Saturday, January 18, 2020

Why Athens Lost the Peloponessian War

â€Å"They were beaten at all points and altogether; all that they suffered was great; they were destroyed as the saying is with total destruction, their fleet, their army; everything was destroyed and few out of many returned home. † (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 481) The Sicilian military campaign of Athens proved to be one of the most disastrous military campaigns in ancient times.The loss of thousands of soldiers and sailors, hundreds of vessels and vast amounts of money from the treasury reduced tremendously the Athenian ability to wage war; however, even in spite of such a loss, Athens was still able to prolong the war for nine more years until the Spartans defeated Athens in 404 B. C. The downfall of Athens came as a result of Spartan military operations, which destroyed the Athenian navy and cut off Athens from the supply of grain from Ionia. The decisive battle at Aegospotami in 405 B. C put an end to the Athenian empire and Athenian military power.There were many r easons for the demise of Athens, ranging from bad leadership and preparation for war to a lack of overall strategic concept for conducting the war against Sparta and its allies. All of these reasons contributed to the downfall of Athens in the Peloponnesian War; however, this paper will focus only on the failure of Athens to execute Pericles’s strategy. Athens lost the Peloponnesian War because of a failure to follow the strategy of Pericles, which ultimately led to reckless expeditions, ill-advised war decisions and loss of allies.Pericles was an Athenian politician and general during the time when tensions between Sparta and Athens were rapidly escalating. The two city-states were constantly feuding over interests and were unable to compromise on several issues such as the siege of Potidaea, Megarian decree, and allowing Aegina become independent. This unwillingness of both sides in turn, pushed the rival poleis into a war against each other, which marked the start of the f irst Peloponnesian War.Before the hostilities began, Pericles laid out a strategy before the council, which if Athens were to follow would lead to a favorable outcome over the Lacedaemonians. The principles of Pericles’ strategy centered on naval warfare, attrition and limited foreign engagements during the time of war. Pericles being a wise strategist and a general knew the strengths and weaknesses of Athens and their opponents Lacedaemonians. Athens could not match the Spartan superiority in the hoplite warfare; however, Athens was capable of destroying Sparta by conducting raids from the sea on Spartan territory.The Athenian maritime fleet became one of the most powerful fleets in the ancient world after the defeat of Persia. The Athenian navy consisted of hundreds of ships and thousands of sailors who over the years gained experience and became second to none in their craft. Their familiarity with the sea allowed Athens to sail anywhere and raise fortification against any enemy in their own land. Such an advantage over the seas prevented Athenian opponents from committing too many resources and soldiers against Athens because of the fear that Athens might strike while they were on an expedition.Furthermore, the domination of the seas allowed Athens to become wealthy from trading with her allies and colonies. The money made abroad combined with the tributes from allies allowed Athens to acquire means for prolonged wars. On the other hand, Sparta in the eyes of Pericles could not afford this luxury and had to fight shorter wars. â€Å"Spartans personally engaged in the cultivation of their land, had no private or public funds, the Peloponnesians are also without experience in long wars across the sea. (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 82) Pericles saw that Sparta can only gain land and money by battle, while Athens had plenty of islands where they received their resources from, which in turn did not require Athens to engage in many battles. In addition , Lacedaemonians were also limited by the type of alliance they were in, where each member had an equal vote. The group had to reach a consensus before they could act, while Athens made decisions and her allies followed. Pericles foresaw that the Peloponnesian League members in their war decisions would press for their own well-being instead of the common good.Therefore, when Athens would attack one of the allies of Sparta, Spartans would be put in a position where they had to choose to either to protect their allies and abandon the attack on Athens, or to continue the attack without support. That was the strategy of Pericles to defeat Lacedaemonians and their allies. By remaining in the city and conducting naval warfare, Athens would eventually reach a favorable outcome against the Spartans. Additionally, for as long as they abstained from new conquest during the war and kept their allies with them they had a good chance in winning the war.Following the death of Pericles in 429 B. C. the Athenian strategy for the war began to change. â€Å"Private ambitions and interests in matters apparently quite foreign to the war, lead them into projects unjust both to themselves and to their allies, projects whose successes would only conduce to the honor and advantage of private persons, and whose failure entailed certain disaster on the country in the war. † (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 126) Personal ambitions and interests were in many cases put before the common good.This change in the strategy was exhibited in many situations and the most prominent was the Sicilian campaign. It was not in Athens’ strategic interest to invade Sicily because the city was still struggling with enemies within their homeland. But, common good and the strategic interest of a polis were overshadowed by eloquent speeches of individuals who promised wealth and expansion of the Athenian Empire as the results of the expeditions. However, these expeditions proved to be more det rimental than beneficial to the city of Athens.The Sicilian campaign is the prime example of unnecessary expedition, which stemmed more from personal ambitions than overall interest of the city. Athens became involved in Sicily because of her alliance with Egesta, which was at war with Selinuntines. The Egestaeans called upon Athens to assist them in war not only because they signed an alliance and belonged to the same Ionian ethnic groups but also because of supposed danger that Syracusans the allies of Selinuntines posed to Athens. Egestaeans persuaded Athenians that if they would not act Syracusans would take over Sicily and than would join the Peloponnesians in attacking Athens.The envoys from Athens were dispatched to survey the situation in Sicily and when they returned Athens decided to join the Egestaeans in the war against Selinuntines and Syracusans. Few Athenians questioned the decision of the council, however, among them was Nicias the general who was leading the expedit ion to Sicily. Nicias argued that the expedition to Sicily would bring Athens more enemies and more problems. Athens needed to focus on the war with the Lacedaemonians and securing the empire they established and not to undertake new conquests. However, his arguments fell on deaf ears and Athens began to prepare for the expedition.Over five thousands hoplites and one hundred triremes were dispatched from Athens to Sicily in 415 B. C. The goal of the expedition was simple, to capture Syracuse, however, Syracuse stood its ground and the Athenian generals requested more soldiers and ships from Athens. Even with the reinforcements, Athens was unable to gain advantage over the Syracusans. The results of the expedition were disastrous and not what the Athenians had expected. Syracuse and their allies, with the help of Spartans were able to stop and later annihilate the Athenians in Sicily.The Athenian failure in Sicily reverberated across the Greek world, which led to more problems for th e Athenians. With the news of the defeat, not only did the enemies of Athens become more emboldened to take actions against Athens but also the Athenian colonies began to revolt which caused Athens both economic and political problems. Athens’ source of strength came from her allies and colonies. They did not only provide Athens with money in a form of tribunes but also supplied her with resources such as wood, silver or food.The Athenian alliance system was set up in such a way that it required everyone to contribute money, ships or men. These contributions were then put to use in the war by Athens. The contributions kept on coming in for as long as Athens could control her allies, however when Athens began to engage in battles and started losing them, the allies revolted. The allies and colonies began to revolt because Athens could no longer proceed with forces against them. Additionally, the treatment by Athens created resentment among the allies and colonies. The allies n o longer saw themselves as equals but as servants to Athens.When Lacedaemonians came through, their city’s majority changed sides because they believed that would receive freedom from by siding with Sparta. The revolutions of allies in many cases were also due to the bad treatment by Athens. After engaging in campaigns, which did not bring back the desired result, Athens pressed her allies for more tribunes and contributions. The poleis which did not want to pay more eventually revolted, than Athens was forced to put down the revolutions with force, which alienated the allies even more. The revolts and losses of allies had a profound impact on Athenian war efforts.Not only did they require Athens to diverge manpower and resources away from the war but also Athens was cut of from tribunes, which they badly needed after the failure in Sicily. â€Å"If you consent not to combine schemes of fresh conquest with the conduct of the war, and will abstain willfully involving yourselv es in other dangers, indeed, I am more afraid of our own blunders than of the enemy’s devices. † (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 85) The leaders of Athens and majority of the Athenian populace did not take the advice of Pericles to heart.Witnessing the destruction of the countryside from inside the Long Walls, many Athenians became enraged with Pericles’s strategy. People like Cleon and Alcibiades who promulgated more offensive and daring plans in the war, became leaders. With their promises of wealth, glory and fame, they were able to persuade Athenians to engage in unneeded expeditions. However, these expeditions only drew the attention away of what was actually needed to end the war. Athens lost the Peloponnesian War because of her failure to follow Pericles’s strategy.Pericles’s strategy stressed the importance of navy and staying within one’s walls which if was adhered to by the Athenians; it would ultimately lead Athens towards a favora ble outcome. However, personal ambitions and interest preceded the common good, which resulted in failed expeditions and policies. These disastrous expeditions in the end were compounded with revolts and losses of allies, which ultimately led to the Athenian downfall. Athens was no longer able to provide manpower and resources to continue the war and ultimately was taken over by Lacedaemonia.

Friday, January 10, 2020

LVMH

1. TASK 011.1. Introduction TO LVMHFor this assignment, I ideally considered an organisation named LVMH.LVMHLVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A. ( Euronext: MC ) , normally shortened to LVMH, is a Gallic keeping company and the universe ‘s largest luxury goods pudding stone. It is the parent of around 60 sub-companies that each manage a little figure of esteemed trade names These girl companies are, to a big extent, run autonomously. The group was formed after amalgamations brought together champagne manufacturer Moet et Chandon and Hennessy, a taking maker of Cognac. In 1987, they merged with manner house Louis Vuitton to organize the current group The group is controlled by the Christian Dior group, which owns 42.4 % of portions and has over 58 % of vote rights. Bernard Arnault, bulk stockholder of Dior, is Chairman of both companies and CEO of LVMH. His successful integrating of assorted celebrated aspiration trade names into the group has inspired other luxury companies into making the same. Therefore Gucci ( now portion of the Gallic pudding stone PPR ) and Richemont have besides created drawn-out portfolios of luxury trade names. The oldest of the LVMH trade names is wine manufacturer Chatea d'Yquem, which dates its beginnings back to 1593 . ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org )Corporate constructionLVMH is based in Paris, France. The company is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange and isa component of the CAC 40 index. As of 2008, the group grosss of ˆ17.2 billion with a net income of ˆ2.318 billion. The group presently employs 77,000 people. 30 % of LVMH ‘s staff work in France. LVMH operates over 2,300 shops worldwide. Its current concern program aims to tightly command the trade names it manages in order to keep and rise the perceptual experience of luxury associating to their merchandises. For illustration, Louis Vuitton merchandises are sold merely through Louis Vuitton boutiques found in upmarket locations in affluent metropoliss or in grants in other luxury goods stores ( such as Charles digby harrods in London ) . This pattern contrasts greatly with less sole trade names which can be bought in shopping promenades around the universe ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org )StockholdersAt the terminal of 2008, the merely declared major stockholder in LVMH was Groupe Arnault, the household keeping company of BernardArnault. The group ‘s control amounted to 47.42 % of LVMH ‘s stock ( with 42.42 % held through Christian Dior S.A. and 5.00 % held straight ) and 63.40 % of its vote rights ( 58.02 % by Dior and 5.38 % straight ) . A farther 3.4 % of portions were declared as exchequer stock, with the balance being free float . ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org )Departments OF LVMH* Wines & A ; Liquors * Fashion & A ; Leather Goods * Perfumes & A ; Cosmetics * Watches & A ; Jewelry * Selective retailing ( Annual study LVMH-2008 )MISION AND VALUES OF LVMH* Be originative and innovate * Aim for merchandise excellence * Bolstertheimageofourbrandswithpassionatedetermination * Act as enterprisers  · Strive to be the best in all we do ( Annual Report LVMH-2008 )Definitions of Human Resource ManagementHuman resort direction is a strategic and consistent attack to the direction of organisation ‘s most valued assets: the people working there who separately and jointly lend to the accomplishment of its aims. ( Michael Armstrong, a Hand book of Human Resource Management 2003 )The HRM theoretical accounts are1. The Matching theoretical account of HRM 2. Harvard theoretical account of HRM 3. Best pattern theoretical account 4. The eventuality theoretical account 5. Guest theoretical account of HRM 6. Warwick theoretical account of HRM 7. Storey theoretical account of HRM We can utilize Matching Model for LVMHModels of HRM1. The duplicate theoretical accountThe Michigan theoretical account is besides known as the ‘matching theoretical account ‘ or ‘best-fit ‘ attack to human resource direction. In kernel, it requires that human resource schemes have a tight tantrum to the overall schemes of the concern. As such, it limits the function of HR to a reactive, organisational map and under-emphasizes the importance of societal and other external factors. For illustration, it is hard to see how the current concern for work life balance could be integrated into this theoretical account. Fombrun et al identified four common HR procedures performed in every organisation: * Choice: duplicate people to occupations * Appraisal of public presentation * Wagess: stressing the existent importance of wage and other signifiers of compensation in accomplishing consequences * Development of skilled persons These procedures are linked in a human resource rhythm. The matching theoretical account has attracted unfavorable judgment. At a conceptual degree, it is seen to depend on a rational, mechanical signifier of organisational decision-making. In world, schemes are frequently determined and operational zed on a more intuitive, political and subjective degree. Surely, the decision-making is more complex than the theoretical account allows. It is besides both normative and normative, connoting that the tantrum to concern scheme should find HR scheme ( Bratton, J. , Gold, J. , Human Resource Management p-18 ) )Resource based StrategyThe resource-based position of scheme is that the strategic capableness of a steadfast depends on its resource based capableness. Resource-based scheme theoreticians such as Barney ( 1991 ) argue that stained competitory advantage stems from the acquisitions and effectual usage of packages of typical resources that rivals can non copy. As Boxall ( 1996 ) remarks ; ‘competitive success does non come merely from doing picks in the present ; it stems from constructing up typical capablenesss over important periods of clip ‘ . Teece et Al ( 1997 ) specify ‘dynamic capablenesss ‘ as ‘the capacity of a house to regenerate, augment and accommodate its nucleus competences over clip ‘ . ( Michael Armstrong,2000, Strategic Human Resource Management, p-33 )Best PracticeThe ‘best pattern ‘ rubric has been attacked by a figure of observers. Cappeelli and Crocker-Hefter ( 1996 ) remark that the impression of individual set of best patterns has been over stated: There are illustrations in virtually every industry of houses that have really typical direction patterns. We argue hat these typical homo resource patterns hlp to make alone competences that differentiate merchandises and services and, in bend, drive competences that determine how houses complete. Purcell ( 1999 ) has besides criticized the best pattern or universalist position by indicating out the incompatibility between a belief in best pattern and the resource based position, which focuses on the intangible assets including HR, that allow the house to make better than its rivals. He asks how can ‘the universalism of best pattern be squared with the position that merely some resources and modus operandis are of import and valuable by being rare and amiss imitable? ‘ . The danger, as Legge ( 1995 ) points out, is that of ‘mchanistically fiting scheme with HRM policies and patterns ‘ . Accord with eventuality theory, it is hard to accept that there is any such thing as cosmopolitan best pattern. What works good in one organisation will non necessary work good in another because it may non suit its scheme, civilization, direction manner, engineering or working patterns. As Becker et Al ( 1997 ) comment: ‘organizational high-performance work systems are extremely idiosyncratic and must be tailored carefully to each house ‘s single state of affairs to accomplish optimal consequences ‘ . ( Michael Armstrong, 2000, Strategic Human Resource Management, p-65 )Best FitFor the ground given above, it is accepted by most observers that ‘best fit'is more of import than ‘best pattern ‘ . There can be no cosmopolitan prescriptions for HRM policies and patterns. It all depends. This is non easy to state that ‘good pattern ‘ , ie pattern that does good in one environment, should be ignored. Benchmarking has its utilizations as a agency of placing countries for invention or development that are practiced to good consequence elsewhere. But holding learned about what plants and, ideally, what does non work in comparable organisations, it is up to the house to make up one's mind what may be relevant in general footings and what lessons can be learnt and adapted to suit its peculiar strategic and operational demands. The get downing point should be an analysis of the concern demands of the house within its context ( civilization, construction, engineerin g and procedures ) . This may bespeak clearly what has to be done. Thereafter, it may be utile to pick and blend assorted ‘best pattern ‘ ingredients and develop an attack that applies those that are appropriate in a manner that is aligned to the identified concern demands. But there are jobs with the best-fit attack, as pointed out by Purecell ( 1999 ) who, holding rubbished the construct of best pattern, proceeded to make the same for the impression of best tantrum: Meanwhile, the hunt for a eventuality or fiting theoretical account of HRM is besides limited by the impossibleness of patterning all the contigent variables, the trouble of demoing their interconnectedness, and the manner in which alterations in one variable have an impact on others. In Purcell ‘s position, organisations should be less concerned with best tantrum and best pattern and much more sensitive to procedures of organisational alteration so that they can ‘avoid being trapped in the logic of rational pick ‘ . ( Michael Armstrong, 2000, Strategic Human Resource Management, p-66 )Human Resource Management VS Personal ManagementHuman resource direction was foremost known as forces direction. However the present position of the field of human resource direction has been achieved after old ages of measuring development. In personnel direction people were manage stick disposal but in human resource direction people are consider resources, develop people and acquire them to pull off them self. Organizations now consider the human resource as a resource that could be developed instead than merely be managed. Personnel direction is more administrative in nature, covering with wage axial rotation, roll uping with employment jurisprudence and managing related undertaking. Human resources on the other manus are responsible for pull offing the work force as one of the primary resorts that contribute to the success of the organisation. Personnel direction manages people by rigorous administrative system but human resource direction considers people as a resource that can be developed.eg ; Train and developed individuals. Personnel direction is less concentration on employee ‘s future potency and acquiring the best from employees through preparation, development and motive. but other manus of human resource direction identifies employees possible, countries for betterment, strength and weaknesses identifies developing demands and trains them achieves consequence through motive and occupation satisfaction. Human Resource Management from a strategic position and its deductions for the function of the line directors and employees Human resource direction is really of import to construct up relationship between line directors and employees. Below I mentioned country of covering strategic human resource activities. * Policy devising. * Designing and developing human resource schemes. * Lending to the corporate program of the organisation. * Integrating human resource activities to the chief intent of the organisation. * Job rating. * Salary disposal. * Incentives and benefits. * Grudges managing.1.2. Use GUEST MODEL OF HUMAN RESORCE MANAGEMENT TO LVMHLVMH utilizing human resource direction maps for build up their concern. Particularly they apply guest theoretical account for following maps. They are utilizing human resource scheme for invention the company. Regularly they check other retail merchants of the market. After that they focus their concern for current market. Normally they evaluate the cost of merchandise. Some clip they control the unneeded cost per merchandise. eg ; they seeking current market and halting over production Human resource direction patterns ; LVMH specially utilizing human resource patterns for enlistings. They are taking right individual for right occupation class. They offered preparation period for new employees. Always direction measuring employees and giving wagess for them. eg ; bonus Human resource results ; They ever get thoughts from clients and offers scope of options for flexible working. eg ; portion clip work, calling interruption Behaviour results ; The direction ever measuring workers and actuate them. It has good squad workers. Every clip they corporate with others and assisting them. Performance result ; LVMH measure everybody public presentation and utilizing some human resource patterns for addition productiveness. Human resource section discuss with employees and this clip cut down their absenteeism and labour turn over.Critically measure the Guest theoretical account of human resource directionHuman resource direction is regardful from traditional forces direction. However, Guest has acknowledged that the construct of committedness is mussy and that the relationship committedness and high public presentation is hard to set up. The strength of the guest theoretical account is that it clearly maps out the field of human resource direction and classifies the input and comes. The theoretical account is utile for analyzing the cardinal ends normally associated with the normative theoretical accounts of human resource direction ; strategic integrating, committedness, flexibleness and quality.2. TASK 022.1. Aim/Purpose: Why have a Strategy?To put the context for lar ning and development within the LVMH to reply the inquiries that staff, directors, and clients might hold: * Why is larning and development of import? * How does larning ‘fit in ‘ with staff functions, bringing of cardinal services? * What does the LVMH mean by larning and development? How do staff and directors make certain they have the acquisition they need? The purpose of this scheme is to supply a practical map and usher of how learning and development supports the work of the LVMH, at an person, squad and organisational degree. The scheme aims to put out the current purposes and aims and besides map the hereafter so that there is a ‘vision ‘ of how learning and development will back up the LVMH both now and in the hereafter across Provider and Commissioning. The intent so is to supply a model for larning for LVMH which will: * Set out the LVMH ‘s committedness to supplying larning and development for all staff * Ensure that staff are equipped with appropriate accomplishments, experience and support to enable them to go on to supply high quality attention and services * Ensure that procedures are in topographic point for staff to accomplish their possible and that single parts are valued and acted upon * Ensure that staff place preparation demands and undertake appropriate preparation as portion of their function and that preparation demands are identified at an person, squad and organizational degree * Ensure that high quality preparation and development is commissioned as needed * Effective acquisition and development procedures and systems are in topographic point that are accessible and clear.2.2. Supporting the LVMH to present its strategic purposes and aimsThe LVMH ‘s cardinal strategic purposes are to: Engage with the mark clients and their demands. Commission a full and just scope of high quality, antiphonal and efficient services, within allocated resources, across all service sectors. Directly provide high quality responsive and efficient services where this gives best value. The accomplishments of the strategic purposes are supported by a set of cardinal values. LVMH values are the qualities, criterions and rules that the LVMH believes will assist it and its staff to win. The values are: – Beryllium originative and innovate– Purpose for merchandise excellence– Bolstertheimageofourbrandswithpassionate finding– Act as enterprisers– Strive to be the best in all we do2.3. Core rules for Learning and Development across the LVMH:* To supply chances for acquisition, high value of accomplishments about international selling, personal development and accomplishments sweetening at all degrees. There is a demand to widen engagement to guarantee lower set staff have the development they need * To promote uninterrupted acquisition and infinite for invention and making something new so that services are adapted and improved as a consequence of acquisition * To be more than tantrum for intent but in chase of excellence * Endorse the rules of going a Learning Administration * Identify a systematic procedure and model for placing, planning, presenting and measuring acquisition and development at an person, squad and organizational degree * Support and develop a civilization that encourages assurance, motive and creativeness in staff leting them to be advanced, take hazards and gain their full potency * Ownership of larning and development by single members of staff so that they can see the value of larning and how it will back up them * Staff are our ‘customers ‘ . The acquisition and Development squad demand to guarantee that effectual feedback and quality confidence procedures are in topographic point * To be able to mensurate successThe scheme should:* Mean something to staff and Directors, be ‘live ‘ and existent and practical, mapping the current and future image and advancement * Be organic in that the Learning and Development squad continually assess and alter the scheme and vision through its ain acquisition * The Learning and Development scheme should beef up and be built-in to the LVMH organizational aims and public presentation direction models * Identify localised illustrations.2.4. Learning and Development: Strategic Aims and AimsTo Meet PCT Commissioner and Provider Strategic Aims, Values and Vision Ensure staffs are working safely and aptly and have the accomplishments and cognition they need to present high quality services: * Deliver foremost category Initiation * Provide high quality selling Training * Ensure all staff are go toing Statutory /Mandatory preparation * Ensure shop Supervision systems, preparation is in topographic point * Develop IT skills of our staff Support the LVMH to develop the work force of the hereafter: * Work with Provider and Commissioning Directorates to back up development of LVMH into the hereafter * To work with HR and OD Director to implant values of the LVMH through instruction and developing systems and procedures * Support the development of new functions * Identify preparation and development for new services as they are developed * Support the work force planning docket Support the LVMH in the bringing of its Inequalities Agenda * To guarantee incorporate working with Public * Ensure Equality monitoring and public presentation marks are met * To supply an equality and diverseness preparation programme for all staff * Complete an Equality Impact Assessment on the Learning and Development map * Develop systems to include staff feedback into bettering acquisition and development within the LVMH Develop first category leaders and directors within the Provider and Commissioning weaponries of the LVMH * Identify direction and leading scheme for all directors at appropriate sets * Delivery of in house leading programme * Develop a direction skills programme, place accomplishments / competences for Directors * Develop and supply Team Leader Training * Support Directors to entree external direction and leading programmes as appropriate * Develop mentoring, training and shadowing for staff * Provide preparation and support for Directors in Skills & A ; Knowledge to pull off alteration efficiency and confidentially Delivering high quality, advanced and originative acquisition chances Support the LVMH to go a learning administration and embed the doctrine of the instruction lvmh * Promote the rules and doctrine of the learning administration and the instruction LVMH * Embed the learning civilization * Encourage new ways of acquisition, preparation, e-learning * Support the organisational development docket * Develop work with adjacent LVMHs Ensure accessible and first-class high quality preparation, larning and development proviso is in topographic point * Develop the LVMHeducation and preparation squad and service * Commission preparation and development, both now and in the hereafter * Development of ‘self service ‘ developing disposal system * Ensure effectual systems and procedures are in topographic point * Development of Learning Centres and accessible ways of larning Develop a Quality Assurance model for Learning and Development * Demonstrate the value of larning within the administration * Benchmark against rivals * Develop mensurable criterions for larning and development procedures * Ensure robust informations aggregation and coverage * Develop a system for feedback from staff, spouses ‘customers ‘ * Quality confidence, monitoring, rating systems put in topographic point eg. I. Train the trainer, criterions of bringing for trainers two. Contracts for external trainers three Staff and spouse organisations four Staff questionnaire/feedback Use bing resources creatively and program resourcing for the hereafter such as * LVMH preparation budget * Income coevals * Sponsorship / grants2.5. StandardsService Standards will be included for each strategic aim and identified in the work programme.2.6. Duties / answerability: Training AdministrationAll members of staff have a duty for their ain acquisition and development, supported by Directors and the Learning and Development Team. For elaborate counsel on functions and duties on placing acquisition and development2.7. Success Standards: benchmarking, quality confidence processes: How will we mensurate Progress and Achievement?* Through regular reappraisals of the Work Programme * On traveling audience with staff * Evaluation and bite of feedback2.8. Review and MonitoringQuarterly reappraisal of scheme and work programme may supervise by Human Resources Committee.3. TASK 033.1. RECRUITMENTRecruitment refers to the procedure of pulling, showing, and choosing qualified people for a occupation at an organisation or house. For some constituents of the enlisting procedure, mid- and large-size organisations frequently retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the procedure to recruitment bureaus. The enlisting industry has five chief types of bureaus: employment bureaus, enlisting web sites and occupation hunt engines, â€Å" headhunters † for executive and professional enlisting, niche bureaus which specialize in a peculiar country of staffing and in-house enlisting. The phases in enlisting include sourcing campaigners by advertisement or other methods, and showing and choosing possible campaigners utilizing trials or interviews. ( Armstrong, Michael ( 2006 ) . A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice )ChoiceChoice is the procedure used to place and engage persons or groups of persons to make full vacancies within an organisation. Often based on an initial occupation analysis, the ultimate end of forces choice is to guarantee an equal return on investing — in other words, to do certain the productiveness of the new hire warrants the costs spent on recruiting and preparation that hire. Several testing methods exist that may be used in forces choice. Examples include the usage of lower limit or coveted makings, resume/application reappraisal, unwritten interviews, work public presentation steps ( e.g. , composing samples ) , and traditional trials ( e.g. , of occupation cognition ) . The field of forces choice has a long history and is associated with several Fieldss of research and application, including human resources and industrial psychological science.Recruitment and Selection of LVMHThey are based on higher demands for professionalism in the rating and choice methods, while offering campaigners a alone experience that gives them utile feedback for their professional development. Not merely are proficient accomplishments assessed, but besides the ability to bring forth and pass on consequences, the ability to work in a group, the ability to hold a strategic vision while cognizing how to do a day-to-day committedness and, eventually, the potency to go an enterprising leader motivated by a desire for ongoing betterment. Appraisal of these facets is made by LVMH group directors through interviews every bit good as single and group function plays. At the terminal of this intensive twenty-four hours, whatever the consequence, each campaigner receives several in- depth analyses to help him or her in understanding how he or she was perceived and the contents of the appraisal.Essential of international enlisting of LVMHSustained development of all LVMH activities enabled multiple occupations to be created in 2008 across the Group ‘s companies and trade names: Wines & A ; Spirits, Fashion & A ; Leather Goods, Perfumes & A ; Cosmetics, Watches & A ; Jewellery, and Selective Retailing. LVMH has 77,087 employees worldwide, with the mean figure of employees over the financial twelvemonth up 9.5 % compared to the old twelvemonth. Through its policy of selling merchandises with the â€Å"made in France† label, LVMH ensures that industrial occupations are maintained in France. The dislocation of the Group ‘s work force by geographical part is stable and balanced. 74 % of the work force is employed abroad, basically in the distribution webs of Europe, the Asia-Pacific part, and North and South America.Workforce of LVMH by geographic part26 % France 19,737 22 % Rest of Europe 17,226 22 % United States 16,723 6 % Japan 4,929 19 % Rest of Asia 14,831 5 % Other markets 3,641 Entire 77,087 ( Beginning ; LVMH Annual report-2008 ) There are 74 % of employees working internationally. Therefore international enlisting is of import to LVMH. They are anticipating a personal development within a professional, responsible squad in the organisation. placing with the values of a company is a major component in pulling and actuating the work forces and adult females who join LVMH and invest themselves in the Group. The Group presents its corporate duty policy during the initial contact with campaigners, for illustration during enlisting forums. The account of this policy is portion of the integrating procedure. The bar of psycho-social hazards in their orientation manuals or employee manuals, like DFS Group, Fendi or Glenmorangie. However they have consider the outlooks and motive of the squads. Entree and continued employment for older employees is besides a changeless concern, consistent both with the Group ‘s policy on diverseness and with itsInternational Recruitment at LVMHHere LVMH can happen a bit-by-bit usher to enlisting. International Recruitment & A ; Deployment e follow the extended International Recruitment procedure as follows: Phase 1: Ad utilizing print media and cyberspace including occupation show on our Job portal Phase 2: Screening of applications received in response to advertizement. Phase 3: Short listing, size uping informations harmonizing to the accomplishments, cognition and aptitude desired for the occupation. Phase 4: Test & A ; Interviews Phase 5: Choice Phase 6: Mention Check Phase 7: Completing the Visa/Administrative Process following the credence of Job offer by the campaigner. Phase 8: Travel agreement and deployment of the campaigner to occupation location. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.habsons.net )Choice Methods ( Trials, Exercise, Presentations )The most popular choice method is Interviewing ; nevertheless the determination devising procedure at Interviewing panel phase will be improved if information extra to that obtained from the application signifier, CVs, mentions ( for academic and research stations ) and interview is available. It is hence desirable that the choice procedure includes an extra choice exercise/test. This should be designed to garner information about the ability of short-listed campaigners to transport out the specific responsibilities of the station by proving facets of the Person Specification, which can non easy be evaluated by an interview or mention. Some illustrations of choice exercisings are given below, all of these would necessitate to be carried out in conformity with good pattern in Equal Opportunities: In puting up and running choice exercises the undermentioned rules should be followed:Nature of Post:Choice Exercise:Research stationsCampaigners could be asked to present a seminar, give a departmental presentation or compose a study Posts that require supervisors accomplishments Campaigners could be asked to take portion in a supervisory function dramaGeneral:The appraisal of public presentation from choice trials must be made on a preset set of factors, instead than obscure generalisations, utilizing set standards will enable an nonsubjective appraisal of the trial set ; There should be a clear apprehension of what is being tested and what position the test/exercise has within the overall choice procedure ; If the test/exercise involves utilizing a package bundle, experience of utilizing that specific package bundle must hold been included in the choice standards for the station ; The test/exercise must be designed to supply an equal chance for each campaigner to show his/her abilities, in conformity with the Equal Opportunities Employment Policy ; Where appropriate, choice tests/exercises must be adapted for a campaigner with a disablement. For farther counsel on this the Recruitment Manager or HR Manager should be contacted ; The test/exercise must be decently planned in progress with each campaigner given full information on what is involved and sufficient clip for any readying required ; The test/exercise must non be biased in favour of internal campaigners, i.e. it should prove basic rules in relation to the station, non cognition of internal processs ; The information gathered from a choice exercising will merely associate to a limited figure of the overall demands of the station and the consequences must be judged in this context. However, if an indispensable standard for the station is being tested e.g. numeracy and the needed criterion for the trial is non met so the consequences must non be ignored ; Objective standards should be used to hit the trial that has been set and all information associating to the trial should be reported in a criterion and consistent format to Interviewing panel. If there are any factors which may hold influenced a campaigner ‘s public presentation e.g. breaks, medical conditions etc these should be reported to the panel. Presentations: campaigners should be given as much information as possible about the expected focal point of the presentation, associating this to the standards shown in the individual specification e.g. where an appointee is being sought with a research path record or with research potency, campaigners might be asked to present a presentation ‘on a subject related to your current or future research involvements ‘ ; campaigners should be provided with information about the intended audience, the expected length of the presentation and the installations available e.g. OHP, screen, PowerPoint available on a laptop computing machine etc ; nonsubjective standards should be set to measure presentations for possible lectors e.g. academic content, lucidity of look, ability to set content to audience and enthusiasm for the topic.Skills Trials:All trials should be given with clear, unambiguous instructions ; Trials should be uniformly administered, i.e. by the same individual, in the same fortunes, with the same instructions and with the same clip bounds. This will guarantee that comparable informations is obtained ; The individual administrating the trial must be made cognizant of their duties and the University ‘s policies associating to discrimination must be brought to their attending. They must non try to ‘interview ‘ the campaigner or obtain information from them. Guidance on planing appropriate trials and exercisings may be obtained from HR Services. The choice methods that will be used in add-on to an interview must be detailed on the Candidates for Interview Form sent to HR Services. This will guarantee that short-listed campaigners are informed about the choice procedure when invited to interview, e.g. the rubric of the presentation to be given or the nature of the trial to be taken.4. MentionsArmstrong M. , ( 2000 ) , Strategic Human Resource Management, 2nd Edition, London, Kogan page limited Armstrong M. , ( 2006 ) . ‘A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice ‘ , 10th ed. , London: Kogan Page LimitedArmstrong M.,2003. Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 9th edition. London, England. Kogan Publisher Limited.Michael Armstrong ( Author ) †º Visit Amazon ‘s Michael Armstrong Page Find all the books, read about the writer, and more. Bratton, J. , Gold, J. , ‘Human Resource Management ‘ , 2nd erectile dysfunction. London, MacMillan Press Ltd. * www.lvmh.com * www.hrmguide.co.uk * www.youmanage.co.uk * www.berr.gov.uk * www.sbz.careers.ac.uk * www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk * hypertext transfer protocol: //www.york.ac.uk/admin/hr/managers/recruitment/handbook/methods.htm ( 21-01-2010 ) * hypertext transfer protocol: //www.habsons.net/international-recruitment-deployment.php ( 21-01-2010 )

Thursday, January 2, 2020

tools of exploitation analysis Essay examples - 938 Words

Tools of Exploitation Analysis The film/documentary, titled Tools of Exploitation, chronicles, analyzes and explains Western civilizations influence on African culture/livelihood throughout the period of colonialism (the film covers the slave trade for a brief moment as well) leading to the modern day. Narrated by scholar/author Ali Mazrui, the film focuses on the usurping of Africa’s future potential due to European powers stymying Africa’s growth for their (Western) own gain (hence the name Tools of Exploitation; Africa was exploited for European gain). The film addresses many factors to why this has taken place but focuses mostly on economic reasons as well as the false justifications Europeans used to colonize the continent.†¦show more content†¦The answer; while Europe had abolished slavery, the racism dating back to the days of slavery still existed. The conference in reality had no intention of freeing Africa of its negatives, but instead, exploited the circumstances/situations of Af rica to fuel the European commercial machine. One of the overlying themes to which Europeans, again, falsely the justified colonization of Africa, was through the concept of the â€Å"Duel Mandate†. The philosophy/idea/phrase was created by English colonial military ruler Lord Frederick Lugard. In a written testimony Lugard rationalizes colonizing Africa by claiming to utilize the continent’s resources in order to fuel European commercialization as well as facilitate Africa’s modernization. The first half of the equation did come to fruition; Europe conveniently gained access to African’s resources (first pre-colonialism through slaves and gold, then later with mineral based resources during colonization). However, European’s modernization of Africa was merely surface level. Africa was given infrastructure (roads), skyscrape-esque buildings, commercial items (clothes, recreational technologies); but the African continent was not given the means fo r long term industrialization to keep up with the global economy. What does Africa benefit from having Western fashion? Africa has large-scaleShow MoreRelatedWhy Child Exploitation Occurs Online Is The Social Learning Theory904 Words   |  4 Pages The micro-theory that can be associated to explain the case study and why child exploitation occurs online is the social learning theory. The social learning theory is built off of differential association with the idea that criminal behavior is learned from others (Moore, 270). However, social learning theory determines that individuals not only engage in criminal behavior when around people associated with similar behavior, but that the behavior is also justified (Moore, 270). The Internet andRead MoreWhat Are Some Of The Actions You Would Take At Conduct A Red Team Assessment?1619 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Penetration Testing, A hands-on Introduction to Hacking (Weidman, 2014)†, there are six phases of the penetration testing process. The six phases are pre-engagement interactions, intelligence gathering, threat modeling, vulnerability analysis, exploitation, post-exploitation and reporting. Pre-engagement During the pre-engagement phase, I would interact and plan out the testing scenario with the client. We would discuss their expectations, versus reality and their goals for performing the pentestRead Moredata reverse engineering in smart phones700 Words   |  3 PagesThere are numerous tools for data reverse engineering in smart phones, specifically Android phones. Some useful Android tools are Android Network Toolkit(ANTI), DroidBox, AVD Clone, and Smart Pentest Framework (SPF). The tools that are covered can support in retrieving significant information and help out in criminal investigations. The Android Network Toolkit is very useful and effecient application tool. According to the website Hackers Online Club, This app is capable of mapping your networkRead MoreMarx s Critique Of Capitalism And Society Essay1705 Words   |  7 Pagesmaterial requirements of subsistence (Seligman, 1901, p163) and the way that we do this is through the modes of production. The modes of production consist of two major aspects: 1) the productive forces i.e. land, raw material, labour power, machinery, tools etc. used to produce material goods 2) the relations of production: whether you own and control the means of production or whether you do not. (McLennan et al, 2010) According to Marx, within any society you will have two major groups, determinedRead MoreBiological Patents And Their Associated Exploitation1054 Words   |  5 PagesBiological Patents and Their Associated Exploitation â€Å"There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?† This quote by Jonas Salk, the researcher who invented the polio vaccine in the height of the polio scare, demonstrates the natural resistance people have to patents on biological agents. If society can grant individuals or small groups of individuals the exclusive rights to the production and use of biological agents in the form of a patent, the morality of such patents must be taken into considerationRead MoreWhy Do Networking Components Need More Examination From An Information Security Perspective?1203 Words   |  5 Pagesmake up hardware, software, and network components. The inventory listings for those elements are available in a database for custom information on security assets. Once stored, the inventory listing must be kept current. This is usually done by a tool that occasionally refreshes the data. As a result, security analyst can review or track by leveraging down to critical assets for risk identificatio n process. The two ways company can lose track of its assets. One, by failing to list the inventoryRead MoreThe Vulnerabilities And Cyber Kill Chain1243 Words   |  5 Pagespasswords, eavesdropping on employee conversations, researching the target through common Internet tools such as Whois, impersonating an employee in an attempt to collect information, and packet sniffing.† (Webopedia, 2016). Reconnaissance techniques that may have been used in this attack include scanning tools such as network sniffers, port scanners, fingerprinting tools, vulnerability analysis tools, and keystroke loggers. Passive techniques might include: browsing the Web site to find possibleRead More2 Methods of Business Analysis682 Words   |  3 PagesThe first tool that can be used is the SWOT analysis. This is a tool that helps a company define and look at their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats on mostly an internal level. A company uses this tool to dissect the areas that they exceed in and the areas of improvement, the areas of opportunity they can take advantage of and where other companies can pose a threat to their business. This is a powerful tool that can, with a little thought, help a company uncover opportunitiesRead MoreEconomy By J. K. Gibson Graham Essay1450 Words   |  6 Pagesof orthodox Marxism which is essentialist and deterministic (24). In other words, or thodox Marxism posits economics (or class) as the foci of social analysis. This marriage between economics and Marxism was a political movement that sought to rally people in the labor class (52). Yet, a divorce of the two is necessary for a more dynamic social analysis. To do this, the author borrows from the Althusserian concept called overdetermination (26-27). In the Althusserian approach, economic force still playsRead MoreIntergraph Corporation : An Supplier Of Building And Geospatial Software Essay1645 Words   |  7 Pagesapply in all jurisdictions to the maximum extent allowed by applicable law. Smart Defence Advancing Smarter Decisions Intergraph’s Motion Video Exploitation solu ¬tion, built on Intergraph’s geospatial content management, forensic video analysis, and intelligence fusion and exploitation capabilities, provides end-to-end management and exploitation of full motion video. Intergraph’s solution enables commanders to take decisive action based on a complete understanding of the situation on the ground

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Uncensored Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis - 823 Words

In The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde presents the theme of good versus evil side of human nature. The depths of what it means to be human is explored by Wilde with the three characters of Basil Hallward, Henry Wotton and Dorian Gary. Each character represents a different side of the conflict between morality and giving into temptation. The three characters equally represent the difference in the class structure of society. The character of Henry Wotton represents the wealthy, proper man of society during the Victorian era in the novel, whose ideologies encompasses hedonism. Henry as the older man in the novel, appears bitter and resentful that time has taken a toll on his person and he can no longer enjoy the full†¦show more content†¦Basil advocates for art as true beauty and maintains faith in the possibility of redemption. â€Å"’Pray, Dorian, pray,’ he murmured. ‘What is it that that one says in one’s boyhood? Lead us not into temptation. Forgive our sins. Wash away our iniquities.’ Let us say that together. The prayer of your pride has been answered. The prayer of your repentance will be answered also,† (Wilde 189). On several occasions, Basil can be seen as a form of salvation to Dorian, or appears to be the angel on the other side of the shoulder and ignored most of the time. The representative of youth and the innocent, an element of gothic literature is Dorian Gray, at the beginning of the novel. Dorian like untouched clay, becomes Henry’s victim and is molded a certain manner that is set for a downfall by his own hands. Henry the bad influence, inspires Dorian to instant gratification with no thoughts on any moral consequences throughout the whole novel. The death of the young actress, Sybil serves as a result of Dorian’s new philosophy on life. â€Å"She passed again into the sphere of art. There is something of the martyr about her. Her death has all the pathetic usele ssness of martyrdom, all its wasted beauty,† (Wilde 139). The death of the young girl is brushed off Dorian’s mind as a simple occurrence in life and appears to be freed of guilt after a conversation with Henry. The climax of the novel comes in the form of Basil’s death. Dorian

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management - 894 Words

Garvin’s article How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management describes Google’s unique approach to management. Google prides itself with having the best, most highly satisfied employees in the industry. A majority of its employees are engineers that prefer spending time creating and building, which makes it difficult for management to exist. Many of Google’s employees are also highly independent and do not like being micromanaged. Garvin (2013) described a 2002 experiment where Google made their organization flat, eliminating engineering managers, the company realized that managers do more than just manage projects. Managers contributed to the company, â€Å"by communicating strategy, helping employees prioritize projects, facilitating†¦show more content†¦Even though I believe Google’s management system to be effective and the article’s explanation of the system to be credible and valid, I do not believe it will fit the culture of my comp any. Working in the restaurant industry, our employees are not as technically minded as the employees of Google. From experience, direct management and more guidance are needed in a customer-service directed atmosphere. While my boss may find the surveys and employee improvement strategies to be helpful, Google’s exact system is not comparable to the restaurant industry. One HR issue this article can be applied to is ineffective performance reviews and training for management. Many companies base their performance reviews around what a manager is doing wrong, but creating a more evidence-based survey focused around specific strengths a manger should excel in helps the corporation to be future-based. Like Google, the company can identify eight characteristics of good mangers and create the survey based around those eight pillars. If a manger is deficient in a certain category they can take classes to strengthen that specific characteristics rather than have to sit through a general training highlighting things they are already good at. Anther HR issue the article may be helpful for is defining why a manager is important. Some industries are struggling withShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Organizations And Management, Research And Analysis986 Words   |  4 PagesMGT100 - Organisations And Management Research and Analysis Name: Abdul Rehman 11512340 ï ¿ ¼Task-2A: ARTICLE ANALYSIS (10%) Within the Garvin, D.A’s article entitled â€Å"How Google sold its engineers on management† the main argument is whether the Google company really requires having managerial positions within its management hierarchy. From time to time, various parties within the company have wondered whether managers matter as part of the company management. One assumption which the readers of theRead MoreThesis Computerized Grading System1649 Words   |  7 PagesDatabase Design 2.4 Table Description of the Database Chapter 3. System Requirements Specifications Hardware Requirements 3.2 Software Requirements 3.3 Human Resource Requirements Chapter 4. Conclusion and Recommendation Appendices: A. Project Management Plan Phase1. Identification Phase2. Specification Phase3. High Level Design and Project Plan B. Screen Layouts and Design C. Feasibility and Analysis a. Can we build it? b. Should we build it? c. If we build it, will it be used? D. Risk AnalysisRead MoreWhat Companies Can I Work For?3091 Words   |  13 PagesCompanies Can I work for? The choices that are available to me are quite numerous. However, I need to realistically consider what companies I would work for. I need to consider logistical and background aspects of the various companies. Factors such as how long a company has been in business, who their primary customer is, what kind of work they do and many more are essential to know in order for me to decide whether I will work there or not. It is important that I do not simply think in terms of couldRead MoreProject Oxygen : Do Managers Matter?2302 Words   |  10 PagesGOOGLE?S PROJECT OXYGEN: DO MANAGERS MATTER? 10 Google?s Project Oxygen: Do Managers Matter? In 2008?Google?s prized engineering team expressed their hatred for managers, both in theory and in practice. ?Most folks in engineering think about management as a necessary evil,? Laszlo Bock, Google?s SVP of People Operations told Forbes in an interview by phone. Determined to appease disgruntled engineers, Bock tasked a subset of People Ops (a three-man team called the People Innovation Lab: PiLab)Read MoreInnovation1610 Words   |  7 Pagesorganizational growth or wealth. An effective innovation architecture process is the foundation needed to build innovation-led growth. This type of leadership establishes the framework for delivering effective innovation management by product planning, innovation portfolio management, new product development and the lifecycle of ideas to market closure. Savvy leaders shape the culture of their company to drive innovation. No one ever feels like they have time to spare. â€Å"People get so consumed with puttingRead MoreWhat Special Distribut ion Is The Best Ways For A Non Japanese Company For Deal With The Challenges?1196 Words   |  5 Pagesdeeply rooted in the Japanese culture and socio-economic setting that underlies Japanese business customs. This may be something simple but because of the strong value in cultural respect sometime is hard to get what you want from them. Chapter 13 Q5. How does the standard vs local debate apply to advertising? Local markets are not considered as key customers, which is why their needs are not taken into account and are typically dismissed. The reality is that we live in a digitally interconnected worldRead MoreThe Kindle And Its Effect On Our Life1019 Words   |  5 Pagesportability and ability to choose any book I want in an instance. The Kindle is an amazing product, opening up a world of reading to those who may not otherwise had access, or the interest to read. The following brief summary will give you an overview of how the Kindle came to be an important addition to a book lover’s collection. In August 2004, the CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos and his senior vice president of worldwide digital media, Steve Kessel had the idea of creating a bookstore with its own hardwareRead MoreThe Financial Position Of Apple Inc.1363 Words   |  6 PagesApple’s net sales increased over a 3-year period, which means the company increased its sales during that period. However, the costs of goods sold did not increase more than the sales. In other words, in 2015 when revenue was 136.75% of the base year amounts, cost of goods sold was less - only 131.41% of the base year amount. This is an indication of management having a good cost control because even though the company increased its sales, it was able cut the costs. Perhaps the company raised its sellingRead MoreSamsung : Financial Losses, And The Company s Reputation997 Words   |  4 Pagessleep. One plugs his smartphone into the bedside charger and places it on the nightstand before going to sleep, and one wakes to find his nights tand and carpet in flames, smoke flowing everywhere. Or maybe his Volvo, his hotel room, his entire house. How could this have happened? Simple: his â€Å"precious little equipment† that he uses every day is a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, just like the Reddit user Crushader`s (Wehner, 2016, para.2) and other hundreds that had spontaneously burst into flames since AugustRead MoreExamples of Company Case Studies1356 Words   |  5 Pages8M. The percentage of sales also increased from a figure of 94.43% to 94.84%. This was the increase seen pertaining to the cost of products that were sold. This proved to be a factor that caused the bottom line for Flextronics to decrease irrespective of the increase in the revenues. To improve the current conditions of the company, the management decided to restructure or downsize the company. In many countries of the world, we see that Flextronics has downsized its operations so that it can uplift

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Small Spaces free essay sample

When I reached the summit and looked out over thousands of miles of the Red Rock Desert of Arizona, the wind blowing in my face, blood pumping as though it was about to burst through my skin, that was a time when I was truly happy and at peace with myself and with the world. It was like all other material problems eroded away and all that was left was the feeling of accomplishment and the beauty of the landscape all around me, like reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. Ever since I was a little kid, I was never comfortable following a routine that I didn’t make myself. If I am not passionate about the task set out in front of me, I am hard-pressed to follow a path that I know wasn’t for me. I wouldn’t say I’m an adrenaline junkie but when I get a chance to exploit that emotion that sends my heart into frenzy, I’m on it. We will write a custom essay sample on Small Spaces or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I love the outdoors: hiking, running, skiing, adventuring, it’s what makes me feel alive. This love of nature and adventure comes from all the vacations my family goes on, starting with our trip to Sedona, Arizona in 2003. I was nine years old and up until then, the extent of our vacations had been to a beach house where we would go to the beach, come home, eat, play video games with my cousins, and go to sleep. When we went to Sedona, I knew I had found something special because it was like nothing I had done before. We hiked everyday, up incredible cliffs and mountains that touched the sky, and I felt something that is very hard to explain. I would describe it as a bird experiencing its first flight. As soon as I started climbing, I knew that until I reached the top, I wasn’t stopping, and I didn’t. This is why I could never see myself living an ordinary life, rotting in an air-conditioned cubicle, working the 9-to-5, and taking the morning commute. Even at home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, thousands of miles from the Red Rock Canyon, I’ll find ways to exploit this craze of mine. For example, when I go for a run, the likely route to take would be the Capitol Crescent Trail, which runs very close to my house. However, I will run down a path to Rock Creek, find an opening in the trees, and make my own path. I think this is but one of the qualities that separates me from the other thousands of applicants applying to your prestigious school. I won’t tell you I was the valedictorian of my class, president of six clubs, and a 4.0 all four years of high school. What I want you to know about me is that I won’t settle for ordinary, not on my daily run, my job, or my education.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Credit Crisis and the Resulting Effects on the Financial World free essay sample

All of these events are what has led to what analysts have said to be a recession. This paper will attempt to explain the causes that credit issues had on the financial crisis as well as show how liquidity played a major role in throwing debt markets into panic and in some cases failure. I will also give some insight into how the debt markets became inactive because of these issues. We will also take a look at how interest rates affected this crisis as well as how the stock market and initial public offerings (IPOs) were affected. The Beginnings of the Bubble Burst After the internet bubble burst of 2000 the Federal Reserve Bank was worried about a serious deflationary period. Because of this fear they did not want to counteract the housing bubble. The Federal Reserve Bank actually lowered the federal funds rate from 6. 5% to 1% in the period from 2000 to 2003. We will write a custom essay sample on The Credit Crisis and the Resulting Effects on the Financial World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This was done in order to soften the blow from the internet bubble and was encouraging people to borrow at faster rates. During this time period, banks also went through a serious transformation period where instead of holding onto debt, they used new financial innovations to bundle them and sell the risk off onto other investors. This process was named originate and distribute. In this banking model loans were put together, tranched and sold via securitization. To tranche means to slice up the pool of debt into say slices of a pie. Each pie slice has a different risk involved, credit rating and thus different amounts of interest paid. Securitization is where these slices are then sold to different investors as bonds or Collaterized Mortgage Obligations (CMOs). The principal and interest on the debt, underlying the security, is paid back to the various investors regularly. These types of new innovations led to new investors and thus access to more liquidity for banks. Banks began to thrive with all the new opportunities for them to create more liquidity. As you can see from this chart, Securitization was being exploited at alarming rates. [pic] This in turn, allowed them to be able to lend more money. The problem was not the increased amounts of loans that banks gave out, the problem lied with whom these banks were lending money. Of course the added pressures growing in the market from the government and financial institutions werent helping matters. As I mentioned earlier, The Federal Reserve Bank was lowering the federal funds rate in the years of 2000 through 2003 which encouraged people to invest in real estate. At the time the real estate market was on a tremendous upswing. However in the years of 2004 through 2006 they started increasing the federal funds rate (FFR) which made 1-5 year adjustable rate mortgages more expensive to reset for homeowners. There was another side effect of the rising FFR, generally when interest rates rise, assets fall in value. This would mean that speculation in real estate would be much riskier for investors, and this may have led to the eventual housing bubble burst. However this did not stop banks from targeting a new market. A new customer target entered the market for banking systems, Sub-prime borrowers. Originally, banks were, for the most part only lending to prime borrowers, a group of borrowers who are considered the most credit-worthy, indicated by a FICO score greater than 720. These prime borrowers were able to borrow money at the markets best interest rate and were also considered safe investments. Sub-prime borrowers on the other hand, were less than desirable potential customers to lend to. Their credit ratings were much lower than prime borrowers, meaning they were more likely to be late with payments on loans or even default all together. Now, initially banks may have strayed away from giving as many loans out to sub-prime borrowers as they did, however added pressures by the government and financial institutions were mounting. When the Securities and Exchange Commission relaxed the net capital rule in 2004, this allowed the five biggest investment banks to dramatically increase the leverage they could use and also allowed them to aggressively expand on their issuance of mortgage backed securities (an asset-backed security or debt obligation that represents a claim on the cash flows from mortgage loans through securitization). This then pressured government entities such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand their riskier lending to sub-prime borrowers, and this led as an example for other banks that followed suit. Financial Market Begins to Feel the Pain and the Onslaught of Liquidity Issues Arise The rise of securitized products ultimately led to a flood of cheap credit, and lending standards fell. Now that banks had a way to get rid of the majority of risk involved in lending money, via securitized products being sold to financial institutions, they took an easy going approach to approving and monitoring loans. Banks came up with new ways to give out mortgage loans with no down-payments, jobs and even income! These were called piggyback mortgages (the combination of two loans to take the need of a down payment away) and NINJA (no income, no job or assets). These loans were given on the assumption that people if people needed money they could always refinance and actually horribly wrong and in fact the opposite happened. Loans started to default a domino effect began causing liquidity crisis as well as other issues. The trigger for the liquidity crisis began in early 2007, when sub-prime mortgage defaults started increasing at damageable speeds. Mortgage-backed Securities, CDOs and asset-backed securities (a security whose value and income payments are derived from and collateralized (or backed) by a specified pool of underlying assets) all took a huge hit. This dominoed into the shadow banking system (financial institutions that do not have the same regulations as banks because they do not take deposits like banks do) causing many institutions great problems. The major issue was that a lot of these shadow banks had borrowed from investors in short-term, liquid markets (such as money markets and commercial paper markets) and then took this money and lent it out to corporations or invested in long term investments, less liquid assets. In most cases these long term assets that were purchased were mortgage-backed securities. So as you can see the default on sub-prime mortgages was deeply intertwined with all that shadow banking systems were involved in. Once the mortgages defaulted and investors became weary of investing in mortgage backed securities, these financial institutions that had so heavily depended on short term monetary loans from the investors were finding themselves quickly bankrupt. Because the shadow banks are not regulated such as depository banks they are also not able to use the lender of last resort, the U. S. Central Bank. In short financial institutions were in a serious bind. They needed to sell their long term loans for cents on the dollar to be able to pay off the short term loan payments and in the end many institutions were out of business. Some notable companies in 2008 that closed down shop were Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. And the long and short of it is that these financial institutions were also highly leveraged. That coupled with the long term illiquid investments they held were the shadow bankers downfall. The effects of defaulted mortgages did not stop there. The effects of defaulted mortgages continued to snowball into a huge problem for such companies as AIG. AIG is an international insurance company that had heavily invested in credit default swaps. The major problem that started the downfall of AIG was the downgrade of its credit rating. When you have a credit rating of AAA you do not, by industry standards, have to give collateral when entering into credit swaps. When AIG had to start providing collateral with their trading counter parties the problem of liquidity started. This was not just a small problem either; they had backed 100 cents on the dollar to CDSs. They had engaged in over 440 billion dollars worth of CDSs of which almost 60 billion were structured by sub-prime loans. In their first half of 2008 they reported 13. 2 billion in losses. They were on the verge of what could have sent our whole financial system into chaos. Had AIG failed it would have sent a wave of bankruptcy through the financial world that would have collapsed the entire market. Because after all, they were insuring financial institutions, who were holding risk for banks who had defaulted mortgage loans. The bailout by the U. S. Government saved AIG by giving them the biggest bailout in history, 85 billion dollars (of which the US Government got an 80 percent equity stake). That was not even the end of it; AIG was given another 77 billion after that. The buck basically stopped with AIG, as they were too big to fail. They had offered a product that while markets were doing well AIG was successful, but as the market declined they entered into what analysts say was inevitable. They offered to cover all risk when offering 100 cents on the dollar, and once the defaults on prime mortgages made it through the entire financial world they had to back the product they offered in CDSs and obviously they could not. The Financial Market Freezes The collapse of the shadow banking system was an igniter of the market freezing. They had accounted for one third of all U. S. lending mechanisms leading into this crisis. The reasoning was because investors that had been supporting the financial institutions with short term money loans quickly bailed out once things started to go wrong. With this absence of monetary injection into the shadow banking systems they were no longer able to fund mortgage funds, corporations and others in need of their services. This caused banks to have a serious absence of liquidity as well, leading them to start hoarding money. This meant that instead of banks loaning to counter-parties in need they held onto the funds in fear of needing liquidity in the future. This was a serious problem and one that will not be fixed in years to come. A lot of the forms of securitization that were once available are likely gone forever. The reasoning behind them disappearing is that they were designed in a time of very loose credit conditions and that time has gone, at least for now. While banks have raised their lending standards it was the rise and fall of shadow banks that inevitably led to the inactivity of debt markets. The Stock Market Follows As I mentioned earlier, the defaults on sub-prime mortgages spiraled into many liquidity problems in the financial markets. They caused investors to start fearing that markets would continue to drop. Banking institutions bankrupted, and with AIG on the brink of disaster, matters only got worse. Investors caused bank runs (Groups of people all withdrawing money from banking institutions at the same time), Illiquidity, and massive panic in stock markets. As we can see from this table, The SP 500 index was significantly hit by these defaults. As you can see, during the crisis period volatility was 43. 6% (325% of pre-crisis period). [pic] This table reflects how the average investor was feeling about the market. As you can see in the post-crisis analysis the market volatility is still at 20. 9% and the average is actually lower than the crisis period. This next chart reflects the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOW). As you can see here, the chart mirrors the information given in the last table. March 2009 was the low point of the market (where the crisis ended), and the market has rebounded. It has not yet returned to its previous high of 14,000 but it has steadily been on the incline since March 2009. This gives us hope in looking to the future, that even in the trenches our economy can rebound. Effects on Initial Public Offerings Initial public offerings are the first sale of stock by a company to the public. This allows companies big and small to raise capital for their firms. With the severe economic downturn in 2008, it sent a wave of negative effects worldwide, which hit the IPO markets hard. IPO markets plummeted by over 60% in both deal numbers and funds raised. Up until 2008, there had been record-setting years with IPOs. The problem lied with the illiquid markets. There was a significantly less money that investors were willing to supply for IPOs. Although IPOs were taking a significant hit, U. S. and China still led the way as far as funds raised from IPOs Companies with strong business plans and innovative products for the economy were still able to realize positive gains in the public markets. Looking towards the future, IPOs will rebound. Analysts say that signs point to new horizons for IPOs, favoring companies that offer innovative and public solutions for the changing environment. Looking Towards the Future In short, our financial world hit a wall when sub-prime mortgages were abused. Securitization multiplied the effects from default mortgages causing financial ripples that destroyed many firms. Other problems such as the relaxing of regulations and the pressures from the U. S government to give out sub-prime mortgages only made things worse. Greed ran wild and should have taught us a lesson on what deregulation and the abuse of sub-prime borrowers can do to markets. We also need to keep banks more regulated and have the government always keeping a watchful eye on the shadow banking system. Congress and the Obama Administration have taken the first step forward to preventing a repeat by putting into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. As regulators begin the rule-making process it is estimated that the act mandates nearly 250 regulations and 70 studies. Just as quickly as it was passed, however, the industry was hard at work lobbying to diminish the protections under the act by intervening as much as possible in the rule-making process that follows any such legislation. Additionally, the industry lobbyist are hard at work in an effort to get the newly elected Republican-controlled House of Representatives to weaken the legislation’s impact through low funding of the various regulatory enforcement provisions. I would hope that in the future we can learn from this crisis and realize that lending to borrowers with good credit, and income that can afford the payments of a loan, are very important aspects in lending. Equally, financial institutions must get back to seriously following their own loan policies, since most policiesthat were ignored allowed for loans to be approved that should not have been. . Works Cited 1. United States. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The Financial Crisis Timeline. Web 09 Dec. 2010.