Effects of Racism on Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effects of Racism on Children - Essay Example From this paper it is clear thar  there is a general belief that racial attitudes of children are a learned behavior that is passed down from observing their parent’s interactions with other races, including how parents talk about other races in front of the child.   Parents sometimes believe that if they do not even address the issue of race with their children, their children will not develop racist attitudes.   However, studies have shown that not talking about the issue of race or differences between people can serve to make the issue of race a problem for children.This essay discusses that parents talking negatively about other races could contribute to a child’s belief system about race in a negative fashion, but even not addressing the subject could develop negative attitudes in a child. In fact, researchers have found that when parents address personal qualities of individuals, such as confidence, ambition, and respect and neglect the subject of racial dif ference, children show an increased level of anxiety in social interactions, regardless of the race of the person they were interacting with. This leaves parents and educators with the problem of how best to address racial issues in an attempt to modify children’s attitudes and behaviors.  The movement to be more ‘politically correct’ with our communication has merits beyond that of not hurting another person’s feelings.  

Indentured Servants in the Chesapeake Colonies Essay Example for Free

Indentured Servants in the Chesapeake Colonies Essay The life of the indentured servant was at best hazardous and full of pitfalls. There was not one sole factor that would determine the life success or failure of this class of people, but a instead it was determined be a series of random qualities and experiences. For example, as we will see with John Harrower, men who were strong and educated had a much better chance of surviving being indentured than a man who was weak in health or had no formal education. As we will see with Elizabeth Sprigs, women were treated with little or no respect, and they were generally subjugated to a hard and grueling service. Status, education, gender, and health were key factors in how lucrative the life of the indentured servant would be, but these would only come in to effect if you made it across the sea in a grueling seven to eight week journey. Life as an indentured servant was hard, but so was life in a poverty stricken Europe. Europeans from all over the continent were starving and looking for food. Family men were looking for ways to provide for their family and to escape an oppressive government that provided little in the answers for the common man and woman. The prospect of being indentured was sold to the people as a utopia to remove themselves from their present misery and hardships. Indentured servant hood had positive attributes for both the government and the common man. For the government, an overstressed system was seeing relief as thousands of people sold themselves into labor in the new colonies. For the people, the promise of a new and better life was presented to them in exchange for a couple of years of service. However, was this labor arraignment truly beneficial to the poor emigrants who indentured themselves to the ship captains for passage to America? The question is an important one, but it is one that doesn’t need to be asked if the person never actually makes it to America. Gollich Mitttelberger noted in a letter to his father the deplorable conditions that accompanied his voyage to America. Mittelberger states, â€Å"But even with the best wind the voyage lasts 7 weeks. On board there is terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of sea sickness, fever, dysentery, headaches, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth-rot, and the like which comes from the spoiled food and foul water that they are forced to consume (Document 6, page 18). † Mittelberger went on to say that he missed his poverty stricken home and wished to return. He talked about how the ships were so overcrowded, that live children were thrown overboard when their mother would die. He recanted once that, â€Å"One day a women who was about to give birth and could not give birth under the circumstances, was pushed through a port hole in the ship and was dropped to the sea, because she was far in the rear of the ship and could not be brought forward (Document 6, page 19). † The letter was ended by telling his father that the horrors of the trip did not end once they arrived in America. Those who could not pay for their passage were held to be sold. They were not allowed off the ship until they had been purchased and could be escorted by the purchaser. Mittelberger noted that the sick suffered the most because they were chosen last, after the healthy ones had been purchased. Once an indentured servant arrived and had been purchased, there life rarely improved. In a letter from Elizabeth Sprigs to her father, she begs for him to forgive her and to send her clothes. She explains that her life is hard and that she is worked hard day and night. When they complain, they are whipped. She tells her father that their diet in is restricted to Indian corn and salt. Elizabeth begs her father, â€Å"We are almost naked, neither shoes nor a stocking to wear, and what rest we get is a blanket and some ground to lie upon (Document 5, page 17). † She goes on to plead for forgiveness from her father, and for him to send her some relief. This is in contrast to the story of John Harrower. John Harrower is both educated and seems to have a variety of connections. John uses his education to acquire work as a school master for a private family. His journal entries are of a more common experience of looking for work. Harrower came in search of becoming a book keeper. His journal follows him until he is offered the position as a school master, and he is encouraged to accept it because it is with a private family. His experience is very different and could go a long way in supporting the outrageous claims of George Alsop. George Alsop, in a book published in the Americas regaled would be indentured servants with tales of how wonderful their experience would be. He stated, â€Å"Now those that commit themselves to the care of the Merchant to carry them over, they need not trouble themselves with any inquisitive search touching their voyage; for there is such honest care and provision made†¦ (Document 6, page 6). This is a drastic different statement than Mittelberger made about the horrible conditions caused by overcrowding and the consumption of rotten food and foul water. Alsop goes on to say, â€Å"The women that go over into this Province as Servants, have the best luck here as in any place of the world; for they are no sooner on shore, but they are courted into a Copulative Matrimony, for some of them†¦ (Document 6, page 7). † This again contrasts greatly with Mittelberger who wrote about the women who were being thrown overboard because they were having complications with child birth. This also contrasts with Elizabeth Sprigs who wrote about being whipped for complaining, and given nothing to eat but Indian corn and salt. Alsop was obviously using false claims to help ensure that the cheap labor would flow steadily into the American Colonies. In July of 1640, there is an account of some indentured servants that are caught trying plot their escape. The courts decided that this was dangerous grounds, the men were whipped severely, and had the letter R burned into the side of their face. They suffered other abuses before being given back to the master (Document 8, page 23). † The life of the indentured servant was hard, and did little good to better the life the people involved. The conditions in which many were forced to work in were sub-human, and they were generally treated no better than animals. While there were no doubt a select few that profited from this, on the average this labor arrangement did not benefit the poor emigrants who came over from Europe looking for a better life.

The Methods Of Recruitment And Selection Commerce Essay

The Methods Of Recruitment And Selection Commerce Essay Organizations are made up of two key resources: people and money. People, who consist as its workforce, are the most valued asset (Plumbley 1976). The knowledge, skills and commitment the workforce brings has to be utilized to its maximum to enable the organisation thrive. Plumbley (1985) suggests that the profitability and even the survival of an organization normally relies upon the calibre of the workforce, and it has been debated that the costs of ineffectual commercial viability can most likely be linked to a long period of ineffective recruitment and selection methods (Lewis, 1984; Plumbley, 1985; Smith and Robertson, 1993; Terpstra, 1996). More so the processes involved with recruitment and selection of employees, their management and availability of skills and knowledge will give an enterprise a firm business strategy. Recruitment and selection are crucial processes for a successful organization, as hiring the appropriate staff can improve and sustain organisational performance (Petts 1997). Recruitment is simply linking those with jobs and those seeking jobs; in effect discovering the potential of prospective applicants for actual or anticipated vacancies. According to Edwin B. Flippo, recruitment is nothing but a process of searching for prospective candidates for employment, stimulating and encouraging them to apply for a job. An adequate recruitment process would consist of such progressive steps: Job definition, Person specification, Creation of recruitment and selection techniques, review and shortlist and offer of employment based on agreed contract (Peel and Dale 2001:9). Figure Recruitment and Selection Process (Ward 2007) In reality, the entire recruitment process is more complicated than just encouraging people. It targets the purpose of attracting the most suitable people at that point in time (Dale 2003:50). Invariably the problem of selection not only involves allocating the right individual for the right job, but it also entails the efficacy of the methods employed in order to achieve that purpose (Dempsey 1955). The entire process of selection starts from an initial screening interview and concludes with a final employment offer. Figure The Selection Process (Montana, Charnov 2000:216) While carrying out the selection process, management must have an answer to the question: What is required by the job? As such, any criterion taken into account in employee selection must be a Bona fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ), or job related criteria to avoid any form of discrimination that is an illegality and punishable (Montana, Charnov 2000). Case Study Review Company Profile Framley engineering is a relatively small sized organisation that designs, develops, manufactures and sells superior electronics. A large proportion (60%) of the companys revenue is derived from export markets; hence the company has a strong market interested in the unique products offered. The organizations existence is hinged on the vital recruitment of RD engineers who are pioneers of in house technology and responsible for launching new products for the market. The company consist of 520 employees, 57 being engineers. The company is expanding due to the periodical recruitment of qualified engineers that are essential to its existence. With the following SWOT analysis, the companys current situation can clearly be presented: Strengths Framley engineering is a small sized company in comparison to its larger competitors but holds a first mover advantage (FMA), where it has been able to gain time over its competitors; and time advantage generally and in the field the company operates is the surest way to gain market share (Lieberman, Montgomery 1988). Weakness Lack of an effective recruitment and selection strategy by the Human Resource department, as a result of the incompetence of the Head of Human Resources and departmental heads using inadequate interviewing and selection skills for recruiting new engineers. This could be detrimental as it could reduce the companys competitiveness in the market as its success is dependent on quality engineers. Opportunities Steadily expanding through employing qualified engineers and across-the-board low labour turnover. Threats The recruitment of people with no relevant skills or knowledge, who are unfit for the organization as highlighted by the Director of Engineering at Framley engineering. This can lead to increased labour turnover, increased costs for the organization and eventually lower the morale of the workforce. Examining the SWOT analysis of the case study, it can be gathered that a major setback for Framley engineering is its grossly incompetent Head of Human Resource and departmental heads. The heads of department clearly lacked interviewing and selection skills basing decisions on personal grounds and prejudices which could be interpreted as a form of discrimination, possibly stereotyping or assigning of traits to people based on their social background. Although stereotyping is a natural mental process that enables the mind filter and categorizes stimuli, it becomes a stumbling block when recruiters view the aged, obese, sex and ethnic minorities within intransigent boundaries, assuming them as less qualified for a post based on their affiliation to a social group (Levesque 2005). An example is the case of James Connor (Greenhouse 2003), who was offered a job as a cook by McDonalds. Connor was 6 ft. tall and weighed 420 pounds therefore the chain had to order a customized uniform for hi m in which during the time of its arrival, the chain had changed management and the new owners decided against employing Mr Connor on account of his obesity. Thus it can be assumed that the new owners commits the perceptual blunder of the halo effect (Klein 2004) in deeming that because of one insignificant negative characteristic, their total perception of him and his abilities is distorted negatively (McShane et al 2005:19). Furthermore the effects of poor recruitment decisions as observed in the case study include: wastage of time and money spent on advertising, shortlisting, interviewing, saying good bye and re-hiring; negative individual and team morale where existing staff have to compensate for the new persons lack of skill or productivity. A major pitfall is the direct costs with having to re-recruit, estimated by the CIPD as  £3,500 per employee on the average (Management and Standards Centre n.d.). Effective Recruitment and Selection Strategies Recruitment Recruiting is seen as a positive process of generating a pool of candidates by reaching the right audience, suitable for the vacancy (Leopold 2002). The initial progression of recruitment is to create a job analysis which is vital for both the organization and applicants. If the post is needed in the organization, a job description is then collated. A typical job description comprises of the job title, location and what the job key functions are principal duties the job entails and the part it plays in the success of an organization. Thereafter, based on the job description a person specification can be composed. In definition, a person specification is a process by which both the required qualities vital to undertake the post and the desirable qualities of the ideal candidate for the job are described (Torrington et al 1992). In line with the case study, a job description should solely be created by the Human Resource department at Framley engineering. Though it is recommended that the HR Head confers with the Director of engineering (for required skills), whom the new recruits will be reporting to; as their relative input into the job role will be imperative and such relevant details which should be included in the specification. The next level is choosing appropriate steps in recruiting the best applicant. In effect there are three channels by which an organizations can recruit suitable candidates, there are: Internal, External and On-line recruitment. Internal recruitment involves advertising job posts on staff notice boards in staff rooms or announcing in staff meetings. Acknowledged by Leopold (2002), internal recruitment enables staff to progress within the organization through promotion to a new area, thereby providing them with valuable experience elevating them to a higher level in a similar role. For example, Tesco adopts internal recruitment calling it an Internal Talent Plan where it lists current employees looking for a move either on the same level or on promotion. The advantage of internal recruitment is that the manager is aware of the candidates capabilities thus avoiding the error of employing an external candidate who may not be motivated to commit to the development of the organization. In contrast, a significant obstacle of internal recruitment is that it may introduce a sense of indifference within the organization. Wherefore sometimes it is preferable to employ externally which could increase competition for promotions and improve appraisals, as employees will not feel as though they are in their comfort zone, knowing the organization employs internally. External recruitment involves recruitment agencies, job centres, referrals and new paper adverts. External recruitment is when a candidate is recruited from outside the organization as the candidate may bring creative ideas or skills needed. In relation to Framley engineering, the company employs externally, which is appropriate for its size, structure and field they operate in being the recruitment of RD engineers. The company needs outside experience which brings an injection of fresh and innovative ideas. Though this technique maybe costlier, it is essential to keep the company in operation as it is reliant on the quality of engineers and in house technology. The last recruitment technique is online recruitment which is a cost effective method for organizations as it shares information between candidates and recruiters, and information gathered can easily be updated. Though its major drawback is that it attracts series of unsuitable candidates and recruiters spend a lot of time extracting suitable ones (Beardwell 2007). Framley engineering should adopt this cost effective method as part of their recruitment policy though to fully utilize the method, recruiters must be in regular contact with potential candidates so that they are not lost to competition. Another example is Hong Kong airline Dragon Air, a subsidiary of Cathway Pacific Group which employs 1400 cabin crew staff. The airline uses online recruitment for costs and time saving as candidates submit their resume in fixed format through the internet. They also employ third party agencies such as Monster.com where data is consolidated and analysed by the quality of the candidate. Thi s has proved effective in employing the right workforce and can be emulated by Framley. In correlation, the next step in hiring applicants is assessing the adequate candidate for the post through sifting applications (Armstrong 2007). The sifting process encompasses classifying abundant applicants into probable, possible and unsuitable groups (Beardwell 2007). This is achievable through the comparison of different resumes and passing promising candidates to the selection process. Unsatisfactory should be notified in writing soonest according to CIPD directives (Beardwell 2007). Another technique that can be used in sifting applications is Bio data, which is the collation of data that consists of demographic information such as education, sex, age, educational qualifications, employment history, and hobbies etc. points are awarded according to their relevance to the post and data collected is scored by the bio data survey. The points accumulated determine applicants who can proceed to the next stage (Armstrong 2007). Selection Selection can be interpreted as the process of picking the appropriate candidates both inclined and capable to fill the post. Several selection techniques can be used to recognize the most suitable candidate for the post by reducing the pool (Leopold 2002). The several techniques could be: psychometric tests, assessment centres, interviews, references amongst others (Beardwell 2007). The most widely used technique is interviews as expressed by Torrington (2002), as a controlled conversation with a purpose. There are three types of interviews namely: individual interview, selection board and interviewing panels, the most common one being the individual interview which is more or less face to face. This allows close contact between the interviewer and interviewee, but may result in partial decisions based on personal grounds like depicted in the case study. It is glaring that the departmental heads did not comprehend the whole process of recruitment. They lacked the training required to enlighten them about the importance of the recruitment process and creating a strategy to effectively deal with hiring the right people, equal opportunities, minimizing costs from wrong hiring, and more importantly to identify marginal performers prior to hiring. Definitely, untrained and incompetent recruiters combined with inappropriate selection techniques will result in a workfo rce not being sufficiently qualified for the post they hold, which suffocates an organization as it gradually gets crushed under the pressure of rehiring adequate employees that forms the backbone of the company; as in this case Framley engineering. A much fairer method which may eradicate preconceived judgements is a panel interview, likely involving two line managers and one personnel manager to interview a single candidate. This allows fair discussions with a view from different angles. The last method is selection board interviews which is usually larger and more formal, and might have someone on the board more influential than others whose decisions might influence others on the board. This kind of interview enables people involved to make decisions on candidates according to relevant points. Framley engineering should adopt the panel interview method as it is more dynamic and candidates are assessed in a fairer manner as set of questions asked will be based on individual experiences. Other selection techniques is assessment centres, which entails candidates going through a series of exercises while being observed by assessors what skills were demonstrated, their capabilities and if they are suitable for the job to enhance the development of the organization (Fowler 1992). Tasks performed at assessment centres are psychometric tests, group, job and individual exercises (Porter 2001). However, although this method gives a look into how people would perform in groups which would be an advantage to organizations that require staffs to work in groups, it is among many techniques and the best way to understand and select a suitable candidate is through interview. Moreover the process can be very costly as it requires a lot of resources, hence mainly used by larger organizations therefore not suitable for Framley engineering. However, another technique which might be useful to the case study is using references. References are personal and accurate information gathered about applicants. This would enable the company know who they are recruiting. The downside of this method is that candidates can get anyone to write up a personal reference as Armstrong (2007) rightly pointed out that personal references are of course evidently useless as all they indicate is that the candidate has at least one or more friends. Thus, references should only come from Human resources and not from a previous manager or former workmate as they will be biased and conjure up a brilliant reference which is not beneficial as the organization needs to know the calibre of applicants they are recruiting. For an organization to adopt the best approach to recruitment and selection there are several external and internal factors to be taken into consideration before an ideal strategy can be formulated. Such factors shall be analysed furthermore. Internal Factors Foremost is the size of an organization as this determines what strategy to adopt. An organization with between 200 and 500 employees, as is the situation in the case study, would need to adopt a best use of techniques mentioned here. However much smaller firms with 50 plus employees do not require adopting all techniques mentioned as it is inadequate, time consuming and counterproductive due to relatively high costs. For example assessment centres are not needed by smaller firms as this would be expensive, and instead use of practical methods such as interviews and paper application. But assessment centres are invaluable to larger organizations recruiters will need to narrow down the large number of applicants as effectively used by corporations like British Gas that uses assessment centres where they use 90 statements in all and applicants are rated as amber, green or red. The colour grading shows the attitudes applicants have towards team building and people, therefore it goes to show which roles are best suited for an individual. Green and amber applicants are put forward unto the last stage while red ratings are not taken any further. The financial position of an organization also plays a crucial role as it has a major impact on the recruitment and selection policies an organization chooses. If a body is financially buoyant it can apply all the techniques but if otherwise can prove a weakness for organizations as strict budgets means limitations to techniques that can be employed to attract potential applicants. Consequently, it can be determined that when taking into consideration the internal factors, firms need to conform to their internal factors when choosing what recruitment and selection method to adopt. It can be seen that not all organizations can adopt the best practices due to size and financial constraints, however it is clear that all businesses can adopt the basic of recruitment and selection being interviews and applications. External Factors Political factors (macro environmental factors) such as government policy and legislation on race, sex and discrimination represents an important function in recruiting and selection methods, as organizations have to abide by laws that have been passed by government. Hence in reference to the case study, departmental heads and subsequently the head of HR may have to employ methods such as Bio data to prevent any discrimination laws from being broken as this could lead to the business closure and legal proceedings. Forces within the external labour market may play a role in firms recruitment and selection shortages. In the field where Framley engineering operates, there is competition for recruitment of RD engineers, thus the business might have to look outside the shores of Britain for suitable engineers, which would be an advantage since 60% of its revenue is derived from exports. A mix of foreign expertise could be beneficial for creating innovative products to suit the export market. This as well could be a complicated process as cross-border legalities must be adhered and exhaustive background checks must be carried out. It is apparent when analysing external factors, there are a series of conditions that influence organizations in choosing the most suitable technique. What is constant in external factors is that business climates and market forces are rapidly evolving, more so businesses need to adapt in order to remain competitive. For example companies such as Tesco who frequently uses labour from Eastern Europe countries will have a change in their recruitment and selection policies which results in the need to adapt to the changes in macro environmental factors (as mentioned above). Conclusion An organization that does not promote a best practice procedure will not only recruit ineffectively but put the business at a risk of closure due to failings of the Human resources department. There must be a close rapport between Human resources department, departmental heads and the Director of engineering, to ensure the techniques used and the person specification fits the job role. Particularly, utmost care should be taken to when interviewing for the recruiter to adopt a neutral position in order to avoid such mistakes like the halo effect, stereotyping and preconceived judgements. It is lastly imperative that interviewers are properly trained and heads of HR are accountable to either successes or failures of recruitment and selection policies.

Frosts mending Wall Vs. Floyds the Wall :: essays research papers fc

From Robert Frost's Mending Wall to Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, humankind erects and maintains real and symbolic barriers to protect and defend opposing stances, beliefs and territories. Although each "wall" is different they serve the same purpose and both Frost and Floyd oppose them. Robert Frost's Mending Wall is a very popular poem. This poem consists of two characters: the narrator and his neighbor. In this poem the two neighbors are mending a stone wall that separates their property. The wall mending has been a pastime of the neighbors for many years and occurs every spring. Over the winter the wall has fallen victim to both hunters and the frozen ground and, therefore, contains gaps that must be filled.In the poem the narrator questions the sense of even mending the wall . He concludes that neither of the farms contain animals, only trees, which would be enough of a boundary. There is no physical need for the wall, so why go through the trouble of fixing it every year for no apparent reason. Although the narrator is right the ignorant neighbor insists that they mend the wall by saying "Good fences make good neighbors."(Frost) The neighbor repeats this saying although he doesn't know why the wall is necessary nor does he know why it will make them better neighbors . Frost is criticizing the ignorance of the neighbor here. Mending Wall, although it doesn't appear it on the surface, almost parallels to a popular Pink Floyd song, Another Brick in the Wall. The speakers of the song are students and the poem is directed towards teachers. In this song, as in Mending Wall, a barrier is discussed, but this time it is a phsycological barrier instead of a physical one. This barrier has been put up by society and is being built up by the teachers. The students are calling out against this building up of the wall. As it is stated in the song: "All in all you're(teachers) just another brick in the wall."(Floyd) This barrier being put up is restraining the students' freedom of thought, a process that has gone on and become reinforced over a long period of time. Floyd has realized this barrier and is calling out against it as he says:"We don't need no thought control."(Floyd)The barrier put up by education is just as unnecessary to Floyd as the stone wall is to Frost.

Retaining the HR Function Essay

Introduction This report is to the executive directors and will be outlining the importance of retaining the HR function within the business. I will be explaining how HR activities support the organisations strategy and how HR professionals support line managers and their staff. HR is essential to the smooth running of the business. HR is there to ensure that the company do not have a high turnover of staff and that training is given to employee. HR is essential to help the company meet its targets, and ensuring that the company complies with legal requirements including Health & Safety. How three HR activities support the organisations strategy Recruitment Recruitment is co-ordinated by the HR department and is a major factor on how your business recruits the right type of people to carry out the tasks required. HR will in this instance start from the beginning and advertise for the positions to be applied for, HR will also screen and interview the right type of candidates required and then Induct them once the candidate  is successful in getting the position. This is a time consuming job which the department that HR are recruiting for will not have time for and can spend their time concentrating on their departments. HR are responsible for sending out the necessary letters and paperwork to the candidates. Disciplinary’s / Grievances Disciplinary’s are usually completed due to a employee mis conduct or absence related. The HR team usually monitors all absences and would notify the line manager of any concerns. HR support the line managers by attending these disciplinary meetings and advise on the best course of action to be taken, HR are also responsible for ensuring the necessary paperwork is completed for the disciplinary to take place. Grievances are dealt with by the line managers also and again HR is responsible for ensuring that grievances are dealt with fairly and equally. Induction The HR department are responsible for inducting all new employees who enter into the business. Inductions are quite important in how the new employee fits into the business and responds with the demands and the business strategy. All new employees should be inducted with the practices, policies and procedures and the culture that the company operates in. This will allow the new employee to familiarise and settle into their role with how the business works, this should help keep the employee retention level quite low. The induction process done ‘effectively reflects the employer brand and the values the organisation is promoting. It is important, therefore, to ensure that the induction process reflects the values and culture of the organisation’ (CIPD, 2014) Three ways HR professionals support line managers and their staff Performance management The HR function here will provide you with the best way to maximise the potential of your employees. If you have underperforming employees HR will be able to help you get the maximum out of them. The process is ‘performance management’ during this period the employee will go through a set of meetings to discuss their performance shortfalls. if after reviewing the  shortfalls the HR department are able to advise of the further necessary steps to take e.g. disciplinary, warnings etc. HR are there to support the managers carrying out the meetings and advising of the best way forward. Legal The HR function for the business in a legal matter would be to ensure that the organisation activities are complying with legislative requirements i.e. pay increase, working time regulations. HR would have to know the employment law to a degree in this way HR would act as an advisor for the company. We may also be making a decision on some occasions depending on the circumstances surrounding the issue or speak to the line managers on further training. more importantly HR are responsible for keeping records e.g. disciplinary, absences, training, ‘as these good records can afford real protection for employers and managers who may need to defend their actions at a tribunal or In other courts’ (Martin and Whiting, 2013). If the company fails act accordingly to the legal requirements they could possibly face claims, and also the last instance close down the company Training HR is responsible for the training aspect of the business, if a department identifies the need for a training requirement they will notify the HR department. The HR departments responsibility would be to find how the training is going to be given out, i.e. external or internal If external training is required HR who have to find a company who deliver the training and find out the necessary information. This may include costs, venue, duration. HR would also draw up the relevant training contracts so that the company would not lose out financially if the employee was to leave once they had received the training. Conclusion To conclude the above points which I have mentioned, the HR department is an integral part of the organisation and is essential in meeting the business strategy. As you can see from the report without the HR department the business cannot function properly, by reducing the size of the HR department you may ultimately affect other parts of the business and the strategy as  whole. This may lead to an increase in employee retention and legal costs in the form of claims, tribunals etc. The examples of the parts of the business given above where HR is essential are a few and many more functions within the business need the HR department. The HR department are also their to support employee’s and for them to come and see and speak to someone in private and confidential nature this helps with employee relations. With the help of the HR department employees within the organisation are being given the necessary training. These employees who are given the opportunity of progress with the company are more devoted to meeting the business need and most of all the strategy. REFERENCES CIPD. (2014). What is an Induction. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/induction.aspx#link_2. Last accessed 04th December 2014. Martin, M. and Whiting, F.. (2013). Human Resource Practice. 6th ed.. CIPD.

John Williams essays

John Williams essays To think of timeless music, music that has survived for twenty, thirty, even hundreds of years; one cannot help but think of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. But that leaves a question in the mind, What has happened to classical music and where is it going. Earlier this century where Stravinsky, Sousa, Gershwin all the way to Bernstein who died in 1990. Tragically today, one might think of Yanni or John Tesh as composers; however, many critics agree that new age music will not stand the test of time. Only a certain type of composer nowadays can reach the fame and recognition that composers of the past have enjoyed, and that is scorers. The top echelon of these composers includes the likes of Hans Zimmer, Steven Schwartz, Jerry Goldsmith, and even Elton John. The most popular and successful composers this century have given the public unforgettable melodies to unforgettable movies and TV shows. As was said in the third episode of Dawsons Creek, Dawson, romance doesnt always come with a John Williams score. Without a doubt, the most successful of these scorer slash composers is John Towner Williams. John Williams was born in 1932 in New York to Johnny and Ester Williams. His father was a successful jazz drummer who had worked for CBS and NBC. In 1948, he moved to Los Angeles and graduated High School in 1950 after performing and composing for the school band. Only a year later at UCLA, he composed a piano sonata that was pretty successful for a nineteen year old. In 1952, John was drafted and then discharged in 1954 when he went to study at the Julliard School of Music making ends meet as a jazz pianist. Later, he hooked up with Alfred Newman at Twentieth Century Fox and began an unstoppable wave of compositions, scores, and awards. In the sixties, John wrote themes and scores for TV including: Lost in Space, Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre, Land of the Gia ...

Demand and Supply Analysis of Mobile Services in India Essays

Demand and Supply Analysis of Mobile Services in India Essays Demand and Supply Analysis of Mobile Services in India Paper Demand and Supply Analysis of Mobile Services in India Paper INTRODUCTION: India is going through a telecom revolution, especially in the wireless telephony segment. The adoption of mobile telephony remains unparalled in scope, as users from diverse segments increasingly choose to exercise the option of personal mobility. On an average the user base has been adding 4-5 million subscribers per month. The Mobile subscriber base is growing at a scorching pace in India and it is the â€Å"fastest growing mobile market in the world†. The Wireless subscribers have reached to 261. 07 million as on 31st March 2008. The penetration level of mobile services is still below 30% in India, hence there is a huge potential for growth in this segment. But the scenario is different in the other countries since their markets are already saturated. This is the reason why global telecom giants are looking towards us. In India, the major players in the market are Bharti-Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone, BSNL, Idea Cellular Tata teleservices. Apart from them there are other small players like Aircel, Spice, BPL,MTNL, HFCL, Shyam Telelink to name a few. The market share currently enjoyed by the operators is represented in the below figures. Operator-wise Market Share of GSM Operator-wise Market Share of CDMA service providers as on 31st March 2008 service providers on 31st March 2008 The success of the market can be gauged from the fact that mobile user base has surpassed the PC user base in India and very soon the Indian market will have more mobile users than TV viewers. The growing intensity of competition has led to more services for the end user at lower prices. This has had an effect of stimulating demand and thus increasing the category adoption rate. As more users have been added to the subscriber base, it has led to a further downward pressure on operator costs. This has led to further cost benefits to the end user, fuelling further growth in the subscriber base. Demand Analysis: The law of demand states that, if all other factors remain equal, the higher the price of a good, the less people will demand that good. In other words, the higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded. Ideally a demand curve is a downward sloping curve as shown below. This applies directly to mobile services. Few years back the line, the cost of mobile services is high, hence the demand is very low. Once the price came down the demand for mobile services has increased substantially. The table below gives the number of mobile subscribers (Quantity) and the average price variation on yearly basis starting from 1997. Year Quantity(Q)Price(P) 19970. 346 19980. 885. 5 19991. 25 20001. 884. 5 20013. 584 20026. 433. 5 200312. 693 200433. 62. 5 200552. 212 200693. 041. 5 2007165. 111 2008261. 070. 8 Quantity : Subscriber base in Millions. Price : Cost per minute in Rupees. If we plot the above data taking quantity on X-axis and price on Y-axis, the demand curve can be plotted as shown below: Shift in Demand Curve: A shift in a demand or supply curve occurs when a goods quantity demanded or supplied changes even though price remains the same. For instance, if the price per minute Rs. 2 and the quantity of beer demanded increased from Q1 to Q2, then there would be a shift in the demand for mobile services. Shifts in the demand curve imply that the original demand relationship has changed, eaning that quantity demand is affected by a factor other than price. In an ideal situation the shift in the curve will be represented as shown above. The demand for mobile services is not only dependent on the price. There will be situations where the price remains constant but the demand goes up. The major factors affecting this shift in demand for mobile services are income level population of the country. The rising income level o f middle class society is driving the growth of the mobile services in India. Shift in Demand Curve years back mobile was a luxury but now mobile is a necessity. The demand shift for the mobile services at a constant price is shown as above as per the available data. Supply: Supply is a relation between the various prices of a good and the quantity supplied by sellers of it per time period. As far as mobile services in India are concerned, determining the supply is not practically possible. The competition among the mobile service operators is resulting in lower tariffs rather than other factors. Currently Indian telecom companies offers the lowest mobile call charges in the world. Since the mobile operators are having enough bandwith available with them to cope with the increase in demand in the coming years, the shortage of the supply has not arised as such. Only exception in this case is BSNL –Cellone, where the increase in capacity has been delayed due to improper government decisions. Elasticity: The degree to which a demand or supply curve reacts to a change in price is the curves elasticity. To ascertain whether the mobile services in India are relatively elastic or inelastic lets see the see the following example. A couple of months back, Airtel (India’s largest mobile operator) has slashed the long distance call charges from Rs. 2. 65 to 1. 50. Since the prices were slashed by 40%, the people started talking more on their mobile phones, this resulted in a very huge surge in mobile traffic throughout India. As per the statistics, the peak hour traffic increased to a whooping 80%. Since a small change in price is resulting in a huge change in the quantity demanded, we can say that mobile services in India have a relatively elastic demand. Price in Rs. Quantity in Mill minutes 2. 65100 . 5180 Relatively Elastic demand for mobile services. Effect of Tax on mobile services: Mobile services are subject to indirect taxation imposed by the government. Here we consider the effects of indirect taxes on a producers costs and the importance of price elasticity of demand in determining the effects of a tax on market price and quantity. As mobile services in India are relatively elastic, the service providers have to absorb the tax imposed on them. The demand curve is drawn as price elastic. The mobile service provider must absorb the majority of the tax himself. When demand is elastic, the effect of a tax is still to raise the price – but we see a bigger fall in equilibrium quantity. Output has fallen from Q1 to Q2 due to a contraction in demand. Comparison of Mobile services in India and US: In United States, the mobile service market is relatively inelastic. Since the markets are already saturated, for any price change there is little scope for any drastic changes in the demand for mobile services. (a) In United States (b) In India Joint Demand: Joint demand says if the quantity demanded for one product increases the demand for another product also increases. The Concept of joint demand is applicable to mobile service industry and the mobile handset manufacturing industry. In the financial year 2006-07, there were 72. 04 million new customer additions, this led to total sales of 66 million handsets. The same is the case in the next financial year 2007-08, where a 33% increase in subscriber base has led to a 28% increase in the mobile handset business. YearHandsets sold*No. f new users* 2006-076672. 04 2007-088595. 96 * The figures in the above table are in millions. From the above graph it is evident that direction of both the lines representing the demand for mobile phones and the demand for mobile services is same. Substitutes: The major substitute available for mobile service is the fixed line service. State owned BSNL is the market leader in this segment and the other players include MTNL, Airtel, Tata teleservices, etc. Wireline services subscriber base stood at 39. 42 million as on march 2008. This is just 15% of the total mobile services subscriber base. Another interesting fact is that the wire line subscriber base has decreased from 40. 75 in 2007 to 39. 42 in 2008. where as in the same time period, the mobile services has added 95. 96 million subscribers. 2007 2008 (Year) Revenue: Finally lets see how the revenue is varying in the telecom sector. Revenue is calculated as the price of the product/service multiplied by the quantity demanded. Lets take the overall performance of the Indian telecom sector for the financial year 2007-08 on quarterly basis. The Total revenue of the Telecom Services Sector for the I st Quarter (April –June 2007) of 2007-08 was Rs. 28,972 Crore, for the IInd Quarter (July –September 2007) of 2007-08 was Rs. 31,286 Crore and for the IIIrd quarter (October-December 2007) of 2007-08 was Rs. 33,055 Crores thereby showing a growth of 5. 66%. The total revenue for IVth Quarter (January -March2008) of 2007-08 was Rs. 35,770 Crores thereby showing a growth of 8. 21%. We can observe that the revenue is increasing quarter by quarter. This is in tune with the demand for the mobile services.

Biography of Sonni Ali, Songhai Monarch

Biography of Sonni Ali, Songhai Monarch Sonni Ali (birth date unknown; died 1492) was a  West African monarch who ruled Songhai from 1464 to 1492, expanding a small kingdom along the Niger River into one of medieval Africas greatest empires. Two divergent historical accounts of his life persist: the Muslim scholarly tradition that paints him as an infidel and tyrant and the oral Songhai tradition that remembers him as a great warrior and magician. Fast Facts: Sonni Ali Known For:  West African monarch of Songhai; expanded his empire, superseding the Mali empireAlso Known As:  Sunni Ali and Sonni Ali Ber (The Great)Born:  UnknownParents: Madogo (father); mothers name unknownDied:  1492Education: Traditional African arts education among the Faru of SokotoChildren: Sunni Baru Two Divergent Versions of Sonni Alis Life There are two main sources of information about Sonni Ali. One is in the Islamic chronicles of the period and the other is through Songhai oral tradition. These sources reflect two very different interpretations of Sonni Alis role in the development of the Songhai Empire. Early Life Little is known about Sonni Alis early life. He was schooled in the traditional African arts of the region and was well versed in the forms and techniques of warfare when he came to power in 1464 in the small kingdom of Songhai, which was centered around its capital city of Gao on the Niger River. He was the 15th consecutive ruler of the Sonni dynasty, which had begun in 1335. One of Alis ancestors, Sonni Sulaiman Mar, is said to have wrested Songhai away from the Mali Empire toward the end of the 14th century. Songhai Empire Takes Over Although Songhai had once paid tribute to the rulers of Mali, the Mali Empire was now crumbling and the time was right for Sonni Ali to lead his kingdom through a series of conquests at the old empires expense. By 1468, Sonni Ali had repulsed attacks by the Mossi to the south  and defeated the Dogon in the hills of Bandiagara. His first major conquest occurred in the following year when the Muslim leaders of Timbuktu, one of the great cities of the Mali Empire, asked for help against the Tuareg, the nomadic desert Berbers who had occupied the city since 1433. Sonni Ali took the opportunity not only to strike decisively against the Tuareg  but also against the city itself. Timbuktu became part of the fledgling Songhai Empire in 1469. Oral Tradition Sonni Ali is remembered in Songhai oral tradition as a magician of great power. Rather than following the Mali Empire system of Islamic city rule over a non-Islamic rural people, Sonni Ali mixed an unorthodox observance of Islam with traditional African religion. He remained attached to the traditional rites of his mothers birthplace, Sokoto. He was a man of the people rather than the elite ruling class of Muslim clerics and scholars. According to the oral tradition, he is regarded as a great military commander who carried out a strategic campaign of conquest along the Niger River. He is said to have retaliated against the Muslim leadership within Timbuktu after they failed to provide promised transport for his troops to cross the river. Islamic Chronicles The Islamic chroniclers have a different viewpoint. They portray Sonni Ali as a capricious and cruel leader. In the 16th century chronicle of Abd ar Rahmen as-Sadi, a historian based in Timbuktu, Sonni Ali is described as an impious and unscrupulous tyrant. Sonni Ali is recorded as having massacred hundreds while plundering the city of Timbuktu. This routing included killing or driving out the Tuareg and Sanhaja clerics who had acted as civil servants, teachers, and as preachers at the Sankore mosque. In later years, according to this historian, he is said to have turned on court favorites, ordering executions during temper tantrums. More Conquest Regardless of the precise interpretation of history, it is certain that Sonni Ali learned his military lessons well. Never again was he left at the mercy of someone elses fleet. He built up a river-based navy of more than 400 boats and used them to good effect in his next conquest, the trading city of Jenne (now Djennà ©). The city was placed under siege, with the fleet blockading the port. Although it took seven years for the siege to work, the city fell to Sonni Ali in 1473. The Songhai Empire now incorporated three of the greatest trading cities on the Niger: Gao, Timbuktu, and Jenne. All three had once been part of the Mali Empire. Trade Rivers formed the major trading routes within West Africa at that time.  The Songhai Empire now had effective control over the lucrative Niger River trade of gold, kola, grain, and slaves.  The cities were also part of the important trans-Saharan trade route system which brought south caravans of salt and copper, as well as goods from the Mediterranean coast. By 1476, Sonni Ali controlled the inland delta region of the Niger to the west of Timbuktu and the lakes region to the south. Regular patrols by his navy kept the trade routes open and tribute-paying kingdoms peaceful. This is an extremely fertile region of West Africa, and it became a major producer of grain under his rule. Slavery A 17th-century chronicle tells the tale of Sonni Alis slave-based farms. When he died, 12 tribes of slaves were bequeathed to his son, at least three of which had been obtained when Sonni Ali initially conquered parts of the old Mali empire. Under the Mali Empire, slaves were individually required to cultivate a measure of land and provide grain for the king. Sonni Ali changed this system and grouped the slaves into villages, each required to fulfill a common quota, with any surplus to be used by the village. Under Sonni Alis rule children born in such villages automatically became slaves. They were expected to work for the village or to be transported to the trans-Saharan markets. Sonni Ali the Warrior and Ruler Sonni Ali was brought up as part of an exclusive ruling class, a warrior horseman. The region was the best for breeding horses in Africa south of the Sahara. As such he commanded an elite cavalry, with which he was able to pacify the nomadic Tuareg to the north. With cavalry and  navy, he repulsed several attacks by the Mossi to the south, including one major attack which reached all the way to the Walata region northwest of Timbuktu. He also defeated the Fulani of the Dendi region, which was then assimilated into the Empire. Under Sonni Ali, the Songhai Empire was divided up into territories, which he placed under the rule of trusted lieutenants from his army. Traditional African cults and the observance of Islam were combined, much to the annoyance of Muslim clerics in the cities. Plots were hatched against his rule. On at least one occasion, a group of clerics and scholars at an important Muslim center were executed for treason. Death Sonni Ali died in 1492 as he returned from a punitive expedition against the Fulani.  Oral tradition claims he was poisoned by Muhammad Ture, one of his commanders. Legacy A year after Alis death, Muhammad Ture staged a coup detat against Sonni Alis son Sonni Baru and founded a new dynasty of Songhai rulers. Askiya Muhammad Ture and his descendants were strict Muslims, who reinstated orthodox observance of Islam and outlawed traditional African religions. As with his life, his legacy has two very different interpretations in the oral and Muslim traditions. In the centuries which followed his death, Muslim historians recorded Sonni Ali as The Celebrated Infidel or The Great Oppressor. Songhai oral tradition records that he was the righteous ruler of a mighty empire that encompassed more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) along the Niger River. Sources Dobler, Lavinia G, and William Allen Brown. Great Rulers of the African Past. Doubleday, 1965 Gomez, Michael A.,  African Dominion: A New History of Empire in Early and Medieval West Africa. Princeton University Press, 2018Tesfu, Julianna. â€Å"Songhai Empire (Ca. 1375-1591) BlackPast.†Ã‚  BlackPast.â€Å"The Story of Africa| BBC World Service.†Ã‚  BBC News, BBC.

Effective Corporate Governance- Developing an Effective Board or Essay

Effective Corporate Governance- Developing an Effective Board or Governance Team Academic Book - Essay Example governance†, the readers need to know who the members of the board of directors are including how these people are different from the executive members of a corporation (Daily and Schwenk; Pound, p. 94). Basically, making the target audiences know who we are referring to as the members of the board of directors will make it easier for them to understand internal and external factors that contributes to effective corporate governance. (Kindly insert an organizational chart in this chapter) After discussing the members of the top management in Chapter II, this chapter will focus of discussing the role and responsibilities of each members of the board. As part of discussing the role and responsibilities of the board of directors and executives of a corporation, highlighting some possible case scenarios may help the readers have a better understanding of effective corporate governance. The book writer will discuss the role of executive and non-executive directors in terms of making the business objectives work for the best interests of the company. (Mallin, p. 125) For example: Since the best way for executive and non-executive directors to perform their duty effectively is to have an access to the company’s business information (Waldo, p. 5), the board of directors should not only carefully analyze the corporate financial report but also meet the team members regularly to discuss the proposed strategic plans and issues that will significantly affect the success of the business (Solomon, p. 103). This chapter will discuss the following: (1) importance of corporate leadership among the members of the top management; (2) importance of having a third party check for any signs of unusual business practices in the financial statement; (3) importance of establishing an organizational culture that give priority to teamwork as well as ethical, fair and legal

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The French Revolution - Essay Example Basttile was a prison created and maintained by French Monarchs in 1989. It was the symbol of Monarchs which people wanted to see get demolish (Carlyle 109). The falling of the Basttile remarkably stimulated the civilian activity. It increased the morals of the French people, the French public continuing the revolution with much greater impact and force. It was after the falling of the Basttile, the creation of Cahiers took place, which was a forum where a poor’s word was heard and got addressed (Clark 340). Cahiers was a forum, which divided the communication pattern in three Estates. The First Estate was the Estate of the clergy, which belonged to the religious community. The Second Estate was nobility, which was the elite and most privileged segment of the society at the time of revolution. The Third Estate was the middle class, which described the urban and the underprivileged segment of the society (McKay and Hill 590). The plenty of grievances came from the third Estate, which represented the poor of the society. As it was the word of the poor, so it was not much heard in the Elite segment of the society. The composed models came from Paris, which eventually not favored and got accepted in the third Estate. This brought the class discrimination giving the reason to the people to rise up as a revolution (Carlyle 130). Both the Napoleonic Code and the Declaration of the Rights of Man contained ideologies of the French revolutionists (McKay and Hill). It was the social security, security of people’s lives and property and assurance of basic civil rights of each citizen, which both declarations kept in their mention. Both codes had the same agenda and that is to reject the force of oppression at each societal level. The code and the declaration assured the principles of morality, the principles of equality and social justice (Clark). He was the great Haitian revolutionist Toussaint L’Overture who adhered to the principles of

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Organization and transformation - Essay Example Personal Lessons 23 Organizational Lessons 24 References 26 Key Themes Value Creation; Market Share; Organisational Restructuring; Integration; Service and Product Enhancement; Organizational Innovation Introduction The world is moving with a rapid pace with the incorporation of large number of developmental activities being generated in the field of technology and human resources. In fact the growth of immense competition in the external environment of the company is demanding large number of transformational activities being pursued in the internal environment of the company. ... Further several foreign firms are also making huge foray into the so called protected markets by breaking down the trade barriers constructed by the governments of the day. (Levy & Merry, 1986, p.3-4).This need for organizational transformation has given birth to the concept of transformational leadership in the new organisation structures. The change management to be effective must strongly involve the incorporation of both human and technological resources in an optimal manner to achieve business objectives. Transformational leaders henceforth must endeavour to create change in the existing organisational culture through motivational leadership aimed at enhancing the productive aspects of the people concerned. The process of organizational transformation henceforth aims at rendering total human development in terms of enhancement of the aspects of self esteem and in creation of a secured job environment. People belonging to the change culture are found to gain vivid work experience s while working with the new organisational processes and systems. Thus this process helps in also cultivating the concept of a learning organization. Change management in the organization thus helps in building a learned workforce which would help the organization to reach to new boundaries in terms of both market share and revenues. (Chawla & Renesch, 2006, p.105-108). The revenues of the firm from 1990 to 2010 grew along a rapid pace and reached $ 9.5 billion in 2010 from a meagre $1.6 billion in 1999. The strategies incorporated by the Chairman of the company to achieve the above ends consisted of augmenting the value of the shareholders of the company and

Marketing project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marketing project - Essay Example The product spread to these countries due to the high population of the Islamic people who believe in their religion and cannot question their faith. The focus will be how to penetrate into the European country. The target market for the â€Å"HALAL† brand will be the Muslim people who believe in what is stipulated in the Quran to constitute a lawful meet among the Muslim religion. The brand position to be adopted is pricing the product high to presage the quality of the product (Cadogan, 2009). Messages would be sent to respective consumers telling them how the product is of high value to their health. In Qatar, the target customers have got different social-economic status as well as the variance in consumption rates due to the difference in preference and tastes. In this case, American will produce varieties of Halal meat putting into consideration the multinational diversity of the market segmentation. The current price of the Halal meat brand products like Baklava range is approximately $15.99. Though it can be seen as expensive, the underlying pricing objectives for the increase in price are to generate more profit from the sales, to meet the production and distribution costs and finally to demonstrate the products superior quality. The company will lower the price in future to increase further the demand as the law of demand and supply dictates. The objectives underlining the product promotion will be to increase the number of sales, attraction of more consumers, enhance the brand identity and recognition of the brand in the market. The company will select the best segment and design effective and sufficient strategies to facilitate the creation of consumers’ value and profitable customer relationships. American will utilize psychographic segmentation where it will target its client based on beliefs, religion, lifestyles, personal characteristics and

The Euro Zone Economic Crisis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Euro Zone Economic Crisis - Article Example Companies affected by the crisis have had to lay off workers, reduce their productivity, foreclose, or wind up. One of the countries that have seriously been affected by the crises in Greece. The crisis in Greece was prompted by an unreasonably high wage bill and pension commitment that saw the European country amass great debt. To save the situation in the countries affected by the crisis, bailouts have been issued and government bonds released. There are several long-term measures that have been proposed to avoid a similar situation in the future including the write off of debts (Steinhauser par. 10), reviewing the European fiscal union, and establishing a European Monetary Fund. Despite the economic crisis that threatens business in Europe a few companies have found their ways to weather the storm and come up on top. In days that Greece is ravaged by civil conflict, companies are cutting down on workforce and economic times are definitely hard, nobody would expect anyone to do it like they are doing it on both domestic and the global arena to even prompt the European Business Awards to cite them as examples. Mega disposables S.A, Lamda Hellix and Gaea have succeeded where their peers would fear to venture. Lamda Hellix a data centre service provider is spread out across South Eastern Europe, backed up by a team that works relentlessly to achieve success in providing the best customer service in the industry. Their main focus is integration and consultant services, besides they also maintain data for their party data service centres. The company boasts of winning several awards in the past 10 years that includes Best European Data Center Facilities Management Award (2011), Best European Green Initiative Award (2010), Best Regional Data Centre Operator in Europe (2009), Best Workplace in Greece in 2012.  The latter award is not just a confirmation that employees work in a safer place but that they share goals that are common enabling them to be excellent in their personal and cooperate levels; an adventure of success that has seen it being cited on the Wall Street Journal (Lamda Hellix, 2012).  Ã‚  

Outsourcing HR, How advisable is this move during a recession Dissertation

Outsourcing HR, How advisable is this move during a recession - Dissertation Example However, the change to an outsourced resource for HR functions can be a risky proposition, creating a deficit in employee motivation and morale that can cost in productivity. During an economic recession cycle, the funds to fully integrate a new form of HR service to employees can be limited, thus creating an irreversibility of the decision if new strategies include outsourcing HR in order to cut costs. The sustainability of the company is in jeopardy if all of the circumstances have not been measured for potentials, both negatives and positives and if the risks are at an irreparable level, the company may not survive the transition. While a useful tool for creating a better structure within the organization, when faced as a form of cost cutting during a recession period, the long term risks may negate any savings that could have been realized. Outsourcing HR during a Recession Chapter One: Introduction 1. ... Various business research surveys have shown that as much as 70% of all human resources is now done through outside firms who function as specialists in the area in order to consolidate specialization over several firms, rather than each firm having in-house specialists in this area (Heneman 2002, p. 58). There are numerous benefits to hosting HR services through an outside source. The nature of the savings involved can be seen through improved economies of scales, more flexibility, higher levels of expertise, and higher levels of performance within core competencies (Heneman 2002). However, on the converse side of the discourse on the topic, it is possible that the de-personalization through standardization creates a lowered level of efficiency, thus decreasing overall firm performance. The reasons for outsourcing any part of a firm’s required resources is usually based on financial reasons. The unfortunate problem with firms that exist in a shareholder model of governance is that the abstract, sometimes intangible costs of doing business from the perspective of an owner responsibility based position end up costing the business more in the long run. Short term goals are considered a higher priority than long term in the shareholder model, thus using outsourced HR is a part of this framework. According to Armstrong (2009, p. 93), â€Å"Managements are facing Tom Peters’ (1988) challenge ‘prove it can’t be subcontracted’. The formal policy of a major global manufacturer reads: ‘Manufacture only those items – internal source only those supportive services – that directly contribute to, or help to maintain, our competitive advantage â€Å". This perspective suggests that all concerns that are not directly involved with making money should be outsourced. The

Marketing project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marketing project - Essay Example The product spread to these countries due to the high population of the Islamic people who believe in their religion and cannot question their faith. The focus will be how to penetrate into the European country. The target market for the â€Å"HALAL† brand will be the Muslim people who believe in what is stipulated in the Quran to constitute a lawful meet among the Muslim religion. The brand position to be adopted is pricing the product high to presage the quality of the product (Cadogan, 2009). Messages would be sent to respective consumers telling them how the product is of high value to their health. In Qatar, the target customers have got different social-economic status as well as the variance in consumption rates due to the difference in preference and tastes. In this case, American will produce varieties of Halal meat putting into consideration the multinational diversity of the market segmentation. The current price of the Halal meat brand products like Baklava range is approximately $15.99. Though it can be seen as expensive, the underlying pricing objectives for the increase in price are to generate more profit from the sales, to meet the production and distribution costs and finally to demonstrate the products superior quality. The company will lower the price in future to increase further the demand as the law of demand and supply dictates. The objectives underlining the product promotion will be to increase the number of sales, attraction of more consumers, enhance the brand identity and recognition of the brand in the market. The company will select the best segment and design effective and sufficient strategies to facilitate the creation of consumers’ value and profitable customer relationships. American will utilize psychographic segmentation where it will target its client based on beliefs, religion, lifestyles, personal characteristics and

Outsourcing HR, How advisable is this move during a recession Dissertation

Outsourcing HR, How advisable is this move during a recession - Dissertation Example However, the change to an outsourced resource for HR functions can be a risky proposition, creating a deficit in employee motivation and morale that can cost in productivity. During an economic recession cycle, the funds to fully integrate a new form of HR service to employees can be limited, thus creating an irreversibility of the decision if new strategies include outsourcing HR in order to cut costs. The sustainability of the company is in jeopardy if all of the circumstances have not been measured for potentials, both negatives and positives and if the risks are at an irreparable level, the company may not survive the transition. While a useful tool for creating a better structure within the organization, when faced as a form of cost cutting during a recession period, the long term risks may negate any savings that could have been realized. Outsourcing HR during a Recession Chapter One: Introduction 1. ... Various business research surveys have shown that as much as 70% of all human resources is now done through outside firms who function as specialists in the area in order to consolidate specialization over several firms, rather than each firm having in-house specialists in this area (Heneman 2002, p. 58). There are numerous benefits to hosting HR services through an outside source. The nature of the savings involved can be seen through improved economies of scales, more flexibility, higher levels of expertise, and higher levels of performance within core competencies (Heneman 2002). However, on the converse side of the discourse on the topic, it is possible that the de-personalization through standardization creates a lowered level of efficiency, thus decreasing overall firm performance. The reasons for outsourcing any part of a firm’s required resources is usually based on financial reasons. The unfortunate problem with firms that exist in a shareholder model of governance is that the abstract, sometimes intangible costs of doing business from the perspective of an owner responsibility based position end up costing the business more in the long run. Short term goals are considered a higher priority than long term in the shareholder model, thus using outsourced HR is a part of this framework. According to Armstrong (2009, p. 93), â€Å"Managements are facing Tom Peters’ (1988) challenge ‘prove it can’t be subcontracted’. The formal policy of a major global manufacturer reads: ‘Manufacture only those items – internal source only those supportive services – that directly contribute to, or help to maintain, our competitive advantage â€Å". This perspective suggests that all concerns that are not directly involved with making money should be outsourced. The

Automobile Industry Essay Example for Free

Automobile Industry Essay †¢Key drivers of the automobile sector are economic conditions, governments and regulations, consumer demands and interests, globalization and technological innovations †¢Generally, if the economic conditions are constant and good, people will seems willing to buy vehicles more than ever in all around world. In contrast, if economic conditions are bad, sales graphs will reverse and companies start to lose money. Firms should decide right production numbers in every condition and this capacity exactly depends on economic circumstances. †¢People are more conscious about what they except from a car and firms must satisfy these needs to survive in this sector. Even luxury automotive brands start to produce low fuel consumptions engines, otherwise they will collapse rapidly. †¢As usual, globalization is one of the crucial key drivers of automobile industry like every sector. After the globalization, brands start to do partnerships with each other to enter the different markets and they develop new technological innovations more cheap and useful all around the world. †¢In addition to these factors, governments’ regulations are one of the major determinants of global auto industry. The country’s’ legislation about emissions, environment and recycling are the key factors of brands investments. In European Union, the mutual regulations order that emission rate is lower than other regions and as a result of that firms should produce accordingly to these legislations. The Automobile Market †¢The automobile industry has become important after the globalization because people want to travel with more comfortably, safely and rapidly with their cars. Concordantly, while automobile sector is developing in every part of it, the global transportation sector benefit from positively. For instance; Rolls-Royce is producing both plane and car motors and Volvo is producing car and sea boats engines too. So, firms help to enlarge and develop in every transportation tools, not only cars. †¢The automobile industry consists of fuel, tire, and insurance firms. Also, mostly the luxurious brands are working with ranking fashion companies such as; Gucci(Fiat) and Hermes(Bugatti) and sound system companies like as; Bang Olufsen (Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin) and Naim (Bentley). †¢On the other hand, after the globalization, automobile brands start to work together in some regions all around the world. They invest more money on RD departments and sharing their knowledge to improve all transportation vehicles. †¢Germany, United States, Japan and Korean producers are the bestsellers all around the world. These countries mostly take control all over the world. Such as: Volkswagen is one of the biggest companies in automobile sector and it has got several brands such as; Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti and Seat. Company produces car for every segment. †¢In addition, especially for the last decade, market start to tend to produce more clean motors which do not harm to the environment. Also, they try to produce completely using electricity engines for all vehicles and using solar panels. As a result of that, the concept of climate change cause occurs a new market in automobile sector. Key Country Markets †¢In this chapter of report, I will mention about Japan, United States, Germany and Korean automotive producers because Toyota and Honda from Japan are the best and most well-known brands, Volkswagen from Germany is the head of locomotive in this industry for all parts of it, GM and Ford are the biggest companies from United states and Hyundai, which is becoming more powerful in everyday from Korea. †¢Volkswagen is the second best seller in 2012 after the GM and they are in front of Toyota. Generally, German cars are best vehicles that showed by automobile specialists from all over the word in every segment. Volkswagen, (if we look at the Exhibit 1) has got several different brands like; Lamborghini, Bentley, Audi, Bugatti, Skoda and Seat. They have product range from low-consumption cars to the luxury vehicles, as a result of that they are producing well- quality vehicles. †¢Toyota and Honda are the most favorable brands from Japan against to American and German manufacturers. Toyota Corolla is the world’s best seller mass production model and Toyota has got successful models as like Corolla too. In addition, Honda is one of the biggest and accomplished gasoline engine producers. Also, these two Japan brands are investing their money on hybrid and electric motor more than ever other brands. †¢GM is best seller brand in 2011, they sold approximately ten million cars and they have got various vehicle models. GM has got various brands such as; Chevrolet, Opel, Vauxhall, GMC, Buick and Cadillac. Also Ford is the one of the biggest key driver of the market. †¢Hyundai is one of the most developing auto brands for last decade. They start to produce well engines, comfortable and good looking cars. On the other hand, Hyundai is one of the biggest partnerships of Kia (%49. 2) which is the second biggest brand from Korea. †¢As we can see clearly, these 6 brands from 4 country of the world are the leaders of this sector. Also, they own various brands in their group and they are using this superiority against to the other brands. Sector Trends †¢Brands should produce low-consumption engines and obey emission and governments’ regulations to survive. †¢Nearly all automotive producers are using same technology on their vehicles; they need to work on these researches together to be more beneficial for humanity. For instance; Mercedes-Benz and BMW are sharing RD departments studies with each other and both of them working together to develop new technologies. †¢People are expecting more useful cars from producers like, they want both athletic and reliable vehicles, as a result of that firms has got new opportunities to create new model segments based on these requirements. †¢Transportation vehicles are developing in every day and automobiles is one of the crucial parts of this situation. Firms are increasing their sales number in every year and they need to satisfy their customers’ requirements in a perfect way. †¢Climate change is one of the determinants of this sector, so firms should pay attention to this issue seriously, they need to obey governments’ regulations and produce new technologies which will be not harmful for nature. †¢Hybrid and electric engines will be the most popular trends in this sector next decades; people would prefer clean engines and low-priced energy, so sector must be improved itself rapidly. Key Success Factor. †¢In this sector there are several success factor which is decided by people and worlds’ requirements; †¢Firms must produce more secure cars because, if we compare transportation systems, motorway is the most dangerous one and, the number of accidents’ proofs it. Brands should work together on security services. For instance; Volvo which is one of the securest brand on the world, claims that after 2020, any people will die in a traffic accident that drive a Volvo. †¢Engines success based on the fuel-efficiency, not harmful for the environment and being long-life. These conditions should be priority for brands RD departments. †¢Practicality needs to be developing parallel with previous items. People do not want to send various tools in the future; they will only buy contently vehicles. The Future Outlook and Expectations of Automobile Sector †¢People will need cars in the future more than now, producers’ need to satisfy this demand with new technology engines, they should create alternative energy resources which will be not harmful for the environment and firms need to develop safety features to prevent traffic accidents. †¢In the future people need transportation systems because of the longer distances, in every transportation way need to develop it. †¢Brands need to improve driverless vehicles because market will tend in that way. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The Automotive Industry Overview The automotive industry is one of the crucial sectors for humanity and it has been developing from industrial revolution to now. After the first engine was discovered in 1885 by Karl Benz, engineers found various inventions to make easier of people life. Industry had developed too much nowadays, engineers work on different technological tools and they need to show pay attention many different regulations in today’s world. At the beginning, the most important part was the engine but now automotive industry involves a wide range of business lines such as; manufacture, design, development, marketing and selling motor vehicles, motorcycles. Last year, there were approximately one billion cars which are registered on the world and this number is increasing sharply year by year. Parallel with that, consumes gasoline and diesel fuel multiply with every new car addict to the traffic. On the other hand, this sector employees thousands of people and creates new opportunities to undeveloped countries. In addition to these information’s about automobile sector, we should absolutely mention about the economy of which it creates and process. Currently, mostly the all automotive brands are owned by developed countries and they made their substructure investments all around the world, especially undeveloped countries. After the globalization, firms decide to set-up their factories at low skilled labor force countries. However, this decision affects both sides positively, producer’s limits cost and undeveloped countries’ economies start to develop. According to the OICA (The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers that, â€Å"If vehicle manufacturing was a country it would be sixth largest economy in the world. † in 2007. This shows that the contribution of automobile industry to the undeveloped countries’ economies. Also, the industries turnover 2 trillion dollars and if we comparing of this turnover of GDP with other economies in the world, proof that it can compete economic power of Italy, France or the UK. India is one of the greatest examples of the success at their economic improvement. Tata Motors, which Indian automobile brand owned Jaguar and Land Rover last year and they developed it perfectly in 2 years. After these 2 years, Jaguar and Land Rover increased their profitability nearly in half and when we think about these two brands are luxury brands, these numbers are spectacular. On the other hand, firms expanding nearly 85 billion dollars on Research Development departments. These budgets shaped by customer’s demand, so this sector is one of the innovative ones and it still produce new technologies. However, automobile sector has got unfavorable situations like; economic crises. If we make a research about when firms sales numbers decreased or companies made loss we will realize that on that era, world or the some regions is in economic crises. For instance; last biggest economic crises in 2008, when we look at the production number, it will decrease nearly %12. 7 compare to the previous year. These numbers are same with the other economic crises and automobile sector affect from them firstly. Key Country Markets United States. Todays’ world America is the one of the world’s biggest automotive producer with two brand; GM and Ford. GM has got various sub-brands in itself from different segments. These two brands sell their cars all over the world and both of them are most knowable automobile producers. However, in 2008, worlds’ biggest economic crises occurred GM was nearly bankrupt in an unbelievable way. This means, world would lost one of the old and essential brands, thousands of people would lost their job and American economy got hurt again after the Lehman Brothers. Hopefully; government decided to help GM and they saved the firm quickly. Japan Toyota is the most valuable automobile producer in the world; its net value is 131 billion dollars. Also one of the models, Corolla is the best seller model one the world and it has been sold nearly forty million from 1966 to 2012. In addition to the Toyota, Honda is another successful Japan auto brand too. They have got accomplished sales numbers and firm is producing one of the best gasoline engines. According to the consumers, Toyota could be the best competitor against to the German auto makers. Firm is producing in same quality with Germans but they are selling them cheaper than German brands. This is Toyotas’ major successful strategy also, company uses Japans’ engineering and technology which is the worlds’ best ones. They produced worlds’ first hybrid car and investing a huge part of their money on electric, clean and cheap motors. Germany The locomotive of the industry is Volkswagen right now and it will not change for two or three decades. Only the Volkswagens’ value is 76. 3 billion dollars and company has got several brands like; Audi (28. 5 billion$), Porsche (15.3billion$), Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Seat and Skoda. This German brand is producing most usable models with low-consumption engines, low prices and the safety of German engineering. Volkswagen is shaping the trends of the industry and other brands are following it right now. Firm has got different models from every consumer group and they make it an opportunity to be successful in the future. Korean Asia’s’ economy is the world’s fastest growing economy in nowadays. They are growing better than Europe and United States, as a result of those brands of this region are developing too. Hyundai is only the one of them; they are creating new models, developing current models and enter new markets. The firm move considerably forward when we compare a decade ago, their substructure and technological systems improver very well, also; they are producing more reliable and comfortable vehicles. This Korean brand will be one of the serious auto brands in the future if they are going in that way. Economic Impact of Automobile Sector The automotive industry has a big impact on every economy, it consist nearly every economy in the world. Every country in the world has got a part from this sector and thousands of people work in this industry. It is really crucial for transportation sector because, firms are using or developing same motors on different transportation vehicles. On the other hand, auto sector has got great impact on countries economy. If a country has got a factory or some service area about this sector, it will include a huge part of country’s’ economy. For instance; America worked really hard to save GM from the 2008 economic crises, they spend too much money because, if GM bankrupted, America’s economy will affect in deeply (if we look at Exhibit 3). Also, Ford decide to sale Aston Martin and Volvo at this era, these two brand had not good sales number and they will be harmful for the company if they do not sale them. Automobile brands have a great impact on country’s economy just like banks, executives should be careful about this issue seriously because it can be affect from economic crises easily so, they need to take a decision in long-term. Market Segmentation The automobile industry has a got long operation process; it has various segments in it. Firstly, R D department research what people need or what they want from a vehicle. After that, this part start to make prototypes or create stereotypes which engineers and designers can build on these examples. Designers work on cars aerodynamic, shape and how it looks. In addition, engineers work on substructure parts of the car such as; lights, engine, transmission and safety systems. While they are producing this prototype, they do various tests on car and finally they can send it to the dealers. Dealers, order number of cars and they prepare launches to introduce cars to the customers. After the sale of car, the service department starts to interest with car. They call them to the services periodically and customers can visit them anytime they have a problem with their car. Consequently, this industry has got major segment such as; R D department, designing and crating new technologies, before sale and bring together with market and customers. Finally, service department take care about our cars problem. Five Force Analyses Threats of New Entrants The automobile sector is could be most risky market on the world because you need to much money to invest on it, heritage is really important for customers and this sector is the first sector that affected from economic crises. Otherwise, without any new technology or price policy you will not survive much long and if someone decides to build up an automobile company, he/she will definitely work with local government. On the other hand, if someone wants to get this sector, he/she has got a change with new technological features. For instance; Fisker and Tesla are the new entrants at this sector and they invest their money on clean, hybrid and electrical engines. They also try to design good-looking car with solar panels and other recyclable energies. Bargaining Power of Suppliers In this case bargaining power of suppliers is not really strong. It is not powerful as healthcare sector or another sector because if people do not want to buy a private car, they can choose other transportation ways or the can choose nothing. However, in healthcare sector people absolutely need doctors, hospitals or medicine to survive but it is not same for this sector. In addition, globalization affect make peoples’ life easier and humans are used to it and buying a private car became a priority after purchasing a house. Generally, if a person owns a house, he/she will buy a car with how much money he/she got. This is the strongest part of the sector; unfortunately it has got negatives parts too. Bargaining Power of Buyers These sectors’ trends and demand is shaped by customer’s preferences, so the bargaining power of buyers is really strong. If humans do not like a model, they will not buy it and producers stop to produce it but if they like it producer need to produce it as much as it can to be successful. Right now, the demand on this sector is low-consumption engines and be not harmful to the environment so producers start to produce models and engines in this way, otherwise they cannot be able to sell a car. Availability of Substitutes In automobile industry, the availability of substitutes is not actually but there is only one way to change it is create new substructure concepts in the sector. For instance; Tesla and Fisker do that in a perfect way, they only focus on hybrid and electric engines and people recognize them with these concepts at everywhere. You cannot change industry but you can be able to change its direction. Intensity of Existing Rivalry There are many brands on the market, even in one country own more than one automobile brand, as a result of that the intensity of existing rivalry is really high. As I mentioned before that, there are five leader brands in the market but other big or small brands are successful as like them too. The most important think is the design of the automobile but now it has got no meaning because firms are usually work with same designers and models are not changing too much even in different brands. However, the most competitive concept is price policy according to the government’s tax payments systems. Key Success Factors for Automobile Sector There are different types of key success factor for automobile sector are based on the region, substructure features, purchase power. Producers need to show pay attention to these factors because it will determinate their sales numbers and profitability. The most important factor knows the region very well. I mean dealers and head quarter of the brand should be aware of the consumers’ requirements. Also they need to sale cars which are not be against to the governments’ legislations. For instance; European Union has got sharp and certain laws about carbon dioxide emission, so dealers need to focus on engines which are consuming few. However, United States not sign Kyoto Protocol, so they do not have any legislation for emissions right now, dealers can focus on high mass engines. In addition to the region, substructure features are crucial for auto makers because people always want to buy a car which has got advanced features even they will never use them. However, conscious consumer will demand low-consumption engines and brands need to produce engines according to that demand. In other words, firms need to decide their target audience perfectly and producing substructure features with these conditions. Lastly, the third factor is purchase power. In my opinion, this factor is the most crucial determinant in this sector because every brand starts to produce in same quality vehicles. However they need to know country’s economies and sale their models in that way (if we look at Exhibit 4). For instance; America one of the highest purchase power countries in the world and they really like to own cool, luxurious and spectacular cars, they can buy two three or even more than these number cars. In contrast, European nations have got the same purchase power but they want to buy one or two cars and they are looking to being useful, low consumption and quality vehicles. The Future of Automobile Sector In the future, transportation systems will be developing in all around the world because people want to move from A to B faster, comfortably, safely and cheaply. Producers need to know these requirements and produce car with these features. Firstly, brands need to focus on low-consumption cars, I mean hybrid and electric engines because they are cheaper than current technology and governments provide laws for this situation. Secondly, they need to produce safety cars than now because people will demand on secure system in the future. On the other hand, they need to produce usable cars such as Audis’ All Road, they have been developed for all road conditions and you can use them only in one car. Consequently, people will never forget or reject driving a car but producers need to answer climate, people and governments requirements. If someone produce a car with low price and costs with cover a long distance in a comfortably they will become the most successful brand in the world.

The pest control repeller

The pest control repeller CHAPTER 1: Introduction The Pest Control Repeller is a device designed to eliminate undesired animals to be appeared in our residential area. These undesired animals are such as rodents, bats and even birds like swallow. Rodents appear in the house not only give rise to hygienes problem, but also causing damage to the properties; they bite clothes and furniture that reside in the house. Bats, on the other hand produce excrements on the roof which may jeopardize the health of the residents stay inside the house, they also make noises during night time and affect residents to sleep. Apart from rodents and bats, birds like swallow which the amount has increases dramatically recently has also causes problem to the residents in a residential area. The great profit and demand of the bird nest in the market has attracted more and more people to invest in this business. Some of the nest farming even built up illegally in a residential area. This indirectly causes other side effects such as hygiene problem, sound po llution and damage to the property. Besides, it was also found that there are more than 60 different transmissible diseases have been associated with birds and their feces. Droppings cost money, both in the daily cleaning process and in lost of business from customers who prefer a dropping-free environment [1]. With the existence of Pest Control Repeller, the problem mentioned can be solved easily without causing negative side effect to the human. In this chapter, there will be a short introduction regarding to the objectives and overview of this project. 1.1 Objective The main objective of the project is to design and construct a Pest Control Repeller which will have the following fundamental features: Able to generate a digital harassment sound which will drive away some selected animals such as rodents, bats and birds. Able to implement the device in a large coverage area. Upon successful implementation of these fundamental features, enhancements are added to the device for better efficiency and effectiveness, this include causing the minimum effects to the human during the operation of the device. Besides, the Pest Control Repeller is designed to produces an intermittent sound so that the undesired animals would not get used to the repetitious sound. The developed product also can be used in a large and open outdoor area as well, such as under the bridge or on the telecommunication towers. This is because cliff swallows frequently colonize these structures and their nests cannot be disturbed until the nesting season has passed. As Swallows and their nests are fully protected under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1990 in Malaysia and it is unethical to destroy the nest of a swallow, maintenance and repairing process is force to delay to other periods where swallows have migrated to other places. In a nutshell, the designed Pest Control Repeller is ha ving the objective to help mankind in driving these annoying animals away from causing bad sleeping condition, properties damage, health and safety hazards. 1.3 Project Overview Basically, the Pest Control Repeller is categorized into three major functions, which are rodent repellent, bat repellent and bird repellent. These functions are then further classified into three different modes; where in the first mode; only the rodent and bat repellent are activated, for the second mode, the rodent and bat repellent are activated together with the bird repellent, where the bird repellent will only be triggered if the sensor is activated. Whereas for the third mode, the rodent and bat repellent are activated together with bird repellent and control by manual operation of a user. All of the operations are controlled by a microcontroller named PIC16F877A; the PIC microcontroller generates a series of pulses with different frequencies to drive away certain undesired animals. The series of pulses are formed by a specific period of square wave with alternating high and low condition, by varying the period of this square wave, the desired frequency for the Pest Control Repeller can be achieved. The PIC microcontroller used in the Pest Control Repeller also acts as a media to receive signal from PIR sensor which is later to be processed and produces the respective output signal to trigger the tweeter and strobe light. Besides, the PIC microcontroller also functions to send an output signal to trigger the servo motor which is mounted under the tweeter. Last but not least, the PIC microcontroller also used to produces the alphanumerical character which will be shown on the LCD. The specific frequency signals produced by the PIC Microcontroller are sending to the amplifiers prior to the tweeters. An amplifier is a device for increasing the power of a signal by taking energy from a power supply and controlling the output to match the input signal shape but with larger amplitude. In the designed Pest Control Repeller, a Class B amplifier is used for amplifying the different frequency signal. Class B amplifier circuits are the most general design type found in the audio power amplifiers. The amplified frequency signals are then send to the respective tweeter to produce the specific frequency sound wave for the pest repelling purpose. Apart from the frequency sound waves generated, the Pest Control Repeller can trigger a functioning strobe light and flashing super LED when a pest is detected within the device operating range. A LCD display of 216 characters is used in the project to display the operating modes. Besides, the LCD display also shows the numbers of pest detected within a certain period; this function allows a user to make a statistic to measure the effectiveness of the Pest Control Repeller installed in an area. 1.4 Project Scope and Methodology This project is a combination of hardware prototype with software implementation. In the hardware prototype construction, Express SCH and Express PCB are used for the designation purpose. Express SCH is used to draw a schematic diagram which represents the electrical component used in the Pest Control Repeller system by using graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. Whereas, Express PCB is used to design the electrical conductive pathways from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate which will then mechanically support and electrically connect all the electronic components require in the Pest Control Repeller system. For the software implementation, MPLAB which serves as a single, unified graphical user interface for C programming is used to program the require instruction into the PIC microcontroller, PICKit 2, which has been an interesting PIC programmer from Microchip, can be use to program the PIC microcontroller. During the designation of hardware prototype, electronic components and device are chosen base on their cost and effectiveness to ensure that the functionality of the Pest Control Repeller to be optimized at the lowest cost. After the components and devices selection are finalized, a primary configuration of the selected components are done on a bread board, testing and debugging process are then performed to ensure the functionality. After ensuring the functionality, the circuit layout is printed on a PCB and the components are soldered on the respective position, the implementation of circuit on a PCB increase the effectiveness of the circuit and reduce the chance of errors to occur. After the hardware fabrication, a program is written to tests and calibrates the prototype to make it functions in a precise and accurate mode. At the last stage of project, debugging process is carrying out to alter and correct the errors. Debugging is a methodical procedure of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects in an electronic hardware to make it behave as expected [2]. Debugging is very time consuming since it detects and corrects the errors instead of merely writing a program. Debugging process will take longer time if the program is written in an improper way. Thus, following the common established rules and good practice when writing a program will greatly reduce the time use in debugging process. More attention is needed when writing a program to make the subsystems independent of each other; this is because debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, and changes in one subsystem may cause errors to emerge in another subsystem. 1.5 Thesis Overview The report is divided into 6 chapters where Chapter 1 is a simple introduction that includes with the objective, project overview, project scope and methodology. The report is then followed by Chapter 2, where the theoretical background for this project is discussed in details, such as the animals behavior and effect of digital harassment sound to these animals. Literature review of similar project and improvement of these projects will also be discussed in further. In Chapter 3, the hardware prototype of the components and devices selected are discussed in details. A comparison between similar components and devices is also made to achieve a better effectiveness system at a lower cost. Besides, the function of the selected components and device will be elaborated for better understanding. For Chapter 4, the process in software development is discussed. Flow chart for the programs is shown and explained in details. Besides, software and tools used in the program writing is described for a better understanding. Presentation of data and discussion are combined in chapter 5 where the interpretation of data gathered is discussed. Besides, the problems encountered during conducting the project in both hardware and software also will be elaborate in details. Lastly, conclusion ends the report by providing a summary to the content in the report. It indicates significance, advantages and limitations of the work. The applications of the project and recommendations for future work are included for further reference. Chapter 2: Theoretical Background and Literature Review In this chapter, there will be an introduction to the background of the pests and major issues caused by these pests. Products and techniques used by people in repelling the pests also will be discussed. Their advantages and limitation are being investigated in details so that a comparison can be made between these techniques to further implement the project. Besides, the benefits of the project after the implementation also will be discussed in the last part of this chapter. 2.1 Classical Animal Behavior 2.1.1 Birds Birds play an important role in balancing the ecology by controlling the number of insects and pests in a particular area. However the increasing amounts of birds in a particular area will bring up problems to the residents, this problems are such as hygienes problem, sound pollution, damage to the property and even ecological imbalance. This problem has becomes significant recently when more and more people start to invest in swallow nest farming due to its great profit in the market. Swallows are categorized as gregarious bird species, they tend to breed and build nest at a particular area together. This characteristic has made them become a threat for the residents when they breed in a residential area. The problem even becomes worse when the Cliff Swallows build their nest at telecommunication tower and public construction such as bridge and highway structure. As stated by Jaclyn S.C et al, Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are migratory birds that breed in colonies and f requently nest on highway structures [3]. According to Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1990 in Malaysia, this migrated swallows are consider as endanger species and fully protected under any circumstances. This causes the construction and maintenance process cannot be performed during the nesting season and indirectly leads to economic lost. Besides, it was also found that the excrements of birds like pigeon are the carrier of most fatal diseases. Coghlan (1990) in his article named Pigeons, Pests and People refers birds asrats with wings for the speed of them which can affect an area and transmit diseased spores through their excrements. Diseases such as Toxoplasmosis, Listeriosis, Viral Meningitis, Encephalitis, Salmonella and Paratyphoid are readily spread in places of high pigeon population due to the amount of droppings produced [4]. Apart from causing fatal diseases to mankind, the excrements of birds will also bring down the aesthetic value of buildings due to the large amounts of droppings from the bird habitation and added noise made during the early hours of the morning. Moreover, research also found that bird causes more damage to farms and orchards than any other creature. Each year birds destroy crops and bring significant economic damage to the farmers. For these reasons, humans have been trying to deter bi rds from building, public structure and farm with devices such as scarecrows which were first used in 1592. 2.1.2 Rats Rats are categorized under the rodent family; they cause problems to mankind since decades ago. Rats are found to be an amazing climber on the roof and have good hearing compared to many species. However, rats are colour blind and have poor vision, this causes them have to move their eyesight from side to side in order to see better. Rats are found to be a threat for mankind due to their strong vitality and fast fertility. A female rat is only pregnant for about three weeks, yet they can give birth to 12 babies in one time. Though the hairless babies look very weak, they grow up in a very fast rate and can be independent from their mother in about a month. The average female rat can give birth for 4 to 6 times a year [95]. So it is not surprise when they cause damages to the properties in a short period of time. Rats bite everything they see in the house, this is because they need to grind their teeth from preventing the growth of the sharp teeth and injured themselves. This causes g reat damage to the properties especially for expensive electrical. Rats are found to be the carrier of most fatal diseases; they are the primary carriers of Murine typhus, Leptospirosis, Trichinosis, salmonella, Ratbite fever and plague [95]. The disease caused by rats can spread in a fast rate and very hard to control in a short period of time. Humans are infected by these diseases when they come into contact with food or water which contains the urine of the infected rats. Besides the disease may also be infected to humans when they are bite by a rat. The symptoms of these diseases are fever, flu and soon will soon develop into liver failure or meningitis. Plague is a rat disease spread to mankind by a sick rats fleas or contact with a sick rats bodily secretions. Various kinds of plague can attack the lymph glands, blood and lungs of a human. The Black Death which caused by rats plague was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europes pop ulation, reducing the worlds population from an estimated 450million to between 350 and 375million in 1400. It took 150years for Europes population to recover [94]. Apart from this, rats also causes damage to the agriculture crops, they consume the fruits and crop, such as coconut, cocoa and so forth [93]. 2.1.3 Bats Bats are having the same behavior with migrated birds such as swallows; they usually breed in season and nest in the roof for a period of about four to five months of the year. Same like a bird, bats also bring problems to mankind especially when the quantity is significant. Bats stay in the roof causes sound pollution to the resident stay inside the house, the problem of noise can occurs occasionally and this is always the main problems that caused by the bats. The problem even becomes worse when they stay on the roof of a bedroom. Besides, it was found that some bats have been detected with a rabies-like virus named European Bat Lyssavirus, although this virus is not serious, but it will infects human when a human is bite by the infected bats. Sometimes bats that flying around a building can trigger on a burglar alarms, including those that use passive infrared motion detector, light beams, microwave or ultrasonic detectors. Last but not least, bats also causes damage to the agricu lture crops like birds, some species of the bats will consume fruits and agriculture crops that planted in a farm. 2.2 Literature Review The purpose of the project is to design a Pest Control Repeller system that is effective in repelling the undesired animals to be appeared in the residential area as well as outdoor area such as public structure. In order to achieve the objectives stated, a study is conducted to examine the cost and effectiveness of the available existing products. The advantages and limitations of these existing products are taken into consideration and the most effective criteria of the system will be selected and combined with other advantages in order to construct a more effective Pest Control Repeller. 2.2.1 Bird Repeller Typically, the types of bird repeller are classified into 4 major classes; there are visual system, audio system, light system and chemical system. Apart from the 4 major classes, there are also other bird repelling techniques like habitat modification, electric track system and so forth. Each of the repeller system will be studied and their advantages and limitations are being reviewed. Visual bird repeller is a visual object that is designed to represent a predator to surrounding birds as either a human or a larger bird [99]. Normally, the most common items used in the visual bird repeller system are scarecrows, kites and even corpses of birds. A scarecrow is a physical human-like mannequin which dressed in human attire and place in the farm for deter birds like crows from disturbing and consuming the fruits in the farm. Apart from this, it was also found that any species of bird are naturally afraid of predators such as birds of prey. Hawk Kites are then designed to fly in the sky for protection from the birds infringement. The use of model or actual dead birds in the farm also target to illustrate the signal of danger to other birds. At first, birds will approach the corpse out of curiosity but usually they leave it when they see the unnatural position of the bird. This approach has been widely used in the airport to deter sea gull from approaching the flying are a. Despite of low cost and common used of the visual systems, it was found that they are inefficient in driving the birds away, especially after a long term of period. Once the birds in the surrounding area realize that there is no danger of the visual system, they start to approach the particular area and soon the visual system becomes useless. As a conclusion, most visual deterrents system is found to be efficient within a short term of period; it is recommended that this device is used in conjunction with other device or techniques to be successful for a significant period of time. The audio deterrent system is found to be the most common device that use widely around the world. The audio bird repeller system functions by emitting sounds that will cause stress to the birds. These sounds are such as distress sound recorded from the birds, noises that are audible to the birds, or even loud bang with decibel more than 150dB, this loud bang with decibel of 150dB can be produced from a propane cannons, or also referred as propane gas gun which is controlled by a controller or a motion detector. But, the problem with this gas gun is that the loud and irritating sound may disturb the resident living in the nearby area. Besides, birds will also adapt quickly to the sound which has the same magnitude, pitch and time interval all the time. Propane cannons become ineffective after a period. Apart from this, it was also found that ultrasonic devices are used by some of the people in repelling birds from their residential area. An ultrasonic device can emits ultrasonic soun d range above 22 KHz, which the frequency is not audible by human being, thus many of the manufacturers claimed that the device is suitable for home use since it is inaudible to human. Despite of the superior features provided by this system, there is no evidence shows that ultrasonic devices are capable to drive birds away, and there are plenty of studies show that most species of birds are having the same audible frequency range as human, but do not hear the frequencies above 20kHz. This is the reason why human can hears bird chirping everyday in the morning. Therefore ultrasonic systems are ineffective in deterring birds and should be avoided. Compared to the two methods mentioned above, bio-acoustic devices are found to be the most popular and efficient device among the audio deterrent systems. Bio-Acoustic deterrents are devices that transmit biological significant sounds such as bird alarm and distress calls [99]. In nature, birds use alarm calls when they perceive danger, whi lst distress calls are used when birds are captured, restrained or injured, each call is species specific, however some distress and alarm calls are known to get a response from other species [98]. Besides from using distress call from birds, noises with vary frequencies may also be used as the audio deterrent system. The light deterrent system is widely used in the airport for bird repelling purpose; this system can be classified into strobe light system and laser light system. For strobe light bird deterrent, a rotating or flashing search light is used to stimulus the visual of a bird and causes an unwanted situation for them. Although a static light in the night may attract birds to approach the particular area, a flashing one, however will causes confusion to them and thus achieve the purpose in repelling birds. Studies conducted on light systems have shown that high intensity strobe lights caused birds to take evasive action and move away from some airfields. In the same study it was found that a randomized selection of two strobe frequencies increased the effectiveness over a range of species and that the strobes stopped all bird habitation [99]. The laser light system, on the other hand also represents a well-established method in deterring birds. Diode laser is ideal for bird repelling bec ause of many of its advantages, such as small size, lower power consumption and lower cost [96]. Although the laser repelling system is efficient in drive away the birds, but the equipments needed are expensive. And also, the effectiveness of the lasers are found to be decreased with the increase of light levels, therefore, this repelling method is suitable to use during night time or at a place which is not cover by sunlight. Chemical deterrent system drive birds away by causing an unwanted living environment for birds or by killing them in a direct way by using poison. For the first method, chemical substance is placed at the habitat of birds to make them feel offensive or causes irritation to them. This can be in the form of tactile or in the form of odor. After a period of time, these birds will find that the place is not suitable for habitation or nesting and will soon move to another habitat. For the second method, poison is used to kill the birds from nesting in a particular area and scare away other birds in the same habitat. However, both of the methods are found to be inefficient for a long term period and may lead to other environmental issue. Therefore, the chemical deterrent system is not encouraged to be used in repelling birds either in a housing area or at outside an outdoor area. There are many more other repelling techniques being implement throughout the world, such as habitat modification, electric track, water sprayer and so forth. For habitat modification technique, Spikes deterrents made of strips of plastic or metal with upward pointing stainless steel or plastic spikes can be attached to ledges of buildings [99]. Besides, habitat modification for bird deterrent also often involves in eliminating the roosting or nesting locations of birds. For example, in the control of cliff swallow at public structure like bridge, the habitat of interest is the nesting location. Cliff swallows prefer a nesting place with rough and unpainted surfaces. So, modification can be done based on these criteria, such as anti-perching spines, smooth strips mounted at an angle of at least 45 degree, panels of glass, sheet metal, or paint to create a surface unfavorable for cliff swallow nesting [3]. An evaluation had been carry out by Timothy L.C. in his report named An Autonomous Bird Deterrent System to evaluate the effectiveness of these deterrent system based on their cost, physical requirements, stealth, automation ability and area covered. A ranked positional method was used in the evaluation with each category being weighted out of a total of ten points by its importance and then a rating being given under each category out of five for each individual deterrent. In the result shown below, it was found that the light deterrent system is having the highest score compared to other system with laser deterrent represent the most effective repeller. The ranking is then followed by the audio deterrent system. 2.2.2 Mouse Repeller Typically, People use mouse trap to catch mouse appears in the house, however, it is not the efficient way to repel them away if the quantity is significant, since the mouse trap only can trick them for once but not for a long term period. Mouse poison, on the other hand, also use widely by people in controlling the undesired mouse. Poisons works fine in killing mouse since it plays to what a mouse is searching for, such as food and water. There are two types of mouse poison available in the market; with the first type are having the immediate reaction and the second type that takes effect after some time. However, both kinds of poisons contain fatal elements such as warfarin, diphacinone, pival, chlorophacinone, or fumarin. Besides, chemical substances also used to drive mouse away by causing them an unwanted situation in their habitat. These chemical substances will make them feel offensive or irritating and soon they will leave the habitat due to the unpleasant living environment. In the farm or some agriculture land, predators are used by the farmer to reduce the consumption of agriculture crops by mouse and thus repelling them away. Predators are one of natures methods in control and repel mouse away from the farm. There are many native and domestic predators that feed on rat and mouse, such as snake, owl, hawk and so forth, it was found that hawk and owl parents kill many more rodents when they are feeding their hungry broods [92]. Domestic cats, dogs, and ferrets help in controlling and repelling rodents in some situations. In general, dogs and cats are the most effective predator at preventing an infestation than eliminating a current population. This is because they are better able to catch and kill an invading rodent that does not know any escape routes, than an established animal that knows various escape points [92]. Recently, the ultrasonic mouse repeller has becomes popular for home use application. These ultrasonic mouse repellers are selling like hot cake in the market due to their advantages compared to other traditional repellers. It is well know that pests such as rats and mouse are repelled by ultrasonic frequency in the range of 30 kHz to 50 kHz. An Ultrasonic mouse repeller utilizes advanced state of the art technology and functions by transmitting an influential range of ultrasonic sound in the frequency of 45 KHz. The intermittent, high intensity frequencies and pulse sequences were created to output at known hearing sensitivity ranges of pests, such as rat and mouse. It was found that rodents, like mouse or rat, will leave the environment where the ultrasonic device is installed for a less stressful area. These sound wave frequencies are inaudible to humans and pets like cat and dog [91]. A research named Efficacy Test Protocols for Evaluation of Ultrasonic Rodent Repellent was conducted by Stephen A. Schumake et al. from Denver Wildlife Research Center in examining the efficiency of the ultrasonic device. In the test mentioned, controlled laboratory and field test protocols were developed to assess the repellent efficacies of six commercially manufactured ultrasonic rodent repellent devices. The laboratory test structure (68.7 sq m) was divided into two rooms (32.5 sq m each) with a central harborage area (3.5 sq m) containing a colony of 12 wild Norway rats (Rattus orvegicus). For each test, an ultrasonic device was attached to the end of one room and rat activity (oat consumption, packet damage, photocell counts) is measured during 1-week baseline and 2-1/2-week test periods. Field test structures varied in floor area (6.5 to 197 sq m) and were either made by metal or wood construction. All contained existing Norway rat, house mouse (Mus musculus), or field mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus) infestations. No other rodent control techniques were conducted at these sites other than the application of selected ultrasonic devices. Rodent activities (packet damage, food consumption, rodent tracks) were measured twice per week during three successive 3-week intervals with devices operating only during the second interval. Repeated measurement of variance and chi square were used to statistically evaluate the reliability of ultrasound effects. In the end of the test rodents under test could either leave the buildings or move to alternate non-ultrasonically treated areas in all the cases stated [90]. Apart from that, light system or strobe light may also repel the mouse away from the house since rodent families prefer a darker living environment and they usually move in darkness. As a conclusion, an ultrasonic mouse repeller works more efficient and better compared to other repelling method. The use of poison which causes the death of the mouse may lead to environmental issue when a predator or a pet consume the death mouse. Additionally, neither traps nor poisons provide a long-term solution; mouse will simply increase breeding to replace rodents lost to poisons or traps. 2.2.3 Bats Repeller The generally accepted method to prevent bats from invasion is exclusion by netting or trapping. Netting and trapping, however, has resulted in the occasional inadvertent killing of bats. Similar to bird and mouses repelling cases; chemical repellent is also used by people in repelling bats. Naphthalene (crystals or flakes) is the only registered chemical which can be used as a bat repellent for indoor roosts. Naphthalene should be spread on the floor or applied between the walls, using about 2.3 kg (5 lb) for every 60 m ³ (2,000 ft ³) which should be adequate to treat an average attic [89]. Light illumination, on the other hand also shows a better effect in repelling the bats away from the house. This is because bats need a gloomy place for habitation during day time. This characteristic of bats makes them easily get repelled by a strong flashing light or strobe light. Last but not least, an ultrasonic device also being used by people in repelling bats. It is believed that the ultrasonic high frequency sound waves can interfere the bats ability to navigate and causing confusion to them. It was evident to shows that an ultrasonic bats repeller did agitate, confuse and disorient the bats causing them to fly more erratically and to relocate away from the device [89]. As a conclusion, light illumination and ultrasonic devices are found to be an efficient wa