Network Security Is The Procedure Of Computer Or Any...

Network security is the procedure of preventing and identifying unsanctioned use of your computer or any computer on your network. Preventative measures allow you to stop unauthorized users, also known as intruders or â€Å"hackers,† from accessing your computer system. Detection helps establish whether or not someone has attempted to break into your system, if they were successful, and what they may have done . The Internet has grown to give us the ability to shop, pay bills, and create online profiles hence, people and businesses need to make the proper steps to secure their network. And while you may not consider your communications to be particularly interesting or confidential, its likely that you do not want strangers reading your†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, researchers have developed some newer methods, such as protocol normalization and distributed firewalls but they have yet to be widely adopted . In addition, because selective data must be able to pass in and out of a firewall in order for the protected network useful, every attack cannot be stopped by firewalls. Particular emerging technologies, such as Virtual Private Networks and peer-to-peer networking pose more modern challenges for firewalls . Like firewalls, if you put intrusion detectors in place as a preventative measure you could be saving your network from security meltdown. Intrusion detection is when you monitor the happenings of a network itself and investigate possible incidents or impending threats of computer security policies or acceptable use policies. After you put intrusion detection and prevention systems in place, it mainly focuses on recognizing likely incidents, recording data regarding them, remediation, and reporting them to security administrators. The remediation process use several response techniques, which involve the IDPSs hindering the attack itself, altering the security environment (e.g., reconfiguring a firewall), or modifying the attack’s content . Furthermore, organizations use intrusion detection for additional purposes, such as looking for holes in security policies, documenting current threats, and discouraging other individuals from

Global Warming Causes and Effects Free Essays

Global Warming: Causes and Effects The term â€Å"global warming† is often used synonymously with the term climate change, but the two terms have distinct meanings. Global Warming is a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature. Novdia explained that â€Å"global warming refers to the documented historical warming of the Earth’s surface, based upon worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by humans since the 1880s† (Global Warming). We will write a custom essay sample on Global Warming: Causes and Effects or any similar topic only for you Order Now Global warming is a major crisis in the world today. Three causes of global warming are the greenhouse effect, increase of carbon dioxide emission, and the effects of temperature increase. The greenhouse effect is a primary cause of global warming. It is a gradual rise in temperature in the earth’s atmosphere due to the heats absorption from the sun and entrapment of gases, water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, in the air around the earth. An example of this is a bright sunlight will effectively warm an individual’s car on a cold, clear day by the greenhouse effect. The longer infrared wavelengths radiated by sun-warmed objects do not pass readily through the glass. The trap of this energy warms the interior of the vehicle. The trapping of the hot air so that it cannot rise and lose the energy by convection also plays a major role. Stephen Novdia stated, â€Å"The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824, first reliably experimented on by John Tyndall in 1858, and first reported quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896† (Global Warming). Greenhouse effect then becomes a primary cause of global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions cause global warming. It is gas in the earth’s atmosphere that came from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are formed by natural resources and are decomposed from buried dead organisms. A study on Carbon dioxide emissions in a magazine article on May 2009 found the following evidence: â€Å"In the 19th century, scientists realized that gases in the atmosphere cause a â€Å"greenhouse effect† which affects the planet’s temperature. [The planet’s temperature will increase dramatically by the gases in the atmosphere absorbing the heat. ] These scientists were interested chiefly in the possibility that a lower level of carbon dioxide gas might explain the ice ages of the distant past. At the turn of the century, Svante Arrhenius calculated that emissions from human industry might someday bring a global warming. Other scientists dismissed his idea as faulty. In 1938, G. S. Callendar argued that the level of carbon dioxide was climbing and raising [the] global temperature, but most scientists found his arguments implausible. It was almost by chance that a few researchers in the 1950s discovered that global warming truly was possible. In the early 1960s, C. D. Keeling measured the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: it was rising fast. Researchers began to take an interest, struggling to understand how the level of carbon dioxide had changed in the past, and how the level was influenced by chemical and biological forces. They found that the gas plays a crucial role in climate change, so that the rising level could gravely affect our future. † (Weart) This magazine article influence Americans to recycle because the article is geared to them. With the CO2 causing the increase in weather, it also causes the increase of the greenhouse effect. The CO2 can affect the climate change and the future of the world if the greenhouse effect increases. Causes of global warming exist and so do the effects. Revkin stated, â€Å"Americans lead in moving to a world where ‘fossil fuels have been largely modified for carbon recycling or replaced by carbon-neutral alternatives. † (Challenges to Both Left and Right on Global Warming) A result of increase of weather are polar ice caps and temperature rising. When the temperature increases, the polar ice caps will melt, causing glaciers to melt as well. Glaciers are made up of fresh frozen water and when they melt into the ocean, which is composed of salt water, the ocean currents will be altered. The result of ocean currents altering will also affect the species that live in the ocean. Some species live in salt water and others live in fresh water, but cannot live in both. The increase of water in the ocean will cause evaporation to increase. The increase of probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves will increase as well. With all the water in the ocean and the weather increasing, it will cause warm water and more hurricanes. Global warming has both causes and effects. It is one of the most major crisis that will affect the world today, yet the most difficult to resolve. If I had a choice, I would make everybody recycle and you use resources. I would also have Americans reduce the Carbon emissions. Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the Earth would still be warm by some kind of degree Fahrenheit. How to cite Global Warming: Causes and Effects, Papers Global Warming Causes and Effects Free Essays What is global warming? Global warming is an increase in the overall temperature which is caused by too much carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases The amount of carbon dioxide can increase or decrease the climate temperature. Each of these gases their life span in the atmosphere is different and their amount it is roughly the same the out the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Global Warming Causes and Effects or any similar topic only for you Order Now Greenhouse effect A greenhouse gases is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range3. Greenhouse gases are formed by different gases such as carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrogen oxide, water vapour CFC’s. Carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas Carbon dioxide is formed in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels (A fossil fuel is a fuel formed by natural processes, such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, containing energy originating in ancient photosynthesis3), solid waste, trees and wood products. Methane as a greenhouse gas Methane is a natural gas and it can also be created by humans. Methane is created through production and transportation of coal and oil. Methane becomes a greenhouse gas if it exposed in the atmosphere before being used. When its in the atmosphere it absorbs the sun’s heat. Nitrogen oxide as a greenhouse gas The main cause’s nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere agriculture, Oceans, Human sewage, etc.†¦ Carbon Emissions and Their Effects Impacts on weather pattern Carbon emissions have a bad effect and are the reason of the climate change which causes flooding. Heavy floods people and animals lose their lives through drowning, homes are destroyed (people will be left homeless and without their valuables and food). Infrastructure will also be affected. And the economy of the country might suffer. Impacts on water supply Water is one of the things that humans, plants, animals cannot survive without it. Because of carbon emission we might lose it. The increase in temperature results in water which evaporates into the sky being trapped in the atmosphere and land left dry. Water supply might also affect the electricity supply, plants that supply electricity need water in order for them to be functional. Impacts on farming and food Increase in carbon emission can affect the growth in livestock and farming. Even though plants need CO2 to survive increase in it may result in increase in temperature which will result in shortage of water supply. Livestock need water to survive, increase in temperature causes the stress in animals, and in a long run they can be vulnerably. The decrease in fertility and production of milk may happen. Decrease in milk production may result in dying of the offspring’s. Impact in human health Rise in greenhouse means less oxygen for us humans and animals. The temperature change is different it depends on where you from. People from the regions with poor air quality are at risk of having poor air quality, and those who live in floods places are at risk having more floods in future. And insects that are stop by the cold temperature will move to places with higher temperature spreading diseases. Heat waves can lead to heat stroke and dehydration, and are the most common cause of weather related deaths How to cite Global Warming Causes and Effects, Papers

Even Elephants Are Afraid Of Mice A Creative Essay Example For Students

Even Elephants Are Afraid Of Mice A Creative Essay Ping! The sonar continued its never ending beat. Waves of powerfulbut invisible sound pounded the black ocean waters in a futile attempt tohear the enemy. A propeller, a turbine or even a cough were all that theyneeded to catch the mouse. A whisper of sound and the chase would begin. The mouse was no fool. It would not let out so much as a squeak togive the cat the thrill of the hunt. It would bide its time in the shadowsof the deep blue grotto until the cat succumbed to boredom and left it wellenough alone. Theyre still out there, arent they? said the man quietly. Hisvoice was deep and ominous, but he dared not allow the fear gnawing at hissoul to show, for he was the Captain. Im not sure any more, sir. came the hesitant reply of the ensign. I know I heard something just an hour ago, but during the past sixtyminutes, Ive heard nothing but fish gossip. The ensign was only tryingto ease the pressure with his antics, but the humour in his voice wasclearly forced. The Captain grunted, and several petty officers chuckled. Yet, none could deny that Fear lived among them. The spectre was clearlyan unwanted and certainly uninvited guest, but not even the many fathoms ofjet black water could keep him from his prey. He fed on fear, and thegreatest feast of all was just beginning. Meanwhile, the mouse began to grow restless in his hole. Helm, the voice was confidant, bring us about to a new bearing 6148 mark 72.Yes, sir, coming to new bearing. Moments ago this new voice hadbeen sure and strong but a trace of trepidation could be detected. Sir, the anxiety in the sonar officers voice grew rapidly. Now, likean animal trapped in a cage, the voice grew frantic. Im picking up anobjectmoving fastits a torpedo! Fear now had his foot in the door,waiting patiently for it to open just enough to allow him to slip throughin wisps of smoke. All right people, just sit tight. The door creaked shut again asFear was forced to knock yet again. Rafferty, have you got a fix on it?With new found confidence, she answered, Yes, sir. Its bearing 328 mark46.Launch decoys!Decoys launched, sir. The entire ship was silent now. As quiet asa mouse the crew waited hoping, praying, that the enemy torpedo would befooled and pass them by. After what seemed like an eternity, Raffertybroke the silence, It passed us, sir. It was damn close, but it went forthe decoy instead.The cat licked its lips hungrily. It had come so close and hadsmelled the hot blood of the poor little mouse. Now, it sharpened itsclaws in anticipation. Contact, sir! Sorry, came the downtrodden answer the entire crewhad been waiting for, the torpedo went for the decoy. We missed.Ah, what a prize! thought Fear. If perchance the mouse escapes, Ican feast on the larger and more tasty cat.Scan for incoming fire. Reese! The voice bellowed, as if the loudnoise would deter the spectre which haunted them. I need a firingsolution on the enemy sub and I needed it yesterday. You got that!?Yes sir. Im working as fast as I can. Came the meek reply. A little known fact of the animal kingdom is that mice, like cats,also have claws, and have been known on occasion to gauge the eyeballs outof their adversaries. .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 , .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .postImageUrl , .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 , .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:hover , .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:visited , .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:active { border:0!important; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:active , .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5 .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud117ba18c96d61dab9ddbf72575529f5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Life of Anne Frank EssayReady torpedoes one through four. The battle bridge was alive withanticipation; each officer doing his or her assigned task always knowingthat death could come at any moment. Rafferty spoke in quick gasps, Target acquired!Launch. said the Captain quietly. He was so calm he could havebeen ordering a glass of milk or answering the telephone instead of sealingthe fate of over 100 men and woman on board the enemy sub. Like a BlackMole, burrowing through the earth, the torpedoes streaked towards theirtarget. For weeks Fear hungered no longer. The battle had truly been a mostextravagant banquet. The cat had struggled at first but Fear knew he couldconquer. Yet there was one small detail gnawing at the back of Fears eviland twisted mind.What of the mouse? How had such a small and patheticcreature staved off his advances for so long when even the muscular cat hadsuccumbed? Perhaps, thought Fear to himself, that is why even themighty elephant fears the little grey mouse ever so much.

Women At War Essays - Women In The United States Navy,

Women At War Women at War Since the creation of human's, women have never had the opportunity to be that a contributing factor in the starting or stopping of a war. Not even until recently, was it even convincing to hear of women working in a career field in the military that had the slightest chance of going into a combat zone. When you think about an image of war, what do you see? If you are like most, you see a battlefield that is filled with men fighting each other and in the distant background are the women. In centuries past, men and women have had different responsibilities. It was up to the men to get the food and to protect the family while women were in charge of taking care of the household. Over time this old adage held true, but at the outbreak of World War I, there was a need for more manpower so women were being allowed into the military to serve in certain career fields. During the buildup for the start of America's involvement in World War I, the military was trying to solve an emerging manpower crisis. In 1917, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels found a small loophole in the Naval recruiting regulations. He brought up the question of Is there any regulation which specifies that a Navy yeoman be a man? In no time at all, the Navy was enlisting women into such fields as clerks, radio electricians, chemists, accountants, telephone operators, and nurses. This move also got the Army to look at their own recruiting openings. When the Army began to recruit women, they decided to take a more conservative approach by allowing just nurses as well as a small number of occupational therapists and dieticians (Women were vital to military success in war). Many other firsts came about as a result of World War I. This was the first time that both the Army and Navy nurse corps were activated. Physicals were being performed on all soldiers. So before they could be inducted, they had to be cleared as fit for Service. Because of this, women could no longer disguise themselves as soldiers as many had done in wars in the past. And this was also the first time that women served in the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Army Surgical Corps openly. Laura Frost Smith, a nurse during WW I, is the oldest known American veteran still living. World War I is a war that marked the first time that women were officially allowed to serve in the military. Mrs. Smith, unlike most of her colleagues, was able to survive and tell her story of her experience through the letters that she had wrote during the war and in a family memoir that she had written while in her 90's. Many of these stories tell a tale that is fearful to say the least. Do I look bad? the soldier pleads. Half his face is gone. Laura Frost hurriedly dresses the raw shreds that remain. There are still men moaning on gurneys in the rain outside the operating tent. Her hands shake from the chilling damp that seeps through the canvas walls. Her thin leather boots are coated with mud. Blood is smeared across her nurse's uniform. She tries to block out the sound of limbs dropping into enamel pails as surgeons saw through mangled flesh and bones. For a moment she presses her hand against her eyes. Sometimes the men in their misery make her cry (WW I left its enduring mark). Eventhough eighty years went by, she still feels emotional and begins to cry whenever she recalls that sight. Laura Frost Smith was just one of over 25,000 women that had served overseas during World War I. Another 15,000 worked as civilians through individual drive or with numerous volunteer agencies. Many of these were American nurses who went to serve in British, French, Serbian, Russian, and even German organizations during the war. Another 13,000 had joined the Navy with over 300 enlisting in the Marine Corps. These women did not go overseas, but they supported the cause of the war just as enthusiastically as those who did. These women worked in primarily clerical work. Some

Asian American Studies Sample Essay Prompts - Writing Essays Using Asian American Studies Sample Papers

Asian American Studies Sample Essay Prompts - Writing Essays Using Asian American Studies Sample PapersAs an Asian American, I've encountered a lot of situations where the individuals writing the college essays may not be aware of what Asian American studies samples look like. Whether it is their passion for the subject or their inability to locate them on their own or from someone else, one can have different kinds of experiences in the process of writing an essay. Nonetheless, they will most likely experience their first problems with Asian American studies sample essays because they either lack knowledge or they are unable to know where to find them. So let's take a look at these prompts that are commonly associated with Asian American studies samples.As a beginner, you would not want to be out of place in your writing when you're using Asian American studies sample essays. For this reason, I would recommend that you make a note of the kinds of Asian American studies sample prompt s that your instructors have assigned you. You can always find a reference to these prompts in your assigned materials or on the Asian American studies course you are taking or at your university library.If you happen to visit some websites that feature college essays prompt, you might be surprised to see that most of them give you a variety of samples. One of the best way to make sure that you're picking the right sample essay prompts is to think about what the students are going to read or hear.The most challenging topics in the world usually hit the books or the television at the most convenient time. This might be during school breaks or in summer vacations. In this case, the students will not need your assistance. It would be better if you concentrate on the topics that are most often used in your particular class.As I already mentioned earlier, Asian American studies sample essays are meant to help students understand the significance of the subject. This is why there are spec ific Asian American studies sampleprompts and how you can use them in order to attract attention to the important points you want to make. You might not have noticed it, but during your school career, many colleges assign you some kind of a sample prompts. But if you're really good at remembering them, you can easily apply them and you will not run into any trouble.As a beginner, it's crucial that you pay attention to these types of study people that you're going to be dealing with. They are more or less what you might call the main players. So when you're writing an essay on the various Asian American study groups and their issues, you should try to pay close attention to the things that these people can say about it.As an Asian American, there are just a few things that you should take note of when writing your Asian American studies sample essay. And these are the following: be careful when choosing the Asian American studies samples, use correct grammar, use proper terminology, and make sure that you learn as much as you can. These are the things that will really help you in the long run. Also, make sure that you write what you think you know and that you also have a strong grasp of what's really in your Asian American studies sample.

The Transition from Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management

The Transition from Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management Introduction Organisations are shifting towards the strategic management of their human resources to keep pace with the highly dynamic business environment. The traditional human resource management practices, including personnel management, are ineffective in the face of current speed, magnitude of change, and frequency that the organisational and business environment poses.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Transition from Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, organisations are finding it critical to provide renewed attention towards the building, as well as strengthening of partnerships by designing strategic human resource coordination (Chiavenato, 2001, p. 17). A lot of emphasis is being placed on the maximisation of human capital in the wake of the current changes where the human resource practitioners are involving themselves more in strategic plan ning. The focus of HR practitioners is on improving the business and the development of their professional competencies. Armstrong (2000, p. 11) points out that HRM has overly been a simplistic practice, having gaps between reality and rhetoric and containing many contradictions. The presence of these shortcomings has influenced organisations to seek for a transition from the traditional HRM practice to the strategic HRM. The HRM practice is in transition as it also seeks to increase its effectiveness. As Lengnick-Hall et al. (2009, p. 64) note, strategic HRM has mainly been conceptual in its focus since the 1980s. The 1990s saw an increase in theoretical advances, including the introduction of resource-based view as the concept continued to receive more recognition and research. Other important accomplishments were also made in terms of the empirical research conducted during the period. This chronology of events and studies shows how the strategic HRM concept has grown over time t o replace the traditional HRM practice. Presently, broader HR perspectives have been established to help in determining the influence of the concept of strategic HRM on organisational performance. As organisations insist on pursuing their strategic human resource management transformation, they train their aspirations on some major values that they hope to attain incrementally. These include formulating a business strategy as the main source of attaining competitive advantage, as well as formulating a management culture to embrace the belief. It seeks to enhance operational excellence that focuses on client service for both the managers and individual employees and to deliver the resultant services at a lower cost. Additionally, strategic HRM targets to create managers with a full understanding of the human capital and the business implications of the business problems. This makes it easy for the access and modification of the HR system with the purpose of solving the problems arisi ng.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This research seeks to analyse and offer comprehensive details concerning organisations and their addition of incremental values owing to their transition to strategic human resource management. In helping to achieve this objective, the research mainly bases its analysis on secondary sources of information, including text books, journals, and other relevant authored materials on the topic. In particular, the research will expound on several organisational examples that have transformed their HRM practises from personnel management to strategic human resource management. These examples include Sears, Lucent, Quantum, and Herman Miller. Critical Analysis Addition of HR’s Incremental Value to an Organisation’s Performance In the majority of firms, the wish to achieve sustainable competitive advantage is barricaded by a spects such as the economies of scale, access to capital, patent protection, and regulated competition (Hoffman, 2000, p. 1). However, an ensuing economic paradigm has provided an avenue for competitive advantage, challenging the conventional wisdom on strategy, HR’s relationship concerning firm performance, and the role of the organisation’s HR. New trends on the global front, including globalisation, are piling many pressures and demands on firms to continuously innovate, adapt to their environment, and enhance their speed and efficiency to cope with the challenging situation. Firms, in retrospect, face the rising need to give more attention to strategic intellectual capital and increase their intellectual capital (Choy, 2007, p. 1). Sears Transformation to Strategic HRM Sears’ objective in adapting strategic HRM was to make its employees feel comfortable while working outside an environment that lacked the usual command and control (Murphy Zandvakili, 2000, p. 93). The firm wanted its workforce to get accustomed to innovation and risk taking. Sears’ reasons for transforming included both external and internal business forces interplay, including competitors, customers, finance, culture, and employees. Sears transformation in achieving strategic HRM has introduced a more elaborate balanced scorecard that clearly defines and empirically verifies the existing relationships (Neenan, 2008, p. 48). The important relationships highlighted include sales associate behaviours, financial performance, and customer satisfaction. In other words, all managers who do not necessarily fall under HR need to be provided with a clearly articulated investment plan in human capital. This helps in influencing their buy-in on the broader HR role (Neenan, 2008, p. 48).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Transition from Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company changed its reward approach, adopting intrinsic rewards as a means of motivating their workers more and dropping the extrinsic reward system. As Armstrong and Murlis (2004, p. 42) point out, the intrinsic reward approach is strategic, business-aligned, performance-driven, integrative, distinctive, and flexible. There is a need for reward management to be bound with the business strategy owing to the critical aspect of reward management to the management of human resources. The traditional payment system that the firm used on its employees involved goal sharing, where the employees’ incentive pay was pegged on customers’ satisfaction. Sears’ reward management scheme was also affected by the company’s communication efficiency with its employees. Communication was a major issue, given that Sears is a well established corporation that runs several branches countrywide and employs thousands of workers. The retailer experien ced high turnover rates, thus calling for a more continual reorientation of the new employees that were hired (Salisbury, 2008, para 1). Sears’ transformation has seen it mandate a multi-perspective system of appraisal for all its managers. The firm has established some of its critical strategic imperatives to include the transformation of the retailer into a suitable place to work in, a place favourable for shopping, as well as a place that is suitable for investing in (Thomas, 2012, p. 99). Sears’ strategic HRM emphasizes on the achievement of behaviour consistencies to match with leadership competencies that sustain its 3C’s to achieve these objectives. In setting performance objectives, individual employees are challenged to improve their â€Å"line of sight† pitting the individual employee or team behaviour, on the one hand, and the firm-level outcomes, on the other hand (Oliver, 2003, p. 18). Additionally, the performance objectives are prearranged like a treadmill, such that an employee who fails to improve finds himself or herself moving backwards. Sales associates in the firm receive direct customer feedback to get a glimpse of the actual feeling from their own customers. The company has developed a strong commitment to compete with its industry rivals purely on customer service to ensure that it emerges as the best employer choice for its employees. The Sales Associates set up the quality of performance that drives the general customer service in the company (Business Wire, 2006, para 6).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another critical value addition has been experienced in the area of employee development. The company has established its own university, Sears University, which serves more than 20,000 managers every year. The institution also stresses on the employment of intact teams purposely to support knowledge sharing even after completing the program (Collins Rainwater, 2005, p. 16). This program has been a great success for the company mainly due to the strong support that the senior management team has been offering towards funding the initiative. Lucent’s Case of Strategic HRM Customer service The transformation towards achieving strategic HRM at Lucent has seen the company refocus attention towards improving customer service. The new HR structure of the firm has emphasized on client services on up to three levels. The levels include senior leaders, supervisors/coaches, and employees/retirees. The HR Business Partner plays the critical linchpin role that creates value at Lucent. T he arrangement is done strategically in a way that gives the senior business leaders an opportunity to work together with the HR leaders. The Business Partners are measured against client satisfaction objectives that strictly focus on the end results (PR Newswire, 2001, para 1). The delivery channels play a critical role in sustaining this, where the senior executives enjoy the exclusive rights during the declaration of the annual ultimate goals and objectives. Like in the case of Sears, Lucent has also developed a strong commitment, especially within the senior management at the firm, to develop HR initiatives that constantly seek to develop solutions for the clients (Namuduri, 2006, p. 3). Through the adoption of this strategy, managers at the firm attend all staff meetings, including those that do not necessarily discuss HR issues. This is done to enable the HR representatives to understand the business clearly. A team of up to 58 professionals drawn from the HR function, also re ferred to as the HR Accelerators, specifically work towards eliminating HR policies and practices that add no value for the firm and its shareholders. A competency model was established within the firm’s framework in its plans to support Business Partner role in HR development. Lucent developed the competencies using both external benchmarking sources and internal reviews, which emphasise on areas that seek solutions for a particular question (Quandt, 2007, para 4). The firm seeks to determine the exact knowledge, commitments, and skills required to help the Business Partners in their quest to serve the expectations of their customers fully. The main areas singled out included understanding the firm’s business, the business of its clients, and the HR business. The customer focus, personal impact, and management in a competitive and changing environment were also established as critical areas. By defining, acquiring, and leveraging resources, Lucent managed to implement HR solutions to offer solutions to the problems and challenges that the firm faced. Strong pay-performance relationship The strategic HRM at Lucent seeks to develop a strong relationship between pay and performance. This strategy targets to add value through rallying people within the organisation as the source of the company’s competitive advantage. Lucent has constantly focused on using stock options as a means of aligning its employees’ interests with the organisational objective of increasing the market value. The firm offered 100 options for each of its employees as â€Å"founders grants†. This was at the time when it went public (Walker, 2006, p. 18). Quantum Employee development Quantum’s strategic HRM seeks to hire its employees based on the fundamental characteristics of the organisation that support and sustain organisational success. The firm relies heavily on operations and product development through teamwork. Applicants seeking for employme nt in the firm but unable to work in teams are never selected. The main idea of the firm is the fact that working in teams or groups helps in supporting knowledge exchange between individuals. This, in turn, enhances the overall organisational quality level and performance (Manufacturing Close-Up, 2013, para 2). Quantum’s strategy on HRM further extends to the selection of employees, where behaviour and competency are very critical. Emphasis on these two critical aspects is based on the premise that the firm increases its chances of producing if workers with the right behaviour and competency are acquired. The general principle held by the management is the fact that applicants who manage to survive the selection process of the company are in a better position to start at â€Å"merge speed† (Business Wire, 2002, para 3). Performance management Quantum has established a significant performance management system whose main objective is to integrate adequate competency mo dels through the HR system of the organisation. The firm, as part of its performance management, has formulated up to nine critical Value Behaviours that the management places a lot of emphasis on. However, a multi-step process that involves individuals’ multiple rankings is required because of its overreliance on team-based work formations. Ranking is done by other members of the team (Business Wire, 2002, para 4). The team leader and the business unit manager also provide their ratings of the group and its individuals to help come up with effective team compositions and general performance management. Herman Miller, Inc. Competitive advantage Strategic HRM at Herman Miller has been designed in a way that helps the firm to achieve competitive advantage in the industry. Although strategic HR is a relatively new phenomenon, Herman Miller has pursued it for a significant period. The firm practice servant based leadership and employee advocacy as ways of influencing the overall competitive advantage (Walker, Bovet Joseph, 2000, p. 1). Employee participation is emphasised in the company and it is considered as both an obligation and an opportunity. Employees are trained extensively to equip them with ideas and knowledge on how to create value in the firm (Firooz, 2012, p. 675). To enable this to happen, the firm contemplates integrating the use of a Balanced Scorecard approach to act as Learning Maps. The Scanlon plans and Employee Stock Option Plans, abbreviated as ESOP, have continuously been applied in the firm to enhance involvement during business literacy training. In addition to these frameworks, Herman Miller has adopted the Economic Value Added framework (EVA) to heighten business literacy training even further. The company has introduced a formal course that lasts for two hours for all its employees. This offers an avenue through which concepts are passed on to the workers. In addition to the already existing courses, plans are also underway to i ntroduce EVA301 whose main objective is to offer more advanced training. A series of courses referred to as â€Å"train the trainer† are currently pursued at Herman Miller to empower team leaders. Their subsequent empowerment helps them and others in the organisation to offer teachings to the rest of the employees (Walker, Bovet Joseph, 2000, p. 5). The Transition from Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management Personnel management mainly focuses on operations, including recruitment, selection, as well as administrative functions. As opposed to strategic human resource managers, personnel managers are functional specialists who have little status or power (Bloisi, 2007, p. 12). Personnel managers mainly play the role of linking the employee and employer to articulate both their needs. Personnel management has been prominent in the past, with organisations practicing it to seek the achievement of their end objectives. The organisational changes and transforma tion towards strategic HRM have been instigated by changing power balance, as well as the changing management concerns within the workplace (Redman Wilkinson, 2006, p. 4). Trade union membership has been declining in the recent years, while concerns by the management have focused more on efficiency and productivity. Organisations are also increasingly facing pressure to change and are in the process seeking ways of adjusting to the global competition through downsizing their workforce, de-layering, and decentralisation (Redman Wilkinson, 2006, p. 4). These changes have transformed firms into being more flexible, adopting continuous change programmes, and becoming flexible. This is the essence of strategic HRM, where focus is on performance management, process re-engineering, learning organisation, and culture change (Redman Wilkinson, 2006, p. 7). As Armstrong (2006, p. 19) notes, strategic HRM mainly emphasises on organisations attaining integration and strategic fit with their business strategy. Strategic HRM mainly focuses on organisational culture and commitment achievement because of the new changes in the business environment. It places more emphasis on line managers and their role as HR policy implementers (Armstrong, 2006, p. 19). The holistic strategic HRM approach mainly deals with the organisation and its interests, as well as taking into consideration how important the individual employee interests are. The HR professionals seek to become business partners and not administrators in the firm. Their focus is to treat the employees as critical assets of the firm, but not as cost overheads (Armstrong 2006, p. 21). Although strategic HRM can seek to initiate new business policies and practices, the implementation role is left to the line managers (Armstrong, 2006, p. 97). The organisation does not only stop at providing HR policies because strategic HRM is focused on improved organisational performance. Instead, the implementation process takes the c entral role. Strategic HRM targets to achieve up to six critical objectives for the organisation, which include conceptualising interests, establishing the mission and vision statements, and determining structural, as well as functional roles. Additionally, it seeks to determine the managerial operatives and define the job descriptions, prepare the HR policy documents while placing emphasis on performance management, and managing the organisational culture. Human Resource Management The shift towards strategic HRM practice of the traditional personnel management has gone through the human resource management stage. Human resource management focuses more on the management and its needs in regard to the provision, as well as use of the human resources. HRM promotes the undertaking of activities that deal with the human resources with other management members. It does not promote working between the management and the employees directly. Its main emphasis is on planning, monitoring and controlling, but not mediating (Torrington, Hall Taylor, 2004, p. 23). The main HRM role involves aligning structures and the human resources to achieve the organisation’s business structure and the planned scope. The concern is on the human aspect comprising the organisational structure. However, HRM differs from the strategic management of the human resources in the sense that the latter bases on the general organisational strategy. It also focuses on the strategies of the organisational units in existence. The operational management, therefore, develops the strategic plans aimed for the staff. HRM is mainly characterised by favouring liberal principles and goals. It does not only refer to a typical worker who goes to his or her place of work and waits for payment at the end of it all. Instead, the worker matters a lot in the survival of the organisation and gets the treatment of a management subject. The constant change, increase of competitiveness, rapid science and tec hnology development, and the associated difficulties require that the management of an organisation should search constantly for solutions that are good and adequate. It is conclusive to point out that it is decisive to treat and manage human resources within the organisation. It gives importance to HRM, while seriously challenging those in charge. The Strategic HRM Approach Unlike personnel management practice, strategic HRM emphasises on the need for human resource planning. It involves determining the actual size of staff member that can help the organisation to meet its future needs and achieve a workforce whose composition has the necessary skills (McKenna Beech, 2002, p. 117). Firms are targeting to achieve efficiency in their performance, while ensuring that the employees in the firm associate themselves fully with the organisation in their quest to maintain the right size of workforce. Strategic HR planning seeks to acquire, utilise, improve, and retain the organisationâ₠¬â„¢s human resources (Mullins, 2005, p. 797). Organisations are realising the importance of including HR planning as an integral component of the broader corporate planning. In this new framework, information plays an important role of determining the range of the plan, target dates, forecasting period, and the needed skills and occupations (Mullins, 2005, p. 797). The organisation needs to carry out an analysis of the existing resources, undertake an estimation of the probable resources according to the target dates agreed, and factor in the current staff development, losses, and the external forces like labour availability and legislative change (Mullins, 2005, p. 799). Forecasting of staff requirements is a critical aspect of strategic HRM. It helps in ensuring that the organisation attains its corporate objectives as per the scheduled dates. The management, nevertheless, must take several measures to offer the appropriate staffing resources required. Overly, changes in the popu lation trends have to be taken into account to include some considerations like the ageing of the workforce, the number of young people being absorbed directly from school, competition levels from other organisations, advancement in automation and information technology, and employment legislation (Mullins, 2005, p. 799). Employee selection Strategic HRM has seen the emergence of new techniques in employee selection. These techniques emphasise on efficiency and quality performance. The Credit Suisse process is among the new employee selection techniques that firms adopting strategic HRM practice employ. As Marchington and Wilkinston (2005, p. 176) mention, strategic selection methods currently used by organisations include references, application forms, assessment centres, graphology, and work sampling. These techniques are all applied together because no single technique offers the perfect decisions that can address the issue of certainty (Marchington Wilkinston, 2005, p. 176). Th e transition of personnel management, therefore, has seen a multiple number of methods being preferred by managers. In this new practice, employers may confirm with the references after, or before the interviews. The references are maintained as critical aspects of recruitment that inform the decision to employ a particular individual. The CIPD (2004, p. 2) indicates a collection of other selection techniques employed by organisations that have adopted strategic HRM, including the use of questionnaires and numeracy and literacy tests. A combination of all these techniques during the selection process enhances the overall quality of employees selected because each of the methods has limitations. A more complimentary technique is used as an alternative to achieve a perfect judgement, the probable fit with the organisation’s culture (Jackson et al., 2008, p. 552). Interviews The strategic HRM shift has seen a majority of organisations adopt the use of interviews as the most comm on technique in the recruitment process (Bloisi, 2007, p. 147). According to Bloisi, up to 68% of organisations consider the use of interviews, particularly the more structured interview types. These interviews are used as a determinant of the selected teams. Other organisations prefer the use of structured, panel interviewing (CIPD, 2005, p. 1). Additionally, behavioural questioning within the structured interviews is also used as a technique for determining the right employees. Organisations are emphasising on acquiring individuals who are better placed in terms of their behaviours to serve it towards the achievement of the objectives. Organisations must ensure that they acquire the right employees because strategic HRM entails attaining efficiency and objectives within the stipulated time. Although individual skills are crucial in determining the selection decisions, employees must also be competent enough to fit into the organisation’s culture (Armstrong, 2006, p. 404). C onclusion The organisational transition from personnel management practice to strategic human resource management has been taking place since the 1980s. The business environment has been changing over the years, with the emergence of trends such as globalisation influencing the need for organisations to speed up their transition to strategic human resource management. Various challenges within the contemporary business environment make it inadequate for personnel management to achieve its intended goals and objectives effectively. The external changes within the business environment comprise of increased competition, the need to satisfy customers’ needs accurately, advanced technology and techniques, and the intricate nature of the global economy. Organisations will be unable to create the needed competitive edge over their rivals, unless they shift to strategic human resource management. Sears’ performance management target has seen it mandate a multi-perspective appr aisal for its managers, where greater emphasis is placed on consistency of behaviours to match with its leadership competencies. The firm intends to train its managers to be actual leaders in its quest to make it a compelling place for customers to do their shopping and one where workers will get the attraction to work in. Lucent’s strategic human resource management has seen Lucent focus on strong pay-performance relationship where it has increased stock options usage. From this strategy, the firm has succeeded in aligning the interests of its employees with the corporate goal of doubling the market value and overall performance. Further strategic management programs at Lucent have seen it increase service quality in every level of its operation. The new HR structure of the firm has helped in providing and sustaining a model that emphasises services at three main levels, including individual employees, senior leaders, and supervisors. Herman Miller, Inc., on its part, has st rategically focused on pushing for a buy-in from the line managers to enhance people-based competitive strategy. The employees participate in the decision making process in the firm to facilitate ‘ownership’. The idea of the firm is to make employees more valuable by allowing them to fully participate in the crucial management role in decision-making. The transition from personnel management to strategic human resource management has seen firms focus a lot of their attention on the selection procedures that they employ. The most important objective that the management seeks to attain is the creation of a workforce that fits perfectly within the cultural base of the organisation. The contemporary organisations are spending much of their resources in training workers to increase their ability to compete with others. Employees who have their skills improved regularly increase the possibility of the organisation attaining its objective. Strategic management of the human res ource has seen firms focus more attention on the selection of their employees, with more techniques being employed to ascertain the behaviour of the prospective employees. Individual behaviour is crucial even as organisations seek to achieve a cultural fit into the complex business environment. 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Bloisi, W 2007, An introduction to human resource management, McGraw-Hill Education, Maidenhead Business Wire, 2002, Dan DiLeo joins Quantum Photonics Strategic Advisory Board, http://wires.vlex.com/vid/dan-dileo-quantum-photonics-strategic-54486061 Business Wire, 2006, Premier Mounts named as a top supplier for sears holdings corp oration: company recognizes top suppliers as Partners in Progress, businesswire.com/news/home/20060731005548/en/Premier-Mounts-Named-Top-Supplier-Sears-Holdings Chiavenato, I 2000, ‘Advances and challenges in human resource management in the new millenium’, Public Personnel Management, vol. 30 no. 1, pp. 17-27 Choy, WKW 2007, ‘Globalisation and workforce diversity: HRM implications for multinational corporations in Singapore’, Singapore Management Review, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 1-19. CIPD 2004, Recruitment, retention and turnover: A survey of the UK and Ireland, CIPD, London. CIPD 2005, Recruitment, retention and turnover: A survey of the UK and Ireland, CIPD, London. Collins, D, Rainwater, K 2005, ‘Managing change at Sears: a sideways look at a tale of corporate transformation’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 16-30. Firooz, A, 2012, Investigate and explain the relationship between human resource competency dimen sions with organizational performance, Life Science Journal, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 673-678 Hoffman, NP 2000, ‘An examination of the sustainable competitive advantage† concept: past, present, and future’, Academy of Marketing Science Review, vol. 2000, no. 4, http://thoughtleaderpedia.com/Marketing-Library/Sustainable%20Competitive%20Advantage/SustainableCompetitveAdvantage_hoffman04-2000.pdf Jackson, SE, Schuler, RS Werner, S 2008, Managing human resources, 10th edition, Thomson South-Western, New York, NY Lengnick-Hall, ML, Lengnick, CA, Andrade, LS, Drake B 2009, ‘Strategic human resource management: The evolution of the ï ¬ eld’, Human Resource Management Review, vol. 19, pp. 64–85 Manufacturing Close-Up, 2013, Quantum Communications adds Kevin Sunday to firm, highbeam.com/doc/1P2-35064821.html Marchington, M Wilkinson, A 2005, Human resource management at work: people management and development, 3rd edition, CIPD, London. McKenna, EF, Be ech, N 2002, Human resource management: a concise analysis, Financial Times Prentice Hall, Harlow, Essex, England Mullins, LJ 2005, Management and organisational behaviour, 7th edition, Prentice Hall, Harlow, Essex, England Murphy, TE Zandvakili, S 2000, ‘Data- and metrics-driven approach to human resource practices: Using customers, employees, and financial metrics’, Human Resource Management, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 93-105. Namuduri, SK 2006, Analysis of resource-sharing decisions in dyadic collaborative knowledge creation: A game-theoretic approach, Georgia State University, http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/managerialsci_diss/9 Neenan, RM 2008, ‘Whos keeping score?’, Quality Progress, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 48-52. Oliver, M 2003, Engagement wins employees over, Haymarket Business Publications Ltd, New York, NY PR Newswire, 2001, Lucent Technologies announces new strategic alliance agreements aimed at enhancing product development and speeding deployment, prnewswire .com/news-releases/lucent-technologies-announces-new-strategic-alliance-agreements-aimed-at-enhancing-product-development-and-speeding-deployment-74632482.html Quandt, SR 2007, Effective improvisational leadership during CEO succession, Benedictine University, Lisle, IL Redman, T Wilkinson, A 2006, Contemporary human resource management: text and cases, 2nd edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall, Essex, England. Salisbury, D, 2008, The future of retirement plans, The Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/ad/article/employeebenefits-future Thomas, W. 2012, ‘Operations research vis-a-vis management at Arthur D. Little and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1950s’, Business History Review, vol. 86, no. 1, pp. 99-122. Torrington, D, Hall, L Taylor, S 2004, Human resource management 6th ed. FT. Prentice Hall, Essex, England Walker, B, Bovet, D Joseph, M 2000, ‘Unlocking the supply chain to build competitive advantage’, International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 1-8. Walker, S 2006, ‘Delivering market-leading support at lucent’, Knowledge Management Review, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 18-23.

Concept Paper

Concept Paper Concept Paper Concept Paper: Protect Your Project! What is a concept paper? What purposes does writing of this kind of paper have? Looking for answers for these questions? This article will help you make this issue clear for you! A concept paper as a kind of the academic writing A concept paper acts as a proposal for a project. Sometimes the notions concept paper and proposal are even used as synonyms. So, why should you write a concept paper? This kind of paper is called to present a preliminary summary of your project. The success of your project will depend on the success of your concept paper. Other words, you should convince the committee that your project is worth doing, it will have the theoretical value and the practical application. So, what kind of information should a concept paper contain? When writing a concept paper you should state the following:The purpose of your investigation. Why did you decide to investigate this issue? What will be the use of the results of this invest igation? The subject of your research. What questions will you consider? The methodology. In what way will you conduct your research? The literature review. What works will your project be based on? Concept paper writing tipsThink over the title of your concept paper. It should be a good illustration of the main idea of your project. The title should be made clearly and correctly. Do not forget that it will be the first thing that your audience will read. If you are going to persuade this audience that your project will be VERY GOOD, nothing may cause any doubt about that! You should state what period of time it will take you to complete your project pointing out the main stages of the writing process. One should mention that this is the characteristic of concept papers. Your audience should know not only what you are going to write about but also how long you will do. When writing your concept paper use different examples, statistical data or results of some obs ervations. That will help you complete 2 tasks. Firstly, the usage of such elements will help catch the interest of your readers. Secondly, your concept paper will sound more convincing when containing such information. Keep in mind this information when writing your concept paper. Remember: the more clearly and convincing you will write it, the more chances you will have in getting high points for your project.