Describe and evaluate two treatments of unipolar depression Essay Example for Free

Describe and evaluate two treatments of unipolar depression EssayDescribe and evaluate two treatments for unipolar depression (25 marks).It has been believed that psychological dis secernates, like physical illnesses, have organic ca mappings. Therefore, mental disorders are toughened just like physical ones. Earlier treatments have include things like trepanning which was carried out in the stone again. Nowadays we have much safer and effective treatments such(prenominal) as therapies and drug treatment.Low levels of both noradrenaline (nora) and serotonin (sero) have been launch as world important in unipolar depression (UD) and so it seems logical to treat depression with drugs which increase the availability of these neurotransmitters. Tricyclic, a type of anti-depressant, appears to nominate by blocking the reuptake of nora and sero. They block the transport route that would norm every(prenominal)y allow these neurotransmitters to be taken adventure into the pre-synapt ic neurones. This means that nora and sero watch in the synapse longer which leads to an increase in the synaptic activity in the neurones. This helps the transmission of impulses to neurones which use up nora and sero.An other type of drug treatment is the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs work in a similar way to tricyclics scarce affect only the levels of serotonin in the synapses. In order to make efficient use of the bodys resources there is a system whereby serotonin isnt wasted in the synapse but taken back by the pre-synaptic neuron. If this mechanism is impaired by using inhibitor drugs then the sero which isnt received by the post-synaptic neuron remains in the synapse. This extends the duration of the message being transmitted and/or increases the message intensity. Both SSRIs and tricyclics reduce the symptoms of depression and improves mood.However, these drug treatments dont always work. The success rate for them is around 60% but it varie s from person to person, as do the side effects. There is, however, many different types of drug and each whitethorn have adifferent success rate. It must(prenominal) be remembered that the success of drug treatments for one person may be seen as something completely different to another.Kirsch et al collected data for the licensing of four new-generation anti-depressants. These were all SSRIs. A meta-analysis was carried out comparing the improvements seen in patients taking SSRIs with the improvements in control patients who had received placebos. They lay down that there was no difference at moderate levels of initial depression between the improvements of those receiving SSRIs and those receiving placebos. This shows that the placebo appeared to benefit moderately depressed individuals. This could be repayable to the sufferers being presented with hope of reducing their symptoms. This contrasts with the results found of severely depressed groups who experienced fall symptoms , which discredits the placebo effect. It could be argued that the drug itself may have a placebo effect where a person feels that they are getting better because they are taking a pill, no matter what the pill is. It could be that the person is helping themselves and the drug is simply supplying the idea that theyre getting better when it does nothing to them.Geller et al found that double blind studies showed anti-depressants to be more effective than placebos for children and adolescents. This could be because there are differences in development between childrens and adults brains concerning their neurochemistry. Therefore, children and teenagers may not need to use chemistry altering drugs and could just take a placebo instead as they seen to work better than anti-depressants.Furthermore, Ferguson et al found that those treated with SSRIs were twice more likely to attempted felo-de-se than those treated with a placebo. However, a later review found that a higher risk of suicid e was amongst adolescents and decreased amongst adults. This supports Gellers theory that SSRIs are more effective on adults than adolescents, reinforcing Gellers view.Drugs have been found to be appropriate and effective at preventing recede and giving the sufferer a good quality of life meaning they nominate integrateback into society and return to everyday tasks. Alternatively, research such as Kirsch, Geller and Ferguson is based on correlational studies. This makes it difficult to say whether UD is caused by low levels of neurotransmitters or if its visa-versa.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a therapy which treats depression by combining both cognitive and behavioural techniques. The aim of this is to help stack who have mental disorders to cope better with their lives and coincidentally feel better.Ellis suggests that depression is due to irrational beliefs but is also maintained by reinforcement. Rational Emotive Behavioural therapy (REBT) aims to replace self-defea ting beliefs with adaptive beliefs and uses the ABC model. An example of this is a student getting a good grade for their essay. This is the activating of an event. How the person interprets an event or situation is where the belief system comes in.The emotional response is then find which is the consequence of the action is. The aim of REBT is to develop a D aspect adding a dispute system to replace B, adding an adaptive belief, so the person realises they do not have to be perfect. The therapist will test patients beliefs with actions which challenge their faulty thinking. Often they can be blunt with clients and not show sympathy in order to avoid reinforcing the problem.Cognitive therapy (CT) by Beck involves the use of thought catching and behavioural energizing. Thought catching involves the comment of clients thinking and see how their thoughts influence their feelings. This brings around the realisation that even though their thoughts can seem factual, they are often not. Behavioural activation is where the client is encourage to find activities they might enjoy and put themselves in a position where they may have to deal with cognitive obstacles so they can see that they are getting better whilst being active.Butler et al looked at a meta-analyse of the effectiveness of CBT in the treatment of a variety of conditions and found it was somewhat superior to anti-depressants in the treatment of adult depression. This shows that CBTis highly effective for treating UD as supporting evidence was found across an entire electron orbit of data, making the results more reliable due to the large amount of information covered.However, Holmes reported that in the single largest study of treatments for depression, CBT appeared to be less effective than other psychotherapies and drug treatments. It was also pointed out that evidence for the effectiveness of CBT comes from studies of patients who have depression but no other symptoms. This suggests that CBT may be less effective for people who have multiple diagnoses or are considered to have comorbidity. It may be that CBTs nature is to only focus on one mental illness due to how quick it is compared to other treatments for mental health disorders and therefore isnt able to relieve all.In conclusion, the diathesis-stress model would suggest that someone is born with a predisposition for UD but something from their environment must trigger it in order for them to suffer from it. Therefore it makes sense that a physiological treatment such as drug therapy should be used alongside a psychological therapy such as REBT in order to ensure that the treatment does in fact work as Holmes, Gellers and Fergusons research has shown it may not.

ICT in Logistics Management Essay Example for Free

ICT in Logistics Management EssaySurviving in the competitive nature of the modern-day business environment calls for organizations to be creative and robust fair to middling in securing competitive advantages. For this to be achieved, all aspects within an organization ought to upgraded to counter these challenges while at the same time reducing running costs and oral communication time. Logistics management is not an exception to this. Fortunately, technological advancement offers wide range opportunities for firms to improve the functioning of logistical trading operations.This is because it has become vital for any firm in logistics management to review the working of its logistical processes as key strategy to create a competitive edge. Developments in the business world as swell up as the rapidly evolving customer preferences has made provision of services and goods a challenging task, since customers prefer to receive better quality products at an even shorter time. composition it is still a recent development, Information Communication Technology (ICT) has a lot to offer the logistics industry.The most compelling truth is that ICT is not industry unique(predicate) but rather is applicable to all types and all sizes of industries. Statistical data shows that a number of firms have already adopted the technology and are already reaping the benefits (Bourlakis Bourlakis, 2006). Application of the internet, computers and information communication systems into various aspects of logistics management such as procurement, warehousing, transportation and inventory management has been shown to be highly beneficial.As business operations change with the changing consumer markets, businesses are pursuing opportunities by integrating, coordinating, collaborating and cooperating with respect to the supply chain management. It is essential that businesses work together to benefit from collective advantages resulting from working as a chain rather than a s ingle entity. This calls for effective information sharing and this is only capable with the application of ICT. However, the most challenging task for firms so is to identify the best ICT model that fits their logistical processes.

Impact of Natural Disasters on the Economy of Pakistan

Impact of Natural Disasters on the Economy of PakistanNatural disasters atomic chip 18 an progressively phenomena that we all evidently observe and identify that whitethorn have a direct bang on the interests of an atomic number 18a where it hits and also on explicit interior(prenominal) meters in much(prenominal) beas. Depending of where we zippy, hurri toilettees, earthquakes, floods, droughts, etc, argon intimidation to living, belongings, industrious assets, and also can have an bushel on societal pointers.The increasing incident of indispensable disasters is extremely inter associate to the increasing susceptibility of homes and communities in emergent nations, as earlier socio scotch vulnerabilities may aggravate the shock of a lifelike disaster, making harder the line of revitalization (Vatsa and Krimgold, 2000). Therefore, the extend to of such until nowts could consequence in an instant raise in p everywherety and deficiency (Carter et al, 2007). The liter ature has been still conflicting to a fewerer amounts. For showcase Benson and Clay (2003) have discussed that the long-standing shock on information of natural disasters is depressing, at the same time as Skidmore and Toya (2002) explain that such tragedy may upbeat preserve development in the long run as in that location is a decrement to returns on physiological assets but a push in human capital, leading to advanced development. Strobl (2008) for the US coastal areas discover that tornados reduce countys development originally by 0.8 per cent, whereas getting your strength back by and byward in 0.2 per cent. This writer also figures come to the fore for Central America and the Caribbean that the impact from a critical cyclone is a diminution of 0.8 percent of development (Strobl, 2008a).The impact of a natural disaster may also origin discriminations. The poor, who undergo from profits rise and fall, and also have imperfect access to monetary services, in the consequ ences of a disaster may be extra flat to lessen use and have a declining overrule in another(prenominal) domestic indicators as a result. Additionally, thither are a m some(prenominal) non poor, or close to be, who are not insured in opposition to such threats, and then may plunk down into scarcity as result of recapitalizing when dealing with with the upset, depending the shock and probability of diminishing into scarcity of the original stock assets and coping means.Furthermore, susceptibility to natural disasters is a multifaceted issue, as it is strong-minded by the financial structure, the phase of product, prevailing of communal and fiscal conditions, coping means, risk evaluation, rate of recurrence and concentration of catastrophes, etc. The impact on deprived ones could be losing contact with a few vital services, reversals in accretion of corporeal and human funds, and possibly an augment in barbarian oeuvre and unlawful behavior.Lindell and Prater (2003) summate t he significance of shaping the impact and the pretentious agents in natural disasters. First, that information is helpful for policy makers, as they can be acquainted with the need for peripheral support and which may be more efficient scrap, definite sections of affected can be acknowledged, e.g. how low income families are affected and third, it may be also practical for setting up assistance for natural disasters and the latent results.Overall, growing literature has emerged over the last few years on the macroeconomic and development impacts of natural disasters. Amusingly, there is as up till now no harmony on whether disasters are epochal from a macroeconomic point of view, and two situations can be identified. The first believes natural disasters a hinder for economic development and is well symbolized by the followers referenceIt has been argued that although individuals are risk-averse, governments should take a risk-neutral stance. The reality of developing countries su ggests otherwise. Government decisions should be based on the opportunity costs to society of the resources invested in the go steady and on the red of economic assets, functions and products. In view of the responsibility vested in the public sector for the administration of scarce resources, and considering issues such as fiscal debt, passel balances, income distribution, and a wide range of other economic and social, and political concerns, governments should not act risk neutral (OAS, 1991).The other position sees disasters as entailing little growth implications and consider disasters and their reduction a problem of, but not for development (e.g. Albala-Bertrand, 1993, 2006 Caselli and Malhotra, 2004). These authors find natural disasters do not minusly affect gross domestic product and if anything, GDP growth is improved (Albala-Bertrand, 1993 207). This paper can be understood as an attempt at reconciling this body of literature. There are two gate points for the analy sis. The first is to look at counterfactual vs. observed GDP, the second entry point is to assess disaster impacts as a function of hazard, exposure of assets (human, produced, intangible), and, fundamentally vulnerability.Overall, the evidence reveals adverse macroeconomic consequences of disasters on GDP. In a medium- landmark analysis, natural disasters on average seem to lead to negative make on GDP. The negative effects may be small, yet they can become more pronounced depending on the size of the shock. We tested a large number of vulnerability predictors and found that higher support rates as well as higher remittances lessen the adverse macroeconomic consequences, while capital stock impairment is the well-nigh important predictor for the negative consequences.In July-August 2010, Pakistan experienced the worst floods in its history The floods have affected 84 districts out of a measure 121 districts in Pakistan, and more than 20 million people one-tenth of Pakistan s population More than 1,700 men, women and children have lost their pass aways, and at least 1.8 million homes have been discredited or destroyed (UN 2010, p.1). In attacking poverty in developing countries, due considerations need to be paid to the vulnerability of households against natural disasters. Poor households are likely to suffer not only from low income and consumption on average but also from fluctuations of their welfare once such disasters occur. These households are dangerous to a decline in their welfare take because they have limited ability to cope with shocks and also they are subject to substantial shocks, such as weather variability (Dercon, 2005 Fafchamps, 2003).This concern has led to an emerging literature on vulnerability measures in development economics (Ligon and Schechter, 2003 2004 Kamanou and Morduch, 2005 Calvo and Dercon, 2005 Kurosaki 2006a). We broadly think people as vulnerable when (i) they cannot mitigate income volatility and (ii) their con sumption expenditure is volatile over time (they lack reliable coping mechanisms). Vulnerability is thus a advanced(a) concept.As an example of low-income countries subject to substantial vulnerability, this paper examines the bailiwick of Pakistan. Pakistan is located in South Asia, where more than 500million people or about 40% were mindd to live below the poverty line at the turn of the century (World Bank, 2001). Economic development in South Asia has been characterized by a moderate success in economic growth with a substantial failure in human development such as basic health, education and gender equalizeity (Dreze and Sen, 1995). This symptomatic is most apparent in Pakistan (World Bank, 2002). Although the overall economic growth rates were improved during the 2000s, poverty reduction was slower than expected. using a two pointedness panel dataset spanning three years from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), one of the four provinces comprising Pakistan, Kurosak i (2006a) and Kurosaki (2006b) show that rural households were indeed vulnerable to substantial welfare fluctuations. Using a three-year panel dataset from Pakistans Punjab, Kurosaki (1998) shows that farmers consumption was excessively sensitive to idiosyncratic shocks to their non-farm income. Similar findings have been accumulated for rural India as well (Townsend, 1994 Kurosaki 2001).The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 reviews the literature on the macroeconomic impacts of disasters and locates the proposed analysis within the disaster risk management paradigm. In section 3, we present the data and methodological analysis used for projecting the economic impacts for a medium term horizon (up to 5 years after an event), as well as the regression analysis used for identifying predictor variables explaining potential impacts. Section 4 ends with a discussion of possible implications of our analysis.Literature ReviewThe literature on impacts of natural disasters and econom ic effects is still inad liken and can be separated generally into three different categories. One take off of the literature has focused on how several factors come out susceptibility to natural events. They have maintained a natural vulnerability framework in view of climate change, deforestation and geophysical factors (McGuire, Mason and Kilburn, 2002), other than rising urbanization which brings ecological risks and exposure to threats from deficiency of sufficient urban development and dual political discourse (Pelling, 2003 and 2003a), or even environmental immediate apprehension to exposure, access to property and public conveniences as well as political and social networks (Bosher, 2007).All these parts become a thread to population, their assets and possessions and their high-power competence, becoming then an expected risk. And when such danger is realized, then it turns out to be a natural adversity (see McGuire, Mason and Kilburn, 2002). Although this thread of the literature distinguishes that such risk factors fascinate the impact of the natural tragedy, they just briefly point out essentially the number of losses, or some irregular overheads.A second thread of the literature spotlights on the impact of natural disasters on macroeconomic pointers. Auffret (2003) examined the impact of natural catastrophe on Latin America and the Caribbean, and figured out the impact very considerable, particularly for the Caribbean, where the explosive nature of expenditure is higher than in other parts of the world, where insufficient risk-management instruments have been operable in the region.This part of the literature has been still conflicting to some extent. For example Benson and Clay (2003) have also explained that the lasting impact of natural events on economic development of any country is negative, while Skidmore and Toya (2002) reveal that such tragedies may also have a constructive impact in the future growth, resulting from a decrease to re turns to physical assets but an enlargement in human capital.Strobl (2008) discovers for the US coastal counties that cyclones cut districts intensification at first by 0.8 per cent, at the same time as recuperating after in 0.2 per cent. This writer also figures out for Central America and the Caribbean that the impact from a unhelpful storm is a decline of 0.8 percent of fiscal amplify (Strobl, 2008a).When investigating what extra features cut or amplify the impact of such natural tragedies on macro pointers, Kahn (2005) and Toya and Skidmore (2007) explain that organizations, top education and trade openness, in summation to well-built economic segment and smaller governments are significant aspects in shaping the impact that natural events have on growth at planetary level.The third tributary of the literature takes care of the impact and coping means for such tragic events generally at the domestic and township levels. At this point, natural adversities are upsets that famil y units have to face as they are unpleasant proceedings leading to a decline in earnings or utilization, and in addition a loss in industrious property.Alderman et al (2006) by means of data for family units in Zimbabwe spotlighted on height growth of kids as result of a deficiency and civil war in Zimbabwe, result that kids influenced by such upsets have less naturalizeing and could have been tall if not. Dercon (2004) focused on development in utilization amongst family units in chosen villages in Ethiopia, and did not discover that upsets have an effect in the diminution of assets.Carter et al (2007) examined the impact of droughts in Ethiopia and of cyclone Mitch in Honduras on development of belongings at the village level. For Ethiopia they uncover a feigning of assets leveling between low income family units, i.e. such families keep hold of their assets even they are little in phases where profits and usage drops off, for instance the big deficiency aroused. They discover f or Honduran families that comparatively well-off families recovered earlier from the upset than short income households, and that a poverty corner is put below a specified point of income. Baez and Santos (2007) also examined the sound effects of Mitch on households pointers, discovering no moment on school admissions of kids, but a noteworthy add to their labor contribution.Others have investigated how some coping methods inside families have an effect on revivification from a shock resulting from such an adversity. De Janvry et al (2006) explains that uncertain cash transfer accessibility before a disaster provide as a comfort for those who are affected, while those dependent and helpless people utilize as coping method an add to child labor, and savings in food and school expenses. Alpizar (2007) also discovers that access to proper economic services takes the edge off pessimistic outcomes from natural disaster upsets for farmers in El Salvador, as it leads to further accompl ished production.On the other hand, a less urbanized region is the impact at local level. Yamano et al (2007) explain about industries and production. These writers makes use of region-wise data for employment and production, guessing that financial fatalities are not in proportion to the sharing of manufacturing activities and people attention, signifying that strategies to improve losses should be measured from a top order. Burrus et al (2002) also examined how low intensity typhoons can shock local financial systems from side to side interruption of actions. They exercise statistics from the local Chambers of Commerce surveys and as a result of their regularity the bang could be a decrease between 0.8 and 1.23 per cent of yearly production and up to 1.6 per cent of local employment.Though, there is a slit in the study of how local communal indicators are exaggerated by natural events. This is significant to bring to the front as the effects give the impression of being stretch ar ound all unlike points, macro, micro and local, and how strategies to deal with those upsets can be premeditated in a legal way.Whereas families emerge as the natural component of investigation for researching the consequences of natural disasters, it can also seem right to balance the study up as families oppose to risks are frequently influenced by the broader strategy framework. Certainly, households have substantial and insubstantial assets at their clearance, and their capability to preserve or gather together such assets in such situations will be produced by the arrangements and procedures for instance governance and institutional planning, broader strategies and open serving at metropolitan and district level.Additionally, the experience of family units to danger loss can and has been conventionally balanced up to top levels of aggregation (UNDP, 2008). It is the number of citizens situated in definite parts joint with the individual, material and ecological conditions o f families and the regions where they live that forms their communal potential to deal with a natural disaster. For that reason, we refer to the community level of study while thinking of the inferences that dangers can have.Governments have a disposal to go on board in various approaches to deal with natural happenings. In the past, they have usually reacted through disaster fireman, but more belatedly there has been a propensity to highlight cash transfers as well. Even if both methods are select extra efficiency could be consummate by adopting danger diminution and improvement means that deal with the structural aspects which make families more uncovered to natural risks. Having system in position previous to the sentiency of dangers is primary.At the macro level, premature warning systems and the public disaster-preparedness agenda look as if mostly significant, so as sufficient economic assets to promote revival, over and above tax inducements for households or public to t ake on mitigation procedures.Another event of protecting the value of material goods at the macro level could be through financial diversification. Increasing primary, secondary and tertiary sector activities along with spatial activities in the economy, can offer an open pool to cover the risk of anguish danger losses, and extra prospects to amplify and steady profits. Equally, the concentration of financial and sector-wise activities would be reliable with condensed capability of families to administer and react to natural disasters.Still, there is a set of insubstantial facts which might improve the family hard work to get through the outcome of natural vulnerability on them, just as adverse socio-economic opportunities. The political economy and organizational aspects of the situation where assets are positioned together with the system of belief, norm and ideas set in the activities of communities members might bear out dim-witted while utilizing and mobilizing assets for co nfronting disasters. If possible, one should be capable to clarify how civilization and supremacy provision come into play when they act together with the broader surroundings of risks, assets and wellbeing results. However, most of these features will be tough to get into work empirically for the period of our technical study.Flourishing coping against natural disasters is difficult to achieve in a situation of small efficiency, staled financial development, not having access to industrious possessions, deficiency of economic reserves and safety nets in place, and broad difference of opinion crossways geographic, financial, or tribal lines. Lack of health conveniences, remoteness and low rate of education may also complex these susceptibility. Consequently, the covariate life of various natural hazards and the policy-tempted macro circumstances upsetting the rate and likelihood of effectively coping with them might reflect unreliable welfare shocks across region and sub-region leve ls.At last, societies can make worsened these natural, site and practice-specific aspects through not making any investment in substantial and communal infrastructure at the household and district level (roads and bridges). In case of rural areas, these deficiencies can be multifaceted by a high frequency of hazards because of being covered hazard-prone areas, extending the vulnerability of families to experience any losses.Although the impact a natural disaster is an outside factor, susceptibility of causes, making the shock of the event high or low, is not. Susceptibility to natural hazards is a composite subject, as it is determined by the monetary model, the phase of growth, current social and fiscal situation, coping means, risk evaluation, rate of recurrence and greatness of hazards, etc.Lindell and Prater (2003) summarize the significance of shaping the impact and the influenced agents in natural hazards. First, that information is helpful for policy makers, as they can recog nize the need for outside support and which may be extra effectual. Second, exact sections of affected can be recognized, e.g. how short income families are influenced, uniqueness of regions etc and third, it may be also helpful for setting up backing for natural hazards and the possible penalty. They also summarize how the impact of natural hazards should consider other means.One of the main questions concerning the impact of natural hazards on families or towns is how accidental they may be. Donner (2007) examined the effects of hurricanes in the US and figured out that the effects are not accidental, because some aspects such as ecological, society, demographic, and scientific, have an occurrence on the impact of such events. On the whole the flow of impact of natural hazards can be sketched as in Figure 1.figure1.PNGFigure 1. baffle of Disaster ImpactOther aspect is how establishment have defined practices concerning natural events and how they systematize help in the outcome c an also be determining(prenominal) of the crash. Such as, Peacok and Girard (1997) explain how the revitalization process after tornado in Florida was determined more by governmental obstructions rather than lack of resources.expressage Literature is available which studies the quantitative relationship between the economy and the natural disasters. Zarrar et al (2009) studied the impact of natural disasters on the Irans Gross domestic product. They adopted a auto regressive distributed Lag model in order to study the impact. The findings showed that natural disasters have negative impact on the GDP per capita and on Per captia investment. The result of the model test was that investment had a positive impact on the economy while negative impact on GDP from the indemnity from the loss of Physical capital.Macro economic variables determine the impact of these natural disasters on the long run economic growth. Aaron (2007) found that financial crises caused by these disasters lesse ned the long run growth through inflation. This inflation is the result of increased debt burden. Other reason for this inflation could be that central bank print excess notes to pay the external and internal debt. Also the tax collection is also affected which hurdles the government efforts in compensating the losses. However the loss in gross is compensated by the help of the Loans and aid given by the international institutions. They include the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the European Union. These loans and aid influence the economic growth in the short as well as the in the long run.Pelling (2002) in his work identified that the most important macroeconomic impact of natural disaster can be studied by examining the inflation trends in the economy. More over the public expenditures by the government and the aid flowing as foreign direct investment influences the GDP growth rate. The used a comparative analysis technique of comparing different case studies to det ermine the macro-economic effects. These effects are measured by plotting the trends in GDP against macro economic factors i.e Inflation ,FDI and Loans.The literature review discusses the direct and indirect impact of economic variables on the economy. However in this research work only the impact of macro economic variables is studied.From the support of Literature review the macro economic variables which can be used to measure the quantitative impact of natural disasters on the GDP growth of Pakistan are Inflation, Internal and external debts, Foreign wait on and foreign direct investment flowing in the country.In next section of research we will take into account the above macroeconomic variables with the conclusion of concluding the impact of natural disasters on the economy of Pakistan.Methodology investigate TypeIn order to identify the macroeconomic effects of disasters, we suggest comparing a counterfactual situation ex-post to the observed state of the system ex-post. Th is involves assessing the potential trajectory (projected unaffected economy without disaster) versus the observed state of the economy. This contrasts with observing economic act post-event and actual performance pre-event, as usually done in similar analysis. Our analysis requires projecting economic development into a future without an event. In short, the type of research would be purely Quantitative.Sources of DataOur two main sources of Data areThe open-source EMDAT disaster database (CRED, 2008) maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at the Universit Catholique de Louvain.The proprietary Munich Re NatCat run database.Data type and Research PeriodsOur sample consists of all major natural disaster events during 1950-2010. The sample is based on information from two databases and was compiled by Okuyama (2009) with the threshold for a large event defined arbitrarily to a loss exceeding 1 percent of GDP.One database is the open-source EMDAT disas ter database (CRED, 2008) maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at the Universit Catholique de Louvain. Primary data are compiled for various purposes, such as informing relief and reconstruction requirements internationally or nationally, and data are generally collected from various sources and, including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, insurance companies, research institutes and press agencies. The other database is the proprietary Munich Re NatCat Service database, which mainly serves to inform insurance and reinsurance pricing. We focus on the monetary losses.In both datasets, loss data follow no uniform definition and are collected for different purposes such as assessing donor needs for relief and reconstruction, assessing potential impacts on economic aggregates and defining insurance losses. We distinguish between sudden and slow onset events. Key sudden-onset events are extreme geotectonic events (earthquakes, volcanic eruptio ns, slow mass movements) and extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, floods and winter storms. Slow-onset natural disasters are either of a periodically recurrent or permanent nature these are droughts and desertification.We broadly associate the loss data with asset losses, i.e. restoration to produced capital. This is a simplification, as indirect impacts, such as business interruption, may also be factored into the data. Yet, generally, at least for the sudden onset events, analysts generally equate the data with asset losses, and an indication that this assumption can be maintained is the fact that loss data are usually relatively quickly available after a catastrophe, which indicates that flow impacts emanating over months to years are usually not considered. Losses are compared to estimates of capital stock from Sanderson and Striessnig (2009), which estimated stocks using the perpetual muniment method based on Penn World table information on investments starting i n 1900 and assuming annual growth and depreciation of 4 percent. notional Framework and variables under considerationTheoretical Framework to be used in this essay to explain economical Impacts on Pakistan due to Natural Disasters. economic ImpactsGDPExposureSocioeconomic SusceptibilityDirect RisksProduced ResourcesEnvironment ResourcesHuman ResourcesType of HazardPhysical SusceptibilityRisk directionThe literature on the monetary impacts explained can be associated with framework above.Independent VariablesIndependent Determinants of such impacts and dangers can be renowned asHazard VariableThis variable is related to the type of Natural disaster/Hazard that jolts any part of Pakistan.ExposureThis variable deals with the geographical area and spatial scale of impact from the particular disaster.Economical StructureThis variable deals with the overall structure of the economy in the country and in particular region affected by the disaster (if needed).DevelopmentThis determinant d eals with risks that might directly or indirectly affect the stage of the development of the country.Socioeconomic EnvironmentIt is related to the current socioeconomic conditions in the country.Risk ManagementThis takes care of the availability of formal and informal mechanisms to share risks in a particular part of the country.The last four variables are related to economic susceptibility.Research HypothesisH0 Natural Disasters do not have any significant negative follow-on effects on the economy of Pakistan.H1 Natural Disasters do have significant negative follow-on effects on the economy of Pakistan.TechniquesWe use autoregressive integrated moving average models, also called ARIMA (p,d,q) (Box and Jenkins, 1976) for forecasting GDP into the future after the disaster event. ARIMA theoretical account approaches are chosen because they are sufficiently general to handle virtually all empirically observed patterns and often used for GDP forecasting (see for example Abeysinghe and Rajaguru, 2004). While such a type of modeling may be criticized for its black box approach (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989), it here serves well due to the large number of projections to be made and the difficulty identifying suitable economic model approaches.The ARIMA processRecall, an autoregressive process of order AR (p) can be defined asx t = 1x t1 + 2x t2 ++ px tp + tA moving-average process of order MA (q) may be written asxt = t +1 t1 + 2 t2 ++ q tqand an ARMA(p,q) process, with p autoregressive and q moving average monetary value can be defined to bext =1xt1 ++ p xt p + t +1 t1 ++ q tqWhere and are parameters to be estimated and are white noise stochastic error terms. Now, let yt be a non-stationary series and define the first order regular difference of yt asyt = yt yt1or more generally using a back-shift operator denoted as Bk zt = ztkyt B d yt d = (1 )An ARIMA (p,d,q) model can then be expressed asyt q B t B B d p ( )(1 ) = ( )withB p p (B) = 11B pandBq q (B ) = 11B qData AnalysisThe Box-Jenkins methodology (Box and Jenkins, 1976) is applied for determining the components of the ARIMA process i.e. we test different ARIMA(p,d,q) models with p and q to be smaller or equal 4 (due to the limited amount of data) and estimate and using Maximum likelihood techniques and the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) as well as diagnostic checks to detect a suitable model. The data requirements were set thus that at least 5 observed data points are needed for projections into the future. This is the smallest number of observations which are needed to estimate ARIMA (4,1,4) models (however, the majority of the sample (greater 90 percent) has at least 10 data points).Furthermore, all models are tested to be stationary (usually d=1 suffices to checker a stationary process) and all series are demeaned. To include uncertainty in the projections, also 95 percent confidence forecasts were calculated and analyzed. Forecasts into the future are performed wi th the selected models and then compared to the observed variables. Increases or decreases of GDP in future years are measured as a percentage increase or decrease to baseline GDP (i.e., baseline =100) which is defined to be GDP a year before the disaster event.Furthermore, the differences between observed values and projected ones are calculated and called Diff(t), which indicates the percentage difference between the observed and projected value of GDP in year t. We focus on projections with a medium term perspective (up to 5 years into the future). This limitation is due to important data constraints for the ARIMA models within

Daimler Chrysler Customer Service Review

Daimler Chrysler Customer Service ReviewHow Effective Customer Services ar Provided at DaimlerChryslerCustomer ServiceWe turn in all heard, demanded, used and complained about guest usefulness at some point in our lives as consumers. And depending upon what the cut off was, the term client assist differed based upon whatever it was we received, did not received, or thought we should have received.The forward is exactly the point. Customer assist seemingly differs depending upon the constancy as swell up as the segment within the particular company that the public deals with. And dapple the corporations we deal with are huge organizations, our conception of node do comes down to those individuals within the company with whom we come in contact, as well as those we do not.Blacharski (2006, p. 17) in his book Superior Customer Service How to donjon Customers Racing Back to Your Business Time Tested Examples from Leading Companies tells us thatCustomer service is not just the responsibility of the service center or call center , it represents a comprehensive, integrated strategy that involves every single area of the company. In todays in high spiritsly competitive environment, customers have the information as well as option to pick and choose from any number of competing products which aside from elements of style, manufacturing processes and some features, are basically highly similar.Liliens (1974, pp. 279-285) examination of why consumers buy as contained in his work An Application of a Modified Linear Learning Model of Buyer Behavior prepare that consumer learn on a continual basis of the fiber as well as characteristics of the cracks they purchased, as well as those of friends and associates.And therein lies the point, a brand represents a certain image it conveys, and we expect that image to exhibit in real hurt when and after we purchase. Mention a brand, is if the company has successfully obliging its image, that brand exit conjure up certain thoughts and a stance regarding the company in our minds.Mention Microsoft, Coca-Cola, IBM, BMW or DaimlerChrysler and you probably form some flesh of opinion or image just from hearing the names, either from personal experience, those of associates, friends or the companys advertising and or market re baffleation .The preceding companies are recognized as the top most respected companies according to surveys and studies by the Financial Times PriceWaterhouse Coopers in 2005 (FinFacts Ireland, 2005). The previous is integral to what is termed branding, as well as customer service, as these images or expectations are what we are lead to believe we are buying, in addition to the actual product, the company behind itThe foregoing leads us to an examination of how effective customer service is provided, utilizing DaimlerChrysler as the example, compared against the next best or best company in this area in the self-propelled industry. We will look at what makes these compa nies revered, and why, and how they stack up against the industry as well as each other.In order to equate customer service as it applies to the automotive industry, we will need a standard of measurement as well as some baseline areas from which to make an assessment. To do so, we will utilize the ranking and rating system employed by JD Power and Associates (2006a) who are recognized as the foremost independent authority in this area. consort to the JD Power and Associates 2006 Customer Service Index (CSI) Study in the United States conducted among 79,580 owners and lessees of 2003 to 2005 model year (JD Power and Associates, 2006b) locomotes.Lexus, a Toyota Motor Corporation (Wikipedia, 2006) ranked as the number unmatched company in customer service with a Customer Service Index Ranking of 912 out of a possible 1,000, with Mercedes ranked at number 22 with a ranking of 872 (JD Power and Associates, 2006b).Surprised?This means that there are 21 companies rated ahead of Merced es in terms of customer service cheer, yet mention Mercedes and it still conjures up images of superior craftsmanship and quality.So, what exactly were the determining factors in arriving at the preceding rankings and what were the reasons?According to JD Power and Associates, customer satisfaction is the overall experience one has with the dealership, and particularly the service department, whereby they interface with the personnel regarding routine as well as other vehicle service needs during ownership (JD Power and Associates, 2006b).The importance of the preceding is that those customers who are satisfied with service as well as their experience with the dealership, which represents their point of contact with the automobile company, will be likely to not only return for service, they will likely purchase their next vehicle from the company as well.And the preceding twenty-second ranking has not been lost on the executives at Mercedes. The company has announced they are focus ing upon a late image that emphasizes service (Crain Communications, Inc., 2006), with the label for this new direction termed as Appreciation.The foundational pillars of Mercedes strategy are centered upon service, value, comfort and safety in a push to win back buyers who have been put off by a decline in quality, the centerpieces of success which Lexus has focused on. The companys group vice president, Bob Carter, stated that the goal of Lexus is to deliver 100% customer satisfaction (PR News Today, 2006).To understand the success of Lexus, and the repositioning of Mercedes, one needs to understand that customer service means (Carlaw and Deming, 1998, p. 4) Doing ordinary things inordinately well.Going beyond whats expected.Adding value and integrity to every interaction.Being at your best with every customer.Discovering new ways to delight those you serve.Surprising yourself with how more you can do.Taking care of the customer like you would take care of your grandmother.I ntroduced as an automotive brand seventeen years ago (1989), Lexus has captured the number one spot in this category eleven times (PR News Today, 2006).Effective customer service is not what the company thinks it is, it is what the customer thinks it is, and this is the important distinction in understanding effective customer service.The measurements entailing the rating of customer service include (USA Today, 2004)obtaining a service appointment at a convenient time,having the maintenance and or repair work performed correctly the first timethe quality of work performeduser friendliness pertaining to the servicethe overall customer service experience faithfulness of charges for service and repairsspeed in completing the service appointmentA big aspect of customer service rankings lies in the initial vehicle quality, implication the improved quality of new vehicles thus necessitating the need for repair visits (USA Today, 2004).The preceding aspects represents one of the most impo rtant facets in garnering high levels of customer service satisfaction in that the lower the need for the customer to contact the company regarding things that need fixing, the higher their satisfaction will thus be.The foregoing has been consistently mentioned in customer service rating comments regarding the surveys conducted by JD Power and Associates which stated that brands have moved up in their customer service rating through improving the quality of new vehicles with this aspect thus resulting in fewer repair visits (USA Today, 2004).With this in mind, along with the other customer service points, lets look at the reasons behind Lexus high rated performance versus Mercedes2006 Vehicle Brand Ratings5 Star Rating Points(With 5 representing the highest)(JD Power and Associates, 2006c)The preceding, as pointed out by JD Power and Associates provides a strong coefficient of correlation between the high customer service ratings achieved by Lexus, and the lag Mercedes has felt i n this quarter, and the resulting lower customer service satisfaction scores.ConclusionAs stating in the beginning of this presentation, consumer perceptions regarding the aspects of customer service varying according to what they individually find and deem as important to them.A long wait on the telephone, a missed service appointment call back, an out of stock part, an automotive rattle, a mechanical breakdown, warranty areas for areas that might be borderline in terms of coverage are all facets that figure into the broad world of customer service.Thus, an automotive manufacturers best defense against all of these variables is the realizeing of a quality product that results in fewer potential problem areas for their customers.This has been the approach of Lexus, Lincoln BMW and other brands, and now this mantra has been taken up by Mercedes as well. And while the best customer service is a result of not needing to contact the company at all, as a result of a worry and desolate free product, the fact is that taking care of customer needs in every contact represents the opportunity to build upon their purchase experience and gain their loyalty.Mercedes has this lesson to build upon.BibliographyBlacharski. D. (2006) Superior Customer Service How to Keep Customers Racing Back to Your Business Time Tested Examples from Leading Companies. Atlantic Publishing Company. ISBN 0910627525Crain Communications, Inc. (2006) Mercedes new image emphasizes service Sporty is downplayed, brand focus returns to value, comfort, safety. Retrieved on 20 October 2006 from http//www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/pdinventory.pl?pdlanding=1referid=2930purchase_type=ITMitem_id=0286-15953710FinFacts Ireland (2005) Worlds Most Respected Companies 2005. Retrieved on 20 October 2006 from http//www.finfacts.com/biz10/worldsmostrespectedcompanies.htmJD Power and Associates (2006a) Autos. Retrieved on 20 October 2006 from http//www.jdpower.com/autosJD Power and Associates (2006c) JD Pow er Consumer Center. Retrieved on October 21 2006 from http//www.jdpower.com/autos/brand-ratings/JD Power and Associates (2006b) Lexus Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service. Retrieved on 20 October 2006 from http//www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2006119Lilien, G. (1974) An Application of a Modified Linear Learning Model of Buyer Behavior. Vol. 11. August 1974. Journal of Marketing ResearchPR News Today (2006) Lexus Reclaims Top Spot in JD Power and Associates Customer Service Index Study. Retrieved on 20 October 2006 from http//www.prnewstoday.com/release.htm?cat=autodat=20060720rl=LATH10120072006-1USA Today (2004) Lincoln owners rate service best. Retrieved on October 20 2006 from http//www.usatoday.com/ cash/autos/2004-07-20-dealer_x.htmWikipedia (2006) Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved on October 20 2006 from http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Motor_Corporation

Analysis of Management and Leadership in Barclays Bank

Analysis of existence sequencement and Leadership in Barclays BankBarclays Bankhas an extensive mien in Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia, providing a extensive digress of serve for both individuals and straines. Barclays has a long history that extends over three hundred years, and from its central plaza in London, it oversees operations that extend to fifty countries and more than 155,000 employees.Barclays Banklends, invests and moves m iodiney for more than 48 million people each over the world.The earliest root of Barclays go back to 1690, when Thomas Gould and flush toilet Freame started operating as Goldsmith Bankers in central London. Seventy years later, Goldsmith Bankers moved into a heroic margining house, and subsequently joined up with nineteen early(a) private banking concerns under the name Barclays and association Limited, which provided the bank with a combination of 182 branches as well as deposits amounting a massive 26 million. At this point in time, Barclays and Company was well connected to the community by dint of family and religious links hence Barclays and Company was often cal travel the Quaker Bank.At the turn of the twentieth century, the Barclays and Company started expanding rapidly, taking over notable banks such as the Bolithos Bank in the South due west of England and the United Counties Bank in the Midlands. By 1918, Barclays and Company had combined with London Bank South Western Bank and Provincial Bank to engender one of the UKs five biggest banks.By 1925 Barclays had become a truly international organisation with the merger of the Colonial Bank, the Anglo Egyptian Bank and the National Bank of South Africa. This led to a great deal of business through the Middle East, Africa, and the West Indies.Barclays Bank has always been an innovative company. In 1966 Barclays became the first bank to offer a UK Credit card. The solventing year it was the first bank in the world to offer cash machines to its customers and by 1972, it had become the first bank to try TV advertising. Barclays Bank became the first UK bank to have sh bes listed on the Tokyo and New York Stock Ex counterchanges in the late twentieth century, and consequently it moved into a luxuriously paced exchange whereby in 2006 a full 50% of its profits were being made outside of the UK.Recent developmentsReuterslater reported that theBritish governmentwould fritter away 40 trillion ($69 billion) into three banks including Barclays, which tycoon seek over 7 billion.Barclays later confirmed that it rejected the Governments offer and would instead raise 6.5 billion of new capital (2 billion by atomic number 50cellation of dividend and 4.5 billion from private investors).In January 2009 the press reported that further capital may be mandatory and that while the government might be volitioning to fund this, it may be unable to do so because the previous capital investment from the Katari state was subject to a provi so that no third party might put in further money without theQatarisreceiving compensation at the abide by the sh ars had commanded in October 2008.In March 2009 it was reported that in 2008, Barclays received billions of dollars from its insurance arrangements withAIG, including $8.5bn from funds provided by the United States to bail out AIG. On 12 June 2009, Barclays exchange its Global Investors unit, which includes its exchange traded fund business,iShares, toBlackRockfor $13.5bn. Standard Life sold Standard Life Bank plc to Barclays plc in October 2009. The sale completed on 1 January 2010. On 11 November 2009, Barclays and First Data, a global technology provider of information commerce, have entered into a agreement according to which Barclays will migrate a range of card portfolios to First Datas issuing and consumer finance platform. On February 13, 2010 Barclays announced it would pay more than 2 billion in bonuses.INTRODUCTION OF leadershipLeadership is all told some harnessing people power for the attainment of a desired goal and thus the concept of leadership lavnot be restricted to the Organizational context. It pervades through all surems of society, whether it be in politics, religion or the corporate world.DEFINITION OF leadWe can define leadership asThe activity of influencing people to strive willingly for group objectives.George R. Terry.It is interpersonal influence exercised in a land site and directed through the communication butt towards the attainment of specialized goals. Robert Tannenbaum.Leadership is influencing people to take place in the achievement of a common goal Koontz ODonnell.Leadership is the process whereby one individual influences another(prenominal) group members towards the attainment of defined group or institutional goals. Baron GreenbergThe above definitions as is evident all pertain to the Western views. This is because leadership as a formalized field of study and compendium with a structured s yllabus has not yet been established in India as it is in the West.LEADERSHIP THEORIESGREAT MAN THEORYGreat Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent that great leaders are born not made. These theories often portray great leaders as heroic, fabulous and destined to rise to leadership when subscribeed. The term Great Man was apply because, at the time, leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, curiously in terms of military leadership.TRAIT THEORYSimilar in some ways to Great Man theories, character theory assumes that people conk out certain qualities and traits that make them wear out suited to leadership. Trait theories often identify accompaniment personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders. But if particular traits are mention features of leadership, how do we explain people who possess those qualities hardly are not leaders? This question is one of the difficulties in using trait theories to explain leadership. S everal researchers have demonstrated that such traits of leadership do not always ensure successful leadership but they do say the possessor in higher esteem. It is also seen that hardly10% of the listed traits in over 100 such researchers appeared in 5 or more study. The trait approach has lead to selection procedure by written tests or preference tests. The Greatest defect of this theory is that we cannot have common or universal traits of leadership.CONTINGENCY THEORIES fortuity theories of leadership centralise on particular variables related to the environs that might determine which particular bearing of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers and aspects of the situation. Contingency theory is a class of behavioral theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal stemma of action is possible (dependent) upon the internal and external situation. Several contingency approaches were developed concurrently in the late 1960s. They suggested that previous theories such as Webers bureaucracy and Taylors concern had failed because they neglected that way style and organisational structure were influenced by various aspects of the surroundings the contingency factors. There could not be one best way for leadership or organization. Historically, contingency theory has sought to formulate broad generalizations about the formal structures that are typically associated with or best fit the use of different technologies. The locating originated with the work of Joan Woodward (1958), who argued that technologies directly determine differences in such organizational attributes as span of control, centralization of authority, and the formalization of rules and procedures.SITUATIONAL THEORIESSituati onal theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variables. Different styles of leadership may be more reserve for certain types of decision-making. These approach places more emphasis on the characteristics of the specific situation or environment in which the leader is operating. Qualities for leadership vary with the situation or circumstances and that any traits or skill can become a quality of leadership in the right situation.BEHAVIORAL THEORIESBehavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born. root in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders not on mental qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation.PARTICIPATIVE THEORIESParticipative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders countenance participa tion and contributions from group members and care group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of othersMANAGEMENT THEORIESManagement theories (also surviven as Transactional theories) focus on the role of supervision, organization and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of rewards and punishments. Managerial theories are often used in business when employees are successful, they are rewarded when they fail, they are reprimanded or punished.RELATIONSHIP THEORIESRelationship theories (also known as Transformational theories) focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. Transformational leaders motivate and reinvigorate people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. These leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also compulsion each person to fulfill his or her poten tial Leaders with this style often have high ethical and moral standards.LEADERSHIP STYLELeadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. The U.S. Army Handbook,1973 identifies three styles of leadershipAUTHORITARIAN OR AUTOCRATICPARTICIPATIVE OR DEMOCRATICDELEGATIVE OR FREE REIGNAlthough good leaders use all three styles, with one of them normally dominate, bad leaders tend to stick with one style. Barclays bank is using all these three leadership styles.AUTHORITARIAN OR AUTICRATICThis style is used when the leader tells his employees what he wants done and how he wants it done, without getting the advice of his followers. Some of the appropriate conditions to use it are when you have all the information to cypher the problem, you are short on time, and your employees are well motivated. Some people tend to compute of this style as a vehicle for yelling, using demeaning language, and prima(p) by threats and abusing th eir power. This is not the authoritarian style rather, it is an abusive, unprofessional style called bossing people around. It has no place in a leaders repertoire.The authoritarian style should normally only be used on rare occasions. If you have the time and want to gain more commitment and motivation from your employees, then you should use the participative style.PARTICIPATIVE OR DEMOCRATICThis type of style overwhelms the leader including one or more employees in on the decision making process (determining what to do and how to do it).However, the leader maintains the final decision making authority. Using this style is not a business firm of weakness rather its a sign of strength that your employees will respect. This is normally used when you have part of the information, and your employees have other parts. A leader is not expected to know everything this is why you employ knowledgeable and skillful employees. Using this style is of mutual benefit it allows the employe es to become part of the team and allows you to make better decisions.DELEGATIVE OR FREE REIGNAlso known as laissez faire, which is the non interference in the affairs of others. In this style, the leader allows the employees to make the decision.However, the leader is still prudent for the decisions that are made. This is used when employees are able to analyze the situation and determine what demand to be done and how to do it. You cannot do everything You must set priorities and arrogate certain tasks.This is not a style to use so that you can blame others when things go wrong rather this is a style to be used when you have the full trust and authorization in the people below you. One should not be afraid to use it, however, to be effective, it must be used wisely There are a number of different approaches, or styles to leadership and counseling that are based on different assumptions and theories. The style that individuals use will be based on a combination of their belief s, values and preferences, as well as the organizational culture and norms, which will gain some, and discourage others.In this context, the various approaches could also be classified under the following heads.CHRISMATIC LEADERSHIPPARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIPSITUATIONAL LEADERSHIPTRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIPTRANFOMATIONAL LEADERSHIPTHE QUIET LEADERSHIPSERVANT LEADERSHIPCIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE ORGANIZATION DECIDE TO IMPLEMNT THE CHANGEOrganizations have to face different challenges in this changing environment likeabsence seizure of group skillsThe most authoritative this in any organization is to set skills that would enhance its enduringness. Todays business environment keeps on changing and in this changing environment the one who is skilled would survive. Its the responsibility of manager to motivate others for haughty change and would build the team that work according to the change. In this rapid changing environment its not easy for manager to prepare other members accepts t he submit for change. He helps them to go through the new techniques and methods. You may get lot of good ideas but the real thing is to translate those ideas into the accepted ways. The success of any change depends on the acceptance of the ways.Lack of motivation and moraleTo maximize motivation among employees, manager needs to think in terms of flexibility. He needs to recognize what motivate his employees. A diverse array of rewards in needed to motivate employees. Managers most important goal is to help their employees developing their potential and they can do so by offering them developmental work assignments that provide a variety of nurture experiences in different organizational areas. In 1980 Hackman point out the core dimensions of the job which include skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedbackA job requires a variety of activities so that an employee could use a number of different skills and talents. It requires completion of whole and identifiable piece of work and it has substantial impact on the lives or work of other people. If these things exist in a job then the person will view his or her job as being important, valuable, and worthwhile. ruminate that possess autonomy give the job incumbent a feeling of personal responsibility for the results, and that if a job provides feedback, the employee will know how effectively he or she is performing. From a motivational point of view, these core dimensions suggests that internal rewards are obtained when an employee learns that he or she personally has performed well on a task that he or she cares about. The more these conditions characterize a job, the grater the employees motivation, performance and satisfaction and the lower his or her absenteeism and likelihood or resigning. Individual with a high growth need are more likely to experience the critical psychological states and respond positively when their jobs include the core dimensions than are low growth n eed individuals. interlocking troubleIn an organization sometimes conflict arises among members. This conflict is not always bad sometimes its good because, with conflict the team member would get more information, they can deeply understand the problems and would give the most appropriate solutions as well. In the era of globalization teams identify conflicts and made the successful strategic decision without sacrificing the speed of task accomplishment. But most times conflict results in slowing down the task accomplishment speed and it would reduce the effectiveness of adopted strategy. One should identify what are main closes of conflict? Few of them are personal differences with respect to perception and expectations, lack of information, uncertainty about roles. adjacent are few points that help to overcome conflictAlways work with plenty of information.Facts should be mainly focused.Multiple alternatives should be developed.Everyone should have same goal. step in humor into decision making process.Solve problems without forcing consensus.Maintain balanced power structure.Power and politicsPower is the ability to control the environment. If the person has power he can decide and act. If an employee is empowered he can act without any directions. Sometimes empowerment becomes very much important for the organization. In any organization, where employees are empowered they are responsible for observing one another, correcting improper procedures. Managers are increasingly leading by empowering their employees. It involves increasing decision making discretion of employees. Millions of employees are making the key operating decisions that directly affect their work. They are engaged in activities that until very recently were viewed exclusively as a part of managers job. The reason why more companies empowering employees is the need for quick decisions by those people who are most knowledgeable about the issues. If organizations are to successfully compet e in a dynamic global economy, they have to be able to make decisions and implement changes quickly. In order to cope with increased work demands managers has to empower their people. When employees have the skills, knowledge and experiences to do their jobs competently and when they seek autonomy and possess internal locus of control, it can be beneficial.Rapid changesOrganizations are changing due to change in internal and external environment. In order to ad scarcely to these changes organization has to be flexible.Diverse workforceAnother issue faced by the organization is set up work efforts of diverse organizational members in accomplishing organizational goals. Todays organization are characterized by diverse workforce i.e. more heterogeneous in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other characteristics that reflect differences. Organizations will require larger workforce to meet the demand of high potential market. Employees dont set aside their cultural values and li fe-style preferences when they come to work. The challenge for managers, therefore, is to make their organization more accommodating to diverse groups of people by addressing different lifestyles, family needs, and work styles. Smart managers recognize that diversity can be an asset because it brings a broad range of viewpoints and problem solving skills to a company, and additionally helps organizations better understand a diverse customer base. globalisationManagement is no longer constrained by national borders. There is significant importance from globalization, and the world has definitely become the global village. Managers in organization of all sizes and types around the world have to confront the challenges of operating in the global market. Managers face challenges due to an array of environmental factor while doing business. He must effectively plan, organize, lead, control and manage cultural difference to be globally successfully.General obstacles in an organizationOrga nization needs a wide variety of skills but sometimes it happens that the organization got skills but still it wont work as it supposed to. In many cases management is not subtle to change. They are not creative enough to put the skills of employees at the best use. Lack of vision is one of the main obstacles that prevent organization to use its imaging to the full. One should have the ability to identify the problems and find solutions. If the manager doesnt have the ability to identify the opportunities to success then this would be a barrier to growth. If the management is not able to identify the creative solutions then it will be a problem for the organization in the long run. Another problem that hinders the organizational growth is that not all members are able to cope with the changing environment. Every organization has certain norms and values and its members have to follow those norms and values. All members should be sensitive to change if the business is continuously changing every member should accommodate according to that change.EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENTEffective management is about modify vacant positions with the knowledgeable and productive candidates.To increase productivity, high potentials should be promoted.To increase the efficiency of staff in their current role develop the staff.Retain the best employees to increase performance consistently.Employee empowerment is very much popular term now, it is important for the development and change of any organization. Empowering employees leads to the best results for the organization. Professional generally agrees that empowering employees will increase the productivity of organization and employees are committed and loyal to the organization.Empowered employees provide better products and servicesWhen employee is empowered he feels strong and becomes more confident. This confidence then leads to better products and services. For the development of organization and cope up with the changing natur e of programs empowerment is critical. This would improve the performance and employees would take self-possession of their jobs and the delivery of products and services to their clients. They serve customers at the level of organization where the customer interface exists.Empowered employees are committed and loyalWhatever the situation is, employers dont like high employee turnover, selection, and training is very expensive. During organizational change if employee empowered become the foundation of organizational development activities this would ensure the commitment and loyalty of employees. Empowered employees take pride and ownership in their jobs when they know that they can exercise independent judgment when needed.Empowered employees are productiveWhen employees feel that they are valued and their decision are considered and management would listen to their ideas, they work harder to prove themselves right. Implementing organizational development program calls for incor porating ways to help employees. And this would increase productivity.Empowered employees deliver good ideasEvery employee got some ideas with himself. They might have different skills. If they are empowered they share their ideas and this can provide important insight into management development and change management decisions. They can generate different products by using innovative methods on regular basis. Organizations who really are interested in effective organizational development and change programs, they include and reward their employees and give feedback on regular basis.Empowered employees spread the wordEmployees pride would boost if they are empowered in organizational development and change program. The more empowered employees the more they are satisfied and they would more likely to spread the word how well the company is to others. We will further discuss this line further by Barclays and Lehman Brothers Integration.Barclays and Lehman Brothers IntegrationBarcl ays the global financial services provider acquired the US Lehman Brothers in 2008 for the enhancement of its market. The critical issues occurred while the integration wasthe business commotionminimizing the clients transfer to other banksDifferent culture of both the businessesMotivation of the staff of Lehman brothersAS A CAHNGE AGENTEffective dealing of problemsThe first step to solve the problem is to identify the cause of problem. Sometimes problem can be solved by simple talk with employees such as minor side problems or occasional tardiness etc. In coaching manager has to deal one by one with the problem or he direct other employee to work with the employee to solve the issue between the two. It is the responsibility of leader to provide employee with feedback in order to improve their performance. Coaching requires time and patience and this will result in employees modified behavior.Poor performanceSometimes employee has skills but still he doesnt perform well. This is may be because he is disturbed or irregular or careless. These habits can be removed through proper guidance. But, if lack of skill is the reason of poor performance than this can be corrected through additional training.Job incompatibilitySometimes it so happens that the reason of employees poor performance is that they didnt get the job according to their skills. Their skills are not compatible or are not compatible with the task assigned to them. This problem can be solved through additional training or assigning them a different task.Sloppy workWhenever you notice that employee has made some mistakes, point out those mistakes and monitor their work closely. It still they made mistake, talk to them and try to know the reason of being careless or why they are not doing their work or properly. But in all this one has to be positive and should know that how much important is employee to the company. lay down an effective messageConsider the needs of everyone in the organization and design your message according to that so they can understand what you are trying to say. The performance of employees is very much dependent on your message. An effective message would have good impact over employees performance. A face to face interaction would be more suitable and can help employees to adapt the change.Listen to your employeesFor the change management employee feedback is very important. You can encourage your employees to provide feedback through email or the intranet. Communication is the foundation stone to successful management of change. You need to communicate with your employees early and often to make them understand your message.STAKE HOLDERS INVOLVE INTO THAT CHANGE PROCESSInvestors and Business partners and suppliersInvestors influenced in this change management process because they invest their asset to get profit, but with the old form _or_ system of government they didnt get much profit. So they involve in the favor of change management process for achieving their goals.Bank employeesBank employees involved in the change management process and they goes against to the change process because they are habitual to work on through the old policy.CustomersCustomers also involve in the change process and go into the favor of change process because they want quick results and want innovation in organization so they also influenced with the change process.Government and NGOsGovernment and NGOs influenced in the way the Government expect more taxes and other duties from the organizations and if an organization is not going in profit then how they get the more taxes and duties. On the other hand Ngos want support from the organizations. If they are not in good position they will also influenced with this so these departments also want change process for improvement of the organization.KOTTERs 8 STEP CHANGE MODELChange is the only constant. Heraclitus, Greek philosopherWhat was true more than two thousand years ago is just as true today . We live in a world where business as usual IS change. New initiatives, project-based working, technology improvements, staying ahead of the competition these things come unitedly to drive ongoing changes to the way we work.Whether youre considering a small change to one or two processes, or a systemwide change to an organization, its common to feel spooky and intimidated by the scale of the challenge.You know that the change needs to happen, but you dont really know how to go about doing delivering it. Where do you start? Whom do you involve? How do you see it through to the end?There are many theories about how to do change. Many originate with leadership and change management guru, John Kotter. A professor at Harvard Business School and world-renowned change expert, Kotter introduced his eight-step change process in his 1995 book, Leading Change. We look at his eight steps for leading change below.Step One Create UrgencyFor change to happen, it helps if the whole company real ly wants it. Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change. This may help you spark the initial motivation to get things moving.This isnt simply a matter of showing people poor sales statistics or talking about increased competition. Open an honest and convincing dialogue about whats happening in the marketplace and with your competition. If many people start talking about the change you propose, the urgency can build and feed on itself.What you can doIdentify potential threats, and develop scenarios showing what could happen in the future. meditate opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited.Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing reasons to get people talking and thinking.Request support from customers, outside stakeholders and industry people to build up your argument.Step Two Form a Powerful CoalitionConvince people that change is necessary. This often takes strong leadership and visible support from key people within your organization. Managi ng change isnt enough you have to lead it.You can find effective change leaders throughout your organization they dont necessarily follow the traditional company hierarchy. To lead change, you need to bring together a coalition, or team, of influential people whose power comes from a variety of sources, including job title, status, expertise, and political importance.Once formed, your change coalition needs to work as a team, continuing to build urgency and momentum around the need for change.What you can doIdentify the true leaders in your organization.Ask for an emotional commitment from these key people.Work on team building within your change coalition. survey your team for weak areas, and ensure that you have a good mix of people from different departments and different levels within your companyStep Three Create a Vision for ChangeWhen you first start thinking about change, there will probably be many great ideas and solutions floating around.

Priceline.com Essay -- Economics Case Study e-commerce, solution

Priceline.com Priceline.com is an Internet company that pioneered a unique type of e-commerce known as demand collection system that enables consumers to use the Internet to fulfill money on a wide range of products and services while enabling sellers to generate incremental revenue. Using a simple and compelling consumer trace of name your price, the consumer is in control of the product they wish to purchase. In the form of individual customer offers guaranteed by a credit card for a limited product or service at a price set by the customer and communicate that demand directly to the combat-ready sellers or to their underground databases. The company works by allowing the consumers to agree to hold their offers open for a specified period of time to enable priceline.com to fulfill their offers from inventory provided by participating sellers. Once fulfilled, offers generally cannot be canceled. By requiring consumers to be flexible with respect to brands, sellers and/ or product features, the company enables sellers to generate incremental revenue without disrupting their existing dispersal channels or retail pricing structures.The company is grounded on the assumption of rational self- please. In other words, since individuals make rational decisions to achieve the greatest happiness or the maximum fulfillment of their goals, Priceline.com has now revolutionized the market industry. By their name and lock your price strategy, more and more consumers have been able to maximize their satisfaction on differentiated products. The consumers want to spend their incomes to get the greatest benefit from the goods and services they can afford. Priceline.com helps them to achieve their goals. Since the inception of this internet-based company, millions of consumers were able to afford more with slight expenditure on their goods. In addition, rational behavior varies among every individual because individual preferences, circumstances, and available i nformation differ. Priceline.com offers various or differentiated goods and services in a broad range of products to purchase from. E-Commerce Pioneer Priceline.com Sells 20,000 Leisure Airline Tickets In Six Weeks. As ticket sales accelerated, priceline.com has become one of the grounds top 10 most-visited commerce Web sites. In its first six weeks of operation, pricelin... ...e expected rate of return is far greater than the interest invested in producing advertisement. Moreover, they expect companies to support their business strategy so the other companies in return can generate greater revenue as well.Conclusively, Priceline.com has brought an arouse and provides other businesses with inspiration to follow their strategies. Many consumers have benefited from this Internet Company and as a result have saved money to spend on other wants. Now we have the option of choosing a price and giving countless vendors the chance to bid. For better or worse, this could transform the way we think of shopping, as well as the way in which we do it. Conceivably, it could alter the nature of balance and power between vendors and consumers. In addition, it restructures long-standing capitalistic business and sales traditions. This immature business model appears to have the potential to give enormous new powers to people who want to buy things, since their price is being offered to many thousands, even millions, of executable sellers. The new business method venture is successful and it opens the doors for consumers who are tired of the fixed prices they have to pay.

Search for Identity in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club Essay -- Joy Luck C

 Search for Identity in The Joy Luck Club    Imagine, a daughter not intentional her own make And then it occurs to me. They are frightened. In me, they represent their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all truths and hopes they have brought to America. They see daughters who grow impatient when their m early(a)s talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English. (Tan 40-41) Amy Tan frames The Joy Luck Club with Jing-mei Woos search for identity. When Jing-meis mothers friends posit Jing-mei that her sisters have at long last been found and insist that she tell her sisters about their mothers life, Jing-mei emotionally replies that she does not know her mother. However, her mothers friends generosity helps Jing-mei to realize how much she wishes that she had mum her mother, how desperately she would like to question her if only she could. It is in this moment that Jing-mei recognizes the necessity of un derstanding her mothers life in lay out both to figure out who her mother was and to understand herself.   Jing-meis placement at the mah jong table already suggests a link between Jing-mei and her mother that parallels Jing-meis position in the rest of the novel, for wherever Suyuan should be relation back her story, it is told through the voice of Jing-mei instead. While Suyuan should be the one to reconcile with her lost daughters, Jing-mei will go in her place. This planned act of reconciliation where Jing-mei will take her mothers dream foreshadows the other mother-daughter stories in the novel where An-mei, Lindo, and Ying-ying are just as eager to reclaim their daughters as Suyuan, in order to help in their daughters struggles ... ...perately to get in touch with her mother. In her quest to close the cultural gap between her Chinese heritage and her American upbringing, she questions what it means to be Chinese. Suffering from a disadvantage compared to the other da ughters in the story, since her mother is dead, Jing-mei struggles to remember the foods her mother cooked, her relatives names, and the stories her mother told. However, it is when Jing-mei finally embraces her sisters, and they observe in the polaroid shot how they all look like their mother, that it occurs to Jing-mei that her family is the part of her that is Chinese. Therefore, in order to understand that part of her identity, she must embrace the memory of her dead mother. With the sisters linked by their mother in their family likeness, the photograph symbolically reconciles the two generations, as strong as the two cultures.