Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Mountain West Health Plan Case Analysis Essay

PROBLEM STATEMENT a. FACTS OF THE CASE: Mountain West Health Plans, Inc. – Denver-based health insurance company Martin Quinn – Senior Vice-President for Service and Operations Evelyn Gustafson – Former and retired Director of Mountain West Customer Service Department. Her motto â€Å"always put yourself in the subscriber’s shoes†. In her time, there were only 10% turnover rates in the department compared to the typical 25% to 45% rate for customer service representative. She firmly resisted all attempts to increase efficiency and lower cost in the department where salaries accounted for close to 70% of the budget. Erik Rasmussen – newly hired Director of Customer Service, the replacement of Ms. Evelyn. He is a young man in his late twenties with a shiny new bachelor’s degree in business administration. The management tasked him to bring down the cost on the department. Under Mr. Erick, the company, for the first time measured the representatives’ performance and used software that generated automated work schedules based on historical information and projected need. Also, the company cut back on training. The department cost was finally heading downward, though department morale was downward, with the current turnover rate climbing at 30%. Also receiving more complaints from subscribers of inaccurate information from inexperienced or representative who sounded rushed. b. KEY PROBLEMS How Mr. Quinn will address the issue of low morale among the employees in the customer service department and its high turnover rate, while keeping and meeting the goal of the company to increase efficiency and lower the cost incurred in the department? KEY OBJECTIVES To meet the company goal to increase the efficiency of the customer service department and lower its cost. To uphold the morale of the employees and to reduce turnover rate from 30% to 10%. ANALYSIS OF CAUSES A. Analyzing the leadership and management style of Ms. Evelyn and Mr. Erik, including their strengths and weakness, and their source of influence: MS. EVELYN GUSTAFSON MR. ERIK RASMUSSEN Behavioral Approach People Oriented – attention to people Task Oriented – attention to task Leadership Grid Country Club Management – Thoughtful attention to the needs of people for satisfying relationships leads to a comfortable, friendly organization atmosphere and work tempo Authority-Compliance Management – Efficiency in operations results from arranging conditions of work in such a way that human elements interfere to a minimum degree. Strength Consideration and motivation of the needs of her subordinates, a happy work environment as a result of her good interpersonal relationship. Valued the interest and personal development of her subordinates. Focus on productivity and efficiency in the accomplishment of organizational goals. Weakness Uncontrolled cost in her department result of excessive flexibility and too much focus on employees’ personal concern. Inability to analyze the internal culture, less concern of his subordinates’ personal development, interest and needs. Source of influence Legitimate power – authority granted from a formal management position in the organization. Reward power – stems from the authority to bestow reward on other people. Referent power – comes from an individual’s personal characteristics that command others’ identification, respect and admiration. Legitimate power and Coercive power – refers to authority to punish or recommend, and the opposite of reward power. Leadership of Ms. Evelyn – She is focus on people, highly concerned on the needs and interest of her people. She believes that when people are happy, contented and comfortable they will work hard to accomplish the organization goals. She sees that it is easy to gain the support of people, when its leaders fosters respect and  fair treatment, considers their needs and interest, and shows trust in them. Source of influence – From the authority of being a manager, she has access on giving rewards e.g., flexible scheduling, fr equent breaks, offering plenty of trainings opportunities. She used this to gain influence on her people. Leadership of Mr. Erik – He is more concerned on the accomplishment of goals rather than people. He believes that employee’s needs plays secondary to the need of effective and efficient work places. His type of leadership views that â€Å"employees are only tools in accomplishing task†. Source of influence – from the legitimate power given to him by management, he ensure to get things done, and with the achievement he got support from the top management. B. It is also important to note the Style of Followership of the subordinates of these bosses, to further analyze the existing concern of the department. The employees in the customer service department could be describe as: a. Dependent uncritical thinker – does not consider possibilities beyond what he or she is told, does not contribute to the cultivation of the organization, and accepts the supervisor’s ideas without thinking. DEVELOPMENT AND SELECTION OF ALTERNATIVES (ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES) ALTERNATIVES ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES To recommend Mr. Erik to a particular leadership training that would develop his leadership skills. He will be more effective leader as he develops an interactive leadership style. Measurement is reduction of turnover rate in his department. It would somehow take time, as leadership style cannot be acquired overnight. To give Mr. Erik another task to accomplish: to promote strategies that would increase efficiency and effectiveness of his people and at the same time minimize turnover rate. Being a task oriented leader, Mr. Erik will ensure  that he will accomplish this task, which will make him realize that he would attain it by being concern on the interest and needs of his people. If Mr. Erik will take it another way around, he might insist on his authority to accomplish the new task. Job Enrichment – giving employees control on the resources in performing their tasks, give them elbow room on how they will accomplish their task, give them opportunity to grow, and give them a set period to accomplish it. Employees would have greater sense of responsibility with their involvement and commitment on the task. Increase motivation Contributes high morale Low turnover High performance Management may lose control on employees RECOMMENDATIONS/CONCLUSION: Recommending combination of alternative 1 and alternative number 3 – Job Enrichment, this alternative would be more effective, than the existing statistical standards that emphasized speed, recording the customer service calls, using of software to generate automated work schedules. This will promote high morale, as you will be considering people big part and contributor in the accomplishment of task and not as a â€Å"tool† only. While at the same time, Mr. Erik undergoing a leadership training to enhance his people skills, being young, he is more focus on promoting himself as achiever. It is but typical to young professional, but as he goes along, he will start to develop his leadership style with balanced skills on both people and task. WORKPLACE APPLICATION In my company, I observed different styles of leadership. The most prominent in my heart, is the leadership style of my immediate boss. She is woman, her immediate subordinates are both male, I agree on the women rated higher almost in all aspect in leadership ability as shown in Gender differences in  leadership behaviors. I also described her as follows with the following situations that she exhibits as a leader: Servant Leader – she fosters selflessness to serve both people and organization. Her personal vision â€Å"to have one million employees†, she even gave away to her people some precious personal things e.g., cellphone, bags, shoes, clothes. Authentic Leader – she demonstrate high level of passion and commitment, leads with her heart, have compassion for others, have the courage to make difficult decision, she loves to be surrounded by good people and contribute to their growth. She is never after on any merit or credit, she preferred it be given to her people. She always treats trainings and development of her people as investment. She sends me here as full scholar.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Lethal Alleles

The physics concepts that were illustrated in our egg drop project were momentum and energy. In the project, we saw how momentum increases as a normal egg without anything to slow it down would crack. That was because the longer that the egg fell, the more momentum the egg gains. We also saw that by adding resistance during the fall, such as a plastic bag â€Å"parachute†, would slow down the egg enough so that It would not crack when It reached Impact with the ground.The other concept that was discussed was energy. We saw that before the egg Is dropped, It has a potential energy. The potential energy Is the amount of energy that can turn Into hysterical kinetic energy, which can be expended when the egg falls to the ground. The energy can leave the objects from the Impact of the fall (deformation of the object), sound waves, the Impact It has on the floor, or In the surroundings of the egg.In order for a project to be successful, the project would have to have parts that woul d help slow the energy that would surely break the egg without a protective barrier. If I were to do this project again, I would probably add more sponges tot the Inside sides of the construction paper basket and add little pen springs on the bottom of he basket. I would add more side sponges because when we did the actual dropping of the egg, I noticed that the whole basket fell to its side when it reached the ground.By adding more sponge, this would add more cushion to absorb the kinetic energy. I would add the little pen springs on the bottom of the basket so that the whole basket's impact could be absorbed, not only the egg being protected, but also the sponges. By adding these modifications, the egg may be able to withstand an even higher fall than a two story drop because of the extra cushions that would be able to absorb the energy.

Why is Dai Williams working to build a Japanese Restaurant?

In this essay I am going to examine the reasons why Dai Williams has been working to build a Japanese restaurant. I am going to discuss in detail the decline of the coal industry, the location of the Sony factory and what services the Japanese brought with them for their benefits. Before Dai Williams started work on the Japanese Restaurant, he was a miner in the local coal mines. These coal mines were located in South Wales, Bridgend, and due to the decline Dai Williams along with many other people became unemployed. Location of the coal mines The decline of the coal industry was mainly due to the increase in Petroleum and Natural Gas, but another cause was the World War 2. During 1939 – 1945 the coal industry went down as men were sent to go and fight. In 1955 the demand for the coal industry never picked up again; and soon the requirements went extremely down. WW2 Begins WW2 ends Coal was also cheaper to import from abroad, so during the mid 1980s there was competition between Welsh mines and foreign importers. This meant that it was harder for the welsh mines to sell their coal. Soon after oil-fired stations were opened to supply power instead of coal mines. Most of the population was very skilled in mining and due to the decrease there was a mass of unemployment. The Bridgend Sony Factory was opened in 1973 and created hundreds of jobs; people were brought from Japan and people were employed from South Wales, this was good as there was a mass group of employment in Wales at that time of the decline in coal industry. The Sony factory was located in Bridgend; this was a good location as the M4 had just been built which connected South Wales to the Capital of England, London and many other big cities. This made it easier for Sony to sell their products as they could travel to all the big cities and people would also come to South Wales and buy there products. It was also near a port which made it easier and cheaper for Sony to import and export goods abroad. There was also a big demand for colour TVs in the UK and abroad which gave Sony huge advantages and profits. Sony then brought another site in Pencoed; this again created more jobs and again was to be found in a perfect location which was next to the M4 motorway and near a port. Location of the New Sony Factory Location of the Sony Factory. Many Japanese families settled into the area of Bridgend. People like Megan Jones benefited from the Sony factory. Megan Jones was employed to start working as a remote control assembler at the remote control factory; this benefited her as she was introduced to a new culture and even liked the Japanese food. To accommodate the needs of the Japanese, they brought along the services they enjoy in Japan, such as food and sport. A golf course was opened for the owner of Sony, which is Mr Ishiguru. This is a very common sport in Japan and when was brought to the UK, local people also started to engage themselves in this sport. Mrs Ishiguru also opened up a food co-operative which distributes Japanese food to the local community. This again attracts the local people to the Japanese culture. In conclusion to all this I think that Dai Williams is looking to build a Japanese culture because of the vast amount of Japanese families who have come over to Wales. It helps them adapt to this environment and helps the Wales population adapt to the Japanese. I think that in the future there will be an increase in coal again as other resources may start to decrease and run out.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Identify, explain and evaluate any problems you can foresee upon the Case Study

Identify, explain and evaluate any problems you can foresee upon the death, disability or retirement of Jessica - Case Study Example In the case of retirement, obviously if she had secured a permanent job. Walter will most likely switch to a better paying job, in order to cushion the family from any event that might have affected Jessica. Or based on his assumption of a current employment, he will ask for a salary increase. Their house, based on their current valuation indicates that it appreciates at approximately $9000 each year. If she is to retire at the age of 60 and the rate of inflation stayed fixed, it will be valued at $478000.Within this time, their 15-year mortgage plan will have been fully cleared. Other joint investments will with BMO, will stay the same, while one of the cars, preferably Jessica’s, and will be sold off to keep family finances afloat. The expenses will be borne heavily by Walter, since Jessica will have less to deduct from. The insurance premiums and other deductions will likely continue especially the monthly taxes as well as household needs. Whether the weight will be borne by the two entirely depends on the presence and ability of Jessica. In case of death, her tax deductions as well as her car benefits will be cut short, while the weight will shift to Walter, who is likely to start cutting down on the expense. The will they made, even though not up to date, encompasses what makes up their life. As a result, it will come into operation in the case of her death, with Walter and the kids taking full shares in the marital property. In such a situation, Walter is likely to revise the will and entitle the kids to full administration of estate in case of his unavailability too. Assuming Jessica too plans to retire at 60 and things remain the same, she won’t be entitled to any benefits, since she is not in any pension plan. In case of her demise, the spousal plan currently being paid for her by her husband will stop. The available group health insurance policy will cover Jessica, unless she is dead. The

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The Royal Prerogative is a feature of the UK Constitution in need of Essay

The Royal Prerogative is a feature of the UK Constitution in need of radical reform - Essay Example Analysis The exercise of the royal prerogative powers has been curtailed. These days, there has been clear demarcation of powers that has been have been delegated to both the prime minister and the crown, though much of these powers are exercisable by the prime minster. However, leaving bit of these powers in the hands of the crown has little or no effect, to such an extent that it does not make sense having these powers vested in the crown1. It is important for the people of the United Kingdom to realize that times have changed, and circumstances are different. The needs that led to bestowing such powers to the crown have now become non-existent. This leaves the royalty as a toothless bulldog that can no longer bite. In order for the United Kingdom to fully deliberate itself from the shackles of history, the royalty’s expansive powers should be fully relegated to parliament and only act as a ceremonial organ2. The monarch’s constitutional presence should no longer be a reason for debate among the intellectuals. The independence of the judiciary is achieved by ensuring that the judiciary does not act as a mouth piece of the executive. In the past, the exercise of such powers has failed to reflect the wishes of the larger interest of the people of United Kingdom, rather has been used as a tool for the monarchy to meet its personal ends3. The judiciary, on the other hand was ripped off its independences it could not question the exercise of such powers of the royalty. These tainted and undermined the performance of the judiciary. Thus, the judiciary should be guaranteed protection from the crown in order to be act without fear or favour4. The power to deal in matters of foreign affairs should be retrieved from the hands of the crown and be left with the legislature , who are in a better position to enact laws that protects the sovereignty of the united kingdom and its people and to also promote the good neighbourliness with other countries. It also advocates for better and efficient interdependence, in cases where the countries involved come in to form a major economic block5. Historically, the legislature was also at the hands of the crown and has not fully barred the monarch from exercising these powers as she still has the sole mandate to appoint the prime minster6. This greatly affects the powers and functions of the prime minster, as he or she has to act in bias, of the crown who appointed him. The prime minister then becomes a puppet for the monarch to act according to the whims of the monarch. The result is that the entire legislature is tailored to meet the desires of the crown at the expense of the interest of the citizens of the United Kingdom7. The legislature should therefore be freed from the chains of the crown, and equipping it through laws, to be able to run its affairs and make its appointment without any interference from the monarch. The bills that also come before parliament will be focusing on the larger i nterest of the people of the United Kingdom rather than a smaller minority which is the crown8. The ancient practice invoking the United Kingdom to be ruled according to divine rights of kings has caused the United Kingdom to lag behind from attaining democracy for its people. The prerogative power of the monarch has often been

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Understanding Religious Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Understanding Religious Diversity - Essay Example Considering a person as even a part of Allah’s qualities for worship is forbidden. Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S.A.A.W) is a man and last prophet of the only god Allah. In Christian religion there are mainly three figure possessing divine powers as god has; Holy mother referred as Maryam (A.S) in Islam, Jesus the son of god is referred as messenger like Muhammad (S.A.A.W) and a simple human being with a blessed soul given by Allah; third figure is god itself. Synonym to god in Islam is Allah. There are only two physical worships or you can say rituals mainly performed by every Muslim all over the world. One is praying to Allah in the same way as Messenger of Allah (S.A.A.W) did. Other is fasting. Fasting is not a unique phenomenon as Jews and Christians are also familiar to fasting. I perform both worships as it is obligatory for every Muslim to perform them. Another ritual called Jihad has two types; one the fight of man within itself against personal fears and evil deeds. Other one is Jihad with sword or weapon; Jihad of person with itself is given more importance than others. Jihad with sword is only an obligation to Muslims when they are attacked by foreign power or fight with them on the basis of religion. Also it is only allowed when given permission by ruler of Muslim country or permission from wife and mother. Terrorists that are propagated as Islamic fighters over the media are not Muslims. The oneness of god and limited obligations to man makes in my opinion more satisfied and brave in character; also Islam provides guidance in every aspect of life from personal to society figure of it. Modern phenomenon as organizational behaviors, business ethics, family and child care and war ethics that are introduced into modern world were taught by Islam 1400 years ago. These are enough proofs to believe in truthfulness of Islam and are the main motivation

Friday, July 26, 2019

MGT WK5 GROUP ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGT WK5 GROUP ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Visionary and proactive. Empathy. Integrity. Risk taking. Creativity Goal oriented. Similarly, the above characteristics will facilitate heir ability to maintain personal relationship with employees and delegation of responsibilities therefore building ateam.Agood leader should be goal oriented and should be at apposition to exhibit emotional maturity meaning emotional intelligence. The most common control mechanism is employee incentive and remuneration. It is found to be common since it s applied by most business organizations. Employee incentive entails; respect, recognition, responsibility, empowerment, social needs and salaries and remuneration (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Leading is a function of management which requires a leader to encourage employees to be highly productive and innovative. In its relation to control management, it affects the leading function of management in that it allows management to encourage employees to share their values and beliefs of the business. Lead ing works hand in hand with employee incentives in many ways and even by recognizing motivation theory and management which includes; basic needs, social needs, safety and security, esteem needs and finally self actualization. Control recognizes the fact that employees should be rewarded for their hard work and efforts (Bateman & Snell, 2009). ... els of absenteeism (d) Increased job satisfaction (e) Create confidence among employees (f) Reduces human resources costs and production costs (g) Reduces complains and grievances In relation to basic needs, effective control provides employees with reasonable pay so that they can afford some basic needs. The manager can also provide lunch if possible to employees. It ensures of employees job security and offers management to increase productivity, encourage innovation, values and beliefs of company. When utilized properly by companies as in our case, B Company, the employee incentives are found to be positive control mechanism. According to Bateman &Snell (2009), incentive programs are used to control productivity of employees through encouragement and rewards. In the case study of B&BCompany, it offers several rewards to its employees including health insurance, vacations, wellness programs and retirement benefits. It also provides stress management and opportunities for further tr aining and education. These incentives provide satisfaction while allowing management to apply control over human capital. B&B Company as any other organization recognizes its employees as one it’s major assets. Therefore they are safeguarded as well. On the other hand policies re installed by the management of this company to ensure that employees are protected rumors or informal communication which might be misleading. Room for informal groupings is also allowed in this company. Effective control recognizes efforts of employees, providing employees with titles and promoting the accordingly. It also provides for achievement of plans and should ensure that employees’ ego aren’t damaged. Control mechanism should provide for opportunities for self development. That is allowing employees

Thursday, July 25, 2019

The Vision Failed Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Vision Failed - Case Study Example In HTE case, Mr. Barelli did manage to create a vision statement of 2 pages and get it pasted at every nook and corner of the building. But he failed to relate that transformational management needs a lot of input from the employees. His failure to realize the importance of the low line managers and executives and their involvement in taking his vision for the company ahead made his vision fail badly. If I were to advice as a member of board of directors, I would have voted against it. There are many reasons of this reaction. (Northhouse,2003) First and the foremost reason is that if a company's success is dependent majorly on the unity of its workers and good relations between the management and employees, you need to keep that strength with you. Secondly, if you want to change the vision and direction of your firm, you need to discuss this not only with the top line management, but the low line management and executives are also to be involved in this case. Thirdly, one must make the other stakeholders understand his point of view before taking such steps. So if I were to advice on this topic, I would have voted against Mr. Barelli's transformational leadership. Mr. Barelli though that he had a very clear image of the vision of HTE in his eyes, but this was not the case. He was sadly mistaken. May be he was clear about the goals he had in mind with regard to this organization; he was surely unaware of the best methods to implement such changes. The vision was to create a very democratic environment. The description of the case indicates the culture prevailing in HTE at that time was already quite democratic. There was not that alarming need of converting it to something new where none of the employees were able to understand the changes, and the motives behind those changes. The implementation of the transformational plan was for sure very weak. Most of the cultural and social factors were not taken care of. The vision highlighted a democratic kind of environment where Mr. Barelli rarely used to get into a dialogue. He preferred monologues, one sided orders better than that. This clash of personality and vision resulted in poor implementations and confusions creation after four years of his management. (Hesselbein and Goldsmith, 2006) Answer 3: Mr. Barelli had immense knowledge of the aircraft industry. The vision he crafted for HTE was really attractive if we look at the wordings and the way it was drafted. But the worst thing about Mr. Barelli's management was that it damaged the social fabric of this organization. The organization was known for very effective and impressive relationships between employees and the owners, but his poor implementation of the plan changed everything for him and the organization. He tried to change things. Things changed for the worst. (Beyerlein, McGee, Klien, Nemiro and Broedling, 2003). His managerial skills resulted in a damaged social fabric of an organization that had this strength of its social fabric as it's most important success factors. Answer 4: If Mr. Barelli returns as president of this firm, I would advice him to first of all make the vision clear to him. Once he understand it fully in the form of what exists and what he is looking for, the next step is to take into consideration all those who are involved and would be effected by this change. Take them in consideration, discuss it out with them, listen to their

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Uprisings in Bahrain and Syria Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Uprisings in Bahrain and Syria - Research Paper Example In both the situations, the dynamics were governed by a history of social discrimination, strong internal sectarian divide and involvement of external geopolitical forces. However, it is interesting to note the varying roles played and the different positions taken by these external geopolitical forces in both these events of great significance to the region. The Bahrain uprising, also popularly known as the 14 February Revolution, was aimed at securing greater political, social and economic reforms in Bahrain. The protesters organized themselves using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and claimed to have no specific religious or political affiliations. The protests were supposed to be non-violent. The main demands included disbanding of incumbent National Assembly, a new constitution modeling Bahrain as a constitutional monarchy ruled by the Khalifa family and formation of a commission to investigate and revoke the politically motivated naturalization of aliens (Bassiouni, Rodley and Al-Awadhi 75). The protests started of small and grew in strength with major showing on February 14 in different parts of the country. However, in attempts to manage the crowds the law enforcement agencies resorted to aerial shooting in which at least two lives were lost. This resulted in further escalation of tension and protestors occupying the Pearl roundabout in main Manama, the capital city of Bahrain, on February 17. In an attempt to vacate the roundabout the law enforcement caused four more casualties bringing the total to six within the first 72 hours (Bassiouni, Rodley and Al-Awadhi 73). On the same day, a session of foreign secretaries of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed its solidarity with the Bahraini regime in view of the emerging crisis. The following days saw increasing protests and more loss of life. On February 18, an exiled Shiite cleric, Shaikh Hadi Al-madrassi, in a

Capital Structure Evaluation of Sample Firms Essay

Capital Structure Evaluation of Sample Firms - Essay Example Such sustainable growth requires increasing investment in long term assets, which in turn needs to be financed by long term funds. The two conventional long term sources of fund are debt and equity. The proportion of such debt and equity determines the capital structure of the firm. There are benefits and shortcomings of both the funding options. While debt funds are considered to be less costly owing to the interest tax shield that they provide, equity funds are considered to be more expensive owing to its inherent risk profile. Though debt funds reduce an organization's weighted average cost of capital (WACC), such funding increases the risk profile of the organization owing to long term commitments secured by asset collaterals, which could seriously increase the bankruptcy risk of the organization during an economic downturn. The modern thinking on capital structure is primarily based on the seminal work done by Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller. The Modigliani-Miller theorem (1958) states that in an ideal world, the value of a firm is independent of its capital structure. When a firm increases its gearing ratio, the overall risk to the equity holders increase thus increasing the cost of equity, thereby having no net effect on the value of the firm. One important aspect of this theorem is that it ignores the bankruptcy and transaction costs, and assumes information is freely available to all firms. The optimum leveraging point of an organization is, therefore, always a source of debate, and has been subject of various continuously evolving theories and models. Some of these recent theories and classical models are examined and validated by analyzing the capital structures of five organizations (PLCs) from four different industry sectors. The firms chosen are as below. Table 1-1 Company Name Industry Sector TESCO Food manufacturing and products BP Oil, gas and energy Exxon Mobil Oil, gas and energy BHP Billiton Metals and mining British Energy Utilities TESCO is a giant in the food manufacturing sector with an annual turnover of 47.3 billion. TESCO was founded in 1919 in the UK, and has since grown to set up footprints across the world in the Asia, Europe, and the US. It is one of the leading food retailers of the world, and has diversified into petrol retailing. BP is primarily in the business of oil exploration and refining, and operates out of several countries. Its other businesses include alternative energy, and shipping. It has an annual turnover of $361 billion. Exxon Mobil is also in the business of oil exploration/ production, gas, and power. Its downstream business includes oil refining, and marketing of fuel products and lubricating oil. Its annual turnover is $390 billion. BHP Billiton is the world's largest diversified natural resources company with businesses including alumina, aluminum, copper, energy, coal, iron ore, nickel, manganese, oil and gas and uranium, as well as gold, zinc, lead, silver and diamonds. It employs

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Critical Analysis of a Quantative Study Research Paper

Critical Analysis of a Quantative Study - Research Paper Example When a study is to be conducted, the protection of the human participants or respondents is an issue of primary importance. Essentially, all participants have to be fully aware of their role in the study and what the study is all about. It is important that they are informed of the benefits they can gain from participating in the study as well as the risks that they face. In this particular study by Miyashita, et al. (2006), no particular benefit was provided by the investigators that the respondents stood to gain by participating. The authors also did not provide any risks that the participants face if they agreed to participate in the study. Ideally, the study is supposed to obtain the informed consent of the participants. In this particular study, the respondents were enrolled by the Palliative care units. The respondents were given the freedom to choose on whether not to participate or to participate. It can then be concluded that the study obtained informed consent from the resp ondents. Additionally, the study obtained both scientific and ethical validity from the institutional review boards of hospitals that were participating in the study. With reference to data collection, there are independent and dependent variables. The author identified the variables as follows; the general population and the bereaved family were the dependent variables. The independent variables were the age and sex of the respondents. It is worth noting that the authors failed to overtly demonstrate the significance of obtaining the sex of the respondents as its value to the study was not clearly demonstrated. The authors chose to use questionnaire as the sole means of data collection. The authors did not provide a rationale for choosing to use this method of data collection. It would have beneficial for the authors to state for example why questionnaires were chosen over interviews for data collection. Again, using this method solely as the main method of data collection cast some doubt on the reliability of the data obtained. This is because respondents may give information without understanding the purpose of the study and thereby compromise the accuracy of the data (Creswell, 2008). But, by allowing the respondents to choose whether to respond or not to; they prevented any ethical issues from arising. The questionnaires did not request for any form of information that may be directly associated with any particular individual thereby assuring the respondents their privacy. The authors posted the questionnaires on August 2004 and then October 2004 for those who had failed to reply. The participant was expected to receive the questionnaire sent by mail and fill the information if he is willing to participate in the study. He would then post it back to the investigators. The primary objective of the study was to conceptualise the good death dimensions within the Japanese care center. The study also intended to clarify on the significance of each of the components of good death and explore the factors that influence an individual’s perception of good death. The authors used Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and e xplanatory factor analysis to be able to conceptualize a good death. The factor analysis enabled

Monday, July 22, 2019

Pachelbels Canon Essay Example for Free

Pachelbels Canon Essay In what people consider as classical music, there are different eras of music, two in particular that deserve a closer look are the Baroque Period and the Classical Period. The two different styles, or eras, are very close in what the untrained ear. Listening to the two different eras at first it was difficult hear a distinct difference between the two eras of music. In the Baroque Era music like Bach’s Water Music, Handel’s Messiah and Pachelbel’s Canon are soft rhythmic pieces generally with smaller ensembles of instruments, the focus on strings in the music and was generally written between 1600 and the 1750’s (Differences 2011). In the Classical Era such as Haydn’s String Quartet, Mozart’s Symphony no. 40 and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 the music is a little more chaotic and not as in tune with the other pieces. Classical pieces also tended to be larger orchestras that focused more on the winds and brass, even though strings were still part of the group. The music is generally considered to from 1750’s to the 1820’s (Differences 2011). Two pieces of music that are good to compare from the eras is Pachelbel’s Canon and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Pachelbel’s Canon is a very peaceful, rhythmic and melodic piece of music that is soothing to ear and is escape music, it has the power to take the listener and transport, or escape them from where they are at. Canon has been used in advertisements as well as a wedding song, which is what is most known for this day is as a processional piece of music. Beethoven’s Fifth is another popular and well known piece, Beethoven uses the whole orchestra and the piece rises and lowers throughout the piece in its different movements. Pachelbel’s Canon is more of a peaceful piece; this piece is more violent and chaotic. Beethoven has described the opening notes, some describe as s-s-s-L, as â€Å"Fate knocking on your door† (Beethovens 5th). The piece is instense and from the beginning there is a sense of intensity and drama that carries throughout the piece. The two subject pieces are hard to relate to today’s music other then Pachelbel’s Canon is more of a love song, or perhaps a comparison to Enya in that in melodic and peaceful. Beethoven’s Fifth is more of your Hard Rock, or a Rap song that is intense and as a story to tell in the piece.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

BIMSTEC and BCIM Initiatives their Importance for India

BIMSTEC and BCIM Initiatives their Importance for India Background The emergence of regional economic cooperation among neighbouring countries is becoming a dominant feature of world economy. It means that globalisation has been escorted by regionalisation within different geographic regions of the world. It encouraged different countries and regions of the world specifically the countries of South-East Asia and North-East Asia to create collaborative ties with India. It results the formation of some sub-regional groupings which involves India as a member country. In June 1997, a new sub-regional group called Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand – Economic Cooperation (BIST-EC) was established.The grouping expanded withthe addition of Myanmar in August 1997, and of Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004, after that it came to be known as Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The aim behind the formation of BIMSTEC was to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development, accelerate social progress in the sub-region and maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations. BIMSTEC was initiated with the goal to combine the Look West policy of Thailand and ASEAN with the Look East policy of India and South Asia. Initiated in 1991, India’s Look East Policy marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. This forum has identified 14 areas for focused cooperation where a member country takes lead: India is the lead country for Transport and Communication, Tourism, Environment and Natural Disaster Management and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime. Bangladesh is for Trade and Investment. Myanmar is for Energy and Agriculture. Sri Lanka is for Technology. Thailand is for Fisheries, People to People contact and Public Health. Nepal is for Poverty Alleviation. Bhutan is for Culture.It is thus evident that the BIMSTECs agenda for cooperation is quite elaborate and comprehensive. The Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) forum for regional cooperation, earlier known as the Kunming Initiative, is a Track II[1]initiative, which came into existence in 1999 and comprisesBangladesh, China, India and Myanmar. It advocates sub-regional cooperation on infrastructure development, enhancing economic integration and people-to-people contact by the member countries. This sub-region comprises of Bangladesh, Myanmar, North eastern states of India and southern provinces of China.The BCIM is conceptualised on the basis of Growth Zones, which involves cooperation between 3 or more member countries for the development of a geographically contiguous region comprising of a part or the whole of each of the participating nations. Growth zones facilitate pooling of resources, opportunity to blend cooperation in trade, investment, transport and communication in a planned way. Importance and Potential of BIMSTEC and BCIM India had closure ties and links with the BIMSTEC member countries, with the signing of BIMSTEC agreement India got an opportunity to revive its past links with its old partners. In the speech at the Second BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi, the then Prime Minister of India stated that the 21st century belongs to Asia and Asia will be the engine of the world economic growth. BIMSTEC is an important part of the wider Asian community. It has the potential of playing a vital role in the Asian communityof nations linked by effective road, rail, air and shipping services across which there would be free movement of people, capital,ideas and goods[2]. BIMSTEC fosters socio-economic link between South Asia and Southeast Asia bringing together 1.3 billion people accounting for 21 percent of the world population, and a combined GDP of US$750 billion[3]. BIMSTEC could be Indias gateway to forging an association with ASEAN through collaborations with Myanmar and Thailand. Additionally, it is an opportunity to create a grouping that excludes Pakistan and would also contribute to enhancing Indias focus on balancing its interests to protect its strategic position in the region. Through a bilateral association with Myanmar, Indias North East region can be integrated into the overall growth and development strategy. Table: 1 Share of India’s Export to BIMSTEC (in %) BIMSTEC 2006 2012 Growth Rate (%) Bangladesh 26.74 31.87 5.13 Sri Lanka 33.75 24.62 -9.13 Thailand 21.66 22.30 0.64 Nepal 14.84 16.70 1.86 Myanmar 1.99 3.40 1.41 Bhutan 1.02 1.10 0.08 India’s export to BIMSTEC (US$ Billion) 6.2 15.5 Indias export to world (US$ Billion) 121.2 290 BIMSTEC share in total Indias export 5.15 5.35 0.20 Source: ITC Trade Map (May 2014) Author’s Calculation India’s export to world has increased by 2.4 times during the period 2006 to 2012. During the aforementioned period India’s export to BIMSTEC member countries has increased by 2.5 times. As revealed in Table 1, India’s export to BIMSTEC member countries has increased, excluding Sri Lanka. With respect to the size of the economy, total export of India to BIMSTEC members is reckoned to be rather very low. Though India’s export to BIMSTEC countries has increased by 2.5 times but BIMSTEC percentage share in India’s export has not increased proportionately. During 2006 to 2012 it has increased marginally by 0.20 per cent. Table: 2 Percentage share of BIMSTEC export in 2011 Bangladesh Bhutan India Myanmar Nepal Sri Lanka Thailand BIMSTEC Bangladesh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Bhutan 0.56 5 0 0.06 0 0 1 India 72.15 91 14 97.46 90 97 55 Myanmar .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Nepal 0.55 1 9 0 0 0 3 Sri Lanka 0.98 0 8 0 0.02 3 3 Thailand 25.75 8 78 86 2.45 10 39 Source: ITC Trade Map (May 2014)Author’s Calculation *(..) Country has not reported to ITC for this year Table 2 shows the country-wise share of intra-BIMSTEC trade as a percentage of their total trade in 2011. Among BIMSTEC member countries, India’s export to Nepal (97.46 per cent) is highest and to Myanmar is lowest (14 per cent) in 2011, as revealed in Table 2. India’s import from BIMTEC member countries is less than 10 per cent, except Thailand (78 per cent). A wider look at the bilateral trade share from the table reveals that India and Thailand are the main destinations of trade for other member countries. Even though the intra-BIMSTEC trade share of these two countries are very low. This shows that large amount of trade potential is unexplored in this region. BCIM covers a total area of 13.7 million sq. km- accounting for 9 per cent of world area, total population of about 2635 million- accounting for 40 per cent of the world population, and a combined GDP of US$ 3485 billion- accounting for 7.3 per cent of the total GDP of the world[4].BCIM is a good platform for a country like India to play a more active role in sub-regional grouping, thereby linking the twin objectives of developing India’s isolated and relatively backward north east region and consolidating Indias role as a significant and purposeful player in Asian regional initiatives. The BCIM initiative has the potential to unlock the vast opportunity for growth and development in the region.After the first inter-governmental meetingin Yunan (China), Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) was put on fast track basis.Combining the advantages of the two largest emerging economies of India and China with the rich natural and human resources possessed by Bangladesh and Myanmar, this economic corridor (EC) will enable the member countries to accelerate economic growth and greater access and connectivity with the global market. The BCIM-EC will also enable the member countries to foster closer ties on issues of common interests and develop strategies for regional development. This would lead to better understanding and mutual trust, and promote stability, prosperity and peace for the region. Once this EC is established, it will combine China-ASEAN Free Trade Area[5], ASEAN Free Trade Area and ASEAN-India Free Trade Area[6]. This would result in the creation of the largest FTA in the world and will also contribute to the free flow of goods, services and people thus serving as a gateway for greater cooperation between the Pacific and Indian Ocean.In fact, BCIM-EC is designed to translate advantages ofgeographical proximity, political relations and economic complementarity into strengths of practical cooperation and sustained growth, with the aim of achieving mutual benefit and common development. India’s export to world has increased by 2.4 times during the period 2006 to 2012. During the aforementioned period India’s export to BCIM member countries has increased by 2.1 times. As revealed in Table 3, India’s export to BCIM member countries has increased, excluding China. Though India’s export to BCIM countries has increased by 2.1 times but BCIM percentage share in India’s export has decreased by 0.96 per cent. Table: 3 Share of India’s Export to BCIM (in %) BCIM 2006 2012 Growth Rate (%) China 81.38 72.94 -8.43 Bangladesh 17.33 24.45 7.11 Myanmar 1.29 2.61 1.32 India’s export to BCIM (US$ Billion) 9.6 20.2 Indias export to world (US$ Thousand) 121.2 290 BCIM share in total India’s export 7.94 6.97 -0.96 Source: ITC Trade Map (May 2014)Author’s Calculation Issues and Challenges of BIMSTEC and BCIM China has shown interest in joining the BIMSTEC and some discussions have also taken place on merging the BCIM and BIMSTEC. If this happen, it would be a blow to India, as China is likely to dominate the regional sub-grouping and take away Indias central role. Not only this, the objectives are at a variance, while BIMSTEC aims to create west to east connectivity, the BCIM is about forging North-South connectivity. This could create an atmosphere of geopolitical competitiveness among the two countries. Though India has given a nod for BCIM-EC but it seemsunlikely that it would be realized in an early timeframe in any meaningful manner. The fact of the matter is, theBCIM-EC throws up a lot of security apprehensions for India which might hinder the progress of this initiative. These concerns are borne about insurgency in the North East India and their links with some Chinese elements and also Chinas claim on Arunachal Pradesh. And also the threat of Chinese economic exploitation in the North East India is the basis of Indias hesitation.Unless there is a positive change in the nature of Sino-Indian relations except for hosting some Kolkata to Kunming car rallies and some other peripheral activities the substance in BCIM would remain absent. Substantive issues of BCIM would only receive attention when the geo-politics between both nations move towards a positive resonance. There are some challenges faced by BCIM in the form of tariff and non-tariff barriers, poor trade facilitation measures, lack of custom harmonisation, prevalence of informal tradeandinadequate infrastructure at and beyond the borders resulting in obstacles to cross-border movement of goods.These impediments hike up the cost of doing business in the region, discourage trade-oriented investment and affect the competitiveness of entrepreneurs in the region. These bottlenecks need to be addressed in order to increase intra-regional trade and also strengthen global integration of the region. Energy security is consistently critical for economic development and growth. Energy security of a country is directly related to its economic security. Ensuring energy security remains a discouraging challenge for all the member countries of BIMSTEC. The grouping gives an opportunity to the member countries for joint exploration of untapped energy resources, collaborative investment in energy sector development and cross-border trade and movement in energy sector development within the region.Some member countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar possess large gas reserves and some have untapped potential of hydropower such as Nepal and Bhutan. Whereas, members like India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are major energy importers. Collaboration among them through joint development could result in better use of energy resources, benefiting both producer and consumer countries. Suggestions and Recommendations In order to boost exports to BIMSTEC and BCIM countries, India should try to identify potential product groups which can be pushed into export market, identify major markets which can absorb a country’s potential products, select the right manufacturing export units which can undertake the responsibility of entering the overseas markets, provide adequate improved infrastructure to exporters, bring tariff rates in line with the international level in order to remove any bias against production for exports, allow exporters to borrow from the international markets if rates of interest are higher in the domestic markets, adopt strategic state intervention to promote exports aggressively and create necessary institutions and organizations which aid and promote exports, create special domestic financial facilities in term lending institutions for export related investment, check the domestic consumption of commodities which have great export potential so as to make surpluses availa ble for exports and to make exporters cost and quality conscious. Tourism is another area of great potential through which the member countries could reap benefits through sub-regional cooperation. Tourism is one of the main focus areas of the BIMSTEC and for India it represents another opportunity to extract mileage for its LEP through cooperation with Myanmar to develop North-East Region (NER) as a tourist destination. NER of India is blessed with exotic flora and fauna, natural scenic beauty, unique performing arts and varied cuisine and handicrafts. Tourism in NER has an untapped business potential. Through the expansion of tourism within the region, the member countries would be able to collect more revenue and investment may therefore be increased. BIMSTEC countries by virtue of their strong traditional expertise have overabundance of products which can command high value in international markets if they adhere to quality standards. Among the member countriesThailand is the only country that has developed a sound marketing strategy for these products. This can be carried out in other member countries as well,like, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc. since all of them have a strong handicrafts sector. There is a scope to increase intra-BCIM trade by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, improving infrastructure, increasing investment flow and deepening of trade facilitation. Currently, the BCIM countries are utilising only 40 per cent of their trade potentials. This could increase manifold if necessary infrastructure is developed, ensuring more trade and investment flow in higher volume. Therefore, there is a need to create BCIM fund to remove infrastructure deficits and improve connectivity. There is also a need to introduce faster visa processing for higher intra-regional trade. The success of the BCIM initiative relies heavily on the participating country’s ability and willingness to develop a suitable and reliable infrastructure connectivity to facilitate movement of goods and services.In the context of the current state of play, BCIM remains one of the least connected regions in the world.The BCIM members should focus onimproving the state of connectivity within the region, and mobilising therequired resources to build the necessary infrastructure. This must be seen in the context of a long term development strategy which will have greater outreach in enhancing the economic integration in the region. Conclusion It can be concluded with the above discussion that the success of BIMSTEC and BCIM sub-regional groupings will surely contribute to improve the position of India in the current global era and particularly to the progress of North-east region of India as well as its LEP.Definitely these regional groupingswill help to India for making closer link with its proximate and immediate neighbours, to increase economic integration with Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, to address security concerns of NER and the development of its untouched potential. Stronger bilateral relations between India- BIMSTEC and India-BCIM would be helpful to make Asia as more stable and prosperous region of the world. The proper implementation of these sub-regional groupings would also be helpful to control informal trade between their member countries. References Banik, N. (2007), â€Å"The BIMSTEC FTA and Its Relevance†,Centre for Studies in International Relations and Development (CSIRD), Discussion Paper (DP),36. Bhatia, R. K. (2013), â€Å"BCIM Economic Corridor†, New Delhi, India Haokip, T., â€Å"India’s Look East Policy: Prospects and Challenges for Northeast India†. Hossain, S. M. (2013), â€Å"Impacts of BIMSTEC Free Trade Area: A CGE Analysis†, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development Vol.4, No.13. Nag, B., De, D. (2007), â€Å"Asian Integration Process and BIMSTEC†, Centre for Studies in International Relations and Development (CSIRD) Discussion Paper (DP), 35. Policy brief, (2004), â€Å"Future Directions of BIMST-EC: Towards A Bay of Bengal Economic Community (BoBEC)†, #12 RIS, India. Rahman, M. (2014), â€Å"BCIM Economic Corridor: An emerging Opportunity†, The Daily Star Pg 52, Col 1-B. Rahman, M. M. (2011), â€Å"Trade and Investment Potential among BCIM Countries: Prospects for a Dynamic Growth Quadrangle†. Rahman, M., Rahman, H., W. B. Shadat (2007), â€Å"BCIM Economic Cooperation: Prospects and Challenges†, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh. Rahman, T. M. M. A. Amin, (2009), â€Å"Prospects of economic cooperation in the Bangladesh,China, India and Myanmar region:A quantitative assessment†, ARTNet. Saxena, S., Bhadauriya, S. (2012), â€Å"India and BIMSTEC: An Analysis of India’s Trade Performance Prospects†, Business Analyst: A Refereed Journal of Shri Ram College of Commerce,33(1), 103-114. Singh, L. S. (2010), â€Å"Northeast India in BIMSTEC: The Myanmarese Factor†. Uberoi, P. â€Å"The BCIM Forum: Retrospect and Prospect† 1 [1]Track-II initiatives are initiatives taken by the non-government section, whereas initiatives taken by the government section are known as Track-I Initiatives [2]Manmohan Singh,PMs Opening Remarks at the Second BIMSTEC Summit, Prime Minister’s Office, Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 13 November 2008, available athttp://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=44790 [3]RIS Policy Briefs #12, â€Å"Future Directions of BIMST-EC: Towards A Bay of Bengal Economic Community (BoBEC)† [4]Rahman, M., Rahman, H., W. B. Shadat (2007), â€Å"BCIM Economic Cooperation: Prospects and Challenges†, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh. [5]The leaders of both China and ASEAN Member (AMS) signed the Framework Agreement on China-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the sixth China-ASEAN Summit in November 2002. In November 2004, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of AMS witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Goods of the China-ASEAN FTA which entered into force in July 2005. In January 2007, the two parties signed the Agreement on Trade and Services, which entered into effect in July of the same year. In August 2009, the two parties signed the Agreement on Investment. The establishment of China-ASEAN free trade area enhances the close economic and trade relations between the two parties, and also contributes to the economic development of Asia and the world at large. (http://fta.mofcom.gov.cn/topic/chinaasean.shtml) [6] ASEAN and India signed the framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the 2nd ASEAN-India Summit in 2003. The Framework Agreement envisages the establishment of an ASEAN-India Regional Trade and Investment Area (RTIA) as a long term objective.

System Analysis Report

System Analysis Report Table of Contents Executive Summary System Vision The purpose of this report is to present the proposed system analysis for the client, Click Connect, with the intention of ensuring all stakeholders involved agree on the planned solution. Throughout the project the analysis, development, implementation and testing phases will be conducted using, the industry standard, agile development life cycle. This specifies that changes can be made if required and appropriate. The system analysis report is intended for all the projects major stakeholders: the client, the academic supervisors and the development team. Firstly, this report will highlight the system vision by expanding on the project description, system capabilities and business benefits. The purpose of this initial section is to ensure that all stakeholders involved agree on the expectations and benefits of the system.   Secondly, in this deliverable the system requirements section is used to describe the functionality listed in the system vision and with the use of diagrams allow for all stakeholders to agree on the system requirements. With the use of a functional decomposition diagram the major subsystem for the Click Connect system have been described and all major functions identified. Alongside this a conceptual data model (entity relationship diagram) is presented to assist in explaining the main business processes and their relationships. It is expected that this diagram will change throughout the iterative development process. Following on, an architecture overview is utilised to highlight the current IT system and any proposed constraints. Finally, in the system requirements section a prioritised list of the system build plans has been included. The purpose of this section is to identify and describe the system requirements and constraints on the system. Thirdly, the project organisation section of this report focuses on the system development approach, the team structure, the overall project plan and risk management plan. Ultimately this section will describe how the system develop will be approached with both its iterative and incremental nature in each build. A Gantt chart has been included to list the major tasks that will be carried out and the proposed timetable that will be followed. This chart, as a part of the overall project plan, includes the tasks and activities highlighted in the system overview. Alongside this, the risk management plan outlines current risks and possible impact they would have on the project completion. The intention of this section is to ensure all stakeholders are across the incremental development and risks involved with this project. Finally, in this document a sign off sheet has been provided to ensure that the client has acknowledge the system overview report and to signal acceptance of the scope, content and expectations laid within. In this section if aspects are to be changed they need to be noted and agreed upon. As well an appendix has been included with client interactions and development artefacts. Project Description Client Background Click Connect English for kids Inc. is not for profit organisation that use technology to connect with disadvantaged students from underprivileged backgrounds. Using skype, volunteers connect with their students to achieve both academic success and self-empowerment for their students. Their focus is on enriching the lives of those less fortunate by teaching English and other skills. Click Connect skype lessons are currently taught out of King David School, in Armadale, where volunteers teach English to students from elementary schools in Israel. They are currently connected with two schools however aspire to educate students from across the globe, when the organisation grows. The program has been acknowledge and welcomed by the Israeli Ministry of Education. History Leading up to the Project Click Connects current website was created by volunteer programmer who designed a basic website. The websites current functions allow for visitors to access information about the organisation and how to contact them. The website also allows for individuals to apply to be a volunteer, which is done by filling out an online form, attaching a police check and a working with childrens check. Alongside this the website has an image carousel which displays images highlighting the students and volunteers learning together. The current website has an upcoming events section, where the client can create, read, update and delete. System Modifications Including System needs and Current Problems The current system is simple and does not provide all necessary functionality that the organisation requires. The clients aspires for the organisation to expand over the next few years and they have acknowledges that a more complex system is required. The dream for client is to have the organisation expand regardless of geographic location and ultimately enable volunteers to teach students from around the world. Firstly, the client has requested that the website to be aesthetically enticing to encourage visitor to either volunteer as a teacher or donate to the organisation. Secondly, the website has a video carousel (vimeo) which the client is not entirely happy with. The client is happy to keep the image carousel however they would like it to be presented better and to include more images of education and the students learning. Thirdly, and arguably the most important aspect, the client would like a secure password protected portal for volunteers to log into and access all the information required. The client would like the volunteers to be able to access lesson information prior to starting the skype lessons. Additionally, as mentioned before, all skye lessons calls are currently made from the King David School in Armadale where volunteers log into skype. The client is requesting if there is a way for volunteers to make their skype lesson calls from home (or any geographic location) via the volunteer portal. With this new feature it will be fundamental that the calls can be monitored so the organisation is aware who is calling the students. This aspect will allow for the organisation to grow and allow for volunteers from around the world to teach the students. Next, the client wants to modify their system to include an internal calendar. This calendar will be used to advise dates of important events and post classes per semester. Additionally, the client currently accepts donations by cheque and responds by writing a handwritten thank you letter to the donor. The client has requested that the revamped website has an aspect for visitors to the website to donate to the organisation. The donation of the aspect will ultimately increase the number of donations received due to the usability and efficiency of online donations. System Capabilities Stakeholders Volunteers: those volunteering time to teach students via skype Admin: those individual/s which manage the system Donors: those individuals who donate to the organisation Teachers: external to the organisation, the teachers managing students receiving lessons Students: external to the organisation, those being taught via skype Activities of Stakeholders Volunteers Make skype calls Check lesson plans View internal calendar Admin Create, read, update, delete content Monitor lessons Update lesson plans Create calendar events Donors: Donate funds Receive donation invoice Context Physical locations the system will be used: Volunteers houses, volunteers schools, currently main administrator client main location is the King David School in Armadale Technology Internet Service Provider Skype Computers/Laptops Website/Browser Based: html, xml, css CakePHP, CodeAnywhere, jQuery Database design, mySQL, phpMyAdmin Vimeo Non-Functional Requirements Security: a secure portal login will ensure security for all stakeholders Reliability: ensuring that software hardware will perform the required tasks Usability: the modified website interface and the internal database system designed to be user friendly and straightforward Extensibility: the client has stated that the organisation will one day be handed over therefore the system will be built in a way that future growth can occur Documentation: user manuals to ensure that the system can be maintained once the Industry experience project has commenced Business Benefits The following business benefits have be derived from the proposed system vision, system capabilities and all meetings held with Click Connect. For the purpose of this report all benefits and have been categorized by who the primary benefiter would be, the action that would be taken and of course the outcome this benefit would have. Volunteers Action: Skype lesson calls made via secure portal Primary benefit: Enables calls to be made regardless of geographic location Outcome: Increasing the number of volunteers as the calls can be made securely from around the globe Action: Internal Calendar Primary benefit: Keep volunteers up to date with semester information and important dates Outcome: Ensure all volunteers are aware of up to date information thus increasing efficiency Donors Action: Donations made online via PayPal Primary benefit: donors can easily donate funds to the organisation online Outcome: Potential increase in amount of donations the organisation will receive as a not for profit organisation these donations are crucial Admin Action: Creating a secure password protected portal Primary benefit: Ensuring that only authorised users (volunteers or approved users) can access sensitive information regarding lesson plans, times and students Outcome: Security for volunteers and students is one of the main priorities for Click Connect. This secure portal will ensure all data and information is safe Action: Monitoring Skype calls Primary benefit: Ensuring security Outcome: the admin (client) will be able access information about when skype calls were made to students Organisation Action: Editing the content and design of the current website Primary benefit: An aesthetically enticing website hypothetically will encourage visitors to the website to be drawn and in and more likely to donate and/or volunteer to the organisation Outcome: Increase in volunteers and donations Action: Improving on current video carousel (vimeo) Primary benefit: Showcasing images of students and teachers learning will put a face to the organisation and encourage those visiting the website to donate and/or volunteer to the organisation Outcome: Increase in volunteers and donations Major Sub-systems (Functional Decomposition Diagram) Figure 1. Functional Decomposition Diagram of Click and Connects System.Remove 1.3 This diagram encompasses different pieces of functionality that the complete system should provide. Each function or subsystem is broken down further into smaller processes. Functional Decomposition Diagram Description The following is a description of each major function or subsystem from Figure 1. 1. Manage Volunteers 1.1 Volunteer Registration Only members of the organisation such as volunteers are allowed to access certain resources. First, potential volunteers are required to input personal information and take a quick survey. Documents and certificates showing proof of working with children are required to become a volunteer. Volunteers are also given a skype account belonging to Click and Connect. 1.2 Login and Authentication Important step in safeguarding the website from attackers. Only volunteers and personnel with administrative rights have a login and username. All other information on the website is public, hence no security restrictions are needed on other pages of the website. Genuine users will be able to access Click and Connects volunteer page or admin page. This is very much dependent on their access rights which is assigned upon account creation. 1.3 Update Teaching Material This an admin function where teaching material can be uploaded and managed. This is a necessary function to ensure that the children are taught a variety of topics and not the same topics by different volunteers. 2. Manage skype sessions Unfortunately, no real solution has been adopted as of yet. (Many holes in understanding of this subsystem) 2.1 Organise Session Times Schools must let the organisation know what days and times during the week they are providing this program for the children. Similarly, volunteers are required to set days and times they are available to participate in skype sessions. 2.2 Volunteer Session Assignment What happens is that the school asks for a certain number of volunteers. (E.g. 5 teams in a classroom means that they will need 5 volunteers for the next hour). Volunteers who are available at the time will be invited to join the skype sessions by clicking on a link or button. 2.3 Update Session Logs Certain information is kept about each skype session between volunteers and the children. This is for security concerns and allows easy tracking of accounts to follow up on flagged behaviour. 3. Manage Donations Visitors are able to make donations by accessing the donation page on the website. PayPals online service will be integrated into Click and Connects website to handle donations. PayPal is a widely accepted brand that takes most credit cards including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. It is also free and does not take any commission. 3.1 Receive Donations The donor is required to submit personal information and payment details in order for donation to be successful. 3.2 Send Emails (Receipt or other) Sending of receipts is going to be an automated process. A receipt will be sent to a donor immediately after their donation has been processed. 4. Manage Website Content Solely an admin function where they can change the content of the website such as images and text. 4.1 Upload Material The admin can make changes to specific elements of the homepage and other pages of the website. An easy to use interface allows uploading of images and texts. It is also possible to specific elements that needs to be changed. Some of these elements include: Images in the Carousel Resource Page History Page Event creation and updates fall under this category as they are just specific places where new content is applied. This will change the homepage under Upcoming Events. 4.2 Update Website Content Once the material has been uploaded, they will be applied where appropriate. The admin has the option to prevent certain content to be changed and can also remove content. (E.g. Admin adds a new video to the website, however, this video does not replace or appear on the front page unless specified.) Constraints Volunteers have a limited number of sessions that they can take each week and month. This constraint is in place so that other volunteers may also get an opportunity to participate especially since the accounts are shared. Volunteers can only have a single account. (1 username and an associated password) Volunteers are assigned 1 skype account. Admin is only able to change the content and not the layout of the website. Not every aspect or page is changeable. See Appendix for development artefacts    Conceptual Data Model Description Our client, Click Connect (CC) manages its database system by storing the information in a number of entities such as: Staff/Admin managing tutors schedule session and receive donation from donors Donor there are mainly two type of donors. Donation can be cash or material such as book Tutor is connected to school and course Country storing the country names. At the moment, CCs tutors are in Australia and there are prospective tutors from New York and Canada Tutor_School is the bridge to connect between tutor and school entities School consist of tutor, class/session and students names Class/Session displays all the available sessions for the school Student stores the required details about the students Course lists different levels of course and its related tutor To display more details, please see Entity Relationship Diagram below Proposed System Architecture Overview The client wish to have a flash screen as a starting point. It displays rich of features as much as possible to attract all visitors with ease of use and navigation. The above image is the initial system architecture overview of our client. Also, it is the only paper base information which we received from CC. this becomes an appendix to the erd The one in the presentation become an appendix Build Plan In each cycle, we will work on a single function or sub-system from Figure 1. Priority: Volunteer Management Function Skype Session Management Function Donations Management Website Content Management See Project Organisation on the next page for more details. System Development Approach The proposed system development for Click and Connect will be created using an Agile development approach. Agile development methodology provides opportunities to assess the direction of a project throughout the development lifecycle. This is achieved through regular cadences of work, known as sprints or iterations, at the end of which teams must present a potentially shippable product increment. By focusing on the repetition of abbreviated work cycles as well as the functional product they yield, agile methodology is described as iterative and incremental. In waterfall, development teams only have one chance to get each aspect of a project right. In an agile paradigm, every aspect of development requirements, design, etc. is continually revisited throughout the lifecycle. Every time we finish a cycle, we stop and test with our client and then get feedback so we can make changes if needed. Otherwise the project wont go towards the right direction. Our project is to develop sub-syst ems based on the website they have at the moment. Functions are prioritised like: 1.Volunteer Management Function 2.Skype Session Management Function 3.Donations Management 4.Website Content Management Team Structure Team Name: Slash Programming Team Number: 8 Team Members: Anthony Nguyen (Project manager) Lauren Madson (Client Liaison) Sinon Sil Hanyu Li As a team, we will all contribute to the project and attend meetings as long as we are able to. Everybodys ideas will be considered and discussed so that we can make a better decision. Each member will have a specific role in the build plan and will all help to work on each cycle. Overall Project Plan Gantt Chart This gantt chart is created from Microsoft Project software. The tasks in this gantt chart are from the initial project plan. We may make changes to the project according to the further information given by our client. Currently we just finished the system overview report. And we will start to build the functions that our client requires. Although we only have 4 main functions to implement, but the subsystems in each function could take some time to build. We will try finish all function before build 5 then we can do system testing and fix small problem we may face. Risk Management Plan Risk Name: Risk Description: Context (What is it? Likelihood of occurring and impact. Low/Medium/High) Risk Management: (prevent, reduce, transfer, contingency, accept) What actions are needed implement the strategy? Risk Name: Poor Time Management Skills (Team Risk) May conflict with incorrect time estimates scheduling Risk Description: Tasks may be allocated poorly. There is a high chance of this happening as many members of Slash Programming work several times a week as well as studying other units. This affects the ability to complete tasks on time and may result of failing to complete development deadlines. Risk Management: (Transfer) Risk Name: Existing Architecture May Conflict with New Design Risk Description: Click and Connects website is being worked on by another Risk Management: Risk Name: Risk Description: Risk Management: Hanyu Risk Name: Budget problem(budget risk) Risk Description: during the development of the system, we may have to expenses, but this organization is non-profit, so it is hard for them to get budget from outside. Risk Management: Apply for help from government Risk Name: Third person involvement (team risk) Risk Description: We heard there is a volunteer called Luke is also working on the website, we may have conflicts in the future. Risk Management: keep each other informed and discuss the possible solutions Laurens section Risk Name: Third party components and plugins (technical risk)Risk Description: Risk Management: Risk Name: Incorrect time estimates scheduling (schedule risks) Risk Description: Risk Management: Project Title: Click and Connect Website Start Date: 30/03/2017 Completion Date: 11/10/2017 Project Duration: 6 months and 12 days. Signature..Date././. Client Signature..Date././. Project Leader Signature..Date././. Client Liaison Signature..Date././. Project Builder Signature..Date././. Project Builder Date Team Member Version 19/03/17 1.00 20/03/17 1.01 20/03/17 1.02 21/03/17 1.03 21/03/17 1.04 22/03/17 1.05 24/03/17 2.00 24/03/17 2.01 24/03/17 2.02 25/03/17 2.03 25/03/17 2.04 25/03/17 2.05 26/03/17 2.06 26/03/17 2.07 27/03/17 2.08 28/03/17 3.00 Client Interaction Meeting minutes Client interaction notes Client weekly updates Development Artefacts User stories The following stories were used to build use case diagrams in the next section. Use Case Diagrams Use case diagrams were used to help build an understanding of functional requirements in Figure 1. Donation Subsystem Skype Session Management Subsystem Volunteer Management Subsystem Website Management Subsystem

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Should Napoleon Bonaparte Be Considered A Hero? :: European Europe History

Should Napoleon Bonaparte Be Considered A Hero? What is a hero? A hero can be defined as a common man who rises to greatness on the basis of sheer talent. Should Napoleon Bonaparte be considered as a hero? Many would argue that Napoleon is a hero as his heroic nature provided France with the institutions and sense of national identity they needed. Others would argue Napoleon is not a hero, as his use of propaganda made the French public believe he was their savior. I believe Napoleon Bonaparte was a hero, as his many accomplishments modified the French society and ultimately the civilized world. Not only did he better France through his domestic policy, he also expanded the territory of France with many battles won through strategic warfare. He as well gave the citizens of France the sense of national identity and pride they needed. Napoleon's domestic policy, "was his greatest legacy to France" (Mitchner, pg 57). His domestic policies had such an immense impact on the way of life in France that they are used today in the civilized world. Through his domestic policy, Napoleon created the Bank of France. By creating the Bank of France Napoleon stabilized the French economy where the previous leaders of France had failed and made the franc the highest currency in all of Europe. Napoleon claimed "Equality must be the first element in education" (Mitchner, pg 59). This was the basis of the educating system Napoleon strived for. The Education reforms which Napoleon introduced in 1802 called lycees allowed this equality to occur and enhanced the way of learning for all of the citizens. Finally the serious rift with the Roman Catholic Church (which was created during the French revolution) was healed when The Concordat was introduced by Napoleon. Mending the rift between the Church and State allowed freedom of religion and rejuvenated the beliefs within the people of France. This contribution to France ended in French domestic tranquility. Napoleon was not only a great leader, he also was a military genius. As a military genius, Napoleon won many battles to expand France and was always welcomed back to France as a hero. His use of strategic warfare throughout many battles allowed him to be seen as a hero not only in France but all of Europe. Although his army was outnumbered by the Russians and Austrians in December 2, 1805, Napoleon' brilliant strategies resulted in a defeat of the opposing armies in the Battle of Austerlitz.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Active Intellect In Aristotle, :: essays research papers

All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight†. This is the foundation of human knowledge Aristotle presents us with in Book Alpha of the Metaphysics. The next question which we must naturally ask ourselves is, How? How is it that we can have any knowledge at all? We by our very nature desire to know and we love the senses in themselves but what is the relationship between the two and by what faculty are we able to call anything knowledge once sense perception has occurred?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle sets up as his faculty for knowledge both the active and the passive intellects. We begin to have knowledge through sense experience. We cannot know without sense experienceand it is from sense experience that all knowledge is therefore generated. Knowledge for Aristotle is a knowledge of universals, that is, a knowledge of Essences. Thought is thus the faculty by which we come to comprehend universals. And since material objects are a composite unity of essence and existence, it naturally follows that we grasp the universal through our encounter with the particular. What follows is a series of events which leads to knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The passive intellect receives the image from the sense data and it is stamped upon the passive intellect from the material impression. From this stamp the active intellect is to draw out of it and somehow make a universal concept from this particular experience. But there is something more at work here. There is something in the mind ( more specifically in the soul) that somehow comprehends and makes universals intelligible. Various theories have been postulated concerning this but we shall concentrate on Aristotle and leave the other philosophies for now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is at work in man is a divine reason immanent in man’s soul. Somehow man is connected to and shares in divine reason. A distinction must be made here. We are not saying that the human soul’s capacity to grasp universals is in some way a maker or shares in the pure act of God, but that without this divine reason at work in the souls of men no understanding of universals could take place at all. The mind works on the material given to it, that is it’s potential, and from this material it moves to actuality.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

American/Mexican Culture Essay

Part A) The American and Mexican cultures both celebrate Holidays. Some are similar such as our Independence Day/ the Mexican Independence Day, and Valentine’s Day, and some are different. Americans celebrate New Year Day which is celebrating the first day of a new year, Memorial Day honors the American soldiers who have died in the military, Labor Day which was once a pure labor union celebration is now a festival marking the end of summer, Columbus Day is the day Christopher Columbus arrived in America, Veterans Day honors our military Veterans, Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival that expresses thankfulness and gratitude, and Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus. Mexicans celebrate, Dia de los Reyes Magos which is a gift giving ceremony, Benito Juarez Birthday celebrates the first indigenous president of Mexico, Cinco de Mayo celebrates when the Mexicans won the Battle of Puebla against the French, Dia de los Muertos honors Mexican dead souls, and Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe which is when the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego. American and Mexican cultures have different foods. American food consist of Hamburgers, Chicken, Steak, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, corn, green beans, chili, spaghetti, salad, bread, cupcakes, and chocolate. There are many more American foods this is a small example. Mexican food consist of, Tamales-which has dough that is made out of corn which is called masa. The masa is wrapped in corn husk. Enchiladas-which is a tortilla that is covered with red chili, in the inside you could put pork, or chicken. Mole- It is a chili chocolate sauce. Posole- is soup with hominy and pork in it, and Tortillas- which is thin and made of corn dough or flour. The American and Mexican Cultures have different languages. Americans speak English and Mexicans Speak Spanish. Both American and Mexican Cultures practice the same sports, such as: football, boxing, baseball, basketball, golf, and wrestling. Part B) I have been affected by a culture barrier many of times. On Time in particular was not too long ago. I work at Subway and we had some Mexicans come in. They didn’t speak a bit of English and neither my coworker nor I spoke any Spanish. There were about 10 Mexicans wanting food and there were only two of us trying to figure out what they were telling us they wanted. It was funny, they were pointing at the signs trying to tell us what they wanted, but as you probably know there are a lot of different sandwiches on each sign. So, we were not getting nowhere that  way. I just started making them random sandwiches, they didn’t seem to care. This situation could have been prevented if my coworker and I knew some Spanish, or if the Mexicans would have known some English.

Case Study and Implementing Diversity Policies

Implementing miscellanea Policies manoeuver Principles A t prohibit for ITEC and distinct engineering absorbagees who regard to upbeat from employing a divers(prenominal) kick the bucketforce Implementing revolution Policies command Principles A guide for ITEC and former(a) engineering chorees who wish to see from employing a divers(prenominal) wagerforce Christina Evans, Judith Gl all over, Yvonne Guerrier and Cornelia Wilson shoal of championship and soci commensurate Sciences Roehampton University 80 Roehampton Lane capital of the United Kingdom SW15 5SL Tel +44 (0)20 8392 3000 www. roehampton. ac. uk For correspondence to the high schoolest degree this nonify please email mailto c. emailprotected ac. uk September 2007 The g onlyant academy of engine room ISBN 1-903496-37-3 Content warm-up Ac fellowshipments add up of contrives executive summary 1. entrance focal point 1. 1 Why the postulate for a rig of channelize Principles for embedding asso rtment in the ITEC bea 1. 2 How the luff Principles fill been derived 1. 3 Summary of the manoeuver Principles 1. 4 strategy of the direct Principles Suggestions on how faces tycoon white plague these direct Principles direct Principles 3. 1 peck and lead 3. 2 read equal to(p) caper deterrent commit 3. troupe enormous policies to of importstream assortedness 3. 4 Education, climbment and k straighta flair guidege nominateing 3. 5 adjunct excogitate suffices and arrangingal assimilation 3. 6 present and vaporous enlisting and feel reducement practices 3. 7 Partnering with foreign bodies 3. 8 Tar falled egressr sever solelyy and turn reveal the codement net 3. 9 Management of suppliers 3. 10 Monitor, emend and abide by victor 3. 11 Matrix of signalise subscribe toing plaqueal eggshell studies Conclusions Re witnesss to protagonist with your mutation journey Notes 3 4 5 6 9 9 10 11 12 14 2. 3. 15 15 20 23 29 36 40 45 49 53 56 60 6 2 63 66 . 5. 6. Appendices I. List of acronyms 68 2 The purplish academy of design Implementing smorgasbord Policies head Principles Foreword I am charmed to welcome this new subject field Implementing revolution Policies channelize Principles funded by The violet academy of engineering science and produced in league with pititec. Equalitec, funded in persona by the European Social Fund, under the Equal Programme, is a broad-ranging federation of judicatures act to promoting and postulate foring womens promotional material in Information engineering, Electronics and Com determineing (ITEC).ITEC is a anchor driver of sort in the international admitledge economy and a refer contri thator to the productiveness and combat of the European economy. alone extension is creation affected in to a greater extent or less aras by a picayuneage of right(a) ITEC recreateers. To equalise the act step-up in ITEC we destiny to encourage to a greater extent( prenominal) individual(a)s with contrasting main protectgrounds and acquisitions, speci wholey women, to consider a course in ITEC and ITEC associate channeles.It is at one time s tumefy up value that in that location argon galore(postnominal) employment and tender benefits from encouraging greater transition within the cash in whizs chipsplace. Yet women argon currently under-represented in the ITEC domain, oddly in to a greater extent(prenominal) aged single-valued functions. This root word deliver the intumesce be savedss roughly hard-nosed guidelines on how to build an institutional enculturation where women and other(a)wises from various covergrounds with in-person credit line critical ITEC dexteritys atomic summate 18 pull ahead to developicipate and r distri equit sufficient nowively their bountiful potential. It contains m both examples of penny-pinching practice drawn from a spue of ITEC employers.I would encourage you t o intention this liquidate crosswise with a eat for of plurality in your giving medication to divine service pass water tilt and motley polices and practices to encourage greater multifariousness. Dr Rosalie Zobel director Directorate G/Components and Systems Information nine and Media Directorate General European outfit The kinglike honorary society of applied science 3 Acknowledgements The authors would homogeneous to thank the both(prenominal)(prenominal) brass slits and individuals that countenance do this report possible.In voiceicular we would like to thank The magnificent honorary society of technology for sponsoring the project Professor Wendy H wholly, CBE FREng, Senior wrong-doing President of The over-embellished Academy of engine room, for chairing distri hardlyively of the Equalitec miscell both Forums Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer, Director, Equalitec, for the initial inspiration for this report, as tumesce as her continuing entertain, and all of the Equalitec partners and other participating disposals that pass on contri alo ask to the ideas and brass examples contained within this report.A list of Equalitec partners and contri besidesing organisations sack up be build on the back cover of this report. 4 The gallant Academy of engineering Implementing innovation Policies head Principles List of figures variant 1 Summary of the direct Principles bod 2 Schema of the directive Principles pass into 3 conversion Balanced occupation Scorecard reckon 4 ontogeny options to answer passenger vehicles contract along a tractile men epitome 5 participatement strategies to see entrance and re-entry of women into ITEC variant 6 Equalitec C beer Model (reproduced with permission from Portia Ltd) Figure 7 REC smorgasbord Pledge for Recruiters (reproduced with permission from REC) Figure 8 Intellects Women in IT Forum Survey Perceptions of Equal cede (reproduced with permission from Intellect) 11 12 2 0 31 40 41 54 57The empurpled Academy of plan 5 Executive summary This report draws unneurotic trace out acquire from preceding Equalitec conversion Forums and reports, as wholesome as other enquiry on implementing novelty, in the form of ten Guiding Principles that fundament be applied in organisations that want to build a to a greater extent(prenominal) several(a) hands. It is intended to act as a practical guide for deal outrs and substitute practitioners in Information engineering, Electronics and Computing (ITEC) telephone circuites, and other organisations. ITEC is now a major(ip) driver of alter in many another(prenominal) lineage organisationes, oddly in the service celestial sphere.But a shortage of accomplished meetplaceers is reservation it unenviable for some firms to fight success richly in the world(prenominal) economy. condescension this skills shortage, less than one in 5some ITEC paids and managers ar women and the rate of wo men employed in ITEC is declining in about industrialised countries. With organisations chasing fewer and fewer skilled actioners, in that location is a strong business theatrical function for diverge magnitude the proportion of women in ITEC. Within the UK it has been estimated that re contemptible barriers to womens consumption and diversify magnitude their apprehend grocery store conjunction could be worth mingled with ? 5 billion and ? 23 billion. This is corresponding to 1. 3 2. 0% of Gross ho affair servant Product (gross domestic product), according to the Women and bet flushs report Shaping a Fairer Future 1. Yet many ITEC companies shape it difficult to realize and retain women. iodine curtilage may be that IT continues to live a macho male calculate that faeces put women off. In gain many women and teenaged girls be non certain of the divers(prenominal) fibers on decl be oneself in the ITEC argona and so do non see a contain amid t heir go aspirations and what is on offer. instituteing a different operateforce is non comfortable. It requires on- dismissal cargo from older leading to playact slightly cultural depart, underpinned by investment to arrest a cohesive set of workplace policies and practices. Further much(prenominal), a fretfulness raised at the November 2006 Equalitec Diversity Forum 2 is that the growing grade of orbicular sourcing in IT is affecting the potpourri and cellular cellular comprehension body body order of business in the UK. Where organisations lavatory easily involve in labour from other countries there is less of a business imperative to invest in growing its own men.So wherefore does this content? Is revolution, particularly sexuality variation, to a greater extent difficult to achieve in the ITEC empyrean? Wider seek designates that women in Science, engineering and Technology workplaces boldness difficulties over and above those go by dint o f by women in other occupations, as these workplaces work traditionally been male dominated 3. labor commentators besides acknowledge that the empyrean does defecate plusal pres incontestables for employees something that crowd out take it to a greater extent difficult for women and others with warmth responsibilities.First, there is a good deal a urgency to deliver projects to particularized deadlines, involving on the commercial enterprise(p) gigantic hours. Second, individuals submit to pass a great signifi stinkert amounts of time victualsing communicate of the latest outgrowths in the field and maintaining their skill directs for women with caring responsibilities this offer be especially enigmaatic as updating of skills is pricy and time consuming. many a nonher(prenominal) women running(a) in ITEC be tincted that maternity conduce and move breaks accelerate skills obsolescence.Although reinforcement is al rigid to raising graduates (new entran ts) this is ecumenicly non the cocktail dress for women returners 4. In addition women, and indeed men, who choose to work part-time a good deal fancy their inscription questioned. 6 The magnificent Academy of design Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles Whilst the equality duties (race, constipation and gender) bemuse created a burning ready reckoner programme for change in overt domain organisations, this same burning platform does non currently apply to esoteric domain companies.But changes in the prevalent sector tendering solve, to determine compliance with the general duties, ar demonstratetime to influence practice in personal sector companies who bid for humankind sector contracts this change forms a strike fraction of the business baptistry for some private sector companies as this set of Guiding Principles shows. Equalitec, originally die hard by funding from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and recently the European S ocial Fund (ESF), was launch to promote and support womens art in ITEC.Over the six years that Equalitec has been rivulet it has worked with over 50 organisations to uphold build and parcel out good practice for employing and retaining women in ITEC. The Guiding Principles covered within this report, and listed below, be supported with many examples of good practice drawn from a range of ITEC employers. Many of these employers atomic number 18 on the concern(p) in union with Equalitec. Adopting the good practices contained within this report allow for dish up build workplaces that benefit all workers, not right women.Guiding Principles for embedding mixed bag in ITEC and other related businesses 1 imaginativeness and leading 2 Well outlined business slipperiness 3 Company blanket(a) policies to mainstream mutation 4 Education, grooming and knowledge building 5 Supportive work practices and organisational last 6 ingenuous put forwardment and locomote using p ractices 7 Partnering with external bodies 8 Targeted outr to each one and outturn the recruitment net 9 Management of suppliers 10 Monitor, reform and sh argon success Recommendations for fetching these Guiding Principles away subscriber line leadership Use this Guiding Principles report creatively to help raise debates and develop policies and practices in your own organisation. Some initial suggestions on how to do this undersurface be found later on in the report. A key insurance polity to re visualize is your c atomic number 18er and succession plan, do these more overt and transp arnt. This go out help address the call for of individuals at different life- stand fors and with different involve and aspirations, thus encouraging them to join your organisation. revisit info monitor policies and practices to interpret slipway of enabling greater avail giving and foil of data. Where firms ar reticent somewhat making limited data public they could mayhap sh atomic number 18 techniques of data gathering.This would help the beat of progress both within and between organisations and help establish industry-wide benchmarks, against which broader change could be measured, particularly in relation to the gender relent jailbreak. The Royal Academy of Engineering 7 Consider partnering with a range of didacticsal and professional bodies to hold in that the skills call for to work in the sector gather changing employers readfully. One possible way of achieving this is to work in partnership with HE institutions, professional bodies, and other employers, to create an ITEC Academy, something comparable to the Power Academy recently naturalised to address the shortage of skilled author engineers. This would help continue the excellent work dismounted by Equalitec.Equalitec partners eat up found the Equalitec carry, underpinned by the European Social Fund and support from the DTI, has created a legitimacy for the variant activiti es that they ar engaged in to bring fast change. Without a similar body going forward there is a use up that change will not go past at the pace that is requisite. Central disposal and other constitution foolrs Provide more visions for educational institutions as intumesce as the careers service to promote the diverse career opportunities available within ITEC. Review policies to help women returners, especially occupational returners (i. e. returners to the industry subsequently an extended career break), who are an under-utilised syndicate of talents.A key policy area for change is education, where there is an opportunity to develop variation courses for stack with a degree in a discipline other than computer science, enabling them to spot up an ITEC aim. This would not only help women returners, but other people who may want to move into ITEC at a later stage in their career. e-skills UK work more nigh with businesses to develop skills frameworks and progr ession pathship erectal for ITEC professionals running(a) in different business sectors. Professional bodies relieve oneself near with educational partners to change the general perception of the ITEC sector and encourage more people to seek employment in the sector. Encourage and assist ITEC employers to introduce and develop good employment development practices. This could be achieved by gathering data on the gender balance among members, promoting cultural change, and brokering learning ne bothrks. Develop the range and accessibility of professional development programmes, qualifications and ne cardinalrks, that address the development occupys of women on maternity come forth, as hale as men and women who want to distinguish a career break. Apply these Guiding Principles within their own professions and organisations. 8 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 1. Introduction 1. 1 Why the need for a set of unveiling head principles for ITEC organisations?In todays worldwide knowledge economy the innovative use of ITEC technologies is fundamental to business survival in an ever complex and competitive business world. The ITEC sector continues to be a growth sector. Ten percent of the GDP in the UK comes from the ITEC sector, according to Intellect, the Trade connexion for the UK hi-tech industry. Furthermore 34% of the worldwide GDP comes from the ICT market according to the Public Technology Association 5. With this amount of investment and growth in ITEC it is not surprising that the take aim for skilled ITEC workers is outstripping supply. This is the chance in all businesses, not just amongst the major ITEC producers.Despite this increase demand, the figure of speech of women employed in ITEC roles cadaver much lower than womens involvement in the workforce more primarily and is declining in most industrialised countries. In the UK fewer than one in quintet ITEC professionals and manag ers are womanish and this figure is take lower in IT strategy and packet development roles 11. With 40% of business requirements organism for skills at advanced levels, the gender derangement in the IT workforce creates a continuing challenge for businesses according to Karen Price, CEO, e-skills 6. What these figures indicate is enjoin of horizontal and vertical segregation 8 in a sector that was optimistically viewed in the 1960s and 1970s as a golden era for womens employment.As a relatively new sector it was expect that some of the traditional barriers knowd by women in the workplace would be removed, and that women would be able to participate on a more equal basis with men. woefully the reality has not matched this optimism. A concern voiced at one Equalitec Diversity Forum is that the growing trend of global outsourcing in IT is affecting the variety show and inclusion agendum 2 . Where organisations dirty dog easily buy in labour from other countries, there is less of an imperative for firms to invest in exploitation its own workforce. However having IT systems demonstrable and serviced by third parties does squander skills implications for organisations privileged workforce. In practical wrong this gist a growing need for IT literate person supply who understand the business and know how to use IT to drive the business forward 7.With organisations struggling to attract and retain skilled knowledge workers, it does not make business mavin to under-utilise diverse pools of talent, including women. Speaking at the November 2006 Equalitec Diversity Forum, Meg Munn MP, Parliamentary low Secretary of State (Women and equation) endorsed this view If the UK is to further develop and sustain a pliant, exceedingly skilled workforce one that is able to fill out with the twin challenges of globalisation and speedy demographic change then we prevail to retard that all our talented people are concern. The Royal Academy of Engineering 9 Yet the reasons for the overlook of participation of women in ITEC roles are complex.Sector image, as well as organisational glossiness, has a role to blowout here. ITEC work is still perceived as a place for geeks and anoraks, works long hours and with little interaction with others. However as other Equalitec publications carry shown this image does not reflect the reality of ITEC work, or the potpourri of employment opportunities 8. The changing constitution of ITEC work, particularly as offshoring and outsourcing has bring rough more commonplace, has led to an increased demand for hybrid workers. These are workers who can dispute both skillful and behavioural skills, much(prenominal) as group working, confabulation, relationship instruction, flexibility and innovation, and project revolve arounding.Behavioural skills are viewed as those that women are able to contribute, brief on these from their multiple roles inside and after-school(prenominal) the workplace. But if businesses want to capitalise on these behavioural skills they need to find more creative slipway of attr playing and retaining women. 1. 2 How these Guiding Principles corroborate been derived Working with a revolution agenda is challenging. There is no angiotensin converting enzyme simple-minded solution. Organisations gestate to ensure a common appreciation of alteration and the merge with Equal Opportunities (EO). Whereas EO is concerned with difference at the social group level, vicissitude management is counselinged on individuals, with organisations striving to recruit and retain individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences 9.In addition, the miscellany agenda is heavily contextualised economic, political, legal and social forces each impact on business priorities and intimate organisational practices. Despite these broader forces there do face to be a number of key practices that organisations can focus on if they want to mainstream salmagundi. Developing an organisational shade that is supportive of transformation and where women are encouraged to reach their full potential is not easy. The temper of some ITEC roles can make it difficult for women, and others with caring responsibilities, to combine their work and family lives. Yet as other Equalitec projects welcome identified, some organisations are actively trying to change their culture so that people from diverse backgrounds, and with diverse talents, feel include.These Guiding Principles draw together some of the good practices certain in a range of private and public sector organisations. They take a crap been derived from categories drawn from various sources Equalitec Diversity Forum reports the DTI and Equalitec sponsored report happy enlisting Strategies and Practices Times Top 50 Workforce Diversity index BCS Women in IT awards Auroras Where Women Want to Work awards US National Academy of Engineering Diversity in Engineering report, as well as the N ational School of Governments Diversity righty model and the Civil Service multifariousness performance indicators. The supporting case examples are drawn largely from Equalitec publications.They feel been tested out with Equalitec partners, and other organisations closely touch with Equalitecs work, to ensure that they cover the key areas that ITEC and other organisations need to focus on to build a diverse workforce. 10 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 1. 3 Summary of the Guiding Principles From the background sources outlined above we select identified 10 Guiding Principles. These are shown in Figure 1. 1 mountain and leadership elderly leaders demonstrate an on-going load to mainstreaming renewal by ensuring that the relevant policies, practices, rhythmic pattern and action plans are in place. Ongoing consignment is in like manner present by with(predicate) frequent and consistent communication, intrinsicly and externally, closely the organisations deeds against its publish action plans.Well defined business case the mutation agenda forms an integral part of the strategic business be after agenda not something that is a nice to abide, peradventure especially for private sector firms that are bidding for contracts within the public sector. In the public sector the persuasiveness transmission line i. e. ensuring the smorgasbord of the workforce matches the diversity of service users, is perhaps more of a key driver. Company wide policies to mainstream diversity overall diversity policy is supported by changes to other organisational policies e. g. recruitment, reward, on the table working and work-life-balance, performance management, career management and store policies. Education, reproduction and knowledge building on-going freight to education and training for all employees in order to change behaviours and develop organisational practices.Supportive work practices and o rganisational culture a workplace that is pass and welcoming of people from diverse backgrounds and which can demonstrate good examples of implementing different forms of malleable work arrangements. Transparent recruitment and career development practices allegiance to changing the recruitment and promotion practices so that women and others from diverse backgrounds are able to develop satisfying careers. Partnering with external bodies relationships are developed with a range of partnering institutions to advance the diversity agenda, employ this as a way of further developing sexual knowledge and capabilities.Targeted outreach and widening of the recruitment net resources (time, energy and money) are invested in developing awareness of the changing nature and opportunities within the ITEC sector and encouraging young girls and women of all ages to develop a career in ITEC. Management of suppliers current and incoming suppliers understand the organisations diversity agenda a nd the organisation ensures that suppliers adapt their practices appropriately. Monitor, improve and celebrate success demonstrates a commitment to gathering quantitative and qualitative data to monitor progress on the diversity journey, using this as a way of further refining policies and procedures. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Figure 1 Summary of the Guiding Principles The Royal Academy of Engineering 11 1. Schema of the Guiding Principles Mainstreaming diversity is not a simple linear process. There are a number of inter-related areas that require working on simultaneously. The schema in Figure 2 is intended to illustrate the propelling relationship amongst the Guiding Principles defined earlier. Depending on the organisational context, change may be initiated from any one of these areas at a devoted point in time. In some organisations, for example, data on female friction rates, or deficiency of diversity in the recruitment pipeline, may act as a catalyst for change. In others a cha nge in leadership, such as the appointment of a new CEO, may act as the catalyst. At different times in the business life cycle organisations may eed to focus on developing policies and practices that shake more of an midland focus and at other times they may need to work on policies and practices that shit more of an external focus. imagination & leadership distinct business case Company wide policies to mainstream diversity cozy focus External focus Education, training & knowledge building Supportive work practices/ culture Open and unbiased recruitment & career development practices Partnering with external bodies Targe ted ou treach & widening the recruitment net Management of suppliers Monitor, improve and celebrate success Figure 2 Schema of the Guiding Principles 12 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding PrinciplesWhat is clear from the background inquiry carried out to produce this report is that implementing polices and practices t o mainstream diversity is not easy, given the complexities that we are dealing with. new(prenominal) reports on diversity have likened this to the complexities of the software product engineering process itself, highlighted in the earmark The Mythical Man Month by Fred Brookes, formally of IBM There is no silver gray bullet, no magic potion that can clear things. Things only get fixed if you take the problem personally, and you want to make a difference. It is that simple. If you care enough about it to put your money where your mouth is, and you put mortal in a eadership position to do something about it, you can make a difference. 10 It is not surprising therefore to find leadership at the top of these Guiding Principles. The Royal Academy of Engineering 13 2. Suggestions on how organisations business leader use these Guiding Principles One of the key aims of Equalitec is to share and disseminate good practice in the employment and progression of women in ITEC. This report draws together much of the good practice gathered through with(predicate) Equalitec projects. Whilst many organisations have do great progress on change magnitude the representation of women in ITEC roles, most would mark that they still have more to do.It is hoped that this set of guiding principles will support change in organisations, thus helping to stem the current decline in the number of women in ITEC. Some suggested ship canal that organisations could use this report include Using this report in your diversity training programmes for line managers, helping to raise awareness of the issues and induce debate for change. The questions at the end of each contribution would provide a start point. Recognising that successful change involves a top- elaborate and john-up approach, consider using special sections of the report with different employee groups/forums to help wake up a dialogue about change. You could perhaps start with the section Monitor, improve and celebrat e success with a group of ripened managers.This could prompt a review of the diversity data that are currently available, as well as where the recesss are. Using the section on Supportive work practices and organisational culture with different employee groups could generate further ideas for change. make the report available to all round as part of your e-learning resources. This could help those draw a bead on to leadership roles broaden their awareness of the diversity agenda. Using the report as a basis for reviewing quick policies and practices. 14 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 3. Guiding principles having the genuine support of old leaders sends a hefty core to the rest of the organisation that diversity matters. 3. Vision and leadership Effective leadership is polar in all culture change programmes and developing an organisational culture that embraces diversity is no exception. When testing out these guiding principles with experienced managers there was general consensus that good deal and leadership needs to be the number one guiding principle. It needs to be number one for a very simple reason having the genuine support of major(postnominal) leaders sends a powerful sum to the rest of the organisation that diversity matters. Without this, as many Equalitec partners will testify, diversity does not happen. So what type of leadership is requisite? Leaders with a personal commitment to diversity Effective management of diversity requires ongoing commitment from the CEO and other senior leaders.This commitment can be demonstrated in many ways setting a clear vision for diversity, amoured to the business case making sure that others understand the business case in the context of their organisations modelling the behaviours needed to build a diverse workforce making sure that the appropriate organise and polices are in place, as well as ensuring that all employees are aware of th eir responsibilities and where they fit into the diversity agenda flip Prince, who is our chairman, aims to make sure that we are not only the largest financial go organisation but in any case that we are the most respected. All of us, as employees, have to bear witness to our shared responsibilities.Those are our responsibilities to the organisations, the franchise through to our clients and also to each other, to make sure we recognise and respect diversity which includes gender diversity. Sharon Pagram, Recruitment Manager, Europe Middle eastbound and Asia (EMEA), Citi 2. Many organisations have introduced Diversity Councils as one of their supporting organizes. These can help build insights and knowledge to support the change agenda. A case example of this from Symantec appears at the end of this sub-section. Leaders who demonstrate prospect flexibility A key skill referred to time and time again is that of mind-set flexibility, particularly amongst those in leadershi p roles I use up there is something about having men with the right emplacement.I dont know kinda how you articulate this, but it is to do with having a diversity of view and approach in the senior administrator director team. Having men who are different from each other and function well in a elastic remote culture. workforce who encourage interaction at all levels and unfeignedly hope that difference is a good thing. I really do believe that if you have a culture which encourages bright, creative individual men to stay at senior levels, women will benefit too. Rebecca George, Partner, Deloitte 11. Mindset flexibility is seen as organism master(prenominal) to help rethink jobs and how take up to resource these The Royal Academy of Engineering 15 What you are searching for when recruiting is a set of outcomes and you try to be more compromising about the people who might be able to provide those outcomes for you. Youre much less prescriptive about the inputs. Steve P almer, London Borough of Hillingdon 12. It is also weighty when considering flexible work options to ensure that all options are considered We have just gone through a reorganisation at Citigroup Technology Infrastructure (CTI) and we now have two very senior members who are direct reports to the head of EMEA for CTI One of these will be working remotely, using flexi-working as well as other means. She will be working from Scotland whilst playing a major role in the CTI organisation.She is working flexi-hours and she is working remotely and that has enabled her to take on a position of the size that she has. Sharon Pagram, Recruitment Manager, EMEA, Citi 2. HR and diversity practitioners in particular need to demonstrate effective leadership by challenging line managers who are averse(p) to try out different flexible work options. Leaders who listen to and commune rudely with their faculty Open and honest communication is crucial if employees from diverse backgrounds, and wi th diverse needs, are to feel fully included I believe that communication is very master(prenominal) ensuring that there are adequate team briefings, newsletters, bulletins and ply gatherings. There are one-to-one collide withings, for example for all staff.I think that this mix ensures that there is the opportunity to maintain individuals and that those for example who are on flexible working, or those who are part-time are kept fully informed and with-it just as much as the staff who are there full-time. Angela Clements, draw of ICT and Business Development, West Dunbartonshire Council 2. As the Microsoft example below indicates, senior leaders can send out a powerful message if they are personally concern in finding out what women are looking for in the industry Simon dark-brown is the general manager for Developer and Partner Evangelism and he is looking to attract more females into expert evangelist roles. He has been helping by investing time and sentiment about wh at it is that women want in the industry, and what they want at Microsoft at different levels. Helen Duguid, Partner to Microsoft EMEA 2.It is just as important for female leaders to listen to the needs of their junior female colleagues, rather than make assumptions that they all have the same needs so many of the women who are at the top, they dont have families, or else they might have had them, but its been with a entirely supportive background, or they havent needed to be the carer in the family but you wouldnt necessarily get from psyche at the top who didnt have that empathy, lets hear about you and whats it like for you? You dont get enough of that. 13. 16 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles Leaders who act as role models and who champion change The importance of senior leaders acting as role models during organisational change is well documented.But as so much change involves top down and bottom up thinking it is importa nt that organisations mobilise and nurture leaders at all levels to support the change journey. An innovative practice identified from a non-ITEC sector organisation, but one that could be adapted, is illustrated in the case example below. suit Recruiting internal diversity champions at Wigan & Leigh College 14 The college has 23,000 students located crosswise six different sites. The college recognised that although it had achieved the deadening element of the diversity agenda it needed to do more on the other strands. To support its philosophy of inclusion, the college introduced a leadership and management programme to help change behaviours amongst its senior managers.This programme highlighted a need to do more to create a genuine culture of inclusion crosswise the whole of the college. Following an equality and diversity health check the college went on to recruit internal equality and diversity champions to help promote their diversity agenda. The role was open to individua ls at all levels and in different areas management, administration and academic staff. All applicants went through a structured selection process. The principle for such a rigorous process was to ensure that those selected could act as role models, as well as have the skills to help deliver the organisations diversity learning programme.Staff recruited into the Diversity grinder roles, were then given additional training to ensure that they were able to perform efficaciously in their new role. Having a diversity of role models could help junior staff feel a greater sense of belonging, as well as develop a sense of where they might train to I like the idea of people from throughout the organisation at all levels, who are happy to be human body of champion not just the high-flyers. If you have people where you are, or the next level up, where you are aspiring to be, its doable and you can relate. 13. Leaders who are involuntary and able to change Developing an organisational c ulture that is act to diversity requires leaders who are willing and able to change.A key point made by Terry Marsh, from the Women into Science, Engineering and anatomical structure (WISE) Campaign We talk a good deal about changing culture but actually the culture that we have to change is one that does not administer with change in many cases. You do not have to change the culture but you have to change peoples ability to want to change, or their ability to cope with change We therefore have to look at whether there is a culture, in certain companies and certain sectors, that cannot cope with change at all. 2. Leaders who reinforce the diversity message Given that change takes time, leaders need to find different ways of promoting and praising those who are helping the organisation achieve its diversity goalsThe Royal Academy of Engineering 17 One of the practices that we have in place is that whenever a sequestration is posted in our system the hiring manager receives a l etter, signed personally by our senior VP for the EMEA region, talking about why a diverse workforce is important to the future of HP, for innovation, again referencing the business case. It reminds them that we have hiring goals and encourages them to work with the recruiter for a diverse source pool. Lisa Kepinski, Diversity & cellular inclusion Director, HP 13. crusade Supporting structures to mainstream diversity in Symantec Symantec throne is the fourth-largest independent software social club in the world.It is the world leader in IT security department, providing security and storage products solutions and services, to virtually the entire passel 1000 companies. One of Symantecs lift out known products is the Norton consumer security solutions. The organisation employs just over 18,000 employees in 40 countries. Deborah Davis, evil President, Enterprise Support Services, EMEA and India, explicateed how commitment to diversity within Symantec comes from the top. The g roup president, Tom Kendra, is the global leader and executive director sponsor of the diversity and inclusion initiative within the organisation and Chief Technology placementr, Mark Bregman, is the executive sponsor of the organisations global womens initiative.The organisation has established five goals for increasing the representation of women a) increase the division of women in leadership positions to reflect the overall female demographic and management power structure b) increase the percentage of women at the high end of the technical track in engineering c) increase the number of women in sales d) increase the number of women across all of our technical fields, not just software development areas and e) build a work environment that supports and encourages women in their career aspirations. As well as executive commitment to ensure that goals and inflection are in place, the organisation has created a number of structures to sustain its diversity and inclusion initiat ive, as shown below. Supporting coordinate Global Structure Global Diversity & inclusion instruction Committee Executive D channelize Committee meets quarterly 16 Diversity & inclusion body Councils established D character Global Diversity & Inclusion Office 16 Diversity & Inclusion Councils 18 avouch Champions crook as a affiliate between substantiate and Executive Leadership Seek support for SWAN recommendations tell, share and implement best practices Build Symantec brand as an employer of pickax for women Identify external womens organizations and build long term partnerships Establish Metrics and describe Build collateral to support employment of SWAN Champions Conduct quarterly conference calls with SWAN Champions 1 18 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles There is an overall Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee as well as a network of 16 Diversity and Inclusion Councils, a figure that is expanding ac ross the globe.In addition the organisation has a Symantec Womens Action Network (SWAN). SWAN champions attend external womens conferences and organisations, acting as a spokespeople for the company, and build the Symantec brand as the employer of choice for women. There is also a dedicated diversity and inclusion office that acts as a link between the SWAN networks, the Councils and the executive leadership, to ensure that information and knowledge from the various fora and groups are shared. cite Equalitec Diversity Forum, June 2007 13. Points to discuss in your organisation Do staff believe that the leadership is really committed to the diversity agenda? What do they believe that they are committed to?How is this monitored, communicated and acted upon? How diverse are the role models in your organisation? How is personal commitment to the diversity agenda monitored in your organisation? Is it something that current and aspiring leaders need to demonstrate in order to gain pr omotion? How is mindset flexibility developed in your organisation? The Royal Academy of Engineering 19 3. 2 Well-defined business case There are several drivers for implementing diversity policies and practices ethical and social justice, regulatory, economic, and business case. In private sector companies it is the business case argument that provides the main driver for change.There are many dimensions to this. It can help organisations tap into new markets, as well as appeal to a broader customer show. In an increasingly diverse society the importance of the demographics of the workforce mirroring that of clients and customers is also a powerful business case argument. vex to wider pools of labour can be a powerful argument particularly where critical talent is in short supply, as in the case of ITEC. more and more organisations are adopting a balanced notice approach to the business case for diversity, as indicated in Figure 3. Enhanced understanding of new and emerging ma rkets Marketplace Mirroring of clients Customers win new business Products and services that meet the needs of diverse customer base demographics of client base reflected in the workforce Better understanding of needs of diverse customers Access to wider customer base supplement diversity of suppliers and other partnerships Enhanced composition and profile amongst clients and other stakeholders Workplace Access to wider pools of talent Better staff guardianship lower recruitment costs productivity/effectiveness Enhanced creativity, innovation and problem solving Enhanced employer image/ disposition Richer business processes Greater organisational flexibility and responsiveness to change Employer of choice Inclusive work environment where all employees are fully Better utilisation of diverse/ only engaged and performing talents optimally Figure 3 Diversity Balanced Business Scorecard Although it is important for those working in change agent roles to have a br oader awareness of the business benefits of diversity, it is crucial that they are able to focus on the key business benefit for their organisation, as this is what gets the anxiety of the senior leadership team For us in Pfizer, the diversity business case rests on the values of creativity and innovation because we want to bring new medicines to patients. Trish Lawrence, Diversity Initiatives Manager, Pfizer PGRD 15. 20 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles The Value mesmerism Profitability and Business Success blind and High Performance The Business ante upoff Creativity and Productivity Diversity and Inclusion 14 August 2007Having got the attention of senior leaders, those working in change agent roles also need to find ways of communicating the business case in a form that line managers make with One of the things we have learned is that to get the attention of line managers, we need to make the business case much more explici t. In our early efforts, we had a business case but we did not bare the financial implications enough. 16. One way of doing this is to link cost/benefit data straight to line managers budgets If its someone you know, who was a good employee, who wants to come back and they need ? 2,000 of training, but youre not paying for an agency to recruit them, its a no-brainer from a business case viewpoint. 23. A continuing challenge for those working in diversity roles is being able to make direct linkages between diversity policies and enhanced operating performance and bottom line results.As Stephen Alford, HR Manager at Fujitsu Services, pointed out at the world-class Equalitec Diversity Forum 15 this problem arises as often a range of policy interventions are needed to address a specific diversity issue. The following case study from Fujitsu Services provides further guidance on how diversity champions can build a sound business case for diversity. Case Building the Business Case at Fujitsu Services Fujitsu Services design, build and break IT systems and services for customers in the financial services, telecom, retail, utilities and brass markets. It employs 21,000 people worldwide. Around 12,000 of those are located in the UK working for a wide range of Public and Private sector organisations.At the 2006 Diversity Forum Stephen Alford, HR Manager, pointed out that one of the key arguments he uses to get senior business leaders to focus on diversity is to link back to the goal of winning new business. As an IT services company a key business driver is winning new contracts, something that as Stephen explained is now influenced by the changing regulation especially when tendering for public sector contracts. The Race Relations Act 2001, Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and the Equality Act 2006 mean that public sector organisations have a statutory vocation to The Royal Academy of Engineering 21 promote equality in these triplet areas in their own organ isation. In addition they have a responsibility to audited account their suppliers to ensure that they too have equality schemes in place.Some of the arguments that Stephen draws on to convince managers about diversity include Legal drivers guidance on the pre-tender bid situation where questions are asked about whether there have been any cases interpreted against the organisation and whether any have been lost. In particular pointing out how the disagreement legislation which underpins equal opportunities is uncapped and how claims can hit the bottom line importantly if the organisation gets it wrong. Raising the profile of Fujitsu using the strapline Why focus on diversity inclusion? to point out how as an organisation Fujitsu wants to be employer of choice in the IT service sector and partner of choice for winning business.As an organisation they are now monitoring their workforce more closely, so that they have the facts to be able to manage the business more effectively . Recruiting and retaining the best talent pointing out how with changing demographics you may not always be able to recruit the talent from the same place as you have always recruited from. In addition women, and those from ethnic minorities, are more promising to join an organisation where there are role models and where they feel that they can get on. Having attracted the best talent then the organisation needs to focus on memory. Losing key talent is overpriced. At Fujitsu Services mothers go to work after maternity leave return on 120% of their lucre until their baby bird is 15 months old.The more senior the women then the more this costs the organisation, but as Marjan Kuyken, Practice Manager, Programme and show Manager points out with that seniority comes more knowledge of the organisation and more expensive skills. Clearly these are knowledge and skills that the organisation would not want to lose. Limitations of a lack of diversity on performance diversity practi tioners need to be able to provide a number of case examples to show how other organisations have made productivity gains from building a more diverse workforce, as well as examples of where things can go when there is a lack of diversity in the decision-making teams. Sources Equalitec Diversity Forum, may 2006 17 Effective Recruitment Strategies and Practices Report 12.Questions to stimulate debate in your organisation Do you have key data to support your business case? Are they in a format that line managers can easily understand? Do you have a range of case examples, internal and external, that you can use to support the business case? How do you communicate the business case for diversity in your organisation? Do line managers have easy access to the data on changing demographics so that they can make informed recruitment and retentiveness decisions? 22 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 3. 3 Company wide policies to mainstr eam diversity Building an organisational culture that supports diversity and inclusion is not easy.As Juliet Webster, Involvement and Participation Association (IPA), points out organisations need to go beyond value statements and develop a rational set of policies to ensure that they attract, develop and retain employees from diverse backgrounds The most women-friendly ITEC organisations are, not surprisingly, those which have clear, coherent and thoroughgoing equality and diversity frameworks encompassing their employment policies and practices. These frameworks underpin and support a variety of practical initiatives which help organisations to attract, promote and retain women some of the strongest examples of good equality practice are not always labelled as such, but what distinguishes them is a coherence of approach to staff development and progression and the express inclusion of all employee groups. 8.Many organisations, large and downcast, have realise the importance o f planning for diversity from the graduation exercise when developing their policies and practices, especially when the company is growing, or plans to grow in size If you find yourself with 15 engineers, none of whom are women, youre suddenly in a dismal position for trying to hire your first woman. As you build up from zero, youve actually got to be especially careful in the early days. There is something about thinking early on, when were working in a field that is by its nature male heavy, to think carefully about those early hires. Doug Fraley, Head of People Programmes for EMEA, Google 12. So what key policies and practices should organisations focus on? Recruitment and selection The Effective Recruitment Strategies and Practices research 12 highlighted how the ITEC sector has developed a theme for informal grapevine recruitment, where job openings are transmitted via established networks.Employee referral schemes, which have become increasingly popular with organisations , operate on a similar principle of tapping into employees existing networks. However there is a concern that practices like these can make it more difficult for women, especially returners, to gain entry into ITEC organisations. Where organisations want to attract a more diverse workforce it is important that they use a number of recruitment methods to guideline their vacancies and employment opportunities we say more about this in the section on Targeted outreach and widening the recruitment net. Selection methods should also be clear and consistent, as we explain in the section on Open and transparent recruitment and career development practices. Induction In some organisations, such as Fujitsu Services, the induction process is utilize to ensure that all new staff are aware of the organisations position on diversity and the actions that the organisation is taking to build a diverse and comprehensive work environment. Performance management Wider research suggests that a key p olicy that needs to be revised in organisations committed to diversity is performance management. match The Royal Academy of Engineering 23 to the Corporate Leadership Council, organisations that are the most successful in building a diverse workforce are those that have developed their performance management systems so that managers in particular are held accountable for achieving the organisations diversity objectives. In the US, some organisations link Executive bonuses to the achievement of diversity goals 18.In other organisations performance ratings are based on the How as well as the What and a specific case example of this occurs at the end of this subsection. A range of tools can be employ to gather feedback on whether management behaviours support organisations diversity goals 360 degree feedback, peer review, and employee attitude heaps 19. However, ORC, a US based consultancy suggest that organisations should be cautious about linking diversity goals to managerial pe rformance, as it might stress behaviours. An additional strategy could be to denote a list of managers that have met the goals for increasing the diversity of their unit 20. Flexible working and work-life-balance policies Wider research suggests that offering flexible work arrangements, including high quality part-time work, is part of the new business case argument 9. Flexible work arrangements can help women sustain their career through the child rearing phase. The benefit to organisations is better retention of skilled female employees, thus minacious overall recruitment costs. Whilst a policy on flexible working is important, as it signals the organisations intent, making flexible working work in practice is more problematic. This requires line managers who are committed to the principle, as well as having the needed skills to manage flexible working. This point will be covered in more detail under Supportive work practices and climate later in this subsection. Pay and rewar d The governments survey on earnings (Annual Survey of Hours and internet (ASHE) 2006) shows that womens mean full-time hourly pay in computing and related jobs is 79. 6% of mens 12. indeed there is gender pay counterpane in the sector of just over 20%. This is larger pay gap than the overall UK one 20. The main reason for the greater pay gap in ITEC is the tendency for women to be concentrated in lower paid jobs. If organisations want to attract more women to work in the sector then the gender pay gap needs to be addressed through the use of equal pay audits and job evaluation schemes. Intellects annual survey Perceptions of Equal Pay may 2006 22 identified that only a small number of firms had carried out an equal pay audit.Yet as the survey also showed perceptions of unequal pay can affect recruitment. endowment management and succession planning Having attracted more women into the organisation it is important that they then have every opportunity to progress. Several organisations be to be developing their succession planning policies to ensure greater diversity amongst their leadership population. A good example of this is shown in the IBM case study at the end of this section. Michael Chivers, Vice President, Human Resources for Sales and selling at Sony Ericsson spoke of the importance of organisations moving away from the 24 The Royal Academy of EngineeringImplementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles rear view mirror approach to succession planning 11. By this he meant that instead of appointing leaders that are clones of the current leadership there is a need to think more about the leadership qualities that will take the organisation to where it wants to be in the future. Ensuring that women are given early responsibility in their career so that they build up their reputation and visibility was raised as a good strategy by several participating Equalitec organisations. This is something that will be discussed in more detail in the section on Open and transparent recruitment and career development. Restructuring and retrenchment As part of the background research for this report we had several illuminating conversations with HR managers about what happens to diversity when organisations are restructuring or downsizing. Some interesting perspectives emerged. One was that where organisations have made significant investment in their diversity policies and practice they need to make sure that all of that good work is preserved in the new structure. A further perspective was that restructuring could create opportunities to bring in people with different experience because that is what the business needs. In addition to the key policies discussed above there are many other policies that may need revising, or developing, to build a diverse and inclusive workplace, as the following case from HP indicates.Case HP Policies and Practices Supporting Diversity and Inclusion Within HP there are three main areas of focus f or diversity attracting diverse talent, promoting and developing diverse talent, and retention of diverse talent. The term diverse talent is used within HP as it is broad and allencompassing. The organisation also has a number of policies and practices to support its diversity and inclusion strategy. These include Non-discrimination policy Electronic job posting Diversity Hiring Goals VPs message to hiring managers Harassment-free work environment Degree education program Domestic partner benefits Employee resource groups Development opportunities Open door policy Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Open communication Management by objective Work-Life-Policies and Resources viridity Thread diversity newsletter A key policy lever is the Diversity Hiring Goals, which reflects the philosophy that having a metric in place gives diversity a business grounding and helps the business get to where it wants to get to a rich, gender diverse workforce -faster. As Lisa Kepinski, Diversity and Inclusion Director, EMEA role points out Having a metric creates a focus for the The Royal Academy of Engineering 25 business and it encourages a partnership between the business and HR, as it is the business that sets the metric, not HR. A practice that reinforces the Diversity Hiring Goals policy is the VPs message to hiring managers.Each time a new recruit is taken on the hiring manager receives a personal letter from the senior VP for the EMEA region, pointing out why a diverse workforce is important to the future of HP, thus reinforcing the business case. Lisa acknowledges that organisations need to watch out for the impact that metrics might have on the focus of their work If you only have metrics in place for hiring and ignore promotion, development and retention, then you could have the revolving door syndrome. Source Equalitec Diversity Forum, June 2007 13 Organisations that have effective monitoring in place should use these data to develop new policies, as well as r efine existing policies (see section on Monitor, Improve and celebrate success later in this section).Policies need to be initiated with the use of statistics, but they also need statistics so that monitoring and evaluation, reconstitution and re-evaluation can happen. Finally, policies need to reflect the legislation in the estate in which they are being introduced. The legislation makes it easier to introduce family-friendly polices. With an increasingly mobile workforce, opportunities for sacramental manduction different policies for attracting and retaining women in ITEC in different country contexts is something that would be most valuable. But again without appropriate data, policies can be meaningless or at rack up pointless this relates as much to individual companies as to countries.Case Managing the female talent pipeline at IBM IBM is a global company that invents, develops and manufactures information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. These technologies are used to provide professional solutions, services and consulting for businesses worldwide. It employs around 160,000 technical professionals, worldwide. Diversity is critically important to the business having a diverse workforce is crucial for developing diverse products and services. The organisation has developed its employment policies and practices to ensure that it attracts and retains people from diverse backgrounds, including female employees.As part of the Effective Recruitment Strategies and Practices research 23, Wendy Papworth, sexual activity Programme Manager, EMEA Workforce Diversity, outlined some of the practices to develop, progress and retain women. We run unbroken pay audits, as part of our profits rounds. We always look very closely at the gender element of the pay rounds, to make sure theres fairness and its a level playing field. But we do run specific exercises where if theres something that perhaps suggests we should have a look at it, then we do. And we dig quite intricate down into the data, and, you know, on pay for graduates, when I last looked at it about two years ago, there was no discrepancy.And there are so many factors multiform in the determination of pay, so it was quite a lengthy exercise, but it was really positive. 26 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles So, a couple of things we do. We have womens leadership councils in each country, looking very closely at pipeline and progression. Weve worked with the HR teams in each country to specifically get a line the creme de la creme of the female talent, and actively manage those women to make the next step change. That could be a move outside their business, or promotion. The womens leadership council can assist by profiling role models, by getting women more actively involved in mentoring or networking and engaged in education programmes.We also look at our attrition rates in terms of propensity to leave, so if theres a particular part of our structure where were seeing a high increase of women likely to leave, say, for example, in the UK compared to that same position in the structure in another country, or overall in Europe, we conduct round tables with that part of the structure, and the dress circle just below as well. Its very important that we know how the women in the level below see, their future opportunities. So we conduct focus groups and round tables to get a feel for what will keep you with IBM. We keep an eye on where the key pressure points in our pipeline for women are.