Business Ethics-Annual Sustainability Reports Essay

Business Ethics-Annual Sustainability Reports - Essay Example I am taking as an example two of the companies included in the Fortune 500 ranking of America's largest corporations. The companies I have chosen compete in the industry of Forest and Paper Products, as these companies have much to do with regard to one kind of sustainability, the environmental one. According to "FAO's State of the World's Forests 2007 report" over the 15 years from 1990 to 2005, the world lost 3 percent of its total forest area, an average decrease of some 0.2 percent per year2. Companies that work in the Paper Industry must be aware of their role and responsibility in the depletion of planet's natural resources. The actions they take regarding to this issue are reflected in their Annual Sustainability Reports. As the Global Reporting Initiative defines it, sustainability reporting is a process for publicly disclosing an organization's economic, environmental, and social performance3. Although these reports are a voluntary choice, many companies are starting to include them in their annual reports as a complement of their financial information and as a way of communicating with their stakeholders in different terms than just numbers. The first company we are going to consider is International Paper, which is in the place 114 in the Fortune 500 ranking and it is known as the world's largest paper company. Its headquarters are located in Memphis and they have been producing paper products since 1898. They manufacture a large variety of goods, from paper to pulp and packaging for a wide range of industries. On their website (http://www.internationalpaper.com) we can see their "Sustainability Update for the years 2004 - 2006"4. In this report we can find detailed information about their commitment to sustainability, which includes initiatives like selling large parcels of land to forest management organizations for their conservation (so these forests provide them sustainable certified wood), growing planted forests, maximizing the use of wood, protecting wildlife and endangered species in their lands, making a sustainable use of water, increasing the use of renewable energies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions,

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE SUBJECT TO CYCLE LOADING Research Proposal

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE SUBJECT TO CYCLE LOADING - Research Proposal Example Increasing the number of cycles beneath this stage ensures that the failure occurs and consequently, the crack of the material ought to come in next (Liu, 2009, 65). Other metals like aluminium do not have any distinctive limits and even a small oscillation may have the material reach its fatigue limit. Such cases have made scientists set a number of cycles, usually 10, as the average fatigue life of the material (Kennedy, 2008, 44). When the cycles go beyond the set threshold of the material, cracks start forming on the material and an attempt to stop the cycles does not yield any benefits as a microscopic crack may have the entire product destroyed beyond any point of repair. Shape of a structure definitely has a large impact on the fatigue life of the given material. This is from the fact that a product with a triangular shape has weak lines of force and a minute change in the oscillation pattern or rather an increase in the number of cycles may have it reach its end point rather fast (Comit, 2011, 46). Understanding the composition of concrete in order to reach the crack of the material comes in very imperative. In this case, the material may not have the stated metal necessary for the fatigue life to reach a certain age. Most of the times, the material stated is a metal such as aluminium and has the shape of a triangle. This has it that only a number of cycles lead to the concrete composition level that eventually breaks down the material (Harman, 2010, 53). For alloys, it is difficult to establish the exact amount of concrete required to break the material. One consequently has to work with an average figure depending on the most common point. This however is not preferred by many people due to accumulative values that may place the commodity in a tight place when it comes to marketing of the end material (Jerina, 2010, 78). One

Assignment on Training and Development within Vodafone

Assignment on Training and Development within Vodafone Human Resource Management (HRM), a relatively new term, that emerged during the 1930s. Many people used to refer it before by its traditional titles, such as Personnel Administration or Personnel Management. But now, the trend is changing. It is now termed as Human Resource Management (HRM). Human Resource Management is a management function that helps an organization select, recruit, train and develops. Human Resource Management is defined as the people who staff and manage organization. It comprises of the functions and principles that are applied to retaining, training, developing, and compensating the employees in organization. It is also applicable to non-business organizations, such as education, healthcare etc. Human Resource Management is defined as the set of activities, programs, and functions that are designed to maximize both organizational as well as employee effectiveness Scope of HRM without a doubt is vast. All the activities of employee, from the time of his entry into an organization until he leaves, come under the horizon of HRM. The divisions included in HRM are Recruitment, Payroll, Performance Management, Training and Development, Retention, Industrial Relation, etc. Out of all these divisions, one such important division is training and development. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT is a subsystem of an organization. It ensures that randomness is reduced and learning or behavioral change takes place in structured format. TRADITIONAL AND MODERN APPROACH OF TRAINING AND DEVLOPMENT Traditional Approach Most of the organizations before never used to believe in training. They were holding the traditional view that managers are born and not made. There were also some views that training is a very costly affair and not worth. Organizations used to believe more in executive pinching. But now the scenario seems to be changing. The modern approach of training and development is that Indian Organizations have realized the importance of corporate training. Training is now considered as more of retention tool than a cost. The training system in Indian Industry has been changed to create a smarter workforce and yield the best results TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES The principal objective of training and development division is to make sure the availability of a skilled and willing workforce to an organization. In addition to that, there are four other objectives: Individual, Organizational, Functional, and Societal. Individual Objectives help employees in achieving their personal goals, which in turn, enhances the individual contribution to an organization. Organizational Objectives assist the organization with its primary objective by bringing individual effectiveness. Functional Objectives maintain the departments contribution at a level suitable to the organizations needs. Societal Objectives ensure that an organization is ethically and socially responsible to the needs and challenges of the society. Role of HRD Professionals in Training This is the era of cut-throat competition and with this changing scenario of business; the role of HR professionals in training has been widened. HR role now is: 1. Active involvement in employee education 2. Rewards for improvement in performance 3. Rewards to be associated with self esteem and self worth 4. Providing pre-employment market oriented skill development education and post employment support for advanced education and training 5. Flexible access i.e. anytime, anywhere training The HR functioning is changing with time and with this change, the relationship between the training function and other management activity is also changing. About Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is the worlds leading mobile telecommunications company, with a significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United States through the Companys subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures, associated undertakings and investments. The Groups mobile subsidiaries operate under the brand name Vodafone. In the United States the Groups associated undertaking operates as Verizon Wireless. During the last few years, Vodafone Group has entered into arrangements with network operators in countries where the Group does not hold an equity stake. Under the terms of these Partner Market Agreements, the Group and its partner operators co-operate in the development and marketing of global products and services, with varying levels of brand association. At 30 September 2009, based on the registered customers of mobile telecommunications ventures in which it had ownership interests at that date, the Group had 323 million customers, excluding paging customers, calculated on a proportionate basis in accordance with the Companys percentage interest in these ventures. The Companys ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Companys American Depositary Shares (ADSs) are listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market. The Company had a total market capitalisation of approximately  £71.2 billion at 12 November 2009. Vodafone Group Plc is a public limited company incorporated in England under registered number 1833679. Its registered office is Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2FN, England. Vodafone Training and development We provide training and development opportunities to help our employees gain new skills and experiences, and encourage them to reach their full potential. Vodafone offers a wide range of online courses related to specific aspects of the business or key skill sets. Performance Dialogues All employees complete an annual Performance Dialogue with their line manager, enabling them to review their performance annually and set clear goals and development plans for the year ahead. The process ensures our people can make a clear connection between their goals and Vodafones business objectives. Development Boards Vodafone employees with key skills are discussed at an annual Development Board, where their line managers rate their performance and potential. We use this information to identify employees with leadership potential in each local operating company. These employees are encouraged to complete leadership development training, such as Inspire. Inspire leadership development Inspire is a global programme designed to identify and develop high potential employees and accelerate their progression into leadership roles. Participants take part in a three-month international rotation and receive commercial training and personalised leadership development through Imperial College, Oxford Said Business School and the Hay Group. They also gain from exposure to and learning from members of our Executive Committee. The programme promotes cross-cultural understanding within Vodafone and encourages employees to take advantage of the breadth of experience across the Group. Promoting career opportunities within Vodafone We want people to develop at Vodafone and promote recruitment from within. This encourages people to progress their careers within the company, either through promotion or a change of role to broaden their experience. All vacancies across Vodafone are advertised on the job-posting page of our global intranet, which encourages the transfer of talent across the Group. Equal opportunities and diversity We believe employee diversity is an asset to our business. Men and women of various ages from different backgrounds and cultures, with a range of different experiences, help us understand and serve our customers around the world. We have a strategy to improve diversity and inclusion across the Group. It aims to ensure Vodafones workforce reflects its diverse customer base, and that the company has an inclusive working environment that embraces the benefits diversity brings. Vodafone aims to create a working culture that respects the value of differences among colleagues and encourages individuals to contribute their best within an environment that is inclusive, open, flexible and fair. We will not tolerate discrimination or unfair treatment on any grounds. Employees must act with integrity and respect for their colleagues and customers. We are committed to helping talented people from diverse backgrounds meet their potential at all levels of the company. Gender diversity We are working to improve gender diversity at Vodafone, as part of our diversity and inclusion strategy. This includes carrying out senior leadership training on inclusion and diversity. At Group level, we instruct our recruitment consultants to recommend a minimum of one credible female candidate for interview for every vacancy we advertise at management level. We recognise that women can often be more affected by family commitments than men and encourage flexible working to help employees balance their work with their family commitments. Cultural diversity With operations worldwide, Vodafone is not only multinational but multicultural. We encourage our managers to gain experience working in different countries and almost half our senior managers have international experience. International rotation is a key part of our Inspire programme for employees with high potential. See Training and development. Employees with disabilities We are conscious of the difficulties experienced by people with disabilities, and make every effort to ensure access to the Groups facilities and services. Disabled people are assured of full and fair consideration for all vacancies for which they offer themselves as suitable candidates. We do our best to meet their needs, particularly in relation to access and mobility. Where possible, modifications to workplaces are made to provide access for the disabled. Every effort is made to continue the employment of people who become disabled during their employment, through the provision of additional facilities, job design and appropriate training. Reward and recognition We aim to provide competitive and fair rates of pay and benefits in each market where we operate. This helps us attract and retain the best employees. Pay and benefits vary in each local operating company. Vodafone rewards employees based on their performance, potential and contribution to the success of the business. We want to ensure that our people feel their efforts are recognised. Our global short and long-term incentive plans reward performance. Health, safety and wellbeing The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees is a priority for Vodafone. We believe all incidents and injuries are preventable and we are committed to ensuring that our people can do their work safely. And we understand that employee wellbeing is vital for a healthy and effective workforce. Our wellbeing framework tackles significant issues such as attendance and stress management, as well as helping our people understand the importance of work-life balance and the benefits of healthy lifestyles. Many of our operating companies run programmes which aim to keep their employees healthy and free from stress, including flexible working initiatives. Flexible working enables employees to balance work and family commitments better and helps us to attract and retain the best people, as well as use space more efficiently. Our health, safety and wellbeing principles apply equally to Vodafone employees, our service providers, contractors and suppliers. We set consistently high health and safety standards across the Group, and have robust management systems to ensure these are implemented. Our Group Health and Safety Policy covers health and safety management, radio frequency fields and health, and driving safety. Each local operating company must comply with this policy and implement a health and safety management system that is consistent with local operating conditions and legislation. We also provide health and security advice for employees travelling abroad on business. Our Group Health, Safety and Wellbeing Board oversees implementation of health, safety and wellbeing management by local operating companies. Operating companies share information and advice through our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Network and at annual conferences. Employee volunteering Many of our employees give their time as volunteers to support good causes. This benefits charities and communities but also allows our employees to learn new skills. We encourage employee volunteering and help to raise additional funds from third parties. Most of our local operating companies have programmes to encourage employees to volunteer in working hours. Examples of employee volunteering programmes include: Refurbishing a residential care home for young children, by Vodafone Malta to mark its seventh annual Corporate Responsibility Day. Distributing blankets, clothes and food supplies to 10,000 needy families. Over 160 Vodafone Egypt employees volunteered three hours each on average to the cause. Giving blood at Vodafone Albanias Blood Donation Day, in co-operation with The Red Cross. Donors are urgently needed in Albania because 8% of the population carries Thalassemia, a blood condition that can be treated with blood transfusions. Vodafone Australias Beyondyou programme, to help employees make a personal difference to their community and the environment. Beyondyou offers individual and team volunteering, as well as career development opportunities with community partners. Employees can take one additional day of paid leave each year to volunteer.

All Quiet On The Western Front: Themes :: essays research papers

All Quiet On the Western Front: Themes All Quiet on the Western Front is a graphic depiction of the horrors of war. In the short note before Chapter One, Remarque lets the reader know exactly what themes he intends. War is a savage and gratuitous evil, war is unnatural, and war is responsible for the destruction of an entire generation. Remarque is very clear on the strength of his themes, and uses graphic imagery to convey to the reader the physical and psychological impact that war has on humanity. But Remarque uses more than graphic description to support his themes. Remarque also utilizes a very defined nature motif, with the forces of nature constantly rebelling against the conflict it plays battleground to. With the Earth itself, the source of all things, supporting his themes, Remarque has a seemingly unbiased witness bearing testament to his observations. Remarque can use nature as the judge to condemn war, along with shocking imagery, so that his literature remains without a trace of nationalism, political ill will, or even personal feelings. It should be noted that the nature motif is carried consistently throughout the novel, and that it supports many of the author's lesser themes. For the purpose of portraying war as something terrible, though, the nature motif is expressed most dramatically in the following passages. These passages mark the three distinct stages of nature's condemnation of war: rebellion, perseverance, and erasure. The first passage occurs in Chapter Four when the troops are trucked out to the front to install stakes and wire. However, the narrator's squad is attacked unexpectedly by an English bombardment. With no visible enemy to fight, the soldiers are forced to take cover and live out the bombardment. In the process, the earth is shredded and blown asunder. It is during this melee that many of the companies' horses are wounded, and begin to bellow terribly. "It is unendurable. It is the moaning of the world, it is the martyred creation, wild with anguish, filled with terror, and groaning." The bombing subdues, but the bellowing continues. "The screaming of the beasts becomes louder. One can no longer distinguish whence in this now quiet silvery landscape it comes; ghostly, invisible, it is everywhere, between heaven and earth it rolls on immeasurably." Remarque is none too subtle in using the dying horses as a metaphor for the Earth's own anguish. As the men face a new horror, nature is revolting against the damage being done to it. Remarque will return to this usage of the nature motif, with war being anomalous and unnatural in the "natural" world.

Quasi-experimental research designs Essay

Introduction             A quasi experiment is the kind of experiment that seeks to evaluate conditions in non-profit making organizations. Examples of non-profit making organizations include the Red Cross, YMCA, and The Hospice, among many others (Thyer, 2012).  A hospice is a special hospital, mostly sponsored by the government of a country, where the practical, emotional, and medical needs of dying patients are met. A hospice is the kind of organization where emergency is the norm and is the least among other non-profit making organizations. A number of questions would be viable in this case. For instance, what are the working conditions? Does the station operate 24 hours in a day? But the kind of question that would give more and better information according to research would be; how many (dying) people are ministered to in a month? Such a question would give the research party broader perspective in the whole process compared to the others. The kind of data that I would gather would most likely dwell on such factors as, employee number, whether all the employees are professionally trained and the budget range. The three nuggets would be the primary areas of data collection considering the depth and width of information they would gather (Thyer, 2012). In the data collection process, it would be prudent to employ the services offered by employees. Therefore, I would use an employee of high proficiency in getting down to the process. This would, most likely promote the quality and quantity of the final findings, having in mind the experience of the employee. According to Thyer (2012), limitation would be inevitable, especially in this kind of process. Some of the limitations likely to be faced by employees in the field would involve: the time of emergency (uncertainty on when to send an employee), lack of total co-operation from the management and inadequate capital. There are a number of challenges but the above mentioned would be the most likely. Reference Thyer, B. A. (2012).  Quasi-experimental research designs. New York: Oxford University Press. Source document

Effective Communication Case Study Analysis Case 9-1...

Effective Communication Case Study Analysis Case 9-1 Pepsi Syringe University of Phoenix Public Relations / MKT 438 Charles Bocage, Dean of Education, Apagy Technology Group, MBA, MSIS, TQM January 22, 2007 Effective Communication Case Study Analysis Case 9-1 Theres a Syringe in My Pepsi Can Public, private, and non-profit organizations have experienced unprecedented change. The function of public relations has gained recognition for providing appropriate counsel to organizations that need to respond to this period of accelerating change. The perception that a public relations person is oriented to the self-promotion of an organization has shifted. Todays public relations professionals are required to work†¦show more content†¦The companys president and a product safety expert appeared on many talk shows and nightly newscasts. Pepsi also cooperated fully with the government and the FDA. The subsequent investigation and its positive result further substantiated Pepsis innocence. The effect on the general public was immense. They believed Pepsis innocence fully. If the FDA says the product is safe then it is safe. The president and Commissioner Kessler appeared on newscast together. A good example of influencing the public was stated in the article, It was th e FDAs office of Criminal Investigation, in fact, that reported the breakthrough in the arrest of the man in central Pennsylvania. (p. 125, Seitel) In addition to the Commissioner was noted saying that calm is in orderÂ… recall is not necessary. All of these occurrences influenced and persuaded both the internal and external publics. The risks could have been many to Pepsi. Yet and still they weathered the storm and came out unscathed. The benefits to Pepsi were tremendous. Their sales peaked after the crisis settled down, showing that even negative publicity can have a positive impact. During the storm however, Pepsi saw a decline in sales. If this crisis occurred today the internet, pdas and smart phones would have played a huge part of the PR communication. Press Releases, Television broadcasts, and websites would be devoted to the incident. Globalization would have played aShow MoreRelatedTools and Techniques in Pr6845 Words   |  28 PagesTOOLS AND TECHNIQUES IN PUBLIC RE LATIONS INDEX 1. TOOLS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS 2. PUBLICITY MEDIA 3. TYPES OF PUBLICITY 4. OTHER FORMS OF PUBLICITY 5. TECHNIQUES USED TO SOLVE PR PROBLEMS 6. PR PROCESS 7. ISSUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (New Jersey Physicians case) 8. CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ( Mattel, Pepsi, Bhopal Gas Tragedy and Exxon case) 9. MODELS IN PR : Open System, Cybernetics and Roles of PR. Tools in Public Relations Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manageRead MoreRoadmap to Csr Sustainability in Healthcare16191 Words   |  65 PagesThis    part    also    provides    detailed    information    about    the    key    CSR    terms,    hospital    case    studies    and    significant    CSR    issues    relevant    to    hospital   functions.   In   short,   Part   One   will   serve   three   main   purposes:       1. Gives    the    readers    a    thorough    understanding    of    what    CSR    is    and    how    it    is

The Effects Of Depression And Its Treatment On Mental...

The issues related to the mental health have become a part of our everyday life. A key role in this process was played by the media (Barker, Vossler and Langdridge, 2010). In contemporary, they still influence common views on the mental health. This essay will summarise and discuss the presentations of mental health in two newspaper articles. Firstly, summarising their content. Secondly, critically discussing it. Then, discussing their advantages. And finally, discussing them in the historical context. The first article (Hughes, 2016) argues that depression occurs as a result of environmental factors rather than the biological ones and too much money is spent on the latter rather than the former. It argues that the research on the biological factors does not really contribute to our knowledge about depression and its treatment. It claims that the genetic factors are reversible through psychotherapy and that there are two types of depression depending on whether it involves the genetic factors or not. It also shows the importance of the issue by stating that the United Kingdom spends  £70 billion on mental health annually and that 40% of new disability benefit claims are related to mental health problems. The second article (Jones, 2016) focused on the anxiety and depression’s impact on the economy. It compared the cost of the productivity lost due to these disorders with the costs of their treatment. According to the article, over the next 15 years the world economy canShow MoreRelatedDepression Essay : Depression : The Causes Of Depression893 Words   |  4 PagesDepression Depression affects many people in today’s society for a number of reasons. Depression is a serious disorder, numerous people are affected by it. However, there are places to go that give help that people with depression need. 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