Developments in the Law Public Employment

Question: What are some HR laws that organizations can use to develop and implement policies, procedures, and practices? Name and describe at least three laws that would drive policies, procedures, and practices? Answer: Introduction: The Human Resource law is concerned with the labor the employment law and also encompass many laws and to control the certain HR professionals. It considers the issues of the HR professionals. It also discusses the issues which the human resource professionals should argue with the superiority of their work functions, especially in overseeing and managing the duties with regard to the appointment, firing, benefit of the employees, wages, paychecks and extra time. It might also refer to the safety of the workplace, the privacy and also to prevent from the discrimination and the harassment(Wyman, 1907). All the employment laws of the local, state and federal plays an important role in the HR i.e. human resources the Human resources (HR) professionals should be the recognizable with the wide bunch of the various statutes and the controlling authorities in order to legally and effectively deal with the employees of the company. The general matters which concern with the human resource managers consists of the handbooks of the employees, finding of the policies and the procedures, approving the programs and the policies, the HR compliance audits, the confidentiality agreements and the compensation for the unemployment. Laws That Would Drive Policies, Procedures And The Practices: Changes To Law: The changes to the federal, state and the local law relating to the employment practices might apply to employments of public and the private sector('Developments in the Law: Public Employment', 1984). When we talk about the changes to the law relating to the employment, then we consider the changes that might affect both the public or the private sector or individually. Mayor Annise Parker in march 2010 implemented the executive orders which prohibit the discrimination on the basis of the sex. Forward Looking Policies: The policies which support a disparate workforce change the extra time or overtime. What was to be done on 1980s might not affect today. In the present day the effective diversity programs are more wider. Recognize incorporate the business disparate policies and also to develop more opportunities for the women and minorities who shows the aptitude for the leadership position(Erickson, von Schrader, Bruyere VanLooy, 2013). The other policy for enhancing the support of disparate workforce is making affinity groups. The other policies consist of the voluntary supporting action plans, disparate the training clearly designed for the industry cultural enhancement events which increases the employees knowledge. Consistency And Accountability: The two major aspects for the success of the policies the procedures that support a disparate workforce are rational application manager accountability. To make sure the policies which are implemented are equitably and consistently applied in the workplace. Enforce the management accountability to comply with the company policies and procedures which will support the disparate workforce(Nolan, 2008). Conclusion: In the end, it is concluded that the development of the policies and the procedures to abutment a disparate workforce, which requires the knowledge regarding the best practices of the HR i.e. human resources and also to pay the attention towards the labor and the employment laws. By implementing the policies and the procedures to abutment a disparate workforce require the persistent application and to be the effective and fair. References Developments in the Law: Public Employment. (1984). Harvard Law Review, 97(7), 1611. Erickson, W., von Schrader, S., Bruyere, S., VanLooy, S. (2013). The Employment Environment: Employer Perspectives, Policies, and Practices Regarding the Employment of Persons With Disabilities. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 57(4), 195-208. Nolan, S. (2008). Realizing efficiencies through HR policies and practices. Strategic HR Review, 7(2). Wyman, B. (1907). Business Policies Inconsistent with Public Employment. Harvard Law Review, 20(7), 511

Therapeutic Interventions For Patients Of Dementia †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Therapeutic Interventions For Patients Of Dementia. Answer: Introduction Dementia is a broad category of brain disease, affecting persons ability to recall and identify people. It is a group of symptoms caused by more than 70 disorders in brain, affecting the patients intellectual functioning and gradually decreases his ability to recall. These effects are severe enough to obstruct the patients daily activities and relationships (Cipriani et al. 2017). From the first symptom, loss of memory, through the development of behavioral and communal changes, dementia affect persons quality of life. There is no drug available to cure dementia and related syndromes. However, certain drugs can slower the process of memory loss by combating the symptoms. Hence, to treat such disease clinicians have come up with some non-pharmacological interventions (Kales, Gitlin Lyketsos, 2015). While pharmacological interventions are measured and standardized with dose amount, non-pharmacological are difficult to evaluate as it can show different results on two patients. There are different ways to categorize such interventions like depending on the treatment goal, therapeutic approach and so on. Therapeutic goal consists of factors that aims to improve the quality of life and health of the patient suffering from dementia (Cabrera et al., 2015). These interventions rarely are standardized, as standardization needs a large section of patient going through the intervention to see the effects. In this critical analysis, discussion on such non-pharmacological or therapeutic interventions has been included. The array of therapeutic interventions in dementia-care is broad including daily interactions between care provider and the patient, art related therapies, social and environmental effects, and even animal therapies as well. Hence, in this discussion, cognition focused psychosocial interventions are going to be discussed. Cognition focused approaches According to Liu, Au and Wong (2017), this intervention is further divided into 4 parts Cognitive stimulus therapy Reminiscence therapy Reality orientation and Validation therapy Cognitive training and Multi-sensory stimulation Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) This is one of the several therapeutic interventions used to treat patients with Alzheimers or the other dementias. In this therapy, patients are involved in a session with trainer practitioner of interpersonal communication. Session of each day held based on themes such as patients favorite food, current affair, memories physical games, number games, usage of money, association of words and so on. Initial sessions are held twice in a week consisting of beginning and maintenance sessions. Hence, it can be stated that the CST includes patients respect, choice, fun, and participation by maximizing their potential and ability to recollect (Aguirre et al., 2013). The prime goal of cognitive stimulation therapy is to create an atmosphere in which patients are able to get educated and strengthen their pre-existing abilities. Hence, they will be able to focus on their capacity to recollect. According to Orrell et al. (2017), evidences suggest that CST sessions given to 180 pair of patients, who went through CST program shown better results as their behavior towards their family and caregivers changed significantly. According to Cove et al., (2014), study on three group of patients also highlights the beneficial effects of CST on dementia care. These three groups were dementia patient with trained caregivers, dementia patient with non-trained caregivers and Control group. Each group were given 14 sessions of weekly CST. However, very less changes was observed in case of group two, whose caregivers were not trained in providing CST. Hence, no improvement was seen in their cognition and quality of life. Whereas the group one showed significant chan ges in cognition as the caregivers received the training to provide CST. These results also suggest that the duration of such sessions need to be increased as this particular once in a week dose may not be enough to prevent the natural corrosion in dementia. Therefore, from the review of both these studies it is significant that CST is an effective way to treat patient with dementia. There was a noticeable difference between the mental state and behavior of patients with usual medication and patients with CST sessions. Different measures were to identify this finding. First was Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the other one was Alzheimers Disease Assessment Scale Cognition (ADAS-Cog) (Cove et al., 2014). The aim of these tests were to investigate memory and orientation as well as language and visuospatial abilities. These measures were also used in pharmacological trials hence the direct comparison was possible. Reminiscence therapy Reminiscence Therapy (RT) is consists of discussions of experiences, events and activities with the help of previous photographs, household items, familiar incidents and archives music collection. This discussion can happen with an individual or a group of people trained to do such things. In RT meetings, different groups are involved, where participants are motivated to talk about their past-life once in a week. These are individual sessions where patients are made to recall their life incidences and experiences chronologically and evaluate those incidences (Cotelli, Mnaenti Zanetti, 2012). Family of those patients are also involved in such therapy, as family is one of the important pillars to provide such therapy. This therapy is a popular psychological intervention for people affected with dementia and has been rated one of the best therapy by participants as well as care providing staff. The aim of this therapy is to target the long-term memory as the prime symptom of dementia i s impaired short-term memory and the in maximum cases the long-term memory stays intact. Hence, RT acts as an intervention, which leads people to recall their long-term memory and eventually re-live their happy past life. Hereby, care providers can develop a book or life record of the patient so that they can easily access their own past life. There are two types of reminiscence therapy. First is simple or general reminiscence. The main aim of such therapy is to help the patient recollect their common memories, developing sociability and educational as well as entertaining sessions. This therapy triggers the topics the participant is interested in; however, the unlikely topics or painful topics are avoided for primary session. Another therapy includes Specific reminiscence therapy that includes small groups or only individual, as according to its name, it is more specific (Subramaniam Woods, 2012). According to Chen, Li and Li (2012), RT was imposed on a group of patients and they had to go through six weekly sessions for 90mins. The first session include sharing identities among the group. The procedure for other sessions were almost the same inclusive of three parts: homework, agenda development and review of those, concentrating on reminiscences, feedback, and assignment submission and so on. After such therapy, the primary outcome was decreased symptoms. Other outcomes include higher self-esteem, life satisfaction and decreased loneliness. Another evidence showed same result, where the sample population had mean age greater than 55. The intervention applied to them was weekly 4 sessions for 6 weeks. The outcome was registered after 6th week and the professionals found that patients health was recovered as therapy improved their quality of life. They started communicating to caregivers and families that improved their condition. They were able to relate to their own biograph y hence their ability of cognition was improved (Hofmann et al., 2012). Hence, from these evidences it can be stated that reminiscence therapy works as a flashback of the past life for the patients with dementia. Involvement of families and friends makes easier for those patients and caregivers to improve. Whether it is an individual session or a group activity primary aim is to connect to the patients interest and experience as these plays major roles in care planning process. This therapy helps the patients to increase their social connection and decrease their aggression. Reality Orientation and Validation Therapy Reality orientation (RO) is a therapy to improve the quality of life in the patients of dementia. However, previously it was used to treat the severely disturbed war prisoners rather than such therapeutic intervention. In this therapy, patient is provided with an overview or presentation of orientation information within which they are informed about the place, time to increase their understanding about the surrounding they are living in. furthermore, this is another way to improve their self-control, self-esteem and social connectivity. There are different forms of this therapy such as usage of calendars, notice boards, cuing and people can be given such therapies in a group or individually as well (Woods, 2014). The caregivers should be sensitive about the condition of the patient as they have impaired cognition and may react to some interventions. They can have difficulties to remember any current event; hence, the caregiver should be polite and ready to face any adverse situation . Usage of RO as a therapeutic intervention is controversial. According to some experts, it has been applied to some patients mechanically where caregivers were insensitive to the needs of patient. Experts also suggested that patients need to relearn these materials provided in RO as it helps to improve their mood and self-esteem. Furthermore, less psychiatric interventions uses such therapy to treat patients. Hence, to prove the application of this therapy as an intervention for dementia, evidences need to be provided. Evidences from a systematic review to check the effectiveness of the Reality Orientation was taken. The review included 43 studies and from that six-review paper were taken as they match the criteria. Length of the RO session was diverse, some sessions lasted 30 minutes for five times a week, and some lasted 45 minutes twice a week (Aguirre et al., 2013). Results from those papers suggested that RO therapy significantly affected the cognition and behavioral aspects of patient and was in favor of the patient. It also indicated that the RO therapy benefited the patients mood and self-esteem. However, longer sessions and continuous therapy was needed. Naomi Feil first developed validation therapy. The discovery of this therapy was a result of shortcoming of other therapies like Cognition therapy, reminiscence therapy and reality orientation as these therapies were applied to a patient, who had advanced level of dementia. Naomi Feil classified the symptoms and level of dementia according to the patients cognition reach and developed symptoms (Feil, 2014). The development was a result of solutions created to address the problems of patients and caregivers while treating advanced level dementia. In such therapy, the Caregiver attempts to connect with the patient by understanding his/her feeling and relating that with his/her behavioral and vocal indications. This therapy targets to understand the patients feelings and try to validate those for betterment of the patient. The prime aim is to keep the patient happy in any situation, as advanced stage of dementia leads them to feel or see delusions, which makes them distressed (Gitlin, K ales Lyketsos, 2012). Some important features of this therapy includes initially the caregiver tries to classify the behavior of patient and then other interventions are applied. Application of these interventions depends on the complexity of the disease that is different for each individual. It is classified in four stages: Repetitive motions, Confusion related to time, mal orientation, and finally vegetation. All these steps are identifies by different cognition levels and behavior features upon which the intervention depends (Jones Miesen, 2014). Studies from various experiments suggested that there are numerous positive effects of validation therapy. Effects depends on the number of validation session patients receive and amount of interactions they go through per week. However, there are few studies, which did not find any significant effect on patient. Cognitive training and Multi-sensory stimulation The fundamental idea of Cognitive training is to improve the patients ability to recall.and that can be achieved by repetitive practice of cognition functioning. This training helps to develop the knowledge strategies through which the patient can receive such information. Hence, through continuous practice of these daily tasks and will power of patients to live an independent life, conditions of patients are supposed to be improved. This therapy can be individualized or may be carried out in a group (Bahar?Fuchs, Clare Woods, 2013). Daily tasks can be made up of intelligence materials including pictorial materials, sequential images and logical tasks like cube task, row formation and ability to note task. Other tasks includes ability to recognize, search, solve small arithmetical questions perception of speed and so on. These therapies are applied in modern day cognitive training, which represents the behavioral therapy for patients with dementia. Evidences to prove the effectiveness of this therapy includes different variety of methods for different people. There is no specific process dedicated to this therapy hence period of therapy, process of application, measurements of results are different for every patient. Hence, generally there is only few amount of methods where studies on a large population is present (Unverzagt et al., 2012). As a result, it can be stated that firstly results are of very narrow spectrum as randomized methods are less. Secondly, most of the methods are controversial and lastly array of dementia for every patient is so different that drawing comparison between them is quite problematic. Hence, applying this intervention is under research and needs further experimentation. Multi-sensory stimulations are therapies, which helps the patients of dementia to control their senses that is touch, smell, sight, hear and taste by evoking positive feelings. This therapy was discovered to treat patients with learning disabilities in late 1960s (Brodaty Burns, 2012). It created an environment by providing safe and enjoyable activities in which people can learn freely. However, nowadays it is used to treat Alzheimers, dementia, autism and many more disabilities. In case of advanced dementia, patients ability to communicate and carry out the daily activities decreases. This therapy provides them a way to reconnect by letting them express themselves, as at that period they are unable to do so with words. It makes them feel safe and relax and improves their self-esteem, mood and consequently their health improves (Lykkeslet et al., 2014). According to the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapist (CAOT), application of such therapy should be with familiar objects and should target one sense at a time. Objects includes familiar clothes and foods, natural materials like fruits and flowers and materials, which are sensory rich like perfumes, grooming tools and so on. This therapy is applied in a long residential care set up as patients at that stage suffers from agitation and restlessness. According to Maseda et al. (2014). Evidence has shown that this therapy, when applied to a small group of patient and for a prolonged period, showed better results. However, these results varied among patients, as the stage of dementia they were suffering from was different. Conclusion Dementia is one of the fastest growing mental disorder affecting older adults. While there is no medicine available to treat dementia effectively, usage of non-pharmacological or therapeutic intervention can be used to treat such patients. This critical analysis has indicated four interventions, which can improve the state of patients with dementia. Cognitive therapy focused the persons ability to recollect the pieces of his past and create an autobiography to improve his present condition. Evidences also supported that this therapy has positive effects on dementia. Reminiscence therapy, which involves the patient in meetings and discussions to talk about their experiences, also effected the persons self-esteem and mood positively. Other intervention discussed was reality orientation and validation therapy. However, evidences does not support this therapy as it depends on the stage of disease and group of patient. Lastly, multi-sensory therapy and cognitive training was included, whi ch helps the last stage dementia patient to communicate with society, as they are unable to express their selves. References Aguirre, E., Hoare, Z., Streater, A., Spector, A., Woods, B., Hoe, J., Orrell, M. (2013). Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for people with dementiawho benefits most?.International journal of geriatric psychiatry,28(3), 284-290. Bahar?Fuchs, A., Clare, L., Woods, B. (2013). Cognitive training and cognitive rehabilitation for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.The Cochrane Library. Brodaty, H., Burns, K. (2012). Nonpharmacological management of apathy in dementia: a systematic review.The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,20(7), 549-564. Cabrera, E., Sutcliffe, C., Verbeek, H., Saks, K., Soto-Martin, M., Meyer, G., ... RightTimePlaceCare Consortium. (2015). Non-pharmacological interventions as a best practice strategy in people with dementia living in nursing homes. A systematic review.European Geriatric Medicine,6(2), 134-150. Chen, T. J., Li, H. J., Li, J. (2012). The effects of reminiscence therapy on depressive symptoms of Chinese elderly: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychiatry,12(1), 189. Cipriani, J., Benz, A., Holmgren, A., Kinter, D., McGarry, J. and Rufino, G., 2017. A systematic review of the effects of horticultural therapy on persons with mental health conditions.Occupational Therapy in Mental Health,33(1), pp.47-69. Cotelli, M., Manenti, R., Zanetti, O. (2012). Reminiscence therapy in dementia: A review.Maturitas,72(3), 203-205. Cove, J., Jacobi, N., Donovan, H., Orrell, M., Stott, J., Spector, A. (2014). Effectiveness of weekly cognitive stimulation therapy for people with dementia and the additional impact of enhancing cognitive stimulation therapy with a carer training program.Clinical interventions in aging,9, 2143. Feil, N. (2014). Validation therapy with late-onset dementia populations.Caregiving in dementia: Research and applications,1, 199-218. Gitlin, L. N., Kales, H. C., Lyketsos, C. G. (2012). Nonpharmacologicmanagement of behavioral symptoms in dementia.Jama,308(19), 2020-2029. Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cognitive therapy and research,36(5), 427-440. Jones, G. M., Miesen, B. M. (Eds.). (2014).Care-Giving in Dementia: Volume 1: Research and Applications. Routledge. Kales, H. C., Gitlin, L. N., Lyketsos, C. G. (2015). Assessment andmanagement of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.bmj,350(7), h369. Liu, T., Au, C. L. A., Wong, G. H. Y. (2017). Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for Dementia. Lykkeslet, E., Gjengedal, E., Skrondal, T., Storjord, M. B. (2014). Sensory stimulationa way of creating mutual relations in dementia care.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being,9(1), 23888. Maseda, A., Snchez, A., Marante, M. P., Gonzlez-Abraldes, I., Bujn, A., Milln-Calenti, J. C. (2014). Effects of multisensory stimulation on a sample of institutionalized elderly people with dementia diagnosis: a controlled longitudinal trial.American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Other Dementias,29(5), 463-473. Orrell, M., Yates, L., Leung, P., Kang, S., Hoare, Z., Whitaker, C., ... Pearson, S. (2017). The impact of individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (iCST) on cognition, quality of life, caregiver health, and family relationships in dementia: A randomised controlled trial.PLoS medicine,14(3), e1002269. Subramaniam, P., Woods, B. (2012). The impact of individual reminiscence therapy for people with dementia: systematic review.Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics,12(5), 545-555. Unverzagt, F. W., Guey, L. T., Jones, R. N., Marsiske, M., King, J. W., Wadley, V. G., ... Tennstedt, S. L. (2012). ACTIVE cognitive training and rates of incident dementia.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society,18(4), 669-677. Woods, B. (2014). reality orientation?.Care-Giving in Dementia: Volume 1: Research and Applications, 121.

Effect of Coffee Bean Prices on Starbucks Essay Example

Effect of Coffee Bean Prices on Starbucks Essay GM599 Course Project Problem Statement: February 2011, coffee prices hit a 14-year high at $2. This trend is likely to continue for some time as this rising prices according to analysts is primarily due to a combination of the growing demand for different types of coffee and the poor harvests we have had in past years. How should the company position itself against the continuous increase and/or fluctuations in the price of its main raw material? Background: Starbucks is almost synonymous with coffee, although the company offers other beverages and products. The organization prides itself as the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world with about 17,000 stores and operating in more than 50 countries worldwide. Coffee is its major raw material and like the competition, the recent price increases have been passed on to an extent to the consumers. Concern: According to the NewYork times, â€Å"In 2008, Starbucks found itself in an economic climate that had most people reassessing their daily spending habits on luxury items. The company’s revenues and profit tumbled as a result. Starbucks was hurt by rising costs, the cannibalizing effects of years of overexpansion, and stiff competition in espresso drinks from the likes of McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. In the summer of 2007, its customer traffic declined for the first time since the company went public, sending the stock tumbling. By the end of its fiscal 2008, Starbucks stock, once seemingly invincible, had declined by over 50 percent† In other words the company may not be invincible and continuous price increases of its products coupled with stiff competition can affect the company. We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Coffee Bean Prices on Starbucks specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Coffee Bean Prices on Starbucks specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Coffee Bean Prices on Starbucks specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer With 17,000 stores worldwide, growing number of partners (as their employees are referred to ) and stockholders, the failure of the company will have a huge impact on many families and economies. Plan of Study: This paper seeks to recommend ways the company can maintain its consumer base and profitability in the face of these price fluctuations. To achieve this, the research will involve an examination of the coffee industry, major sources of coffee, how prices are determined and factors that drive the process. In addition, the effect of price increases and how it affects Starbucks and its consumers will be examined. Furthermore, the effectiveness of Starbuck’s current strategy on the issue will be considered before recommendations for the future are provided. References http://money. cnn. com/2011/02/18/markets/coffee_price/index. htm http://topics. nytimes. com/top/news/business/companies/starbucks_corporation/index. html http://assets. starbucks. com/assets/aboutuscompanyprofileq12011final13111. pdf

buy custom Developing Groups into Teams essay

buy custom Developing Groups into Teams essay A team is made up of a group of people who are connected together in a common purpose. Teams are normally developed to conduct particular tasks that are complex, and have many co-dependent subtasks. A group in itself does not automatically make up a team. Members make it up with complementary talents and generate synergy by a coordinated effort that allows each member to minimize their weakness and maximize their strengths. Team members are required to work together and help each other so that each member realizes their true potential. By doing so, they create an atmosphere that allows each member to exceed their limitations. Teams size and a composition are known to have an effect on team processes and outcomes. The optimal composition and size of a team varies according to the task it handles. This paper will seek to discuss how groups can be developed into teams. There are several strategies that an organization can employ in order to nature the conversion of groups into teams. First, the organization has to develop common goals and vision that its members should try to achieve. Unless a common vision and a goal are set for a given undertaking, and each member holds the one goal and vision of the shared destination, it would be very difficult to achieve the set targets as members will be confused and hobbled along the way (Jungalwalla 200). Lacking a common direction, such a group will be divided into small fragments, thereby it will lose energy as the members move against each other as opposed to a team. To achieve a common goal and a vision, several tasks may be undertaken. Team members may record their perception of teams common vision and goals; then the differing perceptions may be considered. This task will help present a simple evaluation of the extent to which the group shares common visions and goals. Passion is an important aspect f or success. In developing common visions and goals, one may find out what visions and goals that are desirable for the organization the team members are passionate about (Jarod 2009). There should be a clear distinction between common and individual goals. Teams may share similar visions and goals, but may have different roles in a collaborative undertaking. Each member in the group should express their individual roles in ways that convey how that role contributes to the common visions and goals of the organization. When collaborative goals are set, benchmark and stretch goals have to be considered. Benchmark goals are said to be the minimum one can accept from themselves as professionals while stretch goals can be described as reach for the stars goal, which should carry considerable uncertainty as to its practicability. This will ensure that a team keeps motivated, and endeavors for improvement even beyond perceived restrictions (Junggalwalla 2000). Diversity of people in a group can be its greatest threat or asset; if a group is well harnessed, it can be a tool to develop a very good team and achieve high goals. The important factor here is the ability to appreciate diversity, to know its importance and to manage it. One can start by leading by example. If a leader is seen not to value diversity, the group members will not do it too, thereby developing a poor team. A team survey that draws attention to diverse work styles and roles within the team should be undertaken. A team map may be developed that shows which preferences and roles are well represented and which are not. The team could be then involved in giving strategic advice to themselves about further development of the team. Furthermore, teams training and development schedules should incorporate topics based on understanding and management of diversity (Jungalwalla 2000). Effective communication is paramount in development of groups into teams. Strategies that enhance active listening and engagement of the audience in meetings may be used to foster good communication (Hardcastle 2006). In conclusion, many factors may determine how a group develops into a team. Common visions and goals, ability to harness diversity and effective communication are important aspects in development of a group into a team. Buy custom Developing Groups into Teams essay

Information Assurance and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information Assurance and Governance - Essay Example IT governance system established in many organisations is incongruent as it has been designed in several different patches of problem solving mechanisms. The designing activity of the governance system reduces the synergy level and limits the opportunities for strategic impact from IT. In order to deal with the issue it is important for the management of the organisation to design the IT governance procedure according to the goals and objectives of the organisation. The notion requires the management of the organisation to actively play part in the procedure. Without the proper support of the management the successful designing and implementation process of IT governance cannot be undertaken. Although it is not possible to actively redesign the overall governance mechanism but it is important to undertake mechanism reviews on regular basis. The Burton report recommends undertaking assessment of IT governance system on regular basis in order to implement security improvement processes at MOD. The report is full of recommendations for the change in the governance structure at MOD regarding the security of the IT infrastructure. It is also important to undertake change in the behaviour of the employees at the organisation according to the change in governance. The redesign in the governance system will although take some time but its effective implementation will lead to the final objective of making the security of data foul proof. The report has recommended a change in the organisation perspective according to the direction in which the IT governance system is redesigned. Failure to do so will stultify the whole change process. The Burton report also suggests training and education all across the organisation. Burton suggested reviewing all the current training on Data Protection and Information Management, and identifying the uptake by the relevant post-holders, in order to determine future training needs. The involvement of the senior management of the

Corrosion Phenomena Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corrosion Phenomena - Research Paper Example Thus, the definition notes that the process causes metals to exhibit natural tendencies of reverting back to native combined states as minerals such as carbonates, sulfides, and oxides. Akhtar, Arif and Quraishi cite platinum and gold as the only ones that naturally exist as metals and would therefore not be susceptible to corrosion in normal atmospheric conditions, as such referred to as noble metals. Even though the term could be applied when referring to concrete, plastic, and wood, it has found general application when referring to metal and particularly iron as steel.Metals would be susceptible to corrosion under different environmental conditions. For example, gold which exhibits resistance under atmospheric conditions would be corroded under ambient temperature and exposure to mercury. Iron, on the other hand, would gradually rust under atmospheric conditions but remains unaffected by mercury. Sivasankar documents the joint action of oxygen and moisture as constituting the nor mal atmospheric conditions. The scholar observes that steel in ice would not rust as water should be in liquid form for corrosion to occur. Common pollutants like dust particles, soot, and ammonium sulfate particles and acidic gases like sulfur dioxide propagate the corrosiveness of the environment. Cicek and Al-Numan cite other typical environments considered to be corrosive and include soils, alkalies, acids, hydrogen sulfide, fuel gases, ammonia, fresh, salt, distilled and marine water and oxides of nitrogen.

The Low Cost Airline Air Asia

The Low Cost Airline Air Asia The low-cost concept became a moneymaker in the United States, where it was pioneered in the 1970s by Southwest Airlines, the model for budget carriers elsewhere like Ryanair and easyJet in Europe. Definition of low cost airlines A low cost airline generally has many features that differentiate it from the traditional carriers. These features include ticketless travel, online ticket sales, no international offices, no frequent flyer points, no free food and beverages, no inflight magazines, no club lounges, use of secondary city airports. Not all low cost airlines have these features, and not all airlines that have some of these features are low cost airlines. For example, Virgin Express is a low cost airline, but it still offers complimentary coffee and inflight magazine, and they are based at Brussels primary airport. Case Study-AirAsia Story of AirAsia Air Asia, as the second Malaysian National Airline, provides a totally different type of service in line with the nations aspirations to benefit all citizens and worldwide travellers. Such service takes the form of a no frills low airfares flight offering, 40%-60% lower than what is currently offered in this part of Asia. Their vision is Now Everyone Can Fly and their mission is to provide Affordable Airfares without any compromise to Flight Safety Standards. The story of emergence of AirAsia is similar to Ryanair, since both carriers underwent a remarkable transformation from a money-losing regional operator to a profitable, low cost airline. AirAsia was initially launched in 1996 as a full-service regional airline offering slightly cheaper fares than its main competitor, Malaysia Airlines. Before 2001, AirAsia fail to either sufficiently stimulate the market or attract enough passengers from Malaysia Airlines to establish its own niche market. The turnaround point of AisAsia is in 2001, while it was up to sale and bought by Tony Fernandes. Tony Fernandes then enrolled some of the lending low-cost airline experts to restructure AirAsias business model. He invited Connor McCarthy, the former director of group operation of Ryanair, to join the executive team. In late 2001, AirAsia was re-launched in Malaysia as a trendy, no-frills operation with three B737 aircraft as a low-fare, low-cost domestic airline. Opportunities faced by AirAsia in light of external development Low fare of Indonesia-Malaysia trip The fare for a Jakarta-Johor Baru trip costs Rp 100,000 (RM 88.88 one way). And charge Rp 150,000 for a Bandung-Kuala Lumpur flight, and Rp 300,000 for a Surabaya-Kuala Lumpur trip, whereas a Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur air ticket from Malaysia Airlines available at travel agents cost Rp 1.4 million. Meanwhile, Lion Air on the same route, charged Rp 1.05 million. The low fare provided by AirAsia helps it open the Indonesia market. Low fare of Singapore-Bangkok service AirAsia will increase its services between Singapore Bangkok by introducing a 2nd daily flight to its existing schedule. This recent development came barely a month after Thai AirAsia operations started its first international flight to Singapore in early February this year. AirAsia is offering its guests promotional fares to/from Singapore- Bangkok from SGD$23.99 (THB 499) one way from the 28th March to 30th Oct, 2004. It is much lower than the lowest fare SGD$56 offered by full-service carrier. This helps it open the Singapore market. Political connections AirAsia hold 49% of Thai AirAsia with 1% being held by a Thai individual. The remaining 50% is held by Shin Corp. which is owned by the family of Thailands prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Shin Corp. has financial strength, synergy in ingormation technology and telecommunications, which support AirAsia Internet and mobile phone bookings. Shin Corp. allows subscribers of the Shin mobile phone flagship, Advanced Information Service, being able to reserve tickets through its short-messaging service (SMS). AirAsia with its politically powerful backer may well grow up to bite. This helps it open the Thailand market. Malaysian government support The Malaysian government supported the establishment of AirAsia in 2001 to help boost the under-used Kuala Lumpur International Airport. AirAsias flights from Senai are meant to develop Johor into a transport hub to rival Singapore. AirAsia, therefore, can provide an alternative route to travel to Bangkok, by using Senai Airport in Johor Bahru, in southern Malaysia. Opportunities faced by AirAsia in light of internal development Issue of IPO Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsias Executive Director announced the appointment of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and RHB Sakura Merchant Bankers (RHB) as the bookrunners for the companys upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO). The IPO strengthens AirAsia balance sheet, further cuts its existing low costs at 2.5 US cents per ASK and accelerates our growth plans throughout Asia. The IPO also allows AirAsia to expand its fleet of 18 Boeing 737-300s. Political connections Thai AirAsia is a join venture established by AirAsia with Shin Corp. Shin Corp. is owned by the family of Thailands prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and about 900 million baht will be invested in Thai AirAsia over a five-year period. Shin Corp. oversees the finance and administration of Thai AirAsia while AirAsia shoulders the responsibility for marketing and operations. Shin Corp. has financial strength and supports AirAsia to grow. AirAsia with its politically powerful backer may well grow up to bite. Challenges faced by AirAsia in light of external development Indonesian habit Preferences of Indonesian passengers are quite different from the concept of cheap air travel without extra service for the passengers (free snacks and drinks), and also their reluctance to bring light baggage. AirAsia prefers passengers with very light and minimum baggage. If this is the case, it may not last long. But Indonesian domestic airline companies are able to provide value-added extras like food and beverages as part of their service to the passengers, although at a relatively higher cost. The comparative edge of Indonesian domestic airline companies compared to AirAsia concerns habit (culture). Furthermore, Indonesian domestic airlines were already trained with the low-cost air travel concept, known as tariff war. They have proved themselves as immune, and managed to survive. Last but not least, the Indonesian government or domestic airline companies had never announced the availability of a low-cost airline company of the country. All these affect AirAsia growth in Indonesia. Singapore government rejection Initially, AirAsia wanted to start flights from the southern state of Johor, near Singapore, it hoped to attract passengers by running a convenient bus service to the city-state. However, Singapore quickly quashed that idea. The Singapore government said it would not approve a bus link for AirAsia because it was not in her national interest, reflecting fears that Singapores Changi airport would lose business to Johors new Senai airport. This makes AirAsia cannot abandon the use of Changi airport, and therefore suffer from a higher cost. This is because AirAsia flying to Singapore needs to suffer from flight congestion of Changi. Changi has drawbacks of flight congestion that could prevent the quick turnarounds essential to keeping down costs. AirAsia finds it stuck between big planes and circling to wait for a slot to open up, which means extra fuel costs. Moreover, the SGD$21 departure and security tax of Changi is too high for AirAsia low-cost operation. AirAsia had asked the Singapore government to waive the fees, however, a request that was not only rejected but also criticized. Besides Singapore Bangkok, AirAsia now provides an alternative route to travel to Bangkok, by using Senai Airport in Johor Bahru, in southern Malaysia. Seeking to cater to the different markets, fares for Johor Bahru- Bangkok are generally 20 % lower in comparison to Singapore Bangkok. AirAsia currently operate daily flights to Bangkok from Johor Bahru. However, the choice proved unpopular, as the route failed to attract Singaporeans because of the additional cost and inconvenience of having to travel in and out of Malaysia by road. All these affect AirAsia external growth. Minimum air-fare rates AirAsia faces challenges finding open takeoff and landing slots at opportune times, and Thailands regulation that sets minimum air-fare rates. Although Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the current minimum air-fare regulations will be scrapped to open up the market, he couldnt name a date when this will be done. This seems to be favoritism toward Thai Airways Internationals domestic operations, and affects Thai AirAsia to compete in the Thailand market. External Changes which have impact on AirAsia Asias middle class growth Low cost airlines are anticipated to have greater potential in Asia as there are many Asian cities with a population above one million people each as well as a rising middle class population. This growth of middle class in Asia provides a huge market potential for AirAsia to grow. However, as the market is becoming larger, more airlines or new comers would like to get a piece of the action. For example, Budget airlines, it is estimated, will capture at least 25% of Asias air travel market within next 10 years and a lot of that will be new, not diverted, traffic. Therefore, AirAsia will face more competitions at the same time. Besides the low cost airlines, AirAsia still needs to compete with the conventional carriers. Although extra passengers of the low cost airlines will be coming from the new demand to be created by the low fares, the growth may not be entirely stolen from big flag carriers. Actions of Changi and nearby airports The growth of low cost airlines in south-east Asia has a significant effect on which airports will dominate the regional aviation market. Low cost airlines are seen as helping funnel more passengers to airport hubs. Therefore, there is a realization among regional governments that they need smashing airports and feisty carriers or they are going to miss out big time. Therefore, these governments are more willing to support low cost airlines. For example, the Malaysian government supported the establishment of AirAsian in 2001 to help boost the under-used Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and Thai premiers Shin Corp. forms a join venture with AirAsia that would benefit Bangkoks new airport and create a new hub at Chiang Mai. Therefore, under this situation, it helps AirAsia grow in Asia. Moreover, as there is a growth of several south-east Asian airports, this poses a challenge to the status of Singapores Changi airport as a regional aviation hub. These airports include Johors new Senai airport in southern Malaysia, Bangkoks new Suvarnabhumi airport which will be able to handle 45 million passengers when it opens in 2005, Bangkok Don Muang which recently overtook Changi in passenger numbers, etc. To maintain Changis position as the air hub in the region, Singapore is proposing a budget airline terminal at Changi by 2005 and lower passenger taxes to attract low cost airlines. This helps AirAsia grow and lower the cost. Actions of existing airlines The existing airlines in south-east Asia have several actions to compete with AirAsia, for example, some have launched a low cost airline to fight with AirAsia. Singapore Airlines launched a low cost airline subsidiary, Tiger Airways, in the second half of 2003, only months after the scheduled launch of ValuAir set up by one of its former executives. Orient Thai Airlines launched a new low cost airline subsidiary, One-To-Go. One-To-Go operates with a fleet of six Boeing 757-200s and match any fares that Thai AirAsia offers. Thai Airways have frequency and capacity to offer to their 13 domestic destinations. They also have, during the past two years, worked to improve operational efficiency, slashing unprofitable domestic routes, increasing flights on busy routes, strengthening yield management and controlling costs. All these make AirAsia face a huge competition. Critical success factors in the Low cost airlines in Asia Reduction in operational cost Low cost airlines strive to achieve the lowest possible price for their products and services. Low prices cannot sustain unless the company maximizes its operational efficiency. The success factors of Asian low cost airlines in reducing their operational cost include: Service savings (no frills cabin service and extensive use of outsourcing) NO-frills include: NO drinks, NO food, NO headphones, NO newspapers, NO movies, NO VIP lounges, NO expensive offices, NO mileage programs, NO seat allocation, NO childrens fares, NO paper tickets (Electronic tickets only), NO connecting flights (All flight-legs must be booked independently) Operational savings (point-to-point services and uniform fleet) Overhead savings (internet sales and streamlined bureaucracy) We can compare the operational cost in terms of costs per available seat kilometer (ASK), a measure of the running cost of the airline. For instance, Ryanair in Europe is almost half of the ASK price comparing with the full services airline. The average fare offered by Air Asia in Malaysia is 40-60 % lower than its full-service competitor. Competitive Ticket price against traditional full-service airline Low cost airlines begins with two initial cost advantages arising from the very nature of their operation: higher seating density and higher daily aircraft utilization. By removing business class and reconfiguring their aircraft, low cost airlines can increase the number of seats on their aircraft. Seat pitch of a low cost airline is usually 28 inches, compared to a traditional conventional economy class pitch with 32 inches. Doganis (2001) calculates that should be able to operate at seat cost that are only 40-50 % those of mainline rival. Combining the load factor benefit and beneficial distribution cost, low cost airlines cost per passenger can reduce price by one-third of conventional airline. Flying out of secondary airports Many low-cost airlines keep expenses down by flying out of secondary airports, avoiding major hubs where takeoff and landing fees are much higher while still getting passengers close enough to their destinations. The travel distance is short As the routes offered by low cost airlines are mainly short, domestic routes which may only take one to two hours, travellers might be fine with no amenities on flights Success factors in AirAsia Absolute Cost Advantage Low cost per average seat kilometer AirAsia focused on ensuring a competitive cost structure as its main business strategy. It has been able to achieve a cost per average seat kilometer (ASK) of 2.5 cents, half that of Malaysia Airlines and Ryanair and a third that of EasyJet. AirAsia can lease the B737-300s aircraft at a very competitive market rates due to the harsh global market conditions for the second-hand aircrafts because of the September 11th event in 2001. On the other hand, the operating cost of the company is also dropped drastically. Low distribution cost AirAsia focus on Internet bookings and ticketless travel allowed it to lower the distribution cost. Attractive ticket price With the average fare being 40-60 % lower than its full-service competitor, AirAsia has been able to achieve strong market stimulation in the domestic Malaysian air market (Thomas 2003). For instance, the fare for the trip from Kuala Lumpur to Penang on AirAsia starts from 39 ringgit. Comparing to trip by bus charge 40 ringgit and 80 ringgit by car. The effect of attractive low fare is more travelers switching from bus to air, similar case as Ryanair in Europe. Good Management Team AirAsia value proposition is more sophisticated than Ryanair placing equal emphasis on brand reputation and customer service/people management, by a senior advisor to AisAsias top management team. AirAsia pursue a Ryanair operational strategy, Southwest people strategy and an Easyjet branding strategy. Weakness Fair availability The availability of AirAsia is not good as traditional airline as it only provide unique aircraft. However, it cannot be the cost leader if it offers customized features or comprehensive support which will result in increasing operational cost. However, focus on a specific customer may avoid straddling. Case of straddling A Japanese low cost airline, Skymark, trying to be everything to everyone targeting the broader customer and offering limited special features (satellite TV, Business class and charter operations). The result is failing to both cost efficient and price competitive rendering it vulnerable to market forces and customer demand (porter1996; Lawton 1999). Major strategic directions recommended Open more Asian market Low cost airlines are anticipated to have greater potential in Asia as there are many Asian cities with a population above one million people each as well as a rising middle class population. It is time for AirAsia to exploit the potentials of affordable air travel by Asias growing middle class. Besides starting services to the Pearl River Delta in south China in 2004, AirAsia can expend its services to the coastal cities in China. Besides the growth of Asian middle class, the liberalization of aviation sector of India is another reason for AirAsia to open more Asian market. The Indian government has liberalized the aviation sector long dominated by the national carriers. Now, only a few low cost airlines, e.g. Air Deccan, Airone Feeder Airline Pvt Ltd, Crescent Air, have launched their services there. Moreover, the national carriers, Indian Airlines or Air India, despite their domination of the Indian skies, do not seem to be much interested in operating low-cost services. Therefore, it is a good chance for AirAsia to open the Indian market. Join venture with Virgin Group AirAsia should put more effort to set up a pan-Asian low cost airline with Virgin Blue, which is a low cost carrier of Virgin Group serving Australia and New Zealand mainly. Virgin Blue has suggested it may extend services to south-east Asia. Therefore, setting up a join venture with Virgin Blue can help AirAsia to grow in Asia even further, and help Virgin Blue to extend services to south-east Asia. Recommendations to maximize competitive advandages of AirAsia 1. Enforce Political advantages AirAsia established a join venture, Thai AirAsia with Shin Corp. Shin Corp. is owned by the family of Thailands prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and about 900 million baht will be invested in Thai AirAsia over a five-year period. Shin Corp. has financial strength, synergy in ingormation technology and telecommunications, which support AirAsia to grow in Thailand. AirAsia with its politically powerful backer can well grow up to bite, and therefore it should enforce such political advantages in order to extend the growth in Thailand. Furthermore, AirAsia should use its Thai subsidiary, Thai AirAsia, to claim the use of Thailands open skies agreements to fly to Singapore, Brunei and Cambodia, overcoming the barrier of bilateral aviation pacts that threatened to limit its growth. Induction of smart cards AirAsia can issue a smart card which is compatible with the existing ticketless booking. It can offer 2 kinds of smart cards. The first kind of smart card, aimed at ordinary travellers, will offer instant rewards when topped up, offering greater value than its purchase price. For example a Bt5,000 card may be worth Bt5,500. The card can also be used by other people with the same family name as the cardholder. The second kind of smart card will offer unlimited travel for frequent flyers. Priced provisionally at Bt20,000, cardholders will be allowed make as many trips as they want within a specified period. Conclusion A study by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (2002) confirms that Asia continues to offer attractive conditions for the air transportation industry. With thirteen out of worlds top twenty-five major urban centres located in the Asia Pacific region and a rapidly increasing urbanization trends, the Asian air travel market is bound to continue to grow. Urbanization is highlighted as one of the key drivers for the growth in air travel. It is estimated that Asia would account for 30% of the world market by 2019, or one third of growth between now and then. While the impact of SARS is going to slow down the growth of Asian regional demand, the long-run forecast continues to be very positive. These enable low cost airlines to grow even further.