plants and trees in the jungle to uncover the North Vietnamese armies. The jungles of Vietnam were very thick, so the armies could not be seen from an aerial view. The Americans tried to eliminate this element of surprise attack by destroying the jungles. Another reason Agent Orange was used, was to destroy the enemy’s food supplies. Agent orange was potent enough to contaminate all the farmland of the North Vietnamese. The Americans figured that if they could destroy the enemy’s food supply, then the war would not last very long. Agent orange was a dangerous chemical mixed together to create a different kind of weapon and means of attack for the Americans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamilton Jordan was the author of the book, No Such Thing as a Bad Day. In his book he tells of his experiences in...

The Controversy Over New Airport Security Measures Essay -- National

The country’s recently heightened airport security measures have become a source of controversy and debate across the Nation. Due to a recent attempted act of terrorism, where a man on an international flight to Detroit attempted to blow up the plane using a bomb, the department of homeland security has taken new measures to ensure national security in the form of new high- tech full-body scans and pat down procedures in airports. The new body scanning machines create images of people without their clothing, and the new pat down procedure is generally considered too personal. Many people feel that the new airport security screening is an invasion of privacy. A recent poll by Zogby International claims that 61% of Americans oppose the new security measures (Martin, Los Angeles Times). Pollster John Zogby made a statement saying; "It's clear the majority of Americans are not happy with TSA and the enhanced security measures recently enacted". That being true, the only question that needs answering it why; why are the majority of Americans against new safety measures? The 61% who oppose the new security measures mainly argue that the measures are intrusive and an infringement on privacy. Some have compared the new pat down procedure to â€Å"sexual assault† (Mayerowitz, abc News). The issue has gone so far that the measures of security are being called unconstitutional. One organized interest group, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, filed a lawsuit claiming just that. They claimed the body scanners to be unconstitutional on the grounds that the scanners violate the fourth amendment, which states the right of the people â€Å"to... ...d-airline-bombing-attempted-act- terrorism/+attempted+bombing+on+Dec.+25,+2009&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&cl ient=firefox-a. Frank, Thomas. "10 airports install body scanners." . 06 June 2008. USA Today. 29 Dec. 2010 http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-06-05- bodyscan_N.htm. Schwartz, John. "Debate Over Full-Body Scans vs. Invasion of Privacy Flares Anew After Incident ." . 29 Dec. 2009. The New York Times. 01 Jan. 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/us/30privacy.html. Taylor, Lesley Ciarula. "Full-body scans top priority." . 31 Dec. 2009. thestar. 31 Dec. 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/744427--full- body-scans-top-priority. Associated Press. "Arkansas man sues over new TSA full-body scans." . 24 Nov. 2010. Boston Herald. 27 Dec. 2010 .

Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Balance in Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and Butterfield’s Verde

Since balance is a key design principle in art, it is important that the artist achieve it in one of two ways. A piece of art must be either symmetrical or asymmetrical to skeletal achieve balance and not create tension in the work. When a piece of art is symmetrical it is a mirror image. There are an equal number of items of equal size, colors, textures, and etc. Many times this is used in architecture to create a pleasing effect to the eye. Balance can also be attained through asymmetrical design.Equilibrium is still attainable through this technique. Asymmetrical means that several smaller items are balanced by a larger item, larger and smaller objects are arranged at different lengths away from the center, different textures are used, or brighter or darker colors contrasted by lighter or muted shades. The famous artist Leonardo Da Vinci, who lived in the fifteenth century, used the symmetrical technique in his famous drawing of the Vitruvian Man.In this drawing, it is mostly a mi rrored image of the man and his anatomy. This draws the viewer’s eye to the center of the page. However, there is a tiny portion of the work that is asymmetrical. There is slightly more color on one side that is balanced with both feet turning to the side with less color. Deborah Butterfield, a sculptor from the twentieth century to the present, used the asymmetrical technique for her sculpture of the horse, Verde.The back portion of the horse is bulky held on two skeletal legs while the front of the horse is opened and curvy with thin strips of metal for the neck and head. It parallels the way that a real horse would look and it is totally balanced. Works Cited Butterfield, D. (c. 1990). Verde. Da Vinci. L. (c. 1485). The Vitruvian Man. Skaalid, B. (1999). Classic Design Theory Principles of Design: Balance. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://www. usask. ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/cgdt/balance. htm