Reflective essay: August 2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Time and Health Nursing

Friday, August 30, 2019

Dbq for U.S History

AP U. S History DBQ During the early 1700Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s, both New England and Chesapeake regions were settled largely by the people of the English origin. The settlers of the two colonies were foreigners to the land who established two exceptional, but contrary societies due to the diversity of English citizens. Although both colonies were from the same English background they developed different distinctions from their political standards, religion, and social life. With the offer of Virginia Company of London to prompt settlement in the New World, profit filled Englishmen couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t refuse the proposal. There was a promise of the golden lands and a new passage route through America to the West Indies. Arriving to the Chesapeake Bay, they were soon attacked by the Indians. After having to settle on James River, Virginia Company was forced to make a mosquito infested unhealthy region their home. In England, king Henry VIII broke ties with the Rome Catholic Church, anointing himself head of Church of England. The people of the English origin came to England to refine the gold and load the gold. They were trying to make a better living for themselves. Even though Governor John Winthrop, who was part of New England colony, and William Berkley of Chesapeake colony had different opinions on the upcoming of the community, god being the center of the New England colony ( Document A), the pilgrims believed in working together as one for the glory of God as oppose to the Chesapeake colony who believed that the Chesapeake colony should fellowship together and their unity should be abided by one spirit of peace because everyone is a worthy servant of Christ. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s almost like a father and his children; a father is stricter on his daughter than his son. On the other hand, Governor Berkley viewed things differently. He believed that the people duty was to defend their country. Jonathan Edwards who ignited the Great Awakening believed in salvation and affirmed the need for dependence on GodÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s grace. Both governors trying to achieve the best for their colonies helped with the growth of the two separate colonies. New England ranged from children to teenagers to middle men. (Document B) Immigrants who were stationed to be in New England colonies were families that contained a variety of ages. New England was united with the family lifestyle. Meanwhile those who came to Virginia (Chesapeake) colony were mostly men who ranged from the ages of 14 to 51. (Document C) The men to women ratio consisted of about 6 to 1 showing how family life wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t as important. Disease settlements came through the Chesapeake colony causing low reproduction rates due to the scarcity of women. The men struggled to fight for women with it being 90% of men and 10% of women. In conclusion the New England and Chesapeake colonies both settled by the English and became entirely two different societies. Although they had similarities of the English background they developed different distinctions from their political standards, religion, and social life.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Public Relations Campaign Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Public Relations Campaign - Assignment Example Our target public in this case is students, adults through teachers and parents. This will enable Sonic Drive-In to realize its target of increasing its market share substantially in the competitive American market (LEtang, 32). In this campaign, Sonic Drive-In has an opportunity to increase market share in the fast food market. In addition, this will make Sonic Drive-In more visible in the market and increase its strength as a household brand name. This will encourage the purchase of products by Sonic Drive-In by the current customers and attract new ones to their product range. It will also show the company is sensitive to matters affecting the community and that it is empathic to the problems its consumers face. It will also boost its prominence around the country hence increasing the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s chance for future growth (Henslowe, 68). Problems that might be faced during this exercise in order to reach our target public include the following. Firstly, it will be difficult and time consuming in covering schools, in the whole country. This will prove to be an enormous undertaking. It will also be difficult to come up with a schedule that will accommodate all the schools in the country. Finding a schedule that will suit them all will be a big challenge. Since we cannot go school by school, we will have to pick strategic locations for this event that will attract the largest group of our public. This will be a challenge since the success of this campaign relies on numbers. We will have to deliberate carefully to identify the most suitable venues for this event. The main opportunity created in this campaign for Sonic Drive-In will be to increase its share in the fast food market in the United States. It will increase its customer base through its target public. This campaign will also make the brand more attractive to consumers through our efforts in advertisements through the various media campaigns we plan

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Operating management 222 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operating management 222 - Assignment Example This is the reason behind the need for a new floor design by the Hubcafe. Introduction This is a critical analysis of requisite operation management aspects that will improve the quality of services, efficiency and overall sales volume of the Hub cafe. It is important to note that operation management is a cardinal tool for overseeing various activities and making informed decisions concerning resources allocation based on priority with the aim of maximizing efficiency and minimizing cost. In this case, the management needs to put several factors into consideration when drawing the best plan that would see the cafe improve its efficiency and meet the high demand of customers (Raturi & Evans,2005). This would include the concept of queuing which significantly affects the rate of service delivery to the customers and overall performance of the staff (Meachem, 2005). It is important to make a good floor plan that would increase the space of service and cut o the cost of maintenance and this explains the need for an efficiency based structural design of the interior part of the Hub cafe (Moe, 2010). Being an eating point, the number of clients arriving will significantly depend on the time of the day such that peak and off-peak will definitely apply. The floor plans are two for kitchen and the shop with an aim of regulating the smooth flow of service delivery, easy accommodation at peak period, efficient management of queues and general visual impression of the interior design of the cafe. Aim of the project The increasing pressure from customer demands and threat of competition from other business operators compels the management to undertake reforms and improve several aspects of the cafeÃ¢â‚¬Ëœs performance. This project is therefore focused on effecting structural changes in terms of interior design of the kitchen and shop so that movement of staff, clients and peak factors are taken into consideration (Baraban & Durocher, 2010). This would work towards attaini ng customer satisfaction and improved quality of the Hubcafe services delivery. This plan will equally set precedence for future changes within the organizational culture of best quality services with highest efficiency by the Hubcafe. Present operations The Hub cafe is a eating point where several foods and snacks are served for 12hours. It offers both take-away products and has a space to accommodate customers who wish to take their meals within. The mode of service is self-service and this means there is queuing and several staff is assigned different counters from cash payment point to actual product delivery counters. There is another group of the kitchen department who has the defining responsibility of ensuring constant production and supply of the various foodstuffs. Another group of staff are on the lookout and stands by to attend the customers in the event of any urgent need or additional purchase. The reception point is located at the entrance for minor enquiries pertaini ng to variety of services and products on offer to reduce the time cost of information search within the cafe. Depending on the time of the day, the number of staff on various service counters is altered to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness. Challenges The current interior design is in line with a floor plan which is relatively strained to accommodate the larger customer number at the peak hours. This

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Face Of Our Time Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Face Of Our Time - Research Paper Example Jim GoldbergÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s collection of photographs about refugees was very heart throbbing. His spot-on method used that of centering or focusing the subject at the center created an odd power between the centre and auxiliary. One of them was Making Fire taken at the Democratic Republic of Congo. The photo captured the image of an African woman who had unrecognizable state and only showed her pursed lips. Her facial expression looked like she is upset but not very identifiable because of the shadow in her eyes. What really caught the attention of the audience is the autograph made by the subject herself. She wrote Ã¢â‚¬Å"I am a whoreÃ¢â‚¬ on the photo and the photo did really speak of how our world looks like today. Refugees such as the subject on the photo have been ignored in our time today. They who badly need our help had been uncared for and mistreated. The picture did not really capture the true emotion of the subject but it really showed that the woman was not happy. Looking at the pictures exhibited by Goldberg, the photographs were able to hold the true meaning and goal of the exhibit. Like Making the Fire, the woman looked like she was not even given care and protection. Her autograph may imply that she was not ashamed of what she is or she is tired of being one and she wanted to tell the people that she existed and needed help. There may be a lot of interpretation of her photograph and what she wrote on the picture, but definitely it is not happiness. The Swiss photographer, Daniel Schwartz, focused his subjects to the effects of globalization. The photographs were able to portray less exposed subjects such as Bazaar Day. The photographs were collection of his travel. Though the images offer the audience less feeling of vulnerability, the photographs remain persistent. These pictures spoke that globalization is widespread and a lot of places were very much affected. Poverty and inequality can be seen in the pictures. If some countries have very clean and organized places such as market, a lot of places in central Asia do not have these opportunities and facilities. Thus globalization has its own series of pitfalls. Looking at SchwartzÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s collection, he really wanted to convey a message about globalization to the world. SomeoneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s perfect place can mean to give another oneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s place inadequacy. If there are countries that were blessed because of globalization, there are also those suffering because of it. Zanele MuholiÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s collection and work gave voice to the visual identity of the marginalized queer black people in South Africa. Her elegant photographs of queer and transgendered women showed a strong message regarding marginalization of this kind of population. The collection spoke of identity and being of the queers. Discrimination especially based on gender has long been an issue not only in South Africa but in the world. The elegant portraits by Muholi showed pride, strength, and identity of the queer b lacks. South African queers, with reference to the pictures, are very proud of who they are and what they are. They posed strongly and proudly to the artist. Thus, there wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t any sign of them being ashamed. The works of Muholi showed how the queers stood for their right of being despite being marginalized. A Danish

Monday, August 26, 2019

Respond Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Respond - Assignment Example In my point of view, the best example of my words is music industry. Lyrics to modern popular songs almost always include coarse language, especially it can be witnessed in rap songs. Sexual relationships, racism and other taboo topics are broached by many performers. It is done mainly to offend their opponents or to simply to get a good PR. But the worst thing is that public condones and even encourages that. 2. Last century may boast with an impressive amount of films. Some of them were good, real opuses, while others turned out to be simple flicks. But there was one film which was a huge sensation and gave birth to dozens of remakes. I am talking about the very first episode of the James Bond film series. It is called Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dr. NoÃ¢â‚¬ , shot back in 1962 and since that time there have been made more than 20 films about this MI6 secret agent. Moreover, the traces of James Bond films can be found in tons of other thrillers and spy movies. The one of most recent rehashes of it is the film called Ã¢â‚¬Å"Kingsman: The Secret ServiceÃ¢â‚¬ . Of course, the plot of this movie somehow differs from traditional James Bond style; however, the theme of secret agents and their incredible spy gadgets was undoubtedly borrowed from the 007 AgentÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Ozone Depletion and the Ozone Hole Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Ozone Depletion and the Ozone Hole - Assignment Example this happens, is because as the sun moves across the sky, it moves through the atmosphere and this allows it to be absorbed or reflected as necessary. This will mean that the energy cannot reach the ground to warm it. Seasons are also marked with something called equinoxes and solstices. There is one in the summer an one in the winter. When people talk about the solstice it is a term that astronomers use to show which way that the Earth is tilting. When the north and south poles are tilted to the furthest point, either toward the sun or away from it, people call it the solstice. This also is the reason why there is a different between the daytime and night time hours. Every June 20 or 21 and every December 21 or 22, there will be a solstice; everyone knows this as the beginning of summer or winter (Page 2009). The equinoxes are when spring and fall begin. The spring equinox is called the vernal equinox and the fall one is called the autumnal equinox. These two tell us that the seasons are changing again. March 20 or 21 is the official Spring, and September 22 or 23 is the official fall (Page

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Finance - Essay Example The global nature of business operations has given rise to foreign currency denominated transactions. This means that the companies have a significant amount of foreign currency receivables and payables in their financial statements. Therefore any adverse movement in the exchange rate can have a serious impact on the profitability position of the company. For this reason the companies hedge their position using financial derivative products like foreign currency options, forward contract, currency swaps, currency futures etc. The modernization of financial markets and the consequent development of advanced hedging techniques mean that the companies no more rely only on the traditional hedging methods rather now they employ various financial instruments to protect the value of their receivables. Many studies have been conducted about the foreign currency hedging practices of the companies. Academic literature relating to hedging has developed various theories that explain the incentives derived by an individual from hedging. Hedging protects the position of the hedger. Keynes states explicitly that the process of hedging eliminates risk (Ullrich, 2009, pp.107). In fact the financial derivatives can also be used for making speculative gains. This can be done by the companies who maintain a specialized risk management department as these professionals can take a position based on market anticipations. Various studies have been done to find as to why the firms hedge their overseas exposures. Some of these studies have focused on the usage of hedging tools like foreign currency derivatives and foreign currency debt (Judge, 2003). The strategy is chosen on the basis of the term of the exposure. For short-term exposures one expects that the firms will rely on derivatives. The long term exposure can be hedged using methods like issuance of debt and geographical asset diversification. A

Substance disorders - cocaine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Substance disorders - cocaine - Essay Example The paper is written to inform the reader about this drug from the categories of the DSM-IV through the issues of treatment. According to King, Davison, Neale and Johnson (2007), substance related disorders are defined as disorders in which drugs such as alcohol and cocaine are abused to such an extent that behavior becomes maladaptive, social and occupational functioning are impaired and control or abstinence becomes impossible. Reliance on the drug may be psychological as in substance abuse or physiological as in substance dependence or addiction. According to the DSM IV TR the following is the criteria for substance dependence and abuse: A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring any time in the same 12-month period: 7. The substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance (for example, current cocaine use despite recognition of cocaine-induced depression or continued drinking despite recognition that an ulcer was made worse by alcohol consumption). One of which outlines whether substance dependence is; With physiologic dependence (evidence of tolerance or withdrawal) or Without physiologic dependence (no evidence of tolerance or withdrawal). In addition, remission categories are classified into four subtypes: 1. Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (such as repeated absences or poor work performance related to substance use; substance-related absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school; or neglect of children or household). 4. Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated

Friday, August 23, 2019

Export Managing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Export Managing - Assignment Example Description in promotion and internalization" of Sheep artisan cheese as a "Niche original product" is based on less import limitations of USFDA in such Diary products. Also, an environmental analysis of the Importer of Artisan cheeses on US Diary market (competitors) will be explored through available official data base from State resources, National Chambers and Foundations as ought to relevant publications. Therefore this "Paper" would try with theoretical conclusion to find out the most acceptable marketing strategy as a part of export management to increase import of FYROM's Artisan Cheese to the USA. Introduction The current market status of the firm would be checked and a thorough screening shall be done for any potential that there exists for the firm to penetrate deeper into the U.S economy because this is the strategic goal of the countries consortium. This goal was also supported by the U.S because it was in their long term interest that the farming sector be given a boost and also some NGO's came forward to support the cause but these NGO's were heavily funded by the USAID. Although the first shipment (2004) was very figurative it was a sign that still a small country as FYROM is, can be able to develop export on a very specific, but for the country, agro-industrial important segment. Also, aware of the experience of our neighbors, (Greece and Bulgaria) it was an argument for an opportunity to have and outcome in export for the traditional part of agribusiness of the country. The "case" will include a presentation of a theory how a consortium can go "international" if it apply a good marketing plan and...Description in promotion and internalization" of Sheep artisan cheese as a "Niche original product" is based on less import limitations of USFDA in such Diary products. Also, an environmental analysis of the Importer of Artisan cheeses on US Diary market (competitors) will be explored through available official data base from State resources, National Chambers and Foundations as ought to relevant publications. The current market status of the firm would be checked and a thorough screening shall be done for any potential that there exists for the firm to penetrate deeper into the U.S economy because this is the strategic goal of the countries consortium. This goal was also supported by the U.S because it was in their long term interest that the farming sector be given a boost and also some NGO's came forward to support the cause but these NGO's were heavily funded by the USAID. Although the first shipment (2004) was very figurative it was a sign that still a small country as FYROM is, can be able to develop export on a very specific, but for the country, agro-industrial important segment. Also, aware of the experience of our neighbors, (Greece and Bulgaria) it was an argument for an opportunity to have and outcome in export for the traditional part of agribusiness of the country. The "case" will include a presentation of a theory how a consortium can go "international" if it apply a good marketing plan and export ma

Thursday, August 22, 2019

I.T. Project - Converting a Card Index System to a Database Essay Example for Free

I.T. Project Converting a Card Index System to a Database Essay The present system is based on the manual card index system so most of the work is done by hand, however due to the ever increasing growth of technology, and the internet, a wide range of resources are now being made easily accessible. British Airways has recently introduced booking online, where customers can book a flight and accommodation all over the Internet. Being such a big company as British Airways, most of their bookings are made through travel agents who book the flights and pass the information on to them. Question 1 Could you describe the current system being used by Question 2 How are these cards stored? Question3 What problems do you encounter at the moment? Software Available MICROSOFT OFFICE 2000 WORD PROCESSOR MICROSOFT WORD 2000 A word processing package is a program or set of programs used to edit, format, store and print documents. Word processors have many important unique features: * Spelling and Grammar Checker Misspelt words, or grammatical errors can be identified and corrected by the words in the computers dictionary. Correct words, identified by the spell check as wrong can be added to the dictionary. * Automatic creation of index and table of contents Any word in the text can be marked for inclusion in an index. Headings and subheadings in a given style can be included automatically in a table of contents, which can be updated at any time. * Import Files Tables, photographs, graphics, video and sound files can be imported from other sources and inserted in a document. * Mail merge A document and a list of names and addresses can be merged to produce personalised letters. * Creation of templates with preset text styles. Margins, formatting, letterheading etc. * WYSIWYG This stands for What You See Is What you Get, and refers to the ability to display on the screen. And enables the user to see their work on the screen exactly as it will be printed. SPREADSHEET MICROSOFT EXCEL 2000 Spreadsheet packages allow a user to create worksheets (spreadsheets) representing data in column and row form. Spreadsheets are used for any application that uses numerical data, such as budgets, cash flow forecasts, profit and loss statements, student marks or results of experiment. Spreadsheet features: * Format cells, rows and columns, specifying for example, the alignment of text, number of decimal points, height and width of cells. * Copy cell contents to other locations, with automatic adjustment of formulae from an area to another location. * Determine the effect of several different hypothetical changes of data; this facility is called what-if calculation. * Insert, move or delete rows and columns. * Use functions such as sum, average, max, min in formulae * Create a simple database and sort or query the data to produce a report of, say for example, all males gaining over a C grade, for a list of students. * Write macros to automate common procedures * Create templates Spreadsheets with formats and formulae already entered, into which new figures may be inserted. * Create multi dimensional spreadsheets using several sheets, and copy data from one sheet to another * Create many different types of chart and graphs DATABASE MICROSOFT ACCESS 2000 A database is a collection of data. It may be something as simple as a list of names and addresses or details of the CDs in your personal collection, or it may contain details of all the customers, products, orders and payments in a large organisation. When made reference to, the word database is assumed to be data held on a computer, but manual databases also exist. Some smaller business (a garage) may hold a card index file with details about a customer and their car. The main difference between a manual and computerised databases is the speed at which data can be accessed. PRESENTATION GRAPHICS MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2000 Presentation graphics software such as PowerPoint is useful for putting together a presentation which can be delivered using a computer attached to a projection device, using transparencies and an ordinary overhead projector or as a self-running presentation in, say a shopping centre or cinema. The software allows the user to quickly create slides combining text, graphics and pictures and to create animation or sound effects and transition effects between slides. OPERATING SYSTEM MICROSOFT WINDOWS 98 Hardware Available These are the specifications of the PC I am using at Home: OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS(r) 98 PLUS! CPU INTEL(r) CELERONTM / 333MHZ RAM 64MB FOR WINDOWS(r) 98 SCREEN DISPLAY 800 BY 600 PIXELS TRUE COLOUR (32 BIT) CD-ROM SPEED 32-SPEED AVAILABLE SPACE ON HARD DRIVE 2.4GB AUDIO 16-BIT SOUND CARD OTHER LOUDSPEAKERS These are the system specifications for the systems at school: OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS(r) 98 CPU 433MHZ RAM 32MB FOR WINDOWS(r) 98 SCREEN DISPLAY 640 BY 480 PIXELS 256 COLOURS CD-ROM SPEED 24 SPEED AVAILABLE SPACE ON HARD DRIVE 10MB AUDIO 8-BIT SOUND CARD PRINTER HP LASERJET All systems should have Microsoft Office 97/2000. All systems must have Microsoft Excel 97/2000. End Users IT Literacy The end user of my system will already have basic IT skills and will have already had experience with the Microsoft Office Package. As they are working for a big trans-national company, they would have already undergone training in the secretarial sector, of which IT skills are a key part. To even have the job, they would have to be able to type quickly, answer calls and transmit data efficiently. Therefore, training costs will be kept to a minimum. Final Choice Having looked at the current system and the software and hardware available, I have decided to use Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program to design my booking system. Spreadsheet packages allow a user to create worksheets (spreadsheets) representing data in column and row form. Spreadsheets are used for any application that uses numerical data, such as budgets, cash flow forecasts, profit and loss statements, student marks or results of experiments. Spreadsheets offer a wide range of facilities making the task easier to perform. SKILLS: Current/To be acquired I have a good understanding of the Microsoft Excel package. I have done quite a few calculations and performed basic macros. Having looked through the coursework of former students, and reading through the coursework guide, I realise that I need to improve my knowledge of Excel. Excel is a powerful package and can carry out many tasks easily if instructed correctly. I have already started to go through sample projects showing me how to go about certain tasks with a book titled Successful I.T. Projects in Excel, written by P.M Heathcote. End User Requirements Provide detailed reports showing customer booking for every working day. Produce summary reports for flight bookings in order of popularity. Allow data entry for new customers. Provide easy access for amendments to customer details and flight details. Automatic backup for all centralised records daily and weekly. Provide an exception report for outstanding customer debts or extreme bank credit limits. The system should record financial details concerning money in/outstanding. Allow queries on the current flight availability. Quantitative Criteria Printed tickets are to be generated within 15 minutes. Accessing and amending customer/Fight/Airport details should be instantaneous. Queries are processed promptly on customer request. Backup should occur automatically every 24 hours. Flight details processed every Friday (1 hour max) Exception reports are produced quickly on demand within a minute. Qualitative Criteria The system should provide a workable Human Computer Interface system according to different users, i.e. simple menu selections or buttons The company logo is consistent on all forms and reports. Amount of available screen data is kept to a minimum (increase usability) Help systems are easily accessible.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Arguments For and Against Personality Predictors

Arguments For and Against Personality Predictors Arguments in favour Anyone seeking to measure personality has an abundance of useful psychometric instruments at their disposal, include the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) (e.g. Archer, 2005), the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) (Watkins et al, 1997), the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Myers McCauley, 1985; McCrae Costa, 1989), and the, NEO Personality Inventory (revised) (Costa McCrae, 1992), and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) (Cramer, 1996), just to mention a few. Thus it should be simple matter to generate a reliable and valid set of scores, which can then be used to make various predictions about future behaviour. Studies have shown that the more established personality tests have acceptable levels of reliability (i.e. they measure personality consistently, both in terms of stability over time/across situations, and internally), and validity (they seem to measure personality, rather than some other psychological feature) (e.g. Costa McCrae, 1992; Wa tkins et al, 1997). Indeed, use of some of these measures is so widespread that they have become a standard part of psychological assessments in health care and recruitment, marriage counselling, and other fields (Davey, 2004; Myers, 2007). The data obtained can for example be used to make a prediction about the success of a marriage, professional abilities of a candidate for a job, or medical outcomes. For example, the MMPI is regularly used to make determinations about future behavioural problems in psychiatric patients (Arbisi et al, 2002). The NEO Personality Inventory and Myers Briggs Type Indicator have been fund to be particularly useful at predicting future behaviour. For example Moutafi et al (2003) asked 900 people to complete various psychological tests as part of an exercise conducted by a business consulting company. These tests included the MBTI and the revised version of the NEO Personality Inventory. Multiple regression analysis showed that various personality scales contained in both personality inventories reliably predict multiple dimensions of intelligence, at the 5% level of significance (Howitt Cramer, 2005). Clearly, the availability of tried and tested measurement tools suggests that it personality can be measured reasonably accurately, and hence used as the basis for making predictions. Another argument concerns the dispositional nature of personality traits. Personality has long been conceptualised as a stable and enduring feature that once developed does not change much during a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s lifetime (Allport, 1937; Ryckman, 2004). This stability means it is possible to formulate a clear idea about the nature of a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s personality (e.g. using a personality test) (Myers, 2007). This idea, once formed, can then be used to make predictions. To better appreciate this argument consider more volatile psychological characteristic like stress or coping (Janis, 1986). A persons stress levels can fluctuate widely over any given period of time. For example, an individual may experience high stress levels when the go to work during the day, but then feel relaxed once they return home. Similarly an individual may become highly agitated when flying in an aircraft and then subsequently experience little or no stress once they are back on the ground. Given the volat ility of stress levels it may be rather difficult for a researcher to conduct an overall and accurate assessment of a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s anxiety. By contrast, personality shows sufficient continuity to enable a researcher develop a reliable personality profile (Engler, 2006) for any one individual. The accuracy of personality measurement is facilitated by the availability of suitable statistical tools, notably factor analysis (Tabachnick Fidell, 1996; Field, 2000). Factor analysis is a statistical method that allows one to condense a large amount of data into a small number of more manageable dimensions. In particular, a personsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ responses to a large number of items in an inventory can be reduced to a small number of basic dimensions that encapsulate the individualsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ personality. This is important given that personality is a multidimensional construct that can be described with thousands of words, phrases, and sentences, in the English language (Livesley Jackson, 1986). Consequently, personality theorists have routinely used this test to identify the basic dimensions of personality, such GoldbergÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s (1993) Ã¢â‚¬ËœBig FiveÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ personality themes Ã¢â‚¬â€œ agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience. It is well known that renowned psychologist Hans Eysenck (Haggbloom, 2002) was one of those to first grasp the utility of factor analysis for developing accurate measures of personality. He subjected a large number of personality items to factor analyses, over several decades, yielding several dimensions: a proclivity to experience negative feelings, which he called neuroticism; an interest in social activity, labelled extraversion; and later a susceptibility to mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia), named psychoticism. These dimensions have been used to make predictions about a wide variety of behaviours, in many different situations (e.g. see review by Riggio Riggio, 2002). Furthermore, a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s personality is a significant determinant of their behaviour in many different situations (Ryckman, 2004; Myers, 2007). This is a scientific fact, as demonstrated by the large number of studies that have used personality measures as the basis for determining various aspects of human behaviour under disparate conditions (McCrae Costa, 1990). For example, studies have shown how a defensive, unreceptive, or evasive personality can lead audiences to reject health warnings issued on a variety of topics and in a multiplicity of situations (see review by Eagly Chaiken, 1993). Empirical studies show that personality scores predict a significant amount of the variance in various behavioural scores, with the influence of chance factors falling below the five percent level (e.g. Moutafi et al, 2003). For this reason psychologists have spent a considerable amount of time and effort studying this construct. Once an accurate measurement of a persons personality have been obtained it should be fairly simple to make a significant prediction about their current or future behaviour in any given situation, using analytic procedures such as multiple regression analysis. Arguments against Psychologists cannot agree on the proper definition of personality, let alone measure it accurately and make reliable predictions. Open any relevant psychology textbook and one is confronted with several different theoretical accounts of precisely what personality means (e.g. Davey, 2004; Myers, 2007). For example, the legendary Sigmund Freud conceptualises personality as a multidimensional construct (incorporating the id, ego, and superego) that transcends the conscious, preconscious, and subconscious, and is driven by unconscious emotional problems. By contrast behaviourists, such as Burrhus Skinner, view personality as learned behaviours shaped by reinforcement and conditioning. Trait theorists like Gordon Allport conceptualise personality as stable behavioural characteristics that manifest across different situations. Thus, psychologists are far from reaching a consensus. Therefore, the idea that personality can be measured accurately is nonsensical. How can one measure a phenome non that isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t clearly defined? Until psychologists can agree on a universal definition of personality, accurate measurement will remain an unattainable dream. At the beginning of this essay I provided a list of measurement tools for assessing personality, for example the MMPI, MBTI, and NEO personality inventory. While these instruments do appear to have some accuracy, their psychometric properties are continually the subject of doubt and criticism (e.g. McCrae Costa, 1989; Watkins et al, 1997). Reliability coefficients, while good, arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t often high enough, and validity tests are rarely conclusive (Arbisi et al, 2002). Given these problems in the measurement of personality, accurate prediction of behaviour is bound to be impaired. For example, it is known fact that measurement error, resulting from the use unreliable and invalid measurement tools, can obscure significant relations between variables, resulting in a type II error (Baron Kenny, 1986; Howitt Cramer, 2 005). The idea that personality could be used to predict behaviour across situations rests on an important assumption Ã¢â‚¬â€œ that how people respond in any given situation is necessarily predictable. The truth is that a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s behaviour may sometimes be random with no apparent cause. This idea is echoes chaos theory (Gleick, 1987), a scientific school of thought that proposes that an event may be unpredictable due to various complexities or errors in its antecedent conditions. For example, long-term weather forecasting is often difficult because so many unstable climatic factors interact in such a complex fashion that minor changes in the nature of these interactions, and the elements which interact, could produce random, unpredictable, and escalating weather patterns. Chaos theory is applicable to the social sciences (Kiel Elliot, 1997). Different personality characteristics may interact (Howitt Cramer, 2005) in extremely complex fashions that any slight changes in the nature of these interactions or the variables involved can produce statistical and computational problems that reduce predictive power (Field, 2000). For example, any error in measurement of personality will be magnified to such an extent that it would obscure significant relationships between personality and behaviour. Baron and Kenny (1986) document this magnification in measurement error resulting from interactions between multiple variables. It means that behaviours produced by overly complex interactions between personality characteristics may to all intents and purposes be mathematically unpredictable, and hence appear random and sporadic, irrespective of the situation (Gleick, 1987). This is especially likely when trying to predict fleeting or eccentric behaviours (e.g. deliberate self-harm) often resulting from the complicated interplay between not just personality traits, but also other psychological phenomena, not to mention situational factors. There are others concerns. Psychologists canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t agree on whether personality traits are best conceptualised as stable entities that persist across situations or variable characteristics that change from one situation to the next (Davey, 2004). Which is it? Whatever view one subscribes to has measurement implications. Stable personality dispositions are generally more difficult to measure accurately, for various reasons (Leventhal et al, 1993). For example, people are less accurate at describing how they Ã¢â‚¬ËœgenerallyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ behave, showing a memory bias towards positive rather than negative characteristics: in which case it would be more difficult to predict behaviour in any given situation, due to reliability and validity constraints. Finally, there is what social psychologists call the fundamental attribution error (Aronson, 1995). This refers to the tendency to overestimate the effect of personality on behaviour and underestimate the impact of the situation. Consider for example a person who has a fear of flying. They become highly stressed, agitated, and sometimes even panic stricken once a plane reaches cruising altitude. However, their anxiety disappears once the plane is back on the ground. The primary determinant of this individualÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s emotional stress is situational Ã¢â‚¬â€œ flying in a plane. Although personality may be important Ã¢â‚¬â€œ for example, he/she may have a neurotic personality, making them more prone to stress (Riggio Riggio, 2002) Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it would be a mistake to underestimate the effect of the situation (Janis, 1986; Engler, 2006). The essence of the fundamental attribution error here is thus: even if personality could be measured accurately, it may still fail to predict behaviour effectively to the extent that the behaviour in question is primarily a function of the situation rather than personality characteristics. Conclusion Can we predict a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s response in any given situation if personality could be measured accurately? This essay presents arguments for and against. Regarding the former, psychometrically useful measures of personality abound, yielding reasonably reliable and valid personality scores that can be used for making behavioural predictions. Furthermore, analytic tools like factor analysis and the purportedly stable property of personality traits may both facilitate accurate measurement and further improve predictive power. Various empirical studies exist the support these arguments. However, there are several strong counterarguments that are difficult to refute. There is as yet in psychology no unanimous definition of personality. This raises serious questions about the psychometric attributes of any instrument that purports to measure personality. Indeed existing personality inventories are continually plagued by concerns about reliability and validity. Even without these psychom etric issues, a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s behaviour is often heavily (if not entirely) determined by the prevailing situation, rather than their personality characteristics. Thus, even the most accurate personality measures will exhibit poor predictive power. In any case it is questionable whether human behaviour is always predictable. Certain responses may appear random, sporadic, and to all intents and purposes, unpredictable, due to analytic and methodological limits of existing science. In the midst of these constraining realities it is unlikely that personality traits could reliability predict behaviour across different situations References Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A Psychological Interpretation. New York: Holt,Ã‚ Rinehart Winston. Arbisi, P., Ben-Porath Y. McNulty J (2002). A comparison of MMPI-2 validity inÃ‚ African American and Caucasian psychiatric inpatients. PsychologicalÃ‚ Assessment 14, pp.3-15. Archer, R.P. (2005). MMPI-A: Assessing Adolescent Psychopathology LawrenceÃ‚ Erlbaum Associates Aronson, E. (1995) The Social Animal. New York: Freeman. Baron, R. M. Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction inÃ‚ social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statisticalÃ‚ considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51,Ã‚ pp.1173Ã¢â‚¬â€˜1182. Costa, P.T., McCrae, R.R. (1992). Revised NEO personality inventory and NEOÃ‚ five-factor inventory professional manual. Florida: Psychological AssessmentÃ‚ Resources, Inc. Cramer, P. (1996) Storytelling, Narrative, and the Thematic Apperception Test. NewÃ‚ York City: Guilford Press. Davey, G. (ed) (2004) Complete Psychology. London: Hodder Stoughton. Eagly, A. Chaiken, S (1993). The Psychology of Attitudes, Fort Worth, TX:Ã‚ Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Engler, B. (2006). Personality Theories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Field, A. (2000) Discovering Statistics using SPSS for Windows: AdvancedÃ‚ techniques for the Beginner. London: Sage. Goldberg, L. R. (1993). The structure of phenotypic personality traits. AmericanÃ‚ Psychologist, 48, pp.26-34. Haggbloom, S.J. (2002). The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century.Ã‚ Review of General Psychology, 6, pp.139-152. Howitt, D. Cramer, D. (2005) Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology.Ã‚ London: Pearson. Janis, I.L. (1986). Coping patterns among patients with life-threatening diseases.Ã‚ Issues in Mental Health. Nursing, 7, pp.461Ã¢â‚¬â€œ476. Kiel, L. D. Elliott, E.W. (eds) (1997). Chaos Theory in the Social Sciences:Ã‚ Foundations Applications. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.. Livesley, W. J., Jackson, D. N. (1986). The internal consistency and factorial structureÃ‚ of behaviors judged to be associated with DSM-III personality disorders.Ã‚ American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, pp.1473-1474. Leventhal, E.A., Suls, J. Leventhal, H. (1993) Hierarchical analysis of coping:Ã‚ Evidence from lifespan studies. In. H.W. Krohne (ed) Attention and Avoidance.Ã‚ (pp.71-99) Seattle, Hogrefe and Huber Publishers. McCrae, R.R. Costa, P.T (1989) Reinterpreting the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorÃ‚ From the Perspective of the Five-Factor Model of Personality. Journal ofÃ‚ Personality, 57, pp.17-40 Moutafi, J., Furnham, A., Crump, J. (2003). Demographic and personalityÃ‚ predictors of intelligence: A study using the Neo Personality Inventory andÃ‚ Myers Briggs Type Indicator. European Journal of Personality, 17, pp.79Ã¢â‚¬â€œ94. Myers, D. G. (2007). Psychology: Eighth edition in modules. New York: WorthÃ‚ Publishers. Myers, I., McCauley, M.H. (1985), A Guide to the Development and Use of theÃ‚ Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Ryckman, R. (2004). Theories of Personality. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Riggio, H.R. Riggio, R.E. (2002) Emotional expressiveness, extraversion Ã‚ neuroticism: a meta-analysis. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 26, pp.195-218. Tabachnick, B.G. Fidell, L.S. (1996). Using Multivariate Statistics. New York:Ã‚ HarperCollins Watkins, M.W., Kush, J., Glutting, J.J. (1997). Discriminant and predictive validityÃ‚ of the WISC-III ACID profile among children with learning disabilities.Ã‚ Psychology in the Schools, 34, pp.309-319.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Globalization Theory on Welfare Provision

Globalization Theory on Welfare Provision Globalization theory implies that the nation has little autonomy in organizing itsÃ‚ welfare provision. Evaluate this statement, referring to at least two welfare regimes. At first glance this statement appears to be true when applied to the welfare states of both Germany and Sweden. For nearly a century the Swedish welfare system was the worldÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s pre-eminent example of the Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsocial-democraticÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ model of welfare provision; likewise GermanyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s welfare regime was a classic instance of the Ã¢â‚¬ËœConservativeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ model. Yet in the late 1980Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and early 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s both models were aggressively assailed by serious economic difficulties. These difficulties have been attributed to the effects of globalization and they have been cited as evidence that idiosyncratic and distinctive national welfare schemes cannot resist world economic and social forces. Economic evidence appears to uphold this statement. SwedenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s unemployment figures rose for instance from less that 1% in the late 1980Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s to over 12.5% in 1993. In Germany workers contributed 26% of their income to welfare in 1970 and over 40% by 1990. Faced with such figures Swedish and German governments have felt massive pressure to cut back on systems of benefits that their accustomed citizens have deemed essential for more than fifty years. Authors such as Esping Anderson argue however that Ã¢â‚¬â€œ at least in the case of Sweden and other Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsocial-democraciesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the present economic difficulties of these systems are temporary phenomenon made more severe by a combination of unfortunate events in the world economy in the 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. These pressures are ephemeral and when they pass away it will be possible to maintain the universal level of welfare guaranteed by the social-democratic model. Less optimism can be expressed for the German model which faces the enormous difficulties with its ageing population, rising tax-burdens and assimilation of East Germany. The term Ã¢â‚¬ËœglobalizationÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ has become something of a bloated monster with many different heads each meaning for the people who use them slightly or considerably different things from the others. Even a casual glance at the literature will show that the term is associated with the spread of each of the following: internationalization, liberalization, universalization, westernization, modernization or deterritorialization (Held, 1999). There is little space in this essay to discuss these terms in depth, and so it is best here to give a consensus definition that draws from each of them. When referred to welfare regimes globalization signifies an economic and social compression and condensing of the world whereby financial and social interaction between states is intensified. The World Bank for example defines globalization as the Ã¢â‚¬Å"Freedom and ability of individuals and firms to initiate voluntary economic transactions with residents of other countriesÃ¢â‚¬ [1]. Globali zation means that there is a greater flow of commodities and influence across the borders of countries. Economically, this means that free trade, migration, capital and technology have a far greater power to influence individual states and nations than they had before. National economies and institutions (such as welfare systems) are more susceptible to international pressures and are often forced to conform or modify themselves so as to be competitive with these general trends. In social terms, globalization imposes upon individual nations the need to conform to international attitudes, for instance, towards the rights of women. Acceptance of such impositions often requires profound changes to the structure of traditional national institutions or ways of life. Authors on globalization have been equally vociferous in their support and condemnation of the movement. Noam Chomsky, for instance, is publicly critical of the tendency of globalization to remove freedom and choice from the individual and to transfer it to transnational corporations. Chomsky argues that global organizations such as the Bretton Wood institutions, the IMF and the World Bank, have promoted the Ã¢â‚¬ËœWashington ConsensusÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ whereby poor countries have to reduce welfare provisions to meet debt payments to richer nations (Chomsky, 1999). Accordingly, the WTO, GATT and NAFTA are agencies that seek to acquire privileges for elites rather than those of the third-world. In contrast, those who promote globalization, such as the leaders of the institutions listed above, argue that globalization means a golden opportunity to build a platform for worldwide and universal democracy, healthcare, pension provision and all of the other basic rights expected by citizens of Western welfare regimes. Esping AndersonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (Esping-Anderson, 1990) is a seminal text in the literature of welfare states. As its title suggest, EspingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s book divides the various kinds of welfare regimes in developed nations into three types: Liberal, Conservative (Corporate), and Social Democratic. Examples of countries with Liberal welfare regimes are the United States, Canada and Australia. These systems support means-measured-assistance that issue benefits for mainly the poor or those incapable of self-assistance. Government intervention in the welfare system is limited since government institutions are seen as unsuited for the dispersal of benefits; private welfare initiatives are as such much encouraged. The liberal model is predominantly individualistic and market-orientated. Examples of the Conservative type include Germany, France and Italy. In this model welfare benefits are related to social position and employment status. This model depends heav ily upon the work of the Church which is intimately linked to the distribution of welfare Ã¢â‚¬â€œ particularly provision for the poor. So too the family is a vital source welfare. Sweden, Denmark and Norway are examples of countries that practice the Social Democratic model of welfare provision. Referred to also as the Ã¢â‚¬ËœScandinavian ModelÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ or the Ã¢â‚¬ËœSwedish ModelÃ¢â‚¬â„¢, this type of provision demands the intimate public involvement of its citizens in the economy and society of the nation. In such models the welfare state is an umbrella that protects the whole nation. For instance, education is universally free (or very cheap) and of such a uniformly excellent level that it is unnecessary to maintain private schools. Healthcare, childcare allowances and old-age pensions are available to all citizens. The philosophy of the social democratic model is that its institutions should be egalitarian whereby the standard of living for the whole nation is leveled as much as possible. EspingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s model has been highly influential upon the thought of scholars writing about the welfare state and upon practitioners within it. EspingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s work is also significant because he suggests that the social-democratic model may be able to weather the difficulties it has undergone by globalization since the early 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. These ideas are now discussed with reference to the particular welfare regimes of Sweden and Germany. The German welfare regime is a classic example of the conservative model of welfare provision. Originating with Chancellor Otto von Bismarck during the 1880Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s the German welfare regime gradually established compulsory insurance schemes for healthcare, accidents, disability and old-age. After Bismarck the German welfare state was further expanded during the years of the Weimar Republic and the Nazi dictatorship. In 1957 Chancellor Adenauer passed the Pension Reform Law which aimed to distribute on an egalitarian basis the wealth of the Ã¢â‚¬Ëœeconomic miracleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ that Germany was experiencing at the time. This was a momentous and controversial decision that would lead to successive German chancellorÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s competing to offer better and better Ã¢â‚¬â€œ and more unrealistic and more unrealistic! Ã¢â‚¬â€œ welfare provisions and retirement packages to German workers. Adenauer replaced BismarckÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s limited system of helping only the elderly or desperately poor with pensio n schemes linked to wages referred to as Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpay-as-you-goÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Beck, 1995). These schemes were highly successful during the boom times of the 1950Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and 1960Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and up until the 1970Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. The 1980Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s however saw the beginning of a series of serious economic challenges to the German welfare model: the German economy began to slow, the re-unification of East Germany meant huge extra burdens for the system and the German population was ageing quickly. In these years pension contributions for German workers went up from 26% in 1970 to 40% in 1990 (Crew, 1998). German politicians failed to see and so prepare for these events. Chancellors Helmut Schmidt and Helmut Kohl sought to improve things by extravagant pensions promises that they knew they could not could not fulfill. Chancellor Kohl for instance famously claimed in his 1990 Unity Campaign that Ã¢â‚¬ËœWhen I say that we will not increase taxes, it means we will not increase taxesÃ¢â‚ ¬â„¢ (Bleses, 2004). Within a year gasoline, tobacco and insurance taxes had been raised as well as the solidarity surcharge added. Globalization became a major problem for the German welfare system in the early 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s when the world-recession hit GermanyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s economy hard and made it difficult for her to sustain her generous welfare provision. Germany initially responded to the pressures of globalization by raising taxes steeply. Chancellor Gerhard SchroederÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s has recently sought to introduce comprehensive reforms of the welfare system Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Hartz 1V[2] for instance to respond to globalization. German trade unions are intractably opposed to such reforms and have staged huge street protests against them. The Ã¢â‚¬ËœSwedish modelÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ of welfare provision is a classic example of the social-democratic type. The history of the Swedish model is closely bound to the aims of the Swedish Social Democratic Party which was founded in 1889. The SDP was set up by industrial workers who aimed to guarantee every Swedish worker (and later every Swede) medical insurance, pensions in old-age, redundancy protection and various other benefits that guarded them against poverty and hunger. The SDP based the Swedish welfare system upon very high taxation (as it remains today) and Swedes pay up to 60% of their total income to the government. 90% of businesses in Sweden are privately owned and pay large corporate taxes to the government also. The SDPÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s interpretation of the welfare state was based upon high taxation and was referred to as the Ã¢â‚¬ËœPeopleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s HomeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢. The SDP became the dominant political force in Sweden in the 1930Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s (lasting in power for sixty years) and in 19 37 the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) passed a pensions scheme for the elderly that continues to the present. After World War II the SDP extensively enlarged the welfare regime. This extension included mandatory health insurance, dental insurance, child-care subsidies, five-week vacation periods and so on. Thus by the 1970Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s the dream of the Ã¢â‚¬ËœPeopleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s HomeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ had been substantially realized. Nearly sixty years of near blissful conditions in SwedenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s welfare system were seriously threatened in the 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s by a series of economic difficulties which were attributed to globalization and adduced as evidence that individual national monetary policies cannot survive the effects of globalization (Rydenfelt, 1981). Sweden is the classic example of the social-democratic model Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthird-wayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ between conservatism and laissez-faire and so if Sweden fails to protect its distinctive system then all others of this type are likely to fail also. Globalization is seen to have forced Sweden to reduce full-employment provisions and to slash benefits in its welfare regime. The electoral defeat of the SDP for the first time in sixty years was seen as further evidence of the ability of globalization to affect well-rooted national institutions. Evidence for the crisis caused by globalization appears convincing. Between 1990-1995 national growth was viscous at 0.4% GDP, une mployment soared from 1.6% in 1990 to 12.5% in 1993. Government expenditure measured in GDP climbed from 60% in 1989 to 74.1% in 1993 (Crew, 1993). These events had three principal causes. Firstly, the volatility of Swedish currency internationally in expectation of the finalization of the European Single Market and also the act of SwedenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s joining the EU. Second, the far-stretched depression of the early 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s that reached globally. Thirdly, the difficulties of maintaining the level of the Krona next to the Deutschmark after competitive devaluations were ditched in the 1980Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. This evidence can be interpreted in two ways. Some argue that the Swedish crisis is an inevitable consequence of lavish public spending and impossibly high welfare provisions. The other school, represented by Esping-Anderson for instance, argues that the Swedish crisis is temporary and that its welfare state is capable of surviving present economic difficulties. Events for this school ar e conjunctural (Esping-Anderson, 1990). Sweden is not the victim of globalization, but of a particularly unlucky set of economic coincidences. Finally it must be said that neither Sweden nor Germany has yet determined with certainty whether they will be able to resist the pressure of globalization to modify or replace their idiosyncratic national welfare models. Sweden and Germany face pressure from within and without. Globalization from the outside, and the absolute demand of their citizens for a continuation of the present generosity of their respective welfare systems. If Esping Anderson is right, Sweden may weather the storm and preserve its social-democratic model. For Germany the external pressures are greater and the rescue of its conservative model far less certain. Bibliography Beck, H. (1995) The Origins of the Authoritarian Welfare State in Prussia. Ann Arbor,Ã‚ University of Michigan Press. Bleses, P. (2004) The Dual Transformation of the German Welfare State. Palgrave Macmillan,Ã‚ Basingstoke. Castells, M. (1996). Information Technology and Global CapitalismÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ in W. Hutton A.Ã‚ Giddens (eds.) On the Edge: Living with Global Capitalism. Vintage, London. Crew, D. F. (1998). Germans on Welfare. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Chomsky, N. (2003). Hegemony or Survival. Metropolitan Books, New York. Chomsky, N. (1999). Profit Over People. Seven Stories Press, New York. Chossudovsky, M. (1997). The Globalization of Poverty. Impacts of the IMF and World BankÃ‚ Reforms. Zed Books, London. Esping-Anderson, G. (1990). The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Polity Press,Ã‚ Cambridge. Hajighasemi, A. N. (2002). The Transformation of the Swedish Welfare System: Fact orÃ‚ Fiction? University of Durham, Durham. Held, D (et al.). (1999). Global Transformations Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Politics, Economics and Culture. PolityÃ‚ Press, Cambridge. Kelner, D. (1997). Globalization and the Postmodern Turn. UCLA, Los Angeles. Kuttner, R. (2002). Globalization and Poverty. The American Prospect Online.Ã‚ www.prospect.org./print/V13/1/global-intro.html/ Liebfried, S. (2003). Limits to Globalization: Welfare States and the World Economy. PolityÃ‚ Press, Cambridge. Rydenfelt, S. (1981). The Rise and Decline of the Swedish Welfare State. Lund UniversityÃ‚ Press, Lund. Rydenfelt, S. (1980). The Limits of Taxation: Lessons from the Swedish Welfare State. LundÃ‚ University Press, Lund. [1] www.worldbank.org/globalization/definition [2] Hartz IV, Federal Agency for Labour: a law that offers reduced unemployment benefits at different levels in East and West Germany.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Internet Issues :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Internet Issues Ã‚ The Internet is a wide network of computers around the world.Ã‚ It allows many computers to communicate and share information, with few physical boundaries.Ã‚ It has become an integral part of today's society.Ã‚ Today, almost everyone in the US can access the Internet.Ã‚ It is a valuable asset for people doing research as well as new form of entertainment for many people addicted to the world wide web.Ã‚ Ã‚ With this great advancement in technology, many people are signing up for accounts with ISP's and people wait in line at their local libraries, just to surf the web.Ã‚ The Internet has become so accessible and so high in demand, that now even pocket organizers come equipped with 33.6 KBPS modems so that people can connect to the Internet from any location in the world with a phone line.Ã‚ This new technology, however is not without itsÃ‚ shortcomings.Ã‚ Ã‚ In fact people are constantly praising it, that they don't always realize the pitfalls of the Internet.Ã‚ Ã‚ Many people go on the Internet every day to do research or to catch up on current events.Ã‚ However, one must realize that no one owns the Internet and therefore it is difficult for one organization to control it.Ã‚ This makes it very easy for people to release false information and to spread propaganda, with almost no laws to stop them.Ã‚ Even though there are laws restricting people as to what may be posted on the Internet, the Internet is so large that no one can really enforce all the laws.Ã‚ It may take years for a government agency to find a site with illegal content.Ã‚ A government also cannot control a site's content if the site is located on a computer outside the physical boundaries of the country.Ã‚ Also, anyone wishing to spread a rumor can do so by e-mail and the false information will spread around the world like wildfire.Ã‚ Thousands of users logged into the Internet everyday access information via e-mail, newsgroups, world wide web pages and many other w ays, but how much of the information they access can be trusted to be true.Ã‚ It has always been a good rule of thumb to only trust corporate or government sites, but what if it were them who also spread false information.Ã‚ And why shouldn't they? They have nothing to lose by spreading rumors about their competitors, after all.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Lesson Plan Background: Pollution and Global Climate Change Essay exam

Lesson Plan Background: Pollution and Global Climate Change Introduction: This lesson about pollution focuses on greenhouse gases. Students will learn about greenhouse gases and how they affect ecosystems. The students will understand the greenhouse affect and how their actions relate increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. In the lesson, students will define the properties of an ecosystem, learn to identify the ecosystems they live in and how they interact within an ecosystem. The students will be able to apply what they learned on a local and global level. The students will be assessed for understanding throughout the lesson as well as at the conclusion of the lesson through activities and discussion. Because the concepts presented are complicated for 4th Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 5th grade students, the lesson requires the teacher to continually check for understanding. More detail on the assessments is provided in the Ã¢â‚¬Å"AssessmentÃ¢â‚¬ section. This lesson also develops skills that should help the students meet Colorado State standards. These skills reach the sciences as well as language arts and extend across many specific standards such as reasoning and articulating ideas. The students are encouraged to express ideas and interact with each other through discussion and small group activities while reasoning through challenging concepts. This allows the teacher to engage the students and also allows the students to become more comfortable expressing ideas. The students are also expected to propose actions to reduce pollution at the end of the lesson which allows them to think independently and to feel that they can be leaders and effect change. The first building block of the lesson is to... ...n make a pledge to act on the proposals. The students should realize through this that they can be leaders in effecting change and that they can make a difference. Works Cited Cohen, Jordan, and Nick Hopwood. "Greenhouse Gases and Society." University of Michigan. 26 Sept. 2006 . Ã¢â‚¬Å"CSI: Climate Status Investigations.Ã¢â‚¬ The Keystone Center. 26 Sept. 2006. http://www.keystonecurriculum.org/middleschool/too_cool_for_school.html#top Ã¢â‚¬Å"Global Warming.Ã¢â‚¬ Encarta Encyclopedia. MSN Encarta. 27 Sept. 2006. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567022/Global_Warming.html Ã¢â‚¬Å"Climatic Variation in Earth History.Ã¢â‚¬ Class handout. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ecosystem.Ã¢â‚¬ Encarta Dictionary. MSN Encarta. 26 Sept. 2006. http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/Ecosystem.html

The Pit And The Pendulum: Movie Vs. Book Essay -- essays research pape

The Pit and the Pendulum: Movie vs. Book The movie "The pit and the Pendulum" was nothing at all like the book. The movie started out as a man walked along the ocean to enter a huge castle. His sister had moved there when she married Dom Madena, but now she was dead. The castle was used to torture Catholics during the Inquisition. Dom Madena believes that the castle has an atmosphere of torture thick with death, and that led to the death of his sister. The doctor said she died of fright. They buried her in a tomb below the castle. As child Dom Madena saw his father torture and kill his father's brother and his own wife. He accused them of adultery. His father didn't torture his mother to death, he buried her alive. Dom Madena thought that he buried his wife alive. Then one night someone was playing the harpsichord just like his wife did. Another time a servant heard his wife whispering to her. Then one night someone trashed her room. Dom Madena, also called Nicholas, heard his wife calling him. He went through a secret passageway until he entered the room of all the torturing devices. He goes to his wife grave, which they dug up to prove she was dead, and she popped out of her grave. She chased him through the dungeon until they met with the doctor. Then Nicholas fainted, and his wife, who never really died, told him that it was all scheme. She and the doctor were having an affair. He chased the doctor and he fell into a pit and died...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Republic Act Essay

SECTION II: POLICY It is the policy of the state, consistent with the Constitution to promote the general welfare, to safeguard the interest of the in and out of school youth and the entire young populace. For this purpose, the government shall institute a balance policy whereby the use of technology such as internet cafÃƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s videogame shops and the likes, be regulated in order to promote education and preserve the culture of Filipinos and at the same time ensure that the interest of business and stakeholder are not adversely compromised. SECTION III: PURPOSE It is the main thrust of this Act to: A. Prevent minors especially the student from hanging out at some Internet cafÃƒ ©s and videogame shop/centers and other related establishments thereby promoting the sphere of education; B. Prevent the youth from excessively playing videogames thereby shielding them from becoming video game addict which cause the commission of crime by reason of desperation for money to feed their habit; C. Protect the minor for being the object of sexual exploration by paedophiles, foreign or local; SECTION IV: DEFINITION OF TERMS As used in this Act, the following shall mean: A.PERSON- refers to an individual, partnership, corporation or any other business or legal entity; B.MINOR- refers to a person below 18 years old. C.INTERNET- refers to the worldwide system of computer networks in which a user at any computer can directly get information from any other computer in the network. D.INTERNET CAFÃƒâ€°- a place of business that has a number of networked personal computers with access to the internet for surfing, chatting, e-mailing and research this is available for use by customers for fee by the hour of fraction of an hour. The business establishment may or may not be serving coffee, and/or similar beverages. Also included are cyber cafÃƒ ©, arcades, and lounges. E.COMPUTER RENTAL SHOP- refers to a business establishment with two (2) or more computer units that offers internet service, typing, printing services and gaming shop center. F.COMPUTER GAMING SHOP OR CENTER- refers to a establishment with two or more computers connected on a local area network that exclusively offers either online games (connected to the internet) or LAN games (not connected to the internet). G.SCHOOL DAYS- refers to the regular working days of the week, Monday to Friday exclusive legal and special holidays. SECTION V: PHOHIBITED ACTS The owner/proprietor/manager/attendant of internet cafÃƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s or computer rental shops/computer gaming shop or center shall be strictly prohibited from admitting or allowing minors, during school hours and school days to: a) Enter into such establishment, b) Use the computer facilities in such establishments. It shall not be a defence for the owner, proprietor, manage, partner and attendant that he/she did not know or was not aware of the real of the minor. Neither shall it be a defence that he/she did not know nor any reason to believe that the minor is the one using the computer is an instance accompanied by an adult. If said establishment is owned by partnership or corporation, the managing partner, or the president of the corporation shall be jointly held criminally liable as conspirator with the person admitting or allowing such a minor. SECTION VI: AUTHORIZED RESEARCH/ACTIVITY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES A. Any establishment mentioned above allowing minor to enter said establishment during school days for purposes of research shall not be covered by this Act, provide that the minor shall carry a school identification and clearance or permit signed by the principal or teacher in charge concerned to be presented to said establishment otherwise admission refusal is a must. B. For minors belongs to the out-of school youth or those who does not have school identification, they may enter and use the computer facilities provide it is not within or during school hours and with the written approval from from their parents. SECTION VII: PRESUMPTION OF ADMISSION Unless proven otherwise, minors found inside such establishments is prima facie proof that the owner, management, partner, attendant has consented or permitted entry thereof. SECTION VIII: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OWNERSHIP, PROPRIETOR, MANAGEMENT OF INTERNET CAFES OR COMPUTER RENTAL SHOP/COMPUTER GAMING SHOP CENTER Owners, proprietor/management and attendants of internet cafes or computer rental shop/computer gaming shop are required to perform and undertake the following measure in their operation: a. Ensure strictly that no person below majority age enters the said establishment during school days and school hours; b. Ensure strictly that no person below majority age uses a computer in the said establishment during school days and school hours; c. Permanently post a signage outside and inside the establishment showing the following statement in a clear and conspicuous manner: OFF-LIMITS TO MINORS. SECTION IX: POOF OF AGE VERIFICATION In case of doubt as to the age of the client/costumer, the owner, manager or attendants shall verify, by means of any valid form of photographic identification containing the date of birth of the bearer otherwise refuse admission so as to ensure that no person below the age of majority enters the said establishment. SECTION X: REGULAR INSPECTION and POLICE VISIBILITY Philippine National Police in the locality shall conduct regular inspection and police visibility in the above mention establishment during their business hours to ensure compliance with this Act and make a semi-annual written report to the DSWD and NYC in the area. SECTION XI: PENALTIES The following are the penalties for the violation of any provision of this Act: a) For 1st offense- a fine of P50,000 for violation of any of the provision of this Act; b) For 2nd offense- fine of P100,000 and/or revocation of business permit and licence to operate, and closure of the establishment or both at the discretion of the court. SECTION XII: IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATION The DSWD in coordination with the National Youth Commission shall formulate the necessary implementing rules and regulations for the efficient implementation of this Act. SECTION XII: SEPARABILITY CLAUSE Should any section or provision of this Act be declared as unconstitutional or invalid, other provisions which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Ikea’s Organizational Behavior

INTRO: IKEA is known for its strong organizational values, which are based on Swedish norms and in particular the opinions and values of the founder himself. It is not unusual to see IKEA employees following the norms and values even outside the working hours, but how important is OB really for IKEA? IKEAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢S BRIEF HISTORY 1940-1950 A Swedish 17-year-old man named Ingvar Kampard founded Ikea in 1943. It all began with the Ikea catalogue that was sent from house to house, which is still known today as Ikeas signature. In 1948 the range of IKEA products extended to furniture and by 1958 the first store is opened. 960-1970 By the end of the seventies, Ikea manages to not only open stores all over Europe, but in Canada and Australia as well. 1980s The large cash flow start coming in once Ikea enters the US in1985. By this time IKEA has 10,000 co-workers and 60 stores. Ingvar Kampard retires from Group Management and becomes an advisor to the parent company INGKA Holding B. V. 1990s In 90s IKEA expands in Eastern Europe as well as China. In 1990 the first environmental policy and social responsibility policy is introduced in IKEA.In 1997 IKEA launches Children`s furniture and becomes a retailer with offers to the entire family. By 1999 IKEA group grows to 50,000 co-workers and has 158 stores in 29 countries. 2000s In the year 2000 IKEA arrives to Moscow, Russia and same year Code of Conduct is introduced, called IKEA WAY. Following years IKEA is actively participates in world donating events and promotion of social responsibility. IKEA AT A GLANCE 287 IKEA GROUP STORES WORLDWITE In 2011 IKEA Group opened 7 new stores in 7 countries. As of 31. 08. 2011 it had 287 stores in 26 countries 13 0888 3 144 49 Top 5 purchasing countries: 1. China 22% 2. Poland 18% 3. Italy 8% 4. Sweden 5% 5. Germany 4% Top 5 Selling Countries: 1. Germany 15% 2. USA 11% 3. France 10% 4. Italy 7% 5. Sweden 6% CO -WORKERS PER FUNCTION * Purchasing, distribution, wholesale, range & other: 1 4,300 * Retail: 100,000 * Swedwood: 16,000 * Swedspan: 700 * Total co-workers in FY11 131. 000 TOTAL SALES: Sales increased by 6. 9% compared to 2010. Total sales amounted to EUR 24. 7 billion. SUPPLIERS IN 2011: 1,018 suppliers in 53 countriesPRODUCTS: The IKEA range consists of approximately 9,500 products. PRINTED CATALOGUES, LANGUAGES & EDITIONS: The IKEA catalogue was printed in more than 208 million copies in 30 languages and 59 editions. STORE VISITS: In 2011, the IKEA Group stores had 655 million visits. IKEA . COM: IKEA websites had 870 million visits in 2011 As for Ikeas competitors, there is Wal-Mart, Howden and Ashley Furniture. Company Employees According to Emil Svallingsson who is an employee at IKEA for 10 years, about 50% of the employees are proud of their jobs.The other half refers the individuals who do not share the exact same vision about the company, and need to be told how to do things and have a stereotypical Ã¢â‚¬Å"bossÃ¢â‚¬ , rather than be all a part of one team. Culture Center Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Together In the hometown of IKEA, Almhult, there is a Culture Center called Ã¢â‚¬Å"TogetherÃ¢â‚¬ . It is a place for employees all over the world to attend education, meetings and to learn about the company culture. There is a lecture hall, access to product archives and documents, as well as exhibitions and interactive installations.Employees are stating that the center is a great help to keep their foundational values alive and that it makes them more motivated in the everyday work life. Ã¢â‚¬Å"TogetherÃ¢â‚¬ works as a meeting place for people working at IKEA as well as a place for developing employment skills. The main idea is to gather the IKEA culture in to one building. Since there are more and more warehouses build over the world, it is not always easy to keep the same values for everyone, and therefore the center is the beginning to keep the company culture as Ingvar first created it to be. Our heart is in Almhult and it's amazing to be a ble to have a cultural center here. Ã¢â‚¬ -Ingvar Kamprad Ã¢â‚¬Å"TogetherÃ¢â‚¬ is also a great example of their flat organizational structure. Hopes are that employees, by themselves, will get a deeper understanding for the culture and by that develop IKEAs future together. Ã¢â‚¬ Ikeas center provides different exercises to the employees that show the entire IKEA concept and how it works at its best; how all the employeesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ jobs together create one big job structure, and how products are being made and the importance of raw materials.At IKEA, training is crucial to keep the social work environment functional. From the training sessions, the hope is to develop awareness, knowledge and responsibility. All employees receive this training in order to take charge of their own development. In general, IKEA wants to give the opportunities for co-workers to grow, both at an individual level, but also in their professional roles. In return, IKEA expects their co-workers to do the ir job as well as possible depending on their ability and experience, take responsibility, and be willing to develop and grow continually and to act in an open and straightforward manner.Workforce Diversity Gender The gender diversity at IKEA is probably among the best one's over the world. They have applied special workforce diversity programs in all departments, and are working for a continuing development. The program is based on Ã¢â‚¬Å"stomach feelingÃ¢â‚¬ and employeeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s opinions in order to fill the positions in a fair way. In the warehouses, there is quite an equal diversity between genders. Right now, globally it is about 54% are women and 46% men. Even among the higher positioned jobs such as warehouse responsible, it's equally divided, 52. % measured to be women and 47. 5% men. However, when you are getting really high up in the working positions, such as the top board, there are no women. According to Hakan Sandman, the Marketing Director of IKEA France, the gende r diversity is very equal overall; but that it also depends on what department one is looking at. Human Resources department tend to be mostly women, as well as the Marketing department where Mr. Sandman is the only man. THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF CO-WORKERS IN IKEAThis pie chart represents employeesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ gender distribution at IKEA globally, but for example in Sweden it looks different: The age distribution in IKEA Globally: Workforce Diversity: Ethnicity Ikeas main philosophy is Ã¢â‚¬Å"The People PhilosophyÃ¢â‚¬ : though in the past their strategy was Ã¢â‚¬Å"SwedesÃ¢â‚¬ , they have abandoned it in 1998 with the rise of globalization. Currently they have a lot of long-time workers from different cultures and backgrounds. IKEA sees the diversity matter as a subject for creating more challenging business atmosphere.FranceÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s new store in Avignon has staff from 21 different nationalities. Since 1998 they have changed their recruitment base to: including everyone and not just S wedish people. Recruited staff are immediately made aware of IKEA`s cultural diversity philosophy; first day at work new staff get exercise to tell their group members something unique or different about themselves. Ã¢â‚¬Å"As a global player it is very important for IKEA to be aware of what the world looks like today, and how it will change in the future. The only common thing for all of us is that we are different.If we accept and understand this fact we can start to use this Diversity for the best of ourselves and for IKEAÃ¢â‚¬ (Fajtova, 2007) The corporate language of IKEA is English and in their TV commercials they feature a wide variety of different ethnicities, ages, genders and race. Holistic Responsibility: Ã¢â‚¬Å"IKEA is a leader in setting high environmental standards for its product. That means employing strict manufacturing methods and supply processes so that materials, technologies and transportation have the least amaging effects on the environment. Ã¢â‚¬Å"1 Ã¢â‚¬â€ œ Rene Hausler, Partner, IKEA-San Diego Franchisee. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We consider IKEA to be setting an excellent example for other corporations to follow. IKEA is prepared to go further than just saying Ã¢â‚¬Ëœno' to a supplier who exploits children. The company is showing a genuine interest in bringing about improvement for children by assuming a responsibility for child labour issues. Ã¢â‚¬Å"2 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Ingvar Hjartso, UNICEF Representative. It seems as if today everyone is praising Ikea, and it is not without a reason.Ikea is a remarkably socially responsible company, it sets example to so many other companies that simply are profit driven, and do nothing but destroy the eco system, or poison the environment with chemicals such as Ã¢â‚¬Å"the monstratoÃ¢â‚¬ . Therefore, Ikea is rewarded and recognized highly for its CSR, it has received numerous awards, including the one on April 2005, the Outstanding Sustainable Style Achievement (OSSA)3 Award for eliminating the usage of Polybrominated Di phenyl Ether (PBDE),4 a toxic fire suppressor used in manufacturing furniture.In addition, earlier in 2004, IKEA had received the BUPA Healthy Communities award for Excellence,5 an award funded by the Ministry of Health, UK. The company pays a great deal of attention to different problems in the society and the environment; this did not begin recently, for more than twenty years Ikea has been environmentally conscientious. It began in 1989 when the then president of Ikea said that the Ã¢â‚¬Å"Environment is not just a new fashion, it will not fade away, it is the new reality and we have to adapt to it. And so, in 1990 in association with Karl-Henrik Robert, was initiated The Natural Step (TNS) environmental program in IKEA. And so throughout the years, one by one it began tackling different environmental issues; waste management were the first thing that Ikea took seriously, and so each IKEA store started having an Ã¢â‚¬Å"environmental coordinatorÃ¢â‚¬ who worked towards waste recy cling and energy conservation, and also trained employees on environmental aspects. Since 1999, IKEA has works actively to reduce waste in manufacturing. Where possible, waste from one manufacturing process was to be used in the production of other items.And it did not end there; most IKEA stores provided collection points for customers to return waste. In the recent years, Ikea has been trying hard to be environmentally friendly, and it began rewarding the same behavior in its employees. It varies throughout the IkeaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s in different countries; IKEA Poland stores provide facilities for bikes, maps of bike paths and tools to repair customer bikes, IKEA Denmark lends out bicycles equipped with trailers at its stores, IKEA UK stores offer interest free loans and a 15 percent rebate to co-workers travelling to work by public transport.And in May 2007, IKEA Canada launched a Hybrid Parking Program, rewarding customers driving a hybrid or fuel-efficient car, with a premium parking s pot. Throughout the years, IkeaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s interest rose in a better future for our children through a better environment rose; when it came to energy consumption, the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s data showed that IKEA it consumed a huge amount of energy for electricity, but, Ikea did not simply decide to switch off the lights on earth day. The company went a step further; it tried to consciously reduce its energy consumption. Therefore, in 2003 IKEA launched a Ã¢â‚¬ËœKill-a-Watt-Energy Saving Competition. The competition was open to all IKEA stores across the world and it aimed to achieve reduction in energy consumption and also to create awareness among employees regarding electricity costs. By the end of the competition, IKEA had saved energy equivalent to providing electricity to 2,000 households, or two IKEA stores for a year. From waste to energy, Ikea then focused on forestry; around 75% of the raw materials used for IkeaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s furniture, catalogs and packaging came from timber. Hence, conservation of forests was an important environmental issue. IKEA worked with groups such as Greenpeace to formulate policies for sustainable forestry.IKEA was also a member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). As a result of consultations with these organizations, IKEA banned the usage of timber from intact natural forests. Many companies in industries, such as the diamond industry, choose to be ignorant; companies ignore or lack interest in where their diamonds come from, but often the blood diamonds that they purchase give life to more slavery. And even though there are a lot of different forms of slavery throughout the world, Ikea is one of the companies that does not tolerate it and even though child labor oes exist in countries where IKEA products are manufactured, IKEA does not accept child labor at its suppliers or their sub-contractors, and works actively to prevent it. The company has a special code of conduct called The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor, and monitor ing of compliance with The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor is done by IKEA trading service offices and with unannounced visits by KPMG to suppliers and sub-contractors in South Asia. As listen above, we can see that throughout the years Ikea has demonstrated over and over again that its responsibility goes beyond home furnishing.It undertook several projects for community development and a lot of its projects were centered on children, such as the one in August 2000, IKEA initiated the Child Rights Program in India in association with UNICEF. The project started in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and the aim of the project was to prevent child labor in Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe carpet belt' of UP, by addressing root causes such as poverty, illiteracy and ill health. The companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s CSR extended from the community and environment, to the suppliers. Ikea did not choose to be ignorant about where their suppliers got their goods.So it launched Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furn ishing Products (IWAY)' in September 2000, this way all of IkeaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s 2,000 suppliers spread across 55 countries, had the Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcode of conduct' to adhere to. Student Support Programs: Ikea helps students of all ages throughout the world; it has aligned with is Save the ChildrenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Early Steps to School Success (ESSS is designed to assist children with language, social and emotional development); an early reading readiness program that IKEA supports through financial and in-kind product donations.In addition, since early 2001, the IKEA Group supports one-year scholarships for students from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia to study forestry at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Alnarp, Sweden. The purpose of the scholarships is to support competence building in sustainable forestry in countries that are important wood sources for IKEA, and to help future forestry professionals in those countries develop relationships with each other.And it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t stop there; due to the fact that many IKEA products are made with cotton, they partnered with the WWF to run Farmer Field Schools in Pakistan and India. Ikea over and over again displays its care for the society and the environment, it is because the company is not simply profit driven, it has a vision; and the vision is Ã¢â‚¬Å"to create a better everyday life for the many people. This includes doing what we can to help create a world where we take better care of the environment, the earthÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s resources, and each otherÃ¢â‚¬ . Internal Communication: Communication & EqualityThe CEO of the company has a specific culture that has been passed on since Ikea was founded, and this culture is communicated to all of the employees. She states that when she hires a Ã¢â‚¬Å"co-worker,Ã¢â‚¬ as IKEA terms employees, her plan is to help the person through his or her slumps. One of her greatest rewards is to see a worker she has worked with excel, and she believes all super visors and managers should serve as mentors. Every manager is also a team member, Ã¢â‚¬Å"IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m responsible but not the center of the universe. There is always someone who knows more than you do.And there are always new things that you can learn, which I think is the essence of why I work with IKEA. Ã¢â‚¬ Par Sundqvist Store distribution manager Sweden In Ikea a manager is not Ã¢â‚¬Å"the bossÃ¢â‚¬ or the one who commands and rules his department. Due to the low power distance in Sweden, Ikea was founded on the basis that everyone is equal. And based on the chart below of Geert HofstedeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s cultural dimensions theory, one can see that because of the relatively low power distance in the U. S. , it was quite easy to communicate this approach to all the Ã¢â‚¬Å"co-workersÃ¢â‚¬ in Ikea North America. Exhibit 1.A Cultural Dimensions Theory Exhibit 2. A Cultural Dimensions Theory In Exhibit 1. A, one can see the power distance in both Sweden and the United States, though ther e may seem like there is a difference, once it is compared with Exhibit 2. A one can see that compared to countries such as China who have a high power distance, on average, the power distance is relatively the same in both the U. S and Sweden. Therefore, it can be concluded that IkeaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Scandinavian way of doing business with the absence of the traditional Ã¢â‚¬Å"bossÃ¢â‚¬ was understood and quickly absorbed by Ikea North America.Equality within the company is emphasized and communicated to all of IkeaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s stakeholders; and though according to Ã¢â‚¬Å"glassdoorÃ¢â‚¬ Ikea employees give the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability to communicate an average 3. 5 rating, they give serious leadership a poor rating of 3. 1 because according to the employees Ã¢â‚¬Å"there is a little too much equalityÃ¢â‚¬ , employees want to be guided and told what to do a little more. It seems that not all employees are ready to be treated equality with their bosses and be all a part of one team. Based o n the latest updates on glassdoor, the company rating is a 3. ; the employees say it is Ã¢â‚¬Å"okÃ¢â‚¬ . This company rating is based on eight components; career opportunities, communication, compensation & benefits, employee morale, recognition and feedback, senior leadership, work/life balance, fairness & respect. The lowest scores of 3. 1 were in career opportunities and in senior leadership. Two of the Ã¢â‚¬Å"Top Ten Reasons Why Good Employees QuitÃ¢â‚¬ are listed in the components that make up glassdoorÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s company rating; employees have given to Ã¢â‚¬Å"Recognition and feedbackÃ¢â‚¬ a score of 3. , and when it came to rating the Ã¢â‚¬Å"work/life balanceÃ¢â‚¬ , IKEA employees gave the highest rating to it. Employees believe that better than anything else the company takes good care of their employeeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s need of the work/life balance. Even though the rating seems to be solely satisfactory, it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t truly represent the reality. Based on the rating one will assume that the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s job demand is at a mediocre level, however, IKEA jobs are actually highly demanded; in Florida USA, IKEA had over 10 000 applicants for only 450 job.And in Sweden, Ikea ranks on the top 5 companies that university graduates want to work for. In addition, Ikea was on the Ã¢â‚¬Å"Top 200 World's Most Reputable CompaniesÃ¢â‚¬ (#2), Forbes, in 2009 and on the same year it was on the list of Ã¢â‚¬Å"Best Places to Work in Orange CountyÃ¢â‚¬ (Large companies), Best Companies Group, 2009. Pay and Benefits According to glassdoor. com Ikea employeeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s rating of Compensation ; benefits is a mediocre 3. 4, however it does not portray the full picture. Where some believe that Ikea does a mediocre job, others are enjoying the vast benefits that Ikea provides them.Last fall Working Mother magazine named IKEA North America one of the 100 best companies for working mothers and singled out Spiers-Lopez for its Family Champion Award. The award was given for I kea great paid maternity leave and flexible work schedules. In addition, Ikea provides a number of benefits that are not usually offered to retail workers in the U. S. such as Ã¢â‚¬Å"full medical and dental insurance for those who work as little as 20 hours a week, including coverage for domestic partners and children; tuition assistance; and a 401(k) matching planÃ¢â‚¬ .In addition, they receive long breaks, free uniform and the company has a food plan, it is known as the Ã¢â‚¬Å"$3 mealsÃ¢â‚¬ . As for the facilities, there are lounges, relaxation rooms and showers. Ikea has all sorts of benefits from end of the year gift, to long service awards to sick pay and first day of school leave. Lastly, Ikea unlike most companies provides even part time workers with benefit packages. Bonuses in the company may vary, but on average the bonus of a sales associate is $785, and the team leader receives $1,002.However no all positions receive such high bonuses, when it comes to Ikea cashiers, they receive $50, and customer service associates receive $100. And all full time employees receive a 10% discount; it increases to 15% after 7 years of work. The employee discount comes hand in hand with home delivery and assembly of the furniture, always free of charge. All employees in Ikea receive above the minimum wage rate; most are paid by hour except a few who receive a fixed salary; the team leaders receives $39,908 and the department supervisor $34,712.Sales associates hourly pay is $10. 39, Ikea cashierÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s is $9. 65/hour, customer serve associates receive $9. 38/hour, floor associates receive $10. 00/hour, Safety ; Loss prevention agentÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s pay is $12. 69/hour and the pay of a co-worker is $13. 15/hr. On average the pay is around $12 per hour, with exception the interior designer who receives $16. 56 per hour. As for pension, at the moment, IKEA is building a new global pension package where they want to construct a global second-pillar retirement benefit struc ture. It is planned to be a fixed interest rate of 3. % on contributions. In 2000, IKEA introduced a multi-fund pension arrangement for their employees, which also can be used as a private retirement fund if they leave. The arrangement also offers workers who moves between countries a choice of asset mixes in which they can invest contributions. Co-workers at IKEA are able to transfer money between funds or split contributions between different plans, depending on their age and risk taking profile. It can also be mentioned that even if you choose to leave your job at IKEA, you may remain in the pension agreement. Everyone should have the same amountÃ¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Ingvar Kamprad Ingvar also wishes to start a bonus program for employees over the world, but it is not yet defines how much money we are talking about. IKEA has 131 000 employees so the amount will easily reach very high numbers. So far, there are only 3 principles decided around the future wish; Everyone gets same amount , everyone can take part and its related to Inka holdings financial results. (Inka holdings is IKEAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Dutch holding company) Improvements and Changes in 2011:The workforce turnover has decreased to 22% in 2011, and 81% of employees now come back from maternity leave: 100% at management level and 78% of hourly-paid workers. Thirdly, 2011 employee satisfaction survey came up with results that employees` favorability to rewards and benefits boosted by 5% in IKEA. Fourthly, IKEA launched family-friendly benefits such as a staff support program and childcare vouchers, as well as an loan with no interest in order to cover costs a month after birth. IKEA: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IKEA uses mostly 3 different types of training: * Induction training (35%) Mentoring (40%) * Coaching (25%) 85% of training is on-the-job training and only 15% off-the-job training. Differences between IKEA houses per region in relation to Educational background of co-workers IKEA`s workforce has reached al ready 131,000 employees and these people are an epicenter of IKEA values. Value is a core word for company`s strategy and co-workers` involvement in it. IKEA is doubling their sales every five years; however it does not doubling their staff. One of its keys to such a success lies in training and development programs constantly offered to the employees.Each employee is offered 40-hour training every year in average. Since the very beginning employees` development was perceived as a non-stop process in IKEA. The first period for all newcomers is training in IKEAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s culture. It usually implicates learning about the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s history by watching the educational videos. Many co-workers start they way in IKEA as part-time co-workers and shift progressively to full-time, seniors, deputies etc. Along their career path they are getting cultural training and regularly acquire IKEAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s values.The major part of training is acquiring the core aptitudes and skills such as teamwo rk, efficiency, mobility, leadership, that were considered necessary for a successful career at IKEA. Networking in IKEA takes important role in training and development. When new employee joins the Ã¢â‚¬Å"familyÃ¢â‚¬ he/she gets immediate access to a local network. Curt Temin, who works globally with learning and development within IKEA Group, regards Ã¢â‚¬Å"networking as the ultimate tool for professional developmentÃ¢â‚¬ . One of the very first things new employee learns is an ancient Swedish word Ã¢â‚¬Å"fikaÃ¢â‚¬ (coffee break).In IKEA they understand that even informal meetings and communication between people lead to knowledge transfer and this is where development starts. Ã¢â‚¬Å"PeopleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s careers are only as limited as they want them to be at IKEA,Ã¢â‚¬ concludes Jeff Wilson, learning and development manager for IKEA US. 90% of all positions inside IKEA globally are filled inside, and 35% of those jobs are managing positions. To keep such a high data company has launched a personal development program called Ã¢â‚¬Å"PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOEÃ¢â‚¬ , which has 3 components and takes place ones a year.This program is open to employees who already became aware with companies values, understand their position within the company and ready for self-development. At the first step staff is invited to investigate strengths, weaknesses, self-awareness and career pathways. The second step includes meeting with manager to discuss previous conclusions, perform a skills gap examination and choose position to develop toward desired path. There are online career centers available at this stage to provide all necessary reference materials to complete this stage. Last third step in the program leads to setting goals by employee and making an action plan.IKEA has created environment for growth founded on belief that good people can be even better. In the year 2002 the Ã¢â‚¬Å"SKILLS ESCALATORÃ¢â‚¬ program was born from this idea. The Skills Escalator is compound of 4 main steps. When employee starts job as a trainee comes the first step. The second comes when employee actually step into planned responsibility. The third step is called Ã¢â‚¬Å"seniorÃ¢â‚¬ because at this stage staff becomes leading with tasks of coaching others in their specific work. When the employee has become a mentor and expert it means the last fourth step of program has been reached.This program was created due to willingness of the company to employ people not solely for one role but to take a leading position in long-term. The core idea lies in progress, in order to learn and then train others. In IKEA nobody is a trainee longer than one year. The Ã¢â‚¬Å"SKILLS ESCALATORÃ¢â‚¬ always gives opportunity for staff to get higher skills level. Employees are progressing while working, they perform work and see which skill are necessary and how attain them during the working process and receiving feedback Employees are confronted with a coach, who is not telling exactly what to do, but help to ind an answer by giving few leading questions. Therefore employees receive help and support, but in such a way they describe what they need to know rather told in advanced. It gives employees control over own development. This relates to on-the-job training, which is most used training process in IKEA. In fall 2011 IKEA launched mentoring initiative Ã¢â‚¬Å"PARTNERS FOR GROWTHÃ¢â‚¬ which was directed by famous mentoring consultant Dr. Lois Zachary of Leadership Development Services. This program was set up to help co-workers establish vital relationships to maintain them in piloting IKEA and in pursuing their own personal development.This program targets only to the IKEA`s key management. Jeff Wilson, Leaning & Development Manager in US explains that Ã¢â‚¬Å"Partners for GrowthÃ¢â‚¬ will have a crucial influence on IKEA, he believes, that among many other programs this one is one of the most important. As IKEA has big expansion plans for next 10 years this program will lie in the very heart of the process. A lot of efforts will be given to co-workers` development programs such this one, due to the need of greater capability for people to take superior responsibilities in US and Canada.Pernille Lopez, President of IKEA NA admits that Zachary`s knowledge helped to line up a triumphant monitoring strategy with his own. Lopez confirms, that IKEA`s main goal is to help co-workers to do their job better by developing and empowering staff. In IKEA they take extra steps in mentoring program. IKEA base mentoring program on growth of both mentee and mentor holding expectation of creating better employees by making them a partners. Innate result of this program turns IKEA`s mentees to future mentors. Major mentor to IKEA`s mentoring support groups, Dr.Zachary praises company`s commitment to development processes and finds those innovative and hopes to see mentoring process as a natural aspect of the IKEA`s culture in the next few years. Ã¢â‚¬Å"P ARTNERS FOR GROWTHÃ¢â‚¬ soothes the progress of individual learning, encourages professional and personal development, and has 4 strategic goals: * Develop Leaders from top to bottom Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Support career development across the board Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Develop and support diversity through IKEA organization Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Strengthen IKEA culture Interest of employees in IKEA for more internal training | Percentage| Yes| 79%| No| 4%| Don`t know| 16%| Totals| 100%|PASSIONATE CAREER IN IKEA In IKEA at entry level all employees are hired externally, then those employees are making their way up through promotions. Only 10% of employees on higher levels are hired externally mostly because of lack of eligible candidates. Career planning in any organization is based on how the organization may help and helps its employees in planning their careers. IKEA behave as a supportive partner, in managing its employees careers, for example, by lowering the work load while employee is taking any educational prog ram, by giving time off to study, or by paying a part of the tuition fee.Therefore, career planning may include anything from policies on hiring and promotions and collecting data about personal preferences to Educational Assistance Programs and flexible working hours. Educational Assistance Program gives employees monetary benefits for taking certain training or courses. To be eligible for those benefits the employee must pass the course with the mark of 75% or higher. Those benefits depend on the course taken and on the level at which the employee is. Nonetheless, IKEA offers also its own training and development program.Whereas the company and the level of employment require certain training programs, others are optional. IKEA says that career planning mostly depends on their employees if they want to be pro-active rather than reactive, if they are willing to take more responsibility and to learn more, positions are always posted in the store and every employee may apply upon mee ting certain requirements and having good performance appraisals. IKEA as being in retail industry hires many people on a part time basis, therefore it may offer what is called flexible working hours.This primarily means that employees have a choice what day to work and what hours to work, since they are not required to work 40 hours a week. Flex work enables co-workers to balance home and work careers as well as to spend more time on personal development. Nonetheless, flex work program depends on where the co-worker is working, for instance, in some departments, such as IKEA Trading, co-workers are required to work 8 hours a day but it does not have to be in straight time as long as they have eight hours a day worked.Whereas, in other departments it means that co-worker may choose which days to take off and which days to work. Promotions within IKEA may be vertical or lateral. The policy states that in order to be eligible for promotion for a position lower than management position , the candidate must work with the company at least six months, and to be eligible for promotion for management position the candidate must work at least three years. IKEA provides good program for those employees that would like to, and are eligible for, relocation to different country.Interested co-worker needs to meet certain requirements and be the best candidate for that position. In case of not having the language knowledge IKEA provides language training therefore upon arriving in the new workplace the promoted candidate can communicate with others. This tactic ensures that all employees meeting the requirements may be chosen and the language is not a barrier. IKEA, as a part of career planning of its employees, also does succession planning in conjunction with management. It means that IKEA has charts with listed higher positions, employees on that positions, and relationships between those positions.In case of any vacancies the chart lists prospective successors that may st ep up into that position. IKEA in developing such charts takes into consideration performance appraisals, experience, personal characteristics, and personal preferences of the candidate. As mentioned earlier IKEA does it in conjunction with managers, it means each candidate's qualifications are confirmed by the manager and that manager decides whether the candidate is ready to be promoted or not. Feelings of employees in relation to competences utilized in the right way within the company TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE: EMPLOYEESIKEA always tends to give greater value to its people by calling them co-workers, in such a way highlighting the importance of workforce in this company. The most important values for communication strategy in IKEA are respect, cost consciousness, togetherness and simplicity. During the hiring process IKEA is willing to take people who are willing to growth both professionally and individually, it is always stressed and emphasized during the recruitment. IKEA wishes to create sort of a partnership with its co-workers, it is ready to listen to their ambitions and particularly interested in hiring people who share IKEA`s values.In IKEA responsibility is given to co-workers and strategy of empowerment is applied. Therefore co-workers in IKEA are not afraid of making mistakes and are encouraged to innovative way of thinking. Worst enemy or evolution in IKEA is fear of mistakes. One of the factors IKEA using to make their employees feel better at the work place is absolute avoidance of status symbols. This system allows people to feel equal. The inspiration comes from the top management, and particularly from Ingvar Kampard who brings a great encouragement through his own life.For instance, he always uses public transport instead of taxis or car whenever it is possible. This again sets a good example for cost-consciousness from the highest level on, shows that managers do not expect things from their co-workers that they arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t willing to do themselves. For Christmas 2006 IKEA has given 9000 bicycles to its employees with a purpose of cutting down the pollution and stick to idea of togetherness and cost-consciousness, which comes from top management. The staff is getting 15% off travel tickets on public transport to sustain same goals.Another example of how IKEA takes care of its employees is training and learning which not necessarily be important for the jobs performed. In 2002 Scottish IKEA introduced IT training for co-workers even thou most of those employees were not using computers in their jobs. IKEA tries to support co-workers, increase self-awareness and encourage them through continuous motivation and incentives. As mentioned before, preference during the recruitment process is given to people who are ready to grow both professionally and personally in IKEA.Regarding the motivating theories, when we begin using McGregorÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s theory of X and Y, it can be safely stated that IKEA recognizes its employees as theory Y. IKEA consequently supplies the employees with benefits and incentives in order to give the opportunity for the workforce to grow themselves and their careers. Success of IKEA does not lie in cheap prices, but particularly in treatment of so-called co-workers and direct outcome of it. IKEA has two programs directed towards older employees: The duration of notice of termination of employment is increased by one month per year of employment for employees who are 40 years of age or older.The maximum raise is six months and is in addition to the length of notice according to the law. After ten years of work in IKEA, employees going on pension are allowed to a period of six months of reduced working time with full payment before the retirement. This helps to ease the transition from work to retirement by letting leisure to gradually take the place of work. Differences between IKEA per region in relation to Perceived Stress on the workplace Differences between IKEA per region in relation to how loyal employees feel towards the companyDifferences between IKEA per region in relation if they see themselves working in the company in the next 5 years TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE: CUSTOMERS * 1 million customers visit IKEA every day * The average customer makes 3. 5 store visits per year * The average age of a customer is 42 * 60 per cent of them are female * 150 million meatballs a year are served in IKEA restaurants * 145 million catalogues are printed in 48 editions and 25 languages * IKEA staff conduct 50000 yearly Ã¢â‚¬Å"home visitsÃ¢â‚¬ where they visit customers' homes (in exchange for an IKEA credit voucher) to find out what frustrates customers about IKEA products.All business organizations need to make sure that their customers are satisfied with the service they receive because customers are the most important part of any successful organization. IKEA is acting according to the A. R. T. of great service, to carry out a good customer service: Approachable- a n organization must create an open and friendly environment that will influence customers to come in with self-assurance so that their matter can be dealt with. Responsive -all staff should take responsibility of their action. Customer service should be flexible and provide precise and honest information, at all times.Timely Ã¢â‚¬â€œ done accurately and efficiently at all time. Many businesses record customer complaints so that, they can review the matter, and to improve its customer service. THE WORK WELL PROGRAM HEALTHY PEOPLE= HEALTHY ORGANIZATION Retention of senior co-workers in IKEA in ways of: * twice a month offered body massage; * specialized course in healthy lifestyle containing a personal diet program, and guidance on losing (or gaining) weight; * help to stop smoking, handle stress or manage situations of conflict; * providing discount on fees to fitness centers; providing comprehensive health insurance coverage providing medical treatment and rehabilitation therapy in private clinics to encourage quick recovery and return to the workplace after illness; * a local project promoting good working attitude through colleague-to-colleague guidance in standing, sitting and lifting correctly Discrimination in IKEA USA Ikea has their way of conduct called the IWAY standing for Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing ProductsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢. It defines what suppliers can expect from IKEA and specifies what IKEA requires from its suppliers. Moreover the IWAY guides the work of employees.It covers working conditions, the prevention of child labor, the environment, responsible forestry management and more. Suppliers are responsible for communicating the content of the IKEA code of conduct to co-workers and sub-contractors and ensuring that all required measures are implemented at their own operations. For example, talking about discrimination the IWAY mentions: Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe IKEA supplier shall not discriminate with regards to workers based on race, religion, beliefs, gender, marital or maternal status, age, political affiliation, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or any other basis. Discrimination is therefore forbidden not only concerning the race but also the gender, religion, beliefs, marital or maternal status etc. However in April 2011, complaints of racial discrimination were present in Virginia, more precisely in the city of Danville. Six African American employees have filed discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that black workers at Swedwood's (an industrial group within the IKEA Group of companies) U. S. actory are assigned to the lowest-paying departments and to the least desirable third shift which means from 11 p. m. to 7 a. m. One of the women, Jackie Maubin, mentioned that white people were more likely to receive more money than black people. Swedwood found solutions to face those issues by showing those complaints through mediation and Ikea had offered Maubin 1000 dollars. The company Ikea is trying to eliminate discrimination by hiring based on workers individual skills and ability to do the job.CONCLUSION: As shown thoroughly throughout this report, in both theory and practice, OB is IKEAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s top priority; the company pays a great deal of attention and energy to the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s organizational behavior. It is part of Ikeas foundation, which results in great success. Though of course, whether OB is IKEAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s number one, or number two priority, it varies depending on factors such as the country in which that particular IKEA is located, as well as the culture in which it operates in.Though the origin of the Swedish IKEA has OB as a number one priority, it slightly varies depending on the location of each IKEA store or warehouse, that is due to the fact that cultures and norm and ways of doing business vary all over the world, and even though IKEA does its best to keep OB its number one priority, it is not the number one prior ity in every single IKEA all over the world. There is still room for improvement though in comparison to other companies, IKEA certainly never neglects the important of OB, but whether it is the number one or number three priority, that varies all over the world.Appendix: Interview With Emil Svallingsson, Warehouse Employee at IKEA Sweden for 10 Years According to you, how are employees being treated at the IKEA warehouse? In an equal way? In general, all employees are treated well, even though some bad things has shown during my 10 years at IKEA. If you are complaining, you are risking to not get a promotion. People were always quitting and new were starting, mostly because of annoying costumers and due to a too small number of employees. IKEA is constantly trying to cut down on their staff in order to have the consumers doing as much as possible.During a very long time, no new people were hired at my department. Additionally, I have to say that there always have been a good diver sity between men/women, religion and age. It's a good mix! Are employees proud about their jobs? Ã¢â‚¬ No, it's about 50/50 I would say. 50% thinks IKEA is amazing and a wonderful place to work. We call those certain people the Ã¢â‚¬Å"IKEAnsÃ¢â‚¬ , like Indiens. The other 50% are mostly working there because of a lack of other things to do. Ã¢â‚¬ Is IKEA a good environment for new initiatives? You always have to push yourself forward and be initiative if you want something to happen with your carrier. It is almost expected from the employees to do more than it says in their contract if they want to achieve higher positions. Ã¢â‚¬ Are employees actively involved to develop IKEA, or are they according to you, in need of being Ã¢â‚¬Å"pushedÃ¢â‚¬ forward in order to develop? Ã¢â‚¬ Again, that's 50/50. The ones who believes in the IKEA concept (the IKEA`ns) loves to be a part of the IKEA family and they do not have to be pushed. The rest of us might need a clear goal to be motivat ed.I would have liked to just have a small percentage of the extra money I earned if my selling went extra well for example. They don't have systems like that. Time to time, they did have a small competition or party for the employees though. That was fun. Interview with the French marketing director Hakan Sandman How are decisions in general being taken at IKEA? Ikea is very democratic in general, even though it's different between different countries. It differs depending on a country's general values and how the people are looking at the word Trust. It is easy to say, YesÃ¢â‚¬ - we trust our employees! but not as easy to live. I would say that IKEA Sweden trust their employees most of all countries, but in comparison to other companies in France, we are very good at trusting and giving away responsibilities. How are the people at IKEA helping each other in order to move forward as a group? At IKEA, it is important that it's easy for our employees to understand and live our value s and beliefs. In the retail department, there are so many people who comes and goes, so it is important that the new ones are able to learn quickly and that the old ones are willing to teach.One of our most important slogans is: Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lead by ExampleÃ¢â‚¬ which basically means that you have to live as you learn. When the founder, Ingvar Kamprad, where in his forties, he was driving around in a Porsche, drinking champagne with beautiful women and he was living a very different life from today. He later on realized the importance of guiding people by being the example himself, and started to behave in a more appropriate way for IKEA. So what is Ã¢â‚¬Å"appropriateÃ¢â‚¬ for IKEA? It is important for anyone who works at IKEA to be a good example when it comes to money. You have to live as you learn and you are not opposed to waist them.An example of this is when a person at IKEA Russia once where spending a bit too much, which lead to that the company lost 50 million euro. Ingvar h imself then went to the person who was responsible for the act, but instead of yelling at him for what he did, he started to lecture about good behavior and the norms of IKEA. In this case, Ingvar saw that it wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t the money that were important in the situation, but the symbolic act to waist 50 millions. It was just not good for IKEAs reputation. At the same time he managed to Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lead by ExampleÃ¢â‚¬ by being a really good and understanding leader. Is it really that equal at IKEA?IKEA is a flat organization, which means it is not hierarchic. Our decisions may take longer time, but when letting everyone decide, people all over the organization will truly believe in the decision and work more efficient to get through with the new idea. At IKEA, it is important to feel the Ã¢â‚¬Å"We- SpiritÃ¢â‚¬ . Since we are doing things together, that leads to more personal energy and everyone will be more effective. Do you prefer it like that or the other way around? Sometimes, it ma y be hard to take a decision within the overall budget for example, cause we donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t really have anyone who Really decides.Everyone might want different things and that can require more time and energy than it would have done in a hierarchical organization. But in the end, I really prefer the flat type of organization. How to you get a flat organization to be effective? It's all about a balance between time efficiency and democracy. In the warehouses, there is somewhat a hierarchy, but as flat as possible. It wouldn't work otherwise. Ingvar himself is very concerned about his employees though and likes to spend time in warehouses in order to take in the opinions of people working there. He wants them to also have power.But is it really that equal between men and women? Every department sets its own goals every year. The goals are based on feeling form the employees but also on measured facts. In the very top, there are more men than women. A lot of women are working in HR depar tment and marketing. I'm the only man at the marketing department! It is really well divided between warehouse bosses though, I would say very close to 50/50 for men and women. 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