Comparing Public and Private Sector Accounting

INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING Public Sector Accounting is related to government and different from private sector accounting. Accounting and financial reporting for public sector are based on distinctive concepts, standards, and procedure designed to accommodate their environment. This also based on the needs of their accounting information users. Derbyshire (1987) defined a public sector as a device for regulating human activities so that men and women can live together in reasonable harmony. The public sector is providing basic government services whether federal, state or local/municipal.It encompasses universal and critical services such as a national defense, healthcare, public roads and primary education. The public sector is part of economic and administrative life that deals with the delivery of goods and services by and for the government. A stakeholder is a party who has an interest in the organization’s activities, project or program. This is including wh ose affects, or can be affected by, the organization’s actions and decisions. More institutional stakeholders are lying under the public sector compared to private sector.For examples the parliament, the Auditor General and the Cabinet. They are mainly from individuals who are directly or indirectly involved in the company’s action such as the shareholders and suppliers. The public sector operates within a framework of public authorization and control. One common feature of all public sectors bodies is Parliament will derived the specific power ultimately. However, the formal and informal networks such as the ministers, local councils, and pressure groups impacted on the way of how the public organizations operate. The public sector also has a plurality of objectives.Political, economic, social, regulatory, technical and performance of services often occur on the basis of perceived need rather than in response to strict market-related demand. For example, in Malaysia, plurality of objectives of the government is clearly observed. The observation is through the setting up of different ministries with a variety of portfolios. In addition, public sector organization has no direct financial interest or benefits to the contributors of resources. Any direct or proportionate share of those organization’s goods and services will not been received by the contributors of resources.For instance, an individual who is a tax payer in Malaysia will not receive direct benefits from the Inland Revenue Board. Instead, they enjoy indirect benefits from the provision of education at all levels, provision of health services, continuous clean water supply and any other benefits. The public sector is varying accounting principles and practices. In general, fund accounting where separate accounts are maintained for each fund so that limitations and restriction placed on use of the resources allocated can be properly monitored and accountability is ensured.The pri vate sector is generally using the entity accounting which a term used to identify the organization. The accounting service is to be provided and whose accounting or other information is to be analyzed, accumulated and reported. Lastly, the public sector is more to political rather than financial control which concerned about delivering social responsibilities to the public at large. Hence, the priority on resources allocation is generally governed by the priority set by the government. The national agenda sets the priority, not by any investment appraisal and profitability criteria.

Kenya’s Vision 2030 Relevance to Rural Development

Kenya vision 2030 is Kenya’s long-term national planning strategy stating the main goals of economic, social and political pillars that underpin the vision 2030.It also provides a rundown of flagship projects to be embarked upon in the medium term period of the vision (2008-2012). It is the country’s development foundation store that covers 2008-2030. It aims at making Kenya a new industrial, middle income country providing high quality of life for all citizens. The vision is based on three pillars, namely;- the economic, social and political pillar. The economic pillar aims at providing prosperity to all Kenyans through an economic development program aimed at achieving an average of 10% annual GDP by 2030.The social pillar seeks to build a just and cohesive society with of social equity in a secure environment. The political pillar founded on issues based on politics that respects the rule of law and protects the interests of every individual in the Kenyan society.POL ICY OBJECTIVES.1. To unlock potential benefits of economic growth, employment and poverty reduction.2. To increase the annual GDP growth rate to 10% per annum.3. To reduce high energy costs.4. To improve poor infrastructure.5.To make Kenya a haul tourist destination in the world.6. To raise incomes in agriculture, livestock, fisheries by processing and thereby adding value to the products before they reach the market.7. To improve efficiency in the country.8. To make Kenya the provider of choice for basic manufactured goods in Eastern and Central Africa.9. To provide business services via internet to companies and organizations in developed countries e. g. Europe, Britain etc.10. To have a vibrant/ globally competitive financial sector.11.To promote globally competitive quality education/ research development.12. To promote efficiency and quality health care system.13. To achieve a nationally clean and secure environment.14. To provide gender equity.RELEVANCE TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA. ECONOMIC VISION AND STRATEGY. TOURISM. Creation of more tourist attraction sites with the aim of raising the tourist population in Kenya from 1. 8m (2006)- 3m (2030). This will involve upgrading the standards of attractive but rarely visited sites like Ruma and Marsabit. INCREASING VALUE IN AGRICULTURE.This will be done by processing goods before they reach the market in order to give them more value. Also, it aims at introducing new land use policies that will maximize utilization of the high and medium potential lands for large-scale agriculture. A BETTER AND MORE INCLUSIVE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE SECTOR. It aims at lowering transaction costs through institutional reforms. It will involve strengthening informal trade through investment in infrastructure, training and linking it to wider local and global markets. MANUFACTURING FOR THE REGIONAL MARKET.Kenya aims to become the provider of choice for basic manufactured goods in Eastern and Central Africa before breaking int o other markets targeting commonly used products. It will be done by improved efficiency and competitiveness at firm level, thus raising the market share in the regional market from 7%-15%. BUSINESS PROCESS OFFSHORING. It involves providing business services via the internet to companies and organizations in developed worlds e. g. USA. FINANCIAL SERVICES. Having a vibrant and globally competitive financial sector driving high levels of savings and financing Kenya investment needs.SOCIAL STRATEGY. EDUCATION AND TRAINING. It aims at Kenya providing a globally competitive quality, Itraining and research for development i. e. achieving 80% literacy rate, increasing school enrolment to 95% and increasing the transition rates to technical institutions and secondary schools to accommodate the ever increasing number of primary students who have qualified to join secondary institutions. HEALTH SECTOR. To improve the overall livelihood of Kenyans. The vision aims at providing efficient high q uality health care systems with good standards. WATER AND SANITATION.Kenya being a water scarce nation, the vision aims at conserving water sources and find new ways of harvesting and using rain and underground water. It also aims at promoting agricultural activities through irrigation (140,000-300,000 ha), 54km canal from Tana river to Garissa (Rahole canal), Tana Delta project and rehabilitation of major irrigation schemes. ENVIRONMENT. The vision aims in achieving a clean/ secure and sustainable environment by 2030. It will do this by increasing forest cover from less than 3% to 4% in the future, to lessen environmental diseases.HOUSING/ URBANIZATION. To achieve decent and high quality urban livelihoods by 2030. GENDER, YOUTH AND VULNERABLE GROUPS. To promote gender equality, improve livelihoods amongst vulnerable groups and become a responsible society by empowering women, children and the youth. It also aims at doing away with child labor and FGM. SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVAT ION (STI). It is based on the creation of internet competitiveness in the corporate level and also for the citizens. POLITICAL STRATEGY. RULE OF LAW. Inculcating a culture of compliance with laws and decent human behavior.Increasing service availability and access by reducing barriers for justice and public education. PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY. Promoting open engagement between the government and civil society as well as free flow of information e. g. by use of the media. SECURITY, PEACE BUILDING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT. Promoting community policing, reducing the police to population ratio, adopting information and communication technology (ICT) in crime detection and prevention, enhancing police training, all with an aim of creating a society free from danger and fear. POLICY GAPS.1.Lack of clearly defined legal frameworks to deal with corruption e. g land grabbing.2. Lack of policies that seek to mechanize milk farming.3. It lacks avenues for the rural produce so as to discourage mo nopolies/ exploitation from private investors.4. Does not entail modern storage facilities for farmers during boom yields and harvests.5. It lacks frameworks to advocate for creation of small airstrips in high production zones so as to tackle the transportation challenge.6. Lack of introduction and inclusion of computer studies in the school curriculum at the elementary level.7. Does not seek to upgrade local hospitals to the referral level and also make treatment affordable.8. Lack of emergency and rescue services that are fully equipped.9. Lack of rural electrification programs.10. Lack of agencies at the rural level to regulate price exploitation on commodities.RECOMMENDATIONS.1. Legal frameworks should be created to deal with cases of corruption.2. The vision should include in it simple ways of mechanizing farming in the rural areas and at the same time create measures to ensure that human labor is not done away with completely.3.Markets should be found or created by the governm ent so that farmers have somewhere to sell their commodities at reasonable and fair prices.4. The vision should include construction of modern storage facilities so that farmers can keep their excess produce safely and this will help reduce food insecurity in the country during scarcity.5. Small airstrips should be constructed especially in areas that produce perishable goods so that they can be taken to major airports in good time.6. ICT should be introduced and incorporated in the school curriculum at the elementary level.7.The vision should advocate for affordable healthcare to all and also upgrade the local hospitals to referral statute.8. Emergency and rescue services should be upgraded to international levels so that 95% of the emergencies can be tackled.9. Rural areas should be electrified as this will attract industrialization in such areas.10. Prices on basic commodities should be regulated so that they can become affordable to everyone.REFERENCESUnited Nations, (2005). Mil lennium Development Goals. New YorkGovernment of the Republic of Kenya,(2007). The Kenya Vision 2030,Government Printers ,Nairobi, Kenya

Journal of Food Safety

As we know, Johor was affected by the worst flood in 100 years in December 2006 and that disaster comes again in January 2007. According to historical of the natural disasters such as flood, food in affected areas may become contaminated and consequently be at risk for outbreaks of food-borne diseases, including diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever. Poor sanitation, including lack of safe water and toilet facilities and lack of suitable conditions to prepare food have led to mass outbreaks of food-borne diseases. The Minister of Malaysia Health were worried about cases, the improper sanitary facilities and contaminated water supply during flood at housing areas or at relief centers would result in contaminated food, as a prevention step, Assistant Environmental Health Officers (AEHO) has assign to made monitoring of food hygiene vital. The objective of this monitoring is to describe food hygiene surveillance activities carried out in flood relief centers and flood affected areas and the result that were carried out was determined. The food hygiene surveillance activities were carried out by the Assistant Environmental Health Officers (AEHO) in the districts and. Among the surveillance activities carried out are inspection of food preparation areas in relief centers, inspection of food premises in flood affected areas and food sampling. Premise inspections were carried out using a specific inspection format. For food samples inspections, the food samples that were emphasis included ready to eat and raw foods. For ready to eat foods holding samples were also taken. Samples taken were sent to Public Health Laboratory, Johor Bahru for microbiological analysis. Anti typhoid vaccination for food handlers were also carried out. Apart from that, observations made by the health teams were also taken into account. A total of 3,159 food preparation areas in relief centers were inspected. During the same period, a total of 2,317 food premises in flood affected areas were inspected as soon these premises started operating after the floods. Among the processes that had given highlighting during inspection were holding and serving of food where temperatures control and holding time were vital for food safety. Along with the areas given emphasis during the inspection were kitchens, stores, food packaging areas, food transportation vehicles and serving areas. Cooking utensils, water sources, hand washing facilities, garbage disposal area, pest control and suitability of building structures for preparation of food were also given a big attention during the inspections. .Base on the inspection that have done by the Assistant Environmental Health Officers (AEHO), the inspections showed that 69 food preparation areas in relief centers and 181 food premises in flood affected areas had unsatisfactory hygiene. Not only food premises areas are considering in those inspections, apart from that, the hygiene and practices of all food handlers were also monitored. Insanitary food preparation areas in relief centers and food premises were given health education and warnings to maintain hygiene by the Assistant Environmental Health Officers (AEHO). A total of 1,566 holding samples were taken and 425 samples were sent to the laboratory for analysis. Base on the result, they have gathered out that 46 of the samples analyzed were found to be positive for pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli, staphylococcus aureus and salmonella. The health personnel from the Johor Health Department in various districts carried out an excellent job in ensuring food safety during the floods. There were no outbreaks of food poisoning. However analysis of food samples taken during the floods did show the presence of pathogenic organisms but probably their numbers were not high enough to cause any food poisoning. When the flood has affected some areas, the contamination from microorganism into food were easily contaminated, that contamination can always occur at all points of the food chain, for instants inadequate washing, handling and cooking of food just before consumption is still a prime cause of food-borne diseases. Many infectious diseases are preventable by observing simple hygienic rules during food preparation whether in family settings or in large food catering facilities. According to the guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are five keys for safer food in disaster situation such as keeping clean, separating raw and cooked food, cooking thoroughly, keeping food at safe temperatures and lastly using safe water and raw materials. As a rational, the education to all individuals have to concern more to avoid the unwanted condition occurs, for instant when a disaster such as flood occurs, the public would already understand and be prepared to apply their knowledge in hygiene and food safety. As an example, the hand washing method which involves seven steps needs to be imbibed into all individuals through health education campaigns so that it becomes a common practice amongst all individuals. As a very good solution the promotion and enforcement of food hygiene requirements should be carried out continuously to ensure that every individual understands the need for hygiene and food safety during disaster situation such as flood.

Discussion 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion 8 - Essay Example This is Heyman’s first element for a proactive organization. In fact, prior to our meetings the person who is to preside over the meeting is expected to send, 24 hours before the meeting, a copy of the sequence of topics for discussion. In the meetings, the scope of the agenda is carefully observed and side topics for further discussion are tabled for another meeting. In the agenda, an item is always included that requests for contribution from all participants in the meeting, and before the meeting is adjourned all participants are clarified on the accomplishments they must fulfill and report for accountability at the next meeting. Rasler (2010) also notes that as far as marketing is concerned, a proactive approach does more than fulfill a need, but rather it aims at creating a need – that is, to explore new markets and new untapped customers who would benefit from the company’s products. This is a direction our company has been taking with our lineup of medical equipment and supplies; rather than targeting the usual hospitals and clinics, we have begun to market to homes and patients who have special interests in certain types of equipment. References Heyman, P (12 Dec. 2012) ‘Is Your Organization Proactive or Reactive?’ Bridging Associates. Available at http://www.bridgingassociates.com/wp/2012/12/12/is-your-organization-proactive-or-reactive/ Rasler, K (27 Dec 2010) ‘Run a Proactive, Not Reactive, Business.’ ACHR News. Available at http://www.achrnews.com/articles/run-a-proactive-not-reactive-business 2.What adaptive challenges face your industry in the next five years?   How equipped is your company / organization to deal with them? There are at least two major challenges that I see in the next five years for the market in medical devices and equipment, the industry in which my organization, St. Luke’s Medical, operates in. One challenge involves the technological changes that are expected to take pla ce, of which there are three key trends. These are: (1) the miniaturization of devices; (2) the development of diagnostic technology capable of earlier and more accurate diagnoses; and (3) advances in IT and e-health technologies (Ford, 2013). The first challenge therefore has to do with keeping the staff and promotional literature current with the new developments. While the staff has good background in the past and current medical technologies, newer, revolutionary medical devices will be operating under new mechanisms and therefore may not be within the understanding and competence of our staff who are more marketing-educated and trained. They will have to see the new equipment in use and understand how they operate so that they (the staff) may be competent to answer the questions of customers. The second major challenge is the developing demographics, the forthcoming changes in the health care legislation, and their implications on the demand for medical devices. This is more di fficult to address than the first challenge because of the uncertainties particularly in the soon-to-be-implemented affordable health care legislation. One of the implications is the 2.3% medical device excise tax which has taken effect as of the start of 2013. While the tax is supposed to be paid by the manufacturer or importer, since this is a cost of doing business the

Case 12-1; Litchfield Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case 12-1; Litchfield Corporation - Essay Example This means that despite Litchfield Corporation of a favourable environment to operate in the UK, the perceived profits will decline as the margin is to be taxed by the federal government. The establishment of an offshore subsidiary firm enables the institution split its profits into two where; export profits from the sale of the umbrellas to the subsidiary which is subject to income tax while export profits from the subsidiary sales to foreign buyers is not subject to the US federal income tax unless distributed to the parent firm in the form of a dividend (Burman & Slemrod, 2013). Litchfield Corporation’s ambitious expansion certainly will have to handle and manage the risks that are associated with exportation so as to ensure maximum profitability and limits losses. The risks likely to be encountered include; Credit risk; this might affect the parent company since the credit worthiness of the offshore subsidiary may be questionable. The credit worthiness limits the risk of late payments, non-payments hence minimizes the risk of reduced profits. Transportation and logistics; the company faces the risks associated with movement of goods over long geographical locations. This increases the costs of operation since more is invested in risk transfer and profit margins are likely to be reduced. Therefore, the risks that might likely to affect the business need to be identified and proper steps undertaken so as to minimize the risk of loss of profit. Some of the risk management options include; insurance that covers country risk cover, credit risk cover, and transit risk cover ensuring that Litchfield competes profitably in UK. Cost-based; this is transfer price based on the cost of production of material. This determination is set to include a profit margin for the producer. However, the simplicity of application of the cost based transfer price method, two problems arise such as the measure of

Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Logistics - Essay Example FedEx is an American international courier delivery company. The organization has massive information stored in its computer vaults in its Memphis headquarters (FedEx, 2014). The major challenge for FedEx in the early 2000s was to help their global partners access this information, make business for themselves and in turn business for FedEx. To solve this challenge, FedEx connected its partners through an online portal. Check Point Software Technologies is the firm that provided the needed software that was customized by FedEx’s IT workforce. Tied to the firm’s payment processing system, AutoPay, the portal provides access to various reports including revenues brought in by each partner compared to their budgets (Hemmatfar, Salchi & Bayat, 2010). This is in line with the objective of business intelligence of comparing actual performance to set goals (Gendron, 2013). The portal could also be queried to provide information on delivery performance and help in making decisi ons on best locations for new satellite bureaus. Thus, FedEx is able to track and monitor its processes. It provides real-time management updates to pave way for appropriate adjustment plans. Therefore, business intelligence has been critical for FedEx’s continuous planning. In the same way, business intelligence could be used in the logistics industry in general to make timely and well informed business

Was Ford Ethically Right in Its Decision to Design Improvements and Th Assignment

Was Ford Ethically Right in Its Decision to Design Improvements and Thereby Risk the Lives of Its Consumers - Assignment Example Ford was ethically wrong in its decision to forego the improvements and thereby risk the lives of its consumers. In any case, it certainly appears that Ford was rushing against time to capture the market and overcome its competitors in the compact car industry. On ethical and moral judgments, a decision informed by material benefits at the expense of human lives is certainly wrong and misguided. Worse still, the cost-benefit analysis conducted by Ford amounted to involving its consumers in a deal of which they were totally oblivious. For such a decision to qualify on ethical grounds, the automaker would have made public its decisions on the faults of the vehicle and the subsequent cost-benefit analysis so as to inform the potential buyers of Pinto. In such a case, the company would be exonerated from the faults that came as a consequence of the defect in the vehicle. Moral conduct regards human lives as totally absolute and should never be quantified with other material products.Huma n beings are generally risk-averse and would not really partake into evitable instances where their lives are put to risk. The passing on of the $11 to the customers comes after the maintenance has been made and the vehicle is devoid of the risk. In this case, the rationality of the customer does not, therefore, come in. their decision to buy the car is therefore pegged upon another thing like cost and taste but not a risk. It is therefore certainly much different from the case of the airbags which are optional and the consumer has to make a decision.

The Raj Rajaratnam's Conspiracy And Securities Fraud Essay - 19

The Raj Rajaratnam's Conspiracy And Securities Fraud - Essay Example Rajaratnam had a continuous pattern of using insider trading to make millions of dollars in profits. Typically insider trading occurs as one time tips that a person exploits. A smart insider trader will not abuse his knowledge to earn money to stay off the radar of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Greed was the primary factor that led to the demise of Raj Rajaratnam. Information asymmetry in the financial market is a posing great risk. This risk is characteristic of insider trading activities. These activities and underground operations are tailored towards benefiting a few in the society. Considering the Galleon insider trading saga, the parties that were set to benefit from illegal activities are few. Investors and more especially the hedgers should have common information regarding market share movements of companies (Jones, 1996, pg. 143). However, a few individuals through cooperation and collaboration sought to take advantage of crucial information only available to them. Of course, an inside job is a context upon which the participants to these fraudulent activities thrived and thereby succeeded in their quest to reap huge profits by taking advantage of company performance in the financial market (Girgenti, 2010, pg. 88). Kamal Ahmed among other senior employees of companies listed in the investigations offered crucial information on payment. Such an activity is risky for the financial markets because information symmetry is expected to influence the decisions of investors. Acts of corruption and bribery are therefore integrated into the insider trading activity allowing for the few involved to take advantage of the entire shareholding and investing community. The losses of many are the profits of a few. Due to the high secrecy that insider trading activities require, it seems obvious that successful businessmen and prominent people may be the major participants in such activities.

Mystery Skull Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Mystery Skull - Lab Report Example The mystery skull has the values of these indices recorded as 65, 23 and 90 respectively. The skulls were first grouped with reference to the index of supra-orbital height and the specimens D, F, G, H, I and B whose scientific names are given in chart 1 were found to the potential identities of the mystery skull. The recorded values for the supra-orbital values were 70, 58, 58, 70, 66 and 70 respectively which were close to the mystery skull’s values of 65. The observation was then narrowed down to the index of nuchal area height and only three specimens (F, G and I) bore a resemblance to our mystery specimen with recorded values of 21, 23 and 12 referenced against the mystery specimen’s value of 23. A reference was then made to the index of the condylar position and we only remained with G and I (Homo erectus and Archaic Homo sapiens respectively). In order to separate the two specimens the non-index characteristics were observed and the physical traits of the specimens that match the ones of the mystery skull #1 were noted. The specimen G has thick eyebrow projection while that is not the case for specimen I. in this case the mystery skull is similar to specimen I. it is also observed that the specimen G has a protruding face when compared to both specimen I and our mystery skull #1. A look at the shape of the eye orbits suggests that our mystery skull is skull I since skull G has square eye orbits while I and the mystery skull both have oval eye orbits. The height of the nasal orbit is also shorter for g when compared to the height of G and the mystery skull #1. The index characteristics; index of supra-orbital height, index of nuchal area height and the index of the condylar position of the mystery skull #2 are recorded in the chart 1 as 71, 37 and 44.

Cleveland’s Livability Essay Example for Free

Cleveland’s Livability Essay

Causes of Absenteeism and High Turnover of Staff

Causes of Absenteeism and High Turnover of Staff You have been employees as the human resource manger of a company. You have checked through the company record on turnover of absenteeism in the company for the past 6 months. Identify the causes of absenteeism and high turnover staffs in your company. Absenteeism occurs when employees are not present at work when they are scheduled to be there. It can be divided into voluntary or involuntary absenteeism. Involuntary absence is viewed to be beyond the employees immediate control; legitimate reasons like personal illness, accidents or family emergencies. Voluntary absence is under the direct control of the employee which can often be traced back to other factors such as a poor work environment, job dissatisfaction and other issues. If such absences become excessive, they can have a seriously adverse impact on a companys operations and, ultimately, its profitability. The causes of absenteeism and high turnover staff are: Low wages: The prospect of getting higher pay elsewhere is one of the most obvious contributors to turnover. Every industry has organizations that pay well and some that pay low. Employees might stay a little longer in times of recession because no other work is available, but they know theyre being exploited and will be looking for a way out. Work environment: Turnover tends to be higher in environments where employees feel they are taken advantage of, where they feel undervalued or ignored, and where they feel helpless or unimportant. Clearly, if managers are impersonal, arbitrary, and demanding, there is greater risk of alienation and turnover. Management policies: Management policies can also affect the environment which can lead to high turnover as well. In a way such as whether employee benefits and incentives appear generous or stingy, or whether the company is responsive to employees needs and wants. Managements handling of major corporate events such as mergers or layoffs is also an important influence on the work environment afterwards. Weak team leadership: Even if someone has been trained to do a specific job, they are usually working as part of team. They are alongside people with complementary roles, who together deliver a process or solution.  If team lack strong leadership they will not function well, which will lead to disagreements and relationship breakdown. Poor training: Asking employees often to do a job but not giving them adequate training will in fact de-motivate the employees and hence allow them to leave the company. Work stress: Work stress experienced at particular types of jobs can also create turnover. Seasonal changes: seasonal changes such as the beginning of a school year can cause high turnover when part-timer, school-age employees return to their classrooms. Demographically specific: Some turnover is demographically specific, particularly for women who are balancing significant work and family duties at the same time. Such women (or men) may choose to leave a company instead of sacrificing their other interests and responsibilities in order to make the job work out. These factors translate into higher turnover rates for women in many companies. Inequitable evaluation: while preparing the performance appraisal of an employee, some mangers will unfairly evaluate the employees performance which in fact de-motivate them and hence lead to high turnover rate. Strained communications between management and employee: When a lack of communication exists in the organizational setting it has the potential to cause significant problems between management and employees. For each case identified above, suggest way(s) in which the staffs can be motivated to remedy the situation. Low wages: according to F W Taylor, the motive for hard work is high wages. The company has to pay high wages to their employees in order to remedy the situation. Work environment: the manger must give high and equal importance to all of his employees, so that they feel who valuable they are to the company and therefore will be motivated to remedy the situation. Management policies: the management policies should meet the employees expectation. Providing them incentive and benefits to motivate them to remedy the situation. Weak team leadership: Teams perform at their best under clear leadership, where someone has a vision of how the team should work and the level at which it should perform. Poor training:  the company must provide with an accurate account of training to their employees to develop their knowledge in those skills and aptitudes which contribute to the welfare of the company and employees. Work stress: the manger must give their employees with a certain number jobs which the employees can able handle and accomplish smoothly at a given time. Seasonal changes: at the time of evaluation and selection the manager must avoid selecting part-timers, or at the time of evaluation the manger must take into consideration the number of hours that the employee can give to the company and the length of his service in order to reduce the turnover rate. Demographically specific: at the time of evaluation, mangers must select those women who are unmarried. Inequitable evaluation: the management must evaluate the employees performance fairly with specific concentrating on his/her performance. Strained communications between management and employee: Improving communication between management and employees requires a focus on  effective communication and leadership management. The following are some important keys to an effective communication: Clarity Active Listening Patience Honesty Awareness of Body Language Question 2 You are the human resource management of the company. Explain how you identify a particular individual for training. Everyone has personal and often unique training and development needs. Such needs may be the result of ambition, career progression, inadequate job performance, or simply to meet changing demands of job or occupation. The purpose of this handout is to outline the process of identifying individual training and development needs and the involvement of the trainer. NO Is Performance Correctable? Is Performance Satisfactory? Is Performance Satisfactory? YES By asking some of these basic questions, it can be able to roughly categorize people and their respective job performance. The outcome of this exercise is to group people into three broad categories. People whose job performance is unsatisfactory and for whom training is probably a necessity. People whose job performance is satisfactory, but may need training in order to maintain this level of performance. People whose job performance is more than satisfactory and whose need for training is for development purposes. Using these categories as a starting point the trainer can ask more detailed question about a person, gradually building up a picture of the individual and using it to identify training needs. To ensure that the training is effective and meet the objectives of the organization, explain how training should be conducted. People must be interested in learning and be willing to learn before they will accept training. The operational objectives of the training should be known by those responsible for it and by those involved in it. Time constraints and performance standards should be predetermined and also made known. Training must be geared to the individual needs of those being trained and be seen to be so. Training must be done either by supervisor or manger, or by an agency acting within a pattern fully understood and approved by the supervisor or manger, and which he will subsequently maintain and reinforce. The rate of training should equal the rate at which an individual can learn, and this should be confirmed by testing. People can learn by being told or shown how to do work, but best of all from the personal involvement of doing wok accepted standards under skilled coaching. Training should be planned, executed and evaluated systematically, in the context of organizational needs. Discuss the issues in the article. According to the article the Singapore government has setup S$600 million to train the workers to develop their knowledge skill. The employers will get higher subsides, up to 90% of course fees, for workers who attend programmes at any continuing education and training centre. For the first time, the low-skilled will be paid $4 for every hour that they are on course. The higher-skilled can get up to $1,000 a month while on training. Half the amount will be use to develop training centre and the rest will be paid out to employers, workers and jobless Singaporeans o course. This will have a great impact on the countrys economy. The unemployment rate will significantly drop and by this great strategy of the government, it will effectively reduce the high turnover rates in the companies and will develop their skills to a certain level.

Toomers Seventh Street, Depicts Life and Issues in the Prohibition Per

Toomer's Seventh Street, Depicts Life and Issues in the Prohibition Period Toomer captures very deep thoughts in his writing in fairly simple language. The way he works his ideas into the text is amazing. In "Seventh Street," an excerpt from his larger work, Cane, Toomer blends ethnic ideas together while speaking about issues that involve the whole public spectrum. He begins with a four-line verse that draws the reader in and helps him to visualize the setting. Money burns the pocket, pocket hurts, Bootleggers in silken shirts, Ballooned, zooming Cadillacs, Whizzing, whizzing down the street-car tracks. The world Toomer is speaking about seems very busy and fast-paced. He uses street imagery to create the feeling of excitement and energy. In these first few lines of text, he brings up the topic of Prohibition indirectly. He talks of how the bootleggers, those who find a way to get their hands on alcohol and then sell it illegally, are quite wealthy and drive up and down Seventh Street in their Cadillacs with their nice clothes and their money almost burning holes in their pockets. The last line is significant in that he makes the point that they are driving down the street-car tracks in Cadillacs. It seems as though he is making the distinction between the elite and the people of lesser means. In the beginning of the prose section, Toomer describes Seventh Street as the "bastard of Prohibition and the War." Seventh Street is a product of Prohibition and World War I merged together. He goes on to describe how Prohibition and World War I affect the events and the people who live on this street. The people feel as if too many rights are being taken away from them with the onset of... ... forbid! A black God!" Toomer says God would call for the Judgment Day, as if the world would be over, if our God were a black God and it would be time to end everything. However, in all reality God should not be stereotyped the way we stereotype everything else. I believe Toomer is trying to make the point that we cannot place stipulations on God and His appearance when we have never seem Him with our own eyes. Toomer ends the work with the same four-line verse with which he drew his reader in. I believe the prose section deepens the meaning of the verse and by ending with it, he reminds us of what exactly he was writing about in the beginning. It almost shows the difference between appearance and reality. The irony of it all is that the verse shows how their lifestyle appears and the prose section describes the way life really is on Seventh Street.

Economics :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economic problem is simply the process of providing for the material well- being of society.(Heilbroner) In my own words, I feel that the economic problem is simply that there are to many jobs and to many people that are not qualified for the â€Å"right† job that they can perform. This then leads to people who do not have the â€Å"right† job for them to not work, because they feel that that is not the job for them. This could be a huge problem that eventually leads to unemployment. Also as technology improves we will no longer need people to do the job but machinery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tradition is particular rules that have been adapted to society. This is simply being handed down the family business. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. One advantage is that you are set in a business and really do not have to worry what you are going to do when you get older. But on the other hand there is a disadvantage, being handed down the family business, you are set in that business for basically life and and there is a lack of progress. And progress is the origin of new goods and services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When dealing with command there is always going to be someone who is in charge, the one with all the power, the one who says you do this. Command and slavery are tied together. Central authority can help economic progress. Markets are systems that allows individuals to make their own decisions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two dimensions of production and distribution. One being, to organize a system to assure the production of enough goods and services for its own survival. According to Robinson Cruso this means to be able to live are your own. By doing everything by yourself as opposed to a society working together. And the second dimension being, to arrange the distribution of the fruits of its production so that more production can take place. I think that this basically means to spread the wealth so that

Euthanasia Ends Suffering Essay -- Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suic

Euthanasia Ends Suffering      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death is deeply personal, generally feared, and wholly inescapable, but medical technology now can prolong our biological existence virtually indefinitely, and, with these advances, comes the question of whether we should pursue the extension of life in all cases.   Most people would agree that, under certain circumstances, it would be preferable to cease our hold on life.   Nearly everyone can agree that there are situations when terminally ill patients have the right to call for a halt to life-extending treatments, and that their physicians will have the moral obligation to comply.   What appears to be quite difficult for us as a society to come to terms with is the thought that someone would actively intervene in the "natural" process of the death of another human being.   Why is it tolerable, even desirable, to intervene (with decidedly unnatural technology) in the "natural" process of death when it results in extending life, but intolerable and morally abhorrent when we act to speed the patient to his or her unavoidable death?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certain members of society see active euthanasia as "killing," where passive euthanasia is viewed in the more favorable light of "letting one die".   My question is this: how are the two morally different?   Examine the following case:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry L. was a nineteen-year-old who played in a local band, loved the outdoors, and planned to become a doctor.   One night in 1989 while driving a skidoo he ran headlong into a tree.   Perry no longer has any cognitive abilities, he does not recognize anyone that he once knew, he cannot communicate in any way, and he has no meaningful control over his body or its functions.   Perry will never recove... ... Brody, Baruch. Life And Death Decision Making. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Chapman, Carleton. Physicians,Law,& Ethics. New York: New York University Press, 1984. Friedman, Emily. Ethics Issues For Health Care Professionals. Baskerville: American Hospital Publishing, 1986. Gay-Williams, J. "The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia", Social Ethics: Moral and Social Policy, McGraw-Hill, 1982. 48-52 Low, Charlotte. Euthanasia - Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1989. Maguire, Daniel. Death By Choice. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1984. Rachels, J. "Active and Passive Euthanasia", Social Ethics: Moral and Social Policy, McGraw-Hill, 1982. 52-56 Reich, Warren. Quality Of Life. New York: Paulist Press, 1990. Rothenberg, M. & Chapman, C. Barron's Medical Guide Second Edition, Barron's Educational Series', 1989

Case Critique: Black Fly Beverage Company Inc Essay

Black fly is enjoying a comfortable growth, their product has been well received by consumers and they have also benefited from positive feedback from the media. Now would then be a very good time to undertake an expansion as the company would take advantage of the momentum and exposure it currently has to introduce new products or features to the market. Let’s evaluate the different options available to Black fly. First Alternative: Launching a new Flavour: Launching a new flavour of an existing product has been the most common expansion initiative taken by companies in the food and beverage industry. It is a conservative approach as it usually does no require a significant investment mostly because it benefits from economies of scale and often does not require any new equipment for the production as it is the case with Black fly beverages. Furthermore the company currently has enough capacity from a production perspective to support the expansion. However the main risk, as it was assessed by the company, is that the new flavour may â€Å"cannibalize the original recipe† and will not result in an increase of market share but rather split sales between the products. The flavour is less likely to attract consumers and could only be an additional option to existing customers allowing them to choose or switch between flavours which does not increase revenues but rather keeps them steady. Also, if we take in consideration the psychological buying process of consumers it has not been proven that consumers are more likely to purchase a product because it offers more than one flavour nor does it help a consumer revisit his choice if he did not like the product in the first place. Second Initiative: Creating a new product line ‘Spiked Ice† The spiked ice is an innovative idea, a first in its kind to be introduced to the wine and spirit marketplace and like any new idea it is important to establish that it is also an opportunity. The LCBO being the largest retailer of alcoholic beverages in the world, it is safe to assume that it has the best knowledge of trends in the industry as it is almost the only channel of distribution of alcoholic beverages in Ontario. The LCBO is then the best resource a company can use when it comes to product/industry feasibility as it carries out a stringent assessment of quality, price and market potential for each new product. Therefore there is an opportunity and a market potential for this new product since the LCBO is willing to provide shelf space for the Spiked Ice, furthermore it has a provided a firm commitment for a 4 months order. The â€Å"Spiked Ice† also has the potential â€Å"real† additional revenues since it is a different product and can also target consumers who are not typically fond of vodka coolers (i.e. consumers that prefer drinking beer but whom during the summer month would quench their thirst on a freezee with a vodka twist) Allowing the company to increase and diversify its customer base. This initiative however does require a significant capital investment to upgrade the production facilities and the company would be facing a significant loss should the product not generate enough sales however the company has commitment from LCBO for a large quantity which will also help them boost the roll out of the new product. Also from a managerial/organizational perspective the company has proven that it is capable of successfully undertaking similar projects. I would recommend the company to launch the â€Å"Spiked Ice† as it is the only option that has the potential to generate additional revenues allowing the company to truly expand by penetrating a different segment of the market share. Introducing a new flavour has a low potential as it does not target a new segment or customer base and will most likely not generate additional revenues however it is a good initiative that could be launched for retention purposes to increase customer satisfaction.

Hector Beverages

Marks, Manna, Jamming Kola Kathy, Oakum, Googolplex aka Pain, Mil aka Amman and Clearer, was launched last year with the theme of home made Indian healthy drinks/ Hector Beverages Pet. Ltd. , is a disruptive entrant to the industry with the aim to change this. Priced at RSI 30 for a mall pack, thanks to its innovative packaging and low overheads, the drink is trying to create a space for itself with the customers of different category. As of now, Distribution channel for selling paperboard is direct sales in MAT market and Distributor model in GET market. So, there is no particular distribution channel for Samos. The broad objective of the Short term project Hector Beverages Pet. Ltd. Is to suggest different segments of retail stores where paper boat's presence can be created to increase its sales.The major objectives of this project were 1) As a new beverage company known for wide product portfolio Hector gave the task of Segmentation of retail channels in the Oneida region of NCR a nd developing a go-to market strategy for increasing penetration in this area. 2) Developing database of different stand-alone modern trade stores , traditional read stores and other outlets in Oneida 3) Analyses of various areas of Oneida and its stores 4) During the course of the project covered 80+ outlets in Oneida and recommended 30 outlets along with appropriate the sales promotions strategy. For this we started with the process of segmentation of the stores on the basis of various parameters.The first one being the target group , and we defined the target group based in the interviews we had with the retailers and customers in the Oneida region. Target group : Based on our interviews with the retailers in Oneida region we cached a basic sketch of the typical customers of paper boat in this region. Age: 17 College goers and first Jobbers , people who like to try new beverages and flavors. These people are more health conscious than soda guzzling consumers. One reason is the fa ct that they are out everyday and mostly consume at least one beverage outside the house, either with a meal or Just hanging out with friends over conversation. Hence, these people also look for variety as they are tired of having the same flavors overtime.The most preferred flavors that unanimously all retailers aid sold the most were Am Rasa , Am pain and Clearer. Segmentation : on the basis of presence of target Audience in the vicinity. 1) Perfect Fit – Places where the entire customer base fits into the target group of paper boat. These places have a lot of potential to help increase sales tremendously. College canteens – ASS College , Jayvee college , ABBES college Amity Office cafeterias – -arcs , park , Barclay These stores are visited daily by the same customers and the frequency with which these customers buy beverages is very high, almost one everyday. Hence , these are he best places to reach to our target group.Not only should these places be tapped and paper boat's presence should be made paper boat can be placed and since the customers visit everyday they are likely to try new flavors and get hooked to them ultimately. Sales in these places will ultimately results into popularizing the flavors through word of mouth and customers will start eventually buying paper boar not Just for themselves but to take back home , for family and friends. 2) Almost there – Places where at least 70 percent of the customer base fits into the target group. These are places not inside the institutes and offices but around them. The retail store that most of the college shops from outside , the street snack store that every one goes to once in a while.This would include at least 40 street vendors outside offices park , Barclay in areas like sec 62, 63,58 . 3) Will get there – Places where at least 50% of the customer base fits into the target group. These include both retail stores and eateries . Eateries and coffee shops like those in Oneida , Apparatus and sec 25 which offer a wide variety of food and and the customers usually like it to be accompanied with a average. Matthias shops which serve light snacks like Samos and other Indian variants of it , also fall in the same category. So do the bakeries . All these places , along with the food do sell some beverages and their sales are huge. Paper boat should benefit highly from being present in these places.Another category here are the retails stores in the areas which are frequented by our target group like the ones in B block market of sector 62 , TOT mall , Sector 25 market. Also kiosks on the metro stations – cafe buddy come under the same category. 4) Get in the house This refers to the Modern trade stores. This is not for our target group specifically , this is the route to get into customers home and achieve a status of being on the shopper's list. Big bazaar in sec 18 , Spencer and easy day would all fall in this category. Segmentation : on th e basis of sales This will help us Judge the potential a particular place/segment has to increase the sales of paperboard. To get the Judgment right we have categorized stores into three stores.To understand the potential that the store might have paperboard we have marked the stores on the basis if the sales of coco cola since that is one beverage each one of Hess stores stocked and no other beverage was uniformly present in all the stores. Total coco cola sales will help us understand the amount of sales that can be generated for a beverage in these stores and paper boor needs presence in these stores to take a share of those sales . On these basis we have distributed the stores in to three categories 1) High 2) Medium 3) Low The names are self explanatory and depend entirely on the sales volume of coca cola from these stores. All stores are marked on the high medium low scales in the excel , so please refer to the excel to get a better understanding of the individual store status .

M Hill

The† Hard Choices† essay had a better outline and gave a more interesting dead than â€Å"Initiation into Adulthood† â€Å"Initiation into Adulthood† is a very basic essay and gave the impression that is was written by a less experienced writer. I felt the paper was boring and did not keep my attention while reading each short story. The most noticeable mistake was that the paper did a plot summary for each story and never provided a conclusion or a position in any of the stories. The checklist says to use present tense verbs and this story used mostly past tense.The â€Å"Hard Choices† essay gives an analysis of each short story and provides direct quotes from the short stories. â€Å"Initiation into Adulthood† did not do a imperative analysis of the short stories. There were no literary terms used in this essay and there were no works cited. The writer did not list the authors names in the essay to give credit for their work. This essay was b oring and did not really give the viewer cohesive account of what the writer was trying to convey. Hard Choices† on the other end was a good read! It was exciting it kept my attention and made me want to continue to read more. This essay followed most of the literary rules of writing, Although, I found the plot summaries for this essay to be boring as well. I really liked reading the comparative analysis ND the writer's position for each of the short stories. The writer gave us their view of why they felt each character made the decisions that were made for each story from their point of view.Unlike â€Å"Initiation into Adulthood† the writer for â€Å"Hard Choices† uses present tense verbs when writing about the short stories. The writer used the necessary resources to support their view of the stories which made the writer seem reliable. The conclusion for this essay was dead on and summarizes the short stories completely and was cohesive with the rest of the e ssay. Am not really into literature and I don't think I am a very good writer. Hopefully, that will change after this semester.I think something that would make both essays easier to read would be eliminating the plot summaries. Like novels and in most movies the reader/viewer does not want to have the plot given to them in the beginning. I think both essays would be a better read if their plots were a buildup and the reader was given the opportunity to read and draw their own conclusion.

Investigatory

Crazy Crystal Creations: How to Grow the Best and the Largest Crystals Materials and Equipment * Lab notebook * Large bowl * Ice, enough to fill large bowl at least three times * Water * Thermometer * String * Scissors * Pencils (3) * Identical jars or large drinking glasses (3) * Pot with a lid * Borax (also called 20-Mule Team household cleaner); * Tablespoon * Plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil * Gloves, latex or similar style exam glove (optional). Can be used if there is concern over handling borax Experimental Procedure 1.In this science fair project, you'll be recrystallizing borax under three different temperature conditions: in a refrigerator, at room temperature, and in an ice bath. Before you begin, make a hypothesis, based on your background reading, about how the crystals grown under each of these conditions will look. Write your hypothesis in your lab notebook. 2. Prepare an ice bath by filling the large bowl half full of ice and then adding water until the bowl is three-quarters full. a. Place the ice bath on a counter top or on a table, where it can be left undisturbed for at least 5 hours while the crystals grow. . As soon as the ice bath is prepared, use the thermometer to take the temperature of the ice bath, of the refrigerator, and of the room (do this by putting the thermometer on the countertop or table), and record the temperatures in your lab notebook. 4. Cut three pieces of string and tie one around each pencil. The string pieces should be of equal length and should be long enough that when the pencil is laid across the top of the jar, the end of the string hangs down to just above the bottom of the jar. 5.Bring enough water to fill each jar three-fourths full to a boil in a pot, with adult supervision. 6. Add 1 tablespoon (Tbsp. ) of borax to the water, and stir until it dissolves. Repeat, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until no more borax will dissolve. This is your saturated solution. 7. With an adult's help, pour equal amounts of the sa turated solution into the three jars. The jars should be about three-fourths full. 8. Lay a pencil across the top of each jar so the strings hang down into the saturated solution. 9. Cover the jars with plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil. 10.Place one jar in the refrigerator, leave one undisturbed on a countertop or table at room temperature, and put one in the ice bath you prepared. 11. Leave the jars alone for a minimum of 5 hours, or until crystals form (whichever is longer), and be sure not to disturb them. Check the ice bath regularly to make sure that the ice has not melted. Add ice, as necessary. b. If crystals form under one condition before they do in the others, note that in your lab notebook and let all three conditions continue for another hour to see if any crystals form in the other conditions. . Record in your lab notebook the total amount of time (from step 9 to step 11) that you let the crystals form. 12. Carefully remove the pencils, one at a time, and note the size, shape, and number of crystals obtained from each solution. Are there any differences? Why do you think this is so? Record your observations in a data table, like the one below. Cooling Condition| Trial 1| | Temperature| Time of Crystal Formation (in hours)| Number| Size| Other Observations| Ice bath| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  |Refrigerator| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Room temperature| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | 13. If you are presenting your project in a science fair, save the strings and display them at the fair. Be sure to keep track of which string belongs with which solution. 14. Repeat steps 1–13 at least two more times to make sure that your results are accurate and repeatable. How do your results compare to your hypothesis? What Makes Ice Melt Fastest? Materials and Equipment To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment: Ice cubes * Identical plates or saucers * Timer * Electronic kitchen balance (accurate to 0. 1 g) * Mea suring cup * Suggested materials to test for ice-melting ability * Table salt * Sugar * Sand * Pepper Experimental Procedure 1. Do your background research so that you are knowledgeable about the terms, concepts, and questions, above. 2. You'll need a clean plate and several ice cubes for each of the substances to be tested. 3. Use the balance to measure the initial mass of the ice cube.Note the starting time, then carefully sprinkle one teaspoon of the substance to be tested over the ice cube. 4. After a fixed amount of time (say, 10 minutes), pour off the melted water into a measuring cup, and use the balance to measure the mass. Subtract the mass of the empty cup, and you'll have the mass of the melted water. Wait the same amount of time for each test. 5. Measure the remaining mass of the ice cube. 6. Repeat three times for each substance to be tested. 7. Use the same procedure to measure the melting rate for ice cubes with nothing added. 8.For each test, calculate the percentage of the ice cube that melted: [mass of melt water]/[initial mass of ice cube] ? 100 9. For each test, calculate the percentage of the ice cube remaining: [remaining mass of ice cube]/[initial mass of ice cube] ? 100 10. For each substance you tested, calculate the average amount of melted water produced (as a percentage of initial mass), and the average remaining ice cube mass (as a percentage of initial mass). 11. Did any substances speed up melting of the ice (compared to melting rate of plain ice cubes with nothing added)?

Ethics, Consumerism and Social Responsibility Essay

Ethics, Consumerism and Social Responsibility - Essay Example British petroleum is the largest oil company in the world on the basis of market capitalization and proven reserves. It was established in 1908 with oil found in the rugged Persian Gulf after a long and difficult such. Since then, it has transformed from a local oil company to a global energy group, which focuses on various forms of energy. Their businesses include exploration of oil, production, refinery and marketing chemicals. It is the largest energy producing companies in the world that provide fuel for transportation and manufacturing. It extends its services to marketing of petroleum chemicals with a growing presence in gas and solar energy. Due to the nature of its major product, oil, the company is mostly linked to ethical issues such as environmental challenges on a global scale. However, in recent years, the British petroleum company has embarked on reviewing its ethical issues both to its employees and the public. This move is aimed at improving public confidence and prof it maximization for the company. Ethical business practice This is the use of business policies properly in regard to controversial related issues like corporate governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), bribery, insider training and discrimination (Terry 2011). It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of a particular individual and the entire organization. The work of business ethics is to implicitly regulate areas and details of behavior that lie beyond government control. Therefore, business ethics ensures good moral business practices in the society hence creating conducive environment for competitors, consumers, suppliers, the government and all other stakeholders in the business. Ethical theories Business ethical theories and principles are the foundations of ethical analysis of the business because they are the viewpoints of the society to the business. Through this analysis, the guidance on the ethical performance of the business can be found. These theories include utilitarian approach, rights ethical approach, justice approach, the common good approach and the virtue approach (Leonard, 2011). Utilitarian approach This is the oldest business ethics theory propagated by philosophers like Jeremy, Bentham, James Mill and Mill’s son John Stuart Mill (John 2002). This approach focuses on using ethical actions that would promote values among the societies while limiting the amount of harm as possible. It therefore incorporates the maximum number of stakeholders for it to succeed. In the recent past, the British petroleum company has not been able to limit the amount of harm caused by the company’s operations. Accidents due to human error and mechanical failures have been blamed on various occasions. For example, explosions in Texas in 2005 that killed workers; also oil spill in Alaska in 2006, which over 250000 gallons of oil spilled through,

Summary of article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Summary of article - Essay Example ecame unemployed; the standard of living lowered for most factory workers who were reduced into slaves and the family foundations wobbled as women worked in the mills. It was seen as a move that benefited only a few people. Before the industrial revolution set in, the economy was not doing well enough to sustain a growing population. The economy was characterized by monopolistic businesses. The youths were forced to work in the army under deplorable conditions. The crime rate also high and the authorities were not able to deal with it. The innovation system was opposed highly, but the factory system despite the many challenges it faced, thrived because of two reasons. The first reason is that the laissez-faire economists worked to educate people against the popular belief that the processes and devices introduced to save on labor were meant to create unemployment. The other reason it thrived was because they beat the authorities at their own game by addressing the problems above that the authorities had not been able to deal with. The factories provided employment for the paupers and the women who were willing to work. The wages paid were little but were better off than nothing. It is only the people who were well off in the society benefitted from the previous system. They are the ones who decided how much the others were going to earn. With the industrial revolution, there was a turn of things where new marketing and production modes were introduced. The goods that were manufactured focused on all consumers especially those that were not the target there before. Whenever the factory system went into the production of whichever goods, it first started by producing the cheap products for the greater percentage of the masses. The production of the expensive products only came much later. For example, when the factories produced cotton goods, the rich were not interested in cotton goods. These then became the target of the other consumers. It was a system of

Advance Software Engineering Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Advance Software Engineering - Term Paper Example We need to incorporate the awareness regarding the state of the art in project management, risk assessment models and management, of the software development process. Here we will also spotlight the duties and responsibilities of a professional Software Engineer. This whole analysis of the situation will provide a better insight into to determining appropriate criteria against which to select development strategies for specific circumstances. As introducing the company (OF-FACsystems Ltd) we find out that this company established in 2002 as a small specialist software house. Initially the company has stared the software development through the â€Å"off-the-shelf† system development methodology. In the starting days of the business of the OF-FACsystems Ltd has not adopted some better project management and development methodologies, but they were successful in the overall customer satisfaction and client convenience. As time passed the company size evolved and now company has a more bigger and better working setup regarding the development and implementation of the software products. For taking a better competitive edge and capturing the overall local software development market we need to implement better systems development methodologies and procedures for the enhanced software working and quality. This report is aimed to provide a better and deep insight into the overall better methodologies implementation and incorporation in the organization working system development areas. This section will provide a better overview of the main quality assurance and implementation criteria for the enhanced awareness of quality assurance and QMS. These implementations of the quality assurance parameters in the organization system development areas will ensure the better working style and effective management of the software development projects. Here we need to develop a critical awareness in system developer

Enterprise in practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enterprise in practice - Essay Example These models can be used in practice in order to assess the viability of an opportunity under specific market conditions. The first of these models, the SWOT analysis, provides a detailed view of the internal and the external environment of the organization. SWOT analysis focuses on the identification and the evaluation of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Earley et al. 2000). The two first elements of SWOT analysis, i.e. the strengths and weaknesses refer to the internal organizational environment; in opposition, opportunities and threats reflect the organization’s external environment (Adler et al. 2008). ... al conditions; moreover, secondary data describing the organization’s external environment would be also used (for instance, statistical data referring to the performance of the industry in which the organization operates or the trends of the particular industry regarding specific business decisions, e.g. mergers and acquisitions); it would be preferable that the information referring to the organization’s external environment is relevant to the opportunity the viability of which has been set under examination; for example, if the development of a strategic alliance between a specific organization and a well known organization of its industry is planned, then the performance of similar strategic decisions within the particular industry would be examined; an alternative method for generating ideas, along with the use of SWOT analysis, would be the focus groups, which would offer the following advantage: through the open discussion on a series of important issues, ideas c ould be developed in regard to the opportunity under evaluation; b) furthermore, the ideas generating through the above process – or processes, in case that both the processes suggested above are used – should be carefully preserved, in order to be further processed; the use of a notebook would be useful ensuring that the ideas generating will be not in risk – referring to the potential loss of ideas if they are stored in a database/ PC accessed by third persons, c) at the next level, the PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors) would be used in order to identify additional risks in the organization’s external environment; PEST analysis refers to different elements of the organization’s external environment and for this reason it should be used along with SWOT

Pacific Precision Financial Situation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Importance Of National And Organisational Culture Management Essay

Importance Of National And Organisational Culture Management Essay With the recent acquisition of Nexen Inc. by CNOOC Limited, the problem of managing cross cultural challenges arises. This is because of the cultural differences between China and Canada which both companies represent. This management report addresses the envisaged challenges of national and organisational culture arising from CNOOC acquisition of Nexen, by applying Hofstede cultural models. The report commences with introduction, followed by background of CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. It also discusses meaning and importance NC and OC culture; it then discusses the challenges and management strategies. It would conclude and make recommendations on how to mitigate the challenges. WORD COUNT: 2,498 PRESENTED TO: MS. Gillian Pallis CONTRACT CONCERNING PLAGIARISM I have read the code of practice regarding plagiarism contained in the students introductory Handbook. I realize that this code governs the way in which the Centre for Energy, and Mineral Law and Policy regards and treats the issue of plagiarism. I have understood the code and in particular I am aware of the consequences, which may follow if, I breach the code. I also authorize the centre to scan the e-copy of my research paper through the plagiarism detection software to detect plagiarism. SIGNED: ___________________________________ Date: TERMS OF REFERENCE This is a report by 110024120 an MSC student in International Oil and Gas Management, University of Dundee, Centre for Energy, Petroleum Law and Policy (CEPMLP). The report has been prepared exclusively for and at the request of the Senior Strategy Team of CNOOC Limited to address potential management challenges to the continued effective control of business arising from the acquisition of Nexen Inc. This report is focused on the perspective of delivering suitable management practices in meeting the envisaged challenges. The aim of the report is to present a critical and informed analysis of appropriate managerial strategies and practices for the challenges of national and organisational culture differences in post-acquisition performance. It concludes with some recommendations for consideration by the Senior Strategy Team of CNOOC and Nexen. TABLE OF CONTENTS TERMS OF REFERENCE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 4 KIFs Knowledge Intensive Firms 4 KIWs Knowledge Intensive Workers 4 CHAPTER ONE 5 1. INTRODUCTION 5 CHAPTER TWO 6 2. BACKGROUND OF CNOOC ACQUISITION OF NEXEN 6 CHAPTER THREE 7 3. MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 7 CHAPTER FOUR 8 4. THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 8 4.1. HOFSTEDE FOUR DIMENSIONS MODELS FOR NATIONAL CULTURE 8 4.2. HOFSTEDE SIX DIMENSION MODEL FOR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 9 4.3. ANALYSIS OF THE MODELS AND CHALLENGES OF NC AND OC DIFFERENCES 10 4.4. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CULTURAL CHALLENGES 11 13 13 13 13 13 CHAPTER FIVE 13 5. CONCLUSION 13 CHAPTER SIX 14 6. RECOMMENDATION 14 BIBLOGRAPHY 15 APPENDIX 18 HOFSTEDS CULTURAL INDEX, SCORES FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES 18 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NC National Culture OC Organisational Culture NXY New York Stock Exchange KIFs Knowledge Intensive Firms KIWs Knowledge Intensive Workers CHAPTER ONE 1. INTRODUCTION CNOOC Limited made global headlines on July 23, 2012 when it announced the acquisition of NEXEN, a Canadian based oil and Gas Company at the cost of $15.1 Billion. The acquisition is seen as Chinas largest Oil and Gas Company overseas acquisition Lauren (2012). NEXEN was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Nexen is a global energy company and is listed on the Toronto and New Yorks stock exchange under the symbol of NXY (www.nexeninc.com). Nexen is strategically located in different regions of the world; it has over 3,067 employees that add value for shareholders through successful oil and gas exploration and development. Consequent to the acquisition of Nexen, CNOOC Limited is now among one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world (www.cnooc.com). According to Barney (1988) many international acquisitions creates value for the acquirer through cooperation and integration to enhance sustainable growth. The objective of acquisition is to bring companies together and increase their competitive advantage through knowledge transfer, innovations and management skills. This is also a justification for an acquisition Fitzgibbon Seeger (2002). However, most international acquisitions come with complex management challenges Hitt, Harrison and Ireland (2001). Many factors are responsible for these challenges. Thus, this management report is aimed to address the envisaged challenges of national and organisational culture to the effective business performance in CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. This report will apply Hofstede (1980) four dimensions models and Hofstede (1990) six dimensions models as literature to argue that the challenges of NC and OC will affect post acquisition performance. The application of the two models is in line with a separate model developed by Hofstede for comparing OC differences. This is also consistent with Schein (1985) argument that organisational culture differences are not the same with national culture. The report will discuss the background of CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. It also discusses the meaning and importance of NC and OC culture; it then discusses the challenges and management strategies. It would conclude and make recommendations on how to mitigate the challenges. CHAPTER TWO 2. BACKGROUND OF CNOOC ACQUISITION OF NEXEN CNOOC Limited was established in 1999 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange in 2001 and is 70 percent owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (www.cnoocltd.com). CNOOC is one of Chinas largest producers of oil and natural gas and is also among the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production Companies in the world (www.cnoocltd.com). According to the chairman Mr Wang Yilin, based on the strategic business objective to expand CNOOC overseas business and deliver sustainable growth, thus complementing the large offshore production footprint in China. Extending its global presence to oil rich region like Western Canada, and other parts of the world are mandates for management to achieve. Consequently, the opportunity for the acquisition of NEXEN is an important part in CNOOC international business growth platform as mentioned by Chief Executive Officer of CNOOC Mr Li Fanrong, CNOOC Press release (2012). The acquisition of NEXEN by CNOOC Limited was announced on July 23, 2012 and approved by NEXEN shareholders on September 20, 2012 at the cost of $15.1 Billion (www.nexeninc.com). The acquisition will bring in benefits for both firms. CNOOC brings in a reassurance of stable company and strong financial base for investment, while Nexen Inc. will play an important part in international business growth platform. However, securing approval and making purchase does not end acquisition challenges. The challenges of acquisition may be ahead of what happens afterwards, the issues after takeover Lauren (2012). For NEXEN a Canadian company with western values and culture, the management and staff are accustomed to working independently. But with the acquisition, they will align with CNOOC as their new Chinese owner with a different culture and orientation Lauren (2012). As both companies are knowledge intensive firms (KIFs) with knowledge intensive workers (KIW) there will be challenging issues on NC and OC differences Alvesson (2004). Thus, this report addresses the challenges of NC and OC in CNOOC acquisition of NEXEN. We will proceed by looking at the meaning and importance of NC and OC. CHAPTER THREE 3. MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE NATIONAL CULTURE This was defined as the collective programming of the mind acquired by growing up in a particular country Hofstede (1991). National culture is reflected in basic values, such as feelings of right and wrong, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, rational and irrational Olie (1990). NC impacts many forms of organisational behaviour, ranging from decision-making styles and human resources management to behaviour in groups Kirkman, Love Gibson (2006). NC is treated as a relatively stable feature that changes very slowly Erez Earley, 1993; Hofstede (2001). ORGANSATIONAL CULTURE Hofstede (1980) defined organisational culture as the collective programming of the mind that differentiates the members of one organisation from others. Trice and Beyer (1984) views it is a system of publicly accepted meanings which operate for a group at a particular time; it is a pattern of shared basic assumptions developed by a group or organisation on how to cope with its environment, that are stable and difficult to change, and difficult to observe because many important parts of culture are invisible Schein (1985); and more so it can simply imply the way we do things around here Deal and Kennedy (1982). IMPORTANCE The importance of national and organisational culture in international acquisition cannot be disregarded Hatch, 1993; Schein, 1985 and Hofstede (1980). Managing international business or acquisition means handling and understanding both cultural differences at the same time. Knowledge of cultural practices across borders is significant for multinationals in order to hold the company together. National cultures are embedded in values, whereas organisational cultures are embedded in practices, when both cultures are ignored there could create challenges that affects post-acquisition performance. CHAPTER FOUR 4. THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE For the purpose of analysing the challenges of national and organisational culture, this report applies Hofstede cultural models to illustrate the major cultural differences which CNOOC of China and Nexen of Canada represent. Canada reflects the western cultural values wheras China reflects the Oriental Confucian group. The models are identified as follows: 4.1. HOFSTEDE FOUR DIMENSIONS MODELS FOR NATIONAL CULTURE INDIVIDUALISM/COLLECTIVISM This implies disharmony of interests on personal and collective goals Parsons and Shils (1951). Hofstede (1980) culture index (from the appendix) scored Canada 80 while China scored 20. This shows that the Canadians are highly independent of their organizations, preferring personal time, freedom, and challenge, whereas the Chinese employees have a stronger sense of belonging to their organization. POWER DISTANCE This refers to how different societies find different solutions on social inequality Mauk (1977). China scored 80 while Canada scored 39, indicating that Chinese employees are more comfortable with structured hierarchical levels and supervisors who make decisions. Canadians, on the other hand, prefer a more participatory style. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE This implies the degree to which cultural members are willing to accept and deal with risky situations or unknown future Hofstede (1980). China scored 30 while Canada scored 48, meaning that the Chinese try to avoid risk and anxiety, while the Canadians neither seek nor avoid ambiguous situations. MASCULINITY/FEMININITY This refers to stereotyping gender expectations in organisations Hofstede (1984). China scored 66 while Canada scored 52, meaning that China has medium/high masculinity culture; whereas Canada has a medium/low masculinity culture. 4.2. HOFSTEDE SIX DIMENSION MODEL FOR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE PROCESS ORIENTED VERSUS RESULT ORIENTED Process oriented cultures are dominated by technical and bureaucratic routines, while results oriented by a common concern for outcomes. In results-oriented units, everybody perceived their practices in about the same way; in process-oriented units, vast differences exist in perception among different levels and parts of the unit Hofstede (2011). JOB ORIENTED VERSUS EMPLOYEE ORIENTED Job oriented assumes responsibility for the employees job performance, while employee-oriented cultures assume a broad responsibility for their members wellbeing. At the level of individual managers, the distinction between job orientation and employee orientation has been popularized Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid (1964). PROFESSIONAL VERSUS PAROCHIAL Professionals usually imply the highly educated members identified primarily with their profession; while in Parochial, the members derive their identity from the organization for which they work. This is widely known as local versus cosmopolitan. OPEN SYSTEM VERSUS CLOSED SYSTEMS This dimension refers to the common style of internal and external communication, and to the ease with which outsiders and newcomers are admitted. It shows that organizational openness is a societal characteristic which means organization cultures also contain elements from national culture differences. TIGHT VERSUS LOOSE CONTROL This dimension deals with the degree of formality and punctuality within the organization; it is partly a function of the units technology: as most companies tend to show tight control, while others like advertising agencies show loose control. PRAGMATIC VERSUS NORMATIVE This last dimension describes the prevailing way of being flexible or rigid in dealing with the environment, particularly with customers. This dimension measures the degree of customer orientation, which is a highly popular topic in the marketing literature Hofstede et al. (1990). 4.3. ANALYSIS OF THE MODELS AND CHALLENGES OF NC AND OC DIFFERENCES By analysing the above cultural models as postulated by Hofstede, in the four dimension models we can identify differences in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism and femininity/masculinity between Canada and China which both companies represent. For the six dimensions models, CNOOC has process oriented culture with beurocratic routines while Nexen is more result oriented having concern for outcomes (www.nexeninc.com). Also Nexen culture are more job oriented while CNOOC have employee oriented culture with broad responsibility for their members wellbeing (www.cnoocltd.com). These cultural differences as illustrated creates challenges of conflicts, costs, and difficulties Hosted (1980; 2001). The cultural differences are also responsible for challenges and obstacles to achieving integration benefits Bjorkman, Stahl, Vaara (2007). It leads to decrease in shareholders value Datta and Puia (1995). It can complicate post acquisition integration and resource sharing Brock (2005). It causes human resource challenges like feeling of uncertainty and insecurity, causing culture clash and negative emotional reactions of employees towards acquisition Elsass and Veiga (1994) and culture collision Cartwright and Cooper (1993). They also lead to communication problems, ego clashes, inter-group conflicts, low employee morale, poor performance and ultimately retention Adkins and Caldwell (2004). However, these challenges can be mitigated by applying management practices and strategies. 4.4. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CULTURAL CHALLENGES Managing the challenges of national and organisational culture involves applying management practices or strategies by managers to reduce the challenges. The strategies are as follows: CULTURE INTEGRATION It involves the varying extent to which we can integrate more than one cultural perspective, mind-set, and behaviour into ones identity and worldview. It implies being able to move easily among cultures. It highlights the central importance of developing leaders and managers to the point where they have an ethno-relative experience of cultural difference Randy and Jacob (2009). SYNERGY APPROACH The approach involves adopting the strategy of managing the differences in culture. This implies recognising the challenges and using them to their advantage, rather than ignoring or allowing the challenges to cause problems Adler (1997). Managers therefore should be taught how to respect culture differences at work and how to work with them to maximise the contribution of each employee Cascio (1998). RESPECT FOR HOST COUNTRY CULTURE This means accepting the cultural difference without any judgment. No particular culture should claim perfection over the other culture. Cultures are different and for people they represent the ability to manage life situations and conditions the way they are familiar with for a long time Anisha (2011). IGNORING THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES The strategy implies a stage where the managers ignore the differences. It later becomes irrelevant as the managers and employees would be having good understanding about each others cultures and practices and they would have to respect the cultures. The employees and managers in this strategy feel that our way is the only way Adler (1997). CULTURAL ADAPTATION This strategy involves mutual understanding and simplification of complicated demanding processes of behaving in a different cultural condition. This step does not mean that the participating partner should give up their cultural background, but rather they should use their knowledge of their own culture to gain knowledge about the partners culture Anisha (2011). CHAPTER FIVE 5. CONCLUSION The challenges of national and organisational culture remain crucial in post-acquisition performance. Although CNOOC may experience many complex problems during the integration process, however the challenges of national and organisational culture differences can be very devastating. This is because most successes and failures of international acquisitions have been attributed to the challenges of cultural differences ( From the analysis of Hofstede cultural models we identify cultural differences between China and Canada which CNOOC and Nexen represent. For individualism/collectivism, it implies that Canadian employees are more independent of their organization, preferring freedom, whereas Chineese employees have a stronger sense of belonging to their organization. In power distance, China employees are more comfortable with structured hierarchical levels while Canada, on the other hand, prefer a more participatory style. With respect to uncertainty avoidance, Chineese tries to avoid risk and anxiety, while Canadians neither seek nor avoid ambiguous situations. In masculinity/femininity, China has medium/high masculinity culture whereas Canada has a medium/low masculinity culture. In terms of the organisational culture six dimensions models; there are cultural disparities between CNOOC and Nexen in the OC. Consequently, we can surmise that national and organisational culture differences are the biggest challenges that could affect international acquisition performance Hofstede (2001) such as that of CNOOC and Nexen. Thus, in order to mitigate these challenges, the recommendations below are made for the senior strategic team to adopt. CHAPTER SIX 6. RECOMMENDATION For CNOOC to enjoy sustained business performance in the acquisition of Nexen, the following recommendations are made to mitigate the challenges of NC and OC: Firstly, CNOOC should adopt culture management approach. This implies the process of developing or reinforcing an appropriate culture in the organisation Pretorius (2004). Culture management is also concerned with culture change, culture reinforcement, implementation and change management. The approach will achieve effective control of cultural difference challenges between CNOOC and Nexen. Secondly, culture training for employees is vital. It will sensitize them to the discriminations, biases and negative feelings of the diverse employees in the organisation Farren and Nelson (1999). Through training, employees can understand cultural diversity that exists between CNOOC and Nexen. Cultural training will also promote cooperation and coordination among employees to enable them live harmoniously and work comfortably. Thirdly, CNOOC should create awareness on cross cultural communication. This is because all levels of communication are affected by cultural dimensions like words, language, body language, gestures, etiquette dos and donts, clothing, gift giving, dining, customs and protocols William (2005). The knowledge of cross cultural communication is necessary because what may be considered perfectly acceptable and natural in China, can be uncultured or offensive in Canada. BIBLOGRAPHY BOOKS SOURCE Alvessson, M. (2004). Knowledge Work and Knowledge Intensive Firms. Oxford University Press, May 20th , 2004. pg102. Deal, T. E. and Kennedy, A. A. (1982). Corporate cultures: The rites and rituals of corporate life. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley. Cited in; Management An Introduction, by David Boddy with Steve Paton. Pearson Education Limited, 2011, Fifth Ed. Pg. 79. Hitt, M., Harrison, J. and Ireland, R. (2001). Mergers and acquisitions: A guide to creating value for stakeholders. Newyork: Oxford University Press. Copyright 2001, Pg5-6. Hofstede, G. (1984). International Differences in Work Related Values (2nd ed.) Beverly Hills CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-8039-1444-X Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences: International differences in work related values, 1980, p.25, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. JOURNALS AND ARTICLE SOURCE Adler, N. J. (1997). International Dimensions of Organisational Behaviour, Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing. Adkins, B. and Caldwell, D. (2004). Firm or subgroup culture: Where does fitting in matter most? Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 25 (8) pp. 969-978. Barney, J. (1988). Returns to biding firms in merger and acquisitions: Reconsidering the relatedness hypothesis. Strategic Management Journal, 9(S1), 71-78. Bjorkman, I., Stahl, G., and Vaara, E. (2007). Impact of cultural differences on capability transfer in acquisitions: The mediating roles of capability complementarity, absorptive capacity, and social integration. Journal of International Business Studies, 38: 658-672. Brock, D. M. (2005). Multinational acquisition integration: the role of national culture in creating synergies. International Business Review, 14(3): 269-288. Cascio, W. F. (1998). Managing Human Resources Productivity, Quality of work Life, Profits, Boston: McGraw Hill. Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C. L. (1993). The role of culture compatibility in successful organisational marriage. Academy of Management Executive, 7(2): 57-70. Datta, D. K. and Puia, G. (1995). Cross border acquisitions: An examination of the influence of the relatedness and cultural fit on shareholder value creation in U.S. acquiring firms. Management International Review, 35: 337-359. Elsass, P. M. and Veiga, J. F. (1994) Acculturation in acquired organisations: A force-field perspective. Human Relations, 47(4): 431-454. Erez, M. and Earley, P.C. (1993). Culture, Self Identity, and Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fitzgibbon, J. E. and Seeger, M. W. (2002). Audience and metaphor of globalization in the Daimler Chrysler AG merger. Communication Studies, 53(1), 40-55. Hatch, M. (1993). The dynamics of organisational culture. Academy of Management Review 18: 657-694. Hofstede, G. and Bond, M. H. (1988). The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organisational Dynamics, 14, 483-503. Hofstede et al., (1990). Attitude, Values and Organisational Culture: Disentangling the concepts. Geert Hofstede. Institute research on Intercultural Cooperation, Maastricht and Tilburg, the Netherlands. Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and Organisations: Software of mind. Intellectual Cooperation and its Importance for survival, Harper Collins, 1991, pp. 79. Kirkman, B. L., Lowe, K. B. and Gibson, C. B. (2006). A Quarter Century of Cultures Consequences: A Review of Emperical Research Incorporating Hofstedes Cultural Values Framework. Journal of International Business Studies; Washington, 37(3), 285-320. Lodorfos, G. and Boateng, A. (2006). The Role of Culture in the Merger and Acquisition Process. Management Decision, 44(10), 1405-1421. Marks, M. L. and Marvis, P. M. (1986). The Merger Syndrome. Psychology today, 20 (10), 36-42. Mauk, G. (1977). The daily power game, Martinus Nijhoff Social Sciences Division. Olie, R. (1990) Culture and Integration Problems in International Mergers and Acquisitions. European Management Journal, 8 (2), 206-215 Parsons,T and Shils, E. (1951). Toward a General Theory of Action, reprinted as Talcott, Shils, Tolman, Stouffer and Kluckhohohn et al., Towards a General Theory of Action: Theoretical foundations of social Sciencies, Transaction Publishers, 2001. Schein, E, H. (1985). Organisational Culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Schein, E. (1990). Organisational Culture. American Psychologist, 45 (2), 109-119. Trice, H. M. and Beyer, J. M. (1984). Studying organisational culture through rites and rituals. Academy of Management Review, 9, 653-669. Trompenaars, F. and Hampden-Turner, C. (1980). Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in global business. New York: McGraw Hill. 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Cultures Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviours, Institutions and Organizations across Nations. Sage Publications. http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html last visited January 18th, 2013. Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 2. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8 last visited January 13th, 2013. Nexen Inc, About us; CNOOC Acquisition of Nexen. http://www.nexeninc.com/en/AboutUs/CNOOCAcquisition.aspx last visited January 18th, 2013. Pretorious, W. (2004). The impact of organisational culture on effectiveness. May 08, 2005. http://www.upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd_3162004_131828 last visited January 15th, 2013. Randy, M. and Jacob, M. (2009). Leadership Practice for a Global Society, NASPA Pre-Conference Workshop, March 8th, 2009. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/77255010/Managing-Cultural-Differences-Global-Leadership-Strategies-for-the-21St-Century last visited January 17th, 2013. William Wardrobe, (2005). Beyond Hofstede: Cultural applications for communication with Latin American, Association for Business Communication Annual Convention. http://www.businesscommunication.org/convensionsnew/proceedingsnew/2005new/pdfs/13abc05.pdf last visited January 14th, 2013.