Online Psychological Intervention A Feasible Measure to...

Online psychological intervention: A feasible measure to reduce barriers to treatment People with mental disorders often find it hard to access psychological treatment. Common barriers to treatment include limited accessibility, unable to afford treatment, fear of what others might think or say, and not knowing where to go for help (Olfson et. al., 2000). Among these barriers, fear of what others might think or say is particularly prominent for people with social anxiety disorder. People with social anxiety disorder are often ashamed of their symptoms, and those symptoms embarrassed them to seek treatment. With the increasing popularity and accessibility of the internet, mental health professionals are gradually considering using online†¦show more content†¦Fear of what others might think or say is a unique barrier to treatment for social anxiety disorder as it is reported by a significantly higher percentage of people with social anxiety symptoms (19.7%) than those without social anxiety symptoms (6.0%). The internet serves as a highly accessible tool to provide information about the disorder and the type of treatment available. It may even be used to deliver treatment, especially for people with society anxiety disorder who are afraid of discussing their symptoms with others. Benefits of online psychological intervention Lauder, Chester, and Berk (2007) discussed the feasibility of conducting online psychological intervention to reduce barriers to treatment. Recently, mental health professionals begin to use Internet as a tool to provide information and to deliver psychological assessment and treatment. The internet reduces barriers to treatment by reducing cost, and increasing accessibility and anonymity. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most common therapy that has been applied as online treatment. Online version of CBT is effective particularly for treating depression and anxiety disorders. A unique benefit of online therapy is its ability to quantify how engaged someone is in a treatment program. Researchers can look at the length of time someone spent on the intervention, andShow MoreRelatedOf Mental Disorders among US Veterans3413 Words   |  14 Pagesadvancement in society’s use of technology, and the resultant field of e-mental health, provides a great opportunity to surmo unt current barriers many Veterans face when accessing mental health care. A number of resources have been developed to meet the needs of Veterans diagnosed with PTSD, yet few studies have examined willingness to use technology-based mental health treatment approaches within a sample of ethno-racially and geographically diverse veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Recent researchRead MoreWorking in Partnership with Patients/ Clients Who Self Administer Medication2416 Words   |  10 Pagesmedication A literature review Self-management has become a concept adopted by the Department of Health (DH) to enable people with chronic health conditions to become the controlling entity over their illness therefore promoting independence and psychological well being. Initiatives that recommend this practice are National Service Framework for chronic disease management and self-care (DH 2002) and National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions (DH 2005). Part of the framework plan is to implementRead MoreSurvey Of Cognitive Remediation Practices For Individuals With Schizophreni Implementation And Barriers9236 Words   |  37 PagesSchizophrenia: Implementation and Barriers Jessica Ryan Cuttance, M.S., CRC Dr. Dara Chan, ScD, CRC Dr. Mark Klinger, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Abstract Cognitive impairment (CI) is observed in the vast majority of individuals with schizophrenia and has long been identified as a principal contributor to functional deficits. To date, pro-cognitive pharmacologic therapies have been largely unsuccessful in addressing CI and as such, psychosocial treatments for cognitive enhancementRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography: Plagiarism39529 Words   |  158 Pagesreferenced and attributed appropriately. Where the overlap is found to exceed an acceptable level, we write to the author(s) providing a link to the full report and inviting them to withdraw the submission, or alternatively to revise it extensively to reduce the overlap and to indicate where they are quoting the work of others (or their own previously published work). We also ask for their comments on the overlap. If the author cannot provide an acceptable explanation or where the overlap is very significantRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesAutomatic and Controlled Processing 351 †¢ Interest Level 352 †¢ Prior Knowledge 352 †¢ Personality 352 †¢ Message Characteristics 352 Barriers to Effective Communication 353 Filtering 353 †¢ Selective Perception 353 †¢ Information Overload 353 †¢ Emotions 353 †¢ Language 354 †¢ Silence 354 †¢ Communication Apprehension 355 †¢ Lying 355 Global Implications 356 Cultural Barriers 356 †¢ Cultural Context 357 †¢ A Cultural Guide 358 Summary and Implications for Managers 360 S A L S A L Self-AssessmentRead MoreStrategic Human Resource Management72324 Words   |  290 PagesOur HR Strategy? What is Horizontal Integration? Bundling and Best Fit Resource Based View (RBV) What are the Benefits of Horizontal Integration? What Different Approaches Can Be Taken to Achieve Strategic Alignment? 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Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 10 09 08 07 ExamView  ® and ExamView Pro  ® are registeredRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagesrecommending a personalised study plan that points you to the resources which can help you achieve a better grade †¢ Key concept audio summaries that you can download or listen to online †¢ Video cases that show real managers talking about their own organisations †¢ Revision flashcards to help you prepare for your exams †¢ A multi-lingual online glossary to help explain key concepts †¢ Guidance on how to analyse a case study †¢ Links to relevant sites on the web so you can explore more about the organisations featuredRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesThis online teaching and learning environment integrates the entire digital textbook with the most effective instructor and student resources With WileyPLUS: Students achieve concept mastery in a rich, structured environment that’s available 24/7 Instructors personalize and manage their course more effectively with assessment, assignments, grade tracking, and more manage time better study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual

Essay on Allegory of the Cave- Plato Republic - 1039 Words

llegory Anthony Guerra Professor Neilson Philosophy amp; Ethics 14 October 2010 The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix Book VII of The Republic begins with Socrates’ â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† The purpose of this allegory is to â€Å"make an image of our nature in its education and want of education† in other words, it illustrates Socrates’ model of education. In addition, the allegory corresponds perfectly to the analogy of the divided line. However, this Cave Analogy is also an applicable theme in modern times, for example, the movie, The Matrix, is loosely based off the Allegory. The cave is underground and dark; it consists of human beings who have been living down there since childhood. These people are almost like prisoners since†¦show more content†¦In Socrates’ mind education is not simply an information exchange; rather it is a painful experience, since all that one had previously believed is typically wrong. This painful experience can be seen as the â€Å"philosopher† turns around and stares into t he light and eventually learning that everything he had experienced in life were just shadows. These shadows in the cave are mere images, the lowest of the epistemological form of knowledge in the divided line. The objects which produce these shadows are the sense particulars. The sense particulars can then be counted e.g. three tree â€Å"puppets† this ability to count corresponds to the mathematical objects level of the divided line. Then once the person leaves the cave, he is able to see the actual forms, not just shadows or puppets, he is able to see the real object, and this conforms to the forms. Lastly, the sun is the thing that makes all life possible which is analogous to the ultimate Good which make all of the forms of knowledge even possible. In contemporary times, the Allegory of the Cave can be seen being played out in the movie The Matrix. In the movie, there are two worlds, the world which people live, a computer generated dream world, and the city of the robot s. The people in the world do not know that they are prisoners of the robots or even think that they are prisoners, in fact, they do not even knowShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Plato s Republic, We Read About The Allegory Of The Cave1644 Words   |  7 PagesBrooke Green 06/23/2015 PHIL-2306-015 In Plato’s Republic, we read about the â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† The prisoners in the story are relevant to anyone in today’s society who is unable to question anything they see or hear. Those who embrace anything they are told, as the truth, without the use of fact-finding questions, is an example of the relevance in today’s world. Plato’s cave is an allegory of education; it explains how we see things before we are necessarily educated about them and how oneRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave872 Words   |  4 PagesBy the time The Republic was written the term had a new meaning. Instead of the method previously described, it was now used to describe what something is. â€Å"The Republic stresses that true dialectic is performed by thinking solely of the abstract and nonsensible realm of forms; it requires that reason secure an unhypothetical first principle (the Good) and then derive other results in light of it† (Meinwald). In later dialogues like Parmenides, dialectic is used to understand forms in the properRead MoreThe Allegory of the Cave907 Words   |  4 PagesPlato was a student of the great philosopher of Socrates and went on to become a very influential figure in classical Greek philosophy. Plato went on to write the Republic where he sets out to answer many question such as; what is justice, why does man follow the law, and how do implications of society affect our behavior. The most interesting topic from the Republic is from Book VII, the allegory of the cave. With the allegory of the cave Plato gives us the power to break the chains that bind usRead More Plato Essay623 Words   |  3 PagesPlato Plato was born in Athens to a wealthy family and lived from 429-347 B.C.E. He was Socrates greatest student and held his teacher in such high regard that in most of his works Socrates plays the main character. Some people doubt the existance of Socrates but, like nearly everyone else who appears in Platos works, he is not an invention of Plato: there really was a Socrates (Kraut). Plato wrote many works asking questions about terms such as justice, piety, and immortality to name aRead MorePlato s Dialogue, Republic, And The Claims Of The Modern World1556 Words   |  7 Pagesand human nature before anyone else; Plato is a person who sides with the argument that philosophers play an important role in society. In Plato’s dialogue, Republic, he attempts to discover justice and to convey the importance philosophers possess in ensuring a just society. The main argument that will be addressed in this essay is that philosophers are useful and are essential to guarantee a truly just city. In this paper I will use Plato’s dialogue, Republic, and the claims mentioned throughoutRead MoreComparison: Allegory of the Cave and the Myth of the Metals1171 Words   |  5 PagesAllegory to Myth In the Republic, Plato uses reason to model the ultimate form of civilization where everyone achieves his/her human potential. This should not be confused with individual equality, for Plato sees a harmonious and virtuous community where citizens are under a hierarchy and working together for the greater good of the state. The question, however, remains: How does one achieve Plato’s ideal state when there is evil and deception in the world? In answering this question, Plato putsRead MorePlatos The Republic: Analysis of the Chapter Entitled Allegory of the Cave588 Words   |  3 Pagesworld’s most revered philosophers, Plato, was born in 428 BC. As a young man, Plato, became a devout student of Socrates. Plato quickly adopted Socrates’ teachings and turned his studies toward the question of virtue and noble character. After the execution of his beloved mentor, Plato founded the first English university called the Academy. He wanted thinkers to have a place were they could word toward better government for Greek cities. Over the duration of his life Plato wrote many books, and his mostRead MoreEssay about Platos Allegory of the Cave1305 Words   |  6 PagesPlato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is the most significant and influential analogy in his book, The Republic. This thorough analogy covers many of the images Plato uses as tools throughout The Republic to show why the four virtues, also known as forms, are what create good. The â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, however, is not one of the simplest representations used by Plato. Foremost, to comprehend these images such as the â€Å"divided line† or Plato’s forms, one must be able to understand this allegory and all ofRead More Foundations of Political Thought Essays1664 Words   |  7 Pagessimilarities mainly evident in their denouncement of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates expressed and written by his pupil Plato are vastly philosophical in nature and he promotes the idea of questioning life to achieve insight. The philosophers who possess the absolute truth are the best equipped to rule society according to Plato and his Allegory of the Cave. Conversely, Aristotle takes a more political science approach of discussing and analyzing various constitutions to determine theRead More The Cave and the Matrix Essay993 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cave and the Matrix Movie critics and philosophers alike agree that the movie â€Å"The Matrix† is indeed based upon certain Platonic themes from Book VII of The Republic. In this story entitled The Allegory of the Cave, he describes a dark underground cave where a group of people are sitting in one long row with their backs to the caves entrance. Chained to their chairs from an early age, all the humans can see is the distant cave wall in from of them. The shadows of statues held by unseen

Medical Tourism Introduction Free Essays

During the past four years, the market grew at a whopping rate of 20-30% and is expected to grow further. Considering this growth the current market size is estimated to be $100 billion. Medical Tourism industry offers tremendous potential for the developing countries because of their low-cost advantage. We will write a custom essay sample on Medical Tourism : Introduction or any similar topic only for you Order Now The advantages of medical tourism include improvement in export earnings and healthcare infrastructure. Many people in westernised world are accustomed to visit other nations which can offer medical treatment and very economy rates.In other words high quality health care treatments can be best available abroad at a very affordable prices (Herrick, 2007). Medical tourism has been very popular among the nations like Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, India, Cuba, South Africa, Singapore etc (Bookman, 2007). In order to realize the full potential of the industry, it is imperative for these countries to develop a strategic plan for coordinating various industry players –the medical practitioners, private hospitals, policy makers, hotels, trans portation services and tour operators.This report presents the strategy that needs to be implemented by India, one of the key destinations for Medical tourism, in order to achieve industry-leadership. The reason for rapid growth of the medica l tourism may be attributed to long waiting lists, opened channels for a high quality treatments etc (Carrera and Percivil, 2008). The Medical Tourism Industry in India is poised to be the next big success story after software. With a great information technology (IT) hub in India, it has got great potential for medical tourism (Connell, 2006).According to a Mckinsey-CII study the market size is estimated to be Rs. 5000-10000 Crores by 2012. The key concerns facing the industry include: absence of government initiative, lack of a coordinated effort to promote the industry, no accreditation mechanism for hospitals and the lack of uniform pricing policies and standards across hospitals. 2. 0 Aims To analyse business strategies of medical tourism industry and based on the data analysed necessary recommendations are provided in order to develop the efficacy of the this industry in India. . 1 Objectives * To explore the field of medical tourism and different business strategic approaches followed by other developing nations * To analyse the current position of Medical Tourism in India * To evaluate business strategies thrusts for the future * To provide necessary conclusion and recommendation. 2. 2 Scope of the study: There has been a considerable improvement in medical tourism all over the world. However, the developing nation like India needs to develop its own areas to contribute more towards medical tourism.The research had found suitable hypothesis for this study which will be helpful to be tested and effectively practiced in India. The conclusion may provide additional plans for the sustainability of medical tourism in the state. 3. 0 Reasearch Methodology Research helps in exploring the new things in certain area of interest and enhances the knowledge (Jenkowicz, 2003). It helps in analysing the conflicts in that particular area and tries out in finding some solutions for a particular conflict. It is the logical and systematic exploration of particular area of interest (Collins, 2003).These acts as template for carry out research. This further enhances the quality of the research (Malhotra, Birks, 2005). Research design can be classified as follows: Figure 3. 1: research design (Malhotra and Birks, 2005) The current study primarily focuses on the business strategies medical tourism in India. An exploratory research is adopted for this current study whereby the key problematic area is not yet identified. On the other hand the conclusive design has only very confined or specific hypothesis. This is a complex study which will have a small sample size.Hence the data thus collected can be quantifiable. The questionnaires in case of the descriptive study are pre-formulated. Of all the different types of studies the cross sectional studies are considered to be the commonest approach. In case of simple cross sectional studies the respondents will be interviewed only one time where as in case of multiple cross sectional studies the two or more respondents will be interviewed at one time. Cohort analysis, which will be categorised under the multiple cross sectional studies, group of individuals will be exposed to equal traits at given time period.There has been a significant difference between longitudinal and cross sectional research however, longitudinal sample remains same unlike of cross sectional research. The size of the smaple will always remain same if both the researches such as casual and descriptive research are equal in representation (Malhotra, 2006). Research methods According to Blaxter (2006), the research skills constituting selection, analytics and presentation of data explore facts through some distortions of any interested subject. The research methods have been broadly classified.However, critically evaluating the data through further research would be carried out with help of previous research validation. The methods could be in mixed approach such as quantitative and qualitative methods. The researcher understood that there should be a deep understanding of the tools before incorporating it into the research (Grix, 2004). The researcher finds interpretivism as best approach to explore the subject and to identify the data using qualitative research techniques. There are two different types of approaches commonly used such as inductive and eductive approach. The research is purely based on the end result which is much similar to inductive approach so, the deductive approach is eliminated from this research. The researcher is very keen on identifying suitable tools and techniques to derive appropriate research methods and data collections for which a proper research strategy is to be used which would be critically analysed and confirmed through case studies (Punch, et al, 2004). 3. 1 Data collection: It is the important aspect in the research process.All the research tools and techniques used to collect data is performed with subject to personal interaction, focus groups, observation and artefacts. All the data collection are identified with two segments such as primary data collection and secondary data collection. 3. 1. 1 Primary data: All the data related to qualitative and quantitative methods are observed through this technique. In this primary research, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews are considered as important. The researcher chosen closed ended questionnaire which will be more suitable for the research undertaken (Naoum, 2006).Based on the qualitative type, interviews were performed to derive data required for this research. The researcher had chosen telephonic interview which could be more reliable and can provide deep insight data relevant to research study. All the interviews are preceded with questionnaire to probe the participants based on the response to previous questions (Collins, 2003). 3. 1. 2 Secondary data: The researcher had gone through a rigorous study based on books, journals, online articles and newspapers. Most of research related journals are derived from science direct and EBSC host websites.However, there is a considerable amount of vagueness found by the researcher during the collection of secondary data. The researcher had followed probability sampling technique to use in the current study which could produce accurate results needed for this research (Breweton, 2001). How to cite Medical Tourism : Introduction, Papers

Competitive Strategy Developed Business Innovation

Question: Describe about the Competitive Strategy for Developed Business Innovation. Answer: Introduction Uber is a ride for hire service that was founded in the year 2009 at San Francisco by Garrett Camp and Travis and Kalanick. The taxi service was an innovation for hire service where the taxi is hired using a mobile application developed by Uber technologies. The aim of development of Uber taxi was to give a comfort of finding taxis and eradicate the frustrations that the passengers face in trying to find a taxi. Since its development, the company has expanded its services to many other countries and cities. With the invention of Uber, travelling has become more convenient and easy. The case study analyzes the market condition of United States and other countries where Uber has expanded, the business models and strategies used by Uber, the competitive strategy, the services provided by Uber and the expansion strategy provided by Uber taxis. Uber was valued at 18.2 billion dollars that was held as the most valued privately owned company (Gabel, 2016). Traditionally there were two ride hiring services that were taxicab services and limousine services. The taxicab services were operated regulated at municipal level while limousine services were operated at a state level. Both the services operated with different rules while the regulations were almost same from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The differences between the two rides were that the limousine services were only available on Prebooking while taxicabs could be hired from streets. The paper analyzes the services provided by Uber and the strategies used. Different countries had different rules and limitations. Other cab providers used the business model developed by Uber as well (Dobbs et al., 2015). Problem identification Uber faced many difficulties while entering the market because there were already many taxicabs and services operating. The services of Uber were created by grabbing the opportunity of customers frustration of not finding the taxis for travelling. A Smartphone application was developed to help the customers find the cabs easily and conveniently. The application developed by Uber helps the customer books cab from its nearby location as it traces the location of the customers. The customers are given the choice of either paying the money or the fare through cash or through credit card. Traditionally the drivers did not provide the option of cash to the customers to avoid inconvenience of carrying huge amounts of cash. The strategy that Uber adopted was that it did not own its cars but instead relied on the operators and private personality that were ready to rent their cars for Uber service. The Uber service uses various tools and strategies to effectively provide the service. It great ly relies on data analytics to determine the best waiting place to pick up the customers (Anderson, 2014). This is done to reduce the delivery time and improve customer satisfaction. The entire Uber service relies on the data gathered, as it will help in making the optimal utilization of vehicles. The customer satisfaction level is measured by allowing the customers to rate the drivers on the basis of their experience. This is essential for the company to understand the response of customers in market and alter the strategies if the customers are not happy with the service. Rating is a vice versa phenomenon where even the drivers are given opportunity to rate the clients in order to avoid troublesome customers (Cannon Summers, 2014). The company has faced many difficulties and problems. The cost of the Uber taxis is less compared to other cab services due to which many issues and concerns were raised against Uber. The main issue identified was raised regarding the operations of the company. The problems faced by Uber is given as follows. Uber had faced various criticisms as the other taxi operators were not being able to absorb the success of the company the controversies were raised to achieve competitive advantage. The concerns were as follows: Uber operates its taxis and cabs but without proper licenses. The taxis in Uber do not have insurance. Uber is considered juts as a way of making living (Rauch Schleicher, 2015). Due to the concerns, raised the company was charged a penalty. Despite of the penalty the company continued its operations. One of the major criticisms faced by Uber service was a charge of a girl being raped in India by Uber driver. The entire app based taxi services banned in India unless and until the services are registered with the local transportation body. Thailand and Vietnam also claimed for the Uber service being illegal. Uber faced many challenges while expanding globally. Establishment of the service required huge amount of capital investment (Kanter, 2015). The regulators of USA and Europe where the main regulatory body were governments and the traditional transport operators raised the issues. The main questions that were raised against Uber related to the safety of the consumers, and drivers. Situation analysis The case study is based on both the quantitative methodology and qualitative analysis. Porters five forces Porters five forces are used to evaluate the competitive strength of the company. It helps in identifying the level of competition within the industry that is helpful for the development of business. The threat of new entrants: The market earning high profitable return on investment and profit has the fear of competition due to threat of new entrants. Though Uber is the leading company in this market sector its has constant threat from new entrants. Uber had high return on investments during its start of $1.25 million. Seeing the high return on investment, many new firms had entered the market that gave high competition to Uber. One of the major competitors of Uber is Lyft which is a privately owned company based in San Francisco. Logan and John launched the company in the year 2012. The company initially provided the service of ride sharing for the long distance travelling. Just like Uber, the cabs of Lyft can be booked through the mobile-based application. The difference between Uber and Lyft is that Lyft uses normal citizens as drivers that have their own cars. The second differences between the two are the logo that it sets to display its brand. The third difference is the pricing strategy where Lyft ch arges a fixed twenty-five percent sure pricing during peak demand. Lyft has faced more regulatory obligations compared to Uber (Mitchell, 2015). The criticism was due to the use of personal cars and drivers for the service. The issue was to use commercial drivers and cars for the safety purpose. The company was ready to pay huge amount of money to the drivers for the expansion of its services to New York (Edelman, 2015). The other competitor of the Uber service is Sidecar, which was a smaller service that began in 2012 in San Francisco. The different between sidecar and other service is that the drivers are allowed to set their own prices and the customers are allowed to choose from the vehicle model and prices. Uber reacted to these competitors by extending its products and cutting the prices of the services this was done to achieve competitive advantage over other services (Wallsten, 2015). Threat of substitutes: Uber has high threat from substitutes, as there are many alternatives that the consumers can switch. The development of Lyft in 2012 from the same region was the major threat to Uber. Transportation service is a competitive business as the consumers has larger choice to choose from. With the rise in technology and increase in use of internet more innovative services juts like Uber are likely to come in future that will give a strong competition to Uber. During the time of surge pricing customer, opt for other cab services that can harm the profit of the company. Various means of transportation such as bus, and railways acts as substitutes to Uber giving strong competition (Wirtz Tang, 2016). Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers here are the customers. Customers have high bargaining power because of presence various other operators providing the similar service to the customers. Uber is no longer a unique product due to development of many other cab services such as Lyft, and Sidecars. Customer determines the consumption of particular based on price charged by the company. Transportation sector is a price sensitive industry. Higher the price lower is the demand for Uber. Customer is given choice of giving feedback after using the particular service. Hence, the customers have high bargaining power because of various factors such as price sensitivity, quality of service and presence of competitors. Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers are the providers of inputs. In case of Uber, the suppliers are the people who rent their cars for the service such as Limousine. The suppliers of Uber also include the drivers. Uber does not have any private cars and is dependent on the suppliers. It is essential for the company to maintain a high standard in order to attract good suppliers. In some cases, the drivers and organizations can review and negotiate the terms and conditions seeking better considerations, which might be at the companys expense. The performance of the company depends on its suppliers that are the drivers and hence the suppliers hold a strong bargaining power (Cramer Krueger, 2016). Industry rivalry Uber reacted to its competitors by extending its products and cutting the prices. In 2012 when new services juts as Lyft and Sidecars emerged, Uber also altered its strategy. Traditionally the company used only black limousines but in 2012, a new category of cars was introduced name Uber X that allowed the drivers to use other cars such as Toyota, SUVs or Honda. The prices of Uber were decreased by thirty five percent. This was done to attract more of consumers and achieve competitive advantage. The introduction of Uber X was the competitive strategy used by the company to achieve competitive advantage over Lyft and emerge as a low cost provider of car service. The prices of Uber differed location to location. However, the company cited that the prices of the service were eighteen to thirty seven percent lower than other taxi service providers that largely relied on the location. The Uber X was socially established in the cities where Lyft was providing its services such as Indianapo lis and St. Paul. The company often gave an option of free ride in the cities where Lyft was operating. This was simply done for promotion and attraction of customers to use the service (Drahokoupil Fabo, 2016). The price was further reduced in 2014, which was claimed to exist for a limited period. The services of Uber is said to be cheaper than any other taxi service provider. In spite of cut in price, the drivers of Uber earned the same revenue. The concentration of the company was on meeting the needs and requirements of the customers and increasing their satisfaction level. It also aimed at achieving competitive advantage by using various strategies such as price cut and product extension (Isaac, 2014). Macro-environment analysis SWOT analysis Strengths: Uber is the first cab service to develop mobile-based application through which the customers can book the cars by using the GPS location. The company ensures that they provide high service to its customer by providing an option of rating the drivers. The returns of investment are high due to low operational cost. The conditions that the drivers work at are nice and hence the company has no difficulty in connecting with its suppliers (Anderson, 2014). The valuation of the company is high. The company gives an option of credit card payment that reduces the risk of robbery. Weaknesses: High competition in the market of San Francisco. The prices of the cars are high during peak demand and season. Other companies can easily use the business model developed by the company. The cabs cannot be booked if the customer has no internet connection (Cramer Krueger, 2016). Threats: Uber has high threat from its competitors such as Lyft and Sidecars. Uber has threat of creditability due to challenges from investors. Uber is not allowed in some places due to limitations in the legal provisions. Opportunities: Uber has an opportunity to expand in many international countries. It has an opportunity to attract larger customers that are loyal and make high profit. The demand for Uber is likely to grow in future because of the preferences of luxury and convenience by the customers (Cannon Summers, 2014). Internal analysis Value chain analysis Value chain analysis is a process or a technique through which the company adds value to its production and marketing. Uber creates values for the drives by proving them a good working condition and payment while the value for customers is created by satisfying their needs. Value is created by giving free rides to attendees. The company relies on word of mouth and social networks for its promotion and advertisement. The Uber service uses various tools and strategies to effectively provide the service. The customer satisfaction level is measured by allowing the customers to rate the drivers based on their experience. This is essential for the company to understand the response of customers in market and alter the strategies if the customers are not happy with the service. Rating is a vice versa phenomenon where even the drivers are given opportunity to rate the clients in order to avoid troublesome customers. Uber creates value by connecting the drivers to customers through a mobile-b ased application. It opens more access to the drivers and rider. The service creates an opportunity for businesses to develop (Laurell Sandstrm, 2016). Strategy analysis Business tools of Uber service The benefits of the strategies adopted by Uber are as follows: The demand for the taxis ha increased as the rise has now become more convenient and easy. The revenue of the drivers increase and the vehicles are utilized more optimally. The revenues of the owners also increase due to the method of surge pricing The safety of drivers and company increases due to credit payment mode (Jonas, 2016). The services allow the flexibility of working due to which the drivers or the employees are happy working with the company. The Uber operates through a mobile-based application where the customers can book a cab that is nearest to its location (Gassmann et al., 2016). Option analysis Uber uses various strategies to overcome with its problems. The strategies used by Uber are as follows: Pricing strategy The service of Uber was started in the year 2010. At the start of its company, the process differences between Uber and other cab services such as Taxicab was high. The price charged by Uber was higher than the other cab services with over the time declined. The fare for the car service is based on the distance and time of travelling as determined by the GPS application. Traditionally the fare was split between the driver and the company where the company kept twenty percent of the profit while the driver kept eighty percent of the profit. The prices depend on the time and distance (Wirtz Tang, 2016). The prices charged by the service are not fixed. It varies on the basis of the state of demand. This strategy is known as surge pricing where the prices of services with the increase in the demand for cars. During peak seasons and time such as during festivals or any unforeseen events the prices charged by Uber rises. There have been instances of prices rising by seven times than the n ormal prices during peak times (Walton, 2014). According to the operators of Uber, this is done to provide more cars during the peak season. When the prices increases the number of Uber cars increases on roads and ultimately prices drop. This is done to provide the cars even during the time of peak season. However, the customers do not agree with this strategy and argues that the drop in prices should be fast. The revenue of drivers of Uber is higher than the drivers of other taxi cabs (Posen, 2015). Expansion strategy Uber started its service in 2010 in San Francisco known as Ubercab. Since then the company has been expanding its services to other cities and countries as well. By 2012, the service was seen in seven cities of United States. After two years, the services of Uber had expanded to hundred and thirty cities in thirty-six countries. The expansion of the services was a fast process. The company used various services to expand its services. It targeted high tech sponsorships for capital investment. Free rides were given to attendees. This was done to attract larger customers. The company relied on word of mouth and social networks for its promotion and advertisement. The amount of money spent by the company on marketing and promotion is almost negligible, as it believes that the information about its services will automatically spread through word of mouth. The services have an operational team in each city that works with drivers and clients to improve its business (Cramer Krueger, 2016) . Uber established its services that had accelerants and in places that had nightlife, restaurants, holiday, events, weather and sports perceiving that, people in such places would use the service. Hence, the main success for the expansion of the services largely depends on the strategies deployed by the company. The choice of cities was good for expansion that added advantage for the company. The services are launched in cities that have very less taxi facilities so that the demand and use of the Uber service is high. The drivers are attracted to work with Uber due to the financial and safety security that the company provides (Laurell Sandstrm, 2016). Recommendation It is recommended to Uber to be more flexible with its price. During peak season or odd time, the company should not increase the price of the service, as it is very inconvenient for the customers. This also leads Uber to lose its valuable customers. The company should expand its operation in not only developed countries but also developing countries. The communication process should be strengthened in order to build a direct relation with the suppliers. Uber Company has emerged as one of the successful company due to its strategies and rate of expansion. It now operates in thirty six countries and hundred and nineteen cities. The business tool and strategies used by Uber is considered as efficient and good for running the service. The revenue of the company doubles every six months. The strategies of price cut, surge pricing, product extension is proved successful for the company. The company should not only extend its services to developed countries but also developing countries to provide comfortable travelling to the passengers. Uber is a private company and one of the fastest growing services. Today the company provides a large amount of services to its customers. The company has introduced the facility of Uber sharing known as Uber pool where the passengers can share the ride. This will help the passengers travel in half the price. The company has also introduced different varieties of cars that are luxury cars with wifi and without wifi. The travelling has become much easier with the invention of Uber service. The financial reports of the company are a guarded secret and are not openly available. The funds raised by Uber were used for strategic investments. The motive of the company was to fight over its competitors such as Lyft and attain competitive advantage. The customers claim to be happy with the Uber service. The prices of the services differ in different countries based on the standard of living. References Anderson, D. N. (2014). Not just a taxi? For-profit ridesharing, driver strategies, and VMT.Transportation,41(5), 1099-1117. Cannon, S., Summers, L. H. (2014). How Uber and the Sharing Economy Can Win Over Regulators.Harvard business review,13. Cramer, J., Krueger, A. B. (2016). Disruptive change in the taxi business: The case of Uber.The American Economic Review,106(5), 177-182. Dobbs, R., Manyika, J., Woetzel, J. (2015).No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends. PublicAffairs. Drahokoupil, J., Fabo, B. (2016). The Platform Economy and the Disruption of the Employment Relationship.ETUI Research Paper-Policy Brief,5. Edelman, B. G. (2015). Whither Uber?: Competitive Dynamics in Transportation Networks.Competitive Dynamics in Transportation Networks (November 24, 2015). Competition Policy International, Forthcoming. Gabel, D. (2016). Uber and the Persistence of Market Power.Journal of Economic Issues,50(2), 527-534. Gassmann, O., Frankenberger, K., Sauer, R. (2016).Exploring the Field of Business Model Innovation: New Theoretical Perspectives. Springer. Isaac, E. (2014). Disruptive Innovation: Risk-Shifting and Precarity in the Age of Uber.Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy BRIE Working Paper,7. Jonas, A. (2016). Share and Share Dislike: The Rise of Uber and AirBNB and How New York City Should Play Nice.Journal of Law and Policy,24(1), 6. Kanter, Z. (2015). How Ubers autonomous cars will destroy 10 million jobs and reshape the economy by 2025.Retrieved September,1, 2015. Laurell, C., Sandstrm, C. (2016). ANALYSING UBER IN SOCIAL MEDIADISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY OR INSTITUTIONAL DISRUPTION?.International Journal of Innovation Management, 1640013. Mitchell, E. (2015). Uber's Loophole in the Regulatory System.HLRe: Off Rec.,6, 75. Posen, H. A. (2015). Ridesharing in the Sharing Economy: Should Regulators Impose Uber Regulations on Uber.Iowa L. Rev.,101, 405. Rauch, D. E., Schleicher, D. (2015). Like Uber, but for Local Government Law: The Future of Local Regulation of the Sharing Economy.Ohio St. LJ,76, 901. Wallsten, S. (2015). The competitive effects of the sharing economy: how is Uber changing taxis?.Technology Policy Institute. Walton, N. (2014). Taxi Apps Could Transform Global Transport Models.The Oxford Analytica Daily Brief. Wirtz, J., Tang, C. (2016). Uber: Competing as Market Leader in the US versus Being a Distant Second in China. InSERVICES MARKETING: People Technology Strategy(pp. 626-632).

Vegetarian Persuasive Essay free essay sample

Has this ever happened to you? I bet if you are a vegetarian that has happened to you, at least once. Finding a restaurant that has a menu that fits my diet is like finding a four-leafed clover in a large field, they’re rare but they are out there. Most fast food restaurants don’t have healthy vegetarian meals. Fast food places should know that 20% of Americans are vegetarians. Vegetarian choices are healthier but the popular fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, etc. ) which are everywhere turn their heads to this powerful statistic, leaving nowhere for vegetarians to turn. There should be more vegetarian choices in the more common restaurants. Those popular places are everywhere. But where does that leave healthy vegetarian restaurants? Nowhere well maybe in the far corner where nobody sees. Plus, the most popular fast food restaurant, McDonalds, has mainly meat products and hardly any foods made with lettuce. We will write a custom essay sample on Vegetarian Persuasive Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The very few restaurants that do have vegetarian choices are not as popular and are located in the places that no one sees, and if no one sees them, then nobody will go there. And we all know what happens to places when they don’t get enough money to pay the employees? The restaurant goes out of business. So guess what replaces that past vegetarian restaurant? A restaurant with only meat meals. And the cycle continues. If restaurants have more vegetarian meals they would be providing more healthy meals. If the restaurant is popular then people will try the new, healthy meals which are better than getting a fatty burger. Meat products are normally grilled or fried. When you grill or fry a piece of meat it gets greasy and raises the sodium, and calories. So if people choose a salad instead of a piece of fried chicken you would save extra fat, calories, sodium, and other unhealthy nutrients. Although it would be better for fast food restaurants to have more vegetarian meals, there are also a few reasons that they don’t have these healthier choices. The main reason is that if people don’t eat the vegetarian meals, the vegetables will rot. This can be costly and nobody wants a rotten salad. Although there are reasons to not have vegetarian meals, I believe that the health benefits far outweigh any other reason to substitute its counterpart. One last reason that people should get more vegetarian meals is because real people are vegetarians. I know it’s crazy, but 22. 8 million people, just in America, are vegetarian. That means 22. 8 million people struggle to find a fast food restaurant that conforms around their diet. Some vegetarians are vegetarian because it is a part of a religion or because their stomach can’t handle greasy foods and they get sick they don’t always choose to be a vegetarian. In conclusion, I believe that fast food restaurants should have more vegetarian options. Even though it is costly for fresh vegetables, there is a greater reason to have more vegetarian mealsyour health. I hope in the near future this is how the conversation at a drive through would be like, â€Å"Hello, would you like to try our new leafy green salad today? † â€Å"Sure,† And then vegetarians would be able to have fast food with the rest of their family.

Free Essays on Refelctions On Icebreaking

Reflections on Ice-Breaking The poem, â€Å"Reflections on Ice-Breaking,† by Ogden Nash is only four lines. However, a lot can be interpreted from four lines. The entirety of the poem reads: â€Å"Candy/ is dandy/ but liquor/ is quicker.† The title lets the reader know exactly what the poem will be about. The poem is analyzing what substance helps make the best ice-breaker. Ice-breakers require getting to know someone –breaking down their inhibitions. With a poem this short in length, each word must be paid close attention to. The word â€Å"candy† is usually associated with being sweet. â€Å"Dandy† means something excellent in its class. â€Å"Candy/ is dandy† shows that candy is nice or excellent. However, it is then followed with the word â€Å"but.† The â€Å"but† signifies that there is something better than candy: liquor. Candy is commonly associated with children while liquor is commonly associated with adults. By saying that candy is excellent but now liquor is superior, it symbolizes the growth of the speaker from a child into an adult. It explains both the past and the present. The title of the poem, â€Å"Reflections on Ice-Breaking,† explains why candy is no longer adequate. When getting to know someone, it often helps if the person is willing to tell all and be uninhibited. Liquor is known to cause people to throw away inhibition and be their true selves. Candy can only satisfy taste, and does not usually alter someone’s actions. It is therefore not an effective ice-breaker. This shows that what tastes best doesn’t always have the best effect. People must suffer through the flagrant taste of the liquor to get what they want. It would be much easier to eat the sweet-tasting candy, but that will not give the desired result.... Free Essays on Refelctions On Icebreaking Free Essays on Refelctions On Icebreaking Reflections on Ice-Breaking The poem, â€Å"Reflections on Ice-Breaking,† by Ogden Nash is only four lines. However, a lot can be interpreted from four lines. The entirety of the poem reads: â€Å"Candy/ is dandy/ but liquor/ is quicker.† The title lets the reader know exactly what the poem will be about. The poem is analyzing what substance helps make the best ice-breaker. Ice-breakers require getting to know someone –breaking down their inhibitions. With a poem this short in length, each word must be paid close attention to. The word â€Å"candy† is usually associated with being sweet. â€Å"Dandy† means something excellent in its class. â€Å"Candy/ is dandy† shows that candy is nice or excellent. However, it is then followed with the word â€Å"but.† The â€Å"but† signifies that there is something better than candy: liquor. Candy is commonly associated with children while liquor is commonly associated with adults. By saying that candy is excellent but now liquor is superior, it symbolizes the growth of the speaker from a child into an adult. It explains both the past and the present. The title of the poem, â€Å"Reflections on Ice-Breaking,† explains why candy is no longer adequate. When getting to know someone, it often helps if the person is willing to tell all and be uninhibited. Liquor is known to cause people to throw away inhibition and be their true selves. Candy can only satisfy taste, and does not usually alter someone’s actions. It is therefore not an effective ice-breaker. This shows that what tastes best doesn’t always have the best effect. People must suffer through the flagrant taste of the liquor to get what they want. It would be much easier to eat the sweet-tasting candy, but that will not give the desired result....

Article review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Review - Article Example The article mainly looks at the point whether the companies selling soup is really responsible for the health of children or not. The article mentions that it can also be the responsibility of the parents to protect the children from burns. Corporate Social Responsibility is a fact, and companies are responsible for the risk attached with the products they sell. According to (Baker)â€Å" My own definition is that CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society†. In our case, the corporate social responsibility of the companies which provide soup is meager. As when it comes to CSR, the company looks at society rather than a segment of market. Here children who drink soup are small segment of market and article suggests that health of the child should be the responsibility of the parents rather than that of company. In case of the topics discussed in the class room, the article can be related to Risk Management planning and financial planning. Risk management planning because, the so called product soup is risky to the children and the damage to their health poses a risk to the management of the company. When a company sells hot soup they should be aware of the fact that even children are their potential customers. They should have designed soup cups which are usable by children too .Moreover , the financial planning also comes into action, in relevance with this article.Becuase, when additional soup cups are to be designed , it incurs finance , hence an organization needs to pay attention on financial planning . I liked this article in some ways because of the message it passes on to the readers. Most importantly, it addresses about health and well being of children. Children are very delicate and apart from parents, companies also need to look at their health as potential customers. As per (Zepeda)â€Å"Instant cups of soup — the kind that often come in a Styrofoam cup full of noodles â⠂¬â€ send children to the hospital every day â€Å"Then the article surrounds around the subject of Corporate Social Responsibility which can be motive to administrative heads reading this .Children are also part of the community and it is the responsibility of the soup selling companies to manufacture cups which are less risky to their health. Something which I do not like about the article is that it is really precise. There should be more explanation about the subject as it is of social value. More over the article is not holding the soup selling companies as culprit for the burning incidence of children. There is also something missing in the article like the profit motive of the companies which sell instant soups. If needed the company can launch instant soup for young children but they hesitate to do this because of the profit motive they have. In her article (Abrams) writes thatâ€Å"A profit motive demands creative destruction in pursuit of more money and an allegiance to free markets†. As a company they should do assessment of their customer market in various ways. Even children are part of their market segment and due consideration to them is essential for the company to succeed in the market for long run. So the article could include the profit motive of the soup companies and how they neglect children’s health and well being. This article is less elaborative and it talks only precisely about the noted subject of Instant soup and health risk of children. A reader expects more from an article with this kind of subject matter.

American Export Trade Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

American Export Trade Business - Research Paper Example Between 1992 and 2013, average exports by the United States is estimated to be US $103197.71 million and the maximum level in these two decades has reached in December 2012 at US $188686.00 million (â€Å"United States exports†). US primary export items are capital goods, industrial supplies, food and beverages, automotive vehicles, engines and vehicle parts; high tech manufacturing goods remains one of the most important categories of exports. However, in the twenty first century US started to lose comparative advantage on manufacturing of such goods. This paper aims at researching the stake of current US high tech trade deficit and how an improvement in the trade condition would help to improve living standards in the US economy. US export trade The Department of Commerce’s U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis released their annual report of international trade of the US in goods and services for the year 2012 in December that year. The report reveal s that exports of commodities and services by the country increased by 2.1 percent in 2012 since the month of November in 2012 and reached a record figure of $2.20 trillion. The trade deficit in US decreased since the country’s imports have fallen by 2.7 percent during this period (â€Å"U.S. export fact sheet†). Figure: Exports of United States between 2011 -2013 (Source: â€Å"United States exports†) Exports have been an important part of the U.S. GDP and in 2012 the share of exports in GDP was 13.9 percent. This share has improved in 2011 from 2008 (12.9 percent) and has remained steady since 2011 (â€Å"U.S. export fact sheet†). Capital goods form the largest category of export commodities for the US. In 2012, this category of exports was worth $526.7 billion. The leading manufacturing sector for export commodities has been named as the â€Å"motor vehicles and parts sector† (â€Å"U.S. export fact sheet†). High-technology exports The ma nufacturing sector in the US contributes a large section of the country’s GDP that other sectors and has been a driver of economic growth in the country since 1947. This sector is highly engrossed in international trade than other sectors. The manufacturing sector strengthens the growth process by bringing in technological innovation in the other industries. Production of high-technology products require high intensity of R&D. Industries that produce high tech products in the US are aerospace, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, computers and scientific instruments (â€Å"High-technology exports (current US$)†). The US manufactured goods account for nearly 35 percent of the total worth of high technology products traded in the international market. Till 2008 US enjoyed high trade surplus owing to high revenue income from export of high tech manufactured goods and royalties earned from the sale of technical know how. 57 percent of the country’s exports were ma nufactured goods. US outpaced its rival countries in the field of technological research and industrial development. Advancement in technology has support the manufacturers in the US

The consumption of ice cream increases, so do the instances of Essay

The consumption of ice cream increases, so do the instances of drowning - Essay Example Ice-cream consumption (first variable) and the incidence of drowning (second variable) may show a positive correlation, but the consumption does not cause the incidence. This may be common sense, but this simple example demonstrates the issue of spurious correlation being taken as evidence for implying causality. In Correlation Theory, the coefficient of correlation simply measures the ‘goodness of fit’ of sample of the data for the two variables i.e. how well they correlate together. It â€Å"does not necessarily indicate a direct dependence of the variables† (Spiegel, M). â€Å"The problem of interpretation is always very much more difficult to deal with than the statistical manipulations, and for this side of the work there is no substitute for detailed practical acquaintance with every aspect of the problem.† (Moroney, M) Conclusions based on the correlation findings are only good as the interpretative ability of the analyst and his or her acquaintance with every detail or aspect of the problem. The possibility of other variables affecting the ones being compared should always be considered to account for the relationship being tested if there is any inkling of a spurious correlation. In our example, a third variable of temperature relates to both the existing variables of ice-cream consumption and instances of drowning and better explains the phenomenon. More ice-cream is consumed in hot weather especially during the summer heat. This tendency to consume more during hot weather is understandable my most people, and can easily be ascertained by examining the sales figures of ice-cream parlours. These are well known to show seasonal fluctuations being higher in summer and lower in winter. As for drowning, this too can be explained as being a more common occurrence in summer simply because more people like to and do spend more time either in or near water. This can be near lakes, rivers, seasides, and

Literature Review on Compensation and Benefits

Literature Review on Compensation and Benefits CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Overview This chapter serves as the introduction part of this research, which addresses the core value of the research. Here, the overview of the relationship between the compensation and benefits and the job satisfaction among the university staff will be discussed in the well-manner. Background of Study Forty years ago, University of Malaya is the only one university in Malaysia. In today fast moving world, education is become very crucial for the young generation. Nowadays, there was many new public or private universities occur in the market. There were twenty public universities and eighteen private universities in Malaysia. There are become more and more competitors in the higher education industry and students have more choices when they want to enter to the university. The current trends for students choosing the universities are not depended on the outlook but they will choose the universities which have good academics performance and quality. Therefore, to attract more students and compete with others universities, each university must increase their competitive advantages. Thanks to the internet and the accompanying high speed of communications, nowadays technological and services differentiation is no longer a key to competitive advantage in higher education industry. So, what the main reasons to make some university more successful than others? What is the key competitive advantage in today globalize world? The answer is employees. In a university, university staff is played an important role to run the day to day operation of the organization. University with talented and motivated staffs will offer outstanding service to their students. This will increase the university performance and likely to pull the university ahead the competitors, even if the services offered are similar to those offered by their competitor. According to Tang, Roberto, Toto Tang (2004) from United States and Spain, job satisfaction is an affective reaction to a job that results from the incumbents comparison of actual outcomes with those that are desired or expected. Job satisfaction of the employees is just as important as customer satisfaction in terms of the organizational performance. Therefore, employers must make sure all their employees are satisfied with their job. But, how to make sure the staffs are motivated? How to ensure the staff are satisfied with their job? Here, the compensation and benefits is the key to those questions. Nowadays, compensation and benefits are one of the fastest changing fields in Human Resources, as many company are continue to investigate various ways of rewarding employees for increase their job satisfaction and their performance. Here, compensation refers to all forms of financial return and tangible services and benefits employees receive as part of an employment relationship, which includes topics in regard to wages or salary programs; for example, salary ranges for job descriptions, merit based programs, bonus based programs, commission based programs, long term or short terms incentives programs, and etc. Besides, employees benefit includes the allowances, income protection, life insurances, life balance, vacation, and etc. Benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are provided to the employee in return for their contribution to the organization, that is, for doing their job. Why the compensation and benefits is so important for all the employees? The answer is compensation is the main sources of employees financial security. As we know, everyone is works in expectation of some rewards; employees may see compensation as a return in an exchange between employer and themselves, as an entitlement for being an employee of the company and as a reward for a job well done. Besides, compensation is a motivator for employees. Now, people look for a job that not only suit their interested and talent, people also look for the salary and the other benefits which the company will be offer, for example, life insurance, incentive, allowances, SOSCO, EPF and etc. Besides, in the economic downturn, based wages is become very important sources to employees for living. Therefore, if the employers give higher salary to their staff, this will be motivates them to perform well and they will more satisfy with their job. By doing so, the employees will know that the company is appreciate their contribution and their efforts are noted by management. Problem Statement As mention earlier, there are many new public or private universities occur in market. To compete with other competitor, each university must increase their competitive advantage. The key competitive advantage is employees. Therefore, the issues of the employee job satisfaction become very important for the employer. There are many factors which can influence job satisfaction among university staff, for example, job security, compensation and benefits, opportunities to use skills and feeling safe in the work environment. But, this research just will investigate the influence of compensation and benefits towards job satisfaction among university staff. For a university, there are many staffs to cover and the employer does not really understand what their staffs need. It is impossible for taking all employees compensation and benefits throughout the firm into consideration to set up the reward system. This is because different department staffs have different needs. For example, for lecturer the flexible working hours and higher bonus will be more favoured by them. But, for the marketing department the flexible working hours and more incentives and allowances will be favoured by them. Compensation and benefits is a primary motivator for employees. Nowadays, people look for a job not only suit their creativity and talents, but compensate them- both in term of salary and other benefits-accordingly. (Enotes.com, 2008) Therefore, when the problems occur to the compensation and benefits of the staffs are going to have impact on employees job satisfaction. When the staffs receives the salary less than he or she expected, he or she will feel that he or she is not appreciated by the university and what he or she did is meaningless. So, the staff will feel job dissatisfaction and less motivated by the university. According to the Society for Human Resources Management report, job dissatisfaction can contribute to multiple organizational problems and has been associated with increased levels of turnover and absenteeism, which ultimately cost the organization in terms of low performance and decreased productivity. (SHRM, 2009) Thus, employer must ensure that the compensation and benefits system is fair and equitable to all the staffs and understanding the system. By doing so, employer can create a real job satisfaction and motivate their employees. Besides, research has shown that both getting less than you want and getting more than you want leads to large discrepancies between desires and outcome and eventually leads to low job satisfaction thus to low quality if working performance. (Rice, Bennett, McFarlin, 1989) Hence, desires play an important role in assessing if increasing income impacts an individuals job satisfaction and work performance. Moreover, if the desires of the individual are already met, then an increase in income will not increase satisfaction as well as working performance. (Solberg, Diener, Wirtz, Lucas, Oishi, 2002) In other words, increasing compensation and benefits may not always lead to employees job satisfaction. Besides, employers must design an appropriate compensation and benefits system to their staff. This is because inappropriate compensation and benefits will have negative effect to employee job satisfaction. For example, assume that university staffs have received one thousand and fifty ringgit (RM) each month, no allowances and overtime claim and his or her still need to work 8 hours per day. Will you believe this staff will satisfy with his or her jobs? The answer is absolutely no. Therefore, an appropriate compensation and benefits system is very significant to an organization. As a conclusion, in today fast moving world, the issue of the compensation and benefits are getting more and more important. This is because it is have much influence on an employees life, for example, health, personality, mentality and thus lead to employees job satisfaction. Therefore, employers must ensure themselves understand the way of how compensation and benefits influence the employees job satisfaction. Objectives of the Study The objectives of this study are as following: To explore the influence of compensation and benefits towards job satisfaction among University staff To examines the awareness of the importance of compensation and benefits To investigate the importance of job satisfaction among university staff in Malaysia To identify about the opinion of the university staff about compensation and benefits on job satisfaction Scope of Study The scope of this study is all about the relationship between the compensation and benefits with the job satisfaction among university staff. This study will conduct a survey to support the finding. The respondents of the survey are the administrative staff among the university. The reason of choosing these respondents is because administrative staffs represent an important component in the university. They are played an important role to run the day to day operation of the organization. By choosing administrative staffs as survey object, this research can be strengthened by the survey results. Significance of Study The information gain from this research will be able to provide valuable insight on the influence of compensation and benefits towards job satisfaction among university staff. The aim of the research is to investigate and understand the relationship between compensation and benefits and job satisfaction. This research is conducted in a local public and private university is needed to gather the university staff basic information of salary, basic need of compensation and benefits, ideas of improving the total reward system of the university. From the result of the research, we can have a clear picture and concept of the relationship between compensation and benefits and job satisfaction among the university staff. Besides, we also can identify clearly the variable of the job satisfaction among the university staff. In addition, the significance of the study is to provide an opportunity to the university staff to express their opinions and thus the grievances on the compensation and benefits they receive. By doing so, this can help the employer to get a better understand on what their employees need. This research also enhances the understanding of both the employer and the university staff on managing and designing the compensation and benefits of staff. Therefore, the communication gap between the employer and the staff can be removed indirectly. From the information obtained, the employer can able to design an appropriate compensation and benefits system for their employees. As a result, the employer can increase the employees job satisfaction more effectively and efficiently by using appropriate compensation and benefits. Compensation and benefits are obviously crucial to either the employer or the university staff. Appropriate compensation and benefits will address fairness, openness and clarity. This can help employees to increase their job satisfaction, encourage and motivate them to devote themselves to the university thus improve the performance of the whole university. Organization of the Study In this Final Year Project 1 will be constructed into five different chapters. The following is the detail of each chapter. Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter will provide the core value and a clear image of the study and also a briefing of the whole study. This chapter will includes background of study, problem statement, objectives of the study, scope of study, and the significance of the study. Chapter 2: Literature Review The second chapter is related to the literature review. In this chapter, all the main point will be summary and related information of the articles and journals will be used which related with the research. Chapter 3: Research Methodology This chapter for the research is the method of investigation on the influence of compensation and benefits towards job satisfaction among university staff, which include theoretical framework, research design, sampling and data collection and so on. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Overview As discussed and highlighted in the previous chapter, this research examines the relationship between compensation and benefits and job satisfaction among university staff. In order to gain a better understanding about this issue, an examination of literature on related study were carried out. This chapter will consist of six sections. First, key terms definitions of the job satisfaction, compensation and benefits are provided on the following sections. For thoroughly capturing the significances of compensation and benefits, the selection related literature is explained in detail. And, the relationship between compensation and benefits and job satisfaction among university staff is being discussed and explored in the following sections by using some nations and different industry for examples. Last, the comprehensive review of all the related studies will be provided. The Definition of Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction has been explored in a variety of ways, and is defined differently by various researchers. It is also a heavily researched area of inquiry. Locke (1976) estimated that, as of 1976, about 3350 articles or dissertations had been written on the topic. Cranny (1992) indicated that more than 5000 studies of job satisfaction have been published. Job satisfaction defines as a workers sense of achievement and success, is generally perceived to be directly linked to productivity as well as to personal wellbeing (Answer, 2008). Job satisfaction is a measure of the degree to which the employee is satisfied and happy with the job. Prince and Patche (1972) defined job satisfaction as the degree to which the members of a social system have positive and affective orientation towards membership in the system. Smith (1969) perceived job satisfaction as the extent to which an employee expresses a positive orientation towards a job. Oshagbemi (2003) stated that job satisfaction is an affective reaction to a job that results from the comparison or actual outcomes with those that are desired. Job satisfaction is a pleasurable and emotional state resulting from the perception of ones job as fulfilling or allowing the fulfilment of ones important job values, provided these values are compatible with ones needs (Locke, 1976). Katzell (1964) argues that if there is consensus about job satisfaction, it is the verbal expression of an incumbents evaluation of his or her job. On this basis, it is an affective or hedonic tone, for which the stimuli are events or conditions experienced in connection with jobs or occupations. Job satisfaction refers to an employees overall affective evaluation of the job situation. There is increasing interest in the job satisfaction of frontline employees, given their prominent role in developing relationships (Schneider, Benjamin Bowen, 1993). Besides, according to Stephen and Mary (2004) a person with a high level of job satisfaction has a positive attitude towards the job, while a person who is dissatisfied with the job has a negative attitude. When people speak of employee attitude, they usually are referring to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a very crucial issue in higher education industry; even less evidence is available related to job satisfaction in higher education for non-western nations. However, there has been a growing interest in job satisfaction in higher education over past several years mainly due to the realization that higher educational institutes are labour intensive and their budgets are predominantly devoted to personnel and their effectiveness is largely dependent on their employees (Kusku,2003), both academic and administrative. The Importance of Job Satisfaction in an Organization Job satisfaction is a very important attribute which is frequently measured by organizations. The topic of job satisfaction is also important because of its implications for job related behaviours such as productivity, absenteeism or turnover (Oshagbemi, 2000). Besides, it is also can be an important indicator of how employees feel about their jobs and a predictor of work behaviours such as organizational citizenship, absenteeism, and turnover. Further, job satisfaction can partially mediate the relationship of personality variables and deviant work behaviours (Answer, 2008). Extensive study has shown that job satisfaction has a direct impact on the performance of employees in different levels of profession. It is related to employee motivation and performance (Ostroff, 1992). For the organization, job satisfaction of its workers means a work force that is motivated and committed to high quality performance. On the other hand, to the worker, job satisfaction brings a pleasurable emotional state that often leads to a positive work attitude. A satisfied worker is more likely to be creative, flexible, innovative, and loyal (Answer, 2008). Therefore, the issue of job satisfaction among employees must be explored and discussed in the well-manner. The Definition of Compensation Compensation has been defined in a variety of ways. In English, compensation is defines as something that counterbalances, offsets, or makes up for something elses. However, if we look at the origin if the word in different languages, we can get a sense of the richness of the meaning, which combines entitlement, return, and reward (Atul, Matt George, 2002; Mark, 2002; Mansour, Peter, Mary, Robert, 2006). In Japanese, compensation is defines as kyuyo, which is made up of two separate character (kyu and yo), both meaning giving something. Besides, in China, the traditional characters for the word compensation are based on the symbols for logs and water; compensation provides the necessities in life (Milkovich Newman, 2008). According to Deluca (1993) and Rajkumar (1996), compensation is defines as pay, reward, remuneration, or salary and wage management. These terms are often used interchangeably in organization. In an organization perspective, compensation is often defines as an important human resource management function where it emphasizes planning, organizing, and controlling various types of pay systems. For example, direct and indirect payments, monetary and non-monetary rewards and cash and non-cash payments, those compensation is used for rewarding employees who perform in their work or service (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart Wright, 2004). In this research, compensation refers to all forms of financial returns and tangible services employees receive as part of employment relationship. It can be seen as a measure of justice. Normally, it is the major source of employees financial security (Milkovich Newman, 2008). Zhou, Qian, Henan and Lei (2009) stated that compensation provides competitive base salary levels necessary to attract and retain talent and compensates for day-to-day responsibilities performed at fully acceptable level and above. Chen and Brian (2004) propose that the types of compensation typically contain the following components base salary, overtime pay (OT), bonuses, commissions, the dollar value of restricted stock awards and gains from exercising stock options, profit sharing, and so on. The following is the definition for the two components of compensation. Base-Salary Base- salary is the annual and monthly salary rates of an employee which are established under current personnel policy for each position. Besides, base- salary is to represent the employees straight-time pay for a standard 40- hour workweek (Anonymous, 2007). According to wikipedia.com (2009), base- salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. In other view of running a business, base- salary can also be viewed as the cost of acquiring human resources for running operations, and is then termed personnel expense or salary expense. Besides, Henderson (2006) and Young (1999) are stated that base-salary is a base pay that is given to employees on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis based on job structure. Overtime Pay (OT) Overtime pay (OT) is always included in cash compensation. It is the pay to time worked in excess of an agreed upon time for normal working hours by an individual employee (Answers.com, 2008). In addition, Overtime Pay (OT) is defines as the payment of premium time and one-half rates in form of monetary compensation or time off is required for hours worked in excess of 40 in one a week, with exception of those considered exempt. The overtime pay rate usually is 1.5 times of base wage per hour (Anonymous, 2007). Bonus Bonus is refers as a cash payment provided to employees based on their performance. For example, monetary incentives for achieving job targets (Bloom Milkovich, 1998; Gupta Shaw, 1998; Lowery, Beadles, Petty, Amsler Thompson, 2002). Steven and Loring (1996) stated that bonus is a single, one-off, lump-sum payment which can be in the form of cash or other creative monetary scheme, such as stock options. Bonus is defines as all payments to employees which is not paid regularly at each pay period, for example bonuses paid at fixed periods. Besides, bonus payments are generally linked to individual or collective performance. Bonus can be distributed randomly as the company can afford to pay a bonus, or the amount of the bonus pay can be specified by contract (Anonymous, no date). The Definition of Benefits Benefits refer to the part of the total compensation package provided to the employee in whole or in part by payments from the employer and its did not include the pay for time spent on work (Milkovich Newman, 2008). Besides, benefits are group membership rewards that provide security for employees and their family member. Benefits are a non-compensation paid to employees. Some benefits are mandated by law, for example social security, unemployment compensation and worker compensation. Employees benefits include pension, health insurance, fringe benefits, welfare and etc (Lee, Hsu Lien, 2006). Benefits are a crucial part of an employees total compensation package. Benefits packages are became popular after World War II, when wage controls made it more difficult to give competitive salaries (Enotes.com, 2008). Besides, benefits can be treated as the payment or entitlement, such as one make under an insurance policy or employment agreement, or public assistance program or more genera lly, something of value or usefulness. Benefits may also be seen as a reflection of justice in society (Herman, 2005). According to Carter (2008), benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are provided to the employee in return for their contribution to the organization, which is for doing their work. Zhou, Qian, Henan and Lei (2009) argued that benefits are provides flexible and market competitive health benefits to support employment brand and support attraction and retention. Employees benefit includes disability income protection, retirement benefits, work-life balance (for example, sick leave, vacation, jury duty and etc), allowances (for example, dental, insurance, medical, transportation, housing, mobile phone and etc), and so on. The following is the definition for the two components of benefits. Allowances Bergmann and Scarpello (2002) and Milkivich and Newman (2008) stated that allowances is often related to additional financial rewards legally provided to employees based on the employment contract or organization related service, for example, entertainment allowance or allowance fixed for particular jobs or service schemes. Allowances is also defines as a amount paid to employees as part of their salary package, or defray their out of pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the firm (Business Dictionary.com, 2009). Work-life Balance Work-life balance is refers to the effectively managing the juggling act between paid work and the other activities that are important to people. Besides, work-life balance can defines as having enough time for work and enough time to have a life thus the work life balance. The concept of work-life balance is includes the priority that work takes over family, working long hours and work intensification (Dr. Mervyl, 2007). According to Milkovich Newman (2008), work-life balance is a programs that help employees better integrate their work and life responsibilities include time away from work (vacation, jury duty), access to services to meet specific needs (drug counseling, financial planning, referrals for child and elder care), and flexible work arrangements (telecommuting, non-paid time off). Besides, Melissa (2007) also stated that work-life balance is about creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work environments, which will enable employees to have balance between work and personal responsibilities and thus strengthen employee loyalty and productivity. The Importance of Compensation and Benefits in an Organization In today fast moving world, developments have made it more important than ever for companies to make sure they have a strategic, holistic and integrated approach to compensation. To compete in a tough arena, organizations now more than ever need the support of an informed, involved and motivated their employees (Chen Hsieh, 2006). Here, compensation and benefits is a primary motivator and rewards for employees. As noted by Lawler (1995), compensation can be an effective motivator only if it is important to people and it is seen to be tied to their performance in ways that are perceived to be credible and direct. Without rewards, a company is planting seeds for high turnover, low productivity and long-term failure. According to Herman (2005), compensation help to focus on the position and duties performed. And, it attempts to influence employees current and future working performance. Besides, compensation servers different objectives, the main ones being to attract, retain and motivate high-potential employees. Meanwhile, the fulfilments of those goals are subject to constraints such as the maintenance of equity, cost control and legal requirements (For example, wage and salary legislation) (Steven Loring, 1996). To employee, compensation may be seen as a return in exchange between the firms they work for and themselves, as an entitlement for being an employee of the company, or as a reward for job well done. It is given to employees in exchange for work performed (Milkovich Newman, 2008). Steven and Loring (1996) observe that for employees, compensation is an important issue since pay is perceived to be an indication to their personal and market value to the organization. Based on about.com (2009), for employers, compensation is one of the crucial communication tools, to send a message about your organizations expectations and goal achievement rewards. Besides, Yale and Donald (2002) stated that compensation rewards performance relative to others and progressive improvement in year-to-year results and providing regular measures of success or progress. It also balances rewards with risk and providing capital accumulation opportunity. Therefore, compensation has very crucial to not only the employees but also the employers. Carter (2002) proposed that benefits are increasingly expensive for businesses to provide to employees, so the range and options of benefits are changing rapidly to include, such as flexible benefits plan. For employers, they use benefits to attract and retain good and talented workers. For employees, they rely on benefits (for example, medical subsidies, vacations, and retirement) to secure their financial well-being. By linking benefits (for example, pension and holidays) to seniority, workers will be reluctant to change jobs (Gerhart Milkovich, 1992). Lee, Hsu and Lien (2006) stated that benefits are designed to safeguard employees and their family against problems due to sickness, sickness, accidents or retirements. Here, let use some examples of components of benefits to bring out its effect of employees. Work life balance with regard such as temporal flexibility, leave benefits, and interpersonal relationships has the potential to reduce or increase stress on workers with life responsibilities. The provision of work life balance strategies can provide a positive and direct effect on an employees decision to remain with an employer (Macran, Joshi Dex, 1996). Based on Milkovich Newman (2008), income protection helps protect employees from the financial risks inherent in daily life. It serves as a backup to employees salaries in the event that an employee is sick, disabled, or no longer able to work. Besides, workers allowances are absolutely needed for employees. It helps to reduce the financial burden of employees and also can treated as extra sum of salaries indeed (Herman, 2005). Therefore, a benefit has great significance to the whole organizations. The Relationship between Compensation and Benefits towards Job Satisfaction In todays globalizes world, organizations are facing changes generated by increased competition, mergers and acquisitions, shifting markets and changing employee demographics (Chen Hsieh, 2006). Therefore, it is crucial for organization to strategies their competitive and benefits plans in order to attract appropriate talent, maximize return on human capital and increase employees job satisfaction. A key component for a successful organizational intervention is the meaningfulness of the intervention to the employee. One intervention that may be meaningful to many employees is the amount of their compensation and benefits increase (Mayuri Mark, 2005). Compensation and benefits is a powerful communicator of organizational goals and priorities and companies that expect to be successful must make employees become partners in their success (Shuster Zingheim, 1993). Pam (2007) observes that employee compensation can be a sensitive subject, and people get very passionate when trying to determine the most appropriate compensation plan for any business. Nowadays, many human resources related concerns need to be addressed, but equally important understands the financial aspects of employee compensation and benefits. Thus, compensation and benefits play an important role in an organization. According to the survey report conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (2009), they found that compensation and benefits would affect em

Little Bee Essay -- Literary Analysis, Chris Cleve

Little Bee, by Chris Cleve, is a novel that explores unthinkable evil, but simultaneously celebrates its characters in their ability to transcend all that weighs them down, including their pasts, their secrets, and their flaws. For the character of Little Bee, identity is inescapably tied to ethnicity, nationality, gender, race, and class. A representative passage of the book that explores Little Bee’s point of view (both its unceasing optimism and stark realism) occurs in the final chapter: Little Bee is awoken from a good dream, and then comes the ominous first sentence, â€Å"There is a moment when you wake up from dreaming in the hot sun, a moment outside time when you do not know what you are† (Cleave 258). Little Bee is questioning her identity at just the moment when she should be most sure of it. Because Little Bee has been seeking a home, a family, and belonging, and has seemingly found it, the reader realizes that it is still uncertain. Still there is hop e: Little Bee is hampered by the weight of her past; yet she is a character that has proven she can overcome the boundaries of her identity and change her station in life. The book as alternates between the points of view of Sarah and Little Bee, though this section is told in Little Bee’s voice. It is critical that the final chapter be her perspective, given that the so much of the book deals with the lack of western knowledge of people like Little Bee, the silence regarding their stories, and the healing power of storytelling. The most significant element of voice in this passage is the tonal shift between its two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, Little Bee is coming out of her dream and the narration is reminiscent of that half-awake state. The second paragra... ...ned. She will stay herself, â€Å"as the shape-changing magic of dreams whispers back into the roar of the ocean† (Cleave 259). It is a foreshadowing of her final decision. She does not choose to flee or fight, but instead to surrender herself for the sake of Charlie, because he is young and will continue the dream for her. The reader takes from Little Bee the idea that identity is fluid and one’s own self-perception can be a tool of transcendence. Little Bee’s circumstances require that she reinvents herself from village girl, to refugee, to member of an upper-class British family. Because of her brain, her language, and her imagination, she cannot be marginalized, even though she must succumb to evil. To the reader, Little Bee will remain as free as the wind and as peaceful as the undisturbed sand, because she has offered her voice and her story as testimony.