Rewrite the essay to meet the english academic standards

Rewrite the to meet the english academic standards - Essay Example This method provides social workers with the opportunity to focus on the individual needs, in order to bring about changes to the service user situations. The effectiveness of the task centered approach is clearly identified from the great outcomes at the end of the intervention. There is an element which is usually important to recognize when using the task centered approach; that is, when service users are facing problems they have also the means to solve them. The social worker in partnership with the service users will come across solutions to the problem in question. This approach provides social workers with a duty to empower service users while using it. (Coulshed & Orme, 2006). Moving on to the task centered principles, mutual clarity between worker and service user about the purpose of their interactions is required. This is achieved when good communication is maintained between them. This model is very practical as it allows the service user to make smaller and meaningful changes. This model is limited as it can not deal with more than three issues in order to ensure effectiveness of the intervention. It requires work in partnership and maximum collaboration from the service user. The intervention should be measured to ensure its effectiveness. The social worker and service user should evaluate the outcomes to ensure positive results (Healy, 2005) When applying the task centered model with a clear aim to succeed in the intervention with service users, five sequential phases it should be observed; both the social worker and service user should be absolutely clear of the process of the intervention. Clear explanations must be provided by the social worker, including the time limited process. In addition, the social worker should explore the service user’s situation to find out why the problems have occurred, and identify the relevant issues needed to be addressed. Moving on to the second phase of the intervention, once all the

The Adoption Of Integrated Marketing Communications Essay

The Adoption Of Integrated Marketing Communications - Essay Example Integrated marketing communications is a marketing strategy that is extremely common-sense. IMC is an emerging concept. Therefore, it does not as yet have theoretical framework that is mutually accepted by all academicians or scholars. A number of scholars, however, are contributing to the building of a theory base. That is, in the rapidly changing advertising environment now found in many countries, there has been an inevitable calling for a more coordinated and systematized marketing communication concept and approach, which have often taken the form of Integrated Marketing Communications. Integrated marketing communications has been defined as a management philosophy (Stewart, 1996), an educational movement (Hutton, 1996), and a unifying business practice (Burnett and Moriarty, 1998), among others (cf. Stewart, 1996). These inconsistencies in defining and measuring IMC have prevented the development of a cohesive research stream in this area. In order to build on and extend previous research, we chose to adopt the original definition of Duncan and Everett (1993), who define IMC as "the strategic coordination of all messages and media used by an organization to influence its perceived brand value." The companies, who have adopted integrated marketing communications, use one strategy for everything instead of dividing communications into several departments. It is a re-invented marketing strategy and it must espouse two fundamental principles: 1. The first principle stipulates that marketers should view all forms of media, print, electronic equally. No precedence should be given to one form of media over the other, for example, to newspapers over television etc. Marketers should possess a totally unbiased and prejudice-free approach towards all form of marketing media. 2. The second principle that is a very important part of the marketing strategy is that the people responsible for marketing in every organization must approach all kinds of marketing media with a strategic approach and do proper planning in this regard. The background behind the emergence of IMC comes from three major areas. First, from the corporate or client side, an increasing competitiveness and higher risk in the marketplace brought about by aggressive activities by management's merger and acquisition group have been required simply to meet the consumer's increasingly diverse needs more successfully through a variety of new marketing strategies. Second, from the media and market side, weakening power of traditional marketing and advertising due to the rapid development of information technology has increased the search for more effective and cost-efficient methods in marketing communications. Third, from the consumer side, on-going changes and increasingly diversified consumer lifestyles have encouraged advertisers to develop more elaborate and quicker response communication disciplines. The traditional advertising media base has now been replaced with new forms of media. Thus, the companies now have to adopt new and emerging forms of

How do you define violent crime illistrate with examples Essay

How do you define violent crime illistrate with examples - Essay Example It also looks into the social reaction and impacts of crime (Newburn 2007). The study looks at the criminals themselves. The term criminology is borrowed from R. Garofalo, an Italian law scholar. Criminologists are involved in the study of criminals’ mindset. The aim is to understand what motivates the criminals (Nexis UK 2003). Certain things may be crimes in one society but legal in another. A criminologist explains these social and cultural variances. Criminology explores the various types of punishments and why some societies opt to have them (Newburn 2007).This study includes a study of that suggest why crimes are committed. This is necessary in understanding violent crimes. Some of the violent crimes theories include classical, individual trait and positive theories (Singer & Gardner 2003). Classical theory suggests the reason why people commit a crime is because they are satisfied that the benefits of the crime outweigh the cost. When the punishment is harsh, then crimi nals fear committing the crime according to this theory (Nexis UK 2003). According to the positive theory, crime happens out of both internal and external factors. The social and biological factors contribute to the positive theory (Singer & Gardner 2003). Some of the social factors that contribute to crime include poverty and illiteracy. Individual trait theory suggests that the psychological and biological factors contribute directly to criminal behavior. According to this theory, biological factors help to distinguish between non criminal and criminal traits (Newburn 2007). Crime, therefore, is a result of natural instincts arising from innate behaviors according to individual trait theory. Therefore, this theory suggests that some people have a natural desire to do violent crimes. According to individual trait theory, such people love to be violent genetically. As a result, no amount of punishment can control their violent tendencies (Nexis UK 2003). Limiting interaction with th ese violent criminals becomes the only way to prevent these crimes. According to individual traits theory, violent criminals should be alienated from the society. Violent crimes can result from extreme emotions like rage or hate. These extreme emotional states can be directed to both people and animals. Sometimes it is demonstrated through kicking a dog. According to Weiner and Sagi (1990), a violent crime can be defined as any threat or attempt to use physical force by a single or many people resulting in non physical or physical harm (Nexis UK 2003). The definitions of violent crimes tend to include the cause of the crime. Violent crimes are thought to be actions directed to other people in a face to face confrontation. Many believe that there has to be physical contact for violent crimes to occur. Violent crimes may result from frustrations (Singer & Gardner 2003). However, violent crimes may be purposeful and intentional. Violent crimes can stem from socially acceptable and appr oved activities. Sports violent crimes are legal given the environmental circumstances in which they happen. According to Atyeo, the pain inflicted in sports is not perceived to be a real pain. Yet it fully falls under the definition of violent crimes (Newburn 2007). Boxing is seen as fun while the players injure each other leading to death in extreme cases. There is an observation that legitimizing violent sport crimes can cause athletes to be violent

A New Foreign Owner of Liverpool Football Club About How the Club's Coursework

A New Foreign Owner of Liverpool Football Club About How the Club's Fans Might Be Segmented - Coursework Example The owner also plans to find out the appropriate ways of reaching out to their segmented and targeted fans. The present economic crises, the heavy debt of the club and the growing expenses have called for the need of steady revenue generation which could only be attained with the help and support of the loyal fans of the club. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Brief Background of the Issues 5 Analysis of the Issues 6 Conclusion and Recommendations 9 Summary 10 References 11 Bibliography 13 Introduction The Liverpool Football Club was acquired by John W. Henry in the year 2010 and he is now the present owner of the club. The present owner has been planning to categorize the fans of the club in terms of marketing segmentation. Along with the segmentation, the owner is also planning to look and develop strategies that would help the club to reach those segmented fans. Targeting the fans was important so as to boost the sales of the club which was considered important for meeti ng up the expenses of the club as well the dues. The club was already under a heavy debt and its increasing expenses in terms of holding on and maintaining the players and also the alterations in the codes of tax have compelled the owners to seek for ways so as to augment the revenues. The club has a stadium which is situated in Liverpool itself and is also pursuing the construction of an additional one (This Is Anfield, 2011). Segmenting the fans and seeking for efficient strategies to reach them would prove to be helpful for the club to build strategies which in turn is most likely to generate revenue from them (Westerbeek & Smith, 2003). Brief Background of the Issues The recent economic crisis made it clear that professional football was in jeopardy. The football clubs that were considered as over-committed could not escape from the shackles of this crisis. This made the stakeholders realize that the clubs should be operated or functioned like financially sound trading companies rather than recreational units (Butenko, 2010; Boyle & Haynes, 2004). It was identified that a football club which had a strong support was not considered to be a throwaway company with regard to other industries. The football clubs, in order to survive the economic crisis, meet up with the rising expenses and maintain their honored reputation, required the strong support of their loyal fans. It has become a fact that the gap between the supporters and the clubs has been augmenting which was posing to be a great challenge for the clubs to earn revenue. Therefore, it has become vital for the clubs to deal with the increasing distance on an urgent basis so as to keep on the supporters pouring in. This would facilitate the clubs to establish an indispensable source of financial support which would help the clubs to overcome the present crisis as well as earn enough proceeds needed for the functioning of the clubs (Garland & Et. Al., 2000). The Liverpool Football Club was observed to e ncounter a similar problem in terms of earning revenue and meeting its expenses as well as existing liabilities. The necessity of revenue generation made the owners of the club plan to segment their fans in terms of marketing and seek suitable ways of approaching them (This Is Anfield, 2011). Analysis of the Issues The Liverpool Football Club was already known to be in heavy debt while changing hands. The new owners of the club were responsible for meeting the debt liabilities along with the usual expenses of the club. Acquiring

Architectural Branding Essay Example for Free

Architectural Branding Essay The 4P’s have been extended to 7P’s namely: Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence and Process. Architectural Branding is an important element of Physical Evidence very strongly prevailing in International Brands e. g. Calvin Klein, Nike town, DG, Prada etc. With the changing Indian Market scenario and customer awareness Indian Brands have now realised to incorporate the culture of Architectural Branding as an important brand element. Possibly Brands like Colour Plus, Wills Lifestyle, Sepia also are trying to incorporate the concept of Architectural Banding. Therefore through an exploratory research on the related topics of branding it was felt that architectural branding will help us in the long run in the industry and would widen our horizon of knowledge. Down the line I felt that this concept would be taught to us in our course curriculum of Fashion Management. Through this topic of Architectural Branding we would get to learn about basics of Architecture, Interior Design and Design Space and relating these subjects to the Market Research and Consumer Behaviour. Information Needed ? Introduction to Architectural Branding Concepts of Architecture †¢ Material †¢ Types of Structure ? Architecture in Retail †¢ Exteriors †¢ Interior Design †¢ Store Layout, Design

Deontological And Teleological Ethical Theories

Deontological And Teleological Ethical Theories The word ethics comes from the Greek ethos, meaning something like morals. In fact, ethics is defined as the systematic reflection on what is moral. In this definition, morality is the whole of opinions, decisions and actions with which people express what they think is good or right. So, in short, to think ethically, you need to systematically reflect on what people think is good or right. Ethics is not a manual with answers on how to act. It is only a search for the right kind of morality. We can distinguish two kinds of ethics. The descriptive ethics is involved with the description of existing morality. It is about facts. Descriptive judgments are therefore true or false. On the other hand, there is the prescriptive ethics, also known as the normative ethics. Utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes utility, specifically defined as maximizing happiness and reducing suffering. Classic utilitarianism, as advocated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, is hedonistic. It is now generally taken to be a form of consequentialism, although when Anscombe first introduced that term it was to distinguish between old-fashioned Utilitarianism and consequentialism. According to utilitarianism the moral worth of an action is determined only by its resulting outcome although there is debate over how much consideration should be given to actual consequences, foreseen consequences and intended consequences. Two influential contributors to this theory are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. In A Fragment on Government Bentham says it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong and describes this as a fundamental axiom. In An Introduction t o the Principles of Morals and Legislation he talks of the principle of utility but later prefers the greatest happiness principle. Utilitarianism can be characterized as a quantitative and reductionist approach to ethics. It is a type of naturalism. It can be contrasted with deontological ethics, which does not regard the consequences of an act as a determinant of its moral worth; virtue ethics, which primarily focuses on acts and habits leading to happiness; pragmatic ethics; as well as with ethical egoism and other varieties of consequentialism. Task 2 Business Ethics importance to business and to the society. (P2.1) Ethics are the backbone of American industry, well, they should be. Whether an organization has good or bad ethical standards, ethics is an issue for all people. Ethical problems arise not only from the difficulties experienced in making a valid moral judgment, but also from practical obstacles to the execution of even a correct decision. Often, it is harder to go through with a morally correct decision even though you know it is the right thing to do. More often than not, the temptation to take the easy way out is overwhelming. There are many definitions of ethics, but, according to author Herbert Johnston, ethics is concerned with two things: human conduct and what ought to be done. It also involves people s perceptions about what should be done. People have duties to do what is right and to not hurt other people. More or less, ethics involve obligations. Johnston also defines ethics as a practical, philosophical science by which we may reach conclusions concerning the rightness or wrongness of voluntary acts as related to our last end. Johnston is saying that ethics are judgments based on society s set moral standards that result in good outcomes or bad outcomes, depending on the goodness or badness of the judgment. More specifically, business ethics are an attempt to develop and apply basic principles in the area of human economic relations. With the definition of ethics now clarified, the reasons for being ethical arise. Why do/should businessmen act ethically. Based on Ray Baumharts 1998 survey of 1,031 businessmen, the most influential incentive for being ethical was a man s personal code of behavior. Most people are ethical because of what they believe to be right. Most people want to take the credit for doing the right thing when they will be recognized or even rewarded. The true test is seeing what people do when no one is looking. The following lists are the other top choices in descending order of importance to the surveyed businessmen: formal company policy, the behavior of a man superior, the ethical climate of the industry, and the behavior of a man s equals in the company. From these rankings, it appears that when a businessman acts ethically, he attributes it to his own ability to resist pressure and temptation, with some credit due to his superiors and the company policy. People want the reputation of being ethical. They feel like they are a good person if they are known as being ethically good. On the other hand, the human reluctance to blame oneself for ethical failings helps to explain why our respondents [to the survey] rank personal financial needs as least important of the five factors influencing unethical behavior .In some instances, people believe good business is good ethics (Lewis 48). Of those Baum hart surveyed, 98% believed that sound ethics is good business in the long run. However, after being questioned further, and when defining good business as maximized profit, then most disagreed that good business is good ethics. They stated that good ethics are not going to bring in maximized profit. Others argued that you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. This study leads one to conclude that businessmen are only ethical to make they look good and all is fair when it comes to making a dollar. The popular image of today s American businessmen includes the notion that they are relatively unethical. The standard consensus seems to think that most businessmen will do anything, honest or not, for a buck. An overwhelming 77% regarded business as a dog-eat-dog proposition. The sources of this popular image of businessmen are, of course, personal experience, but also, the stereotype is produced by communications media (television, radio, daily newspapers, and weekly magazines), plays, movies, and political speeches. Unfortunately for businessmen, their wrongdoings and shortcomings are what most often make the news. This negative press gives the overall impression that businessmen are unethical. Are they really unethical, or are they just getting the bad end of the deal due to negative press. According to Sal Marinos study, the results are bittersweet. Although the majority of those interviewed said they had never been propositioned to do anything unethical at work, a relatively high percent of those who had been propositioned had indeed done the dirty deed that they were asked to do. Marino made the following comment on the results of his study: The good news is that seventy-six per cent of the respondents said that they had never been asked (or ordered) to do anything they considered unethical pertaining to work. The bad news is that twenty-four per cent confessed that they have been asked (or ordered) to do something that they considered unethical. And the really bad news is that forty-one of those asked eventually did the dastardly deed that was requested of them without objecting. The ever-prodding Marino then asked the respondents what they would do if they discovered that their employer was asking them to do something unethical, dishonest, or unlawful. An alarmingly low five per cent said they would quit on the spot, another nine per cent would look the other way, and an overwhelming majority, seventy-eight per cent, would try to talk to their bosses or try to resolve the problem in some way that would not cause them to lose their job. The remaining eight per cent were uncertain about what they would do or they refused to fess up. Today, Americans, workers and non-workers, have developed an alarming tolerance for intolerance. People are not bothered as much by dishonesty, crookedness, or lack of respect. They have come to think of it as normal. People just do not expect anything more than a crooked businessman these days. In an interview with Marino, Alvin Toffler, a futurist, replied that, the sophistication of deception is increasing at a greater rate tha n the technology for verification. That means the end of truth. Many of our leaders are liars, skilled at deception. Lying has become tolerable, if not acceptable. (Bill Clinton: Are you listening?) Accountability has slipped. Lawyer lies, those technically true but misleading statements are prevalent. Why is this happening? Two reasons: Greed and poor ethics. Present day Americans are not ethical. They are selfish, deceitful, egomaniacs only looking out for them. Today, if the economy is good, it is tolerable to be bad. Today, if you merely apologize for a heinous crime, it is tolerable to be forgiven. Today, if you misrepresent the goods, it is tolerable if you are selling yourself. Today, if you work for a cheater, it is tolerable as long as you benefit from it (Marino 23). Ethical leaders, honest people who serve rather than deceive, will be increasingly cherished in the future. Right now we live in a time when the ends justify the means. 2.2 The social responsibility and the environmental consideration (P2.2) The growth of large multinational corporations (MNCs) in recent decades has produced some undeniable benefits. The ability of large corporations to seek out low-cost production opportunities provides a benefit to consumers in the form of lower prices. The prices of many manufactured goods, such as televisions and home appliances, have declined in real terms through improvements in technology and cheaper labor. In addition to low prices, large corporations are also capable of providing a familiar product of consistent quality in different regions of the world. For example, the fast-food restaurant chain McDonalds serves food with similar standards in more than 30,000 locations in over 120 countries. Large corporations offer some advantages to their employees, who are more likely than workers in small firms to receive fringe benefits such as health care and pensions. Average wages in the U.S. for employees in firms with more than 500 employees tend to be higher than in firms with fewer employees. Also, many large corporations that have been in existence for decades are unlikely candidates for bankruptcy (although there are some recent exceptions to this such as United Airlines and K-Mart). The stability of large corporations is attractive to investors seeking security and relatively stable returns. Large corporations implicitly recognize their interconnection with society in their donations to non-profit organizations. For example, Wal-Mart donated a total of $200 million in 2002 to thousands of organizations. Exxon-Mobil describes how they helped create the Save the Tiger Fund, which has collected about $9 million since 1995 to fund conservation projects around the world. General Motors reports on their cooperative efforts with Detroit-area schools to curb youth violence. In the late 1990s, annual contributions by American companies and their foundations amounted to over $8 billion. Corporate Scandals Perhaps the most obvious responsibility of corporations is that they obey existing laws. The regulation of corporate business practices has received increased attention in response to a wave of corporate scandals in the last few years. While the specific circumstances vary in each scandal, the primary issue has been the exaggeration of profits, and consequently stock prices, using unethical or illegal accounting practices. In most cases, top corporate executives sold billions of dollars worth of stock at inflated prices, while ordinary investors suffered large losses when the firms financial problems eventually became known. The accounting scandals in recent years can be linked to the widespread use of stock options as a means of executive compensation in the late 20th century. Many economists supported this practice arguing that executives would manage corporations for the benefit of all shareholders if their compensation were linked to the firms stock price. In addition to a regular salary, top executives are given shares of the firms stock. Unfortunately, economic theorists and corporate regulators failed to address a critical problem with the practice. Executives with large stock holdings also have an incentive to temporarily inflate the firms stock price and sell their shares at elevated prices. By the time the firms stock price eventually falls, executives can make huge profits while those holding the stock during the crash lose billions. Complex accounting methods often permitted executives to keep losses and liabilities off the books. Consider the case of WorldCom, the telecommunications firm whose stock price fell from over $60 a share to just pennies as it became evident that the companys profits had been overstated by nearly $4 billion. While WorldComs bookkeeping deception has been the largest measured in dollars, the scandal at Enron is perhaps the most famous because of its fast-paced culture of greed and influence at the highest levels of government. Social and Environmental Impacts of Large Corporations Economic activities often impact those who are not involved in the activity. For example, a corporation manufacturing automobiles generates pollution and the cost of this pollution is borne by nearby residents. External costs (or benefits) arising from economic activities are referred to as externalities. While firms of any size can create externalities, multinational corporations can use their political influence to avoid bearing responsibility for significant external costs. Given the close relation between minimizing costs and maximizing profits, it is natural to assume that an organization that seeks profits and has significant political power will feel some motivation to use that power to externalize costs, where possible. This motivation may be held in check by ethical considerations, by regulation, or by a fear of backlash from groups that might harm the organization; for example, consumer groups, or others who could mobilize effective public opinion. The benefits firms obtain from being able to impose externalities and shift costs to others are difficult to measure in economic terms. The only available estimate of the total public cost incurred to support the operations of private corporations was $2.6 trillion for 1994 in the United States. 2.3 Apply stakeholder theory and virtue to Avco Environmental Services.(P2.3) Pioneering work in the area of stakeholder management was provided by Freeman (1984), who outlined and developed the basic features of the concept in a book entitled Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Freemans work, even though it formally recognizes the importance of corporate constituents in addition to shareholders, leaves the 406 Academy of Management Review April status of the stakeholder concept as theory unclear. Donaldson and Preston (1995) argued that stakeholder theory explicitly or implicitly contains Theory of three different types-descriptive/empirical, instrumental, and normative. Descriptive/ empirical formulations of the theory are intended to describe and/or explain how firms or their managers actually behave. Instrumental theory purports to describe what will happen if managers or firms behave in certain ways. Normative theory is concerned with the moral propriety of the behavior of firms and/or their managers. Briefly summarized, descriptive/empirical, instrumental, and normative theories address the questions: what happens. Proponents of stakeholder theory strive to describe what managers actually do with respect to stakeholder relationships, what would happen if managers adhered to stakeholder management principles, and what managers should do visa-a-versa dealing with firm stakeholders. Donaldson and Preston (1995) concluded that normative concerns underpin stakeholder theory in all of its forms. Although quality scholarship on the normative facets of stakeholder theory is indeed needed, instrumental and descriptive/empirical aspects need attention as well. Thus, this article focuses on the instrumental realm. It should be noted that the term instrumental theory is used here in a manner that differs from its historical usage. Traditionally, in the philosophy of science literature, instrumental theories were deemed useful for explaining certain phenomena regardless of their truth or falsehood (Angeles, 1992). In short, they worked, albeit (perhaps) for the wrong reasons. The theories themselves were used as instruments to achieve some ends. The usage of instrumental theory employed in this article follows that used by Donaldson and Preston (1995), which appears to be original. For these authors, instrumental theory establishes (theoretical) connections between certain practices and certain end states. There is no assumption that the practices will be followed or that the end states are desirable. In instrumental theory, statements are hypothetical-if X, then Y or if you want Y, then do X. In this sense, X is an instrument for achieving Y. The truth or falsehood of instrumental theories of this latter type is an important issue. Task 3 3.1 The moral obligation of employee and employer relationship(P3.1) Employee obligations Employers can expect staff to fulfill certain obligations during training. Staff must: Understand and abide by all aspects of the training agreement. Make all reasonable efforts to complete the training and acquire the required skills. Inform you of any concerns they have with the training or training provider. Handle training resources supplied with reasonable care. Treat proprietary company knowledge learnt during the training as confidential. Respect the rights of colleagues during the training. Apprenticeships and traineeships Apprentices have to observe work and training responsibilities set out in the Apprenticeship/Traineeship Training Contract; Training Plan and the National Code of Good Practice in New Apprenticeships. These responsibilities include: Making every effort to acquire the skills and knowledge required to successfully complete their apprenticeship or traineeship Attending training sessions or supervised workplace activities and taking advantage of learning opportunities. Employer obligations As an employer you have both legal and moral obligations when training your staff. Legal obligations All employers who provide training to their staff are obliged to: Provide a healthy and safe training environment for all staff including those with special needs such as disabled employees Ensure staffs do not experience discrimination or harassment during the training Provide adequate supervision and support during training Have appropriate insurance policies for staff who undertake specialized training, such as heavy machinery training Inform employees of their rights and responsibilities throughout the training Commit resources necessary to complete agreed training such as safety equipment or computer hardware Good practice There are obligations that are not enforced by law, but represent good workplace practice during training. These include: Reporting and record keeping of training and its outcomes. Adequate resources to support the business while staff are absent for training. Management strategies to deal with issues associated with the training such as individual problems with the training or changing staff roles. Informal in-house training For informal in-house training, create a written training agreement to be signed by you and your staff. This will ensure that all parties understand what they can expect from one another. A training agreement will provide you with a reference document from which you can address any concerns that might arise in relation to the training. Throughout the training, employers must also observe their usual duties and statutory obligations, such as: Workers compensation Occupational health and safety Duty to pay appropriate remuneration Anti-discrimination Privacy 3.2. Own opinion about Dave Lamb and Angela van Wilgenburgs reactions towards this situation (P3.2) Chantale Leroux performs as a clerk for Avco Environmental Providers, a tiny toxicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ waste disposal company. The company has a contract to dispose of healthcare waste from a neighborhood hospital. During the program of her perform; Chantale comes across paperwork that recommends that Avco has truly been disposing of some of this medical waste in a neighborhood municipal landfill. Chantale is shocked. She is aware this practice is illegal. And even though only a tiny portion of the health-related waste that Avco handles is being disposed of this way, any quantity at all seems a worrisome menace to public health. Chantale gathers with each other the proper documents and will take them to her instant superior, Dave Lamb. Dave says, Look, I do not feel that sort of point is your problem, or mine. Were in cost of recordà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ keeping, not producing selections about where this thing gets dumped. I propose you drop it. The subsequent day, Chantale decides to go one step more, and speak to Angela van Wilgenburg, the companys Operations Supervisor. Angela is clearly irritated. Angela says, This is not your concern. Seem, these are the sorts of costà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cutting moves that allow a tiny firm like ours competes with our large rivals. Apart from, absolutely everyone understands that the regulations in this location are overly cautious. Theres no genuine danger to everyone from the very small sum of health care waste that slips into the municipal dump. I consider this issue closed. Chantale considers her predicament. The message from her superiors was loud and clear. She strongly suspects that creating further noises about this issue could jeopardize her task. More, she typically has faith in the companys management. Theyve often appeared like truthful, reliable individuals. But she was troubled by this obvious disregard for public safety. On the other hand, she asks herself whether or not possibly Angela was right in arguing that the danger was minimal. Chantale seems up the phone amount of an aged friend who worked for the regional newspaper. 3.3. Own opinion about organizational integrity and making integrity explicit of Avco Environmental Services (P3.3) Environmental ethics considers the ethical relationship between people and the natural world and the kind of decisions people have to make about the environment: Should we continue to cut down the rain forests for the sake of human consumption. Should we continue to manufacture petrol-driven cars when we have the technology to make cars which do not pollute the environment. Should we knowingly cause the extinction of other species. What are our environmental obligations to future generations. Should humans be forced to live a simpler lifestyle in order to protect and preserve the environment. Most people recognize that our planet is in a bad way and we all seem to have an opinion on environmental issues, such as climate change or the use of four-wheel drive cars in cities. The importance of environmental ethics is brought home daily by the news of global warming and its effect on our lives, both now and in the future. There has been a rapid growth in knowledge and technology, so that humans now face choices we have never had to face before that affect the continuation of humanity and the world within which we live. Environmental ethics has grown in importance in our times because to make no decisions about environmental issues is to decide in favor of the status quo, and that, we are told, is no longer an option. However, there is no agreed ethics for environmental issues, and no international environmental code. Environmental ethics simply tries to answer the questions of how humans should relate to their environment, how we should use the Earths resources and how we should treat other species, both plant and animal, but there are also those who are of the opinion that constant change is simply a fact of this planet and the planet will readjust to new conditions as it did in the past. There are differences among scientists as to the exact cause and nature of environmental problems and how to solve them, and so there are differences in the approaches to environmental ethics; some think the traditional forms of ethical thought are good guides and some that these traditional forms (at least in the West) are too human-centered. There are also the views of Christians and other religious believers who have a particular take on their role and responsibility towards the natural world. Task 4 4.1. Current issues in Business Sphere (4.1) Avco Environmental Services is a small, toxic waste disposal company. It has a contract to dispose medical waste from a local hospital. However, some of the waste was actually disposed in a local landfill; the company can save lots of money from the transportation and disposing technology of toxic wastes. This practice is illegal and can cause threaten to public health. Avco noticed the problem but it determined to ignore it. Avco thought if the problem is being exposure, their competitors will get more opportunities and therefore, they will receive bad reputation and less profit. As far as I am concerned, this action violates the business ethics. It ignores the public health in order to make more profit and have fewer costs. The company only cares about its own profit. Avco Company should deal with the problem as soon as they find it. Business ethics is the basic principle for a permanent firm. The company has a contract to dispose medical waste from a local hospital. During the course of her work, Chantale comes across documents that suggest that Avco actually disposed of some of this medical waste in a local municipal landfill. Chantale is shocked. She knows this practice is illegal. Even though only a small portion of the medical waste that Avco handles is being disposed of in this way, any amount at all seems a worrisome threat to public health. Chantale gathers together the appropriate documents and takes them to her immediate superior, Dave Lamb. Dave says, Look, I dont think that sort of thing is your concern or mine. Were in charge of recordkeeping, not making decisions about where this stuff gets dumped. I suggest you drop it. The next day, Chantale decides to go one step further, and talk to Angela van Wilgenburg, the companys Operations Manager. Angela is clearly irritated. Angela says, This isnt your concern. Look, these are the sorts of cost cutting moves that let a little company like ours compete with our giant competitors. Besides, everyone knows that the regulations in this area are overly cautious. Theres no real danger to anyone from the tiny amount of medical waste that slips into the municipal dump. I consider this matter closed. Chantale considers her situation. The message from her superiors is loud and clear. She strongly suspects that making further noises about this issue could jeopardize her job. Further, she generally has faith in the companys management. Theyve always seemed like honest, trustworthy people. But she is troubled by this apparent disregard for public safety. On the other hand, she asks herself whether maybe Angela is right in arguing that the danger is minimal. Chantale looks up the phone number of an old friend who worked for the local newspaper.

Management Of People At Innodis Limited

Management Of People At Innodis Limited This report is an analysis of the management of people at Innodis, a company in Mauritius. We are trying to understand the functions of HR at different level within the organisation and essential how these functions are link to its overall strategy and mission and values. We will also address to how the company values its human capital to achieve its goals and at the same time ensure that the people are given career progression. Introduction We have chosen to do our assignment on Innodis simply because it is one of the most famous organizations in Mauritius. Innodis deals with consumer goods. At this time, Innodis has over of 1100 employees. The vision of Innodis is to continue to thrive as a business over the next ten years and beyond. Together with its strategic partners, Innodis has drawn a road-map to guides every aspect of its business by describing what the need to accomplish in order to continue achieving sustainable, quality and growth and thus become the preferred choice in all the market it operates. The mission statement of Innodis is the commitment to supply its customer and customers with the finest high- quality products and to lead the industry nutrition research and education. Innodis Ltd supports these goals with a corporate philosophy of adhering to the highest ethical conduct in all its business dealings, treatment of its employees, and social and environmental policies. At Innodis, they have their human resource department at the Head Office which is found in Port Louis. From there, they monitor the overall human resource operations by their human resource manager and with their administrative employees. Innodis has many branches and has a human resource officer and an assistant human resource officer at each branch. These human resource officers report to the human resource manager about everything dealing with employees. The fact that the company aims profit making, they make sure that the human resource operations go smoothly and do not impact on the quantitative results that is final output the qualitative results that are the outcomes. As ethics is an important part of the welfare of an organization, Innodis has the motto of ethics. However Innodis rather looks at the business case that is profit maximization. There is the intrusion of the trade unions concerning the welfare of employees. This is the reason why the company has to make sure that their employees are safe. Mission, Vision And Values Mission: To continuously work towards offering to our consumers selected products of the highest quality at affordable prices. Vision: To be the preferred choice in all markets that we operate. Values: To treasure the human capital and the personal development of all of our people indiscriminately of their position or social stratum. To comply strictly with food and environmental health and safety regulation and to continue to embrace sustainable development principle. Aspire to be the forerunners of innovation, especially when it comes to meeting consumer growing demand for healthier food alternatives. Innodis has been adhering to its mission and values closely and their has been considerable closing in on their vision. How Innodis has been staying focused on its vision will be discussed in this report progressively. Corporate Structure and Brief History Chairman: Sir Renà © Seevaye Kt. , CBE (Non Executive Director and founder of Innodis) Executive Director: Jean How Hong (CEO) Other Non-Executive Directors: Maurice de Marasse Enouf, Gil de Sornay. Innodis started as Mauritius Farms limited in 1973 as a family business for chicken production. In 1986, they became the exclusive supplier for the Laughing Cow from Fromageries Bel, France and some other Unilever products. They later changed their name in 1995 to Happy World Foods Limited and in 1996 they listed themselves on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius. They received their first ISO 9001 certification in 1999 and a second one later in 2009. They diversified in yoghurt production under their own brand name Dairyvale. They again changed their name to Innodis Limited in 2006. In 2010, they expanded to Nigeria and Vietnam in the consultancy and management business. People at Innodis Innodis has been a leader in Human Resource functions in Mauritius and in 2010 they were awarded the Employer Brand and were also highlighted as the Best People Management Practices. Innodis values its human capital very highly by encouraging free expression of idea and talent in diverse fields and is noticeably see to have very loyal employees who have been working with Innodis for over 20 years. This contribution of knowledge, skills and experience from loyal employees add up to create value for Innodis and therefore this overall factor becomes a fundamental competitive advantage for Innodis. (Refer to Exhibit 1, 2 and 3 for the types of training given at different management levels) Recruitment at Innodis Innodis stick to a simple concept of recruitment which is to obtain at minimum cost the number and quality of employees required to satisfy the human needs of the company. The recruiting functions also aims to: Obtain a pool of suitable candidates for vacant post. Use a generally accepted and fair process. Ensure that all recruitment activities contribute to company goals and a desirable corporate image. Conduct a recruitment activities in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Innodis recruitment is based on an Advertise-Appointment-Interview policy. Normally appointments must be made in accordance with this policy and must, therefore, be subject to advertisement and interview. However there are exceptions to the application of this policy when it comes to grant awarding bodies. The Human Resources Department must approve any exceptions in advance of formal appointment, for example where a grant awarding body approves funding for a named individual to work on a particular piece of research and the grant is dependent on that individuals contribution. Innodis has a very practical recruiting culture. They basically tap into the companys culture to obtain a steady source of job applicants. Basically it recruits people mostly by referrals from existent employees but this concept is mostly applied at bottom management levels. This constant supply of job applicants results in a pipeline approach for Innodis to obtain recruits at a very low cost and thus achieving its main objective to get employees at low cost. They always have many applications stored for various types of jobs. For middle management and top management levels, vacancies are mostly filled from internal sources by promotions and transfers. Innodis ensure that appropriate candidates have the required skills and knowledge in order to get promotions. Most employees at Innodis are given appropriate training opportunities in order to promote their own development. This is also a very important strengthening factor to the culture at Innodis as it forms part of their core values. Nevertheless, training is a long process and if Innodis need an urgent replacement at those management level they are compelled to look from external recruitment sources with are mostly through advertising. (Refer to Exhibit 1, 2 and 3 for the types of promotions given at different management levels) Selection at Innodis At Innodis, selection is on the basis of appropriate criteria and merit, a record of the process and decision is kept and the monitoring information returned to the HR Department. When a vacancy arises, consideration must be given to staff whose posts are being made redundant and for whom redeployment is being sought. The HR department takes into consideration that recruiting a redeployed can reduce both the time and the cost incurred in filling a vacancy. The basis of selection process is to collect maximum possible information about the candidates to ascertain their suitability for employment and it involves the following steps: Screening of information Selection Tests Interviews Checking of References Physical Examination Approval by Appropriate Authority Placement Ethics of Recruitment at Innodis While processing the applicants, the Heads of Departments at Innodis make their staff aware that when dealing with enquiries about vacancies it is unlawful to state or imply that applications from one sex or from a particular racial group would be preferred. Care is also considered when initiating contacts with applicants that all are treated in the same way, for example with regard to invitations to visit the department, informal meetings to discuss the vacancy, and provision of information. The confidentiality of applications must be respected by all of those involved in the selection process. The company ensures that it is willing and able to attend all interviews for the duration of the recruitment process, to maintain consistency and to ensure fair treatment of all candidates. Short listing decisions should be based on evidence that the applicant has met the requirements of the person specification. Short listing panel members should avoid dismissing applicants who appear to be over-qualified. At Innodis, staffs conducting interviews must be aware that, although questions asked may not in themselves be discriminatory, the interpretation of answers by the panel could exhibit prejudice. For example, if indications of ambition were to be regarded as a worthy characteristic in applicants of one sex or ethnic group but not in another. Information regarding personal circumstances which is found in a CV or at interview must not be taken into consideration in reaching a selection decision. For example, the fact that a male candidate shares details of his domestic circumstances with the panel but a female candidate chooses not to (or vice versa), should not be taken into account. Effective Induction at Innodis It has been seen that new employees often experience an induction crisis. The new working environment is often perceived by the new recruit as frightening. This can result in high labor turnover. Innodis tries to reduce uncertainty in the new employee by presenting them with lots of information concerning: History of organization Mission statement and objectives Company and personnel ethics Structure of organization Terms of employments Payment systems and benefits Holidays and sickness arrangements Rules and regulations of the organization Innodis find that it is important to show how a certain job is linked to the overall goals of a business unit and that of the organisation. The role of all individuals are linked to the vision and mission of Innodis. Individuals are shown their part in the whole mechanism of achieving the objectives of Innodis and through this they develop a sense of belongingness to Innodis by bringing around positive attitudes and increased motivations and performance. Training and Development It is in the core values of Innodis to treasure human capital and the development of their staffs indiscriminately. They provide a variety of trainings to employees based on their management hierarchy. These trainings mainly aim at increasing the job knowledge and skills of employees at different level that may lead to increased productivity, quality of work and work life. Innodis uses training as a platform to develop a positive culture to manage the process of change within the organisation. Employees are trained mostly for future promotions at Innodis, however, they also conduct training so that employees are able to cope with changes in design, process and technology in their actual position. Innodis has many ties up with several educational institutions, notably the University of Mauritius and the Industrial and Vocational Training Board (IVTB), where its employees can benefit from good quality trainings at competitive costs with some partners. The HR department does not have a fixed budget allocated to training as for now but past expenditure have been ranging from INR1500000 to INR 4000000. Different types are training are given to employees based on their current position at Innodis. (Refer to Exhibit 1, 2 and 3 for the types of training given at different management levels) Performance Management According to Armstrong and Baron (1998), performance management is both a strategic and an integrated approach to delivering successful results in organisations by improving the performance and developing the capabilities of teams and the individuals. At Innodis, the organizations values are defined. The vision statement communicates both the purpose and the values. Innodis Ltd supports its goals with a corporate philosophy of adhering to the highest ethical conduct in all its business dealings, treatment of its employees, social and environmental policies. Several ISO quality certifications and government awards attest to the commitment of Innodis of achieving its mission statement. They have also been driving innovative and healthier product to the Mauritian market and are the actual leaders in those areas. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is the actual process of evaluation of the work of employees and aims at analyzing the gap between actual performance and the expected performance. It is a systematic and formal method of staff assessment. Performance appraisal also involves providing feedback to the employees with the aim of motivating that person to eliminate performance deficiencies at par. At Innodis the performance appraisal is different for jobs at different management levels. Different assessment methods will differentiate between past and present performance based on skills improvement and knowledge gain. Some benefits of Performance Appraisal at Innodis are : Performance appraisal helps in identifying problems at Innodis, which the staff may raise regarding their work environment. For instance, they may have lack of space to perform their work. The workers may feel that they are not well equipped as they have insufficient and outdated equipments. Therefore, by identifying these issues earlier through performance appraisal, the organization may overcome losses that might have occurred. It identifies potential problems with individual staff members and takes actions to deal with those problems. For example, it analyses the poor performances of the employees as well as their absenteeism and lack of motivation among them. Through performance appraisal, these individualistic problems are considered and corrective measures are taken at Innodis Ltd. Performance appraisal also identifies future training needs within the company. This is done so that the employees skills are improved. It is therefore planned systematically in order to promote the organizations products. It equally identifies those members of staff who are suitable for promotion and career progression. Human Resource Policies at Innodis associated to Performance Appraisal Some of the overall policies that are linked with performance appraisal are as follows: Equity As performance appraisals aim is to provide opportunities to managers and the subordinates similarly, equity is about treating its employees fairly as well as providing them with equal opportunities to perform tasks. Considerations, working conditions and quality of working life Performance appraisal also considers employees work-situation, security, working environment, safety related to equipments, their performances according to their work performed and the career prospects that they can have. In the same way, the consideration, working environment and the quality of working life according to the policies are such that they look at individual circumstances, its prospects, security, and employees self-respect and a pleasant working environment. It as well looks at the improvement of the quality of working life continuously and it increases a sense of satisfaction for the employees. Performance through people Performance appraisal is all about rating employees performance and identifying problems that can become obstacles in their jobs. Similarly, performance through people is such that it develops a fair culture in the sense that it leads to a continuous improvement. Reward Management At Innodis Limited, the reward system is both financial and non-financial which are considered at the end of its financial year in July. There are intrinsic rewards like basic pay, employee benefits and compensation and extrinsic rewards like feedback, recognition, praise, promotion to higher position. As a private company, it also provides merit pay to reinforce the performance trend. The pay structure of the company is essential for quality performance and competitiveness and also recruiting and retaining a good labour force. At Innodis, the reward system is consistent and a key driver for both the human resource operations and the company strategy. At managerial level, the employers have the provision for fringe benefits and allowances such as company car its allowances or company health dividends while the lower level workers are granted with their basic pay and transport facilities. There also the merit pay which helps in performance which reinforces the culture in the organisation. Also there is increment in pay based on the number of years worked in the company. This is why the pay structure at Innodis Limited, are specifically used as tool in bringing innovation and change to the human resource operations which also establishes a corporate reputation in dealing with people. (Refer to Exhibit 1, 2 and 3 for the types of rewards given at different management levels) A well designed HR policy can be beneficial to Innodis as it ensures employees understand their responsibilities and how they should deal with various situations. It also provides a framework to help managers resolve problems fairly and consistently. Reward Procedures The annual pay review of the annual report of Innodis Limited enables its reward system to operate efficiently and flexible. It has enabled much commitment and innovation in the company. The policies and procedures are regularly reviewed by assistant managers at Innodis Limited which tends to be very helpful for the organisations decision-making or if ever to give one months notice of any policy change. At Innodis, there are guidelines for decision making which sets the levels of pay as opposed to competitors rates. There are formalised policy being used in training and induction of new applicants. Equity and proper working conditions are also implemented to have equal opportunities and impact upon productivity when dealing with people. Standards policies has been set at Innodis Ltd as it is essential in dealing with people matters, inculcating values and provide framework within which decisions are being made. Being a private organisation, it facilitates empowerment and delegation through corporate culture. Conflict in the Human Resource Contribution No matter the human resource operations contribute to the effectiveness of the organisation, there are conflicts that may arise in the following ways: A clash of values where the line managers simply regard their workers as factors of production to be exploited and dispensed within accordance with organizational imperatives Different priorities which involve getting rid of people. It should be noted that employees are an important asset for an organization. Disputes may arise out of the interference of trade unions. Conflict can be creative if an integrative approach is used to settle clarifying priorities, policies and roles, using agreed procedures to deal with grievances and disputes and achieving consensus through a solution that recognizes the interests of both parties. If these conflicts can be dealt with, Innodis can become more productive and the welfare of its employees will improve much more and this will result in employees` commitment and thus the goals and objectives can be easily achieved. Conclusion To conclude, managing people in an organisation whether it is of large size or small size is very important since human resource operations help the organisation to attain its goals and objectives if they are well integrated and carry out. They help in the day to day running of the organisation and they are very important. If human resource operations are well carried out in an organisation, they will help in ensuring that there is a good relationship between employees and the management as the employees will be well taken care of. At Innodis, they have developed a very strategic approach at every step in HR operations and at every turn, they strengthen their organisational culture and commitment to their mission and values. Exhibit 1 Below is an example of a job description for a top management position at Innodis together with some information with prospective trainings, performance appraisal and potential rewards associated to that job. Job Title: Director of Administration Purpose: A director of administration manages the overall daily office operations. Implement organisational strategies and policies, plan the use of materials and human resources and manage the administrative staff. Responsibilities: Negotiates contracts, manages vendor relationships, primary liaison to building landlord and oversees office operating procedures. Qualifications: For a director of administration position typically consist of a bachelors degree in business administration or other related field and at least 10 years of experience. Skills: This position may also require additional skills such as the ability to identify and implement best practices, work independently, think strategically, plan for the long-term success. Salary(Approximate): INR 120000+ /month Potential Training Areas: MBA programs at the University of Mauritius, Courses in Resources Management, Diplomas in Statistics and Economics. Innodis offers some training to its top management staffs in fields where they are most likely to expand. Recently they have had much interest in expanding beyond the Mauritian shores and are looking forward to develop talents in international business laws and cross border business coordination. These courses are limited in numbers and usually are very expensive and are mostly proposed to long term employees and those who have some knowledge and experience in related positions. For example the master level courses at the University of Mauritius ranges from INR150000 to INR400000 The effectiveness of such training are usually measured in the form of new mechanisms brought in by the individuals in the organisation to improve existing systems. Better management and operations would have a direct impact on the turnover on several business units that a top manager would have influence on. People at these level are generally rewarded with company cars and drivers and depending on their ef fectiveness end of year bonuses are given. However, in some cases, shares are given to top level employees in the strategic aim to retain their loyalty to the company. Exhibit 2 Below is an example of a job description for a Sales Manager at Innodis together with some information with prospective trainings, performance appraisal and potential rewards associated to that job. Job Title: Sales Manager Purpose: Develops and maintains a high performance sales culture within the branch and is responsible for staff management functions.The Sales Manager pursues sales excellence, works to achieve shareholder/stakeholder benefit and to increase the long-term value of the business by maintaining high levels of individual and team performance. Responsibilities: Personally develop and maintain relationships with key customers and prospective customers across the branch/location market area. Maintain a strong understanding of the market trends across the branch/location market area, including the competition. Promote a positive and professional sales attitude.Report daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly activities and sales results, using the companys standardized processes and tools. Qualifications: 5-7 years of experience in sales management. Strong understanding of customer and market dynamics and requirements. Willingness to travel and work in a global team of professionals. Proven leadership and ability to drive sales teams. Skills: Selecting and developing the right people. Motivating people. Communication. Integrity Salary(Approximate): INR 80000+ /month Potential Training Areas: Diploma in Marketing, Certification courses in retailing. Sales managers are key positions within Innodis because much of their business depends on good customer relationships and retailing. Sales managers are generally given highly competitive salaries. A key factor that enhances their recruitment chances at Innodis are their team leading and management skills and also past sales records. Most people at middle management levels are those who were once part of the bottom management and were promoted. They already possess an idea of the organisation cultures and goals and therefore their integration to their new positions are rendered easier. Innodis provides middle management people with training for mainly two reason. One is to sharpen their skills in appropriate and prospective domains and second is to prepare them for promotions. However, the promotion from a middle management to a top management require the candidate to have a good performance record over several year and normally takes a long time. Employees may begin to feel the stagn ancy at this level and Innodis tried to counter that effect with a good reward system for them. They, in most cases, benefit from good commission on sales and flexible holidays and work days, company cars and some reduced tariffs at some of companys facilities. At the middle management, the performance is generally measured as a team performance. That is, the overall productivity change of a sales team for example would reflect the performance of the responsible sales manager. Increase in new accounts, sales turnover and decreased sales expenses are some of the key performance areas. Exhibit 3 Job Title: Sales Representative Purpose: Sales Representative should attend day to day routine activities related to selling and maintain good relationship with current and prospective customers. Responsibilities: Sell products to customers and potential customers and maintain a database with their purchases and be able to renew inventories. Qualifications: Must to have above 21, Standard 10 + 2 with emphasis on some courses like marketing, promotions, communications and finance. Skills: Sales Representative should be confident, energetic, organised and resilient. They need to possess strong written and verbal communication skills, and be experts in customer service. Sales officers should also own at least a basic understanding of maths, as they often deal with prices, deals and commissions. Salary(Approximate): INR 50000+ /month Potential Training Areas: Vocational courses related to marketing and negotiation, Seminars for teamwork techniques and new technologies. At the bottom levels, most recruit are brought in through referrals from existing employees. They submit their application forms and are usually short listed according to their past experiences and communication skills. The induction work needs to be done here because the new recruits are still to adapt to a new environment and know the culture of the organisation. They are provided with an on the job training period for their new job among existing employees from which they usually learn from the experience of others and take advantage of tips from more experienced individuals. Most employees undergo training when there are changes in design, processes or technology in their present jobs. Employees showing potential and good performance in terms of high sales records, good customer feedbacks and low absenteeism are given additional training in diverse fields to increase their skills and knowledge. For example, more technical knowledge of some products are imparted to some sales representative who are interested. Job rotation is also a crucial aspect which prepares an individual for promotion after some time. Employees at this level are usually provided transport facilities to and from the work place and usually have varied incentives. Sales representatives are given reduced tariffs on certain company products and also benefit from refundable medical bills to a certain amount. Loyalty of long term employees are rewarded by company awards and occasional gifts. At retirement, such employees are given some shares in the company together with a severance package.