SOCIOLOGY - Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics Term Paper

SOCIOLOGY - Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics - Term Paper Example Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations describes this phenomenon in the following way: â€Å"proclaimed the principle of the ‘invisible Hand’; every individual, in pursuing only his own selfish good, [is] led as if by an invisible hand, to achieve the best good for all...† (Buchholz, 1999). Thus Smith underlines that in the first place of the modern Western society is selfish interests of every individual. Everybody thinks that the more money he earns the less problems he would have. Of course, some contemporaries think that in case they had a lot of money they would share it with poor people. In reality, even if a person succeeds and gains lots of money there are only a few who share it with the poor. It also can be argued that the modern world is being developed at full speed and it is necessary to earn money to keep pace with this progress. Moreover, world’s economics is being developed following the main principle: to make the greatest profits. From this p erspective, a root of monetary obsession of the modern Westerners is involuntarily dictated by external conditions. Furthermore, from the perspective of economics it may be claimed that â€Å"Money ...provides the measuring rod of values† (Buchholz, 1999). ... In order to define values, intellectuals claimed that there was an â€Å"interior need to penetrate beyond the screen of immediate concrete experience† (Shils 1972, p. 3). In such a way, money as a value is argued by Shils for sure. This value is relevant to modern society, but ‘beyond the screen of immediate concrete experience’ it is not a value. The members of the Western society hardly realize that a deep-rooted system of values is good, but it’s not the system to be deeply rooted. For example, in the earlier society the one of the basic values and an honor was to die for one’s country. This value could hardly exist in the ‘monetized’ society nowadays. Therefore if to discuss the deep rooted system of values of the Western society it can be metaphorically explained what this really means: â€Å"Everyone has a god, but not everyone is aware of who or what that god is†Ã‚  (Buchholz, 1999). Q 2 Romantic German nationalism as a tr igger of Nazi politics The upheaval of national consciousness is triggered by intervention of aliens in the territory of a certain nation. Romanticism and ‘wars of liberation’ of different classes in Germany triggered Nazi politics. From one perspective it may seem that there is nothing in common between Romanticism and Nazism. There is a perfect explanation of German nationalism that occurred under influence of Romanticism: â€Å"When, later, the last hopes which the German patriots had rested on liberation from the foreign yoke had burst like over-blown bubbles, their spirits sought refuge in the moonlit magic night and the fairy world of dreamy longing conjured up for them by romanticism, in order to forget the gray reality of life and its shameful disappointments† (Romanticism and Nationalism). Partially, German

Strategic Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Plan - Essay Example The focal point of this notion declares that it has become highly necessary for school managements to realize and acknowledge the importance of developing a comprehensive strategic design in governing the operations of the institution. Therefore, the purpose of this strategic plan for Paulo Freire Charter School (PFCS) is to critically analyze, examine and assess the extensive categories of strategic planning and implementation with respect to the organization. The report aims to achieve this purpose by specifically addressing particular areas of strategy which are classified under the implementation plan, organizational change management strategies, strategic financial management and risk management plan for Paulo Freire Charter School (PFCS). Implementation Plan Gamage (2006) states that the stage of planning is conducted prior to decision-making as the entire concept fundamentally defines the chronological activities that are to undertaken by an organization for the attainment of its overall objectives. Once conducted in an effective manner, planning can also aid the enhancement of various processes within the school; these processes include resource utilization, agreement on management practices and leadership styles or approaches and granting the management, staff and students with a shared vision and a sense of direction (Gamage 2006). To understand the concept of strategic planning in a systematic manner it is important to realize the basic processes which it is comprised of, these processes include; establishing objectives, setting targets and placing appropriate monitors of performance and allocating organizational resources (Spee and Jarzabkowski 2011). The subsequent sections of the strategic plan for Paulo Freire Charter School (PFCS) aim to follow this pattern of progress with the integration of pertinent educational management concepts and dimensions. Objectives Davies and Ellison (2013) highlight the distinguishing features of an Improvement Obje ctive (IO) which is defined as the focus of what an educational institution aims to attain as a consequence of commencing development projects for the school. This notion presents a contrast from the long-term objectives of a school because it is specific to a particular phase or associated with a specific activity. Accordingly, identifying the association between the objectives and the vision of an educational institution holds immense importance because each concept is a reflection of the other. As a centre of learning, PFCS aims to be the forerunner in a highly competitive industry by promoting the highest standards of knowledge, ethics and innovation. The foundations of the school rest on four principles which are that of Inquiry, Investigation, Reflection and Action (Paulo Freire Charter School 2012). This notion postulates that the organization’s adoption of the inquiry based instructional model is the focal point in the achievement of its long-term objectives. Conseque ntly, the formulation of appropriate objectives and there subsequent achievement by the school is also critical to its financial

USGS Bird Population Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

USGS Bird Population - Assignment Example and specialists species characteristics to determine where the Double Crested Cormorant, Great Blue Herron, Wood Stock and the American Robin belong (Mobley 12). This specie of bird is a specialist. The Double Crested Cormorant is mostly distributed along the coastal regions and water bodies like the Gulf, Pacific and the Atlantic coasts in Canada and the United States which are densely populated due to the economic activities that are carried out in these regions (Sauer 2). It is also found along the Great Lakes and Mississippi valley. Their breeding nests are usually built on top of very tall trees in areas with bodies of water; therefore, they thrive best in wetland biomes. They change their niche according to the precipitation available at a particular time mostly preferring regions with high precipitation. The Double Crested Cormorant is very specific with its diet. It mainly eats fish and this is the reason why it prefers areas near water bodies. They mostly thrive in the riparian habitats. They are widely spread in water body regions but more uniformly distributed in regions that have water masses. Their diet which mainly consists of fish gives evidence that they are specialists and not generalists (Mobley 12). This specie of birds is generalists. This is because of their wide range of distribution. Although they are mainly distributed along northern America, Mexico and southern Canada, they are more common throughout the United States apart from regions that are woody (Sauer 2). They prefer the summer as opposed to winter seasons and this is why they are mostly found in Minnesota during summer. They are found in both coniferous and deciduous forests. They can also be seen in swampy areas or areas near water bodies. In addition, they can thrive in tree habitats that are either dead or alive and also found in densely populated areas. This means that they can survive in any environmental niche be it forested, savannah or wetlands. Another major reason why

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

Hinduism - Essay Example However, this is depended on the moral quality of the actions in the previous life. According to the reincarnation beliefs, people take one form of life before taking a different form in another life (Somer and CarmitOr-Chen 460). As such, life does not stop at any particular time; rather, life is a process that keeps on evolving continuously. According to their beliefs, argues Burch (76), when one dies as a human being, he could take the form of an animal, which when dies may take the form of an insect. After the insect dies, it may assume the form of a carrot and later a human being again. There is thus no particular time when the life of one particular generation would ever end, concludes Davidson (123). Unlike other religions such as Islam and Christianity, which believe in the end of life after the death of a person, Hinduism holds different views. However, a person does not emerge in the next life as the previous life; he or she assumes this form as a spirit, and as such, point out Hui and Peter (453), people have hope that they will not entirely vanish from the world. Thus, a man who dies before the birth of his daughter could re-emerge in the daughter buy his spirit entering in the daughter. The belief tries to explain the similarities in people’s characteristics, behaviorisms, and mannerisms. Living people could possess characteristics of a long dead person, and thus, Hindus belief that the spirit of the long dead person reincarnated in the new person. Some Hindu cultures, due to the reincarnation belief, do not eat particular kinds of animals or plant’s (Waterhouse 97). To them, these are spiritual, and are the very kinds that people assume through their reincarnation process. Thus, eating such plants and animals would be killing a person. However, even if I were to believe in re incarnation, I would not agree with the argument that some of the animals having a higher likelihood of people reincarnating through them than others. I would a rgue that all animals and plants, just as if they have equal opportunities of life, have equal opportunities of taking part in the reincarnation process. After all, they all will die at some point, and are too have to reincarnate to one particular form. Although the belief has widely spread in other religions and cultural practices, initially, reincarnation was an eastern religions belief, especially within the Hinduism religion (McClelland 15). However, currently, philosophies such as dianetics and channeling appear to embrace the concepts of reincarnation. In the past, the eastern religions did not consider reincarnation as a good thing; instead, to them it was a bad thing. The ancient belief, assuming the state of nirvana in essence, to them was an escape from the wheel of rebirth. Further, the beliefs held that while reincarnating, when the metaphysical devotion of a soul enters the body of a person was an impure rite of passage. Although conceptually closely related to reincarn ation (Almeder 81), I think the new age religions belief in being born again is a mirror concept to reincarnation. To these religion though, being born again is a good thing rather than a bad thing. Being born again, having a perverse goal differentiates it from the original meaning of reincarnation. Being born again prepares a person to what exactly one

Research resources Essay Example for Free

Research resources Essay There are many resources that a student of accounting can refer to enrich his accounting knowledge and arm him/her with useful and practical experience in the accounting field. These materials are available both online and offline both subscribed and unsubscribed. These are online and offline libraries. Questia, an online library of books and journal available at http://www. questia. com/index. jsp, is a site that provides an opportunity to access books, journal and materials for all subjects and topics ranging from arts to science, and from arts to law. These materials are available to an individual upon subscription. They are accessed through the keying of the title or the required article or any phrase in that text. Athens and Amazon. com are other resources that contains rich informative and educative materials. The amazon. com, the site that allows access to useful textbooks and journals is available online at http://www. amazon. com/books-used-books-textbook/b? ie=UTF88node=283155. It is an online company that sells books. Athens is also available online at http://www. athens. ac. uk. Accounting information will be accessed by keying in the relevant topics. The Google scholar too will provide easy access to accounting materials on any trouble-some topic. There are also many textbooks and journals available in the library. New Vistas in Accounting – Vol 1, 2003, a book authored by D. G Prasuna is a textbook that provides a general outline on the major concepts in accounting and their usefulness on understanding the accounting practices and activities. Accountants handbook, volume 1, financial accounting and general topics, 11th edition, edited by D. R. Carmidiael (2007) among other scholars is a conglomeration of witty and remarkable tips on the basics of accounting, the standards an regulations as well the basics of reporting statement. Specific Sources In this research discussion Scofield Barbara (1994) in his article published by the national public accountant, titled:Full Disclosure of Interest Capitalization Decisions, he provides useful insights on the GAAPS standards on interest capitalization, shedding the light on the confusions arising from the requirements in the standards, their appropriateness and their shortcoming. This information is available online at http://www. allbusiness. com/accounting/436577-1html. The IASC foundation education website available at http://www. lasb. org/NR/rdon/yres/189CA297-4D7Epdf has a summary of the IAS regulations. In this case they were specifically touching on borrowing costs then definition and what they generally encompass. www. arthurconsulting. com/financialspecial6. htm, website by the Arthur consulting, Inc on financial analysis, gives useful tips on accounting for the impairment of long lived assets. It gives circumstance and events that are indicators that an asset has impairment as well as the criterion for impairment recognition. An international accounting journal by authors; Street D. L, Nicholas N. B, Gray S. J, titled: Assessing the Acceptability of International Accounting Standards in the U. S. An Empirical Study of the Materiality of U. S GAAP Reconciliations by Non-US companies complying with IASC standards (2000), from this page 22-63 gives a summary of GAAP standards in comparison with other international standards on accounting. It provides information that can help understand accounting standards and practices better. Domestic Accounting Standards,Iinternational Accounting Standards and the Predictability of Earnings (2001), an accounting research journal by Ashbough, Hollis, Pinces and Morton (2001) examines the variations of the various international standards and the accuracy associated with reporting using each standard. Ann Tarca (2004), in the Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting, article titled: International Convergence of Accounting Practices, Choosing between IAS and US GAAP. She samples different reporting by accountants using the different standards: GAPP and IAS and how specific firms prefer one standard over another. William Dorms (2003) in his book Finance and Accounting for Non Financial Managers. He provides all the basics you need to know. He provides an insightful outline of the basics in accounting in the different topics of intermediate accounting focusing especially on financial management and financial statement analysis. Essentials of Managerial Finance: Principle and Practice (1981). It is a large book of 807 pages authored by Steven E. Bolten and Robert Lawrence conn. It gives useful knowledge on the most troublesome on accounting. All the above source although not enough will arm a student with almost all information that he or she requires to gain basic knowledge on principles and practices of accounting. Recommendations A fresh student of intermediate accounting would need to take a glance at reading materials that provide information on the basics of accounting. This will arm him/her with information that will aid in understanding the basic concepts and accounting practices. These books and journals are available on the internet and in our library. Students will need to take detailed notes on these topics they find relevant to their studies. Having a look at the sample and published financial statements by the various firms and multinationals will give a practical hint on the application of this theoretical knowledge and affirm the need for accuracy and consistency in accounting. On specific cases for discussion, a student should ensure that they have conducted enough research for the specific topics. Keying in the title of these topics on the authoritative websites such as Google scholar and Questia will provide vital linkages to a wealth of sources and information. Many students at the introductory stage of accounting have come to me for assistance. I have assisted them by giving them the above information as well as demonstrating to them physically on how to search for information from our library as well as from the electronic journals and libraries. References Scofield Bartara, April 1st 1994. Full disclosure of interest capitalization decisions. The national public accountant. Pg. 1. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www/allbusiness. com/accounting/436577. 1html IAS Borrowing Costs. Technical Summary. IASC foundation education. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. iasb. org. NR/rdonlyres/189CA297-4d7E-4826-80bc-3876874AS44/0/1as23pdf Financial analysis, 2002. Accounting for the impairment of long-lived assets. Arthur consulting group, Inc. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. arthurconsulting. com/financialspecial6. htm Ash Baugh, Hollis, Pincees, Morton, Dec. 2001. Domestic accounting standards, international accounting standards, and the predictability of earnings. Journals of accounting research. Blackwell publishing. Financial accounting standards board. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. fash. org.

Employee Turnover Causes and Effects

Employee Turnover Causes and Effects In todays highly dynamic commercial work, it is becoming a challenge for jobseekers to find jobs that best fit their personality, and for employers to hire the right people who can do the job and also integrate well into the company culture. Failure to overcome this issue can be resulted in high turnover of employees. Employee turnover is a part of normal business activity; whereby employees come and go as their life situations change. Most employers realize this and, indeed, large firms typically have entire departments devoted to the management of human resources in order to make the transition as easy as possible for both management and employee and to minimize the associated hiring and training costs. Employee turnover is a ratio comparison of the number of employees a company must replace in a given time period to the average number of total employees. A huge concern to most companies, employee turnover is a costly expense especially in lower paying job roles, for which the employee turnover rate is higher. Many factors play a role in the employee turnover rate of any company, and these can shoot from both the employer and the employees. Determining what constitutes high turnover is a complex issue, because there is no simple linear relationship between turnover rates and the social and/or economic performance of companies and sites. Too little turnover can be as big a problem as too much. If organizations do not have a reasonable flow through of new personnel, they risk ossification. Also, some turnover is socially desirable because it gives people an opportunity to obtain entry into the labor market and to move to different and better. In todays dynamic world and increased job insecurity, the job for life is no longer existent. People constantly fear their jobs and loss their motivation and commitment to work. Some reviews and example were being done on manufacturing or dairy business company, basically on First Dairy Farm (M) Sdn. Bhd on high turnover of the employees. 2.0 CAUSES OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER 2.1 Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is described as the positive attitude and emotion towards ones job and work environment. It reveals their value judgment about their expectations and perceptions of the effort they put in and the outcomes that they receive. One of the reason that caused a highly employee turnover is because of the low job satisfaction offered by an organization. Job satisfaction includes the payroll and financial rewards, work environment, co-workers, supervision, scope of work, amount of work, career future, company identity, and physical working condition. To ensure an employees satisfaction, an organization need to reward fairly for the work they have done by making sure rewards were for genuine contribution to the organization and consistent with reward policies. The reward also includes a variety of benefits other than monetary gains. However, many companies failed to do so. Unsatisfactory performance appraisal is one of the reasons for employees leaving a company. A lack of appreciation, a lack of teamwork and the perception that business owners dont care about their employees are consistently the highest-rated reasons for low job satisfaction. Many employees choose to leave because they believe their work has been unappreciated by the organization. When employees are committed to their organizations, they accept the corporate goals and values, and will put in extra effort to achieve organizational effectiveness. Nonetheless, many also leave their jobs because they dont believe their companies value their contribution. Most environmental contributors to turnover can be directly traced to management practices. Turnover tends to be higher in environments where employees feel they are taken advantage of, where they feel undervalued or ignored, and where they feel helpless or unimportant. Clearly, if managers are impersonal, arbitrary, and demanding, there is greater risk of alienation and turnover. Management policies can also affect the environment in basic ways such as whether employee benefits and incentives appear generous or stingy, or whether the company is responsive to employees needs and wants. Managements handling of major corporate events such as mergers or layoffs is also an important influence on the work environment afterwards. Salary Scale is also known for the most common cause of the employee turnover rate being so high. Employees are in search of jobs, which pay well. If the company, which they are working in, does not offer good and reasonable salary, they tend to hunt for jobs that pay them considerably well. The prospect of getting higher pay elsewhere is one of the most obvious contributors to turnover. This practice can be regularly observed at all levels of the economic ladder, from executives and generously paid professionals in high-stress positions to entry-level workers in relatively undemanding jobs. Employees always flock to companies who offer more benefits. There are many employees who are not aware of the benefits that are provided to them in their compensation package. The employers need to reduce their bureaucratic procedures in order for the employees to receive the best available benefits without any difficulty. They should make a note of what all benefits other organizations are providing, which may attract their current employees. Employees that contain negative relationship with its supervisor are likely to have lower job satisfaction, which could also lead to employee turnover. According to experts, while most managers believe employees leave due to money issues, in actuality it is an employees relationship with their supervisor that has the greatest impact on whether they stay or go, because a supervisor has control over the compensation, opportunity, recognition, and environment that create job satisfaction. And that is why it is important to hold supervisors accountable for retaining a thriving workforce. Advancement and promotion policies are the prime reason why many mid-level executives leave the company. Due to no potential opportunity for advancements or promotions, they prefer other companies, which may provide them with higher posts and increased compensation packages. The companies need to evaluate and modify their promotion policies in a fair way, which would enable promotions for candidates. The condition of the organization could also be a factor. If it is unstable, the employees will surely look for a more stable organization. They would not want to stay long in an organization that could close any time. Employees will not exert as much effort in achieving organizational objectives if there are not reassured that their jobs are secure. 2.2 Organizational Commitment Organizational commitment is the relative strength of an employees attachment or involvement with the organization where he or she is employed, in this case the dairy business. Organizational commitment is important because committed employees are less likely to leave for another job and are more likely to perform at higher levels. An organization would have a higher productivity by creating a higher job satisfaction for the employees. By this, they would believe that the organization would be a career path and a tremendous future in the long run, which would make them concern about the quality of their work. Hence, they would be more committed to the organization, and the organization would have higher retention rates and lower employee turnover. With this, organization commitment also includes as a cause of employee turnover. Organizational commitment is when individuals who were highly committed to their organization would be less likely to think about leaving the organization. Wh en an employees need and desires has been satisfied and their skill has been utilized, an organizational commitment of an employee has been developed. It has become a very strong negative effect on turnover, which means, the lower the organizational commitment, the higher the tendency for an employee to leave. Throughout the workplace employees must be given numerous opportunities to feel committed to the organization. Overall management culture and style driven by the top management actions are strongly related to the degree of employee commitment. These correlations bring to light the importance of having strong managers and their roles in the overall organization. If employees are directly committed to their group, their commitment to the overall organization will be higher. Organizational Commitment is highly valuable. Studies have highlighted that commitment has a great impact on the successful performance of an organization. This is because a highly committed employee will identify with the goals and values of the organization, has a stronger desire to belong to the organization and is willing to display greater organizational citizenship behavior i.e., a willingness to go over and beyond their required job duties. And if human resources are said to be an organizations greatest assets, then committed human resources should be regarded as an organizations competitive advantage. Committed employees are more likely to perform beyond the call of duty to meet customers needs and organizations goal. They are highly motivated to work to the best of their ability. These traits are essential for continued customer commitment and ongoing revenue and growth for an organization. Committed employees remained in the employment of the company longer, resisted competitive job offers, did not actively look for other employment and recommend the company to others as a good place to work. The longer the companies kept their employees, there would be no need for additional expenditure to train new employees. 2.3 Job Hopping An individual with strong desire to try different jobs for fun or and readily changed their jobs for as little as one Malaysian Ringgit is a sign of job hopping behavior. This type of individual also leads to employee turnover. Some with highly educated individuals are more keen to job hop due to the availability of vast options in the job market. Younger generations are thought to be job-hopping to be materialistic, and as a result they tend to hop from one job to another for a better salary and benefit. A huge concern to most companies, employee turnover is a costly expense especially in lower paying job roles, for which the employee turnover rate is highest. Weak company identity tends to face higher employee turnover as the employee worry about their career future. 3.0 IMPACT AND EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVERS There are many negative impacts to an organization due to employee turnovers compared to positive impacts. However, despite substantial evidence regarding turnovers negative consequences for firms, several studies including many of those above are noted offsetting positive effects. For example, the economic perspective on turnover suggests that turnover reflects the beneficial aspects of worker mobility, such as the improvement of matches between employees and firms over time. Companies should take a deep interest in their employee turnover rate because it is costly part of doing business. When a company must replace a worker, the company incurs direct and indirect expenses. These expenses include the cost of advertising, headhunting fees, human resources cost, loss of productivity, new hire training, and customer retention. On the contrary, turnover can adversely affects operational efficiency, especially for complex processes that require close teamwork and high amounts of assumed knowledge. Where there is continuing instability in the workforce, consequences can include increased stress and tension amongst those remaining employees who have to fill the gaps left by departing employees, declining employee morale, and decreased productivity due to loss of work group synergy. High turnover rate can do a lot of damage to your organization than overworking your employees. One of which is the turnover cost. When you lose an employee, you need to look for someone new to fill the post. Although the person is qualified, you still need to train the person, consider a few errors during the operation, and go through the adjustment period. Apart from the cost you incurred, it will also give you a bad image in the public. They will speculate about the reasons why your employees do not last long in the organization. They will question the management skill of the leaders of the organizations. Consequently, this will also affect the judgment of your potential investors. Minimizing employee turnover rate is one of the most important tasks of managers. This is because a high turnover rate among others implies that the organizations concerned are probably incurring high costs of operations. The costs of employee turnover are due to the costs of retaining workers, the costs of training and development loss of business, loss of productivity, and also increased in business risks. Therefore, companies that are not able to reduce their employee turnover figure will likely lose their competitiveness in the long run. High turnover can be a serious obstacle to productivity, quality, and profitability at firms of all sizes. For the smallest of companies, a high turnover rate can mean that simply having enough staff to fulfill daily functions is a challenge, even beyond the issue of how well the work is done when staff is available. Turnover is no less a problem for major companies, which often spend millions of dollars a year on turnover-related costs. When the employee leaves, productivity will usually take a downturn because other workers may have to add the former employees duties to their own workload, at least temporarily. For service-oriented professions, such as management consulting or account management, high employee turnover can also lead to customer dissatisfaction and turnover, as clients feel little attachment to a revolving contact. Customers are also likely to experience dips in the quality of service each time their representative changes. When long-time employees leave, they often take valuable institutional knowledge or intellectual assets with them. It would costs employers a lot of time and money to replace these assets. Many business owners are mistaken that the cost of replacing employees is merely the price of an advertisement and headhunter fees. However, both direct and indirect cost must be taken into consideration. When an employee gives notice (usually two to four weeks), he or she has already mentally checked out months prior to the announcement, costing the company significant dollars for a nonproductive employee. The current employees never want to see one of their colleagues leave. The atmosphere in the office takes on a different tone. Current employees question their own career decision. These scenarios slow down the organizations productivity. And they also cost money. The current employees gain increased workloads to offset the vacant position. This causes burnout, inefficiencies and unproductive wo rkers, which again can be costly. One must realize that it usually takes a new employee approximately six months to get up to speed. Those first six months are a costly investment for the employer without any true benefits for the newly hired talent and the company until six months or more into the future. Human resource development is less likely to be a priority for management. Companies will be disinclined to invest in training and career development for staff if they believe that they cannot hold staff. In addition, where there is high employee turnover human resource personnel are likely to be pre-occupied with the base level tasks of recruiting and training new staff. This, in turn, means that there will be fewer opportunities to implement staff development initiatives and other strategies that could enhance the skills and productivity of existing employees. Organizational psychologists have also claimed that workers efforts may be highest when they first join an organization and may decrease over time. These conflicting views concerning the effects of turnover suggest that one must not view turnover as a monolithic concept, but rather as a contingent phenomenon. The relevant question thus becomes not whether turnover has positive or negative effects on performance, but rather under what conditions it is more harmful or beneficial to the firm. 4.0 IMPROVING THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER Today, most of the companies believed that in order to achieve and sustained effectively, human resource management (HRM) needs to be efficient. Effective HRM can be main factor for the success of an organization. In the new economy, it has become a trend of employees staying on for a short duration in any one organization, which results to many problems. Failure in managing human capital will create fatal problems to the company, especially in country like Malaysia, which is a multiracial country. Therefore, most of the organizations, both domestic companies and multinational cooperation (MNCs) tend to focus more on HRM as a key of success. 4.1 Hiring the right people Hiring the right people from the start would also reduce turnover. Managers should have a clear idea of the types of people they want to hire for each position, write detailed job descriptions and commit to hiring the best candidates rather than the first candidates who meet minimum requirements. An organization is encouraged to use personality traits and leadership style theories to determine the personality type and leadership style posses by job applicants and future candidates before actually employing them. A computer-based application that integrates personality traits and leadership styles will be valuable to any organization seeking the right people with the right personality and the right competencies. With this, there are more chances for an employee to be satisfied with the job given, and reduce employee turnover. 4.2 Employee Retention Most companies try to reduce costs by eliminating search, advertising and referral fees. They spend countless hours calculating cost per hire. With the current competitive marketplace, companies often utilize every source available to locate and hire top personnel. Companies should concentrate on retaining key employees, because real costs begin to add up when employees leave. Retaining your most seasoned and talented employees helps ensure your organizations strength. Its more important than ever to put strategies in place to avoid the overarching costs of employee turnover causes, and keep skilled, high-level producers motivated and invested. Employees in an organization have always been key asset, as their departures could have a significant effect on the implementation of the organizations business plans and may eventually cause a parallel decline in productivity. As such, employee retention was important to the long-term growth and success of the company. Retaining the best employees would ensure customer satisfaction and effective succession planning. It would also increase investors confidence, as they are concern with the organizations capacity to perform in such ways that would positively influence the value of their investment in the company. Hence, it is undeniable that uncontrolled employee turnover could damaged the stability of the company and consequently the national economy. Too often employee retention is viewed as a process or function of the human resources department. Somehow there is an expectation that the recruiting staff should not only identify and hire employees, but that they should also ensure their retention through some sort of strategy or program. The reality is that employee retention is everyones responsibility. Managers are able to reduce unwarranted employee turnover because the most important factors driving employee satisfaction and commitment are largely within the direct view and control of the manager. These included providing recognition, regular feedback and ensuring fair reward accordingly to an employees contributions and value to the organization. 4.3 Creating a Positive Relationship between Employer and Employee Good communication and feedback between management and employees is a means to reduce these problems. A positive relationship between communication and commitment was detected highlighting the importance for management to ensure that communication channels remain open to allow for better transmission of information. Employees may also have a desire to pursue with a higher education or to improve their performance, so that they can accomplish more tasks within the same period of time. By increasing their inputs, employees may get higher outputs such as better pay and benefits. By doing so, it may lead to a higher level of satisfaction. However, factors like the lack of financial resources may prevent the employee from the opportunity of taking additional courses to upgrade themselves. In addition, other factors like problems from outside of work may affect an employees job satisfaction. Therefore, employees may wish to discuss and express their concerns with their immediate superiors. Bringing the problems that employees have to the managers attention will indeed be benefiting for the employee as they can work together to make any special arrangements in mutual agreement. When employees interact with their superiors, the manager will be able to determine the employees level of job satisfaction and in turn determine the employees level of commitment. To maximize human resource and lower employee turnover, companies could focus on building relationship and support, as well as develop programs to handle stress management, decrease work dissatisfaction and enhance loyalty to the organization. It is proactive to deal with turnover at the thinking stage by enhancing commitment that has to do with building relationship and increasing participation as well as contribution to organizational goals. It is also vital to involve staff in the organizational process that not only empowers them but also increases their loyalty to and identification with the company. There are also cases when the employees leave because of their fellow employees or his superiors. Clashes of personalities are common in the workplace. When an employee can no longer stand the tension in the workplace, he may opt to leave the organization. It does not matter if he finally got his dream job or receiving a generous paycheck. If he no longer has peace of mind, he will look for another job. The relationship between employee and employer or their direct supervisor is also crucial. Not only do organizations need a performance management system that recognizes and rewards supervisors for meeting objectives that reduce employee turnover, supervisors need to understand what steps they can take to meet their responsibility in employee retention and job satisfaction. The only way to truly understand employees is to ask them what they want and to find out what can be done to help them reach their goals. By asking, becoming involved, and being accountable, supervisors can go a lo ng way in improving employee job satisfaction as well as retention. 4.4 Increasing Job Satisfaction Those employees who feel that they are cared for by their organization and managers also have not only higher levels of commitment, but that they are more conscious about their responsibilities, have greater involvement in the organization, and are more innovative. Managers and organizations must reward and support their employees for the work that they do because this perceived support allows for more trust in the organization. All people have a desire to be needed and to feel valuable, including at their place of business. Consistent praise from a manager boosts an employees confidence and makes him happy about his place inside the organization. People perform at a much higher level when they feel happy and confident. When they dont feel important, people become withdrawn and complacent and start looking for other places to work. Being an employer is somewhat like being a parent figure. One must continuously provide security and make your employees feel wanted and needed. In terms of assessment and promotion, the fairness in the decision making process is crucial for commitment. The organization should communicate clearly how decisions are made and why some people and not others did get promotions. Satisfied employees tend to be more loyal to their organization. Generally, when people are satisfied with their jobs, they will have a positive attitude feeling about their jobs. In their minds, other jobs would not be better than the current one. Therefore, it is unlikely that they will change their jobs. Employees prefer to stay in their company and work hard for a return. If employees feel that the company treats them fairly or well, the workers will feel that they are responsible to keep working hard for their companies. Also, in order to maintain their current satisfied jobs, employees will perform well and work effectively, which is beneficial for the company. Therefore, in order to increase the employees level of commitment, the manager can try to increase their employees level of job satisfaction. For an organization to be successful, its managers must ensure that their employees have a high level of job satisfaction in order to mutually have a high level of organizational c ommitment. Managers may also apply job rotation so each employee will have an opportunity to perform different tasks using various skills and talents. By using this method, it may be able to further increase the interests the employees would have in their job. Moreover, managers should motivate employees to be more helpful, considerate, friendly and good-natured to their co-workers and supervisors, because this would increase the employees job satisfaction and may motivate the urge to help out other co-workers. Indeed, providing sufficient opportunity for promotion to employees would significantly increase job satisfaction because promotions reflect valued signals about a persons self- worth. 4.5 Increasing Organizational Commitment Organizations can increase employee commitment by providing them with fair and reasonable working practices in a rather cost-effective way. Research has found that the more committed the employee is to the organization, the greater the effort exerted by the employee in performing tasks. Highly committed employees wish to remain associated with the organization and advance organizational goals, and are therefore less likely to leave. Job performance has been reported to be higher for employees with strong affective commitment. The underlying assumption is that they will work harder at their jobs and perform them better than those with weaker commitment. On the personal level, there are benefits for strong affective commitment; for example, working in an environment in which one is positive about has implications for reduced stress levels. Alternatively, affective commitment could lead to negative consequences for life beyond the organization. By obtaining affective commitment from employees may have positive effects for the organization, even though some of the magnitudes of the findings are not very high. To stay committed, employees should feel valued and recognized by management. Motivation constitutes a central element when going through the process of human learning. If the organization does not possess the ability to motivate its employees, the knowledge within the organization is not practically used to a maximum. Therefore, it becomes the aim of every learning organization to find the factors that enable it to motivate its employees to continuous learning and to take advantage of this knowledge to ensure its living. It is unlikely that employees will be committed if they are not sufficiently motivated. Another key to employee satisfaction is implementing formal training programs that provide employees with clear paths for advancement. Employees are more likely to remain loyal to businesses committed to staff development and promoting from within. Induction training and socialization are carried out, which are vital in gaining employee commitment. It is essential to reinforce a sense of self-worth within newcomers, which can be achieved through a supporti ve environment. In addition, employees may try to increase their intrinsic motivation, which is self- applied. If employees set goals for themselves, and these are achieved, the employees will be able to feel a sense of accomplishment. This may in turn lead to an increase in the level of satisfaction at their job and thus affect their level of organizational commitment. 5.0 CONCLUSION In todays highly competitive labor market, there is extensive evidence that organizations regardless of size, technological advances, market focus, are facing human resource challenge. Employee turnovers are results of employees dissatisfaction of one or more factors. Measures can be taken to prevent turnover and to improve other operating results as well. There need to be greater appreciation of the costs and consequences of high employee turnover, and a willingness to change established personnel management practices. Employees are one of the most important determinants and leading factors that determine the success of an organization in a competitive environment. Therefore the way people are managed has a major impact on their commitment and on organizational performance. Advantages of gaining employee commitment have been perceived to be lower labor turnover, extra role behavior, and better product quality and employee flexibility leading to the firms competitive advantage. Thus, given the contribution that a highly productive trained employee can make to organizational productivity, keeping such an employee should be a high priority to the organization. Organizations can secure this commitment by engaging in fair HR practices such as procedural justice, good communication, increased participation, more supportive management and reasonable rewards. Finally, it is important to note that simply implementing HRM practices such as benefits, job descriptions, or standard of procedure is not enough to earn employees commitment. In order to enjoy the benefits of a fully-committed employees, therefore a stable and high-performing workforce, dairy producers must offer a workplace with effective performance feedback and opportunities for participation.

Coal Industry: Ethical Analysis

Coal Industry: Ethical Analysis The energy industry is more relevant today than ever before. As modern technology thrives, so does energy. It has become a necessity used in many areas of life such as agriculture, transportation, waste collection, information technology and communications. All of which are critical components for most functional societies. The industry is made up of many different entities, which include the petroleum industry, gas industry, electrical power industry, coal industry, nuclear power industry, renewable energy industry, and the traditional energy industry. The oil and gas industry account for most of the market, supplying 60% of total demand. Then there is the coal industry coming in second, accounting for 20% of the industries market share. These industries face continuous debate regarding their production and sales, especially here in the United States. The United States is one of the worlds biggest consumers of energy and the energy industry is the third largest industry within our c ountry (U.S Energy Industry). This has generated a lot of publicity for the industry, due to the increased use and demand for energy as a whole. And since there is more and more emphasis placed on the environment, the media has highlighted the negative aspects that surround the business. In this section we are going to take a closer look at the coal industry, investigating some of the ethical issues facing coal. Ethical Issues Facing Coal Industry Throughout history coal has been a very abundant and essential resource, especially for us in the United States. We most commonly use it for producing our electricity and heat. Today coal generates more than half of our electricity, with there being nearly 600 coal-fueled power plants nationwide. The industry also creates over 550,000 jobs in our country (Take Action). So we should not neglect the fact that coal is a major contributor to our society and almost everyone benefits from its use. But unlike most other industries, coal faces a multitude of ethical issues. These issues can be broken down into three categories, environmental, social, and ethical (sustainability). Coal creates a lot of problems for the environment. The main one has to do with air pollution (carbon emissions). When burned coal emits high levels of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which is the main greenhouse gas that causes global warming. It also emits other pollutants to the air when burned which include mercury, selenium, and arsenic. As far as waste management goes, coal creates a lot of solid waste product such as fly ash, bottom ash, and flue-gas desulfurization sludge. This waste contains mercury, uranium, thorium, arsenic, and other metals that are all harmful for the environment. Coal also pollutes the water. This occurs mostly during the various extraction processes. The process that gets the most exposure, especially around the Appalachian region, is a form of surface mining called mountaintop removal. This process involves extracting entire coal seams from a mountain, hill, or ridge by removing the land or overburden above the seam (which pollutes the water and dep letes woodland resources). These are just a few examples of the negative environmental impacts of coal (Environmental Impacts of Coal). There are also many social challenges facing the coal industry, but we are just going to focus on the negative health effects and employee safety. Coal can cause a lot of health problems. These problems include respiratory issues (bronchitis, asthma attacks, etc.), black lung, congestive heart failure, and some forms of cancer. Mostly people acquire these sicknesses through the extraction, preparation, combustion, waste storage, and transport of coal, but the general public can also be affected. Employee safety is another social concern that surrounds the coal industry. This type of industry involves the use of heavy equipment, which creates several safety hazards. Fire, explosion, the release of gas and structural failure are some of the other safety risks associated with coal (Fears). Overall, this is a very dangerous job requiring workers to always be alert and aware of their work environment at all times. Finally lets discuss sustainability. There are recent figures that show the coal industry is in decline. This is the result of new government regulations and rules, which are trying to decrease carbon emissions. This creates long-term problems for the coal industry, because recent trends show that society wants to do anything they can to preserve the environment and find a cleaner energy source. Another reason for the decline is the recent influx of cheap natural gas to the United States (Plumer). All in all, the future looks pretty grim for the coal industry. Pressures Facing Coal Industry Energy companies such as the coal industry have created problems such as pollution, global warming, nuclear wastes, oil spillages, etc. Because these problems affect the environment, the public has started to pay attention. Environmental interest groups and government regulations are responsible for bringing pressure to corporations in the energy industry. Because the results of burning coal can damage the environment, many environmentalists and activist organizations have brought pressure to the industry. Groups such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council are some of the more popular environmental activist organizations (Sills). These organizations may pose a threat to the coal industry because they push the use of renewable energy and participate in strikes, protests, complaints to the government, and online video posts to gain public attention against companies in the energy industry that may be a threat to the environment (Tesh). Many of these activist groups have over 1 million members and can potentially create a lot of pressure on the energy industry in the future (Tesh). The environmental group that causes the biggest threat to the coal industry is the Greenpeace group, as they are the largest independent direct-action environmental organization in the world (Greenpeace.org). The primary goals of Greenpeace are to: shut down dirty industries, advocate laws to curb global warming, create a path towards cleaner energy, and publically expose those companies that support the use of dirty energy. Greenpeace has also started an Energy Revolution which includes a blueprint for protecting the environment through investing in renewable energy. Part of the Energy Revolution includes the Quit Coal Campaign which fights to eliminate the use of coal because coal fired power plants are the biggest source of man-made CO2 emissions, making the use of coal energy the greatest threat facing our climate. Over the past couple years, campaigns by the Greenpeace group have resulted in victories of shutting down coal plants around the world (Greenpeace.org). Activist groups against the coal industry can even be found on the Virginia Tech campus. Greenpeace at Virginia Tech and VT Beyond Coal are two major groups on campus that are fighting for a better environment. According to the website of VT Beyond Coal, the campus power plant burns 46,000 tons of coal (VT Beyond Coal). VT Beyond Coal has started a petition that is committed to transitioning VTs coal plant to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2020. This petition to Invent a clean future is part of a movement to bring clean energy to over 60 universities in the United States (VT Beyond Coal). Along with pressures from activist groups, energy and environmental regulations by the United States government are increasing and becoming more complex. According to The Daily Caller magazine of Washington D.C., the Environmental Protection Agency is working with President Obama to tighten regulations on oil, gas, and coal for the next four years (Bastasch). So far, the coal industry has been affected the most by the regulations and has experienced a shutdown of more than 200 coal-fired generators across 25 states. Coal mining companies have also been hurt by these regulations and have seen a loss of 17,000 jobs since May 2012. Also, research from Thomas Pyle, President of the Institute for Energy Research, has determined that energy prices will continue to rise as a result of the environmental policies. Due to the Environmental Protection Agencys oppressive regulations, Pyle also quotes, coal is toast (Bastasch). The pressures from activists groups and the government will push for companies in the coal industry to be more accountable towards societies needs instead of the needs of the shareholders (Tesh). Actions of activists groups may cost companies money and may cause more people to protest against traditional energy sources. Government policies will also be a financial strain to energy companies as they impose fines if regulations are not followed. As a result of these pressures, the coal industry will have to make changes. Corporate Social Responsibility Activities Because there are a number of ethical issues facing the coal industry, companies in this industry have being working at its best to improve the social and environmental impact of their activities. Peabody Energy is known for being the worlds largest private-sector coal company. They are also the global leader for finding alternative clean coal solutions and sustainable mining. It is Peabody Energys mission to be a leading worldwide producer and supplier of sustainable energy solutions that enable economic prosperity and a better quality of life (Peabody).As their corporate responsibility, they have been addressing issues in employee, economic, public, and environmental responsibility. Peabodys Safety Vision is to prevent zero incidents, occupational illnesses, and property damage. Safety improvements remain a priority to Peabody Energy in all of their global coal plants. They have been making efforts to increase a safe workplace environment by using surveys and assessments to gain feedback from its employees. In 2011, Peabody completed the installation of underground communication systems so that miners underground are able to better communicate problems that may arise so that rescue teams are notified to assist workers right away. Peabody has also introduced Safety a Way of Life, which is their training program for employees to transition into the companys safety systems and processes (Peabody). In addition to employee responsibility, Peabody Energy believes in the importance of preserving the environment. The key principle of their mission is to leave the land in a condition equal to or better than we found it (Peabody). In 2011, Peabody restored more than 5,100 acres of mined lands and has been creating rangeland, wildlife habitat, hardwood forests, and wetland. The company encourages regular monitoring so that they meet or exceed compliance standards. Peabody has spent $290 million on just land restoration alone (Peabody). They have also introduced a three year study of global energy and water use to enhance environmental conditions. Peabody is one of the very few coal companies that is advancing in clean coal technologies and pursuing different practices to maximize energy efficiencies so that they can improve the carbon dioxide intensity. Beginning in 2006, Peabody has partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake methane content in its mines. Peabody has been focusing on their environmental responsibilities as a company through partnerships with other organizations and participating in projects toward zero greenhouse gas emissions, new clean coal technologies, maintaining energy efficiency and emissions intensity, and shaping effective carbon policy . ArchCoal is another coal mining company known for its corporate social responsibility initiatives. Like Peabody Energy, ArchCoal has been focusing on the same responsibilities in safety and environmental conditions. ArchCoals guiding principle is safety. They promote the Perfect Zero principle of zero injuries and zero environmental violations. Like Peabody, ArchCoal has been finding ways to make their working environment safer for its employees. In 2011, they invested $14 million in a two-way communication and tracking systems for mines to prevent accidents underground. Additionally, ArchCoal has been constantly training its employees for preparedness and preventing possible accidents (ArchCoal). ArchCoal is working on various initiatives to reduce air emissions from coal electricity. They have been investing in technology to find ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions. ArchCoal has recently introduced its waste management program where water, oil, and metal are recycled. Coal companies are more active in their corporate social responsibilities that other companies in different industries. Because the industry itself is so dangerous for both employees and the environment, coal companies have been working hard to provide the right environment and resources for employees. Furthermore, because the environment is detrimentally affected by the activities of coal companies, companies are taking more initiative to focus and take responsibility for their actions. Investment Policy Recommendations Virginia Tech needs to take corporate social responsibility and ethical issues of the coal industry into account when determining its investment decisions. Energy from coal is under a lot of scrutiny in the public eye since it is perceived as dirty and old technology. With the future of energy pointing towards clean technology such as solar and wind energy, Virginia Tech needs to be on the forefront. They need to set themselves as a leading academic institution that is moving away from coal and into clean technology. The slogan for the institution is Invent the Future(www.vt.edu), therefore taking the initiative to be ahead of the curve. When investing the schools endowment funds, it is important to take ethical issues into account but at the same time not take a financial loss. The great thing about not investing in coal but other technology is that they are taking ethical issues into account but are also focusing the funds into an area that is growing at an exponential rate and will lead to financial gains rather than losses. As a public institution there is a constant eye on Virginia Techs every move, whether it be policy with students, academic rankings, but most importantly where their endowment decides to invest their money. With that being said, it is acceptable to take a financial loss because you have to take the public views into account. Virginia Tech is closely related to the coal industry, with a coal power plant on campus and being located in SouthWest Virginia where the surrounding areas are heavy in coal, so it is a tough choice to not invest in coal. Therefore there will be both sides arguing over the investment in coal. You will have the local coal areas feeling as though the University is not looking out for them and then you will have the group that is all for clean technology and that has been trying to get the school to find a new source for power. Though, just because we will not be recommending that Virginia Tech invest in coal it doesnt mean that the power plant has to go immediate ly. We are saying that by investing in other technology, they will be putting money into companies that are developing new technology that Virginia Tech can then go and use to harness their own energy for use on campus and in the surrounding areas in the future. As they focus their investments into cleaner energy and choosing ethical reasons over financial technology, the public eye will change and they will see Virginia Tech as a leader in the future. Investment Recommendations When looking back at the state of Virginias long history it is impossible to forget the impact that fossil fuels have had on the region. Fossil fuels and more specifically coal have been some of the biggest employers and revenue generating industry in the state. 2006, the total value of fossil fuels mined in Virginia was about $2.4 billion. Coal accounted for about 72 percent ($1.7 billion) of this total value, while natural gas accounted for about 28 percent ($660.3 million), and oil less than 1 percent ($1.1 million).(Virginia Tech Department of Mines) In recent years the total amount of coal produced in the country has been a little more than one billion tones still a huge number despite the push for new green energy. In Virginia production has been around thirty to forty million tones, mostly in the southwestern coalfields (VEPT). However coal production has decreased in the state to the low 30s consistently. Our group would suggest Virginia Tech to not invest in fossil fuels and specifically coal mining as coal prices have decreased while the costs for obtaining and operating mines have increased. This is due to a number of factors, one of the most important factors is the trend of coal mining moving westward to states like Wyoming where mining is cheaper and easier due to the geological conditions there. One major problem is that almost all coal mines in the Appalachian area are underground mines in contrast to their western counterparts which tend to be surface mines allowing for easier and cheaper extraction. Virginia also has had a long history of coal mining which has led to the depletion of easily obtainable reservoirs forcing mining firms to look for untapped reserves. It is common knowledge that the use of fossil fuels has negative effects on many aspects of our lives, from health concerns including higher rates of asthma in areas with heavy pollution but also the potentially devastating effects of global warming. These are only a few of the ethical concerns facing an industry as controversial as the coal industry. Specifically coal industry creates many issues for the environments that contain coal mines. Coal mines generate large amounts of solid waste especially when considering that several coal mining companies engage in the practice of mountaintop removal. Mountaintop mining uses explosives to expose the coal seams and transform what would have been underground mining to a form of surface mining. This is a common method of mining in the Appalachian Mountains. Studies have shown that mountaintop mining has had very serious consequences for the environment. One of the biggest impacts of this form of mining is the contamination of local watersh eds. This is caused by placing the undesired materials created by exposing the coal seam in valleys or filler holes which inevitably ends up contaminating streams that eventually flow into the watershed. Exposure to these streams have been shown to lead to hospitalization for a verity of health concerns including; Rates of mortality, lung cancer, as well as chronic heart, lung and kidney disease are also increased.(M.A. Palmer et al. Mountaintop Mining Consequences, Science, 8 January 2010, Vol. 327, p. 148) Instead of investing in more untapped reserves our group would instead look towards more renewable resources to cover our energy needs. The energy produced in Virginia accounts for less than half the total energy consumed in the state leading to the obvious conclusion that the state relies on other sources to provide energy. Based on estimates by The U.S. Energy Information Administration Virginia Energy consumption was estimated to be 2,558 trillion Btu while the energy produced as fossil fuels mined in Virginia was about 28% of total consumption. In Virginia Coal-fired power plants remains the largest chunk of electrical power generation in the state with 45%.