Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Introduction Southwest Airline, since time in memorial, has been one of the outstanding competitors in the Airline industry. Its low fares have propelled it to glory among the commuters of United States; these fares are said to be 30% lower than its fieriest rivals in the airline industry in the US.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Southwest Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition to this, the company possesses a structure that is low in terms of cost, which has enabled it to record high margins of profits in spite of the financial year being bad. A good example of a bad financial year was in 2002, when the airline industry faced decrease in demand due to the September 11 terror attack. It has been identified that 2001 to 2005 were the worst years of the airline industry in its history. However while the other airlines were losing money the Southwest airline was reportedly earning money. The operations o f Southwest airlines are unique from other airline thus making it distinctive. While other airlines like the United Airlines and American Airlines deal with routing passengers through hubs, the Southwest deals with routing the passengers from point to point. This enables the airline to acquire more and more passengers to obtain the required demand. Delays are hence reduced tremendously due to the avoidance of hubs. Another factor that ensures a success story of the airline is cutting of training cost, inventory costs, and maintenance costs. This is ensured by using of one kind of aeroplane called the Boeing 737. The employee to passenger ratio is the best in the airline industry (Hill and Jones, 2009, p. 105). Factors of success Integration One of the key factors that have enhanced the success of the Southwest Airline is the way the airline integrates its activities. The airline has successfully integrated its activities in a manner that has made it a headache for its competitors to try to emulate them. The strategy used by the Southwest Airline in integrating its activities is one of its pillars to successful undertaking of differentiation strategy or integrated cost leadership. This hence enables the firm to operate profitably as compared to its competitors. The sixty-fourth consecutive profits announced by the firm only confirm the success story of the firm (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2009, p. 104). Unique culture and customer service The firm’s culture is suggested to be its key in influencing its integration and a major contributor to the existing identification of the firm’s unique service to its clients. Apart from lowering of the cost, the uniqueness of its service separates the firm from its competitors. The customer service and the unique culture of the firm are some of the success factors that have become impossible for other competitors in the industry to emulate.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's se e if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competitors like Continental Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines had attempted to emulate the Southwest Airlines by lowering their prices but were unable to offer any unique distinction to customers especially while in air. In addition to this, these competitors were unable to operate at the same range of cost as the Southwest Airlines (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2009, p. 104). Indomitable will to succeed The Southwest Airlines has been founded on an independent spirit since early days of its incorporation. In 1994, various major airlines conspired against the Southwest Airline thereby barring it from Travel Reservation Network. In a twist of events, the airline did not involve itself in endless and costly court battle but rather it launched the Ticketless Travel a service that has since become a standard mark of the industry. In addition to this Southwest Airline has been awarded numerously f or its indomitable spirit to succeed. In 1996, the airline was awarded for its high rated performance in terms of performance, baggage handling and less customer complaints (Yerkes, 2007, p. 48). Compensation The compensation rate of the Southwest Airline is higher as compared to its competitors. At a time, these compensation rates are said to be the highest in the airline industry. In addition to this, the airline offers the company offers a benefit package that is relative good as compared to other airlines. Profit sharing plan is an operation that was started in 1973 in the Southwest Airline (Thompson and Gamble, 2008, 518). The compensation procedure undertaken in Southwest Airline emphasizes on productivity, flexibility, and creativity. The pilots are paid according to the trips undertaken and not as per hour. This hence helps in creating the attitude within pilots of minimizing the time of the aircrafts at the airport. Evaluation of Southwest Airlines A lot has been said about Southwest Airline but the fact remains more is still to be written. This airline has passed the test of time through the drummer it has faced throughout its history. Its success story has earned it attention and admiration from its competitors in the airline industry. Customer service is regarded as the top priority of the Southwest Airlines. If fact the airline often refers to it as â€Å"Positive Outrageous Service† which is elaborated to mean that in spite of your rank in the in the airline your required to take all the required steps to ensure customer satisfaction (Bacon and Pugh, 2003, p. 266).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Southwest Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In terms of cost the Southwest airlines ensured that, the productivity of the people and the plane were at their maximum. In order to succeed in this the employees had be ready to work harder. A culture of tight-knit family evolv ed which included listening to other people’s ideas. In other words, it has been expressed that the spirit of the Southwest Airlines is what keeps them intangible (Bacon and Pugh, 2003, p. 268). Unless one learns of what Southwest Airline is made of, its success cannot be understood. By out classing its opponents the Southwest Airline cannot be ignored and is a name to reckon with. In the wake of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, the Southwest Airline increased its presence by solidifying its position in the market in terms of expansion. This goes further to indicate how this airline is opportunistic even worse situations (Gittell, 2003, p. 5). The airline prefers a model that enhances quality and effectiveness in operations to an extent that it forms a significant part of the firm’s business strategy. The Southwest Airline has been termed as the best profitable company in the US. Its capitalization is higher than a combination of several US ai rlines. This is contrary to the first year of its incorporation where it faced financial difficulties as the airline was in a survival mode. In short, the culture of Southwest Airline has transformed over time from a culture that was limited to southwestern area of USA to a culture that embraced knowledge, mutual respect, and common goals. Conclusion The business model used by the Southwest Airliner conclusively define why the airline is has successfully established itself in the airline industry. The identification of the customers to be served and ensuring the airline is the lowest cost provider are the main pillars to its ever-growing profits. The business strategy used by the Southwest Airlines is that of low cost provision and is accompanied with the use of regular services. Significant amount of monies are used by the Southwest Airlines to train their employees and develop their daily operations. Each and every work that is undertaken by the Southwest Airlines has it s own mec hanical and training department. Despite having a unionized airline, the Southwest Airline does not have rigid rules in its work environment. The corporation of people has also enhanced the making of Southwest Airlines a low cost carrier.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More All in all the Southwest Airlines has a culture that allows its clients to have an economical travel with enough freedom to enjoy. In addition to this, the culture set by the Southwest Airlines is that which incorporates making of a positive difference in the firm, acquiring of shared knowledge and obtaining of mutual respect. These initiatives introduced in this airline have enabled company management to be efficient and not only that the managers in this airline rely on them in their daily activities. In competitive cost advantage, the Southwest Airlines are based on work done by people in terms of their compensation, cost of meals, corporate culture, and reservation system. References Bacon, T. R. and Pugh, D. G. (2003). Winning behavior: what the smartest, most successful companies do differently. NY: AMACOM. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=zDgC8yc9lhUCpg=PA266dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=4ved=0CD0Q6AEwAzgK #v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false Gittell, J. H. (2003). The Southwest Airlines way: using the power of relationships to achieve high Performance. NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=BapojOGVz5cCprintsec=frontcoverdq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=FT81TciWNJH14QbOkKm-Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false. Hill, C. and Jones, G. (2010). Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach. OH: South-western Cengage. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=CzIK9ELsyYwCpg=PA105dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCsQ6AEwADgK#v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D. and Hoskisson, R. E. (2009). Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases. OH: South-western Cengage. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=ul5FsIlWa3ECpg=PA104dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xo i=book_resultct=resultresnum=2ved=0CDEQ6AEwATgK#v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false. Thompson, A. A. and Gamble, J. E. (2008). The Southwest Airlines in 2008: Culture Values, and Operating Practices. AB. Retrieved from Attachments. Yerkes, L., (2007). Fun works: creating places where people love to work. CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=lK86xiz-xgUCpg=PA47dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=3ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false.

Napoleon and the Siege of Toulon 1793

Napoleon and the Siege of Toulon 1793 The siege of Toulon in 1793 might have blended into the many other actions of the French Revolutionary War were it not for the later career of one man, as the siege marked the first notable military action of Napoleon Bonaparte, later French Emperor and one of the greatest generals in history. France in Rebellion The French Revolution transformed almost every aspect of French public life and grew more radical as the years passed (turning into terror). However, these changes were far from universally popular, and as many French citizens fled revolutionary areas, others decided to rebel against a revolution they saw as increasingly Parisian and extreme. By 1793 these rebellions had turned into widespread, open and violent revolt, with a revolutionary army/militia sent out to crush these enemies within. France was, in effect, engaging in a civil war at the same time as countries surrounding France looked to intervene and force a counter-revolution. The situation was, at times, desperate. Toulon The site of one such rebellion was Toulon, a port on the south coast of France. Here the situation was critical to the revolutionary government, as not only was Toulon an important naval base – France was engaged in wars against many of the monarchist states of Europe – but the rebels had invited in British ships and handed over control to their commanders. Toulon had some of the thickest and most advanced defenses, not just in France, but in Europe, and would have to be retaken by the revolutionary forces to help secure the nation. It was no easy task but had to be done quickly. The Siege and the Rise of Napoleon Command of the revolutionary army assigned to Toulon was given to General Carteaux, and he was accompanied by a ‘representative on mission’, basically a political officer designed to make sure he was being sufficiently ‘patriotic’. Carteaux began a siege of the port in 1793. The effects of the revolution on the army had been severe, as many of the officers had been nobility and as they were persecuted they fled the country. Consequently, there were many open spaces and plenty of promotion from lower ranks based on ability rather than birth rank. Even so, when the commander of Carteaux’s artillery was wounded and had to leave in September, it wasn’t purely skill that got a young officer called Napoleon Bonaparte appointed as his replacement, as both he and the representative on a mission who promoted him – Saliceti – were from Corsica. Carteaux had no say in the matter. Major Bonaparte now showed great skill in increasing and deploying his resources, using a keen understanding of terrain to slowly take key areas and undermine the British hold on Toulon. While who played the key role in the final act is debated, but Napoleon definitely played a vital role, and he was able to take full credit when the port fell on December 19th, 1793. His name was now known by key figures in the revolutionary government, and he was both promoted to Brigadier General and given command of the artillery in the Army of Italy. He would soon leverage this early fame into greater command, and use that opportunity to take power in France. He would use the military to establish his name in history, and it began at Toulon.

Local Government assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Local Government assignment - Coursework Example The local councils of England offer significant concern towards the education of the students thereby improving the number of primary and secondary schools of the area. The main urge of the local councils is to improve the educational facilities thereby enhancing the scope of employment so as to cope up with the recent challenges. In addition, the local government authority (LGA) offers free educational facilities (Local Government Association, 2012). Apart from this, the local authority also tries to offer good transport facilities to the citizens of England so as to ease the problems related to travelling. In order to relieve the citizens from chaotic travelling, the local councils of England have offered good quality of roads and streets. Along with this, the local authorities and Primary Care Trust (PCT) also tries to offer social services for the disabled children and adults so as to provide intensive care. Moreover, the local authorities of England also offer discretionary services to the citizens so as to maintain the welfare and security among the community members (Communities and Local Government, 2003). In addition, the local councils also introduced special pension scheme so as to secure the future of adult generations along with reduction in liquidity rates (Audit Commission, 2010). Moreover, proper maintenance of health and security of the citizens regardless of age is one of the significant responsibilities of the councils so as to reduce the health disparities. Along with this, proper preservation of cultural heritages is also equally important for the councils. In order to retain the cultural heritages, LGA tries to maintain the library, royal streets, sports and varied tourist places so as to attract new tourists and enhance the revenue of the nation. Moreover, the councils of England also attempt to improve the environmental as well as protect the communities from unfavourable climatic changes thereby introducing the concept of

The identification and analysis of the economic, political and social Essay

The identification and analysis of the economic, political and social issues facing the United States - Essay Example A combination of reduced market entry barriers for a multitude of different industries has increased competition in a country that is highly saturated with consumer product competition. Renewed reliance on foreign imports to sustain quality of life from emerging or developing countries such as China has, today, begun to impact supply and demand in the United States. In addition, with many foreign nations changing their fiscal policies to ensure economic stability during an ongoing international recessionary environment, currency valuation has become unpredictable, thus impacting profitability for companies that have made considerable profit producing products in countries where labour costs are low. Furthermore, political actors in the U.S. government continue to divest financial resources into the free market environment to assist large banking and lending facilities, as well as a variety of corporate industries, through bailouts and short-term tax extensions. All of these factors, and many more, have raised the consumer price index and increased inflation, thus diminishing real consumer incomes. This report identifies and analyses all of the economic, political and social issues facing the United States and offers recommendations for increasing economic growth in the country. The political and economic factors The United States is considered a federal, constitutional democracy. Weingast (1997) reinforces that stable democracies can only be sustained when values, principles and beliefs are shared by all citizens of the nation, a phenomenon referred to as civic culture. â€Å"If there is no consensus within a society, there is little potentiality for peaceful resolution of political differences† (Weingast 1997, p.248). According to Barrett (2011) there are a series of distinct constructs that must exist in order to be a stable and thriving democracy, including equality, accountability, fairness, transparency and trust. Why is this necessarily relevant to assessing the current condition of the United States? In 2008, President Barack Obama and the authorities of Congress committed billions of dollars to banking and lending facilities and a variety of corporate entities that were failing due to a surplus of economic problems stemming from the mortgage crisis, inflation, market speculators, and diminished consumer incomes that were negatively impacting revenue growth in a variety of industries servicing consumer products. Corporations, consumers and market investors alike have grown inter-dependent on governmental intervention and commitment of taxpayer capital to continue to bailout businesses and financial industries. Where it was once considered unmentionable for government to take such a critical and active role in the free market economy, today consumers and business leaders are placing considerable pressure on governmental actors to develop routine and synchronized financial rescues in order to guarantee short-term economic stab ility in the country. This change in social and political attitudes seems to have now created a somewhat unified set of cultural values related to government involvement in business, industry and investment that has changed the dynamics of the traditional constitutional de

Lenovo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lenovo - Assignment Example Consisting of the synergy of companies, the synergy of allocation canal, the synergy of the variety as well as management plus the synergy of price saving. The culture divergence; the disparity among the two countries might oblige the former staffs of IBM to depart from Lenovo. Such that Lenovo ought to respect the independence of abroad R&D centers. Numerous practices general in other authority is controlled in China. The Regulations stiffen regulatory necessities with deference to foreign attainment activities. The consequence will be to slim, rather than enlarge, the chances for foreign scheme capital. All these regulations are put for the safety and constancy of Chinese wealth, plus a means to keep the party’s organized over the financial system. Lenovo ought to intensify its internationalize attainment. Since Lenovo's achievement is accredited to its long-term centering on emerging sales plus successful abroad M&As, it ought to run a high-quality business of the businesse s it merged. Lenovo must place itself for the international market. Placing is at all times the critical subject that the Chinese corporations ignore, as well as it is the cause why Chinese corporation can barely last long. In conclusion, Lenovo should trim down their pricing plan. The worth of the produce is a significant factor to put into consideration; Lenovo is not able to make low-price policies to endure in the international market. Lenovo ought to rather be concerned as regards to the order of their target clients.

Devolving Responsibility Of Human Resource To Managers Management Essay

Devolving Responsibility Of Human Resource To Managers Management Essay By devolving responsibility of Human Resource to managers, organizations are expecting to create a closer relationship between managers and employees which will be achieved by quick decision making and effective problem solving at workplace. Some organizations however have both the HR specialists and the managers who work together by bringing in expertise from their own areas. This report identifies the context, enablers and inhibitors of the involvement of management in HR function. In conclusion, the report identifies that adequate training and expert knowledge support must be provided to managers if they are expected to integrate HR responsibilities within their managerial function. Human Resource Management (HRM) refers to a collection of policies used to organise work in the employment relationship and centres on the management of work and the management of people who undertake this work (Claydon 2010). (Storey, 2007) states that HRM plays a pivotal role in strategically deploying highly capable and committed workforce by using human resources expertise to achieve competitive advantage. A strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices. (Gold 2007) Human Resource Management ensures the productive use of people in an organisation to achieve the organisations strategic business objectives. Human resource management also involves maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship and the satisfaction of the individual employer needs (Stone 2007) Human resource policies and the business policies have been integrated together with the management function rather than a separate entity to achieve the organisations objectives more efficiently. Discussion of the context (Wilkinson M. M., 2002), states that many criticisms concerning the lack of contribution by HR specialists to organisational performance have come from line managers. The four main criticisms are first, personnel practitioners are regarded as out of touch of commercial realities and unable to comprehend much about the nature of the business, its customers, or its corporate goals. The allegation is that HR professionals base their decisions upon a set of principles and ideas, such as welfare and employee rights which have little relevance for competitive prospects. Second, HR is often thought to constrain the autonomy of managers to make decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the business. These are mainly the legal constraints of equal opportunities or individual rights and the involvement of union representatives. The third criticism is that HR managers are slow to act, always wanting to check the options thoroughly (Cunningham and Hayman, (1999). Finally HR practition ers are criticised for promulgating policies that may be fine in theory but hard to put in effect or unsuitable to their particular requirements. Legge (1995) argues that HRM is caught in a vicious circle because senior management do not involve them in the business decision making and planning as people issues are not considered at this stage of decision making. But in due course problems arise due to non involvement of HR such as poor recruits, inadequate training of staff or work disruption. When such problems are brought to HRs attention they have insufficient time to resolve the issue which in effect results in short term solutions with detrimental long term effects. HR function gets the blame for inefficient problem handling and continues to be excluded from decision making, thus completing the vicious circle. As line managers work closely with the people they manage, the problem solving can be immediate and relevant rather than having to wait for the HR department to get back to them. The solutions provided by these managers are also likely to be in congruence with the organisations goals and business requirements. Ulrich (1998) hence recommended that HR should be reconfigured so as to highlight what it delivers rather than what it does. The four recommendations for HR are, to become a partner with business and line managers for strategy formulation, to become an expert in the way work is organised and executed to reduce cost and to increase efficiency, to become a champion for employees by acting as a medium between the employees and the senior management to increase employee contribution and finally to become an agent of continuous transformation by shaping processes for successful implementation of change. The CIPD research on employee well-being and the psychological contract (Guest and Conway, 2005) established that too many managers are failing to motivate and improve the performance of people they manage. Due to the devolution of HR function to managers, their responsibilities have increased and their role in the organization has become more important. HR initiates policies and practices but it is the management which is responsible for implementing them. HR proposes but the line disposes (Armstrong 2006). It is hence important that the policies are well communicated to the manager who will implement it if it is perceived to be in the interest of the business. If managers are unaware of any laws requiring the implementation of those policies then it is up to the HR to educate the managers about this. (J.Purcell 2003) noted that well conceived HR policies and practices didnt automatically result in organisational performance improvement but the difference was made by the way in which those polices were implemented by the managers. If they used discretion in implementing HR policies then some policies will just be a set of useless ideas (Armstrong 2006) (H.H.Larsen 2003), pointed out the five main reasons why organisations want to integrate these functions; Pressure on firm costs to integrate HR function in line management role To provide a more comprehensive HRM which is achieved through this integration of line management and HR functions The growing influence of service industries where line managers are responsible for customer management HR specialists may take too long to resolve HR issues Devolution may be considered as an alternative to outsourcing the entire HR function resulting from changes in philosophy and organisational structure. Enablers for integrating management and HR functions Managers play an important role in implementing the HR policies (Gold 2007). Research has revealed that line manager behaviour has a significant impact on employee commitment, which in turn has an impact on customer commitment, which has an impact on business performance (Lazenby quoted in Purcell 2003). The enrichment of line manager roles within the organisations and their greater involvement in HR decision-making has arisen due to the increase in customer service demands and the resulting time pressure in decision making. Increasing performance requirements, transparency, flexibility and accountability has increased the importance of this dual role. Involving line mangers in HR functions can be seen as a strategic approach to managing people. (Renwick 2003), has listed the main benefits that organisations can derive from such integration; HR problems are solved at source saving vital organisation resources Better change management is achieved through manager participation in policy implementation Closely working managers can make decisions at increased speed Greater scope for HR managers to focus on strategic importance of HRM HR issues get a business focus before they are implemented hence those policies will no more be created in isolation from organisational goals Since managers are aware of HR issues they cant ignore them hence leading to a better employee manager relationship Managers are more likely to be committed to their own HR decisions rather than having to implement due to compulsion from HR department Promotes local management accountability and responsibility for HR issues Reduces costs due to integration of functions Promotes the case that HRM cant always be transferred to specialists Line managers occupy an important position in the organizational hierarchy and they can directly affect the level of service delivered. Entrusting line managers with HR responsibilities will add to their existing pressures, increase workload and the need to deliver on short-term priorities. Formal administrative approaches within the departments would require line managers to display a high level of HR competence. This signifies the need for high-quality training programs for line managers to ensure that they feel confident in discharging their new HR responsibilities. Money invested in training management personnel can result in saving company from expensive litigation and in maintaining a god corporate reputation. Providing line managers with such training is very important as they are not naturally trained to deliver HR duties, which are quite different to making business decisions. Inhibitors for integrating management and HR functions (Renwick 2003), has given the following inhibitors to HR and management integration; Increased pressure to train and/or re-skill managers in HRM A need for strict HR auditing Problems and maintaining consistency in decision making Risk of falling standards or abuse of position through discrimination Problems in maintaining balance of power between management and HR specialists Potential for the HR/ER management role to be marginalised Low line capability/commitment when doing HR work Little time for managers to perform HR duties well due to operational demands on them Risks of job overload/stress as manager workloads are increased Harrison (2009) supports the argument in favour of management staff by saying that, line management is mostly faced with situations pressurising them to achieve objectives resulting in the increase in profitability or in the reduction of costs resulting in less dedication to support human resource development apart from the basic tasks. If line managers are faced with a decision to prioritize between making a key business decision or to formulate policies and procedures to improve the working conditions of employees, the priority would normally be the business decision as that would be considered as their primary responsibility and also more business focussed. Brewster and Soderstrom (1994) say that before delegating tasks or entrusting people with more responsibility in different areas, it must consider the level of knowledge possessed by the individual and the willingness of such individual to train to learn new competences, since they could already be overburdened with their current tasks making it uncomfortable for them to absorb more responsibilities. In order for the line managers to deliver their HR tasks they need to maintain a good relationship with HR specialists which could be complex at times. According to (Thomas N Garavan 2006) while the line manager is a key stakeholder in the training and development process, their relationship with the function and/or the specialist can often be negative. This could result in issues arising from lack of good communication and understanding between the departments. According to Grace and Straub (1991) training specialists often exclude line managers from training the reason for which is mainly the threat of being substituted. Some such instances as noticed by them are; Excluding line managers from the needs assessment process/program; Unwillingness to consider line managers as subject matter experts; Unwillingness to utilize line managers as instructors for training duties. This could also be due to the resistance on part of the line mangers to take initiative to train as this could entail more responsibilities for them. As (Thomas N Garavan 2006) continues the argument by saying that the issue is due to the lack of trust between the line managers and the training and development specialists. Line managers refuse to co-operate with the training specialists who makes an attempt to offer advice to improve work operations because they consider training specialists as staff as providing a service in accordance with line manager requirements and expectations. Efforts to change this role are often perceived by the line managers as an attempt to thwart line authority with the generation of better ideas. Sometimes HR professionals were even seen as policing line managers. This perception leads to inflexibility and negative responses aimed at demolishing the strengths and foundations of the training specialist. Also Storey (1992) points out that lack of training and education of line managers hinder the smooth delivery of new HR practices. Those line managers simply underestimate the need for investment in the training of their subordinates. Developing and implementing HR initiatives can become a difficult task for the managers to incorporate in their regular management function. Suggestions to improve managers as people managers (J.Purcell 2003), have suggested that managers can improve their people management skills, to deliver their HR responsibilities, in following ways; Senior management must understand the prioritisation issues that managers may face when both management and HR issues arise at the same time. Pressurising from the top will not help in such circumstances Managers must be selected considering the behavioural requirements and competencies expected from them as they would be doing HR function as well Managers need to have a clear understanding of the organisational values, goals and culture for efficient people management. A good working relationship needs to exist between staff and their manager Managers must be provided with the necessary training to enable them to deliver their HR functions such as performance management, grievance and complaints handling Although line managers can be trained to an extent to carry out the HR function, there are several key competencies possessed by HR professionals that might be difficult to incorporate in a line manager function as per (Armstrong 2006). There has been a significant change to the way in which organisations manage their business in the recent years and hence there has been changes in the way different departments operates within it. Changes to work demands have made it difficult for the HR department to find people with required talents for the organisation. HR department is required to keep up to date with the HR requirement of the departments and ensures the human resource is able to meet new challenges and demands (Wright, 2003) A human resource manager must consider the nature of external and internal influences before selecting a particular course of action. Internal environmental influences involve the factors that are found within the organisation such as the organisational strategies, organisational culture, organisational structure and organisational systems. Several external factors influence the formulation and requirements of HRM policies. Some of the external factors facing organisations are changing nature work force, technological changes, globalisation and labour force demographics. (Stone 2007) CIPD has presented a list of core functions delivered by HR professionals as below; Business and cultural awareness: understand the business environment and the competitive pressures in the market facing the organisation, the key business activities, culture and the impact of HR policies on the business performance Strategic capability: seeks involvement in business strategy function, develops coherent HR strategies which are aligned with business strategy, understand the importance of human capital measurement to ensure efficient utilisation Organisational effectiveness: contributes to the analysis of people issues and proposes practical solutions, develops resource capability by ensuring that the organisation has the workforce with required skills, process redesigning for better utilisation of staff, contributes in the development of knowledge management processes Internal consultancy: proposes practical solutions by providing expert advice and coaches management on dealing with their department specific problems Service delivery: delivers appropriate services promptly and efficiently to requests for HR services and advice and provides guidance in HR decisions as required Continuous professional development: continuous development of skills and knowledge, to deliver the HR duties to high standards by updating the new HR concepts, practices and techniques As discussed above HR function is far more specialised in its core activities and many of its functions need specialist expert knowledge which is difficult for management to keep up to date with. HR Outsourcing has become more common in the recent years as the companies are relying on them for HR related matters. A good human resource outsourcing deal is to ensure that nearly all your transactional and basic advisory services are outsourced and that the jobs of the HR teams are redesigned so that they no longer focus on the operational level decisions but the focus would be on more complex business challenges and strategic needs. (Hunter 2007). But many organisations may choose to rather incorporate the HR function within their management functions rather than outsourcing. Conclusion HR can be seen as an integral part of a managerial post, as a manager is responsible for the performance and job satisfaction of his staff. There have been several factors over a period of time that has had an impact on the role of HR managers and practitioners. If an employee in a management positions accepts to deliver HR duties it is possible to achieve a higher level of efficiency. However, the success of any change process involving line manager HR participation will ultimately depend on striking a balance between factors favouring devolvement and those inhibiting HR involvement. While making line managers more responsible for HR may bring about a speedier resolution to workplace conflicts, clear structures need to be implemented to allow line managers seek guidance and advice, but also allow employees to repeal decisions made. In this regard, HR specialists need to proactively engage with line managers and bring about partnership HR approaches to managing employees. There are however certain boundaries to such a devolution. All of them lie either in line managers lack of specific knowledge and expertise or in their conflict with HR specialists. As devolution of HR responsibilities are taken for granted it is suggested that it is HR specialists who need to re-consider their role within organisations, while line managers are to be given an appropriate training.

Analysis Of Scared To Death Of Dying, Article By Herbert Hendin :: essays research papers

Analysis of "Scared to Death of Dying", Article by Herbert Hendin The background for this work is that the existing conflict over legalizing assisted suicides and euthanasia could bring our values down and society apart. The problem is not legalizing or opposing to it, the real problem is to find a way to care for the terminally ill. We have the responsibility to help the terminally ill die in a decent way not killing them. If we don't have a policy or rule against this we are permitting doctors, like Jack Kevorkian, to become famous for killing people. The claim for this work is that assisted suicides and euthanasia should be illegal. The Oregon Law would allow people to die quicker and without dignity. We can see that this is true in the story of the 30 year-old man that has leukemia. He had a 25 percent chance of survival if he was medically treated; if not he was given a few months to live. When told this, the man wanted to suicide. At first he was scared but after talking with the doctor he decided to take medical treatment and be closer to his family in his final days. If this had happened under the Oregon Law, he would have asked a doctor to assist him in suicide and the doctor would have assisted him without any problem since he had no mental illness. Doctors can cause or hastened death without the patient's request. This can be seen in the Netherlands were a 30 year-old man who was H.I.V.-positive, but had no symptoms and may not develop them for years, was helped to die. Probably the doctors didn't explain that even if he had a terminal disease he could enjoy the rest of his life with his family and friend that were about to lose him. Doctors aren't trained to do this in medical school and the public doesn't know better. This is because doctors aren' t trained properly in the relief of pain and discomfort in terminally ill patients. And time should be devoted in medical schools to explain to the future doctors that there are going to be some patients that they are not going to be able to save but must address their needs. Also the public hasn't been properly educated about the choices they have at the end of their life. The purpose of this work is to create a national commission that would study the care of the terminally ill giving treatment to the dying patients. Both people who support and oppose euthanasia will be able to participate having