Human Resource

Human Resource Human Resource (H.R): Introduction The word â€Å"manage† as used in business can simply be defined as the art of dealing with people with the aim of bringing the best out of then so as to improve the productivity of the business. It is not easy to manage some of the things we have that have no life let alone people. People are complex in themselves and to have different people from different backgrounds to work together can prove to be very difficult. It is however possible for people to come together for a common goal. It does not matter how they are going to achieve their goal but the common thing that they want to achieve plays a very important role in taming people to put their differences aside and work together. Rothwell (2008, p.23) argues that it is mandatory for a leader in a business to be very good at people-skills for it is the people working at the business that are the most important people in the business. Without employees in a business then the business does not achieve its goals. They are the people that make things move. There is therefore no escaping people-skills if a business venture is to highly perform. â€Å"Management is nothing more than motivating other people†. These are the words of Lee Iacocca – former CEO Chrysler. It is therefore important for a manager to have some basic tips on how to manage people. It is vital that a manager delegates most of the objectives set to achieve so that he or she gets time to manage the team he or she has been given to manage. It also helps the manager to clear his or her mind. It is very important that the person who delegates has a clear head on his or her shoulders. Pearce and Conger (2002, p.41) identify that one of the most important â€Å"X factor† is team work. A strong team delivers most of the things put before it. This paper will focus on teamwork and critically analyse it on how it can be used to improve performance. When people come together, more ideas are bound to be generated, there is strength in numbers and also there is the variety being applied in order to achieve a common objective. Whenever humans come together with a common objective there is very little that they cannot do. It is important that the tem leader gets to have a one on one understanding with each of the team members so as to know the individual strengths of the team members. It is in this way that the responsibilities are divided. One does what they are good at but with the conscious awareness that he or she is only but a piece of a jigsaw, that there are others that are also specialising in their area of expertise to complete the jig saw into one complete thing that makes economic and objective sense (Michaels, 1994, p.45). The only reason a company would invest in its people is so as to enhance performance of the business. They are the key players in an organisation and should be handled with care. There are various ways in which organisations or businesses entice and build their employees so as to achieve higher quality and quantity performance. A business is judged by its outcome. It is the various people employed to work for the venture equipped with the spirit of teamwork that determine the performance of the business. It is quite clear that team work is then a very important factor as it is the ship in which if the business sails, it will never drown or subdue to the waves of furious business challenges. The winning team It is always feels good to be associated with winning. It makes one feel like they are pursuing a worthy cause. If a team is to be put together in a business then it better be a winning team. It is not enough to hire professionals who know what they are supposed to do at exactly which time to have a winning team but recruiting a group of people who will work together in the most efficient of ways. A team that has people who share the same destination work extremely well with each other. It is only when people in a team do not share a vision that they do not work well. A team is defined by the togetherness in achieving the specific goals and objectives of a business. When people share a vision then what do they have to fight over and not work together? Nothing. Differences may exist between individuals but for as long as they have a common goal then they can do anything despite their differences. In order for a team to have a common goal, then it is good practice for members to meet in order to discuss the various projects that have to be undertaken. The secret behind managing people is in a business is to make the employees or the team members feel like they coined and own the business objectives, vision and mission. Koestenbaum (2002, p.74) reveals that this will help people to have a common sense of direction. This implies that he visions, missions and objectives of a business need to have a strong base upon which, a strong team is built. Any team has problems but it is up to the team leader to be very sensitive to any slight behavioural change that would reduce the performance of the team in the long run. The team leader as a people manager should also talk to the team members and encourage them. When one is given motivation to do something, a person is performs even better as they flourish in the though that it is not only him or her that believes he or she can do it but also the team leader. There are teams made up of simple human beings like any human being but thee is always something about the teams. They have the attitude that they were born to win. An example of one such team is â€Å"Manchester United Football Team†. They believe that they are winners. When a person believes something, it is very difficult for them not to make it a reality. It is important that people managing people instil a winning attitude in their team members (Lawler et al., 2004, p.14). It goes a long way in building a strong competent team. How Teamwork affects other key performance areas This can be illustrated by a diagram which is shown below: According to Vandenberg and Lance (1992, p.156), under managing self we have several issues that are worth elaborating and they are eight in number. The very first one is the creative nature and originality of the self. Teamwork improves the ability of a person to get creative and think of ways to get out of tasks presented to him or her that are challenging. This is because the person is always trying to get out of something and always jogging his or her mind to get out of something. The person also wants to be original. It is very difficult to find unethical leadership in a person who leads a team or even the team member himself or herself. A person is always out to improve and to build the winning team so as to achieve the objectives of the business and also get to improve the performance of the team. Performance is core in teams so the self is built to consider ethics when tackling organisational challenges (Walker, 2002, p.36). It is the people around us that build us. Man is no island. People in good teams have been found to have a better way of communication and also have the character to go with this. For a good team to succeed, the members that comprise it have to be in constant communication with each other. A marriage is a good example of a team. Whenever there is breakdown of communication in a marriage then it becomes difficult for things to move. Good marriages are ones in which there is constant effective communication going on, on the regular (West, 2004, p.6). It is through teamwork that a person becomes effective in communication and also gets to know the character he or she should acquire in order to succeed in the business world. Managing people is not only about managing other people but also managing the self. Team work greatly helps in doing this. In teams, it is normal for people to make contributions that they own in order to steer their objective forward. This helps to build a person I problem solving skills which is a factor important to have in the business world. Williams and Anderson , (1991, p.604) concurs that the values of the self are also improved or built. In good effective teams, good values are encouraged as undesirable ones are normally discouraged. This helps a person to always focus on having good values whose practice leads to them sticking. Effective teams have brainstorming sessions where team members contribute in order to make the achievement of their objectives a success. This helps a person to improve their thinking capacities and also helps team members to think in a way that optimises the performance of the business (Blau, 1985, p.279). It gives the individual that deliberate way of thinking that involves thinking in a certain direction. Team members benefit by being in such teams. For a team to succeed then the personalities of the persons in it need to be on point. It is the work personality that helps team members to be able to work through their differences with that common vision in mind. When members learn the personality they need to have in order to work together they will definitely practice this as all of them want to get to the goal so bad. In life, it really matters how badly, one wants to get something as if one does not want something so badly, they will not put differences aside, they will not work hard enough and they will not value input from team members. Under managing people, there are four key areas that need to be discussed and team work is a major component or ingredient in managing people. Arbinger Institute (2002, p.9) suggests that there is team work, the diversity of people, transformed leadership and motivating people. Team work is intertwined with the three issues as it is in team work that people are motivated to push on in order to improve performance. Leadership Leadership is also transformed in team work as most of the time, it is not the team members that learn from the team leader but it is the team leader most of the time rather than not that learn from the team members (National Institute of Social Work, 1996, p.11). The members teach the leaders on hoe to lead knowingly or unknowingly. This gives birth to a new way of leading especially if the leader of a tea listens to his members. Teams can be made up of a rich diversity of people which can either be used to achieve the objectives of a business or also allow the differences that exist within to ruin the team. In International Companies, recruitment as in the type of the company is done at an international level. This means that people will be mixed from different cultures and backgrounds and also different races as well (Block, 1996, p.33). It is quite challenging building a team of people of the same background. It is quite tasking to build a team that comprises of different people. People of one background have been seen to appreciate the music from another background even when they do not know what they are saying. It is in this regard that a team leader needs to direct his team members to be able to dance to the same tune which is synonymous to achieving the same objectives of the business. Such teams come to appreciate diversity. They come to understand that people are different but sure can work together in order to achieve a common goal. Brown and Wardle (1996, p.12) argues that managing work is also another factor that is intertwined with team work. In order to manage a team then the work also has to be managed; the work needs to be kept track of. It is very important that work goes on smoothly in a team even when the management of the team has to be changed for this purpose. Managing work involves the judgement of decisions and also the ability to manage the decision. A decision can be evaluated on the basis of the results of the work that is done or the work that has been achieved in order. The team can easily be evaluated on the same based on the decisions the team made. A team can be judged based on the decisions they made. The decisions they make have to improve performance in the business or organisation (Covey, 2009, p.62). Once the decision is made, then it needs to be managed. When a decision is not managed, then it beats logic to have made the decision in the first place. It is important that team members carry follow through their decisions in order to achieve the task given to undertake. A good team is one that manages the team members well. A strong human resource management is a must in strong teams. Whenever the human resource in a team is good, there are very slim chances of a team not doing its best to accomplish whatever task that is presented before them. We have seen that people are very important and it is through people that a business gets to achieve its objectives. According to Dimma (2007, p.47), a good human resource department forming part of a team will value the employee and make that employee as reasonably comfortable as possible in order for the business to achieve its objectives. A good human resource sub team will provide incentives to persons working in their business; give them a reason to turn down job offers given by other businesses or companies. Good teams also ensure that they manage the information they have in a way to improve performance rather than sitting on information. It is the information we gather in business or in life that assist us in making decisions hence the word informed decision. It is important that a team acts on the basis that it has information. Innovation, Priority management and Objective setting are al components of managing work but also relate to team work (Harrison, 1972, p.28). It is in teams that innovative ideas, decisions and work emerge from. This is because of the team aspect. Teams also prioritise in terms of work so as not to leave important work pending for a long time than usual. It is important that a team sets for itself objectives aside from the objectives of the business so as to also have a common goal in terms of work. Team building and Team Work Companies have been seen to spend quite a lot of money so as to improve the team building skills of their employees. This goes on to show just how important team work is important in the world we live in today especially in the business world. It is essential that a manager has team building skills as it is part and parcel of managing people. It is an important part of managing people. The same people can work by themselves but achieve less productivity. A good, strong team is one in which these same people come together and work towards a goal but perform much better than when they were working on an individual basis. This is the idea behind merging. Some companies merge because together, they have more yields and perform on a different level, giving their customers higher quality of service than when the companies were doing it on their own (Iverson and Roy, 1994, p.39). This is the secret of synergy. Individuals are different but synergised so as to achieve optimum performance. In team building, there are two very important factors to consider. One factor that we have to appreciate in team building is the diversity that exists in terms of the personalities that exist and also the skills. The different people have to be in such a way that they fully exploit their potential to the last drop but again, the weaknesses of the same people are covered for by the other people‘s strengths. Their different personalities have to be in a way that they balance out. In a good team, all ideas, works and decisions in a team made by different individuals are directed to a common purpose either created within the team or the objectives of the business (Goodwin, 2005, p.91). The goals have to be clearly understood by the team members. When some team members get it while others don’t then already there is a loophole and the team is bound to fail because of a different set of goals embedded in the different team members’ minds. Team building Activities aimed at team building are very important so as to assist in the establishment of a strong team. To have a great team takes a lot of hard work, dedication and determination. Team building activities are therefore very important in that they assist in the building of a great team. It is important that a team is led by someone but not just anyone but a good leader. It may not help that a team has clearly understood the objectives, they ma have the same personality thus resulting in conflicts mostly because of fighting (Charan, Drotter and Noel, 2001, p.29). If everyone in a team wants to be a leader then we have a problem as each team member will be acting so as to show how he or she can dominate people. This has led to in-house fighting on too many an instance. There are many factors that have to be overcome to have a good team which is reason the more for team building activities to be taken seriously. There are basic techniques that have to be in place for an effective team to be built. The most obvious one is that all the team members need to have understood and clearly have the goals and objectives behind having the team and also the goals and objectives behind having the business or organisation. There also has to be a clear chain of command in that every single team member is completely aware of their duties and responsibilities and there should be no grey area in this. All the roles have to be distinct so that in the case that there is competition over a certain role then the role needs to be split into smaller distinct roles so as to avoid conflict in the team built. A team leader also needs to be able to spend time with his or her team members so as to understand the various personalities and skills he or she has in the team and also appreciate the same. When a team leader is fair, open, honest and loyal then it becomes a little bit easier to have the same back from the employees or team members. This may be summarised to leading by example. It is in team building activities that members learn how to trust each other and also be open with each other. When this is done then they work together better. The activities should have social times deliberately to prompt people to bond and share their experiences. They get to know each other better which is good for the business as this will help them accommodate each other’s faults but accentuating their strengths (Brion, 1989, p.32). This is what we want to achieve by having a team working on something. An example of one such activity is scheduling the week such that a specific day of the week is set aside so that employees or team members can share lunch. It is over this that they bond. The secret to having an effective team built is also to have the practice of involving the team members in the decision making process so that they feel like they own the decision. When one owns something, it is very difficult for them not to take care of it and watch it grow. The goal can be set in a group. The tactics to be used to undertake in undertaking challenges presented to a team are also brainstormed by the team with them being encouraged to give possible solutions. This leads to the obligated feeling of a team member since a sense of ownership has been cultivated in him or her, which leads to the commitment of team leaders to the cause of the team. There is also need to keep the lines of communication open in a team. It is through this that a team can succeed. Conclusion In today’s world, it is not so fashionable to do things on an individual basis as performance is result driven. The world expects so much from people that the only way the same expectation can be met is through team work. Most of the world’s greatest achievements have been accomplished because of team work. It is very difficult to achieve the results desired in a business single handily. It will have to be in a team. Team work is a very important aspect of business (Curry, et al., 1986, p.851). This explains why businesses always want to now if one is a team player before recruiting them into their companies. Business owners will look at a person’s history to be able to establish whether they are team players or not. It is quite normal in the global arena to find teams in businesses as people have appreciated strength in numbers. To achieve almost perfection in a business and to boost sales or improve the quality of businesses, team work is essential. It is important to have team skills whether one will eventually be a team member or a team leader (Kelley, 1999, p.63). A team leader is a leader to the extent of the performance of his or her team. A team leader is always a member of another team only on a different level. It is quite clear that the world revolves in team work. It is safe to say that the world is a family of teams; its just that they have different objectives and different personalities and skills. References Arbinger Institute, 2000, Leadership and self-deception: getting out of the box, London: Berrett- Koehler Publishers. Blau, G 1985, The measurement and prediction of career commitment, Journal of Occupational Psychology, Vol. 58, pp.277-288. Block, P 1996, Stewardship: choosing service over self interest, Sydney: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Brion, J.M 1989, Organizational leadership of human resources: the knowledge and the skills, New York: Jai Press. Brown, J., Wardle, M 1996, Chance favors the prepared mind: leadership, teamwork and mapping change for human resources, Cambridge: H.M.S.O. Charan, R., Drotter, S.J., Noel, J. L 2001, The leadership pipeline: how to build the leadership-powered company, London: John Wiley and Sons. Covey, S.R 2009, Principle-centered leadership, California: Summit Books. Curry, J., Wakefield, D., Price, J., Mueller, C 1986, On the causal ordering of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 29, No.4, pp.847-858. Dimma, W.A 2007, Tougher Boards For Tougher Times: Corporate Governance In The Post- Enron Era, Mombay: Wiley-India. Goodwin, N 2005, Leadership in health care: a European perspective, New York: Routledge. Gratton, L., Hailey, V.H., Stiles, P 1999, Strategic human resource management: corporate rhetoric and human reality, Cambridge: Oxford University Press. Hare, S.E., Hare, A.P 1996, SYMLOG field theory: organizational consultation, value differences, personality and social perception, Michigan: Praeger. Harrison, R 1972, Understanding your organization’s character, Harvard Business Review, pp.22-32.. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H 1988. Management of organizational behavior: utilizing human resources, 5th ed., London: Prentice-Hall. Iverson, R.D., Roy, P 1994, A causal model of behavioral commitment: evidence from a study of Australian blue-collar employees, Journal of Management, Vol. 20, No.1, pp.15-41. Kelley, R.E 1999, How to be a star at work: nine breakthrough strategies you need to succeed, Atlanta: Times Business. Koestenbaum, P 2002, Leadership: the inner side of greatness : a philosophy for leaders. 2nd ed., Cairo: John Wiley and Sons. Komives, S.R., Lucas, N., McMahon, T.R 1998, Exploring leadership: for college students who want to make a difference, Michigan: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Lahiry, S. 1994, Building commitment through organizational culture, Training and Development, Vol. 3, pp.50-52. Lawler, E.E., et al. 2004, Human resources business process outsourcing: transforming how HR gets its work done, Boston: John Wiley and Sons. Michaels, P 1994, An expanded conceptual framework on organizational commitment and job satisfaction for sales force management, Journal of Business and Society, Vol. 7, No.1, pp.42-67. Mowday, R., Steers, R., Porter, L 1979, The measurement of organizational commitment, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 14, pp.224-227. National Institute of Social Work, 1996, Leadership, teamwork and changing practice, New York: National Institute for Social Work. Parcells, B., Coplon, J 1995, Finding a way to win: the principles of leadership, teamwork, and motivation, Edinburgh: Doubleday. Pearce, C.L., Conger, J.A 2002, Shared leadership: reframing the hows and whys of leadership, Boston: SAGE. Phillips, D.T 1997, The founding fathers on leadership: classic teamwork in changing times, Beijing: Warner Books. Ramsey, R.D 2005, Lead, follow, or get out of the way: how to be a more effective leader in todays schools, 2nd ed., Berlin: Corwin Press. Rothwell, W.J 2008, Human Resource Transformation: Demonstrating Strategic Leadership in the Face of Future Trends, Edinburgh: Davies-Black Publishing. Roth, K.K 2004, Executive Leadership Attributes Relating to Transformed Organizational Human Resource Services: A Study of Transformational Leadership, Amsterdam: Universal-Publishers. Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R 1994, Managing Organizational Behavior, New York, NY: Wiley Sons. Stogdill, R.M 1974, Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Research, New York, NY: Free Press. Storey, J 2004, Leadership in organizations: current issues and key trends, London: Routledge. Vandenberg, R., Lance, C 1992, Examining the causal order of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, Journal of Management, Vol. 18, No.1, pp.153-67 Walker, J 2002, Ready, Aim, Inspire!: 101 Quotes on Leadership Teamwork, Washington: iUniverse. West, W.A 2004, Effective teamwork: practical lessons from organizational research, 2nd ed., New York: Wiley-Blackwell,. Williams, L.J., Anderson, S.E 1991, Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors, Journal of Management, Vol. 17, No.3, pp.601-17.

Energy Self-Sufficiency in Building through Photovoltaic Cells Essays

Energy Self-Sufficiency in Building through Photovoltaic Cells ABSTRACT Solar energy is a way to acquire self-sufficiency of many residential buildings. The different forms of solar cells made from different materials and in different ways are able to increase the efficiency of the solar cells and allow solar energy to become more widespread. Due to the possibility of a shortage of fossil fuels in the near future, solar power can serve as an integral component in solving the energy crisis through developing energy self-sufficient buildings. However, after researching many already published materials, the possibility of allowing the world's buildings to become self-sufficient is not possible unless other solar cells become affordable for the general public and more efficient. INTRODUCTION The world is entering an energy crisis that will require the need for new energy sources. Some predict that at the current rate of consumption, the dominant energy source, fossil fuels, will deplete by the year 2050 (EcoSystems 2005). As of 2001, the world consumed 426.1 billion gigajoules; the United States consumed 102.1 billion gigajoules that same year, the most energy consumption in a single country (see Table 1). Of the energy consumed in the United States, only 0.063% was solar power (Energy Information Administration 2001). However, solar energy has great potential. The sun radiates through the earth’s atmosphere enough energy in one hour to power the earth for more than a year (Solarbuzz 2004). Moreover, solar collectors can harness this energy in a clean and environmentally safe method. Many collectors use photovoltaic cells, devices based on the photovoltaic effect, in which solar energy changes to electri... ...Research News. Retrieved 7/29/05 from http://www.lbl.gov/Science- Articles/Archive/MSD-full-spectrum-solar-cell.html Sandia Labs Working on Solar Power Farm (November 2004), Deseret News Publishing Company, Retrieved 8/2/05 from http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595107883,00.html Scheer, H., A Solar Manifesto, UK: Cromwell Press, 1993 Photovoltaic Cells 16 Solar Cell. (2005). Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7/28/05 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell Solar Energy Costs/Prices (2005). Solarbuzz. Retrieved 7/29/05 from http://www.solarbuzz.com/StatsCosts.htm World Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 1990- 2025 (2005). Infoplease. Retrieved 7/28/05 from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0776146.html Walker, E. (2004). Solar Cell Principles and Applications. Retrieved 7/29/05 from http://reslab.com.au/resfiles/pv/text.html

Un-Victorian Tenets of Brownings Strange Medical Experience of Karshish, the Arab Physician :: Strange Medical Experience of Karshish

Un-Victorian Tenets of Browning's Strange Medical Experience of Karshish, the Arab Physician Robert Browning's "An Epistle Containing the Strange Medical Experience of Karshish, the Arab Physician" is a dramatic monologue in which Karshish writes to Abib about his experiencing the miracle of Jesus, when he raises Lazarus from the dead. "Karshish" is a dramatic monologue containing most of the tenets of Browning. Although "Karshish" is in the form of a letter, it is still an excellent example of a dramatic monologue. There is a speaker, Karshish, who is not the poet. There is a silent audience, Abib the reader of the letter. There is a mental exchange between the speaker and the audience: Karshish writes as if Abib were right in front of him listening to everything. This can be seen in the hang between "here I end" and "yet stay;" it is as if Abib were getting up to leave (61-2). There is a distinct critical moment, when Karshish decides to write about his original concern: "Yet stay. . . I half resolve to tell thee, yet I blush/ What set me off a-writing first of all" (62, 65-6). "Karshish" has all the basics to a dramatic monologue. It also contains a character study in which the speaker speaks from an extraordinary perspective. Karshish is a humble doctor from one of the most civilized nations of the time, he has seen most of the civilized world, and he is still amazed by the miracle that he witnessed. His amazement after having seen many great things in the world proves to the audience that this event was indeed spectacular and significant. In the non-Christian world, the most common response is to doubt and to reject, but because of the conviction of the speaker the audience believe that the miracle did happen. This contrast between doubt and believe creates the dramatic tension of the work. Thus, "Karshish" contains the character study and dramatic tension which make the work a dramatic monologue. "Karshish" contains many of the tenets of Browning. One of first tenets noticed is the idea that physical success in this life does not correspond to success in the next. This can be seen in the peaceful "carelessness" seen in Lazarus after being raised from the dead despite the

The Cold War Essays -- World History Communism

Following World War Two, two distant political governments emerged to dictate the direction the world would take. These two governments consisted of Communism and Democracy which stared untrustingly at each other and staunched economic growth with their excessive military budgets. In the end though, Democracy would prove to be the preferred government archetype for the general population of the world. During World War Two, the United States and the Soviet Union along with their allies were united to defeat Nazi Germany. After the war however the two nations began to distrust each other after negotiations on how Europe should be governed. These negotiations called the Yalta Conference in 1945 consisted of the big three, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. It established that Germany and Austria were to be divided into four parts of occupation as well as the capitals of Berlin and Vienna. Later that year the Potsdam Conference was attended by Truman, Atlee, and Stalin, which fell through over the East-West hostility which made it difficult for the council to reach a unanimous decision. As Russia sought to dominate the whole of Eastern Europe as a defense against invasion, the United States wanted Democracy for the European people. It was during this time that the cold war began and the iron curtain came down across Eastern Europe. The Cold War in the United States came from the fear that Communists intended to take over all of Europe. Seeing that Communist governments were established in Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary by the Soviet army, along with local communists setting up their own governments in Albania, Yugoslavia, and the United States began her policy called the Truman Doctrine. This Doctrine was est... ...rappled with questions about her new place in the world. The collapse of the Soviet Union ended the division of Europe into two opposing camps and united Europe with the sole purpose and shared commitment to capitalism and democracy. In the end of this entire struggle communism fell and democracy was governed the majority of the world for the first time. Works Cited McKay, et al. A History of World Societies volume C. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2009 "ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION 1945-1960." TheCorner. @HW Poon, 1979. Adapted by TK Chung. Web. 08 Jan. 2011. . Betts, Raymond F. "Europe in Retropsect: The Decade of European Recovery - The Cold War & Bipolarization." Britannia: British History and Travel. Web. 08 Jan. 2011. .

Microsoft Csr

â€Å"Technology creates opportunities for people and organizations to realize their full potential† is the thought driving Microsoft’s corporate citizenship program. With the enduring commitment to serve needs of communities worldwide Microsoft is playing the role of a responsible global citizen. Going far beyond its products and services it has collaborated with business partners, governments and non profit organizations around the globe to fulfil its commitment. It delivers new technology to people and organizations to unleash their creativity, productivity and opportunity across borders.In today’s world there is no scarcity of opportunities yet there is a growing divide between young people who have the chance to succeed owing to their enhanced skills and those who don’t. In response to this divide Microsoft has targeted its corporate citizenship program particularly towards youth empowerment. Microsoft YouthSpark is a youth empowerment initiative that connects millions of youth the world over and provides them with opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship.It brought together more than 350,000 students from more than 260 regions and countries to participate in the 2012 Imagine Cup—the world’s largest student technology competition. In the auspicious event students from different parts of the world and cultures use their skills to solve world’s most challenging problems. Such competitions are great motivators for youth as it provides them with a platform to showcase their talent across borders and to explore and enhance global opportunities.Microsoft has provided students free access to state-of-art technology facilities at more than 90 Microsoft innovation centres in 44 countries to accelerate their career opportunities. It has also provided innovative designer and web developer tools to students and teachers around the globe under the Microsoft Dreamspark initiative. Most of the companyâ €™s donations are targeted towards Non-profit organizations addressing the need of youth skill development. Also, through Microsoft BizSpark the company is helping young entrepreneurs launch new businesses by providing access to software development tools, industry connections, and investors.Empowering non profits: It goes without saying that the biggest problem a non-profit organization faces is raising funds for the upgrade and betterment of its core processes. â€Å"Nonprofits need powerful tools to transform passion into progress. Modern productivity, communication, and collaboration solutions help people drive social change where it’s needed most. † says Kurt DelBene, President, Microsoft Office Division. Through its technology for good program Microsoft is helping 62,000 non profit organizations around the globe to get affordable access to technology for serving communities with a greater zeal.Some activities under the initiative were donating hardware and so ftware to non profit organizations and providing them with refurbished laptops at relatively cheaper rates. Microsoft also collaborates with nonprofits for hosting more than 100 NGO Connection Days and in educating NGO staff on how to get the most value from donated software via webinars. Other than the above mentioned points Microsoft also provides technological process solutions to the non profits so that they can reach out to the people in need efficiently and effectively.Microsoft’s Employee giving program: Employees are the heart of any organization and the initiatives taken by them are prone to be embedded in the core of the organizational culture . The Microsoft’s employee giving program is a campaign by which employees devote their time and money as a service to the communities. Since its inception in 1983 the company has raised nearly $ 1 billion as donations. On 18th Oct, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman and Founder Bill Gates commemorated Microsoftâ €™s 30th Employee Giving Campaign during a special town hall event where the congratulated the employees for their efforts.In FY12 the employees gave nearly $100 million with a volunteering percentage of 65%. The company Encourages employee giving and volunteering by offering company matching contributions for US employees up to $12,000 for total time and cash donations. It gives employees at least three days off from their office work if they want to volunteer outside the United States. The volunteering percentage has increased 12. 5% year over year and more than 12000 employees and 2,000 non-profits have been registered on Volunteer Manager, Microsoft’s opportunity matching system for bringing needs and skills together.The organization motivates volunteering through the Give SharePoint site, where employees can share experiences and opportunities with the rest of the Microsoft community. Beyond direct service to the community, Microsoft has made significant strides in t he areas of human rights and environmental sustainability. It consulted with businesses, government and other key stakeholders to develop a human rights statement that brings together long-standing policies on issues such as privacy, security, free expression and labour rights.It exceeded its goal to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent compared with 2007, due in part to the 1. 1 billion kilowatt hours of green power it purchased, the third most of any US company. Its endorsement of the United Nations Global Compact drives Microsoft to continually improve its business practices and increase its accountability. â€Å"Stick to your core competenciesâ€Å"– the famous business jargon is what Microsoft is incorporating in its pursuit of becoming a world leader in Corporate citizenship.

Comprehensive Problem: Service Industry Essay

Objectives: Demonstrate application of accounting concepts pertaining to a service company, including the following: selection of business form,  journalization and posting of daily transactions,  creation of unadjusted trial balance,  adjustment of the accounts to properly report changes in balances, creation of financial statements,  completion of the closing process with appropriate closing entries and posting to T accounts, determination of book value for fixed assets, and  discussion of company’s financial position. As you work through this problem please refer to the Penn State rules regarding Academic Integrity. It is very important that you cite your sources. Part 1: 5% of Assignment Grade Monica Porter loves photography and wants to start her own company. She is single, 26 years old, and lives in an apartment in Nicetown. She has a job as a clerk in a grocery store that currently pays her living expenses. Her dream is to be a portrait photographer specializing in events such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, etc. She has saved $10,000 to start this endeavor. She knows nothing about accounting and has hired you to provide her with accounting services as well as guidance in starting this business. This first task is to determine which business organization entity she should choose. Please explain the different business formats and which one you would suggest for her business, which will be named â€Å"Portraits by Porter† (PBP). Part 2: 85% of Assignment Grade Monica has followed your advice and on January 11, 2012, she deposited $10,000 into a business bank account for PBP and started pursuing her dream. It has been a hectic year, and in June Monica contacts you to ask your advice in helping her to determine whether she can leave the grocery store and work the photography business full time. She provides you with a list of the things that have happened during the past 6 months. She has applied for a small business loan of $25,000 and has been told by her banker that she  needs a set of books (whatever that means) and financial statements (?) along with a listing of her fixed assets at book value. The banker told her that the books should be closed for the year as ended June 30, 2012, with corresponding financial statements. 1. Create the journal for the transactions and post these to the T accounts (45 pts). 2. Create the unadjusted trial balance (5 pts). 3. Make the necessary adjusted journal entries (6 pts). 4. Create the adjusted trial balance (5 pts). 5. Complete the financial statements: income statement, retained earnings, and balance sheet (15 pts). 6. Close the books using appropriate journal entries with T accounts (5 pts). 7. Determine the BV of the fixed assets (4 pts). PART 3: 10% of assignment grade Discuss the economic position of BPB and what you would advise Monica concerning her job at the grocery store.

Career Plans Essay

Business schools look keenly at your career goals because they know that students who are clear about their goals make the most of MBA programs. They are able to focus on relevant parts of the curriculum, make use of the on-campus activities to their advantage and by doing well in their careers become good ambassadors for their programs. You need to share goals that have captured your imagination and burn in your heart. Imagine you have just graduated from your dream school after two years of rigorous study. What kind of work would you like to do now? Think about responsibilities you want to shoulder, positions you want to hold, challenges you want to meet, skills you want to build, and contributions you want to make. Be specific – which industry, what role, what would you like to do and achieve? Reflecting on all this will take time. Be patient with yourself. Keep the questions in your head and pen down your thoughts as they pop up. Working this way prepare a career progress graph in your mind. Keep in mind the fact that your aim here is to fulfill your aspirations and leverage your strengths. When you sit down to write your goals in the essays, explain: How did the goals develop? How well are your goals connected with your professional background and personal strengths and abilities? How have you assessed suitability for the required career? Show understanding of the career you wish to get into. CAREER PROGRESS You would share your career progression through an essay. Some schools have an essay that asks for it. Or you would share it through the way you describe your work experience through the application form and the resume. In whichever way you share your career progress, remember that your objective is to demonstrate how your past experiences qualify you to seek the career you now desire, which you will share through the career goals essay. Your past is looked at keenly since it adds credibility to claims you make about the future you seek. Start by thinking about all the career-related decisions you’ve made till now. You laid the foundations of your career when you chose your undergraduate specialization. Think about what motivated you then. You learned new skills and your first degree qualified you either to get a job or continue further studies. What motivated you then? What were your career plans when you took up your first job? How have they changed over the years? While on your job, did you discover any new aspects of your personality or work style? List the areas in which you excelled and all the new skills you developed. Consider all the job changes and reflect on the reasons that made you want to change. What did you gain or lose in the process? Think of all the new assignments you undertook and how you handled them. How did you feel about changing your style of working to suit the demands of the new assignment? Were you comfortable? Did you falter? What did you learn from each experience of success or failure? Get the most significant answers from the above questions into your essays, application form or resume and strengthen your case for admission. All the Best