British Gas Business Essay

A review of the British Gas Businesses current approach to collating, storing and using HR data within the organisation. Findings Below you will find an overview of some of the data that the HR function within British Gas Business collects. Within this report I will identify two reasons why British Gas Business needs to collect HR data, and the current methods in which we store the data. I will also briefly touch upon some key legislation which if compliant, will reduce any financial or legal risks to the organisation. Absence Performance – appraisals, Learning and Development (L&D) activity Employee Engagement results Equality/Diversity – To meet legal requirements Recruitment – Contractual information Employee Information â€Å"Accurate personnel records will help the organisation in many ways – increasing the efficiency of recruitment, training and development, and promotion. They can also provide the raw data to monitor equal opportunities issues and the legal requirements placed on all organisations† [ACAS: Online 30th November 2014]. One of the areas where there is need for collation of data is we are able to track volumes of employees currently being performance managed within the organisation to then further identify whether this is a behavioral or skill issue where further training is required. This then helps us to define our learning programmes moving forward and tailor the content around any shortfalls which may have been identified through Training Needs Analysis (TNA) within performance management. Another area that the HR function collates data for is for Absence. â€Å"This is one of the longest-running causes of serious concern to managers. Unapproved absence from work causes a multitude of problems to managers and involves the organisation in significant extra costs†. (Currie et al, 2010, p.293). All absence data within each business unit (and then business wide across British Gas) is centralised using the data base Absence Manager. This helps us to track against our performance and resourcing for people and establish  whether recruitment or redundancy plans would benefit the long term strategy of the organisation. The Human Resource function currently use an Information System (HRIS) which runs alongside our main billing system called SAP. Within SAP all Line managers have access to view employee information (direct reports only), process secondments or job role changes, and change manage details. The benefit of this is that the data is easily accessible and is consistent in line with any people movements within the business. Alongside this system there is also a requirement for some documentation to be stored manually. This is then kept for 6 years, regardless of whether that individual is still in employment with British Gas Business. This is beneficial for any documentation which requires employee signatures or verification. This could be disciplinary documentation to any learning that has taken place. Using the internal HRIS British Gas Business complies with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, which covers the security and confidentiality of the retention of data. We do this by ensuring that access to the HR online system is done only registered through authorised access and then a further password security check. British Gas Business also ensures that it keeps written documentation for no longer than 6 years in line with the Principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). Once documentation reaches this age we contract to a disposal company to safely dispose of all confidential waste. The HR function also complies with all Subject Access Requests (SAR’s) which is governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act). Customers are able to place requests in writing to access all information held about them or their business on the organisations systems. The customer pays a one of fee of ten pounds and they are then issued with the information within 40 days of their request. Key Findings British Gas Business is fully compliant with all key legislation in collecting and storing data within the organisation. I see no risk, financially or strategically from the methods we are currently using. Bibliography Web ACAS. (2014). Personnel Data. Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=717. Last accessed 30th November 2014. Books Currie, D (2010). Introduction to Human Resource Management. 2nd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. 293 Introduction – Activity 2 Analysis of absence data for the Customer Care function of British Gas Business from high level reported case volumes, to understanding the gender split of the absence recorded. Summary By analysing the data collated from our absence records, we can establish trends to enable the organisation to look to implement preventative measures to reduce overall long term absence levels. key findings Absence from the British Gas Business – Customer Care function is currently at its highest levels since 2010. The average number of days taken as absence within the short term sickness (STS) criteria (under 20 consecutive days), has increased from 4.6 to 5.5 days per employee per rolling 52 weeks. The increase in long term sickness (LTS) registered within the organisation has increased by 0.8% over the past 4 years. LTS cases for 2014 are split into the following reasons for absence and then subsequently by gender for all Stress (Work related) / Mental Illness reported absences. Of the 45 LTS stress (Work) related cases registered in 2014, 23 were for male employees. This shows us a change in trend from previous years. For the first time in over 4 years we can see the greater proportion of stress (Work) /mental illness related absences is now reported by the male employee population. conclusions In 2011 British Gas Business began its journey in implementing a new billing system. We can see a noticeable trend in the years following on from the  start of this journey, with the volume of work induced stress related absences reported within the function. Throughout the function we have also seen a high natural attrition in the leadership team in 2014. This means that we now have less experienced leadership population who are progressing our people through their long term sickness absences. Recommendations Identify potential learning gaps through Training Needs Analysis (TNS) – â€Å"Test and Play† drop in sessions for all employees – Full review of the learning documentation and the online learning environment Wellbeing events throughout the system change timeline to be ran throughout the function i.e. exercise programmes, healthy eating, fitness checks, stop smoking programmes. Engagement temperature checks amongst the employee population Team leader workshops in identifying stress and supporting employees Review the benefits package for the leadership population to reduce churn Validation of the process within the leadership teams from day 1 of absence registered, through the fruition of policy outcomes Wellbeing days across function for all levels to understand support tools references – Data British Gas Business – Absence Manager Data sample from 2010 – 2014. Accessed on the 17th November 2014. British Gas Business – HR Function – Team Leader Exit data – 2014. Accessed on the 19th November 2014.

The Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid kingdoms

Alexander, son of king Philip II and Olympias was born in 356 B. C. E, and at age 19, became king of Macedon. With a great army at his disposal and his brilliant military mind, he started his conquest. From 337-323 B. C. E Alexander conquered Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and a large part of Asia. Alexander ruled from Macedonia to the northern part of India. He defeated the Persians numerous times with his incredible military strategies, even when his armies were outnumbered by almost 200,000 Persian soldiers.The sheer size of his empire was unlike anything ever seen before but when he died in 323 B.  C. E, the three main areas he conquered (Greece/Macedonia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia/ Asia) were split up and became their own kingdoms. The area that was once Greece and Macedonia became the Antigonid Kingdom, the Egyptian are became the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Asia/ Mesopotamia area became the Seleucid Kingdom. The Ptolemaic Kingdom came about when one of Alexander’s cavalry com panions, Ptolemy, took his loyal troops to the Egyptian area to take over the wealthy land. Once there, Ptolemy diverted Alexander’s body to Egypt, which was originally being sent to Macedonia for burial.Once in Alexandria, Ptolemy took Alexander’s body and built a massive and imposing tomb for his late king. After defending Egypt from some of Alexander’s other generals who wanted Egypt, the Ptolemies ruled Egypt as their god/kings. This only took place after they struck up a bargain with the Egyptian priests and in which the Egyptians could continue living under the same Egyptian god belief system while the Ptolemies ruled as kings. Along with that agreement, the Ptolemies promised to allow the priests to maintain the up keeping of their temples and deceased pharaohs.The Ptolemies departed from the beliefs and rules set forth by Philip and Alexander by allowing the Queens of the rulers more power then they ever had before. The perfect example of this was Cleopa tra VII who even challenged the growing power of Rome. The Ptolemies also didn’t really blend with the Egyptians, which was a major idea Alexander wanted to make happen (the blending of Page 2 cultures). This can be seen when the Ptolemies stayed in Alexandria conducting business and trading with Rome, where the Egyptians maintained their old religion.The Seleicid Kingdom is named after one of Ptolemy’s generals, Seleusid. After the death of Alexander, Seleusid entered Babylon in 311 B. C. E and captured the imperial treasure there. With the vast wealth at his disposal, Seleusid claimed the land as the old heartland of Persia. Unfortunately because the area was so large, Seleusid had to trade back northern India and eventually lost Asia Minor. Seleusid imported Greek and Macedonian bureaucrats and colonists. North of Babylonia a new city was built and it was named Seleucia and would eventually become its capital.Knowing that trade with the eastern countries were vital to their survival, Seleucid’s major cities were built around trade routes that connected the countries. Around 20,000 Macedonians came to Seleusid and they felt as if they were world conquerors and felt they needed to be compensated. The Macedonians were given a significant amount of farmland because when they arrived, Seleusid realized that these people were the backbone of their society because they had no religion already set up in the area. Unlike the past rulers, Philip and Alexander, Seleusid was very worried about expanding, rather he was worried about losing land.This was because when Seleusid came to Babylon to start his new Kingdom, he had only brought a few military forces with him. This was a problem because he controlled so much land that he didn’t have enough military personnel to control the kingdom. If I was in Seleusid’s position I would have asked for everyone in the old countries such as Greece and Macedonia to come over. Doing so would give m e a much larger army and then I would not have to worry about losing land, rather I could expand. The last area of land left was Alexander’s home country, Macedonia, and Greece which he conquered.This land would become Antigonids once Alexander died and would be situated in Greece. The kings of Antigonids were descendants of Antigonus the one eyed, who was a general in Alexander’s army when Alexander died. Unfortunately, Antigonus died without conquering the land, but his descendants eventually claimed Macedonia and Greece as Antigonids. At the time of Alexander’s death, many of Alexanders treasures that he took were taken back to Page 3 Macedonia. It was said that the last shipment taken back to Macedonia before Alexander’s death took 110 warships just to carry all the treasure back.So the country was very wealthy but the wealth hardly even changed society. In fact, hardly anything had changed in Macedonia since Philip II was king. The army in the kingdo m still consisted of only Macedonia nobles who fought for the king and unfortunately in the 280’s B. C. E the Gauls (group from the north) invaded Antigonids and caused them serious damage. Along with the damage from the north, in the south, the Greeks, who had never really accepted the Macedonians, started revolting against the Antigonids.The Antigonids branched away from their past rulers, Philip II and Alexander by never expanding and never blending the neighboring cultures together. The Greeks never accepted the Antigonids’ rule and although total warefare never broke out, it damaged the Kingdom as a whole. Not only did the Kingdom fail to expand, they couldn’t even keep their own citizens in tact. If I were any of the kings in the Antigonids kingdom, I would have tried to resolve the differences with Greece and the Gauls because if they could have become allies, there would have been room for expansion.

Art Up Close Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Up Close - Essay Example The painting that I chose to work on is Willem de Kooning’s â€Å"Woman†. The masterpiece is dominated by shades of purple and flesh. It is an abstract interpretation of a woman and the artist used lines to convey his thought regarding his chosen subject. What is most noticeable about the painting is that it is composed of diagonal lines and the woman’s figure is not obviously depicted. There are, however, certain figures that are implied to be one of the woman’s body parts. One particular example is the woman’s head. It is not clearly portrayed as a head, but the eye gives a hint that it is the face of a woman. It also shows that the woman’s head is tilting, which somehow, suggests loneliness. One of the obvious marks in the painting is the cluster of red brush strokes in the upper right hand corner. This may symbolize blood or imply that the woman is in pain. A stroke of line that surrounds the woman’s body looks like a veil which me ans that the woman is another version of the old woman figures such as Madonna and Venus. As mentioned before, the painting is composed, mainly, of lines. Most of the lines are also sharp and jagged which further denote emotional instability or turmoil. Since the artist did not use much curved lines for the painting, there is also not much softness with the emotion conveyed. Most of the lines are overlapping and there are certain spaces and figures that are covered by these lines. However, as noticed, there is a soft stroke of line just below the eyes which could symbolize tears.

Second Language Learning. Application Of Language Strategies In School Thesis

Second Language Learning. Application Of Language Strategies In School - Thesis Example Twelve percent represents the number of children that need special care and attention. Numerous studies indicate that a good number of English language learners are represented in special schools. Other states show that there are over fourth percent of these students in special schools. Other studies have indicated that, in other states they represented by only one percent. An English learner consists of many different children of different age groups. These students have different stages of acquiring English language. Most of the states have established different programs that are used to educate the English learners. Some of the programs are; English as a second language. In this program, emphasis has been put on learning and using English in the classroom setting. The students may be placed in class as English second language learners. The second program is bilingual transitional, here second language students are allowed to use native language in learning English as a second lang uage. Development bilingual education is the third program. In this program the students’ native language is developed as well as English language. The English language learners have a right to acquiring English as a second language, and they need support from teachers to acquire the English language effectively. The term student with limited English proficiency is used by the federal government and state laws or English language learners or English learners to describe the English second language learners. These terms are used because they give focus on what the students are achieving. English language learners refer to the group of students whose native language is not English, and are not in a position to take part in the learning process using English. Second language learning or acquisitions refers to the process whereby a child or an individual learn a second language in this case English normally abbreviated SL. The second language learners acquire English language fol lowing similar stage, but the rate at which a child stays in a given stage depends on the individual different of the learners. The stages of acquiring language are one the pre-production stage where the learners keep on repeating what the teacher says, two early production stage, in this stage the students develops vocabulary and speak. Stage three the learners have developed vocabulary up to 3000 words, and can communicate with simple phrases and simple sentences that may not be grammatically correct. Stage four is the intermediate fluency at this stage the students are in a position to a position to use complex words and construct complex sentences. They have also developed more than 6000 vocabulary. Lastly the fifth stage, the students at this stage are near fluency and can speak like the native speakers, and it takes them four to five years to get to this stage. Some researches have indicated the use of language strategies to teach English language learners to produce positive effects among these students. This notion has brought lots of interest in investigating the effects of using language strategies in teaching English language learners. Learning strategies depend on the individual language leaner and the instructional procedures employed by the teachers during the teaching learning process. This paper presents effective language strategies for special education English language learners. It is often thought the bilingual children growing in English speaking countries live in two different worlds. These are; English language culture and their home language culture. This make the student face problems while learning English as their second language. Some of the bilingual chi

Humn Recourse Mngement in Indi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Humn Recourse Mngement in Indi - Essay Example It occupies Ð ° strÐ °tegic locÐ °tion in South Ð siÐ ° for internÐ °tionÐ °l trÐ °de. With Ð °n Ð °reÐ ° of 3.3 million squÐ °re km, IndiÐ ° is the second lÐ °rgest country in Ð siÐ ° Ð °nd the seventh lÐ °rgest in the world. Ð  former British colony, IndiÐ ° hÐ °s emerged Ð °s the lÐ °rgest democrÐ °cy in the world since independence in 1947. IndiÐ ° is the birthplÐ °ce of three of the world’s mÐ °in religions: Hinduism (Ð °bout 7000 yeÐ °rs BC), Buddhism (487 BC) Ð °nd Sikhism (1699 Ð D). IndiÐ °n society comprises six mÐ °in religious groups: Hindus (83.2 percent), Muslims (11 percent), Sikhs (2 percent), ChristiÐ °ns (2 percent), JÐ °ins Ð °nd Buddhists (less thÐ °n 1 percent). There Ð °re over three thousÐ °nd cÐ °stes. IndiÐ ° hÐ °s 179 lÐ °nguÐ °ges Ð °nd 544 diÐ °lects. The Constitution recognizes sixteen lÐ °nguÐ °ges, Hindi Ð °nd English being the two officiÐ °l lÐ °nguÐ °ges. IndiÐ ° hÐ °s one of the lÐ °rgest English-speÐ °king populÐ °tions in the Ð siÐ °-PÐ °cific region. The literÐ °cy rÐ °te for those over 15 yeÐ °rs of Ð °ge is 51 percent, but literÐ °cy is unevenly distributed (BudhwÐ °r, 2000Ð °). These fÐ °cts show the diverse nÐ °ture of the IndiÐ °n workforce. Though rich in culture Ð °nd nÐ °turÐ °l resources, IndiÐ ° currently fÐ °ces Ð ° number of problems: politicÐ °l Ð °nd religious instÐ °bility; ever-increÐ °sing levels of populÐ °tion; unemployment Ð °nd poverty; corruption in government offices; cÐ °stism; Ð ° low per cÐ °pitÐ ° income; instÐ °bility of output in Ð °griculture Ð °nd relÐ °ted sectors; slow privÐ °tisÐ °tion of the bloÐ °ted public sector; lÐ °ck of Ð °dequÐ °te intellectuÐ °l property protection; excessive bureÐ °ucrÐ °cy; Ð °nd Ð °n increÐ °sing gÐ °p between rich Ð °nd poor. The level of corruption in politics is rÐ °pidly rising.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING assignment 3 - Essay Example The attitude towards work and system are very important attributes towards the success of a project. Platform experience: As an embedded real time system is involved, staff of the development project must be experienced to handle that. People with no expertise in the related system would require a lot of time and cost to get equipped with the system complexities. 1. Functional and non functional requirements: Functional requirements are statement of services the system should provide. It tells the systems behavior towards particular inputs and situations. It sometimes states what the system should not do. The non functional requirements offer the constraints on the services offered by the system. They include timing constraints, development process and standards constraint. It applies to the system on the whole. 4. System requirements and Interface specification: It adds detail and explains how the user requirements should be provided by the system. It includes software, hardware, interoperability and other critical system requirements. The types of interfaces that need to be defined are procedural interfaces, data structures and representation of data.

Marketing Performance Report - CUERO Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Performance Report - CUERO Ltd - Essay Example He had been successful in creating a brand identity for different product lines such as Leathercraft, Ritz and Savoy, also changing name of the shops to ‘Shoeshop’ after purchasing them from the Dent Group. Earlier, Wood had a market niche for only two types of foot wears, the hand-crafted men’s shoes and boots of quality construction for commercial usage but when he saw an opportunity to diversify and cater to other market areas, he grabbed the chance of acquiring 60 independent shops of the Dent Group to cover wider areas for the sale of his company shoes. All the shops sold by the Dent Group were located at premium sites in 60 different towns and cities. This was a huge marketing strategy initiative on the part of Frank Wood to expand business (Case Study). It is very interesting to acknowledge that the company did not run any advertisement initiatives for marketing of the foot wears manufactured at the in-house facility in the mid-twenties. It achieved customer recognition on tradition, location and branding. The company made use of only selective marketing tools; it did not indulge in direct marketing as a promotional strategy. Generally, companies follow an integrated marketing strategy (IMS) for improving customer focus. IMS promotes the sale of goods and services through internal marketing, print media and other levels of integration such as Horizontal, Vertical, Internal, External and Data integration (MMC 2009). CUERO Ltd. in stead relied on one major acquisition of all stores of a popular brand, leveraging from the bargain financially and changing the brand name of the acquired shops to ‘Shoeshop’. CUERO Ltd. relied on its own sales stores in stead of developing a public relations strategy. Sales stores located on premium shopping locations by its brand name through a network of its own sales and marketing teams in 60 small and big towns did the marketing and promotion function (Case Study). CUERO diversified its manufacturing of shoes into children’s segment of customers long time back, thus, capturing a huge potential of the children’s shoes market. It helped greatly in earning huge profit margins as it opened another manufacturing plant to cater to the newly acquired niche area of children’s shoes. Till 1990, the company performed very well even amidst non-conducive market environment prevailed upon from the opening of super markets, contraction in the UK shoe manufacturing industry, sourcing of foot wears from outside and changing trends in foot wear industry. Competitive rivalry was also ignored because of the sound financial position of the company (Case Study). Marketing functions were controlled centrally from the Head Office, managed with the help of limited staff including one marketing manager, three merchandisers, four product managers, three sales people, one resource to deal with advertising and two support staff. For any other competitive firm, this strength of marketing team could have been insufficient but CUERO managed on the previously earned reputation, as the bosses wanted the staff to strictly tow the traditional line (Case Study) Pricing policy was rigid as merchandisers added the fixed and pre-settled ratio of profit on the actual cost of foot wear irrespective of the market dynamics. Innovation was rarely allowed to the merchandisers; all innovation was limited and tailored to back up the product design inside the factory premises only. The promotional tool, thus, was not fully exploited by the company. Good thing was that market analysis was done statistically on product style, colour and price to get first-hand information of the market trends but it was unfortunate that the gathered data was not us ed intelligently on the name of following traditions of the company. No leverage could be achieved from the gathered information

Company & Insolvency Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Company & Insolvency Law - Assignment Example whereas a floating charge is that which allows a company to undertake borrowings despite non possession of assets which may be specific in nature and the charges are placed on the company’s assets like its machinery, stock in trade etc. Before and at the onset of insolvency, fixed charge holders enjoy an unfettered right to enforce their debt repayments by dragging their debtors to court upon default by the latter.1 A debenture holder, whose debt is secured by a floating charge over the assets of a company such as its book debts and trading stock, is likely to enjoy boundless benefits should such a charge crystallize preferably before the onset of insolvency. In Khalid and Mahmood’s business, the bank charges a fixed charge on the company’s assets meaning it secures via mortgaging the assets of the company in case of debts and further affixes a floating charge on the rest of the undertaking of the company. ... er party owing to the weight of his needs, leaving room for the stronger party to make collateral demands whose fairness may be of little relevance, given the freedom of contract doctrine at the heart of contract law. However, when the sum realized from the fixed assets is not enough to pay the debt owed to the creditors, the holder is then relegated to the undesirable general league of unsecured creditors for the remaining balance, subject to pari passu regime. The fixed charge of 75,000 that has been granted by the bank is an automatic security clause, and is the first priority and thus needs to be paid before anything else. According to the facts of the case, the bank got the 75,000 pounds of loan as a fixed charge interest. This loan was undertaken to be a floating charge loan with a negative pledge on the floating assets of the company. It can be demarcated to a floating charge loan only when the loan is given on collateral which is not fixed in nature. Loanshark granted a 20000 Pounds worth of floating charge on the company’s undertaking. Adopting from the theory, we can assume that such charge was given on the floating assets of the company. Taking case laws into account, the case of Agnew v Commissioners of Inland Revenue2 involved the security interest of the company’s assets and the priority of the creditors in the winding up of the business. Other cases like Leyland Daf Ltd3 involve floating charges depicting how crystallization on time can help save the company. Under all the circumstances, if a company has taken loan on a fixed charge interest and floating charge interest, the loan which has been taken on the fixed charge interest has to be paid at the earliest time possible. This is done so that the loan on the fixed security which is more vulnerable

Evolution of the Nation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evolution of the Nation - Essay Example The New International Encyclopedia, Dodd,Mead and Company-New York. Copyright: 1902-1905 21 Volumes.] The causes are many. Firstly, the Railway Transportation hit rock bottom and locomotive transportation came to a stand-still. Secondly, fires engulfed a number of cities and people suffered immensely. In fact, many buildings were razed to the ground. Thirdly, the Coinage Act of 1783 brought about a huge change in the silver prices. Gold and Silver could no longer be mined. This not only affected the internal economy, but foreign relations as well. Debts of farmers increased and this affected the lower middle class. The Army Cavalry had to fight the Apaches and there was a huge emergency, when they were required to pull the wagons by hand. This had a big impact as well. In addition to this, the immense growth of the Railways saw most of the financial resources channelized to the sector, leaving the economy in the dumps. Big banks like Jay Cooke and Co. had invested majorly in the railways and couldn't meet the bonds they were supposed to clear. Besides all of this, the fiscal policies of the then President and the other entrepreneurs made things worse. So much so, that Jay Cooke and Co. went bankrupt. All these causes led to the Economic Depression of 1873, which not only affected the internal and external affairs of the United States. b. What caused the rise of American industry Initially, the American factories were run by using hydel power from the fast flowing rivers in Northern America. However, after the Civil War, rail links were laid between Southern and Northern America. Then, industrialisation, which was catching up in the rest of the world, took over the United States. This happened because of steam-powered manufacturing in factories, which succeeded water-powered factories. When the fast-flowing rivers were situated in Northern America, factories were located in the region. However, since steam-power was universal, the factories began to sprout everywhere, leading to industrialisation. Then, the first cotton industry came up, followed by wool processing. Mills came up everywhere and this initiated the first phase of industrialisation in America. Since Britain and the rest of the developed world were taking to industrialisation, America couldn't stay far behind and thus, industrialisation was brought about in the U.S, leading to the agricultural sector taking a backseat. c. What impacts did big business have on society, economics, and politics The Age of Industrialisation paved way for the establishment of big industrial houses. These houses grew by leaps and bounds and became establishments that help immense power and contributed immensely to the economy of America. These

Negotiation beforehand Essay Example for Free

Negotiation beforehand Essay You ought to master the art, in a negotiation, of raising the interests of both parties and end up with a lasting common pact. Why selected: Negotiations rooted in self-centered positions often injure the relationship of both parties and are incapable of reaching good agreements. I recall a friend who lost his chance of landing a job because of his tactlessness. Application to a business or personal situation: A couple of weeks ago, a friend had lost a big time prospective employer when he haggled with him over his desired monthly salary, asking a highly competitive one despite being a fresh graduate. What added fuel to the dispute was his provoking voice that possessed an air of domineering insistence. Action steps: The situation above is best addressed by efficiently doing the following: 1. Build a long-lasting relationship with the other party by offering a wise deal. 2. Set aside personal involvement with any issues and try to look over the other side’s viewpoint. 3. Do not counteract emotional outbursts with another raging flow of emotions. 4. Identify the parties’ interests, not their positions as it would undermine the other in the process. 5. Lay down a wide array of alternatives, sit, and pick the best choice to settle issues once and for all. 6. Approach the issue as a common search and decide on the best objective criteria for it. 7. Establish ground rules in negotiation beforehand to have a pre-emptive measure against dirty tricks the other party may later employ (Glaser). Reference: Glaser, Tanya. Conflict Research Consortium Book Summary. http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/example/fish7513. htm. 1998-2005

Carrefours Measurement Of Strategic Objectives Accounting Essay

Carrefours Measurement Of Strategic Objectives Accounting Essay > Now Strategic Management Accounting or say SME has been distinct as a form of management accounting where emphasis is placed on data which relates to attributes external to the company, in addition to non-financial and financial information and internally produced information. According to Ken Smmonds, this is the collection of information related to management accounting which can be used for monitoring and formulating strategies. This has main emphasis on trends of cash flow, costs, revenue structure and stewardship of the property and resources accessible to the business. (Inman, 1999) We have different Strategic Management Accounting Techniques such as Key Performance Indicators, balanced score cards, value chain analysis etc. (Carrefour, Key indicators, 2010) Carrefour Introduction: Over the last 40 years, the company has grown to turn into one of the globes leading distribution company. The globes second-largest retailing company and is also largest in Europe. Carregour group at present operates four main types of store formats: Supermarkets, hard discount, hypermarkets and convenience stores. The Company currently has more than 15,500 stores which are either franchises or company operated. In UAE, Carrefour has large presence and has the business similar to its international business domain described above. Business Strategy: Carrefour is a retail endeavor, having its own manufacturing and distribution chain in Middle East which is innovated by EMKE Group. The business strategy of the company is to provide things of daily necessity to common people at reasonable price and earn profit for increased market share. The profit is supposed to be magnifies and retailing units as a result of low buying price in bulk purchase of material. The company has its own manufacturing unit for number of products to reduce the purchasing cost. (Author, Our group, 2010) Mission Objectives: The ultimate goal of the company is to have highest profit in hypermarket and other business segment. The company wants to manage its supply chain efficiently by implementing ERP. Other objectives include increased sales, ERP implementation, cost reduction and TQM implementation. (Author, Key indicators, 2010) Type of Manufacturing: The company has its own manufacturing stream and distribution stream, providing a good choice to carry out this research. The company did not manufactures all of the products it sells but around 70% of the products Carrefour sells comes from its own manufacturing plants. The company has hi-tech plants which are able to produce more than one variety of products at a time. Carrefours measurement of Strategic objectives: The company to achieve its strategic objectives uses the balanced scorecard (BSC) method to check its current level of performance and to bridge between present and desired level of performance. Balanced scorecard is a tactical performance management instrument a semi-level structured account supported by confirmed plan methods and computerization apparatus that can be utilized by managers to maintain track of the implementation of activities by personnel within their monitor and control the cost arising from these actions. It is possibly the best known of numerous such frameworks (for instance, it is mainly accepted performance management agenda reported). The company implemented the balance scorecard model given in the figure below. Plan of a Balanced Scorecard eventually is about the recognition of a little number of non-financial financial measures and adding targets to these items, so that at time when they are evaluate it is probable to establish whether present performance meets prospect. The idea in the rear of this is that by alerting executives to regions where performance diverges from prospect, they can be buoyant to focus their concentration on these areas. Areas where Strategic Management accounting is useful: Increasing the performance of the employees and the company: Performance measures are primarily used to evaluate organizational, as well as employee performance. A PMS develops key performance indicators (KPIs), or metrics, depending on the nature and activities of the organization. KPIs are used as strategy and incentives to assist the coordination of business unit and managers objectives, with those of the general corporation objectives, that is, they support goal congruency. By these metrics, the firm communicates how it desires the workers to act, and how these activities will be evaluated and judged. Carrefour uses the framework below: The key performance indicators of the company include: Number of registered own brands. Number of quality line product % of product supplied by the suppliers. Energy consumption Water consumption Recycling Sales Profit Customer base The company uses these indicators for the overall performance improvement and for performance of the employees, the indicators are: Feedback from colleagues Work hours Quality of service (Gregory, 1995) Supply chain: The supply chain in the company is evaluated on the basis of Value chain. The value chain is a methodical way to examining the growth of competitive benefit. It was invented by M. E. Porter in his book named Competitive Advantage (published in 1980). The chain comprises of a series of actions that build and create value. Value Chain Analysis generally describes the actions that take place in commerce and narrates them to a study of the competitive potency of the company. Value Chain Analysis is single way of recognizing which activities are finest undertaken by a company and which are finest provided by another business. According to that, the finest category of Carrefours supply chain is Information Networks. Here as the task is distributed to individual units (like transportation, distribution etc) and innovation can be diffused at any stage. Talking about supply chain, the Carrefour is currently using allocating gaming policy to hand out the products. Under this strategy, when the supply is low, the suppliers place fewer products on allocation. This signify that that supplier will not provide the order of the downstream fully but will decrease the volume to be supplied downstream in order to make certain that all the downstream nodes get at least some part of demand. In this way, Value chain analysis helps Carrefour to make a best in industry supply chain. (Gregory, 1995) Areas where Strategic Management accounting is not successful Inventory The company tried in past to use SMA for inventory management but the results were not fruitful. The key failure was because of short term nature of inventory management which is not been provided by strategic management accounting. Thus to ensure emergency and constant supply of stocks, the company also maintains warehouses at its allocation centers. The company currently utilizes build to stack approach in its inventory management policy. Replacement of SMA in inventory To ensure a centralized approach in inventory, Carrefour hypermarket has EPR implemented but is not federal yet. The ERP needs to be implemented in complete set of outlets and warehouses of the company. The responsibility to ensure inventory lies in hands of warehouse manager who has to ensure a particular fixed quantity of stock at anytime of the year. The information needed in ERP is to be supplied by various managers at distribution centers, manufacturing units etc. Master plan scheduling: Again because of short term nature of scheduling, Carrefour is not able to schedule its activities with the help of Strategic Management Accounting. Scheduling is thus done by correct coordination between varieties of departments. As mentioned previously, the company maintains around 7 days inventory in its warehouses to provide flexibility next to the always changing demand of people. If the material in the warehouses is lesser than that of 6 days, a buying order form manufacturing plant is placed. In the same way, if the inventory in the outlets is lesser than that of 3 business days capacity, again inventory is enthused for warehouse to the outlets. (Gregory, 1995) Strategic Managemetn Accounting in Various Departments Operations The company did not have a probable forecasting model for maintaining the inventory. It needs a better method for this purpose. The present method for supply planning goes with the need of the customers. Production is governed by the customer needs and Bullwhip effect (covered later in the report). In order to support the production in accordance with customer needs, the company utilizes Kano model as a strategic management accounting tool. A short explanation is given below. Kano model shown at this point is the most fundamental conceptualization of client requirement. The red line shows innovation while the blue shows expected and spoken requirement and green line signifies expected and unspoken requirements. Kano model relies on a supposition that a clients buys when he or she Need something, however is it not totally right, an organization must flood the client needs. This can be implicit as a Voice of the customer concept. Value chain analysis: At every step, proper documentation is done and coordination is maintained which is a part of value chain analysis to ensure that overall supply chain works properly. Finance A balance score card method is used here. The key ingredients of the balance score card method are as follows: Cost Control Senior leadership manages operating expenses and costs through cyclic budgets/ plan. A budget/ plan is a essential management accounting instrument because it assists top management and subdivision heads set spending thresholds and limits. correct financial reporting SCA or Strategic cost accounting assists top management report complete and accurate accounting data summaries. Sufficient cost accounting schemes ease monetary reporting work as corporate controllers can rapidly relocate cost accounting figures into financial accounting instruments like ledgers. Variance analysis Variance study is a necessary profit management instrument. Variances, often called contingency, are differences among actual costs and budget amounts. A positive discrepancy indicates that budget total exceed real costs. Higher management pays concentration to negative discrepancy because these indicate insufficient cost control operations in operating activities. Marketing In marketing department, SMA is generally used to forecast the demand. In marketing department, Carrefour is currently employing allocating gaming policy (as mentioned previously too) to distribute its products. In this strategy, in case when the supply goes down, the suppliers place fewer products on allocation. This signify that the supplier will not provide the order of the downstream fully but will decrease the volume to be supplied downstream in order to make certain that all the downstream nodes get at least some part of demand. For example if 1,00,000 Carrefour products are meant for distributed to 4 equally vital downstream nodes band there is difficulty in reliable supply, then the company will supply only 12,500 products to the downstream nodes, irrespective of its capacity and even when it can provide more to assure that each node get a little and stock is not unfilled. It is also find that is the irregularity in demand is too often, some costumers (downstream nodes of supply chain) order more than the actual need to compensate future disorder in supplies. In this way, the company manages its product strategically. Transportation: The company preserves an effectual transportation system from manufacturing unit to distribution centers and then additional from distribution centers to retail outlets. Currently hired motor vehicles are used to diminish the cost of purchasing of vehicles. Demerits of Strategic Management Accounting There are some of the disadvantages of Strategic Management Accounting Techniques also. Some of them are: Lack of Standardization Monetary accountants follow accounting measures and principles sketched by generally established accounting principles like US GAAP. Management accountants, counting strategic executives, do not have a mix of procedures policies to follow. Focus on Quantitative Information Data based or Quantitative information is information calculated in hard statistics, such as dollars and ponds. A strategic accountant centers a lot of concentration on quantitative data. Information studies by these accountants are very cogent. The difficulty with this is that concentrating only at lucid information, other relevant information is unnoticed. Biasness: Strategic accountants generate methods for calculating performance and are prearranged a lot of space for subjectivity and unfairness. This causes a disadvantage to companies because strategic accountants attach their own individual feelings and beliefs into making decisions. Strategic management process engages the complete range of verdicts. Usually, strategic issues have about 6 identifiable scopes: Strategic issues engage the allocation of large quantity of company resources Strategic matter require highest level-management decisions Strategic issues are probable to have noteworthy impact on the strategic-term success of the company Strategic issues typically have chief multi business or multifunctional penalty Strategic issues are often future oriented Strategic issues require considering aspects in the firms outside environment. Usefulness of Strategic management in the company Meeting the downstream demand by the organization is extremely necessary and most of the organizations (and thus Carrefour) thus lay great weight over their production unit and taking it to best level to attain marked productivity standards. It is involved in strategic guidelines of the company to attain or exceed the requirement in the market. In order to absolute this requirement, business should be spotless in its production and its inventory management. This also need suitable administration of its volume, productivity and cost resources, so as to achieve suitable quality standards. (Inman, 1999) Relation between demand and Supply side The demand of the products to be sold is directly dependent on the supply side (for fulfillment). There is a linear relation existing between demand and supply side with negative slope. When the demand increases, the manufacturing side capacity or say the supply decreases and opposite in vice versa case. One area in which Carrefour is missing is the supply of consumer demand to its customer with appropriate timing. It is the dimension in which system is meeting its prevalent failure. This is highly exaggerated from elasticity that the system possess, and to have correctly timed outcome, Carrefour should have highly appropriate structuring that would be clever to be adequate to all the needs of the customers associated form the company. As a conclusive reason for the failure, we can say that there is lack of co-ordination and management within all the sections operating in the system. Production: Production in governed by the Kano model in order to meet the requirement of the customers. The company manages a number of plants for producing the variety offered by the company. Capacity management: As mentioned earlier too, to guarantee emergency and constant supply of stacks, the company preserves warehouses at all its distribution centers. The stock maintained in the warehouses depends on the forecasting model of the retailing company. The company depends on two sets of customer (temporary and permanent), the stock necessary for permanent clients is still conventional but that for the temporary set of clientele is not. Thus Carrefour invests blissfully on warehousing extra stocks as it is required to maintain extra quantity to answer the surprises expected form temporary customers. Why it is crucial? In a retailing industry like Lulu, a major cost is warehousing or organizing the inventory as mentioned above. If the company fails to understand the actual need of the marketplace in advance, it can counter two kinds of problems: one is the likely unavailability of supply at the stores which affects the quality of the offered service by the company and secondly if Lulu tries to preserves larger amount of stocks, it has to disburse in terms of charge of warehousing. Both the situations are undesirable by the company. (Gregory, 1995) Comments on Role of SMA in achieving Mission and objectives of the company: As we saw that the company wants to become the number one retail market company in the world, the activates like Key performance indicators to maintain the performance of employees and the company, Balance scorecard for financial management and related models like Kano model etc helped company to perform its operations in better and cost effective manner. Thus we can say that SMA is helping the company in achieving Mission and objectives

Global Warming - A Problem Blown Out of Proportion Essay -- Greenhouse

Global Warming - A Problem Blown Out of Proportion It is ironic that fifty two years before hosting the 1997 United Nations Conference on Climate Change, the city of Kyoto had barely missed being destroyed. It was one of four cities considered as primary targets by President Harry Truman’s secretary of war, Henry L. Stimson. The others were Kokura, Hiroshima, and Niigata. Gale E. Christianson describes Kyoto in her book Greenhouse as a magnificent city surpassed only by Tokyo in the number of its institutions of higher learning. Kyoto served as the seat of the emperor for more than 1000 years until the Imperial Household moved to Tokyo in 1868. All Japanese try to visit the city at least once in their lives. The city remains the heart of Japanese culture. Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines dominate the landscape. Japanese theater was founded in Kyoto. It was in this setting that the Nations of the world gathered to discuss the issue of global warming in late November of 1997 (Christianson 254).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the beginning the United States was viewed as the villain. Undersecretary of State, Stuart Eizenstat, and head of the U.S. delegation, let it be known that no amount of pressure could force the administration to flinch. â€Å"We want an agreement, but we are not going to Kyoto at any cost† (qtd. in Christianson 255). Vice President Al Gore added: â€Å"We are perfectly prepared to walk away from an agreement that we don’t think will work† (qtd. in Christianson 255). It was quite obvious that the United States did not want to be there – and for good reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason had everything to do with cost and benefit. The Protocols would require that the United States reduce its 2008 – 2012 overall greenhouse emissions by about a third of the current levels. The economic costs are quite significant and the benefits are not. Tom Wigley, a senior scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research, calculated â€Å"saved† warming under the assumption that every nation met its obligation under the Kyoto Protocol. According to his calculations, the earth’s temperature in 2050 would be 0.07 ËšC lower as a result (Wigley). According to Patrick J. Michaels, a professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia, a warming of such an infinitesimal amount cannot accurately be measure on a thermometer. â€Å"The benefits of Kyoto are so miniscule as to ... ...crosoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Robinson, Arthur B. and Jane M. Orient. â€Å"Science, Politics and Death.† The New American 20.12 (June 2004): 37 par. 24 November 2004 http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2004/06-14-2004/science.htm Taylor, Jerry. â€Å"Global Warming: The Anatomy of a Debate.† Diss. John Hopkins University, January 16, 1998 http://www.cato.org/speeches/sp-jt011698.html Boyachek, Karen. â€Å"Argument Against the Global Warming Theory† U of Saskatchewan Newsletter 26 Jan. 20 http://www.cs.usak.ca/undergrads/kmbl129/49/assignment Mendelsohn, Robert. Global Warming and the American Economy. Northampton: Edward Elgar, 2001. Moran, Edward, ed. The Global Ecology. New York: Wilson, 1999. Christianson, Gale E. Greenhouse. United States: Walker, 1999 James Hansen et al. , â€Å" A Common-Sense Climate Index: Is Climate Changing Noticeably?† Proceeding of the National Academy of Science 95 (1998): 4113-20 Thomas Wigley, â€Å"The Kyoto Protocol: CO2, CH4, and Climate Implication,† Geophysical Research Letter 25 (1998): 2285-88 Michaels, Patrick J. â€Å"Long Hot Year Latest Science Debunks Global Warming Hysteria.† Policy Analysis 329 (1998): 1-12

charles schulz :: essays research papers

Perseverance and failure cannot coexist. Failure happens when you quit. When all is said and done, perseverance, commonly referred to as "stick-to-itiveness," is the ultimate success insurance. Nothing can take its place. -Charles Schulz Charles Schulz has persevered through most of his life to ensure that Americans can laugh when they receive the news paper every morning. He worked every day through cancer and wars and even the death of his parents. In a career that spanned nearly 50 years, Schulz drew more than 18,250 "Peanuts" comic strips, which expressed a droll philosophy through his trademark characters, including the hapless, angst-ridden Charlie Brown; Snoopy, a romantic, self-deluded beagle; piano-playing Schroeder; security-blanket toting Linus; and self-centered Lucy. No adult was ever pictured, though the garbled voice of a teacher or parent occasionally resonated in the background. In the beginning "Peanuts" debuted in 1950 and went on to be the most widely read comic strip in the world, with an audience of 355 million in 75 countries. It ran in 2,600 newspapers and was published in 21 languages, including Serbo-Croatian, Chinese, and Tlingit. In a tribute to Schulz, President Clinton said, "For 50 years his keen eye, his good and generous heart, and his active brush and pen have given life to the most memorable cast of characters to ever enliven our daily papers." Schulz died the night before his last strip ran in Sunday papers. In his swan song, he included a signed farewell: "I have been grateful over the years for the loyalty of our editors and the wonderful support and love expressed to me by fans of the comic strip." Born to draw Schulz was born on Nov. 26, 1922, in Minneapolis. He knew from an early age that he was destined to draw comics. As a child, he always had pen in hand. Schulz used the pen for illustrating, not homework, as he flunked several courses in high school. At age 15, Ripley's Believe It or Not accepted a drawing of his dog, Spike, "a hunting dog that eats pins, tacks, and razor blades." He served in World War II in France and Germany. After the war, he dabbled in comics, freelancing for several newspapers and magazines. He drew "Li'l Folks," the predecessor to "Peanuts," for the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press. In 1950 the United Feature Syndicate began running the strip as "Peanuts," a name Schulz despised. It took several years for the strip to catch on, but when it did, the fire rapidly spread.

Othello and Film “O”

Despite the shift in time and place, the two texts Shakespeare’s Othello and Tim Blake Nelson’s film ‘O’ explores timeless ideas such as jealousy and illusion versus reality. These ideas transcend through time and still remain constant in modern society. To achieve universal themes represented in Othello, Tim Blake Nelson uses a variety of different techniques such as camera angles and Verdi’s Opera music to effectively achieve such themes and values in his film to suit his 21st century adolescent audiences.On the other hand, Shakespeare have originated the plot by using literacy devices such as imagery, soliloquies and asides to suit his contemporary Elizabethan audience. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the theme jealousy is evident throughout the play. The composer uses techniques such as imagery and characterisation to convey this idea effectively. The protagonist Othello was characterised as a general, a man who has high social standards, ration al, logical and a military man who is known as the â€Å"Valiant† and â€Å"more fail than black†.This has shaped a strong comparison towards the end of the play when the Moor who is perplexed and enraged by jealousy for Desdemona, calling her â€Å"Impudent Strumpet! †. Othello is a man of reason, and it is not until the proof of the handkerchief does the audience see his decline into distrust. With Iago’s understanding of human nature and their characteristics, Iago was able to turn their honesty against themselves. Othello’s mind became so corrupted by Iago that Othello got lose of his mind â€Å"Lie with her? Lie on her?.. Handkerchief! – Oh devil!† that the once calm and honourable figure was unfortunately lost to the â€Å"green eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on†.Shakespeare uses imagery to describe jealousy as a monster, effectively highlighted the destructive nature of jealousy. In a different form the f ilm â€Å"O† also represents the theme of jealousy effectively. Tim Blake Nelson conveys jealousy effectively through techniques such as super imposition, a variety of non diegetic (Verdi’s opera representing tragedy at the opening scene of doves) and a range of different angled camera shots to convey his theme of jealousy.The composer utilizes the popular medium of cinema as well as the use of colloquial language, slangs and profanities to suit his contemporary adolescent audiences. Oden having similar characteristics to Othello is naive and easily trusting who fall into the deception of Hugo. The use of non diegetic sounds as well as superimposition was imposed to symbolise jealousy. Tim Blake Nelson used such technique in the â€Å"willow† scene, the lyrics â€Å"Even the sun goes down Heroes eventually die† are all forecasts of the tragic death of Desi.The sex scene when Oden looks into the mirror and saw Mike’s face looking straight back at hi m smiling â€Å"evilly† gives the audience a look into Oden’s mind of jealousy and an indication of corruption of Oden’s mind. Iago is a success model in reflecting the theme â€Å"illusion verses reality†. Shakespeare employs techniques such as soliloquies and dramatic irony to effectively present the theme to his audience. In the beginning of the play, audiences are quickly known the â€Å"devil† of the story is Iago. Deception than arises in Othello when the protagonist constantly referred Iago as â€Å"the honest Iago†.However the audience is aware that Iago is indeed not honest at all, from quotes â€Å"I am not what I am† and â€Å"In following him I follow but myself† is an indication of the double-faced Iago. Iago is seen as the most loyal friend to Othello, Iago helped Othello to â€Å"prove† the unfaithfulness of Desdemona and evidenced Othello being cuckold by Desdemona. The effective use of asides creates dra matic irony for the audiences as Othello’s naivety and trust in Iago is evident. These scenes effectively conveys the theme of illusion vs reality as Iago creates the â€Å"illusion† of being Othello’s honest friend.In comparison to â€Å"O†, Nelson also used characterisation and dramatic irony in shaping the theme illusion verses reality. However techniques differs greatly between the two text in order to suit its audiences. In â€Å"O†, Iago was being further conveyed through the character Hugo, who is a teenager boy and craves for everyone’s attention. â€Å"All my life, I always wanted to fly† is a voice over at both opening and closing of the movie indicating Hugo wanting to success and will be able to receive attention from his father and friends. Dramatic irony has been effectively used to engage audiences to reflect upon the nature of illusion versus reality.The conversation between Michael and Hugo, when Michael asked Hugo fo r advices about reputation. Hugo replied quickly â€Å"Like who gives a fuck about reputation, the only person you have to answer is yourself†, this quote is not only an indication of Hugo being a true Machiavellian villain, but it also highlights the theme of reality vs illusion. Shakespeare focused on values in integrity and reputation however to suit the 21st audiences Tim Blake Nelson have focused more on popularity. Hugo appeared to be a trustworthy friend in the film to both Oden and Michael and this is a representation of illusion verses reality.Tim Blake Nelson effectively presents this thought through the use of dramatic irony and mis en scene throughout the movie similarly to Shakespeare’s Othello. Despite the time and space, both composer explored the basic humanity by using similar techniques however it differs greatly to suit its contemporary audiences. Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† used literacy devices such as dramatic irony and soliloquies instead Tim Blake Nelson structured his film â€Å"O† using popular medium of cinema along with pop and opera music to create his universal themes.

Letter of Advice Essay

I would like to start out by saying congratulations on your recent engaged and heard you are looking for some advice for your relationship. I would like this opportunity to tell you more about the following throughout the letter. Frist I will describe the process by which self-concept is developed and maintained. Second I will give you some strategies for active, critical, and empathetic listening. Third, Then we will discuss how words have the power to create and affect attitudes, behaviors, & perception. Fourth I will define emotional intelligence and its role in effective interpersonal relationships. And last but not least Fifth we will discuss how self-concept and defensive and supportive messages and behaviors create positive and negative communication climates. So, first off, it has been studied by many philosophers that self-concept starts pretty much at birth. Your self-concept is what people around you tell you about yourself and it is your outlook on all of your own attributes. Your self-concept usually stays with you for the rest of your life, it all depends on you. If you have a high self-concept then the people around you will see how you feel about yourself, and treat you as how you feel, well most of the time they will. The people around you can see how you feel about yourself by your body language and how you carry yourself, it is maintained throughout the rest of your life as long as you keep feeling good about yourself. If you have a low self-concept and the people around you have done nothing but put you down all of your life, there is a good possibility that you can bring that low self-concept into your relationship and bring you partner down with you. It could also cause a whole lot of stress on you  relationship. So try to make sure that if you have low self-concept work on bringing that up about yourself and know that YOU are the one that is engaged to your partner no one else. Your partner can also help you with this by reminding you of why they picked you. Not every day and not always by telling you. There are always little things that they can do that will help you become more self-confident in who you are. Now I am going to give you some strategies for active, critical, and empathetic listening. There are many strategies for active, critical, and empathetic listening. You can start out by keeping eye contact with a speaker, if you ask any questions make sure that you restate they key point to let the speaker know that you were listening and understood what they were trying to say. For the empathetic listening you also always make sure you keep eye contact and constantly make sure that the speaker knows that you feel where they are coming from. For example to let them know that you were listening you can repeat that one vary important thing that they may have said. Like â€Å" So you do not like it when I put my hair brush on the vanity other than in the cabinet.† If you do not have these strategies for listening in your relationship it is easily mistaken for you are not listening to that person. And it could cause many arguments over something that could have been prevented due to the fact of you facial expressions and body language. Always try and keep eye contact and restate the message so you all know that you are on the same page. It will be a lot less stressful on you both and your relationship. Some days it may seem like silly little things that you or your partner want to talk about, but those silly little things are what can start arguments if you are not really listening to what they are saying. These are the things that can cause most relationships to fall apart. Words can a have a huge affect on people, all depending on your tone of voice and your body language. For instance the word â€Å"AND†, depending on how you use that word it could affect the other person’s attitude or even perception to what you are trying to say. Here is an example of how a conversation could have a negative outcome. †Well, I have some good new  AND†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Many people look at the word â€Å"AND† and feel that it is a negative word that something bad is fixing to be said. The other word that can get one is also the word â€Å"SO†, we sometimes think as â€Å"SO† as a bad word or as one of the words that make us want to pull back into a safe pace or even become offensive when we hear the word â€Å"SO†. I would recommend that you should never start out a conversation with the word â€Å"AND† or use the word â€Å"BUT† following too far behind due to the fact of the way that people look at it which is negative and can cause a whole lot of stress on the other person in the conversation. You do not want to have that sort of stress and negative approach in your relationship with each other or anyone else. It will keep the impatients and frustration out of the air for a better relationship for the both of you. You also never want to start your conversation with â€Å"I love you BUT. This will have the other person thinking that really bad stuff is about to happen and no one wants that to be the case. Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that can be learned. Understanding emotions and how people express them is very important in interpersonal relationships because people who are aware of others emotions and are sensitive to emotions are able to deal with life’s ups and downs. They will also have a better self-concept, and look at others with care. You want to try to be aware of the way that your partner is feeling and try to put yourself in there shows, there will always be a time that you are going to wish that they would better understand what you are going through. These are also the times when you can talk to them and try to get a better understanding of what they are going through. Just remember to not be pushy and let their body language tell you when they are ready to really talk about what is going on in their life. Theses time will also give you an opportunity to strengthen your relationship and talk about things that make you each who you are. Your self-concept or self-image can make a huge impact on others. If you behave in a positive manner and give supportive messages than people will be able feel positive themselves and not have as bad of a self-concept. If you  were to give a negative behavior or say something that sounds negative it can cause your communication with that person seem to take the negative road. You want to take the time to help bust your partner’s self-image by leaving them little notes on the things that you like about them. One of the best paces that you can leave them a note is in their lunch bag, on a morrow, in the car, or even a memo in their phone to go off at some random time of the day. I hope that after each of you have read this letter, it soon helps you to both work on your communication skills with each other and can improve your relationship more than what it already is. I also hope that this will help you thorough the planning and all that come after the wedding. There is always time to talk to one another. Communications is one of the prime parts of having a good relationship and is what helps it stay healthy for years to come. Reference: Alarez, J. (1990). Self Concept. Found in http://social.jrank.org/pages/554/Self-Concept.html Hoope, M. (2006). Active Listening: Improving your ability to listen and lead. Found in http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID=10193835&p00=active%20listening%20skills Sole, K. (2011). Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. found in https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUCOM200.11.1/sections/sec3.1

Benito Cereno and American Characteristic

19th Century Literature Prof. Bland Typical American Character â€Å"Benito Cereno† is a work that exceedingly depicts how ideological self-delusion of an American character is one of the most dangerous capacities of mankind. Captain Delano a Yankee from â€Å"Duxbury Massachusetts† exemplifies these two American cultures of concerning nature and confidence. As Americans we have concerned and helped other less fortunate (i. e. the amount we donate to help third world countries), we are also confident and fearless in nature that we can accomplish anything (i. e. American dream).These traditional American characteristics I believe forms the American arrogance that we are stereotyped to have. We maybe helping others we have no business helping. Just like the American culture Delano truly believes he is doing the right thing, by showing concern and having confidence in being able to help the San Dominick slave-ship and he is incapable of seeing the horrifying consequences o f his actions both with respect to his â€Å"friendly racism† and his fantasy of â€Å"superiority†. He spends a day on the  San Dominick  following a slave mutiny, never quite aware that anything is wrong until the truth all but bites his head off.Delano subscribes to a typical â€Å"Northern† view of African slaves: he considers them to be naturally good-natured, submissive servants. He spends much of his time aboard the  San Dominick  condescendingly admiring Babo's performance. Melville critiques this naivete arrogance of superiority and friendly racism to which although these characteristic are positive if not careful, can be a barrier that blinds a person from seeing the actual situation. â€Å"None wore fetters, because the owner, his friend Aranda, told him that they were all tractable† (BC 224) As Delano first boards Benito's ship, the slaves are still unfettered. The ship seems unreal; these strange costumes, gestures, and faces, but a s hadowy tableau just emerged from the deep, which directly must receive back what it gave† (BC). This â€Å"shadowy tableau,† on the ship inhabited mostly by unregulated African slaves, roaming around freely is there for Captain Delano to develop his own understanding as to why this ship culture is the way it is. Having the traditional American character of concern, Delano in nature is concerned about the ship and his intention of genuinely helping the troubled captain Benito Cereno becomes a curtain that prevents him from seeing the real intentions of the slaves.Symbols that have previously been formed and encoded by the American culture and upbringing in the back of his mind; Delano's â€Å"trustful good nature† makes him accept the image of the faithful slaves in his understanding of the unknown Africans slaves on the ship. With this idea of faithful slaves, confronted with a genuine signs and warning; the frail captain Benito Cereno, the vigilant Babo, chained Atufal, the oakum-pickers and hatchet-polishers, the flaring moments of violence and unease—he is not capable of understanding and arranging them accurately or truthfully.This trustful and concerned nature of Americans is one of the characters Captain Delano represents. That an American upbringing create a perception even today that we, as a country, had a right to go around the world helping other struggling nations who were beset by tyrants or internal fighting with the attendant killing and raping of the populace. This trusting and concerned nature makes us delusional preventing us from seeing the facts that maybe these country America is helping does not want our help.The same goes for captain Delano his trustful nature creates a delusion of â€Å"faithful and harmless slaves† that helping this slave ship and its current condition of unfettered slaves is a result of the poor management of Captain Delano’s lesser Hispanic counter Captain Benito Cereno theref ore his is obliged to help to get it under control. This concerning nature blinds Captain Delano from seeing the truth. Before even making contact with the blacks on the ship, Delano readily stresses their good-natured and pristine qualities.These â€Å"unsophisticated Africans,† with their â€Å"self-content† and â€Å"peculiar love . . . of uniting industry with pastime,† (BC) bring out Delano's â€Å"weakness for negroes. † In his understanding of them, they are a mixture of docility and nobility. Delano feels confident as he sees â€Å"the affectionate zeal† and â€Å"good conduct† (BC) As this book reveals, Delano alternates between his images of the Africans as an innocent faithful slaves, he completely misinterprets the slave revolt and totally neglects the blacks' inner motivations.While revealing how Delano adapts these ideological images of the black man to fit his own understanding. This confidence from his own American upbringing and staying in his own paradigm of slaves being kind in nature, and are submissive servants make Captain Delano a benign racist. He does not express hate for the black people; he likes them. But his fondness of them shows in a characteristic of overconfidence or arrogance, in which that he is confident in his own knowledge that the slaves are obedient creatures, incapable of harm and completely demeaning the black slaves.He considers Babo, for instance, to be a childish slave of limited intelligence. In Delano's understanding, the faithful blacks are closer to animal nature than the white man is. Delano's dialogue continuously dehumanizes the slaves by attaching animal imagery to them. First, as the narrator mentions, â€Å"Delano took to negroes, not philanthropically, but genially, just as other men to Newfoundland dogs† (BC).When Babo looks up at Don Benito, he is â€Å"like a shepherd's dog,† (BC) whose grins denote â€Å"mere animal humor† (BC). These refe rences and comparison to animals of the slaves becomes not to decline them as human, but instead to acknowledge them within the white community in their position as docile servants, the image of the dog, domesticated animal, is significant in this context. At the same time, their animal reference accounts for their inability for being totally free.This show of confidence and trust completely blinds Captain Delano from the truth and maybe be seen by the majority as a weakness but this ignorance ultimately helped him from the slave revolt. Delano's trustfulness and perception that all the blacks are docile and faithful slaves and are good nature saves their lives. Delano's ignorance prevents him from discovering the truth, which would almost certainly lead him to a untimely demise.Cereno conveys his surprise that Babo refrained from murdering Delano,   Cereno conveys his surprise that Babo refrains from murdering Delano, â€Å"to think of some things you did – those smilings and chattings,  rash  pointings and gesturings. For less than these, they slew my mate† (BC) This reinforces the fact that if Delano makes any indication of recognizing the truth, he would have been killed on the spot. Delano’s confident, arrogant and absolutely insulting demeanor and perception of slaves being too stupid to be able to formulate a revolt ultimately saves him and Benito Cereno.If Delano is not so unaware of the events encircling him and exhibits a little more suspicion, Babo would certainly have him executed. This confidence that conveys a typical American characteristic is also part of Captain Delano’s. This confidence created a barrier that prevented him from once again seeing the truth in the situation. An arrogant demeanor that he underestimates his adversary, in which nine out of ten will completely destroy you but in this particular story turned out to be an advantage.Captain Delano’s overconfidence in his own â€Å"limited† knowledge and upbringing and from his own experiences growing up, and perhaps his interaction with the black community, he views them as a lesser being forming an idea of himself as a superior or idea of white supremacy that completely limits his understanding and cannot read the gravity of the situation. This overconfidence in his understanding became ignorance and although I believed it helped him from getting killed on the ship by Babo and the slaves, is the same overconfidence that can potentially be deadly.With the revelation of the slave revolt, we should realize that one of the main reasons Delano has been incapable of seeing through the masquerade has been his benign racism, in which that he see’s the slaves as harmless and too stupid to come up with such an idea. Delano’s racism can be understood most directly it seems to be a reflection of his upbringing in a somewhat liberal Northern racism that practice anti-slavery views (it’s important to rememb er Delano is from Massachusetts, a hotbed of anti-slavery activity during the period).The story suggests that Delano, like others who viewed slaves sympathetically, may have a weak recognition of the horrors of slavery and may consider himself the slaves’ friend, but such feelings depend on viewing himself as superior to the slaves and to the slaves staying in their appointed position of submission. In conclusion while Delano finds blacks utterly charming and â€Å"fun-loving,† fond of bright colors and of â€Å"uniting industry with pastime,† this â€Å"admiration† masks his deep-seated conviction that blacks are not entirely human.In fact, when in the midst of trying to understand the odd occurrences on the San Dominick, it briefly occurs to Delano that Cereno might be in league with the blacks, he dismisses the thought with a shudder: â€Å"who ever heard of a white so far a renegade as to apostatize from his very species almost, by leaguing in agains t it with Negroes? † (BC). This proves once again his overconfidence in his understanding limiting him from seeing the big picture that the slaves are controlling the situation. He can never imagine that the slaves are the one who thought up the grandiose plan, that he thinks Captain Cereno is orchestrating something gainst his kin. He fails to discern that the Spanish vessel is in fact in the hold of a complex, meticulously plotted mutiny, that the slaves have successfully revolted, and that the dutiful Babo is in fact the revolutionary in command. Delano's trusting and overconfidence in this regard is very nearly fatal, and in a way that the text explains, and that critics have frequently described, it is his concerning, unselfconscious, absolutely stubborn ideology of slaves and creates a benign racism—his offhand white supremacism—that drives and sustains this ignorance.Despite his several moments of deep suspicion, is his unmoved confidence that a slave like Babo, so naturally docile, so ideally suited to those watchful and pleasant â€Å"avocations about one's person,† could never surpass the â€Å"unaspiring contentment of a limited mind† common to all Africans (BC). The blacks in league with a piratical Cereno? â€Å"But they were too stupid,† Delano reminds himself (BC).Believing this, he cannot see what's before him, because of his paradigm and views of the slaves in a northern upbringing of being sympathetically to the slaves, He is incapable of imagining the black slaves in any but a passive role of devoted and faithful servants, docile and incapable of harming their white superiors, This overconfidence is ultimately ignorance that Delano cannot perceive the true situation on the San Dominick. Works Cited Page Melville, Herman, and Herman Melville. Bartleby ; And, Benito Cereno. New York: Dover Publications, 1990. Print.

Effective Negotiation & Conflict Resolution

Tamaris Purvines Assignment Three LDR 404 07/29/2012 Assignment Three Part One There are several different processes, ideas, and efforts that go into the overall practices of effective negotiation and conflict resolution. Yet no productive negotiation could be possible without the valuable use of skills. Two types of skills can help a successful negotiator. The first type is hard skills, which are guidelines, strategic measures, or anything that can be copied down onto paper and taught. The second type is soft skills, which are the skills acquired through practicing negotiation that can’t necessarily be taught.To get a better idea of the definition and examples of each type of skill, it is better to discuss them each individually in more depth. Hard Skills Several authors have written books and articles about what methods are beneficial for successful negotiation. A great example of an author who knows a lot about effective negotiation methods that benefit both sides of the ne gotiation is Bernard Mayer. As an author of several books, a professor at the Werner Institute and Creighton University, and a founding partner of CDR associates, Bernard has a lot of accomplishments in the field of conflict.He also has been working in the field of conflict for over forty years as a mediator, facilitator, researcher, and consultant. In his book Dynamics of Conflict: A Guide to Engagement and Intervention, Bernard discusses in depth unique ideas of looking at negotiation that benefit negotiators. In one section of the book he mentions a way of looking at conflict that helps the negotiator determine the source of the conflict at hand. He uses the Wheel of Conflict to demonstrate various aspects of interaction, personal life, and outside forces that can be the cause of a conflict.The outer layer of the wheel contains personality, data, culture, and power. The second layer of the wheel contains emotions, values, communication, structure, and history. The inner circle, a nd final layer, of the wheel are basic needs broken down into survival needs, interests, and identity needs (Mayer, 10). When in the negotiation process it is beneficial to look at these different layers of the Wheel of Conflict to help determine the source of the conflict at hand. Being able to first acknowledge the root of the problem is a great way to start the process of working through it.Three authors collaborated on the book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In. These authors are Roger Fischer, Bruce Patton, and William Ury. In this book, they describe a method of negotiation that helps keep the discussions on track throughout the entire negotiation process. The method is broken down into four parts that help keep the negotiator and the parties involved focused on resolving the issue. The first part is â€Å"separate the people from the problem† (Fischer, 19). This allows the problem being faced to be the focus of discussions rather than the people a s individuals.The second part is â€Å"focus on interests not positions† (Fischer, 42). Focusing on the position rather than the interests causes the individuals to get stuck in something they may or may not end up wanting in the end. However, if the focus is on the interests of each side, then it is possible to come to a solution that is beneficial to all sides. The third part is â€Å"invent options for mutual gain† (Fischer, 58). Obviously it is in the best interest of both parties to come up with a solution that is mutually beneficial.Finally, the fourth part is â€Å"insist on using objective criteria† (Fischer, 82). The use of objective criteria insures that no side is trying to hoodwink the other. If the information is objective, then it is impossible for one side to claim that it is unfair to their cause. Each part of this method provides a structured negotiation process that is beneficial to all parties involved. Soft Skills While the above-mentioned ha rd skills are highly helpful in aiding a negotiator in their negotiation process, there are some skills that are unable to be broken down into categories or methods.Throughout the process problems arise that are situation specific. Knowing when one party is bluffing or trying to trick the other party are skills that come with learning through experience. The delivery of statements and ideas are definitely situation specific. Discussing an issue with a church group may not be the same type of discussion that may be necessary with a theater group. Individuals respond differently to how phrases are stated. Only through working with similar groups does a negotiator learn how best to phrase their ideas to parties in any given situation.Learning how to best reframe a harsh or inappropriate statement into the truth of the statement is also a soft skill that is highly beneficial to negotiators. The only way to learn how to accomplish this difficult skill is by practicing it. It takes years of practicing and using this skill in negotiation processes to truly learn how to effectively hone it. Being able to determine the best possible solution to the problem for both parties involved in a negotiation is also something that cannot be learned. Each negotiation is going to be different and have different circumstances.Even after years of working with groups in negotiation or mediation situations, it is still difficult to help both sides create a mutually beneficial solution to their problem. This is something that almost comes as a talent to negotiators. It takes a certain gift to be able to achieve positive outcomes for everyone involved every time. Sometimes it may not be possible to come to a full solution. Maybe the situation has progressed, but perhaps the negotiator cannot take the parties any further in their differences.Whatever the case, negotiators have to have the experience to know when the right time is to be finished with the negotiation or when to keep trying . This knowledge can’t be taught or learned in a classroom. It is clear that it takes more than just book knowledge and methods to produce a great negotiator. Part Two Learning how to be an effective negotiator is a long process that requires patience and understanding. It takes time and effort to learn all the different processes, methods, and procedures that can be helpful in the negotiation process.However, no matter how much work and effort you put into learning good methods for negotiation, there will never be a â€Å"perfect† negotiation. To further understand the complications that may arise during negotiations, it is good to look into two fairly common areas that negotiations are often required in. Many challenges arise during this process whether it is in a business situation or a personal situation. Difficulties Faced in Business Many various complications can arise in business negotiations. Often times businesses are working with other businesses to determin e a solution to a problem or are defining a contract.Many of these negotiations take place in multi party discussions. It is often very easy for one party to start feeling attacked by the other party, to feel cheated of something they believe they deserve, or to communicate in a way that the other party may not understand. For example, when two businesses are trying to settle a problem, each side is trying to gain something the company needs. In this effort it is easy to start putting blame on the other party for what has taken place. When this happens it causes a lot of strain in the negotiation because the focus is no longer on the problem at hand.This can create major setbacks in the process, and cause the negotiator to have to start back at the beginning to try to show each side how they can mutually benefit from a solution if they work together. Sometimes the parties may feel as if the problem has caused too much harm to the companies, and may decide to quit the negotiation pro cess altogether. The same results can be said of two businesses attempting to create a contract. Frequently one company or the other will feel as if they are being cheated out of something that can be beneficial to them. It can also be difficult to overcome cultural differences in business.One company may base their business practices on the cultures surrounding them. The other company may do the same in a different region. When this occurs, it becomes difficult for the two to effectively communicate to each other. The negotiator then gains the task of having to interpret the differences, and show both parties how they are similar rather than different. While these are all complications that can come up during negotiations, the negotiator soon learns how best to overcome these issues and work toward mutually beneficial solutions. Difficulties Faced in Personal Life Negotiations can arise within personal situations as well.While it may not be establishing a mutually beneficial contra ct, difficult situations occasionally occur in personal relationships. Relationships such as romances, friendships, and family members can encounter problems or difficult situations that require a solution. When this happens, the individuals involved enter into a negotiation. In all relationships it becomes easy to attack the other person for disagreeing, having opposing needs, or feeling neglected. As this starts to happen both individuals become negotiators for what they determine to be the truth or best solution for the situation.It is very easy for each party to feel hurt, take everything personally, and get angry. What is not easy to do is assess the situation in a calm state, and restate any negative statements into the truth of the situation. All too often individuals start saying things out of anger and hurt, and the negotiation quickly turns into a personal attack or fight. While it is difficult to focus on the needs of both sides, to keep personal feelings at bay, and work at finding a positive solution, a successful negotiator must learn to do this. ConclusionNegotiation is a process that requires lots of learning, hard skill techniques, soft skill techniques, and experience. Quite often complications arise that can deter the process or completely end the negotiation altogether. Successful negotiators learn as much as they can from mentors, education, books, and whatever other sources they may find on conflict resolution and negotiation. They then take that knowledge and apply it to then hone hard skills they can take into negotiations with them. Once they start to experience working as a negotiator, they gain the knowledge of soft skills that work for them.And while all of this takes place they constantly run into complications. However, they overcome these complications and gain knowledge from them. Throughout the process of negotiation, whether as a professional or just in everyday life, negotiators learn how to establish and maintain relationshi ps through effective communication. Works Cited 1. Fischer, Roger, Bruce Patton, and William Ury. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. New York City: Penguin Group, 2011. Print. 2. Mayer, Bernard. The Dynamics of Conflict: A Guide to Engagement and Intervention. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2012. Print.

Respect for Superiors in Army

The basic yet fundamental core element of the army as a whole is respect towards your superiors. Respect is necessary within any entity to project the proper and acceptable levels of cohesion needed to function. Not only must one project the appearance of respect, but truly understand what respect means. Since respect can be defined as holding regard or esteem for someone or something, a person must better understand their superiors and surroundings in general. However, due to circumstances within each relationship, whether personal or professional, often times personal issues and concerns must be set aside to reach said levels of cohesion.Removing personal matters or disputes is essential, in most cases, to be able to focus on the tasks at hand and create an efficient work environment. One of the best ways to demonstrate respect for your superiors is to follow the chain of command. By following the chain of command, an example is set, which extends and correlates to all other aspect s of ones’ daily life. Never undermining the order and routine set forth by the United States army enables one to obtain personal goals, as well as those set forth by ones’ team. To disregard the need for order would allow chaos to reign, and all objectives would become null.How can the chain pull the cart if one link is missing? Obedience and direction are necessary, something that can only be enacted and provided by ones superiors. To imagine the ramifications that would ensue as a result of not respecting the chain of command is terrifying. Dissent is often contagious, and seeing the insubordination acted out by one person could create a domino effect on their peers. Furthermore, disregarding the respect that should be shown to ones superiors, especially in the presence of fellow personnel, can be extremely embarrassing.To cause any such emotion in someone of your superior is a direct offense, and should not be taken lightly. Full punishment should be demanded and e nforced. By making one understand the feeling of chagrin, future incidences can hopefully be avoided. Sometimes it is necessary to strip ones pride to get to the base of ones character, to be able to remold it in the image of the United States army. These things directly contribute to the success of the United States Army. Although there are many factions and aspects of the army and its success, respect is a core element and should, itself, be respected at all times, at any cost.Utilizing respect within a unit, within the army, will transform the lives of those that do so. Their professional and personal lives will be enriched with the lessons that they have learned in service, something that will carry over to their families, or future families. It is important to always remember that although respect is generally a two-way street, all evidence of that vanishes when rank is involved. Equally important to consider still is that without the success of the United States army, personal success can never be achieved.

Compare and contrast high involvement and low involvement processing Essay

Compare and contrast high involvement and low involvement processing. Discuss how and when consumers go through these different - Essay Example What is Consumer Involvement? The study of decision-making behavior reflected by the customers is known as the customer involvement. The buying pattern of consumers varies from product to product based on the perception of consumers towards a product pertaining to its importance or relevance for the customer. In this manner, the study of purchasing behavior of customers enables businesses to understand the level of involvement each consumer has towards a product or service. The literature for consumer behavior is not considered in the modern business world as complete, without discussing customers’ involvement. For this reason, marketers have carried out extensive research in the area and have asserted that for understanding involvement, it is also important to consider the socio-psychological aspects as well. Although, researchers and marketers have fallen short of prescribing a comprehensive definition for the term â€Å"involvement†, but Kapferer and Laurent (1985) h ave suggested that there are five types of involvements. First level of involvement is for interest in the product, then involvement because of risk importance, risk probability, sign value or involvement due to hedonic value of the product. Other researchers like Schiffman and Kanuk (1991) perceives involvement as the reaction to ego’s call, perceived risk of the product or the importance of purchase of the product. Another perspective of consumer involvement is presented by Hansen (1981). He views involvement as: "Variations in the extent to which the individual is more or less motivated toward a specific piece of information, product, or the like. With high involvement, more psychic energy is released for handling incoming information, sorting it out, and making choices" (Hansen, 1981). The definition presented by Hansen (1981) is also supported by researchers like Mitchell (1981) who also suggested that consumers are motivated by businesses to commit high involvement in t he purchasing decision so that they can close study the product, its attributes and its benefits. Moreover, Hensen’s (1981) definition is also close to perfect as it defines involvement on the basis of motivation that a marketing strategy of a business produces amongst consumers. To summaries the various definitions of involvement found with the review of literature, it can be asserted that involvement refers to the degree of attraction and the level of individual experiences an individual feels towards a product at the time of making a purchasing decision. The next section of the report would discuss the most important aspect of marketing studies, i.e. consumer behavior and its relevance to consumer involvement. Consumer Behavior and Consumer Involvement Consumer behavior is a wide area of marketing studies, which deals with the understanding of patterns depicted by individual or group of customers towards a particular product or service. It consists of a purchasing process, which includes the selection of a product, securing the product, disposing the product and experiencing the performance of the product. Therefore; consumer behavior is the study of attitude shown by consumers while purchasing and using a product or service. The study of consumer behavior requires marketers and