Talent Management

Introduction Organisations require human resources with different expertise, talents and experiences to develop an orchestrate team; globalization has facilitated movement of labour across borders to the benefit of firms (Berger Berger, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Talent Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To benefit from free movement of labour, firms need to implement human resources management policies that can nature, develop and effectively tap human talents. The article by Burbach Royle, 2010, called Talent on Demand, discusses how talents can be managed within multinational companies. This paper discusses the main points brought about by the article. Talent management â€Å"Talent management as a corporate area of focus has been building steadily† (Burbach Royle, 2010). Talent management can be defined as a complex human resources management process where the human resources team develop measures and policies that facilitated in tapping human beings intellectual property. Globalisation has increased competition in modern business to a notch higher, companies need to improve their processes and products as well as innovate better processes and products. This can be done through the utilization of intellectualism and talents that a company has. Talent is seen as method of developing competitiveness within an organisation with an edge that other companies may not reach (Berger Berger, 2003). As much as talent management is a role played by human resources departments, it calls for collaboration of top and line managers to establish, develop and tap their human resources talents. On page 418, Burbach Royle are of the opinion that talent development is influenced by cultural and societal dissimilarities that human resources operate in, they discuss the differences in talent management approach in Germany and Ireland.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To manage effectively talents, an organisation should start by understanding the current strategies and processes and how they support talent management, with the understanding, they will be able to tap talents from entry level, nature, develop and retain them to the benefit of the organisation. When a talent has been developed, there should be effective passing out mechanism so as the benefits of the talents can benefit an entire organisation. A well-planned development assists the company to nurture, develop and retain employees with talents in the company. To facilitate talent development, knowledge development cannot be ignored; knowledge and talents are intangible assets, which are unique to different business and can be improved with experience and information interpolation (Burbach Royle, 2010). â€Å"Theoretically, global HRIS’s can play a key role in gathering a nd analysing talent management information and can be used to underpin the talent management process (Burbach Royle 2010, p.426). Discuss the issues relating to the use of HRIS’s in the global talent management system at Meddevco. Include some discussion of the outcomes resulting from these difficulties/issues. A number of issues face global HRIS talent management programs, the issues are at global, national and organisational level, they include: Resistance from international community For an effective HRIS talent management program, whether at Meddevco or any other country, the programs require support from international bodies and community. However there have been resistance and denied support by the community to support programs. An example is the resistance from European Union. Effects of domestic country local cultures Through at Meddevco the centralized control and reinforcement center is seen as the central point for management of talents, the success of the program has been affected by domestic policies and local culture. Psychological and emotional supports are necessary for an effective talent management program; however, this has been hard to come by.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Talent Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lack of management support Management has the role of establishing and growing talents within their organisations; they should implement policies that facilitate the emergence, growth, development and maturity of talents within their organizations. However, they have looked down the exercise and programs set by HRIS, the majority of managers at Meddevco are of the believe that talent management is another function of the human resources managers; they fail to realize in itself is an expensive task that needs special attention. When they leave the task to the human resources management alone, the success of the programs is likely to fail. Global and micro-political relationships When developing a global talent management program, some political issues that affect the development. Some countries are not willing to let their countries potential be shared with the world. Some countries like the United States feel they need to preserve their talents, this is seen as political and power building structures. When HRIS programs are faced with different issues as illustrated, the management of talents is limited to national and regional levels. At this rate, the potential that the world has is lost; the rate at which a country or company uses resources efficiently is reduced (Burbach Royle, 2010). Conclusion Globalisation has facilitated movement of labour across boundaries; the more human resources an economy has, the more talents it has. Personnel’s have different talents and capabilities; however, tapping these intellectual assets requires strategic human resources management policies that can nature, develops, an d manage talents. References Berger, A. Berger, D. (2003).The talent management handbook: creating organizational excellence by identifying, developing, and promoting your best people. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Burbach, R., Royle, T. ( 2010).Talent on demand: Talent management in the German and Irish subsidiaries of a US multinational corporation. Journal of Public Relations, 36,(4), 414-430.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This article on Talent Management was written and submitted by user Seamus Beck to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Romance of Tristan essays

The Romance of Tristan essays The Relationship of King Mark and Tristan The romance of Tristan, developed by Beroul in the twelfth century, is an epic poem that has helped historians receive a further understanding of life in the 11th and 12th centuries. The poem explores many of the relationships that were prevalent in this time period. One relationship that is dealt with in this story is the bond between a lord and his vassal. This can be seen through the interactions of King Mark and Tristan. The Romance of Tristan shows that the bond between lord and vassal was very complicated, and it was a relationship formed out of trust and admiration, as well as self-interest. In this paper I will explore the common roles in society for a knight and a king, and I will show how Tristan and King Mark show similarities to what many believe is a normal lord-vassal relationship. I will make detail on how this single relationship would effect society as a whole, and note how this bond influences other people. Finally, I will explain how this traditional story is very helpful for historians to paint a picture on how life really was in the 11th and 12th centuries, and share my views on interpreting this poem. On the social and political levels, medieval men had to obey his superiors...He had to show loyalty to his authorities...The greatest social virtue required of medieval man was obedience, justified by religion. This helps form the groundwork for the traditional knight/lord relationship. A lord was a knights superior, and is expected to be respected by his knight at all times due to this reason. The common knight would take this into account in the 11th and 12th centuries, but if he had the strength or desire to fulfill his own personal needs, he would take the opportunity to do so. It seems to me that there was always a certain level of trust that had to be measured during this time. Each party owed something to the oth...

Principles of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Principles of Marketing - Essay Example The report indicates that Thornton's PLC should focus on cutting down costs, improving convenience to consumers and enhancing communication. In doing this, there should be four main categories of services that the company need to focus on: Chocolate Sweets, Personalized Gifts, Hampers and Gift Ideas as well as Corporate Gifts. Based on the Boston Consulting Group model, it is recommended that Thorntons in Hull City should focus on the Star products that have high growth and high market share so that they expand on that and build profitability in the December markets. The paper concludes with guidelines on how to place, price, promote the Thornton chocolates in the December markets. ... ..........................14 Implementation and Control.......................................................................14 Increasing Fanbase......................................................................................15 Sales Increase Objectives & Budgeting Plans.............................................15 Introduction â€Å"The marketing plan sets out the marketing objectives of the company and suggest strategies for achieving these objectives† (Westwood, 2002 p5). This means that the marketing plan is a tool that supports a business to market its products to the public. The marketing plan is somewhat different from the firm's strategic plan and/or business plan. The marketing plan is specific and provides a strong blueprint for the promotion and marketing of a given product(s). The marketing plan lays out specific production objectives, financial objectives and personnel objectives for given products that are going to be sold (Westwood, 2002 p5). During Ch ristmas, sales increase tremendously. Stefanowicz identifies that sales in Christmas represents 14.3% of sales in the entire year (2010). This means that in a 12 month period, the month of December marks a disproportionately high level of demand for products. This trend could be attributed to the festive nature of the season and the fact that most people get a lot of bonuses in that people whilst others are prepared to spend more of their savings at this point in time. As such, it is appropriate for any business to have a marketing plan for such a period. This is because demand and sales could increase disproportionately in respect to the increase in the volume of buyers. This paper is a marketing plan for Thorntons PLC, a UK confectionery company. It examines how Thorntons can draw up a

The Evolution use and design of research centers in the world - 2 Essay

The Evolution use and design of research centers in the world - 2 - Essay Example Research Centers, Evolution and Architecture 1. Introduction The ongoing trend of research centers in the contemporary world is attributed to the formal beginning of research center in the 9th century. The importance of research centers is identified in the 9th century from where its benefits are being acquired in a significant manner today (Tash 9-11). The initial research centers were limited to observatories, which have expanded to several other disciplines by the evolution of time. In the contemporary world, there are several research centers which precisely deal with distinct important disciplines including medical and health sciences, chemistry, physics, sociology, psychology, astronomy and many more (Tash 22-27). Since the beginning of this significant trend in the world, the discipline of architecture has played an intrinsic role in the design and structure of research centers’ buildings (Narvaez, Panksepp and Schore 13-15). The evolution of this trend was accompanied with the evolution of architecture in which specific research facilities were designed in the latest state of the art with its contemporary times (Colquhoun 7-11). Out of many research centers, which are designed in concordance with its domain of discipline, there are specific research centers, which precisely incorporate the issues related to children. The idea of children research center is associated with the evolution of child development (Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development 31-33). This concern has hatched the initialization of children research centers. As the evolution in the consideration of child development led to the persisting trend of children research centers, the discipline of architecture has also pertained to the influence of this evolution (O'Connor 3-5). There are several significant elements, which are being incorporated in the architectural design of children research centers in the contemporary times. These elements include arts, spacious interior design, modernistic exterior of building, numerous levels of buildings with utility of glass, and friendly decor to the architecture of building (Colquhoun 45-51). These are the elements which have been illuminated through the evolution in the children research centers’ architecture. 3.1 History/Evolution (International & National) of Development of your Project. If your project has multiple functions/mixed use you should trace the evolution of these functions/types/uses. Offering examples is necessary The Beginning of the Children Research Centre The very first recorded children’s research and learning center was the Victoria Hospital for Sick Children that was built in 1892 by Darling and Curry Architectural Firm. It was built in Toronto, Canada as a hospital to serve sick children. It became the first children’s hospital to open a school within its walls (Hamilton & David 65). This school was meant to facilitate the transfer of skills and k nowledge that nurses and doctors had learnt in the hospital to new staff. In addition, it was meant for doctors, professionals, and scientists to exchange information on various children illnesses. Starting off as a hospital, the building was later abandoned as it became less suited for multiple departments. The building, first made

Handling the Dilemma over Community vs Institutional Corrections Essay Example for Free

Handling the Dilemma over Community vs Institutional Corrections Essay It is the first day of break and Jimmy wants to have a good time with his friends. Long story short, Jimmy decided to drive home drunk and crashed into another car. The driver of the other car passed away.What kind of punishment should Jimmy receive? It seems fair for him to spend time in prison. Should he see probation after the jail time? How much? This scenario helps introduce the dilemma we have today as a society about institutional vs. community corrections. Punishment for crime has always been an issue for debate. With the growth of the American colonies, the colonists needed a system of punishment for lawbreakers. Many methods developed in Europe meant to bring shame to those offenders were adopted. Around this time, the world saw a change in punishment ideology; some began to stress that humans are not perfect and make mistakes. Thus, there should be more reform as well as punish. In 1682, William Penn made a push for change. He limited the death penalty to cases of murder only and called for fines and imprisonment for most offenses. This is widely considered the beginnings of the prison system in the U.S. He also helped start the creation of jails, like the High Street Jail. The first federal prisons were established in 1891. Before this date, prisons were organized by states and territories. The establishment of parole and probation, or community corrections, began in the 1870s. There has always been and most likely always will be a huge social dilemma on what types and to what extent punishment should be laid out. Both institutional and community corrections have their pros and cons. One thing is for certain, however, that we do need a mixture of both. The current prison system has a number of advantages. Incarceration keeps criminals away from the public theoretically making the public safer. Imprisonment also punishes the convicted criminal by taking away, in a sense, their life at least for a short period. This type of punishment should have the effect of deterring the offender from repeat crimes as well as others from committing crimes. Current prison systems are meant to be rehabilitative. Structure and discipline is provided by the prisons so as to educate and provide therapy for inmates. With the good also comes the bad. Housing a large population of criminals together can lead to networking and an anti-social encouragement to continue crime. Probably the biggest knock on imprisonment is that there is a huge cost associated with housing an inmate. The public and law-abiding citizens essentially pay for the living accommodations of a criminal. The financial toll hits those families directly associated with the criminal. It is harder for a family to get by if an income is removed. If a family ends up needing government aid, the public is again paying for that. It can also be said that prisons lack the necessary resources to properly rehabilitate and to address the issues of how they got to prison. One last disadvantage is that every prisoner is treated the same. A murderer would be treated the same as a thief. This may not necessarily be fair. Community-based corrections, on the other hand, also have a number of advantages. It is usually said that community corrections are practical and less expensive alternatives to imprisonment. Keeping an offender convicted of a minor crime in the community and out of a jail filled with hardened criminals would theoretically do a better job at rehabilitating the person and keep them functioning socially. Community corrections mainly offer the solution to the tendency of inmates to learn anti-social behaviors. Families will largely stay intact. Supervision and restrictions can help the person learn to be a more highly functioning member of society. Training programs and job placement work along these same lines. Community corrections may also have negative outcomes. For one, criminals will still be walking the streets. If an offender is set to live in a halfway house, the community around the house could become undesirable. Nearby residents may feel threatened. Community corrections are not totally free either. Systems like halfway houses do cost money, although the overall cost of community corrections is appealing in comparison to institutional corrections. Many believe that prisonization is tantamount to socialization into a criminal culture. Therefore, being in a prison is thought equivalent to being in a school for crime (Tittle, 263). Research has shown that inmates will often grow loyalty each other and can develop a hostility towards prison officials. The society in a prison is largely based on putting value in things not as valuable otherwise. The overall effect is not one conducive to rehabilitation into society. Some do say, however, that attitudes and behaviors such as this become less salient as the time nears for return to the outside (Tittle, 264) This insight can show how many might simply adapt to prison culture and can readjust once freed. Still, the risk of anti-socialization is there. The argument can be made that prisons are not the greatest device for rehabilitation but that community corrections are not currently adequate. A push for improvements is being made. Prohibitive costs of constructing and operating jails make it impossible to get out of this corrections crisis even if the public wants toughness on crime (Rosenthal, 1). Policymakers are making a push towards more effective transition and community supervision. One large problem with this changing corrections climate, is that rehabilitation is being overshadowed by protection of the public and promotion of justice (Rosenthal, 1). One last important point to make about a need for more effective community corrections is that there is an increase in the number of drug and alcohol abusers and prisons are not the best place for these offenders. Innovations have been made in community corrections such as intensive supervision probation/parole (ISP), home confinement with or without electronic monitoring, and residential options in community corrections. It is encouraging to see developments but the system in general is ineffective.Unlike some countries, we have no national probation service to provide service uniformly across all parts of the country (Burrell, xv). There are federal, state, county, and even municipal level providers. It is hard to be efficient and effective with such a non-standardized system. A Canadian study showed that well-designed and well-implemented correctional treatment programs can produce significant reduction in recidivism (Burrell, xvii). The overarching factor in the correctional dilemma is that we should attempt to do what is best for society. Justice does need to be served and prisons are a necessary evil, but not always best at rehabilitation. Without proper rehabilitation, we will see repeat offenders. Community corrections offer better opportunities at re-entry but, of course, this is not always feasible or fair. An often overlooked portion of this dilemma is the families. Not only will the criminal be a lost cause if rehabilitation is a failure but often the families may fall into a state of failure as well. A study shows that two thirds of family members of incarcerated persons see substantial financial decline, general health decline, and damage to relationships with children and other family members (Arditti, 199-200). This certainly is not beneficial for society. In my opinion, there is a trend to be seen in this correctional dilemma. This trend appears to be that the main issue is a lack of effectiveness in rehabilitation. It is also very clear that institutional corrections is not usually conducive to widespread rehabilitation. This lends the idea that community corrections and the community in general provide the real hope. We also now know that the community system is fragmented and decentralized and needs improvement. This is not to say that we need to completely stray away from prisons. Surely, that is out of the question. It is a necessary evil. To better society as a whole, community corrections need to be improved. I believe that we should move towards a system where only the most severe of offenders see true hard jail time. Further, a focus and monetary support should be put towards a unified community corrections system that is more apt at rehabilitating offenders. This is no small task. My opinions can be expounded upon as such: For all violent offenders and those committing crimes with wide-ranging effects should see times behind bars without question. Data shows that there are large numbers of non violent offenders behind bars. Being that it is extremely costly to house a prisoner it would be beneficial to attempt to cut down on non violent offenders behind bars. The push would then be to turn to more social and community based ways of punishment. It would seem that this would be more conducive of rehabilitation. This group of offenders having committed non violent crimes may have more hope of becoming productive members of society once again. There is a certain level of toleration to be had. We must understand that there will always be criminals and some will never be fixed. Further, any system will never work perfectly. In my opinion, though, it seems there needs to a slight shift in momentum towards community corrections for economic, societal, and rehabilitative reasons. Works Cited Arditti, Joyce A., Jennifer Lambert-Shute, and Karen Joest. Saturday Morning at the Jail: Implications of Incarceration for Families and Children. Family Relations 52.3 (2003): 195-204. JSTOR. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. This scholarly article was originally published in the journal, Family Relations. This article is meant to explore the implications of criminal sanction policies on the families of felony offenders. More specifically, the article focused on the social, health, and economic characteristics of parents and children to these offenders under incarceration. I found the article to be interesting and thorough overall, but much of it was more than what I needed for the purposes of this paper. Still, I found the article to be helpful in my research and proved to be useful for anecdotes. As such, this source was used mainly for supplemental information. Burrell, William D. Community Corrections Management. Civic Research Institute (n.d.): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. This article is part of the Civic Research Institute. The article is intent on discussing the Community-Based Corrections System in general. The author takes the point of view that it is a decentralized and fragmented system. The article further discusses probation and parole along with developments in these areas. Finally, it explores the future of the system. I found the article to be helpful to my understanding of the community corrections system and to see where it might be heading. I used this article mainly for informational purposes and general understanding. Inciardi, James A. Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Orlando: Academic, 1984. Print. This source is the textbook for our Introduction to Criminal Justice course. It is meant to provide an overview of the structure, processes, and problems of the criminal justice system in the United States. The book provides lots of basic and some in depth information and accompanying support, data, and analysis. I find the book to be helpful and capable ox offering explanations easy to comprehend. I have used this book mainly as a guide and a source for general information on the topic and not for more in depth purposes. Rosenthal, C. S. Opportunities in Community Corrections. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 1989. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . This article published in the National Criminal Justice Reference Service is focused on why there would be community based corrections, what they are, how effective they have been, and what is the future looking like. Similar to another article I have cited, this scholarly journal article does a good job of painting the big picture of community corrections. I particularly liked how this article was thorough in starting off with the basics and going into developments and then finally into some analysi s. This proved to be a helpful article in the formation of my opinion. Tittle, Charles R. Institutional Living and Rehabilitation. Journal of Health Social Behavior 13 (1972): 263-73. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. This source is an article published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior on the topic of Institutional Corrections. The author of this article seeks to provide information and research on the extent to which incarceration is or can be rehabilitative. He finds and explains three characteristics thought to have anti-rehabilitative consequences. I found this journal article to be helpful at providing a detailed analysis of institutional corrections, both the presumed advantages and disadvantages. I used this mainly for more in depth conclusion drawing.

History of Genetic Engineering

History of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering is a deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. This chapter describes how work carried out between 1970s and 1980s produced technologies that researchers now use to manipulate the genetic material of organisms. Key concepts covered: Recombinant-DNA technology is a technology in which genetic material from one organism is introduced into another organism and then replicated and expressed by that other organism. Gene sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. Recombinant-DNA technology has been used to make insulin and other human proteins for medicine. Recombinant DNA The prospect of recombinant DNA emerged from two advances in biochemistry: (1) Discoveries of restriction enzymes that act as scissors to cut molecules of DNA at specific nucleotide sequences; and (2) Discoveries of DNA ligases enzymes that forge molecular bonds. Creation of First Recombinant DNA (1972) In 1972, Paul Berg (1926- ), a biochemistry professor at Stanford University, created the first recombinant DNA molecule. He first isolated the DNA molecules from two different organisms, the SV40 monkey virus and a bacterial virus known as Lamdba bacteriophage (or phage ÃŽÂ »).   Using a cut-and-splice method, he created sticky ends in the DNA of both viruses. Then he joined them together with DNA ligase. Invention of Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Technology (1973) Recombinant-DNA technology is a technology in which a rDNA plasamid is introduced into bacteria and then replicated and expressed by that bacteria. It was invented through the work of Herbert W. Boyer (1936- ), Stanley N. Cohen (1935- ), Paul Berg, and Janet Mertz (1949- ). After Berg created the first recombinant DNA molecules in 1972, Boyer and Cohen took Bergs work a step further by introducing the rDNA plasmid to E. coli bacterial cells. A plasmid is DNA, found in bacteria, that is separate from and can replicate independently of the bacteriums chromosomal DNA. The phenomenon of transformation permits the rDNA plasmid to be introduced into and expressed by E. coli cells. The bacteria containing the rDNA plasmid grow on petri dishes to form tiny colonies. But in a typical procedure, only 1 in about 10,000 bacteria cells takes up the rDNA plasmid. The rDNA plasmid must contain a selectable gene so that they can be efficiently picked up   from the culture. This can be done by using a drug-resistance gene to make the rDNA plasmid resistant to antibiotics such as tetracycline.   Adding tetracycline to the culture will ensure that only the bacteria with the rDNA plasmids survive. In 1974, at the urge of Standford Universitys patent office, Boyer and Cohen filed a patent for recombinant DNA technology. Asilomar Conferences Potential dangers of recombinant genetic engineering emerged even before Berg published his landmark 1972 paper. Although the SV40 virus was thought to be harmless for human, Borg was concerned about the prospect of an altered form of the virus spreading through a common bacteria. So he deferred part of his research program, and did not insert the recombinant virus into bacterial cells as he originally planned. In 1973, Berg organized a small conference at Asilomar, California to address the growing concerns about gene-manipulation technology. In 1974 Berg published a widely discussed letter on the potential dangers of recombinant DNA research. Subsequently, a moratorium on research in 1975 (Asilomar II) provided time for regulations to be devised and put into effect in 1976. Gene Sequencing, Gene Splicing, and Reverse Transcription Gene Sequencing Gene sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. It includes any method that is used to determine the order of the four bases A, G, C, and T in a strand of DNA. Frederick Sanger (1918-2013), a biochemist in England, is a pioneer of sequencing. He has received two Nobel prizes: one for the sequencing of proteins (in 1958), the other for the sequencing of DNA (in 1980). In the early 1950s, Sanger had solved the sequencing of a protein using a sequence of degradation reactions. A protein is made up of a sequence of amino acids strung into a chain. To identify the sequence of a protein, Sanger would snap off one amino acid from the end of the chain, dissolve it in solvents, and identify it chemically. He would repeat the degradation and identification process until he reached the end of the protein. In the mid-1960s, Sanger switched his focus from protein to DNA. But his methods that had worked so well for proteins didnt work for DNA. Proteins are chemically structured such that amino acids can be serially snapped off the chain but with DNA, no such tools existed. In 1971, Sanger devised a gene-sequencing technique using the copying reaction of DNA polymerase. At first, the method was inefficient and error-prone because the copying reaction was too fast. In 1975, He made an ingenious modification. He doctored the copying reaction with a series of chemicals variants of A, C, G, and T -that were still recognized by DNA polymerase, but slowed down its copying ability. On February 24, 1977, Sanger used this technique to reveal the full sequence of   phi X 174 (or ÃŽÂ ¦X174) bacteriophage. Gene Splicing In 1977, scientists discovered that most animal (and animal virus) proteins were not encoded in long, continuous stretches of DNA. They were split into modules, interrupted by regions called introns that do not hold protein-encoding information. By splitting the genes into modules, a cell could generate more combination of messages out of a single gene. When a DNA with introns is used to build RNA the introns have to be removed from the RNA message. This phrase for the process is called gene splicing or RNA splicing. Reverse Transcription In 1970, David Baltimore (1938- ) and Howard Temin (1934-94), two virologists, discovered an enzyme that could build DNA from an RNA template. They called the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Using this enzyme, every RNA in a cell could be used as a template to build its corresponding DNA. The production of proteins from recombinant DNA represented a crucial transition in the history of medical technology. To understand the impact of this transition from genes to medicine we need to understand the nature of drugs. Nearly every drug works by binding to its target and enabling or disabling it turning molecular switches on or off. To be useful, a drug must bind to its switches but to only a selected set of switches. Most molecules can barely achieve this level of specificity but proteins have been designed explicitly for this purpose. Proteins are the enabler and disablers, the regulators, the gatekeepers, the operators, of cellular reactions. They are the switches that most drugs seek to turn on or off. Proteins are thus poised to be some of the most potent and most discriminating medicines in the pharmacological world. But to make a protein, one needs its gene and here recombinant DNA technology provided the crucial link. The cloning of human gens allowed scientists to manufacture proteins and the synthesis of proteins opened the possibility of targeting the millions of biochemical reactions in the human body. Proteins made it possible for chemists to intervene on previously impenetrable aspects of our physiology. The use of recombinant DNA to produce proteins thus marked a transition not just between one gene and one medicine, but between genes and anovel universe of drugs. Founding of Genetech (1975) In 1975, Robert Swanson (1947-99), a venture capitalist, approached Herb Boyer with a proposal to starting a company that would use gene-cloning techniques to make medicines. Boyer was fascinated. His own son had been diagnosed with a potential growth disorder, and Boyer had been gripped by the possibility of producing human growth hormone, a protein to treat such growth defects. Three hours after they met, Swanson and Boyer had reached a tentative agreement to start such a company with seed moneys from venture firms. Boyer called this company Genentech a condensation of Genetic Engineering Technology. Synthesis of Insulin (1978) Purified animal-sourced insulin was the only type of insulin available to diabetics until genetic advances occurred later with medical research. The amino acid structure of insulin was characterized in 1953 by Frederick Sanger. The protein was made up of two chains (A and B) one larger and one smaller, cross-linked by chemical bonds. Boyers plan for the synthesis of insulin was simple. He did not have the gene for human insulin at hand no one did but he would build it from scratch using DNA chemistry, nucleotide by nucleotide, triplet upon triplet. He would make one gene for the A chain, and another gene for the B chain. He would insert both the genes in bacteria and trick them to synthesizing the human proteins.. He would purify the two protein chains and then stitch them chemically to obtain the U-shaped molecule. But Boyer was cautious. He wanted an easier test case before lunging straight for insulin.   He focused on another protein somatostatin also a hormone, but with little commercial potential. To synthesize the somatostatin gene from scratch, Boyer recruited Keiichi Itakura and Art Riggs from the City of Hope in Los Angeles. Swanson was opposed to the whole plan. He wanted Boyer to move to insulin directly. Genentech was living in borrowed space on borrowed money. Still Boyer convinced Swanson to give somatostatin a chance. In the meantime, two teams of of geneticist had also entered the race to make insulin. One at Harvard and the other one at UCSF. By the fall of 1977, they succeeded in synthesizing somatostatin, and started focusing on insulin. At this time, the competition was fierce. The Harvard team had apparently cloned the native human gene out of human cells and were ready to make the protein. The UCSF team has synthesized a few micrograms of protein and were planning to inject the human hormone into patients. It was Asilomar that came to their rescue. Like most University laboratories with federal funding, the UCSF team was bounded by the Asilomar restrictions on recombinant DNA. In contrast, Boyers team had decided to use a chemically synthesized version of the insulin gene. A synthetic gene DNA created as a naked chemical fell into the gray zone of Asilomars language and was relatively exempt. Genentech, as a privately funded company, was also relatively exempt from the federal guidelines. In the summer of 1978, Boyer learned that the Harvard team was about to announce successful isolation of the human hormone gene. To his relief, the gene that the Harvard team had cloned was not human but rate insulin. Cloning had made it easy to cross the barriers between species. By May 1978, Genentech had synthesized the two chains of insulin in bacteria. By July, the scientists had purified the proteins out of the bacteria debris. In early August, they snipped of the the attached bacterial proteins and isolated the two individual chains.   On August 21, 1978, they joined the protein chains together in a test tube to create the first molecules of recombinant insulin. In September 1979, Genentech applied for a patient for insulin. The Genetech patent would soon become one of the most lucrative petents in the history of technology. Synthesis of factor VIII (1983) Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood doesnt clot normally. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time than others after an injury. You also may bleed inside your body (internally), especially in your knees, ankles, and elbows. This bleeding can damage your organs and tissues and may be life threatening. Hemophilia is caused by a single mutation in the gene for a crucial clotting factor in blood, called factor VIII, and, until the mid-1980s, was treated with injections of concentrated factor VIII. During 1982 and early 1983, an emergence of mysterious immunological collapse among patients with multiple blood transfusions pinpointed the cause of the illness to blood-born factor that had contaminated the supply of factor VIII -a virus called AIDS. Nearly all the HIV-infacted hemophiliacs from the initial cohort had died of the complications of AIDS. In the spring of 1983, Dave Goeddel (1951- ) at Genentech began to focus on cloning the factor VIII gene. Meanwhile, a team of researchers from Harvard, lead by Tom Maniatis (1943- ) and Mark Ptashne (1940- ), formed a company called Genetics Institute (GI) also joined the race. As with insulin, the logic behind the cloning effort was evident: rather than purifying the missing clotting factor out of liters of human blood, why not create the protein artificially, using gene cloning? If factor VIII could be produced through gene-cloning methods, it would be virtually free of any human contaminants, i=thereby rendering it inherently safer than any blood-derived protein. Genetech knew that the factor VIII project would challenge the outer limits of gene-cloning technology. Somatostatin had 14 amino acids; insulin had 51. Factor VIII had 2,350. To succeed, the gene cloners would need to use new cloning technologies   Both the somatstatin and insulin genes had been created from scratch by stitching together bases of DNA. But factor VIII gene was far too large to be created using DNA chemistry. To isolate the factor VIII gene, Genetech would need to tpull the native gene out of human cells. Tom Maniatis of GI, found a solution: he had pioneered the technology to build genes out of RNA   templateds using reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that could build DNA from RNA. Reverse transcriptase made it possible to clone a gene after the intervening stuffer sequences had been snipped off by the cells splicing apparatus. In April, 1983, both Genentech and GI announced that they had purified recombinant factor VIII in test tubes a blood-clotting factor untainted by human blood. The production of factor VIII from its gene broke an important conceptual ground. The fears of Asilomar had been perfectly inverted. And gene cloning had emerged as potentially the safest way to produce a medical product for human use.  

The Bubonic Plague (Black Death)

The pandemic of the bubonic plague swept across Europe in 1347 and spread to England in 1348. It is known today as the Black Death. During these years, the plague affected the lives of people all across England and killed over half of England's population. It’s impact was enormous, not only because of the rapid decrease in the population but because of the pessimism, fear and suspicion. â€Å"Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria, Yersinia pestis. Primarily carried by rodents (most notably rats) and spread to humans via fleas† – Wikipedia The plague caused a huge decline in England's population.It killed over 5 million people (70% of the population) Some of the first symptoms were vomiting, giddiness, headaches, shivering, tongue turns white, and intolerance to light. Some of the later symptoms are pains in the joints, breaking blood vessels, internal bleeding, and skin turning black (the result of the dried blood from interna l bleeding) During the plague peasants left their jobs because they were afraid they would get the Black Death and die. Many also left for other villages to find new jobs, better wages and conditions.Since there wasn’t many farmers to make food, the price of food went up during the plague. There were not enough people to look after animals and crops, so they died too. Some people in urban areas died, not from Bubonic Plague but from starvation. Some villages became completely abandoned because of the villagers evacuating. Because of the Black Plague villages faced starvation. Town and cities faced food shortages as the villages that surrounded them could not provide them with enough food. A big consequence of the Black Death was inflation – the price of food went up creating more labour for the poor.In some parts of England, food prices went up by four times. Many Lords were short of desperately needed labour for the land that they owned. After the Black Death, Lords e ncouraged peasant to leave their villages and come work for them. When peasants did this, the Lord refused to let them return to their original village. The peasants started demanding higher wages as they knew that the Lord was desperate to get his harvest. The Black Death brought great depression that was felt through out England and affected the lives of millions, it is one of the most lethal disease out breaks in history.

Observation of Mitosis

Observation of Mitosis Introduction: Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. There are two types of reproduction, which are; asexual and sexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction is creation of offspring whose genes all come from one parent. Sexual reproduction is creation of offspring by fusion of male gametes (sperm) and female gametes (eggs) to form zygotes. Asexual reproduction involves a type of cell division known as mitosis. Mitosis is the scientific term for nuclear cell division, where the  nucleus  of the cell divides, resulting in two sets of identical  chromosomes.Mitosis is accompanied by  cytokinesis  in which the end result is two completely separate cells called daughter cells. There are four phases of mitosis: prophase,  metaphase, anaphase and telophase. The active sites of cell division in plants are known as meristems and they are convenient source of mitotic cells for observation under the light microscop e. In this experiment two different methods had been used. One of the methods that have been used was; Feulgen Reaction, root tips have been fixed and stained using this reaction.This histochemical method is specific for DNA which is stained deep red-purple. Aim: Investigate the stages of mitosis under light microscope. Method 1: Preparation of Root Squash and Observation of Mitosis in Garlic Root Meristems Firstly, one root tip was taken from a container by using a pipette. This root tip was putted on a slide and a drop of 80% glycerol was added, than a coverslip applied. After coverslip was applied, slide was covered with a sheet of blotting paper and squashed gently.Lastly this sample was observed under light microscope both with low power and high power objective. Method 2: Observation of Mitosis in Allium SP. Root Meristems Slides of Allium sp. Root tip squashes was prepared and provided. These ready slides were observed under light microscope both low and high power objectives and stages of mitosis were drawn. Disscusion: Meiosis has many similarities to mitosis. However, there are major differences that it is essential to note. The table below shows the comparison of the stages of mitosis and meiosis. Stages| Meiosis| Mitosis|Interphase| – begins with a diploid cell| – begins with a diploid cell| Prophase| – four chromosomes combine to form two tetrads   – the chromosomes in the tetrad cross over each other, allowing them to exchange genetic material| -four chromatids combine to form two chromosomes linked by a centromere| Metaphase| – the two tetrads line up in the centre| – the two chromosomes line up in the centre| Anaphase| – the two tetrads split up into four chromosomes which go to both poles| – the two chromosomes split up into four chromatids which move to both of the poles| Telophase| – the two sets of chromosomes become enclosed by the nuclear envelope| – the two sets of c hromatids are enclosed by the nuclear envelope| Cytokinesis| – two cells are formed with two sets of chromosomes in each one| – Two cells are created with two chromatids in each one. – Mitosis is now complete. | Prophase II| – DNA replication is skipped and the two cell's nuclear envelope are dissolved and the spindle reformed   – the four chromatids in each cell are connected together to form two chromosomes| | Metaphase II| – the two chromosomes line up in the centre| | Anaphase II| – the two chromosomes are split up into their daughter chromatids and moved towards opposites poles| | Telophase II| –The nuclear envelope is reformed around the two poles on each cell. | Cytokenesis| – the cells are split up again and four haploid cells remain as a result   – meiosis is now complete| | The second table below shows the general difference between mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis| Meiosis| Produces body cells(Somatic c ells) cells for growth and repair| Produces sex cells(Gametes) cells for sexual reproduction| One nuclear division, separating chromatids| Two nuclear divisions, first separating homologous chromosomes and second separating chromatids| Two daughter cells produced| Four daughter cells produced| Chromosome number remains same| Chromosome number halved| No association between homologous chromosomes| Homologous chromosomes associate and form bivalents| No crossing over ccurs| Crossing over many occur at chiasmata| Chromosomes only form single row at equator at metaphase| At metaphase 1, chromosomes form double row at equator| Daughter cells genetically identical with each other and parent cell| Daughter cells differ genetically from each other and parent cell| Daughter cells have two sets of chromosomes(pairs)| Daughter cells have only one member of each pair of chromosomes| In metaphase chromosomes line up singly| In metaphase I chromosomes line up as homologous pairs (synapsis). The t wo double chromosomes are called a tetrad when they are lined| Comparison of the biological significance of mitosis and meiosis: * The Significance of MitosisThe significance of mitosis is its ability to produce daughter cells which are exactly the same as the parent cell. It is important for three reasons†¦   1. Growth If a tissue wants to get bigger by growth needs new cells that are identical to the existing ones. Cells division must therefore be by mitosis. 2. Repair Damaged cells have to be replaced by exact copies of the organism so that it repairs the tissues to their former condition. Mitosis is the means by which this is achieved. 3. Asexual reproduction If a species is good at colonizing a habitat, there might be no point, in producing offspring which are different from the parents, because they might be less effective at survival.Therefore it might be  better, in the short term,  to make a colony which is similar to the parents. In simple animals and most plant s this is achieved by mitotic division. * Significance of Meiosis The long term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to a changing environment. To do this the offspring need to be different from their parents and each other. These are three ways in which variety occurs because of meiosis. 1. Production and fusion of haploid gametes: The variety of offspring is increased by mixing the genotype of one parent with that of the other. It involves the production of special sex cells, called gametes, which fuse together to produce a new organism.Each gamete contains half the number of chromosomes of the adult. It is important that meiosis, which halves the number of chromosomes in daughter cells, happens at some stage in the life cycle of a sexually reproducing organism. Therefore Meiosis is important in order for variety in organisms, and allowing them to evolve. 2. The creation of genetic variety by the random distribution of chromosomes during metaphase 1. When the pair s of homologous chromosomes arrange themselves on the equator of the spindle during metaphase 1 of meiosis, they do it randomly. Even though each one of the pair determines the same general features, they’re detail of the feature is different.The randomness of this distribution and independent assortment of these chromosomes produces new genetic combinations. 3. The creation of genetic variety by crossing over between homologous chromosomes. During prophase 1 of meiosis, equal portions of homologous chromosomes may be swapped. In this way new genetic combinations are made and linked genes separated. The variety which meiosis brings vital for to the process of evolution. By providing a varied stock of individuals it allows the natural selection of those best suited to the existing conditions and makes sure that species constantly change and adapt when these conditions change. This is the main biological significance of meiosis. Gizem KARAGOZLU 19026857.

Individualism and Collectivism Essay Example

Individualism and Collectivism Essay Example Individualism and Collectivism Paper Individualism and Collectivism Paper The need to expand actively In the geographical areas beyond national borders puts the company and their managers In the difficult conditions of doing business In different countries. This gives rise to diverse and multifaceted problems caused by the existence of cultural differences between countries. Therefore, studies of effects of Job satisfaction and high quality job alternatives, in different cultural contexts, on desire of employees to exit, neglect, voice or to stay loyal, are very crucial components in todays cross-cultural business environment. Actually, there are two ways of cultural Influence on organizational life. Firstly, culture and behavior are inter- related, and Influence each other. Secondly, culture affects not only what people do, but also how they do it. Next paragraph will be explaining the difference in behavioral responses to low Job satisfaction and job alternatives in deferent cultural contexts, followed by the factors perfecting behavioral responses in horizontal individualism and vertical collectivism cultures. The last chapter will consist of summary of factors, recommendations for global managers how to enhance cross ultra work, and conclusion. Individualism and collectivism According to Hefted, there are six dimensions that differ countries among each other. They are: power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, pragmatism and indulgence. However, this proposal is mainly focusing on two of them, which are power distance and individualism, since they are closely connected. The term Individualism refers to the belief that every person Is unique and should care about him/herself, while collectivism is its antonym and stands for the belief hat people should act in interests of societies instead of achieving personal goals. Several research were conducted on relationship between power distance and individualism, and they have shown that there is negative relationship between them. Meaning that the higher Individualism the lower power distance, while higher power distance will lead to the collectivism within the country. People from Individualistic culture are more Like to quit and voice, when they suffer from low Job satisfaction. In contrast, people from collectivist society are more likely to neglect, nice they are not satisfied by their job, and stay loyal, because they put interests of a group on the first place. The article of Thomas and Au, has shown that employees decisions on whether to voice, exit, neglect or to be loyal are highly dependent on cultural differences. Furthermore, Job satisfaction and the quality of Job alternatives also have Impact on employees performance. Differences in individualistic and collectivist countries The quality of job alternatives encourage workers of both cultures to change position, however sometimes people from collectivist societies may decide to stay to show he level of loyalty to the company. Sometimes strong collectivism may enhance employees commitment to organization, which may result In low staff turnover, with co-workers. Such phenomenon of high loyalty and dedication can clearly be seen in Russia and former Soviet Union countries. Soviet Union was a country which can be characterized by a very high collectivism culture, where interests of society were on the first place. It should be mentioned that the dissolution of the country into fifteen independent countries has weakened the collectivism, however it is still high. According to Hefted 6-D model, the level of individualism in Russia is 39, while the power of distance is 93. Actually, this means that power in country is distributed unequally, and can be categorized as very centralized, since 2/3 of foreign investments go into the capital city, Moscow. Moreover, this happens not only in Russia, but also in other former Soviet Union countries, such as Astrakhan, Uzbekistan and Gyrations, where people very often suffering of low Job satisfaction, but they dont quit, because they are afraid to stay unemployed. However, it should e mentioned that employees might change their position when the quality of Job alternatives is high. According to the News, more that 7,7 million or 11% of workers have changed their positions for the last 5 years in Russia. In addition, it should be mentioned that most of them are people of younger generation, those who were born in ass and ass, during the restructuring and dissolution of the country, while older generation prefer to stay, even if they have high quality alternative. On the other hand, is individualistic cultures where the high value has been put on creativity, autonomy and self-benefit. As an example, we can take United States of America, where the political situation is stable for the past 50 years, the power distance and individualism are 40 and 91 respectively. Within American organizations, hierarchy is established for convenience, superiors are accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams for their expertise. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is shared frequently. At the same time, communication is informal, direct and participative to a degree. However, it should e mentioned that according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, that people change the Job on average 11 times from ages from 18 to 44. While older people very rare decide to change their Job. So it can be said that political factor and age can also affect the behavioral responses in different countries. Conclusion and recommendations Thomas and Au have identified several factors affecting the behavioral responses to low Job satisfaction and high quality alternatives, which are cultural differences such as individualistic and collectivist cultures, and examined different responses of Job alternatives in those cultures. Furthermore, at their article they have mentioned economic factor as one of the reasons when choosing to exit or stay. In this proposal, comparison of two countries with different cultures, Russia and USA, has identified two other possible factors: political stability and age, as factors affecting the behavioral responses to low Job satisfaction and high quality Job alternatives. To overcome cultural differences global managers should first of all understand that they have to adapt to the culture of the country, not try to adapt the country to the ultra of home country. Furthermore, understanding that all cultures are actually multicultural, can help managers to overcome challenges that the might face. Since, Moreover, men and women are the two largest groups of culture. Another recommendation, is that managers should understand the difference in view of conflicts between collectivist and individualistic cultures. Collectivists, are more likely not be involved in it, since they put more emphasize on stability and harmony, while individualists assume the conflict as inevitable part of life, which can be solved.

Executive Compensation Telecom USA Essay Example

Executive Compensation Telecom USA Essay Example Executive Compensation Telecom USA Essay Executive Compensation Telecom USA Essay Contents Executive Summary Pay for performance remains an important driver for any organization which is ambitious and competitive. For this report the proxy statements of Compass(2012), Verizon(2012) and AtT(2013) were studied and salient similarities and differences were observed. I observed that the proxy statements of the telecoms/technology companies have stressed on creating shareholder value. In achieving this all the three have emphasized on high proportion of performance based pay. Clearly defined goals, grids and qualifying criteria have been illustrated with detail. This is how the company sends positive signals to the shareholders and the employees simultaneously. In all the three cases the compensation objective was around long- term goals and the interests of the companys shareholders, emphasis on managing the sustainability of the business and Align executives and shareholders interests. These objectives are supposed to be met by a compensation structure which has a balance between short and long term goal achievement (ATT), without incepting inappropriate risk taking (Compass). The compensation committee plays an important role in deciding compensation in terms of total compensation opportunity and the break-up of components of compensation. It also helps the board to recommends qualifying criteria and measures on which executives will be evaluated. Also some conclusion regarding the instrumentality of specific measures were reached. For example Compass compensation committee concluded that operating cash flow had the highest overall meaningful correlation to shareholder value over the long term. Also there are many metrics which help the company in aligning executives goals to its compensation policies. Metrics such as earnings per share, free cash flow, revenue, and return on invested capital connect compensation to company performance while total stockholder returns align executive pay with performance relative to key company peers. In deciding total compensation, the grouping of peers is an important activity of the compensation committee. The peers can be classified into these categories: Industry competitors in the same business (egg. For Compass Media and entertainment industry along with telecoms industry) Companies having comparable revenue and total market capitalization. Companies competing for same talent. Compass for example has recently acquired the entertainment company NBC Universal. This changed the peer group used for its compensation. The entertainment industry as well as the telecoms industry is now used in determining market position in compensation. For Verizon the competitors are 29 companies in based on market capitalization, net income, revenue and total employees) plus Verizons four largest industry competitors that are not included in the DOD Jones Industrial Average. For ATT companies are selected based on similarity to ATT in terms of size and/or industry, ability of the company to compete with ATT for talent, ND similarity to Jobs at ATT in terms of complexity and scope of officer positions. Compass has stressed more on in hand cash based incentive, and has not tied a large proportion of compensation to the stock based awards (compared to Verizon/ATT). But the cash based yearly bonus can be achieved only after a minimum performance threshold is achieved. This can be attributed to the higher risk involved in the recent times following their merger with Universal. In terms of total compensation they want to target a higher percentile than ATT and Verizon, sending a signal that Geiger risk should be seen as bigger opportunity. Some correction was also done after the compensation committee decided to include Media and Entertainment Industry in the peer comparison after this merger. Also, there is a unique way Compass analyses its peers compensation data. They view compensation expenses as The portion of the companys operating cash flow, free cash flow and operating income that we use to pay this compensation. This shows that they compare the relative proportion of compensation spending, not the absolute value while determining percentile position with respect to peers. Keeping long term hardheaded interest in mind the companies have set performance targets and provide compensation elements that closely align executives interests with those of stockholders. For example, at AT performance shares, which make up nearly 33% of target compensation for the CEO and the Named Executive Officers, are tied to multi-year Company performance and the companys stock price. In addition, ATT has executive stock ownership guidelines and retention requirements. Each of the Named Executive Officers meets or exceeds the minimum stock ownership guidelines. 1. 1 The following table gives a comparative description of the insemination information biblically available. ATT COMPASS VERIZON PEER GROUP USED TO DECIDE COMPENSATION 1) similarity to ATT in terms of size and/or industry, 2)ability of the company to compete with ATT for talent, 3) and similarity to Jobs at ATT in terms of complexity and scope of officer positions 1) Companies in the entertainment/media industry (CBS Corporation, News Corporation, Time Warner Inc. , Fiasco Inc. And The Walt Disney Company) 2) companies in the transmission/distribution industry (ATT Inc. , DIRECTIVE, Inc. , Quest Communications International Inc. , Sprint Next Corporation, Time Warner Cable, Inc. D Verizon Communications Inc. ) 3) general industry companies having comparable revenue and total market capitalization 1) 29 companies in the DOD Jones Industrial Average (similarly-sized companies other than Verizon, based on market capitalization, net income, revenue and total employees) 2) Plus Verizons four largest industry competitors that are not included in the DOD Jones Industrial 92% of the Chief Executive Officers compensation and, on average, 87% of other Named Executive Officer compensation is tied to Company performance, including stock price. Total performance-based compensation in 2011 was 54% to 74% for arioso named executive officers. Base salary: 10% Short Term Incentive : 20% Long Term incentive : 70% COMPONENTS OF SALARY 1) Base Pay 2) Short Term award 3) Long term in the form of RSI and US l)cash base salary; 2) annual (short-term) cash bonus 3)long-term equity-based compensation in the form of stock options 4) and RSI (which generally are performance-based) 1) Base salary 2) Short term yearly award earned on achieving goals 3) long-term incentive awards consist of Us and RSI. The 2011 Us are payable in cash and the 2011 RSI are payable in Verizon shares. SHORT TERM INCENTIVE or AWARDS CRITERIA Revenue, Earnings per Share, and Free Cash Flow (Year on year targets) On achieving a 5% to 6. 9% year-over-year increase in consolidated operating cash flow, the named executive officer would receive 67% of the service vested portion of the award; and on achieving a 7% or greater increase, the named executive officer would receive 100% of the service vested portion of the award. CRITERIA Adjusted PEPS Revenue 25% Free cash Flow Diversity 5% TARGETS An adjusted PEPS target range of $2. 8 to $2. 21; A consolidated total revenue target range of $112. 7 billion to $113. 4 billion; A unconsolidated free cash flow target range of $13. 8 billion to $15. 4 billion A diversity target of (I) having 50% of new hires and promotions at and above the manager level consist of minority and female candidates, and (it) directing at least 13% of the overall supplier spending at the c orporate level to minority- and female-owned or operated firms. LONG TERM INCENTIVE or AWARDS COMPOSITION 50% performance shares and 50% restricted stock units. CRITERIA: 75% on ROCCO 25% on TSR compared to the Standard and Poors 100 Index COMPOSED OF: both stock options and RSI, whereby each type of award presented approximately 50% of the total equity award by grant date value, as determined on a Black-Schools basis in the case of stock options and using the closing price of a share of the companys Class A common stock in the case of RSI. TSR during the three-year performance cycle must rank at least 16th, or at the 55th percentile (above median), among the members of the Related DOD Peers in order to earn 100% of the target number of US. TARGET PERCENTILE Executive officers base salaries are targeted to the market 50th percentile, total target cash compensation (base pay + short-term incentive) and long-term grants are regarded to the market 62nd percentile 1) Compensation to be competitive with the entertainment/media peer group and 2) at the 75th percentile for the communications and general industry peer groups. 50th percentile of compensation levels for similar positions at the Related DOD Peers AT 2 2. 1 Background During 2012, they continued to execute on their strategic goals, strengthened balance sheet, and expanded G network. AT delivered record performance of $127. 4 billion in revenues and $19. 4 billion in free cash flow (as defined on page 38), which allowed it to meet or exceed all of its short-term incentive targets. They also exceeded the goals for long-term program, delivering 43. 0% in total stockholder return over the three-year period ending December 31 , 2012, outperforming the DOD Jones Industrial Average and the Standard Poors 100 and 500 for that period. Companys executives reflect this strong performance and closely aligned the interests of management with those of stockholders. . 2 Compensation Philosophy Competitive and Market Based: Evaluate all components to attract, retain, and provide appropriate incentives for officers in a highly competitive talent market. Pay- or-performance: Tie a significant portion of compensation to the achievement of Company and business unit goals Balanced Short- and Long-Term Focus: Ensure that compensation programs and packages provide an appropriate bala nce between the achievement of short- and long-term performance objectives, with a clear emphasis on managing the sustainability of the business. Alignment with Stockholders: Set performance targets and provide compensation elements that closely align executives interests with those of stockholders. For example, performance shares, which make up nearly 33% of target compensation for the CEO and the Named Executive Officers, are tied to multi-year Company performance and the companys stock price. In addition, AT has executive stock ownership guidelines and retention requirements. Each of the Named Executive Officers meets or exceeds the minimum stock ownership guidelines. Alignment with Generally Accepted Approaches 2. The achievements for 2012 Stockholder Returns 17. 5% total stockholder return outperforming the DOD Jones Industrial Average and the Standard Poors 100 and 500 Returned $23 billion in cash to stockholders, Increased the quarterly dividend for the 29th consecutive year Financial Performance Strength Record $127. 4 billion in consolidated revenues Approximately 80% of revenues from ongoing operations in 2012 cam e from the companys growth drivers wireless, hireling data and managed IT services growing nearly 6% Record $39. Billion in cash from operations, #1 in the industry Record $19. 4 billion in free cash flow (cash from operations of $39. 2 billion minus construction and capital expenditures of $19. 7 billion), which is one of the factors the company uses in determining the companys short-term incentive awards for executive officers Invested approximately $20 billion in capital expenditures and picture purchases to expand and upgrade the companys network capabilities for customers in the United States and around the globe Refinanced $12 billion in debt to take advantage of historically low interest rates 2. The highlights of 2012 compensation are: Pay for Performance 92% of the Chief Executive Officers compensation and, on average, 87% of other Named Executive Officer compensation is tied to Company performance, including stock price. Stock Ownership Guidelines All executive officer s meet or exceed the guidelines, which count only vested shares. Mr Stephenson holds shares and deferred shares valued in excess of 22 times his salary; well above his required 6 times multiple. Hold Until Retirement Executive officers must now hold 25% of the shares they receive from incentive, equity, and option awards, net of taxes, until one year after they leave the company. Mitigate Risk in Compensation Programs The Committee reviews a risk analysis of the companys incentive-based compensation programs annually and believes that the companys programs do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse impact on the company. Dividend Equivalents Payable at the End of the Performance Period and Only on Earned Performance Shares. 2. 5 Target for 2015 is Expand G LET to 300 million people by end-of-year 2014 Bring fiber to 1 million additional business customer locations by end-of-year 201 5 Expand the availability of IP broadband, including I-I-verse, to approximately 75% of customer locations in the companys hireling service area by end-of-year 201 5 2. Break Up of total compensation opportunity Base Salary: This is decided according to market value for his or her Job. In 2012 there was a correction of +2. 4%. This increment was based on performance and actual salary compared to market. Short term target: Based on individual performance; contribution to overall Company results; and attainment of business unit goals, including financial, customer service, and growth targets.

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Essay - 1

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness - Essay Example Because of the enhanced level of connectivity brought forward by the evolution of the internet, the world has transformed into a single connected entity. This technology powered transformation has automatically helped in the process of speedy diffusion of various trends of globalization, which continues to arise from various corners of the world. The trends of globalization bring into effect a significant amount of change in regards to consumer behavior of the masses of various locations. It is highly interesting to cite that the changing consumer behavior of the various markets around the world automatically creates the need for various new kinds of products and services, which in turn paves the way for evolution of significant business opportunities. Hence, it can be said that the factor of technology has largely integrated itself with the factor of globalization for the purpose of development of strong business opportunities in various global markets. It is to be noted that the or ganization that has been chosen in this case is Apple Inc., which is a highly popular global brand in the electronics gadget segment. The organization has a highly diversified global product portfolio which manufactures portable music players, computers as well as latest technology mobile phones. Talking from the perspective of globalization, it can be said that the organization has achieved a tremendous amount of growth through successful capitalization of the business prospects. Because of the impact of globalization the awareness for the products of the company has been widely spread across various global markets. This increased awareness of the products got transformed into a huge demand in the multiple markets around the world. Also the diversified product range which includes iPods, iPads and iPhones has proved to be successful in drawing the attention of the young generation. This ultimately resulted in the high sales of the products of the Apple in the domestic as well as th e international markets. While weighing the aspect of technological change, it has to be considered that the faster evolution and high penetration of the internet has brought a positive impact for the products of the organization. While the products of the company are high on innovation as well as new edge technology, yet a large amount of the product features are tremendously dependent on the connectivity provided by the internet. Also, it has to be highlighted that the advancement in technology by the rival product manufacturing companies has also contributed in developing products with new features and up graded versions by the globally popular company (US Sec, 2012, p. 6). 2. Application of  the industrial-organization model and the resource-based model. The industrial organization model takes into account the variables of complexity and strategic importance. Matching the two variables in a two by two matrix, four kinds of scenarios can be chalked out. Under high complexity an d low strategic importance, the outsourcing option seems most viable. Under situations of high complexity and high strategic importance, the option of business process reengineering looks more valid. Under circumstances of low complexity and varying level of strategic importa

Homo Religiosus by Karen Armstrong, p. 22-38 The Minds Eye by Oliver Essay

Homo Religiosus by Karen Armstrong, p. 22-38 The Minds Eye by Oliver Sacks, p. 303-317 - Essay Example According to Sacks, in a society where people lack mind’s eyes, they are likely to associate themselves with some events such as idol worshiping or despotism even if they have the physical eyes. These side effects prevent human beings from achieving a factual understanding of who they are. The idea that Sack presents in his article â€Å"The Mind’s Eye† is that trauma, in this case, blindness results to loss of â€Å"sensuous, intimate being at one with world† or loss of self (Sacks 313). Karen Armstrong of â€Å"Homo Religious† connects with Sack’s ideas that blindness trauma leads to loss of one’s self or sense (Armstrong 23). It is essential that, human beings acknowledge the dangers posed by blindness and if they persist, being victims of this, there will be no way for them to go back to a life, which has self-knowledge. Like Armstrong, Sack inveighs blindness trauma against â€Å"idol worship†. â€Å"Despotism† of sight and claims the â€Å"task† blindness trauma as reminding human beings of their other deeper perception modes as well as their mutuality (Armstrong 24). The two authors argue that a blind individual has a good sense of taste, feeling, touch, and he or she can write and speak as a â€Å"gift of the blind individuals†. Therefore being blind does not mean that one is unable to carry out duties done by other people since they have mind’s eyes (Armstrong 25). For instance, Lusseyran is able to feel, blend into one fundamental sense, has deep attentiveness, has slow and prehensile attention, and a sensuous and intimate being in the world where sight, with is flicking, quick, quality, and facile continually distracts people from. According to Sack, this concept is extremely close to an individual whose has â€Å"deep blindness† as considerably more than simple compensation other than a unique type of perception, a special and precious mode of being (Sacks 314). One essential question that people should put in mind is