Strategic Human Resource Management: a Paradigm Shift for Achieving

International Bulletin of Business Administration ISSN: 1451-243X Issue 7 (2010)  © EuroJournals, Inc. 2010 http://www. eurojournals. com Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM): A Paradigm Shift for Achieving Sustained Competitive Advantage in Organization Benjamin James Inyang Department of Business Management, University of Calabar P. M. B. 1115 Calabar, Nigeria E-mail: benji1955. [email  protected] co. uk Tel: +234 8033773403 Abstract The human resource of an organization offered the potential synergy for sustained competitive advantage, when properly deployed, maintained and utilized.From the onset, the traditional HRM, the formal system for managing people in organization, concerned itself essentially with transactional and administrative support services. The emergence of SHRM, concerned with the relationship between HRM and strategic management of the organization, was a paradigm shift. The strategic business partner model emphasized the proper integration or fit of HR practices with the business strategies of the organization, to generate a competitive advantage.To perform successfully, the roles of business partner and change agent under SHRM, the HR practitioner must be highly knowledgeable, multiskilled and acquire core competencies like business knowledge, strategic visioning and global operating skills, credibility and integrity, internal consulting skills, among others. Keywords: Strategic human resource management, human resource management, competitive advantage, fit, integration, business strategy, strategic business partner. 1. IntroductionAn organization requires the utilization of a complex array of resources to grow, survive and achieve the ultimate mission or objectives that informed its existence or creation. The mobilization and deployment of these resources – human, financial and material – in the right resource-mix, gives the organization leverage toward the desired end. Of these resources, the human resource is t he most potent and central, contributing significantly to corporate bottom line and competitiveness.The organization therefore gains sustained competitive advantage through people, the organization workforce. Competitive advantage is simply defined as anything that gives an organization an edge over the competitors in its market. According to Porter (1985), the unique talents among employees, including flexibility, innovation, superior performance, high productivity and personal customer service are ways employees provide a critical ingredient in developing a firm’s competitive position.Similarly, Chiavenato (2001) notes that employees are purveyors of activities and knowledge whose most important contributions in the organization are their intelligence and individual talents. There is a 23 growing consensus that effective management of human capital is critical to an organization’s success (Barney & Wright, 1998; Jackson, Hitt & DeNisi, 2003; Akhtar, Ding & Ge, 2008). Managing the human resources in the organization is the traditional responsibility of the personnel manager, a precursor to human resource management (HRM).Some scholars however equate HRM with personnel management, concerned with providing staff support in the organization (e. g. Guest, 1989). Other scholars consider HRM as a natural development of personnel management practices in the face of changing economic and business environment (Armstrong, 1989 & 2004; and Fajana, 2002). The people-management discipline is undergoing continuous metamorphosis, with the recent emergence of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in organization and management literature.In a recent review covering 30 years, Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade & Drake (2009) present an evolutionary and chronological perspective on the development of SHRM. The authors identify the following seven themes which influenced the development of the field of SHRM: (1) explaining contingency perspective and fit, (2) shifting from a focus on managing people to creating strategic contributions, (3) elaborating HR system components and structure, (4) expanding the scope of SHRM, (5) achieving HR implementation and execution, (6) measuring outcomes of SHRM, and (7) evaluating methodological issues.SHRM is evolving as a new approach to the management of people, and specifically focusing on integrating the human capital to business strategy to enhance organizational competitiveness. According to Aswathappa (2004:39), â€Å"the advent of SHRM has brought forward the issues of linkages between the employer-employee relationships and wider organizational strategies and corporate objectives†. â€Å"The field of strategic human resources management has enjoyed a remarkable ascendancy during the past two decades, as both an academic literature and focus on management practice† (Becker & Huselid, 2006:898).The transition from the older HR practice with focus on staff matter to a subject of re-birth which focuses on linking people as organizational asset with the business strategy of the firm (Niehaus, 1995) means that the HR professional is performing a new and more challenging responsibility that requires new competencies and skills. He has to think outside the traditional organizational box of HR – and develop a radically different approach to manage the human capital and create a fit between HR architecture and business strategy formulation and implementation in the firm.The HR architecture, according to (Becker & Huselid, 2006:899) â€Å"is composed of the systems, practices, competencies, and employee performance behaviors that reflect the development and management of the firm’s strategic human capital†. This paper discusses the emergence of SHRM as a paradigm shift and the pertinent issues raised or implied in this transition. It further presents the resource-based view (RBV) of integrating SHRM with business strategy.The organizational im plications of the strategic business partner model for corporate competitiveness, and the strategic skills and core competencies required of the HR practitioner are finally discussed. 2. Literature Review: Traditional HRM versus SHRM In their seminal thesis on the development of HR function, Jamrog & Overholt (2004:1) declare that â€Å"over the past 100 years the HRM professional has been continuously evolving and changing, adding more and different responsibilities†.The authors’ account shows that the HRM function has evolved through many stages, from the medieval time through the industrial revolution, the scientific management, the human relations movement, etc. , to the present strategic business partner model. For most of its history, HR has mainly focused on the administrative aspects of HRM, except recently, with the strident call for HRM to become a strategic business partner (Ulrich, 1997; Brockbank 1999; Lawler III & Mohrman, 2000; and Lawler III & Mohrman, 2003). 24Some scholars therefore, are wont to differentiate between the traditional HRM and SHRM. Traditional HRM is transactional in nature, concerned essentially with providing administrative support in terms of staffing, recruitment, compensation and benefits (Rowden, 1999; and Wei, 2006). Ulrich (1997) argues that the HR function has been an administrative function headed by personnel whose roles are essentially focused on cost control and administrative activities. Managing people is therefore the responsibility of HR manager.HRM is then a â€Å"formal system for the management of people within the organization† (Bateman & Zeithaml, 1993:346). For Inyang (2001:8), HRM is simply â€Å"organization’s activities, which are directed at attracting, developing and maintaining an effective workforce†. The many transactional or administrative activities involved in managing the human resources of an organization – training and development, staff motivation, compensation, staff commitment, quality performance, etc. are meant to be carried out effectively to influence the achievement of corporate objectives (Inynag, 2008a).The paradigm shift from the administrative aspects of HRM led to the emergence of SHRM as a new generation of value-added core responsibility or function of HRM. The emphasis of SHRM is that of a strategic business partner. It now supports the company’s competitive advantage by providing high quality people and by helping business managers strategically plan the functions of the human capital within the organizations (Rowden, 1999). SHRM strongly beliefs that critical organizational capabilities or performance behaviors are sine qua non, for the attainment of a particular business strategy or goal.Unlike the traditional HRM which covers a wide range of employment practices, including recruitment, selection, performance appraisal, training and development and administration of compensation and benefits, SHRM refl ects a more flexible arrangement and utilization of human resources to achieve organizational goals, and accordingly helps organizations gain competitive advantage (Wei, 2006). For Becker & Huselid (2006:899) the traditional HRM differs from SHRM in two important ways: â€Å"First, SHRM focuses on organizational performance rather than individual performance.Second, it also emphasizes the role of HR management systems as solutions to business problems (including positive and negative complementarities) rather than individual HR management practices in isolation†. This therefore reflects a shift of emphasis from operating efficiency of individual employees to managerial efficiency of the entire organization. The distinction presented in this review shows SHRM as a more systematic approach, which extends beyond the management of human capital and people – management activity to involve the integration of human factors to strategic business goals of the organization.The s trategic business partner focus of SHRM helps to add value to the organization – by contributing to the bottom line and competitive advantage. Despite its current popularity among academics and HR professionals, SHRM is still experiencing problems of status identity and precise definition (McMahan, Virick & Wright, 1999: 101). Dyer & Kochan (1994) note the problem of status identity as affecting the development of a systematic theory of SHRM.Even the definitions of SHRM vary in emphasis among scholars: Wright & McMahan (1992); and Lundy (1994) emphasize the elements of HR planning; Hendry & Petigrew (1990, 1992) stress the management of organizational change; Watson (1986) defines it as coordination mechanism of the organization; Beer (1984), Guest (1987), Dyer & Holders (1988), Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall (1990); Schuler, Dowling & De Cieri (1993), Truss & Gratton (1994); Ulrich (1997), Boxall (1999); Brand & Bax (2002) highlight HR policies as a tool for business strategy .Despite the differences in definition, a common thread that is emerging in the literature is that which stresses the relationship between business strategy and HR practices as the core of SHRM. What has also emerged from the literature is the broad agreement of the basic function of SHRM, which is concerned with designing and implementing a set of internally consistent policies and practices that ensure the human capital of an organization contributes to the achievement of its business objectives (Schuler & MacMillan, 1984), Baird & Meshoulam, 1988; Jackson & Schuler, 1995).On his part, Armstrong (2004:105) states that SHRM is essentially â€Å"concerned with the relationship between human resource management and strategic management of the firm†. Following from this, he defines 25 SHRM as â€Å"the overall direction the organization wishes to pursue in order to achieve its goals through people† (p. 105). SHRM is a strategic approach to manage human resource of an org anization. It concerns all organizational ctivities which affect the behavior of individuals in their effort to formulate and implement planned strategies that will help organization achieve the business objectives. According to the Gomez-Mejia, Balking, & Cardy (1995), SHRM implies a managerial orientation that ensures that human resources are employed in a manner conducive to the achievement of organizational goals and missions. SHRM must give careful consideration to the organizational import of all human resource decisions and to their links with the external environment and the organization’s competitive strategy (Beaumont, 1993).In their own contribution, Boxall & Purcell (2003) argue that SHRM is concerned with explaining how HRM influences organizational performance. It is obvious from this point that SHRM is based on the principles incorporating, the concept of strategy. Therefore, if HRM is a coherent approach to the management of people, then SHRM implies that this approach is done on a planned way that integrates organizational goals with policies and action sequences (CIPD, 2007). 3. SHRM and Business Strategy Fit or IntegrationThe new business context, which is characterized by increasing globalization, greater organizational complexity, market competitiveness and cutting-edge information communication technology, is prompting organization executives to take more interest in the deployment and utilization of their human resources. The HR function is therefore playing a far more strategic role in the business or corporate strategic planning process in the organization. The emergence of SHRM is increasingly adding more value to the organization. Thus, SHRM is based on HRM principles, which integrate the concept of business strategy.Strategy here refers to â€Å"the pattern of organizational moves and managerial techniques or approaches used to attain organization objectives and to pursue the organization’s mission† (Inyang, 200 4:20). Strategy is also considered as â€Å"the process by which the basic mission and objectives of the organization are set, and the process by which the organization uses its resources to achieve these objectives† (Tichy, Fombrun, & Devanna, 1982:47). Organizations must choose and follow the diverse approaches in order to achieve success or gain competitive advantage.Scholarly advocacy as already noted has consistently emphasized the need for HRM to become a strategic business partner. That means that SHRM has to be integrated with business strategy. This is also the issue of fit. Integration or fit refers to the involvement of SHRM in the formulation and implementation of organizational strategies and the alignment of SHRM with the strategic needs of an organization (e. g. Buyens & De Vos 1999; Schuler & Jackson, 1999). To become strategic business partner means that the HR managers should participate in strategic decision-making alongside other senior managers in the org anization.This, according to Ulrich (1997), would provide greater opportunity to align HR goals, strategies, philosophies and practices with corporate objectives and the implementation of business strategies. The involvement of HR managers would be to become members of senior or top management in the organization (Budhwar, 2000; Teo, 2000). Membership at this level in the organizational hierarchy offers opportunity for SHRM to represent its concerns and influence the direction of business strategy from the onset of the decision making process.This involvement from the crafting stage of strategy decision-making will enhance commitment on the part of the HR managers during implementation stage of such business strategy. Inyang (2008b) argues for the co-optation of the HR manager to business policy formulation as a business partner, to help drive policy implementation to success and attain competitive advantage. There is research evidence that integration tends to result in enhanced co mpetence, congruence and cost effectiveness (Black & Boal, 1994; Teece, Pisano & Shuen, 1997). 6 There is increasing attention being focused on SHRM discourse about congruence or fit† or integration between HR practice and business strategy (Baird & Meshoulam, 1988; Wright & McMahan, 1992; and Wei, 2006). The underlying assertion in the fit analyses is that the employment of effective HR practices and the design of an HR system compatible with the firm strategy are sine qua non for the successful implementation of the organization’s business strategies (Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall, 1988).Fit is therefore a fundamental feature of SHRM, which connotes the utilization of human resources to enhance the attainment of organizational goals. According to Wright & McMahan (1992:298), fit means â€Å"†¦ the pattern of planned human resource deployment and activities to enable a firm to achieve its goal†. Scholars of SHRM identify two kinds of fit: horizontal fit and vertical fit. Horizontal fit refers to the congruence among various HRM practices (Baird & Meshoulam, 1998), and vertical fit refers to the alignment of HRM practice with strategic management process of the firm (Schuler & Jackson, 1987).Generally, vertical fit or integration is necessary to provide congruence between business and human resource strategy so that the latter supports the accomplishment of the former, and helps to define it. Horizontal fit or integration with other aspects of the HR strategy is required so that its different elements fit together. The aim is to achieve a coherent approach to managing human resources, in a manner in which the various practices are mutually supportive.Both types of fit contribute significantly to the competitiveness of an organization and it is important for organization to arrange a variety of HR practices in a systematic way. According to Pfeffer (1994), a set of properly arranged HR practices can have a positive impact on a firm perf ormance when they are properly implemented. Creating a proper fit or integration is the key issue in SHRM and it is this congruence in organization’s HR practices that impact on the bottom line. Figure 1 below illustrates these concepts and their impact on the organization.Figure 1: Two Types of Fit Vertical: (Alignment of HR practices with business strategy) SHRM Integration/Fit Horizontal: (Congruence among HR practices) †¢ †¢ †¢ Bottom Line Competitiveness Performance SHRM is essentially about integration – integrating HR practices with the business strategy of the organization. Both the vertical and horizontal fits create the congruence between business strategy and human resource policies which jointly enhance the attainment of bottom line, competitiveness and performance.Thus SHRM helps the organization to achieve strategic fit with its market environment. One of the key policy goals of SHRM according to Guest (1989) is to ensure that HR is integra ted into strategic planning so that HRM policies cohere both across policy areas and across hierarchies and HRM practices are used by line managers as part of their everyday work. Walker (1992) points out that the HR strategies are functional strategies like marketing, production or IT strategies, but they are different in the sense that they are intertwined with all other strategies in the organization.Managing the human resource is a very unique function in the organization, and the human capital provides the 27 resources for implementing all business strategies. Therefore, HR planning should be an integral part of all other strategy formulations in the organization. 4. SHRM and the Resource Based View (RBV) of the Firm The RBV of the firm is based on the ideas of Penrose (1959), who sees the firm as â€Å"an administrative organization and a collection of productive resources†. A firm that obtains and develops the human resource can achieve competitive advantage (Hamel & P rahalad (1989).Other researchers have similarly advocated the need to align HR systems with the firm’s strategy to create competitive advantage (Barney, 1986, 1991; and Wright & McMahan, 1992). The underlying assumption of the RBV of the firm is resource heterogeneity. This means that the resources that different firms own are unlikely to be identical. Accordingly, these resources owned by the firm that help it achieve sustained competitive advantage must meet four requirements. The resources must be (i) valuable, (2) rare, (3) inimitable, and (4) non-substitutable.This follows therefore that if the resources a firm employs cannot be easily imitated by another firm or substituted by similar resources another firm employs the firm can easily take advantage of this to gain competitiveness not simultaneously pursued by other firms. Snell, Youndt & Wright (1996) argue that human resources meet these four requirements. Others have equally shown that the linkage of organizational r esources and firm strategy cannot be easily identified and imitated by other firms due to the social complexity and causal ambiguity (Barney, 1991, Boxall, 1998).Thus, the integration of human resource practices and policies with the appropriate strategy can generate a sustained competitive advantage for the firm (Wei, 2006). The firm’s HR policies, practices and strategies are a unique blend of process, procedures, personalities, styles, capabilities and organizational culture, which are difficult to imitate. As Purcell, Kinnie, Hutchinson, Rayton & Swart (2003) point out, the values and HR policies of an organization constitute important non-imitable resources, as long as they are enacted and implemented effectively.One of the most important factors of competitive advantage is the ability to differentiate what a business supplies to its customers from what is supplied by its competitors. Purcell et al (2003) maintain that such differentiation can be achieved by having HR st rategies, policies and practices which ensure that: 1. The firm has higher quality people than its competitors. 2. The unique intellectual capital possessed by the business is developed and nurtured. 3. Organizational learning is encouraged, and 4.Organizational specific values and a culture exist that ‘bind the organization together [and] give it focus’. The RBV of the firm is concerned with developing strategic capacity, making adequate investment in the organization’s human capital to add more value to the firm. According to Armstrong (2004:108), the aim of RBV â€Å"is to improve resource capability – achieving strategic fit between resources and opportunities, and obtaining added value from the effective deployment of resources†.It is generally acknowledged that the human resource is an organizational asset, and when it is adequately trained and effectively deployed can contribute immensely to the bottom line. Aligning the HR systems with busin ess strategy is therefore a sine qua non for organizational competitiveness. Business strategies designed to achieve organizational objectives are not likely to succeed when HRM is not involved in both strategy formulation and implementation. Organizations must create the conducive environment for integrating HRM with business strategy since the HR supplies the energies for driving organization strategies.Wei (2006) notes that the HR system and practices are crucial in facilitating the achievement of business strategy through the management of people. Several studies have shown that a firm’s HR creates value in the organization in different ways. The impact of SHRM on organizational performance is quite obvious. SHRM has positive effect on business performance (Martell & Carrol, 1995); SHRM can help an organization to allocate its human 28 resources more effectively, promote operating efficiency, and encourage creativity and innovation (Dyer, 1983; Walker, 1980); it enables t he firm ope more effectively with the challenges of environmental change (Cook & Ferris, 1986; Tichy & Barnett, 1985); encourages a more proactive management style, transmits organizational goals clearly and motivates greater involvement by line managers in HRM concerns (Gomez-Mejia, Balking & Cardy, 1995); enhances organizational morale, financial performance, and overall organizational performance (Huang, 1998; Anderson, Cooper & Zhu, 2007); brings about commitment, customer satisfaction and innovation (Pfeffer, 1994; Chew & Chong, 1999; Bowen, Galang & Pillai, 2000; Wright & Kehoe, 2008); enhances market value per employee (Becker & Huselid, 1998); creates value for customers and stakeholders (Ramlall, 2006); and brings about return on equity (Delery & Doty, 1996).Garavan (2007:11) sees strategic human resource development as contributing â€Å"to the creation of firm-specific knowledge and skill when it is aligned with the strategic goals of the organization†. Increased p roductivity has also been noted in small enterprises that align or integrate their formal and informal HR practices and strategies with the business strategies of the organization (Singh & Vohra, 2005). 5. The Roles of SHRM Professional The HR professional has more challenging roles to perform under SHRM – the emergent business partner model. Unlike the traditional HRM, which is transactional in nature and is concerned with administrative activities, SHRM is a value-added core responsibility that aligns the HR system, policies and practices with business strategy to gain sustained competitive advantage for the firm.In performing the new challenging roles, the HR professional must think outside the traditional organizational box of HRM and develop a more systematic and radically different approach to manage the human element to effectively support the firm’s business strategy formulation and implementation. For successful implementation of the business partner role, the HR manager needs to understand the company’s business direction and its competitive position in the market place. Apart from this, to become a successful strategic partner, the HR manager must have competencies that have to do with the business issues involved in strategy and strategy development, and ability to contribute to organizational design and change management (Lawler, III and Mohrman, 2003).The HR function, according to Rowden (1999) must change from a staff function that delivers prepackaged HR services to a service that helps managers create customized strategic plans to influence the effectiveness of company performance. The HR manager can play an important role in the formulation of strategy and providing the human resource required to support various strategies and strategic initiatives in the organization. He provides the leadership role in developing the human capital and the necessary capabilities to enact the strategy and drive the implementation and chang e management processes to success (Lawler III & Mohrman, 2003). Good human capital management is a prerequisite for successful execution of business strategies.According to Ulrich (1998), the modern HR professional must perform four complementary roles. The first role, administrative excellence, is important because it is an immediate way of contributing to the overall efficiency of the organization. As administration expert, he must rethink how work is done throughout the organization. The second role HR professionals must realize is that of employee champion. The HR manager must play the crucial role of employee advocate. He should be the employee’s voice in management discussion, offer employee opportunities for personal and professional growth; and provide resources that employees need to meet the demands put on them.The new role might also involve suggesting, that employees be given more control over their own work schedules. This is the issue of employee empowerment. Tw o additional roles the modern HR professional must realize are those of strategic partner and change agent. Being a strategic partner calls for an on going evaluation of the alignment between current HR practices and the business objectives of the firm, and a continuing effort to design policies and practices that maximize this alignment. HR practitioner should be held responsible for defining an 29 organizational architecture – that is, identifying the organization’s way of doing business.Such framework as looking at the organizational components – strategy, structure, rewards, processes, people, style and shared values may be adopted. This new knowledge will allow HR to add value to the executive team with confidence. Being a change agent the HR manager must play a key role in implementing and managing organization change, assessing potential, sources of resistance to change, and collaborating with line managers to overcome these barriers. The HR professionalà ¢â‚¬â„¢s role as a change agent is to replace resistance with resolve, planning with results and fear of change with excitement about its possibilities. These last two roles – strategic partner and change agent – are of particular interest to us because they represent the emerging strategic dimension of HR function SHRM.In addition to the above roles the HR practitioner needs to be a model and take on the specific role of integrating people strategies with business strategies in a way that advances the bottom line. Metzler (1998) adds that: the HR manager must play an active and guiding role in enabling the organization to choose its human resources well, invest in these people, support that growth and respect their needs, while fostering innovations needed to achieve the strategic business objectives. The HR professional operating under the SHRM system must chart roles that include early and active involvement in key strategic business choices. He must become the part ner of decision makers in the organization, and sharing accountability for organizing and performing work.He must carry out effective monitoring to see that everyone in the organization, and at every organizational hierarchy, stay focused on share strategic priorities. He must challenge old ways and constantly promote innovation to enhance corporate performance and the firm’s competitiveness. 6. Requisite Strategic Skill Development and Competencies To function as a strategic business partner and successfully execute the new critical and challenging responsibilities, to bring about the bottom line, the HR professional needs to possess the relevant strategic skills or core competencies. Ismail & Long (2009: 118) define competency in general term â€Å"as a personnel related concept referring to a set of behavioral dimensions of one’s effective performance work†.Inyang (2009:65) considers competencies as constituting â€Å"a cluster of related knowledge, attitude s, and skills, which an individual acquires and uses together, to produce outstanding performance in any given area of responsibility†. A lack of certain competencies may affect the HR professional in the performance of the strategic role in the organization (Aitchison, 2007). Zigarelli (1997) identifies seven strategic skills that can help the manager develop effective strategic plans to handle the emerging challenges in the organization: 1. Global operating skills: These skills enable him to understand the issues of globalization and how to do business with individuals of diverse background or nationalities. 2.Business and financial savvy: He needs to understand financial reports, business goals, and possess the business acumen necessary to understand and support the function. 3. Strategic visioning, critical thinking and problem solving skills: As a strategic business partner, he needs the skills to take the lead in contributing to strategy, vision, and critical thinking to gain credibility for the HR function. 4. Ability to use information technology: The HR professional must be well grounded in information communication technology (ICT) and leverage this for business results. ICT is the engine that drives the modern organizations to business success and offers them sustained competitive advantage. 5.Deep HR knowledge: He needs to be well grounded in the theoretical and practical fundamentals of HR to adequately articulate HR practices. He needs to invest more time and resources for training and development. 30 6. Change management skills: He needs these skills to move the organization to new and more efficient ways of doing business. He needs to show commitment to change management in the organization. 7. Organizational effectiveness skills: These skills enable him to diagnose the effectiveness of the organization as accurately as possible to portray the current and future state of the organization. He can then monitor and correct inefficiencies. Ye ung, Wolcock & Sullivan (1996) identify the following core competencies that effective HR professionals should develop: 1.Business knowledge: Capacity to understand competitive issues impacting the business (e. g. , market, products, technology, processes) and to understand how business can create profit and value. 2. Customer orientation: Ability to viewing issues from the perspective of customers. 3. Effective communication: The ability to provide both verbal and written information clearly, consistently and persuasively. 4. Credibility and integrity: To walk what you talk, act with integrity in all business transactions and honor personal commitments. 5. Systemic perspective: The ability to view problems and issues in the context of the bigger picture and understand the inter-relationships among sub-components. 6.Negotiation and conflict resolution skills: The capacity to reach agreements and consensus in spite of different goals and priorities. Similarly, Ismail & Long (2009) ex amine six competencies – business knowledge, strategic contributions, HR delivery, personal credibility, HR technology and internal consultation, which HR professional needs to possess in order to function in his strategic partnership role and to excel in the current competitive environment. These competencies are based on Human Resource Competency Study (HRCS) under the initiative of the University of Michigan in the year 2003 (Brockbank & Ulrich, 2003), except internal consultation.The HR practitioner must acquire consulting skills which constitute a combination of diagnostic and behavioral skills that enable the professional, who is in support function in the organization to collaborate with the line managers to develop strategic solutions to business performance problems. As an internal consultant therefore, the HR manager is in a better position to contribute significantly to the functioning of other departments, solving problems, and delivering enhanced performance (Ism ail & Long, 2009). The rapidly changing global business environment calls for high knowledgeablity on the part of the human resource managers, to function effectively as strategic business partners. According to Inyang (2008a: 61), â€Å"Human resources practitioners need to broaden their horizons, seek more knowledge and information to manage the intellectual capital effectively.This requires people who are multi-skilled, self-responsible, visionary and able to learn, to handle, to lead the organization to success†. The HR practitioner is also expected to develop a new mindset, as he becomes a strategic partner. In fact, to be a strategic partner, â€Å"the HR function must go beyond delivering services, maintaining records, and auditing. It needs to spend time being a member of the management team, doing strategic HR planning and making contributions to organizational design, strategy development, and strategic change† (Lawler III & Mohrman, 2003:4). 31 7. Conclusion The traditional HRM practices, which are concerned with the management of people in an organization, have contributed significantly to organization bottom line.HRM offers traditional and administrative support services in the organization, in terms of staffing, recruitment, training and development, compensation and benefits. It generally concerned itself with attracting, developing and maintaining effective workforce. The emergence of SHRM as a paradigm shift generated more value-added core responsibility, and emphasized the need to integrate HR practices with business strategy. SHRM is a strategic business partner model, which strongly beliefs that critical organizational capabilities or performance behaviors are necessary for the attainment of a particular business strategy or goal. SHRM is a more radical and systematic approach to the management of human capital, placing more emphasis on organizational performance rather than individual performance.It is this approach that help s to create a fit or congruence or integration of HR practices with business strategies that enables the organization to achieve sustained competitive advantage. The RBV of the firm highlights the strategic position of the human capital, as an organizational asset, that contributes significantly to the overall performance of the organization, when adequate investment is made on the human resources. The HR practices must be properly aligned with the strategic goals of the organization. To function as a strategic business partner and a change agent, to successfully handle the emerging challenges of SHRM, the HR practitioner must possess the requisite strategic skills and core competencies.The skills and competencies required include among others, being highly knowledgeable about business and its environment, developing a strategic vision, global operating skills, understanding and applying the ICT regime, organizational effectiveness skills, change management skills and ability to und erstand and manage conflict as well as possess internal consulting skills. References [1] [2] [3] Aitchison, D. (2007). â€Å"HR transformation: Myth or reality†. HROA Europe and sharedpertise forums in association with TPI. Survey Report January 2007. Akhtar, S. , Ding, D. Z . & Ge, G. (2008). â€Å"Strategic HRM practices and their impacts on company performance in Chinese enterprises†.Human Resource Management, 47(1), 15-32 Anderson, K. K. , Cooper, B. K. & Zhu, CJ. 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Compare and Contrast ‘Teresa’s Wedding’ by William Trevor and ‘The Three Sisters’ by Jan Austen

In this essay, I will be comparing the two short stories – ‘Teresa's Wedding' written by William Trevor and ‘The three sisters' which was written by Jane Austen. Trevor's story written in the 20th century is set in Ireland while on the other hand; Austen's story was situated pre -twentieth century in the old 19th century England. Although both these stories are based upon marriage and how marriage is reflected within the eyes of the community it can be speculated that each author wants to show the audience a different view point on what they think towards the concept of marriage and the true value of it. For example, William Trevor uses a close and detailed description to create a sense of character and tone. This can be seen at the wedding reception at the bar in ‘Teresa's Wedding' where he talks about the confetti: ‘it lay thickly on the remains of the wedding cake, on the surface of the bar and the piano, on the table and on the two small chairs that the lounge bar contained' From looking at this we can immediately see that William Trevor is writing in detail and makes the audience read beneath the surface of the passage. The use of detail description makes the reader want to read on and as they read they are unveiling new things from the text. William Trevor has cleverly made the audience read in detail as each thing he describes gets described in more and more depth – he is making us read on because we want to find out more about the wedding reception. Furthermore Trevor's characters are also described in detail and get developed through the description. Loretta, one of the bride's sisters is ‘small and brown'. This emphasises that Trevor is trying to tell us something. Unlike Trevor, Jane Austen on the other hand does not describe any of her characters in depth. Instead A usten builds up a sense of character through her letters and dialogue. This is clearly portrayed in the character of Mary Stanhope when she talks about herself getting married. ‘I am the happiest creature in the world, for I have received an offer of marriage from Mr Watts. It is the first time†¦' Jane Austen here engages and alerts the audience's presence as she uses a formal manner of tone and repeatedly uses first person narrative -‘I'. The purpose of this is to make the author seem invisible and makes the reader feel as though they are being spoken to by someone that is not the writer. Also Jane Austen makes the audience aware that the character speaking is young as she writes – ‘it is my first time'. Furthermore when Mary Stanhope is writing to Fanny she uses some youthful phrases such as ‘I hate him'. The tone is personal and is directly addressing the reader as ‘I', which in turn makes the sentence feel conversational. The fact that it is written in the first person, the text addresses the reader as second person and therefore giving an intimate tone. Another major difference between the two stories is that à ¢â‚¬ËœTeresa's Wedding' is a traditional story that creates tension and builds up to a intensifying climax unlike the ‘the three sisters' which is just a series of letters. As readers it is easy to take note that in ‘the three sisters' that Mary Stanhope is trying to get one over on her two sisters – Georgiana and Sophia. ‘It will be such a triumph to be married before Sophy, Georgina and the Duttons' From looking at the text above we as readers can see that to Mary Stanhope it is just about getting one over on her sisters and does not value the true meaning of love. To a certain extent we can say that she behaves much like a child – it is as if the character behind the eyes of her is just an innocent child who has not grown up yet. Jane Austen here is trying to show the audience that Mary still a girl in some sense who is still growing up. In addition to this, Mary Stanhope seems to be self centred, judgemental and very conscientious compared to her other sisters. She appears to be changing her mind a lot about Mr Watts – ‘I hate him' and ‘I am the happiest creature in the world'. She is contradicting herself which can also show that she is very judgemental and juvenile. The text and the different moods that Jane Austen has applied to the character of Mary Stanhope is intelligent in some way as she creates humour as we read on. In other words she has very cleverly secreted the irony of the humour within the passage itself, so as a result the reader has to unveil the irony as they read. Furthermore when we look at the attitudes of Mary we can see that the attitudes of women have changed these days. The fact that women these days are not concerned about their social status and being the first girl to marry in the family contrasts with the idea of Mary who is in turn looking for pride, status and indepe ndence – Mary is very materialistic. In contrast to this, ‘Teresa's Wedding' by William Trevor does not follow the idea of the eldest girl having to be the first girl to marry in the family as to being a triumph, but instead William Trevor wants to show his audience the true meaning of love and its value. Even though Teresa cheated on Artie, William Trevor show the reader that even in times of badness couples can make it through if the love for each other is strong enough . The key moments in the story are when Father Hogan says about Artie and Teresa: ‘ Isn't it great that God gave them life' and when Artie asks Teresa: ‘ Did Screw Doyle take you into the field' From looking at these texts we can see the importance of the plot and tension because the story is about Artie and Teresa getting married and when Father Hogan says that its great that God gave life to Artie and Teresa we can see the irony in contrast to Teresa cheating on Artie with Screw Doyle. The fact that Father Hogan said what he had that led up to a tense climax. From above William Trevor like Jane Austen have many similarities in their work as they both use irony. The usage of irony in Father Hogan's case makes the audience understand that there is more to what is being said than the literal meaning of it. If we compare the different sentence structures each novelist uses we can see that Jane Austen in ‘The Three Sisters' tends to use a mixture of simple, compound, complex and varied sentence structures. For example and during many points in letter 1 she uses a complex sentence structures: ‘He said he should come again tomorrow and take my final answer, so I believe I must get him while I can. The usage of longer sentences sometimes explain difficult or tense situations, to suggest characters confusion and also gives the passage a continuous flow to it and as a result makes the reader read on. Also when Jane Austen employs a simple sentence when Mary believes that she should have Mr Watts – ‘I believe that I should have him' it creates a sense of excitement and makes the reader read faster. Overall if we look at both stories it is possible to compare and contrast many aspects of these stories. The fact that both the stories differ it reflects the author's differing concerns. Jane Austen is primarily seeking to address to the audience that Love and Society as it stands today have hardly any resemblance of any sort in relation with her story. Where Mary Stanhope says that Mr Watts has ‘a large fortune' but she ‘cannot stand him' and ‘he is very healthy' reflects what the women of today want – They want husbands in sickness and in health and value their love not take them for granted. In contrast to this, William Trevor his trying to show his audience that love can be salvaged if the bond and care between the couple is strong enough: ‘She felt that she and Artie might make some kind of marriage together because there was nothing that could be destroyed, no magic' We can see that through William Trevor's eyes he thinks that if love is such a powerful element then it can withstand anything, even deceit. I think that although Jane Austen and William Trevor have different ideas towards love and society they have both accomplished their aims as they present these ideas to audience which makes them understand. For example, the irony both authors employ towards love make the reader unveil the humour which is hidden or secreted within the passages and it is this tool which makes the reader appreciate the true meaning of love and its value. Also in ‘The Three sisters' Jane Austen purposely uses first person repeatedly to make the tone of the language and text seem personal, and therefore make the text conversational and make the audience more involved – it draws them into the world of the story. Also the ‘I' makes it seem as though the character is talking directly to the audience and so attracts their attention. Furthermore I think William Trevor has produced such a good story as he likes following the character very closing and explains them in detail and therefore allows the reader to pay close attention to what is going on.

Life Without Limits Essay

There are some things in life that are out of your control that you can’t change and you’ve got to live with. The choice that we have, though, is either to give up or keep on going. I tell your life is interesting, Life is a JOURNEY. But I tell you there are sometimes in life where you fall down and you feel you don’t have the strength to get back up. You see, if you try 100 times to get back up and if you fail 100 times, if you FAIL and you’ll going to GIVE UP, do you think that you’ll ever going to get up? No. But if you fail and try again? And again and again? For as long as you try there is always that chance of YOU getting up. Does that make sense? And it’s not the end until you’ve given up. And just the fact that you’re here should persuade you that you have another chance to get back up. There’s still HOPE. And I want you to know that we can find our strength in GOD and you’re going to find your strength in whatever you find it in. But I just all want you to know that it’s not the end. It matter how you are going finish. Are you gonna finish strong? Now, try to ask yourself a couple of questions. And the first question was â€Å"Who am I? Who am I?† I’m Rj Abutazil. But who is that? And it’s funny how the friends around you sort of determined who you are. You change yourself. Just like for example, you come to school or to your work and everybody swore around you and so you started swearing. Why? Because it’s the cool thing to do and now, everybody swears. So you didn’t want to be left out and I wanted to be accepted and so I started swearing. You go to a party and everybody’s drinking so you drink. Why? Well, everybody else around me is doing it, big deal! And you start losing yourself and you start putting your security in temporary things. You start putting your happiness in things won’t last. You can get drunk all you like but in the morning you’re going to be sober with a headache with the same problems. You want to be high for the rest of your life on drugs? Everybody saying, â€Å"Don’t do drugs! Donâ€⠄¢t do drugs!† Well, Why? Why do we even go there? Because of our curiosity, peer pressures, or trying to escape reality. Basically, 3 things. That’s why we go to drugs, sex, and alcohol. Why do you do it? Because it feels good. Okay. That’s how we do it. I mean, you want something? you go and get it. You want to but something? You save up money and you go get it. Why? Because that will make you happy. And we take these steps in the wrong direction that will actually take you away from your dreams. Oh, don’t worry my friend, drugs and alcohol won’t me take away from my dreams and my purpose and sex and all that. NO! But I tell you, it actually will. Because you go to level of drinking and you go a level of drugs and it’s not enough. You’ll find that out. Then you’ll try something new. And you’ll also go to school or to your work and people will put you down and you classmates and friends will tell you that you are failure because you failed in a test or got fired up from work. And you start believing the lies around you saying that you’re not good enough and no one’s going to want you and you’ll nev er do anything good in your life and you’ll never, ever achieve the dreams and goals that you wish you had done. Or wish that you could do. And these steps take you closer to the voice saying â€Å"YOU’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.† And all you need is just one more step for the fall. See, you have the choice to know which step you’re going to take today. Let me ask you, do you know who you are? Do you want to know who I think you are? I tell you right now. You care about what your friends think who you are. You care about their opinion. I don’t care how you look, honestly! I don’t care! But I’m going to come and tell you that you are awesome just the way you are. So when you say â€Å"Well, I have this.† or â€Å"I Don’t have that, I’m not good enough.† I’m going to go, â€Å"So, what? I don’t care!.† You are worth more than diamonds. All the diamonds in the world, you are so precious. Every single one of your hearts, you can do something, not just something you can do, but you can live, LIFE! Life is not always good. Life is not always ros y. Life is worth living when you find purpose. Everything you do, just follow your heart. If that’s who you want to be, if that’s what you want to do in life, then walk to it. One day at a time. But I want you to know that nothing is IMPOSSIBLE and if it is impossible for your dreams to come true let’s say you want to become a Doctor or a Lawyer and you can’t become a Doctor or a Lawyer for some reason, maybe you’re not good in science or in business law and politics. I know somebody who couldn’t be a Doctor or a Lawyer. They’re doing something now that they actually love to do. See, all things come together for the good. That’s how we should be in our life. Not only you and your life, but what about the people around you? You know, if you think that you have no purpose in your life. Let me tell you this. There are several people come up to me and said â€Å"RJ, I don’t have a purpose. Hindi ko na alam anong gagawin ko sa buhay ko.† Let me ask you one thing. If you went through your life full of pain, full of tears and at the end of your life, you actually save somebody’s life, is your life worth living? Is the pain worth somebody’s life? If you could actually save somebody? Can you imagine? If you actually saw somebody nearly gets run over by a car and you dive and get them out of the way over the car? For instance, an example, would that be worth living? You’ve saved somebody’s life. I don’t know. What about this. Let’s say you have a problem in your life and you want to give up now. Imagine, if someone ten years older who’s gone through the exact same thing that you have actually gotten through it and came to you and said, â€Å"You know what, I know how it feels, I’ve been there! I’ve been going through what you are going through now. But I’m still here.† Would that not encourage you? Could that possibly save your life? YES! Is that not a purpose worth living for? And that’s why I believe in you because that is the greatest purpose! Be the change you want to see. And be that person and turn them around. In this world, there’s nothing to be ashamed of or to be scared off. Embrace it! LET†S LIVE! Let’s learn and love our life and nothing can stop us. We’re all going through something. We’re all trying to find that something†¦ that happiness. You can find it. Find what you love to do. I love loving people, I love encouraging people, It’s great! The greatest business in the world. Helping people’s lives to be better and uplift people’s lives. I love it. Now, what do you want to do in your life? Is there something more to your life? Because I found something more to my life and I believe it’s God and you want to know Him too, then it’s fine. The choices are yours. Look at me and my life. I made choices and this is how I am. This is where I am. I live it and I love it. I hope brothers and sisters, you’d remember what I said. You have a choice to either uplift somebody or put someone down. You either have the choice to step towards your goal and dreams or step away going to temporary things. You have a choice to either give up or keep going. GIVE UP or GET UP. When you fail, try again and again and again. You have the CHOICE†¦

Management Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management Leadership - Case Study Example 2. The presence of Emaar in the United States having acquired John Laing’s homes in California is an indication of the strength of their brand. It means that since the company has such a huge investment in the biggest economy in the world, then it exhibits an international influence in the industry. Investors will ultimately have higher confidence in the company. In addition, it helps them establish a market niche, which is not only based in the United States but all across the world. When the United States develops policies to protect its businesses within the country and those based abroad, Emaar is included. Thereby the company gets much power and influence as a result of the association with US. 3. Using his power and influence and the contacts created, Alabbar can steer Emaar to greatness. First, he can consider getting into partnership with some of the biggest brands in the market in order to enhance his company’s penetration. Secondly, he can consider diversification to other lucrative sectors such as the energy sector. Thirdly, Alababar can establish collaborations with governments. Finally, he can develop sustainability programs such as the corporate social responsibility policy that helps the community relate with the organization. Implicit leadership theory- this theory helps analyze personal attributes of a leader, which may help understand d why they make the decisions that they make. In addition, the leader’s vision, behavior, skills, and deeds are analyzed. It is apparent that such personal attributes of Ed contribute to the performance in the organization. Leader-member exchange theory- this theory is geared towards analyzing a situation where there are subdivisions within a team. The group members get to separate into different groups just like is the case at Cromwell Electronics. In addition, Ed who is the leader seems to have a special focus on the team that has been in the

Skull Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Skull - Essay Example The prosthion is the lowermost point on the maxilla, between the two front incisors. The inion is the place on the back of the skull that is the grates t distance away from the front of the skull. Indices calculated are the index of supraorbital height, index of nuchal area height and the index of condylar conditions. The index of supraorbital height is the relationship between the distance of the Frankfort plane to the highest point of the skull and the distance of the top of the eye orbit to the top of the skull; a high number indicates a high forehead or a tall head while a low number indicates a slanted skull. The index of nuchal area is the relationship between the distance of the Frankfort plane to where the inion lies on the back of the skull and the distance of the Frankfort to the highest point on the skull; a high number indicates a short nuchal area while a low number indicates a tall nuchal area. The index of the condylar position is the relationship between the porion and the back of the skull and porion and the front of the skull; a high number indicates the foramen magnum is at the center of the skull while a low number indicates the foramen is closer to the back of the skull. The marked locations were then connected with fine lines using a sharp pencil. A line was drawn to intersect the porion and the lowest point on the lower margin of the eye orbit. A line was also drawn to from the inion, perpendicular to the line drawn above (Frankfort Plane) and the point of intersection labeled as Y. Another line was drawn from the occipital condyles perpendicular to the Frankfurt Plane and the point of intersection labeled X. Another line was drawn from the prosthion perpendicular to the Frankfort plane and the point of intersection labeled Z. Another line was drawn from the Frankfort plane to the highest point of the upper margin of the eye and the point labeled V and U. The lengths of the line were then measured,

What does true friendship require Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What does true friendship require - Essay Example Since Finny trusts Gene as his friend, he does not believe what h says concerning the fall. In ‘The Hobbit’, true friendship is helping the ones in need such as the case in the book in which Gollum helps Bilbo to escape from the tunnel (Falconer 3). True friendship means helping one another and loving the other person in any difficult situation. In the ‘Thank you M’am’ the fat woman helps the boy with 10 dollars for buying Swede shoes (Hughes 5). The act shows true friendship as Mrs. Luella shows some affection to the poor boy who tried to steal from her. In the book ‘A Separate Path, Finny cannot believe that is the best friend can cause him to fall and break his legs. Finny loves his friend so much and his ready to help him by advising him to train as an athlete (Knowles 4). In the book, The Hobbit Gollum assists Bilbo to get out of the cave, and Gandalf rescues the team when it goes underground (Falconer 3). The theme of friendship and love is evident considering the help Bilbo gets from Gollum and the rescue. In the three books, the themes of friendship and love are portrayed clearly. In conclusion, true friends love each other as demonstrated by the themes of the three stories. In the first case, the fat woman helps the boy while in the second book Finny does not believe that his true friend can betray him causing him to fall. In the Hobbit, the team gets help from Gandalf and Bilbo gets help from Gollum, which portrays a lot of love and

Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marijuana - Essay Example The latter group has, therefore, joined efforts to advocate for legalization of the drug. This paper seeks to present a rhetoric analysis of two articles on the debate about legalization of Marijuana. While one article advocates for legalization, the other adopts a balanced approach that highlights reasons for and against legalization of the drug. The first article, ‘The top ten Reasons Marijuana Should be Legal’ is authored under a corporate organization known as AlterNet. The author, in a bid to advocate for legalization of the drug, highlights a number of reasons for the opinion. According to Alertnet, even though the drug is currently illegal, its production, trade, and consumption is still high, an indicator that the legislations are ineffective. This presents the opinion that making the drug illegal has not achieved intended objectives of controlling Marijuana’s adverse effects. Alternet, therefore, aims at informing policy-makers and the public about the cu rrent policy’s irrelevance. Contrary to the perceived disadvantages and adverse side effects of the drug, the author identifies potential legal, economic, and social benefits that are associated with legalizing the drug. Marijuana for instance can be used as medicine and is less toxic as compared to some of the legalized drugs. The author argues that it â€Å"is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol† (Alternet, 2). Legalizing the drug, according to the author, would also promote the growth of its parent plant as an â€Å"agricultural crop† and further social value as a source of â€Å"bio-fuel to reduce carbon emissions† and help offset national balance of trade deficit by controlling outflow of money through the drug’s importation (Alternet, 1). In this approach, Alternet appeals to the society to change its perception of the drug and to exploit, with an open mind, the potential benefits of the drug in terms of agricultural harvests, income generation, medicinal value and economic benefit of enlarged gross domestic product (Alternet, p. 1, 2). The author begins the article by illustrating the current policy’s inability to meet statutory laws’ objectives that aim at prohibiting production and use of Marijuana, and instead identify the fact that a large proportion of the American population is still locked up in abusing the drug. The author follows this argument with an outlined set of reasons that approve legalization of the commodity, and this identifies his application of logos to persuade the audience that Marijuana should be legalized. This is because the article refutes effectiveness of the current laws that have illegalized the drug and succeeds in pointing out the fact that the legalization will lead to a number of benefits that include solutions to side effects associated with the drug. The writer’s approach informs the audience that legal restriction of the drug does not achieve legislation ’s intentions and is inconsiderate of economic and social concerns that would benefit the society. As a result, the article gives rise to a reconsideration of the current legal position on the drug towards a more realistic set of laws that respect people’s freedom and promote economic benefits of investment in the drug that is not as harmful as other legalized drugs (Alternet, p. 1, 2). The next article, ‘Should marijuana be legalized under any circumstance?’

Lessons Learned From War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lessons Learned From War - Essay Example This paper will explore some of the lessons that can be learned from wars and the manner in which these lessons can be helpful. It is also going to discuss whether leaders learn the right reasons or not from war. Conceivably one of the most major lessons that can be learned from wars is that only the dead experience the end of the war. When the war starts between two or more nations, it takes time before the two states can take diplomatic actions and negotiations to end the war (Worrell 27). Meanwhile, it is the soldiers at war and innocent civilians who die or suffer casualties while the leaders keep on giving orders on where to attack next and what actions should be taken to protect their territories. On the war front, it is only the dead who do not experience the war since they are already dead. The rest of the people whether soldiers or civilians are put in a position where they worry about their life. They are at war and every move that their enemy makes becomes a threat to their lives. Stoessinger asserts that, despite the large sum of people that perished in the Vietnam War, it was just a passage of history and it was in vain for the combatants and civilians to suffer or land becoming devastated (132). The lesson derived here is that even as the war keeps on consuming the lives of the innocent it will still continue until the political leaders settle their differences. To this end â€Å"unless communist belligerency was deterred promptly and effectively, a third was between Communist and the non-Communist states were inevitable† (Stoessinger 68). This shows that it is until when leaders come to the agreement that wars do end. Unfortunately, during all this time it is the innocent civilians and the soldiers at war that suffer. Over the years, wars have shown that the impact is hugely felt by the civilians but only fewer leaders pay the price for their mistakes. Millions of civilians and hundred thousand soldiers died during World Wars with many others getting wounded. Regrettably, very few leaders suffered as a result of the war.  

Marketing Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Project - Essay Example ‘University of Chicago Medical Center’. In present day, the expenditure on health expenses has increased considerably. Advanced technology has made it much easier to test various health scans through imaging center. The imaging center service is a profitable business as people will become sick and thus there will be demand for the imaging scanning services. The report will describe the market analysis as well as the company analysis of University of Chicago Medical Center and its strengths and weaknesses in the health care industry of Chicago, its competitors and market environment. Further, the report will provide an insight about the marketing plan of the services of Cardiac Imaging Center. The marketing plan comprises of marketing mix and forecasted sales of the Cardiac Imaging Center. Table of Contents 1.0 Abstract/Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 2.0 The Challenge 4 3.0 Situation Analysis 4 3.1 Company Analysis 4 3.2 Customer Analysis 5 3.3 Competitor Analysi s 5 3.4 Environmental Analysis 9 3.5 Porter’s Five Forces Model 11 4.0 Market Segmentation 13 5.0 Alternative Marketing Strategy 13 6.0 Selected Marketing Strategy 13 6.1 Product 13 6.2 Price 14 6.3 Distribution/Place 14 6.4 Promotion 15 7.0 Short-Term and Long-Term Projections 15 8.0 Conclusion 17 9.0 References 18 Marketing Project 2.0 The Challenge The challenge of Cardiac Imaging Center of University of Chicago Medical Center is to provide imaging scanning services to the customer with superior quality while maintaining the cost and profitability. The Cardiac Imaging Center will offer solution to various diseases such as heart, lung among others by the experienced doctors and advanced machinery. The University of Chicago Medical Center is already famous for their specialization in Heart, Cancer, Gastroenterology, Diabetes and Neurosurgery. The clients of Cardiac Imaging Center will get advantage from the exceptional teamwork of medical experts. The Cardiac Imaging Center will perform by mutual association of both cardiologists and physicians which will make the cardiac center successful. The Cardiac Imaging Center will implement an incorporated approach for accomplishing the goal to offer accurate test for right person at right moment. Cardiac Imaging Center will provide full range of advanced imaging technologies such as CT scan which is a strong and quick imaging instrument that creates three dimensional pictures of the heart or Cardiac MRI scan which will provide detail picture about the beating of heart (The University of Chicago Medical Center, 2011). 3.0 Situation Analysis 3.1 Company Analysis The University of Chicago Medical Center is known as one of the top hospitals in Chicago city as well as in the USA. With regard to treating diseases such as cancer or diabetes the hospital is listed in the top 50 hospitals. The hospital’s operations are quite transparent and it provides every possible support to the customers regarding any enquir y. According to â€Å"The University HealthSystem Consortium† the University of Chicago Medical Center has effectively displayed performance compared to other medicinal services (The University of Chicago Medical Center, 2011). 3.2 Customer Analysis The facilities of ‘Cardiac Imaging Center’ will target the major insurance agents of insurance companies, famous doctors or physicians and various clinics of Chicago city as they can influence and motivate the patients or customers to use the ‘University of Chicago Medical Center’ for scanning and imaging purposes. The value driver of University of Chicago Medical Center will be to acquire customers through physicians, doctors and insurance agents. The patients will surely go to the imaging center according to their preference. 3.3 Competitor Analysis

E_Week2DQ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E_Week2DQ - Essay Example However the extent to which ad business would attain sustainability and growth is disreputable. For instance in the US market Groupon offer daily discounts ranging from 50% up to 90%. This offer is amazingly interesting to attract customers to purchase Groupon. With such steep discounts the retailer is affirmed a certain amount of sales attained by setting the minimal number of purchases in a stipulated period in order for the discounts to be effective (Verma, 2007). Despite the numerous growths attributed to massive advertising, Groupon and other coupon businesses bear losses. The companies offering the massive discounts suffer huge losses too. According to research results published in MIT Sloan Management review, three business (restaurant, car wash and spa) reported huge losses amounting to thrice the monthly earnings for the restaurant, while the other two lost more than their monthly earnings in a period of one year (Aaker, 2004). Although Chaffey (2007) argues that such losses are anticipated and that with time the business will recover due to the new customers introduced by the coupon, the expected period can be as long as 10 years. For instance the salon will need an equivalent of 8 years in order to record its first profit. Groupon and other coupon business offer unlimited merits as compared to traditional forms of advertising and marketing. Because it is free, businesses can showcase what they offer without the risk of running into losses as a result of low or no sales. In addition, sites such as www.Groupon.com and www.couponsuzy.com allow sharing of information with their partner businesses. With such incentives, businesses alleviate the huge premiums they would have otherwise paid to attain direct advertising to a certain group of people. With the help of experts, customized promotion ads are designed by the coupon sites to makes sure that the business attains the minimum sales (Kaplan, &

City states Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

City states - Research Paper Example Most assuredly, a city-state enjoys unconditional sovereignty, regulating its own taxes, has its own budget, and represents itself independently at the United Nations. However, the level of governance varies from one city-state to another. The ancient Greece had various city-states that were sovereign. Other ancient city-states include Athens, Thebes, Corinth, Megara, Argos, and Sparta (Martin Web). Currently, the numbers of sovereign city-states is low and include Vatican City, Monaco, and Singapore. Indeed, Singapore was initially a member of the federal kingdom of Malaysia. However, it is now sovereign. Assuredly, Vatican City doubles as a city-state and the smallest country in the world since 1929. It entails the central city of Rome that equally serves as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. Its president is the Pope (Parker 52-58). On the other hand, the boundary of Monaco doubles as the boundary of the city-state. Nevertheless, we have other city-states that are not sovereign. For example, Germany has three city-states that include Bremen, Berlin, and Hamburg (Parker 132-136). A mayor heads the three city-states. In addition, Austria has a federal state named, Vienna. The British colony of Gibraltar i s also another city-state in the United Kingdom. In Pakistan, we have a city-state called the colony of  Gwadar City. Indeed, city-states fall under sovereign states, federally administered cities, cities that are component states of federations, and cities under international supervision like Danzig. It is a hard fete to claim a country. Indeed, there is no universal way of claiming a country. However, according to the provisions of Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, a state should have mandatory four qualifications (The Globe and Mail Web). These qualifications include a permanent population that defines a group

Web Conferencing Programs Research Memo Essay Example for Free

Web Conferencing Programs Research Memo Essay Selecting the Best Web Conferencing Option to Suit the Organization During last Friday’s daily update briefing, my team was informed to begin conducting research on some cost efficient choices to best suit our needs to effectively communicate to our counterparts located in remote locations. Rather than attempting to expunge the organizations financial resources by upgrading all our communication devices; our team decided the best option would be to source out this service and bring in a third party application via the internet to meet our teleconference requirements. Below is a list of several different software options with pros and cons to within each option. Software Requirements We met with the technical support team on Monday to verify the specifications of the systems from this location as well as all other locations which would utilize the web conferencing applications. Technical support ensured that all systems we running the latest update of Windows 8.1 and its hardware was compatible with all options listed below. Cisco WebEx Cisco’s WebEx option has three different packages to choose from depending on the amount of individuals are logging in the web conference, prices range from $19 a month for 8 seats to $69 a month for 100 seats with an annual subscription. Some of the features that come within these premium plans  are: Video conferencing (full screen, up to 7 video feeds, or split-screen) Share applications or your whole screen VoIP or phone call-in Markup tools and whiteboard Record meetings (including video) Free mobile apps Share the presenter role Adobe Connect Adobe Connect does not offer multiple packages like other options but does offer the ability to connect up to 99 individuals at a fixed price of $55 a month. Adobe connect comes with desktop sharing, VOIP options, mobile phone access. Remote control, HD and SD video conferencing, document sharing, and virtual shareable whiteboard. Fuze Meeting Pro Fuze Meeting Pro is the newest option present but also comes with the highest price tag at $69 per month. Provides HD resolution, Skype © integration, highest rated graphic user interface, and mobile capability as well as mobile support. However, Fuze Meeting Pro was rated to use the most resources on system out of all of the option provided. These options were researched thoroughly by my team so we could provide the best option moving forward for our organization. If there is a need for a specific service that none of these options provide please inform myself or my team so that we can the process of looking for an application that we utilize within our working environment as well as our counterparts abroad. References Fuze Meeting Pro Videoconferencing at PC Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388117,00.asp?tab=Specs Adobe Connect Features. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect/features.html Cisco WebEx Meetings. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.webex.com/products/web-conferencing.html

Bullying: Effects On Social Anxiety And Self Esteem

Bullying: Effects On Social Anxiety And Self Esteem The present study documented measures of social anxiety and self esteem in adolescents and sought to determine its association with dimensions of bullying in victims. Social anxiety entails feelings of apprehension in social situations, while bullying involves recurrent and intentional acts like teasing to injure another and has been suggested in the occurrence of social anxiety. Self esteem refers to the general view of oneself and proposed as a link with bullying. An independent variable of this study is bullying while dependent variables are social anxiety and self esteem. Two hypotheses were yielded: (a) higher rates of bullying in victims were linked with social anxiety and (b) there is a relationship between bullying and self esteem. Eriksons developmental theory of Identity versus Role Confusion supported hypotheses of why bullying increased social anxiety and lowered self esteem in adolescent victims. Adolescents between ages of 12 and 20 completed self-report questionnaires on bullying, social anxiety and self esteem. Results proposed individuals who identified themselves as bullied victims had higher degrees of social anxiety and lower self esteem. Keywords: social anxiety, self esteem, adolescents, bullying, victims, erikson, developmental, identity, role confusion Chapter One: Introduction Before measuring the association between bullying, social anxiety and self esteem, it is crucial to be equipped with an understanding of the variables. Bullying With the intention of conducting investigations on bullying, researchers have to first determine what exactly is bullying As denoted by Marini, Spear and Bombay (1999), bullying is the manipulation of physical and emotional influence of deliberate harm towards a person, thereby producing a destructive environment instilling anxiety, threat and apprehension in an individual. Adding onto Marini et al.s (1999) definition, researchers who further assessed bullying indicated two different types namely direct and indirect. Direct bullying is portrayed as perpetual, existing as bodily assaults like kicking and hitting, while indirect bullying consists of behaviours such as teasing and intentional exclusion of an adolescent (Fitzpatrick et al., 2007; Haddow, 2006; Hampel, Manhold, Hayer, 2009; Nansel et al., 2001; Omizo et al., 2006; Raskauskas Stoltz, 2007). Social Anxiety An underlying characteristic of social anxiety is a phobia of social settings and interpersonal communication yielding self awareness and negative beliefs of oneself. Individuals suffering from social anxiety typically dread negative assessment by people (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Based on Slee (1994), social anxiety has been unveiled to impact negatively on peer involvement, thereafter contributing to peer refusal. Self-Esteem Schaffer (1996) postulates self esteem as an assessment of an individual and the extent to which one perceives himself or herself as either optimistic or undesirable. Cooley (1902) proposed an understanding of oneself is shaped in accordance with peoples behaviour towards the self. Those who obtained positive views from others like a compliment would have increased self esteem. Onset of Bullying Bullying has evolved into a universal issue in adolescence. Several public findings by Cho, Hendrickson, Mock (2009) recognized bullying as multifaceted, producing a series of adverse societal, psychological and educational effects on adolescents. A justification for the rise of bullying occurrences in adolescence could be because of numerous progressive changes happening in this stage. Such changes include emotional ones like escalation in anxiety (Green, 2007; Nansel et al., 2001; Pergolizzi et al., 2007). Bulach, Fulbright and Williams (2003) theorized the manner in which bullying contributed significantly to the development of school violence. This was evidenced by an incident in 1998; Georgia, where an adolescent succumbed to death due to school bullying. The misfortune evoked awareness in the country where regulations on bullying were authorized. Hence, it is no wonder bullying is acknowledged as a prominent kind of violence in schools (Bulach et al., 2003; Olweus, 2003; Siris Osterman, 2004; Vossekuil, Fein, Reddy, Borum, Modzeleski, 2002). The following describes the influence of bullying on victims by highlighting the prevalence rates, thereafter introducing traits of victims and how these are linked with social anxiety and self esteem. Prevalence of Bullying Bullying is highly prevalent among adolescents and differs among cultures. It results in detrimental consequences and persists as a stumbling block in schools, where adolescents struggle to handle distress from bullying. National studies directed by Nansel et al (2001) demonstrated an approximate of 2,027,254 adolescents identified themselves as victims of temperate bullying while 1,681,030 youths engaged in repeated bullying. Reviews have generated an increasing interest on bullying in the 21st century (Rigby 2003; Arseneault et al. 2009), with adolescents of United States of America (USA) generating the highest distress from either forms of bullying. This is evident in a study, where an estimated 10% claimed to be bullies or victims at least once a month (Omizo, Omizi, Baxa, Miyse, 2006). A study by Olweus and Limber (1999) stated approximately 1.6 million of college adolescents in (USA) constituted bullied victims. Additionally, Nansel et al. (2001) uncovered 30% of them were linked with bullying, existing as a bully, victim or both. A separate statement by the U.S. Department of Education revealed 77% of adolescents whom were assessed were victims throughout their entire education (Garbarino et al., 2003). With bullying occurrences on the rise, researchers have thus commenced detailed examinations to further evaluate such occurrences in adolescence (Espelage Asidao, 2003). Since such elevated incidences of bullying are a cause for concern, it is vital to be mindful of different types of aggression and that bullying is just a specific kind. Despite majority of studies on issues of adolescent bullying for bullies and victims, only those pertaining to victims and the relation to social anxiety would be investigated. Attributes of Victims This group of adolescents are known as receivers of violence inflicted by their aggressors. Victims are more likely to appear timid, withdrawn and lack motor synchronization. Besides being known to have minute body sizes and regarded as undesirable by their peers (Bernstein and Watson, 1997), they have nervous disposition characterized by an intense worry of negative appraisal from people, (Bernstein Watson, 1997; Haynie et al., 2001), a trait of social anxiety. In addition, these victims display avoidance in social settings as a result of being bullied (Fitzpatrick, Dulin Piko, 2010; Ivarsson, Broberg, Arvidsson, Gillberg, 2005; Hampel et al., 2009). Olweus (1973, 1978) recognized victims exist in two groups; submissive and highly aggressive or provocative victims. The submissive ones are portrayed as vulnerable and do not incite bullies to further violence. Instead, they behave in ways that intensify the act. As submissive victims do not protect themselves, they are deemed weak, therefore undergoing peer refusal, an aspect of social anxiety. On the contrary, provocative victims exhibit restlessness and seem more irritable. They are likely to retaliate during assaults. Though all victims are highly susceptible of appraisal especially negative ones, submissive victims are more affected by such criticism and reproach themselves repeatedly. Highly aggressive victims portray nervous tendencies and difficulties focusing on tasks at hand, experiencing greater disregard compared to submissive victims. Victims and Social Anxiety Though anxiety is manifested in several forms, social anxiety is most palpable in bullied victims and acknowledged as a persistent disorder (Watson and Friend, 1969; as mentioned in Slee, 1994). Adolescents who suffered from childhood bullying may be at greater exposure to being bullied in school (Chapell et., 2004). Despite beliefs on bullying as uncommon in schools, a study has disputed such claims, indicating bullying rates as frequent across some colleges (Chapell et al.). A study was held on 1,025 university students where 60% claimed to have witnessed bullying and around 44% noticed a lecturer victimizing a student (Chappel et al.). This finding led Chapell and his team (2006) to further investigations, where a clear link regarding bullying occurrences in infancy, adolescence or both stages and chances of becoming victims in school was established. Their results are of considerable importance as it can assist some medical practitioners in treatment effects as they manage patients who might be bullied victims before. Social anxiety results in public aversion and restraint in affected individuals, reducing peer involvement due to a self belief of being undesirable by people (Ginsburg et al., 1998), therefore affecting peer communication which prolongs bullying and decreases their self esteem. This understanding was further developed as Crick and Bigbee (1998) noted adverse peer communication can affect ones self assessment, thus accounting for insufficient self esteem and exacerbates social anxiety. Investigators uncovered not all victims of bullying manifest social anxiety in adulthood (Hawker Boulton, 2000; Jantzer, Hoover, Narloch, 2006; Newman, Holden, Delville, 2005; Olweus, 1993; Schafer et al., 2004). However, regardless of their studies that bullying might suggest psychosocial issues during adolescence, there is still inadequate interest in the understanding of why only certain adolescents may experience such issues. Reviews (Chapell et al., 2004; Chapell et al., 2006) indicated adolescents who recalled being victims of bullying were at heightened possibilities of social anxiety in contrast with those who had no recollection. Such experiences pose worry particularly since bullying throughout adolescence has displayed a significant connection with higher emotional and interpersonal difficulties (Dempsey Storch, 2008; Hawker Boulton, 2000; Jantzer, Hoover, Narloch, 2006; Newman, Holden, Delville, 2005; Olweus, 1993; Schafer et al., 2004; Tritt Duncan, 1997). Further analyses on previous bullying occurrences in males who were weekly sufferers discovered that they regarded anxious tendencies as a result of being bullied (Gladstone, Parker, Malhi, 2006). Similarly, the ability to recall past episodes of attacks was known to influence its start, with adolescents who recollected their situation recording a hastened experience of anxiety conditions and greater unease in social settings as compared to those who failed to remember their traumatic experience (McCabe, Miller, Laugesen, Antony, Young, 2010). An analogous study revealed adolescents who were victims before displayed more negative perception of the public than non-bullied adolescents. This perception is an example noted in anxiety disorders (Hawker Boulton, 2003). Furthermore, bullying accounts have specified adolescents who were once victims had more inclination to display characteristics of social anxiety like phobia of negative appraisal from others and social avoidance (Dempsey Storch, 2008). In comparison with non-bullied adolescents, victims are known to experience elevated psychological and emotional suffering due to bullying episodes they faced in school. Research has suggested this intense distress would persist even in adulthood (Fekkes, Pijpers, Verloove-Vanhorick, 2003; Hampel et al., 2009; Solberg Olweus, 2003). Està ©vez, Murgui, and Musitu (2009) piloted a finding on psychological changes with regards to social anxiety and self esteem in 1,319 adolescents. It was revealed bullied victims manifested higher social anxiety and greater discontentment with life compared to bullies and those non-bullied. This was reinforced in bullied. This was reinforced in Fitpatrick et al.s (2010) review where low self esteem and high degrees of social anxiety were evident due to bullying occurrences. Graham and Bellmore (2007) formed a profile sheet for bullying by grouping it based on bullies, victims, bully-victims and those non-bullied. They discovered significant disparities of psychological changes in victims, bullies and non-bullied adolescents, where victims garnered the most scores for anxiety and least in self esteem. In contrast, bullies yielded the lowest degree of social anxiety and were extremely high on self esteem scores. Based on cross sectional information, a study on 226 adolescents with past occurrences of being bullies and victims was operated (Gladstone et al., 2006). Gladstone and his team focused on victims and their likelihood of displaying anxious tendencies in adulthood. Self reported measures were used to determine anxiety. Results depicted bullied victims had greater levels of social anxiety and suffer from insufficient self esteem. Furthermore, social anxiety was still constant in a notable percentage of victims, expanding current findings on the relationship between bullied victims and adverse effects they experience. Additional research on bullying was conducted by Menensi et al. (2009) which concentrated specifically on psychological influences of bullying on victims. This assessment indicated bullies engaged in threatening behaviours like violence while victims suffered from worrying symptoms including social anxiety. In Esbensen and Carsons (2009) four year analysis, based on the belief that bullying happens continuously which causes major psychological issues like social anxiety, a set of questions were devised to establish the outcome of bullied victims and bullies. An apparent disparity in bullying frequency was uncovered. A meagre 28% indicated themselves as victims in yes and no questions; whereas 82% admitted they were victims on questions inquiring personal development and behaviour. Victims faced with bullying on a constant basis also experienced increased social anxiety, higher possibilities of being harmed at school and a severe fear of being bullied, which was supportive of Menensi et al.s (2009) study. Bullying and Self-Esteem The effects of bullying are well documented in countless reviews, from lingering health issues to emotional distress and diminished self esteem. Self esteem is constituted by a series of beliefs an individual has (Berk, 2009). The relationship of bullied victims and low levels of self esteem is clear. This is apparent in Houbre et al.s (2006) report which implied a lack of self worth in victims who were seemingly displeased with their physical appearance. This negative self evaluation may cause victims to isolate themselves from the public, and this could result in mental health issues. Hence, it is significant to identify the connection between bullying and how it leads to low self esteem in victims. According to Hodges and Perry (1999), bullying serves as factors of self esteem and social anxiety. A co-relational study on 8,249 Irish adolescents indicated links between rates of bullying and esteem, where bullies garnered least self esteem and anxiety (OMoore Kirkham, 2001). A separate study directed by Rigby and Slee (1999) on bullying in adolescence revealed 48.8% of males and 62.5% of females who lacked self esteem suffered more negativity following an assault. As a result, they have lesser peer involvement and suffer from refusal, triggering weakened self esteem and isolation from social settings, a core aspect of social anxiety. Thus, as predicted, it appears that self esteem contributes notably to the domains of bullying as well as social anxiety. In a subsequent finding, Houbre, Tarquinio and Lanfranchi (2010) questioned if low self esteem was a determinant and outcome of bullying. Their study supported the idea of self esteem as a predictor of bullying based on results portraying pessimistic beliefs as the strongest indication of the act. In addition, further examination by them on repetitive bullying and self esteem described the extent to which both were connected; the lower the self esteem, the higher the occurrence of the attack. Apparently, bullying can reduce a victims self esteem. Despite victims possessing a likelihood of being bullied, such attacks decrease their self esteem and also exacerbate feelings of anxiety as they accept their aggressors beliefs. Thus, these findings imply that self esteem can exist as a cause of bullying and can also be influenced by it. Ample evidence regarding self esteem in bullying occurrences has been displayed before (Andreou, 2000; Callaghan Joseph, 1995; Ross, 1996). Boulton and Underwoods (1992) study unveiled a whopping 80% of adolescents claimed to experience more happiness and confidence in life before episodes of bullying commenced. This is further evidenced in Bosworth et als (1999) analysis on 558 students of a certain academic level, where low degrees of self esteem and higher bullying rates were linked. Moreover, victims of bullying were recognized to have lower self esteem in comparison with bullies and those not implicated (Andreou, 2000; Bolton Underwood, 1992). Hence, self esteem served as an originator and a result of bullying (Graham and Juvonen, 1998). In a precise finding by Graham and Juvonen (1998), it was noted that adolescents who perceived themselves as victims came across several social issues like low self esteem. This is in contrast with adolescents, who were identified as bullied v ictims by their peers, suffering from peer issues like refusal. Nansel et al.s (2001) research relating to self esteem and the capability to befriend others produced an unfavourable relationship with school bullying, but was surprisingly positively correlated with victimizing people. This is reasoned by Borgs (1998) study which stated male victims were extremely resentful and female victims were mainly unhappy. As feelings of resentment and unhappiness result in distress which affects victims self esteem, they may also be placed at heightened risks of being bullied (Hazler, 2000). In different reviews, the extent of bullying is considered an influence of an adolescents mental well being. This seems to imply anxious tendencies of an adolescent are likely to stem from bullying. This notion was supported by an examination on bullying as a correlation of decreased self esteem and elevated intensities of anxiety (Mynard, Joseph and Alexander, 2000). An exact finding by Mynard et al. (2000) purported oral bullying as a negative link with self esteem and that adverse outcomes of bullying may vary based on the extent of aggression applied. As a majority of adolescents are predisposed to intimidation by bullies, one possible reason for those who are more confident and less anxious would be their low acceptance of assaults by bullies as they attempt to protect themselves against harm, instead of the victims who fail to retaliate (Egan Perry, 1998). This explanation hence clarifies why only some adolescents who lack self regard and display social anxiety depict a phase of bullying. Several findings specified self esteem as a significant link to bullying and social anxiety, proposing that bullying incidents cause unfavourable effects on an individuals self esteem, thus justifying the high degrees of social anxiety according to them (Bernstein Watson, 1997; Fosse Holen, 2002; Kumpulainen, Rasanen and Henttonen, 1999; Kumpulainen Rasanen, 2000; Mahady-Wilton, Craig, Pepler, 2000; Marini, Spear Bombay, 1999; Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons Morton, Scheidt, 2001; Perry, Kusal Perry, 1988; Rigby, 2000; Roecker Phelps, 2001).