Modern mining Essay

Modern mining is an industry that involves the exploration for and removal of minerals from the earth, economically and with minimum damage to the environment. Mining is important because minerals are major sources of energy as well as materials such as fertilizers and steel. Mining is necessary for nations to have adequate and dependable supplies of minerals and materials to meet their economic and defense needs at acceptable environmental, energy, and economic costs. There are significant differences in the mining techniques and environmental effects of mining metallic, industrial, and fuel minerals. Mining is a global industry, and not every country has high-grade, large, exceptionally profitable mineral deposits, and the transportation infrastructure to get the mined products to market economically. Some of the factors affecting global mining are environmental regulations, fuel costs, labor costs, access to land believed to contain valuable ore, diminishing ore grades requiring the mining of more raw materials to obtain the target mineral, technology, the length of time to obtain a permit to mine, and proximity to markets, among others. Without proper precaution, mining have negative consequences on the environments, ecosystems, water, beautiful sceneries and the landscapes. Though it has had many negative impacts on the environment in the past, mining is a vital industry completely necessary to our economy and lives. Nearly every item we use or encounter in our day to day lives is mined or contains mined products. Without the excavation of such materials things like computers, televisions, large building structures, electricity, and cars would not be possible. Virtually every technological and medical advance uses minded materials, without which millions would suffer. To some extend mining activities have some positive impact on wildlife in that when these fields are broken, it creates openings which acts as there home. Food and cover plants can be introduced to these places for the benefit of the entire wildlife A list of the 10 biggest gold mines in the world; 1. Grasberg Gold Mine — This mine, which is in the Indonesian province of Papua, produced 2,025,000 ounces of gold, according to the annual report of Rio Tinto Plc. The mine is majority owned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Besides gold, it also produces silver and copper. 2. Muruntau Gold Mine — This mine, which is about 250 miles west of the capital in Uzbekistan, is believed to have produced approximately 1,800,000 ounces of gold last year. The project, which is an open-pit operation, is run by state-owned Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combinat. 3. Carlin-Nevada Complex — This mine, which is in the U.S. state of Nevada, produced 1.735 million ounces in 2010. It is owned by Newmont Mining Corp. It includes both open-pit and underground operations. 4. Yanacocha Gold Mine — This mine, which is in northern Peru and is the largest gold mine in Latin America, produced 1.46 million ounces last year. It is run by Newmont Mining and owned by Newmont Mining and Buenaventurda, a Peruvian company. 5. Goldstrike (Betze Post) Gold Mine — This mine, which is northwest of Elko, Nev., produced 1.24 million ounces of gold last year. It is owned by Barrick Gold Corp. 6. Cortez Gold Mine — This mine, which is southwest of Elko, Nev., produced 1.14 million ounces of gold last year. It is owned by Barrick Gold. 7. Veladero Gold Mine — This mine, which is in Argentina, produced 1.12 million ounces of gold last year. It is owned by Barrick Gold. 8. Lagunas Norte Gold Mine — This mine, which is in north-central Peru, produced 808,000 ounces of gold last year. It is owned by Barrick Gold. 9. Lihir Gold Mine — This mine, which is in Papua New Guineau, produced 790,974 ounces of gold in the 12 months ended June 30. It is owned by Newcrest Mining Ltd., Australia’s largest gold producer. 10. Super Pit/Kalgoorlie — This mine, an open-cut mine in Western Australia, produced 788,000 ounces last year. It is 50-50 owned by Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining. CORRUPTION Corruption is not a new phenomenon in India. It has been prevalent in society since ancient times. History reveals that it was present even in the Mauryan period. Great scholar Kautilya mentions the pressure of forty types of corruption in his contemporary society. It was practised even in Mughal and  Sultanate period. When the East India Company took control of the country, corruption reached new height. Corruption in India has become so common that people now are averse to thinking of public life with it. Corruption has been defined variously by scholars. But the simple meaning of it is that corruption implies perversion of morality, integrity, character or duty out of mercenary motives, i.e. bribery, without any regard to honour, right and justice. In other words, undue favour for any one for some monetary or other gains is corruption. Simultaneously, depriving the genuinely deserving from their right or privilege is also a corrupt practice. Shrinking from one’s duty or dereliction of duty are also forms of corruption. Besides, thefts, wastage of public property constitute varieties of corruption. Dishonesty, exploitation, malpractices, scams and scandals are various manifestations of corruption. Corruption is not a uniquely Indian phenomenon. It is witnessed all over the world in developing as well as developed countries. It has spread its tentacles in every sphere of life, namely business administration, politics, officialdom, and services. In fact, there is hardly any sector which can be characterised for not being infected with the vices of corruption. Corruption is rampant in every segment and every section of society, barring the social status attached to it. Nobody can be considered free from corruption from a high ranking officer. To root out the evil of corruption from society, we need to make a comprehensive code of conduct for politicians, legislatures, bureaucrats, and such code should be strictly enforced. Judiciary should be given more independence and initiatives on issues related to corruption. Special courts should be set-up to take up such issues and speedy trial is to be promoted. Law and order machinery should be allowed to work without political interference. NGOs and media should come forward to create awareness against corruption in society and educate people to combat this evil. Only then we would be able to save our system from being collapsed. Essay 2: (Just read this, it’s a nice one) Let us first of all understand what is meant by corruption and corrupt practices. In brief, anything that is below all standard norms of morality in a country, is called or defined as corruption and corrupt practices. These norms are a fixed standard in any given society, and when these are broken we say that, a society is getting corrupted. This corruption as we see it today is not a development that has come overnight, it has been a continuous process for the last several decades and, to – day it has seeped into the very blood stream of the system. What we have to study next is, why and how this monster of corruption has taken such a firm hold on India so much so that, the country of the legendary Harischandra, the honest has reached the position of one of the top ten or so of corrupt countries of the world. The corrupt practices have now become our lifestyle to such an extent that, we do not seem to feel that there is anything wrong in what all we are doing., and that things should not be as they are. We, on the contrary are inclined to justify all wrong saying that, without doing wrong we cannot exist or be functional. Tourism Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries. Tourism is an excellent way to develop a country, but it can also cause harm. How can countries ensure that tourism benefits the development. It is irrefutable that tourism has become the backbone of many economies of the world. In fact many countries rely on the tourist dollar for their development. This has also led to damage of the natural environment and at many places the tourist places have been so much littered that they have ceased being a tourist attraction any more. In a way tourism is killing tourism. In the following paragraphs, I shall discuss ways in which countries can ensure sustainable tourism. Also the tourism industry provides 8% of total world employment. Rising affluence in many countries is one major contributing factor for this development. Tourism itself has diversified into heritage tourism, beach tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism, etc., to cater to different tastes. All this has created a massive spurt in global tourism. Long periods of political stability also emboldened people to venture out and explore the world. Television, movies and other kinds of media fostered curiosity about other parts of the world by showing attractive images of such places. Creative ad campaigns like ‘Incredible India’ and ‘Truly Malaysia’ have also done their bit to boost global tourism. Global tourism fosters an understanding of different cultures. This helps to promote peace among nations and peoples. It can also improve the economy of poor countries which in turn raises the living standards of their people. But global tourism has some downsides too. Unchecked tourist arrivals can impact the environment or socio-cultural fabric of a place. A once peaceful Goa has become a den of vices like rape, child abuse and drugs because of tourism. A sustainable approach will ensure that such negative consequences will be minimized.

Analyse Communication methods and assess their effectiveness in a care setting

Effective communication is the foundation for any health care setting. Communication is essential in these environments as is helps classify issues, provides emotional support and also establishes relationships. It is important for employees in health care setting’s to be equipped with social skills in order to identify wide range of emotional needs. Wilbur Schramm theory is ‘to understand human communication process, one must understand how people relate to each other’. For example a care worker needs to be able to adapt their social skills to be able to communicate with different patients and identifying their client’s needs.Communication is verbal or non-verbal. Verbal is spoken (oral) which can be accomplished face-to-face. This type of communication is central to establish relationships between people. For example a professional in a hospital will use verbal communication to inform a patient of any procedure or care task that is given. This builds a se nse of trust because communicating face-to-face establishes that the professional has time to care for the patient, which makes the patient feel looked after. Verbal communication also allows any questions to be raised and gives opportunity to answer.This is effective as any misunderstanding issues would be raised. Non-verbal communication (written) is also used in a health care environments. Such as hospitals. They use written communication to record medical history, staff Rota’s and formal policies and procedures. This is the most effective way in recording patients’ medical history as it is more accurate and factual. Another example of this form used in hospitals is during ‘handover meetings’. This happens before staff rotation, the staff on shift update the staff about to come on shift with any events or incidents that occurred.These meetings can be informal and rushed, the lack of communication found here can cause problems in hospital productivity as the new staff on shift might not get all the information they need to know. Written communication is also used by social workers. They use printed forms to use when meeting a client to ensure they have asked all the correct questions needed for a review. Communication is either formal or informal. Formal communication is often used in hospitals such as in policies and documents. This language register is used in hospitals as it gives it a professional image.This perception will give of a serious and respected environment and the patients will feel like they are in good hands. Formal lexis that is used in hospitals can make it difficult for patients to understand. For example a professional may mention ‘hypertension’ to the patient, this jargon is mainly understood by professionals, therefore would need to explain to the patient that it is high blood pressure. Informal communication is also used in health care. Social workers may communicate informally to their clients. Especially during first interaction as informal communication makes the client feel relaxed and less nervous.Communication can be difficult as it can be affected by someone with a physical condition. Such as a hearing impairment. Individuals with this condition struggle to understand verbal communication. They can overcome this in many ways. Firstly, by using a hearing aid which increases the volume. It not only increases the volume of what needs to be heard but also the background noise too. This can still make it difficult to hear what is being said. A second method is using speech to text. This is where a translator types word for word and it is then viewed on a screen instantly.The person is unable to interpret tone of voice which makes it more difficult to understand the meaning of the message. Therefore it is important for correct kinesis techniques to be used such as body language to help the individual understand the implication of the message. For example eyes down and cro ssed arms indicates sadness or boredom. A third alternative form of communication for the hearing impaired is sign language. In the UK British sign language is the most preferred language for the Deaf. It involves the movement of hands, face and body. This method can only be understood from those who have learned BSL.Another physical condition which effects communication is someone with a visual impairment. These individuals will find it challenging to understand the meaning of the conversation as they are unable to interpret body language. Therefore they rely on what they hear to interpret emotions. This is achieved by analyzing paralinguistic techniques such as tone of voice, speed and pitch. A system called Braille is used to help Blind communicate. Braille is a system of raised dots which is read by individuals by using their fingertips. It enables language to be translated into written form.This is not that effective in health care settings as not everyone can understand it. Br aille is also not commonly found on written forms. Such as information leaflets found in hospitals. Technology is increasingly advancing, therefore computerized communication is becoming more common in health care settings. An example of this type of communication is e-mail. E-mail is used in most work places for colleagues to communicate to each other. This is used as it is a quick and an intermediate way to communicate. Another example is a small hand held device called a Blackberry.In a hospital an individual may use this if they are on call as it is always accessible, for that reason they will be able to react immediately. Effective communication is very important in any health care setting. As it results in good patient care and increases productivity. There are many barriers in communication, one of these being time. If a professional in a hospital does not have the adequate time to complete a review on a patient this results in bad patient care. Another example of this is if the hospital is busy and they do not have enough beds this can result to informal rushed interactions with patients and quick discharges.

Bhavnath Temple Case Study

GOSAI NILESH H. DIVISION – A SUB: CASE OF BHAVNATH TEMPLE SUBMITED TO: Dr. D. R. D. Introduction: The case is all about an increasing irrigation facilities after independence but there was certain problems with the removing location of BHAVNATH TEMPLE which is between the dam and people don’t want to change place of temple with that there are some other issue also there. After independence in 1947, the both central & state government want overall economic development. In undivided Bombay province a proposal given to build dam on river. It calculated 4700 million cu. ft.Water to develop 92000 acre of land, In 3 district. To do that 8 villages are totally submerged and resettled at other place. This all require to providing new livelihood to people. The reservoir was to have catchments area of 230 sq. miles. The average rainfall was 34†. In this 1 plan the F. S. L. , was 592 H. F. L. was 596 and R. L. was 601. Directed irrigable area was 19300 acres and the indirect irrigation flow to some 73600acre. It yields 15. 83 lacks revenue per year. Agricultural production increase as 30400 tons. It was 147. 74 lacks. This project was fully feasible in the eyes of government.If plan 1 was accepted than temple was saved by using gates to save from flood. After making 1 proposal government made 2 proposal. In that, if all of three levels rose so that ultimate capacity raise to 1000 million cu. Ft. in that F. S. L. 595 &H. F. L. 606. By doing this the agricultural production increasing and irrigation facilities provide to larger areas. But in 2 plan temple could not be saved but people remained adamant in there demand. IN 1960 state of Bombay bifurcated and now Gujarat PWD department began to think about reopened the plan again.They find this scheme was good for development. The problem is that what should do to become success of this plan. Objectives: †¢ To build the dam, †¢ To increase agricultural production, †¢ Do ultimate overall devel opment Problems: †¢ Temple get submerged, †¢ Religious sentiments, †¢ Opposition by villagers †¢ People get displaced. Constraints: †¢ Location of dam †¢ Religious sentiment can’t be changed. Criteria: †¢ Cost should be minimized †¢ Maximum returns †¢ Minimum people affected †¢ Minimum time in implementation Alternatives: †¢ Plan 1 if no plan 2 †¢ Resettlement of affected people †¢ Wall around the temple Help from religious leader †¢ Convincing people about benefit †¢ Raising the height of temple Suggestion: From all above alternative we compare it with objectives, problem, and criteria we can suggest that to succeeding this scheme government should increasing level of temple by above than flood level with using good construction peeler so ultimately height of temple raised and they saved from flood. By doing so peoples are permit to build dam on river. Contingency plan: If it is not possible to build temple by construction of piller then take help from the religious leader. THANK YOU

Andreas Gursky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Andreas Gursky - Essay Example Over time, Gursky has made tremendous achievements in the global art scene. He is well-known for his big, bold, colorful and detailed photographs that have defined the contemporary art. His large-format photographs are a reflection and exploration of the natural environment and globalization effects on the modern life of capitalism (Famous photographers, n.d). Several of his artistic works have been presented in several exhibitions in major museums around the world. For instance, the most recent major exhibition "Werke-Works 80-08† has found its way in many exhibitions such as the Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is also found in much important public and private collections throughout the world. Moreover, Gursky’s 3m wide photograph of â€Å"Rhine II River† holds the record for the most expensive photograph in the art history. In 2011, it was selling at  £ 2.7m at Christie’s New York â₠¬â€œ a price higher than Cindy Sherman’s  £2.4m in May.Gursky’s exemplary works and desires for photography have also seen him traveling beyond Germany and the Europe Continent as a whole. He has gone to international cities of Tokyo, Singapore, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Cairo among others taking a wide range of images of buildings, hotels, offices, events, and nature.Brought up by successful commercial photographer parents owning a photography studio, Gursky started learning photography even before finishing high school

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

No topic - Essay Example Princes saw a chance to secure authority at the expense of the Catholic Holy Roman emperor. The Catholic Church was unable to restore unity though much of the emperor remained under its power. Furthermore, there were protestant and catholic quarrels which led to a series of religious wars during 16thC and 17thC. When regarding politics, the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) pitted Swedish and German Protestants against the holy Roman emperor and Spain. For a full century German authority and prosperity did not recover. Rulers and cities were permitted by the peace settlement to choose their official religion. It also provided the protestant Netherlands independence from Spain (Hunt et al., 529). During the 17thC, religion was a significant issue in English civil strife, most Protestants gained toleration apart from Catholics. The European power balance and political structure was affected by the wars. France gained authority; England and Netherlands developed global trade while Spain lost supremacy. Some rulers benefited from the fall of papal power even though protestant theory encouraged parliamentary authority in some states. In general, popular attitudes changed as people became less probable to recognize a link between god and nature. Religion and day-to-day life were viewed as separate (Hunt et al., 576). Greater stress to family life; love among spouses was encouraged as religious changed. Nevertheless, when covenants were abolished by Protestants women had lesser alternatives if unmarried. Lastly, literacy spread more

Cross-culture essay (Cross-National Work Experience Interview)

Cross-culture (Cross-National Work Experience Interview) - Essay Example rst, according to Melissa Honda, the major glaring difference between the Japanese and the USA workplace culture is the cooperation aspect of the workplace. This cultural difference is referred to as the collectivism vs. individualism difference (Yūki and Brewer, 136). In the USA, there is the tendency of most workers within a working environment doing their tasks on their own, and only engaging others when there is a need. Thus, to the extent that an individual in the USA workplace environment is able to accomplish all the required tasks by him/herself, then there is little engagement with the rest. However, the case is very different in Japan, more especially in the project management related industries, where the workplace mostly constitutes working groups as opposed to individuals. Individuals in Japan collaborate in every aspect of accomplishing their tasks, such that by the end of the project, the work is a product of various contributions, as opposed to being the product of individual specialty. In the high individualistic cultures, self-determination is highly valued (Gudykunst, 241). Thus, the USA work environment comprises of an environment where self-determination plays the biggest role in the accomplishment of tasks, such that there is a high level of segmentation and division of labor within organizations, based on the individual worker’s specialty. On the other hand, Japan presents a collaborated work environment where the tasks are more attributed to group work and group collaboration, such that the individual workers will work well in groups as opposed to working as individuals (Yūki and Brewer, 147). Thus, Melissa initially faced the challenge of accomplishing the designated tasks single-handedly when she joined her organization in the USA in 2012, and had to take a few months to get used to this different culture of working. Nevertheless, having worked for the organization for three years now, Melissa is now capable of working both as an

Alexandria Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alexandria - Research Paper Example To add to this, they had no navigation tools and only used stars and eyesight for knowing directions. The light house thus formed a major point of showing directions to travellers in the region during both the day and the night (Stokes 67). Sostracus was a Greek architect from Asia in a minor city of Cnidus (Hamilton 21). During the construction, he wanted to put the king’s name alongside his name on the great art of the light house but his request was not granted by the pharaoh at the time, Ptolemy. Sostracus then decided to play a trick on the king by first carving his own carving bearing his name a task which he did with a lot of artistic design. He then made the kings carving which was made from mere plaster (Hamilton 29). With time the plaster washed away and left only his own carving which reads ‘Sostratos of Cnidus, son of Dexiphanes, to the savior gods, for sailors’. This is a show of how creative Sostracus was with his artistic designs. He had skills to e nable him do anything. This essay thus tries to analyze and discuss all the artistic styles and symbolism he used as an artist. It gives why he chose to use the specific artistic styles and their symbolism in the work (Stokes 77). The light house was built on a very large space. ... This is evident from the fact that with time the name lighthouse started to represent the name pharos. Travellers now referred to pharaoh as the light house. The large base area of the light house showed the stability of the king’s council and the large army he had for security purposes. It also shows the stability of the trade he was conducting at the city. The light house was built to enable guide traders to the Alexandria city for trade purposes. Being huge was also a representation of the massive trade and money at the place. This thus attracted a lot of people at the place. The lighthouse was also very tall (Doak 85). Being tall was a representation of how far their power can go. Their power included monetary value and the fierce army they had (Stokes 55). Considering the material used in the building of the light house; white marble. It is a representation of the peaceful nature of the country. Being white shows that the trade transacted at the place was blameless and wi thout deceit and lies (Bowman 21). It was also a representation of the good leadership of Egypt by the pharos. Marble is also seen to be very hard. This is seen to be a representation of the powerful and strong governance of Egypt. It shows that the security and protection state of the city and Egypt in general is up to date and no invasion can manage to bring it down. The smooth nature of marble is a representation of the peaceful nature of Egypt and Alexandria as a trading venue. It shows that the inhabitants of Egypt and the leaders do not have ill plans to the visitors and the traders to the place (Bowman 29). The third piece of the light house was mainly build using limestone.

Summary of Chapter 7 & 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary of Chapter 7 & 8 - Essay Example During the late 19th century, the government used to force people to work in its coffee plantations, which accounted for a significant portion of its exports. Most of the reforms that have been established over the years have fallen due to dictatorship and frequent unrests. The CIA has been involved repeatedly in the violence experienced in Guatemala and in determining its leaders by overthrowing others. Some leaders have also resigned after the armed forces failed to protect them. In spite of an improvement in economic performance during the second phase of the 20th century, levels of unemployment continued to increase and poverty persisted due to unequal wealth distribution. In the urge to control the population, civilian murders increased to approximately 300 people per month. At the same time, the government perpetrated terrorism acts both towards the civilians and the opposition. Peace talks did not bear fruits for a long period as the government continued to victimize the citizens and the rebels. Whenever the US was involved in armed conflicts in the nation, it was blamed for the most violations of human rights. Several elections in the 19th and 20th centuries led to violence and presidents being overthrown following rigging allegations. Even after the end of the civil war, violence worsened especially in 2004 when an estimated 2,000 civilians, mostly women, were killed. The other crime forms exhibited in 2013 included corruption, drug trafficking, impunity, and extra judicial killings. Contemporary Guatemala has continued to experience persistent poverty and economic problems. The state of political landscape appears to be improving starting with p rosecution of presidents due to corruption. Rios Montt, a former head, was prosecuted and is presently serving 80 year sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity. However, organized crime persists in addition to trafficking of drugs. Guatemala remains a

How Activities A Company Chooses To Carry Out Within The Value Chain Case Study

How Activities A Company Chooses To Carry Out Within The Value Chain Can Help Companies Achieve Competitive Advantage - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that Dahl posits to the effect that many decisions made by the company are meant to give it competitive advantage so that it can operate viably. This notion is supported by Arline who states that; â€Å"Value chain analysis relies on the basic economic principle of advantage — companies are best served by operating in sectors where they have a relative productive advantage compared to their competitors.† In this case, a company chooses to pursue activities that will give it a competitive advantage through taking into consideration aspects such as product design, marketing, and distribution, all which fall under the ambit of value chain analysis. Indeed, the company should set precedence in determining the strategies that can be implemented in order for it to create and sustain a value chain that in turn can also sustain its operations in the long run. For instance, Whole Foods Market has managed to achieve competitive advantage through leveraging on its value chain specifically designed to offer organic food products to the customers. As people become conscious about their health, this strategy has helped the company to gain a competitive advantage as the customers switch to organic foods. The strength of the company lies in its capability to differentiate the products it offers to the customers. There are other competitors emerging in the organic foods sector but according to Whole Foods Market’s official website, the company has managed to gain a significant market share by virtue of maintaining a unique value chain that is characterized by quality organic products. Its products also have premium prices that are specifically meant to denote quality.

Struggle between good and evil Essay Example for Free

Struggle between good and evil Essay This is similar to Romantic poets as they often wrote about the idealization of nature. Robert Walton experiences the isolation of the North Pole. stretched out in every direction, vast and irregular plains of ice, which seemed to have no end. Shelley has used the isolation of Robert Walton in order for a bond to be created between Robert and Frankenstein. This in time would result in Frankenstein being able to converse and inform Walton about the Monster. Without the isolation of both Robert and Victor they wouldnt be able to relate to one another. Pathetic fallacy is often used in order to create the setting. Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended. Just after the wedding between Elizabeth and Frankenstein when they are on the boat, Frankenstein becomes anxious and worried about the safety of Elizabeth, this is indicated by the weather. Suspense and mystery are often used in gothic literature. Mary generates a tension, suspense and anxiety before the monster comes. he worked for nearly two years For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. She is trying to show us how important and key event that is going to occur and how much it meant to Victor. She does this in order to bring a greater shock to the reader when she describes us of what a great disaster he has created. one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. Here she gives us a deeper understanding of the scary atmosphere by saying how the monster was trying to kill his creator and just how awful, ruthless and hideous this monster really was. The Monster also declares a threat to Frankenstein after he destroys the female Monster that the Monster had asked him to create. It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night. This threat is applied to generate a build up of suspense. This threat is also echoed in Frankensteins mind in anticipation of his actual wedding night. Maybe Mary Shelley is exploring her own history in Frankenstein by using the style of her fathers novels and her mothers ideas. From my personal view Mary Shelley doesnt only explore in Frankenstein an academic view, but the book explores a personal and emotional point of view. In other words, she is exploring the origins and nature of life itself in a radical sense. The gothic style provides her with a wonderful atmosphere in which to explore how the future can be thought about in the terms of the past. I also think that this novel written in 1818 can not discount the fact that it was written three years after Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. What was put aside was the spectre of Napoleons desire to control the world as known then, we see the confrontation of the medieval megalomania being triumphed over. Perhaps, Shelley is using the gothic style in order to look to the future. Shelley makes use of rhetoric in order to persuade the reader. She does this by getting Robert Waltons isolation at the beginning, meeting the intermediate isolation of Frankenstein and the future isolation of the monster by allowing them to encounter each other in the gothic mode, hauntingly. Frankenstein the novel, illustrates the gothic by placing it in the context of a gothic castle where Frankenstein does his experiments. It looks back to the middle ages where the wild, the mystery, the horror, are used to chill the spine and curdle the blood. Mary Shelley uses a gothic style to explore the romanticism of the period by trying to explain life itself and how scary a question that is. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Hitler: Planner or an Opportunist?

Hitler: Planner or an Opportunist? In order to reasonably construct an argument, it is first necessary to elucidate the question slightly. Specifically, it would seem that the question infers planning and opportunism to be mutually exclusive by asking if Hitler was a planner or an opportunist in his foreign policy. To adapt ones actions in order to achieve wider predefined goals contains elements of both planning and opportunism, so it should be borne in mind that one does not necessarily exclude the other; he may have been both. Since Taylors controversial The Origins of the Second World War (Taylor, 1961) was first published, intense debate has raged in the historical world as to whether Hitler was simply an opportunist, a view propounded by Taylor (1961), or if his actions were well planned and strategised, as suggested by Hillgrubers Stufenplan (Hillgruber, 1965) and others. This essay addresses the question by considering key events in German foreign policy from 1933-1941, analysing each in terms of opportunism and planning. Particular attention shall be given to events prior to the German invasion of Poland and the resulting declarations of war upon Germany by France, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. After these declarations were made, Hitlers foreign policy would need to be more opportunistic and fluid if it was to be successful; in any war victory requires constant reappraisal of the situation at hand. It shall also be suggested that Hitlers actions in the period 1940-1941 were, though forced to adapt due to circumstance, ultimately motivated by a greater plan built on strong ideological beliefs, a view shared by Hillgruber (1965) in Hitlers Strategie. The question of the existence of a Stufenplan, as proposed by Hillgruber (1965), is somewhat harder to answer. Certainly such a plan may be constructed from analysis of Mein Kampf. However, it is difficult to say if such a plan genuinely existed, or if it is merely a construct built upon a foundation of selected statements from the book. Such a plan is also suggested in Nazism 1919-1945, A Documentary Reader (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 617): â€Å"from the comments and arguments contained in Mein Kampf one can construct a foreign policy programme which essentially consisted of five stages † However, this is somewhat within the realm of conjecture and with the benefit of hindsight. Mein Kampf is by no means a step-by-step work, but there are key principles embedded within the text which may be extracted and compared to Hitlers actual foreign policy actions. Through this it shall be argued that at least some level of planning, some attempt to achieve pre-defined goals, did in fact exist. In the broadest sense, the foreign policy advocated by Hitler in Mein Kampf is quite clear, namely to expand Germany to become a world power through the acquisition of territory or ‘living space. In Mein Kampf Hitler (1926, p. 557) states: â€Å" without consideration of ‘traditions and prejudices, it (Germany) must find the courage to gather our people and their strength for an advance along the road that will lead this people from its present restricted living space to new land and soil † Furthermore, it should be noted in the above quote that Hitler not only expresses his desire for lebensraum, but goes further in suggesting that it is reasonable to acquire territory without â€Å"consideration of ‘traditions and prejudices†. From this it may be inferred that Hitler is largely unconcerned by any ethical argument that might counteract the expansion of Germany. This view is compounded by Hitlers (1926) further statement â€Å"Germany will either be a world power or there will be no Germany†. Although A.J.P. Taylor (1961) argued that Hitler did not have any real blueprint for his foreign policy, which consisted of nothing more than taking opportunities as they offered themselves, that Hitler was nothing more than â€Å"a traditional European statesman† (Taylor, 1961), the above comments from Mein Kampf seem to suggest a higher motivation, the desire to expand Germanys borders and present Germany as a world power by non-traditional means, without, as Hitler (1926) states, â€Å"consideration of ‘traditions or prejudices†. In order to expand Germany and gain lebensraum it would first be necessary to somehow remove the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. It is already apparent that in 1926 Hitler saw no use in any future delegations regarding the removal of the sanctions imposed by Versailles, dismissing the treaty as an act of â€Å"highway robbery against our people† (Hitler, 1926). He further stated in Mein Kampf: â€Å"One must have the simple mind of a child to believe that the revision of the Versailles Treaty can be obtained by indirect means and by beseeching the clemency of the victors The sword is the only means whereby a nation can thrust that clutch from its throat† (Hitler, 1926, p. 554). Taylor (1961) would have us believe Mein Kampf to be nothing more than the ramblings of an imprisoned man, yet already we see an element of forward planning; what was outlined here would be realised by Hitler years later. In March 1935, Hitler introduced compulsory military conscription, openly flaunting the Treaty of Versailles, although his army had already been growing in secret since 1933, when Hitler ordered his Generals to treble the size of Germanys army to 300,000. This was the ‘sword with which Hitler intended to vanquish the ‘clutch of Versailles. A year later, on March 7, 1936, German troops remilitarised the Rhineland, again flagrantly violating the Versailles Treaty. Were these actions merely opportunistic, lacking any real planning? Had Hitler simply, to paraphrase Taylor (1961), leaned on the door of the Rhineland hoping to gain entrance? One could argue that, due to the poor British economy following the Depression, Hitler was opportunistic in his timing of these treaty violations, perhaps sensing that military retaliation was unlikely. However, he had undoubtedly expressed his intentions to violate Versailles by forceful means almost ten years earlier, as evidenced above in Mein Kampf. Rather than simple opportunism, it would seem that Hitler was shrugging away the shackles of Versailles at a prudent juncture, just as he had intended. Furthermore, this may be seen as the first step in his wider quest for lebensraum. To acquire territory, to become a world power, required military strength prohibited by Versailles. In March 1938, German troops annexed Austria. This was at least in part opportunistic. Hitler knew very well that the Nazis enjoyed strong support in Austria; four years earlier Dolfuss had been assassinated by pro-Nazi sympathisers within Austria who actively desired Austro-German unification. Such was the influence of the Austrian pro-Nazis that Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg was ultimately forced to resign, due to pressure from within Austria and from Hitler himself. Following Schuschniggs resignation, German troops were able to enter Austria without resistance. In the case of Austria, perhaps it is reasonable to entertain the idea of Hitler simply acting as a statesman rather than following any great plan. Since such strong support for the Nazis existed within Austria, it could be argued that any prudent statesman in a similar position would take advantage of such a situation. However, there is also evidence in Mein Kampf that this event was planned: â€Å"German-Austria must be restored to the great German Motherland. And not indeed on any grounds of economic calculation whatsoever. No, no. Even if the union were a matter of economic indifference, and even if it were to be disadvantageous from the economic standpoint, still it ought to take place. People of the same blood should be in the same Reich† (Hitler, 1926, p. 11). Hitler appears to hold the union of Austria and Germany in particular regard, a matter of principle and genetic unity rather than merely a stepping-stone in Germanys expansion. Taylor (1961) would have us believe that Hitler merely took advantage of the situation in Austria and that this situation was â€Å"produced by Schuschnigg not Hitler† (Taylor, 1961). This view seems somewhat myopic. Hitler may have been acting opportunistically to restore or strengthen Germany through alliance with Austria, but his primary motivation would appear to be something more esoteric, the unification of blood or race. To counteract the above argument, one might say that there were many far-right individuals with similar beliefs, that Hitler was not unique and thus the annexing of Austria was still simply an opportunist act. Opportunist in timing, perhaps, but it cannot be denied that as early as 1925, when the first volume of Mein Kampf was published, Hitler already intended to unite the two countries. How and when he did so may be a matter of opportunism, but the fact that he intended to do for ideological reasons remains. In view of this it seems difficult to renounce the unification of Germany and Austria as purely opportunistic. The evidence presented so far in support of the view that Hitlers foreign policy was not entirely opportunistic is largely rooted in Mein Kampf. However, when considering the Sudetenland and Czech Republic there is further evidence of possible planning on Hitlers part in the form of the Hossbach Memorandum, minutes of a meeting that took place on November 5, 1937 between the Fuehrer and several highranking Nazis (of these the majority were military officials rather than politicians). It is interesting that Hitler chose not to hold a full cabinet meeting, given the gravity of the topics discussed. Hitler himself attributed this to the importance of the matter, but one might also infer that he was reluctant to include too many politicians in the meeting in order to minimise the abstraction of military planning from himself and thus maintain more precise military control. This in itself may be said to evidence a certain level of planning on Hitlers part; discussing such matters within a full cabinet would seem to be the logical course of action for the typical statesman. What is especially interesting about the meeting is that the subject of Czechoslovakia as a tactical foothold is specifically addressed. Hossbach (1937) specifically notes: â€Å"If the Czechs were overthrown and a common German-Hungarian frontier achieved, a neutral attitude on the part of Poland could be the more certainly counted on in the event of a Franco-German conflict. Our agreements with Poland only retained their force as long as Germanys strength remained unshaken. In the event of German setbacks a Polish action against East Prussia, and possibly against Pomerania and Silesia as well, had to be reckoned with† (Hossbach, 1937). Almost a year later, German troops occupied the Sudetenland, with the blessing of both Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier. In fact Lord Runciman, sent by Chamberlain to attempt reconciliation between the Germans and Czechs prior to the cession of the Sudetenland seemed to positively endorse the action as ‘natural: â€Å" the feeling among the Sudeten Germans until about three or four years ago was one of hopelessness. But the rise of Nazi Germany gave them new hope. I regard their turning for help towards their kinsmen and their eventual desire to join the Reich as a natural development in the circumstances† (Runciman, 1938). Reading Lord Runcimans comments above, one might consider it reasonable to view the acquisition of the Sudetenland as opportunistic; after all the British and French were willing to appease Hitler with the Munich Agreement. However, a year earlier, Hitler and those present at the meeting documented by Hossbach had realised the advantages occupying Czechoslovakia would present; Hitlers desire to take Czechoslovakia was already evident in 1937. Shortly after signing the agreement Hitler complained â€Å"That fellow Chamberlain spoiled my entrance into Prague†. Three weeks later, Hitler told generals to prepare for the â€Å"liquidation of the remainder of Czechoslovakia†. Undoubtedly Hitler was opportunistic in signing the Munich Agreement, though it is clear that both before and after signing his ultimate goal was to take Czechoslovakia. It is also apparent that two years before finally annexing Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Hitler saw an advantage in Czechoslovakia beyond immediate opportunistic gain; namely the improved position of Germany with regard to possible aggression on the part of Poland in the event of Franco-German conflict. Taylor (1961, p. 152) dismisses all this, saying â€Å"Even more than in the case of Austria, Hitler did not need to act The crisis over Czechoslovakia was provided for Hitler† and claims that Anschluss in Austria had led German Czechs to â€Å"ungovernable excitement† (Taylor, 1961, p. 152). However, even if Hitler was taking advantage of the crisis, to dismiss his actions as pure opportunism seems churlish; the plan to take Czechoslovakia existed in 1937, before the annexation of Austria took place. This plan also had a wider strategic purpose, even if the execution may have taken advantage of opportunity, particularly in the form of the Munich Agreement. The Pact of Steel also held a higher tactical purpose than mere opportunistic allegiance. In Nazism 1919-1945 A Documentary Reader, it is heralded as a â€Å"diplomatic success in his (Hitlers) preparation for war with Poland securing at long last an alliance with Italy† (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 736). Hitler knew that the French and British would not support the invasion, in fact in his Zwitte Buch he makes it quite clear that France shall always be an enemy of Germany: â€Å"In any conflict, regardless on what grounds, regardless for what reasons, France will always be our adversary† (Hitler, 1928, p128). Thus the Pact was important to Hitler, it levelled the field somewhat regarding the issue of Poland. With France and Britain likely to oppose Hitler in this matter, Italy became an important ally. Taylor (1961) counters this view saying â€Å"The Germans attached less weight to the Pact (than the Italians). They took it almost by accident†. Here it seems hard to logically support Taylors comments. The Pact was proposed by the Germans themselves in 1938, so to suggest that it was taken â€Å"by accident† simply does not make sense. Even if it is argued that the Pact was not direct preparation for war with Poland, it was proposed by Germany in 1938 and became reality in 1939. It did not fall to Hitler by accident, it was an opportunity Germany made for itself. Even if one chooses not to see the Pact as preparation for war with Poland, the invasion of Poland itself was preparation for a greater war in Hitlers view. In May 1939 he stated: â€Å"It is not just the Danzig that is at stake. For us it is a matter of expanding our living space in the East and making food supplies secure and also solving the problem of the Baltic States† (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 737). Thus the tactical importance of the Danzig and Poland was paramount to Hitler. Not least it represented preparation for a greater conquest; Russia. Furthermore, this principle of expansion into the East was not a new dream of Hitlers, being laid out quite clearly in Mein Kampf: â€Å"When we speak of new territory in Europe today we must primarily think of Russia. This colossal empire in the East is ripe for dissolution. And the end of Jewish domination in Russia will also be the end of Russia as a state † (Hitler, 1926, p. 557) As evidenced above, in 1926, Hitler was convinced that Russia should be Germanys primary goal in terms of land acquisition. Thirteen years later, he is intent on annexing the Danzig to expedite this goal. It is difficult to deny a certain clarity of vision here. Hitler still seems to be following his original wider plan of expansion, namely to reach a position where it becomes feasible to attack Russia. On 23 August 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is signed, facilitating Hitlers invasion of Poland with help from the Soviets. This could be argued as an opportunistic Pact, simply expediting the attack on Poland, expanding German territory and presenting a stronger united enemy to the French and British, allowing Hitler to fight a stronger war in the West if need be. Conversely it could be argued that Hitlers conviction that Germany must expand into living space in the East remained. In this case the non-aggression pact with the Soviets and the subsequent invasion of Poland can be seen as opportunism with a further goal, the invasion of Russia itself. Since Hitler had maintained this attitude towards Russia since 1926 and reiterated it only months before signing the Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact, it would seem that, opportunistic or not, Hitler had signed the Pact with Russia ultimately to facilitate action against Russia herself. Operation Barbarossa further supports the view that action against Russia was always intended, with Hitler invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. If anything it could be argued that a more opportunistic leader would have sought to maintain the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and concentrate on what was available in Western Europe, rather than risking a war on two fronts. However, Hitler was not only opportunistic but idealistic, seemingly determined to end â€Å"Jewish domination in Russia†. From a purely opportunistic point of view, starting a war with Russia would not seem the most prudent course of military action given the current conflict in the West, so one can only assume that Hitler did so due to anti-Semitic ideals and his ongoing belief that Russia should ultimately provide lebensraum. To summarise, it is difficult to label Hitler or his foreign policy as either purely planned or purely opportunistic. Taylor (1961) seems to do the latter at the expense of evidence to the contrary, yet equally it cannot be doubted that Hitler often took advantage of fortuitous situations such as the Austrian Crisis, whilst also creating his own, one example being the Pact of Steel. Ultimately it would seem that Hitler had several definite goals in mind as set out in Mein Kampf; to breach Versailles, to build military strength, to unite Germany and Austria, to invade Russia and ultimately to establish Germany as a world power. Whether or not these goals were intended to be accomplished step-by-step, a Stufenplan, or were simply tackled on a more ad-hoc basis, the key aims established in Mein Kampf do seem to persist in later German foreign policy and many of them were achieved. Rather than simply a planner or an opportunist, it would seem that Hitler was both; taking advantage of opportunity to bring him closer to his planned objectives. Henigs (1985) interpretation of Bullocks argument articulates this view extremely well, and it is with this that the discussion shall be drawn to close: â€Å"He combined consistency of aim with opportunism in method and tactic† (Henig, 1985, p. 39). Are Metropolis and 1984 Cautionary Tales? Are Metropolis and 1984 Cautionary Tales? Both Metropolis and 1984 can be viewed as cautionary tales. The concerns communicated within the texts directly align with the concerns of their respective authors and their contexts. Discuss this statement. Texts are fundamentally expressions of the composers contextual concerns, where differing perspectives upon similar issues provide insight into the values prevalent in the composers time. Fritz Langs expressionist film Metropolis (1927) and George Orwells dystopian satire novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) (1949) are linked by their shared exploration of technological advances and social structures that restrict individual autonomy. Lang is optimistic about societal reform whereas Orwell completely rejects the possibility of a cohesive world, revealing the shift in context from Weimar optimism to post-war nihilism. Therefore, a thorough study of the conceptual connections between these texts ultimately allows us to attain an enhanced appreciation of their composers intertextual perspectives on universal concerns. Despite their differing contexts, both composers highlight the dehumanising nature of totalitarian regimes within society. Langs depiction of German expressionism in Metropolis displays the extensive disparities of class that occurs due to the existence of autocratic power. Set in a dystopian future world, Master Joh Fredersons complete control of the capitalistic Metropolis is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the underclass labourers in the Depths, a subterranean workers city while the aristocratic, wealthy industrialists high in the heavens rule over them tyrannically, symbolically representing the oppression of the inferior lower class. This notion parallels the social inequality in 1920s Germany where hyperinflation induced by the Weimar Republics poor economic management led to immense social disparity. Furthermore, the hedonistic behaviour of the upper class in the Golden 20s is epitomised in the privileged life of Freder, depicted by the extreme long shot of the Eterna l Gardens. In contrast, the mise-en-scene coupled with the slow, uninspiring body language of the workers during shift change illustrates the lack of individuality within the working class. Thus, Lang skilfully allows the audience to empathise with the workers by highlighting this perspective, allowing for insight into how totalitarian regimes necessitate conformity as shaped by the context. Orwell mirrors the ramifications of harsh political regimes on the individual and echoes the qualities of the prevalent communist ideology as he examines the psychological impacts of politically enforced conformity on the individual, emphasised by his personal experiences with fascism and his socialist agenda. The totalitarian rule of Oceania, governed by the omnipotent and omniscient Party employs the use of propaganda such as Big Brother and Newspeak to manipulate people, leading to a society in which the people unquestioningly obey their government and mindlessly accept propaganda as reality, similarly represented during Stalins arbitrary governance in Soviet Russia. The complete suppression of independent thought is described through anaphora in Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death provides parallels to the contextual deprivation of freedom of speech as facilitated by Soviet governance. Orwell employs the protagonist, Winston Smith, to rebel against the Party s doctrine, paralleling the mass uprising in Metropolis, through his blow struck against the Party political act as his subversion culminates in a sexual relationship with Julia which challenges how the Party, and similar dictatorships in Orwells context, suppress human sexuality and relationships. However, Winstons attempt is rendered futile as the psychological and physical torture instigated by the Party in the novels poignant culmination results in Winston succumbing to the totalitarian rule when he states with an accepting tone of voice that He loved Big Brother. Talent Management and Acquisition: Human Resource Management Talent Management and Acquisition: Human Resource Management Before going into the discussion on Talent Management, it would be apt to understand the word Talent. Talent in general terms refers to the capabilities, skills or the art, a person possess in a particular field. It also refers to those people who have high potential, scarce knowledge and skill or who can successfully bring about transformation and change in the organization. Talent management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for a company. Coming to the word Talent Management in an Organisation, it refers to those special steps an organization adopts to recruit, develop and retain its pool of top talent. The steps adopted should normally be creative and should not project bureaucracy. Talent Management also denotes a deliberate approach taken up by an organization to attract, develop and retain people with the aptitude and abilities to meet not only the current requirements but also future organizational needs. In todays talent-hungry market scenario, one of the greatest challenges that organizations are facing is to successfully attract, assess, train and retain talented employees. Talent Management encompasses in itself the entire process of Planning, Recruiting, Developing, Managing, and Compensating employees throughout the organization. Organizations have realized the need for talent management and are now focusing to develop and retain the existing talent in their organization rather than trying to acquire a new talent because the cost of identifying, developing and retaining the talent internally is more cost effective instead of replacing the talent which is lost from external market. Though it may appear initially that in the process of retaining talent, we are spending more in terms of increased wages, rewards and recognition, when we practically analyse, the cost of acquiring a new talent is higher. Apart from higher cost of acquiring the new talent it has to additionally face the initial hiccups of this new employee getting along with the organizational goals and strategies. Every business unit is making sure that they can respond and withstand the challenges of talent crisis by developing an effective talent management strategy like identifying the key talented people in the organization, cultivating and developing the skill of their present workforce and retaining highly talented employees by protecting them from competitors. HISTORY OF TALENT MANAGEMENT The origins of Talent Management can be traced to the 1990s with the realization of the immense value of the Human Asset for organizational success surpassing every other resource. Today it is a very widely used terminology with Google returning about 26,300,000 results. Many companies commit the mistake of putting a herculean effort in attracting the best employees but fritter away this valuable resource by not making any effort to develop or retain them. Companies have initially thought of talent management as a means to solve high employee turnover. In course of time it has become part and parcel of the corporate strategy itself with a key responsibility placed on the line managers. One cannot wish away the fact that these managers have to play a pivotal role in nurturing the talents and skills of those reporting to them. In other words, it is a case of joint trusteeship between the line and staff functions. However, in Indian Companies, talent management is of fairly recent origi n. Talent Management Process Organizations are made up of people: people creating value through proven business processes, innovation, customer service, sales, and many other important activities. As an organization strives to meet its business goals, it must make sure that it has a continuous and integrated process for recruiting, training, managing, supporting, and compensating these people. The following chart shows the complete process: Creative ways to innovate Talent Acquisition There are seven creative ways to innovate Talent Acquisition which is mention here:- Talent Acquisition Strategy Outsource Internally: A clever way is to get someone else to do your job. Its a clever way of finding the right person for a position while adding to the insurance of a successful hire. Involve the hiring manager, the superiors, the subordinates this persons work will affect. Collect their ideas for increasing productivity, satisfaction and success. What skills are required? What personal traits will be helpful? What strengths are already on the team? Which might be missing? Translate this input into the skills and personality attributes that tell you exactly what to look for in a candidate. Market your openings in ways you may not have tried before, and build relationships to reach people youve never reached before. Set up an employment interest station in your lobby, at tradeshows, or conferences. Give your business cards to salespeople, or anyone who can evangelize employment, or who may come across colleagues, or even customers, interested in employment with your company. Think like a talent scout, and open your recruiting efforts up to extend beyond the familiar grounds for sourcing talent. Create a widespread referral network that works continuously. Recent hires, association colleagues, retirees and high performers who have left your company are all excellent points of reference. Consider putting up wanted posters, describing your ideal candidate, complete with a cash reward. The reward gets split among all referrers in a line that lead to a successful hire. There can also be other incentive referral programs, like points awarded for referrals, with redemption for prizes, travel, or paid vacation days. However its implemented, the key ingredient is people reaching out to other people. Really interact with people who show interest in joining your company. Job seekers, both active and passive, are a fountain of information about your business, your industry, your competition and your customers. If you develop the approach of treating your interested job seekers like you would treat prospective customers, this can become second nature. Forget about auto-responders on email, or generic postcards. These can actually confirm an applicants suspicion of being a number rather than a valued prospective employee. Create an easy, non-intimidating talent collector that makes it easy for people to explore your company, what its about, what its like to work for. The best place to do this is your company website, with its global reach, and endless possibilities for communication and relationship building around the clock. Move the Careers area to a prominent position on your site. Turn around your application process, reduce your workload and find the right people for open positions fast by having interested job seekers create a profile of themselves. You can collect more information specific to your companys hiring objectives, and also begin to turn the workload in your favour by not having to respond to each individual application. This way, you can build your talent pool exponentially to always have a ready source to search for current and coming position openings. REVIEW OF LITERATURE OF TALENT MANGEMENT AND TALENT ACQUISITION While study of talent management and talent acquisition. I have been read some articles; Review of literature some mentioning her Business Editors High Tech Writers,Dec4,1998 We are a marketing and communications company with Internet and interactive businesses at our core, said Werner Haase, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Exceed, Inc. Whether our clients are looking for ecommerce solutions, or communication strategy and execution for mergers, acquisitions, corporate branding, Web development, human resources or consulting services, weve got the talent to deliver. Ian Cunningham,2007 This paper explores ways in which organizations can take a systemic stance on talent management. The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations plus research in HR functions. The need is for a systemic approach to talent management. Just focusing on talent acquisition is misguided and unhelpful. The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals in setting up a functional strategy for talent management. The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists who are involved in talent management strategy. Business Finance Week, Atlanta, Feb 18, 2008 In the paper, McCoy says that in both good economies and in times of economic uncertainty, it is incumbent upon senior management and human resource (HR) leaders to be smart about the resources they hire and ensure their organizations workforce is structured for flexibility and maximum productivity. PR Newswire, New York, Mar 5, 2008 A January 15, 2008 Wall Street Journal article (Demand Rises for Talent Management Software) identifies one of many issues that shine a spotlight on the looming talent crisis: a labour shortage in industries across the board caused by the aging of the Baby Boomer generation and a decline in worker satisfaction. The Banker, London, Jul 2008 Outsourcing requires the same commitment to understanding organisational goals, due diligence and governance as a merger, acquisition, or strategic partnership. Before any outsourcing initiative is undertaken, there needs to be a clear vision of how the project enhances stakeholder value. Infosys finds that its most successful clients have a well-thought-out, long-term, strategic sourcing plan that focuses less on cost savings and more on leveraging global talent and industry expertise. This article discusses location strategy while considering global sourcing. Steven Land berg, Jan 2010 Positions on what can a corporate hiring executive learn from sports teams an approach to talent acquisition is answered. When pursuing talent acquisition, executives can observe some interesting analogies and learn some lessons from sports teams. First, talent selection and acquisition is recognized as one of the most critical aspects for success in a sports organization. Sports teams frequently acquire free agents that have moved amongst a number of teams with the understanding that many of those moves are not necessarily the choice of the player. Chris serres,Jan24,2010 Two years of brutal downsizing and consolidation on Wall Street, combined with the disappearance of such storied firms as Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, as well as a slew of regional investment banks, have given Piper the opportunity to play on a bigger stage, according to industry analysts. Piper declined to comment for this article, citing a company policy against discussing its financial performance or other material non-public information in advance of earnings. PR Newswire, New York, Apr 26, 2010 Media Link LLC has launched an Executive Search Practice and hired Christopher Nutile, one of the most respected professionals in the executive search and talent acquisition sector, to run it as Director of Executive Search, it was announced today by Media Link Chairman CEO Michael Kassan and President COO Wenda Harris Millard Business Wire, New York, Apr 28, 2010 In creating i-GRasp 3.0 we incorporated many of the features that customers said were vital to them in terms of increasing recruiter productivity, reducing operating and IT costs through enhancing self-configuration capabilities, and providing a great candidate experience as they step up recruitment activity in the face of economic recovery. Step Stone Solutions on-demand (SaaS) software and services enable organisations to implement efficient processes, including: attraction and hiring, post-hire talent management, performance management, compensation management, skills and competency management, career and succession planning, training and development management. Recent trends in talent management Attracting qualified talent is the critical first step in the talent management cycle. Jobs are plenty, finding the right candidate is the challenge. The need is to sell a job. Having sold the job well, retaining good employees is the next challenge that arises. And the companys brand image makes these tasks easier. Hence the marriage of compulsion arises between HR and marketing principles-employer branding. As we know that we get good customers with a good brand. In the same way companies must develop their image in the society by implementing the best practices in each and every aspect. Employer branding therefore helps a company attract, recruit, and retain employees that if wants and is becoming increasingly important in attracting and retaining star performers in a talent-tight market. Employer branding is not different from (branding a product or service and the payoff are identical. Some of them are product service branding customer acquisition is easier Increased retention possible Loyal customers Less price sensitive customers Employer branding Recruiting people is easier Reduced employee churn Committed employees Less CTC sensitive employees Selecting Talent An effective retention strategy begins at the earlier stages of the recruitment selection process. This is true because most of the employee turnover happens due to poor chemistry or bed fit. The research indicates that most of the people leave organizations due to the mistakes made during the hiring phase. For this reason some smart companies are adopting the strategy of hire for attitude train for skill. They have realized that it is easier to develop the skills capabilities that an employee needs than to attempt to change the employees personality or mind set. For instance, although Infosys receives about twice the number of application as its competitors it is very selective in recruiting employees. In the financial for 2004-2005, it received close to one million resumes which went through rigorous selection process and offers were made to about 1.5% of the applicants. Infosys looks at candidates who display a high degree of learnability. Indian company was selecting a senior marketing manager after the candidate had gone through several rounds of interviews. The company had identified the person they thought was the right one for the job and was on the verge of making an offer. Retaining Talent In present scenario people choose companies which have congenial atmosphere and prefer change if they dont get desirable, as it may hinder the growth and success of the company. Hence retention is vital than recruitment. The attrition rate of employees in organization is alarming. Take any industry, any sector, any organization and you can find more than enough examples of employees joining and leaving their workplace. All this adds to the worry of HR managers who are only left with the option of scratching their heads and singing no mercys all-time hit-where do you go? Thus it is an organizations ability not only to recruit, but also to cultivate and retain, talent that will ultimately determine its longevity. Two major trends point to the growing importance of employee retention as an important HR issue. Cost of Employee Turnover Turnover is important because it costs the organization money in direct expenses to recruit and train new hires and indirect expenses to pay overtime for remaining workers, when necessary, and in opportunity cost of lost production. With a 10 per cent turnover rate per year and on average individual pay level of $40,000 might be expected to spend between $ 4 million and $ 8 million per year on turnover-related costs. Talent management involves in 1. Recruiting- Does the firm have a formal recruitment processes to recruit internally or externally? 2. Career Management- Is there clarity in the career path for the employees? 3. Succession Planning- Are there clear-cut plans for who steps into which position at which time. This involves matching current potentials with future organizational demands. 4. Performance Management- This should be able to tell us how each staff performs in his/her present responsibilities. A very good performance Management should be able to unfold the following; those who need to be rewarded, those who need to be cautioned, those who need additional responsibilities, Staff training and development needs, Promotions, Demotions etc. 5. Reward Management- Talent Management will not succeed without a system that clearly defines performance results. Average, Superior and Outstanding performers in an organization should be rewarded differently otherwise outstanding performers for instance will not be motivated to work harder. Todays Top 10 Talent-Management Chalenges Attracting and retaining enough employees at all levels to meet the needs of organic and inorganic growth All three companies are facing a talent crunch. Essar, for example, has grown from 20 thousand employees to a staggering 60 thousand in the past 3 years. Fifty-five per cent of their employees have less than two years of tenure. Creating a value proposition that appeals to multiple generations With four generations in todays workplace, most companies are struggling to create an employee experience that appeals to individuals with diverse needs, preferences and assumptions. Developing a robust leadership pipeline I believe one of the biggest potential threats to many corporations is a lack of a robust talent pool from which to select future leaders. This is in part a numbers issue. Rounding out the capabilities of hires who lack the breadth of necessary for global leadership Its relatively straightforward to identify and assess experts in specific functional or technical arenas, but much more difficult to determine whether those individuals have the people skills, leadership capabilities, business breadth, and global diversity sensibilities required for the nature of leadership today. Transferring key knowledge and relationships The looming retirement of a significant portion of the workforce challenges all companies, but particularly those who are dependent on the strength of tacit knowledge, such as that embedded in customer relationships, a key to Mercers business success. Stemming the exodus of Gen Xers from corporate life A big threat in many firms today is the exodus of mid-career talent-people in whom the organization has invested heavily and in whom it has pinned its hopes for future leadership. Redesigning talent management practices to attract and retain Gen Ys The challenge of calibrating talent management practices and programs to attract and engage our young entrants is critically important to all firms. Creating a workplace that is open to Boomers in their second careers. Age prejudice still exists, but smart companies are looking for ways to incorporate the talents of Boomers and even older workers in the workforce. In many cases, this requires rethinking roles and work relationships. Overcoming a norm of short tenure and frequent movement Some industries, such as specialty retail, are known for having a very disposable view of talent. Companies intent on changing that norm, such as The Gap, must address both external influences in the marketplace and an internal mind set. Enlisting executives who dont appreciate the challenge Many talent executives complain that business leaders still believe that people are lined up outside the door because of the power of the companys brand. The challenge of enlisting the support of all executives for the transition from a talent culture that has traditionally operated with a buy strategy to one that places more emphasis on build is widely shared. CRITICAL APPRAISAL Firstly I want to discuss about Critical appraisal. It is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context. When I study some the articles of talent management and talent acquisition then I find something which is helpful in company to solve the problem related to talent management and talent actuation issue. 1. Costs The costs of having to replace someone with scarce skills are considerable. Firstly, the Recruitment costs are substantial. Qualified staffs, especially Blacks and Women, are not freely available in the market place. This means that agencies or search consultants are required to find such talent and they are expensive. Further costs are incurred during the first 3 6 months of employment during which new staff are seldom fully functional 2. Risk Despite every attempt to follow effective selection practices, there is always a risk that new staff will not perform as expected. It is often said that while organisations select people on their competence and experience, they fire or lose them due to lack of cultural fit. A highly competent professional who is unable to fit the organisational culture is unlikely to be effective or remain for long. This is particularly true in respect of HDIs entering a firm which has been historically white and or male dominated. Client Service and Opportunity Costs In a service organisation service excellence relies largely on personal relationships. It demands that clients feel confident in the people providing the service and that service providers have a memory of client needs and issues. If that relationship is broken as a result of key talent leaving the organisation, the capacity of the firm to provide sustainable service is severely compromised. This has the potential to compromise future business with the associated opportunity costs Lack of Capacity Lack of people with suitable skills and talent is a key restraint in terms of service capacity. This manifests itself at 2 levels. Firstly, firms soon reach a state of overload. Deadlines are missed, standards and quality of work drop and a vicious cycle emerges and feeds on itself. This is a very common phenomenon with small and medium sized professional firms. They do not have the capacity to manage their growth or the peaks and valleys associated with the modern business world. Secondly, the firm is so consumed with meeting operational deadlines that it loses its ability to keep up to date with latest best practice, legislation or other issues demanding new skills. In this case clients will soon recognise that mistakes are made due to lack of currency of skills. These are some of the more visible risks to firms who do not pay attention to the attraction, growth and retention of key talent. Beyond the visible, other manifestations of the problem arise. Staff morale declines because leadership talent is absent and this energy drop is transferred to the client. Internal politics and protection of territory or unwillingness to share information and surface problems affect the functioning of the firm. All of these things affect the ability of the organisation to offer great service and take advantage of opportunities to grow Conclusion When I study then I decided that the attraction, growth and retention of talent are a key success factor for modern service based knowledge organisations. To be known as an employer of choice is considered a key organisational goal with direct benefits. Whether is a small accounting firm or a large consulting organisation there are certain processes that need to be applied for effective talent management. However, research has shown consistently that the most important factor that influences a persons decision to stay or leave an organisation is the relationship with their boss. Other key factors are opportunities for personal growth and career development, the culture of the organisation in terms of facilitating innovation and the nature of the work itself South African organisations, large or small, have an obligation to the country and to themselves to grow the professional skills required for economic growth and competitive advantage.

The Third Ways Ideology In Britain

The Third Ways Ideology In Britain In this essay I would be discussing how The Third Ways ideologies have affected the development of Social Policy within Britain. I will be concentrating on their success and failure by comparing it policies with other the political ideology of The New Right and The Old Left. I will be focusing on three of the Third Way policies which are Social, Welfare State and Health Policy The Third Way is an ideology strongly supported by Tony Blair and the then America president Bill Clinton. Soon after the presidential election in America, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown travelled to America to meet Bill Clinton. They all realise that the share a lot of things in common especially the philosophy of John Macmurray and this was how The Third Way came into existence. In the 1997 Labour manifesto Tony Blair claimed that new approach needs to be given to all area of each policy which would be different from both The Social Democratic and The New Right. (Labour Party 1997a). The Third Way was meant to be a form of renewal for Social Democracy but the other parties view it as non-ideological theory without much fact to stand on. Tony Blair describes The Third Way as means of updating the welfare state to fit in into the 21st century by given the state and the community a chance to make a different. In my view, I believe that The Third Way is all about empowerment and given opportunities and way out to the poor especially the less privileged groups which includes lone parents families, unemployed, disables and pensioners by supporting them into getting jobs and developing their independent skills. The Third Way focused mainly on ending poverty by making it clear to the society that work is the quickest way out of poverty. From my research I can argue that The Third Way is a bit different from both The New Right and The Old Left, for instance The Old Left put more focus on the delivery of means but putting less emphasis on how it would be delivered and not measuring outcome while The New Right are more into cutting public services which leads to increase in poverty level and making it difficult for people to find a way out. The Third Way can also be described as a means of modernising the approach to politics whilst holding on to its major elementary values. One of the aims of The Third Way is to create awareness to the society on how to overcome poverty by providing access to education for all ages and providing training and apprenticeship. This is an example of Giddens view of The Third Way as I quote investing in human capital wherever possible rather than the direct provision of economic maintenance. In place of welfare state we should put the social investment state, operating in the context of a positive welfare society. (Giddens, 1998 p177). Tony Blair was very famous for this quote a hand up rather than a hand out (Tony Blair) leads me to explain the four main values of The Third Way: The four key values of The Third way The value of a community Unlike Margaret Thatcher who doesnt think that there is a society as I quote There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families. The New Labour was not in support of this and they believe that it was very important to provide a service that reflects the needs of the community. Commitment to equal opportunity Deprivation needs to be addressed and it must not be seen as an excuse for failing to provide opportunities. For example, whether it is the absence of a GPs surgery on a council estate or uncontrolled crime or poor housing or failing schools the theory is that the cycle of deprivation can be broken by the community. Emphasis on responsibility It is very important that an individual takes adequate responsibility for their actions especially the socially excluded group. For example, the government will support those who want to give up smoking but they also need to do their own part by participating in the service provided. Accountability More effort needs to put into measuring outcome as it plays a major role in finding out if a policy is working and how it can be improved. Services needs to be provided in the best way possible and monitored and service provided needs to be held accountable for the success and failure of their service. In the next pages I would be evaluating the policies of The Third Way by comparing them to the other parties policies and focusing on which on what works and what could have been done differently. Policies Housing Policy At the time of Margaret Thatcher under the Conservative government, welfare state went through a lot of transformation especially in the area of housing policy which makes it very important for the other parties coming into power to acknowledge the changes. Going back to the beginning of the 19th century around 1918 to be precise, the war just ended and the main needs that was identified was housing due to soldiers returning home from war into extreme housing conditions. The government then decided to set up programmes of building new properties. By the end of 1919 government used part of the income tax to fund projects managed by the councils and making sure that rents are made affordable and within reason. From the conservatives manifesto of 1979, emphasis was laid into helping families own their homes. They identified that a lot of families would like the idea of owning their own home but they finds it difficult to raise the deposit for a mortgage or prevented from doing so under the local authority and the Labour government. The Conservatives decided that it was the right time to remove all these restrictions by given council tenants the Right to Buy their homes. The right to buy came into effect on 3rd October 1980. Council tenants were allowed to buy their homes. The New Right manifesto made an obligation to introduce Right to Buy this gives secured council tenants of more than 3 years the right to buy their homes at a heavily discounted price. The policy entitled tenants to buy their homes at a minimum discount of 33% of market value of the house and 44% for flats. But there is a clause to the policy that emphasised that if the property is resold within 3 years, some of the discount should/must be repaid to the local authority. This idea became very popular and it was one of the ideas that were identified with the conservatives. At the beginning the Labour party was not in support of the right to buy due to the fact that there will be financial consequences and the effect it would have on the remaining tenants. But by 1985 the sale of property has increased tremendously as shown in the table below: This table shows Public sector new housing completions and Right to Buy sales in Britain (1980-95) Housing completions (000s) Right to Buy sales (000s) 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 86 66 37 35 34 27 23 20 20 18 17 10 5 3 2 2 1 82 200 142 103 94 91 106 164 186 129 75 65 61 67 51 Source: Wilcox (1997) By the time the labour party comes into power in 1997, the right to buy scheme has slow down and they decided to reduce the discount. Labour sees this as a failure because two thirds of the families that bought their property under the Right to Buy within the last ten years have accumulated huge mortgage arrears, negative equity and a huge numbers of homes have been repossessed because families were unable to make payment. During the term of Mrs Thatcher the number of homeless household increased tremendously and it also leads to the economic recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Labour party stated in their 1997 manifesto as I quote .the Conservatives lack of housing strategy has led to the virtual abandonment of social housing, the growth of homelessness... The Labour Party made it their priority to address what causes the housing market to collapse. They decided that the council should use the money they received from the sale of property should be used to build new properties and keeping the old ones up to the level of decent homes. The local authorities would be asked to give priority to families of individuals who are homeless but not by their own fault. In my view The New Right are more in support of quick solution but dont always consider the long time effect the housing policy would have on the welfare state while Labours Third Way focused on outcome and prevention. Labour also lays a lot of emphasis on what was the cause and how best to tackle the situation. In regards to the Right to Buy in my opinion it was used by the Conservatives as a way of controlling people i.e. if you have a mortgage you will think twice before going on strike or walking out of a job due to the responsibility and mortgage commitment while Labour looks at how to help people keep up their repayment and laying out prevention if things goes wrong. I believe that the Right to Buy was a good idea initially but the way it was implemented may be a bit wrong however during the term of Mrs Thatcher the housing market improved a lot. Social Welfare Policy The new Labour focused on issues faced by the poor i.e. lone parent families, disables, unemployed and pensioners. The Conservatives focused on the idea that individuals performs better when market forces are unleashed (Martin Hewitt). The introduction of the New Deal as part of Labours welfare reform programme is seen as a positive outcome than Conservatives achievement on the workfare welfare. Tony Blair implies that there has been no truly comprehensive review of the welfare state in all its elements since the Beveridge (DSS, 1918a, p iii). The New Deal was introduced in January 1998 and it main focus was to provide support for the poor and less privileged people in the society. At the time there was a rise in people claiming incapacity benefit (1.85 millions) and unemployment has also rise especially in young people (80000). When the New Deal was first introduced many politicians opposed to it and some up till now because they believes that people out of work should be neglected. But since the introduction of the New deal more than 1.8 million people have benefited and got into employment and training. Over the last 10 years 300000 lone parents are back in work and this is a great way of reducing child poverty. As of now, the New Deal is going through reformation in other to be able to continue to tackle the problems of employment by helping people to develop their skills. The New Deal runs programmes for young people ages 18-25 claiming jobseekers allowance (JSA) for more than 6 months. The programme will help them develop skills which would increase their chance of getting into work. In July 1998 the New Deal introduces another programme for people aged 25 and above concentrating mainly on people claiming JSA for over 2 years. Each claimant would be given a personal adviser that helps them to identify their strength and weakness. It helps them develop and recognise the skills and experience they may already have and empower them to build on it to create opportunities for jobs. New Deal works in partnership voluntary and private sector to delivering it services and according to research the New Deal programme has been the most successful innovation of the Labour party. Due to the current recession, unemployment figures have risen again. The Conservatives government inherited a welfare state that minimised fraud rather than maximised work (Peck, Workfare 273). There focus was to restrict eligibility and reduce replacement ratio from 43% in 1972 to 16% (Peck, Workfare 284). Health Policy The National Health Service (NHS) was created by the Labour Party more than 60 years ago. When Labour came out of power in May 1979, the NHS was in a good and stable place with good performance outcome on financial structure. The Conservatives were not in support of the idea at the beginning. There was an expectation that it would be dissolved when Margaret Thatcher came into power in 1979 but this failed to happen as stated in her 1979 manifesto I have no intention of dismantling the health service than in dismantling Britains defence (Margaret Thatcher 1979). However the government aims to bring in competence and competition into healthcare market. By allowing hospitals and GPs to compete for funding. They informed health authorities to use private companies where possible i.e. private companies would compete on who could be responsible for the hospital laundry or catering. Others ways hospitals can raise funds under the Conservatives includes renting out space to florist, sweet sh ops, charging foreign patients for their health care and many more. The New Right were all about privatisation and commercialisation while The Third way is in favour of modernising and providing quality service that would be accountable to the community. Labour plans to stop the privatisation of the NHS in their 1992 manifesto but the lost to the Conservatives during the election. In my view it is very difficult to conclude which government policy on the NHS has actually works, the quality of care have improved under both governments especially around the waiting time for patients however issues surrounding increase in funding and performance target plus lack of good performance outcome can be challenged. I believe that both parties lays good legacy for the NHS and whether their policy work or not they all share the same ideas on some levels. The Third Way, The New Right and The Old Left all have policies focusing on the quasi market. Law and Order Policy One of the biggest challenge the Labour party faced law and order. The conservative party were seen as a Party of law and order (Sarah Charman and Stephen P. Savage). On the day that the Conservatives worn the general election in 1979 Margaret Thatcher stated: What the country needs is less tax and more law and order (Savage, 1990). The Tories believes that tougher approach needs to be taken and they made a commitment to increase police numbers and power to put an end to crime by waging war against it. New sentences were introduced to the court targeting young offenders; new prisons were built to deal with the problem of prison shortages. James Callaghan stated that the roots of crime are still social deprivation, broken homes and all the rest (Labour Home Secretary, 1970). The Labour party manifesto elaborate their main concern for future action this includes quick sentence for young continual offenders, clean-up on petty crimes and neighbourhood disorder, reform the Crown Prosecution Service, crime prevention and more police patrolling the streets. The Labour party realised that in other to tackle crime they needs to look into It is hard to establish the success or failure of law and order policy in Britain, Labour appears to be tough on crime and the cause of crime while the Conservatives acknowledged that dramatic short-term improvement is needed. I can only come to one conclusion that Tony Blairs government was more focused on been tougher on crime that both The New Right and The Old Left.

A Students Reaction to Used Car Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Web Sites

A Student's Reaction to Used Car Websites Getting a used car instead of a new car is becoming a trend in America today. People do not want to spend money for new cars cause of the fact that cars’ values diminish significantly. This is exactly what my friend thought when he bought his used Acura CL 2.3 Coupe 2D for 13,500 dollars last years from a local dealer. Now the question is whether the price he paid really makes sense considering the current options and conditions of the car. Unfortunately, my friend didn’t even do any research before he bought this car. Thus, he bought this car with a relatively higher price than the price that he actually could have. Based on some of the used cars sales websites like kbb.com or edmunds.com which will be discussed later, he can actually buy that car for 12,585 (kbb.com), or 12,233 (edmunds.com). Inspired by my friend’s experience, I did some study on websites that can help you to negotiate for a used car like a pro. I come up with these two websites that I mentioned earlier—kbb.com and edmunds.com. Both these websites have their advantages and disadvantages. Later in the discussion, I will present all the features of each websites, and compare both websites. The question about which websites is better again depends on the user’s needs. The first website that will be evaluated is the kbb.com. This website which was created by Mike Kelley in 1981 is an online version of the standard Kelly Blue Book guidelines for all used cars. Why this website is trusted by a lot of people has a long history dated back to 1918 when Les Kelly, the Pioneer of this service, created the Kelly Blue Book. The background of the existence of the Kelly Blue Book will not be discussed too much since it is beyond the scope of this paper. However, this online version makes it much easier for people to browse through the internet and find out about the appropriate price they can bargain for with the local dealers or with the private owners. How so? This question can be simply answered by the user friendliness of the website itself. The graphic is simple, and the features are well organized so that it is easy for people to go from one feature to another.