The Pressing Problem In The Prison System Criminology Essay

The Pressing Problem In The Prison System Criminology Essay There are three custodial establishments for young people, they are Young offender institutions, Secure training centres and Secure childrens homes. The Standing Committee for Youth Justice (2010) reported that during the period of 1989 to 2009, the child custody population in England and Wales increased by 795%. There is no obvious evidence showing that the youth crime become more serious recently, but more young people was sent to prisons. These large amounts of young prisoners have already brought a big pressure to the prison system, and it has become an alarming issue in England and Wales. The prison lives are much more badly than we imagined. They are neglected from the society, some of you may say they are put in the prison because they commit crime, it is fair enough. Incarceration of offenders may have deterrence effect as they will not further commit crime in the future, but the truth is the reoffending rate still stays high. For this, I always doubt Do we need to incarcerate all under-age offenders? and Do prisons work for all offenders?. Prison may cause more personal and social problems that we never expect. Also, children who sentenced to prisons have their own problems or difficulties before they getting sent to prison, it may include poor family backgrounds or drugs abuse, etc. These make the prison system more difficult to handle these children, and thus causing the problem of resources and management. Many concerning parties are doing different reforms as they want to reduce the number. Prison Reform Trust is one of the charities who promote alternatives to custody. It has launched a new campaign Out of Trouble especially helps those children and young people who are imprisoned in the UK. Also, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 36(d) stated that custody be used as a last resort. However, Prison Reform Trust criticized the juvenile court doesnt follow it strictly. Everyone understands that the statuses of children and adult are different, it is assumed that child should have more chance than adult. Children are important capital to our future society, so the prison system has greater responsibilities to help those youth offenders a better future. Under this perspective, people always argue about the purpose of imprisoning a child should be different from the adult one too. Society always place greater hope on these groups of vulnerable children. No matter the society, professionals or the government, they will put greater emphasis on rehabilitation rather than punishment, but the problem is how to make a balance between punishment and rehabilitation? The first thing to concern about is resources, thats the money-cost. Many news reports complained that youth custody spent too much but with an unpleasant outcome in return. Every year many millions of pounds are wasted for locking up children for committing both violent and non-violent offences, it is extremely costly but fails to reduce the amount of crime. According to the report Punishing costs: How locking up children is making Britain less safe(2010), Aleksi Knuutila stated that holding a child in prison costs about  £100,000 a year in England and Wales. Prison Trust Reform always argues that some very minor offences will result in custodial sentences, and they state that non-violent crime offenders should not be sentenced to prison as it is a waste of resources. However, the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behavior (2010) showed a disappointing result of reconviction rate, three quarters of all young people leaving custody re-offend within a year which means almost three out of four young offenders reoffend within a year after they release. We have already paid many millions for these youths, but we just did very little to change their behavior and protect the society. Except the money cost, we can see that the present system has limit ability to help these vulnerable child back to the right tracks. At first, people believe harsher punishment can help to deter them from doing further criminal behavior. But the truth is that the lives in prison make youngsters get closer to crime, or even breeding them into professional criminals. This is one of the struggle points for the prison system to manage and allocate those youngsters in the right places. The prison system also needs to try their best to ensure that children in prison still have their proper lives, which include giving them educational support and mentally support. As children are valuable capitals to our future society, although they did something wrong, they still have the chance to learn. Education is important to youngsters at any places, this can help youngsters to build up different kinds of skills and abilities, thus integrate back to normal life easier when they release. Most of the public support that youth institutions should give education and training to the children in prisons, this places great pressure on the prison system yet they have already put a lot of resources in providing children different education and training inside the prisons. Moreover, there is still statistics showed that the prison system is not doing enough for the children. According to the report Training planning for children and young people (2010), it stated that prisons are failing to adequately prepare young people for release. One of the problems is that there is lack of accredited offending behavior programmes for the young prisoners. Even those young prisoners set up some targets for their training plans, they may not find suitable programme to achieve them through the imprisonment period. Also, it is reported that many children release from prisons till have difficulties in their learning. This showed that the prison system doesnt spend well, and they cannot learn what they should learn in the prisons. Special attention should also be put on childs psychological needs. Inside the prison, juvenile will be allocated into different cells. It is not easy to adapt the prison lives, and it may cause them different psychological problems, such as depression. The Standing committee for youth justice report (2010) stated that Boys in custody are 18 times more likely to suicide than children in the community. We can see that it is a serious problem inside the prisons. However, it is not possible for all prison officers to have specific training to handle these problems. If the problem is ignored for a certain period of time, it may cause them suffer from some more serious mental problems. Handling the psychological needs of offenders has become one of the responsibilities of the prison system, but resources are limited for them. Again, it places greater pressure on prisons work. Evidences of reconviction rate have also showed that the present prison system is failing to restore and rehabilitate children in their prison lives. The prison system should ensure the children learn from their mistakes and the moral values through their sentences. It is important for youngsters to understand what is right and wrong, and why they are punished, it can reduce the possibilities of reoffending. However, it may bring some negative effects to the child and society, and even cannot facilitate them in reintegration and rehabilitation. Organizations of protecting children always advocate the use of community sentences, for this, children can learn from community and learn in community. Community support is important to youth offenders, if they build up good relationship with the community, they can be integrate back into the community more easily. However, the prison system does not do much in this area and still has rooms for improvement. As mentioned above, youth prison is required to do differently. Not only punishing them for their wrongdoings, but to fix their brain. It is important to do more about rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration. Children are vulnerable and relatively inexperienced with the world, they are easily affected by the external factors. If child only arrange to do some routine works in prison, it is impossible for us to change their behavior. The system need to develop a different approach for them as it has greater responsibilities to restore and reform them. However, it is not a simple task. Setting up and working with a system which is different from the adult system, it has already made child in custody under 18 the most pressing issue in the prison system. Prison officers have many challenging works like providing children proper educational support in prison, taking care of child psychological needs, working with communities, doing work of rehabilitation, etc. All these work has given the prison system many challenges and making the child in custody under 18 becomes the most pressing issue in the prison system. Words : 1541 References Standing Committee for Youth Justice (2010), Raising the custody threshold. Available from:, The Howard League for Penal Reform Web site: http://www.scyj.org.uk/files/Raising_the_custody_threshold_SummaryAug10_FINAL.pdf [Accessed: November 2, 2010] Youth Justice Board (2010), Youth justice system : Custody figures . Available from:, Youth Justice Board Web site: http://www.yjb.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/643A66F6-0DFC-4621-90C0-8EA27AD9FA99/0/SecureMonthlyReportAugust2010.xls [Accessed: November 2, 2010]. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1990), United Nations Convention on the Rights. Available from:, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Web site: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm [Accessed: November 2, 2010]. Aleksi Knuutila (2010), Punishing costs: How locking up children is making Britain less safe. Available from:, The New Economics Foundation Web site: http://www.outoftrouble.org.uk/sites/default/files/nef_Punishing_Costs_0.pdf [Accessed: November 5, 2010] The Independent Commission On Youth Crime and Antisocial Behavior (2010), Time for a fresh start. Available from:, the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behavior Web site: http://www.youthcrimecommission.org.uk/attachments/076_FreshStart.pdf [Accessed: November 5, 2010]. Inspectorate of Prisons (2010), Training planning for children and young people. Available from:, Youth Justice Board Web site: http://www.justice.gov.uk/inspectorates/hmi-prisons/docs/Training_Planning_Thematic_rps.pdf [Accessed: November 5, 2010].

Analysis of Management and Leadership in Barclays Bank

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

Acid Rain :: Free Essay Writer

Modern society is becoming overwhelmed with great amounts of pollution from cars, factories, and an overabundance of garbage. The immense amounts of sulphur dioxide emitted into the air causes high levels of acid in the atmosphere. When this sulphuric acid is absorbed into moisture in the air, poignant rainfalls can be damaging to the external environment. Acid rain is a serious problem with disastrous effects. Each day this serious problem increases. Many people believe that this issue is too small to deal with right now, but this issue should be met head on and solved before it is too late.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acid rain is defined as any rainfall that has an acidity level beyond what is expected in non-polluted rainfall. Any precipitation that has a pH value of less than 5.6 is considered to be acid precipitation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main causes of acid rain is sulfur dioxide. Natural sources that emit this gas are volcanoes, sea spray, rotting vegetation, and plankton. However, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are largely to be blamed for approximately half of the emissions of this gas in the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nitric oxide and nitric dioxide are also components of acid rain. Its sources are mainly from power stations and exhaust fumes. Like sulfur dioxide, these nitrogen oxides rise into the atmosphere and are oxidized in clouds to form nitric acid. Acid rain has drastic effects on our environment. It causes lakes and rivers to become acidic, killing off fish. Short-term increases in acid levels kill lots of fish, but the greatest threat is from long-term increases, which stop the fish reproducing. Plants and algae in lakes also suffer from increased acid levels. When the pH gets down to 4.5, virtually everything is dead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does acid rain affect humans? Among one of the serious side effects of acid pollution on humans are respiratory problems. The SO2 and NO2 emissions give rise to respiratory problems such as asthma, dry coughs, headaches, eye, nose, and throat irritations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The best approach to acid rain is to reduce the amount of Nitrogen Oxides and Sulfur dioxides being released into the atmosphere. Fitting a catalytic converter to a car can reduce the emissions of nitrogen oxides by up to 90 percent, but they are very expensive, and cause more carbon dioxide to be released, which contributes to the greenhouse effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sulfur Dioxide emissions from power stations can be reduced before, during, or after combustion.

Psychological Problem Associated with Cerebral Palsy :: Health, Medical Research, Stress, Depression

Psychological Problems Associated with Cerebral Palsy Cerebral Palsy is a condition that limits physical abilities. This disability affects about one child in every five hundred children (Micheksen 405). Cerebral Palsy is mostly known to affect children by severe motor impairment, however; this disorder can affect a person in a psychological way too. A cross-sectional European Study was done by a group of eleven people focusing on the psychological impact of children with cerebral palsy (Michelsen 406) Eight hundred and eighteen children between the ages of eight and twelve were involved. The main goal of the â€Å"SPARCLE† study was to investigate if cerebral palsy relates to psychological and behavioral problems. A strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) was used as one way to detect emotional and behavioral abnormalities (Michelsen 406). Along with an Impact Score (IS) that was based on questions completed by family members answering a total of twenty-five questions. The total from the Impact Score was then computed to determine if the child’s behavior was abnormal or not (Michelsen 406). The results of the SDF showed that more than twenty-five percent of children participating showed abnormal results (Michelsen 410). It also showed that children with milder cerebral palsy had higher behavioral difficulties in comparison to children with more severe cases. The reason being that severe cerebral palsy prevents certain behaviors, such as fighting or cheating (Michelsen 410). The parental impact score survey showed that almost half of all participants agreed that their child suffered difficulties. When asked how often the family was affected by the child’s cerebral palsy forty-two percent answered, â€Å"Quite a lot† (Michelsen 409). Another forty percent of parents believe their child struggles with behavior and communication skills among children their age in school (Michelsen 410). The findings from the SDQ and SI tests determined that a significant number of children with cerebral palsy suffer abnormal behaviors. This study indicates that children with cerebral palsy suffer from psychological and behavior problems when trying to communicate mostly with family and peers. Based on a research done in the Netherlands self-perception, and over-all satisfaction was tested for relevance to psychological problems due to cerebral palsy. One hundred and ten children whose age were nine, eleven, and thirteen took place in this study (Schuengel 1252) Once again the children with cerebral palsy took self-assessment surveys that included subjects such as, physical performance, appearance, and if they were satisfied with their overall abilities (Schuengel 1253).

Copious Imagery within the Tragedy Othello :: Othello essays

Copious Imagery within the Tragedy Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   In the Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello there resides imagery of all types, sizes and shapes. Let us look at the playwright’s offering in this area.    In the essay â€Å"Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello† Robert B. Heilman discusses the significance of imagery within this play:    Reiterative language is particularly prone to acquire a continuity of its own and to become â€Å"an independent part of the plot† whose effect we can attempt to gauge. It may create â€Å"mood† or â€Å"atmosphere†: the pervasiveness of images of injury, pain, and torture in Othello has a very strong impact that is not wholly determined by who uses the images. But most of all the â€Å"system of imagery† introduces thoughts, ideas, themes – elements of the meaning that is the author’s final organization of all his materials. (333)    The vulgar imagery of Othello’s ancient dominates the opening of the play. Francis Ferguson in â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other† describes the types of imagery used by the antagonist when he â€Å"slips his mask aside† while awakening Brabantio:    Iago is letting loose the wicked passion inside him, as he does from time to time throughout the play, when he slips his mask aside. At such moments he always resorts to this imagery of money-bags, treachery, and animal lust and violence. So he expresses his own faithless, envious spirit, and, by the same token, his vision of the populous city of Venice – Iago’s â€Å"world,† as it has been called. . . .(132)    Standing outside the senator’s home late at night, Iago uses imagery within a lie to arouse the occupant: â€Å" Awake! what, ho, Brabantio! thieves! thieves! thieves! / Look to your house, your daughter and your bags!† When the senator appears at the window, the ancient continues with coarse imagery of animal lust: â€Å"Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is topping your white ewe,† and â€Å"you'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you'll have your nephews neigh to you; you'll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.†    After Brabantio and his search party have reached the Moor, he quiets their passions with imagery from nature: â€Å"Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.† The senator, thinking that his daughter has been â€Å"enchanted† by the Moor, employs related imagery in his confrontation with the general: â€Å"If she in chains of magic were not bound,† â€Å"foul charms,† â€Å"drugs or minerals / That weaken motion,† â€Å"practiser of arts inhibited,† â€Å"prison,† â€Å"bond-slaves and pagans.

Laboratory Report on the Effect of Acid Rain

1. ProblemAccording to an article, Acid Rain, by Novi Meadows Elementary, acid rain occurs in many parts of the world, no matter the climate difference. It is harmful not only to non-living things but especially to living things. It can affect humans, sea life and forests. This is because when the surroundings become too acidic, some living things die, like fish. Acid rain is formed when the pH, which is the measurement of acidity and basicity, of water is lower than 5.6.In relation with this, the group would like to investigate the effect of acidity on different seed crops by varying the pH level of its surroundings.2. HypothesisThe amount of seed germination will decrease as the surrounding of the seeds gets lower pH level, or becomes more acidic.3. ProcedureThe effect of varying pH levels on the germination of three different seed crops, Triticum aestivum (Wheat), Phaseolus sp. (Mung Bean) and Zea mays (corn) were investigated. Each group counted 25 seeds and placed them in petri dishes. Next, 20ml of solution of desired pH level (1, 3, 5 and 7) were poured into the petri dishes containing the seeds. The seeds were then observed for seven days wherein morphological changes in the seeds were noted. At the end of seven days, the number of seeds germinated in the petri dish was counted and the percentage of seed germination was calculated. The data was then compared with the other groups.4. ResultsTable 1 below shows the data gathered from the experiment. From the table, it canTable 1. Percentage of seed germination of Triticum aestivum (Wheat), Phaseolus sp. (Mung Bean) and Zea mays (corn) in pH levels 1, 3, 5 and 7.pH level Percentage of seed germination Triticum aestivum(Wheat) Phaseolus sp.(Mung Bean) Zea maysbe seen that there was 0% seed germination for Triticum aestivum in pH levels 1, 3 and 5. This is because in highly acidic environments, the cells in the seed are unable to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow. In accordance with that, there was also 0% seed germination at pH level 1 for both Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays.At pH level 3, there was 12% seed germination for Phaseolus sp. and 4% for Zea mays. This means that the seeds of these plants can grow in semi-acidic environments. However, it can also be noted that at a less acidic environment, pH level 5, the percentage of germination for Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays increased to 60% and 12%, respectively. This probably means that the cells of the seeds of the two plants are able to absorb more nutrients in less acidic conditions.On the other hand, at pH 7, the seed germination of Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays decreased to 28% and 0%, respectively. Probably these two plants cannot properly absorb the nutrients needed in a neutral condition. Interestingly, though, it is only at this pH level that Triticum aestivum begins to germinate. This means that it is only at this point that the conditions for seed germination are favorable for the seed.According to the article, Soil Facts †“ It's What We Don't See That Counts, by FrostProof.com, different plants require different pH levels to properly absorb the water and nutrients it needs. This is probably the reason why the maximum percentage of seed germination for each plant was in varying pH levels: 16% at pH 7 for Triticum aestivum, 60% and 12% at pH 5 for Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays, respectively.5. ConclusionFrom the results of the experiment and as stated in the hypothesis, it was concluded that the amount of seed germination will decrease as the acidity of the surrounding increases. In relation to this, acid rain could inhibit the growth of plants especially if its acidity is too high.Works CitedFrostProof.com. â€Å"Soil Facts – It's What We Don't See That Counts.† FrostProof.com. 6 November 2007 Novi Meadows Elementary. â€Å"Acid Rain.† 2002. Oracle Education Foundation: ThinkQuest Library. 6 November 2007

Evaluate the appropriateness of business information Essay

In this task I will be evaluating the appropriateness of business information used to make a strategic decision. In this part of the task I will be focusing on Tesco business. I will be talking about the importance in strategic decisions within Tesco and how they use the decisions for their business. Also I will be evaluating how the strategic decisions affect the financial performance of Tesco. Tesco Price Promise Website: Tesco uses the price checker to show customers that they are the cheapest supermarket out of the three leading supermarkets, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda. This is an important strategy for Tesco as they are able to gain customers as well as being competitors this leads to Tesco being able to make more profit compared to Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. Tesco has given this facility to people so that they are able to see where they have saved money and what they have got cheaper. Tesco has mainly got the price checker facility for themselves and this would be so that they can see what they need to do to be able to gain more customers as they are able to see what there consumers like. Tesco’s provide information which is valid and up to date so that it is easy and fast for the customers to compare the prices of every product they buy. This strategy is used to create marketing plans which then leads on to the strategic decisions made for Tesco. This is done by using the information as part of their marketing plan which will gain customers and maintain their business. Tesco Price Promise Receipt: Tesco doesn’t only provide their customers with the facility to go home and check on the internet how much they are saving but they also give their customer the opportunity to check how much they have saved compared to Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. This is done when they buy 10 or more items, they would automatically compare your final prices with the other supermarkets and give you two receipt of which one contains your main shopping list and prices and one says you have ‘ £ (something amount) off your next shop’ and this something amount is the amount of money you have saved in your shopping that same day. You are given two options at the bottom of the receipt which is where you can go to the customer service desk and get a voucher for the  amount you have shopped of using the code go onto online. Most importantly Tesco is giving the chance for you to do everything while shopping this is an advantage towards the customers as they would not want to go home and go through a long process whereas they can do it fast and much more easily. This increase profits the profit within the business as Tesco is providing you with products for cheaper and helping you. This also becomes more competitive against a rival as they have a way to increase customers and steal the customers there rivals have. This concludes to a positive financial performance as Tesco are gaining customers and earning a profit compared to other supermarkets. Tesco Club Card: Tesco has a club card facility, and this is a card which can be kept as a key ring as well as a card in your wallet. This allows you to gain points every time you shop at Tesco. This is also beneficial to Tesco as well because they are able to see what you have bought in your shopping basket and according to that they send you vouchers on your most bought items, allowing you to buy more. Also they give you vouchers so that you come back to Tesco as your shopping would be cheaper than it normally is, this attracts customers as they are saving money on their shop and this is what they want. This information Tesco is gaining helps them as they are able to achieve more customers so this increase the rival competitors and they are also gaining an increase in profit and customers due to the fact more people are shopping at Tesco and using the services they provide, this also means Tesco are able to develop even more. Tesco’s financial accounts from 2011-2012 The image above shows the financial highlights of Tesco within the world and the image on the right shows the financial highlights of Tesco in the UK. These figures reflect on the strategic decision as it would help Tesco to make future budgets and it also shows whether the services and facilities they have set up actually help make a profit for the business. Also it helps make long term decision like where they should expand next and how they would meet their aims. Also the price checker would has contributed to this as it has increased the amount of customers that shop at Tesco also it has shown people awareness of the Tesco business itself and this has increased the sales of Tesco which has been able to increase the sales revenue. Conclusion: Overall, I believe that Tesco has many strategies and these strategies help Tesco to make further decisions on what they will be doing as they would be aiming to increase profit, and become the better rivals. Tesco’s financial performance is getting better due to the better strategic decisions made within the company to increase profit and gain customers. Tesco uses the clever tools for them to be an effective company so that financial performances increase, which allows marketing plans to be made. This allows Tesco to create their strategic decisions, proving the information is appropriate.