Mexico’s Economical Crisis, Facts and Remedies

Mexico is the most advanced and developed nation in the Latin America, with a population over 96 million and per capita income about $3970 USD, it’s income ranges to the upper middle class in the Latin America. During the 60s and 70s the GDP grew by 3.5% annually, but then the crisis of 80s completely reversed the process and the whole Mexican economy went upside down followed by the 90s crisis which pushed back the GNP of the country to the 50’s level. In this paper we will discus the GDP increase and decrease of the Mexican economy facts of the crisis of 80s and 90s and GNP exchange crisis and inflation, debating about the factors involving in the crisis and discussion the ways the problem could be solved and presenting some suggestions about it.Sudden Collapse in GDP Growth; Why?As discussed in the introduction the data shows that during the seventh and eighth decade of the last century the GDP growth of Mexico showed a mean 3.5% annually growth, but after the 84 cri sis the GDP growth shrank to 0.5%. This sudden collapse has aroused suspicions about the credibility of the Mexican claim of 3.5% GDP growth annually. GDP does not measure output reliably because it includes not only the final output produced by an economy’s market, but also transactional activities, which are intermediate to production. (Wallis and North 1986; North 1987) Governments spend a large amount of money on National Defense, Justice, Social Reforms and enforcing regulations.The transactional activities regarding these issues are intermediary in nature but are included in the standard computation of GDP. During the last three decades preceding the 84 crisis transactional activities have varied. Due the change in the structure of the nation’s economy i.e. the traditional agriculture trends declined and the share of manufacturing and services in the economy increased, as well as the economic interdependence.Government’s change in policies effected the tra nsactional cost while the decreased in oil prices enhanced the process resulting the indebtedness of the government which compelled her later to take high interest loans, thus increasing inflation and the currency exchange rate became unstable . These all circumstances blew every thing out and Mexican economy was completely crushed resulting in sudden downfall of GDP.GNP Downfall in the 90s:In 1994 the GNP of the country fell down to its historical low as a result per capita income fell to the level of 50s and the plague of poverty spread all over the country leaving no one undisturbed. The main causes of this turbulence as analyzed by the economists were the demographic, environmental changes as well as the changing in the global scenario and also the emergence of NAFTA as most of the foreign investment was invested in the stock market and short term bond but all these devalued thus crushing down the peso.The increasing poverty and the deteriorating environment as well as the incre asing inflation pressurized the already decomposed economy thus the weak currency faced a sudden downfall and the rate of exchange become intolerably unstable. The monetary market was panicked by the falling currency and soon every investor threw away the Mexican currency. The GNP fell rapidly and Mexico again fell in the darkness of high interest debts, inflation and poverty.What are the Rectifications?What Mexico needed after these sudden shocks complete is overhauling of the economy by making it free from old and conservative rules and regulations. The government should continue the process of the privatization of state owned enterprises, especially the ejido (Community Land Owned by the Government). The Federal Labor Law also needs some thorough reforms. While the most important thing to do is the clear and of the Assets of Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) what ever it is deemed by the Mexican Government as a Mexican Sovereignty or not.A Promotion and Reconstruction bank should be cr eated with the initial capital as $150 billion dollars, and also the board of directors should be select among the professional and honest persons. Businesses should issue bonds of their debt for 30 years. Income tax should be reduced immediately to 20%. The government should negotiate with the United States and Canada to obliterate the taxes and tariff between the three governments thus creating a free trade market. (Valenzuela, 1999)Conclusion:To recover from the shocks of the turbulences and achieve a sustainable growth process the Mexican Government have to make radical changes in the economy and has to redesign it in a more appropriate way that the economy becomes adaptable to the modern economic circumstances.Reference:Marco Espinosa, Steven Russell, The Mexican economic crisis: alternative views, http://www.frbatlanta.org/frbatlanta/filelegacydocs/Espin811.pdfRicardo Valenzuela, 1999. A Prescription for Dealing with Mexico's Economic Crisis,   http://www.westga.edu/~bquest/ 1999/prescrip.htmlRobert A. Blecker, NAFTA, the Peso Crisis, and the Contradictions of the Mexican Economic Growth Strategy,http://www.newschool.edu/cepa/papers/archive/cepa0103.pdfWallis, J. J, D.C. North. 1986. Measuring the transaction sector in the American economy, 1870-1970. In Long-term factors in American economic growth, edited by S.L. Engerman and R. E. Gallman. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 95-161.Deirdre Griswold, 1995 Oil, debt and Mexico's national sovereignty, In Workers World. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/46/026.html

Capital One Case Study Essay

In consumer lending, every product is evolving in the same direction as credit cards-toward large, national-scale consolidators replacing local, face-to-face lending. That evolution has happened in credit cards. It’s well under way in auto finance, mortgages, and home equity. Its coming more slowly in installment lending. So consumer lending, a major part of the asset side of banking, is all flowing toward national consolidators like Capital One. -RICHARD D. FAIRBANK, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION’ United Kingdom, the Hfs Group, to strengthen its Global Financial services (GFS) subsidiary in the British market. As of April 2005, it possessed sufficient liquidity ($21 billion) and capital ($9.2 billion)4 to enable its famous brand to expand into new markets and seize the right opportunities for profitable growth. Although the company’s acquisition of Hibernia in March 2005 provided it an opportunity to enter the fast-developing Texas markets of Houston and Dallas, it might face stiff competition from other large credit companies, such as Citigroup and J.P. Morgan. Capital One Financial Corporation is a diversified bank holding company, with a 2005 market value of $18.92 billion. It provides a gamut of financial services through its main subsidiaries-Capital One Bank, Capital One FS.B. (which offers consumer and commercial lending and consumer deposit products), and Capital One Auto Finance Inc (COAF). From a small local bankcard issuer in 1995, the company has transformed itself into one of the largest financial institutions in the United States by continually  introducing a steady stream of products. It features one of the most recognized brands in the industry, which it leverages along with its strategies of direct marketing, risk analysis, and information technology to grow and diversify into other businesses. Ranked 206th in the Fortune 500 list in 2005,2 the company has been gradually transforming itself from a credit card company to an institution that provides banking and other financial services to consumers. By January 2005, it was the 31st largest deposit institution in the United States with $25.6 billion3 in interest-bearing deposits. Capital One has been on the path of diversification from the late 1990s and has made three acquisitions between 2004 and 2005: Onyx Acceptance Corporation, eSmartloan, and Hibernia National Bank. It has also acquired a home equity brokerage company in the  Capital One is the fifth largest credit card provider in the United States5 and one of the largest issuers of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. It was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virginia-based Signet Bank when Richard D. Fairbank, CEO and chairman of Capital One, was invited by the bank to head its bankcard division. It began its operations in 1953, the same year MasterCard International was formed. Fairbank and the former vice chairman of Capital One, Nigel Morris, realized that traditional banks offered loans without focusing on the customers-like analyzing their risk characteristics. They decided that by using technology and data mining techniques in the decision- making process of providing credit, the bank could charge the appropriate interest rates more accurately and earn greater profits. In 1994, Capital One was spun off from Signet as a public credit card company and established itself in McLean, Virginia. It had an initial public offering of 7,125,000 shares of common stock in the United States and Canada, at a price of $16 per share,6 which was managed by J.P. Morgan Securities Ine., Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Barney Ine. It is a part of the S&P 500 index, and also trades on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol COF ~ This case was written by Susmita Nandi, under the direction of Sumit Kumar Chaudhuri, ICFAI Business School Case Development Centre. It is intended to be :;: used as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate  either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. The case was compiled from 25 published sources.  © 2005, ICFAI Business School Case Development Centre. No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced, or  © distributed in any form or medium whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner. Between 1994 and 2004, the company grew at an annual compound rate of 29 percent/ both in terms of its EPS and the number of customers. In 2004, its earnings were $1.5 billion, and the EPS was at $6.21.8 At the end of 2004, the company and its subsidiaries held 48.6 million accounts and $79.9 billion9 in managed loans outstanding, which grew by 12 percent ($8.6 billion) over the previous year (see Exhibit 1). It had 17,760 employees in March 2005. The bank offers 7,00010variations of its MasterCard and Visa cards, each one is customized to appeal to different customer preferences and needs by combining product features such as different backgrounds and colors, along with varied annual percentage rates, credit limits, fees, and rewards programs. Capital One’s pricing strategy is based on the risk level of its customers. It offers platinum and gold cards to its preferred customers with excellent credit history and a wide range of secured and unsecured cards to customers with limited or poor credit history. The company also provides a range of consumer products like auto finanCing, mortgage services, credit insurance, and home-equity loans. Customizations of credit cards at Capital One are made with the support of its Information-Based Strategy (IBS), which uses sophisticated data-mining techniques to match its credit cards (its combination of interest rates, fees, rewards, and other conditions) with targeted customers based on their credit scores, credit uses, and other parameters. IBS is the fusion of one of the world’s largest databases, information systems, a well-trained team of analysts and statisticians, and advanced scoring models. The company’s decision-making process is made efficient by bringing together marketing, credit, risk, and information technology. It selects its most profitable customers and the appropriate rate by using the rigorous testing of econometric and time series models. The credit ratings of customers is based on the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) scores, which are used to predict payment risk by looking at several variables, including credit history. The  IBS system uses FICO scores to divide its customers into three groups of super-prime (with excellent credit history), prime (average credit history), and sub-prime (with poor or very little credit history). Through the use of IBS, the company has been able to locate a group of students who were not included in the mailing lists of other credit card companies because these students, mostly unemployed and little or no credit histories, were considered high risk. Capital One’s strategy of sending credit card applications, which were tailored to the needs of these students, proved effective, as 70 percent of the applications were filled and mailed back, thus creating a new market for the company. IBS has also helped Capital One avoid customers who do not pay interest charges on loans. The charge-off rate (for bad debt) of Capital One is the industry’s lowest, and for 2004 was at 4.37 percent, compared to 5.32 percent in the previous year. Capital One’s GFS segment offers a portfolio of diverse products to both domestic and international consumers. In the domestic market, the GFS segment includes installment lending, health care finance, mortgage lending services, and small business lending services. GFS has been on a growth curve and in 2004, it accounted for 27 percent of Capital One’s total managed loans, which are comprised of reported loans and off-balance sheet securitized loans. It also accounts for 14 percent of its earnings. Its international portfolio primarily consists of credit card business in the United Kingdom and Canada, valued at $8.2 billion and $2.4 billion,12 respectively. Capital One is the United Kingdom’s seventh largest credit card issuer, and among the top ten of the same in Canada. In January 2005, the company completed the formalities to acquire a British equity brokerage firm called Hfs Group to strengthen its position in the United Kingdom. Although Capital One had hold ings in France and South Africa, it exited these markets due to lack of growth opportunities. Capital One generated strong earnings and loan growth again in 2004, as it has each year since its initial public offering ten years ago. The company is well positioned for continued success in 2005 in both our Us. credit card and our growing and profitable diversification businesses. -RICHARD D. FAIRBANK, CHAIRMAN CAPITAL AND CEO, CORPORATION† ONE FINANCIAL Capital One grew at 30 percent14 (see Exhibit 2, on page 68) between 1994 and 2004 by issuing credit cards at attractive interest rates. Most of its business is conducted via direct mail (junk-mail solicitations), although it also markets its products through television and Internet (http://www .capitalone.com). It expanded its credit card operations in Canada, Europe, and South Africa in the late 1990s. At the same time, the company also made strategic moves toward diversifying its portfolio by entering into financing of automobiles and other motor vehicles, mortgage and home equity loans, insurance, and other consumer lending products. Although 60 percent of its total managed loans is in its credit cards business (see Exhibit 3, on page 68), the company is gradually increasing its operations in other business segments. In 1998, Capital One bought Amerifee, a company that provided financing for elective surgeries such as orthodontic, vision, and cosmetic procedures. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital One in May 2001. Amerifee is a market leader known for introducing Orthodontists Fee and Dental Fee plans in 1993 and 1998, respectively. These fee plans are the largest patient payment plans in  (dollars in millions, except per-share data) Reproductive Endocrinologists and infertility clinics. IS The subsidiary formally became Capital One Healthcare Finance in April 2005. Capital One soon realized that the auto financing market is double that of the credit  card market, and therefore it has a strong growth potential in that segment. This market is highly fragmented and no company holds more than 20 percent16 of the market share. It provided an opportunity to Capital One Auto Finance Ine. (COAF) to introduce innovative offers and increase its market share. COAF added $163.8 millionl? to the company’s earnings in 2004, and has continued to be on a high growth curve. To strengthen its market position in the automobile finance segment, the company acquired ONYXAcceptance Corporation (Onyx) for $191 millionl8 (in an all cash transaction) on January 11, 2005. It also acquired InsLogic, an insurance brokerage firm, from Onyx’s management team. The purchase strengthened the Auto Finance subsidiary of Capital One and enhanced its dealer relationships, coastto-coast market penetration in the United States, and its product line among the prime borrowers. Onyx is based in Foothills, California, and provides automobile loans to certain independent and franchise dealerships all over the United States. Onyx claims to have purchased and securitized $10 billionl9 in auto loans since its inception in 1993, and will add 12,000 new dealerships to Capital One’s list. According to David R. Lawson, Capital One’s executive vice president, and president of COAF, â€Å"This transaction combines two strong franchises with complementary strengths. Onyx’s significant and long-standing presence with California dealerships coupled with its strong prime product offering fills out both COAF’s product line and geographic footprint. Together, we expect to realize significant revenue and cost synergies:’20 This acquisition may make COAF the second largest auto lender in the United States. COAF has announced that it has raised its car loan limit to $100,00021 (previously $75,000) for direct-toconsumer vehicle loans that have originated from its Web  site (http://capitaloneautofinance.com) in February 2005. This move was made in response to the growing demand for luxury cars such as Corvette by Chevrolet, so that the company can get more business from this customer segment. This extension is limited to only those with excellent credit histories (super-prime customers). The vice president of COAF, Brian Reed, said, â€Å"Car buyers have more choices than ever today at the higher end of the  car spectrum, so weà ¢â‚¬â„¢ve adjusted our limit to offer consumers greater flexibilit/’22 The competitive advantage of COAF is that the loan process takes place on the Internet and requires no legacy fees. Also, its IBS system allows it to charge varying interest rates depending on the customer’s risk levels. In February 2005, Capital One purchased eSmartloans .com for $155 million,23 one of the largest online providers of home equity loans mortgages in the United States. Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, the company offers a variety of products that are marketed and delivered directly to homeowners. The purchase is meant to broaden Capital One’s offering of consumer loans and deepen its position in the growing US. home equity market. Larry Klane, Capital One’s executive vice president of Global Financial Services, said, â€Å"eSmartloan has succeeded in building a scalable technology platform, a highly skilled sales team, and an outstanding reputation for customer service and speed to close. By combining these strengths with Capital One’s powerful national brand, access to 47 million accounts, and expertise in direct marketing, we will enhance the growth of our home equity lending business:’24 In early March 2005, Capital One announced its decision to purchase Hibernia National Bank. Hibernia is the largest bank in Louisiana,2s with 316 branches in Louisiana and Texas, and $17.4 billion26 in deposits. It provides a wide assortment of financial products and services through its banking and non-banking subsidiaries that ranges from deposit products, small business, commercial, mortgage, private and international banking, to trust and investment management, brokerage, investment banking, and insurance. Capital One paid a 24 percent premium over Hibernia’s closing stock price of $26.57 as on March 4, or $33 per share,27and a total of$5.3 billion for the purchase. The merger is expected to cost $175 million in restructuring expenses and result in near-term synergies of$135 million.28 According to Fairbank, â€Å"This acquisition is a natural extension of the diversification strategy we have been pursuing for some time. The transaction brings together two financial companies with complementary strengths and represents a compelling long-term value proposition for shareholders of both companies. Hibernia’s leading market share in Louisiana and its promising Texas branch expansion create not only a solid growth platform as we continue to expand, but also an additional source oflower cost funding. Additionally, we believe our national brand, 48 million accounts, broad product offerings, asset generation capabilities, and market expertise will drive profitable growth in branch banking:’ 29 Capital One wanted to purchase a commercial bank with a strong management team and a large local market share. Hibernia has both these qualities as well as the potential to expand extensively into Texas markets. Currently it has only 109 branches in Texas, but the cities of Dallas and Houston are number 2 and 3 in terms of fastest growing markets in the metro cities, a seemingly untapped potential for capturing market share in that region.30 The main advantage of purchasing Hibernia is that Capital One gains access to a lower cost of funding at 1.38 percent against a rate of 4.24 percent.3l One third of Capital One’s funding is obtained from the deposits in its fully owned Internet bank at 4 percent, which is higher than that paid by any of its rivals. The rest of it comes from securitization, which is risky as well as costlier than its other avenues of sourcing funds. It can increase ratio of funding from deposits from the previous 30 percent to 40 percent,32 to support its lending operations in the areas of credit cards, auto finance and mortgages. Acquiring Hibernia is also expected to increase its profit margins due to decreased interest expenses and bring stability to its businesses of consumer lending and other financial products. It now has the ability to use Hibernia’s brick -and- mortar branches as a launching pad to market its range of offerings in combination with its IBS techniques. The deal also provides Capital One with the opportunity to enter the debit -card market and also introduce its own home equity credit line. Early in the twenty-first century, the US. credit card industry witnessed a high level of competition and was also going through a phase of consolidation. For example, J.P. Morgan merged with Chase in 2000, and the combined group merged with Bank One in July 2004 to form the second largest US. bank holding company with a combined asset base of $1 trillion33 and 19.1 percent of the total credit card market share. The US. consumer debt amount of $2.1 trillion (Federal Reserve Bank data) in January 2005 was mostly due to the top ten credit card companies, which held 85 percent of the market share.34 Market share of Capital One in the credit card segment  fell from 7.2 percent in 200Ys to 6.8 percent (see Exhibit 4) in 2004. Capital One was left with no innovative ideas such as being the first bank to offer automatic balance transfers, which could grab business from other banks. The rise in personal bankruptcies and the economic recession between 2001 and 2004, coupled with the saturation of the credit card market diminished growth opportunities for Capital One in that market. This  necessitated its diversification into other consumer lending operations through different distribution channels such as Hibernia. Capital One has been bombarding the Internet, radio, and television with its advertisement, â€Å"What’s in your wallet?† with one of the versions featuring the famous Hollywood comedian David Spade (Appendix 1). It spent $285 million on advertisements, a total marketing  expense of $1.3 billion36 in 2004 and $5.4 million in January 2005,37 which was more than competitors such as American Express. In a consumer survey conducted by USA Today’s weekly poll, 30 percent of the people â€Å"disliked† the advertisement, while 12 percent liked it â€Å"a lot;’ suggesting that it did not receive the popularity it wanted. It was opined that the advertisement expense has been eating into Capital One’s profits. Another potential hurdle for Capital One is its potentially risky source of funding from securitization. It pools together the loans it originates and invests pieces from that collection in different securities. Because the investment is dependent on the stock market price fluctuations, this source of funding involves a great deal of uncertainty and risks of monetary loss. It has also amassed a large portfolio of sub-prime customers as it relies on its IBS system to guide it toward greater profit margins (related to greater risk), without incurring heavy losses. Due to federal regulations and a great many of its customers defaulting on their loans, Capital One had to shift away from subprime to a greater proportion of prime and super-prime customers. This change led to smaller margins as the company offered an introductory rate of 9.9 percent to its super-prime customers vis-a-vis a rate of25.9 percent3s charged to sub-prime customers who are associated with  high probability of delinquency. In July 2002, the company disclosed its decision to tighten controls over its loan disbursements (mainly to sub-prime lenders) to meet the banking regulators’ demands, leading to a 40 percent decline39 in its shares in one day (Appendix 2). Management of Hibernia’s branch banking and its non-consumer lending operations, after the merger is complete, might pose a challenge for Capital One because it lacks experience in those fields. The non-consumer lending portfolio consists of commercial and industrial loans (C&I) and commercial real-estate (CRE) loans. Hibernia’s combined portfolio of C&I and CRE is worth $4 billion,40 and its small business portfolio is valued at $3.2 billion. The challenge will be to efficiently integrate Hibernia into its system and strategy, which includes incorporation of its retail branch banking, and review of its business and asset integration plans. For the short term, it might need to rely on Hibernia’s management team in making any strategic decisions. Part of the strategic long-term vision, as announced by the company is to expand  further into the state of Texas, especially in Dallas and Houston, and establish  new branches there. In expanding in that direction, Capital One is likely to face stiff competition from several major players in the credit card and banking industry such as JP Morgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, and American Express. It may be difficult for Capital One to steal any business away from these giants, even with its innovative ideas and products, because the bigger players have strong presence in that region. Analyst and credit rating agencies like Fitch have warned that Capital One’s growth depends on its ability to aggreSSively defend and maintain market positions in the states of Louisiana and Texas. Fairbanks said, â€Å"We’re well positioned to continue our profitable growth. Financially, we’ve never been stronger. Our flagship credit card business is thriving. We’re successfully taking IBS, the strategy that made Capital One a winner in credit cards and auto finance, to new businesses. And, we have a powerful brand and huge customer base to fuel our growth and diversification. Our people have pulled together to make Capital One the strong, diversified company it is today. And I am confident that they will sustain our momentum as we enter our second decade as a public company: M. McNamee, 2005, Capital One’s concrete step, http://www .businessweek.com, March 11. http://wwwfortune.com. http://wwwcapitalone.com. Ibid. N. Slaughter, 2005, Capital One shells out http://wwwfoolcom, March 7 1994, Capital One financial corporation completes initial public offering, http://wwwbusinesswire.com. http://wwwfortune.com. Ibid. 2005, Capital One to acquire Hibernia Corporation for $5.3 billion in stock and cash, http://biz.yahoo.com, March 6. M. McNamee, 1999, Capital One: Isn’t there more to life than plastic?† http://wwwbusinessweek.com. http://wwwcapitalone.com. Ibid. http://wwwcapitalone.com. 2005, A capital idea, http://wwweconomist.eom, http://wwwcapitalonehealthcarefinance.com. Ibid. http://wwwcapitalone.com. Ibid. http://wwwonyxacceptance.com. http://wwwcapitalone.com. 2005, Capital One announces new online auto loan limit of $100,000, http://wwwpwrebdireCl.com. February 25. Ibid. March 10. November 22. November 15. http://wwwmccollpartners.com . http://wwwcapitalone.com. Louisiana is one of the southern-most located between Texas and Mississippi. A capital idea, op. cil. states in the U.S. and is 2005, Capital One buying Hibernia for $5.3B, http://wwwcnnmoney. com, March 7 http://wwwCapitalone.com. Capital One to acquire Hibernia Corporation for $5.3 billion in stock and cash, op. cil. Capital One’s concrete step, op. cil. A capital idea, op. cil. Ibid. 1 Locke, 2005, Bank One, JPMorgan merger ups the ante in Colorado banking game, http://wwwbizjournals.com. A capital idea, op. cil. March 25 K. Maguire, 2005, Capital One rolls with the punches, http://news.yahoo.com, March 21 http://wwwcapitalone.com. M. McCarthy, 2005, Capital One’s ‘What’s in your wallet?’ ads filling airwaves, http://wwwusatoday.com. March 13. S. Maranjian, 2005, How to owe $40,000 by doing nothing, http://wwwfoolcom, February 11. R. Barker, 2003, Who’s minding the store at Capital One? http://wwwbusinessweek.com. March 24. 2005, Fitch places Capital One on rating watch positive; Hibernia on watch negative, http://wwwbloomberg.com. March 7 http://wwwcapitalone.com.

Measuring And Managing Absenteeism In The Workplace

Productivity loss due to absenteeism is a serious growing challenge. We live in an absenteeism culture. Talking a day off and calling in sick is supported and encouraged by the society. Many people’s attitude is† The time is coming to us† (Robert F.Allen and Michael Higgens- the Absenteeism Culture. Becoming attendance oriented.) Unscheduled absenteeism is on the rise and the rates of absenteeism are at their highest since 1999. The major concern is that almost two out of three employees who do not show up aren’t physically ill or have challenging issues.Absence measurement and management is an increasingly growing body of knowledge and experience that managers apply to control and reduce absenteeism and its accruing costs. To ensure that the issue of absenteeism is effectively addressed, managers and supervisors-armed with the required guidance and training, need to understand the circumstances and factors surrounding absenteeism in the workplace, and thus actively participate in the company’s procedures and policies to effective curb absenteeism in the workplace.Employers attempt to cut down excessive employee absenteeism through tighter controls. They demand doctor’s report or use some other punitive mechanisms that targets symptoms of absenteeism rather than its causes. The problem will not go away unless the underlying root causes are removed. Building an attendance culture!How should absenteeism effectively be managed? Triggers or incentives? / Carrots or sticks?Introduction:Absenteeism from workplace has been on the increase and may be an indicative of poor morale, lack of motivation, sick building syndrome, poor organizational polities or mere indiscipline from the employees. However, many employers have introduced and implemented absence policies which make no distinction between absence for genuine reasons or illness and absence for inappropriate reasons.One of these policies is the calculation of the Bradford F actor, which only factors total number and frequency of individual absence into account, neglecting the kind of absence. 40 million days are lost each year in the UK, due to workplace absenteeism, 93% of employees say cold and flu are the reason for being away from work, but research has shown  that in reality, half of absenteeism in the workplace has nothing whatsoever to do with health. Workers decide to stay away from work for a host of other reasons relating to work and personal issues, which range from job de-motivation, low pay, lack of work life balance and occasional hangover.Absenteeism has been viewed traditionally as a breach of an implicit contract between employee and employer, as a management problem and has been framed in economic terms. This report will critically discuss the causes and effects of absenteeism in the workplace with the view to derive effective ways to measure and manage absenteeism. It will seek to understand absenteeism as an indicator of psycholog ical, social adjustment to work. 1. What do we mean by Absenteeism?According to dictionary reference.com, Absenteeism can be defined as habitual failure to appear, especially for work and other regular duty. The rate occurrence of habitual absence from work or duty. Absenteeism can be viewed as re-occurring absence from work, duty and obligation, thought to reflect employee demoralization or dissatisfaction. This can also be viewed as a breach of the implicit contract that exists between the employer and the employed. Simply put, Failure to report to or stay at work when scheduled is tagged absenteeism. 1.1 Absenteeism can be grouped into two categories –Involuntary/Innocent absenteeism: This is when absences are unavoidable and understandable. For instance Absences due to death in the family Pregnancy or Maternity issues Absences caused by illness or injury Car/ vehicle issues Other family related or personal issues Accidents and natural disasters Disability-related absentee ism- Human rights obligations Voluntary/Culpable Absenteeism: Voluntary absenteeism is an instance where an employee, out of his own freewill or laziness, chooses to stay off work. Absences in this case are avoidable. Missing work without advance notice, to go the cinema or watch football Making excuses for consistent late coming to workDeceitfully/fraudulently applying for sick leave or calling in ‘sick’Failure to report to work as scheduled or showing up late for no good reason 1.2 Causes of Absenteeism in the workplace There are various factors that could influence an employee to be absent at work. These factors are as followsPersonal Factors:Personal Attitude: individuals posses different attitudes and bring these attitudes forth to the workplace. Employees with strong workplace ethics will respect their work and appreciate their contribution to the organisation and as such, will not take unscheduled off from the workplace. Conversely, employees with low or without work ethics are in- disciplined and have behavioural issues. Because they feel no obligation to the organisation, absenteeism comes easily to them. Age: The age of an employee often affects their attitude to work.The younger the employees are often restless, they want to have fun and be with friends rather than being tied down with responsibilities. This leads to lack of ownership and usually leads to unscheduled and unauthorised time off. Gender: Women are usually challenged with balancing their time between work and home. Their families are always the utmost priority, thus they would rather be absent from work to sort out family issuesWorkplace Factors:Organizational Culture: Every organisation is a culture with its own norms. An organisation with an embedded absenteeism culture, screen played by its management and supervisors lack of commitment would encourage further employee absenteeismLack of Motivation and Rewards: The relationship between the organisation and its employees i s influenced by what motives them to work and the rewards and fulfilment they derive from it. Inability of managers or employers to motivate employees and meet their extrinsic and intrinsic needs would lead to lack if motivation and commitment hence, absenteeism in the workplaceAbsence of learning culture: Learning means change, thus can affect  organisations effectiveness. Employees love to work in an organisation where they would improve themselves and their career through organisational learning and knowledge management, which could be inculcated through coaching, mentoring, trainings and other explicit methods. In an organisation where a learning culture is absent, employees feel de-motivated, unsatisfied and feel their career growth is threatened.Hence they excuse themselves from work without authorisation in search for greater challenges and organisations where they would gain improve themselves. Stress at work: According to a report cited in Financial Times: ‘Stress a t work is the biggest problem in European companies’ Voluntary absenteeism takes place because employees are dissatisfied with their job; hence they feel stressed doing the work either because of the work load or unsuitable assigned roles. {Egs} wrongly assigning a customer service manager to manage treasury department, without adequate experience and training.Due to lack of adequate experience in the field and fixed timed deliverables and tasks, he feels stressed and harassed in the role and thus breaks down into stress or depression and seeks sick leave and abandons the job. Voluntary Absenteeism also takes place where the employees feel there is a strain on their psychological contract with the employer, this indirectly erupts lack of organizational commitment. This strain could develop to stress and impact on employee attendance to work.Leadership Style: An organization’s, team or unit leadership style could impact on employee commitment, job satisfaction with impr oved or impaired participation and attendance to work. While Democratic and laissez fair leadership style encourages shared decision making, shared responsibility, creativity and participation and can be highly motivational, which enhances teamwork and interpersonal relations. Autocratic and paternalistic leadership styles could de-motivate and alienate employees. Employees might feel less important in the organisation, hence the need to avoid work. Work Routine and lack of Change: doing the same job or task over a long period of time can get monotonous.The employees get bored and thus might choose to take unauthorised time off to do something he considers interesting than going to work. Job Satisfaction: if employees do not find their work interesting, satisfying and challenging, they feel dissatisfied, which leads  to increased absenteeism in the workplace Work life balance: Organisation who not factor employee’s roles and work life such that a balance is stroked with wor k and the individual’s personal life commitments and family would experience increased employee absenteeism. Conflict in the workplace: ultimately increases chances of employee absenteeism.Lack of team spirit: A team that lacks unity, synergy and good interpersonal relationship amongst its members, will be a weak and unproductive. Such team members will lack team spirit-the spirit that bonds individuals in a team. This lack of team spirit can de-motivate team members, make them work in isolation, they would lack the sense of belonging, love and satisfaction. There would exist, fears of the unknown, lack of trust for team members. These feelings will encourage an employee to stay off work. Social Factors: factors such as difficult community circumstances like High crime and intimidation rates which constitutes fear in employee’s catalyses absenteeism in the workplace. Other social factors are – Lack of transportation/transport facilitiesPoverty levels Malnutritio n HIV/AIDS Labour Strikes 1.3 Effects of Absenteeism in the workplaceWhen a company has an absentee problem, it has a profit problem. Absenteeism can take a deep financial toll on any business, whether a small or multinational company. There are also other significant effects associated with excessive absenteeism: Decreased Productivity: in a team of people doing interrelated tasks, if one persistent remains absent or fails to deliver, it creates a domino effect on productivity. It affects employee/team morale: this is due to the fact that additional stress are places on employees who act as replacements or assume additional tasks for absenteesAbsenteeism causes disruptions in the workplace and impacts on the SLA’s It affects customer service levels, turnaround times, customer loyalty and satisfaction. It affect or disrupts effective team formation and operations It may create a perception of unfairness amongst employeesIt affects the bottom-line 2.0 Measuring Absenteeism2.1 Why measure absenteeism?It is pertinent to measure the rate of absenteeism in the workplace. Measuring employee’s absenteeism is a good way to measure Overall Labour Effectiveness (OLE) in the workplace, which is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the utilization, performance and quality of the workforce and its impact on productivity. Monitoring staff absence rates helps to trace the pattern of employee attendance.To monitor and check dead times, in the workplace, to derive and measure resources and costs incurred due to employee absenteeism with the aim of devising effective methods to manage absenteeism in the workplace. In measuring absenteeism in the workplace, we derive the ratio of its administrative, financial and productivity cost to the organisation which will enable development of strategies to curb absenteeism while rechanneling resources more effectively to effect the bottom-line positively.Administrative costs of Absenteeism:Time consumed in control ling absenteeism Time consumed in sourcing replacements and re-assigning duties. Supervisor’s time Financial Costs: this are the costs accruing form Overtime costs Replacement employee costs Training costs Over staffing costs Productivity Costs: Replaced productivity and loss of output costs the costs of supporting replacement employees Costs accrued in training new or replacement staff/hiring temp staff Substandard production2.2 Ways of Measuring AbsenteeismThe Total Tim lost: Number of person-days lost through job absence during period X 100 (Average number of employees) x (Number of Work days)This rate also can be based on number of hours instead of number of days. The â€Å"individual frequency† formula: This is calculated as thus : Individual frequency = (Num of Absent Employees/Average Number of Employees) x100 The Bradford Factor or Bradford Formula: According to the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development, the term was first coined due to its supposed c onnection with research undertaken by the Bradford University School of Management in the 1980s. It was developed as a way of highlighting the misappropriate level of disruption on an organisation’s performance that can be caused by short-term employee absence compared to incidences of prolonged absence. In contrast, it is considered short-sighted and unlikely to be successful which could lead to staff dissatisfaction and grievances. The Bradford factor can be calculated as follows:B= S2 x D where: B is the Bradford Factor score S is the total number of spells(instances) of absence of an individual over a set period D is the total number of days of absence of that individual over the same set period The ‘set period’ is typically set as a rolling 52 week period. For example:1 instance of absence with a duration of 15 days (1x 1 x 5)= 5 points 4 instances of absence; one of one, one of four and one of six days (4 x 4 x 5) =80 points 6 instances of absences ;each fo r two days (6 x 6 x 5) = 180 points However, the Bradford factor has been critiqued for its limited and short-sightedness in effectively measuring absenteeism, this is because it only factors total number and frequency of individual absence into account, neglecting the kind of absence.Again, the Bradford factor is a generic process and would be inappropriate to implement on disabled employees this is because certain disabilities require higher days of absence. Employers are bound by law e.g. The British Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 (DDA) to tailor their actions to the individual circumstances of  disabled employees and failure to provide these reasonable adjustments by employers may lead to civil actions or breach of DDA in employment tribunal 3.0 Managing absenteeism:Absenteeism: A cultural problemEvery organisation is a culture, with its own norms that constitute the expected, supported and accepted ways of behaving. These norms are most times unwritten and advice people on the code of conduct. The existing culture and norms influences everyone’s perception of the business, from the CEO to the newly hired employee. Management’s behaviour has a special impact on organisational behaviour as relates to absenteeism, this is because of its modelling influence. Investigations have shown that absenteeism was/is directly traceable to the group norms established by leadership, the work environment and group expectations. Each group had similar illness records, it was the norms that dictated, and almost predictably, whether people showed up for work.Absenteeism is often symptoms of larger organisational problems and can be managed as thus: Leadership modelling and commitment: Managerial commitments and participatory culture have an important impact on attendance. E.g. in a retail company, a manager who demonstrated little commitment to attendance practices recorded one of the highest absenteeism rates in his organisation. Work motivation and rewards: Motivation in the work place is the driving force to achieve employee job satisfaction and commitment. This motivation could be Extrinsic or Intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation relates to the tangible rewards e.g. Salary, security, promotion and conditions of work.While,  Intrinsic motivation relates to the psychological rewards which includes; a sense of challenge and achievement, participation and appreciation from the employer. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; the expectancies of an employee from the employer are captured as thus- Motivated employees overcome obstacles to make it to work. The key to reducing employee absenteeism is to create a culture where employees want to come to work. Effective Groups and Team Building: groups and teams are essential features of the work pattern of organisations.These include formal and informal groups, project and virtual teams. Effective group and team building  encourages inter personal relationships, fulfils the individuals psychological need of love and belonging, encourages organisational learning and communication while reducing conflicts in the organisation. This ultimately gives employees, sense of belonging and contribution, job satisfaction and an increased love for the job which will be evidenced in attendance rate. Recruitment and selection: Employers should recruit employees with good attendance records. This information should be included in references.Employee orientation and training: Attendance norms should be established the first day on the job. These norms are inculcated at inductions and orientation sessions. Performance Appraisal: this can boost employee attendance rates. Management should attach attendance rates to performance appraisals, if employees are aware that attendance would be a part of their appraisal, they would minimise unnecessary absence from work.Conclusion:Organisational culture is a key factor that affects the norms and modus operandi of an organisat ion. Thus the leaders and manager have a great job of making effective decisions and inculcation the required culture through policies and examples. Creating an attendance-oriented culture requires a complete corporate commitment to encourage attendance rather than manage absenteeism. This would be a significant shift because an absenteeism culture not only cost millions of pounds, but also impedes the development of human resources, reduces organisation’s competitive advantage and affects the bottom-line My case study illustrating the causes, effects and how to manage absenteeism is evidenced in my reflective writing.

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi - Essay Example Venice at that time was the capital of the republic of Venice. The president of the union joined by his father, Giovanni Legrenzi, was maestro di cappella at the Basilica of San Marco and noted early Baroque composer. He was believed to have taught the young Antonio to compose. Scholar Walter Kolneder of Luxemburg figures that the liturgical work Laetatus sum ((RV Anh 31, written in 1691) written when he was just 13, showed influence of Legrenzi style. He began studying priesthood and in 1703, at the age of 25, he was an ordained Venetian priest and was nicknamed "Il Prete Roso" or The Red Priest but he did not practiced his vocation due to a sickness which is his tightening of chest, suspected as asthma. In 1704, he was given dispensation from celebrating the Holy Mass due to his illness and he withdrew from active priesthood in 1706. By December 1703, Vivaldi was appointed maestro de violino at the Ospedale della Pieta, one of Venetian girls' orphanage. At that time, the institution had four branches in Venice giving shelter and education to orphaned, abandoned or children from impoverished families as funded by the Republic. The boys were taught a trade before leaving at age 15 while the girls had musical education and the talented were retained to be members of the Ospedale's orchestra and choir. Ospedale under the ministration of Antonio Vivaldi began to gain appreciation even abroad as Vivaldi wrote most of the cantatas, concerto and sacred music. The position of teacher of viola all'inglese was also added on his duty as maestro de violini by 1704 and although he is already starting to prove his talent at that time, he was retained at the Pieta until 1709 only when the board dismissed him, for many perceived him a difficult man. He worked as a freelance musician for a year until the board recalled him in 1711 realising his potential. From then, Vivaldi was in his most productive years writing music or operas and concertos. His first collection of his works called Raccolta, a trio sonata was published in 1705 with his Opus 1 a collection of 12 sonatas for two violins and basso continuo in conventional style. His Opus 2 is a collection of 12 sonatas for violins and basso continuo and was published in 1709. L'Estro Armonico (Opus 3) his first collection of 12 concerti for one, two, and four violins with strings was published by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam in 1711. It became a success all over Europe as followed by another success La Stravaganza (Opus 4) in 1714 which is a collection of concerti for solo violin and strings. Musicians sought sought him out in Venice and commissioned works from him including for the Dresden court. Johann Sebastian Bach transcribed five Opus 3 concertos for keyboard and he influenced many German composers. Antonio and his father went to Brescia in 1917. His Stabat Mater (RV 621) was played as part of a religious festival and although the work was apparently done in haste, the forced essentiality of the music revealed musical and emotional depth that made it one of his masterpieces. He also started traveling in 1718 to promote his music and in even during his travels, he retained connection with the Pieta and wrote two concertos each month sending them by post. He also found time to rehearse

Leadership style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership style - Essay Example From the course readings, it was established that transformational leaders are vision developers. They develop vision because they identify a problem and want to fix it. Transformational leaders want to fix the problem because they are concerned about the people and concerned for the task they have been chosen to perform. After developing the vision, which becomes the main target of his leadership, a transformational leader finds means to sell the vision to his followers. Though not charismatic, a transformational leader is on the heart of the people because the people know he is concerned about him. For this reason, selling the vision is never too difficult for the transformational leader. The followers are more easily to buy into the vision and help achieve them. Again, transformational leaders are trusted by their followers to be knowledge budded and vision oriented. For this reason, they are always excellent when it comes to leading the way to achieving the vision. It is for this reason that the Changing Minds Organization states that â€Å"some Transformational Leaders know the way, and simply want others to follow them.† Finally, because the transformational leader cares about change, his followers will be sure to depend on him to better their lives. For this reason, a transformational leader must learn to â€Å"make continued efforts to motivate and rally their followers, constantly doing the rounds, listening, soothing and enthusing† (Changing Minds Organization, 2011). This way, transformational leaders are always sure to pull the crowd behind them though charismatic leaders are commonly associated with crowd

Can we get along Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Can we get along - Essay Example â€Å"In Australia, Canada and the United States, one of the most important factors determining levels of inequality is race. In western New York state, for instance, nearly 40 percent of the black, Hispanic, and mixed-race households earned less than $15,000 in 1999, compared with 15 percent of non-Hispanic white households.† (UN-Habitat) â€Å"One should bear in mind that larger cities offer very different kinds of opportunities that allow the poor to better their lot. However, there is compelling evidence that these cities have much higher crime rates than small cities. (Glaeser and Sacerdote, 1999). In addition, urban polarization is strengthened by â€Å"spatial segregation† in education and access to the job market, which in turn fosters criminality.† (Delacote, 92) â€Å"... the widening of income and wealth inequality in the United States has placed great financial pressure on lower-income families. This pressure has encouraged legislatures and governing boards to accommodate easier college entry and to subsidize poorer applicants, relying primarily on the tuition revenue of students who have the ability to pay.† (Policano and Fethke, 16) â€Å"While African-Americans and whites at higher income and higher educational levels were more likely to desire fewer hours than their lower-income, less-educated counterparts, African-Americans are still more likely than whites to desire more hours at all income and educational levels. This racial difference most likely is due to greater wage inequality among African-Americans than whites. (Negrey, 94) The disparity between different income groups gives birth to the question: Can we get along? It is imperative for America to be America again, in order to reduce the crime rate, and agonistic feelings that people belonging to lower income groups harbour for the higher-income group. â€Å"The burgeoning inequality threatens the integrity and moral authority of the social order. Those locked out of the

Gibbs Cycle of Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gibbs Cycle of Reflection - Essay Example In view thereof, this paper is thus divided into the following sections: (1) description, (2) feelings, (3) evaluation, (4) analysis, (5) conclusion and (6) action plan. Description A sixty year old woman was recently operated because of a heart disease. A colleague and I received the recently operated woman into the post-operative recovery care unit. Upon seeing the woman, my colleague and I were unsure as to how she coped with the surgery and whether or not she has fared well in this regard. She looked a little pale and was not really showing distinct signs of whether she is alive or not. However, we are sure that she was still alive since this has been guaranteed by the surgeon and his team. My first instinct was to determine the vital signs of the patient as obviously, these were greatly affected because of the surgery and the anesthesia applied to the patient. In analysing the vital signs of the patient, I focused on its frequency and duration, depending on the condition of the patient who has recently undergone surgery and the normalcy thereof. When I first conducted this, we noticed that whilst the female displayed good vital signs, we were not however s ure as regards the normalcy thereof. Because of this, we had to undergo other tests so as to ensure that the operation was indeed successful. Aside from merely checking the vital signs of the patient, my colleague and I also assessed the level of consciousness of the patient. In conducting this test, we were able to determine that the patient was relatively conscious and we must only wait for a longer time before her vital signs begin to normalize. Moreover, we also focused on the following were determined: (1) the patient’s heart rate, (2) the ECG levels, (3) the respiratory rate of the patient, (4) oxygen saturation, (5) non-invasive blood pressure and (6) the skin temperature. In conducting these tests, we were able to determine that there is nothing wrong with the patient and she is merely recovering from her surgery. We also followed a simple procedure by which we can determine the improvement of the vital signs on the patients. In fact, this procedure entails that the v ital signs be recorded every thirty minutes for at least two hours and hourly thereafter. This was continued on until the woman was awake and has begun eating and drinking. We also monitored the temperature of the patient. Remarkable improvement was seen from the patient during the first two hours. Her vital signs continue to rise significantly every thirty minutes. After the second hour, we monitored her hourly and it was shown that her vital signs continue to rise towards normalcy. Six hours after her operation, the woman woke up. However, she was not ready to start eating and drinking anything. It was only two hours after she woke up that she expressed thirst and was given a drink. She also started eating after consuming her first drink. Considering the gravity of the operations performed on the patient, my colleague and I also performed other tests. These tests also focused on the fluid loss experienced by the patient. Generally, we were not able to actually determine something abnormal as regards her fluid loss. In fact, our observation showed that she was not really losing too much liquid than what is considered as average. Moreover, we also looked into whether there is actually excessive bleeding but there was no sign in relation to this. Aside from the physical condition of the patient, my colleague and I also focused on her physiological and psychological conditions. Basically, upon close examination of the patient, we did not find anything wrong as regards her physiological

Teachers' Views of The Impact of Instruction in the Inclusion Model Dissertation - 1

Teachers' Views of The Impact of Instruction in the Inclusion Model for students with Learning Disabilities - Dissertation Example It was only in the 1960s that a group of researchers conducted various, extensive studies into the subject of LDs and brought the view that children with LDs could not be termed as handicapped (mentally or physically); but they merely formed a deviation in the learning processes of an individual. With this concept came the theory of inclusive studies, where the children with LDs were put into general classrooms, albeit with some restrictions. Now in the twenty-first century, various experts have come forward with the view of total inclusion, where there would exist no differences between the students (with or without LDs). However, many educators have expressed serious reservations about this process of full inclusion, and they feel that special needs children should be segregated and taught only under the supervision of a special educator. My article will take an in-depth look at the term learning disabilities, while exploring the various perspectives as noticed within the general e ducators, in regards to students with LDs and the full-inclusive educational process. The research has been conducted with the express aim of developing a better understanding of the general educators' perception of children with LD in an inclusive environment, their perception of efficacy in relation to their training, and their perception of the support that they receive in educating these students. Teachers’ Views on The Impact of Instruction within  The Inclusion Model for Students with Learning Disabilities by PhilipThompson Ed.D,Walden University, 2011 Proposal Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Philip Thompson Walden University August 2011 Acknowledgments This is an optional page for acknowledgments. It is a nice place to thank the faculty, family members, and friends who have helped you reach this point in your academic career. No page number appears on any of the pages up to this point. If you do not wish to i nclude this page, delete the heading and the body text; if a blank page remains, delete the page break above but leave the section break that you see below this text. Table of Contents List of Tables ii List of Figures iii Section 1: Introduction to the Study 4 Introduction 4 Backgroun 5 17 Use this table of contents (TOC) as an example of what one looks like. When it comes time for creating your own TOC, RIGHT CLICK anywhere in the Table of Contents, select UPDATE FIELD, then select UPDATE ENTIRE TABLE or UPDATE PAGE NUMBERS ONLY, and click OK. The table of contents will be generated using the style tags from the template; you will also be able to automatically update the TOC, both added headings and page numbers. List of Tables When you update the list of tables, the table number and title will come in without a period between them; you will need to manually add that period after all table numbers, as shown for Table 1. In addition, the title will retain the italics from the narra tive when the List of Tables is updated. Once your list is finalized, select the entire list and change it all plain type. List of Figures Figure 1. Figure caption goes here xx The List of Figures is not set up to automatically update. If you have figures in your document, type them in manually here, following the example above. Section 1: Introduction to the Study Introduction The concept of inclusive teaching practices for students with learning disabilities (LDs) is relatively new in the education,

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Journal - Assignment Example In the story, the two main characters, a man and a woman, are involved in a decision-making process about an issue that can affect their life. Being both free spirits, they are both hesitant to admit that their life will inevitably change like the hills that look like white elephant that look out of place in the horizon. Because the said issue is of great effect to both their lives, they are continuously talking about it. The man wants the woman to do something but she clearly does not like it. But both of they do not verbalize such feelings instead they are expressing the opposite. The argument between the two main characters can be compared to the factors in life that can affect the decisions that people make. There are people who are like travellers and just depend on fate to lead them to their destinations. There are people who take active actions and make important decisions in life to be able to achieve their goals. The in the story still wanted to have an easy traveller’s life but he is telling the woman that he can accept her decision which ever choice she makes. On the other hand, the woman wanted to arrive at a serious decision but she is telling the man that she is carefree regarding the decision they had to make. The story captures the complexity of life. It also reveals a perspective that no matter how people wanted to have free spirit and leave everything to fate, at one point decisions are needed to be

Bpo Attrition- the Problem and Its Solution Essay Example for Free

Bpo Attrition- the Problem and Its Solution Essay Human Resources In Indian Business Process Outsourcing Organizations- Attrition. Is there any solution? Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is likely to be the next big thing for services in this decade. The industry is very diverse, with several sub-segments, each displaying its own unique characteristics. The BPO players need to be excellent in every facet of operations as the market is highly competitive at every level and re-defining itself every day. Being a People-Centric industry what are the people issues that, the HR will have to handle? What are the challenges faced by HR in dealing with them? HI Before this, one needs to gain an understanding about BPOs and what businesses are Indian companies doing in this segment? BPO is based on the premise that whatever competencies are not very important for an organization   (not their core competencies); outsource or ask somebody else who is adept at doing it, to do it for the organization. In this way the organization can concentrate on its core competencies and not worry about on trivial issues, which are not strategic in nature. But these days we even find organizations outsourcing their core competencies or the core business aspects to BPOs to gain the advantage of cost cutting and quality issues. Typically, BPO would include call centers, problem solving in insurance sector to other sophisticated activities like research and other back office dealings. India has the advantage of low cost, highly qualified English speaking labour, thus most of the BPO ventures in India are call centers, although of late, companies are entering into high-end areas like research. But for sometime at least we can assume that most of the companies would be doing the call center kind of business. Most of these kinds of jobs get done in the night in India to account for the 12-hour time lag between US and India. Over a period of time the biological rhythm of the employee changes, causing various kind of disorders like indigestion, fatigue, headaches etc. so the health of the employee is a major concern for the HR, more so because most of them are graduates in their early twenties. In addition the jobs are monotonous, often nerve wracking. So it is a challenge for HR to adequately rotate the jobs of employees and provide them with enough time to refresh, so that they are able to deliver service of highest quality. Although many companies are targeting fresh graduates, they are not able to retain them. Attrition continues to be high 35%. HR has to ensure that a proper career path is chalked out so that graduates increasingly see this area as a potential career for them. Clients in US, UK and other European Countries are very quality conscious and as increasingly complex jobs get outsourced, it becomes important that HR ensures right quality people are selected and the right quality of training is provided to them. This ensures that later they do not face embarrassing time from their clients. There has been enormous requirement in this sector for manpower and huge salaries are up for taking. The times are good for this industry, but one has to keep in mind that this industry is still in its way to figure out in the growth stage. One cannot predict the future so easily and the sour experience of software companies is still fresh in minds. So a little bit of caution is to be exercised in this matter and proper trends have to be forecast by the HR to ensure that they do not go the software way when ultimately the industry stabilizes. Attrition †¦ A major problem rocking the Industry. Some Facts to Ponder about†¦ * 95% companies in the industry have Attrition problems * The small-sized and medium-sized companies loose more people * Turnover rates are as high as 30% in some reputed BPOs and over all around 35% in the Industry. Employees move to smaller companies for exciting opportunities and greater identity and move to large companies for defined roles, clearer career paths and better HR systems. Loyalty towards their employer or towards the organization has slowly seems to have disappeared. Executives know that fast-moving markets require fast-moving organizations that are continually refreshed with new talent, and they have become quite adept to outside hiring. Even companies are quite comfortable with bringing in talent; they remain distinctly uncomfortable about seeing talent leave. The competition to headhunt employees with good performance ratings of other organizations is an open ploy. The mediators (so called Consultants) make this job easy for the organizations by gaining the data bases of employees and they lure the employees by offering huge pay packages finally making them to move from their job. One of the biggest assets of the BPO Industry is manpower. So, the biggest challenge in this industry is to attract and retain knowledgeable manpower. Today, BPO companies are facing a shortage of knowledge workers because the rate at which they lose employees is almost ouble the rate at which they hire. A major proportion of the turnover issue is attributed to the movement of manpower to the Companies who lure them by offering either better pay or higher designation. The average stay of an employee in bpo companies has dropped to one year. In such a scenario where companies are fighting to combat global business competition, and struggling to survive, employee turnover comes as a double blow. And the issue of managing employee separation often gets ignored. Just because a business is dependent on Communication skills, for instance, doesnt mean that it has to go to great lengths to retain its employees. If theres a large pool of people with good communication skills available, it might want to focus on recruitment rather than retention. Moreover, since new hires have lower salaries than long-term employees, the company is able to keep a lid on compensation levels. Cooperating with competitors is another way of dealing with retention. Because of the intensity of talent-war, companies instinctively view retention and recruitment as competitive exercises. But history shows that cooperation, even among competitors, can be one of the most effective ways of dealing with talent shortages. A New concept called Anti Poaching agreement between BPO organizations is on the Move. According to this agreement, the parties getting in to the agreement will share their employee databases with each other and so will restrain employees to shift in to each other companies. Lets hope that this works good for the BPOs. Frequent job-hopping of employees is not good for any one, neither for the company nor for the employee in terms of Growth.

Nutritional Benefits of Beans

Nutritional Benefits of Beans Beans are a great source of nutrients, beans are sometimes known as legumes. In a normal persons diet beans are one of the most important part because of their nutritional value. The most important nutrient in the bean is protein, which is made in the plant thanks to a bacteria called rhizobium. This bacterium places its self in the roots of the plant to change the nitrogen in to a form that is able to be converted in to amino acids. This is the beginning of protein in the bean. Nutrients are very important to the human diet. They are what keep you healthy and able to grow and learn. The most common nutrients in beans are iron, folic acid, and protein. These are all helpful to your body. Iron helps to carry oxygen in your blood; it also improves energy levels and your immune system to stay strong. Folic acids are especially important to women, because it is able to prevent spinal problems and birth defects during the first few weeks of pregnancy. It is also been proven to lower the risk of heart problems when you are older and finally protein which is needed for growth and repair of your body and its tissues. Most beans, with the exception of soybeans and peanuts, are made up primarily of protein and starch. The nutrients are stored inside the bean seed in a part of the bean called the cotyledon, as shown in Figure 1. The two cotyledons are completely surrounded by a tough seed coat, except for the point at which the bean has a little dimple. That is where there is a break in the seed coat and youll find a little hole or pore called the hilum. The hilum is where the bean seed was attached to the living plant before it was picked and dried. Initially, when placed in water, the dried bean seeds can only absorb water through their hilums. After about 30-60 minutes, though, the seed coats expand and become hydrated. At that point, water can move into the bean through the hilum and the entire seed coat surface (sciencebuddies.org). Unfortunately most people experience discomfort after eating portions of beans. This is because they are full of complex sugar and fiber. The discomfort is felt because your body is forced to work extra hard to degust the sugar. Thankfully one is able to teach your body to deal with those things by just consuming vary small portions of the beans often. The cooking of the bean is very important. Cooking dried beans in liquid is completely necessary to loosen the shell of the bean and to drake down the starchy granules that are built up inside the bean when it is dried. The amount of water used is also very important. If you use to much the bean will absorb it and produce a weaker flavor. But if not enough water is used the bean will remain hard and will make foe a bad cooking experience. Also important is the ways they are cooked do not hard boil them. The movement of the water will damage the seed coat causing the bean to break apart. A gentle simmer is best. At a temperature of 180 to 200 degrees farenheight the bean should be perfectly cooked and gently treated. During my experiment I will be testing liquids containing acids, sugars, and calcium. These will slow the process of softening. I am looking for which of the slowing additives is fastest. Even thought fast softening is not always desirable. Expectedly the acid will work in the cell walls. It will make hemicelluloses which will soften the walls and make it less likely to dissolve. The sugar will work by causing the cell walls to harden and by slowing swelling of the starches in the cotyledons. And finally calcium will again work in the walls of the cell, but it will cause strengthening by cross-linking the pectin. One way the softening process can be sped up is by adding baking soda. This, in the water, causes the water to become alkaline. Using just very small amounts of the baking soda can cut down baking time by 75%. The baking soda works by pushing out the magnesium which is caused by the pectin. It also works by dissolving the hemicelluloses in the water. This process is not desirable because the soda will leave the finished product slippery and with a soapy feeling and taste. Cooking beans is usually fairly easy. The time needed to cook really depends on what kind of bean you are using and how you cook them. A few types of beans are completely safe to eat raw such as peas and bean sprouts. Most kinds of beans are best roasted or steamed. For this experiment dried mature beans will be necessary because of the amount of time needed to cook and the need for liquids to soften them. The kind of dried beans that will be used are lima beans. The lima beans will be soaked overnight in cold water. One group will be the control group, having just beans and water. The second will just have table salt added to it. The third and fourth groups will have lemon juice and lemon juice with chopped tomatoes. The fifth group will have just milk, and finally, the sixth group will have molasses added. The materials are an extremely important part of an experiment. Lima beans will be soaked and then dried. To prepare the beans, one bag will be opened and poured into an airtight container. Just enough water will be added to cover the top of the beans. Once it is full, a lid will be placed on the container and then set on the kitchen counter overnight, which is approximately ten hours. Then the prepared beans will be divided into six groups and the different items will be added.

LGBT Rights on Wall Street Essay -- Wall Street, Employee, Trends

Two important trends facing Wall Street are its expansion of LGBT employee rights over the past decade and its entrance into non-traditional banking centers. These trends are interrelated and deeply affect the LGBT community. As Wall Street has greatly improved its treatment of LGBT employees, it has an opportunity to share this accepting attitude as it expands into new markets. The 1980s were notorious for rampant homophobia on Wall Street, where traders routinely screamed â€Å"faggot† on the trading floor and a closeted culture prevailed throughout firms. In 1983, a small group of gay bankers formed an anonymous support group entitled the New York Bankers Trust. Bankers Trust meetings were held in private homes and mailings were addressed to â€Å"Mr.† and â€Å"Mrs.† because many closeted male bankers pretended to be married to women. This homophobic macho-driven culture continued throughout the 80s and 90s, even as society became more accepting of gays and lesbians. In 1999, there was one openly gay member of the 1,365-member New York Stock Exchange. And although many banks had, on paper, banned discrimination based on sexual orientation, a 1999 article in the New York Magazine reported widespread discrimination, lawsuits, fear of harassment and underrepresentation of openly gay men and women. After the turn of the millennium, things began to change. Quickly. In 2002, J.P. Morgan led the way and was the first bank to receive a perfect score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. In 2003, Lehman Brothers joined. In 2004, Deutsche Bank, Citi, UBS, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs joined. The dam had been broken. A 2006 Bloomberg article noted this change and suggested a few important catalysts: societal changes, such as same-sex marriage,... ...s in these areas. I believe that if banks offer LGBT benefits, citizens will see these policies and respond positively through the political process to promote gay rights. Beyond offering equal benefits, banks can take the next step and speak out where they see injustice, as they have done in the United States. Gay rights do not exist in a vacuum. Many articles I read linked the decline in sexual harassment toward women with the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the workplace. Similarly, in many countries where gays and lesbians are imprisoned or executed, women are treated as second-class citizens, subject to female genital mutilation and high illiteracy rates. As banks have promoted gay rights in their local regions, such as New York State, they can work to expand gay rights in new markets. This is an important mission for banks and I want to be part of it.

Woodlot Eco-Boxes Essay :: essays research papers

I observed many different organisms in the woodlot, including both heterotrophs and autotrophs. The producers I found include birch trees, sugar maples, white pines, grasses, and berries, as well as various weeds and small plants. The consumers that I observed were all first-order consumers and included ants, grasshoppers, a salamander, spiders, and other species of bugs. Decomposers visible in the woodlot included fungi, mold, and mosses. There were some traces of indirect animal evidence left in the woodlot. For example, I noticed unbroken paintballs, which is a sign of humans trespassing in the woodlot. I also observed plants with holes, which showed decay and diseases and could have been accomplished by other organisms eating the producers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many steps that show the flow of energy in the woodlot community. The sun gives off light and heat energy to the heterotrophs. Producers use the light from the sun, nutrients in the soil, and chemical energy in the process of photosynthesis. The producers are then either consumed by first-order consumers, or are broken down by decomposers such as fungi, which uses mycelium to absorb nutrients from the plants. I did not notice any second or third order consumers present in the woodlot to consume the first order consumers, however I did notice traces of them in forms such as burrows under rocks, and holes in the ground. There is a constant flow of mechanical energy in the woodlot, as animals use it when they eat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yes, the woodlot does support the â€Å"ecological pyramid† concept. First, there is interaction among organisms, and there is a good balance of heterotrophs and autotrophs, which create a thriving environment of both types of organisms.

Milton’s Paradise Lost :: Paradise Lost

Milton’s Paradise Lost Critics of the Romantic Period have claimed that John Milton was unconsciously allied with the forces of evil. In Paradise Lost Milton’s accounts of â€Å"Devils & Hell† are much more elaborate and awe inspiring than those of â€Å"Angels & God.† Hell and Satan are portrayed extensively whereas the reader is given brief and inconclusive glimpses of Heaven. The apparent dichotomy is explained by William Blake: â€Å"The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & Gods, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil’s Party without knowing it.† Milton’s adherence to orthodox views resulted in an uninspired portrait of Heaven. Hell, in contrast, was greatly developed; the vivid imagery of the volcanic and desolate terrain gave Hell a genuine ambience. Milton described Hell as a â€Å"lake of fire† (280) and commented on the â€Å"Floods and Whirlwinds of tempestuous fire† (77). He indicated that darkness is given off instead of light: â€Å"No light, but rather darkness visible† (63). The devils, especially Satan, were characterized in more detail than the angels or God. The first two books of Paradise Lost featured the fallen angels’ debate regarding their future plans. As a â€Å"true Poet† Milton sought to appeal to the emotions of his readers. The natural human inclination towards evil inspired Milton’s powerful description of Hell as opposed to his unimaginative view of Heaven. Milton held strongly antipathetic views with regard to tyrannical authorities. He created numerous pamphlets to protest the regime of unjust rulers such as King Charles I. Blake suggested that Milton’s opposition to tyranny was also applicable to the authority of God. Both Satan and Milton expressed similar rebellious sentiments. In Paradise Lost, Satan speaks of God’s unjust rule, which parallels Milton’s philosophy regarding tyrannical princes and kings of his day. For example, Satan says to his followers that â€Å"All is not lost; the unconquerable Will / And study of revenge, immortal hate / And courage never to submit or yield† (106-108).

How Stalin rose to the top of the USSR Essay

Following the death of Lenin on 22nd January 1924, Stalin, ‘man of steel’, rose to the top of the USSR through a combination of luck and by using his political skills. Therefore by Stalin’s fiftieth birthday he had now achieved for himself complete control over the USSR. Stalin’s rise to power can be put down to his ruthlessness; he would not have gained power had it not been for his brutal nature, however there were many factors that contributed to Stalin’s success. Stalin had the characteristics of a dictator from childhood, in the sense that he was unable to cope with defeat or admit that he was wrong. This definitely assisted him in his quest to become ruler of the USSR. Stalin first became noticed in 1905 after he first joined the communists and helped to raise funds by robbing banks and looting trains. During the civil war Stalin stayed loyal and during this time he forcibly seized grain from farmers in the South in order to feed the workers in the North. As a reward for this Lenin then made him responsible for the Red Army in the south during the Civil War. This brought him into conflict with Trotsky. This meant that already Stalin had made a name for himself and had been recognised by Lenin as someone who was reliable and who had impressive dictatorship skills, this is why Lenin gave him a job as Commander in Chief during the civil war. Later on in 1922 Stalin then achieved promotion to General Secretary, this was a fairly boring job, however it was still within the politburo and it keep Stalin busy every day. As this was not really a position of authority using his manipulative skills Stalin makes the job have a greater political influence, which thus wins himself a good level of authority. Stalin wanted to do all of the poor organisations jobs that everyone else thought were boring, this was the first manipulative move that Stalin took and by having small jobs and by making them sound better Stalin was now becoming more noticed by the people and he was getting some respect, which he eventually used to help him rise to power. If Stalin was to be leader of the USSR then this meant that Lenin would have to be out the way. Lenin suffered several strokes in 1922 and 1923 that left him paralysed and eventually in 1924 he died. If Stalin was to become leader he had to overcome his main opposition for power, which was Trotsky. The funeral of Lenin was organised by Stalin and he also lead the mourning. This was to create an image to the public that Stalin was close to the deceased however in hindsight we know that he only did this to boost his chance of becoming the next leader. Trotsky was nowhere to be seen at Lenin’s funeral and had nothing to do with the preparations and many people saw this move by Trotsky as a sign of disrespect and the public now saw Stalin as the better of the two. However Stalin was thought to have told Trotsky the wrong date for the funeral and Trotsky said that he was away at his holiday home recovering from an illness. Whether this was true or not either way it was a strange move by Trotsky not to turn up, as that now put Stalin in the driving seat for the power of the USSR. Before Lenin died, he wrote a letter to the Party Congress that outlined his ideas for the future. In this letter he also gave his opinions on the members of the Politburo including Stalin and Trotsky, the two main contenders for the leadership of the USSR. After Lenin had died, the letter became know as Lenin’s Testament. Had it been made public at the time it had the potential to destroy Stalin’s claim to power as this document showed exactly what Lenin thought of Stalin. At the time Lenin obviously felt that Trotsky was the most suitable successor for the reign as in his testament Lenin described Trotsky as ‘a man with outstanding ability’ and he also thought Trotsky was ‘perhaps the most capable man in the Central Committee’. Lenin saw Stalin as ‘too rude’ and he wanted Stalin to ‘be removed from his post as General Secretary’. Meanwhile Stalin must have been shaken when he heard about what Lenin had to say about him. What Lenin thought of these two candidates was crucial, as the public would not want an enemy of Lenin’s to be the next leader. This is why Stalin appeared to be very close to Lenin and stand by him. However in spite of these comments the Testament was not made public. The Leftists – Zinoviev and Kanenev protested that it was out of date and so a visibly disturbed Stalin was rescued and the truth did not reach the Soviet people. Because the public did not know what Lenin really thought of Stalin, they still saw Stalin as a commendable replacement to Lenin. What Zinoviev and Kanenev did was an important part of Stalin’s pursuit to get to power because had the testament been released, the public would have disliked Stalin as they worshiped Lenin. The two main contenders for the leadership of the USSR, Stalin and Trotsky were now involved in a feud with each other. This help Stalin claim power in the way that now the public were on his side and Trotsky now frightened many people in the USSR. Trotsky had the idea of spreading socialism across the world; he argued that the future security of the USSR lay in trying to spread permanent revolution across the world until the whole globe was Communist. Many people in the USSR believed that Trotsky would involve them in future wars and conflicts. Stalin emerged as Lenin’s successor because of his policies, these were met with greater approval than Trotsky’s ideas, as Stalin argued that in future, the Party should try to establish Socialism in One Country rather than Trotsky’s idea which was to try to spread revolution worldwide, this was very popular. Socialism in one country was the idea that communism shouldn’t be spread across the world but that the politburo should concentrate on just having it in Russia. As the Soviet people were scared of years of war and revolution Stalin seemed to be the man who understood their feeling and did what the public wanted. In 1925, Trotsky gave up his only symbol of power when he resigned from his position as Commissar for War. He now had nothing and because the war was over, the future was looking bleaker for him. Stalin, because of this, was now the favourite to become the next controller of the USSR. With Trotsky now out of the way, Stalin was now on course to take the leadership of the USSR, he uses his relationship and his positions of authority with other members of the Politburo extremely well. Stalin successfully played both the leftists and the rightist in the Politburo; he did this by using his friends who owed him favours. In 1927 Stalin first joined the rightists and attacked the left removing all the important members from the office, then a year later he joined the leftists and attacked the right, forcing out his opponents and bringing in some of his own allies who would support him. By doing this Stalin was now the most senior member of the Politburo. This was a huge step towards his aim and put him in pole position to become the next dictator. In conclusion I believe that Stalin achieved total power over the USSR through a combination of political scheming, luck, the mistakes of his opponents and the clever way in which he built up his power base. Each event that leads up to Stalin’s dictatorship was just as important as the next; he got to power through a combination of all of these. If any of the steps to his reign had been missing, there is no doubt that he would not have been in control of the USSR and been able to cause the damage he did.

Patient and Professional Development Assignment Essay

There is considerable evidence that many of the new medical technologies are used inappropriately, to generate income. What patient protections against inappropriate diagnostic and other procedures should be considered? There is no doubt that the new diagnostic and therapeutic technology now available has vastly expanded the economic dimensions of medicine, there is evidence that new and expensive technologies are being used inappropriately to generate income. One example of this statement would be the use of magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs. The popularity of this testing has skyrocketed and has in turn been found to be very profitable for hospitals and outpatient facilities. Despite the swooping popularity and booming financial boost this testing has been found not to have changed patient outcomes. The testing gives providers a clear look at the disease or anatomy being scanned there are no controlled comparisons of diagnostic accuracy or changes in medical or therapeutic care for patients (Sultz and Young, 2011). Therefore this new and innovative testing only adds to the cost of the already terribly high dollar of health care. Physicians now have many choices to make and many opportunities to generate income through the use of these and many more new technologies both in the office and hospital settings. The issue is that medical indications for the use of much of the new technology are not precisely causing problems and susceptible influence by economic factors. The range of acceptable options in a given case is often wide enough to give the provider considerable latitude in his/her choice of procedures. It is in this gray zone that economic incentives have their greatest effect on medical behavior (Relman,  2011). I do not believe that providers make decisions based on economic consideration and outcome that they would not decide otherwise. I believe with all of my heart that for the most part providers do things the majority of the time to do right by the patient and the pocketbook. The problem is, however, â€Å"the right thing† is often a matter of opinion because many tests, procedures, and operations have not yet been fully evaluated or scientifically compared with other available measures for cost effectiveness. Is it possible though pressure of financial advantage often sways those good-hearted providers or is it simply to pacify or satisfy patients? To expand on pacification or satisfaction or patients I will use my area of expertise. I have worked in the area of women’s health most of my career so though I am sure there are other areas of specialty with patients such as ours I can only state from true experience that this is a very high-maintained population. This is a media savvy, device driven; patient population that often wants â€Å"drive-thru† service. The issues I see to often are the ordering of tests, labs, procedures that may be unnecessary or cause greater consequence. There are high-technology screenings for every atypical cell we could possibly have on a female reproductive organ. As soon as a pre-menopausal women with heavy bleeding hears that she may have a positive result she wants a hysterectomy. Though this may be the treatment for some, it is not for all a nd I see way too many women loose their uterus for reasons that were much more benign than the outcome. Being in healthcare for so many years I could give example after example of new high technology that may be used inappropriately for reasons that could be generating income, but done simply for the benefit of the patient and their satisfaction. Patient satisfaction brings a whole new topic of conversation to generating income. So how can we protect patients from potentially themselves or those that provide the ordering power that initiates this vicious cycle? I think first we have to mandate facilities and practices to put in place guidelines and protocols to stop unnecessary testing that has been shown not to change the patient outcome. Another intervention and protection to patients is that providers have to have conversations with patients honestly about what the issue is and that they do not need particular testing if asked for. They need to keep it real with patients. It is true that patient satisfaction is going to be at jeopardy  and that they may want to jump providers, but providers and facilities will need to seriously look at the risk benefit of doing procedures that will not weigh up in a court of law or a court of public opinion. In spite of nursing’s vital importance to hospitals, nurses face excessive paperwork, managerial responsibilities, and supervision of lesser-trained aides — tasks that require an inordinate amount of time spent in functions other than direct patient care. These frustrations, combined with long work hours, stagnant salaries, and other difficulties, have resulted in fewer entrants to schools of nursing and increasing numbers of nurses leaving the profession. Discuss possible solutions to this growing problem. Do providers in the health care system recognize a broader social mission than addressing the needs of only those individuals who achieve access to their services? Elaborate. Relman, A. (2011). Cost control, doctors’ ethics, and patient care. Retrieved from http://www.issues.org/19.4/updated/relman.pdf.

DuPont

Some tragic events In the asses alerted the public to the devastating effects that a iatrogenic substance can have on a developing fetus, although the drug may be perfectly harmless to the mother. Doctors had prescribed the drug thalidomide for pregnant women as a tranquilizer, but they discovered that the drug caused fetal defects such as missing arms, legs, hands, and feet, in addition to many soft tissue malformations. Fetal defects [191 included both physical and functional alterations, such as the possibility of growth retardation, deformities, behavioral problems, genetic alterations, or a higher than aroma tendency to develop cancer.The Du Pont policy E. L. Du Pont De Memoirs & Co. , the world's largest chemical manufacturer, has long been concerned with chemical toxicity and exposure. Du Pont uses only a small number of hazardous substances – such as lead, aniline, and redistribution – that require special control. Over the years, the company has promulgated sev eral policies dealing with reproductive hazards, particularly one that addressed the problem of fetal damage from chemical exposure.If Du Pont discovers that a chemical is a developmental toxin (toxic to the fetus), the company first uses engineering and administrative procedures to eliminate the risk of exposure or to reduce it to an acceptable level. Engineering procedures: special ventilation equipment administrative procedures: regulation of exposure time, use of protective clothing However, If no â€Å"acceptable exposure level† has been determined or If engineering and administrative procedures cannot reduce exposure to an acceptable level, the Du Pont policy read: â€Å"females of child bearing capacity shall be excluded from work areas†.The feminist organizations protested, Incriminating this policy as a clear form of gender discrimination. They claimed that a considerable number of women are excluded from very well payday jobs, and requested the right for any fertile woman to Du Pont rejected the suggestion that a woman who was appraised of the health risk could then sign a legally valid waiver, because the exclusionary policy was to protect the fetus, not the woman.Under this policy Du Pont stated that â€Å"the waiver of subsequent claims by the female worker would be of no legal significance because the deformed fetus, if born, may have its own rights as a person which could not be waived by [21] the mother. Although some state supreme courts upheld this position, omen's groups continued to view protective exclusion as sex discrimination, especially given the growing evidence that industrial chemicals that can affect a future fetus may also adversely affect the male reproductive system.Du Pont considered the excluded party's sex to be irrelevant, on grounds that the policy's goal is to protect the susceptible fetus. Du Pont noted that â€Å"the complexity of the issue lies in the separate, but not separated, nature of the affected g roups – fetus and females†. Du Pont excluded women only because they are capable of becoming pregnant and bringing the fetus into the workplace. Du Pont regarded the difficulty of determining pregnancy during the early stages, when the fetus is most vulnerable to damage, as a sound reason for the exclusion policy.However, women's advocates continued to view companies such as Du Pont as simply remiss in developing technological solutions for the control of embryologist. A common union complaint is that industry makes the worker safe for the workplace to the point of exclusion, rather than making the workplace safe for the worker and fetus. Management, however, contends that acceptable levels of exposure cannot be achieved using available risk data. 1991 US Supreme Court's decision In January 1981 The New York Times examined a startling development in the nation's workplaces.Fertile women workers were, in increasing numbers, electing to undergo voluntary sterilization rat her than give up high-paying Jobs involving exposure to chemicals that are potentially harmful to a developing fetus. This disclosure precipitated discussion of a new civil rights issue with questions raised about whether a company should be aloud to discriminate against a woman to protect her unborn child, or whether the practice of keeping a woman out of certain well-paying Jobs because she was fertile was simply another form of sex coordination in the workplace.Ten years later, on March 20, 1991, the US Supreme Court decided in the case of Auto Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc. [a relatively obscure company, manufacturing car batteries] that employers cannot legally adopt fetal protection policies that exclude women of childbearing age from a hazardous workplace because such policies involve illegal sex discrimination. However, the Supreme Court decision was, in some respects, narrow. It left American corporations in a state of uncertainty about what type of policy would effectiv ely protect fetus from reproductive hazards.