Wednesday, October 30, 2019

O2 trans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

O2 trans - Essay Example For such a reason, chemical engineering based on this models treats the circulatory system as a chemical process, with the heart as an ultimate pump and blood vessels acting as pipes. However, the body which is termed as a chemical plant in this perspective since it is accorded with both the output and input systems and allows us to use mathematical equation for modeling oxygen transport. On the other hand, it is of great value to know the term diffusion and convection and towards learning and calculation of the rate of oxygen transport within a human body. This convection is much more dominant in the larger blood vessel like arteries. Also, diffusion occurs more likely within dominant small blood vessel including veins and capillaries. The entire breathing system often begins begin from the nose towards lungs, before finally dissolving in the water lining composed of alveoli. Oxygen hence clings into the red blood cells as they bypass through the alveoli capillaries. The entire circulatory system is mainly responsible for the transport of substances throughout the body. It transports water, oxygen and nutrients to billions of the body cells as well as carrying away of wastes that includes carbon dioxide produced by the body during the entire excretion process. It one of the most amazing highway that revolves through an individual’s entire body while connecting all the available body cells. The heart, lungs, and blood vessels work together towards forming the circular segment of the entire circulatory system. The heart plays a distinct role of pumping blood and keeping of the blood flow throughout an individual’s body. Blood vessels assist in transportation of blood from the heart to all the destined places. Their main role is to the aspect of oxygen transportation from outside into the entire bloodstream, and the release of carbon dioxide from bloodstream into the ultimate

Monday, October 28, 2019

Effects of Drugs and Alcohol to the Body Essay Example for Free

Effects of Drugs and Alcohol to the Body Essay The effects of drugs and alcohol may vary on the kind of drug, the dosage, the frequency, the persons’ body element and metabolism, and the type of personality. According to the American Academy of child and adolescent psychiatry, 20 million adults in the United States abused alcohol and half of these abusers were teenagers. Teens usually perceive drugs and alcohols as a solution to their problems, to gain popularity, to become active, to have pleasure and at times due to curiosity and peer pressure. They simply disregard the fact that this will only harm their bodies, mess up their entire lives, and could even lead them to death. The effects of these substances are danger to human brain and body. Drugs are considered pervasive. It compromises the ability of the body to function well. It affects both physical and psychological aspects. Over consumption or tolerance to this effect can lead to physiological problem. Pathophysiology traces alcohol primarily on blood. Because alcohols are permeable to the cell membrane of the body, it can easily diffuse to the bloodstream and causes â€Å"blood-sludging† of which blood vessels are being plug up while the tissues and oxygen of the body are being starve, thus causing cell death. Further breaking of the blood vessels and cell death causes malfunction of the system of the body causing excessive bleeding or hemorrhage, predisposing factor of cancer and leading to death. Other effect of high concentration alcohol level on the blood is the depletion of red and white blood count which is the main component of the blood. Common blood disorders are anemia, bone marrow depression, and inability to fight infections. The first step in alcohol abuse treatment is detoxification. A doctor will give a prescription for one to have a high dose of medication for the first day of not drinking alcohol. In the succeeding days of the week, the patient will slowly lessen the dose of the medicine. The medicine usually reduces withdrawal symptoms â€Å"A breathalyser may be used to confirm that you are not drinking† (http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27000488/What is detoxification?). It is important for the patient to have the support of his family amidst his medication process in order for him to gain motivation and inspiration. In treating drug addicts, it is advised for them to undergo Cognitive behavior therapy. This kind of therapy is also used in treating alcohol abuse. Many drugs and alcohol users are from a situation of hardships and problems in life. They find drugs and alcohol as coping mechanism. â€Å"Cognitive behavior therapy is based on the idea that feelings and behaviors are caused by a persons thoughts, not on outside stimuli like people, situations and events† (http://alcoholism.about.com/od/effect/The_Effects_of_Alcohol_and_Drugs.htm). In this kind of therapy, the therapist will make the patient recognized the situations and reasons why he is taking drugs and alcohol. The first thing taught in this therapy is how to do away from situations like those and how they can cope with it. The Cognitive Therapy may lasts until 12 sessions or depending upon the progress of the patient. Again, family support is vital in the process of treatment. BIBLIOGRAPHY Dunlap, M. P.. Biological Impacts Of Alcohol Use: An Overview. Retrieved August 6, 2007 from http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm Effects of Alcohol on the Body. Retrieved August 6, 2007 from http://www.therightmix.gov.au/pdfs/EffectsOnBody.pdf Teens: Alcohol and other Drugs. Retrieved August 6, 2007 from http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?section=Facts+for+Familiesname=Teens%3A+Alcohol+And+Other+Drugs Alcohol detoxification. Rtrieved August 8, 2007 http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27000488/What is detoxification? http://alcoholism.about.com/od/effect/The_Effects_of_Alcohol_and_Drugs.htm

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Mediatek India Technology Private Limited Essay -- manufacturing compan

Mediatek is a leading manufacturing company in India and also has a major share outside the country. Here, I have tried to analyse the strengths and weaknesses present in the company. What are the different opportunities and threats present in the external environment for the company? Strengths: Mediatek makes the technology that’s at the heart of the things that we use every day. Its strength lies in optimising system design, perfectly integrating software and hardware design to offer users an uninterrupted and always connected technology by providing smartphones, tablets and dual SIM experience. It’s riding high on amking cheap, user friendly smartphones across Asia. Global presence, technology, innovation and taking care of customer’s taste and preference are some its strength over its competitors. Weakness: The weakness for the company is that being a manufacturing company it belongs to a mature industry which means that it faces tough competition and there is small room for growth. Opportunities: It is a knowledge dependent company with highly specialised workers which makes it difficult for the low wage countries to compete in this market segment. The shipments of Mediatek jumped 80% in volume terms to more than 200 million in 2013. It held 47% share in the Chinese market year, up 14% points from 2012 and outstripping its rival Qualcomm of the U.S, the world’s largest market of chips for mobile devices that pushed Mediatek’s sales 37% higher on the year to a record 136 billion New Taiwan dollars( $ 4.52 billion) ( source: The Nikkie) Threats: Rising price of manufacturing in the global economy poses a threat to the company. Intense competition from Broadcom, Spreadtrum and Qualcomm is also a major concern for the... ...ce has a great impact on the achievement of the organisational performance as a whole. Works Cited Flippo, E.B (1984), Personnel Management (sixth edition) .( K.A Meyer), Mc Graw: Hill Book Company Beach D.S. (1975), Personnel: the management of people at work, New York: Macmillan Thompson, K.R. & Luthans, F. (1990), â€Å"Oragnisational Culture: A behavioural Perspective,† In Schneider, B. (ed), Organisational climate and Culture, Oxford: Jessey-Bass, Chapter 9 Kumari, Neeraj (2012), â€Å"a study of the recruitment and selection process: SMC Global†, volume 2, No.1, 2012 Ishrat, Ghazala (2013), â€Å"Comparative study of recruitment and selection, training and development policies in Indian MNCs and foreign MNCs†, Journal of business and management, volume 7, issue 5 Dessler, Garry(2005), Human Resource Management, Tenth edition www.ibef.org www.mediatek.com

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Google vs Microsoft

In today’s society many people are using the internet more and more to shop online, handle business transactions and surf the web for what interests them. Microsoft and Google are known to many people as internet giants. The two companies compete for business in the internet world by offering similar online business services. Microsoft also offers an array of computer products to consumers and businesses such as Windows 7, Microsoft office and MSN. Google’s main focus of business is its search engine that many people use today to surf the internet. This paper will compare and contrast Microsoft’s and Google’s business model, financial management system and explain which company could better withstand a major recession and at the same time, compare their financial ratios and decide which two companies that would be better to invest in. Microsoft was started in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen who developed an interpreter for basics programming language systems that has contributed to Microsoft’s being so successful. Microsoft is one of the largest technology companies in the world which specializes in developing and licensing computer software products such as Windows 7, Microsoft office, MSN and Bing. Microsoft’s management team is led by chief executive officer Steve Ballmer who also serves on the executive board, chairman Bill Gates, seven directors, and one chief financial officer which are all non-executive board members. The company has been known for its leadership style through its founder Bill Gates for donating money to many charities and helping the poor. Microsoft is also said to be an innovator for the new-age workplace where work is made to be comfortable, fun and inspiring so that all employees can enjoy doing their work and like to spend their time there as well. Bill Gates did not even finish college but his work ethics are being taught in schools through the world. Microsoft has an excellent track record for innovation because it keep coming up with new technology and devices every year (Datamonitor, a, 2011). On the other hand, Microsoft is in competition with Google and other internet companies over the use of internet search engines. Google was founded in 1998 by two Stanford University graduate students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Google is an international technology firm that is concentrated on improving the way people get their information from the internet. Google has three core businesses search, advertisements, and applications. The search engine powered by Google provides information for millions of users every day. It must be determined that information reported to the Google search engine is beneficial to the user; a set of criteria has been developed to serve this purpose. A common method of determining the usefulness of the page for the user is searching the document for keywords. Keywords must be entered to search on Google, and the documents are scanned to determine how often they appear. The more keywords a document has tends to indicate its usefulness to the user. Another evaluating principle for reporting useful pages is the ranking for the page and quality of the site. Websites receive rankings which reflect quality, relevance, and accuracy. Websites who have high rankings and numerous keywords are reported to the user first. This method of obtaining information allows the user to access vital information in a matter of seconds. Search advertisements are used to further assist users, and to offer Google’s main products and services and provide valuable and relevant information for people who use the search engines for answers they seek. Google search engine is like Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Google also sells their product and services in more than 100 languages throughout the world. Google’s management team is led by a chairman Eric Schmidt, a chief executive Larry Page, a director of special projects Sergey Brin which are all executive board members. They also have six directors that are non-executive board members. The company is a leader in that they provide people with valuable information. At the same time, however, Google is a slow innovator in its search engine technology. For example, its search engine has not shown major innovation despite the quality of Google’s searching technology that is absolutely dominating. However, as search engine technology advanced in the past decade the technological gap between Google and Microsoft has decreased more and more as we see with Bing (Datamonitor, b, 2011). On the other hand, by using the financial ratio I believe that Microsoft would benefit more and be able to survive a major economic recession. Microsoft has five divisions within their organization such as Windows & Windows 7, Microsoft business, online services, server and tools, entertainment and devices. According to Datamonitor, a , â€Å"The company’s product under this division include Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint; Microsoft Exchange Server; and Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM as well as Microsoft Office Web Apps, which are the online companions to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote† (2011, p. ). This shows that Microsoft has many divisions and products that they can offer to consumers, businesses and investors. This also shows that Microsoft would be better suited to withstand a major recession due to the many products they have to offer unlike Google which only has search engines and advertising to depend on. Therefore as seen in the financia l ratio Google has not made any money nor did it lose any money. Microsoft on the other hand, has made money due to the many products it has to offer. Subsequently, the profitability ratio can tell us a lot about Microsoft and Google performance. The profitability ratio can tell us what each company’s revenue and losses were for the year. It can also tell us about both companies operating budget, debts, stocks, and investments. According to Microsoft’s annual report, â€Å"Windows Division revenue reflected relative performance in PC market segments. We estimated that sales of PC’s to businesses grew approximately 11% this year and sales of PC’s to consumers declined approximately 1%† (2011, p. 50). This demonstrates that by using the profitability ratio Microsoft was able to calculate their gains and losses for the year in the sale of PC’s. This also shows that by using the profitability ratio Microsoft was able to project their sales of PC’s to other businesses. Therefore if someone wanted to invest company like Microsoft they should use the profitability ratio to determine a company’s return on assets and equity to see if it is a good investment. As we can see PC’s sales to businesses grew 11% while consumers PC’s sales weakened by 1% so an investor should put their money in business PC’s. After seeing the profitability ratio of both companies Microsoft would be the company to invest in because they payout more money and make more money per share and to each stockholder. One can agree that Microsoft has done well over the years by them recognizing and using the knowledge base and technological base has been an asset for the company. Microsoft is one of the best companies when it comes to software and programming. Microsoft over the years has realized that their competitors can have an impact on market changes and with this knowledge it has allowed Microsoft to make the required decisions in the market place. The issues and concerns that Microsoft and other organizations face are technology changes and competition. Technology today has surpassed the technology of yesterday. Yet, Microsoft has shown that they can meet these challenges in various areas by meeting these issues and concerns head on. Microsoft oftentimes has restructured some of their well-known operating systems, programs and software to keep up with the changing times. Recently, they have launched Bing and Windows 7. According to Microsoft annual report: Online Services Division (OSD) develops and markets information and content designed to help people simplify tasks and make more informed decisions online, and that help advertisers connect with audiences. OSD offerings include Bing, MSN ad Center, and advertiser tools. Bing and MSN generate revenue through the sale of search and display advertising generally accounts for nearly all of OSD’s annual revenue. (2011, p. 54) This demonstrates that Microsoft would be a great company to invest in because they offer many different products that makes a lot of money. This also demonstrates that Microsoft has seen an increase in revenue due to the fact that they invested in Bing and MSN. Therefore one should also consider the return on current ratio and the dividend payout ratio before making a decision on investing in the company. On the other hand one should also look at the investment valuation before making an investment decision. Investors need to be aware that before they invest in a company such as Microsoft that the likelihood of the problems when it comes to investing occur with large corporations where there is a higher degree of the separation of ownership and management, and thus perhaps an occurrence of a conflict of the goals of the managers and the goals of the shareholders. Aside from doing research on the company itself, doing an evaluation of stock can also prove to be useful. Knowing if stock is overpriced can tip you off, in that you then need to find out why it is overpriced. For example, is the stock overpriced because investors sincerely believe that the stock is good and has potential, or is the stock price high because of current economic conditions. Knowing the answer to such questions will help individuals as investors make better and more informed decisions. According to Google’s annual report: Strategic, financial and execution isks and exposures associated with our business strategy, product innovation and sales road map policy matters, significant litigation and regulatory exposures, and other current matters that may present material risk to our financial performance, operations, infrastructure, plans, prospects or reputation, acquisition and divestitures. (2011, p. 16) This explains that investing in large corporations can be ris ky and, this also explains that you should look, at a company’s investment valuation before investing. The reason why this is so important is because people can lose their money and if they did their homework by using the investment valuation they would see where their money is going and if they are making a wise decision when they invest into a company. In conclusion, Google and Microsoft’s are the world’s most powerful technology organizations that have proven it is possible to excel in the corporate world. The software and programming that Microsoft’s sells is the same product that has proven to be a useful tool for the company. Allocating costs and investing in new technology and recognizing competition including recognizing revenues gain and loss has also proven to be an asset for Microsoft. Google and Microsoft recognize and realize the potential of technology in the ever changing world of business. Google and Microsoft have met the challenges and changes of today’s society. As for Microsoft achieving its goals, the belief is that it has surpassed those goals and is constantly revising technology and products to meet them and new ones in a timely manner. Therefore, making it a company that investors want to invest in. Microsoft, financial aspects has allowed me to decide that it is one of the best companies, to invest in today. While Google on the other hand, must find better innovative techniques so it can gain more capital so that investors want to invest in the company. At the same time Google must keep up with other competitors such as Microsoft so that the company does not be left behind in the future from other competitors stealing their clients. References Datamonitor: (2011 a). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Datamonitor: (2011 b). Google Inc. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Google Annual Report (2011). Retrieved from http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1htm Microsoft Annual Report (2011). Retrieved from www.microsoft.com/investor Appendix

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Path-Goal Theory Essay

Purpose: Leadership is the key to the success of organizations, businesses or individuals. While the leaders are important, so are the subordinates. This article digs deep into the leader-subordinate relationships, what are the expectations from the leader, what are the various kind of leadership styles and how each styles impacts the subordinates. There have been immense amount of researches done on the topic of leadership and impact on subordinates. One theory ‘Expectancy theory’ states that and individual’s attitude (eg. Satisfaction with supervision or job satisfaction) or behavior (e.g. leader behavior or job effort) can be predicted from 1) the degree to which the job or behavior is seen as leading to various outcomes (expectancy and 2) the evaluation of these outcomes. Our interest on any project basically depends on the expected outcome. I want to relate this theory to a different kind of topic. I have observed, peoples’ passion for a certain â€Å"demand† goes down after they don’t see an outcome from the authorities. A good example could be the â€Å"Immigration Protests†. The proponents of â€Å"path to citizenship† and illegal aliens did protests etc. several times between 2008-2011. These protests were more common and passionate in President Obama’s previous tenure. But since nothing has come out even after several years of unrelenting protests, debates and voting on numerous immigration bills in the congress, I feel now that they are exhausted and not very positive this time around. The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership suggests that effective leadership affects subordinates’ motivation and their ability to perform. The theory proposes that leaders behavior is acceptable to subordinates as far as it is a source of satisfaction also leaders behavior is motivational for the subordinates if it helps the subordinates to perform better or it provides coaching, guidance, support or reward for effective performance. Considering these propositions Path-Goal theory suggest that leader’s main functions are to enhance subordinates’ motivation to perform, satisfaction with the job and acceptance of the leader. Leader’s Function: Path-Goal Theory and other leadership-Subordinate theories describes there are several strategic function of the leader which consists of 1) recognize and arouse subordinates’ needs for outcomes over which the leader has some control. 2) Setup a rewarding system after achievement of certain objectives 3) Make the path to achieve easier by participation, or supporting them 4) remove barriers 5) Give more opportunities that motivates them. Leadership Behavior: There are four important leadership behaviors that are discussed in the article, Supportive, directive, participative and achievement oriented. The research suggested that supportive leadership works best in the stressful & frustrating conditions also when the tasks given to subordinates are not satisfying. Leader’s directiveness is found to be positive when tasks are ambiguous and directions are not clear. In this scenario subordinates gets information from the directions and have more information how to achieve the task while directive nature of the leadership has a negative effect when the tasks are clear, it kind-of frustrates the subordinates. A study by House, Valency and Van Der Krabben suggested that â€Å"Achievement Oriented leadership†, has positive effects on the workers who does non-repetitive and ambiguous jobs, the reason behind workers satisfaction could be their belief that good performance could mean better payoffs. While it seems that â€Å"Achievement-oriented† leadership has no or very little effect on the subordinates who does repetitive or â€Å"clearly outlined† tasks. There is one more reason that is provided in the article is about the nature of the people who does non-repetitive and more ambiguous jobs. These people may be IT professionals or white collar jobs who may get more flexibility and autonomy while working for achievement-oriented tasks. Mitchell described four ways in which Participative Leadership affects subordinates’ behavior, first a participative climate increases the clarity of the tasks, organizational contingencies etc. Secondly it gives a choice to the subordinates to pick their goals they are able to see what they value more and how they can achieve it. Thirdly when the leader participates with the subordinates they get more involved in the process and subordinates get more ownership of the work. The fourth impact is a result of the third point, when subordinates starts to feel to get â€Å"ownership† of the work, then they starts feeling the pressure for high performance due to inner conscience. I think it is a very good article as it is very relevant to our daily work be it professional or personal challenges. It clearly shows the path for the leadership style you should take for managing your subordinates and ultimately reach your organization’s and your personal goals. 1)Discussion: Can people, who hold certain personality traits, fit in situation where a different kind of leadership is required? For example a â€Å"micromanager†, who has a directive nature, will he be able to fit in the situation where the subordinates’ job is stressful and tasks are dissatisfying. 2)How can these researches be used when companies are hiring managers? Do they need to first layout the kind of the work company does and then they should interview people and try to find out the personality traits and their leadership style and then map it with what is best for the organizations’ environment. 3)Can there be leaders who have all the leadership styles ie. Directive, Supportive, Participative and Achievement Oriented?

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Washington Irvings Famous Story of a Sleeping Man

Washington Irving's Famous Story of a Sleeping Man Rip van Winkle  is an 1819 story by Washington Irving, American short-story writer. The story was published as part of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, and was based on a German fairy tale. It chronicles the story of a man who falls asleep in the Catskills just before the American Revolution, and wakes up 20 years later to a completely different society.   Rip ends up in the mountains in the first place while trying to escape his nagging wife, and meets a man struggling with a heavy keg of moonshine. He helps the man carry it to a hollow where they encounter strange men playing a game of ninepins. Rip drinks some of their moonshine, and falls asleep 20 years later with a rusted musket and a long beard. He later learns that the man with the keg was the ghost of Henry Hudson.   Here are some questions for study and discussion about Rip van Winkle: Who are the strange men that Rip encounters in the hollow? Is it helpful to know that the story is based on a German fairy tale? Why or why not? Is Rips long sleep a reward (perhaps for helping the men playing ninepins) or a punishment (for being a generally lazy guy)? What is the portrayal of women in the story, including that of Rips wife Dame van Winkle? Can you think of a more contemporary story where a nagging wife is so central to a storys plot? How does Irving reveal character in Rip van Winkle? Compare/Contrast Rip van Winkle with Gulliver of Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift. Are there other characters in literature that compare to Rip van Winkle? Is Rip van Winkle consistent in his actions? Is he a fully-developed character? Discuss some of the symbols in Rip Van Winkle. Compare Rip van Winkle  with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. How are they similar? How are they different? How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else? What if the story had been set before and after the Civil War, or the War of 1812? How realistic is Irvings depiction of the Catskills? Why did he choose to set the story there? How does time figure into the story? Why was Rips slumber 20 years long, and not 10 years or 30 years? What would a sequel to Rip van Winkle have looked like? What would you expect Rip would be doing in another 20 years time? Is Rip van Winkle a tragedy or a comedy? Is there a central moral or lesson to be learned? Is this a childrens story? Why or why not?

Monday, October 21, 2019

Today’s workforce is significantly different from those of only a generation ago and requires much more initiative, creativity, engagement and judgment. The WritePass Journal

Today’s workforce is significantly different from those of only a generation ago and requires much more initiative, creativity, engagement and judgment. References Today’s workforce is significantly different from those of only a generation ago and requires much more initiative, creativity, engagement and judgment. INTRODUCTIONWhat is Employee Compensation?Two Main components of Employee CompensationTwo basic ways of Direct Financial payments to employees The Legal Environment of HRMObjectives of International CompensationWhy Do Organization Offer Employee BENEFITS The Philosophy of Reward ManagementHow are Pay Levels Determined?Economic theories applicable to the case LINKING PAY TO PERFORMANCE – THE RATIONALEHOW DOES PAY INFLUENCE EMPLOYEES ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIORReferencesRelated INTRODUCTION Today’s workforce is significantly different from those of only a generation ago and requires much more initiative, creativity, engagement and judgment.   Today’s jobs have changed so much that employee’s need a different kind of motivation.  Ã‚  Ã‚   More so, the nature of our economy is changing and competition is becoming intense in every business industries.   It emphasizes the need for management at identifying and selecting employees who have the knowledge, skills, and capabilities the organization requires to compete and fostering those employees with good development, compensation, benefits and reward systems.   The pay and  Ã‚   benefits can be instrumental in getting the right people, retaining and motivating  Ã‚   valuable employees.   It can boast the performance of employees, increase productivity, and competitive advantage that will contribute to attain the company’s strategic goals.  Ã‚  Ã‚   For example, Mala Shah, a project Manager Tax of KMPG (Accountancy Firm based in UK).   According to her profile the most rewarding element of working at KMPG is the fact that there are so many opportunities open particularly of training and learning.  Ã‚   KMPG provides them internal courses, such as Project Management or Personal Effectiveness, which will really help her in her role.   Also, it enhances her personal development perspective.  Ã‚   Another example,  Ã‚   Tanya Ly all as People Centre Manager also from KMPG, for her the benefits that distinguish KMPG is the inclusive reward scheme.  Ã‚   â€Å"All the benefits are open to all employees so, from day one, everyone’s entitled to join the pension scheme and everyone gets included in the bonus scheme, so that means everybody’s equally rewarded and valued by the firm†.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is the cost of benefit effective in KMPG? Does the firm really benefit? The KMPG acknowledged in 2010 as one of the Best Big Companies to work for, by the Sunday Times survey.   KMPG received several awards as successful accountancy and consultancy firm, such as Global Firm of the Year 2010, Living Wage Employer of the Year and awarded Four Big Ticks from Business Community.  Ã‚   The achievements of KMPG are not simply by its executive management efforts but rather the willingness and full support of their people. On the contrary, some employees underpinned the cost of benefits by considering their primary priorities in life according to age, lifestyle and gender.  Ã‚  Ã‚   One factor is the role of money in people’s lives.   Secondly, some have not understood the concept of benefits and simply ignored it.  Ã‚   Most of these types of people are rather opting to convert the benefits into financial benefits.  Ã‚   Based on the research of  Ã‚   Prudential Life Insurance that the young workers (generation Y) undervalue the life insurance as benefit.  Ã‚   Because of their concept that paying today for a benefit paid out at their death is only for the dependents welfare.   Another example in National Coordinating Committee of Multi Employee Plans, a lot of their younger members, asked them why they are required to have health insurance, when they know they never get sick. The changing of diverse workforce is imminent and quite challenging for some employers.   However,  Ã‚   the quality of an organization is to large degree determined by the quality of the people it employs.  Ã‚   People have always been essential to business, they are even more important these days.   The reason is that as we engage deeper into a service and information economy, it is people rather than plant and equipment that constitute a higher portion of competitive advantage.   For example, when fixed, tangible assets, such as plant, machinery, and equipment, contribute a lion’s share of company’s output; they could replace a new one and  Ã‚   more   efficient without significant negative impact on overall performance.   On the other hand, when a business is largely service and information oriented, the more the critical assets of the company are not tangible but rather intangible.   These assets include the company’s culture, brand, leader ship, people, customer service, and knowledge.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, human resources and the effective management of people is integral factor in organization’s success. What is Employee Compensation? According to Gary Dessler, author of Human Resource Management 12th edition, that Employee Compensation refers to all forms of pay going to employees and arising from their employment.  Ã‚  Ã‚   For example, Non-Executive Director of Court of The Central Bank of England has a salary of  £15,000.00 + Benefits.   Ã‚  Another example, Edinburgh Leisure the biggest provider of leisure services in Scotland capital, Director of Finance with a salary at  £60,000.00 + Benefits + Car Allowance. On the other hand, authors Sarah Gilmore and Steve Williams of Human Resource Management used REWARD in preference to â€Å"PAY†.  Ã‚   This is because employees increasingly expect more than pay for their efforts.  Ã‚   Rewards influence the recruitment and retention of employees and can play an important role in determining the organization’s culture.   Better pay and benefits attract better-quality candidates, giving the employer greater choice over whom to employ. Reward can be tailored to stimulate desirable behaviors and foster employee’s commitment, knowledge, and competence necessary for business success.  Ã‚   For instance, Edinburgh Head of Financial Reporting receiving a salary of  £60,000 + mandated benefits and compensation for time not worked with car allowance.   Other examples,   Royal Bank of Scotland articulates the impact of strategic rewards as expressing what the organization values and being prepared to pay for what it gets fro m employees; it provides a sense of purpose and direction; integrating with business and HR strategy; valuing people,   Open University hiring Chief Auditor offering a salary pay of  £69,852 + Benefits,   Olympia Health Care, a renowned medical center in LA California manned with competent doctors and nurses, have the annual pay scale according to job specifications + Benefits and bonuses. Ranking Order Annual Pay Scale + Benefits 1.) Office Manager $   48,000 2.) Chief Nurse   Ã‚  Ã‚   47,500 3.) Bookkeeper   Ã‚  Ã‚   39,000 4.) Nurse   Ã‚  Ã‚   37,500 5.) Cook   Ã‚  Ã‚   36,000 6.) Nurse’s Aide   Ã‚  Ã‚   33,500 7.) Maid   Ã‚  Ã‚   30,500 Two Main components of Employee Compensation A.)  Ã‚   Direct Financial Payments denote the base pay, salary and wage, and merit pay, incentives, commissions, and bonuses of employees.   Also, it includes deferred pay, such as savings plan and stock purchase annuity.   These benefits permits the employees to impart to an investment pool managed the employer- For example Rhoda is an international chemical company offers shareholding fund to new employee.   Allied Banking Corporation – Philippines allows employee to avail the mutual savings plan. Base Pay – Salary and Wage Merit Pay Incentives Commissions Bonuses Deferred Pay Savings Plan Stock Purchase Annuity Two basic ways of Direct Financial payments to employees Time-based pay is still the foundation of most employers’ pay plans.   Blue-collar and clerical workers get hourly or daily wages, for instance, and others, like managers or Web designers, tend to be salaried and paid by the week month, or year.   Another example, Glaxo a world leader in pharmaceutical research is aware that long term investment is needed for survival at the top, has a reward strategy of paying salaries at the upper quartile level to attract, develop, and retain quality research staff. PAY for Performance.   Piecework is an example.   It ties compensation to the amount of production (or number of â€Å"pieces†) the worker turns out.   For instance, we divide a worker’s target hourly wage by the standard number of units he or she is to produce in one hour.   Then, for each unit he or she produces, the person earns the calculated rate per piece.   Sales commissions are another example of performance-based compensation.   Also, Textron uses rewards to support a strategy of employee flexibility through skills-based pay, while Whitebread Beer Company and Vauxhall both use rewards to encourage initiative and innovations. B.)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Indirect Financial Payment refers to financial benefits like employer-paid insurance and vacation.   It also includes dental, and medical treatment, and disability insurance, retirement pensions, recreational facilities, car, training and development.  Ã‚   These employee benefits are normally provided tax free, depending upon status.  Ã‚   Some of these benefits like pensions are being offered to employees for reassurance of employed persons who may become disadvantaged through loss of employment. The Legal Environment of HRM HRM practices are governed by laws of the land, and those laws vary from country to country.   Within countries, state or provincial and local regulations further influence specific practices.  Ã‚   For example in UK, the Equality Act of 2006 emphasizing the mutual respect for both employees and employers.   The Health and Safety at work act 1974.   Temporary Employees and Part time workers or Prevention of Less Favorable Treatment under Regulations 2000.   Minimum Wage and   Overtime Eligibility.   In US, various laws specify things like minimum wages, overtime rates, and benefits.   For example, the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act allows the secretary of labor to set wage rates for laborers and mechanics employed by contractors.   The 1938 Fair Labor Standard Act, contains minimum wage, maximum hours, overtime pay, equal pay, record-keeping, and child labor provisions that are familiar to most working people. Objectives of International Compensation When developing international compensation policies, a firm seeks to satisfy several objectives.   First, the policy should be consistent with the overall strategy, structure and business needs of the multinational.   Second, the policy must work to attract and retain staff in the areas where multinational has the greatest needs and opportunities.   Thus, the policy must be competitive and recognize factors such as incentive for Foreign Service, tax equalization and reimbursement for reasonable costs.   Third, the policy should facilitate the transfer of international employees in the most cost-effective manner for the firm.   Fourth, the policy must give due consideration to equity and ease of administration. The international employee will also have a number of objectives that need to be achieved from the firm’s compensation policy.   First, the employee will expect the policy to offer financial protection in terms of benefits, social security and living costs in the foreign location.   Second, the employee will expect a foreign assignment to offer opportunities for financial advancement through income and/or savings.   Third, the employee will expect issues such as housing, education of children and recreation to be addressed in the policy.   The employee will also have expectations in terms of career advancement and repatriation. Why Do Organization Offer Employee BENEFITS When an organization designs its overall compensation package, it has to look further than just an hourly wage or annual salary.   It has to take into account another element, employee benefits. Employee Benefits   are no financial rewards designed to enrich employees’ lives.   They have grown in importance and variety over the past several decades.   One viewed as â€Å"fringes,† today’s benefit packages reflect a considered effort to provide something that each employee values. The Philosophy of Reward Management Reward management is based on a well articulated philosophy, a set of beliefs and guiding principles that are consistent with the values of the organization and help to enact them.   These include beliefs in the need to achieve fairness, equity, consistency and transparency in operating the reward system.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The philosophy   of   reward management recognizes that it must be strategic in the sense that it addresses longer-term issues relating to how people should be valued for what they do and what they receive.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reward management adopts a â€Å"total reward’ approach which emphasizes the importance of considering all aspects of   reward as a coherent whole which is integrated with other HR initiatives designed to achieve the motivation, commitment, engagement and development of   employees. Although rewards, benefits and compensation can be instrumental in getting the right people, their basic function is retaining and maximizing the performance of employees once they have entered the organizations.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, rewards by their nature are made to encourage desired behaviors.  Ã‚   Desired behaviors must be linked to the firm’s strategy.   Thus, reward systems also must be linked to the firm’s strategy. How are Pay Levels Determined? The pay levels determine through Compensation Administration.   The goals of compensation administration are to design a cost-effective pay structure that will attract and retain competent employees and to provide an incentive for these individuals to exert high energy levels at work.   Compensation administration also attempts to ensure that pay levels, once determined, will be perceived as fair by all employees.   Fairness means that the established pay levels are adequate and consistent for the demands and requirements of the job.   The primary determination of pay is the kind of job and employee performs.   Different jobs require different kinds and levels of skills, knowledge, and abilities, and these factors vary in their value to the organization.   The higher skills, knowledge, and abilities and the greater the authority and responsibility the higher the pay.   Although skills, abilities, and the like directly affect pay levels, other factors may come into play.    Pay levels may be influenced by the kind of business, the environment surrounding the job, geographic location, and employee performance levels of seniority.   For example, private sector jobs typically provide higher rates of pay than comparable positions in public and not-for-profit jobs.   Employees who work under hazardous conditions (say, bridge builders operating 200 feet in the air), work unusual hours (ex. the midnight shift), or work in geographic areas where the cost of living is higher (ex. Chicago rather than Parkersburg, West Virginia) are typically more highly compensated.   Employees who have been with an organization for a long time may have had a salary increase each year. Irrespective of the foregoing factors, one other factors is most critical – management’s compensation philosophy.   Some organizations, for instance, don’t pay employees any more than they have to.   In the absence of a union contract that stipulates wage levels, those organizations only have to pay minimum wage for most of their jobs.   On the other hand, some organizations are committed to a compensation philosophy of paying their employees at or above area wage levels in order to emphasize that they want to attract and keep the best pool of talent. Economic theories applicable to the case Human capital theory Workers have a set of skills developed by education and training that generates a stock of productive capital.   The practical significance of this theory is that employees and employers each derive benefits from investment in creating human capital.   The level of pay should supply both parties with a reasonable return on that investment.  Ã‚  Ã‚   For example directors of finance have high raise being responsible in handling crucial part of the senior management team.   Other examples, Head of Internal Audits offered Excellent Company benefits and Salary over the huge and complex responsibilities.  Ã‚   Bank executives receiving a huge salary base on expertise, qualification, and competency.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, the higher responsibilities, the more compensation and benefits are being offered and received.  Ã‚   For management perspective, it is proper to reward people differentially according to their contribution or the return of investment they gen erate. Efficiency Wage Theory Firms will pay more than the market rate because they believe that high levels of pay will contribute to increases in productivity by motivating superior performance, attracting better candidates, reducing labor turnover and persuading workers that they are being traded fairly.   This theory is also known as â€Å"the economy of high wages’.   The significance of this is that Organizations use efficiency wage theory, although it is not clearly express when they formulate pay policies that place them as market leaders or at least above the average. LINKING PAY TO PERFORMANCE – THE RATIONALE Sustained Motivation Staff Retention, on the job commitment Productivity levels are maintained Cost Savings resulting from lower employee attrition rates Organizational Objectives can be attained Employee ‘buy-in’ to a performance-based culture Organizational Climate of ‘winning’ is powerful reinforcement in the work   place. HOW DOES PAY INFLUENCE EMPLOYEES ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR Reinforcement Theory –in Thorndike’s Law of Effect, a response followed by a reward is more likely to recur in the future.   The importance of a person’s actual experience in receiving the reward is critical.   If high performance is followed by a reward, high performance is likely to be reputed.   The belief is that pay and performance are directly co-related, especially in buoyant market conditions. Expectancy Theory – The perceived link between performance and pay will connect with reinforcement theory because an expectation has been created which is difficult for the employer today or withhold in the future. Employee Satisfaction and Motivation Factors that Influence Motivation and Drive Performance From an employee’s perspective, within the work environment, the following appear too critical in keeping staff well-motivated. Organizational Energy and the Working Environment Empowerment Enablement Satisfaction through Meeting Individual Needs Achieving Progress towards Longer-term Aspirations Opportunities to Achieve Job Satisfaction Open Communication The Expectation of Future Reward and the Total Compensation Package Career Prospects, Personal Growth Status References LSC Managing Human Capital Course Manual Management 2nd edition, Michael A. Hit J. Stewart Black Lyman W. Porter Fundamentals of Management Essential Concepts and Applications 6th edition Robbins/Duecento International Human Resource Management 5th edition Peter J. Dowling, Marion fasting Allen D. Engle, Sr. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice 11th edition Human Resource Management 12th Ed. By Gary Dessler Human Resource Management, Sarah Gilmore Steve Williams Law of   Employment 14th edition by Norman Selwyn www.lowpay.gov.uk (human resource management for the hospitality and tourism www.rhodia.com/en/news_center www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/media/pdfs/investors/2010/2010_LBG_Results.pdf hsbcusa.com/careers/benefitsrewards