Module 4 Case Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Module 4 Case Assignment - Coursework Example e products of the company include basic food products as well as premium services like cooking recipes, labels and cooking lessons to the target and potential customer groups of the company. The outputs of the Whole Foods Market can be measured in terms of the revenues, goods and services, community impacts, job creation, shareholder value creation and service or policy outcomes. In this respect, the company shows high levels of efficiency and congruence. Additionally, the performances and the behaviors of the different departments, teams and business units of the company seem to be much effective in terms of maintaining standard, compliance and congruency. The main goals of the Whole Foods Market Company are to provide high quality and standard organic food to the target customer group in the market. Additionally, the quality of the food products marketed and sold by Whole Foods Market and the high level of social responsibility shown by the company add to the effectiveness of the company at the organizational level or topmost level of evaluation as per the Nadler and Tushman’s Congruence model. The main goal of Whole Food Markets as a leading organization in its industry of operation is to perform in a competitive, consistent and sustainable manner so that it can maintain its financial profitability and strong brand reputation in the markets of operation he outputs of the company seem to be sufficient in satisfying the corporate and strategic objectives set in the company. The Whole Foods Market is one of the leading organic food retailers and supermarkets in the world. The main mission of eh company is to promote the strength s of the organization and its individual entities by ensuring the delivery of high quality of products and services. Also, the company aspires to enhance the business to become the leading food retailer in the community as measured from the perspective of corporate social responsibility. The Whole Food Market is ranked 12th in the social

Trends And Scenarios In The Airline Industry

Trends And Scenarios In The Airline Industry The Airlines is one among the inventions that had changed the way how people live and experience the world. In due course of time it has now become impossible to imagine business and leisure travel without air travel. The airline industry exists in an intensely competitive market. In recent years, there has been an industry shakedown, which is expected to the trend towards expanding domestic and international services. The airline industry is classified into four categories: International, National, Regional and Cargo. Airlines industry facilitates economic growth, world trade, international investment and tourism and so plays a key role in globalization making it a large and growing industry. Air travel (both business and leisure) has grown by around 7% in the last decade. Business travel has grown as companies having global presence in terms of their investments, their supply and production chains and also their customers. Availability of aircrafts at affordable prices backed by increased tourism had led to rise in leisure travel. Overall in terms of regions in developed regions like Europe and North America a slower growth is seen when compared to developing regions like Asia Pacific. Airlines profitability is closely tied to economic growth and trade. So based on the GDP growth the demand for airplanes and the air travel will increase. So during 1990-1995, the industry suffered from world recession and the air travels were further lowered by Gulf War. Thus financial difficulties impact airlines/aircraft industry. Deregulation is also stimulating competition, such as that from small, low-cost carriers. Some of the Key terms and ratios for airline industry are listed below. Available Seat Mile = (total # of seats available for transporting passengers) X (# of miles flown during period) Revenue Passenger Mile = (# of revenue-paying passengers) X (# of mile flown during the period) Revenue Per Available Seat Mile = (Revenue) / (# of seats available) Air Traffic Liability (ATL): An estimate of the amount of money already received for passenger ticket sales and cargo transportation that is yet to be provided. Load Factor: Measures the percentage of available seating capacity that is filled with passengers. Analysts state that once the airline load factor exceeds its break-even point, then more and more revenue will trickle down to the bottom line. Airport capacity, technology used, structuring routes and costs to buy or lease the aircraft are very vital for the industry. In addition Weather, Fuel Cost and Labour also play an important role. The industry has to realise the need for a radical change to sustain and also ensure growth and prosperity for their survival. Currently many cost cutting measures are being adopted in the industry. Also to meet the requirements of customers and elevate to customer delight from mere customer satisfaction the industry players concentrate on the quality of service that they offer, both on the ground and in the air. The key challenge is to ensure meeting of customer requirements and at the same time make effective cost cutting measures and continuously being efficient and competitive and profit making. Nevertheless, the aviation industry is characterized by strong nationalist sentiments so in many places despite globalisation airlines will face limitations on where they can fly and restrictions on their ownership of foreign carriers 10 aviation myths More runways are essential Environmental organisations try their best to price people off planes International agreements make the ending of aviations privileged tax free status (including tax-free fuel) become impossible The external costs of the industry are met through Air Passenger Duty (APD) Building new runways has clear economic benefits Aviation helps the UK tourist industry We may be able to fulfil our international obligations with regards to climate change and still have uninhibited growth in aviation and airports We can lessen the damage done to our environment, heritage and countryside that has been caused by aviation and airport expansion and also compensate for the same Airports can expand and we can still meet EU air quality standards Technology has delivered significant environmental improvements in the past and will continue to do so Emerging Markets The Asia-Pacific region and Middle East are the emerging markets in airline industry. They are expected to experience a higher traffic growth and expand rapidly. For better analysis please see the graph below: Regional traffic growth (% change year-on-year): 2009 to 2012F Note: (Data by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation)) Chief Characteristics of Airline Industry Capital Intensive: Its a capital-intensive business which requires huge amounts of money to operate effectively. This industry requires capital for expensive equipments like aircrafts, maintenance systems, control towers, simulators etc. Labour Intensive: Airlines need personals like pilots, crew members, security guards, cleaners, engineers etc. Its a very labour-intensive industry and nearly 1/3rd of the revenue is used for the payment of workforce. Thin Profit Margin: The profit margin is very thin in this industry. It averages to about 1-2% only. Seasonal: Earlier airlines used to see a heavy load during summers (because of vacations) and a relatively lesser load during winters. The seasonal factors results in rise and fall of airline revenues over the course of the year. Over the years the seasonal effect has reduced to a greater extent. History and the Current Scenario of the Indian Aviation Sector Genesis of Indian Airline Industry 1932: Mr. J.R.D.Tata flies a De Havilland Puss Moth from Karachi to Mumbai as part of the first Tata Sons Ltd. Flight to deliver mail carried by British Imperial Airways 1948: Govt. of India acquires 49% stake in Tata Airlines, designated it a flag carrier and renamed it as Air India International 1953: Jawaharlal Nehru, in friendly transaction, convinces the Tata group to let the Government of India acquire a majority stake in Air India International and nationalizes air transport 1953: Indian Airlines formed by merging eight former independent domestic airlines 1960: India enters the jet age with an Air India B707. USA and India are connected for the first time with an Indian Airline 1990: East West Airlines becomes the first private airline since 1953 After 1991 1991: Private airlines were allowed to provide the service under air taxi scheme to operate chartered and non-scheduled services. 1994: Private airlines permitted to operate as scheduled air service providers. 2003: Air Deccan lowered down the fares to 17% of previously charged rates thus introducing the concept of budget airlines in India. Consolidation The under-pricing of tickets due to the intense competition and the increasing number of budget carriers resulted in losses to the budget carriers as well as to the entire aviation sector. Consolidation was looked as the single way out which would lead to less competition and stable fares. The main reason for the increasing costs and reduced efficiency and flexibility for the Indian aviation sector was poor Airport infrastructure and manpower shortages. In 2007, there were 13 scheduled carriers which was estimated that this number would fall to 8-10 by 2010 in this fragmented Indian domestic aviation sector and the estimation is almost true considering the current scenario of the aviation sector. 2007: Jet Airways announced that it would buy Air Sahara for US$500 million 2007: Air India and Indian Airlines merged into one entity named NACIL 2008: Kingfisher-Deccan deal was the third alliance in the Indian aviation sector. Current Scenario of Aviation Industry The Indian Aviation Industry, being one of the worlds fastest growing aviation industries, has a compound annual growth rate of 18%. There are 454 airports and airstrips in India, of which 16 are international airports. As of May 2006, private airlines accounted for more than 75% of the sector of the domestic aviation market. The Indian aviation sector saw an increase in revenue by nearly US$ 21.4 million in December 2009 due to increase in traffic movements. Moreover, the Airport Authority of India may gain better margins in the near future as predicted by Ministry of Civil Aviation. These have been attributed primarily to the boost in the share of revenue from Delhi International Airport Limited and Mumbai International Airport Limited. According to a report released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines rose from 67, 61, 000 to 80, 56, 000 for the period January February 2009 and January February 2010 respectively. The increase in passenger marked a growth of 19.2% for the aforementioned period. Some of the factors that have resulted in higher demand for air transport in India include the growing purchasing power of middle class, low airfares offered by budget airlines, the growth of tourism industry, increasing outbound travel from India and overall economic growth of India. Besides this, Indian airports are being ranked among the top airports of the world. The Hyderabad International Airport now ranks amongst the top 5 Airports in the world as per the annual Airport Service Quality passenger survey. The other airports to figure in the top 5 are the ones at Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing. There are even talks going on between India and United States to make the country an aviation hub. The Airport Authority of India is set to spend over US$ 1 billion in 2010, towards modernization of airports. The civil aviation ministry has also converted Delhi airport into an international hub for passenger airlines to help the airport utilize large amounts of additional capacity. The investment policy of India in aviation industry currently allows FDI up to 100% under the automatic route for green field projects and for existing projects, FDI up to 100 % is allowed; upto 74% under the automatic route and beyond 74% under the government route. Potential for Growth Despite the slowdown and slow recovery, Indian Aviation industry sector still continues to look promising. This is primarily due to the burgeoning middle class with increasing massive purchasing power, low cost carriers providing services at very attractive low fares, the growth of Indian tourism and increasing outbound travel from India. In addition, the Government has planned to modernise non-metro airports, phasing out new international routes, putting into place new airports and renovating existing ones. Experts are estimating the growth of industry as high as 25% YoY. Since 2006, most of the major Indian airline operators such as Air India, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have reported large losses, reason being high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, rising labour costs and shortage of skilled labour, rapid fleet expansion, as wheel as intense price competition. Adding to all these problems are the new players entering the industry even before the existing players could stabilize their operations. As a result, all the airlines suffered even further when the recession hit. Even then also the Indian aviation industry has been more prone to crisis as compared to their global counterparts and thus, India has the highest passenger growth rate among the entire airlines sector in the world including economies like Australia and France. The total number of passengers travelling by air will be a whopping 400 million by 2020. To meet with this accelerated demand, existing players need to increase fleets and broaden their reach including regional destinations as well. They are also going to get the competition from international low cost airlines like Air Asia (Malaysian) and JetStar Asia (Australian). Flight into the future As estimated by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), by 2011, the Indian aviation sector is likely to cross the mark of 60 million domestic passengers, whereas the total number of passengers i.e. both domestic and international is expected to cross the 100 million-mark over the next three years. India is gearing up for heavy investments in the aviation sector of India. According to the Investment Commission of India, Investment opportunities of around US$ 110 billion by 2020 are now being predicted. It is estimated that about US$ 80 billion will go towards purchase of new aircraft and US$ 30 billion for the development of airport infrastructure. Over the next 10 years, the Indian aviation sector will try to cash in on the potential to grow by 25% annually, as said by Praful Patel, the Minister for Civil Aviation. Also it could attract the highest investments among all the industries in India i.e. an amount up to $45 billion. India needs improvements in services offered, huge number of skilled personnel and to stop already experiencing shortage of pilots and thereby problems like direct and indirect employment. Hence, India can look at this time to play a transforming role in this sector, as it holds great promise for development as well needed for the Indian economy to grow at a faster rate. Major players in domestic market Indian Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. Full Fare Airlines Jet Airways Ltd. IndiGo Jetlite Budget AirlinesSpiceJet Paramount Airways Go Air Kingfisher Red Current Market Shares Challenges faced by Airline Industry 1) Rising Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) Prices: ATF prices form about 40% of the total operating costs of airline industry. As fuel prices climb, a trend of airline stock prices going down has been noticed. The rising fuel prices make it difficult for airlines to increase profits and they are forced to increase the air fares. 2) High input costs: Input costs are high due to:- Various taxes by State Governments and on repayment of interest on foreign currency loans taken for purchasing aircrafts due to which some airlines are under high debts . Due to shortage of technical personnel, manpower costs are also high. 3) Decreasing returns: After the advent of Low cost carriers, the legacy carriers were forced to decrease their prices and thus profits were impacted. With the ever-increasing competition, there is a price war that is giving low returns to all airline operators. 4) Employee Management: Training, recruiting and retaining talented employees is a major concern due to shortage of skilled personnel including pilots, unionism and cut-throat competition. After- recession effects like retrenchments, salary cuts along with no-new-hiring policy, strikes by Air India and Jet Airways staff etc. has made this task even more challenging. 5) Infrastructure Upgradation: The infrastructure upgradation progress in India is far behind the western countries. While steps are being taken to upgrade major airports in Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, another issue that is yet to be fully addressed is security. Proper airline scheduling and passenger handling is another task besides physical and IT infrastructure. Attracting private sector investments and implementing the planned projects efficiently is a concern. 6) Overcapacity: There has been excess capacity of aircrafts that were ordered to increase market share before the global slowdown but were delivered after the same. 7) Regional connectivity: Though there is excess capacity in some airlines, some areas are still not well connected due to poor infrastructure. The airlines have to concentrate on building remote regional connectivity other than concentrating only on metros. 8) Environmental Regulations: The carbon emission and fuel efficiency standards have to be met by technology investments and commitment. RD on bio-fuels, that have the capacity to reduce aviations carbon footprint by up to 80%, needs to be carried forward aggressively. 9) Congestion: Due to increased passenger traffic and cargo growth, there has been congestion on major routes on airports like Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai etc. This has to be tackled effectively by either expanding capacity or creating new airports. All this needs real strategic planning in the industry with technological innovations and best management practices. global scenario and trends In the past decade, travel by air has increased by 7% per year, for both business and leisure. Large aircrafts like the Boeing 747 have made it convenient for people to travel at affordable costs. Governments in developing nations give impetus to the development of infrastructure to lure tourists from prosperous countries and add to their national economies. Besides tourism, business travel has grown considerably owing to the rapid growth of world trade in goods and services. Some airlines are owned by the state. The ones that are independent are vulnerable to economic uncertainties. Changes in the regulations of the governments and the presence of an intensely competitive market have led to many hardships in the industry Commercial flights began within a decade of the invention of aircraft in the early 20th century. There was a surplus of aircraft and pilots worldwide after world wars I and II. DELAG, Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft, the worlds first airline, was founded on November 16, 1909 with government assistance, and operated airships manufactured by The Zeppelin Corporation. Its headquarters were in Frankfurt. By the 1950s, airline companies created the framework of international travel and commerce that exists to this day. The Airline industry is highly unionised viz. there exist multi-unions. The industry is highly regulated in terms of routes, hours of work, etc. De-regulation in US in 1978 and in Europe in 1990s and again 2007/08 has removed control of the government over fares, routes and has marked the entry of new low cost airlines in US, Europe and now India and SE Asia. In Europe, major players like Iberia, TAP, Alitalia, KLM, Air France, Lufthansa were all once state-owned. The aviation industry is governed and set apart by strong nationalist sentiments towards a countrys domestic flag carriers. In many parts of the world, airlines will, therefore, continue to face confines on where they are allowed to fly and restrictions on their ownership of foreign carriers. The global airline industry being high competitive has resulted in huge cumulative losses. Many airlines have either gone bankrupt or have collapsed. For example, Sabena, Swissair, Alitalia, Delta, United. future trends Worldwide economic activity, reflected in the global gross domestic product (GDP), is the most powerful driver for airplanes demand. The global GDP is projected to grow at an average of 3.2 percent per year for the next 20 years. Reflecting the economic growth, worldwide passenger traffic will average 5.3 percent growth and cargo traffic will average 5.9 percent growth over the forecast period. The above graph represents the growth in the future. However, this growth can be achieved only if the surging price of fuel is controlled as it directly affect flight schedules, ticket prices and services offered. So order to survive airlines need to become more lean and mean by addressing issues like rising costs, constraints on revenue growth and increasingly dissatisfied customers. Now we need to understand that three features are vital. That is services that give customers more control over their journeys, an infrastructure that can be easily changed to cope with variations in demand and greater collaboration among travel providers. The 5 technological innovations that can help the industry deliver the above mentioned features are Self-service solutions: Its a cost cutting measure but now gives the passengers the choice and control they want Integrated baggage handling: Using IT systems and process and technologies like RFID together and thereby speed up at the same time efficiently handle the security checks for the customers baggage. Shared Services: There are three levels of shared services. One is share commodity application which reduces infrastructure costs. Next is common service hosting, which allows applications to be used by the partners and other clients. Then finally traditional application hosting, which enables multiple clients to use commodity applications as per their usage rate. Modular, flexible airport operating systems: Airports need to improve their operating systems and have a modular, flexible architecture so has to improve the efficiency and contribute to growth. New Security Technologies: Identity management solutions like finger print matching etc. and other such improved techniques have to be employed as the threat of terrorism is growing. Thus with all such measures we can expect a good growth in the airline industry. Opportunities The rise in low cost carriers and increasing disposable income of consumers with the growing population of youth working generation, especially in metros, all give rise to tremendous opportunities to the aviation industry- 1) Enhancing non-aeronautical revenue streams and Airport retailing: Revenues from vehicle parking, advertisements, shop rentals are being targeted with increased modernisation of airports and attracting international luxury brands for a 24/7 shopping experience for the customers. E.g.- New airport terminals such as the T3 in New Delhi. 2) Airport development through PPP: The restructuring of airport infrastructure for metro and non-metro airports, developing Greenfield airports by attracting large private investments is a part of governments Eleventh Plan, where it expects an investment of around US$ 6.5 billion. This would fulfil the gaps to build world-class user-friendly airports with modern technology and provide airport capacity ahead of demand. 3) Bio-Fuels: Instead of focusing only on crafting fuel-efficient engines, manufacturers of aircraft (like being done by Boeing and Airbus),can focus on developing sustainable bio-fuels that can protect them from wavering profits due to rising fuel prices. 4) Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business: This offers high investment and business potential. An Ernst Young report says that the MRO business in the aviation sector can absorb investments of up to US$ 120 billion 2020. Air India has signed an agreement with GE Aviation, a unit of General Electric Co. (GE), to set up a $90 million facility to maintain aircraft engines in Mumbai. 5) Private Jet market: With increasing number of billionaires in the country and the glamour quotient attached to airlines, the private jet market in India is a great business opportunity. The government is also considering permitting private airstrips in the country. 6) Heli-tourism and Commonwealth games: A major portion of visitors during the Common wealth games including spectators, athletes and coaches will travel via airlines. Tourism to various parts of India can be boosted at the same time by heli-tourism or attractive offers by airlines connecting major tourist spots. 7) Exploring alternate revenue streams: Air Cargo operations Ground Handling opportunities lie in offering comprehensive ground-handling solutions,3rd party handling and service contracts with private airports.E.g- AI-CIAL at Cochin Training will be needed for pilots, airhostess, engineers, cabin crew, technicians, ground staff which is a huge business opportunity considering the demand for aviation jobs. Internet business can be leveraged for e-ticket bookings thus saving agent commission costs and airline websites can pose as one stop shops for all travel related information thus boosting revenues. Emergency medical services (EMS) business Eurocopter, a division of EADS which is world leader in the field of aerospace defence and related services, is looking forward to entering the emergency medical services (EMS) business in India. Leading hospital majors like the Manipal group and the Apollo group are being considered for the purpose. The company operates around 480 helicopters in India that cover both the civil and military sectors. The company also plans to increase its business area by entering the heli-tourism sector.

Effectiveness of the Artificial Heart

Effectiveness of the Artificial Heart   Zeeshan Bhalwani   Artificial Heart The human heart is a wondrous structure of engineering. In the body of the average adult, the heart is the tenacious muscle that beats approximately 100,000 times each day, pumping blood through veins and arteries that extend upwards toward the brain and downwards towards the toes. It is no big surprise biomedical engineers have had a difficult time assembling a mechanical replica which is to function similarly as the heart and to keep patients with heart failure alive. Although comparative developments date back to the late 1940s, the first artificial heart was effectively implanted in a human was the Jarvik-7 in 1982, constructed by Willem Johan Kolff and Robert Jarvik (Strickland). The artificial heart is a prosthetic device that surgically replaces both ventricles and all valves of a heart used by adults with heart failure, and is becoming more prominent as innovation is advancing. Artificial hearts are normally used to delay the time to heart transplantation, or to indefinitely replace the heart in case heart transplantation is not possible. The most affluent impact of the artificial heart is that it saves over 5,000 lives every year (SynCardia). Additionally, this invention has had a beneficial impact on society because a fully functional artificial heart lowers the excessive need for heart transplants, since the demand for donor hearts surpasses supply. An example of someone who has been greatly assisted by the artificial heart is Pietro Zorzetto. He had an artificial heart in him for nearly four years, prior to his successful heart transplant on September 11, 2011 (Drumwright). Overall this device was of assistance to many people, but unfortunately there are also consequences that are turning up as progress is being made on the artificial heart. The consequences associated with the artificial heart are primarily unforeseen and bad, although little good can be seen. According to CardioWest, a certain artificial heart is designed to be attached to a power source outside the body through holes in the abdomen. These holes allow harmful bacteria getting inside the body which could potentially cause an infection. Additionally, since the mechanisms are so complex, they can malfunction in different ways. An artificial hearts pumping rate may not be exactly right, power may fail or parts altogether may stop working, which consequently would lead to sudden death. Another disadvantage of the artificial heart is that not all patients have a body size that allows the device to be implanted into the chest, making small people incapable of   receiving the device. As innovation is advancing and technology is progressing, these issues are beginning to diminish and new ways of developing the artificial heart are being introduced. According to MIT, the artificial heart is being enhanced to combine synthetic and biological materials as well as sensors and software to detect a patients level of exertion and adjust output accordingly. According to Carmat, a company concentrated on developing the latest bioprosthetic heart, it will comprise of two chambers each divided by a membrane which will hold hydraulic fluid. A motorized pump will move the fluid in and out of the chambers allowing the blood to flow through the chambers. The blood-facing side of the membrane is made of tissue procured from tissue that surrounds a cows heart, to make the device more biocompatible. The benefit of bioprosthetic hearts is they are not rejected by the bodys immune system. This is because they are made from metals and plastics, so the body does not recognize them as foreign and attack them in the same way it does with a manifold of living tissue. Furthermore, Pennsylvania State University researchers are developing a prosthetic hea rt powered by radio-frequency energy that is absorbed by the skin. Overall, these particular advancements are what will make the artificial heart sought-after. To conclude, heart failure is the leading cause of death all over the world. Most people die from the chambers of the heart failing to push enough blood through the body. A solution to heart failure was initially surfaced in the late 1960s. It had also required the advent of immunosuppressants. Around a decade later, the first successful artificial heart was developed and, the average survival rate of heart transplant patients increased to more than 5 years. The incessant furtherance of technology today will eventually lead to the creation of the perfect artificial heart and will be able to help every common man in need. Works Cited Advantages Disadvantages of the Artificial Heart. Health Guide Info. N.p., 07 Feb. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. Drumwright, Janelle. 7 Things About Artificial Hearts That You Should Know. 7 Things About Artificial Hearts That You Should Know. N.p., 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. Eliza Strickland Posted 29 Dec 2016 | 14:00 GMT. Completely Artificial Hearts: Coming to a Chest Cavity Near You. IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. N.p., 29 Dec. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2017. Medtronic. Benefits and Risks of Heart Valve Replacement. Medical Technology, Services, and Solutions Global Leader. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. Rojahn, Susan Young. The Latest Artificial Heart: Part Cow, Part Machine. MIT Technology Review. MIT Technology Review, 16 Mar. 2016. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. What Is a Total Artificial Heart? National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

the freedoms in liberalism :: essays research papers

Name and Contrast the Freedoms in Liberalism Liberal ideas arose from the breakdown of the feudal system that was commonplace in Europe, which saw the growth of the capitalist society currently in place. Liberalism was the aspiration of the rising middle classes, which had conflicting interests with the power of absolute monarchs and landed aristocracy. With this capitalist society, a serf now had the ‘freedom’ to think for themselves; to decide who to work for or where to live, what to buy and so forth. This type of freedom or liberty was a view of early or classical liberalism, where liberty was a natural right, an essential requirement for leading a truly human existence. Later liberals viewed liberty or freedom as a vehicle to only develop their skills and talents and fulfil their potential. Liberals do not accept individuals have an overall entitlement to freedom, where this freedom can be used to abuse others. John Stuart Mills introduces ‘self-regarding’ and ‘other-regarding’ freedoms where ‘self-regarding’ actions allow individuals to ‘do anything they want’. An ‘Other-regarding’ action restricts or damages the freedoms of others. The law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets can be seen as both ‘self-regarding’ and ‘other-regarding’ whereby the motorcyclists wants to exhibit there freedom by not wearing their helmet (self-regarding) but is restricted by the law of compulsory helmets (other-regarding). An individual may be sovereign over their body and mind, however they must respect the fact everyone enjoys an equal right to liberty. Isaiah Berlin showed a distinction between a ‘negative’ and a ‘positive’ theory of liberty. The classical or early liberals viewed freedom in the context of being left alone, being able to act however they pleased.

EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY Essay -- essays research papers fc

OUTLINE Thesis statement: In this research, I will investigate the basic concepts of the Egyptian mythology and its gods. I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mythology A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Definition B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Egyptian Creation Myths  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heliopolitan Tradition B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hermoplitan Ogdoad C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Memphite Theology III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Worshipping A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beliefs B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rituals C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Temples IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gods and Goddesses  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Good B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evil C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Responsibilities V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Egypt is one of the oldest and most complex civilizations of the world. Their religion and beliefs are fascinating and have been a mystery for centuries. Even today, there are some things that we still do not understand. In this research, I will investigate the basic concepts of Egyptian mythology and its gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Egyptians tried to understand their place in the universe. This is why their mythology is centered on nature such as the earth, sky, moon, sun, stars, and the Nile River. There are many Egyptian myths of creation, but the Heliopolitan Tradition, Hermopolitan Ogdoad, and the Memphite Theology are the most commonly used. They all have some common elements and gods. For example, many of t... ... was allowed to pass through the gates of Yaru and into the after-life, but if the heart weighed more than the feather, the heart was consumed by the devourer to be gone forever.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, Ancient Egypt has a very complex religion and beliefs that would be considered bizarre in many parts of the world. They believed in many gods, some took part in the creation of the universe. Others brought the flood every year, offered protection and took care of people after they died. The ancient Egyptians thought that it was important to recognize and worship the gods because they represented the peace and harmony across the land. BIBLIOGRAPHY â€Å"Egypt.† Encyclopeadia Brittanica: Macropedia. 1980 ed. â€Å"Egyptian Gods by Function.† Concordence: Egyptian Gods. Online. Internet. 18 Feb. hhhhh2004. â€Å"Egyptian Mythology.† Gods of Ancient Egypt. Online. Internet. 12 Feb. 2004. Mercatante, Anthony S. Who’s who in Egyptian Mythology. Canada: General hhhhhPublishing, 1978. â€Å"Mythology.† Encyclopaedia Brittanica: Macropedia. 1980 ed. Vercoutter, Jean. The Search for Ancient Egypt. New York: Times Mirror Company, hhhhh1992.

Job Satisfaction of Employees

There are two types of data collection method use in my project report. – 1. Primary data 2. Secondary data. In primary data the employees were approached directly to know their interest in the job and the satisfaction level being derived by them. Secondary data collection method was used by referring to various websites, books, magazines, journals and daily newspapers for collecting information regarding project under study. 02 03INTRODUCTION Job satisfaction, a worker's sense of achievement and success, is generally perceived to be directly linked to productivity as well as to personal wellbeing. Job satisfaction implies doing a job one enjoys, doing it well, and being suitably rewarded for one's efforts. Job satisfaction further implies enthusiasm and happiness with one's work Job satisfaction ; describes how content an individual is with his or her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be.Job satisfaction is not the same as motiv ation, although it is clearly linked. Job design aims to enhance job satisfaction and performance, methods include job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment. Other influences on satisfaction include the management style and culture, employee involvement, empowerment and autonomous work groups. Job satisfaction is a very important attribute which is frequently measured by organizations. The most common way of measurement is the use of rating scales where employees report their reactions to their jobs.Questions relate to rate of pay, work responsibilities, variety of tasks, promotional opportunities the work itself and co-workers. 04 For the organization, job satisfaction of its workers means a work force that is motivated and committed to high quality performance. Increased productivity—the quantity and quality of output per hour worked—seems to be a byproduct of improved quality of working life. It is important to note that the literature on the relationship bet ween job satisfaction and productivity is neither conclusive nor consistent.However, studies dating back to Herzberg's (1957) have shown at least low correlation between high morale and high productivity, and it does seem logical that more satisfied workers will tend to add more value to an organization. Unhappy employees, who are motivated by fear of job loss, will not give 100 percent of their effort for very long. Though fear is a powerful motivator, it is also a temporary one, and as soon as the threat is lifted performance will decline. If job satisfaction is a worker benefit, surely the worker must be able to contribute to his or her own satisfaction and well-being on the job.COMPANYPROFILE 05 Adidas is on the move and always has been: It has had an adventurous history since it first grew out of a family business in Herzogenaurach, Germany in the 1920s. With the hostile separation of two brothers’ interests in the 1940s, nearly going bust in the 1980s and then executing two rescue operations, first by sending production offshore to Asia and then by reinventing itself into a design and marketing company, Adidas has riden the waves of change in the sports goods sector both up and down.Alongside its own brands, it owned the Saloman ski and sportswear brand for nearly a decade and now includes the Reebok, Taylormade Golf and Rockport brands in its stable. Things are now definitely on track and, if the current marketing slogan, â€Å"Impossible is Nothing†, is anything to go by, the company is brimming with confidence. There are now over 1000 Adidas stores around the world and, in the run up to the Beijing Olympics the company opened an average of two stores a month in China. By 2010, the aim is to generate at least 30% of the group’s revenues through controlled space.To keep its brand in the public focus Adidas has also sponsored sportsmen and women for many years. In 2008, 295 footballers, 64 rugby players, 71 tennis players, 24 basketb all players and 8 golfers all benefited from its three stripe logo. One of the first prominent endorsers of Adidas equipment was American running legend Jesse Owens, the gold medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics. As well as sponsoring the Beijing Olympics Adidas is also supporting the 2012 Olympic Games in London in a deal worth around $200 million.Adidas Group sales grew robustly in all regions driven by the first-time inclusion of Reebok as well as strong revenue increases at both adidas and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Group sales in Europe grew 32% on a currency-neutral basis. This represents an improvement of 31% in euro terms to â‚ ¬ 4. 162 billion in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 3. 166 billion in the prior year. Currency-neutral sales in Europe for the adidas Group excluding Reebok increased 8% due to adidas’ strongest growth in three years. In euro terms, this represents an increase of 7% to â‚ ¬ 3. 90 billion in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 3. 166 billion in the prior year. In North Amer ica, Group sales increased 107% on a currency-neutral basis. In euro terms, sales also grew 107% to â‚ ¬ 3. 234 billion in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 1. 561 billion in 2005. Currency-neutral sales in North America for the adidas Group excluding Reebok increased 14% driven by double-digit growth rates at both adidas and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. In euro terms, revenues increased 13% to â‚ ¬ 1. 768 billion in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 1. 561 billion in the prior year.Sales for the adidas Group in Asia increased 35% on a currency-neutral basis. In euro terms, revenues in Asia grew 33% to â‚ ¬ 2. 020 billion in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 1. 523 billion in 2005. Currency-neutral sales in Asia for the adidas Group excluding Reebok increased 20% during the period, primarily driven by strong growth at brand adidas. This marks the third consecutive year of double-digit underlying growth for our Group in the region. In euro terms, revenues grew 18% to â‚ ¬ 1. 791 billion in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 1. 23 billion in the prior year. In Latin America, currency-neutral sales increased 53%. In euro terms, sales grew 56% to â‚ ¬ 499 million in 2006 from â‚ ¬ 319 million in 2005. Currency-neutral sales in Latin America for the adidas Group excluding Reebok increased 31% in 2006. This represents the highest regional growth within the Group as a result of continued strong development of the adidas brand. In euro terms, sales increased 35% to â‚ ¬ 429 million from â‚ ¬ 319 million in the prior year. [pic] | | |COMPANY NAME |ADIDAS | | | | |COUNTRY / ORIGIN |GERMANY | | | | |ADDRESS / HEADQUARTERS |HERZOGENAURACH | | |SPORTS WEAR & | |INDUSTRY |SPORTS GOODS | | |FOOTWEAR | |PRODUCTS |ACCESSORIES | | |SPORTS WEAR | | | | |NO.OF EMLOYEES |31,344(2007) | | | | |REVENUE |â‚ ¬ 10. 299 BILLION ( $ 15. 6 BILLION ) | | | | |CEO |HERBERT HAINER | Financial data in millions of euros[3] | |Year |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |   |   |   |   |   |   | |2002 |3,200 |1,960 |1,166 |163 |6,5 23 | |2003 |3,365 |1,562 |1,116 |179 |6,267 | |20042) |3,068 |1,332 |1,192 |224 |5,860 | |20052) |3,166 |1,561 |1,523 |319 |6,636 | |20063) |4,162 |3,234 |2,020 |499 |10,084 | |1) Including HQ/Consolidation. | |2) Figures reflect continuing operations as a result of the divestiture of the Salomon business segment. | |3) Including Reebok business segment from February 1, 2006 onwards, excluding Greg Norman wholesale business from December 1, 2006| |onwards. | Net Sales â‚ ¬ in millions [pic] Net Sales by Segment1) [pic] Gross Profit â‚ ¬ in millions [pic] Operating Expenses â‚ ¬ in millions [pic] Operating Expenses â‚ ¬ in mililons [pic] Net Financial Expenses â‚ ¬ in millions [pic] Income Before Taxes â‚ ¬ in millions [pic] Net Income Attributable to Shareholders â‚ ¬ in millions [pic] OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECTThe topic of my project is â€Å"JOB SATISFACTION OF EMPLOYEES WORKING IN ADIDAS† in INDIA. This includes the following Objectives: †¢ To find out total employees working in ADIDAS in INDIA. †¢ To analyze the employment strategy of ADIDAS. †¢ To analyze the most effective media of promotion. †¢ To analyze the satisfaction level being derived by the employees of ADIDAS. †¢ To accumulate expectations of employees. †¢ To find out response of the employees to change in any strategy/production methodology/ by the company. †¢ To ascertain the growth opportunity of employees. PROJECT DETAILS History One of the biggest preludes to the study of job satisfaction was the Hawthorne studies.These studies (1924-1933), primarily credited to Elton Mayo of the Harvard Business School, sought to find the effects of various conditions (most notably illumination) on workers’ productivity. These studies ultimately showed that novel changes in work conditions temporarily increase productivity (called the Hawthorne Effect). It was later found that this increase resulted, not from the new conditions, but from the knowledge of being observed. This finding provided strong evidence that people work for purposes other than pay, which paved the way for researchers to investigate other factors in job satisfaction. Scientific management (aka Taylorism) also had a significant impact on the study of job satisfaction.Frederick Winslow Taylor’s 1911 book, Principles of Scientific Management, argued that there was a single best way to perform any given work task. This book contributed to a change in industrial production philosophies, causing a shift from skilled labor and piecework towards the more modern approach of assembly lines and hourly wages. The initial use of scientific management by industries greatly increased productivity because workers were forced to work at a faster pace. However, workers became exhausted and dissatisfied, thus leaving researchers with new questions to answer regarding job satisfaction. It should also be noted that the work of W. L. Bryan, Walter Dill Scott, a nd Hugo Munsterberg set the tone for Taylor’s work.Some argue that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, a motivation theory, laid the foundation for job satisfaction theory. This theory explains that people seek to satisfy five specific needs in life – physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs, and self-actualization. This model served as a good basis from which early researchers could develop job satisfaction theories. Models of job satisfaction Affect Theory Edwin A. Locke’s Range of Affect Theory (1976) is arguably the most famous job satisfaction model. The main premise of this theory is that satisfaction is determined by a discrepancy between what one wants in a job and what one has in a job.Further, the theory states that how much one values a given facet of work (e. g. the degree of autonomy in a position) moderates how satisfied/dissatisfied one becomes when expectations are/aren’t met. When a person values a particu lar facet of a job, his satisfaction is more greatly impacted both positively (when expectations are met) and negatively (when expectations are not met), compared to one who doesn’t value that facet. To illustrate, if Employee A values autonomy in the workplace and Employee B is indifferent about autonomy, then Employee A would be more satisfied in a position that offers a high degree of autonomy and less satisfied in a position with little or no autonomy compared to Employee B.This theory also states that too much of a particular facet will produce stronger feelings of dissatisfaction the more a worker values that facet. Dispositional Theory Another well-known job satisfaction theory is the Dispositional Theory[citation needed]. It is a very general theory that suggests that people have innate dispositions that cause them to have tendencies toward a certain level of satisfaction, regardless of one’s job. This approach became a notable explanation of job satisfaction i n light of evidence that job satisfaction tends to be stable over time and across careers and jobs. Research also indicates that identical twins have similar levels of job satisfaction.A significant model that narrowed the scope of the Dispositional Theory was the Core Self-evaluations Model, proposed by Timothy A. Judge in 1998. Judge argued that there are four Core Self-evaluations that determine one’s disposition towards job satisfaction: self-esteem, general self-efficacy, locus of control, and neuroticism. This model states that higher levels of self-esteem (the value one places on his self) and general self-efficacy (the belief in one’s own competence) lead to higher work satisfaction. Having an internal locus of control (believing one has control over herhis own life, as opposed to outside forces having control) leads to higher job satisfaction.Finally, lower levels of neuroticism lead to higher job satisfaction. Two-Factor Theory (Motivator-Hygiene Theory) Fred erick Herzberg’s Two factor theory (also known as Motivator Hygiene Theory) attempts to explain satisfaction and motivation in the workplace. This theory states that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are driven by different factors – motivation and hygiene factors, respectively. Motivating factors are those aspects of the job that make people want to perform, and provide people with satisfaction, for example achievement in work, recognition, promotion opportunities. These motivating factors are considered to be intrinsic to the job, or the work carried out.Hygiene factors include aspects of the working environment such as pay, company policies, supervisory practices, and other working conditions. While Hertzberg's model has stimulated much research, researchers have been unable to reliably empirically prove the model, with Hackman ; Oldham suggesting that Hertzberg's original formulation of the model may have been a methodological artifact. Furthermore, the theory does not consider individual differences, conversely predicting all employees will react in an identical manner to changes in motivating/hygiene factors. Finally, the model has been criticised in that it does not specify how motivating/hygiene factors are to be measured. Job Characteristics ModelHackman & Oldham proposed the Job Characteristics Model, which is widely used as a framework to study how particular job characteristics impact on job outcomes, including job satisfaction. The model states that there are five core job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) which impact three critical psychological states (experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of the actual results), in turn influencing work outcomes (job satisfaction, absenteeism, work motivation, etc. ). The five core job characteristics can be combined to form a motivating potential score (MPS) for a job, which can be used as an inde x of how likely a job is to affect an employee's attitudes and behaviors—-.A meta-analysis of studies that assess the framework of the model provides some support for the validity of the JCM. Measuring job satisfaction There are many methods for measuring job satisfaction. By far, the most common method for collecting data regarding job satisfaction is the Likert scale (named after Rensis Likert). Other less common methods of for gauging job satisfaction include: Yes/No questions, True/False questions, point systems, checklists, and forced choice answers. This data is typically collected using an Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) system. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI), created by Smith, Kendall, ; Hulin (1969), is a specific questionnaire of job satisfaction that has been widely used.It measures one’s satisfaction in five facets: pay, promotions and promotion opportunities, coworkers, supervision, and the work itself. The scale is simple, participants answer either yes, no, or can’t decide (indicated by ‘? ’) in response to whether given statements accurately describe one’s job. The Job in General Index is an overall measurement of job satisfaction. It is an improvement to the Job Descriptive Index because the JDI focuses too much on individual facets and not enough on work satisfaction in general. Other job satisfaction questionnaires include: the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and the Faces Scale.The MSQ measures job satisfaction in 20 facets and has a long form with 100 questions (five items from each facet) and a short form with 20 questions (one item from each facet). The JSS is a 36 item questionnaire that measures nine facets of job satisfaction. Finally, the Faces Scale of job satisfaction, one of the first scales used widely, measured overall job satisfaction with just one item which participants respond to by choosing a face. Job satisfaction and emotions Moo d and emotions while working are the raw materials which cumulate to form the affective element of job satisfaction. (Weiss and Cropanzano, 1996). Moods tend to be longer lasting but often weaker states of uncertain origin, while emotions are often more intense, short-lived and have a clear object or cause.There is some evidence in the literature that state moods are related to overall job satisfaction. Positive and negative emotions were also found to be significantly related to overall job satisfaction Frequency of experiencing net positive emotion will be a better predictor of overall job satisfaction than will intensity of positive emotion when it is experienced Emotion regulation and emotion labor are also related to job satisfaction. Emotion work (or emotion management) refers to various efforts to manage emotional states and displays. Emotion regulation includes all of the conscious and unconscious efforts to increase, maintain, or decrease one or more components of an emotio n.Although early studies of the consequences of emotional labor emphasized its harmful effects on workers, studies of workers in a variety of occupations suggest that the consequences of emotional labor are not uniformly negative. It was found that suppression of unpleasant emotions decreases job satisfaction and the amplification of pleasant emotions increases job satisfaction. The understanding of how emotion regulation relates to job satisfaction concerns two models: 1. emotional dissonance. Emotional dissonance is a state of discrepancy between public displays of emotions and internal experiences of emotions, that often follows the process of emotion regulation . Emotional dissonance is associated with high emotional exhaustion, low organizational commitment, and low job satisfaction. 2.Social interaction model. Taking the social interaction perspective, workers’ emotion regulation might beget responses from others during interpersonal encounters that subsequently impact their own job satisfaction. For example: The accumulation of favorable responses to displays of pleasant emotions might positively affect job satisfaction . performance of emotional labor that produces desired outcomes could increase job satisfaction. Relationships and practical implications Job Satisfaction can be an important indicator of how employees feel about their jobs and a predictor of work behaviours such as organizational citizenship, absenteeism, and turnover.Further, job satisfaction can partially mediate the relationship of personality variables and deviant work behaviors. One common research finding is that job satisfaction is correlated with life satisfaction. This correlation is reciprocal, meaning people who are satisfied with life tend to be satisfied with their job and people who are satisfied with their job tend to be satisfied with life. However, some research has found that job satisfaction is not significantly related to life satisfaction when other variables such as nonwork satisfaction and core self-evaluations are taken into account. An important finding for organizations to note is that job satisfaction has a rather tenuous correlation to productivity on the job.This is a vital piece of information to researchers and businesses, as the idea that satisfaction and job performance are directly related to one another is often cited in the media and in some non-academic management literature. A recent meta-analysis found an average uncorrected correlation between job satisfaction and productivity to be r=. 18; the average true correlation, corrected for research artifacts and unreliability, was r=. 30]. Further, the meta-analysis found that the relationship between satisfaction and performance can be moderated by job complexity, such that for high-complexity jobs the correlation between satisfaction and performance is higher (? =. 52) than for jobs of low to moderate complexity (? =. 29).In short, the relationship of satisfaction to prod uctivity is not necessarily straightforward and can be influenced by a number of other work-related constructs, and the notion that â€Å"a happy worker is a productive worker† should not be the foundation of organizational decision-making. With regard to job performance, employee personality may be more important than job satisfaction. The link between job satisfaction and performance is thought to be a spurious relationship; instead, both satisfaction and performance are the result of personality. Importance to Worker and Organization Frequently, work underlies self-esteem and identity while unemployment lowers self-worth and produces anxiety.At the same time, monotonous jobs can erode a worker's initiative and enthusiasm and can lead to absenteeism and unnecessary turnover. Job satisfaction and occupational success are major factors in personal satisfaction, self-respect, self-esteem, and self-development. To the worker, job satisfaction brings a pleasurable emotional stat e that often leads to a positive work attitude. A satisfied worker is more likely to be creative, flexible, innovative, and loyal. For the organization, job satisfaction of its workers means a work force that is motivated and committed to high quality performance. Increased productivity—the quantity and quality of output per hour worked—seems to be a byproduct of improved quality of working life.It is important to note that the literature on the relationship between job satisfaction and productivity is neither conclusive nor consistent. However, studies dating back to Herzberg's (1957) have shown at least low correlation between high morale and high productivity, and it does seem logical that more satisfied workers will tend to add more value to an organization. Unhappy employees, who are motivated by fear of job loss, will not give 100 percent of their effort for very long. Though fear is a powerful motivator, it is also a temporary one, and as soon as the threat is l ifted performance will decline. Workers' Roles in Job SatisfactionIf job satisfaction is a worker benefit, surely the worker must be able to contribute to his or her own satisfaction and well-being on the job. The following suggestions can help a worker find personal job satisfaction: †¢ Seek opportunities to demonstrate skills and talents. This often leads to more challenging work and greater responsibilities, with attendant increases in pay and other recognition. †¢ Develop excellent communication skills. Employers value and reward excellent reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. †¢ Know more. Acquire new job-related knowledge that helps you to perform tasks more efficiently and effectively. This will relieve boredom and often gets one noticed. †¢ Demonstrate creativity and initiative.Qualities like these are valued by most organizations and often result in recognition as well as in increased responsibilities and rewards. †¢ Develop teamwork and people skills. A large part of job success is the ability to work well with others to get the job done. †¢ Accept the diversity in people. Accept people with their differences and their imperfections and learn how to give and receive criticism constructively. †¢ See the value in your work. Appreciating the significance of what one does can lead to satisfaction with the work itself. This helps to give meaning to one's existence, thus playing a vital role in job satisfaction. †¢ Learn to de-stress. Plan to avoid burnout by developing healthy stress-management techniques. Assuring Job SatisfactionAssuring job satisfaction, over the longterm, requires careful planning and effort both by management and by workers. Managers are encouraged to consider such theories as Herzberg's(1957) and Maslow's (1943) Creating a good blend of factors that contribute to a stimulating, challenging, supportive, and rewarding work environment is vital. Because of the relative prominence of p ay in the reward system, it is very important that salaries be tied to job responsibilities and that pay increases be tied to performance rather than seniority. So, in essence, job satisfaction is a product of the events and conditions that people experience on their jobs.Brief (1998) wrote: â€Å"If a person's work is interesting, her pay is fair, her promotional opportunities are good, her supervisor is supportive, and her coworkers are friendly, then a situational approach leads one to predict she is satisfied with her job† (p. 91). Very simply put, if the pleasures associated with one's job outweigh the pains, there is some level of job satisfaction. INTERPRETATION While doing my project and looking into the company profile of ADIDAS I came across certain facts and figures. †¢ COMPETITORS IN MARKET – ADIDAS is a manufacturer of sports wears and sports goods. The main competitor of ADIDAS is NIKE which also manufactures sports goods and sports products.Few year s earlier REEBOK was also a competitor, but ADIDAS took over the company and became the worlds largest sports wear and sports goods Production Company. Other competitors of ADIDAS are AMER SPORTS and ROSSIGNOL AMER SPORTS is company that was established in 1950 in Finland portfolio of sports brands including Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, Precor and Salomon. They manufacture athletic shoes, sports and fitness equipments. ROSSIGNOL is a company that produces equipments for snowboarding, ice-skating and other apparel products. They even manufacture ski boots, bindings, poles, hats, and gloves, as well as golf equipment via its Roger Cleveland Golf subsidiary. It even started giving sponsorship to various sports teams in all kinds of games all over the world.MARKET STAKE ; ADIDAS 36 % NIKE 24 % AMER SPORTS 21 % ROSSIGNOL 19 % [pic] †¢ HUGE FAMILY On December 31, 2007, the Group had 31,344 employees, which represents an increase of 19  % versus the previous year’s level of 26,376 . This development is primarily related to new employees in the adidas segment in emerging markets as well as own-retail activities. [pic] †¢ EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN ADIDAS ( AS DISCUSSED WITH THE HEAD OF GREEN PARK MARKET, DELHI BRANCH. HIS COMMENTS ON EMPLOYMENT GROWTH ARE AS FOLLOWS )The development of our employee numbers varied significantly from a brand perspective. The number of employees at the adidas brand increased 25  % to 18,678 at the end of 2007 (2006: 14,906), mainly driven by the brand’s strong expansion, especially in own retail and in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe (e. g. Russia), Asia and Latin America. Staff at Reebok declined 11  %, attributable to a shift in the workforce to the Group functions and adidas brand as well as the elimination of duplicative positions. Hence, the Reebok segment comprised 6,751 employees at year-end (2006: 7,545). At TaylorMade-adidas Golf, the number of employees increased by 2  % to 1,393 (2006: 1,368).The num ber of employees working in our Group functions increased sharply by 77  % to 4,522 (2006: 2,552). The main reason for this development was the expansion of the Sports Licensed Division to a cross-brand corporate license department, including licensed products from brand adidas (e. g. NBA jerseys) and Reebok (e. g. NHL and NFL jerseys). Excluding this effect, employment within our Group functions increased 23  %. |NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 1) | |[pic] | |1) |At year-end. |2) |Figures reflect continuing operations as a result of the | | |divestiture | | |of the Salomon business segment. | |3) |Including Reebok business. | †¢ GLOBAL MOBILITY ACTIVELY PROMOTED employees work at more than 150 locations around the world. They actively encourage global mobility and offer thier employees the opportunity to go on international assignments. At the end of 2007, 47  % of their staff was employed in Europe (2006: 42  %), 31  % in North America (2006: 35  %), 18  % in Asia (2006: 19   %) and 4  % in Latin America (2006: 4  %).To support relocating professionals and their families in new living and working environments, they provide, for example, relevant language and cultural training |EMPLOYEES BY REGION | |[pic] | †¢ RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMEMT Research and development within the adidas Group is organized in a decentralized structure, i. e. each brand separately runs its own research, design and development activities, with major locations in several countries. To maximize efficiency, our brand teams collaborate closely, sharing fundamental and biomechanical research as well as existing technologies.In 2007, we incorporated a last from a version of the adidas Predator ® football boot into Reebok’s new Sprintfit product. This transfer of basic football know-how highlights the type of technology sharing we strive to promote within the Group. Another example of intra-Group know-how transfer is the incorporation of adidas TORSION ® technology t hroughout a current collection of Rockport footwear |ADIDAS GROUP R & D STRUCTURE | |[pic] | †¢ VAST MAJORITY OF PRODUCTION OUTSOURCED To minimize production costs, adidas outsource over 95  % of production to independent third-party manufacturers, primarily located in Asia.These suppliers possess excellent expertise in cost-efficient mass production of footwear, apparel and accessories. adidas provide them with detailed specifications for production and delivery. However, our Group also operates own production and assembly sites in Germany (1), Sweden (1), Finland (1), the USA (4), Canada (5), China (1) and Japan (1). In order to ensure the high quality consumers expect from our products, adidas enforces strict control and inspection procedures at our suppliers and in our own factories. In addition, adidas promotes adherence to social and environmental standards throughout our supply chain FINDINGS ADIDAS ltd. Has over 1173 branches all over India.

Police Misconduct and Corruption Essay

Police and Society January 31, 2013 Police Misconduct and Corruption In the early 1990’s police brutality had become common; police officers abused their powers and became brutal when dealing with offenders and even non-offenders. One infamous example of such brutality occurred in 1992 in Los Angeles when a black man named Rodney King was violently beat by five officers for being â€Å"black. The five officers repeatedly struck King as a few other officers stood by not paying any attention to the situation near by. Two of the five officers were later acquitted which angered the black and Latino community around the world as did the videotape of the incident. This incident did however put more attention and awareness on the issue of police brutality. A few weeks after the King incident, a drug scandal in New York erupted into another police brutality incident. This prompted an investigation on police corruption by the Mollen Commission. The investigation found many occurrences of police abuses, including brutality, corruption, and perjury. A century before the Mollen Commission, in 1894 the Lexow Commission in New York discovered the same occurrences of police brutality. This shows that police corruption has been going on for many years and is continuing to happen now. Although the public less accepts police brutality now, it is believed that most police corruption is done â€Å"underground† or through legal loopholes. I have chosen to research Police Brutality because I find it outrageous that the people who swore to protect us cheat the law and use excessive force without reason. I am majoring in Sociology and Criminal Justice, so I am curious to learn about why officers feel the need to become brutal. Is it a lust of power? I’m interested in learning about the sociology of police brutality.