Security Assessment Check For Premier Commercial Bank Essay

Security Assessment Check For Premier Commercial Bank - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Premier commercial bank as one of the largest asset financed bank in the region that has a broad customer base across the region. The bank deals in so many transactions and they are as outlined; depository transactions, withdrawal transactions, credit advancement services, Personal and business loan services, mortgages among others. In line with the mission statement, Premier commercial bank seeks to maintain proper custody and care of the client’s money at all times. This is done through ensuring that proper handling and correct security measures are complied with so as no to contradict our goal. Within the Bank there are certain sections that may be prone to security violation and they include: Automated Teller Machines, Mobile banking services, Internet banking, Electronic money transfers, physical building security, safety of cash in transit, Strong money room and the banking hall. All these are areas whose se curity has to be properly counterchecked at all times. The outlined areas are vulnerable and susceptible to vandalism. Recently there was an anonymous withdrawal at the ATM machines by an unknown persona that involved loss of huge amounts of money. Again many cases of theft of cash in transit to the Central bank were reported. These were also followed by sequence of fraudulent transfers of money to offshore accounts by the bank personnel. This was after a recent bank robbery scare within the branch. As a senior security analyst would be obliged to give the following recommendations so as to minimize if not put to an end to all threats to Premier Bank’s state of security. There should be a web cam at the ATM machine to keep track of all those who come to withdraw money from it. Secondly there should be proper password protection and authorization so as to minimize theft by the bank personnel who deal with electronic transfers of money within and out of the region. Thirdly, the security guards who escort money on transit should have the right facilities so as to sustain security measures. This could involve provision of car trackers that may be monitored incase the vehicle is hijacked. In this view during the escort there should also be some law enforcement like police officers who’ll maintain and propel security measures. Security assessments refer to conducting vulnerability tests and assessments tests on business or any working environment in order to keep its networks protected. This may involve physical security such as guards and use of closed circuit camera systems. A security assessment may be performed by an IT or internal security expert or through the use of hiring security firms to check for any loopholes in the current security procedures. A vulnerability check is designed in a way that enables a firm to know its potential areas of weaknesses and the information obtained may be used to enhance security. The security assessment test of Premier Commercial Bank conducted by me and the help of Securex security firm is geared to produce a conclusive report of the bank’s state of security. Investigations were carried out in all areas of the bank operations through the use of

LL1014 CRIMINAL LAW I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

LL1014 CRIMINAL LAW I - Essay Example Both law and morals regulate human conduct in allied but essentially distinct ways. Law tells us what is right, while ethics is not so categorical and definite in its approach. The opinion was also supported by Maitland in connection to the British law(Pollock and Maitland, History of English law, vol.2). Miller defines crime â€Å" to be the commission or the omission of an act which the law forbids or commands under pain of a punishment to be imposed by the state by a proceeding in its own name†( Miller, Criminal Law, p.15 ). The basis of criminal law is that there are certain standards of behaviour of moral principles which society requires to be observed (Devlin P. 1965, The Enforcement of morals, p.6-7). Law prescribes consequences for its breach. The function of criminal law as spotlighted by the Wolfenden Committee Report (1958), is to preserve public order and decency (Berg C. 1959, Fear,Punishment,Anxiety and The Wolfenden Report). We call such consequences liabilitie s. Liability is the bond of necessity that exist between the wrong doer and the remedy of the wrong. Having gone through the definition of crime and criminal liability, it would be profitable to have a precise idea of the essential conditions which give rise to criminal liability. The general conditions of criminal liability are indicated with sufficient accuracy in the maxim â€Å"actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea†, that is the act alone does not amount to guilt, it must be accompanied by a guilty mind. From this maxim follows another proposition: â€Å"actus me invito factus non est mens actus† which means â€Å"an act done by a person against his will is not his act at all†. â€Å" Actus reus† is such result of human conduct as the law seeks to prevent. The act done or omitted must be an act forbidden or commanded by some law. Russel calls â€Å"actus reus† as the physical result of human conduct ( Russel, Crime,vol.1,p.20).

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Discussion - Assignment Example Real asset lower risks of portfolio and is able to guarantee better returns in the future. Real asset provide diversification opportunity in investment. According to (Brigham & Houston, 2001) the value attached to real asset is a bit stable putting it in the investment portfolio along with shares diversification on the portfolio is achieved. This help in case the value of shares dwindles then one is able to still get returns from the real assets. The cost of maintaining real assets makes it expensive. The real asset needs to have an insurance cover against possible risks. This additional expense makes it too expensive to invest in as compared to bonds and share they don’t have such additional expenses. The unit cost of any real asset is expensive thus limiting the number of people who can invest in these assets. Unit cost of share is normally lower and a good number of people can afford to invest in them. This form of investment is different from the common traditional way of investment i.e. cash, bonds and shares (Hirt & Block, 2012). This form of investment includes hedge fund, real estate, private equity, exchange funds and managed futures. This form of investment doesn’t have a fixed-income. Alternative investment is less transparent and complex this feature makes it difficult to less trained investors because of its complexity in restrictions. Alternative investment has the capability to improve the risk and return trade-off. The low correlation between the alternative investment and the conservative known form of investment enhances the diversification of the portfolio thus reducing the risk associated. Another characteristic that makes alternative investment be able to diversify the portfolio to reduce risks is the ability to be more flexible enabling an investor to invest in a set of opportunity that can give better returns. Private equity is a form of

Leadership Approach Paper Essay Example for Free

Leadership Approach Paper Essay Organizational behavior comes into play to aid management in enhancing their understanding of human behavior within organizations to better communicate, allocate resources, delegate tasks, plan, organize, direct, and control work activities. The main purpose of understanding organizational behavior is to increase leadership effectiveness, motivate workers, and inspire them to work toward a common objective. Although there are many leadership approaches, we will focus on the situational leadership approach. We will analyze the purpose, strengths and weaknesses of the situational leadership approach, and provide an example of how it can be applied to real situations. Situational Leadership Approach As it name suggests, the situational leadership approach states that leaders should use different approaches as situations change. In short, leaders should be flexible, embrace change as it comes, and be capable of adapting to it. The situational leadership approach is a model that was developed by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey in 1972. The theory states that leaders should match their leadership style to the maturity of followers and to the specific tasks on hand (Lerstrom, 2008). As people within organizations acquire more experience and become more knowledgeable about their job, leaders will need to adapt new leadership styles to keep these people motivated. According to May (2013) the core concept of the situational leadership approach is that â€Å"one size does not fit all†. The best leaders are not only those who have a vision, but â€Å"the most successful leaders are the ones who are able to adapt their leadership styles across a broad range of varying maturity levels readily present within the average organization (May, 2013). † Moreover, using the situational leadership approach suggests that leaders use a mix of other leadership approaches to be effective. According to Phatak (2012), â€Å"The philosophy of a leader should be flexible enough to adapt to situations and changing times. We need a mixture of transactional and transformational leadership techniques to get the job done. The basic idea behind this theory is that one must adapt strategy with changing conditions. † Strengths As mentioned earlier, situational leadership allows for more flexibility. As the world evolves, organizations have to make adjustments to survive. Tomasco (2013) states that with the situational leadership approach, leaders get the opportunity to adapt their leadership style to their followers’ needs. Consequently, as leaders effectively match their leadership style to situations and followers’ needs, work activities will run smoothly, interactions will be more successful, relationships will be built up, and followers will achieve optimum performance. Weaknesses Although the situational leadership approach appears to be the best course of action due to its flexibility, it has weaknesses that one cannot ignore. Phatak (2012) explains that constantly changing strategies with time, a leader will find it difficult to implement new strategies on the go. A long term vision may elude him due to constant changes. † Further, Wile (2013) identifies four weaknesses of the situational leadership approach which are confusion, leadership or management, outside factors, and perception. Indeed, followers may become confused as leaders change a newly implemented leadership strategy as a result of changing conditions. The situational leadership approach is often misconstrued with a management strategy to lead employees to achieve better outcomes. One cannot downplay the impact external factors have on organizations and organizational behavior. Leaders should demonstrate their ability to understand the organization’s external environment and to assess followers’ behavior to implement a leadership approach that will work. Finally, people within organizations have different perceptions and react differently in similar situations. Hence, the situational leadership approach may not give accurate predictions of followers’ behavior. Situational Leadership Approach in Real Life Alan Lerstrom from Luther College did a case study using the situational leadership approach in which he demonstrated how academic advisors can alter their leadership style based on students’ maturity as they advance higher in their studies. Lerstrom applied the Hersey and Blanchard’s model of situational leadership in the case study. The model suggests that effective leaders will adjust their leadership styles in accordance with changing situations and followers’ maturity. According to Lerstrom (2008), Jay, the student in the case study began showing signs of maturity as he better understood the major he wanted to pursue and classes he needed to enroll in. Also, Jay became more confident about his abilities, understood the requirements associated with his major, and was more willing to communicate with the advisor. â€Å"Situational leadership provide theoretical and practical tools that help advisors in understanding changes in the readiness levels of their students, and it suggests patterns for relating to students (Lerstrom, 2008, p. 7). † Conclusion Situational leadership is the approach that states that leaders must be flexible enough to adapt their leadership styles to changing situations, to specific tasks, and to organizational behavior. This study showed that although the situational leadership approach yields positive outcomes it has weaknesses. Thus, it is important to leverage the strengths of the approach to alleviate its weaknesses. For increased effectiveness, leaders will need to use organizational behavior research methods to better understand the situations at hand, their followers’ perceptions, and the organization’s internal and external environments. This method will provide guidance in applying the appropriate leadership style. References Lerstrom, A. C. Advising Jay: A Case Study Using a Situational Leadership Approach. NACADA Journal; Fall2008, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p21-27, 7p May, R. (2013). Basics of the Situational Leadership Model. Retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary. com/article/724/basics-of-the-situational-leade rship-model/ Phatak, O. (June 20, 2012). Pros and Cons of Leadership Theories.

Brain Tissue Oxygenation Monitoring System and Subsequent Nursing Inter

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2010), approximately 1.7 million individuals are diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Within the medical and allied health care professions, various definitions are utilized to define what constitutes a TBI (Abelson-Mitchell, 2007). Despite such various definitions, a TBI essentially describes any form of trauma directed at the brain and its surrounding anatomical structures (Abelson-Mitchell, 2007). As with most injuries, a TBI is graded as mild, moderate, or severe; however, in contrast to most severe injuries, a severe TBI can detrimentally affect an individual’s motor and cognitive functioning (Abelson-Mitchell, 2007; CDC, 2010). Children and adolescents sustain approximately half of all diagnosed traumatic brain injuries (CDC, 2010). According to a literature review study conducted by registered nurse, Abelson-Mitchell (2007), adolescents, between 15 to 18 years of age, are the most vulnerable of obtaining a TBI. Such vulnerability has been linked to the continued development of the brain and the number of associated motor vehicle accidents and sport-related injuries (CDC, 2010). Within the last 20 years, the number of adolescents participating in high school sports has dramatically increased (Kerr, Collins, Fields, & Cornstock, 2010). Subsequently, the level of competition within high school sports has considerably increased as well, further causing a rise in aggression and physical contact among these young athletes (Kerr, Collins, Fields, & Cornstock, 2010). This exemplified culture surrounding high school athletics coupled with the developing brain of an adolescent, places high school athletes at an extremely high risk of sustaining a sever... ...2008). Management of traumatic brain injury: Nursing practice guidelines for cerebral perfusion and brain tissue oxygenation (PbtO2) system. Pediatric Nursing, 34, 470—472. Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, L. M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing: Patient-centered collaborative care. Missouri: Saunders Elsevier. Kerr, Z. Y., Collins, C. L., Fields, S. K., & Cornstock, R. D. (2010). Epidemiology of player— Player contact injuries among US high school athletes, 2005—2009. Clinical Pediatrics, 50, 594—603. doi: 10.1177/0009922810390513. McNett, M. M., & Gianakis, A. (2010). Nursing interventions for critically ill traumatic brain injury patients. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 42, 71—77. Noble, K. A. (2010). Traumatic brain injury and increased intracranial pressure. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 25, 242—250. doi: 10.1016.j.jopan.2010.05.008. Brain Tissue Oxygenation Monitoring System and Subsequent Nursing Inter According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2010), approximately 1.7 million individuals are diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Within the medical and allied health care professions, various definitions are utilized to define what constitutes a TBI (Abelson-Mitchell, 2007). Despite such various definitions, a TBI essentially describes any form of trauma directed at the brain and its surrounding anatomical structures (Abelson-Mitchell, 2007). As with most injuries, a TBI is graded as mild, moderate, or severe; however, in contrast to most severe injuries, a severe TBI can detrimentally affect an individual’s motor and cognitive functioning (Abelson-Mitchell, 2007; CDC, 2010). Children and adolescents sustain approximately half of all diagnosed traumatic brain injuries (CDC, 2010). According to a literature review study conducted by registered nurse, Abelson-Mitchell (2007), adolescents, between 15 to 18 years of age, are the most vulnerable of obtaining a TBI. Such vulnerability has been linked to the continued development of the brain and the number of associated motor vehicle accidents and sport-related injuries (CDC, 2010). Within the last 20 years, the number of adolescents participating in high school sports has dramatically increased (Kerr, Collins, Fields, & Cornstock, 2010). Subsequently, the level of competition within high school sports has considerably increased as well, further causing a rise in aggression and physical contact among these young athletes (Kerr, Collins, Fields, & Cornstock, 2010). This exemplified culture surrounding high school athletics coupled with the developing brain of an adolescent, places high school athletes at an extremely high risk of sustaining a sever... ...2008). Management of traumatic brain injury: Nursing practice guidelines for cerebral perfusion and brain tissue oxygenation (PbtO2) system. Pediatric Nursing, 34, 470—472. Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, L. M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing: Patient-centered collaborative care. Missouri: Saunders Elsevier. Kerr, Z. Y., Collins, C. L., Fields, S. K., & Cornstock, R. D. (2010). Epidemiology of player— Player contact injuries among US high school athletes, 2005—2009. Clinical Pediatrics, 50, 594—603. doi: 10.1177/0009922810390513. McNett, M. M., & Gianakis, A. (2010). Nursing interventions for critically ill traumatic brain injury patients. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 42, 71—77. Noble, K. A. (2010). Traumatic brain injury and increased intracranial pressure. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 25, 242—250. doi: 10.1016.j.jopan.2010.05.008.

Mamoni Raisom Goswami Essay

From a stepping stone to a Milestone Popularly known as Mamoni Raisom Goswami, Indira Goswami was an Assamese poet, editor, writer, professor and scholar who was also known as Mamoni Baideo. She was the pole star of Assamese Literature. The only second Assamese recipient of the â€Å"Jnanpith Award†, Mamoni Baideo was born on 14 November 1942 in Guwahati. Mamoni Raisom Goswami was born to Umakanta Goswami and Ambika Devi, who were very much attached to Sattra life of the Ekasarana Dharma. She was married to Madhevan Raisom Ayengar who died in a car accident after 18 months of their marriage. She studied at Latashil Primary School, Guwahati; Pine Mount School, Shillong; and Tarini Charan Girls’ School, Guwahati and completed Intermediate Arts from Handique Girls’ College, Guwahati. She majored in Assamese literature at Cotton College in Guwahati and secured a Master’s degree from Gauhati University in the same field of study. Mamoni Raisom Goswami suffered from depression since her childhood. Even in the opening pages of her autobiography, â€Å"The unfinished Autobiography†, there is a mention of her inclination to jump into the Crinoline Falls located near their house in Shillong. Repeated suicide attempts marred her youth. After sudden death of her husband, she started taking heavy dose of sleeping tablets. After she was brought back to Assam, she joined the Sainik School, Goalpara. After working at the Sainik School in Goalpara, Assam, she was persuaded by her teacher Upendra Chandra Lekharu to come to Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, and pursue research for peace of mind. Her expressions as a widow as well as an researcher finds life in her novel, â€Å"Nilakantha Braja† (The Blue necked braja). This novel is all about the radhaswamis of Vrindavan who lived in utter poverty and sexual exploitation in everyday life. One of the main issues which the novel revolves around is the lives of the widows for whom companionship beyond the walls of the ashram becomes impossible. The novel exposed the uglier face of Vrindavan- the city of Lord Krishna. Although the novel invited criticism of Mamoni Baideo from the conservative sections of the society, it still remains a classic in modern Indian Literature. This is the first novel to be written on this subject. The novel was based on Baideo’s research on the place as well as real-life experience of living in the place for several years. In Vrindavan, she mostly involved herself in studying the Ramayana. A massive volume of Tulsidas’s Ramayana bought there at just eleven rupees was a great source of inspiration in her research. After relocating to Delhi, India, to become Head of Assamese Department at the University of Delhi, the most glorious phases of her life begins. While at the university, she wrote most of her greatest works. Several short stories, including Hridoy, Nangoth Sohor, Borofor Rani, used Delhi as the background. Her two classics — Pages Stained With Blood and The Moth Eaten Howdah of a Tusker— were also written during this period. The other books completed while she lived in Delhi were Ahiron,The Rusted Sword, Uday Bhanu, Dasharathi’s Steps and The Man from Chinnamasta. At the peak of her literary career she wrote the controversial novel The Man from Chinnamasta, a critique of the thousand-years-old tradition of animal sacrifice in the famous Hindu Shakti temple to Kamakhya, a mother goddess, in Assam. Goswami reported that there was even threat to her life after writing the novel. In this novel she quotes scriptures to authenticate the argument she puts forward in the novel — to worship the Mother Goddess with flowers rather than blood. She said in an interview, â€Å"When the novel was serialized in a popular magazine, I was threatened with dire consequences. Shortly after this, a local newspaper, Sadin, carried an appeal about animal sacrifice, which resulted in quite an uproar—the editor was gheraoed and a tantrik warned me. But when the appeal was published, the response was overwhelmingly in favour of banning animal sacrifice. I also had to contend with rejection from a publisher who was initially keen and had promised me a huge advance, but who later backtracked, offering instead to publish any other book of mine. But the rest, as they say, is history and Chinnamastar Manuhto went on to become a runaway bestseller! † Mamoni Baideo was the winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1983), the Jnanpith Award (2001) and Principal Prince Claus Laureate (2008). A celebrated writer of contemporary Indian literature, many of her works have been translated into English from her native Assamese which include The Moth Eaten Howdah of the Tusker, Pages Stained With Blood and The Man from Chinnamasta. She was also well known for her attempts to structure social change, both through her writings and through her role as mediator between the armed militant group United Liberation Front of Asom and the Government of India. Her involvement led to the formation of the People’s Consultative Group, a peace committee. She referred to herself as an â€Å"observer† of the peace process rather than as a mediator or initiator. Her work has been performed on stage and in film. The film Adajya is based on her novel won international awards. Words from the Mist is a film made on her life directed by Jahnu Barua. Very dear to the hearts of every Indian, baideo’s death on 29 November 2011 has created a vacuum in the Indian Literature. She died in the Gauhati Medical College and Hopital (GMCH) due to multiple organ failure after spending many days in the intensive care unit (ICU). No one in the world would be able to replace her in the hearts of each and every Assamese person. Mamoni Baideo will always remain in our hearts forever just like the everlasting footprint on wet cement.

Human Resources Management in Business Essay

Human resources department is a part of business that deals with its staff. The department is seen as part of strategic management, in the effort to achieve the goals of the business, and is crucial to the business’s success. Some of the human resources department’s responsibilities include recruitment, retention, selection, job enlargement/enrichment, motivation and leadership, job role allocations, training, and payroll appraisals. The department’s decisions are influenced by, however, internal issues for workforce planning. One of the issues could be the cost of its operations. The business would want to minimize cost, so any decisions made by Human resources should be cost-effective. Another issue could be the company’s business strategy, for example when the company want to expand, the Human resources department would have to recruit more employees; if the company wants to cut costs and increase profit, the department would have to consider reducing the number of staff. It is also responsible for training current employees for any new equipments. There are also external factors that affect how workforce planning is carried out. These external factors include government actions that affect the business environment. For example, the government can impose new minimum wages that would increase the Human resources department’s spending on wages payment. The education situation of the country can also affect Human resources, as education is the means that workers gain their skills; without proper education, Human resources wouldn’t be able to recruit highly skilled workers without paying large salaries or recruit foreign nationals. An important external factor is the economic situation of the economy. If unemployment rates are high, Human resources would be able to recruit new employees much easier and cheaper than when the economy is in boom, which makes labour more expensive. The age ranges of the labour force can affect Human resources decisions, since they don’t want to recruit too old of employees who are going to retire soon. The business often want more young employees who can potentially contribute to the company for a long period of time, and can also be more innovative. Another external factor is technology advancements, as this may result in the introduction of new equipments into the company. The Human resources department would then have to organise training for their current staff to enable them to work with the newly acquired machineries. There are many benefits to Human Resources planning. One of the most important purpose of the Human Resources department is to motivate staff. This can be done by means of promotions, training, and rewards. Another benefit is that Human Resources help import important skills into the business through the process of recruitment. Human Resources would compose a recruitment process that selects the right people for the business. Without a Human Resources department, a firm cannot efficiently recruit employees that they need. Also, the department helps the business plan the right number of workers. They make sure that there are no redundancy or shortages of labour in the company, and if there is any, Human Resources would fix this either by cutting or recruiting staff. Human Resources department also ensures smooth operations in regards to labour management. This means they make sure that employees arrive when they are needed, and are allocated to the right tasks, and that each workers know their role within the business. In addition, they resolve whatever arguments that may arise between the workers and company management, making sure that the employees are clear of company regulations, and that management are clear of their workers’ conditions. Finally, the Human Resources department ensures that no laws are broken in regards to labour employment. For example, the recruitment process must not violate discrimination laws. All necessary laws are briefed to staff to ensure no illegal activities are conducted within the company. Before selecting staff for any position, key skills needed for that particular job need to be identified, creating a list of criteria for candidate selection. British Sugar is one of the largest provider of sugar products in the UK. Their Human Resources department has been directed to recruit three new production managers, as part of the company’s expansion project in China. The Human Resources department has identified the key skills for a potential production manager: Confidence: the manager needs to be confident in handling large responsibilities, whether it be meeting production deadlines, ensuring worker safety etc. They need confidence to be able to make decisive actions, taking the initiative without too much dependence on higher directives. As they direct the production process, confidence is also needed for negotiating with suppliers, making the best deals for the factory. Technical skills: a production manager has to be sufficiently knowledgeable about the production technology of their factory, to be able to understand and resolve technical problems should they arise. Technical knowledge of a manager does not have to be detailed, but must be sufficient to issue correct directives to the factory’s engineer force. High technical skills is preferred, as the manager will be more likely to be innovative in improving production methods of the firm. Communication skills: a good production manager is able to communicate to all different divisions of the company. They are quick to absorb information from different levels of the company, whether it be top management or floor workers, and then provide quick and effective feedback. Communication skills are crucial in a manager, as it helps him ensure the coordination between different elements of the company. Problem-solving skills: the production manager should be able to independently deal with problems within their factory. They will be extremely resourceful in coordinating factory or company-level efforts to solve problems. This requires an intelligent person that can improvise upon their resources to damage-control and reverse the problem and put the factory back onto its original course. Motivating staff is an important part of company operation, as it ensure the employees do their best and be productive while working for the company. There is a variety of reasons why employees would want to work harder in their working environment. Such reasons could be money, bonuses, power, working with friends, social aspects of work, the need to provide for family, promotion, team work, and promotion. Frederick Taylor’s theory of motivation simply stated that all workers are worked by money. This means that in order to better motivate employees, the employer simply just has to raise their pay, and this would make them work harder. Taylor introduced the Theory of Scientific Management, which said that workers are naturally lazy and need close supervisions and control. The theory also says that managers should break down work to the simplest tasks to their employees. Workers also need adequate training and equipment to perform their simple tasks as efficiently as possible, then they would be paid according to the amount of products they had produced. The theory is often applied in mass production lines which involves repetitive tasks. Elton Mayo later introduced a new theory of motivation of his own. He believed that money is only part of the worker’s concern, and social needs are more important in motivating workers at their work place. Mayo published the Human Relation school of thought, which encourage managers to focus more on social interactions between workers. Mayo went further in his studies and conducted his own experiment at the Hawthorne factory in Chicago. From these series of experiments, he concluded that although physical conditions worsened, they do not affect the productivity of the Hawthorne workers. Instead, social factors such as better communication between workers and managers, better involvement in employees’ lives from their manager, and team work was what improved productivity levels. In the 1950s, Abraham Maslow introduced the Neo-Human Relation school of thought. This new theory focus on the employee’s psychological needs, which are structured into five different levels of needs. The theory says that once a lower level of needs is satisfied, would then the worker could be motivated by an upper level of needs. These levels of needs in lower to higher order are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualisation respectively. Managers also need to realise that each worker moves up this ladder at a different pace, and therefore might need different sets of incentives from worker to worker. In financial-related type of motivations, the most common motivation is salaries and wages. Salaries are what permanent employees are paid monthly or annually. Wages, on the other hand, is what is paid to workers per hour they have worked. These can motivate the employees, for the harder they work, the more they would earn. A piece rate system is when an employee is paid a fixed rate for each unit of production; In other words, they are paid by results, which motivate them to achieve better results. Commission and fees are similarly dependent on the results of the workers. Commission is a percentage of the sale revenue, and fees are fixed amounts that are earned after sale. The more the employee sells, the more commission or fees they get, motivating them to sell more. Fringe benefits are any non-wage payment or benefit such as pension plans, profit-sharing programs, vacation pay, and company-paid life, health, and unemployment insurance. Having these extra benefit with their jobs can make the employees feel more secure and work harder. Performance-related pay or pay by performance is money paid relating to how well the employee works. This would motivate them by giving them knowledge that the better they perform in their field, the better their assessment would be and the more they would be paid. Profit sharing is another way of motivating staff, it consists of a plan that gives employees a share in the profit of the company. Each employee receives a percentage of those profit based on the company’s earnings. This makes staff work harder, knowing the more their company earns, the more they would get in shared profit. Share ownership is when employees who have worked in the company for a long time are given part of the business as shares. These shares would give the employees power, and they get to take part deciding how the company is run. Other than financial motivations, there are non-financial ones that could boost motivation while costing minimal for the business. Job redesign involves restructuring the elements including tasks, duties and responsibilities of a specific job in order to make it more encouraging and inspiring for the employees. Job enlargement is basically increasing the employees’ work load, so that they feel more responsible and work harder. Job rotation is when employees are moved between two or more jobs in a planned manner. The purpose of this is to expose the employees to different experiences and wider variety of skills to enhance job satisfaction and to cross-train them. Job enrichment is a variation of job enlargement. Job enrichment adds new sources of job satisfaction by giving the employee additional authority, autonomy, and control over the way the job is accomplished. Team work is a Cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal. Working in a team may motivate employees to do better to fulfill their part on the team. External link for employees motivating can be found here: http://www. forbes. com/sites/glennllopis/2012/06/04/top-9-things-that-ultimately-motivate-employees-to-achieve/ The fundamental method which British Sugar would use to motivate their staff is to make them feel safe. Feeling safe would clear the employees’ minds from external worries, helping them to focus more on their tasks and try harder to achieve. This method would include providing their employees with adequate facilities to work in. This means that British Sugar’s factories and offices would to the most basic safety regulations such as fire safety, electrical safety, and protection from hazardous conditions inside their factories. British Sugar would also make sure that their facilities have appropriate security measures to protect employees and their possessions safe. This method of motivation is one of the most basic levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Another method that British Sugar uses is providing extra employee benefits beside their regular salaries and wages. They would give company cars for manager and directors, along with free O2 mobile phones. British Sugar also looks after their employees by providing them with free healthcare in the form of free check-ups with company nurse, eyesight tests and glasses, and subsidised scheme with AXA. Families of employees can also enjoy company benefits with provided child vouchers and team meals for spouses. British Sugar’s factory workers are also provided with free safety work wear. There are numerous other benefits that employees can enjoy working for British Sugar, which includes sports clubs, gym facilities, free parking†¦etc. A popular method of motivation from Taylor’s school of thought is recognition. British Sugar would give out tokens of appreciation and to recognise employees/teams that have made a significant contribution over and above that reasonably expected. Company managers would award their employees with vouchers, meals, bouquet of flowers, or bottles of wine to boost their work morale. Long Service Awards are given to employees with significant length of service. Annual bonuses of ? 400, ? 600, ? 800, and ? 900 are given to employees who have served 20, 30, 40, or 45 years in the company respectively. British Sugar also use chances of promotion to encourage their employees. This is a process known as internal recruitment. When a position is open, employees are often promoted to fill the position instead of recruiting new people externally. This keeps the employees motivated to work harder, knowing there are chances of future promotion. Another method of motivation used by British Sugar is performance management. Performance management is a proactive and continuous process of communicating and clarifying role responsibilities, performance expectations and priorities in order to ensure mutual understanding between managers and employees. To ensure the proper functioning of the business, British Sugar would have to maintain a high level of cooperation and satisfaction in its employees. Making employees cooperate would increase productivity, reduce labour turnover, and make sure that they can maintain the quantity and quality of work they are capable of. One of the methods of doing this is by communication. This method involves staying in touch with the staff to make sure they are updated with company information. When staff have the information that they need for their job, they will be more likely to be oriented towards their tasks, and be able to do it correctly and more efficiently. Communication with employees can be done by many means. It includes emails, which are quick, efficient, and reliable. Face-to-face communication is an important form of communication, often in the form of meetings; however it has time and distance limitations , for example a manager might not have the time to see all of his employees to talk about new policies, while he could just send them all an email. There are other methods such as telephone calls, which can be made easily over long distance or face-time technology that allows employees to communicate despite the long distance. Another way of improving employees’ cooperation and commitment in the business is making them more involved in it. In British sugar, this is know as the â€Å"quality circle†. British Sugar would engage its employees group discussions, where groups of workers meet and discuss the good and bad side of the issues that they face. The employees would try to resolve their problems together, and discuss ways to improve how they work and how the company works. This method generates a feeling of involvement, employees would feel that they are a contributing part of a team, and therefore view their work more positively and become more inclined to cooperate with other employees as well as the company managers. Clear employment contracts also help boost staff cooperation and commitment. A clear contract would have to explicitly explain the details of the job, such as explaining the roles and duties that the employee is expected to carry out, along with the hours of work required. The business would also need clearly identified procedures such as disciplinary policies or grievance policies. A clear pay structure that explains basic time as well as overtime is essential. All of these will reduce arguments in the company, enabling more efficiency and cooperation within the business. Motivational methods are a way of getting more cooperation from staff. Motivated employees would perform better while feeling better about their prospects than demotivated ones, therefore cooperating more in their work. Similarly, training and charity links should also be used to boost the morale of workers. Training would increase the employees motivation and performance, as well as charitable activities such as helping out the local community. A well-motivated workforce with high morale is more likely to cooperate with the company and to each other. The culture of the business itself will also affect how its employees cooperate. If the company has a culture of cooperation and an atmosphere of teamwork, then the employees are more likely to have more cooperation in their work. Training in a large organisation such as British Sugar is carried out extensively. An example of British Sugar’s training operation is their Graduate scheme, a scheme in which British Sugar finds apprentice in universities. The company would offer university graduates a period of vocational training, with the assurance of a job at the end of their training, in addition to have year-long job placements for engineering students. British Sugar also organises over 1000 training courses every year involves all levels from senior managers to new apprentices and our seasonal workers. The company encourages its sites to play an active role in local communities through media visits, schools activities, agricultural and environmental events. British Sugar have regular dialogues with leading and local non-government organisations. They also organise sponsorships and charitable funds, allocated to their employee fundraising activities through a â€Å"Supporting YOU to support others† programme. Measuring the workforce can be done by a number of ways. This is generally looking at the key indicators in the business’ workforce such as labour productivity, health and safety, labour turnover and absenteeism. Labour productivity is how much the workers produce in terms of goods and services per hour worked. In the business, it can be measured by looking at the efficiency of individual or teams. However, this method should be used with cation, because there are factors that could affect labour productivity such as the age of machinery, type of sector that the business is in or whether production is automated or labour-intensive. If machineries are old, they wouldn’t be able to produce as much, therefore being the cause of low labour productivity. A business in the secondary sector would be more productive than one in the tertiary sector since manufacturing makes more products than service. Similarly, a business that has automated production will be much more productive than one with labour-intensive production, since machines are able to mass produce more products than individual workers. A business can try to improve labour productivity by using motivational tools such as bonuses. Training can also be used to add productivity to workers, and business plans help staff work more efficiently. The business can also buy new equipments to improve productivity of their workers. Another measurement is health and safety. As it is one of the motivational factor, the quality of health and safety at the workplace can affect the staff. The better the health and safety standard, the better the staff will perform. The business must consider the possible causes of poor health and safety, such as poor equipment, dangerous environment and also the poor training in the matter. Labour turnover can also be used to measure a company’s workforce. Labour turnover is the proportion of staff leaving the business over a period of time, usually each year. A company can lose their staff due to de-motivation, retirement, social factors, better opportunity elsewhere ,or that the employee wants to start their won business. Staff leaving can also be involuntarily as their positions become redundant or they are fired due to performance. A high labour turnover is generally not good because it spawns many problems such as the loss of productive capacity, the costs and the time taken to recruit new staff, and the extra training and induction programmes to new employees. However, new staff can bring benefits such as introduction of new ideas to the business, or more efficient workers. Absenteeism is another measurement to the company’s workforce, as it tells managers how much their staff go on break from work. This can be a substantial problem for the business, because production output will suffer if employees are absent, projects will run into delays, and the quality of products affected due to the lack of staff. There are many other costs associated with absent staff, such as sick pay, and temporary staff pay, which is often expensive. Absenteeism also cause de-motivation in the business, as other employees will have to take the work load of the absent employees. To lower the level of absenteeism, the business can issue fines to absent staff, improve the safety of the work environment so staff would want to be at work, and improve their motivational methods. British Sugar uses a range of performance indicators to evaluate and improve their performance. SMART targets are a set of criteria that are based on the specific words: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-specific. These criteria are applied in the process of making goals and objectives, to maximise the business chances of obtaining them. Punctuality is the characteristic of being able to complete a required task or fulfill an obligation before or at a previously designated time. Attendance is the frequency with which a person is present. An appraisal system, or performance management, is a proactive and continuous process of communicating and clarifying role responsibilities, performance expectations and priorities in order to ensure mutual understanding between managers and employees. It is very useful as it is both a motivational strategy and a review system where mangers can assess their employees. The appraisal system would fulfill the employees’ social and recognition needs according Maslow’ theories, motivating to work harder to achieve more and be more recognised. The system is not without flaws, however. The appraisal system can be very costly, requiring a lot of administrative work, and is time-consuming. It is also exposed to favouritism. Managers can tend to trust and praise some employees more than others, causing distrust discontentment among team members.