Featured Post

Battle of Megiddo - World War I - Palestine

Skirmish of Megiddo - World War I - Palestine The Battle of Megiddo was battled September 19 to October 1, 1918, during World War I (1914...

Monday, September 30, 2019

Cornea Transplant Essay

BIOLOGY ESSAY Discuss the role of Human transplants in society There are many types of organs in our body. Each organ has their own function and they are important. If an organ is damaged or diseased, without medical help, a person could die. The cornea is very special and is an important part of human body. It helps to protect the rest of the eye from germs, dust, and other harmful matter. The cornea acts as the eye’s outermost lens. It functions like a window that controls and focuses the entry of light into the eye. The cornea also serves as a filter, screening out some of the mist damaging ultraviolet wavelengths in sunlight.Without this protection, the lens and the retina would be highly susceptible to injury from ultraviolet radiation. (SOLL EYE) A cornea transplant is a surgical procedure to replace part of the cornea with corneal tissue from a deceased donor. Cornea transplant apply for people who have vision problem caused by thinning of the cornea, severe infections or injuries to scarring of the cornea or vision loss caused by cloudiness of the cornea. The method of cornea surgery is complex. Sometimes, the body rejects the transplant tissue. This occurs in a small number of patients (The New York Times).It occurs in about one out of three patients in the first five years (Medline Plus). According to Alabama Eye Bank, more than 90% of cornea transplant operations successfully restore the recipient’s vision. Other dangers for a corneal transplant are bleeding, infection of the eye, Glaucoma (high pressure in the eye than can cause vision loss) and swelling of the front of the eye (Medline Plus). Certainly, the medical provider would take every possible precaution to prevent such complications because it can permanently damage the eyes.The surgery consists of the removal of a circular piece of the affected cornea and replacing it with a piece of donor cornea of exactly the same size or shape. It is sewn into place with very fine stitches. Eyes are never removed or replaced during the operation. The body can reject the new cornea sometimes and this is a very negative result of this surgery. 3% to 5% people get scarred and swollen in their eyes after the surgery according to Dr. Paul Driver. However, there are still some positive about the corneal surgery. It mproves people’s vision and has a positive impact on their social and educational development (SOLL EYE). There are many benefits for patients who receive a cornea transplant. The recovery time of corneal transplant is faster than other transplants. People who get the transplant can leave the hospital in a day. With almost all the other surgeries and other transplants, they require people to be hospitalized. Also, the success probability of cornea transplant is higher than other surgeries and patients enjoy good vision for many years (Winchester Hospital). Although the transplant has many benefits, it also has some limitations.In some cases, the body rejec ts the new cornea. Recognizing the warning signs of problems is the best way to prevent corneal transplant rejection. Those symptoms are redness, pain, sensitive to light and decreased vision that last more than 12 hours (Cleveland Clinic). Also, cornea infections are still be a problem that science is trying to prevent. Eye drops are used to prevent infection but also prevent rejection. Rejection can be stopped in most cases, especially if it is diagnosed and treated timely. If treatment fails, another transplant will be needed.However, it is more difficult and the chances of success are not as good as with the first transplant (net doctor). And still, there are cases when a donor cornea cannot be found to use in the transplant, because the donors are not available. In Europe, an Opt-out approach has the greatest impact on the number of preventable deaths that occur because of the lack of donated organs. This approach requires each individual to make a minor action in declaring his or her desire to refrain from donating according to Opt-out laws. Family do not involve in this, it would not make any changes unless that person say no to donation.In the United States, the system is the opposite of Opt-out, and it is called Opt-In. Many states find a way to encourage the donations to be made by allowing the agreement to be noted on the driver’s license. Donor signs up for an individual’s wish to be a donor. Individual people have to say yes to be a donor. This means the number of donors starts from a small number. It is a pure consent system rather than an extended opt-out system. (NHSBT) There are more than 10 million people waiting for corneas but there are less people contribute corneas (Sight Life).Some people don’t want to contribute it because of their religious beliefs make them think they cannot contribute anything on their body after death. Most people think that dead people do not need their organs anymore; they should give them to someone who does and prefer an Opt-out approach. The cornea transplant costs a lot of money. According to Eye Surgery Center, it costs 7500 to 10000 dollars to get a cornea transplant. This expensive price also can be a problem. Some poor people cannot get the transplant because they do not have enough money. The situation can cause people to commit robbery.Even some people kidnap because of this expensive operation prices. For example, on NTD Television in China on Aug. 1, 2012, there was a report about a Korean couple that visited China and the woman was kidnapped. After few days, the woman was found dead with all of her organs removed. This kind of situation is a very serious problem. People commit crimes because of this expensive price that they cannot afford it. Over 111000 people need organ transplants. Thousands of people die each year before a transplant can be located and people have to wait for a long time.Increasing the number of donors would help end the needless sufferi ng and would save lives. I know it’s hard to think about what are going to happen to your body after you die, but being an organ donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that can be a lifesaver. Citation: â€Å"Corneal Transplant Improves Vision and Daily Life for Some Children. † American Academy of Opthalmology . American Academy of Opthalmology , 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Cornea transplant. † MedlinePlus. MedlinePlus, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Community, Health, You don't need your eyes when you're dead but there people do. UPWORTHY. UPWORTHY, 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Corneal Problems . † SOLL EYE . SOLL EYE, 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Corneal Transplantation. † netdoctor. netdoctor, 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Corneal conditions and diseases. † Cleveland Clinic . Cleveland Clinic, 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Corneal Transplant . † Winchester Hospital . Winchester Hospital, 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. Developed by, RelayHealth. â€Å"Corneal Transplant. † CRS – Adult Health Advisor (2012): 1. Health Source – Consumer Edition. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Education and Training, Myths and Facts about Cornea Transplant . † Alabama Eye Bank.Alabama Eye Bank, 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Corneal Transplantation. † Eye Surgery Center. Eye Surgery Center, 2009. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Health Guide, Corneal Transplant. † The New York Times. The New York Times, 5 Feb. 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Something about Organ Donation. † Donation after Death. Donation after Death, 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. â€Å"The Traffickers . † NTD Television. NTD Television , 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. â€Å"The World Through New Eyes. † SightLife. SightLife, 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Why do donors tick the opt-out box for eye? .† BBC News. BBC News, 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Development And Importance Of Youth Cultural Consumption

Introduction Consumption is a pivotal component in economies of regions, countries, cities, towns, and other localities. This is premised on the fact that consumption is a function of an area’s economic standing. The young people are affected by the identity mission, an issue which makes them big spenders. Identity is an aspect which is based on perceptions within different contexts (Kjeldgaard, 2002). The youth culture in the marketing world is held as a prototypical illustration of a global segment (Hassan and Katsanis, 2001).This has led to the labels like the Gen X, the teen segment, baby busters, etc. These sub sets of society stem from the uniform consumption styles adopted by the group. The sharing f such consumer behavior across the world is thought to be behind the development of the world youth sub culture growth. The spaces present in different localities where the youth conduct their lives are however hugely ignored (Kjeldgaard, 2002). Globalization creates an expl osion in the product and image market.The young consumers are generally responsive to world trends as compared to the other sub groups in the society. he different sub cultures and lifestyles across the globe continue to fragment though it seems like the youth segment of society continue to merge in reference to the pursuit of identity as reflected in their consumption habits. However, the notion of the young has changed over time shifting from its empirical sense to the cultural sense (Kjeldgaard, 2002). The identity construction in the youth is the largest consequence occasioned by youth consumer culture. However, in other localities it remains hugely latent in nature since it arises from primary meditation (Kjeldgaard, 2002).The youth consumer culture greatly impacts on the development of economies in a variety of ways. To begin with, the youth sub culture leads to an increased demand for various products, secondly, the sub culture occasions the growth of other services like adve rtising and marketing, thirdly, the sub culture expands the job market (Hassan and Katsanis, 2001). The youth as indicated above present a consumer oriented group. This is so because of their responsive nature to world trends. Unlike the old generation, the youth spends a lot of their income.The income due to the youth is however not always earned as a number of this generation may be dependent on the older generation for upkeep. However, the working class younger generation is known for their pursuit of fashion, an attribute which predisposes them to heavy expenditure (Hassan and Katsanis, 2001). This aspect implies that the youth forces the demand for luxury and fashion goods to higher levels. If a city is a big producer of the luxury or goods in the line of youth attraction, then such a city is likely to develop.The city or country will definitely have to expand on production with a view to meeting the rising demand or the products in question. however, if the country which offer s residence to the a youth which does not work though it spends, this may be a drain on the economy as a lot of money is spent on consumption instead of having such funds being channeled to investment. This will affect the future development of a city or a nation in the long run. In the same line, if the city or country does not produce the goods demanded by the younger generation, it means such a destination will have to rely on imports to meet the demand.Imports may be cheap; however, in the long run they will have an adverse effect on the country’s balance of payments (Hassan and Katsanis, 2001). This does not augur well for the development of any region whether a city or a country. The other effect of the consumer culture attributable to the youth segment of society as identified above rests on its ability to ignite the development and growth of other industries. Consumption is affected by a host of factors. Advertising and marketing present such factors.Every producer in tends to sell; selling depends on the level of awareness that pervades the ground concerning product emergence or availability. Advertisements are very creative and have developed to all time highs as marketers try to outwit each other. The result of the consumerism nature of the youth has thus led to the expansion and growth of marketing and advertising in different countries and cities (Hassan and Katsanis, 2001). The youth sub culture as realized remains consumption focused; as a result, the group is under no illusions as it must seek employment to support its activities.This inculcates a hard motif into the group in the pursuit of finances to fund their projects. In this pursuit, towns, cities, and countries benefit from a high number of competent individuals entering to the labor force. An increased number to the labor force has a variety of benefits to every society. Conclusion This paper finds out that the youth sub culture has a number of effects on the economies of towns, c ities and countries. The effects are two-fold as the culture leads to both beneficial and adverse effects, however, with good planning; the youth sub culture is a useful segment which helps in the development of an economy.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

International Competitive Status and Cross Culture Management of Essay

International Competitive Status and Cross Culture Management of Revlon Inc - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Revlon Inc.’s market share for cosmetics has dropped since 1998, and the company showed only one quarter as profitable from the last 8 years. The company’s growth started suffering in the 90s when the entire cosmetic industry sale to the retailers declined due to heavy competition. It is observed that the global cosmetic industry has been experiencing constant growth from 2009, but fall down in 2013. Revlon Inc.’s profits and income signifies that the company growth has been unstable. Revlon Inc. has developed its reputation in the cosmetic industry in areas like fragrance, skin care, and personal care. The company is also looking forward to business growth and various beneficial opportunities. The company’s data has given sufficient proof that in the near future, Revlon Inc. will grow positively and it will become the most valuable company as it was before. It is observed that company focus too much on profit ability in personal care products; they should also support corporate social responsibility by sponsoring events for woman’s health issues. The decision for choosing Revlon Inc. was a rationale for the rise and fall of cosmetic industry came into knowledge. The cosmetic industries sale and distribution are spread among various different countries. There are huge competitors in this industry and Revlon Inc. plays an important part in this competition. They compete with the competitors in terms of net income, goodwill, brand name, social responsibility etc. Revlon Inc. in all these categories has played a very important role and at the same time, the company has ensured for constant growth and survival in the industry.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Mini project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mini project - Essay Example ..8 Competence and qualification of the teacher†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8 Student’s factor that affect effectiveness of learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 The level of the student’s memory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Student’s practice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 Engagement of the student with real life situations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 References list†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 Questionnaire to the respondents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Questionnaires coding†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 What factors are important to UEL unde... In learning, ones knowledge capacity is increased, there are some tendencies of changing of beliefs, behaviors considering the lessons learnt. It is not just anybody who learns about something get the experience and the skills. This calls for an effective learning from the learner. Many have learnt but they have not benefited from the learning. What might have caused it, is it they did not learn effectively or they were not lucky. There are various notions about his and many reaches have been done about the topic and every research tends to come with the best ways to get a lesson out of learning. However, the basic reason why people tend to fail to get the best out of learning is because they did not learn effectively. One may wonder what is effective learning. Everybody has a different perceptive when it comes to effective learning. However, all the different perspectives of effective learning come from the different factors that affect effective learning. This paper tries to consid er these various factors those UEL undergraduate students consider to be the ones that leads to effective learning. The research question wishes to identify the various factor that leads to effective learning, and if these factors are determined by age, the school, or the students. As part of the objectives, the research wishes to put up together these various factors so that UEL students can get the best out of their learning. Methodology The research employed sampling design which is a definite plan for obtaining a sample of a given population. In the sampling design, probability sampling will be used where every item in the population has an equal chance of inclusion in the sample. Among the reasons for

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Part (a) Outline the argument that there is increasing uncertainty Essay

Part (a) Outline the argument that there is increasing uncertainty about identity in contemporary society. Part (b) How much control do we have in shaping our o - Essay Example This helps to send signals to others how we want to be seen as. A document like a passport signifies that you belong to a particular nation, even though the physical appearance may have changed over a period of years. Identities are formed depending upon how I see me and how others see me. Identities are the product of the society in which we live and how we relate to others. Conflicting and multiple identities also develop when the same person exhibits different characteristics or attributes as a parent, husband, or an employee at different times, in different situations. There is also a connection between how I want to be and the influences, pressures, and oppurtunities around that affect me. Conflicting identity can also arise when how I see myself differs from how others see me. The organization of society is important in shaping our identity. Louis Althusser emphasizes that interpellation links the individual to the social. Interpellation is a process in which the people recognize themselves in a particular identity, for instance, people identify themselves as ‘that’ when they see a particular advertisement. Social scientists relate work based identities to class. A class is a group of people who share common interest, experiences, and lifestyles. Different economic systems create different social groups, which involves some degree of inequality. The unequal distribution of materials creates different social class. Gender relations are another source of inequality. Men are considered the breadwinner and women’s identity is merely an extension of their role as wives, homemakers, and mothers. Hence, distribution of work between men and women also carries these marks and identities. Young children need to know whether they are boy or girl. Gender identity is constructed not just through the biological body but also through the social and cultural classification system. Social class provides a sense of belonging and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

SBU Objective and Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SBU Objective and Goals - Essay Example Reposition Strongbow Cider in the Australian market and try to capture market share of the particular segment by new product launches. Introduce the brand in the US and selected European market, which have a strong potential for this kind of product sales. Develop the brand in South Eastern markets like China and Malaysia by effective product penetration and repositioning the brand. Introduce Strongbow Cider in emerging markets like India which has a huge youth population. Recommended Strategies Recommendation of strategies is similar to envisioning the desired upshot for and organization or SBU in a perfectly planned and well designed manner2 (Jurgen C Schmidt and Martyn Laycock, 2011). The most important theory that comes in to play in this context is the Ansoff Matrix, which has been associated with designing organizational growth strategies with relation to identification and development of new and existing products and markets. A very crucial part of it involves around the devel opment of new product in an effort to capture an existing market or even a market. At times, product development is needed to capture the minds of the customers and to promote innovativeness in the product. An innovative product which gives the company with some growth in product sales is worth the financial and manpower expenses that are associated with the product development3 (Queensland Government, 2011). Many a times, product innovation is promoted in response to market research that is conducted over a particular geographical area, region or location. At times, innovative ideas related to the product development originate even at the shop floors, which is then taken up for consideration by the top officials4 (Gary Yakimov and Lindsey Woolsey, 2010). Also another important factor is the price, when a new product is launched in a new market. Choosing the right kind of pricing technique in the strategic marketing and business plan is very essential when it comes to placing the pr oduct in a completely new market. In the UK market, the brand Strongbow has a high recall amongst the consumers and is continuously trying to connect with the target audience by promoting the brand strongly by using the social media like Facebook and Twitter5 (James Hall, 2011). So as a part of the recommended strategy for the UK segment, it is advisable to hold and retain the strong brand recall that the brand has in the market through continuous efforts of connecting with the young target audience by organizing various marketing and promotional campaigns. For the Australian market, which happens to be the home ground for the brand, it is recommended that a new variation of the product, which will be a part of the product development process, has to be introduced under the same brand as an effort to appeal to the consumers of the local market. It has also been point of discussion in various reports that Strongbow cider is available for distribution only in markets of UK, China, Mal aysia and Singapore. So it can be said that the product is opting for selective market distribution and as a part of the previously designed strategy, the US and some of the key European markets have been left out. But in order to develop and position the brand in a global manner, and to increase the recall for this brand from consumers all over the globe, it is considered increasingly essential to promote the brand of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Discuss what funerary art and architecture reveal about Roman social Research Paper

Discuss what funerary art and architecture reveal about Roman social issues - Research Paper Example Other pieces include symbols of a particular god or goddess who may have been something like patron saints for Romans who were poly-deists. Just like funerals nowadays have evolved to include slide shows of the deceased’s life and symbols of his/her accomplishments, Roman funerary art served to honor the person who had passed from one life to the next, but it also represents what the Romans valued: wealth, status, family, and the favor of the gods. Some of the most historically revealing funerary pieces represent the wealthy Romans, who had paintings, busts and statues of themselves and their families made in their likenesses. Some were placed at their tombs. Others were kept in the doma, the home, in a special place devoted just for the worship of deities and the commemoration of those who had passed. These paintings and sculptures looked amazingly like the person. At least they are less idealized than the commemorative pieces done for the lower ranked Romans. Often the pieces done for the wealthier Romans were commissioned at or near the time of death, or so it is presumed, because modern day methods of determining this say that the statues and busts resemble the person at the time of death more than in life. Consider the funerary portraiture from Roman Egypt. â€Å"Apparently these portraits were not made for display during the sitter’s life; comparison of the images with CAT scans of the remains inside these mummie s makes it clear that the portraits represent the deceased at the age of death† (Daily Life in Ancient Rome p. 145). To get a lifelike replica, or something close to it, of a loved one just before that loved one passed away, cost a lot of money. So, if Romans had enough money and status, they could commission an artist to render that image which they could use to not only honor the loved one but also to remember what that person looked like much like how a photograph is used today. Even Romans with less wealth and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Awarness-raising and selling Investors in people Assignment

Awarness-raising and selling Investors in people - Assignment Example Advertising entails paying to ensure dissemination of information that identifies well a brand, service or product, or an organization that is promoted to massive customer base at one time. As economies grow, advertising become more important, since more consumers or buyers have the income as a result advertising can get positive results; good and efficient advertising results costs money. Advertising campaigns should have a clear defined objective. Advertisements should grow out of the investor’s overall marketing strategies and the promotion jobs assigned to the advertising agency. Advertising objective must be more precise rather than personal selling objectives. The marketing agencies’ specific objectives and well formulated budget can accomplish the following to investors: assist position the investors’ brand by persuading and informing target customers about its benefits; introduce new products and service to specific target markets; obtain desirable outlets or inform customers where they can acquire or buy a product; avail on-going contacts with targeted customers, in case when salespersons are not available; make way for salespersons by availing the company’s identity and the benefits of its products; obtain immediate buying action; assist in maintaining relationships with the satisfied customers and encouraging more purchases; and building more trust relationships with the client base (Pride and Ferrell, 2010). The advertising objectives determine the two basic types of advertising, institutional or product. The Product advertising targets selling of the product and includes competitive, reminder, and pioneering advertisement. The Institutional advertising promotes an organization’s reputation, ideas, and image instead of a particular product. Pioneering advertising is in developing primary demand for particular product category instead of the demand for a particular brand; usually at early

Sunday, September 22, 2019

CRH the Strategic Positioning and Direction Essay

CRH the Strategic Positioning and Direction - Essay Example As the discussion highlight, CRH through its core business of building material products has positioned itself as a market leader by acquiring promising established firms in diverse markets both locally and globally. The firm has also evolved a stratagem of varying its expansion in varied geographic, merchandise and diverse sectors hence spreading or securing a financial stability from the different regions while offering expansion prospects. This has enabled the firm to surpass other companies within the same industry through its unique competitive advantage. In this regard, CRH acquisition or expansion unto the US market has greatly propelled its growth as the region has become its main growth market from the 1990s. Nevertheless the domestic Irish market has been dominated by CRH with a 60 percent share of the cement market that generates a 40 percent return on net assets reflecting the vibrant Irish building segment and minimal mechanized company tax at 12.5 percent and the profou ndly devalued chattels. One of CRH’s management stratagems is the operation of a federal structure consisting of undersized core home office and four regional product oriented segments. CRH has thus encouraged autonomous management utilising local market familiarity of the local managers to take advantage of local market knowledge while maintaining a tight leash on company guidelines and rules. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management advocates the application of the Balanced Scorecard framework to evaluate various growth sectors in an organisation. This encompasses a transformation stratagem into functioning conditions by evaluating a complete assortment of perceptions including: financial, clients, in-house, and information and development. CRH uses a similar strategy by closely monitoring its various divisions and regions. CRH espouses a thorough move towards projects appraisals, progress and reassessment.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Radical Alien And The Winnipeg General Strike Of 1919 Essay Example for Free

The Radical Alien And The Winnipeg General Strike Of 1919 Essay In the spring of 1919, the residents of Winnipeg witnessed the most traumatic and biggest general strike in the history of the Canadian labor force. It took almost six tense week of anxiety and fear for almost all business sector including banks, food delivery, telephones, power, water, fire services, and mail were either reduced or extremely cut off by the strike of non- union workers and local union members from the public and the private sector.   The strike was eventually sparked by an argument or dispute between the metal workers and their superiors;   and quickly assimilated throughout the city’s work force, and further aggravated by unemployment, ideological ferment, and discontents over inflation. In 1914, right after the World War I, Canada was snapped out of the pre war season by sending and shipping foodstuffs worth millions of dollar and almost half a million troops to the front not to mention ammunitions to Europe. These eventually eliminated unemployment that resulted in a tremendous boost on the Canada’s economy. But the prosperity Canada has gained were soon replaced by inflation due to high overhead costs in the economy, the result of regional imbalance was eminent since the heightened demands for goods and services dropped down since the demand also went down, the number of demobilized troops, and severe unemployment were all contributing factors. Those workers who retained their jobs were agitated for a considerable amount of wages to balance their standard of living with inflation. But those who were not given such grew restless across Canada and talks of forming a One Big Union to subsequently oppose capitalism were conceived. The concept of forming such was inspired by the 1917 Russian Revolution and the rise of the British Labour Party. Later in 1919, Winnipeg became the center of dispute and agitation when the workers in the metal trades and building found both their union’s standing and wage demand completely rejected by their employers. As a consequence, the metal workers moved for a strike by the beginning of May. The move quickly caught the attention and sympathy of the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council or WTLC, which was the umbrella organization of all local labor groups. The WTLC members unanimously endorsed the plight of the metal workers and eventually called for a nationwide strike on May 15. It brought Canada to witness the biggest strike over an industrial conflict with such magnitude compassing almost 30,000 workers- most of them were strategically and locally positioned at the center of the economy. The strike was opposed by politicians and the business class, and was considered by some as the product of the radical aliens who wanted to undermine and cause restlessness to political and social values. It was perceived as a conspiracy aimed to dismantle the foundation of the nation To counter act the strike, they created a committee of One Thousand to restore the order and challenge the strikers: such as dismissing the police force who joined the strike and recruiting a special 2,000- man force to eradicate the strike. The federal government also acted on deporting British –born strike leaders through the Immigration Act. It was a big event in such a way the activity went on national and international news. During the six-week strike, several leaders of the Central Strike Committee were apprehended and jailed outside the city. This made the WTLC furious and defied the ban on conducting parades. The members actually protested in front of the city hall wherein they were dispersed by the federal troops and the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. According to Radforth, â€Å"the result was catastrophic for hundreds of protesters were injured and one striker died. The event was termed Bloody Saturday.† 1 The strike was officially called to a halt on June 26. The metal workers returned to their respective works with no pay increase. Some, belonging to the other work- force, were rehired only after making a pledge that they will not participate to any forms of protest. The others were deported, imprisoned, and lost their jobs. Though the workers did not meet their demands, the strike proved to be invaluable to the Canadian work force. Legislation soon created an act that obliged employers to honor and recognized the right of the workers for collective bargaining through their union. Eventually in 1920, 11 labor candidates won a slate in the Manitoba legislature, 4 of them were strike leaders. At that year, a person named James Woodsworth, was the pioneer independent Labor MP elected at Ottawa and then later became the founding leader of the so- called Co- operative Commonwealth Federation, now known as the New Democratic Party today. The General Strike of 1919 proved to be the turning point in the Canadian labor force. The event made legislators to create an act for the plight of the workers in terms of collective bargaining through their union. The event resulted in formidable changes in the working conditions of the Canadian work force and left an influential legacy in the heart and mind of the workers. References Laurel S. Macdowell, and Ian Radforths, â€Å"Canadian Working Class History. The Radical Alien and the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919† .Canadian Scholar’s Press. 3rd edition. March 2006.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Importance of Employer Branding

Importance of Employer Branding Employer Branding 1.0 Introduction: Employer Branding is the most critical people management topic in todays flattened global business environment. The economic downturn has further brought attention to the importance of people in delivering the brand promise. Increasingly the shareholder value of a company rests in its intangible assets e.g. its people, reputation and culture. Organizations spend millions on their corporate brand. But how much do they invest in their Employer Brand? Employer branding plays an important role in attracting and retaining talent in the face of a shrinking talent pool. HR professionals are considered primarily responsible for employer branding initiatives, with most of the companies reporting HR as one of the key stakeholders in employer brand management. While employer branding is predominantly seen as the domain of HR, marketing also plays an important role 2.0 Literature review: 2.1 What is Branding? It is a way to package information about functional attributes, economic value, and psychological benefits so its easily understood and absorbed by the target audience. Marketers today engage in two different types of branding namely external branding and employer (internal) branding. The latter yet to pick up in full speed, has tremendous potential in this increasingly competitive scenario. 2.2 External Branding Defining External Branding: The image that an organization projects to consumers, suppliers, investors, and the public. An external brand gives information on the attributes of the goods or services to current and potential buyers. It answers questions such as: 2.3 Internal Branding Defining Employer Branding: The image that employees have about what what type of employer an organization is. Whether the brand is explicit or implicit- and even if it has not been deliberately developed- every organization has an internal brand. An Employer Brand (or Internal Brand) gives current and potential employees information about the employment experience and what is expected of them. It answers questions such as: Employer branding can be defined as â€Å"a form of the corporate branding by which companies establish an image of services they provide, in order to attract or motivate employees† (Bates, 2001).The below provides an overview of the different types of branding. Product branding focuses on communication to customers about the companys products. Corporate branding communicates the companys financial results to the stakeholders. In the marketing literature, the importance of reconciling perceptions of the firms internal and external image in managing the congruence of all brand messages has been recognized (Dukerich and Carter 2000; Duncan and Moriarty 1998). Not only does this positively influence the perceptions of these messages among employees, potential employees, and customers, but it also ensures that employees are ‘properly aligned with the brand and what it represents (Keller 2002). This allows employees to ‘live the brand and reinforces corporate values and expectations of performance among new and existing employees (Ind 2001). Ind also recognizes that some companies have de facto employer brands without a formalized marketing approach. However, at a time when the financial markets are increasingly recognizing human capital as a source of value for firms and shareholders (Cairncross 2000); Michaels et al. (2001) propose the explicit development and communication of the Employee Value P roposition (EVP) to attract and retain talented employees. Clearly, there are a number of different marketing inputs that contribute towards the formation of the employer brand, from the development of an EVP to recruitment marketing plans, and outputs which may require advertising, press coverage, sponsorship, word-of-mouth endorsement and contacts with employees (Kennedy 1977; Dowling 1994 2002; Stuart 1999). In this way, the formation of the employer brand image is closely associated with the firm in its role as an employer. In the recruitment literature, Gatewood et al. (1993) find that the employer brand image is a particularly significant predictor of early decisions made by new recruits about their employers. Turban et al (1998) find that employer brand image positively influences both applicant perceptions of recruiter behaviors and post-interview job and organizational attributes. As to how potential recruits form images of a particular organization, the phenomenon of signaling has been investigated and found to have an influence on employer brand image, particularly in the early stages of the recruitment process (Taylor Bergmann, 1987). That is, recruitment experiences are taken as ‘signals of unknown organisational characteristics (Barber, 1998; Rynes, Bretz and Gerhart 1991). For example, job applicants may infer employer brand values based on their recruitment materials e.g. an organization that emphasizes promotion and salary may be perceived as valuing dedication to career (Honeycutt Rosen 1997). Also, Goltz and Giannantonio (1995) found that recruits infer more positive characteristics about an organization when exposed to a friendly recruiter than an unfriendly one. Moreover, Rynes, Bretz and Gerhart (1991) find that line employees have a bigger signaling impact than staff recruiters and that both are conditioned by the feedback of applicants regarding their impressions of the employer brand image. Very often employer branding is thought to be restricted to recruitment communications and only be concerned with the attraction of employees. In reality however, this is not the case. An employer brand explains how the organisation has been communicating and engaging with all of its stake holders be it current, prospective or past employees. Another critical thing to be noticed is that unlike other branding initiatives, an employer brand is not a true brand in its own right. It is not something envisioned and executed by recruitment and advertising agencies that stands alone and separate. An employer brand will be successful only if it operates in conjunction with the organisations corporate and consumer brands. It therefore becomes pertinent to find a connect between employer brand and the existing brands and reflect the behaviours exhibited throughout the organisation, to investors and consumers. It should be able to bring out the real and the aspirational truth about working in an organisation and mirror the values that are exhibited through the external corporate and consumer brands. If there is a disconnect between the two, the ‘brand promise that is given to new employees will vanish as the reality of working in a very different organisation to the one promised. The roots of the concept of employer branding stretch back to the 1990s. However, due to uncomfortable market conditions and a grim recession, the concept could not flourish completely and it has only been in the last five years that employer branding has become a major force. In 1996, Simon Barrow and Tim Ambler gave this definition: We define the Employer Brand as the package of functional, economic and psychological Benefits provided by employment and identified with the employing company. The most significant role of employer branding is to provide a comprehensive framework for management to be able to define priorities, increase productivity and improve recruitment, retention and commitment. Employer branding may seem superficial from a certain point of view, since it is not directly helping in increasing the sales s and thus impacting bottom lines but it is definitely here to stay. Organisations have realised that its people provide one of the few distinct competitive differentiators in todays world. Good talent management makes sense and employer branding is an important part of an organisations armoury from now on. In order to be able to create a successful employer brand, there are three critical stakeholders who must be involved. Senior management: to give insight into the vision, strategic intent, core objectives, competition landscape and understanding of consumers attitudes towards the organisation. Key employee groups: in order to give opinions on the activities that take place on the work floor, benefits, management and communication within the organisation. Relevant external labour pools: to highlight their understanding of an organisation, any roadblocks to success and perception of the organisation in the market. Like all other kinds of branding exercises, employer branding does and will pay off. Following are some benefits to a good employer branding exercise: True differentiation in campuses from where recruitment is done Enthusiastic and aspirational set of messages to be sent out to potential as well as existing employees Mainting a brand consistency through the candidate/new starter journey A better understanding of how the organization is perceived externally Higher engagement levels for the existing employees Financial returns can also be observed in the long run through efficient employer branding practices. If the right kind of employer branding exercise is done, it will lead to a reduction in the amount of money needed to invest to bring good people into the business. The Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is an important outcome of employer brand. It essentially comprises of the promise that the organization makes to current, future and potential employees. In the process of defining an employer brand, the organizations EVP is automatically created. For example, on a recent employer branding project for HSBC, it was found that the central tenet of the organisation was the investment in, and development of, their employees. The organisation invests hugely in its people, there are opportunities to work locally, nationally and internationally. Because of these reasons the EVP that was developed for HSBC was ‘Here you can. As mentioned earlier, Employer branding is not just about reaching potential employees but also about the existing ones. It is about an employer promise which is consistently carried through all stages of employees experiences of that organisation through recruitment processes, into employment and then even after having left the organization. There is a strong correlation between the engagement and commitment levels and the different stages in the lifecyle of the tenure in an organization. An employee who joins an organisation with an exemplary EVP will exhibit high levels of commitment compared to if he were joining the organization with a poor EVP. After a year, if the EVP is correctly managed, commitment will fall but not as low as the commitment level in organisations with a poor EVP. 2.4 Current Scenario A lot of work has been done on employer branding, its importance, characteristics etc. Firms from diverse industry sectors have formally defined, and are strategically managing, their employer brands. There is no doubt that many practitioners view having a successful employer brand as desirable but there has not been much progress on measuring the effectiveness of employer branding. Quantifying employer branding is very critical from new talent point of view as an â€Å"index† is psychologically better conceived and also making a comparison among organizations. Currently analytics companies such as Hewitt Associates and Mercer conduct surveys for the best employer brands once every year based on certain parameters. However, these surveys are valid only for a certain period of time and there is no mechanism to compute the value of an employer brand at any other point of time. 2.5 Absence of Measurement of Effectiveness of Employer Branding: Sixty-two percent of respondents to a recent survey said they support employer brand initiatives, but only 24% have metrics in place to measure these initiatives. The research was conducted by the Bernard Hodes Global Network. Not surprisingly, â€Å"The study reveals that a key driver for employer brand development is the need to acquire talent in a competitive global market,† said Alan Schwartz, president and CEO. Other findings of the research include: The most frequently cited key expectations of employer branding were â€Å"ease in attracting candidates† (84%) and â€Å"recognition as employer of choice†(82%). Ninety-four percent of respondents use their corporate Web sites more than other channels, such as printed materials, to promote the employer brand. Seventy-nine percent of respondents reported that HR is one of the key stakeholders in managing the employee brand. 3.0 Research Objective The objective of the research is to develop a quantitative frame work on employer branding of organizations. As a first phase of this work, I would first identify key metrics to measure employer branding. The second phase of the study would develop a generic framework which would help new talent and/or organization to calculate the index of a brand as an employer. 4.0 Rationale Such a mathematical framework would help to estimate and compare the value of an employer brand at any point of time that would benefit all the stakeholders including current employees, potential recruits, competitors etc. It would enable organizations to understand if their efforts are in the right direction and how they stand vis-a-vis their competitors 5.0 Hypothesis All organizations make efforts to establish themselves as sought after employer brands. However, the perception of the employer brand varies from person to person be it a new talent or an existing employee. 6.0 Research Questions Identifying key attributes that employees/ new talent consider important when looking at an organization as an employer brand. Relative weightages given to the attributes identified above Developing an index to calculate comparable values for various employer brands across industries Research Methodology Research Design The study was divided in two phases. First phase was focussed on conducting an in depth secondary research along with qualitative primary research to identify wide range of attributes or metrics which impact employer branding of an organization. This was followed by the designing of questionnaire targeted at final year students at various post graduate colleges. The second phase of the study further analyzes the collected data to build up a mathematical relationship between these set of attributes and index of employer branding. The index would be a guide for new recruits to quantify the employer brand and also help them to compare employer branding of different employers. A total of 3 focus group discussions were conducted, which had respondents who were in their final year of graduation and could also be looked at as potential employment seekers. The participants in the FGD were students from management institutes like MICA, Lal Bahadur Shastri (Delhi) and Fore School (Delhi). Each group lasted for about approximately 90 minutes. The discussion guide contained questions about the respondents ‘ideal workplaces, naming the organizations that they would like to work for and the reasons for it, the attributes considered while considering potential employers, employers that they would least be interested in along with the reasons for it. The discussion finally concluded with the means and methods by which the students finally go about for seeking employment. The main objective of conducting focus group discussions was to come up with a set of attributes that capture all important aspects of employer branding. Through these focus group discussions I was able to arrive at a set of 48 attributes, all of which seemed extremely important from an ideal work place point of view. The following are the attributes that emerged from the various FGDs.: A friendly and informal working environment An attractive overall compensation package (Basic, HRA, LTA) (fixed component) Application of knowledge Bonuses (Variable Component) Brand name of the organization Customer-orientation Emotional attachment with organization Encouragement for new initiatives Feel good factor with the organization Financial Health of Company Flexible working schedule Frequency of appraisal cycle Gaining career-enhancing experience Global alignment of the organization (MNC) Good relationship with colleagues Good relationship with superiors Growth opportunities Humanitarian organisation gives back to society Impression formed by recruiters of the organization Industry in which company operates Innovative employer novel work practices Innovative products and services Internationally diverse mix of colleagues Job Content Job content and satisfaction Job security within the organization Knowledge sharing opportunities Knowledgeable supervisor Leadership style of supervisor Non-monitory benefits (medical check-ups, insurance at work place, club memberships, maternity/ paternity leave) Opportunities for overseas exposure Positive feedback from current or previous employees Products (essentials, luxury etc) Quality of Top Management Reputation of the organization Rewards recognition Scope for creativity Scope for lateral movement Stock Options Stress-free working environment Supportive and encouraging colleagues Supportive supervisor Synchronization between corporate goals and employee future plans Training and development of its employees Vision of Leadership Website of the organization Working hours/ week Working in shifts All these attributes were tested in the survey instrument to arrive at the final set of metrices for measuring the value of employer branding. Employer Branding in Times of Recession There are various points of views on how recession has impacted employer branding. On one hand, the thought process says that recession has increased the human resources because of widespread layoffs and thus made employer branding relatively less important. During the recession periods, one of the primary objectives in all the organizations was to increase the top lines while managing to reduce the bottom lines. And this was made possible by showing a number of employees the way out. Another point of view towards the impact of recession claims that it is at these times that an organizations behaviour towards its employees goes through a litmus test. This is the time for organizations to ensure not to spoil their employer brand by large scale termination of employment or general misbehaviour with its existing employees. Infact this is the time to step in and make efforts towards strengthening the employer brand along with being able to retain the talent in the organization. As has been noted by many HR experts, it always easier to retain an existing and trained employee rather than to get a new one. Thus, to conclude according to this second school of thought, employer branding becomes all the more critical in times of recession, making it even more important to retain existing talent. Data Collection Respondents: 102 respondents from Delhi and Ahmedabad, all in the final year of graduation from management institutes. Section 1: Demographics The demographics include variables such as gender, age, total number of years of work experience, monthly household income, area of management specialization. DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE: GENDER What is your gender? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1. Male 64 62.7 62.7 62.7 2. Female 38 37.3 37.3 100.0 Total 102 100.0 100.0 DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE: AGE What is your age? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1. Under 20 years 7 6.9 6.9 6.9 2. 20-24 years 68 66.7 66.7 73.5 3. 25-34 years 3 2.9 2.9 76.5 4. 35-44 years 23 22.5 22.5 99.0 5. 45 years and above 1 1.0 1.0 100.0 Total 102 100.0 100.0 DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE: TOTAL NUMBER OF YEARS OF WORK EXPERIENCE What is your total number of years of work experience? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1. No experience 29 28.4 28.4 28.4 2. Less than a year 35 34.3 34.3 62.7 3. 1-2 years 30 29.4 29.4 92.2 4. 2-3 years 5 4.9 4.9 97.1 5. More than 3 years 3 2.9 2.9 100.0 Total 102 100.0 100.0 DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE: MONTHLY HOUSEHOLD INCOME What is your monthly household income? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1. less than Rs. 25,000 8 7.8 7.8 7.8 2. Rs. 25,000- Rs. 50,000 18 17.6 17.6 25.5 3. Rs. 50,000- Rs. 1,00,000 59 57.8 57.8 83.3 4. More than Rs. 1,00,000 17 16.7 16.7 100.0 Total 102 100.0 100.0 DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE: AREA OF SPECIALIZATION What is your area of specialization? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1. Marketing 36 35.3 35.3 35.3 2. Media 20 19.6 19.6 54.9 3. Market Research/ Analytics 10 9.8 9.8 64.7 4. Finance 30 29.4 29.4 94.1 5. HR 5 4.9 4.9 99.0 6. Operations 1 1.0 1.0 100.0 Total 102 100.0 100.0 DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE: ASPIRED INDUSTRY Which industry do you aspire to work in? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1. Consulting 43 42.2 42.2 42.2 2. Manufacturing 17 16.7 16.7 58.8 3. Media 14 13.7 13.7 72.5 4. IT 3 2.9 2.9 75.5 5. Finance 18 17.6 17.6 93.1 6. Others 7 6.9 6.9 100.0 Total 102 100.0 100.0 Section 2: Information Sought This section includes the data collected to understand the sources of information used by students to know more about a potential employer and the nature of information that is sought while developing an understanding about the potential employer. SOURCES OF INFORMATION TO KNOW ABOUT A GIVEN COMPANY What are your sources of information to know about a given company?1. Peers Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 70 68.6 100.0 100.0 Missing System 32 31.4 Total 102 100.0 What are your sources of information to know about a given company?2. Colleagues Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 41 40.2 100.0 100.0 Missing System 61 59.8 Total 102 100.0 What are your sources of information to know about a given company?3. Family members Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 33 32.4 100.0 100.0 Missing System 69 67.6 Total 102 100.0 What are your sources of information to know about a given company?4. Online search Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 72 70.6 100.0 100.0 Missing System 30 29.4 Total 102 100.0 What are your sources of information to know about a given company?5. Company personnel Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 51 50.0 100.0 100.0 Missing System 51 50.0 Total 102 100.0 What are your sources of information to know about a given company?6. Press reports Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 30 29.4 100.0 100.0 Missing System 72 70.6 Total 102 100.0 What are your sources of information to know about a given company?7. Others Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 22 21.6 100.0 100.0 Missing System 80 78.4 Total 102 100.0 NATURE OF INFORMATION SOUGHT What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?1. Type of work Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 62 60.8 100.0 100.0 Missing System 40 39.2 Total 102 100.0 What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?2. Investor information Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 24 23.5 100.0 100.0 Missing System 78 76.5 Total 102 100.0 What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?3. Personal experience of employees in that company Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 42 41.2 100.0 100.0 Missing System 60 58.8 Total 102 100.0 What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?4. Best Employers Survey ranking Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 25 24.5 100.0 100.0 Missing System 77 75.5 Total 102 100.0 What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?5. Work life balance Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 50 49.0 100.0 100.0 Missing System 52 51.0 Total 102 100.0 What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?6. Pay packages Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 71 69.6 100.0 100.0 Missing System 31 30.4 Total 102 100.0 What is the nature of information you look for when applying to a company?7. Others Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 33 32.4 100.0 100.0 Missing System 69 67.6 Total 102 100.0 Section 3: Reliability Analysis This analysis has been done to study the properties of measurement scales and the items that compose the scales. The Reliability Analysis procedure calculates a number of commonly used measures of scale reliability and also provides information about the relationships between individual items in the scale. Alpha (Cronbach) model of reliability has been used to check for internal consistency, based on the average inter-item correlation. Case Processing Summary N % Cases Valid 102 100.0 Excludeda 0 .0 Total 102 100.0 a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure. Reliability Statistics Cronbachs Alpha Cronbachs Alpha Based on Standardized Items N of Items .874 .892 48 Cut-off criteria. By convention, a lenient cut-off of .60 is common in exploratory research; alpha should be at least .70 or higher to retain an item in an adequate scale; and many researchers require a cut-off of .80 for a good scale. The Cronback Alpha in this case is .874 and thus, the data set is consistent. Section 4: Factor Analysis Principal Component Analysis has been conducted on the collected data in order to establish a relationship between inter-related variables and to represent them through a set of a few underlying factors. It would help in identifying the intrinsic factors thus, examining the inter dependent relationships. The following are the specifics on the factor analysis: 1. Descriptives 1. Initial solution 2. Correlation matrix 1. Coefficients 2. KMO and Bartletts 2. Extraction 1. Analyze Correlation matrix 2. Display Screen plot 3. Extract Eigenvalues over 1 4. Rotation Varimax (uncorrelated factors) 5. Options Sort by size and Suppress values less than .20 Output of Factor Analysis: Total Variance Explained Component Initial Eigenvalues Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % dimension0 1 10.001 20.836 20.836 9.357 19.493 19.493 2 7.845 16.344 37.180 6.465 13.468 32.962 3 5.768 12.016 49.196 5.812 12.109 45.071 4 4.211 8.774 57.970 4.503 9.382 54.453 5