The Work Of The Workplace - 823 Words

against PharmaCARE, it would be wise for Allen to convince his boss to take care of the mold problem in the facility it would save the company money in the long run. Terminating Tom would also bring litigations against PharmaCARE, Tom could allege that he was wrongfully discharged, because he complained about his unsafe working conditions and threaten to inform OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Commission). Under the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act one cannot be terminated for reporting a violation of public policy or not for good cause once a probationary period is completed. Tom was Allen’s best supervisor, terminating him would be illegal. Allen needs to persuade his boss to remedy the mold problem at the facility, he needs to explain to him that it is in the best interest of the company. Lastly Allen could legally fire Ayesha, not because of her filing a complaint with EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission) but for not being able to substantiate the claim. Under the Employment-at- Will Act he can terminate her unless some type of contractual terms are stated or implied in the employer’s handbook. Allen’s managerial status puts him in a unique position, he has direct contact with the executives and daily interactions with the lower level EE. Allen is faced with legal and ethical issues, Allen has been told to allow workers to remain in a hazardous work environment. The air quality of the workplace is dangerous to theShow MoreRelatedThe Work Environment Of The Workplace1264 Words   |  6 Pagesdecreased face to face conversation in the workplace. In his journal, Invisible, therefore isolated: Comparative effects of team virtuality with task virtuality on workplace isolation and work outcomes. Mehmet A. Orhan writes â€Å"The extent of face-to-face interaction has a strong impact on the social support received in the workplace. Especially for virtual workers, lack of face-to-face contact creates threatening conditions that cause isolation in the workplace and subsequently detrimental effects onRead MoreMotivation At Work Place For The Workplace2668 Words   |  11 Pages Motivation at Work Place Name of student Institution affiliation Contents Abstract 3 Introduction 3 Problem 4 Analysis 6 Maslow hierarchy of needs 7 Alderfer’S ERG theory 8 Acquired needs theory 8 Cognitive evaluation theory 8 Two factor theory (Herzberg) 9 Equity theory 9 Reinforcement theory 10 Expectancy theory (Vroom) 10 Recommendation and conclusion 10 Conclusion 10 Recommendation 11 Develop a positive work climate 11 Employee development 11 Focus more on intrinsic and extrinsic motivatorsRead MoreFeminization Of Work And Its Impact On The Workplace2167 Words   |  9 PagesFeminization of work is an idea which lives up to expectations towards more noteworthy vocation of women and the point is to illuminate the issues concerning sex disparities in the work power. It points towards explaining the issues of sexual contrasts and killing imbalance in administrations. Prior women utilization to limit their employment inquiries inside the domain of childcare and family obligations. Men utilization to work outside the house and women were the ones who utilization to handleRead MoreManaging Work Family Practices At The Workplace851 Words   |  4 Pages3.0 Managing work-family practices at the workplace 3.1 Introduction The generalizability of published studies related to harmonising the work and family domains are uncertain. The topic have been carried out in several studies investigating on aspects such as influencing the impact of practices in particular frameworks (Wood Stephen, 2007; Beham et al., 2012; Stock et al., 2013). As earlier scholar in this work and family interaction, Rapoport and Rapoport (1965) reported that the effectivenessRead MoreWorkplace Violence : A Good Peacemaker At Work Essay771 Words   |  4 Pagesbe happening more often in today s society, workplace violence. A disgruntled employee takes out their vengeance on co-workers or a company that has done them wrong. These attacks can included many things, often times though this means causing physical harm to someone else at the workplace. Looking around the Internet, there are many stories about workplace violence happenings all over the world. This paper will focus on two different cases of workplace violence. It will exp lain what happened in bothRead MoreWorkplace Intervention On Work Family Conflict1203 Words   |  5 Pagessupervisors, tough tasks and some organizational rules are often seen as stressors by workers from different fields. Ethic organizations sought to improve the work quality which leads to performance in many ways. Lawson et al. (2016), studied the impact of workplace intervention on work-family conflict. These authors found a positive effect of workplace intervention on improving affective reactivity behavior to daily stressors. LePine, M. A., et al. (2015), suggests that charismatic leader behaviors consideredRead MorePersonal Statement : The Work Height Of A Workplace1066 Words   |  5 PagesThe work desk of a worker needs to be flexible to enable a worker to freely move about and perform a varied range of movements and activities, and the furniture should be designed taking into consideration the worker’s needs and tasks that are to be performed (Chandra et al., 200 9). Starting with the tables, they should be height adjustable and balanced so that the worker is able to increase or decrease the height of the table according to the tasks to be performed, while ergonomically designed chairsRead MoreThe Impact Of Social Group Work On The Workplace1434 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the main functions for case work to be successful is engagement, this relies on the service user engaging with the social worker and accepting the help on offer, If the user doesn not want to engage then this appraoch will not work as engagement is key, Another limitation to this is that it relies on the individual realising there is a problem and admitting it. Admitting there are issues within your life is hard enough wothout having to tell somebody, this could make the service user feelRead MoreWorkplace Diversity and Work/Life Balance Essay1455 Words   |  6 Pagesvariables. It incorporates many areas of study such as psychology, sociology and anthropology. These dis ciplines are important in trying to manage new and existing challenges in the workplace. Two examples of current workplace challenges are workplace diversity and the constant struggle to balance work life and home life. Workplace diversity has become a growing concern within organizations. Managers are now challenged with learning new ways to effectively communicate the importance of embracing differentRead MoreShould Work Perks Be An Essential Function Of The Contemporary Workplace?790 Words   |  4 Pagesemployers consider work perks to be an essential function of the contemporary workplace (Eberhart, 2015). Ten years ago, Pew Research pointed to a growing discontent in terms of working conditions (Taylor, Funk, Craighill, 2006). Pew scholars suspected that America was going through a profound changes as â€Å"the industrial-era model of secure jobs with good wages and benefits that predominated until roughly a generation ago gave way to a more cost-conscious and globally-competitive workplace marked by stagnant

The Impact of Tax Havens on Business Decision-making Free Essays

string(158) " tax havens can be used by MNCs to gain profits away from high-tax countries, but can also help to repatriate taxes from activities in low-tax jurisdictions\." Introduction OECD’s initiatives have exemplified that tax havens have attracted more and more attention in recent years (OECD, 1998, 2000, 2004). Compared with nonhaven countries, tax havens have lower levels of corruption, better political and legal systems, and that they could defer or reduce tax liabilities to other countries through strategic use of debt among subsidiaries or transfer prices strategy. A 100% owned abroad subsidiary of a multinational company (MNC) can manipulate their interests, management fees, transfer prices and royalties charges, which can cause the subsidiary to avoid some tax payments in home country. We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Tax Havens on Business Decision-making or any similar topic only for you Order Now Generally, a MNC could minimize taxable income arising in high tax countries, increase investments in low tax countries to reduce the average tax rate on their profits, or in order to delay the investment income from high tax jurisdictions, they could keep these earnings in a very low-tax country before they are used (Miller and Oats, 2009). If firms can get low tax rates abroad, they may not bring the money back to their home countries which have high tax rate, as a result, when the MNC recycles its foreign profits arising abroad, these earnings could be exempted from being retained earnings or foreign borrowings. Tax havens could be used as a means to protect portfolio gains from foreign direct investment profits. This is mainly because the infrastructure in tax havens is much more suitable to mobile portfolio income. This paper through analyzing three aspects of tax havens: its characteristics; its role in international market; the practical uses, mainly explains the impact of tax havens on business decision-making. Characteristics of Tax Havens Actually, the definition of tax havens still hasn’t been defined standard. Typically, in tax havens foreign investors can enjoy very favorable tax regimes, such as low or nil withholding tax rates or corporate tax rates on all or certain categories of income. In recent years, although the national tax group shares more and more kinds of information, another feature of tax havens – bank or commercial secrecy laws – is still very significant. Tax havens are low-tax jurisdictions, and in these areas investors have opportunities to get tax avoidance. No matter in what shape or form of tax havens, these countries and jurisdictions try to gain competitive advantages in commercial competitions through their particular tax systems. These tax havens are often recognized as offshore financial centers, which usually means â€Å"any shifting of funds out of the country of taxpayer residence for tax planning or tax evasion purposes† (Miller and Oats, 2009, p226). In offshore financial centers transactions with non-residents often exceed the related domestic transactions to a large extend (Dixon 2001, as cited in Miller and Oats, 2009, p225). These offshore financial centers normally have favorable regulatory system, legal environment and tax regime; MNCs perhaps adopt new financial products quickly and flexibly in the favorable legal environment. Dharmapala and Hines (2006) illustrate some characteristics of tax havens compared with nonhavens. In general, tax havens countries or territories are virtually wealthier than nonhavens. They usually have smaller population size, and their geographical characteristics are more likely to be islands with scarce natural resources, which can easily lead to economic openness. They also have substantial differences from nonhavens in legal origins and political institutions. Typically, tax havens have stronger governance institutions than comparable non-haven countries, and they are more likely to be dependent territories, have better legal and political systems. The examples of tax havens jurisdictions include Hong Kong and Singapore in Asia, Luxembourg and Ireland in Europe, and some Caribbean island nations in the Americas, and that within some countries there are also low-tax jurisdictions, for example special economic regions in China. The Gordon Report, prepared for the US Treasury in 1981, states some more characteristics of tax havens. Income and capital in tax havens countries usually can get lower or zero tax rate and banking or commercial secrecy provides some opportunities to tax avoidance and/or tax evasion. There is no exchange control, but it provides a provision of offshore banking facilities. Additionally, tax havens often have good communication facilities and political stability; they can provide an opportunity for multilateral tax planning. Foreign capital in these countries can get favorable disposition; professional advisers are always available for foreign investors. Furthermore, their convenient locations and decent communications climates, especially the freedom from excessive regulations, The Role of Tax Havens in International Market There is a traditional â€Å"negative† view that tax havens play a disproportionate role in the world’s foreign direct investment (FDI) (Slemrod and Wilson, 2006), however, an emerging â€Å"positive† opinion of havens implies that their existence may not make high-tax countries get worse (Hines, 2006, 2007; Hong and Smart, 2007). High-tax countries may tax immobile firms more heavily, but tax havens impose lower tax rates on highly mobile firms. Given all other considerations equal, tax policies can affect MNCs’ FDI; lower tax rates could increase after-tax returns, thereby increasing investment funds. Generally, tax havens don’t have the responsibilities to provide the same function for all MNCs. The larger tax haven jurisdictions are (given the sizes of local economies), the greater opportunities taxpayers have to locate taxable profits. The same investment activities in countries with different tax rates may get very different opportunities for tax avoidance. MNCs can achieve tax avoidance in various manners, such as intrafirm trade, dividend repatriations, royalty payments, and intrafirm debt. Many enterprises use transfer prices within business transactions to reduce their overall tax burden, in fact, this approach is being widely suspected. MNCs typically can obtain certain benefits from allowing affiliates in high-tax countries to reduce the prices of goods and services provided to affiliates in low-tax countries. Transfer prices may be paid by groups not related to these transactions, however, when pricing issues relate to some special proprietary and differentiation provisions, this situation is getting to be quite complicated. Because of some legal looseness firms completely can adjust transfer prices without violating any laws. According to Hines and Rice (1994), tax havens can be used by MNCs to gain profits away from high-tax countries, but can also help to repatriate taxes from activities in low-tax jurisdictions. You read "The Impact of Tax Havens on Business Decision-making" in category "Essay examples" For mitigating double taxation a country can provide some credits to MNCs and use deferral policies before profits are repatriated. As a result, this approach may increase this country’s tax liabilities when repatriating profits earned in low-tax jurisdictions. Altshuler and Grubert (2003) state that through kinds of ownership arrangements tax havens can make deferral of repatriation taxes available. Practical Uses of Tax Havens A former employee of a Liechtenstein bank sold business information to Germany’s tax authorities, in February 2008 this international scandal was exposed. This news made some German residents being prosecuted for tax evasion, and meanwhile it attracted tax havens’ more attention on tax evasion issues, because some individuals use tax havens to avoid home country taxes illegally. Countries with income tax systems tax their residents’ overseas earnings, such as the interest, dividends and capital gains, whereas tax payers can evade these taxes because of some loopholds in bank secrecy laws. If foreign individuals don’t report their income arising in tax havens countries to their home country, their home country won’t know this income, because bank secrecy in tax haven countries will not provide information about these earnings to home country (Desai, Foley and Hines, 2004). As a general matter, individuals’ use of havens can be evaluated by foreign portfolio investment (FPI). International portfolio diversification provides insurance against the economic risks from investor’s home country, so investors can get substantial gains (French and Poterba, 1991). Investors have many nontax advantages for international diversification in tax havens, whereas they have to spend some efficiency costs on the benefits of FPI. For the purpose of evasion more and more investors locate their portfolios abroad, however, the issues of fairness and confidence in the tax system is undermined (Desai, Foley and Hines, 2006a). The costs caused by individuals’ use of tax havens largely depend on the degree of tax evasion. Some significant amounts of revenues are lost by countries as a result of illegal tax evasion through havens. Firms also invest large amounts in tax havens, but the firms using of havens may be quite different from individuals. The firms, which prefer to operate in tax havens, are most active abroad, technology-intensive and with extensive intrafirm trade, and these firms always are large MNCs. In order to get tax avoidance in tax haven operations, these firms could allocate taxable income away from high-tax jurisdictions. In larger tax haven jurisdictions the firms primarily reallocate taxable income, whereas in smaller tax haven countries the primary use of these firms is to facilitate deferral of home country taxation of foreign income. If a tax haven operation could generate a 1.5 to two percent greater sales and investment growth, in non-haven countries it’s only one percent greater likelihood (Desai, Foley and Hines, 2006b). Generally, these firms are not seeking to evade home country corporate taxes; they use tax havens for getting tax planning activities and tax avoidance lega lly. MNCs can use havens to defer or reduce their tax liabilities to other governments. Most nonhaven countries have two approaches to taxing their resident corporations’ overseas income: a â€Å"worldwide† system (used by the US, the UK and Japan) provides a foreign tax credit (FTC) for taxes paid to foreign governments to avoid the double taxation; a â€Å"territorial† system (used by most capital exporting countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands) exempts abroad income from home country taxation (Hong and Smart, 2007). For MNCs in territorial countries, income from the home country or some other high-tax country could be reallocated to a tax haven. Actually, a worldwide system is not pure, for example the US allows the taxation of overseas earnings to be deferred until these earnings are â€Å"repatriated† to the US. Moreover, the tax paid to the tax haven government is low or nil, thus, MNCs based in countries prefer to use tax havens to reduce or def er their tax liabilities, and they can use of debt among affiliates and transfer pricing to achieve this aim. When subsidiaries of a MNC trade between themselves, the prices they used can affect the allocation of the MNCs’ income within different jurisdictions. Governments generally ask firms to use â€Å"arm’s-length† prices; however, arm’s-length markets may don’t exist for some transactions. Take intellectual property for example, subsidiaries of same MNC can choose the place to locate research and development activities in order to attract other subsidiaries’ royalty payments into lower-tax countries; or MNCs can also have affiliates in tax havens lend to affiliates in high-tax jurisdictions. This â€Å"interest stripping† or â€Å"earnings stripping† generates interest deductions in high-tax jurisdictions and makes interest payments flowing towards low-tax jurisdictions (Desai and Dharmapala, 2006). Though governments impose some restrictions on capital structure to restrict this situation, apparently it’s less successful. Conclusion In many countries the governments make policies to reduce the tax burden of their residents, but they cannot make people avoid taxes totally. If the exemption method of taxation is used simply, the residents may pay nothing on their income arising in a tax heaven country. Thus, there is a limited relief on the income from tax haven countries. The firms in tax haven countries could reallocate taxable income earned in high-tax jurisdictions and defer repatriation taxes on income from low-tax jurisdictions. Operations of MNCs in tax haven countries can be treated as part of their international tax avoidance strategies. Tax havens usually attract MNCs to establish affiliates there, and high RD industries and intrafirm trades with large volumes prefer to invest there as well. Presumably, larger tax haven countries are likely more suitable for subsidiaries to reallocate income, and to reflect the effects of transfer pricing enforcement. Apparently, firms investing abroad at faster rates ar e more likely to establish new tax haven operations to avoid taxes. References Altshuler, R. and Harry, G. (2003) Repatriation taxes, repatriation strategies and multinational financial policy. Journal of Public Economics, 87 (73)-107 Desai, M. A., Foley, C. F. and Hines, J. R., Jr. (2004) Economic Effects of Regional Tax Havens. NBER Working Paper, No. 10806 Desai, M. A., Foley, C. F. and Hines, J. R., Jr. (2006a) The Demand for Tax Haven Operations. Journal of Public Economics, 90: 513-531 Desai, M. A., Foley, C. F. and Hines, J. R., Jr. (2006b) Do Tax Havens Divert Economic Activity?. Economics Letters, 90: 219-224 Desai, M. A. and Dharmapala, D. (2006) Corporate Tax Avoidance and High Powered Incentives. Journal of Financial Economics, 79: 145-179 Dharmapala, D. and Hines, J. R., Jr. (2006) Which Countries Become Tax Havens?. NBER Working Paper, NO. 12802 French, K. R. and Poterba, J. M. (1991) Investor Diversification and International Equity Markets. American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, 81: 222-226 Hines, J. R., Jr. and Rice, E. M. (1994) Fiscal Paradise: Foreign Tax Havens and American Business. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 109: 149-182 Hines, J. R., Jr. (2006) Will Social Welfare Expenditures Survive Tax Competition?. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 22: 330-348 Hines, J. R., Jr. (2007) â€Å"Corporate Taxation and International Competition† In A. J. Auerbach, Hines, J.R., Jr. and Slemrod, J. (eds.) Taxing Corporate Income in the 21st Century. UK: Cambridge University Press. Hong, Q. and Smart, M. (2007) In Praise of Tax Havens: International Tax Planning and Foreign Direct Investment. CESIfo Working Paper, No. 1942 Miller, A. and Oats, L. (2009) Principles of International Taxation. 2nded. UK: Tottel Publishing, Haywards Heath. pp. 225-229 OECD (1998) Harmful Tax Competition: An Emerging Global Issue.Paris: OECD OECD (2000) Towards Global Tax Cooperation: Progress in Identifying and Eliminating Harmful Tax Practices. Paris: OECD. OECD (2004) The OECD’s Project on Harmful Tax Practices: The 2004 Progress Report. Paris: OECD. Slemrod, J. and Wilson, J. D. (2006) Tax Competition with Parasitic Tax Havens. NBER Working Paper, No. 1225 How to cite The Impact of Tax Havens on Business Decision-making, Essay examples

Hume Essay Paper Example For Students

Hume Essay Paper Hume on MiraclesIn explaining Humes critique of the belief in miracles, we must first understand the definition of a miracle. The Webster Dictionary defines a miracle as: a supernatural event regarded as to define action, one of the acts worked by Christ which revealed his divinity an extremely remarkable achievement or event, an unexpected piece of luck. Therefore, a miracle is based on ones perception of past experiences, what everyone sees. It is based on an individuals own reality, and the faith in which he/she believes in, it is based on interior events such as what we are taught, and exterior events, such as what we hear or see first hand. When studying Humes view of a miracle, he interprets or defines a miracle as such; a miracle is a violation of the laws of nature, an event which is not normal to most of mankind. Hume explains this point brilliantly when he states, Nothing is esteemed a miracle, if it has ever happened in the common course of nature. It is no miracle that a man seemingly in good health should die on a sudden. (Hume p.888) Hume states that this death is quite unusual, however it seemed to happen naturally. He could only define it as a true miracle if this dead man were to come back to life. This would be a miraculous event because such an experience has not yet been commonly observed. In which case, his philosophical view of a miracle would be true. Hume critiques and discredits the belief in a miracle merely because it goes against the laws of nature. Hume defines the laws of nature to be what has been uniformly observed by mankind, such as the laws of identity and gravity. He views society as being far to liberal in what they consider to be a miracle. He gives the reader four ideas to support his philosophy in defining a true miracle, or the belief in a miracle. These points leads us to believe that there has never been a miraculous event established. Humes first reason in contradicting a miracle is, in all of history there has not be en a miraculous event with a sufficient number of witnesses. He questions the integrity of the men and the reputation in which they hold in society. If their reputation holds great integrity, then and only then can we have full assurance in the testimony of men. Hume is constantly asking throughout the passage questions to support proof for a miracle. He asks questions such as this; Who is qualified? Who has the authority to say who qualifies? As he asks these questions we can see there are no real answers, in which case, it tends to break the validity of the witnesses to the miracle. Humes second reason in contradicting the validity of a miracle is that he views all of our beliefs, or what we choose to accept, or not accept through past experience and what history dictates to us. Furthermore, he tends to discredit an individual by playing on a human beings consciousness or sense of reality. An example is; using words such as, the individuals need for excitement and wonder arising f rom miracles. Even the individual who can not enjoy the pleasure immediately will still believe in a miracle, regardless of the possible validity of the miracle. With this, it leads the individual to feel a sense of belonging and a sense of pride. These individuals tend to be the followers within society. These individuals will tend to believe faster than the leaders in the society. With no regard to the miracles validity, whether it is true or false, or second hand information. Miracles lead to such strong temptations, that we as individuals tend to lose sense of our own belief of fantasy and reality. As individuals we tend to believe to find attention, and to gossip of the unknown. Through emotions and behavior Hume tends to believe there has been many forged miracles, regardless if the information is somewhat valid or not. His third reason in discrediting the belief in a miracle is testimony versus reality. Hume states, It forms a strong presumption against all supernatural and m iraculous .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 , .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .postImageUrl , .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 , .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:hover , .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:visited , .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:active { border:0!important; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:active , .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0 .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7079c9def9c74e1fb03ca008dc0f92f0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis of the Strategic Capabilities of FedEx Essay

Struggle for Blacks Rights After Civil War Essay Example For Students

Struggle for Blacks Rights After Civil War Essay After the Civil War and the emancipation proclamation by lincoln the slaves of america were free. This was a huge step in making our country truly free to all people. The reconstruction of the south did not however work out smoothly for the freed slaves. There were many road blocks along the way such as the â€Å"Black Codes†, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and the terror of the Ku Klux Klan. The 14th amendment gave the freed slaves citizenship and some voting rights. From the reconstruction the 14th amendment the â€Å"black Codes† and the Plessy vs. Ferguson case all had significance on the status of african americans from reconstructoin to 1900. We will write a custom essay on Struggle for Blacks Rights After Civil War specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The radical republicans method of reconstruction called for an amendment that would do three things. Extend citizenship for all people. Punnish the southern representation in the house if they didn’t alow black voting, and not allowing and former confederates to hold office. These three things made up the 14th amendment. Also in the radical republican reconstruction plan was the idea of station military in the south. This was very effective in giving the blacks their rights. Unfortunally when the miltary left the rights of the blacks went with them. the white supremecists treated the south as 2nd class people and were not given oppertunities to get any jobs but manual labor. Also the kkk was formed to scare away blacks from voting and keep them in their so called place, the plantation. The 14th amendment was a good thought, but it did not work out how the radical republicans had hoped going into the 1900’sAfter lincoln was shot in december of 1965, vice president andrew johnson took over office. He was a southern man and was not interested in blacks having the same rights as white people. Infact he incouraged southern states to inact laws limiting the blacks freedom. These laws were called â€Å"black codes†. They ranged in harshness through out the states but in all they were in credibly restricting. Blacks were forced to sign a contract for a laborer at the beginning of each year and could not break his contract even if his boss was abusing him. Also there was vagrancey laws which prohibited freed slaves from even walking on city streets. They were a fined and made to work off there debts. The â€Å"black codes† slowed down the evolution of equality between the races consistantly going into the 1900’sAnother very important factor in black history was the Plessy vs. Ferguson supreme court case in 1896 which ruled that segragation is not nessseceraly descrimination and that blacks and whites should be separate but equal, this was mainly a factor in southern schools, whites got 70% of state funding or more for schools. While black children were forced to school in a shack. Blacks were also forced to use different public bathrooms and waterfountains. In 1890 2/3 of blacks were illiterate in the USA. 60% of southern whites won to schools and only 35% of blacks did. This shows that separate was rarly equal. The separate but equal issue continued well into the 20th century. These threee factors have been very important in the evolution in blacks in america. How can stilll see the effects today. Only 40 to 50 years ago blacks were still forced to use different restrooms and water fountains. Bibliography:

Free Essays on Human Resorce Menagement

A Comparison of Training and Development Programs In today’s workforce, training and development systems or programs have become critical features. These systems often have diverse goals. Perhaps, the primary objective is to provide a new employee with the skills necessary to adequately perform his or her job. Even college graduates must generally be taught the specific tasks that will be required in the individual organization. Development issues are also prominent during the course of an employee’s tenure with a company. When new technologies become available the employees must receive training in order to learn additional skills. Given the numerous legal rules by which employees must conduct themselves, training and development in such issues as discrimination and appropriate conduct between the two sexes may prevent expensive lawsuits. Additionally, by training workers to be culturally sensitive, they become better suited to global commerce (Stumpf, Watson, & Rustogi, 1994). Appropriate methods of maintaining safet y also becomes vital material in training and development systems in occupational workstations that are potentially hazard. Thus, whether training and development consist of a department or an individual, most organizations will determine such a need existing in their company. Unfortunately, some companies often feel the need to cut back on training programs even though the long-term impact may be disastrous (â€Å"Feeling Frugal,?2002). The purpose of this paper is to examine selected training and development programs in various companies, noting positive and negative features. Training and development systems do not always involve the employees of an organization. It may also include the training of vendors or customers. Nowhere is this more clearly necessary then in organizations that sell complicated or technical products. While many items may be purchased with instructional manuals or instructional sheets, other pro... Free Essays on Human Resorce Menagement Free Essays on Human Resorce Menagement A Comparison of Training and Development Programs In today’s workforce, training and development systems or programs have become critical features. These systems often have diverse goals. Perhaps, the primary objective is to provide a new employee with the skills necessary to adequately perform his or her job. Even college graduates must generally be taught the specific tasks that will be required in the individual organization. Development issues are also prominent during the course of an employee’s tenure with a company. When new technologies become available the employees must receive training in order to learn additional skills. Given the numerous legal rules by which employees must conduct themselves, training and development in such issues as discrimination and appropriate conduct between the two sexes may prevent expensive lawsuits. Additionally, by training workers to be culturally sensitive, they become better suited to global commerce (Stumpf, Watson, & Rustogi, 1994). Appropriate methods of maintaining safet y also becomes vital material in training and development systems in occupational workstations that are potentially hazard. Thus, whether training and development consist of a department or an individual, most organizations will determine such a need existing in their company. Unfortunately, some companies often feel the need to cut back on training programs even though the long-term impact may be disastrous (â€Å"Feeling Frugal,?2002). The purpose of this paper is to examine selected training and development programs in various companies, noting positive and negative features. Training and development systems do not always involve the employees of an organization. It may also include the training of vendors or customers. Nowhere is this more clearly necessary then in organizations that sell complicated or technical products. While many items may be purchased with instructional manuals or instructional sheets, other pro...

Accounting Investors and Earnings Management

This study deals with analyzing the current issues in accounting field (Miller and Power 2013). In this particular assignment, emphasis has been given on bringing out the real causes behind the collapse faced by Dick Smith Electronics. The current segment discuses various accounting related issues that Dick Smith had to face because of unpredictable situations that come their way. This particular company is based in Australia and deals in selling electronic products to the potential customers (Messier 2016). One of the major issues that the company faced is the excess stock-in-hand that was not required by them. They faced several complaints from the customers claiming that delivery was not done for weeks. This present segment elucidates bringing together all the potential issues faced by the company and the reason for the cause at the same time. At the end, proper recommended actions have been given that will help Dick Smith in getting over with this situation within a short span of time (Lukka and Vinnari 2014). Dick Smith Holdings Limited is one of the Australian-based retail chain companies that sell consumer electronic goods, electronic project kits as well as hobbyist electronic components (Dicksmith.com 2017). This particular company had expanded in New Zealand as well as other countries. By the year 2016, Kogan, an online retailer has traded under the brand name (Dick Smith) and started online operations and covering countries such as Australia and New Zealand (Jindrichovska and Kubickova 2015). This report will be discussing the current accounting related issues faced by the retail giant who sell electronic components known as Dick Smith (Hunton, Mauldin and Wheeler 2015). This company was alleged by many people after the Collapse. This study will discuss regarding what made Dick Smith face the issues and the reason behind the same (Dicksmith.com 2017). Below is the reason with proper justification: From the administrator statement, it is clearly mentioned by McGrathNicol who sets out opinion on the reason for business falling for some time (Hunton, Libby and Mazza 2015). In this case, receivers as well as administrators work with the wreckage of Dick Smith collapse. Addition to that, the responsibility of rebates from suppliers majorly influences administration while undertaking purchasing decision. It requires understanding their capability to mask the actuality of income information in a clear manner. In the year 2014-2015, more than $72 Million reported as earnings before interest, reduction as well as tax and amortization. After excluding rebates and promotion subsidy, this figures will be accustomed to a $ 119 Million EBITDA loss (Henderson et al. 2015). The auditors signed off on Dick Smith financial records in the year 2015. This reveals that intentional administrators were selected for treating the accounting concepts in the recent field of secretarial (Gupta, Chiles and McMullen 2016). There was lot of consequences found at the time of accounting treatment of rebates as a part of Dick Smith collapse. Rebates were one of the current issues that are faced by Dick Smith (Dicksmith.com 2017). In the recent financial year, Target was in spotlight by their accounting team by way of treating rebates resulting to inflated earnings. Addition to that, Wesfarmers Limited had investigated the issue whereby several staff members left the organization at that time (Francis, Hasan and Wu 2013). In Britain, one of the giant retailers named as Tesco Multinational Corporation was alerted to issues with the secretarial action of rebates in the year 2014 after whistleblower contacted with the corporation universal counsel (Elliott et al. 2013). Tesco Multinational Corporation flagged it as presenting the overstated figures of first half profits. This was found at the time when it has viewed from an exaggeration of level of presentation for prior three monetary years. In this case, Tesco Multinational Corporation is still under examination by Serious Fraud Office as well as Financial Reporting Council (Hunton, Mauldin and Wheeler 2015). Some of the issues arise from interpreting accounting standards resulting from numerous entities especially in frequent jurisdiction. These are well known as well as unstated within the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) framework (Deegan 2013). The ubiquitousness of the problems as well as subjectivity of global accounting standards is consistent in nature (Coad, Jack and Kholeif 2015). This ensures high level of consistency as well as apparent submission is likely to little console to Dick Smith. This company has 3300 former human resources based in Australia as well as New Zealand or the investors who are set for losing their cash. Management at Dick Smith is anticipating the possible consequences that need to be considered as far as possible (Dicksmith.com 2017). According to Professor, they had flagged the audit quality as a problem. These professors were of the opinion that audit profession for understanding the addressed shortfalls in audit quality (Christensen, Nikolaev and Wittenberg?Moerman 2016). Addition to that, new accounting standard will definitely clarify the principles for revenue recognition that will be affected by 2018. In this theory, it will mainly address the issues concerned with the treatment of rebate. Therefore, it mainly relies upon introducing new accounting standards (Dicksmith.com 2017). The accounting occupation will be bound by code of principles that mentions accountants act meeting the public attention for a good reason (Bonin 2013). In other words, the code provides principles as supported by professionals who are responsible for navigating in the complex business environments. This will help in taking business decisions like treatment of revenue as well as inventory that will fulfill with strict request of standards and law. This will comply with the spirit for achieving the objectives (Bebbington, Unerman and O'Dwyer 2014). Most of the company faces failure that has the potential for undermining the profession constant whereby principles relies upon based approach and more on regulations (Beattie 2014). In other words, there is no doubt that increased regulation will reach at the tipping point. It strongly depends upon the warning against the tick the box mentality as well as potential for more adverse outcomes. It is the fact whereby financial regulators are getting frustrated from the content of intervention by the government (Hunton, Libby and Mazza 2015). Addition to that, accounting profession will bring value as well as expertise to business and society in broadly aspect. This majorly occupies the position of trust in and among the community people. It means being entrusted with such social science that take place from huge responsibilities as well as high expectations (Ball 2013). As rightly put forward by Deegan (2013), it was announced by the Senate regarding an injury in terms of orientation that majorly covers up the collapse of Dick Smith Electronics. There had been lot of senators who pore over ways that floated towards failure of Dick Smith. As far as economic theory is concerned, it explains the failure of Dick Smith as it is consistent with a dynamic economy (Dicksmith.com 2017). Addition to that, it is necessary in understanding the business that do not particularly utilize economic resources in an efficient way as compared to its competitors. Therefore, the failure is widely linked with the series of ugly looking proceedings that are conflicting in a inefficient market. According to Deegan (2013), Senate discuses on the good opportunity that needs to be discussed by considering issues that make Australia like a nasty place for investing in shares. This includes: In the year 2012, it has been viewed that Anchorage Capital had purchased Dick Smith business from the other retail giant in Australia known as Woolworths Limited amounting to $ 115 Million (Hunton, Libby and Mazza 2015). By the year 2013, Dick Smith was floated with market capitalization amounting to $ 520 Million. This float was from the greatest private equity heist whereby the Founder of Dick Smith gets involved in describing the utter greed and unethical in their practices (Dicksmith.com 2017). There is divergent of financial information surrounding sale of Woolworths Limited of Dick Smith business to Anchorage (Hunton, Mauldin and Wheeler 2015). This reveals the fact that the parties did not agree on the book values of Dick Smith record at that particular time of sale transactions. Addition to that, the parties have irreconcilable accounting at those particular transactions. It has been reported that Woolworths Limited claims it by making it a small gain after a sequence of devaluations as well as requirements. Therefore, Anchorage claims for making gain of $ 146 Million as it brought business in a given reduction to the fair value of net property (Lukka and Vinnari 2014). There has been subsequent financial information that concerned inventory in timely manner. In the year 2015, Dick Smith astonished the market by declaring the company requires inventory write-down of $ 60 Million for 3 months as mentioned in the financial statements. In the same year, it was found that the company was audited bit with no adverse findings (Hunton, Libby and Mazza 2015). Most of the retail industry including Dick Smith is accused of chasing rebates by way of inflating profits at faster pace (Hunton, Libby and Mazza 2015). Addition to that, Australian retailers had even experienced a tough year by way of facing severe competition by tumbling prices as well as weekly dollar. It is also noticed that there is huge pressure on the Senior Management leader within the retailers who are turning those business with a view to become successful in shorter period. Even though, new accounting standards that will be coming up by the year 2018, will give clear idea on how revenue such as rebates will be best accounted for in any situation (Hunton, Mauldin and Wheeler 2015). Some of the protected creditors decide regarding whether offers for selling a commerce can be satisfactory or not (Hunton, Libby and Mazza 2015). This can be understood as only banks and receivers will have actual information regarding any types of offers. This means economic incentive of banks in a given company will find ways for maximizing their payoff and come at a cost for the sake of other stakeholders. It requires more number of days when receivers as well as administrators will appoint Dick Smith. This will take place by collecting financial information from shareholders as well as unsecured creditors in the most appropriate way (Lukka and Vinnari 2014).   The collapse of electronics retail sequence named as Dick Smith has sent shockwaves from the retail business. Some of the recommended measures are mentioned below that will help in overcoming the current situation. Inventory Management- Managing Inventory is essential for solving the issues faced by Dick Smith. Dick Smith inventory problems started to increase in the second half of 2015. This company had even revealed the fact that they would write down the value of its inventory at 20% amounting to $ 60 Million. The company declared that they bought stock anticipating of certain level of sales that they will achieve in near future. They failed in achieving the sales target and they are finding ways for clearing the stock as far as possible. Dick Smith followed the write down and labeled a mammoth clearance sale. They had prices on old stock slash by more than 70%. Addition to that, Dick Smith had explored alternative funding. Even though the directors of the company was of opinion that alternative funding will not be supported by short-term funding requirements as well as allows Dick Smith in ordering required stock for next 4 to 6 weeks. Therefore, Dick Smith had struggled enough in clearing out excess old inventory as well as securing finance for purchasing new stock. Role of private equity floats- This explains that role of private equity group Anchorage Capital in Dick Smith aims at providing essential context to the retailer collapse. This indicate that private equity floats that cannot be otherwise visible. Addition to that, Anchorage purchased Dick Smith business from the Australian retail giant (Woolworths Limited) for $ 115 Million in the year 2012. They aid $ 20 Million upfront as well as floated the company on ASX by the year 2013. They had the market valuation of $ 520 Million. Management of Dick Smith discusses in undertaking turnaround programs for bringing improvement in company cash flow problems. Within the time span, Dick Smith debuted on ASX listings staring with a price of $ 2.20. Initial public offering of Dick Smith was overvalued at first place. Customer Service is important in a competitive market- It is essential in considering the fact that consumer electronics market is Australia is extremely competitive market whereby customer service plays major role. In one of the case, it was posted on the Facebook by an angry customer who claimed that online orders had not been delivered. This was for a week’s whereby customer representatives hung on phone for resolving the query. There will be lot of complaints by the customers that needs to be resolved by the retailers who compete in this global marketplace. Most of the retailers receive high volume of customer complaints at the time of busy trading periods. This will take place whereby company running in a huge sale but it is the responsibility of the representatives in solving the query of customer without any delay. In this case, Dick Smith faced the same query by the market at the time of downgrading of market values. At the end of the study, it is concluded that Dick Smith faced various accounting issues that is needed to be resolved at urgent note. Dick Smith had fallen by more than 80% at the time it got listed in Australian Stock Exchange. This company was even placed in liquidation by their creditors as they were suffering a loss of $ 260 Million. Finally, the founder of Dick Smith dismay at the closure as well as put it down to the utter greed of modern capitalism. The above analysis had given detailed presentation of the issues with recommended actions. These actions should be taken into consideration by Dick Smith for bringing smooth operation of business enterprise. In case of Dick Smith, the court heard that the management selects its products for maximization of rebate. This is the money that retailers will get from the suppliers for keeping the stock as well as promoting the goods at the same time. Ball, R., 2013. Accounting informs investors and earnings management is rife: Two questionable beliefs.  Accounting Horizons,  27(4), pp.847-853. Beattie, V., 2014. Accounting narratives and the narrative turn in accounting research: Issues, theory, methodology, methods and a research framework.  The British Accounting Review,  46(2), pp.111-134. Bebbington, J., Unerman, J. and O'Dwyer, B., 2014.  Sustainability accounting and accountability. Routledge. Bonin, H., 2013.  Generational accounting: theory and application. Springer Science & Business Media. Christensen, H.B., Nikolaev, V.V. and Wittenberg?Moerman, R., 2016. Accounting information in financial contracting: The incomplete contract theory perspective.  Journal of Accounting Research,  54(2), pp.397-435. Coad, A., Jack, L. and Kholeif, A.O.R., 2015. Structuration theory: reflections on its further potential for management accounting research.  Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management,  12(2), pp.153-171. Crawford, E.R. and Lepine, J.A., 2013. A configural theory of team processes: Accounting for the structure of taskwork and teamwork.  Academy of Management Review,  38(1), pp.32-48. Deegan, C., 2013.  Financial accounting theory. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Dicksmith.com. (2017).  Dick Smith Automotive Group serving Columbia, Lexington, St. Andrews, Greenville, Charleston, and Moncks Corner, South Carolina. [online] Available at: https://www.dicksmith.com [Accessed 17 Jan. 2017]. Elliott, W.B., Jackson, K.E., Peecher, M.E. and White, B.J., 2013. The unintended effect of corporate social responsibility performance on investors' estimates of fundamental value.  The Accounting Review,  89(1), pp.275-302. Francis, B., Hasan, I. and Wu, Q., 2013. The benefits of conservative accounting to shareholders: Evidence from the financial crisis.  Accounting Horizons,  27(2), pp.319-346. Gupta, V.K., Chiles, T.H. and McMullen, J.S., 2016. A process perspective on evaluating and conducting effectual entrepreneurship research.  Academy of Management Review,  41(3), pp.540-544. Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K. and Howieson, B., 2015.  Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Hunton, J.E., Libby, R. and Mazza, C., 2015. Retraction: Financial Reporting Transparency and Earnings Management.  The Accounting Review,  90(4), pp.1711-1711. Hunton, J.E., Mauldin, E.G. and Wheeler, P.R., 2015. Retraction: Potential Functional and Dysfunctional Effects of Continuous Monitoring.  The Accounting Review,  90(4), pp.1709-1709. Jindrichovska, I. and Kubickova, D., 2015. Czech accounting academia and practice: historical roots and current issues.  Accounting and Management Information Systems,  14(2), pp.328-361. Kaplan, R.S. and Atkinson, A.A., 2015.  Advanced management accounting. PHI Learning. Lukka, K. and Vinnari, E., 2014. Domain theory and method theory in management accounting research.  Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal,  27(8), pp.1308-1338. Messier Jr, W., 2016.  Auditing & assurance services: A systematic approach. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Miller, P. and Power, M., 2013. Accounting, organizing, and economizing: Connecting accounting research and organization theory.  The Academy of Management Annals,  7(1), pp.557-605. End your doubt 'should I pay someone to do my dissertation by availing dissertation writing services from

Gilt Groupe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gilt Groupe - Essay Example According to the study Gilt groupe made riverbed manage their traffic. Gilt had to ensure their website was user friendly and while maintaining the simplicity. The page has to be attractive to display the products being merchandised. Through shifting to cloud environment, gilt would realize flexibility, speed, and expansion in their operations. In addition, Gilt groupe (GG) had to ensure safety of their data and security. If data is not well protected from hackers and crackers, the competitors of GG could get access to their strategy and goals which could hamper the achievement of their objectives. In order to ensure this, gilt group depended on the services of riverbed. The problem that faces Guilt group is how to ensure that there large number of users access their sites without difficulty and failure. What continued to pose additional challenge was the fact that the number of visitors accessing the site during the peak periods continued to rise. An unreliable site would make the company lose vast profits making an investment in the cloud environment urgent and profitable. This paper outlines that to help crack the challenges facing the groupe, it sourced the services of Riverbed and this enabled them to achieve the following. GG tripled their traffic within a year meaning that the number of people who accessed and shopped from their site increased. Again, the groupe managed to in moving their architecture from hosted environment to a cloud environment that was simple to operate. With this, everything worked successfully including fault tolerance in the cluster. Moreover, the multi-tier service managed by Riverbed allowed Guilt to manage their infrastructure with a common and reliable content cache.  

Human resourse management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human resourse management - Essay Example Under theories such as Maslows hierarchy of needs, attempts to generate increased employee motivation to work toward accomplishment of organisational goals is the basis behind pay-for-performance schemes. An organisation sets the firms objectives and similar targets for expected performance levels by employees by appealing to a primary desire: Increased wages. It is a logical assessment to offer that that most of todays employees choose to work for a company in the primary pursuit of generating a quality income. Under Maslows theory, the security offered by increased job-related compensation is a primary element behind employee motivation. In essence, without granting the employee additional incentive pay, while appealing to their motivational needs, generating any measurable increases in performance toward business-related targets is quite difficult. For instance, a company cannot motivate an employee by utilising rigid and controlling management policies, such as management by threat, therefore companies must establish a system by which employees can work toward targets and guarantee a reward for meeting these expectations. This is a significant reason why companies continue to maintain pay-for-performance schemes, as there are very few methods to appeal to the employees personal desires. It is basically implied that many employees cannot be sufficiently motivated without the use of monetary incentives, therefore simply offering additional performance-related compensation gives the employee a strong motivational objective to meet the companys long-term strategic goals. Additionally, to appease the external shareholders, many organisations continue to use pay-for-performance schemes despite their ineffectiveness. Shareholders maintain a significant influence in todays businesses as they are highly invested in, therefore interested in, ensuring that a firm meets its organisational objectives for growth and profitability. Companies issue their

Identity concepts Essay Example for Free

Identity concepts Essay Identity is the conceptual understanding that human beings hold for their existence. It is the totality of knowledge and understanding of an individual for his self. Identity is composed by physical, social and psychological attributes which differ from one individual to another. The tenet for the development of one’s identity is attributable to the development of the roles that an individual plays within a group. It follows that the roles that they play in a group contributes to the self-categorization of an individual that helps in the formation of someone’s identity. For the purpose of this paper, Abraham Maslow and Carl Roger’s theories regarding personality and identity development will be tackled to assess their contribution in the understanding of identity concept. First, Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation is one of the most influential theories in this field. His proposed theories were more simple and more appealing which acted against reductionism and his personality research theory is more holistic than others works. Theory of Motivation is characterized by the hierarchy of needs. This theory presupposes that the needs of an individual rest on the basis of satisfaction of other needs. Meaning, as one satisfies the most basic of his needs, there arises another set of needs, higher than the previous ones and entail another set of challenges that the individual must go through. This process, as it progresses addresses higher needs, until the individual reaches satisfaction for his highest needs and fulfills self-actualization, which in Maslow’s theory serves as the highest form of identity and personality development for an individual. Self-actualization entails the fulfillment of a person’s highest desires and attainment of his full potentials. Hence, the importance of Maslow’s theory is that it established human being’s five basic needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization. This theory has set a goal for individuals to pursue first the most pre-potent of his needs in order to progress into the achievement of other higher needs. This theory therefore guides an individual that the achievement of one basic needs progresses to a higher need, thus increasing his consciousness and allowing himself to attain higher needs that shall be translated to the individual’s pursuit for higher competency and identity enhancement. On the other hand, Carl Roger’s theory is set on a clinical one, basing his assumptions on his experiences in dealing with his clients. Like Maslow’s, his theory his set on what he calls â€Å"the actualizing tendency†. According to Roger, this is a â€Å"force of life† that is built within an individual to create a motivating force that shall push individuals to extensively seek ways to develop his full potentials. Furthermore, he states the assumptions that since humans are social creatures, it is innate for human to create a society and build a culture in the process of actualizing their potentials. His theory also gives value to positive self-regard – which he defined as humans craving for love, affection and nurturance. This positive self-regard plays an integral part of an individual’s growth in such a way that, as an individual grows up and in the process wherein he seeks for actualization of his potentials, receiving positive self-regard from the society around him gives him self-esteem and a positive self-image that renders him the inspiration to perform better and strive harder to succeed. In accordance, without this positive self-regard, individuals would tend to feel helpless and would make them less enthusiastic into achieving his goals. Roger’s theories on personality development have contributed a lot in the concept of identity. Like Maslow’s theory, he constituted steps for the development of a healthy person, which he termed as a â€Å"fully functioning† person. These steps which included openness to experience, existential living, organismic trusting, experiential freedom and creativity served as guidelines for a well-rounded and healthy development of identity for an individual. These steps, like Maslow’s theory shall constitute for the pursuits of an individual towards self-actualization. For the comparison between the two theorists and their contribution to the development of the concept of identity, the two theories speak of the utter importance for an individual to fulfill his basic needs first before attempting to levitate higher. Both of their theories were geared towards the achievement for self-actualization. They both define self-actualization as the desire to fulfill life’s greatest aspirations and discover the fullest potentials of a person. As such, Maslow and Roger can be considered as two of the most influential theorists in this field. Both of them has succeeded in imparting their thoughts and their ideas have until now are still encompassing and widely used by contemporary theorists and psychologists. Their theories have served as starting points for further developments and have served critical to the growth of new theories regarding identity concepts. Bibliography Boeree, George, Personality Theories: Carl Rogers, Retrieved 7 November 2007 http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/rogers. html Burke, Peter and Stets, Jan, Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory, Washington State University, Retrieved 7 November 2007 http://wat2146. ucr. edu/Papers/00a. pdf Green, Christopher, A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham Maslow, Retrieved 7 November 2007 http://psychclassics. yorku. ca/Maslow/motivation. htm.

Sheriffs Aims in Writing Journeys End :: R.C. Sheriff Journeys End Literature War Essays

Sheriff's Aims in Writing Journey's End What were Sheriff’s aims in writing ‘Journey’s End’ and how successful was he in achieving those aims? Drama has been with us since the times of the Greeks. It is very popular among all age groups. The main aims of a drama are to entertain and to provide a message to the audience. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of the most popular dramas to date. It is a romantic tragedy and is greatly appreciated, even today. It was written by one of the greats, Shakespeare, in the year 1595. The drama that we have in discussion is set in the times of the World War 1. During World War 1, R C Sheriff was an officer in the East Surrey Regiment and was wounded in the battle of Passchendale in 1917. R C Sheriff’s play Journey’s End is based upon his real life experiences during the war – reflecting the way he and his comrades lived and fought throughout the war. The play was first performed in 1928, which is 10 years from the First World War. At this time, people were disillusioned and were ready to face the truth about war. In Journey's End, Sheriff presents a realistic picture of life in the trenches as he had known it and a portrayal of the horrors of the War. This is an anti war story and it is trying to convey peace to the audience. As well as entertaining us, he provides a moral message of peace. There is also a personal touch to the play, as this is reality as seen by him. He manages to provide a social and moral message. In order to achieve these aims he uses literary and dramatic features. Journey's End is set in 1918 when the German army was preparing a massive attack against the allies once again. It is in this backdrop that the play opens. The whole play takes place in the trenches. It is basically the life of the soldiers in the trenches. The dug-out, where they spend their time when off-duty is a dark, enclosed structure. This heightens tension and also involves the audience in the events of the play. The characters are well etched to put forward Sheriff's aims. The focus is on the character of Stanhope, who shows varied emotions as the play proceeds. He is portrayed as a brave company commander out at front but within him, he is falling apart. Professionally, he is trying to control and command the company but personally, he is shattered. Sheriff uses Stanhope as a protagonist to show the long term effects of war on a person.

Cry Freedom Essay

The opening sequence depicts a South African police raid on an illegal shanti-town. Quick cuts create a sense of chaos, panic and confusion as uniformed police bludgeon Africans who run in fear. Close up shots of a vicious barking police dog are juxtaposed against a terrified baby screaming in order to shock the responder. Other quick cuts reveal policeman raping women and assaulting black Africans who are not resisting. The following scene depicts a young woman listening to a radio broadcast which states the raid was peaceful, with many people returning to their home towns. As the woman listens, her facial expression is one of contempt and anger for she knows this is false. A return to the shanti-town uses a panning shot as bulldozers demolish the township. And people are arrested and taken away. The music which accompanies this is a Zulu protest song which reaches crescendo as the camera seizes its pan. It stops on the poster depicting Stephen Biko, a black rights activist. In Donald Woods’ office a close up shot focuses on photographs of police brutality during the raid contradicting the official news. When asked if Woods will print them he relies defiantly â€Å"I’ll risk it†. Clearly, Woods is an individual who does not believe in or support the Afrikaans government approach, making him an individual with different values, beliefs and attitudes to the wider white South African society. A close up on Woods as he declares Biko is building a wall of black hatred and prejudice and I will fight him establishes Woods’ character as a champion of humanity. However he has misinterpreted Biko’s philosophy and political agenda at the outset. Biko’s black consciousness means he wishes to end the perception of blacks that they are inferior to whites. However when he â€Å"put some of these houghts down on paper† he was immediately banned by the South African government merely for expressing a desire for equality. The view of the government was that black Africans were subhuman and inferior to whites. â€Å"We know how you live, we cut your laws, we cook your food, we clean your house† combines an anaphora of we and your is an accumulation of alliterative verbs to emphasis the powerlessness of black Africans. Biko’s beliefs begin to challenge Woods’ views on black consciousness â€Å"We have to kill the idea that one man is superior to another man, we have to fill the black community with our pride†. These declarations are made by Biko at an illegal gathering (a football match where Biko must stay hidden in the crowd) A wide angle shot of Biko surrounded by African man and women and children who all turn to him and listen attentively is used to emphasis his individual power to influence others and inspire them with black consciousness. Biko is giving the white people a choice to either fight violently and the blacks will fight them too or to come peacefully with an open palm. When assaulted by a policeman Biko asserts that â€Å"I just expect to be treated like you would†. When the police officer strikes Biko, he immediately retaliates with violence, before explaining â€Å"we are just as weak as you are†. These actions are very brave as the police were capable of murder and Biko may have been beaten to death. Quick cuts from Biko’s frightened and anxious close up to the policeman’s close up, his face enraged, emphasized Biko’s danger. When Biko is on trial for breaching his banning order he is framed is a neutral angled mid shot and back lit with light falling on his shoulders and head suggesting he has been blessed by god. The neutral angle conveys his humanness inviting us to identify with him. The camera switches to a low angle when the judge asks Biko if he thinks the white government is â€Å"doing any good†, the judge is in the foreground of the frame. Giving power and status to Biko is this scene as Biko says â€Å"the government does so good, there is so little to say about it†. Biko ends his speech by stating â€Å"our hope is to build up our own humanity, our own legitimate place in the world. This scene is immediately followed by a wide angled shot of police destroying the community center established by Biko. Donald Woods go to Victoria to speak to the head chief of the police. Wide angle shots of the police chief’s praetorian mansion reveal the opulent splendor of white politicians in the Afrikaans government in contrast to the poverty of the black townships. The Afrikaans may have built the city but they built it using the Africans. A sequence where the security police raid Biko’s house and search for â€Å"illegal documents† reviles the extent of danger to Biko as an individual in a society which seeks to keep power and control in the hands of whites. The police raid at night rather than in plain light which suggests they are pernicious motives as they are not prepared to search during the day. Low-key lighting casts shadows over the police symbolizing their corruption whilst the musical score is threatening in order to accentuate Biko’s peril. It is only by hiding his writing in the nappies of his son that Biko escapes persecution. The following sequence reviles how Donald Woods was also subject to police intimidation. Police attempt to harass his domestic helper when Woods intervenes. The officer refers to her as a Bantu female in a derogatory manor, scowling his distaste. Woods points a pistol at the police declaring them to be intruders on his property. A low-angle camera shot of him leveling the weapon makes him appear imposing and powerful, a quick cut to the police shows them to be worried before Woods is again captured in a low-angle close-up reveling his rage at this attempted intimidation, he hurls am imperative at the departing officers â€Å"piss off† further evoking his power. Mupeka, an African minister and friend and supporter of Biko is kidnapped from the street by security police. A high-angle photograph reviles his wide eyed terror as he is bundled into a police car. The following scene reviles Woods filmed from a high-angle and low-key lighting as he reviles Mupeka is dead. The angle reinforces the notion that Woods is powerless in the face of the violence and murder which the security police are prepared to use on anybody who threatens the power of the white Afrikaans government. Constantly reinforced in this film is the idea that there may be catastrophic consequences when individuals challenge the values and beliefs of a society. Biko knew that there are risks to going to Capetown because he knew that he would be breaking his banning order. When Biko was caught he would be put in jail before trial. Biko would be beaten to death in the prisons because it is behind closed doors where the world couldn’t see him and it could be framed as a suicide attempt. The mis’ en scene which foreshadows Biko’s death at the hands of the security police conveys the full horror which comes from challenging those who hold power in a society which is determined to keep its power. A long shot of a lit corridor reveals two police officers making their way to the cells where political prisoners are beaten and tortured, they descend into darkness. The low key lighting casts shadow symbolising a lack of hope for those in these cells. Harsh non-diegetic sound of locks opening and gates shutting emphasise the control the police have over their captives. The white teletex is accompanied by non-diegetic typewriter tapping which reports clinically and objectively the date Biko was given medical treatment. The camera pans from Biko’s foot along his naked body lying on the floor of a cell before resting on a mid-shot of his face twisted to the side. Shadows of bars across him symbolise his captivity while the swollen and mangled flesh on his face indicates he has received massive head injuries from the police. His breathing is shallow and laboured/he is close to death. Low-angle shot looking up at the police conveys their power; their grim faces evoke their hatred and lack of compassion for Biko. Biko’s nakedness and prostrate symbolise his vulnerability while the doctor kneels over Biko pleading to get him to hospital quickly. Low-key lighting casts prison bar shadows over Biko and the doctor emphasising their being trapped by their circumstances while the police are virtually hidden by shadow symbolising their evil secrecy. A high-pitched synthesised chord creates tension as the doctor demands Biko be taken to hospital to see a specialist. Maudlin strings accompany the police decision to drive â€Å"700 miles to Pretoria while a mid-shot of the doctor reviles him hanging his head in despair. A still-shot frames Biko’s face in closer as teletex and the non-diegetic typewriter give the date and announce â€Å"Steve Biko dies in custody†. This creates incongruity as Biko’s life is worth considerable grief and dismay yet the clinical and objective teletex message denies this. The mis’ en scene of Biko’s wife and children grieving is a powerful reminder of the cost that individuals may suffer when they challenge a society. A wide-angle shot captures Biko’s wife sitting nursing his youngest child head aloft, eyes closed and tears running down her cheeks. She rocks her son who cries out for Daddy over and over. A Banatul hymn accompanies the scene whilst low-key lighting casts a shadow symbolising the despair and grief Biko’s death has caused. In contrast to the previous scenes where shadow from low key lighting abounds Johnny Kruger (police chief) is filmed from a low angled and bathed in a high key lighting. His comments that Biko’s death in custody â€Å"leaves me cold† is met with applause. His smiling facial expression suggests he is pleased that Biko is dead, â€Å"not cold at all†. His deliration that â€Å"he died after a hunger strike† is filmed from a long shot creating distance between him and the responder. A close up on Donald Wood’s wife begins the campaign of police harassment against his family/she is called a â€Å"black loving bitch† and is threatened with â€Å"we are coming to get you†, clearly audible over the receiver. A hand held camera jerkily captures the panic and the excruciating pain of Woods’ youngest child who has put on a t-shirt laced with acid. Her screams reverberate around the room as the acid burns her face torso and arms, the security police have deliberately targeted Woods’ family and now his young children just as Bob Ewell attempted to stab Jem and Scout. These actions are despicable but demonstrate the lengths those in society will resort to, to preserve their values and beliefs which keep them in power. A mid-shot of Woods’ son, also burned, reveals him crying and afraid. Significantly, this attack persuades Wood’s wife that Donald needs to escape South Africa to publicize Biko’s death. This is a courageous decision as she knows her family will be vulnerable. A mid-shot of Wood’s wife comforting her daughter as bright slight shines on their face is used to symbolize the purity and goodness of those who stand up to threats and intimidation. A mid-shot of Biko saying â€Å"they are kids, they may shout, break a few windows† foreshadows the violence of the school children’s protest which closes the film.

Are Dynasties Good for Sport Leagues? Essay

In sports, the term dynasty is most typically used to refer to a team that is considered or recognized as having dominated their sport for a certain period of time. There are many different factors that are considered as ‘making’ a sports dynasty, and basically a sports dynasty is a franchise that has success in different generations, one which has gained success over a period of time and not just once in particular. When we look at North American sports, for instance, there are basically a few teams in particular that are really considered as being dynasties: the New York Yankees, Montreal Canadiens, and the Boston Celtics. Of course this may be argued, however it is truly hard to literally define the term ‘dynasty’, especially when we really only have about 120 years of professional sporting history to work with, in comparison to the millions of years of human civilization. There are many controversial issues that surround the subject of sports dynasties, and in particular whether or not they are good for sports. Although again the response to this will technically vary from one person to the next, in all honesty dynasties definitely have strong points and are good for the health of sports overall. One subject that plays a large role in sports dynasties is economics. The architect of modern-stadium economics and owner of the Dallas Cowboys, for instance, is planning to unleah a $1 billion stadium in the year 2009 and thanks to this new stadium, the Cowboys will then become $1. 5 billion, and will also be considered as a sports dynasty. This raises the question of whether the term ‘dynasty’ refers to a team that is skilled and continuously makes impacts in the actual game, or one who is willing to spend a large chunk of money on a stadium that is going to have other NFL owners begging for mercy. â€Å"The Cowboys have not finished better than 10-6 since 1995. ‘Architect of modern stadium economics’ may be too strong a term, but American sports dynasties are no longer made on the playing field† (The Sports Economist, 2007). This is a significant issue because even though a new stadium, which will be belonging to the most valuable sports franchise in the world, should not alone make a team a dynasty. The struggling Cowboys need to enhance their performance and make this the reason that fans keep coming to watch, rather than a fancy stadium. There is also the issue however of how although at first the stadium may attract a new wealth of people, there will be others in its place soon enough and eventually they are going to have to win some games or the title of dynasty will wear off rather soon. Overall from this review we can conclude several things, one of the most major being that the term ‘sports dynasty’ is very hard to define concretely, especially in the present day with the wads of cash that are being thrown around, mostly at taxpayers’ expense. Building a dynasty is never easy, but it has become much more so with the influence of money gaining more and more as time goes by. There are many people who argue that money should not make a team, but it can be pretty hard to fight against this belief when there is so much coming against you in response. Really, not until there is a more specific definition of the ‘dynasty’ term will there ever be a real understanding on this matter and a line that can be drawn in terms of what it is that makes a sports dynasty. References Clements, R. (2007, September 18). Pressure Builds for Cor Jesu ‘Dynasty’. South County Journal. Douthat, R. (2007). Dynastic Policies. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from http://rossdouthat. theatlantic. com/archives/2007/09/dynastic_politics. php Sanderson & Siegfried. (2003, November 30). Sports Dynasties. Journal of Sports Economics. Great Sports Rivalries. (2007). Dynasties. Retrieved September 22, 2007, from http://greatsportsrivalries. com/gsr_topteams. html Sporting News. (2007). Kcland’s Sports Potpourri. Retrieved September 22, 2007, from http://www. sportingnews. com/blog/kcland/page3/ The Sports Economist. (2007). Billions at Stake. Retrieved September 22, 2007, from http://thesportseconomist. com/ (2006, October 30). Celtics Dynasty Began in ’57. The Washington Times.

mexicos new leader essays

mexicos new leader essays As a new president prepares to take power in Mexico, the biggest economic news is what's not happening. The peso is not plummeting, investors are not panicking, and people are not suddenly paying more for their tortillas or televisions. Given recent history, this is a small miracle: every presidential transition in the last two decades has been scarred by an economic crisis. Instead of fears, there are great hopes, all raised by the next president, Vicente Fox Quesada. Mr. Fox now must institutionalize the stability he has inherited. He has pledged sweeping tax and fiscal reforms, annual economic growth rates of up to 7 percent, millions of new jobs, a stable economic architecture for foreign capital, private investment in the state-run oil industry and competition in telecommunications. He also promises budget austerity, increased social spending, the rise of the rule of law, and an end to ingrained political corruption. Mexico is still very much a developing nation. Reliable electric power and potable water are sometimes hard to find. In the capital, one of the world's most populous and polluted cities, the elite live behind barricades, protected from the impoverished by armed guards. Middle-class Mexicans have less buying power than they did 20 years ago, and some of the biggest banks are shaky from a legacy of bad loans. Many small businesses are threatened by imports, credit is difficult to obtain, and millions of people scrape by on less than $2 a day. The departing president, Ernesto Zedillo, never addressed the huge structural problems of the state-run energy industries, which are inefficient and suppress competition, or of the justice system, which cannot control crime - a serious worry for foreign companies considering operations here even if they are optimistic about Mr. Fox. "He's going to have his hands full," said Peter E. Weber, vice president of Latin American operations for the FMC Corporation, a Chicago- base...

Marketing to the Bottom of the pyramid Case Study

Marketing to the Bottom of the pyramid - Case Study Example In accordance with the issues discussed in the paper thinking about the â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† can lead us to create an impossibly low-cost yet a high-quality new and robust business model. A sound marketing strategy directed towards the people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) can help the company to provide cheaper products and enhanced access to technology thereby providing the necessitous people with an opportunity to become entrepreneurs and educate them. This can be viewed as a mutual benefit process, given that it will provide the company with a huge market as a source of revenue stream. Alongside giving the company a top-line revenue growth, cost saving and innovations will also influence the existing business models and management practices of the company. But one thing that the management needs to be well aware of is the fact that selling into BOP markets is difficult and the hardest part is to continue the work responsibly and consistently. Being a highly une xplored market, the strategy has to be formulated in such a way that it brings real benefit to the impacted communities as well as the company. However, in order to ensure that, the company should follow important guidelines and lessons from leaders in the industry known to have set examples of successful expansion in the BOP market. Prahalad had coined the term BOP, referring to a population which is largely ignored by the private sector in terms of providing services. As such, the author had identified the market as prospective and it had become the next segment of increased attractiveness for firms. The author highlighted the huge size of the market in terms of its population cover and its elevated purchasing power and thus, many companies identified a prospective opportunity to serve this market and become profitable. Different market segments require different approaches and so does the BOP market as it is a largely unexplored area. Consumers in this category are becoming deman ding and sophisticated. Thus, the management has to understand that although producing low cost product is a significant factor which is essential for marketing in this segment, it is not the only expectation that consumers have (Barki and Parente 11–23). Market development approach The primary task that the company needs to initiate is converting of the BOP consumers from unorganized and inefficient to just the opposite. This is a crucial strategy as it will help the company to elate the benefits for the market if the company is allowed to do business with them. The primary requirement is for the consumers and the company to be on the same pathway. Both the consumers and the company need to have a common belief in order to completely align their requirements and objectives. The approach should include a broader perspective ensuring a long term development and sustainability of the concerned parties. In order to convert the BOP consumers into organized and efficient, the mana gement has to ensure the development of a robust infrastructure as the inadequacy of the same leads to inefficiency. Besides that, in order to thrive in the lower income market, the company has to formulate strategies that enhance the buying power of the end consumers (Mardh and Correia â€Å"Marketing Mix Strategies towards the Bottom of the Pyramid: a study of the Brazilian market†). This will help the company to convert the purchasing power of the consumers into their profit. In return, they can eradicate poverty by bringing prosperity to the poor. Product innovation and consumer education have to be effectively carried out in order to foster aspiration in the minds of the consumers. Better

Let's protect environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Let's protect environment - Essay Example Increasing human activities in the name of achieving economic growth and happiness is a major contributor of global warming. In his article, McKibben acknowledges the fact that Carbon dioxide constitutes 72 percent of the green house gases in the atmosphere. We have created the crisis of global warming ourselves. This is through increased human activities that release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere McKibben also records that there is a direct relationship between Carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere and economic growth. The more we are living large, the more Carbon dioxide we are releasing into the atmosphere. Our world population is also increasing. To support such a growing population, there has to be enough resources most of which are derived from the environment. To support such, a population there has to be enough food as well as fuel. We are therefore, compromising our environmental health in the name of achieving economic growth. China has a very big population. It also has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, the impacts of these population and economic growths on the environment cannot be overlooked. In the Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau for example, glaciers are melting, temperatures rising and the rainy seasons have become very unpredictable. Qinghai province in Mado County used to have about 1000 lakes; now there are less than 300 (Wen 8). I t hink this is a good teaching to us. Climate change is real and the more we focus on economic growth, we are contributing to increase in global warming. Most villagers believe that the disappearance of lakes is just the normal seasonal shifting. It takes us sometime to realize that we are having fewer lakes as compared to some years back. The high population in China has put a lot of pressure on the natural resources. Water deficiency is expected to worsen with increased global warming. We are therefore, suffering because of our own activities. China

In-Class Assisgnment #1 (Social Science) Assignment

In-Class Assisgnment #1 (Social Science) - Assignment Example The mere mention of this problem makes both the staff and the student body to feel uncomfortable. Administrators are trying hard to find the solution to this problem which has proved to be very challenging (Iarovici, Doris 33). I would use this information to advise the schools’ administrations to build upward and increase more parking garages so as to have more parking spaces. Students should also be advised to use alternative means to get to school like the public buses. Other parking lots are not far away from the schools, so students can usually walk from these places to get to school. Another concern is that the costs of books are not pocket friendly to students. This makes students not buy all the books that they require for their course work. One way to solve this problem is to have digital books available which will be affordable. Having a web site where these books are available can also be helpful since what the students will need to do is just to log in and search for the book online. But for the meantime the government should intervene and regulate the cost of the books to make them affordable. Another problem faced by college students is the length of some courses which are very long. This is not a good idea because most of the students will get lost along the way since it is not usually easy to keep track more so when the road is too long (Prince-Hughes, Dawn 50). For this concern, it would be advisable that if this courses can be integrated to smaller courses and be done in different semesters so as to save students the agony that they go through in the long

Taxation System of UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Taxation System of UK - Essay Example Finally the system of collecting taxes must be efficient. For example if the government spends more in order to collect a given amount of tax money it is useless having a system of taxation. In the UK the current system of taxation has a number of shortcomings such as collective bias in favor of those who are able to pay and structural deficiencies at the deduction level. The British system of taxation is basically determined by a desire to act in conformance with the age old principles of taxation as enunciated by Adam Smith. In the first instance taxes must be fair or equitable; secondly they must be convenient; thirdly they must be neutral; fourthly they must be efficient; fifthly they must be simple; and sixthly they must be adequate (Jones & Catanach, 2008). Yet how far these principles have been adhered to in the current situation in Britain is to be decided by each individual because there is much more to be desired in the British tax system with reference to the equity principle and the government's efforts to redistribute income on a nation-wide basis. According to the first maxim of Adam Smith as noted above every person should pay in proportion to that which is based on their respective revenue earnings and to the extent to which they enjoy protection of the government. Simply it is the "ability to pay" principle. Further he shows that tax should be levied on economic rent because the rent and the revenue were considered as synonyms in Smith's days. However according to the tax system revenue includes only income from an investment and it excludes wages and salaries. Thus in the18th century Britain most of the income was earned from landed properties. In the 21st century Britain where services have come to occupy a very important place, the old approaches to taxation might not be feasible though the fundamental principles remain intact. Secondly, tax payers must be certain about the current and future periods of time. Moreover, it must be predictable and should not be arbitrary. Each person should be aware about the exact amount that he/she has to pay according to their earnings. They should know reasons, exceptions/biases, and abatements when they are paying taxes. Government revenue budgets are either one year in duration or less (Ricardo, 2006). This affects businesses because they have to plan for corporate taxation a number of months, if not years, in advance. According to the third maxim, tax payment should be convenient to the tax payer. In fact the government should be flexible in the application of the tax rules. For example in demanding due payments, collecting payments and so on, tax authorities ought to identify more convenient ways so that the taxpayer isn't inconvenienced by way of haphazard schedules and rules as in the case of VAT financial penalty on late payers in Britain.Finally, tax system shoul d be efficient with reference to its determination cost and collection cost. Thus it ought to be as lower as possible. It is imperative that the cost of employing the tax officials should be less than the taxpayers' personal cost. However the British government has to spend a considerable amount of money on such things as maintaining records and form filling to collect taxes from people.

Telenor Group Case Study

Telenor Group Case Study CASE STUDY TELENOR 1. General information about the Telenor Group The Telenor Group is the leading telecommunications company in Norway and one of the leading mobile operators in the world in terms of subscription. The company is also the biggest provider of television services in the Nordic region, while at the same time being present as the mobile operator in some of the fastest growing markets. Headquarters of the Telenor Group are located in Oslo, Norway. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. With the end of the third quarter of 2009, the Telenor Group has achieved 172 million of mobile subscriptions worldwide and it currently employs approximately 40.000 people in thirty countries. As it is widely familiar, Norway, as well as other Scandinavian countries, is known as extremely developed technology market in the beginning of the 21st century, achieving some of the highest penetration rates for new technologies, such as mobile phones and high speed internet. This actually represents a kind of tradition of the country, having in mind the fact that in 1855 the first telegraph line has been built, followed by the first telephone network connecting the cities of Arendal and Tvederstrand in 1878. Furthermore, Norway was one of the first world countries to introduce mobile telephone system in 1967, which was analogue based and manually operated. In order to understand business operations of Telenor, it seems necessary to make a short historical overview of the companys origins. Beginnings of the Telenor Group date back in 1855 when it was established as a state operated monopoly, bearing the name Norwegian Telegraph Administration NTA (also known as Telegrafverket) and offering the provision of telegraph services. In the last decade of the 19th century, development of the Norways early telephone network was handled by private companies. Norwegian Telegraph Administration, which was in the ownership of the state, gradually took over the privately owned companies in the market and gained control over the sector. Since then, Telenor gained more than 150 years of telecom experience. In 1969, the NTA changed its name to Televerket, also known as Norwegian Telecommunications. With the purchase of Andebu, the last privately owned company in the sector of telecommunications in 1974, Televerket obtained control of the monopoly of t he services of telephone and telecommunications and retained that position till the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century. By the beginning of the 1990s, the company pioneered a new generation of mobile telephone services based on the GSM protocol, which was later accepted and implemented thought Europe. GSM service was launched in 1993 and was followed by the expansion of the company in the field of television broadcasting. This strategic decision provided the company with the opportunity to position itself as the dominant provider of satellite based broadcasting in the Scandinavian region. Since the Norwegian authorities had a tendency to deregulate the telecom sector in the country, the process of deregulation commenced in 1994 and lasted till 1998, with a partial deregulation sector by sector. Even before the government deregulation began, Televerket started with the company restructuring which lasted for four years and included the transformation of the company from a state owned to a public company, as well as the change of the company name to Telenor in 1995. Additionally, the company was a subject of partial privatization in 2000, which gave it a substantial boost of 15.6 billion NOK[1] of new capital and listed it on the Oslo Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. At the beginning of the privatization process, the Government remained the owner of 77.7% of the company, while this percentage was reduced to 53% by 2006. The company was rankedtop performer bythe Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes in 2007 and 2008. The main services which Telenor provides to its consumers and companies worldwide include the following segments: voice, data, content and other services. * In the segment of Voice, Telenor provides people to talk to each other by using fast and reliable networks. This segment focuses on the conversation on the phone, including fixed line, mobile or IP telephony. Fixed voice communication services are provided for users in three countries of the Nordic region and mobile voice in twelve different countries in Europe and Asia. * The segment of Data encompasses of the Internet and broadband services. The company offers fixed line data services like ADSL and fiber-optic communications in the countries of the Nordic region, and mobile data services such as mobile broadband, GPRS, UMTS in 12 countries. From the beginning of 2008, the company has started 3G based mobile broadband services inseven of its markets. * In the field of Content, TV services and mobile content, Telenor offers TV services via cable, digital terrestrial and satellite networks in four Nordic markets. Furthermore, the company also provides mobile content services in several markets, such as mobile TV, sports, ring tones, music and movies. * As far as otherservices are concerned, Telenor has a diversified offer that consists of services, which are telecom related, and the service portfolio is different from one country to another. Depending on the market, the company provides services in the filed of maritime communications, IT consulting, and aircraft communications services. In several markets the company provides Net-centric services, which refer to the IT security for individual consumers and enterprises and machine to machine (M2M) services for enterprises. The major part of the Telenor`s activities is organized in three regions and includes thirteen countries: Asia: Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and India. Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Centraland Eastern Europe: Hungary, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. From the beginning of the 1990s, Telenor begun with its international expansion in the field of mobile communications, penetrating the markets of the following countries: Russia in 1994, Bangladesh, Greece, Ireland, Germany and Austria in 1997, Ukraine in 1998, Malaysia in 1999, Denmark and Thailand in 2000, Hungary in 2002, Montenegro and Pakistan in 2004, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Serbia in 2006. Operations in Greece, Ireland and Germany were sold and the money obtained from this sale has been re invested in the emerging markets. Additionally, in 2005 Vodafone[2] in Sweden was acquired by Telenor. 1.1. Mission and Strategy Telenors primary objective is to create greater value for its shareholders, customers, employees and partners, and for the society in general. The company is dedicated to being at the forefront in creating, simplifying and introducing communication and content solutions to the marketplace. In order to comply with the given goal, Telenor bases its strategy on its customer oriented vision, Here to Help, as well as its core values, Make it easy, Keep promises, Be inspiring and Be respectful. Telenors main strategy is to upgrade the performance of the local mobile operations by combining Groups industrialization with local drive and responsiveness, in the regions where it conducts its business operations: Nordic region, Eastern and Central Europe and Asia. Furthermore, the company plans to maintain its leading position in the Nordic region with a diversified portfolio of communication services. This strategy could be defragmented to the following focus areas: Strengthening of the position of the company as an international mobile operator. Telenor plans to continue the process of strengthening its industrialization of the mobile operations by gaining control over chosen mobile companies. Control is crucial in order to benefit from synergies obtained by cross border activities, such as scale in procurement, development of new services and implementation of best practices, improvement of operational efficiency and the increase of the overall profitability. Telenor plans to manage the non-strategic investments as financial investments and to exit from international mobile operations where the company cannot obtain control over time. Strengthening of the companys position in the Nordic region. Telenor will continue to upgrade its services in the field of mobile and fixed telephony in the Nordic region by using the benefits obtained from economies of scale and cross-border synergies. The company strongly feels that its Nordic presence will improve support to the customers by improving upon its expertise both mobile and fixed services. To find itself at the forefront of communications services providers in Norway. Since the company is the leader in a broad range of services in both the residential and business markets in Norway, Telenor will try to obtain better results in the sense of its profit in the mobile and fixed fields of activity, through the introduction of new services and through various cost-cutting measures. Maintaining of the position of the leader in field of distribution of TV services to consumers in the Nordic region. Telenor additionally insists on finding new possibilities and solutions which will contribute to the strengthening of its strategic position as the leading distributor of subscription based television in the Nordic region. The company will dedicate its activities to contact and attract new users and increase revenue per user through its attractive content and new interactive services. Non strategic companies. Telenor will enhance the value of those companies, which are not strategic for its main business areas and dispose of all or part of its interest in such companies. 1.2. Regional presence Even though Telenor is present in the three dominant regions of the world, the Nordic region is the one where Telenor group has been present since 1855, and the company has held a strong position in the Scandinavian region ever since. The Nordic region is the one from which the majority of Telenor`s income comes from. As it is shown in diagrams 1 and 2, in the first quarter of 2009, 41% of total company revenues came from this region, as well as 37% of EBITDA[3] distribution. The three markets out of which the Nordic region is composed of, in fact represent specific markets with unique differences. For example, although Sweden still has a high use of fixed line telephony, it finds itself at the forefront of the mobile broadband services. Denmark is the market whose customers are the keenest users of SMS and are most interested in content services. Finally, Norwegian customers show growing interest in digital music services and Telenor Group has a high share on this market. The Nordic region is also significant since Telenor combines present and future technologies in the telecom field. As a supplement to existing offers, Telenor provides new broadband technologies, such as Fibre to the Home (FTH) and Long Term Evolution (LTE), the 4th generation mobile broadband standard. The strong distinction between fixed and mobile telephony is slowly vanishing in these markets. According to the data obtained from†¦..there is an evident transition from fixed to mobile networks. The data implicate that the mobile share of voice traffic has increased from 20% in 2003 to 60% in 2008. This is one of the reasons why Telenor acquired Vodafone in Sweden in 2006. Furthermore, the company now has 4G licenses in Norway and Sweden. In order to build networks and share spectrum of mobile communication, Telenor has joined Tele2[4] in a joint venture. The plan is to launch the LTE based broadband services by the end of 2010. This action will position Telenor as the leader of the 4G development worldwide. The same project is planned for Norway, with the difference that it will start in 2011. The Telenor Group has penetrated the Asian region in 1996, through the investment in Grameenphone[5] in Bangladesh. From the very beginning of its operations in Asia, the market has been the cornerstone of the development of the Telenor Group, enabling opportunities for growth in one of the most populated and fastest growing markets in the world. Additionally, mobile operations in Asia have a significant contribution to the total revenues and EBITDA of the Group. Data obtained in the first quarter of 2009 show that the region generated 30% of the revenues, 28% of the Groups EBITDA, and a total of 67 million mobile subscribers of the region. The company has received many awards for innovation and services in the past ten years and has been the driving force in the network development of Asia. Additionally, it has significantly increased the capacity of the regional network and provided coverage, connecting millions of people in new areas, who were previously unconnected. Over the past few years the Asian mobile market has been growing significantly. The growth is additionally stimulated by continuous innovations and new services provided by the company. The Group is active in the markets of Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and Bangladesh, and the company holds 3G license in Malaysia. Another important step of Telenor was the acquisition of Unitech Wireless[6] in India, through which the company penetrated one of the worlds largest and fastest growing markets. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the mobile markets of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia became a part of Telenor`s business operations. The main characteristic of these markets is the growth opportunity, making it significant part of the Telenor`s strategy in the years to come. Even though the markets of Central and Eastern Europe are challenging economic environment due to the process of transition, which these countries have undergone or are still undergoing, mobile operations of the Group deliver solid financial performances. The first quarter of 2009 shows that Telenor generated 17% of Groups total revenues and 32% of EBITDA. The region also generated 93 million of mobile subscribers. Also, the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia has achieved rapid growth in mobile subscription both in consumer, as well as business markets. The company is currently involved in investments in the 3G network in Hungary, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro. The priority is given to the n ew technological and eco friendly solutions, like the wind and solar powered base stations in Hungary, and testing of the new generation wireless broadband in Montenegro. 2. Telenor in Serbia Telenor`s presence in the Balkan region started at the beginning of 1990s when the company launched its operations in Hungary in 2002 by operating Pannon[7], followed by activities in Montenegro through Promonte[8] and finally, Serbia in 2006. Telenor penetrated the Serbian market through the purchase of the Serbian company Mobi 63, Serbias second largest mobile operator and this actually represents the largest privatization transaction in the central and eastern Europe in 2006, as reported by the audit company PriceWaterHouseCoopers. Telenor Group outbid two other short listed competitors at the auction (Mobilkom from Austria and Orascom Telecom from Egypt), offering a bid of 1.513 billion euros. Telenor took over the company on 31st of July 2006, upon the completion of all legal requirements and the signing of the Sales Agreement. The entire auction was broadcasted live on the Serbian national television and was attended by the highest state representatives. Mobi 63, formerly known as Mobtel, was formed by the Government of Serbia in the month of April of 2006, upon the revocation of the operators mobile license, which occurred due to the illegal dealings of the companys previous owners, who were suspected to have sold t he operators license in Kosovo to Mobikos, without requesting permission from the official authorities of Serbia. The Government then proclaimed that the sale was a threat to the national security. The acquisition of Mobi 63 made by Telenor includes a ten year license for GSM 900/1800 and 3G operation for the company, which is renewable for a successive period of ten years upon application. Additionally, the company also obtained Mobi 63`s existing assets, which included the base of approximately 2.5 million customers (in the end of 2005). In just three months upon its arrival to the Serbian market, Telenor invested approximately 15.3 million euros in the equipment of the highest technology, necessary to meet the requirements of the planned network expansion on the territory of Serbia. For this purpose, Telenor signed cooperation agreement with Erickson. Additionally, another contract with the Erickson Company worth 40 million euros for the purpose of network improvement was signed by the end of 2006. The main objective of these investments was to upgrade the quality and the capacity of the existing network, which consequently brings additional quality and services to its users. The actual benefit for the users of the Telenor network is its expanded coverage and good quality. Starting form March 1st 2007, the company enabled the use of commercial services in Serbia, provided by the 3G mobile broadband technology, which consequently provides its users with the possibility to get easier and faster access to the contents on the internet, such as movies, music videos or TV program. 2.1. Relationship towards the employees When Telenor acquired Mobi 63 in August 2006, the company had 926 employees. The newly appointed top management reached a strategic decision to take over the entire infrastructure of the company, as well as its personnel, meaning that there will not be any reduction in the number of employees. In fact, quite the opposite thing occurred in the next three years: the number of employees gradually started growing. In the end of 2007 there had been approximately 1000 employees. By the end of 2008, this number grew to 1100, and finally on December 31st 2009, Telenor had a total of 1207 employees. Having in mind that the field of telecommunications is exposed to everyday changes, Telenor`s employees are expected to adapt to them, set their own objectives in their segment of work, as well as to take on new responsibilities and discover their new talents. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, the company organized a number of trainings, seminars and workshops for its personnel. Through these actions, Telenor tends to provide continuous professional growth and expertise opportunities. Some of the most important ones are: Trainings for future leaders Welcome trainings Codes of conduct Human resource management Communication skills trainings Telenor`s Code of Conduct is one of the key principles upon which the activities of the company are based. This document includes a set of employee policies that cover ethical and legal practices for nearly every aspect of the business. It focuses on the personal responsibility and each employee has to conduct business legally and ethically. Also, it defines ethical rules of behavior for the companys business partners, as well as users. Corporate ethics is very important in the company. The principles of corporate ethics are applicable to all members of the company, including the members of the managing board and top management and all other employees, who represent Telenor on any occasions. Furthermore, the company launched the so called HIT Project, which was encouraged by the television reportage made on one of Telenor`s subcontractors in Bangladesh, who was an obvious example of a company which contributes to bad work conditions, pollution of the environment and child labor. The project focuses on four elements: health, safety, security and environment, and its main objective is for Telenor to emphasize to its business partners the importance of respecting labor and human rights laws. Therefore, Telenor follows the activities of its suppliers in the field and remains in constant touch with them. Furthermore, human resource management conducts the employee satisfaction survey on a yearly basis in order to get a feed back from the employees about the level of their satisfaction, as well as the issues that could be improved and changed within the company. In 2009, the survey was conducted for the third consecutive year and a total percentage of employees which participated was 96.3%. The survey is conducted among all employees in the end of every working year, and concentrates on several important areas of employee satisfaction: satisfaction with job position and work conditions, communication and interpersonal relations within the company, leadership, bonus systems and career opportunities. Results obtained from the survey serve as the foundation for strategy planning for the upcoming years. This point is of particular importance in order to include the opinion of the staff in the process of future strategy defining and decision making, so that everyone can feel that they are a part of it. 2.2. Relationship with clients Top management of the company tends to combine its international experience and the local potential of the country where it operates. In the first year of its activities in the Serbian market, Telenor introduced a large number of significant innovations and new services important for the subscribers. Some of the most innovative products and services offered to the Serbian users are: New prepaid telephone numbers and new channel of sale Telenor Express. Mobile e mail service. The first internet parks in Serbia. Cheaper roaming prices for Telenor users in Hungary and Montenegro Telenor express is the channel of direct sales to customers, which has long and successful tradition in other markets where the company conducts its activities. The new prepaid numbers were introduced in all newspaper stands in Serbia, but could also be purchased through the Telenor Express channel of sale. Approximately twenty five express sales teams are traveling throughout Serbia with specially designed sales stands. In this way the company tries to have direct contact with the customers, to be closer and more available to them, as well as to offer new and innovative sales possibilities and good quality services. Additionally, new prepaid numbers are offered at a much lower rate than previously applied, and each package has higher value than the nominal value of the package. Persons, who decide to purchase a more expensive package, get substantially more free conversation minutes, as well as free text messages, than the ones who purchase a cheaper package. Mobile e-mail is a service dedicated firstly to those who are business users, with the main purpose to facilitate their activities when they find themselves outside the office and need immediate access to their computers. Furthermore, this service enables its users to access and handle their e-mails, calendar and phonebook. The service is compatible to the programs used on their original computers, and can be used by downloading a special software from the Telenor website. From December 1st 2006, Telenor users have the possibility to pay lower prices for roaming services in Hungary and Montenegro, thanks to Telenor network. At the same time, these prices are the lowest prices in comparison to other mobile operators in Serbia. On average, with this service, Telenor users in the Montenegro` s network Promonte are charged 15% less for their voice calls. Additionally, incoming calls from any destination are free of charge for postpaid users in this network. As far as the Hungarian Pannon mobile operator is concerned, prices of outgoing calls are approximately 60% lower, calls made to local mobile and fixed telephone numbers are 25% cheaper, including incoming calls. Calls made to other destinations are 40% cheaper. Additionally, Telenor subscribers have the opportunity to exchange MMS messages with people in ten different countries. The first countries and operators which established this kind of service with Telenor in Serbia are: 02 in Germany, Pannon in Hungary, Telenor in Pakistan, Telefonica 02 in Checz Republic, Sonofon in Denmark, Sunrise in Switzerland, ONE in Austria, Globul in Bulgaria, Telenor in Norway and DIGI in Malaysia. In June 2008, Telenor opened the first internet park in Belgrade, which at the same time represents the first park of this kind in Serbia. People can have free access to the internet and connecting of their portable computers to the internet network is possible either through the wireless connection, or via USB modems, which are located in different places in the park. In the first three months, citizens of Belgrade, as well as other visitors, had the opportunity to test all possibilities of the Internet network free of charge, while enjoying the open air at the same time. Instructions for the connection to the network are displayed on visible places in the park and offer simple explanations through several easy steps. In just several months upon the opening of the first internet park in Belgrade, similar concept was implemented in other Serbian cities: Nis, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Kraljevo. In this way, citizens of these cities have the possibility to check their e-mails or search the internet sites for various contents. 2.3. Corporate responsibility, young and socially jeopardized categories. Mobile communications contribute to the social integration, having in mind the fact that people can be in touch no matter where they find themselves. However, for a significant number of people worldwide, communication services still represent a luxury and are not available to them. Access to this type of services, in a way, represents the means to fight poverty, ignorance and bad health conditions, as well as to enable people to improve their living situation. One of the main objectives of Telenor is to strive towards creation of value in modern society by offering the possibility of communication services to as many people as possible. In 2007, the auditing company Deloit did a thorough analysis of Telenor`s markets in Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine and Serbia which pointed to a very close connection between mobile telephony penetration and the increase of the GDP exists. The analysis pointed out to the fact that the increase of 10% in mobile communications could lead to the GDP rise of approximately 1.2%. Furthermore, the study showed that business operations of Telenor have positive contribution to the upgrading of the productivity level, economic welfare, improvements in health and education systems, improvement of conditions in rural areas and social groups with low incomes. Besides the focus on its business operations, Telenor also directs its activities towards the responsibility towards the local community in which it operates. An evidence to support this claim is the fact that Telenor Group is listed in the first position among twenty four leading mobile operators in the world on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index list, which ranks companies according to the criteria of their overall financial, social and ecological impact on the environment. Upon its arrival to the Serbian market, the top management of the company immediately started to develop different strategies concerning the beginning of the work in the field of corporate responsibility. For that purpose, Telenor established its own Foundation in March 2007, and in this way the company continued to invest in the development of Serbias social potentials. â€Å"The main objective of the Foundation is to initiate and support different types of projects and to develop useful and sustainable solutions which are easy to implement on the territory of the entire country. This is the core concept upon which the corporate responsibility of the company is based and which is being implemented world wide. Members of the Foundations Managing Board were chosen upon the criteria of their expertise in different fields and this enabled for the activities of the Foundation to be guided not only by the companys business plans, but also to adequately respond to the necessities of the Serbian society, its growth and development. Additionally, members of the top and middle management are directly involved in the projects of the Foundation and follow their course. Employees are also invited to participate and to set an example by their involvement, volunteer work and individual efforts.† Majority of the activities and projects which the Foundation conducts are directed towards the young population, their education and professional expertise, socially jeopardized categories, as well as the development of cultural production and art. Telenor`s Foundation accomplishes set objectives through various forms of initiatives: Cooperation with non governmental sector, public and private institutions in different types of projects. Programs of exchange of experts in the field of science and art, as well as providing opportunities for professional internships and scholarships. Exchange of information. Establishing the practice of round tables, seminars, conferences and other events which are in any way linked to the activities of Telenor. Organizing of tenders through which different types of trainings and research are offered. Particular emphasis is put on the young generation and talented people and socially jeopardized categories. 2.3.1. Activities of Telenor directed towards young population Foundation launches special programs, seminars lectures, classes and offers scholarships to those who are perceived as young experts in the fields which are relevant for Telenor`s activities. In 2007, Telenor introduced the award â€Å"Professor Ilija StojanoviĆ¡Ã¢â‚¬  in memory of professor Ilija Stojanovic, who was closely connected to the company and participated in its activities from the very beginning of its operations in Serbia. Every year the award of 1500 euros is given to young students, scientists and researchers for their achievements in the field of telecommunications, in three categories: Best paper / project in the field of telecommunications chosen from the Conference for electronics, telecommunications, informatics, automatics and nuclear technique, held on a yearly basis. Best paper / project chosen from the Telflor (yearly conference), held on a yearly basis. Best student of the Graduate School of Electro-technique (course telecommunications). The Foundation was among the first initiators for the cleaning of neglected areas of Belgrade. Participants of the campaign â€Å"Recycling of landscapes: Be creative and revive the city† were pupils of Belgrade high schools and various artists and the entire project was conducted on ten city locations: open cinemas in Vracar[9] and Zvezdara[10] municipality, summer stage and Pioneer city in Kosutnjak, yard filed of abandoned factory, Zvezdani gaj and other locations. The campaign was lasted throughout 2009 and in this period the locations have been cleaned, painted and decorated with art works. There had been approximately 1000 participants in the campaign and they had the opportunity to get acquainted with the creative art process. Development of the environment awareness was one of the key priorities of the project, which was realized in cooperation with the Belgrade City Assembly and Secretariat for sport and youth. The project became the part of the leading environmental project in Serbia â€Å"Let`s wake Serbia up†, under the patronage of the Ministry for the Environment Protection. , In cooperation with the National Television of Serbia, Telenor joined the campaign â€Å"Skola je Skul (School is Cool)†, which promotes school spirit, representing the most active schools that use creative methods Telenor Group Case Study Telenor Group Case Study CASE STUDY TELENOR 1. General information about the Telenor Group The Telenor Group is the leading telecommunications company in Norway and one of the leading mobile operators in the world in terms of subscription. The company is also the biggest provider of television services in the Nordic region, while at the same time being present as the mobile operator in some of the fastest growing markets. Headquarters of the Telenor Group are located in Oslo, Norway. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. With the end of the third quarter of 2009, the Telenor Group has achieved 172 million of mobile subscriptions worldwide and it currently employs approximately 40.000 people in thirty countries. As it is widely familiar, Norway, as well as other Scandinavian countries, is known as extremely developed technology market in the beginning of the 21st century, achieving some of the highest penetration rates for new technologies, such as mobile phones and high speed internet. This actually represents a kind of tradition of the country, having in mind the fact that in 1855 the first telegraph line has been built, followed by the first telephone network connecting the cities of Arendal and Tvederstrand in 1878. Furthermore, Norway was one of the first world countries to introduce mobile telephone system in 1967, which was analogue based and manually operated. In order to understand business operations of Telenor, it seems necessary to make a short historical overview of the companys origins. Beginnings of the Telenor Group date back in 1855 when it was established as a state operated monopoly, bearing the name Norwegian Telegraph Administration NTA (also known as Telegrafverket) and offering the provision of telegraph services. In the last decade of the 19th century, development of the Norways early telephone network was handled by private companies. Norwegian Telegraph Administration, which was in the ownership of the state, gradually took over the privately owned companies in the market and gained control over the sector. Since then, Telenor gained more than 150 years of telecom experience. In 1969, the NTA changed its name to Televerket, also known as Norwegian Telecommunications. With the purchase of Andebu, the last privately owned company in the sector of telecommunications in 1974, Televerket obtained control of the monopoly of t he services of telephone and telecommunications and retained that position till the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century. By the beginning of the 1990s, the company pioneered a new generation of mobile telephone services based on the GSM protocol, which was later accepted and implemented thought Europe. GSM service was launched in 1993 and was followed by the expansion of the company in the field of television broadcasting. This strategic decision provided the company with the opportunity to position itself as the dominant provider of satellite based broadcasting in the Scandinavian region. Since the Norwegian authorities had a tendency to deregulate the telecom sector in the country, the process of deregulation commenced in 1994 and lasted till 1998, with a partial deregulation sector by sector. Even before the government deregulation began, Televerket started with the company restructuring which lasted for four years and included the transformation of the company from a state owned to a public company, as well as the change of the company name to Telenor in 1995. Additionally, the company was a subject of partial privatization in 2000, which gave it a substantial boost of 15.6 billion NOK[1] of new capital and listed it on the Oslo Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. At the beginning of the privatization process, the Government remained the owner of 77.7% of the company, while this percentage was reduced to 53% by 2006. The company was rankedtop performer bythe Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes in 2007 and 2008. The main services which Telenor provides to its consumers and companies worldwide include the following segments: voice, data, content and other services. * In the segment of Voice, Telenor provides people to talk to each other by using fast and reliable networks. This segment focuses on the conversation on the phone, including fixed line, mobile or IP telephony. Fixed voice communication services are provided for users in three countries of the Nordic region and mobile voice in twelve different countries in Europe and Asia. * The segment of Data encompasses of the Internet and broadband services. The company offers fixed line data services like ADSL and fiber-optic communications in the countries of the Nordic region, and mobile data services such as mobile broadband, GPRS, UMTS in 12 countries. From the beginning of 2008, the company has started 3G based mobile broadband services inseven of its markets. * In the field of Content, TV services and mobile content, Telenor offers TV services via cable, digital terrestrial and satellite networks in four Nordic markets. Furthermore, the company also provides mobile content services in several markets, such as mobile TV, sports, ring tones, music and movies. * As far as otherservices are concerned, Telenor has a diversified offer that consists of services, which are telecom related, and the service portfolio is different from one country to another. Depending on the market, the company provides services in the filed of maritime communications, IT consulting, and aircraft communications services. In several markets the company provides Net-centric services, which refer to the IT security for individual consumers and enterprises and machine to machine (M2M) services for enterprises. The major part of the Telenor`s activities is organized in three regions and includes thirteen countries: Asia: Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and India. Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Centraland Eastern Europe: Hungary, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. From the beginning of the 1990s, Telenor begun with its international expansion in the field of mobile communications, penetrating the markets of the following countries: Russia in 1994, Bangladesh, Greece, Ireland, Germany and Austria in 1997, Ukraine in 1998, Malaysia in 1999, Denmark and Thailand in 2000, Hungary in 2002, Montenegro and Pakistan in 2004, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Serbia in 2006. Operations in Greece, Ireland and Germany were sold and the money obtained from this sale has been re invested in the emerging markets. Additionally, in 2005 Vodafone[2] in Sweden was acquired by Telenor. 1.1. Mission and Strategy Telenors primary objective is to create greater value for its shareholders, customers, employees and partners, and for the society in general. The company is dedicated to being at the forefront in creating, simplifying and introducing communication and content solutions to the marketplace. In order to comply with the given goal, Telenor bases its strategy on its customer oriented vision, Here to Help, as well as its core values, Make it easy, Keep promises, Be inspiring and Be respectful. Telenors main strategy is to upgrade the performance of the local mobile operations by combining Groups industrialization with local drive and responsiveness, in the regions where it conducts its business operations: Nordic region, Eastern and Central Europe and Asia. Furthermore, the company plans to maintain its leading position in the Nordic region with a diversified portfolio of communication services. This strategy could be defragmented to the following focus areas: Strengthening of the position of the company as an international mobile operator. Telenor plans to continue the process of strengthening its industrialization of the mobile operations by gaining control over chosen mobile companies. Control is crucial in order to benefit from synergies obtained by cross border activities, such as scale in procurement, development of new services and implementation of best practices, improvement of operational efficiency and the increase of the overall profitability. Telenor plans to manage the non-strategic investments as financial investments and to exit from international mobile operations where the company cannot obtain control over time. Strengthening of the companys position in the Nordic region. Telenor will continue to upgrade its services in the field of mobile and fixed telephony in the Nordic region by using the benefits obtained from economies of scale and cross-border synergies. The company strongly feels that its Nordic presence will improve support to the customers by improving upon its expertise both mobile and fixed services. To find itself at the forefront of communications services providers in Norway. Since the company is the leader in a broad range of services in both the residential and business markets in Norway, Telenor will try to obtain better results in the sense of its profit in the mobile and fixed fields of activity, through the introduction of new services and through various cost-cutting measures. Maintaining of the position of the leader in field of distribution of TV services to consumers in the Nordic region. Telenor additionally insists on finding new possibilities and solutions which will contribute to the strengthening of its strategic position as the leading distributor of subscription based television in the Nordic region. The company will dedicate its activities to contact and attract new users and increase revenue per user through its attractive content and new interactive services. Non strategic companies. Telenor will enhance the value of those companies, which are not strategic for its main business areas and dispose of all or part of its interest in such companies. 1.2. Regional presence Even though Telenor is present in the three dominant regions of the world, the Nordic region is the one where Telenor group has been present since 1855, and the company has held a strong position in the Scandinavian region ever since. The Nordic region is the one from which the majority of Telenor`s income comes from. As it is shown in diagrams 1 and 2, in the first quarter of 2009, 41% of total company revenues came from this region, as well as 37% of EBITDA[3] distribution. The three markets out of which the Nordic region is composed of, in fact represent specific markets with unique differences. For example, although Sweden still has a high use of fixed line telephony, it finds itself at the forefront of the mobile broadband services. Denmark is the market whose customers are the keenest users of SMS and are most interested in content services. Finally, Norwegian customers show growing interest in digital music services and Telenor Group has a high share on this market. The Nordic region is also significant since Telenor combines present and future technologies in the telecom field. As a supplement to existing offers, Telenor provides new broadband technologies, such as Fibre to the Home (FTH) and Long Term Evolution (LTE), the 4th generation mobile broadband standard. The strong distinction between fixed and mobile telephony is slowly vanishing in these markets. According to the data obtained from†¦..there is an evident transition from fixed to mobile networks. The data implicate that the mobile share of voice traffic has increased from 20% in 2003 to 60% in 2008. This is one of the reasons why Telenor acquired Vodafone in Sweden in 2006. Furthermore, the company now has 4G licenses in Norway and Sweden. In order to build networks and share spectrum of mobile communication, Telenor has joined Tele2[4] in a joint venture. The plan is to launch the LTE based broadband services by the end of 2010. This action will position Telenor as the leader of the 4G development worldwide. The same project is planned for Norway, with the difference that it will start in 2011. The Telenor Group has penetrated the Asian region in 1996, through the investment in Grameenphone[5] in Bangladesh. From the very beginning of its operations in Asia, the market has been the cornerstone of the development of the Telenor Group, enabling opportunities for growth in one of the most populated and fastest growing markets in the world. Additionally, mobile operations in Asia have a significant contribution to the total revenues and EBITDA of the Group. Data obtained in the first quarter of 2009 show that the region generated 30% of the revenues, 28% of the Groups EBITDA, and a total of 67 million mobile subscribers of the region. The company has received many awards for innovation and services in the past ten years and has been the driving force in the network development of Asia. Additionally, it has significantly increased the capacity of the regional network and provided coverage, connecting millions of people in new areas, who were previously unconnected. Over the past few years the Asian mobile market has been growing significantly. The growth is additionally stimulated by continuous innovations and new services provided by the company. The Group is active in the markets of Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and Bangladesh, and the company holds 3G license in Malaysia. Another important step of Telenor was the acquisition of Unitech Wireless[6] in India, through which the company penetrated one of the worlds largest and fastest growing markets. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the mobile markets of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia became a part of Telenor`s business operations. The main characteristic of these markets is the growth opportunity, making it significant part of the Telenor`s strategy in the years to come. Even though the markets of Central and Eastern Europe are challenging economic environment due to the process of transition, which these countries have undergone or are still undergoing, mobile operations of the Group deliver solid financial performances. The first quarter of 2009 shows that Telenor generated 17% of Groups total revenues and 32% of EBITDA. The region also generated 93 million of mobile subscribers. Also, the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia has achieved rapid growth in mobile subscription both in consumer, as well as business markets. The company is currently involved in investments in the 3G network in Hungary, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro. The priority is given to the n ew technological and eco friendly solutions, like the wind and solar powered base stations in Hungary, and testing of the new generation wireless broadband in Montenegro. 2. Telenor in Serbia Telenor`s presence in the Balkan region started at the beginning of 1990s when the company launched its operations in Hungary in 2002 by operating Pannon[7], followed by activities in Montenegro through Promonte[8] and finally, Serbia in 2006. Telenor penetrated the Serbian market through the purchase of the Serbian company Mobi 63, Serbias second largest mobile operator and this actually represents the largest privatization transaction in the central and eastern Europe in 2006, as reported by the audit company PriceWaterHouseCoopers. Telenor Group outbid two other short listed competitors at the auction (Mobilkom from Austria and Orascom Telecom from Egypt), offering a bid of 1.513 billion euros. Telenor took over the company on 31st of July 2006, upon the completion of all legal requirements and the signing of the Sales Agreement. The entire auction was broadcasted live on the Serbian national television and was attended by the highest state representatives. Mobi 63, formerly known as Mobtel, was formed by the Government of Serbia in the month of April of 2006, upon the revocation of the operators mobile license, which occurred due to the illegal dealings of the companys previous owners, who were suspected to have sold t he operators license in Kosovo to Mobikos, without requesting permission from the official authorities of Serbia. The Government then proclaimed that the sale was a threat to the national security. The acquisition of Mobi 63 made by Telenor includes a ten year license for GSM 900/1800 and 3G operation for the company, which is renewable for a successive period of ten years upon application. Additionally, the company also obtained Mobi 63`s existing assets, which included the base of approximately 2.5 million customers (in the end of 2005). In just three months upon its arrival to the Serbian market, Telenor invested approximately 15.3 million euros in the equipment of the highest technology, necessary to meet the requirements of the planned network expansion on the territory of Serbia. For this purpose, Telenor signed cooperation agreement with Erickson. Additionally, another contract with the Erickson Company worth 40 million euros for the purpose of network improvement was signed by the end of 2006. The main objective of these investments was to upgrade the quality and the capacity of the existing network, which consequently brings additional quality and services to its users. The actual benefit for the users of the Telenor network is its expanded coverage and good quality. Starting form March 1st 2007, the company enabled the use of commercial services in Serbia, provided by the 3G mobile broadband technology, which consequently provides its users with the possibility to get easier and faster access to the contents on the internet, such as movies, music videos or TV program. 2.1. Relationship towards the employees When Telenor acquired Mobi 63 in August 2006, the company had 926 employees. The newly appointed top management reached a strategic decision to take over the entire infrastructure of the company, as well as its personnel, meaning that there will not be any reduction in the number of employees. In fact, quite the opposite thing occurred in the next three years: the number of employees gradually started growing. In the end of 2007 there had been approximately 1000 employees. By the end of 2008, this number grew to 1100, and finally on December 31st 2009, Telenor had a total of 1207 employees. Having in mind that the field of telecommunications is exposed to everyday changes, Telenor`s employees are expected to adapt to them, set their own objectives in their segment of work, as well as to take on new responsibilities and discover their new talents. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, the company organized a number of trainings, seminars and workshops for its personnel. Through these actions, Telenor tends to provide continuous professional growth and expertise opportunities. Some of the most important ones are: Trainings for future leaders Welcome trainings Codes of conduct Human resource management Communication skills trainings Telenor`s Code of Conduct is one of the key principles upon which the activities of the company are based. This document includes a set of employee policies that cover ethical and legal practices for nearly every aspect of the business. It focuses on the personal responsibility and each employee has to conduct business legally and ethically. Also, it defines ethical rules of behavior for the companys business partners, as well as users. Corporate ethics is very important in the company. The principles of corporate ethics are applicable to all members of the company, including the members of the managing board and top management and all other employees, who represent Telenor on any occasions. Furthermore, the company launched the so called HIT Project, which was encouraged by the television reportage made on one of Telenor`s subcontractors in Bangladesh, who was an obvious example of a company which contributes to bad work conditions, pollution of the environment and child labor. The project focuses on four elements: health, safety, security and environment, and its main objective is for Telenor to emphasize to its business partners the importance of respecting labor and human rights laws. Therefore, Telenor follows the activities of its suppliers in the field and remains in constant touch with them. Furthermore, human resource management conducts the employee satisfaction survey on a yearly basis in order to get a feed back from the employees about the level of their satisfaction, as well as the issues that could be improved and changed within the company. In 2009, the survey was conducted for the third consecutive year and a total percentage of employees which participated was 96.3%. The survey is conducted among all employees in the end of every working year, and concentrates on several important areas of employee satisfaction: satisfaction with job position and work conditions, communication and interpersonal relations within the company, leadership, bonus systems and career opportunities. Results obtained from the survey serve as the foundation for strategy planning for the upcoming years. This point is of particular importance in order to include the opinion of the staff in the process of future strategy defining and decision making, so that everyone can feel that they are a part of it. 2.2. Relationship with clients Top management of the company tends to combine its international experience and the local potential of the country where it operates. In the first year of its activities in the Serbian market, Telenor introduced a large number of significant innovations and new services important for the subscribers. Some of the most innovative products and services offered to the Serbian users are: New prepaid telephone numbers and new channel of sale Telenor Express. Mobile e mail service. The first internet parks in Serbia. Cheaper roaming prices for Telenor users in Hungary and Montenegro Telenor express is the channel of direct sales to customers, which has long and successful tradition in other markets where the company conducts its activities. The new prepaid numbers were introduced in all newspaper stands in Serbia, but could also be purchased through the Telenor Express channel of sale. Approximately twenty five express sales teams are traveling throughout Serbia with specially designed sales stands. In this way the company tries to have direct contact with the customers, to be closer and more available to them, as well as to offer new and innovative sales possibilities and good quality services. Additionally, new prepaid numbers are offered at a much lower rate than previously applied, and each package has higher value than the nominal value of the package. Persons, who decide to purchase a more expensive package, get substantially more free conversation minutes, as well as free text messages, than the ones who purchase a cheaper package. Mobile e-mail is a service dedicated firstly to those who are business users, with the main purpose to facilitate their activities when they find themselves outside the office and need immediate access to their computers. Furthermore, this service enables its users to access and handle their e-mails, calendar and phonebook. The service is compatible to the programs used on their original computers, and can be used by downloading a special software from the Telenor website. From December 1st 2006, Telenor users have the possibility to pay lower prices for roaming services in Hungary and Montenegro, thanks to Telenor network. At the same time, these prices are the lowest prices in comparison to other mobile operators in Serbia. On average, with this service, Telenor users in the Montenegro` s network Promonte are charged 15% less for their voice calls. Additionally, incoming calls from any destination are free of charge for postpaid users in this network. As far as the Hungarian Pannon mobile operator is concerned, prices of outgoing calls are approximately 60% lower, calls made to local mobile and fixed telephone numbers are 25% cheaper, including incoming calls. Calls made to other destinations are 40% cheaper. Additionally, Telenor subscribers have the opportunity to exchange MMS messages with people in ten different countries. The first countries and operators which established this kind of service with Telenor in Serbia are: 02 in Germany, Pannon in Hungary, Telenor in Pakistan, Telefonica 02 in Checz Republic, Sonofon in Denmark, Sunrise in Switzerland, ONE in Austria, Globul in Bulgaria, Telenor in Norway and DIGI in Malaysia. In June 2008, Telenor opened the first internet park in Belgrade, which at the same time represents the first park of this kind in Serbia. People can have free access to the internet and connecting of their portable computers to the internet network is possible either through the wireless connection, or via USB modems, which are located in different places in the park. In the first three months, citizens of Belgrade, as well as other visitors, had the opportunity to test all possibilities of the Internet network free of charge, while enjoying the open air at the same time. Instructions for the connection to the network are displayed on visible places in the park and offer simple explanations through several easy steps. In just several months upon the opening of the first internet park in Belgrade, similar concept was implemented in other Serbian cities: Nis, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Kraljevo. In this way, citizens of these cities have the possibility to check their e-mails or search the internet sites for various contents. 2.3. Corporate responsibility, young and socially jeopardized categories. Mobile communications contribute to the social integration, having in mind the fact that people can be in touch no matter where they find themselves. However, for a significant number of people worldwide, communication services still represent a luxury and are not available to them. Access to this type of services, in a way, represents the means to fight poverty, ignorance and bad health conditions, as well as to enable people to improve their living situation. One of the main objectives of Telenor is to strive towards creation of value in modern society by offering the possibility of communication services to as many people as possible. In 2007, the auditing company Deloit did a thorough analysis of Telenor`s markets in Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine and Serbia which pointed to a very close connection between mobile telephony penetration and the increase of the GDP exists. The analysis pointed out to the fact that the increase of 10% in mobile communications could lead to the GDP rise of approximately 1.2%. Furthermore, the study showed that business operations of Telenor have positive contribution to the upgrading of the productivity level, economic welfare, improvements in health and education systems, improvement of conditions in rural areas and social groups with low incomes. Besides the focus on its business operations, Telenor also directs its activities towards the responsibility towards the local community in which it operates. An evidence to support this claim is the fact that Telenor Group is listed in the first position among twenty four leading mobile operators in the world on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index list, which ranks companies according to the criteria of their overall financial, social and ecological impact on the environment. Upon its arrival to the Serbian market, the top management of the company immediately started to develop different strategies concerning the beginning of the work in the field of corporate responsibility. For that purpose, Telenor established its own Foundation in March 2007, and in this way the company continued to invest in the development of Serbias social potentials. â€Å"The main objective of the Foundation is to initiate and support different types of projects and to develop useful and sustainable solutions which are easy to implement on the territory of the entire country. This is the core concept upon which the corporate responsibility of the company is based and which is being implemented world wide. Members of the Foundations Managing Board were chosen upon the criteria of their expertise in different fields and this enabled for the activities of the Foundation to be guided not only by the companys business plans, but also to adequately respond to the necessities of the Serbian society, its growth and development. Additionally, members of the top and middle management are directly involved in the projects of the Foundation and follow their course. Employees are also invited to participate and to set an example by their involvement, volunteer work and individual efforts.† Majority of the activities and projects which the Foundation conducts are directed towards the young population, their education and professional expertise, socially jeopardized categories, as well as the development of cultural production and art. Telenor`s Foundation accomplishes set objectives through various forms of initiatives: Cooperation with non governmental sector, public and private institutions in different types of projects. Programs of exchange of experts in the field of science and art, as well as providing opportunities for professional internships and scholarships. Exchange of information. Establishing the practice of round tables, seminars, conferences and other events which are in any way linked to the activities of Telenor. Organizing of tenders through which different types of trainings and research are offered. Particular emphasis is put on the young generation and talented people and socially jeopardized categories. 2.3.1. Activities of Telenor directed towards young population Foundation launches special programs, seminars lectures, classes and offers scholarships to those who are perceived as young experts in the fields which are relevant for Telenor`s activities. In 2007, Telenor introduced the award â€Å"Professor Ilija StojanoviĆ¡Ã¢â‚¬  in memory of professor Ilija Stojanovic, who was closely connected to the company and participated in its activities from the very beginning of its operations in Serbia. Every year the award of 1500 euros is given to young students, scientists and researchers for their achievements in the field of telecommunications, in three categories: Best paper / project in the field of telecommunications chosen from the Conference for electronics, telecommunications, informatics, automatics and nuclear technique, held on a yearly basis. Best paper / project chosen from the Telflor (yearly conference), held on a yearly basis. Best student of the Graduate School of Electro-technique (course telecommunications). The Foundation was among the first initiators for the cleaning of neglected areas of Belgrade. Participants of the campaign â€Å"Recycling of landscapes: Be creative and revive the city† were pupils of Belgrade high schools and various artists and the entire project was conducted on ten city locations: open cinemas in Vracar[9] and Zvezdara[10] municipality, summer stage and Pioneer city in Kosutnjak, yard filed of abandoned factory, Zvezdani gaj and other locations. The campaign was lasted throughout 2009 and in this period the locations have been cleaned, painted and decorated with art works. There had been approximately 1000 participants in the campaign and they had the opportunity to get acquainted with the creative art process. Development of the environment awareness was one of the key priorities of the project, which was realized in cooperation with the Belgrade City Assembly and Secretariat for sport and youth. The project became the part of the leading environmental project in Serbia â€Å"Let`s wake Serbia up†, under the patronage of the Ministry for the Environment Protection. , In cooperation with the National Television of Serbia, Telenor joined the campaign â€Å"Skola je Skul (School is Cool)†, which promotes school spirit, representing the most active schools that use creative methods