Friday, November 29, 2019

Coping with Ethical Issues at Workplace

Employees and boards of directors in an organization are linked together by a business manager. The latter acts as the point person when it comes to important matters affecting the operations of a company or business entity. The 21st century business environment has significantly transformed. As a result, there are myriads of ethical issues and dilemmas that managers face on a daily basis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Coping with Ethical Issues at Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Needless to say, they are supposed to confront such issues so that their organizations can run smoothly and profitably. It can be a challenge to deal fairly with everyone at workplace bearing in mind that employees are different both in terms of character and work input. To begin with, the 21st century managers regularly face the issue of ethical responsibility while discharging their duties. The subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has formalized the query about ethics in business. Modern business organizations are duly expected to give back to the communities they serve in a number of ways. For example, they should not merely focus on profitability at the expense of polluting the immediate environment. Contemporary organizations ought to be responsible to society even if the ideals of the free market economy prevail. As it stands now, there is a growing push for managers to adhere to corporate social responsibility even if it will cut down their profits. Awareness in regards to ethical issues is a priority for the modern-day managers. This implies that they should be fully conversant with several ethical issues while managing various business portfolios. In the case of corporate social responsibility, the 21st century managers sometimes find it economically burdensome to conform to the demands of both local communities and government authorities especially when they are compelled to foreg o growth agenda. A case in point is the issue of environmental protection. The green energy revolution demands heavy emitters of greenhouse gases to reduce their emission quotas. As much as it is ethically sound to adhere to such restrictions, managers find themselves at crossroads because the revenue base might be concurrently affected (Pomering and Johnson 433).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Non-market issues can be swiftly addressed by various ethical perspectives. Some of the issues include employment practices, environmental regulation and product safety. When corporate social responsibility is addressed using an ethical approach, the role of government on environmental regulation is assumed. One of the most profound ethical perspectives that can be used to address the above ethical challenge is utilitarianism. Our way of thinking is strongly influenced by this ethica l approach. For example, the perspective addresses the social efficiency criteria for corporations that produce in bulk. The benefits of actions and economic costs should be weighed appropriately when any corporate social responsibility is undertaken. The second ethical challenge for modern managers is discrimination. It is the moral responsibility of managers to address all arising cases of discrimination at workplace. Even in the 21st century, sexual orientation, gender, ethic origin and race are still key launch pads for discrimination in organizations (Tackett, Claypool and Wolf 9). This explains why several lawsuits on workplace discrimination have been heard in courts across the globe. Worse still, such accusations are usually very serious. In any case, the entire organization may be charged in a court of law for failing to stop issues related to workplace discrimination. In order for managers to be abreast with such an ethical challenge, they should take proactive steps to le arn and avoid every element of discrimination in organizations that they manage. For instance, managers should employ relevant factors such as ability and experience when hiring workers. The best ethical perspective that can be used to describe this ethical challenge is moral rights as proposed by Kant. This perspective focuses on individual and moral rights. In regards to reversibility of this perspective, it denotes that whatever is done to one person can be comfortably applied across the board without any complaint because it is deemed to be fair. If everybody is expected to act in a particular way, then the principle of universibility applies (Sharma and Sharma 93). In other words, every individual or employee at workplace should avoid discrimination. The Kantian moral rights perspective also attempts to expound the significance of affirmative action against equal opportunity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Coping with Ethical Issues at Workplace specific ally for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is vital to mention that workplace discrimination may also be aggravated by affirmative action. Equal opportunity and a level playing ground are prudent in eliminating all elements of discrimination within organizations. It is indeed true that the primary purpose of laws that govern the corporate social responsibility is to deter major players in the business world from executing certain operations that may be injurious to both the physical environment and human life. One of the main concerns in the operations of business organizations in the modern world is pollution. The latter has led to environmental degradation coupled with destruction of biodiversity. Pieces of legislations have played enormous role across the globe in ensuring that the corporate world adhere to the set standards of safe operations. In any case, the legal vein is a common feature that runs through the long history of CSR worldwide. Mo st jurisdictions have come up with positive law regimes to control or deter negative activities of business organizations. There are rare cases when organizations take voluntary initiatives to either give back to society or preserve the environment in lieu of their profit margins (Pies, Beckmann and Hielscher 269). During the better part of the 19th century, most corporate organizations adopted a trend whereby individuals used business institutions to benefit themselves at the expense of communities. A lot of emphasis was laid on the optimization of profits regardless of the devastating impacts. In any case, the concept of corporate social responsibility is a rather new development that came into existence after several laws were introduced. Legislative chattering paved way for social corporate responsibility in the business world. The assertion by John R. Boatright cannot be doubted. In recent times, business organizations have blatantly hijacked the concept of social corporate res ponsibility in marketing their respective portfolios (Arnold 102).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, John R. Boatright’s position can be supported by the fact a corporation exists within the confines of the law. Therefore, its operations are guarded by the law. Unless certain deterrent measures are put in place, business organizations might easily go against safety precautionary measures (Byrne 501). Responsibility is vital in the operations of business organizations. The wider society and key stakeholders usually expect corporations to abide by the set laws and regulations when running their businesses. Hence, a socio-legal approach is required whenever addressing the issue of corporate social responsibility. The challenges faced by the modern globalized world may be reduced substantially if business organizations stick to certain standards. This explains why legislation is enacted to make sure that these organizations stick to safe operations. There are two unique ethical perspectives of corporate social responsibility. These include the business roundtable an d Milton Friedman theories. According to Friedman, profit maximization should be the main focus of business organizations. However, the same corporations ought to adhere to primary rules of society. Second, principals of an organization are the shareholders (Svensson and Wood 303). On the other hand, agents are represented by the shareholders. They are usually supposed to optimize the wealth of shareholders. Besides, social good is only possible through the gains made by an organization. Hence, social corporate responsibility should be implemented through the profits made by an organization. The process of making and maximizing profit margins should fall within the best interests of the communities being served. It is also undemocratic for managers to utilize organizational resources in promoting societal goals. In the case of business roundtable ethical theory on corporate social responsibility, it is proper for a business organization to make private profit alongside serving the p ublic’s interest. Since corporation is a lawful entity, there should be rules governing its operations (Arnold, Beauchamp and Bowie 67). From the above discussions and ethical theories, it is evident that laws are established to deter corporations from infringing the basic rights of communities they serve. For example, business organizations are supposed to adhere to strict environmental laws and regulations when it comes to the generation and disposal of waste materials. It is also crucial to underscore the fact that corporations are established through legal provisions and that is why their operations are within given legal frameworks. For managers in the 21st century era, it is necessary for them to learn how to cope with the emerging ethical issues at workplace so that their organizations do not lose public reputation or run into losses. Works Cited Arnold, Denis, Tom Beauchamp and Norman, Bowie. Ethical theory and Business. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print. Byrne, Edmund. â€Å"Business Ethics should Study Illicit Businesses: To Advance Respect for Human Rights.† Journal of Business Ethics 103.4 (2011): 497-509. Print. Pies, Ingo, Markus Beckmann, and Stefan Hielscher. â€Å"Value Creation, Management Competencies, and Global Corporate Citizenship: An Ordonomic Approach to Business Ethics in the Age of Globalization.† Journal of Business Ethics 94.2 (2010): 265-278. Print. Pomering, Alan, and Lester Johnson. â€Å"Advertising Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives to Communicate Corporate Image.† Corporate Communications 14.4 (2009): 420-439. Print. Sharma, Richa, and Malvika Sharma. â€Å"Some Reflections on Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility.† Asia Pacific Journal of Management Entrepreneurship Research 3.2 (2014): 89-96. Print. Svensson, Goran, and Greg Wood. â€Å"A Model of Business Ethics.† Journal of Business Ethics 77.3 (2008): 303. Print. Tackett, James, Gregory Claypool, and Fran Wol f. â€Å"Economic Versus Moral Based Pedagogies for Business Ethics.† Journal of Business and Educational Leadership 3.1 (2011): 3-14. Print. This essay on Coping with Ethical Issues at Workplace was written and submitted by user Taraji Monroe to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Books and Blogs About Cultural Appropriation

Books and Blogs About Cultural Appropriation Cultural appropriation is a complicated topic. Although the issue often appears in news headlines when clothing chains such as Urban Outfitters or singers such as Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry face accusations of cultural appropriation, the concept remains difficult for many people to grasp. The most simple definition of cultural appropriation is that it occurs when members of a dominant culture borrow from the cultures of minority groups without their input. Typically those doing the â€Å"borrowing,† or exploiting, lack a contextual understanding of what makes the cultural symbols, art forms and modes of expression significant. Despite their ignorance of the ethnic groups from which they borrow, members of the majority culture have frequently profited from cultural exploitation. Given that cultural appropriation is such a multi-layered issue, a number of books have been written about the trend. Members of marginalized groups have also launched websites specifically devoted to educating the public about cultural appropriation. This overview highlights noteworthy literature and websites about this persistent phenomenon. Cultural Appropriation And The Arts This book by James O. Young uses philosophy as the foundation to examine the â€Å"moral and aesthetic issues to which cultural appropriation gives rise.† Young highlights how white musicians such as Bix Beiderbeck to Eric Clapton have gained from appropriating African-American musical styles. Young also addresses the consequences of cultural appropriation and whether the trend is morally objectionable. Moreover, can appropriation lead to artistic successes? With Conrad G. Brunk, Young also edited a book called the Ethics of Cultural Appropriation. In addition to exploring cultural appropriation in the arts, the book focuses on the practice in archaeology, museums and religion. Who Owns Culture? - Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law Fordham University Law Professor Susan Scafidi asks who owns artforms such as rap music, global fashion and geisha culture, to name a few. Scafidi points out that members of culturally exploited groups typically have little legal recourse when others use their traditional dress, music forms and other practices as inspiration. The book is billed as the first to investigate why the United States offers legal protections for works of literature but not for folklore. Scafidi asks larger questions as well. Specifically, what does cultural appropriation reveal about American culture overall. Is it as innovative as widely thought or the byproduct of â€Å"cultural kleptomania?† Borrowed Power: Essays on Cultural Appropriation This collection of essays edited by Bruce Ziff focuses specifically on Western appropriation of Native American cultures. The book explores the artifacts, symbols and concepts typically targeted for appropriation. A range of people contributed to the book, including Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Lenore Keeshig-Tobias, J. Jorge Klor de Alva, Hartman H. Lomawaima and Lynn S. Teague. Native Appropriations This long-running blog examines representations of Native Americans in popular culture through a critical lens. Adrienne Keene, who is of Cherokee descent, runs the blog. She is pursuing a doctorate in Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and uses the Native Appropriations blog to examine images of Native Americans in film, fashion, sports and more. Keene also offers tips to the public on combating cultural appropriation of Native peoples and discussing the issue with the person who insists on dressing up as a Native American for Halloween or supporting the use of Native Americans as mascots. Beyond Buckskin The Beyond Buckskin website not only addresses the appropriation of Native American fashion but also features a boutique with jewelry, accessories, clothing and more crafted by Native American designers. â€Å"Inspired by relevant historical and contemporary Native American clothing design and art, Beyond Buckskin promotes cultural appreciation, social relationships, authenticity and creativity,† according to the website. Jessica Metcalfe (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) maintains the website. She has a doctorate in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Comparing city planing,green policy between city of beijing China and Assignment

Comparing city planing,green policy between city of beijing China and city of Seoul, Korea. providing suggestions to Seoul Metropolitan Government - Assignment Example The city planning and the green policies enacted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government are meant to address these challenges. This paper explores the city planning measures and green policies enacted by Seoul Metropolitan Government and makes suggestions on how they could be improved. The paper then briefly explores Beijing’s city plans and green policies and draws lessons that could be learned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to help improve Seoul. Seoul has had a series of urban plans since it started flourishing in the 1960s. Like most cities, the population has continuously been growing during this period. As people move towards the city, the space has continuously become a determining factor necessitating measures to be put in place so as to ensure right planning that supports sustainable development and growth of the city (SMG, 2006). The first plan was implemented between 1972 and 1981 and was geared towards growing the city’s facilities and infrastructure. The second plan was enacted between 1982 and 1991 and the thematic issue was distribution network. The third city plan was implemented between 1992 and 1999 and was geared towards the local development. The current Seoul’s city plan started being implemented in 2000 and is to be implemented until 2020. The current city plan is geared towards increasing Seoul’s international competitiveness (SMG, 2013). Seoul’s fourth city plan is known as the Master Plan. It has taken a different approach towards urban development. The Master Plan represents a paradigm shift from the traditional growth-driven models which focus on quantitative growth to a growth-management model which focuses on qualitative growth (SMG, 2013). The previous growth models that were implemented by Seoul Metropolitan Government were designed to achieve rapid growth. This was understandable given the fact that Seoul still had untapped potential and had not reached its optimal growth level. But now, faced with

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Summary and Conclusion to executive audience Essay

Summary and Conclusion to executive audience - Essay Example The company expects to meet all the database application and reporting requirements by development of policies, guidelines, standards, and practices in connection to the project. If all the stages of implementation are followed to the latter, then Riordan Manufacturing will successfully implement the database project for use in the finance and accounting department of the company. The diagrams used in the implementation of the project should be easily understandable and it is recommended that the users should add proper notes that would assist and aid in terms of understanding all the diagrams completely. Design is the important stage of the implementation of the project and should be done with a close coordination with all other aspects of the physical information system design. Design should be followed by documentation to guide the users. Database application will then be met if all the stages of implementation are followed to the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Interview - Essay Example Answering the question was challenge because I expected to write about law. I revealed my state of lack of information concerning the question. His response was that there were many commonalities across the different types of law. He noted that for relevance, one should specialize in one of them, for instance, the criminal environment, the civil rights, and others. I stuck to my generalized approach, which the professor agreed. The first question I asked the professor was what kind of experience he had gained that are useful in his writings. He answered by telling me that experience gives writes a part of the story to tell the readers. He said that a writer has to be extremely relevant, which is why experience counts. He elaborated his life at the University where he was a member of the law editorial column of the school’s magazine. Experience formed a core of his writings because it quotes precise parts of both the federal and state legislations. He said that he needed to be as relevant as possible to the law so that his perspective may appeal to the readers. In answering the question, I learned that he meant that the practice of legal writing is not a creative writing, but a factual field with lots of criticism. What the professor had learned in life was a crucial element of his works. The next question, which I asked was if there was any limitation to the type of writing especially in style and thematic concerns. Mr. Weisberg replied that there were limitations of course to the themes and style of writing. He alluded to the lack of creative perspectives to legal writings. He said that the authors in such fields should stick to what is factual and not speculated of fictional. For instance, the authors should stick to the legal vocabulary because of its complexity. According to the professor, the legal vocabulary is so complex that even the lawyers have to keep referring to a continued relevance. He

Saturday, November 16, 2019

A Pest Analysis Of Hsbc Bank Finance Essay

A Pest Analysis Of Hsbc Bank Finance Essay The political instability that the country has suffered throughout history and still has not only affected the general conditions of Pakistan but also the foreign investors and multinational countries. Though HSBC is a foreign bank and the reporting line is in Middle East and London but the political conditions in the country affects its activities to quite an extent as ultimately the State Bank of Pakistan supervises all the activities of all local and foreign banks. As a result of the political instability, the international investors hesitate keeping their money as they are afraid of frauds and the culture of Pakistan as it is popular for its bad and unorganized trends. (Zaidi, A., 2009. Issues In Pakistan Economy. 2nd ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press.) Economical Factors: Since the world economy is moving towards a recession, so Pakistan is no exception to the economic instability and uncertainty. The GDP growth in 2007 was the fastest in Asia i.e. 7 % and was lead by growth in consumption and investments. National savings rose only slightly, indicating the slow growth in bank deposits and is low by International standards. The causes of low savings have been the low per capita income, high dependency ratio, urbanization, lack of proper infrastructure in rural areas and inflation leading to rise in prices. Inflation is high due to high food prices which offset the demand management policies and the government subsidy on oil prices. As a result of high inflation, poverty is high and the productive capacity is stressed. In the year 2007 the services sector grew by 8% with high profit recorded and an overall contribution of over 50 % in the GDP. Monetary policy was tightened but inflation was still on the rise. The expansionary fiscal policy led to central bank borrowing and concessional finance for exports and textiles. Monetary growth was accelerated due to surge in external receipts. Monetary tightening was necessary given the exceptional growth in the money supply aggregating 19.2 % percent growth that was much higher than target of 5.3 %. This growth in money supply was due to excessive government borrowings, sharp rise in NFA due to external financing of deficit through Euro Bonds, US aid and multilateral loans. The State Bank of Pakistan raised the discount rate by 50 points to 9.5 %, SBP also drained excess liquidity from inter bank market and maintained overnight rates close to discount rates. As a result the interest rates rose and this impacted the loan quality, stringent provisioning requirements, increased capital requirements, the NPL ratio to loans declined. Liquid market for short term government papers exist, but long term debt instruments need to be developed. (Zaidi, A., 2009. Issues In Pakistan Economy. 2nd ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press.) Social Factors: Since the rise in prices, the general public has become conscious towards their spendings and is facing a decrease in their disposable income. They are saving less and as a result the growth in the bank deposits has slowed down. Due to the political, economical and law order situation being very uncertain, there is lack of trust found in the people of Pakistan on the financial institutions. Another aspect that adds to it is that people are less educated and unaware of how system works so rumors create great panic that result in problems in financial sector, hence affects HSBC also. (Zaidi, A., 2009. Issues In Pakistan Economy. 2nd ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press.) Technological Factors: With the advancement in technology and the increase of its usage, it has created many opportunities to all kinds of industries. There are now automated teller machines that have replace the conventional tellers, the whole banking systems have been automated assuring transparency in the system as a result of which the trust of the consumer has been gained. The internet technology has provided new avenues to work as online banking system is a common phenomenon in the west and is gaining popularity in Pakistan too. Many mobile and telecom companies are collaborating with the bank to reach out to the customers even more efficiently and conveniently. This has raised the level of the competition thus raising the pressures to compete in unique ways to add value. (Zaidi, A., 2009. Issues In Pakistan Economy. 2nd ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press.) Law Order: The instability of the legal system and lack of freedom of the judiciary has impaired the growth of the economy as investments have slowed down. The law and order situation has become from bad to worse. The potential foreign investors have backed out and those who have already invested face threats and insecurity. The recent past is filled with the bomb blasts and attacks on foreigners and since HSBC is a foreign bank, it too has been threatened and still faces fears. Recently the government of Pakistan has enforced a law pertaining micro-financing. This law suggests that all banks must have at least three of its branches in each rural sector. (Zaidi, A., 2009. Issues In Pakistan Economy. 2nd ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press.) Industrial Analysis General Driving Force Influencing the Industry: Size Scope: The overall size of the banking sector has reached Rs 5.0 trillion by end of the fiscal year 2007. Since HSBC has only recently entered the market, its current market share is approximately around a 2-3% of the total market. The scope of the banking industry is currently limited to only a few segments that are being targeted, and that are the consumer market, the corporate segment and the small and medium enterprises. Many other segments, such as segments based on demographics, age, gender etc. exist and can be targeted upon thus increasing the scope of activities. Currently the banking sector provide facilities of deposit, with drawl, lockers, ATMà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s, issuance of pay orders, demand drafts, transfer funds between accounts, issuance of cheque books, credit card facilities, loans account, online services, currency exchanges.( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) Influences: There has been more than two-fold increase in the loan portfolio in the past three years, which is considered to be high. Even though this strong expansion is accompanied with diversification across sectors as banks have ventured into relatively new areas like mortgage financing, lease finance, project financing (traditional business areas of non-bank financial institutions), aggressive lending tendencies have implications for the asset quality of the banking sector. While on-going mergers and acquisitions are aiding the process of consolidation of the banking sector, the resulting ownership structure is posing new challenges for the regulators and supervisors. Specifically, cross ownership à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ where banks own non-bank financial subsidiaries and associated companies, industrial and brokerage companies own banks etc., has increased the complexities of the banking sector. Similarly, cross border ownership of the banking sector involve home-host regulatory and supervisory issues. Effective supervision in this environment requires a strong coordinated supervisory mechanism and strong interface with other supervisory/regulatory agencies. Fortunately, none of the above issues poses a significant threat to the stability of banking sector in the current environment. The deceleration in credit growth and the growing emphasis on internal control and risk management systems will serve to enhance banking sector stability in the future. The on-going mergers acquisitions and increased minimum capital requirements are expected to play a key role in improving the stability of banking sector. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) The money supply and the aggregate demand of the economy are great influences that affect the banking sector. With the increase in the aggregate demand in the previous years that took place as a result of the consumption driven economic policies of the government, the demand for money in the whole system increased. Therefore the money supply increased. This resulted into a high inflation rate and increase in the prices. As a counter result the interest rates decreased, thus allowing the investors to borrow at low interest rate. Thus borrowings increased and deposits decreased. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) Porterà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Five Forces Bargaining Power of Customers: Bargaining power of customers is relatively high, as switching costs are low for customers to leave HSBC and gain banking services from other banks. Foreign banks like Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays etc have entered the market and thus add to the local banks thus serving as the current competitors. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) Competitive Rivalry: Foreign banks are the direct competitors of HSBC that are striving for the same market share and customers. In addition, local banks have a long-term trust relationship with their customers, which still provide them an edge. The banks that are practicing Islamic banking in the Islamic State of Pakistan are the potential competitors. Since polarity in the country is increasing, the middle class segment is vanishing leaving only a hand full of the upper class and upper middle class segment to target. This segment too has now options of other multi nationals and can switch to them at any time. With a nicheà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ segment that is being targeted it is becoming tougher to fight for market share and customer retention. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) The local banks are fast to imitate and since the banking system is a very transparent one, imitation is easy, thus increasing the fight between the competitors. They are trying to capture the upper middle and the middle-middle class segment that are currently the customers of the multi national banks. With their relatively low interest rates charged to the customers and higher interest payback rates compare to HSBC, they are strong threats as they have extremely lowered the switching costs to the customers. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Since the company is a financial institution, its supply is the money supply, that is supplied by the State Bank of Pakistan. Therefore, being the sole provider and supplier, its bargaining power is extremely high. The State Bank of Pakistan often imposes various restrictions on banks. Therefore, none of the banks are independent in policy making and cannot launch any product without prior permission of the State Bank of Pakistan. The banking history is replete with the examples that either Government of Pakistan or the State Bank of Pakistan puts ban on the marketability of the most successful products. All banks are restrained to independence in making their policies provided that they are not against the law and Islamic values. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) Substitutes: There are not many substitutes available. Those that are, are the share in the stock market and the government schemes such as the National Saving Schemes. The NSS is on a decline as these saving instruments are to their maturity and the customers have lost interest in them. The government has not been able to come up with any innovative saving schemes to attract the general public, therefore reducing the threat to of the substitutes to the banking industry. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) The Customer Analysis: The customers are segmented on the basis of traditional segmentation of the income levels. The high end of the segments, that is the upper middle and the upper elite class customers are not price sensitive and are willing to take high risks to earn high returns. They focus more on long term gains and are inclined towards making huge investments. They expect and demand superior customer services and consultancy required for their businesses and investments. One of their unfulfilled needs is the demand for customized and personalized business consultancies along with portfolio management consultancy and wealth management services.The lower end of the segment is more focused towards saving and small investments after careful analysis of the financial situation. They make short term plans and investments. The long term investments that they make are mostly the pension saving schemes or life insurances to safeguard their future income. They require good customer services but do not expect a first class treatment. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7) Industry Life Cycle: The Banking Sector in Pakistan has emerged in its present form after passing through various stages of development in the last fifty years. At the time of independence, the new country had no bank of its own and commercial banking facilities were almost minimal and very outdated. With the creation of the country, the Habib Group brought over its entire set up to Pakistan and banking operation started. The State Bank of Pakistan was established through an Act on July 1, 1948 which marked the beginning of banking sector in Pakistan. In 1974, all the local banks in Pakistan were nationalized. Nowadays, the world is going through a financial crunch due to the economic recession in US Economy, therefore the prevailing boom in the banking industry has been affected too. In the local market though there are many unfulfilled gaps in the banking sector, with the current products and services that are being offered, the banking sector is saturated, with a number of foreign banks and many local one too. The banking sector is thus at its maturity stage, with instability and financial crunch effecting its processes at present. .( Hussain, I., 2009 Banking Sector in Pakistan. Dawn. 29 April, p.7)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Chicken Without a Fork :: Poems Essays

Chicken Without a Fork Tithing There is a faint illumination within the eye of a blighted soul.... Telling a story of many, many goodbyes, yet the riddles of a latent kin lurch violently from within. Nothing, nothing can fill the whole. Alone, I do ponder and stare across this stony barren of life. No worry, I understand the fare. Gently the waters of the Styx part. A hand extends, no blade or knife. ....A glancing gaze examines the heart. Rage Clenching my fists my knuckles are numb beating my pillow the hate I become. No lovely horizons my heart is numb beating my desire the hate I become. Her eyes, so beautiful my mind is numb beating my inhibition the hate I become. Gripping your throats my morals are numb beating my brothers it's you I've become. Liberty Nurture the aimless for aim is not to burden. Save for the nameless who, after all are pardoned. So the wicked stare across an ocean drying huddled within our care and yes, we are the ones dying. So venture not into the great unknown. Save yourself, blanketed by faith. As if our colors ever shown. Black, black as the lovely wraith. Liberty in her beauty does arbitrate a loving populace that can only fornicate. A Moment Burning and turning my stomach resists, anxious and determined my will persists. Fists are clenched, knuckles are white. Damning them all I long for the fight. My reason is gone so is the air, shifting my weight they sense the despair. I close my eyes longing for control while the demons abound; they've taken my soul. Mortality I watched as they gave their respects. I didn't know him. A friend of a friend. Light filtered through stained glass windows. Soft sobs and cries echoed off hallowed walls. I knew nothing of this man. I stood next to the coffin. His face, painted and plastic, longed to return. Then tears began to well within my eyes. How could this be? I didn't know him. Then I understood. With a light brush from my sleeve I wiped the tears from my face and Chicken Without a Fork :: Poems Essays Chicken Without a Fork Tithing There is a faint illumination within the eye of a blighted soul.... Telling a story of many, many goodbyes, yet the riddles of a latent kin lurch violently from within. Nothing, nothing can fill the whole. Alone, I do ponder and stare across this stony barren of life. No worry, I understand the fare. Gently the waters of the Styx part. A hand extends, no blade or knife. ....A glancing gaze examines the heart. Rage Clenching my fists my knuckles are numb beating my pillow the hate I become. No lovely horizons my heart is numb beating my desire the hate I become. Her eyes, so beautiful my mind is numb beating my inhibition the hate I become. Gripping your throats my morals are numb beating my brothers it's you I've become. Liberty Nurture the aimless for aim is not to burden. Save for the nameless who, after all are pardoned. So the wicked stare across an ocean drying huddled within our care and yes, we are the ones dying. So venture not into the great unknown. Save yourself, blanketed by faith. As if our colors ever shown. Black, black as the lovely wraith. Liberty in her beauty does arbitrate a loving populace that can only fornicate. A Moment Burning and turning my stomach resists, anxious and determined my will persists. Fists are clenched, knuckles are white. Damning them all I long for the fight. My reason is gone so is the air, shifting my weight they sense the despair. I close my eyes longing for control while the demons abound; they've taken my soul. Mortality I watched as they gave their respects. I didn't know him. A friend of a friend. Light filtered through stained glass windows. Soft sobs and cries echoed off hallowed walls. I knew nothing of this man. I stood next to the coffin. His face, painted and plastic, longed to return. Then tears began to well within my eyes. How could this be? I didn't know him. Then I understood. With a light brush from my sleeve I wiped the tears from my face and

Monday, November 11, 2019

Employee Motivation †A Short Case Study Essay

Rohit Narang joined Apex Computers (Apex) in November after a successful stint at Zen Computers (Zen), where he had worked as an assistant programmer. Rohit felt that Apex offered better career prospects, as it was growing much faster than Zen, which was a relatively small company. Although Rohit had enjoyed working there, he realized that to grow further in his field, he would have to join a bigger company, and preferable one that handled international projects. He was sure he would excel in his position at Apex, just as he had done in his old job at Zen. Rohit joined as a Senior Programmer at Apex, with a handsome pay hike. Apex had international operations and there was more than a slim chance that he would be sent to USA or the UK on a project. Knowing that this would give him a lot of exposure, besides looking good on his resume, Rohit was quite excited about his new job. Rohit joined Aparna Mehta’s five-member team at Apex. He had met Aparna during the orientation sessions, and was looking forward to working under her. His team members seemed warm and friendly, and comfortable with their work. He introduced himself to the team members and got to know more about each of them. Wanting to know more about his boss, he casually asked Dipti, one of the team members, about Aparna. Dipti said, â€Å"Aparna does not interfere with our work. In fact, you could even say that she tries to ignore us as much as she can.† Rohit was surprised by the comment but decided that Aparna was probably leaving them alone to do their work without any guidance, in order to allow them to realize their full potential. At Zen, Rohit had worked under Suresh Reddy and had looked up to him as a guide and mentor – always guiding, but never interfering. Suresh had let Rohit make his own mistakes and learn from them. He had always encouraged individual ideas, and let the team dicover the flaws, if any, through discussion and experience. He rarely held an individual member of his team responsible if the team as a whole failed to deliver – for him the responsibility for any failure was collective. Rohit remembered telling his colleagues at Zen that the ideal boss would be someone who did not interfere with his/her subordinate’s work. Rohit wanted to believe that Aparna too was the non-interfering type. It that was the case, surely her non-interference would only help him t grow. In his first week at work, Rohit found the atmosphere at the office a bit dull. However, he was quite excited. His team had been assigned a new project and was facing a few glitches with the new software. He had thought about the problem till late in the night and had come up with several possible solutions. He could not wait to discuss them with his team and Aparna. He smiled to himself when he thought of how Aparna would react when he told her that he had come up with several possible solutions to the problem. He was sure she would be happy with his having put in so much effort into the project, right from day one. He was daydreaming about all the praise that he was going to get when Aparna walked into the office. Rohit waited for her to go into her cabin, and after five minutes, called her up, asking to see her. She asked him to come in after tem minutes. When he went in, she looked at him blankly and asked, â€Å"Yes?† Not sure whether she had recognized him, Rohit introduced himself. She said, â€Å"Ok, but why did you want to meet me?† Rohit started to tell her about the problems they were having with the software. But before he could even finish, she told him that she was busy with other things, and that she would send an email with the solution to all the members of the team by the end of the day, and that they could then implement it immediately. Rohit was somewhat taken aback. However, ever the optimist, he thought that she had perhaps already discussed the matter with the team. Rohit came out of Aparna’s cabin and went straight to where his team members sat. he thought it would still be nice to bounce ideas off them and also to see what solutions others might come up with. He told them of all the solutions he  had in mind. He waited for the others to come up with their suggestions but not one of them spoke up. He was surprised, and asked them point-blank why they were so disinterested.  Sanjay, one of the team members, said, â€Å"What is the point in our discussing these things? Aparna is not going to have time to listen to us on discuss anything. She will just give us the solution she thinks is best, and we will just do what she tells us to do; why waste everyone’s time?† Rohit felt his heart sink. Was this the way things worked over here? However, he refused to lose heart and thought that maybe, he could change things a little.  But as the days went by, Rohit realized that Aparna was the complete opposite of his old boss. While she was efficient at what she did and extremely intelligent, she had neither the time nor the inclination to groom her subordinates. Her solutions to problem were always correct, but she was not willing to discuss or debate the merits of any other ideas that her team might have. She did not hold the team down to their deadlines not did she ever interfere. In fact, she rarely said anything at all! If work did not get finished on time, she would just blame her team, and totally disassociate herself from them. Time and again, Rohit found himself thinking of Sureshm his old boss, and of how he had been such a positive influence. Aparan, on the other hand, even without actively doing anything, had managed to significantly lower his motivation levels. Rohit gradually began to lose interest in his work – it had become too mechanical for his taste. He didn’t really need to think; his boss had all the answers.  He was learning nothing new, and he felt his career was going nowhere. As he became more and more discouraged, his performance suffered. From being someone with immense promise and potential Rohit was now in danger of becoming just another mediocre techie. Questions for Discussion 1.  What, according to you, were the reasons for Rohit’s  disillusionment? Answer the question using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. 2.  What should Rohit do to resolve his situation? What can a team leader do to ensure high levels of motivation among his/her team members?

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Man of Steel essays

Man of Steel essays IN the years 1927 to 1953 a man who was exactly what the USSR needed took power, Joseph Stalin. From the start Stalin had a vision of what he wanted for the country and stuck to it. With doing this he led them through his amazing economic plan, and also prepared them for war. Joseph Stalin really was the man of steel. Stalin was one of the few leaders of the USSR who actually had a vision. Some may say that this vision was the reason for most of his success. From the very start of his leadership, he started the country moving forward and never backwards. One of Stalin's greatest achievements was the rapid industrialization of the Soviet Union with his economic plan. To have a strong economic system, a country needs the three factors of production; land, labor and capital. Stalin accomplished this more than any other former leader of the USSR. He may have been lacking in capital but he had a full workforce to provide labor, and he also controlled large amounts of land filled with natural resources. Under his rule industrialization of his country increased by thirteen percent. Much of the industrialization occurred within his five-year plans. From 1928 to 1937, the Soviet had many gains, all of which happened in only nine years. In 1904-1905 Russia was severely beaten in the Russo-Jap war. Stalin took note of this and saw that he had to prepare his country for another war, which he saw was coming. To do this, production of massive amounts of military weapons was established. Also, by warning his people of a war that may come, he brought his country closer together. Under his ruling, during World War II, the Soviet became the second most powerful nation in the world, economically and militarily Despite Stalins forceful tactics he got what he needed done and he got it done fast. How many leaders can say they accomplished as much as Stalin did in only ten months? He eliminated the people of opp ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Attention Shoppers!

Attention Shoppers! "Attention Shoppers! The store will close at twelve due to the session!" It was the night before Christmas and I had one last present to buy for my mom. I had already got the rest of my family's presents and I had less then 30 minutes to get the last gift. The store was full everywhere I turned there was someone bumping my shoulder. I went to the jewelry department I did not have a lot of money to work with ($15.74 to be exact). I was looking for something that would mean a lot to my mom.As I was browsing through the jewelry department I stumbled past a display of gold rings. When I started to look through them I thought it was hopeless since most of them were men rings. All of a sudden I stopped and stared at the most perfect ring. It was gold with a mother and her son holding hands.I Am a WalletAll was good until I checked the price tag. It read $20.99. At this time I felt like all was lost. As I started to walk away I noticed a saint of a sign. The sign spoke of a 50 percent sale on all jewelry. Without thinking I turned around and took the ring to a register. This was all so perfect and there was but fifteen minutes left for the store to closed and I had all my shopping done. When I got to the register I placed the ring on the counter and waited for my tally, I reached for my wallet when all I found was pocket lint. My wallet had been picked pocketed. After settling down from the shock of my wallet gone missing, I went to put the ring back. On the way back thoughts were going...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Changes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Changes - Essay Example array of studies was conducted by Gendreau and Ross is 1987 that proved to be effective in proving certain reforms to be true and arranging the juvenile system is the set order. More researches are carried by the Greenwood and Zimring in 1985 that added several feature to secure the rights of the juvenile offenders and secure the made the juvenile justice system to be respected and responsive in solving the problems of the juvenile offenders. Similar types of researches are carried by the Altschuler and Armstrong in 1984 that made the juvenile justice system different from the general justice system in every method, proceedings and punishments. Most recently, the National Council on Crimes and delinquency evaluated how the system can be made more responsive in minimizing the crime rate by summarizing the previous reforms in the juvenile justice system. These reforms are made by Lipsey and other colleges of him in

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Chinese Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Chinese Philosophy - Essay Example It became well established throughout the vast nation during the 300's A.D. It is surprising, then, to learn that at one time, most of the Chinese people viewed the religion with skepticism, considering it to be little more than a strange foreign cult. Many of the early Chinese converts to the Buddhist religion risked ostracism and persecution simply for practicing their beliefs. Buddhism reached China from India around 100 A.D. For many years, almost all Chinese subscribed to either of two native religions. One was Confucianism, which was based on the ideas of Confucius, the revered philosopher. The tenets of this belief system included obedience to authority, the promotion of education, societal order, and a deep respect for one's ancestors and for the past. Confucius was born about 550 B.C. and the religion based on his teachings emerged shortly after his death in the 470's B.C. The other traditional Chinese religion was Taoism. The basic teachings of this belief system included a reverence for nature and routine celebration of the faith's many protective gods. Taoism began during the 300's B.C. and is based on a book entitled the Tao Te Ching (The Classic of the Way and the Virtue). Taoism was also heavily influenced by elements of Chinese folk religion. When Buddhists first began to appear in China, most Chinese deeply mistrusted them. Their mistrust was easy to understand. According to Sources of Chinese Tradition, written by Theodore Debary, Buddhism was a radically different religion from both Confucianism and Taoism. Buddhism itself was founded about 500 B.C. in India by the teacher named Buddha. Buddha was born about 563 B.C. in southern Nepal. His actual name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was a member of a powerful royal family. Despite Gautama's wealth and high social standing, he was a deeply unhappy young man. At age 29, the future Buddha sank into a debilitating depression. He was convinced that life was full of misfortune and heartache. His feelings of melancholy caused him to leave his own family to seek spiritual enlightenment as an itinerant monk. After six years of nonstop traveling, Gautama finally experienced enlightenment. He was convinced that he had discovered why life was so full of woe. In addition, he was convinced that he had discovered how human beings could escape their feelings of misery. He soon had many followers. These followers called him Buddha, which means the Enlightened One. According to Theodore Debary in his work, Sources of Chinese Tradition, much of the Chinese people's initial misgivings about Buddhism stemmed from simple xenophobia (p. 277). China possessed one of the world's earliest great civilizations; Chinese writing history goes back thousands of years ago. The Chinese people were greatly accomplished, and not surprisingly, this great culture tended to view other peoples as being inferior. The Chinese seemed to view India with contempt, and many Chinese felt that a religion that came from India would have a negative, corrupting influence on the population (p. 277). Much mistrust was also triggered by simple and seemingly shallow cultural differences between the Indians and the Chinese. For example, many Chinese were originally dismayed upon learning that Buddhist clerics took vows of celibacy