The Need for Information Security Management to Medium Size

The Need for Information Security Management for Small to Medium Size Enterprises ICT 357 Information Security Management Leong Yuan Zhang 31741147 Trimester 1 Murdoch University Contents Abstract2 Introduction2 Justifying The Need for Sound Information Security in Any Organisation2 Linking Business Objectives with Security3 Incident Response Management and Disaster Recovery4 Mobile Device Security Managment5 Biometric Security Devices and Their Use6 Ethical Issues in Information Security Management7 Security Training and Education7Defending Against Internet-Based Attacks8 Industrial Espionage and Business Intelligence Gathering9 Personnel Issues in Information Security9 Physical Security Issues in Information Security10 Cyber Forensic Incident Response10 Conclusion11 References11 Abstract Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) contribute greatly to the economy in many countries despite the many challenges that they face. Lesser budgeting, resource planning and time management are j ust some of the limitations that they might encounter.Comparing this to a larger enterprise or government body, SMEs seems to have different approaches with regards to information security, sometimes understating the importance due to the constraint mentioned. This paper aims to study the issues relating to introduction and implementation of info security regimes in SMEs compared to larger organisations. Introduction Small and medium enterprise are defined by the number of personnel working for the company, around the upper limit of 250 to the lower of 50. They usually lack resources, competencies and management to implement strategies externally and internally for their operations.This paper will focus on the implementation of information security regimes of SMEs and provide a comparison to large enterprises. The paper explores the multiple categories of information security, attempt to list the disadvantages faced by SMEs and how sometime large enterprises are unable to match a SM E in the capability to respond to security threats Justifying The Need for Sound Information Security in Any Organisation The internet age brought upon new challenges to the business world, both SMEs and large organisation are continuously investing substantial resources to secure their presence on the internet.With increasingly virtualized business networks and expanding corporate ecosystem, more information have been created or converted into digital format. Digitalized information can be saved in different storage devices and transmitted over a plethora of interconnected network both internally and externally (Radding, 2012). Understandably, crime and security threats to information are becoming more commonplace as the reliance on Internet in business activities increase .Threats such as hackers, business competitors or even foreign governments can employ a host of different methods to obtain information from any organisation (Symantec). Yet no effective business would totally is olate themselves from using digitalized info to prevent such incidents; competitiveness or success of these organisations is linked to right information delivered on time. At its worst erroneous info may result in serious loss of potential earnings and damage to the organisation's â€Å"brand†(Juhani Anttila, 2005).A significant element of information security are the cost and personnel expertise required with the designing, development and implementation of an effective security system. There is a need for major investment to be invested to build and maintain reliable, trustworthy and responsive security system (Anderson, 2001). Since most SMEs tend to have to operate under tight budgeting, extreme limited manpower and many different needs competing for limited supply of resources, thus placing information security down the priorities list (Tawileh, Hilton, ; Stephen, 2007).Additionally, the lack of awareness to the negative consequences of info security issues and threats a nd the perception of less strict regulatory compliance requirements, information and communications infrastructure within these SMEs remain highly unsecured. Despite that, most organisations do at least have some form of basic security in the form of anti-virus softwares. Other types of security software like firewall or authentication software/hardware are considerably less popular; perhaps due to the additional complexity of having to install and configure them for the organisation usage (ABS, 2003).Linking Business Objectives with Security Security can impact a company's profitability in both positive or negative ways. It fully depends on how it is being controlled, too little will not be enough while too much may cause bottlenecks within the company internal processes. One example would be background checks on possible new employees. At times, the duration of the check may take longer than the period of employment, especially when hiring temp staff to cover short term. In their book, Christian Byrnes and Paul E.Proctor argues that to eliminate the last 20% of risk that might occur would inversely required 80% more money to implement which can be seen in Figure 1. Figure 1 It is common practice in large organisations to organise computer security around technologies, with a dedicated department running the show alongside the IT department. However computer security should be more business oriented as it is easier to achieve the security targets if good business practices are being followed. For SMEs, it is also far easier to utilise xisting employees who specialize in specific business roles to take up security positions. In the same book, Christian Byrnes and Paul E. Proctor also provided a table which list down the common security roles and the ideal personnel to handle it: Table 1 Linking security with business visions is also important as it would allow for better persuasion to the top managements to approve or push through with security purchases, mast er plans or policy changes. To achieve this, the motion put forth must undergo a 5 step structured framework – assess, analyse, strategize, align and communicate.Assess the company's current and future security role so as to achieve a good understanding of the current security model. Details on the security capabilities within the employees, processes and current technologies should be documented properly for the next step to be carried out with more accuracy. After collecting the raw data, using analytical tools and method to conduct a security gap analysis will show the differences between the current security model and the preempted requirements. With a clear overview of what needs to be do, next phase planning can be done to piece together to form a viable and strong strategy.Executives and managers at all levels must understand the new steps that are to be undertaken for the new strategy. Such communications may be more effective in SMEs than larger organisations as the members of the security planning may be key personnel that are required to participate rather than a separate IT security team (PricewaterhouseCooper). Incident Response Management and Disaster Recovery Incident response management is the process of managing and responding to security incidents. As organisations may encounter plenty of incidents throughout the day, it is important that incident responses are carefully anaged to reduce wastage of manpower and resources. The most appropriate level of response should be assigned to on any security incident to maximize efficiency; there is no merit in involving senior management in a response to an incident that has minimal impact on business (BH Consulting, 2006) Disaster recovery is the process used to recover access to an organisation's software, data and hardware that are required to resume the performance of normal, critical business functions. Typically this will happen after either a natural disaster or manmade disaster. (Disaste r Recovery)Incident response management used to be separated into different entities, natural disasters , security breaches and privacy breaches were handled by risk management, information security department and legal department. This increased the cost of incident management and reduce utilization of existing resources and capabilities. By merging the 3 into one overarching incident management methodology specified with an incident response team and a charter, reduced cost and efficient usage of resource can be achieved (Miora, 2010) In larger organizations, incident response team may contain both employees and third party observers from vendors.External vendors may provide the expertise to manage an incident that could be overwhelming to the current employees. This however may not be feasible for SMEs due the financial constraints. Most likely, the incident response management team would be formed using current employees and a senior management personnel would lead the team. The response team would be the ones who do the planning scenario for each different types of incident and the type of responses required, ensure that clear processes and procedures are in place so that responses to incident are coherent.Communications between members are typically standardized be it for large organisations or SMEs; method of contact such as emails and non-email like phone calls or messages are used to inform team members (BH Consulting, 2006). Disaster recovery extremely important as well, more so for SMEs. A survey from US Department of Labor provided an estimation that around 40% of business never reopen after a disaster and of the remaining around 25% will close down within 2 years (Zahorsky). Unfortunately, not many SMEs have a disaster recovery plan in place to protect themselves.This is due to the idea that disaster recovery is costly and requires alot of resources and expertise to put in place one. This is true to a certain extend as large organisations normally spend amounts to put in place backup servers and remote hot recovery sites. However with increasing cloud-based technologies and availability of server virtualization, disaster recovery can become affordable even for SMEs. Up and coming cloud solution and renting space in secure data center via colocation are some of the solutions that SMEs can consider.Even without any or little IT staff, by paying the colocation provider they can assist to manage the setup and maintenance services (Blackwell, 2010). Mobile Device Security Managment The increasing sophisticated mobile devices together with high bandwidth network is creating a tremendous security management challenge for CIOs and other IT professionals. Proprietary and confidential data can now be moved outside of the secure perimeter of the enterprise and onto mobile devices that can be brought anywhere in the world by employees.These devices have a variety of data communication and storage technologies, such as email/PIM synchron ization software, infrared data transmission, Bluetooth ® and removable data storage. As a result, it is easy for mobile devices to become strongholds of enterprise information (Good Technology, 2009). Of course with that brings additional threats to an organisation as mobile devices are susceptible to attacks as well. In both SMEs and large organisations, there is a definite need to regulate the use of mobile devices to prevent information leakage.As they can used in a variety of locations outside the organization’s control, such as employees’ homes, coffee shops, hotels, and conferences, this makes them much more likely to be lost or stolen than other devices, so their data is at increased risk of compromise (Souppaya & Scarfone, 2012). The most extreme application of mobile device management can be see within government bodies, specifically in the defense sector where secondary functions of such devices such as cameras are to be disable. However, this method would not be easily applied to SMEs as employees may find it to be too restrictive.Rather, having a clear policy on the usage of mobile devices and prohibiting employees from attaching their devices to the workstations would be a better option to enforce. Biometric Security Devices and Their Use Biometric devices identifies an individual through physical or behavioral characteristics such as fingerprints, palm geometry or retina. It is extremely secure as it cannot be borrowed, stolen or forgotten (Liu & Silverman, 2001). The table below shows the various type of biometric devices and their advantages/disadvantages:The table, as seen in the report from Dell explains clearly some of the limitations of biometric devices. Size for example must be taken into consideration as well, hand geometry scanning devices are bulky and therefore not suited for say unlocking your workstation as compared to using it to unlock a door. However, not many organisations are adopting biometric as part of their security plan. Those that do use biometric are mostly geared towards physical security of secure areas where access are to be restricted.Conventional authentication methods are still much preferred with regards to virtual access like emails, workstations and applications. The higher cost of using biometric devices as a security solution is also another concern for SMEs that wishes to utilise them. They would need to evaluate their nature of business, how and where biometric would fit in to maximize value for money. Ultimately, aligning the need for biometric security devices as a security solution to business objectives is a must, else cheaper alternatives would have to be examine and evaluated instead.Ethical Issues in Information Security Management Some professions such as law and medicine have in place a codified set of ethics that its practitioners are required to honor to protect the privacy of their clients. Violations are dealt with in the harshest possible terms, and even minor lapses can result in significant penalties. For IT however, there are no such codification. Technology professionals generally abide by personal codes of conduct and are essentially self-policing. Additionally, technology raises complexities that go beyond typical questions of what’s right or what’s fair.Areas such as data access and capture, processing speed, tracking and monitoring, and job redesign are just a few examples of IT capabilities with ethical considerations. (Relkin, 2006) Both SMEs and large organisations have to be able to cope with ethical issues such as privacy of personal information, intellectual property and cyber crime. In an effort to safeguard company secrets, many employees can be exposed to electronic or other forms of surveillance. Email screenings and monitoring internet usages are just some of the methods that can be employed.There is a need to clearly define policies that involve such practices and the boundary must be draw and commu nicated to all employees so as to safeguard the organisation from breaching privacy laws and from being sued by employees. (Tiwary, 2011) Security Training and Education Security training and education is becoming increasing important for employees due to emergence of end-user computing as an critical component of information security. A typical end-user has access to most vital information that an organisation has in its possession.They have knowledge of how protection systems put in place to secure information work and a small amount of more ingenious users may even know how to circumvent those systems. Most users however lack the knowledge that is required to help protect the organisation information and it is in this area that they should be educated in order to make better decisions when facing with threats and vulnerabilities that can be discovered during the course of work. (Hight, 2005) Security Education, Training and Awareness program otherwise known as SETA is designed to set the security tone to the employees of an organisation.Making it part of a new employee's orientation will ensure that all employees know and understand the reasons of the security policies that are in place at any organisation. Implementation of such a program can be done at any organisation, requiring only properly written security policies and outlining guidelines that have to be followed. A good security program ensures that end user mistakes can be reduced and that employees understand the consequences of their actions when using their work stations or insert unauthorised USB devices into them. Defending Against Internet-Based AttacksWith an increasing reliant upon the internet, internet based attacks have been slowly increasing. Organsations that has a presence over the internet or utilizes web based technologies are more prone to such as attacks. Internet worms, viruses, malware and distributed denial of service are just some of the types of threats that could occur. Orga nisations should look to prevent such incidents from occurring by securing applications that are made available over the internet and securing organisation infrastructures exposed over the internet (Klein, 1999).To carry out an attack, the attacker must first obtain sufficient control over a target system. They would most likely do some reconnaissance on the target, performing a number of scans to looked for weaknesses. Areas like remote accessible network services in default OS configurations, sendmail, sshd, RPC and Windows file sharing are some of the services exploited. Ports that are unsecured, memory handling, targeting applications like web browsers and plug ins are also some of the methods that attackers can use.The web browsers in particular are seeing a rising trend of being targeted as browsers are extremely prone to having exploitable vulnerabilities. The internet distribution model also allows attackers to attack a user's web browser without even directly connecting to the cilent; planting malicious coding at specific websites where the user normally visits will achieve the aim as well (Moshchuk, 2000). Prevention of such attacks are extremely important, firewall and anti viruses are just the tip of an iceberg when it comes to methods that can protect an organisation's information.Many firewalls being sold today are considered application aware and can understand protocols and commands that are being used. This allows them to determine whether or not incoming traffic to any applications or network services are malicious or not. Properly configured application aware firewall would be able to prevent common attacks thru telnet, SSH, HTTP, FTP, SMTP, SIP and applications which can be vulnerable. Additionally Intrusion Detection systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention systems (IPS) can also be used against application or network based attacks.When paired together with an application aware firewall, some intrusion detection systems have the ability to t hwart off attackers by talking directly to the firewall to block the source IP address. There are no right or wrong solutions to defending an organisation's network, it all boils down to which products would be suited to the organisation's needs. SMEs typically would use more of off the shelf type of applications and intrusion detection prevention system (IDP) would be a better fit for such applications.Off the shelves applications uses alot of common protocols such as FTP, HTTP etc that should adhere to RFC standards and IDP is configured to block malicious or traffic that does not comply with RFC standards automatically. For larger organisations, they tend to have third party or home grown applications which developers may or may not have complied with RFC standards, IDP solutions may not have much of an effect for them. Industrial Espionage and Business Intelligence GatheringEvery organisation in the world will have collected some form of information regarding their competitors, through market scanning, industrial profiling or even direct hire of employees from their competitors. Such intelligence gathering are definitely part and parcel activities used for market research and benchmarking. However, there are uncertain boundaries separating competitive intelligence gathering and industrial espionage. The laws in place at times are unable to set such limits and it would seem reasonable to define industrial espionage as intelligence practices of questionable ethics instead (Crane, 2005).Be that as it may, industrial espionage is a very critical threat against SMEs. A succesfully SME breaking in saturated markets would have attained some form of breakthrough in order to stand out. Regardless of whether it is a formulae or business process, competitors would wish to obtain such knowledge in order to raise their own profiles. To safeguard their secrets, SMEs would have to ensure that their security system in place are adequate and their employees educated on the topic. SMEs have to identify that information that would critically harm the company and the value of such information to the company and its competitors.Access to such â€Å"crown jewels† must be controlled and employees must be educated on security awareness programs. Despite that, employees are still the strongest and weakest link. Humans tend to react better to carrots than sticks and most of the time competitors would aim for that. Hiring professionals to perform social engineering, blackmailing, lure of monetary gains are hard to prevent. (Podszywalow, 2011) Personnel Issues in Information Security Human related security issues are extremely problematic and complex in organizations.They involve all the individuals who make up the organization, from top-level managers to clerical staff. It is crucial that the top management recognize that for security management to ultimately succeed, not only the technical dimension must be taken into account, the human aspect of secur ity must not be ignored as well. People issues within an organisation can have an impact on it's ability to effectively manage security. Uncommitted and uninvolved senior managers; unqualified, untrained and careless employees; former disgruntled employees and organizational members’ resistance to change are just some of the potential issues ertaining to human resource that might occur. Hence, to achieve security effectiveness, these issues must be addressed as a whole (Goh, 2003) For SMEs, when hiring an new employee, the employment contract should expressly emphasize the employee's duty to keep certain types of information confidential both during and after the employee's tenure. The language and structure of the contract should be made clear so as to prevent any potential misunderstanding or any loopholes that can be exploited. The employee must sign the agreement before he or she begins to work.The contract can also be included with an employee's personal file to keep tra ck. Even when exiting, care must be taken to ensure that documents, records and other information concerning the company proprietary assets in the possession of the leaver must be surrendered and returned to the company. Conducting a exit interview will help to refresh the terms of employment agreement and trade secret law with the leaver. The employee should be acknowledge in writing that he or she is aware of the obligations and will not disclose any trade secrets of the former employer.Physical Security Issues in Information Security Physical security breaches can sometimes be more devastating than technical breaches like worm attacks. The loss of data, loss of availability either from systems being shut down or by bomb or arson must be considered when dealing with physical security. With the invention of easily concealable USB drives or bombs, coupled with unauthorized access is makes physical security becoming more important. Data transfer speeds have increased as when, allowin g for transferring of a large amount of data in a relativity short period of time.As with any other security planning, physical security must be included to ensure that the risk of above mentioned are reduced. Access to areas such as server rooms or routers or where documents are kept and archived must be control, just locking the doors doesn't seems to be enough now. Access control cards, biometrics system can ensure that only authorised personnel be allowed in. Securing the personal computer of employees, especially if they are using laptop is equally important. Laptop locks and OS hardening to prevent unauthorized usage of USB devices are not allow (Giannoulis & Northcutt, 2007).Cyber Forensic Incident Response Computer forensics is the science of acquiring, retrieving, preserving, and presenting data that has been processed electronically and stored on computer media. When paired with incident response, their job becomes more challenging. They would have to find where a breach o ccurred, plug the hole, then proceed to get the affected server or servers back into service, and then if possible, gather evidence on the intruder for further action and analysis (Daniel & Daniel, 2009)SMEs unfortunately with their limited resources may have to compromise. instead of having a dedicated team to deal with incident response, they might consider getting current employees involved within IT such as server, networking or on site support engineers to carry out such a role. If they have extra budget however, it would work to their benefit if they send their resposne team for courses pertainning to cyber forensic. The additional knowledge will allow the response team to perform more effectively should a threat occur ConclusionSmall and medium enterprises typically faces the same the type of threats that will happen to larger organisations, however their approach and response to the same threat may differ greatly due to the limited resources; human, technical, physical avail able to them. SMEs will have to sometimes think out of the box and be very careful in planning resources for security within the company. The type of hardware, software used for security may be similar to larger organisations however, the setup and configuration may be miles apart as well. SMEs, will have be extra vigilant against information security threats.References (n. d. ). Retrieved March 10, 2013, from Symantec: http://securityresponse. symantec. com/avcenter/security/Content/security. articles/corp. security. policy. html ABS. (2003). Business Use of Information Technology (2001 – 02). Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Anderson, R. J. (2001). Why Information Security is Hard – An Economic Perspective. in Proceedings of the Seventeenth Computer Security Applications Conference (pp. 358-365). IEEE Computer Society Press. BH Consulting. (2006). Incident Response White Paper. Dublin: BH Consulting. Blackwell, G. 2010, May 25). Disaster Recovery For Small Business. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from Small Business Computing: http://www. smallbusinesscomputing. com/biztools/article. php/10730_3884076_2/Disaster-Recovery-For-Small-Business. htm Crane, A. (2005). In the company of spies: When competitive intelligence gathering becomes industrial espionage. Nottingham: International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility. Crist, J. (2007). Web Based Attacks. SANS Institute. Daniel, L. E. , & Daniel, L. (2009, September 30). How Is Computer Forensics Different from Incident Response?Retrieved March 13, 2012, from ExForensic: http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:http://exforensis. blogspot. com/2009/09/how-is-computer-forensics-different. html Disaster Recovery. (n. d. ). Disaster Recovery. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from Disaster Recovery: http://www. disasterrecovery. org/ Giannoulis, P. , & Northcutt, S. (2007). Physical Security. Washington: Security Laboratory: IT Managers – Safety Series. Goh, R. (2003). Info rmation Security: The Importance of the Human Element. Singapore: Preston University. Good Technology. (2009). Mobile Device Security. Good Technology.Hight, S. D. (2005). The importance of a security, education, training and awareness program. Householder, A. , Houle, K. , & Dougherty, C. (2002). Computer attack trends challenge Internet security. IEEE Computer , 35 (4), 5-7. Juhani Anttila. (2005, March). Retrieved March 13, 2013, from QualityIntegration: http://www. qualityintegration. biz/InformationSecurityManagement. html Kelly, L. (2011, November). The top five SME security challenges. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from ComputerWeekly. com: http://www. computerweekly. com/feature/The-top-five-SME-security-challenges Klein, D. V. (1999).Defending against the wily surfer – Web based attacks and defense. California: The USENIX Association. Liu, S. , & Silverman, M. (2001). A Practical Guide to Biometric. IT Pro. Miora, M. (2010). Business Continuity. Los Angeles, California, USA. Moshchuk, A. N. (2000). Understanding and Defending Against Web-borne Security Threats. Washington: University of Washington. Podszywalow, M. (2011, November 29). How to Detect and Stop Corporate Cyber Espionage. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from The Data Chain: http://www. thedatachain. com/articles/2011/11/how_to_detect_and_stop_corporate_cyber_espionagePricewaterhouseCooper. How to align security with your strategic business objectives. PricewaterhouseCooper. Proctor, P. E. , & Byrnes, F. C. (2002). The Secured Enterprise: Protecting Your Information Assets. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Radding, A. (2012, January 04). Retrieved March 10, 2013, from Brainloop: http://www. brainloop. com/fileadmin/assets/PDFs/White_Papers/brainloop_white_paper_info_sec_options. pdf Relkin, J. (2006). 10 ethical issues raised by IT capabilities. CNET Networks Inc. Souppaya, M. , & Scarfone, K. (2012). Guidelines for Managing and Securing Mobile Devices in the Enterprise.National Institute of Standar ds and Technology. Tawileh, A. , Hilton, J. , & Stephen, M. (2007). Managing Information Security in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: A Holistic Approach. Information Security Solutions Europe Conference, (p. 11). Warsaw. Tiwary, K. D. (2011). Security and ethical issues in it: An organisation perspective. International Journal of Enterprise Computing and Business . Zahorsky, D. (n. d. ). About. com. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from Disaster Recovery Decision Making for Small Business: http://sbinformation. about. com/od/disastermanagement/a/disasterrecover. htm

2.Annotated Outline Introduction

3. Objective The basic purpose of HRP is to decide what positions the organisation will have to fill and how to fill them. Objectives of human resource planning Forecast personnel requirements Cope with changes Use existing manpower productively Promote employees in a systematic way Human Resource Planning 4. Importance Organisations use HRP to meet future challenges, cut costs, and achieve greater effectiveness Importance of human resource planning Create a talent pool Prepare people for future Cope with organisational changes Cut costs Help succession planning Human Resource Planning 5. The Process Of HRP The HRP is a four step process: demand forecasting, supply forecasting, estimating manpower gaps and formulating HR plans. The demand for human resources is influenced by several factors Forecasting the demand for human resources External challenges Economic developments Political, legal, social, technological changes Competition Organisational decisions Workforce factors Human Resource Planning 6. The Process Of HRP External Challenges: Liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation (LPG era) have created huge demand for people in software, finance marketing, and manufacturing fields. Organisational Decisions: Decisions such as expansion, diversification, and relocation leading to demand for people possessing requisite skills Workforce Factors: Such as retirement, resignation, and termination etc creating manpower gaps. Human Resource Planning 7. Forecasting Techniques HR forecasts are an attempt to find out an organisation's future demand for employees Forecasting techniques Expert forecasts Trend analysis Workforce analysis Workload analysis Human Resource Planning 8. Forecasting techniques Expert Forecasts: These are based on the judgements of those who possess good knowledge of future human resource needs Trend Analysis: This is based on the assumption that the future is an extrapolation from the past. Human resource needs, as such, can be estimated by examining pas trends. An example of trend analysis 2001-02 Production of Units : 5,000 2002-03 No. of Workers : 100 Ratio : 100:5000 2003-04 Estimated Production : 8,000 No. of Workers required : 8000 ? 100 = 160 5000 If supervisors have a span of 20 workers, 8 supervisors are also needed in 2003-04. Human Resource Planning 9. Forecasting techniques Workforce Analysis: All relevant factors in planning manpower flows in a firm such as transfers, promotions, new recruitments, retirement, resignation, dismissal etc are taken into account while estimating HR needs Manpower flows in a bank Promotions out Transfers In ; ; Job Hopping ; Transfers Out ; Retirement ; VRS Scheme (Golden handshake) Recruits In ; ; Discharge or Dismissal ; Terminations ; Resignations Promotions In ; ; Retrenchment ; Attractions in Other Banks, etc. Human Resource Planning 10. Forecasting techniques Workload analysis: Based on the planned output, a firm tires to calculate the number of persons required for various jobs. An example of workload analysis Planned output for the year 10,000 pieces Standard hours per piece 3 hours Planned hours required 30,000 hours Productive hours per person per year 1,000 hours (estimated on annual basis) (allowing for absenteeism, turnover, idle time etc. ) No. of workers required 30 If span of control in the unit is 10 per officer, then 3 officers are also required. Human Resource Planning 11. Supply Forecasting A) Internal labour supply: a manpower inventory in terms of the size and quality of personnel available (their age, sex, education, training, experience, job performance, etc) is usually prepared by HR departments. Several techniques are used while ascertaining the internal supply of manpower (a supply of employees to fill projected vacancies can come from within the firm or from new hires ) Human Resource Planning 12. Estimated internal labour supply for a given firm Sources of Inflows The Firm Projected Outflows ? Promotions ? Transfers ? Quits Current Staffing ? Promotions Level ? Terminations Employees In Employees Out ? New Recruits ? Retirements ? Recalls ? Deaths ? Layoffs Current Projected Projected Firm’s internal staffing – outflows + inflows = supply for this level this year this year time next year Human Resource Planning 13. Supply Forecasting Staffing table: Shows the number of employees in each job, how they are utilised and the future employment needs for each type of job. Marcov analysis: Uses historical information from personnel movements of the internal labour supply to predict what will happen in the future Human Resource Planning 14. Marcov analysis for a hypothetical retail company 2003-2004 Store Asst. Store Section Dept. Sales Exit Managers Managers Heads Heds Executives Store Managers 80% 20% (n = 15) 12 3 Asst. Store 11% 83% 6% Managers 4 30 2 (n = 36) Section 15% 11% 66% 8% Heads (n = 94) 11 63 8 14 Departmental 10% 72% 2% 16% Heads (n = 288) 29 207 6 46 Sales Executives 6% 74% 20% (n = 1440) 86 1066 288 Forecasted Supply 16 41 92 301 1072 353 Figures in circles show the transition percentages Human Resource Planning 15. Supply Forecasting Skills inventory: It is a summary of the skills and abilities of non managerial employees used in forecasting supply. Human Resource Planning 16. Skills inventory: an example Name : A. K. Sen Date printed : 1-4-2004 Number : 429 Department : 41 Key words Work experience Word Description Activity From To Accounting Tax Supervision 1998 2000 T clerk ax ABC Company and analysis Book Keeping Ledger Supervision 2000 2002 Accountant XYZ Co. Auditing Computer Analysis 2002 2003 Chief Accounts TT Bank records Officer Education Special Qualifications M em be rsh ips Degree Major Year Course Date 1. AIMA MBA Finance 1998 DBF 1996 2. ISTD B. Com Accounts 1995 Risk Management 1999 3. ICA Computer Languages Position Location Hobbies Literacy preference choice ? Tally French Accounting Kolkata Chess ? Banking Auditing Delhi Football Software Bangalore Boating Employees Signature __________ HR Department________ Date _______________________ Date ________________ Human Resource Planning 17. Supply Forecasting Replacement chart: It is a visual representation of who will replace whom in the event of a job opening. Human Resource Planning 18. Replacement chart General Manager Key V. K. Garg Names given are replacement A/2 candidates P A to A. Promotable now General Manager B. Needing development L. Mathews C. Not suitable to position B/1 1. Superior performance 2. Above Average performance Assistant General Manager 3. Acceptable performance R. K. Arora A/2 4. Poor performance B. K. Nehru B/3 Division: Division: Division: Accounting & Planning Manager Technical Advisor HR Manager Taxation Manager A. N. Gupta A/1 N. R. Murthy B/3 C. P Thakur . A/1 A. T Roy . C/2 K. P Rao . B/1 Northern Region Central Region Southern Region Manager Eastern Region Manager Manager A. Subramanyam B/2 Manager L. C. Srivatsav A/2 S. P Kumar A/1 . B. K. Menon B/1 R. Krishna B/3 A. Thapar C/4 R. Pandey B/3 Human Resource Planning 19. Supply Forecasting B) External Labour supply: External hires need to be contacted when suitable internal replacements are not available. A growing number of firms are now using computerised human resource information systems to track the qualifications of hundreds or thousands of employees. HRIS can provide managers with a listing of candidates with required qualifications after scanning the data base. Human Resource Planning 20. Important barometers of labour supply 1. Net migration into and out of the area 2. Education levels of workforce 3. Demographic changes in population 4. Technological developments and shifts 5. Population Mobility 6. Demand for specific skills 7. National, regional unemployment rates 8. Actions of competing employers 9. Government policies, regulations, pressures 10. Economic Forecasts for the next few years 11. The attractiveness of an area 12. The attractiveness of an industry in a particular place Human Resource Planning 21. Manpower Gap Analysis This is used to reconcile the forecasts of labour demand and supply. This process identifies potential skill shortages or surpluses of employees, skills and jobs Estimating manpower requirements Year 1 2 3 1. Number required at the beginning of the year 2. Changes to requirements forecast during the year DEMAND 3. Total requirements at the end of the year (1+2) ——- —— 4. Number available at the beginning of the year 5. Additions (transfers, promotions) SUPPLY 6. Separations (retirement, wastage, promotions out and other losses) 7. Total available at the end of year (4+5+6) ——————– 8. Deficit or surplus (3-7) RECONCILIA TION 9. Losses of those recruited during the year OF THE ABOVE 10. Additional numbers needed during the year (8+9) MANPOWER NEEDED Human Resource Planning 22. Formulating HR Plans Once supply and demand for labour is known adjustments can be made formulating requisite HR plans A variety of HR plans ? Recruitment plan ? Redeployment plan ? Redundancy plan ? Training plan ? Productivity plan ? Retention plan Human Resource Planning 23. Responsibility For Human Resource Planning HRP is a top management job. HR plans are usually made by the HR division in consultation with other corporate heads. Any deviations from the formulated plans and their causes must be looked into, from time to time in order to assess whether the plans require revision or modification. Human Resource Planning 24. Limitations Of Human Resource Planning HR professionals are basically confronted with three problems while preparing and administering HR plans: accuracy, inadequate top management support, lopsided focus on quantitative aspects. Human Resource Planning 25. Effective Human Resource Planning HR plans must fit in with overall objectives of a firm. They must get consistent support from top management. Computerised human resource information systems must be used for applicant tracking, succession planning, building skills inventories etc. The whole exercise must be carried out in coordination with operating managers. Human Resource Planning 26. 4-1 JOB ANALYSIS 27. INTRODUCTION Job analysis is the process of gathering information about a job. It is, to be more specific, a systematic investigation of the tasks, duties and responsibilities necessary to do a job. Job Analysis 28. Nature of job analysis Job Tasks Job Analysis Job Duties Job Responsibilities Job Analysis 29. -4 Partial job analysis questionnaire The information about a job is usually collected through a structured questionnaire: JOB ANALYSIS INFORMATION FORMAT Your Job Title_______________ Code__________Date_____________ Class Title_______________ Department_____________________ Your Name_________________ Facility___________________________ Superior’s Title______________ Prepared by_______________________ Superio r’s Name____________ Hours Worked______AM______to AM____ PM PM 1. What is the general purpose of your job? 2. What was your last job? If it was in another organisation, please name it. 3. To what job would you normally expect to be promoted? Cont†¦ Job Analysis 30. Partial job analysis questionnaire 4. If you regularly supervise others, list them by name and job title. 5. If you supervise others, please check those activities that are part of your supervisory duties: ? Hiring ? Coaching ? Promoting ? Orienting ? Counselling ? Compensating ? Training ? Budgeting ? Disciplining ? Scheduling ? Directing ? Terminating ? Developing ? Measuring Performances ? Other____________ 6. How would you describe the successful completion and results of your work? 7. Job Duties – Please briefly describe WHAT you do and, if possible, How you do it. Indicate those duties you consider to be most important and/or most difficult: Cont†¦ Job Analysis 31. Partial job analysis questionnaire (a) Daily Duties (b) Periodic Duties (Please indicate whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. ) (c) Duties Performed at Irregular Intervals 8. Education – Please check the blank that indicates the educational requirements for the job, not your own educational background. No formal education required ? College degree ? Less than high school diploma ? Education beyond graduate ? High school diploma or equivalent degree and/or professional license. ? College certificate or equivalent List advanced degrees or specified professional license or certificate required. Please indicate the education you had when you were placed on this job. Job Analysis 32. Benefits of Job analysis Job analysis information is useful for a variety of organisation purposes ranging from human resource planning to career counselling Job Analysis 33. Important benefits of Job Analysis Multifaceted Nature of Job Analysis Recruitment Human Resource Planning Selection Job Evaluation Placement Job Design and Training Redesign Performance Counselling Appraisal Employee Safety Job Analysis 34. Who should conduct job analysis? ? Job incumbents themselves ? Supervisors ? External analysts Job Analysis 35. The process of Job analysis The major steps involved in job analysis are: ? Organisational analysis ? Selection of representative positions to be analysed ? Collection of job analysis data ? Preparation of job description ? Preparation of job specification Job Analysis 36. The Competency Approach to Job Analysis This approach encourages employees to develop role based competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities needed to play diverse roles ) that may be used in diverse work situations, instead of being boxed into a job. Job Analysis 37. Methods Of Collecting Job Analysis Data Seven general techniques are generally used to collect job analysis data; ? Job performance: the analyst actually performs the job in question and collects the needed information ? Personal observation: the analyst observes others doing the job and writes a summary ? Critical incidents: job incumbents describe several incidents relating to work, based on past experience; the analyst collects, analyses and classifies data. ? Interview: job incumbents and supervisors are interviewed to get the most essential information about a job Job Analysis 38. Methods Of Collecting Job Analysis Data ? Panel of experts: experienced people such as job incumbents and supervisors with good knowledge of the job asked to provide the information. ? Diary method: job incumbents asked to maintain diaries or logs of their daily job activities and record the time spent and nature of work carried out. Questionnaire method: job incumbents approached through a properly designed questionnaire and asked to provide details. ? The Position Analysis Questionnaire: it is a standardised form used to collect specific information about job tasks and worker traits. Job Analysis 39. Methods Of Collecting Job Analysis Data ? Management Position Description Questionnaire: it is a standa rdised form designed to analyse managerial jobs Management Position Description Factors 1. Product, marketing and financial strategy planning. 2. Coordination of other organisational units and personnel. . Internal business control. 4. Products and services responsibility. 5. Public and customer relations. 6. Advanced consulting. 7. Autonomy of actions. 8. Approval of financial commitments. 9. Staff service. 10. Supervision. 11. Complexity and stress. 12. Advanced financial responsibility. 13. Broad personnel responsibility. Job Analysis 40. Methods Of Collecting Job Analysis Data ? Functional job analysis: it is a systematic process of finding what is done on a job by examining and analysing the fundamental components of data, people and things. Job Analysis 41. Behavioural Factors Impacting Job Analysis The following behavioural factors must be taken care of while carrying out a job analysis: ? Exaggerate the facts ? Employee anxieties ? Resistance to change ? Overemphasis on current efforts ? Management straight jacket Job Analysis 42. Job Description And Job Specification The end products of job analysis are: Job description: this is a written statement of what the job holder does, how it is done, under what conditions it is done and why it is done. Job Analysis 43. Specimen of Job Description Title Compensation manager Code HR/2310 Department Human Resource Department Summary Responsible for the design and administration of employee compensation programmes. Duties ? Conduct job analysis. ? Prepare job descriptions for current and projected positions. ? Evaluate job descriptions and act as Chairman of Job Evaluation Committee. ? Insure that company’s compensation rates are in tune with the company’s philosophy. Cont†¦ Job Analysis 44. Specimen of Job Description ? Relate salary to the performance of each employee. Conduct periodic salary surveys. Develop and administer performance appraisal programme. ? Develop and oversee bonus and other employee benefit plans. ? Develop an integrated HR information system. Working conditions Normal. Eight hours per day. Five days a week. Report to Director, Human Resource Department. Job specification: it offers a profile of human characteristics (knowledge, skills and abilities) needed by a person doing a job. Job Analysis 45. Specimen of job specification Education ? MBA with specialisation in HRM/MA in social work/PG Diploma in HRM/MA in industrial psychology. ? A degree or diploma in Labour Laws is desirable. Experience ? At least 3 years’ experience in a similar position in a large manufacturing company. Skill, Knowledge, Abilities ? Knowledge of compensation practices in competing industries, of job analysis procedures, of compensation survey techniques, of performance appraisal systems. ? Skill in writing job descriptions, in conducting job analysis interviews, in making group presentations, in performing statistical computations ? Ability to conduct meetings, to plan and prioritise work. Work Orientation Factors ? The position may require upto 15 per cent travel. Age ? Preferably below 30 years. Job Analysis 46. Role Analysis To have a clear picture about what a person actually does on a job, the job analysis information must be supplemented with role analysis. Role analysis involves the following steps: ? Identifying the objectives of the department and the functions to be carried out therein ? Role incumbent asked to state his key performance areas and his understanding of the roles to be played by him ? Other role partners of the job such as boss, subordinate, peers are asked to state their expectations from the role incumbent ? The incumbent's role is clarified and expressed in writing after integrating the diverse viewpoints expressed by various role partners. Job Analysis + dasaritapaswi, 3 months ago Embed . without related content for WordPress. com 1055 views more its use full to students of management Related Presentations An Analysis Of Fm Radio Advertising Rates In The Arab World TOC . Human Resource Planning – Concept And Need. Factors Affe†¦ 17487 views Hrp 2453 views Job Search Tips For New Grads For Slide Share . Hrp 769 views Human Resource Planning Hrp And Corporate Objectives 4079 views Hrp 110 views Hrp 291 views HRP Challenges And Recent Trends 81 views HRPS DC Deck 96 views Hrp 128 views .. More by user Shortrunandlongruncosts 75 views Production Function 74 views Marketing Cost Control 202 views Market Structure 217 views Market Forms 42 views Market Equilibrium,Supply,Demand 257 views .View all presentations from this user .. ADVERTISE ON SLIDESHAREAbout this presentation  © All Rights Reserved Downloads 133Total Views 1058 1058 on SlideShare Go to text version Uploaded via SlideShare Uploaded as Adobe PDF Flagged as inappropriate Flag as inappropriate Flag as inappropriateSelect your reason for flagging this presentation as inappropriate. If needed, use the feedback form to let us know more details. None Pornographic Defamatory Illegal/Unlawful Spam Other Terms Of Service Violation Cancel File a copyright complaint ADVERTISE ON SLIDESHARECategories Career Business & Mgmt Automotive Books Business & Mgmt Career Design Education Entertainment Fashion & Beauty Finance Gadgets & Reviews Health & Medicine How-to & DIY Humor Investor Relations News & Politics Pets Photos Real Estate Spiritual Sports Technology Templates & Forms Travel Cancel Tags parenttoolbox 0 tweets . 2 shares . 0 shares . WordPress . Blogger .

Chiquitas Global Turnaround Essay

Executive Summary This report details several international management problems that Chiquita has been faced with over the past two decades. Many of these problems are to do with the company’s previously poor image when it came to Corporate and Social responsibility. Over the years Chiquita faced many accusations about the conditions workers were faced with at many of their facilities in Latin America and have also had their environmental policies questioned many times in the press. The company has made great strides in recent years in improving their public image with regards to corporate and social responsibility. In particular Chiquita’s commitment to the Better Bananas Project has helped improve their public image along with the continued work they are doing with the South American communities who farm their bananas. The Company also faced a significant legal and regulation of trade problem when the EU’s 1993 integration program saw tariffs on the company imports to Europe gre atly increased and their market share halved almost overnight. This report recommends that instead of going through a costly legal battle to gain re-entry to the European Banana market the company instead focuses on newer emerging markets such as Asia. Introduction Chiquita Brands International is a multinational producer, distributor and marketer of bananas, sourcing many of its produce from developing countries in Latin America. Banana industries have long been tarnished as having unethical business standards forcing companies such as Chiquita to take on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR). CSR has been an essential element for Chiquita to take into consideration for a global turnaround. Vital aspects Chiquita had to consider were commitment to legal, ethical, environmental and social standards. These factors are at the most forefront to resolving CSR issues. Another key issue affecting the organisation was its struggles with access to a free market in the EU. The trade regulations the company faced through quotas and tariffs not only cut the company’s market share by over 50 percent but also negatively affected their ability to compete in the EU. These issues are seen as critical for the firm as it weakened its compet itive edge considerably. Chiquita has taken actions against these issues in the past several years however there are several solutions that could strengthen the company even further so that they remain the worlds leading supplier of bananas. Key Issues Issue #1: Corporate Social Responsibly After analysing the case in full depth it has come to our knowledge that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a major international business issue affecting Chiquita. CSR is becoming a huge business venture in today’s corporate world. People are becoming more aware of business ethics and practices that don’t coincide with what they agree is morally correct and right. (Anglo American, 2012) Business practices have therefore moved from being profit maximisation focused to having social, cultural, technological and political focal points; or a ‘quadruple bottom line’ approach in order to create a company that is socially correct with a positive image. (LGAM, 2013) In 2003 Chiquita had 19,000 workers in its banana division with over 100 farms across Latin America. These countries are typically developing countries that have struggled with poverty, literacy and access to health care. The banana industry has long been for its support of child labour, unsafe w orking conditions, sexual discrimination and low wages leading to Human rights groups organising campaigns against all banana companies to improve social conditions on their plantations. (Luthans, F., & P. Doh, J. 2012). CSR is stated as â€Å"the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large†. (Business Respects, no date) Therefore Chiquita’s image in the 1990’s of being a company that was â€Å"cold, uncaring, and indifferent, frustrated with mediocre returns, a lack of innovation, and a demoralized workforce† lead to the company becoming considerably unpopular with the public and business partners, which contributed to a decrease in growth rates. For example, in 1998 Chiquita fell a victim of an undercover investigation into dangerous and illegal business practices. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a paper based in Kentucky, accused the company guilty of â€Å"labour, human rights, environmental and political violations† in central America, leaving an â€Å"unsavoury impression of our company† according to Jeff Zalla, current corporate responsibility officer at Chiquita. (Luthans, F., & P. Doh, J. 2012). The centre of the debate about the CSR is the nature and extent of corporate obligations that extend beyond the economic and legal responsibilities of the firm. â€Å"The idea of social responsibilities supposes that the corporation has not only economic and legal obligations, but also certain responsibilities to society which extend beyond these obligations† (McGuire, 1963: 144). The issue is therefore critical for the firm as it is in the business’s long-term self-interest to be socially responsible. If Chiquita wants to have a healthy climate in which to function in the future, it must take actions now to ensure its long-term viability. Ultimately it will benefit the company by â€Å"winning the public† because the public believe firms should take on social responsibility. Issue #2: Tariff Regulations from the EU Another international business issue that had a significant effect on Chiquita’s day to day operations was the European Union’s (EU) decision to impose significantly higher tariffs and quotas on Chiquita’s imports from Latin American countries, in favour of their former colonies in the Caribbean and Africa, beginning in 1993. These new Tariff’s not only cut the company’s market share by over 50 percent but also significantly affected their ability to compete in the EU’s $6.7 Billion USD banana market. (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). This was a massive regulation of trade issue for Chiquita as they believed the EU’s decision to grant their former colonies preferential tariff rates was in direct violation of the fair trade principles specified in the WTO. These principles stated that countries must not discriminate against one another in their trade relations. (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). One of the key sub-issues that caused this issue for Chi quita was the EU’s 1992 integration program which saw the 12 member nations of the EU do away with their previously separate banana import regime’s and implement one uniform set of tariffs for the whole EU. (Patterson, 2001) This important change in international law saw Chiquita go from only having some quotas to deal with when exporting to the EU to now having to pay an extra 33% tariff than their rival importers from ACP countries. (Patterson, 2001) Although the EU’s new regime was immediately protested by the U.S.A and many Latin American countries this presented another significant legal international management problem for Chiquita. Not only had their market share been halved, drastically cutting into their profits, but they also now faced the prospect of a lengthy and expensive legal battle to be able to once again import their bananas to Europe at a fair rate. (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). Strategic options Corporate Social responsibility Chiquita began to initiate corporate social responsibility projects in 1992 but initiated projects aimed at implementing its CSR efforts on a global scale in 1998, (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). By 1999 Chiquita had adopted four key values, integrity, respect, opportunity and responsibility, which now guide all business decision-making worldwide, (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). In 2000 Chiquita appointed a full time officer responsible for all aspects of Chiquita’s CSR. This implementation as well as the four core values has helped drive a responsible change throughout the entire company, (Chiquita – Social Responsibility Is How We Conduct Business, 2013). It has meant all business decisions have had to be evaluated through the corporate responsibility policies, (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). Chiquita’s development of social responsibility efforts has developed significantly by expanding on the businesses code of conduct to outline the responsibilities and practices of the or ganisation, as well as adopting legal agreements to establish business standards, (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). Chiquita’s have resolved social conditions on all their plantations by using both these strategies. They expanded their code of conduct in 2000 to include Social Accountability 8000, followed by signing a worker rights agreement in 2001, (Luthans, & P. Doh, 2012). This covered areas such as food safety, labour standards, employee health and safety, environmental protection, and legal compliance, all which have been a long tarnished image in the banana industry. It has been proven to be a very effective tool for measuring and improving business practices to better serve the communities and individual consumers, (Chiquita – Social Responsibility Is How We Conduct Business, 2013). In order to adhere to the organizations core values, Chiquita routinely performs audits, to plan corrective and future actions using the firms core values and code of conduct as decision- making guides. This implementation has contributed significantly to allow Chiquita’s to maintain better CSR practices. An alternative solution for Chiquita is to contribute to local communities in an interactive way. Chiquita’s could set up programs to promote healthy living, particularly that educate children on nutrition and encourage them to lead healthier lives. Chiquita employees could do this by visiting local schools, events or other business firms in the community. To promote healthier living to people they could give out produce to the community to encourage eating healthier foods and give tips to men, women and particularly children about nutrition enforcing the idea of healthy living. Chiquita could also allow schools to visit their farms on an education basis. This gives the opportunity for Chiquita employees to get involved in supporting the community and has the added benefit of portraying a great social responsibility effort for Chiquita. Furthermore on the idea of allowing people to visit their farms, Chiquita could alternatively charge people a small dona tion, where a percentage of the profit could be given to charity or an ongoing event in the community. Tariff Regulations from the EU From the time that the new regime was put in place in 1993, Chiquita, along with the United States, filed complaints to both the General Agreement of Trade and Tariffs (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) implying that there were violations of free trade from the EU (Doh & Luthans, 2012). There were two complaints made to GATT the first, issued in February 1993, outlined that the new regime (Mark II) was ‘protectionist, discriminatory and restrictive’. While the second; was initiated by five Latin American plaintiffs on the first of July, 1993 (Read, 2005). While the GATT panel ruled that the Mark II regime violated GATT commitments, the EU refused to adapt the ruling made by GATT. In May 1997, the WTO ruled that the EU’s Mark II regime violated WTO obligations under the GATT on trade and services and the agreement on import licensing procedures (Doh & Luthans, 2012). Some of these licensing procedures included: Operator categories, activity functions, ex port certificates and hurricane licenses (Read, 2001). The EU was then required by the WTO, to bring its banana regime compliance by January 1999. This was brought about by the various amounts of import licenses that the EU used in which the WTO panel found that these licenses breached the GATT and the General Agreement on Trade in Services as it prevented competition in the EU (Read, 2005). However, the EU did not comply and so, the United States was allowed to enforce regulatory tariffs onto specific EU imports as a response towards the EU’s failure to implement the WTO rulings as well as the violations of the GATT trade rules (Read, 2005) It was not until April, 2001 that the United States and the EU announced that they had resolved their dispute but reaching an agreement. The agreement took effect on the first of July, 2001 during which the United States suspended retaliatory sanctions and the import of bananas from Latin America returned to the levels it was at before the 1993 regime change (Doh & Luthans, 2012). Final Recommendation An alternate option that Chiquita could have undertaken is that rather than focusing on regaining the European market, they could have looked towards expanding to a new regional market such as Asia. Evidence from the Chiquita’s website shows that they have yet to expand to the Asian market (Chiquita Homepage, 2013). Four out of the top five countries for banana consumption in the world come from Asia; these countries being: India, China, Indonesia and the Philippines (WolframAlpha: Banana Consumption, 2007). Upon entering the Asian market, Chiquita should approach with either a polycentric or regiocentric predisposition. Polycentric and regiocentric predisposition is, respectively; â€Å"a philosophy of management whereby strategic decisions are tailored to suit the cultures of the countries where the multinational corporation operates† and â€Å"the philosophy of management whereby the firm tries to blend its own interests with those of its subsidiaries on a regional basis† (Doh & Luthans, 2012). These two approaches would be good for entering into the Asian market as Asian cultures tend to be high context cultures in which negotiations are slow and ritualistic; whereas for and American-based company such as Chiquita, are used to low context cultures where negotiations are made efficiently as possible (Cavusgil, Freeman, Knight, Ranmal & Risenberger, 2012). These two approaches will allow for Chiquita to become more compatible with the Asian market. Implications of this however, is that the time and money spent on developing and researching strategies on entering the Asian market could cost either the same, or more than the legal costs that Chiquita faced while regaining the rights to exporting to the EU. However, if Chiquita looked towards expanding into the Asian market while dealing with legal issues regarding the EU quotas and everything went well, Chiquita would then be exporting to both Europe and Asia which would bring them more profit than if they were just shipping to one or the other. References Anglo American, (2012), Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Retrieved from: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/anglo-american/business-ethics-and-corporate-social-responsibility/introduction.html#axzz2cMnSxmvE, Accessed 17/9/13 Business Respect, (no date), Corporate Social Responsibility- what does it mean? Retrieved from: http://www.businessrespect.net/definition.php, Accessed 17/9/13 Cavusgil, S.T., Freeman, S., Knight, G., Ranmal, H.G., & Risenberger, J.R. (2012). The Cultural Environment of International Business, International Business (pp.88- 122). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia Chiquita (2013). Chiquita.com – Social Responsibility Is How We Conduct Business. Retrieved from http://www.chiquita.com/The-Chiquita-Difference/Social-Responsibility.aspx, Accessed 13/9/13 Chiquita Homepage. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.chiquita.com/Home.aspx, Accessed 13/9/2013 Doh, J.P., & Luthans, F. (2012). Chiquita’s Global Turnaround (Case Study), International Management: Culture, Strategy and Behaviour. (pp.138- 165). New York, United States of America: McGraw Hill. European Commission (2011). Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sustainable-business/corporate-social-responsibility/index_en.htm, Accessed 13/9/13 LGAM, (2013) Quadruple Bottom Line, Retrieved from: http://lgam.wikidot.com/quadruple-bottom-line, accessed 17/9/13 Luthans, F., & P. Doh, J. (2012). International Management (pp. 560-566). (8th ed.). New York, America: McGraw-Hill, Accessed 13/9/13 McGuire, J (1963), The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility, retrieved from:

Conflict Resolution at General Hospital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conflict Resolution at General Hospital - Essay Example In the case of General Hospital, the conflict was intergroup, pitting the CEO Mr. Mike Hammer and Marge Harding, the chief operating office on one hand and, the director of medicine Doctor Williams and the company’s physicians on the other (WordPress.com, 2011). There are various sub-categories of intergroup conflicts including those among teams, divisions, departments, employees, and management. In the conflict at General Hospital, while physicians were more interested in the correct and timely readings of the EKG and proper diagnosis of patients, the CEO and the operating officer were more concerned with cutting costs. This paper thus explores the conflict at General Hospital, touching on the management style employed to resolve the stalemate. In addition, the possible use of teams and negotiation skills to resolve the conflict are also discussed. The Conflict at General Hospital Some years back, renovation activities at the General Hospital led to a drop in the number of pa tients admitted at the Hospital. Consequently, bed occupancy went down by about 65% (WordPress.com, 2011). The other effect of the renovation exercise at the General Hospital besides the dropped occupancy was a rise in the number of Medicaid and Medicare patients. In other words, the number of patients under private health insurance covers dropped, implying that General Hospital could not make profits from attending to patients with private health insurance covers (WordPress.com, 2011). Realizing the hospital was on the verge of failing to obtain its objectives and remain profitable, the CEO, Mr. Mike Hammer decided to implement certain changes, which he thought would stabilize the hospital. The first option to Hammer was to cut costs and increase the Company’s revenues. In addition, Hammer intended to initiate changes that would ensure the hospital retained its current services and even expanded into new areas. To implement these strategies, Hammer hired one Marge Harding, e mpowering her to make crucial decisions such as the firing of the hospital’s employees, more so those serving under the at-will employment status (WordPress.com, 2011). The first opinion of Harding’s was that the electrocardiogram (EKG) readings could be done electronically. Therefore, according to Harding, a physician was not needed to read the EKG. In fact, she suggested that at least $100,000 could be saved by computerizing the reading of the EKG. After the installation of the new equipment for EKG proposed by Harding and the training of EKG technicians, the physician, a Doctor James Boyer, was informed that his services were no longer needed at the General Hospital (WordPress.com, 2011). Harding’s plans soon started to flop as EKG’s arrived late, cases of misdiagnoses increased, and the staff became irritated as they looked incompetent, making them feel that Dr. Boyer was rather important and was needed at the facility. Nonetheless, Harding completely ignored these complaints from the General Hospital’s staff. Therefore, the main conflict at the General Hospital pitted cost control and management against physician agreement. To realize any positive results from his cost reduction strategies and policies, Mr. Hammer had to win over the physicians making up his staff. This was just another of the instances and incidence in which

Information Technology - Analyze the impact of the digital economy on Essay

Information Technology - Analyze the impact of the digital economy on the company IKEA - Essay Example At the showroom, customers were able to see and handle the furnishings before purchasing them and the company was able to present its products with function, quality and low price.(www.ikea.com). In response of competitor induces boycott of IKEA showrooms by customers, the Company began to design its own furniture, producing the unique flat products, which the customer was able to assemble at home. Such furniture also occupied less storage space and there was less scope for damages occurring during transportation of the products. The IKEA stores were based on the self service model , and customers were able to walk around the IKEA showrooms, inspect furniture and then select the pieces they liked, which were provided to then in flat designs for easy transportation with less damage.(Jeffreys 1992). The Company soon expanded into other countries and its global sales now totals over $17.7 billion annually. The success of IKEA has been largely due to its policy of offering quality products with low prices. The Company accomplishes this by maintaining a network of global suppliers who bid competitively for projects and the Company is thus able to manufacture and supply the products to IKEA at the lowest prices.(Solomon, 1991). It is constantly on the lookout for ways and means by which it can reduce its costs in order to continue to supply low cost yet quality products to its customers. As a part of this strategy to reduce costs, the company was examining ways and means to consolidate its supplier base such that the focus was on those suppliers located in low cost countries. However, longer lead times, higher demands on the planning process and an inability to quickly adapt to change were some of the drawbacks which IKEA sought to address through IT solutions. The Company has incorporated software developed by JDA – Demand and Fulfillment Solutions, with the Demand Management solution able to support all the 12,000 items in

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

Wars and Religion - Research Paper Example We have also used religion to explain certain things in the past that we as a people could not explain, understand or accept, such as the ancient Greeks using their gods to explain how the sun rises and sets, or how Zeus used lightning. Not everyone believes in the same deity, in fact not all religions and beliefs have only one deity. Some have many gods, like Hinduism or Ancient Greek and Roman beliefs. Other beliefs do not have deities but instead, are about worshiping ancestors or objects. And for some reason, weather it is because of a lack of understanding, conflict of belief, and other factors, wars have been fought over religion. Religious wars have been part of man’s history almost as long as religion its self, and our history books are filled with conflicts, persecutions, wars that have been waged in the name of religion. This paper’s purpose is to take a look at some of these religious struggles and discuss happened in the events and provide some feedback abou t them. This paper will focus on certain wars and struggles throughout history that have had significant effects on our civilization as a whole. There will be some key points about these conflicts that will be stressed in this paper namely; how the conflict began, who were included in the conflict, some main points about the conflict such as political effects and justifications, and finally, how it ended. This paper will focus mainly on known and historical wars and conflicts and break them down with the key points mentioned above. It will attempt to make brief, concise and objective comments and analysis of these wars. The wars and conflicts that will be discussed and analyzed in this paper are as follows: †¢ The persecution of Christians in the Ancient Roman empire †¢ The crusades †¢ The Islam – Hindu conflict in India †¢ The Jewish state of Israel and its conflicts †¢ The attacks of September 11 on the United states †¢ Conclusion The persecuti on of Christians in the Ancient Roman Empire. For those who are not very familiar with history, it may be hard to understand that there was a persecution of Christians in Rome, since we now know of the religion known as â€Å"Roman Catholic† but despite the confusion, there was a mass persecution of Christians in ancient Rome. Before Rome became a Christian symbol, it first was a place of pagan religion. An article by mariamilani.com provides us with a bit if insight as to what happened during this time. The growth of the Christian church during this time meant that the Christians were also Roman citizens and because of the speed at which they multiplied, they were, as the article says â€Å"more than a religion amongst many but rather like a state within a state†. Now at first, the people of Ancient Rome were liberal and fine about the idea of worshiping different deities depending on their needs, and Rome its self was alright with its citizens worshiping whichever de ity they please as long as they do not go against the state. As for the treatment of Christians, it was not at all that bad at first. Some places were very neutral of Christians while other places even celebrated it. The problem came when the emperors of Rome began to follow a more oriental style of rule being that they were to be considered living gods that ruled over Ancient Rome and in order to pay respect to the state, a citizen would have to worship the Roman emperor. This now, was very much against the Christian belief since they have a monotheistic belief. Added to this is that fact that, according to the article, â€Å"they were following a law which had a point of reference which was not

Physical tamper-resistant devices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Physical tamper-resistant devices - Essay Example As stated by Brain Gladman â€Å"it is fairly easy to create an encryption methodology that is safe, if it is functioning as intended and is correctly utilized. But it remains very hard to develop a methodology which does not compromise its security in circumstances whereby it is either abused or one or several of its subcomponents malfunction† (Gladman 2001, p. 4). Physical tamper resistance is a characteristic or security concept that is applicable to various fields and not limited to the digital area or computing. Anti-tamper device comprises of tamper detection, tamper responses, and tamper resistance (Rannenberg et al. 2010, p. 16). Various Physical tamper-resistant devices exist. These include high-end, low-end, and mid-range devices. However, one aspect worth noting is that these devices vary in cost and range classification in various countries. For example, China can cost and categorize a tamper resistance device according to geographical boundaries. Below is the list: Just like the 4785 IBM, these resistant devices are of a very strong crypto system that is surrounded with a tamper sensing mesh. If an attempt at tampering is noticed, the mesh permanently deletes the main material and renders the device unrecoverable as well as unreadable. This device is significant for two reasons. Firstly, it is the only available commercial processor to have been successfully evaluated at the highest stages of tamper resistance. Secondly, the IBM 4758 has an extensive literature concerning its history, design evolution, protective procedures (Gladman 2001, p.3). These kind of resistant devices comprise of a symmetric cryptosystem key. These devices are normally protected against unauthorized reads, and the procedures are designed on a very basic foundation. Cheap Microcontrollers are one of the examples of low-end resistant devices.

AGRICULTURAL ETHICS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

AGRICULTURAL ETHICS - Research Paper Example There is no any widely accepted definition of ethics and general public have different ideas about ethics. For some, ethics mean adherence to the law while for others it is adherence to the spirit. Similarly, for some it is concerned with the religious beliefs while for others it is concerned with the standards of the culture or the community. The definitions given by the enthusiasts are more complex containing some or all elements mentioned above describing what are concerned with ethics and what are not. However, the discussion here is not to focus on the accurate and widely accepted definition of ethics but about the what are the factors related to agricultural ethics. Many professionals have put considerable efforts in defining factors related to agricultural ethics. It is quite interesting that those who are engaged in agriculture or associated with farming directly like farmers or indirectly like government regulating bodies, researchers, agents, CEOs, lawmakers, industrial workers, protestors, consumers or technology developers believe that their moral ground is higher than others as they are associated with one of the most noble endeavors of the humans which is feeding the people and this provides them an extraordinary moral confidence which tends to neglect the need of examining the choices made by them (Burgess, 1998). According to ethicists Ahlstrom, Bruton & Yeh, (1997) those who are associated with the production of agriculture and those who support agricultural activities with technology have a strong belief that as they are increasing the agricultural production to meet the growing demand, they are exempted from the continuous process of political negotiation and renegotiation about the moral bargain which is the pillar of the modern society and democracy. All of them engaged in either discovery of new agricultural technologies or gene cloning or the lawmakers supporting farming with subsidies or breeding new plants or

The Diverse Lifestyle Of London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Diverse Lifestyle Of London - Essay Example It was a long travel from the airport to my cousins at Victoria. I was over excited about visiting London and to look around the places. I just couldn’t wait. My mum and dad were trying hard to explain to me that it would not be too good for us to leave immediately as it would not be the right etiquette. I did not realize and went on to fight with my parents and even be really rude and say that I was not interested in the wedding anniversary of my aunt and uncle. This conversation was overheard by my aunt, a very sweet and kind-hearted lady, who was in shock and could not believe that I was saying something like this. We started a tour the same day and managed to see some exciting places like the London Bridge, Madame Tussauds, The London Eye, several different museums in London, Big Ben, and Hampstead Heath on the first day. With this, we thought we had covered to the whole of London and were wondering what we would do for the rest of the week. To our surprise, there was so m uch more to see in London and what we had seen was just a small part of the city. The next day went by with the celebrations and we met our distant relatives after years, and a few I was meeting for the first time in life. Little did I realize that my aunt had been very hurt and was unable to enjoy the party and although she was there she had a smile fixed to her face which was very clearly not one that seemed happy. Unknowingly, I had ruined the best day of my aunt’s life and had hurt here quite a bit.

Nowadays, Food Has Become Easier to Prepare Essay Example for Free

Nowadays, Food Has Become Easier to Prepare Essay Man, through the ages, has undergone many changes, from a period when he hunted for his food to the present era when man is dependent on preprocessed foods. During this period not only has man changed his mode of eating but his whole lifestyle as well. In pursuit of more in this competitive world, man no longer has time as he once had. He is caught in a race against the clock. A person who finishes more in lesser time is considered more efficient. This pressure to do more in less time has affected his eating habits as well and, as a result, man no longer has time to cook food. Early mans only objective was to seek food to sustain him and his family. Nowadays finding food has taken a back seat to other priorities, such as career and education. Food is no longer of that importance. This is not an encouraging trend. People are too dependent on preprocessed or precooked food, which no longer has the freshness it once had. Such foods loose their mineral and vitamin content and are not as healthy as fresh food. That is why the number of diseases is also rising. People have also shifted to high calorie content food like French fries, pizzas, and ice cream, etc., which is causing obesity, fatigue, etc. As man is becoming busy and too involved in his busy schedule, he has no time even to take care of his own personal needs. Furthermore, cooking is an art which is dying out. People once enjoyed cooking . It was a means of eliminating stress and tension. People were once able to relax during this time and reflect on their lives. People may tend to argue that by using precooked and preprocessed food they are efficiently using time and can use this precious time saved for other purposes. But is it really worth it? This is a question whose answer can invite much speculation about whether by saving this little time we are inviting lots of other problems, which could easily be avoided. It is actually making our lives not simpler but more complicated. We have lost many of the simpler things in our lives, like the simple acts of selecting our evening meal, preparing it, and enjoying it with our loved ones, and we are worse off for it.

Personality And Britney Spears Prehistory Music Essay

Personality And Britney Spears Prehistory Music Essay Singer Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2nd, 1981, in Kentwood, Louisiana. She was the second of three children with an older brother Bryan and younger sister Jamie all born to Lynne and James Spears (Dennis, 2009). Britney Spears has been one of the most successful artist of this generation and yet one of the most controversial. While her music was centre stage at the beginning of her career her personal life and struggles are what makes the news today. Born the middle of three children Britney started performing at a very young age, she attended Kentwood high school in her home town of Louisiana, but dropped out to pursue her career in music (Dennis, 2009). Following her dream to sing and perform Britney (eight years old) auditioned and failed for the Disney channels The Mickey Mouse Club as a Mouseketeer, deemed too young by the casting director. On Britneys eleventh birthday she successfully auditioned again for the Disney Club and was cast alongside future stars Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera where she appeared for 2 seasons before it was cancelled (www.imdb.com) On December 1998 Britney was signed to Jive records and released her first and hit single Hit me baby one more time becoming the first new female artist to have a number one single and album in the same week going which sold more than 22 million copies worldwide (Dennis, 2009). She was later awarded the Female album of the year, female artist of the year and best new artist of the year. Her dream of becoming a successful artist had come true. Britney was now a permanent fixture in the entertainment world, at that time she was rumoured to be dating fellow Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake. In 2001 in trying to shed her wholesome image she had started her career with Britney released Im a Slave 4 U showcasing a different musical direction and a raunchier image. Controversially on the MTV Video Music Awards 2001, Britney performed live on stage with a seven foot python draped around her neck wearing minimal clothing (Heard, 2010). 2002 was a traumatic year for Britney, she starred in her first feature Film Crossroads which was deemed a flop by critics (Dennis, 2009), she announced her split from Justin Timberlake and her parents announced that they were divorcing. In 2003 Britney again created headlines performing onstage with her idol Madonna sharing a kiss with her onstage and fellow mouseketeer Christina Aguilera. Again Britney was showcasing her more sexualised persona that she had been trying to shed. In 2004 following a hectic tour Britney appeared in the news for marrying her childhood friend and annulling the marriage within two days (Heard, 2010). It was also reported that year that her father had entered rehab due to alcoholism. Her turbulent life just got bumpier. She was later involved with backup dancer Kevin Federline whom she married late 2004(Heard, 2010) In 2005 following rumours that Britney and Kevins union was less than perfect, Britney allowed cameras to follow their lives and showcase it on MTV which drew little audience figures. In April 2005 Spears welcomed their first child Sean Preston. In 2006 Britney was again in the news being caught driving with her child on her lap. Later that year Spears announced they were having a second child Jayden James. But two months later Spears and Federline announced they were divorcing (Heard, 2010) Britney began to frequent the social club scene with socialite Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and others, For a mother of two her behaviour became more erratic, she was seen leaving various night clubs intoxicated which lead to her reportedly being checked into rehab, she was later caught during her difficult time shaving her head sparking a media frenzy questioning her sanity. She then went on to lose full custody of her children to her ex husband and became estranged from her mother (Heard, 2010). Even with her personal life in disarray Spears found time to continue her music career and release another album. While performing her then new single Gimme More Spears seemed lethargic, danced poorly and seen to lip sync her song. Later that month spears was charged in connection with a hit and run. Her album sold a million less copies and her disorganised public appearances led to suggestions she was nearing a breakdown (Dennis, 2009) In 2008 Britney suffered a breakdown and was entering and re-entering rehab several times. .Her mother admitted publicly in her book Through the Storm that Britney had postpartum depression. Britneys two sons were still in full custody of her ex husband and controversy started over her manager being claimed to mismanaged Britney by her parents. Following a short time away in rehabilitation Britney began her comeback, her manager was sacked, her father was now in control of her assets and parents were back together in 2010. Her life seemingly going smoothly, while not in full custody of her children Britney is now supported on tour by her ex husband who tours with her and their two children. According to Freud personality develops through a persons attempt to, (1) max their instinct of gratification and (2) minimise punishment and guilt. Freud suggested that there are three main aspects of functioning within the structure of personality; the Id, ego and superego. The id is the source of all drive energy (Pervin, Cervone John, 2005., p. 85). It functions in accordance with the pleasure principle which seeks pleasure at any cost without the consideration of a consequence, and which also avoids pain. The id is without reason, logic, values, morals, or ethics (Pervin, Cervone John, 2005., p. 85). Following from the accounts on the life of Britney Spears, Spears is better known for her personal struggles and her sometimes controversial behaviour, which we can assume is some evidence of the id. According to Freud the id is the unmodified motives and instincts that are usually present in an individual and it contains all the primary processes; impulse, desire and pleasure. It is evident in the accounts of Spears life that she makes numerous attempts to fight against her superego, which Freud suggests is the moral code, the moral branch of our functioning (Pervin, Cervone John, 2005., p. 85). The superego is what can be referred to as conscience; it is the morals, values and ethics enforced on us by society our parents. Spears can be said to have been fighting against her superego, when she released the video for her hit single Im a slave 4u in 2001, it could be seen that she was fighting so hard to shed her innocent girl image. She was trying to go against the laws that had been governing her throughout childhood. Her upbringing according to Freud plays a huge role in moulding her personality. He suggests that adult personalities can be traced back to handlings of earlier childhood conflicts. Freud suggests that non gratification of early instincts may lead to fixations and psychopathology. Non gratification or love could have then led to a fixation on attention seeking in Britney spears. It seemed like Britney lacked appropriate attention from within her family unit. According to Freud, early events are particularly influential on later behaviour, especially around the age of 5. Although her need for public attention has been evident since childhood, it can be said that, (in relation to her early childhood) she was being pushed by her mother- ever since I was 7 or 8 years old, my mom would have company over, and I was always performing for everybody in front of the TV. This need for attention can also be seen when she allowed the media into her home to document her relationship with then husb and, Kevin Federline and also when she shaved her head in 2007. Therefore, it can be assumed that she grew up seeking the attention of others either because of her early exposure to this type of attention or because she lacked appropriate attention from within her family unit. This non gratification within the home could have also led to the fixation, we see later on in her life, when she breaks up with Justin Timberlake in 2002. In relation to Eysencks 2 factor theory, Britney seemed to struggle between traits (Pervin, Cervone John, 2005., p. 233). She moved from being an emotionally unstable introvert- in 2002 she announced her break up from Justin Timberlake and her featured movie Crossroads, did not sell as much as was expected, she seemed unhappy, worried and anxious. She then started displaying traits of an emotionally stable extrovert, she went binge drinking Las Vegas and married her childhood Friend. This union was annulled two days later. She then got married to one of her backup dancer as stated earlier. All these according to Eysencks 1970 2 factor theory suggests, that Britney was (at the time) carefree, outgoing and sociable. As well as these, she has also shown traits of an emotionally stable introvert. This is a very new category within which Britney only entered in the last two years. We can assume that this is the impression she wants to give form the statement she makes in an interview wit h the Glamour Magazine- I dont like going out I love my home and staying in bed and watching Dancing With the stars or reading a Danielle Steel novel. Im kind of boring. An emotionally stable introvert displays traits including; reliability, control, peacefulness, thoughtfulness and passivity. Adler 1925 on the other hand, believed that even though children have the same parents and grow up in nearly the same family setting, they do not have identical social environments. Adler 1925 suggested that the order in which an individual is born contributes to the development of their personality. He referred to this theory as the birth order effect in personality development. In relation to the case of Spears, she was a second child, and as previously stated she had an older brother (Bryan Spears) whom we can only assume she looked up to at some stage during her developmental process. Britney Spears states that he frequently kept her safe, and out of trouble, when she was growing up as a child. Adler 1925 advised that the second child competes for attention and affection and finds different ways to earn attention either from parents or others. Spears on the other hand, found attention from the public eye from a very young age, attention we assume, she did not receive at home. In Adler 1925 suggests that the child develops to be Independent and competitive, especially with the oldest sibling. Sibling rivalry may be initiated by second born as they struggle to identify their role in the family. The second child can be seen as a rebel, especially if they do not feel they are getting equal treatment with that of the first born. A great positive trait is that they can be very expressive and creative, there personality traits can also be different compared to the other children. Adler 1925 advised that Parents are less restrictive, freedom is allowed and the child is able to be more independent and creates own character. The child is able to freely express his/her unique personality and is very adventuresome, fun-loving, gregarious, often creative and artistic. The second child according to Adler tries to surpass the older sibling especially if close in age. They can be rebellious and envious but generally well adjusted. Adler1925 also advised that if different sex than the first born she/he can develop some first-born traits. According to Ainsworth, from birth, infants are completely dependent on others for care; Ainsworth suggests that a child goes through stages in development of attachment. Having a secure base is very important in the bond the child has with its mother and in forming future relationships. A lack of secure attachments can have a negative consequence in forming a relationship with other in the future. Successful attachment is vital for positive social and emotional development In terms of Spears one can assume, following the information we have in regards to her relationships as an adult. She did not have a very secure base of attachment with her mother. This assumption follows from the breakdown she goes through after her break up with fellow entertainer, Justin Timberlake in 2002 after a 2 year relationship. From this point in her life she began to publicly go on a downward spiral. In the 1930s Carl Rogers developed an approach to counselling called Client-Centered Therapy. His Client-Centered Therapy was based around the concept that the client knows best. It is the client who is most aware of his own pain and who will be the one to pave the way forward in his life. Humans are innately good and geared towards self-actualisation. According to Rogers, an essential element in the creation of a fully functioning person is unconditional positive regard. This is essential to healthy psychological development. Unconditional positive regard is something that may have been missing from Britneys life. As previously stated, Spears was always working hard to gain attention and positive regard, which might have been due to a lack of this from her family. This, according to Rogers, results in a feeling of unworthiness. This could explain her string of unstable relationships and the breakdown in her life following the end of her relationship with Justin Timberlake. Her life in the 2000s was full of abnormal and maladaptive behaviour, which could be classed as psychopathology. It is possible that the public image she desired was incongruent with her true inner feelings. According to Rogers, the denial of these feelings can result in an exaggerated version of what the person was trying to defend against in their mind. This could explain the bizarre behaviour of Spears. Her non-congruence could also explain her consistent need to impress and get attention. Conclusion (Ron) What was wrong with Britney? As Shildrick notes, we demand of modern biomedicine that all disruptions to the selfs clean and proper body should be dealt with, that the actual vulnerability of the embodied self and its propensity to diverge from the normative structures of health and well-being should be covered over, or managed out of existence, by a technologically driven bioscience (Shildrick, 2008, p. 32).   Her management, her friends and especially her family were unable to control her, Britneys life turned into a mess and the world around her crumbled but luckily for her, and her familys patience and unconditional support she pulled her life around so it seems. Whether all that has happened to her is deemed positive or negative, its hard to say. The trials and tribulations that a person encounters in there life can either strengthen or weaken a persons resolve. In Britneys case she seems to be moving onto a more positive route. So what is to become of Britney now?

Essential Factors Considered In Hr Practices Commerce Essay

Essential Factors Considered In Hr Practices Commerce Essay Human resource management (HRM) is known and accepted in the broadest sense of the term, as a form of management that includes all management decisions and actions that affect the nature of the relationship between the organisation and the employees its human resources (Beer et al., 1984, p. 1). As can be observed based on the definition, the tasks of those belonging in HRM can be complex as it involves all issues that encompasses employee and firm relationship. Believing that the most important asset of a business is the people in order to achieve sustained business success is the core philosophy of human resource management (HRM), and realising this leads to a strategic management of people within the organisation. The effective management of human resources is increasingly being recognised as a major determinant of success or failure in international business (Tung, 1998), in practice many organisations are still coming to terms with the human resources issues associated with international operations (Ferner, 1997). In the international arena, the quality of management seems to be even more critical than in domestic operations (Tung, 1998). This is primarily because the nature of international business operations involves the complexities of operating in different countries and employing different national categories of workers (Morgan, 1986). The field of international human resource management, however, is only slowly developing as a field of academic study and has been described by one authority as being in the infancy stage (Laurent, 1986). Primarily, the main goal of this paper is to provide insightful details regarding the concept of the international human resource management in relation to a multinational company like Honda. In addition, this paper will discuss some factors that must be considered when managing people in the international environment. This paper will focus in three areas: The Organisational Structure in the Context of Globalisation, Global Leadership in a Global Environment and Transferral of Employees Internationally. Company Profile Honda is the worlds largest manufacturer of engines, ranging from tiny single-cylinder lawn trimmers to the mighty V-10 engines of Formula 1 racing. Honda Motor CO., Ltd. is considered as a limited liability and a joint stock corporation which was incorporated on September 24, 1948 under the Commercial Code of Japan known as Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. The company was formed to the firms of an unincorporated business founded in 1946 by the late Soichiro Honda, to produce or manufacture motors for motorised bicycles. Honda was unusual in having already created an industrial model by the time it entered the automobile industry. Twelve years after it was founded in 1948, Honda had become the worlds largest motorcycle manufacturer, on the basis of a strategy which focused on product innovation and production flexibility and on the mass production of products which had in effect opened new market segments. The firms success owed much to the mechanical and commercial imagination of Soich iro Honda himself. His associate, Takeo Fujisawa, who was in charge of the organisation and its finances, had been concerned from the start to find the resources needed to overcome the difficulties inherent in this profit strategy. Industrial models which are to be consistent with part of a strategy of flexibility and innovation must therefore give the firm the resources to counter these risks or reduce their impact. By 1967 Honda had become a proper car manufacturer. It opted for an innovative automobile niche and exportation in order to create a place for itself among Japanese producers. It marketed a mini front-wheel-drive car with a small but powerful air-cooled engine. The models commercial success in Japan propelled Honda into third place behind Toyota and Nissan, with an annual production of 277,000 passenger cars in 1970 (Mair, 1994). Honda became the worlds largest motorcycle producer twelve years after it was founded in 1948. The company entered the automobile industry during the early 1960s. It then grew continuously for three decades, overtaking established automobile producers to rank tenth in the world and become one of Japanese Big Three alongside Toyota and Nissan. During this period Honda developed an image as a different company with an idiosyncratic trajectory led by innovative products. Growth was seriously challenged in the 1990s. Yet by now Honda had deepened and globalises an industrial model of flexible mass production. Accordingly, Honda remained profitable during the 1990s Japanese recession. At the same time the crisis forced a rethink of the product innovation strategy (Freyssenet, 1998). Today, Honda is being regarded as one of the multinational automotive companies operating in different parts of the world. Honda had been able to penetrate the global market including countries in different pa rts of Asia, USA and Europe. Organisational Structures in the Context of Globalisation The true worth of international HRM is becoming more widely understood as IHRM steadily interweaves all aspects of people management and development within the company (Williams, 1995). According to Lipiec (2001), HRM is defined as the process of coordinating an organisations human resources, or employees, to meet organisational goals. Human resource professionals deal with such areas as employee recruitment and selection, performance evaluation, compensation and benefits, professional development, safety and health, forecasting, and labour relations. There are many factors in which multinational companies must consider, and one of these is about giving emphasis to the organisational structure imposed in the globalisation context. A key issue in accomplishing the goals identified in the planning process is structuring the work of the organisation (Zammuto OConnor, 1992). Organisational structure is the formal decision-making framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped, and coo rdinated. The organisational structure of multinational companies is being influenced or affected by the emergence of globalisation. Globalisation is easier to describe than to define. This is because, in its present form and usage, it is a new, complex, dynamic, multidimensional, and worldwide phenomenon, which means different things to different people and different things to the same people across time and space (Rosenhead, 1996). It evokes strong emotions because it is associated, rightly or wrongly, with most of the worlds significant challenges and opportunities (Kiggundu, 2002). As mentioned, one of the Multinational companies that are being challenged by the concept globalisation in terms with organisational structure is Honda. The organisational structure of Honda comprises of board of directors, senior management, different committees on finance, and employees. As of March 31, 2003 the company has been able to employ 126, 900 full time employees which includes approximately 65, 000 l ocal employees employed in international subsidiaries (See Appendix 1). In order to cope with the various influences and effects of globalisation, the management of Honda, has been able to improve and expand its organisation so as to conduct environmental activities on a global scale. The management has improved its organisational structure to achieve their organisational objectives (A sample of organizational structure of one of the subsidiaries of Honda is seen in Appendix 2). One of these objectives is to be able to pursue an environmental conservation programs at all phases of Hondas operations and throughout the lifecycle of Hondas products. In addition, the improved organisational structure is done in order to initiate speedy and flexible measures in managing their internationally diverse employees. In this manner, Honda ensures that the manager that they will hire certainly have the ability to adjust the human resource policies and practices to foreign environments. In the competition for global talent, corporations that are reluctant to consider foreign nationals for top management positions will lose out; the most talented people simply will not join an organisation that holds no promise of promotion (Keeley, 2001). As of March 31, 2003, Honda had 139 Japanese subsidiaries and 173 international subsidiaries (See Appendix 3). As Honda gain more experience they are able to adopt a more global approach to the management of all their operations both domestic and international (Dowling Schuler, 1990). Researchers have long acknowledged that there are differing types of organisational structures that produce differing types of manager-subordinate relationships. Honda try to enhance cross-value capabilities by facilitating dialogue, camp sessions, or brainstorming seminars held out side the workplace, and even drinking sessions (Nonaka Takeuchi, 1995). Organisational structure had a bigger role in the organisational practice of the management of Honda. It has been evidently shown that when the leader had a great strategic plan and whose plan had been vision and delivered well, the company will have a greater probability to succeed. Since, the competition are very high in the market be especially in the global arena, Honda has been able to consider the strategic function of its organisational structure internationally. Global Leadership in a Global Environment Due to the emergence of globalisation and its intense effect to different companies, many of the businesses are trying to cope with this situation and be known not only in the local marketplace but also in the international level. However, operating in the international arena is not that easy because of different factors to consider. When a firm decides to expand its venture to international market, it faces different challenges that need to be given emphasis (Klein, Ettenson Morris, 1998). One of the most important considerations that should be given enough attention by the management of any industry is the management of the human resources and the determination of the international human resource management (IHRM) practice that will be implemented through the global leadership ability. Leadership comprises the aptitude and ability to inspire and influence the thinking, attitudes, and behavior of other people (Adler, 1991; Bass, 1985; Bass and Stogdill, 1989; Bennis and Nanus, 1985 ; Kotter, 1988). Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of other individuals in the achievement of a common task (Chemers, 1997). The achievement of corporate success can only be accomplished by people who have broader knowledge in leadership (Cascio, 1995). In an international marketplace where borderless organisation is quickly becoming the norm, the leaders of Honda has been able to recognise that employees have an increasingly important role in the cultivation of the company achievements. The level of employee involvement in companies has expanded in general and in internationally-oriented corporation, progressive manages must recognise that only through effective management of people can organisations survive (Bartlett Ghoshal, 1989). The concept of international human resources refers to the process procuring, allocating and effectively utilising human resources in an international corporation. The leaders handling IHRM is said to be significant in the attainment and accomplishment of companies in the global scene. IHRM apparently draws the line between a companys endurance and obliteration (Sims, 2002). In line with the global leadership of Honda, the company has been able to utilise a system that would give balance to their imposed international human resource management. One of the leadership ability that Honda, inherited from Soichiro Honda, is his visionary ability. The visionary leadership ability of the leaders of Honda encompasses their ability to eliminate management layers to become visible within the organisation and being active, early participants for future projects and operations. The leaders of the company have been able to be directly involved in every operation and become a powerful role model to their subordinates (Nevis, DiBella Gould, 1995). In addition, the company had been able to utilise the permissive (delegative) or the so called laissez-faire style. In this manner the employees of the company in the international level are permitted to be involved in the decision making process. In this manner, the management implements minimal control or manipulation on t heir employees both local and international. However, the management is still accountable for the final decision to be made. Herein, the opinion and ideas of the Honda employees are being valued by the leader and each employees and staff encompasses different tasks set by the leader. Transferral of Employees Internationally Another factor to consider when managing international human resources is the concept of transferring human resources to international operations. Part of the concept of transferral of employees to international organisation is the recruitment context. Recruiting in the international arena is taken a lot more seriously and given a lot more thought than it used to be. Gaining competent employees at all levels of the organisation is more than a matter of training. It stems from changes in recruitment and selection philosophy (Ashkenas et al, 1995). Recruiting the most competent employees for each and every organisation is continuous challenge for the human resource management, specifically in the international arena (Henderson, 1996). Faced with the problem of conducting recruiting effort to fill critical position in any level of organisation, the international HRM practice must create an Employee Recruiting Policy to identify the critical activities in the recruitment process and monitor its results. In case of Honda Motor, the international human resource management of the company has been able to plan an IHRM Recruiting Program clearly state the mission and objective of the recruitment process to be done. Specifically, the purpose of such policy is to offer a criterion and standard measure for recruiting human resources that will be work in the international level. The recruitment imposed by the international HRM also includes a procedure so that the recruitment process for the international subsidiaries of Honda should be accurate and correct. In this manner, the international HRM of Honda also ensures that they are updated when it comes to job position, if a new position is required or if a transferred/reassi gned or terminated workers or employees would need a replacement. In addition, the move of Honda to transfer employees to international subsidiaries aims to promulgate their organisation culture even in the global arena. Honda Motor has make it sure that they always follow the international labour policies. In this manner, before an employee is given an opportunity to work in the international level, the company provides all the necessary trainings, in order to ensure that the transferred human resource or employees will be able to provide the necessary responsibilities allotted effectively and efficiently. Another important factor to consider when transferring an employee to an international subsidiary is the orientation of the management system of the host country in order for the transferred employee to adjust with the present situation of the international organization. In the case of Honda, the company has been able to provide a comprehensive orientation to employees who will be transferred regarding the culture, attitudes values and other hum an factors that can be encountered to such international subsidiary. It is also equally important to note that since, Honda, belongs to a company which manufactures quality and innovative cars, sharing of knowledgeable and efficient employee or managers is one of their style. These transferred employees, are responsible to collaborate with other employees in such international subsidiary (Gallie, 1998). The creation of work teams with collective responsibility for the management of a group of machines or a specific segment of the work process was based on a managerial initiative. Conclusion In any business enterprise, employees are considered as the most vital assets. In order for these companies maximise their assets, the management should have the ability to effectively manipulate employees working condition (Ulrich, 1998). Herein, the employees must be allowed to be involved in the decision making process to further enhance the organisational structure (Delaney Huselid, 1996). Moreover, the structure of tasks among the employees strengthens the organisational performance (Wilson, 1989). As problems of regional and cultural diversity politically led administrative issues impede the functioning of the organisation, it is very essential understand the employees (Schneider, 1983). The enhancement, building, enthusiasm, motivation and development of the employees of any organisation depend largely on the leadership, mandate and vision of the organisation (Rainey Steinbauer, 1999). The management of Honda has been able to employ the general HRM practices of Japan with their international subsidiaries like the United States. Hanada (1989) described five phases in the development of international human resource management through which Japanese firms such as Honda pass as it become increasingly involved in global activities. In stage one of Hondas international activities, the programs are limited to export of its product for example in Philippines, Taiwan and USA and its International HRM function is mainly concentrate in an export department. With the urge of the company to be known in the global context, Honda has been able to establish foreign assembly or operations like in USA, UK and other part of Asia. Herein, the increase human resources of Honda, is usually handled by creating an overseas operations department. The establishment of an overseas human resource department characterises the structure of the firm which is substantially modified to reflect the increasing interaction between Hondas domestic and foreign operations. In addition, there are also times when Honda, felt to have greater control of their international operation. Herein, the International HRM of Honda, functions mainly in different areas and practice of HRM. In this manner, the company gives emphasis to the differences of their employees so as to have a harmonious human resource relationship. There are also times in which the company had been able to reach the globalisation phases that the management of Honda, attempts to thoroughly internationalise its human resource management and there is no distinction between foreign and Japanese employees with the international division. All in all it is very crucial that an international organisation should make a way in adjusting their management styles and approaches to adhere with the differences and similarities of the employees, specifically those in the international environment so that IHRM may catalyst the motivation among diverse individual. It is also important to note that international human resource management should have the ability to employ the principles and concepts of emotional intelligence and give emphasis to the importance of self-awareness in dealing with different kinds of people, winning their trust and to ensure that the peoples values and the organisations objective will intersect to a common goal and that is to incorporate good employment relationship. Recommendation In managing people, the international human resource management, Honda Motor Corporation and other Multinational Corporations should be able to have the ability to think more systematically and strategically in handling one of the most valuable factors within the organisation, i.e. its human resources. Herein, IHRM practice should be able to develop a successful organisational culture and a stable organisation by means of effective management of the people. In addition, communication is a very important factor to use in order to have a harmonious and smooth relationship between the management team and the employees in the international level. In addition, the management should try to integrate its own management system with the management system of the host countries, in which MNC are operating. The main goal of this integration is to let the employees within the international operation feel that their culture, values and traditions are not being discriminated by the management. In this case, if Honda would continue to implement a strategic international human resource management, it will be able to handle and manage their human resources in each international operation successfully. Reference Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., Kerr, S. (1995). The Boundaryless Organization. Breaking the Chains of Organizational Structure. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Bartlett, C.A. Ghoshal, S. (1989). Managing Across Borders. The Transnational Solution. London: Hutchinson Business Books. Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P., Mills, D. Walton, R. (1984). Managing Human Assets. New York, NY: Free Press. Cascio, W. (1995). The Human Resource Challenge of International Joint Ventures. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Delaney, J.T., Huselid, M.A. (1996). The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Perceptions of Organisational Performance, Academy of Management Journal, 39: 949-69. Dowling, P.J. Schuler, R.S. (1990). International Dimensions of Human Resource Management . Boston: PWS-Kent. Ferner, A. (1997). Country of Origin Effects and HRM in Multinational Companies. Human Resource Management Journal, 7(1): 19-37. Fine, M.G. (1995). Building successful multicultural organisations. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Freyssenet, M. (1998). One Best Way? Trajectories and Industrial Models of the Worlds Automobile Producers. Oxford: Oxford University. Gallie, D. (1998). Restructuring the Employment Relationship. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hanada, M. (1989). Management themes in the age of globalisation. Management Japan 20, 19-26. Henderson, G. (1996). Human Relations Issues in Management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Honda Motor Co. Ltd (2005). Available at [www.honda.com]. Accessed on [05/05/2005]. Keeley, T.D. (2001). International Human Resource Management in Japanese Firms: Their Greatest Challenge. New York: Palgrave. Kiggundu, M.N. (2002). Managing Globalization in Developing Countries and Transition Economies: Building Capacities for a Changing World. Westport, CT: Praeger. Klein, J.G., Ettenson, R.E. and Morris, M. (1998). The Animosity Model Foreign Product Purchase: An Empirical Test in the Peoples Republic of China. Journal of Marketing, 62(1): 89-100. Laurent, A. (1986). The Cross-Cultural Pussle of International Human Resource Management. Human Resource Management, 25: 91-102. Lipiec, J. (2001). Human Resources Management Perspective at the Turn of the Century. Public Personnel Management, Vol. 30. Mair, A. (1994). Hondas Global Flexifactory Network. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 14(3): 6-23. Morgan, P.V. (1986). International Human Resource Management: Fact or Fiction. Personnel Administrator, 31(9): 43-47. Nevis, E. DiBella, A. Gould, J. (1995). Understanding Organisations as Learning Systems. Sloan-Management Review, 73-85. Nonaka, I. Takeuchi, H. (1995). The Knowledge-Creating Company. New York: Oxford University Press. Rainey, H.G., Steinbauer, P. (1999). Galloping Elephants: Developing Elements of a Theory of Effective Government Organisations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 9: 1-32. Ragins, B.R. (1997). Diversified mentoring relationships in organisations: A Power Perspective. Academy of Management Review, 22: 482-521. Rosenhead, J. (1996). Whats the problem? An introduction to problem Structuring methods. Interfaces 26:117-131. Schneider, B. (1983). Inter-actional Psychology and Organizational Behavior. In L.L. Cummings and B.M. Slaw (Editions) Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 5, pp. 1-31. Selmer, J. (2001). The Preference for Pre-departure or Post-arrival Cross-Cultural Training: An Exploratory Approach. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16(1): 50-58. Sims, R (2002). Organisational Success through Effective Human Resources Management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Tung, R.L. (1998). American expatriates abroad: from neophytes to cosmopolitans. Journal of World Business, 33(2): 124-45. Ulrich, D. (1998). Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and Delivering Results. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press, p.88. Williams, L.C. (1995). Human Resources in a Changing Society: Balancing Compliance and Development. Westport, CT.: Quorum Books. Zammuto, R. OConnor, E. (1992). Gaining advanced manufacturing technologies benefits: the role of organizational design and culture. Academy of Management Review, 17: 701-28. Appendix Appendix 1 Total Number of Employees of Honda Motor Co. Ltd As of March 31, 2003 Total Motorcycle Business Automobile Business Financial Service Other Business 126,900 24,100 92,100 1,700 9,000 Appendix 2 Organizational Structure of Honda (Based in Pakistan)