What is good for the company is good for the people Research Paper

What is good for the company is good for the people - Research Paper Example that had harmed the environment and communities (Utting & Ives, 2006); an immense pressure is unsurprisingly placed now on Colombia’s mining sector with regards to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to improve its sustainable development (Reyes, 2012). Current pressure will not only be about the sufficient supply of energy, but it will also be about clean energy that is environmentally sustainable (Pemberthy, 2012). Confronted with diverse issues so common in a developing nation, just like Colombia, CSR in this country is more easily criticized than appreciated. One factor Haslam (2004) cited is the low involvement of the private sector in carving Colombia’s CSR policies. As Blowfield and Frynas (2005) have observed, most CSR cases show that stakeholder dialogue and engagement is key to the success of CSR. Added to this, Haslam (2004) furthers, is the weak involvement of the Colombian government in the promotion of CSR and its failure in integrating CSR policies into its whole government policy. This perhaps could explain the conflict between corporations and communities. For example, the adoption of several corporations for sustainable CSR, which impact could not be immediately felt, was not appreciated by communities which due to deep level of poverty would understandably prefer short-term, yet easily felt benefits such as direct economic benefits or positions. (Baena, 2009/10) Whether CSR is good for business or good for the people or good for both, remains debatable until today. Focusing on the CSR of the two main oil companies in Colombia – the ECOPETROL S.A. and the OXY (Occidental Petroleum Corporation) – this study argues that CSR is good for the company and likewise for the people. As many corporations have argued, â€Å"†¦ there is a solid business case for CSR, which is associ ­ated with ‘win-win’ strategies; doing good environmentally and socially can simultaneously improve a company’s competitive advantage, reduce costs, enhance

Business Plan - Swan Taxi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Plan - Swan Taxi - Essay Example The team for the company will be formed in such a way that the business succeeds in the long run. The team will be built in such a way that it should remain updated with the latest developments in the markets. Swan Taxi will be owned by four partners Yanallah, Mansour, Yousef, and Khalid. The company will employ five chauffeurs, who will be responsible for driving the passenger taxis, and few staff who will be engaged in daily office works.The key skills, attributes, and behaviors are must-haves for every entrepreneur in today’s society since the chances of business failure have gone significantly higher. The business environment has become increasingly complex with intense competition, innumerable product substitutes for customers, restrictive governmental regulations and higher customer expectations due to globalization.The economy of Swansea is advanced and diverse, with principal contributions from manufacturing and services sectors. In a 2010 report by Business Register a nd Employment Survey, services sector alone employed about 85% of the total workforce. This finding is important because the concentration of workforce in any particular sector denotes the growth and viability of that sector. The idea of starting a taxi business in Swansea gained prominence with an increase in demand for taxis by the passengers. It has been noticed that about 16,000 people regularly travel out of Swansea and about 26,000 people travel inside the city for their different purposes.

Article Abstarct 04 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article Abstarct 04 - Essay Example The authors also had interview with actual stakeholders of the baseball games to come up with their findings. The team concluded that the nearer two teams are, the lesser the turnout is of both teams when compared to two teams whose locations are farther apart. They also discovered that, when a new team shifts into the region of an already existing team, then there is a further initial drop in turnout for the current team. The biggest contribution of the paper was to advise baseball teams of where they should set their grounds if they want people to attend their games. The fans are the main driving force of a team, and they authors did well to show the teams how they could attract them. They gave numerical evidence, which is always 99.9%, for the teams to consider. However, the authors went wrong advising teams not to set up shop in area where other teams are settled. This might bring rivalry because the already-settled team would not want to experience a drop in its fan base. They forgot to advise these teams just how far they should set up their grounds in order to attract people. They should have gone to the actual fans to ask them just how far they are willing to travel in order to attend their favorite team’s match. At least this would give the teams a rough idea of where they should set up their

MANAGEMENT IN THE REAL ESTATE SECTOR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

MANAGEMENT IN THE REAL ESTATE SECTOR - Essay Example It means that a drop in number of clients that the real estate company serves would translate into low income. Success in this industry depends on the number of clients a real estate company has been able to serve. Communication opens avenues for transacting new deals in real estate industry (Crane, 2007: 45). Arguably, managers in real estate industry provide satisfactory information about the services their offer to their prospective clients. Many clients believe that level of contact is a factor that assures them about a company’s interest to their needs. The need to address issues affecting clients’ satisfaction can only occur when real estate managers have developed an avenue, which allows the flow of information from clients to management. Managers must be able to identify preferences of their clients. Managers should develop templates, which can assist their clients to identify the products that real estate industry offers to them. Service delivery assures many c lients that management considers their needs. Many clients in the industry would project their demands to the company. The response that the company takes in responding to the needs of the clients indicates the level of satisfaction the clients are likely to get. Quality of service in this industry influences perception of many clients. Managers must ensure that product quality is satisfying the demand of the client. It means that managers must develop strategic approaches, which will enable them to respond to concern of their clients. Developing products, which respond to the demand of clients, is an indication that managers have been able to respond to needs of their clients. 2. Examine the ways in which stakeholder expectations might present challenges for managers in a commercial real estate advisory firm. Stakeholders concern is to realize proceed out of the money they invested in real estate. This expectation posits many challenges to management because of complexities involve d in the real estate business. Factors such as flow of money in the market influence the purchasing power of clients. It means that real estate industry expect to face fluctuation in demand for real estate products. Stakeholders might lose their patience during low money flow in the market because it reduces purchasing power of real estate products, which subsequently translates into the income of the company. Economics of purchases verses rental influence the performance of real estate enterprises (Crane, 2007:87). People weigh values they are likely to gain from purchasing a house or renting a house. Managers in real estate have no direct influence of individual needs. On the contrary, stakeholders might to fail to understand the economics in this market because they expect to see proceeds of the company. Sometimes managers might decide to speculate anticipating a fall in demand for rentals. Stakeholders might not understand the speculation approaches adopted by managers because t hey feel the company should be earning proceeds out of the investments. Investments in real estate do not translate into profit suddenly as many stakeholders may expect. Stakeholders expect to start earning dividends from their investment after some period. The construction period in real estate does not translate into profit because the industry is still spending instead of gaining. Managers should be able to highlight complexities in real estate to their stakeholders. Perception of society as shaped by

Defining Activities And Principles Of Ethnography Essay

Defining Activities And Principles Of Ethnography - Essay Example "In it's most characteristic form it involves the ethnographer participating, overtly or covertly, in people's daily lives for an extended period of time, watching what happens, listening to what is said, asking questions - in fact, collecting whatever data are available to throw light on the issues that are the focus of the research. Equally, though, as we shall suggest later, there is a sense in which all social researchers are participant observers; and, as a result, the boundaries around ethnography are necessarily unclear" (Hammersley and Atkinson, 1995, Pg 1-2) One difficulty with the notion of ethnography is that it may seem a residual category. It is associated with the study of people not ourselves, and with the use of methods other than those of experimental design and quantitative measurement. Clearly not everything that is not experimental design and quantitative measurement should be considered ethnography, but a positive definition is not easy to provide. A major reason for the difficulty is that good ethnography has been produced under a great variety of conditions, by a great variety of persons, some of it before there was a profession to train such people, and professional training has been very much a matter of the transmission of a craft and of learning by doing-by personal experience (Gubrium & Holstein, 1997, Pg 67).It has not helped that some people talk as if the key to ethnography were a psychological experience, rather than the discovery of knowledge. It is clear that ethnography involves participation and observation. The earliest work that we recognize as important ethnography has generally the quality of being systematic in the sense of being comprehensive. To be sure, any and all early accounts of travelers, missionaries, government officials and the like that may contribute information and insight about the culture of the peoples of the world have been welcomed and gleaned for what they could provide (Agar, 1986, Pg 6-7). The Ethnographic Method It commences with assortment of a civilization, analysis of the writings affecting the ethnicity, and recognition of variables of concern -- normally variables supposed as important by associates of the society. The ethnographer then goes about gaining entry, which in rolls sets the phase for cultural immersion of the ethnographer in the society. It is not strange for ethnographers to exist in the society for months or even years. The middle phases of the ethnographic technique engross increasing informers, using them to increase yet additional informants in a succession procedure, and collection of information in the shape of observational transcription and conference footage. Statistical examination and hypothesis progress come at the conclusion, although suppositions might come out from civilizing fascination and theory-expression by associates of the society. (Fetterman, 1989, Pg 22-23) However, the ethnographic researcher strives to avoid theoretical preconceptions and instead t o induce

List 5 notable strikes and the following factors Essay

List 5 notable strikes and the following factors - Essay Example However, during this period beginning 1890, the business started experiencing an economic downturn, as were other manufacturing companies, whereby the market price of steel products went down thereby reducing the amount of profits. As a result, the general manager, Henry Frick, proposed a plan to reduce the cost of production by lowering wages and forcing workers to break ranks with the AA, which did not go down well with the workers (Krause, 1992). Without AA’s presence, Frick felt that he would be in full control of the human resources. As a result, the employees embarked on a strike, which lasted for approximately 4 months. The workers, during this period, were involved in an armed conflict with the Pinkertons, who were armed men hired by Frick to suppress the strikers, a conflict which contributed to the death of 9 workers and 7 Pinkertons while several others suffered bullet injuries. At the end of these confrontations, the workers were defeated and they had to accept the terms set down by Frick in order to be allowed to continue working in the company while the leaders of the strike were fired and subjected to court proceedings though no one was sent to prison (Krause, 1992). The Pullman Strike of 1894 As stated earlier, the early 1890s was a period of economic downturns and most of the industries were affected (Salvatore, 1999). The Pullman Palace car Industry, based in Pullman, Illinois, was one of those companies, which suffered reduced revenues as a result of low demand for their products, which basically included train cars. As a counter measure, the management decided to cut wages and thereafter gave deaf ear to the workers complaints, which included low wages, overworking and high cost of living. As a result, more than 3000 employees of the company decided to go on strike, which was later supported by the American Railway Union, which significantly increased the number to more than 100000 individual members from 26 states, who were advised t o boycott any operations that involved cars from the Pullman industry (Salvatore, 1999). This is a strike which begun on May 11, 1894 to August 2, 1894. The reason for the conclusion of the strike was that the then president Cleveland sent in federal and state troops to crush the strike specially because it was interfering with the deliver of mail and this had begun to disgust the general public, who were shifting their support to the government. The Union leaders were arrested while more than 20 workers lost their lives in the process. Pullman employees tried to negotiate for an unconditional reinstatement to their former positions but the management refused to accept and instead forced them to sign contracts, which forbid them from joining any labor unions failure to which they would lose their jobs. The workers, while on strike, contributed to the destruction of property and loss of revenues especially for the railway line approximated to more than $4 million as per the then valu e of the dollar. The workers also lost more than $1 million in terms of wages not forgetting the magnitude of human labor dedicated by the security organs to crush the strike (Salvatore, 1999). Textile Workers Strike of 1934 The Textile Workers Strike of 1934 was an event in the US history, which was organized by the United Textile Workers of America (UTW), a union whose membership

The future of women in politics Essay Example for Free

The future of women in politics Essay Within the realm of world politics, males vastly outnumber females. Womens suffrage is a relatively new movement. Only in the last century have women won the opportunity to vote. Since 1960, only 24 nations have elected women to leadership positions. As women gain political power, political analysts and scholars debate the influence that females will exert upon international policy. According to popular feminist views, women will reverse the violent tendencies of men and create a more peaceful world. This prediction is based on the assumption that men are inherently violent and genetically predisposed to wage war. However, the militaristic actions of female leaders like Margaret Thatcher may prove otherwise. Francis Fukuyama and Mary Caprioli explore the cultural stereotypes of women and question the relationship between politics and biology. In his essay, Women and the Evolution of World Politics, Francis Fukuyama argues that men are biologically inclined to wage war. He portrays men as violent, immoral and unable to break away from genetic programming. Citing examples of extreme violence in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sierra Lione, Georgia and Afghanistan, Fukuyama blames mens inherited aggressive tendencies for the social and political unrest in the world. Apparently, male behavior has not changed since the primitive societies like the Yanomamo. Men, according to Fukuyama, behave like the chimps at Gombe (262). While the genetic make up of humans is remarkably similar to that of chimpanzees, the unique incident at Gombe does not prove that masculinity equates with innate aggression. In fact, it is well known that wild chimpanzees are typically non-violent. At Gombe, researchers interfered with the natural environment. Chimps were suddenly faced with food shortages, and they reacted with uncharacteristic violence. Fukuyama would have his readers believe that organized violence began with mans primitive ancestors and â€Å"The Future of Women in Politics† Page # 2 continued on an unobstructed path to present day man. On the contrary, archeologists have not found cave paintings of battles. Evidence of collective violence appears tens of thousands of years beyond the time that the human species branched away from chimpanzees. War was the result of agricultural societies competing for resources. How could armies of men organize for war if society was not yet organized? Fukuyama does not answer this question. The reason that men are chosen as soldiers over women may be rooted in biology. However, it is doubtful that the reason lies in the genetic coding of their personalities. With their pronounced upper body strength, men are better equipped physically to use maces, bows and swords. Beyond that, most men do not enlist in the army to strengthen their fighting skills or satisfy their primordial thirst for killing. The US Army recruits soldiers by promoting honor, loyalty, and courage. Young men are lured in by the promise of educational benefits, health care and financial incentives. Following Fukuyamas argument, the armed forces would not have to coerce men to join. If organizing for the sake of violence is their biological calling, then why must governments institute drafts? Perhaps draft dodgers† of the future will be forced to undergo gene therapy. But, it is very unlikely that scientists will ever find a gene for aggressive or competitive behavior. Human behavior is the result of multiple genes interacting with a variety of biological and social forces. No single behavior can be associated with the X or the Y chromosome. Men are trained to fight wars. They are removed from normal society and deprogrammed. Soldiers must undergo extreme psychological conditioning to prepare for battle. Fukuyama makes an illogical leap from observing individual behavior to explaining formally organized warfare. â€Å"The Future of Women in Politics† Page # 3 War is not an impulsive act carried out by a group of aggressive males. The decision to exercise military force requires strategic planning. It is best described as a politically motivated strategy within the realm of complex foreign policy. Political leaders are predominantly male. But, this does not necessarily prove that the use of political force is limited to the male gender. As Caprioli points out, women who have obtained the power to act violently have done so (267). Only in the last 100 years have women been granted the right to participate in elections and hold elected positions. Womens suffrage is a relatively recent development in politics. The world ushered in the first female prime minister in 1960 and the first female president in 1974. Heads of state, regardless of gender, are bestowed with the power to use military force against foreign bodies. In order to compare the degrees of force ordered by male and female heads of state, Caprioli examined the Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) data set compiled by Stuart Bremer. If Fukuyamas assessment of womens behavior was true, then MID should report that females rarely or never ordered the use of force. Contrarily, MID revealed no difference in the decisions made by men or women. Both female and male leaders rely on the use of force, most frequently. According to this evidence, female leaders are no more peaceful than their male counterparts (Caprioli, 267). The fight for womens suffrage was based on achieving political equality not to conquer the militaristic male agenda. As women rise up and gain political power, they are breaking the chains of traditional stereotypes. The role of a president is different than the role of a homemaker. In the home, women are the designated caretakers. Rearing children and maintaining the household are the foremost priorities. Obviously, women are biologically suited to give birth and breastfeed. Preparing dinner and performing chores fulfill social needs. â€Å"The Future of Women in Politics† Page # 4 Traditionally, women have been shielded from violence by cultural socialization. However, suffrage has opened up new opportunities for women to approve of and use political force. During World War II, American women were honored by images of Rosie the Riviter. The war provided millions of women with employment in the defense industry. All of these women willingly and proudly contributed to Americas military success. Furthermore, women who are employed by the State and the Defense Departments are freed from their conventional social constraints and thusly exhibit support for violence (Caprioli, 270). Female leaders share the same responsibilities and confront the same threats as males. Regardless of gender, political rulers must create laws, collect and distribute taxes, and shape foreign policy. Germany, for instance, recently elected a female chancellor who adamantly defends the US invasion of Iraq. Caprioli concludes that, As American society becomes more egalitarian with regard to the sexes, women are gaining more power. This power may not be directed toward pacifist, nurturing ideals (272). For women, achieving political equality means utilizing force as a function of political leadership. Despite social training and genetic constitution, women have proven their individual and collective ability to perform aggressive acts and their proclivity to compete for social status. Competition for social status is hardly limited to men. Prime time television in America is flooded with reality shows that pit women against each other to win fame, fortune and romance. Marketers prey upon womens social drive to keep up with the Joneses. Women are convicted for homicide, infanticide and child abuse. Although men are more likely to exhibit violent behavior, even Fukuyama admits that the number of women incarcerated for violent crimes is increasing in the same proportion to that of men (Caprioli, 272). Female guerrillas have fought. â€Å"The Future of Women in Politics† Page # 5 in Central and South America. An unsuccessful female suicide bomber was recently arrested in Jordan. Women are well known to be propagators of violence. In conclusion, Fukuyama incorrectly correlates the aggressive behavior of men with genetic programming. His example of the warlike actions of the chimps at Gombe has been taken out of context and does not prove does that masculinity equates with innate aggression. The use of violence to gain social control cannot be traced straight back to the origins of man. In fact, archeologists have yet to find evidence of organized warfare that predates the existence of agricultural societies. According to Fukuyamas logic, war is the sum of many individuals violent behaviors and actions. In reality, war is the result of complex processes within foreign policy. His assessment is far too simplistic to support his claims. Caprioli provided evidence that female heads of state are just as likely to use force as their male counterparts. As women rise to positions of ultimate political power, they are freed from the social constraints of their gender stereotypes. Based on the documented actions of female presidents and prime ministers, it is doubtful that a world run by women will be more peaceful. Works Cited Caprioli, Mary. â€Å"The Myth of Women’s Pacifism. † Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Politics An Original Essay Written for This Volume (1999) Ed. Rourke, John T. Guilford, CN: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2005. Fukuyama, Francis. â€Å"Women and the Evolution of World Politics† Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Politics Ed. Rourke, John T. Guilford, CN: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2005 (Reprinted from Foreign Affairs, September/October 1998).