Security Management Essay Example for Free

Security Management Essay Instructions to candidates: 1. There is no time restriction set for this paper and you may refer to your course text. 2. Clearly print your name in the blank spaces provided on the answer sheet. 3. Read each question carefully, and circle the option letter of your selected answer on the question paper; then transfer your answer to the answer sheet by putting an X through the appropriate answer box or by writing in the answers (if the question requires it). 4. Please answer all the questions and check your answers carefully. 5. On completion submit the answer sheet to Perpetuity Training, 148 Upper New Walk, Leicester, LE1 7QA by the date required. 1. Very generally it is agreed that terrorism is defined by a group which: A. Wishes to kill its political enemies and influence potential allies B. Wishes to politically and ideologically influence others by the use or threat of use of, violence C. Wishes to promote religious ideologies through the use of force or the threat of force. D. Wishes to resist government oppression through the use of irregular warfare 2. It is argued that the term terrorism derives from the reign of terror after the French revolution. In what year was the French Revolution? A. B. C. D. 1564 1694 1794 1894 3. Historically, terrorist groups (although most organisations do not like being referred to as terrorists!) have tended to adhere to either a politically left or right wing ideology. But what do we mean by the term ‘ideology’? A. B. C. D. Right wing beliefs Left wing beliefs Religious beliefs Systems of belief 4. What is state terrorism? A. B. C. D. Terrorism directed against the state The state’s definition of terrorism Terrorism only directed at governments Terrorism committed by the state 5. Modern Terrorists differ from their historical predecessors mainly in: A.  B. C. D. The sophistication of their ideologies The sophistication of their targets and timing The sophistication of their attack and planning Their sophistication of their demands 6. What is an IED? A. B. C. D. An improvised explosive detonation An immediate explosive detonation An improvised explosive device An in-car explosive device 7. Which of the following is not normally part of an IED? A. B. C. D. The Timer The Donator The power supply The delivery platform 8. When conducting a terrorism risk assessment we need to consider: A. B. C. D. Assets, threats and vulnerabilities Origins, tactics and membership Aims, abilities and determination Specialty weapons and tactics 9. Who said ‘The war on terror resembles the great clashes of the last century between democracy and totalitarianism’? A. B. C. D. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher President George W Bush Prime Minister Tony Blair President Barack Obama 10. What is a hard target reconnaissance? A. B. C. D. An examination of the intended target by the terrorist prior to the attack The selection by the terrorist of a difficult target The final briefing to the terrorist attack group before the attack The terrorist debrief after a difficult operation 11. What is defence/security in depth? A. B. C. D. A form of maritime security Impenetrable security measures Environmental security measures Interlocking layers of security 12. The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional IRA in Manchester, England. The bomb targeted the citys infrastructure and economy and caused widespread damage, estimated by insurers at: A. B. C. D.  £7 million  £17 million  £70 million  £700 million 13. In which year was the UK Terrorism Act passed? A. B. C. D. 2005 2006 2007  2008 14. In what year did the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CECPT) come into force? A. B. C. D. 2005 2006 2007 2008 15. One of the most powerful pieces of counter terrorist legislation enacted was in the US, where The Homeland Security Act (HSA). In which year did it come into force? A. B. C. D. 16. 2000 2001 2002 2003 What is the ISPS? A. B. C. D. The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code The Internal Ship and Port Facility Security Conditions The Internal Ship and Port Facility Security Code The International Safety and Port Facility Security conditions 17. The ISPS applies to all vessels over: A. B. C. D. 300 gross weight tonnes 400 gross weight tonnes 500 gross weight tonnes 600 gross weight tonnes 18. Port facilities serving ships where the ISPS applies require an ISC. What is the ISC? A. B. C. D. International Safety Charter International Security Certificate International Shipping Charter International Sailing Certificate 19. Which of the following is not a key document that should form part of an organisation’s security methods and techniques? A. B. C. D. Business Continuity Plans Major Incident Plans Security Procedures Terrorist Attack Plans 20. What is ISO 27001? A. The introduction of an information security management system B. The introduction of an intermodal supply chain security management system C. The introduction of a risk management system D. The introduction of a terrorist security system 21. What is ISO 3100? A. The introduction of an information security management system B. The introduction of an intermodal supply chain security management system C. The  introduction of a risk management system D. The introduction of a terrorist security system 22. What is ISO 28001? A. The introduction of an information security management system B. The introduction of an intermodal supply chain security management system C. The introduction of a risk management system D. The introduction of a terrorist security system 23. Every physical security system should have an OR what is an OR? A. B. C. D. Optional Requirement Operational Requirement Operating Regulation Operator’s Regulation 24. It is logical that in order for an organisation to be prepared for a terrorist attack there need to be adequate levels of: A. B. C. D. Fire extinguishers and smoke alarms Access control and swipe cards Training and awareness Profiling and reporting 25. Who said ‘Kill one, frighten ten thousand’? A. B. C. D. Lao Tao Sun Tzu Confucius Kuan Ti

What Is The Organizational Justice Theory Commerce Essay

What Is The Organizational Justice Theory Commerce Essay Organizational justice theory provides a model through which perceptions of fairness and equity by those affected by change can be explored and understood. OJT combines social psychological theories and psychological contract models to explain fairness judgments. Based on an individuals perception of fairness within their organization, three typologies of OJT have been defined; i) Distributive justice refers to the perceived fairness of decision outcomes and is judged by measuring whether rewards are proportional to costs (Homans, 1961, cited in Colquitt, 2006), whether outcomes stick to expectations (Blau, 1964, cited in Colquitt, 2006), and whether outcome/input ratios match those of a comparison other (Adams, 1965). ii) Procedural justice refers to the perceived fairness of decision-making procedures and is judged by gauging whether procedures are accurate, consistent, unbiased, and correctable (Leventhal, 1980, cited in Colquitt, 2006), and open to employee input (Thibaut Walker , 1975, cited in Colquitt, 2006); iii) Interactional justice refers to the perceived fairness of the performance or implementations of procedures (Bies Moag, 1986, cited in Colquitt, 2006). Implications of negative justice perceptions could be seen in an individuals behavioral response to perceived inequity of rewards. Based on exchange theories of organizational and social behavior, individuals will compare the ratio of their inputs (e.g. education, skills, effort, experiences) to outcomes (e.g. pay, promotion, recognition) with that of a referent other, and will strive to restore their perceived balance of rewards through a behavioral response. An organizations policies often signal what the organization believes to be important and can enhance employees trust and confidence in the organization (Tyler and Lind, 1992, cited in Brown. Et al., 2010). Individuals can look to the fairness of organizational policies in order to gain insight into the type of treatment they can expect to receive from the organization. Fair policies not only establish what the organization considers to be appropriate treatment but policies also build employees expectations that this treatment will occur (Sitkin and Bies, 1994, cited in Brown. Et al., 2010). Unfair policies, in contrast, can signal to employees that they might experience unfairness and/or have difficulty meeting their needs in the organizational environment. Although individuals may consider procedural justice to determine the probability of future mistreat ­ment, we argue that policies provide a more reliable source as policies are relatively stable, enduring, and often provide ex plicit guidelines for future treatment by the same or other managers in the organization. 2.1 Details of cases (Critical thinking questions no.5, pp 109) Several service representatives are upset that the newly hired representative with no previous experience will be paid $3,000 a year above the usual starting salary in the pay range. The department manager explained that the new hire would not accept the entry-level rate, so the company raised the offer by $3,000. All five reps currently earn salaries near the top of the scale ($15,000 higher than the new recruit), although they all started at the minimum starting salary a few years earlier. Use equity theory to explain why the five service representatives feel inequity in this situation. 3. Problem Identification by Niek Ling Keong Equity theory focuses on the concept of how hard a person is willing to work is dependent on their perception of what is fair or just when compared to others (Redmond, 2010).   In the early sixties, John Stacey Adams proposed that employee motivation is impacted by whether or not the employee believes that their employment benefit/rewards (output/outcomes) are at least equal to the amount of the effort they put into their work (input).   If an employee believes their outputs are not equal to or greater than their input, then the employee will become de-motivated.   Employees will often compare their inputs and outputs to a peer within the organization when judging whether or not the outputs that they receive are fair. In this case, five service representatives feel inequity in their company because they did not get high salary ($3,000) compared to those new recruits even though they all started at the minimum level few years earlier. When a person perceives his/her input/outcom e ratio to be unequal with a comparison other, inequity results, they may choose to use cognitive (e.g., adjust perceptions of referent others inputs or outcomes) or behavioral (e.g., increasing or decreasing inputs) approaches to resolve the inequity. However, individuals subjected to the same inequitable situations often respond in different ways, suggesting that there may be individual differences in sensitivity to inequity (Redmond, 2010). Specifically, research suggests that individuals are differentially sensitive to disparities in outcome/input ratios between themselves and their referents, which helps to explain why there are differences in reactions among individuals to the same unfair situations. Equity theory can be broken down into four basic schemes (Huseman, Hatfield, Miles, 1987, cited in Redmond 2010) 1.   Individuals develop their perception of fairness by calculating a ratio of their inputs and outcomes and then comparing this to the ratio of others (Huseman, et. al., 1987). Inputs are the value proposition of individuals, such as their productivity, time, and education. Other examples include the experience, knowledge, ability, qualifications and ambition of the individual (Cory, 2006). Outcomes are the rewards an individual receives. These rewards can be tangible, such as financial compensation, or intangible, such as recognition or job security. The comparable other could be a co-worker, a relative, the industry norm, a friend, or even a group of individuals (Adams, 1963). The comparable other can even be oneself in a past job (Adams, 1963). For example, an individual may not perceive he is being treated fairly when he works 40 hours per week (input) and receives $500 in pay (output) while his co-worker works 30 hours per week and receives $650 in pay. In this critical ques tion, the five representatives think that those new recruits dont have previous experience, same with them who start work at the minimum level few years ago. However, the salary earn by those newly hired representatives are higher than the salary earned by senior representatives. 2.   If the comparative ratios are perceived by the individual to be unequal, then inequity exists (Huseman, et. al., 1987). According to equity theory, an individual needs to perceive that the ratios of their contributions are weighted fairly: determined by equal ratios. Equity is all about balance (Spector 2008). Equity is present when a person feels that they are receiving the appropriate amount of outcomes from their inputs, when compared to their chosen comparison other. Inequity exists when there is a perceived difference in the ratios of inputs and outcomes. Two specific types of inequity exist: underpayment inequity and overpayment inequity. Underpayment inequity occurs when an individual perceives that their ratio is smaller than their comparison other: they are getting less for their inputs. For example, if someone feels they are putting in more effort or working harder than a co-worker, yet they earn equal or less compensation, their perceived ratios will be different an d that person will experience underpayment inequity. In contrast, overpayment inequity tips the scales in the other direction. For example, someone will feel they are being paid too much considering their work, when compared to the work and compensation of a co-worker. This can cause feelings of guilt and the ratios used for comparison are based upon the perception of an individual, and not an objective measure of inputs and outcomes. Additionally, the choice of a comparison other is also the subjective selection of the individual. While in this case, the senior representatives feel inequity of overpayment exists due to the higher salary in comparative ratios to the newly representatives. 3.  As the difference in inequity increases, the tension and distress felt by an individual will increase (Huseman, et. al., 1987). Smaller differences of inequity are more tolerable than significant differences of inequity. Not every person will experience equity or inequity in the same way because people have varying tolerance levels or sensitivity to perceived situations of inequity. Three types of individuals have been identified along an equity sensitivity scale: compassionate, equity sensitives, and entitled (Huseman, et. al.,  1987). Benevolents are more tolerant of underreward (Huseman, et. al., 1987). Equity sensitives follow the norm of equity theory and prefer their ratios to be equal to their comparison other (Huseman, et. al., 1987). Entitleds prefer to be in over-reward situations and want their ratio to exceed that of their comparison other (Huseman, et. al., 1987). Entitleds frequently have the attitude that the world owes them a favor, so they will freely accept and seek out over-reward situations. In this critical study of question, five representatives are perceived as entitleds since they still think the company owes them a good turn although they earn $15,000, which is near the top scale of salary and is higher than the new recruits. 4.  The greater tension an individual feels due to perceived inequity, the harder they will work to decrease their tension and increase perceived levels of equity (Huseman, et. al., 1987). Most individuals will try to achieve equity by adjusting their own inputs and outcomes, or attempting to change the inputs or outcomes of the comparison other. Individuals can use behavioral processes or cognitive processes in order to attempt to restore equity. Examples include decreasing productivity at work, finding a new job, asking for a wage increase, changing the comparative other, or attempting to distort or justify changes in their perceptions of inputs and/or outcomes (Adams, 1963). The means of reducing inequity will vary depending on the situation and will not all be equally satisfying to an individual (Adams, 1963). 4. Source of the problem by Ng Hui Ming a. Explanation Equity theory deals with two questions: (1) What do people think is fair and equitable? And (2) How do they respond when they feel they are getting far more or far less from their relationships than they deserve? How do they react when they see their fellows harvesting undeserved benefits or enduring undeserved suffering? Interestingly, Lind and Van den Bos (2002, cited in Sora, B. et al. 2010) conceptualized the integration of justice with stress through uncertainty management theory. This model can be summarized by the following principle: people use fairness to manage their reactions to uncertainty, finding comfort in related or even unrelated fair experiences and finding additional suffering in unfair experiences (Lind and Van den Bos, 2002: 216, cited in Sora, B. et al. 2010). In other words, work uncertainty is perceived as a threatening situation for employees. In this setting, employees tend to seek certainty and security, and one way to obtain them is through developing fai rness judgements that make the uncertain event more predictable. Organizational justice is an effective tool to reduce the feelings of uncertainty and, therefore, lessen the discom ­fort to a great extent (Elovainio et al., 2005; Judge and Colquitt, 2004; Thau et al., 2007, cited in Sora, B. et al. 2010). In this case, the inequity judgment by those five service representatives that new employees will be getting more pay of salary has caused them to feel unsecure. This is say so because the salaries earn by new recruits now are higher than the time senior representative earned. They worry that those newly hired workers will earn much than them in a very short time since the newly recruits starting salary already higher than them compare to the time they started at minimum level. b. Mind-map In this critical question, the five senior representatives feel they are facing underpayment equity, they feel that the salary they earn when working at the starting minimum level are lower than those newly recruits now. The senior representatives feel very upset and dissatisfy because manager explained that the newly hired would not accept the previous entry level rate. The newly representatives have no previous experience, but why still being paid $ 3,000 yearly above the usual staring salary in the pay range. Comparison between the situations faced by two groups of representatives 5. Learning outcomes by Ng Hui Ming After completing this study of paper, we should be able to: a. Identify what is Equity theory and under payment equity. b. Balance or correct the inequity feelings of employees towards co-workers. c. Know what managers can do to overcome/ reduce the perceptions of inequity by employees. 6. Responses to inequality by Ng Hui Ming Equity theory suggests that when individuals perceive inequality between their own outcome/input ratio and that of the comparison referent, they are motivated to respond. Specifically, equity theory outlined six possible responses that individuals may take to restore equity: a) change their inputs, b) adjust their outcomes, c) distorts their inputs and outcomes cognitively, d) leave the situation, e) act on the comparison referent to influence its inputs or outcomes, and f) compare to a different referent. There is little information, either in Adams (1965), or in subsequent work, that predicts when individuals will choose a particular response option. Equity theory comprises four linking suggestions: SUGGESTION I: Individuals try to maximize their outcomes (where outcomes equal rewards minus costs). SUGGESTION IIA: Groups can maximize collective reward by evolving accepted systems for equitably apportioning resources among members. Thus, groups will develop such systems of equity, and will try to persuade members to accept and stick to these systems. SUGGESTION IIB: Groups will generally reward members who treat other equitably, and generally punish (increase the costs for) members who treat others inequitably. SUGGESTION III: When individuals find themselves participating in inequitable relationships, they will become distressed. The more inequitable the relationship, the more suffering individuals will feel. SUGGESTION IV: Individuals who discover they are in an inequitable relationship will attempt to eliminate their distress by restoring equity. The greater the inequity that exists, the more distress they will feel, and the harder they will try to restore equity. 7. Choose alternatives to solve inequality by Loh Sin Yee One behavioural approach for an individual to balance equity is to either increase or decrease their inputs in order to achieve equity. If they feel underrewarded they will decrease their inputs. For example, an employee who feels underpaid at work compared to his coworkers (underreward) might start taking longer breaks in order to read the entire newspaper which decreases productivity (reduced input). By decreasing inputs, the perception of equity is restored. Underpayment Equity Thus, consistent with uncertainty management theory and with the assumption that job insecurity reflects uncertainty about job loss, we would expect that organizational justice related to organizational aspects such as resource distribution, personal treatment and processes could be related to employees outcomes and moderate the relationship between job insecurity and its outcomes. That is, organizational justice could help employees to deal with the uncertainty of job insecurity, justifying the negative outcomes of job insecurity and, therefore, preventing deterioration of job satisfaction. 8. Team reflection by Loh Sin Yee A concern with fairness or justice is critical to the management of numerous organizational issues (e.g., pay distribution, grievance resolution; Greenberg, 1990, cited in Kilbourne, L.M., OLeary-Kelly, A.M. (1994). In fact, in any distribution of outcomes (positive or negative) across individuals, employee perceptions of fairness are important. Because these perceptions of fairness are related to both organizational functioning and employee satisfaction (Greenberg, 1990; Leventhal, 1980, cited in Kilbourne, L.M., OLeary-Kelly, A.M. (1994), organizational scholars and practitioner equally are interested in understanding them. As a result, managers must try to communicate with their employees frequently to understand their feelings or perceptions towards inequity or any dissatisfaction on work. Adams (1965) equity theory proposes that an individual who believes an exchange is inequitable will be motivated to achieve equity or reduce inequity. According to the theory, individuals determine if exchanges are equitable by computing the ratio of perceived personal outcomes (rewards) to perceived inputs (contributions) and comparing this ratio with the perceived outcome/input ratio of some comparison referent that they have chosen. If inequality is perceived, the individual is expected to experience tension and to be motivated to respond either cognitively or behaviorally to restore equity. By the way, an employer can also prevent consequences from perceptions of inequity. For example, Skarlicki and Folger (1997, cited in Redmond 2010) found that employees that are treated with respect are more likely to tolerate unfair pay. Whether the pay or compensation is actually unfair might be irrelevant. To the employee a perception of unfair compensation is the same as actual unfair compensation. So, if an employee has a perception of inequity in their compensation they might be more willing to tolerate their perception of unfair pay if they are treated with respect by their employer. Then they will be less likely to decrease their inputs or engage in counter-productive work behaviours to compensate for a perception of underpayment inequity. So, in addition to establishing fair distribution and procedures in an organization, employers should always treat their employees with respect. This can help maintain or increase motivation and prevent problems that stem from perceptions o f under reward. Employers also need to remember that employees can value different outcomes. For example, younger employees tend to value more pay (Miles, et. al., 1994, cited in Redmond 2010). Even if an employee receives a higher salary than their co-worker they could still develop a perception of inequity if that co-worker has a flexible schedule, and a flexible schedule is more valuable to them than extra salary. To combat this problem, employers can implement two strategies. First, they could continually request feedback from employees to determine what they value and how they would prefer to be compensated. Another strategy used by employers is to offer a choice in benefits. For example, one employee might want to use a health flexible spending account while another employee might prefer to have a dependent care flexible spending account. Employers can offer choices on health or dental insurance as well as other choices among benefits. This type of plan, called a cafeteria sty le, allows employees to select outcomes that they value most. This can help prevent perceptions of inequity because each employee has the outcomes that they value the highest. This helps increase their ratio of inputs to outcomes when compared to their co-workers. Employers can also utilize intangible rewards such as a pat on the back, a luncheon, or even simple praise in front of co-workers. These simple intangible rewards can help balance a measure of inputs and outcomes. 9. Conclusion by Loh Sin Yee After we have studied the problem and revised on the research done by several researchers, we can now understand about Equity theory and underpayment equity. Additionally, the five senior representatives must know how to balance or correct the inequity feelings towards newly hired representatives. They are encouraged to use the behavioural approaches to change the input or outcome of their comparative other. Furthermore, it is important for managers to understand and prevent consequences from perceptions of inequity by employees. Equity theory of motivation, developed in the early 1960s by Adams (1965), recognizes that motivation can be affected through an individuals perception of fair treatment in social exchanges.  When compared to other people, individuals want to be compensated fairly for their contributions. The organization may need to recognize the different interpretations inherent with such group of employees and devise a strategy for effectively managing their different perceptions. 10. References by Ng Hui Ming Redmond, B.F. (2010).   Lesson 5:   Equity theory:   Is what I get for my work fair compared to others? Work Attitudes and Motivation.  The Pennsylvania State University World Campus. Adams, J.S. (1965). Inequality in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp.267-299). New York: Academic Press. Williamson, K., Williams, K.J. (2010). Organizational justice, trust and perceptions of fairness in the implementation of agenda for change. Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The College of Radiographers, United Kingdom. Radiography 17 (2011) 61-66. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from www.elsevier.com/locate/radi. Colquitt, J.A., Scott, B.A., Judge, T.A., Shaw, J.C. (2006). Justice and personality: Using integrative theories to derive moderators of justice effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 100 (2006) 110-127. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp. Brown, G., Bemmels, B., Barclay, L.J. (2010). The importance of policy in perceptions of organizational justice. Journal of human relations. 63(10) 1587-1609. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://hum.sagepub.com/content/63/10/1587. Sora, B., Caballer, A., Peiro, J.M., Silla, I., Gracia, F.J. (2010). Moderating influence of oganizational justice on the relationship between job insecurity and its outcomes: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Economic and Industrial Democracy. 31(4) 613-637. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://eid.sagepub.com/content/31/4/613. Karriker, J.H., Williams, M.L. (2009). Organizational Justice and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Mediated Multifoci Model. Journal of Management 2009. 35:112. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://jom.sagepub.com/content/35/1/112. Roch, S.G., Shanock, L.R. (2009). Organizational Justice in an Exchange Framework: Clarifying Organizational Justice Distinctions. Journal of Management 2006 32: 299. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://jom.sagepub.com/content/32/2/299. Kilbourne, L.M., OLeary-Kelly, A.M. (1994). A Reevaluation of Equity Theory: The Influence of Culture. Journal of Management Inquiry 1994 3: 177. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://jmi.sagepub.com/content/3/2/177. Paula W. P. (2006). Procedural justice and voice effects. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict. Retrieved 23 Feb, 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1TOT/is_1_10/ai_n25009730/.

Successful Maybank Strategy In Market Marketing Essay

Successful Maybank Strategy In Market Marketing Essay Strategy is a high level plan of an organization to achieve their goals which means that it shows what the organization wants to achieve and how the organization achieve their goals. In other word, strategy is a comprehensive plan that sets long term direction and guides resources allocation to accomplish an organizations objectives. (LoPresti, 2009) Strategy involve the purpose of the organization, the goals and objectives of the organization and the plans and methods to achieve the organizations goals and objectives which we normally knows as vision, mission, objective, and tactics.(Anon) Vision and Mission Vision can be define as what the organization wants to be. Furthermore, it is a long term view which concentrates on the future. Mission explains why the business exists, and how it achieve its vision. In additional, mission supposed to be easily to understand by their staff, and customers. Defining organizations vision and mission can leading to its success. In additional, most of the successful and profitable companies are proudly to display and live theirs. (MCEACHRAN, 2011) Objective Objective is the heart of a business. It give a clear indication of where the business is heading and what it is striving to achieve. (Pierrepont, 2012) In other words, objectives monitor the progress and keep the company focus on goals. The objective of organization should be measurable, realistic and achievable based on the actual capabilities of the business. Besides that, objective should contain a specific time deadline and refer to a specific outcome to be effective. (E.Hamilton, 2001) Tactic Tactic is the planned and ad hoc activities meant to deal with the demands of the moment, and to move from one milestone to other in pursuit of the overall goal(s) (WebFinance, Inc., 2013) In other words, tactic is something the organization willing to change to meet the local conditions. This means that tactics is a short term method which set by line management and taken to accomplish strategy. (Riley, 2012) Strategy is seemed like a managements game plan which to running the business by strengthening the firms competitive position, satisfying the customers and achieving performance targets. Besides that, Strategy is also about to satisfying the needs of stakeholders, to blending of internal resources and the direction in which the organization is going. With the existence of strategy, the organization can determine the basic long term goals and the objective of the organization. Besides that, the organization also can determine the method or action to allocation of resources necessary to achieve the goals. Strategy is concerned with deciding what business an organization should be in, where it wants to be and how it is going to get there. (Riley, 2012) 4.0 The Successful of Maybank Strategy in Market The pressure on banks in this region is tremendous. To attract consumers requires more than just innovative products. Products can be copied, and pricing can be reduced by aggressive competitors. We must also look at the timing and the way we communicate with our customers. Building a valued relationship by identifying and understanding their needs is the best way to attract and retain customers. (Teradata, 2011) said by Mohd. Fadzil Bin Ismail, the head of Customer Relationship Management for Maybank. Maybank executives realize that the banking syatem nowadays had become a relationship-driven business in worldwide. Essentially, banking product are viewed as commodities, and the price can be reduced by aggressive competitors. However, the relationship between the bank and its customer can act as a key to success. Thus, Maybank had shifted its competitive strategy from concentrating on the product selling to focus on building the customer relationships. The goal of Maybank was to increase their understanding of customer and improve each customers experience during the interactions with Maybank, and thereby increasing the customers retention, loyalty and profitability. To achieve this goal, Maybank had launched a new Analytical Customer Relationship Management (aCRM) project in 2007. The goal of Analytical Customer Relationship Management was to help Maybank to better understanding their customers by communicating with them at the right time and using the right channel. Customer Relationships Management (CRM) is treated as a core function. We have invested in an Analytical Customer Relationship Management (aCRM) system which enables us to go beyond meeting customers current expectations, allowing us to anticipate their future needs in a proactive manner (Maybank, 2012) The Analytical Customer Relationship Management has driving their business growth and increasing the customer satisfaction. With this strategy, Maybank had increased the marketing campaign success rate by ten times. Lead generation times were slashed from weeks to hours, new campaign time to market was cut from weeks to days, and the average conversion rate jumped from a low of 0.3% to an average of 8% and a high of 30%. From the commencement of the project in August 2007 until late 2009, Maybank gained RM 3.0 billion (USD 961 million) in new sales (Maybank, 2010) In July 2010, Maybank has reframed its vision and mission to accelerate its transformation journey. The new vision of Maybank is to become a leading regional financial services provider by 2015 while and the new mission is to humanise the financial services from the heart of Asean. (Ang, 2010) To achieve this goal, the ability to offer a superior value proposition to customers is necessary and this is not a small challenge especially in the hyper competitive banking market. 6.0 Solutions In recent years, Maybank make strategic changes designed to enhance the consumer experience to improve their relationship with customers. Thus, Maybank had introduced a lot of product which designed to enhance the financial well-being of its customers. Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) programme A process that automate the generation of bills to third parties such as customers or business, and thhereby providing a comprehensive bill payment service to customers. (Maybank, 2011) Foreign Currency Mudharabah-i (FCM-i) account The first short-term Islamic foreign currency term deposit account in Malaysia which based on the principle of Mudharabah (the concept of profit sharing between bank and its customer).

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy :: Thomas Hardy

Far From the Madding Crowd is considered the first great novel of Thomas Hardy. Margaret Drabble, editor and novelist, cites the novel as "the first of Thomas Hardy's great novels, and the first to sound the tragic note for which his fiction is best remembered" (Hardy xiii). Hardy was born in 1840 and began life as an architect. He wrote his first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, in 1867. It was not received well. Four years later he wrote three more novels, two anonymously and one bearing his name; they were received slightly better then the first. His popularity and fame did not bloom until the release of his fifth novel, Far From the Madding Crowd. This novel launched him into the public eye and helped him to become the amazing writer and creator of the Wessex novels, as we know him today. The major turning point in Hardy's life was the reception of his novel, Jude the Obscure. Because of the major conflict concerning the book and it's readers, Hardy swore to never write fiction again. Approximately thirty years later, after writing some poetry and short stories, Hardy dies and is buried next to Dickens in Westminster Abbey. His heart is buried in the Wessex countryside in the parish churchyard at Stinsford. Far From the Madding Crowd is the first of Hardy's notorious Wessex novels. The main characters in the novel are Bathsheba Everdene, Gabriel Oak, Sergeant Troy and Farmer Boldwood. The novel begins with Oak and Everdene being introduced and Oak asking for Everdene's hand in marriage. She, of course, says no. After Oak's sheep are killed in a freak accident, he must venture out and look for new work and winds up on Everdene's farm in Weatherby where he becomes head shepherd. Everdene continues to flirt with Oak and also with the neighboring landowner, Boldwood, whom ends up proposing to her as well. Again, her reply is, no. Finally we are introduced to the young Sergeant Troy, who also asks for Bathsheba's hand in marriage and this time we are shocked to find out the her reply was, yes! Towards the end of the novel we find out that Troy has also seduced and impregnated a young milkmaid who has died in childbirth. Boldwood goes crazy and kills Troy because of his passion for Bathsheba and her refusal of him, and Bathsheba ends up betrothed to Oak.

Increase in Young Criminals :: Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Increase in Young Criminals Increased youth crime rate is caused largely by absent fathers as a result of divorce made too easy. Consider this chilling forecast. When we pass the year 2000, we will see two groups of working age adults emerging. One group will have received psychological, social, economic, educational and moral benefits and the other group will have been denied them all. The first group will have grown up with a father present in the house and the second group will have not had a father present. The groups will be roughly equal in size. In order to be divorced in my parent's era of the fifties, one mate had to be proven adulterous. Legally, one party was deemed guilty and one was innocent. That finding affected each party financially and socially enough so that most couples tried hard not to divorce. In Canada the rate of divorce in 1951 was one out of twenty couples. In the late sixties, the "sexual revolution" began and couples rebelled against the constraints of marriage. Movie makers and journalists became rich extolling the virtues of free love and liberation. The addition of more grounds for divorce and the elimination of the need to appear in court made it easier for couples to split. Now there are "no fault" divorces which further decrease the stigma. By 1987 one out of two couples divorced. Since then, the annual divorce rate has dipped slightly. The stigma is almost gone. Books are written about doing your own divorce. One can obtain a low budget quickie divorce by phone or fax to the Dominican Republic in about three days. There are "divorce parties". Even the Royal Family discusses its divorce dilemmas on t.v. The divorce picture is not all rosy. According to sociologist Lenore Weitzman, divorced women get by on about 64% of the income they had during marriage. For their children, this translates into less money for school activities, clothes, opportunities for traveling and learning, day care and sometimes food. Children can be called on to do adult tasks before they are ready, like caring for younger siblings. Older children may be required to work long hours at a job to help bring money to the family. As a result, they may fall behind in their school work. After a while, the child may feel it is hopeless to try to keep up and decide to quit school.

Managemen: a case study of wb engineering limited

The flexible nature of management of small and medium scale firm has made the management style in this structure of organization to be difficult. The structure and the size of resources available to small and medium scale organizations these have jointly constituted a factor that makes the management styles in small firms to be at variance with what is obtainable in large-scale organizations. In the view of Slatter (1992:159) cited Collins & Ram, 2003, â€Å"managing fast growth in entrepreneurial firms is one of the most difficult challenges that exists†. Owners often struggle to balance the flexibility required to keep pace with customers demands, with the stability needed to provide employees with a sense of continuity and security. Hence management essentially comprises a careful balancing act between strong leadership and decentralized task-oriented management; and processes involving organizational cohesion and those promoting individual responsibility (Collins & Ram, 2003). As a small and medium scaled firm expands and begin to transform into a large sized organization there is the need for such transformation to be commensurate to changes in management style that hitherto had being practiced; this need be done so that a lacuna would not be created and a lost of touch and proper control of the expanding resources. There is also the need to be awoken to current trend in our everyday dynamic business environment. The non-adherence to these little but significant facts has rendered many well to do but poorly managed organizations to die a premature death. This write up would be looking at those factors that had imposed the difficulty our case study (WB Engineering Limited) is passing through. WB Engineering Limited is a small firm having the aim to develop into a medium scale firm. The coordination of the firm’s human resource portends an impending difficulty to the moving forward of the firm to its next developmental level. Adrian and Grey are both managers of the small firm. Adrian’s relocation to Spain from US where the business located, kept Grey in a tight corner on how to effectively manage the firm’s resources. The immediate cause of the firm’s problem and recommended solutions on how to curtail this problem would be proffered. CONCEPTUALIZATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ORGANIZATION The term ‘small’ is a relative one it is not absolute. The line separating small from large is in a continuum and an issue that is inevitably arbitrary. According to Odaka & Sawai (1999), â€Å"small business is a generic concept. Being the antonym of big business, its social significance becomes clearer when placed in the historical context where the latter first appeared in the world economy†. Bolton 1971, cited in Bannock (2005), he identified three characteristics in its economic definitions of a small firm: A small market share, that is not large enough to influence national price or qualities (even though a village shop may be the only one, its prices cannot get too far out of line from those of major national retailers in the nearest town, even though people will pay something for local convenience) Managed in a personalized way: the owner actively participates in all aspects of the business unlike in a large firm where the shareholders and management are usually almost entirely separate. Independence or the exercise of ultimate management responsibility. A small subsidiary of a large firm, which has a head office to report to, does not share these characteristics. The above characteristics are usually identified with vast majority of business, which are inherently small in size. The study of small firms revolves around it five major features which include {1} Existence {2} Survival. {3} Success {4} Take-off {5} Resource maturity.   And these are regarded as the five stages in small business growth (Churchill & Lewis, 1983). These five stages go a long way to influence and determine the success that trails the small business historical growth. ADDUCED REASONS LEADING TO THE FALL OF WB ENGINNEERING LIMITED Transition from a small or medium size of business organization to a large entity, it requires the need to restructure the organizational structure and also the organizational strategy should be enhanced to be in tune with the new status the organization is attaining. Managing a fast growing entrepreneurial firm as that of WB Engineering is a onerous task that requires adequate managerial dexterity in balancing the flexibility required to keep pace with customer demands, alongside with the stability needed to provide employees with a sense of continuity and security in the transitional organization. One way of doing this is through a strong leadership in the organization that provides a key role in overcoming the confusion that usually accompanies growth and is necessary to build and maintain the cohesiveness of the organization. According to Collins & Ram (2003), â€Å"management essentially comprises a careful balancing act between strong leadership and decentralized task- oriented management; and processes involving organizational cohesion and those promoting individual responsibility†. Looking at the case study, WB Engineering Limited had missed the mark in a cohesive management of its expanding business and the leadership style adopted had being one of a centralized and undemocratic. The WB Engineering organization started well as a small entrepreneurial firm that adequately managed its resources and put in that individual- centralized managerial skill required at this stage of the business. But as the organization expands and transforms into a conglomerate status; integrating on a vertical level and diversification of resources and operations level, it then requires that at this developmental and transitional level in the organization that a cohesive maintenance of the organization is adopted through a strong leadership that exhibit a decentralized and democratic leadership style. The focus here is that WB Engineering Limited failed to give room for experts trained in specific managerial skills to assist in managing the growth of the organization. This became visible when Adrian moved to Spain, Gary felt totally abandoned and helpless. Assuming there is a decentralized structure in place, the absence of Adrain would not have constituted a big effect. His absence would have being adequately covered. It thus invariably signifies that the management has being one that is centralized even in this assuming state of the expansion of the organization. This had helped in the collapse of the organization. The no cohesive management of the organization again is reflected in the disconnected and autonomous management of the specialised units within the company as a group of satellites. The uncoordinated nature of the management of the organization shows the lapses in management style; which is another factor that has contributed to the fall in WB Engineering Limited. The lapses in managerial style adopted by Gary and Adrain is the lack of consultation with specialist before embarking on projects and also the lack of proper forecasting and research before venturing into a new business environment. Though, the WB Engineering Limited spent a whooping sum (2million pounds) in consulting professional and legal fees, this was done after the deal has being signed and as a way of restructuring the organization, after the acquisition of ESR, to be floated as a public organization. Assuming a little part of the sum had being spent in managerial consultancy and proper forecasting and research work, prior to the time the deal of acquiring ESR, this would have enable WB Engineering Limited to foresee the possibility of the acquisition as a dead trap, and an alternative measure would have being taking to avert the impending consequences. It is seen that the management style of the WB Engineering Limited had failed to grow out of its old shell and imbibe current management techniques and adopting strategic planning for the transitional organization. As it is a noticeable fact, management style in small firms have been more on operational plan than strategic plan. While strategic plan is conceived as â€Å"a written long-range plan, which includes both a corporate mission statement and a statement of organizational objectives operating planning on the other hand is defined as the setting of short-term objectives for specific functional areas such as finance, marketing, and personnel† (Shrader, et al 1989). A strategic planning needs adequate forecasting and researching. The embarking on projects without proper forecasting and re searching on consequences and building alternatives plan had being the waterloo of WB Engineering Limited when it acquired ESR. According to Orpen, â€Å"strategic planning benefits small firms by causing them to explore new alternatives for increasing sales and improving their competitive advantages (ibid). The management of WB Engineering Limited failed to recognize the significance of business environment in influencing the outcome of business operation. The preference for racing car in the UK market is different from what is obtainable in the US market. First impression matters a lot. The first introduced model of racing car in ESR by WB Engineering Limited, with a lesser quality in comparison with its other produce had beclouded the mind of prospecting customer, even when a winning model was reengineered by the company best engineering hands; little was done to safeguard the already battered image of the immerging firm (WBE-ESR organization) in US. Another factor that had contributed to the fall of WB Engineering Limited is the lack of concentrating all its resources directly at the operation it is having an upper hand. The organization had no specialized operation area; it is thus becoming Jack of all trade and master of none. Since the organization had cut an ace for itself in technical expertise and project engineering skill to mainstream automotive market, it ought   to have concentrated its resources in consolidating its operation around this   area, rather than dabbling into other areas like   owning a car racing team, and other project that is unrelated to it core area of operation. Concentrating and being specialized in a function makes the organization the master in such operation, hence competitive advantage over its rivals, even in this modern dynamic business world. From the given extract of WB Engineering Limited historical antecedents, it is observed that the organization ha a poor human relationship with its workers. They are not adequately informed and carried along in the organization scheme of operation. This is reflected where senior employees of the organization began to question the strategic direction of the organization. This shows that initially the senior employees were not partakers to the strategic planning. This also goes back to support the centralized and non consultative pattern which the management of the organization operates. The non involvement of workers especially the senior workers in the organization strategy planning, this had given them no sense of belonging in the organization, hence the lack of zeal to pursue the organizations objectives and goals. According to Marlow & Patton (1993), â€Å"the effective management of employees is also emerging as a key variable in the survival of mall firms†. The management of workers and non-consultation attitude of the management had contributed to the poor relationship of human resource in the organization with the management. CHANGES TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVENESS The WB Engineering Limited need to adopt changes in ways it operates and the organizational structure for it to improve on its effectiveness. The under listed are ways the organization can achieve its effectiveness. First, there is a need that the organization restructures its management structure, which hitherto had been a centralized and undemocratic one. A decentralized organizational structure permits room for participation and workers contributing their innovative ideas in ways that would spur the organization ahead and make it compete vigorously with its rivals and attaining greater customer satisfaction. Thus, there is the need that the management of WB Engineering is decentralized, the strategic planning of the organization should not be left to only Adrain and Gary; workers involvement would go a long way to effect a positive change in the organization. Also, the need to adopt a formal structure in the organization would also aid in bringing an effective management structure where each worker knows who to report to and the responsibility expected of him. There is also the need for the organization to build a more beneficial relationship between the organization’s human resource and the management. Since the WB Engineering Limited is becoming vast in its operations, it should imbibe those strategic operations adopted by large organization; thus there is the need to carry out a strategic human resource management. According to Bacon et al (1996), cited in Wagar (1998), â€Å"small business managers are increasingly aware of new management ideas, and a number of organizations have implemented initiatives traditionally identified with large firm†. Thus the strategic human resource management has to do with the organization using its human resource in jointly drawing out strategies on which the organization would operate on. In modern times† firms were most likely to report sharing business information with employees and rapid change, keeping employees informed is important† (Wagar, 1998). The WB Engineering Limited should do more to incorporate more effective forecasting and consultative research prior to embarking on projects. This would not only   safe the organization from engaging in wrong business and project deals, but also enable it know how to manage its resources in the most rewarding   way. There is also the need for a well coordinated chain of the organization’s satellites businesses. This should be synchronized toward achieving same goal. The different group of satellites and other operational areas of the WB Engineering conglomerate should be coordinated in a fashion to jointly work towards achieving the goal of the organization. As earlier stated, the organization should concentrate its resources in the area of technical expertise and project engineering which over the years had being its major profit maximizing venture. It is also suggested that the acquired ESR in U.S. since this has being the waterloo and the immediate cause of the impediment to the growth of WE Engineering Limited; this should be made to enter into a strategic alliance with other thriving organization in the United States. Instead of a full merger, the organization resources and managerial know-how can form an alliance with other effective organization in strategizing a way of moving the organization through a symbiotic relationship. This will give the organization the ability to take advantage of the environment in which it operates. Lastly, it is suggested that in this ever dynamic contemporary business world, the organization should follow the trend of the time and adapt to modern management techniques; such as strategic human resource management, Total Quality management (TQM), having competitive advantage through product differentiation. When these are adopted it would give the organization an edge over its rival and make the WB Engineering Limited regain its lost glory in the race car construction industry. REFRENCES Bannock, Graham (2005), The Economic and Management of Small Business: An International Perspective. New York: Routledge Publisher. Collins, L. & Ram, M. (2003), â€Å"Managing the Entrepreneurial Firm† Stream 9: Critical realist in Perspectives on Entrepreneurial Organization and Discourses. June http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/cmsconfrence/2003/proceedings/criticalrealist/collins.pdf (06/03/06) Neil C Churchhill and Lewis, V. L. (1983), the Five Stages of Small business Growth. Harvard Business Review, 61, 2-11 Shrader, C.B. et al (1989), â€Å"Strategic and Operational Planning, Uncertainty and Performance in Small Firms† in Journal of Small Business Management Vol. 27, No. 4 Odaka, K. & Sawai, M. (1999), Small Firms, Large Concerns, The development of Small Business in Comparative Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P1. Wagar, Terry H. 91998), â€Å"Determinants of Human Resource management Practices in Small Firms: Some evidences from Atlantic Canada† in Journal of Small Business Management Vol.36, No.2.            

1. Carefully Explain the Concept of Economic Meltdown. Answer: the Term Economic Meltdown Is the Going Down of the Rate of Economic Activity of a Country, in the Simplest Term, Economic Meltdown, Could Be Called

1. Carefully explain the concept of economic meltdown. Answer: The term economic meltdown is the going down of the rate of economic activity of a country, in the simplest term, economic meltdown, could be called economic â€Å"Go-slow† just like traffic jam which grind. The first and foremost action that an organization must take is to cut cost, this is because during these tough times, we all must make the utmost effort to save money, take care of expenses such as electricity stationery unnecessary wastage of resources in factories, office and other work places. One would of course face a lot of problem but there are solutions. Again instead of sacking employees, a pay cut of say 11-16% for the employees is a more acceptable solution than carrying off people. The government is required to take action by cutting down taxes so that people will have more money to spend and therefore the economy can come back to track. 2. What are likely the causes and effect of economic meltdown on cost of production in an organization. The likely causes of economic meltdown in cost of production in an organization are: a. The culture of the people within the immediate vicinity as it affects the employees, belief systems, byelaws and traditions. b. The organizational market-share and protection, its financial capabilities, resources availability, credibility and goodwill c. The nations economic position, competition from internal and international organizations, supplies of production equipment and materials. . High rate of importation: this has been a great menace to the production of a company as many commodities are imported and on the long run other economies benefits e. Inflation: The effect of inflation is not distributed evenly in the economy and as a consequence there are short fall of money and goods. The supply of money is a major, but not the only cause of inflation, organization for economic cooperation and development. However, frequent economic meltdown that could not be explained scholar’s though accelerated consumption and production of goods and services. From economic crisis of 2008 (According to the National Bureau of Economic Research) much of the over production turned to cause deflation. f. Poor health. Due to poor animal husbandry production and storage this demand for milk far outstipping supplies use of other potentially harmful chemical. g. Nuclear power: Nuclear waste production transport and cost over runs on nuclear plants due to regulatory issues.