Women’s Rights in Tunisia Essay Example for Free

Women’s Rights in Tunisia Essay During a Conference held in 2002, members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women commended Tunisia today for its great strides forward in promoting equality between men and women, and urged it to withdraw its reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. [Acting in their personal capacity, the Committees 23 experts from around the world monitor compliance with the Convention, which requires States parties to eliminate discrimination against women in enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights. Tunisia ratified that human rights instrument in 1980, with reservations to several articles of the Convention, including article 9 on nationality, article 15 on womens choice of residence and domicile, and article 16 on womens equality in marriage and divorce. The countrys first and second reports were considered by the Committee in 1995.] As the Committee discussed Tunisias third and fourth reports during two meetings , experts commended the Governments strong political will to implement the Convention through numerous amendments to national legislation and measures to improve de facto gender equality. Besides many institutions and programmes for gender equality, the experts noted Tunisias efforts to integrate women in development and reduce illiteracy, maternal mortality and womens health problems. It was encouraging to see the countrys efforts to harmonize the provisions of Islam with the human rights approach, which integrated law and policy in a holistic way, speakers said. To improve the situation of women in the family, the country had done away with polygamy and introduced the concept of partnership in marriage under its personal code. Warning the country against complacency and resting on its laurels, however, experts pointed out that despite impressive achievements, patriarchal stereotypes still hindered progress in Tunisia in many respects. A large portion of the countrys female population was still illiterate and unaware of its rights. To rectify the situation, it was important to educate the people and raise womens awareness of their human rights. Addressing concerns about Tunisias reservations to the Convention, members of the delegation said the country would consider withdrawing its reservations in the future, but, for the time being, its main goal was to develop means of implementing womens rights and giving them a higher profile. At present, the country was doing everything in its power to implement the Convention. Above and beyond legislation, institutional machinery had been established to make equal rights a practical reality for all Tunisian women. A set of initiatives was under way to implement the national strategy on gender issues. [According to the countrys responses to questions by the Committees pre-session working group (document CEDAW/PSWG/2002/II/CRP.2/Add.2), in line with article 9, paragraph 2, of the Convention regarding equal rights in transferring nationality, Tunisias nationality code had been amended as far as acquisition of Tunisian nationality by a child born abroad of a Tunisian mother and an alien father was concerned. In connection with article 15 of the Convention, the document explains that freedom of choice of residence is guaranteed under the Constitution, but to ensure stability and cohesion of families, the law provided for a conjugal duty of cohabitation, incumbent on both spouses. With respect to Tunisias numerous reservations in connection with article 16 of the Convention on womens equal rights during marriage and upon its dissolution, Tunisia explains that a major development in that respect has been the abolition of the wifes duty to obey her husband. With respect to divorce, the countrys personal code now allows the wife to request and obtain a divorce under the same terms as her husband. By further amendments to the personal code, the country has protected the wife against attempts to manipulate divorce proceedings against her interests. The countrys law now stipulates that both parents should cooperate in managing the familys affairs, including childrens education, travel and financial transactions. Yet another amendment has given a say in the childs affairs to the father, guardian and mother.] Among other issues highlighted in the debate were problems associated with prostitution, the age and conditions of marriage, the situation of women prisoners, Tunisian inheritance laws, matrimonial property, and the countrys achievements in education. Background The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women met to consider the combined third and fourth reports of Tunisia (document CEDAW/C/TUN/3-4), submitted in compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Tunisia ratified the Convention in 1980. The report notes that womens rights in Tunisia have been strengthened, their roles diversified and their image enhanced. It details various measures taken to advance the status of women through the countrys Personal Status Code, several international conventions on womens rights, and internal reform. Such measures ban discrimination in political parties, lay down principles for cooperation between spouses, establish the rights of women as individuals as well as daughters, wives and mothers, and bring in more balanced individual and civil rights. A major amendment to the Personal Status Code aims to eliminate the link between women and submission, which represents a break from the former treatment of women as inferior beings. Another major innovation obliges women to contribute to the familys expenses, recognizing the economic role of women. Under the Code, however, the husband remains head of the family, albeit in an economic rather than domineering role, as the provider for his wife and children. The report states that Tunisia has attempted to combat sexist stereotypes through the celebration of National Womens Day on 13 August, through an exhibition called Women through the Ages, through revision of school textbooks to remove inferior images of women and through the media. Several mechanisms have been set up to improve the medias portrayal of women, including the Commission for Monitoring the Image of Women in the Media, an observatory within the Centre for Research, Documentation and Information on Women that monitors the image of women, and the Tahar Haddad Prize for a balanced image of women in the media. In addition, the Ministry for Women and Family Affairs is developing a communications strategy to change attitudes towards women and also ensure that human rights become part of family life, using radio, television and the press as well as intermediaries working in the family environment. Efforts have also been made to combat violence within the family, the report continues. For example, an article of the Penal Code which granted attenuating circumstances to husbands who had murdered adulterous wives has been repealed. Husbands who murder their wives now face life imprisonment, and those who practice marital violence are subject to two-year prison terms as well as a fine. According to 1998 statistics, 3,600 women representing 0.21 per cent of families instituted legal proceedings against their husbands. The countrys Child Protection Code now shields children from any form of violence, and a body of regional child protection officers takes preventive action when the health or physical and mental integrity of a child is threatened. Officers may take measures to eliminate the source of the threat or temporarily place the child with a foster family or social institution. The report notes that prostitution has declined as Tunisian women have become more emancipated, and several establishments have closed. In 1998, the number of authorized prostitutes came to 422 in a total of 15 establishments. The remaining brothels are subject to strict medical and health controls by the Ministry of Public Health. The report states, however, that Tunisian society is tolerant of prostitution, and the practice can be only gradually reduced as relationships between men and women based on equality and reciprocity are strengthened. Regarding political and public life, the report states that the number of women in the Chamber of Deputies increased from 1.12 per cent in 1957 to 11.5 per cent in 1999, or 21 women out of a total 182 deputies. In 1998, the Higher Magistracy Council comprised 28 members, including two women. Since 1983, two women have also held ministerial office, as Minister of Public Health and Minister for Women and Family Affairs. In the late 1990s, women accounted for over one quarter of civil servants, 34.4 per cent of the banking sector and 48 per cent of the health sector. The role of women has also increased in ministerial departments, the economy, entrepreneurship, social and educational care facilities and in public life. Tunisian women have become increasingly active as international representatives, accounting for 14.3 per cent of the diplomatic corps in 1999, as compared to 9.1 per cent in 1993, as well as in international forums, intergovernmental and NGOs (non-governmental organizations). In the field of education, gaps between girls and boys at all levels are quickly closing, the report states. Promotion rates for both sexes have increased at an almost identical pace, but girls are now ahead. In higher education, the proportion of women rose from 37.2 per cent in 1988 to 50.4 per cent in 2000. Despite those figures, female illiteracy remains high at 36.3 per cent, compared to 17.7 per cent among men in the same age groups. A national programme to combat illiteracy has been set up to eliminate illiteracy among the 15-44 age group, narrow the difference in illiteracy between males and females, and prevent any backslide into illiteracy. Regarding employment, some 65.6 per cent of Tunisians are employed in the urban areas and 34.4 per cent in rural regions. Women hold 24.6 per cent of jobs in urban areas and only 20 per cent in rural areas, although the latter figure has climbed from 17.6 per cent in 1989. Tunisias legal system has gradually shifted towards integrating women in employment on the basis of equal skills, equal pay, and the demand for female employment grew consistently between 1993 and 1997. A priority objective under the countrys Ninth Development Plan is to more effectively integrate women into economic activity by giving them access to new technologies, improving their professional qualifications, achieving equal opportunities in training and retraining, and promoting equal opportunities in investment. Tunisia has also made gains in the field of womens health, which has been specifically recognized as a main component of the countrys overall health system, the report states. Currently, 90.6 per cent of basic health centres offer maternal and child health services. Due to improved living conditions and national programmes for women and children, including those providing immunization, fighting diarrheal diseases and enhancing prenatal follow-up and delivery, child mortality declined from 150 per 1,000 live births in 1966 to 45 in 1990. The adoption in the 1990s of a risk-free maternity approach reduced the child mortality rate to 27.2 per 1,000 by 1997. The mortality rate for women of childbearing age (15-49) fell from 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 1985 to 0.66 per 1,000 in 1994. Contraceptive use rose from 49.8 per cent in 1984 to 65.6 per cent in 1998 in Tunisia. In addition, abortion is now part and parcel of human rights for women, which makes Tunisia the first Muslim country to permit it. However, a significant gap remains between urban and rural areas in attitudes towards abortion, and there are pockets of resistance in the south and central west of the country. The report notes that the State has made considerable efforts to ensure access to basic health care as well as to maternal and reproductive health care. Attention is devoted to the health of women at various stages of their lives. But persistent gaps remain in some areas between the medical means employed and the results recorded. The Ninth Development Plan has rightly emphasized the need for better supervision of womens health in particular, including mental health, by stepping up prevention. In the financial field, womens access to home loans and income-generating credit has been increasingly encouraged by public authorities to strengthen the role of women in development. The creation of new finance mechanisms as well as a new system of micro-credit should open up new and promising horizons for women who have difficulty accessing traditional forms of bank credit. Diversification of micro credit sources will help strengthen both average and vulnerable social groups, the report states, favouring an increasingly active role for women undertaking small projects in the informal sector. According to the report, rural women have benefited from technical and financial support in the fields of agriculture and handicrafts. It highlights efforts to improve education, literacy, access to health services, and employment, to assist women farmers and craftswomen, and set up anti-poverty and other governmental programmes to assist agriculture and urban development. The quality of rural life had improved considerably, due to a combination of regional development policy, overall sectoral policies and efforts of the National Solidarity Fund and the Tunisian Solidarity Bank. New mechanisms and the launch of regional plans of action for rural women should open up real prospects for self-development and better living conditions, and the access of women to various services, including employment and production support. Tunisian women have also gained in the legal area, the report states. Women now have the right to conclude contracts in their own name, dispose of property, serve as administrators of estates and institute proceedings before any court. Other legal rights include access to judicial office, the right to choose their home, equality and partnership within the family, possession of their dowries, mutual respect between spouses, and the right of women to own, acquire, retain and dispose of property. A new era had been marked in the further strengthening of womens rights in Tunisia, as enshrined in the countrys Constitution of 1959. That Constitution promulgated equal political, economic and social rights and duties for men and women. Since the formation of the new Government in 1987, Tunisia has witnessed an important quantitative jump forward in the promotion and consolidation of womens status within the family and society as a whole, as well as a strengthening of their role in the development of the country. In this respect, Tunisia has implemented a comprehensive strategy to develop womens capacities and protect them against all forms of discrimination. The approach adopted was one in which democracy and development were closely related and solidarity and tolerance were complementary.   Since August 1992 Tunisia has fostered partnerships between women and men in the management of family affairs and of children, as well as in the areas of employment, social security and other fields related to civil and economic relations. She said that since the 1990s, Tunisia has been active in the development of a comprehensive system of mechanisms and programmes, such as the Committee on Women and Development, a planning methodology based on social gender. Tunisia had responded positively to the recommendations and working methodologies flowing from discussion of the countrys first and second reports in 1995. Various actions and decisions have been taken moves considered as breakthroughs in the consolidation of the status of Tunisian women. Among them were establishment of a committee on the image of women in the media and a national committee for the promotion of rural women. Tunisias determination to enhance the status of women by developing its legislative system is one of the options pursued in line with societys developing needs. Since 1995, Tunisia has passed legislation introducing a joint ownership scheme for couples; granting women the right to give their own family name to children born of unknown fathers and the opportunity for gene testing to prove parenthood; giving Tunisian women married to non-Tunisians the right to confer Tunisian citizenship on children born outside the country. This could be done by making a mere declaration when the father was dead, legally incapacitated or missing. Tunisia is proud of its success in achieving equal rights between men and women in most sectors. The eradication of illiteracy was another of the objectives of the comprehensive development schemes adopted by Tunisia. Female illiteracy rates has dropped from 80.4 per cent in 1966 to 36.2 per cent in 1999. Tunisia has also initiated a national adult literacy programme in April 2000 to reinforce the programme already in place. These programmes sought to reduce illiteracy rates to 20 per cent by 2004.Promoting the economic capacity of women, facilitating their access to appropriate vocational training, and encouraging them to set up small- and medium-sized enterprises were some of the highest priorities in the strategy for the promotion of Tunisias women. The ratio of girls benefiting from vocational training had increased from 27 per cent in 1996 to 35 per cent in 2000. The number of women benefiting from micro-project mechanisms had similarly increased, with the proportion of women granted loans rising to as high as 35 per cent in 2001 from 10 per cent in 1997. Tunisian women have gained access to all fields of employment and public life, their participation rate reaching 25 per cent in 2000. Today, women accounted for one out of two teachers, one out of three doctors, one out of four magistrates, 25.2 per cent of all journalists, and 14 per cent of all executive positions in public administration. Tunisia had not excluded anyone from its development plan, adding that women in both rural and urban areas had actively benefited from adequate care, allowing them to participate in economic and social programmes. There has been a dramatic increase in decision-making positions for women. Their presence in Parliament has increased from 7 per cent in 1995 to 11.5 per cent today. Women accounted for 9.3 per cent of government positions; such achievements would not have been accomplished were it not for the staunch political determination and firmly-rooted belief that democracy could not be achieved. Tunisia is unwavering its determination to safeguard all the gains so far made and to continue its efforts to eradicate all forms of discrimination against women.   Associations play a major part in the countrys development effort. As womens rights come centre-stage within the universal system of human rights, and as the number of worldwide initiatives to consolidate the status of women increases, Tunisia is determined to further develop its programmes and form forces with other countries and regions as well as international institutions and bodies.

The Sonoco Products Company Business Essay

The Sonoco Products Company Business Essay The analysis of this case study is about Sonoco Products Company, a leading manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging. The company was adversely affected by the financial crisis in the mid 1990s. Due to the financial crisis companies sales came down by 6% during the period from 1995 to 1999. The company re designed its strategy towards industrial packaging industry which brought them the growth through large no of acquisitions. Companys strategies and the working systems changed drastically due to the impact had with the changes happened considering the needs of the consumers. Due to the notable outcomes of globalization Sonoco also felt the high competitiveness in the industry, uncertainty of jobs of employees and innovations in products which had them think of other avenues to improve on. Further the shareholders of the company also called for a new strategic HR approach in order to increase effectiveness, acquire new set of skills and competencies and HR has to be a more s trategic business partner. At the initial stage company made a hit back on to these external challenges by changing the paternalistic culture (which ensured jobs for life and allowed the underperformers to stay in the company ) and also through tightening the performance management system and transforming HR into a more proactive and strategic function changing many HR policies and processes. Due to the changes occurred in the company they had the privilege of making a more integrated marketing approach which reflected the demanding needs of the end consumer. Further, during tough economic conditions, organisations must continually improve their performance by reducing costs, innovating products, improving quality, productivity and speed to the market in order to enhance the organisational performance. (Becker Gerhart, 1996). Thereafter the Sonoco Company improved and they started reviewing their procedures and internal structures without being product oriented in order to gain maximum competitive advantage in the industry. The major changing point of Sonoco was the appointment of their Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Cindy Hartley. She changed the whole Human Resources system with some radical and significant changes which were studded into the firm as highly decentralized and which was not consistent at all. They believed the HR as a strictly back room operation (Sonoco Products case study). Traditionally Human resources function was viewed as a cost to be minimised (Becker and Gerhart, 1996). Initially Hartley discovered that most of the sections or the departments had their own way of doing things. The corporate human resources had very little work to do in the company as a whole, they were another mere department in the organisation which had little influencing power and authority. The main objective of taking Cindy Hartley was to streamline the Human resources function of Sonoco, in order to achieve the goals of creating competitive advantage, to promote best internal practices and reduc e the duplication of work. She was identified as the Change Maker of the firm (Sonoco Products case study). The change makers were interventionists with a strategic agenda focused on both the hard realities of business performance and the softer HR interventions designed to enhance employee commitment and motivation. It was this new role that perhaps most clearly differentiated HRM from traditional personnel management (Guest, 1987, pp. 505-9; Storey, 1992, p. 180). Under the leadership and guidance of Hartley, Sonoco had the luxury of changing its strategy focusing mainly on three areas such as performance management which will directly reflect the contributions made by the employees. She stressed the importance of this as performance management and compensation were HR fundamentals (Sonoco Case Study, p5). Thereafter Hartley focus was on Sonocos talent development and management system in order to refine employees skills and to identify and develop deficient skills. Final was the succession planning that needed to be integrated into business as usual in order to identify and prepare the next generation of leaders. (Sonoco Case Study, p4) Two business models were presented by Hartley to the Sonoco Companys executive committee. One was a centralised model which will target, in reducing the cost of administration and increase process improvements in order to gain a $3.1million worth of savings for the company. In this model most of the HR services will be handled by four centres of expertise. The main disadvantages of implementing this model was restricting opportunities to align directly with individual businesses needs and interests would make other objectives more complicated. (Sonoco Case Study, p6) Second option was the hybrid model where the divisions of the firm would retain some direct involvement in staffing, succession planning, personnel programmes, compensation and benefits. The main advantage of this model was that it would leave intact a divisional HR presence on which GMs could rely on, where by creating a strategic link between corporate HR functions and the businesses (Sonoco Case Study page 6). This model would generate savings of $2.7million for the Sonoco Company. The main question that arose in implementing this model was whether the changes could be effectively driven across the company. More changes were seen in Sonoco since the appointment of Harris DeLoach, Sonocos new Chief Executive Officer. His main ambition was to implement a new business model that would generate a significant growth in the company as well as it will reduce the functional cost which will keep the company more globally competitive among the other firms in the industry. The new model must also reduce the functions costs by 20% or by $ 2.8 Million (Sonoco Case Study page 1). Further, DeLoach gave the task to Hartley with devising two alternative organisational structures for HR that would cost less and support three ambitious objectives, Firstly to increase General Managers (GM) accountability for talent management, Secondly to distribute HR talent and support more evenly across the companys divisions and make HR systems and processes consistent and Finally to optimise HRs ability to provide customised , strategic support to the GMs business (Sonoco Case Study page 1). Also he made the objective s clear saying You can have the best strategy in the world but if you dont have effective execution by people, its going to fail. Thereafter Hartley focused on the two models described and Both of Hartleys alternatives are improvements in the structure of the firm which will change the traditional way of working at Sonoco. Due to these changes the most important change was the high involvement of human resouses personal in the areas which were handled mostly by the GMs. Therefore, the human resourses fulfilled their objective of controlling HR functions in the firms divisions. Further, its understanded that most of the advantages of the centralise solution are disadvantages of the hybrid one vice versa. Due to this one can argued that the centralized model is more suitable for short term progress, since it can help the firm to reduce more than the expected cost cut of 20% which was the wish of CEO, DeLoachs. However, it implies potential dangers for future operation in longer term. In the other hand this morel (centralize) is not that flexible in nature and also not suitable to implement as it will make a consi derable change in the structure of the difficult in a highly challenging market. In addition other disadvantage is that the restriction of opportunities to directly align individual businesses needs and demands, which would make other objectives of Sonoco more difficult. In terms of hybrid model, on the other hand looks like not attractive which is not meeting the requirement of expense deduction and may lead to redundancy mainly due to large set of HR personnel being involved, which will lead to an additional expense to the firm. However, if you take the two models the difference in budget is not that significant at all. Its Just $100,000 where less than 5% as a whole. But in the hybrid model, the potential for longer term is much better than the centralized model. Sonoco will also feel higher flexibility and can adjust to the change of market easier. Also Sonoco operates in 32 countries with different sets of cultural dimensions (Hofstede, 2010). Further, in the hybrid structure, with the feature of decentralization, which will help the company to be more flexible in terms of implementing HR activities which are suitable for each country or territory and by selecting hybrid model cultural conflicts will be minimised. Due to those reasons and also by compairing the advantages and disadvantages, the hybrid model seems to be a better option for Sonoco rather than the centralized structure. In implementing either of these models would have a bigger impact and risk involved to the firm but given CEOs main objective of making best use of employees, the most suitable choice seems to be the hybrid model. After the arrival of Hartley, Sonoco implemented a new performance management system and where individuals are accountable for their failures. Accordingly, Performance Management is a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance (Armstrong and Baron, 2004). Furthermore, performance management makes a culture in the firm where employees as individuals and also as teams take responsibilities for the continuous improvement of business processes and of their own skills, behaviours and contributions (CIPD, 2011). Therefore, Hartley changed the working culture of Sonoco by bringing in a new HR system. Sonoco made the Setting up the new system was mainly due to achieving of organisational objectives and targets, with individual performance metrics in line with the corporate targets. The targets set out by Sonoco can be measured using number of performance management tools such as, 360degree feedb ack, learning and development , performance appraisal, setting performance objectives and performance related pay like wise. Major changes were injected into the Sonoco company. After the introduction of the cyclical model to the firm, it ensured that individual performance objectives and the targets will reflect the organisational goals of the business. Further, in this senario Supervisors and the employees will agree on personal objectives and targets during the performance appraisals. Thereafter the targets will be measured considering their divisional targets. If you take as an example, in division one, each plant manager would have a set of metrics like quality, customer returns ,plant profit, machine downtime and safety. In division two, metrics might be on scrap reduction and to drive productivity (Sonoco Case Study Page 5). Sonoco case study stresses the importance in the foundations of performance management of motivation theory, especially goal setting and expectancy theory. The acceptance of goals by employees and the increasing of difficulty levels of such goals can lead to increased motivation and performance (Locke Latham, 1984). Further several HR tools were used by Sonoco to drive employee and organisational performance which was MBO. This is a goal orientated management tool in which managers and employees come together to agree upon a set of objectives to contribute to organisational performance, Drucker (1954). Additionally in this system individual employees development needs and personal training and development schedule will be agreed upon. (Sonoco Case Study Page 5). Further, Sonocos changed the previous eighteen salary grades and it was changed into a very simple and easy system of five salary bands in order to enhance managerial flexibility in differentiating among employees and awarding merit increases (Sonoco Case Study Page 5) These changes were implemented by Hartley in the new performance management system at Sonoco Products also stressed the importance of an universal compensation system within the firm. Also with the implementation of performance related pay system, it gave an incentive for the high performing individuals at Sonoco Products. The main objective of this was to benefit or reward to individual contributions while within the market guidelines (Sonoco Case Study Page 5). Further, apart from the individual financial benefits, they also permitted managers at Sonoco to think of the contributions that the employees are making in order achieve the desired business objectives (Sonoco Base Study Page 5). Nevertheless, in order to be successful, effective arrangements must be in place to define measure, appraise and manage performance (CIPD, 2011). As mentioned in the case study, reward or compensation strategies has to be divided into both intrinsic rewards and extrinsic rewards. It is very important for Sonoco to implement a variety of compensation strategies, not only focusing on performance related pay where it will help the firm in order meet employee and organisational performance objectives successfully. Due to the new performance management system, Sonoco Company is experiencing some radical changes in its firm currently. Its notable to say that the firm needs more changes or improvements in order to sustain in the competition with the others in the global market. In terms of improvements Sonoco needs attention in the areas of talent management and succession planning for them to get the best in terms of growth. More importantly hybrid model has to be developed and implemented successfully for the firm to get the intended growth and the reducing of cost. Therefore in order to gain the expected organisational performance, engagement with the GMs and line managers has to be strengthened. , Engaged employees have a sense of personal attachment to their work and organisation; they are motivated and able to give of their best to help it succeed and from that flows a series of tangible benefits for organisation and individual alike (MacLeod Clarke 2009). Further its important that Hartl ey interact with the entire workforce rather than engaged only with the managers to get the best out of the employees. Because, in reality without a motivated and engaged workforce, whatever the best HRM practices used you cant generate a high performing culture. Therefore the importance of employee engagement is a vital factor in a high performance culture within the workplace. It is important for organisations to implement a thorough and inclusive policy of employee engagement to create a high performance culture. Reflection and summary By learning The Managing Human Resources module has provided me a very strong foundation and useful insight into the key components and practices which are in the world of Human Resources. It gave me a total understanding of both the techniques and theory behind some of the critical themes within HR. Also it gave me a competitive advantage over some of my colleagues who do not possess a HR related qualification. I believe that it is very important for any future leader to obtain a comprehensive programme of study that relates to the field of HRM as it has demonstrated how important the HR function is in contributing to both organisational and employee performance. This module has certainly enhanced my performance as it has enhanced my knowledge on HR, improved my critical analysis skills, enriched my knowledge of both soft and hard HRM models and also improved my verbal dialogue by having some useful, interesting, stimulating, debating sessions during seminars. Further, it has also i nformed my judgement on how important employee participation is to the success of the organisation. Engaging with employees is a crucial component in generating a high performing culture. It is this concept that has influenced my analysis of the Sonoco case study, as HRM practices and models cannot be successfully implemented without a motivated and engaged workforce. In my personal view, the HRM module, at first, stresses the importance of managing people which I have to do when running a business of my own or working for a firm. Unlike financial management, inventory management etc., in HRM I should not rely on machine or outsourcing but to act flexibly on my own, especially when dealing with skilful and knowledgeable employees. However, thanks to HRM module, I will know how to choose and apply best HR models on their organizations.HRM will help me to identify potential strengths and weaknesses of staffs. A variety HR tools can provide a comprehensive understanding about peoples c apabilities and desires etc. in order to provide them with suitable environments, and through this, fully exploit their contributions. Moreover, to have best use of staffs, I will know how apply development methods to increase their productivity. An organization is more a community than a group of separated persons. Through researching organizational behaviour, I can be aware of relations and interactions among all staffs. Organizational behaviour is not only for providing necessary skills training, but also for allocating people in teams in order to achieve their synergy. Compensation and reward management, in connection with performance management, help me to comprehend the working motivation and know how to promote it for the benefit of both employees and organization. Finally, I believe that this module has provided me with the foundations of becoming a future leader in my organisation.

Extraction of Blue Ice Area in Antarctica

Extraction of Blue Ice Area in Antarctica Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY High resolution satellite data has made it possible to obtain optimistic results in feature extraction processes. High resolution World-View-2 data is used for mapping blue ice areas (BIAs) in Antarctic regions. World-View-2 provides extensively high accuracy, agility, capacity and spectral diversity. First high-resolution 8-band multispectral commercial/business satellite is World-View-2 launched October 2009. Working at an elevation of 770 kilometres, World-View-2 gives 46cm panchromatic resolution and 1.85m multispectral resolution. World-View-2 has a normal revisit time of 1.1 days and it is able of catching up to 1 million square kilometres of 8-band imagery per day. Satellite pictures generally track seasonal annual variations in BIAs coverage over the past 30 year on the East Antarctic plateau region. In late studies, the distribution of BIAs can likewise mulled over from the SAR (synthetic aperture radar) images. In SAR satellite image, blue ice can likewise be outwardly perc eived. The amplitude of blue ice is less than that of snow (white), because the ice surface is smoother than the latter. Yet, distinction is not at all that conspicuous when applying Semi-automatic extraction approach. Blue ice can be distinguished effortlessly in the coherence map got from two SAR pictures in a view of higher coherence of blue ice. It is additionally found that the picture texture data is useful for distinguishing various types of blue ice like rough, smooth and level blue ice. In this study, Atmospheric corrected (QUAC) sharpen calibrated image (World-View-2 data) is used for extracting blue ice areas in Schirmacher Oasis in Antarctic region. Extraction of blue ice area in Antarctica deal with the total area of blue ice areas excluding the other feature (non-target) appearing on or near it. Blue ice areas have some specific qualities that make them of special interest for extraction as they are just 1% of Antarctic region. Many remote sensing approaches have been implemented to monitor and map Antarctic BIAs. 3.1 Methodology Protocol The extraction of blue ice areas is simplified by the Methodology protocol. As the whole image takes time for processing, as Schirmacher Oasis is with an area of 34km ², ranks among the smallestAntarctic oasis and is a typicalpolar desert, so the image is divided in 12 test tiles of different parts of entire World-View-2 image to achieve prior results. Atmospheric correction is done with QUAC (quick atmospheric correction) method to obtain better results. Atmospheric correction to each tile added suitable outputs results to workflow. Calibrated data is also used without applying atmospheric correction to it. Multiband image combination was made from atmospheric corrected data and calibrated data of the study area. Alternating snow and blue ice bands surface patterns are generally found in East Antarctica due to which it is hard task to clearly extract BIAs. For feature extraction processes region of interest (ROI) is considered in which blue ice is target and white ice appearing on or near the blue ice is considered as non-target. Methodology workflow is prepared in order to achieve good and prior results comparing with the previous studies. Extraction of blue ice is not that easy task as dust and white snow appears on it as non-target. Various Semi-automatic extraction methods like TERCAT, Target Detection Wizard, Mapping Methods, Spectral Matching and Object Base Image Analysis (OBIA) are used for extracting blue ice areas in Antarctica. The initial results obtained were good but not better enough to keep them prior. Many trials were carried out for extracting blue ice in Antarctica. Prior results were kept in workflow of methodology to compare them with every trial results. Object based and Pixel based both the classification are used in workflow to get good results. From the High resolution World-View-2 data reference data (digitized data) was prepared for blue ice area and extracted blue ice area was obtained from Semi-automatic extraction methods and OBIA. From the extracted blue ice, blue ice is considered as target and white snow appearing on it as non-target. Comparing reference data and extracted data Bias, % Bias and RMSE values were calculated. After that Average for Bias, % Bias and RMSE values is estimated. BIAS= % BIAS= RMSE= Where, Ref A is Reference area and Ext A is Extracted area n= no. of tiles processed. 3.2 Semi-automatic extraction methods The semi-automatic feature extraction approach intuitively makes endeavours to commonly empowering the insight or data of human perception framework to robustly detect the targeted feature and the computer-aided system to bring fast extraction of targeted feature and exact shape representation. In semiautomatic feature extraction strategy, first target feature is detected by human vision and a couple of estimates in terms of seed points or coaching samples concerning the targeted feature on highlight are typically given. The targeted feature is then portrayed automatically by the PC helped calculations. 3.2.1 TERCAT approach (ENVI 5.1 Exellis Help) [33] The Terrain Categorization (TERCAT) tool creates an output product in which pixels with similar spectral properties are clumped into categories. These categories may be either user-defined, or automatically generated by the classification algorithm. The TERCAT tool provides all of the standard ENVI classification algorithms, plus an additional algorithm called Winner Takes All. This is a voting method that classifies pixels based on the majority compiled from all of the other classification methods that were conducted. In this research, the sub approaches for TERCAT are Maximum Likelihood, Spectral Angle Mapper, Parallelepiped and Winner Takes All. 3.2.2 Target Detection approach (ENVI 5.1 Exellis Help) [33] Target detection algorithms work on the principle of extracting target features based on spectral characteristic of initial coaching spectral signatures of target features, and performing end to the background noise using spectral signatures of non-target features. If the users knows that the image contains at least one target of interest, the wizard can be used to find other targets like it in the same image. The workflow can also be accessed programmatically, so the user can customize options if needed. Target detection tools (ENVI 5.1) were executed to perform supervised image processing tasks into workflows (CEM, ACE, OSP, TCIMF, and MT-TCIMF) to extract blue ice areas (BIAs) as target and white ice as non-target. 3.2.3 Spectral Matching approach (ENVI 5.1 Exellis Help) [33] Spectral matching approaches extract the target features that are described in multispectral imagery based on the target feature’s spectral characteristics. Spectral matching algorithms confirm the spectral similarity or matching between input satellite imagery and reference key points to form an output product within which pixels with similar spectral properties are clumped into target and non-target categories. Spectral Matching (ENVI 5.1) were executed to perform supervised image processing tasks into workflows (MF, SAM, MTMF and SAMBM) to extract blue ice areas (BIAs) as target and white ice as non-target. 3.2.4 Mapping Methods approach (ENVI 5.1 Exellis Help) [33] Selected hyperspectral Mapping Methods describes advanced concepts and procedures for analyzing imaging spectrometer data or hyperspectral images. Spectral Information Divergence (SID) is a spectral classification method that uses a divergence measure to match pixels to reference spectra. The smaller the divergence, the more likely the pixels are similar. Pixels with a measurement greater than the specified maximum divergence threshold are not classified. End member spectra used by SID can come from ASCII files or spectral libraries, or you can extract them directly from an image (as ROI average spectra). Mapping Methods (ENVI 5.1) were executed to perform supervised image processing tasks into workflows [SID SV (0.05), SID SV (0.07), SID SV (0.1), SID MV (0.05) and SID MV (0.09)] to extract blue ice areas (BIAs) as target and white ice as non-target. 3.2.5 Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) approach (Ecognition Developer Help) [34] Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA), is an advanced method used to segment a pixel based image into map objects that can then be classified as a whole. This kind of analysis is ideal for mapping with high-resolution imagery, where a single feature (such as a tree) might have several different shades of pixels. The example of rule-set for Trial 1, 2, 3 and 4 for extracting blue ice areas in this research is stated below; For Trial 1: 02.063 50 [shape.: 0.8 compact.:0.6] Creating ‘level 1’ Export view to segmentation (no geo) Unclassified with mean nir-1>=50 and mean nir-1 Export view to assign class (no geo) Blue ice with mean nir-1>=50 and mean nir-1 Export view to merging (non geo) For Trial 2: 02.063 60 [shape.: 0.8 compact.:0.6] Creating ‘level 1’ Export view to segmentation (no geo) Unclassified with mean nir-1>=100 and mean nir-1 Export view to assign class (no geo) Blue ice with mean nir-1>=100 and mean nir-1 Export view to merging (non geo) For Trial 3: 02.063 70 [shape.: 0.8 compact.:0.6] Creating ‘level 1’ Export view to segmentation (no geo) Unclassified with mean nir-1>=150 and mean nir-1 Export view to assign class (no geo) Blue ice with mean nir-1>=150 and mean nir-1 Export view to merging (non geo) For Trial 4: 02.063 80 [shape.: 0.8 compact.:0.6] Creating ‘level 1’ Export view to segmentation (no geo) Unclassified with mean nir-1>=200 and mean nir-1 Export view to assign class (no geo) Blue ice with mean nir-1>=200 and mean nir-1 Export view to merging (non geo) The on-top rule-set is employed to extract blue ice areas as well as non-target depending on their mean band values. OBIA is making considerable progress towards spatially explicit information extraction advancement, such as is required for spatial planning as well as for many monitoring programmes. The Semi-automatic extraction strategies and OBIA utilized in this study to extract blue ice areas (BIAs) are supported differently on different underlying principles. To compare these strategies objectively, we kept the input ROIs (regions of interest or coaching samples) constant for all methods for each tile. ROIs are different for different tiles as the area differs. After classifying the image into target spectra, i.e., blue ice areas, using the Semi-automatic extraction methods and OBIA approaches, the 12 semi-automatically extracted tiles (for BIAs) were vectorized to calculate the area of individual tile.

Success of Communist Ideas in American Government Essay example -- Exp

The Success of Communist Ideas in American Government      Ã‚   Ever since the beginning of the Cold War, Americans have held the word "Communism" to have many negative connotations. Our country has been focused on preventing the spread of that evil form of government. Wars were fought in foreign lands; American lives were lost protecting the world from Communism. Many Americans would be horrified, then, to find that the righteous system of Capitalism actually incorporates many Communist ideas. In fact, many of Karl Marx's radical ideas have reached the most fundamental establishments in the United States government; the government that did everything in its power to prevent the seeds of Communism from taking root in other countries.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The government Karl Marx envisioned has never seen the light of day. The Communist governments we're all familiar with, such as the ones in China and the former USSR, never came close to achieving true Communism. They can be better described as dictatorships, rather than governments for the people. As such, the United States was correct in preventing their control over the world. However, as a result of the use of the label "Communism," many Americans have equated this noun with "dictatorship." "To be Communist is to be in favor of a totalitarian government," they say. This simple prejudice lead to the age of McCarthyism, which destroyed the lives of supporters of Marx's ideas. So has Marx's Communism survived? Then and now, several of the United States' government agencies are intrinsically Communist, taking their foundations almost directly from The Communist Manifesto.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most radic... ... best examples of communism can be found right here, in the United States.    Works Cited    Air Transportation Association - Industry Information. 21 July 2000. Air Transportation Association. http://www.air-transport.org/public/industry/16.asp    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. 13 Oct. 2000. The Federal Reserve Board. 14 Oct. 2000 http://www.federalreserve.gov/    Brief Corporate History of AT&T, A. 2000. AT&T Corp. 17 Oct. 2000. http://www.att.com/corporate/restructure/history.html    Marx, Karl. "The Communist Manifesto." A World Of Ideas. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford, 1998. 212-232.    Public Transportation Ridership Statistics Index. 17 Oct. 2000. American Public Transportation Association. 17 Oct. 2000. http://www.apta.com/stats/ridershp/index.htm

Coral Reefs Essay -- science

Coral Reefs Coral reefs are arguably the world’s most beautiful habitats. Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the oceans, because of the rich diversity of life they support. Scientists have not yet finished counting the thousands of different species of plants and animals that use or live in the coral reef. There are three types of coral reefs: fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs are located close to shore, separated from land by only shallow water. Barrier reefs lie farther offshore, separated from land by lagoons more than ten meters deep. Atolls, on the other hand, are formed far offshore and they make a ring-shaped reef that close a circular lagoon. Coral reefs are the largest biological structures on the planet, with the largest being the Great Barrier Reef covering over 2000 kilometers along the east coast of Australia (Focus, 1995). The reef is said to be 500,000 to 2,500,000 years old and is said to be visible from the moon.(Scientif! ic, 1987). There is only one problem with this beautiful structure and that is the carelessness of man. Silt from deforested lands and pollution from crowded coastlines choke them, and overuse by coal miners, fisheries, and even tourists deplete and destroy coral reefs. There are many more factors which add to the destruction of the coral reefs, which if not stopped it will destroy all coral reefs. Corals are animals, not plants, sunlight is the key to their survival. They need it to power the millions of microscopic algae, called zooxanthellae, that live in their tissues. The algae provides the corals with food and oxygen in return for raw materials and a secure place to live. This teamwork is what allows the reef to survive in nutrient-poor tropical seas. This relationship is sensitive to such changes in the environment as cloudy waters or extreme temperatures. The stress on the corals can cause them to expel their algae, a phenomenon known as bleaching(Futurists, 1993). With the algae gone, the coral skeleton is visible and eventually it dies. Died corals lead further on to the death of the reef. There are four environmental factors that effect their growth: temperature, salinity, water depth, and wave action. These factors exposes the reef to changes in the environment very easily especially since it is located so close to shore. This also makes it hard for all of... ...e to do something about saving these coral reefs. If these reefs are destroyed it is thought that it might destroy the entire ecosystem of the ocean. There are over sixty-five countries that have designated some 300 parks that include coral reefs as natural habitats in the world (Futurists,1993). The problem is that less that 30% of the designated areas are fully protected. The fight is economical not ecological. Such as Australia and the Caribbean who are making billions of dollars on their coral reefs. Everyone must work together to stop the pollution and the destruction of our coral reefs and our environment. it is not just one thing that is destroying the reefs! it is many factors together that are destroying it. Ultimately, it is as much a question of whether we save or destroy the planet as it is a question of whether we save or destroy the world’s reef. Works Cited Aldridge, Susan (April, 1995) â€Å"Coral: Replacement for Human Bones† Focus. Goreau, Thomas (August, 1987) â€Å"Coral and Coral Parks† Scientific American. TenBruggencats, Jan (May, 1995) â€Å"Coral in Hot Waters† Star-Bulletin & Advertiser. Weber, Peter (July, 1993) â€Å"Saving the Coral Reefs† Futurists.

Federalism and Hurricane Katrina Essay

When it comes to Hurricane Katrina, many people have different opinions on who to blame. I think FEMA is to blame for the lack of response to Hurricane Katrina. FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency and the director of FEMA is Michael Brown. The main purpose of FEMA is to respond to disasters that occur in the United States, but FEMA may not be the best response. After the hurricane had hit, many articles went up about the hurricane and the response, and many of those articles were after FEMA for different reasons. An example would be the New York Times. One article explained how FEMA rejected other doctors and nurses from helping with dying patients because they were not â€Å"federalized† or certified members of a National Disaster Medical Team . Another article stated that FEMA had turned away Wal-Mart trucks stocked with water . Even FEMA’s own website was involved with the news and had an article about how the first responders were discouraged from responding. FEMA was lacking supplies for all of those who were affected by the hurricane. They would not allow help from anybody else. Paperwork is used to ask questions about insurance and income to determine how much loan can be given. If people asked to help FEMA, FEMA made it hard for those people with all of the paperwork. For example, FEMA would not allow Red Cross to deliver food for those that needed it. It seemed to be that FEMA thought that FEMA had everything under control, and refusing everyone else would prove it; a couple days later after the hurricane, people saw how they kept things under control. There had been many criticisms spreading about the responses of FEMA. Some people were saying that FEMA was just very slow in making the decisions; others were defending it by saying that FEMA wanted everything to be in an organized timing. The director of FEMA, Michael Brown, was surprised by the number of people seeking refuge was a large number and was not really prepared. Critics argue that FEMA had people appointed who had no experience with emergency management, like Michael Brown. They say it is partly because of the appointed people that FEMA is lacking response to disasters, especially during Hurricane Katrina. Federalism in the United States is power divided and shared between the different levels of government. In federalism, there are advantages and disadvantages; for example, federalism helps makes dictatorship difficult, but the arrangement of the shared powers is not always successful. It played a role in Hurricane Katrina that did not go too well. During Hurricane Katrina, the responsibility was given to the state government, who, at that time, was the Governor of Louisiana Kathleen Blanco. Of course, the US government could help the state government during the response, which would be FEMA providing finances. Although Hurricane Katrina wiped out everything and made people in danger, Kathleen Blanco failed to see that help was needed. She refused requests from the president, who was President George W. Bush at that time. In the end, it looked like FEMA lacked preparation for Hurricane Katrina, and needed to focus more on preparations of big catastrophes instead of routine emergencies. With hundreds of people dead and injured from the hurricane, FEMA has to step up and open up to other people in order to get ready for the next catastrophe. Works Cited SHANE, SCOTT. â€Å"After Failures, Government Officials Play Blame Game .† 5 September 2005. The New York Times. . TIERNEY, JOHN. â€Å"Going (Down) by the Book.† 17 September 2005. The New York Times. .

Case Study of Lyons Document Storage Corporation

Case study of Lyons Document Storage Corporation: Bond Accounting Introduction The Lyons Company is currently a company providing storage of documents for other corporate customers. Lyons had operated conservatively without any long-term debt until it issued bonds in 1999. The bounds issued were $10 million in 20-year bonds, offering a coupon rate of 8% with interest paid semiannually, and sold to yield the 9% market rate of interest at the time. In the following essay, we take it as Alternative 1. These bonds were issued on July 2, 1999 and would be due July 2, 2019. But now, the investment bankers told the company’s owner, Mr.Lyons, that $10 million in new 6% bonds with semiannual interest payments could be issued to provide the company with exactly $10 million in principal at the end of 10 years. The new interest payments would be $200,000 less each year than old bonds, which still had 12 years before they would be paid off. We take issuing these new bonds as Alternative 2. If it is selected, 11542K/1K=11542 new bonds will Lyons have to issue to refund the old bonds. There is also a third alternative: Issuing $11. 54 million of 10-year 6% bonds to completely pay-off the existing bonds with no need for additional cash from the company.Now, we are facing the problem that if Lyons should issue one of the new bonds with lower interest rate or keep the existing bonds. One Concept about Bond First I want to talk about the terms of â€Å"premium† and â€Å"discount†. Usually there will be difference between the face value of the bond and the actual amount of money that the borrower receives when the bond is originally issued. This difference is called premium or discount. If the amount received is larger than the face value, it is called premium. If it is smaller than the face value, it is called discount. With this definition, we come to compute exactly how much the company eceived from its 8% bonds amount received by the borrower. The value, VN, is given by the following equation. VN=rZ(P/A,i%,N)+C(P/F,i%,N) Where: VN: bond value or balance sheet liability with N remaining periods r: bond interest rate Z: bond face value i: prevailing yield at time of issued C: redemption value at maturity For the old bonds, r=8% with semiannual payments, i=9%, Z=C=$10 million, N=40(one period is half a year). VN=0. 04*10(P/A, 4. 5%, 40)+10(P/F, 4. 5%, 40)= 9. 08 million. Thus, the company actually received $9. 08 million from the old bond, which is less than the face value $10 million. This is a discount bond.We can also using this equation to recalculate the amount shown in the balance sheet at December 31, 2006: VN=0. 04*10(P/A, 4. 5%, 25)+10(P/F, 4. 5%, 25)= 9. 26 million (number of remaining half-year period=25) At December 31, 2007: VN=0. 04*10(P/A, 4. 5%, 23)+10(P/F, 4. 5%, 23)= 9. 29 million The current market value of the bonds outstanding at the current interest rate of 6% equals to the actual amount of money the borrower will receive at that time. We can also use the above equation to do the calculation. This time r=6% with semiannual payments, i=6%, Z=C=$10 million, remaining number of period=21.VN=0. 03*10(P/A, 3%, 21)+10(P/F, 3%, 21)=$11. 54million Comparison between three Alternatives We can compare these three alternatives based on two aspects: cash flows and book earnings. First, let’s compare the cash flow. Here we use the differential PW method and set alternative 1 as the base. For Alternative 2, there is $1. 54 million cash outflow in Jan. 2009, since $11. 54 million is paid to retire the old bonds. In the following years, alternative 2 will pay $100K less than alternative 1 semiannually, till July. 2019. But for alternative 3, as the new bonds’ face value is $11. 4 million, we do not have to pay the $1. 54 million in Jan. 2009. And the differential annual cash flow is $53. 8K, which is $11. 54 million times 3% interest rate. Besides, we need to pay $1. 54 million more when it co mes to maturity. This is because the redemption value equals to the face value, $11. 54million. The differential cash flow is listed in Exhibit 1. With the cash flow of every period, we can calculate the differential cumulative PW. The differential cumulative PW for alternative 2: PW2=-1542K+100K(P/A,3%,21)=-$0. 5K. The differential PW for alternative 3: PW3=53. 8K(P/A,3%,21)-1542K(P/F,3%,21)=$0. K. The negative differential PW for alternative 2 means the company will eventually pay more money compared to alternative 1. The positive differential PW for alternative 3 means it will eventually receive more money. From the cash flow perspective, it seems the company may issue the $11. 54 million of 10-year 6% bonds. Another aspect is book earnings. Earnings will be affected by: (i) the $2. 2 million loss on refunding in 2009, (ii) differential interest payments in every period, and (iii) differential â€Å"amortized discount† expense in every period. The $2. 2 million is from $11 . 4 million spent to retire bonds minus the $9. 3 million listed on the balance sheet at that time. The differential interest payments are the same as those in the cash flow perspective. The amortized discount of alternative 2 and 3 is zero for each period. This is because the interest expense is $10 million*3%=$300K semiannually. The actual payment is also $300K semiannually. There is no difference between these two values. Therefore, the old amortized discount equals to the differential amortized discount. Old Amortized Discount=Interest Expense-Payment. (See Exhibit 2) For alternative 1, first we use $9079. K, which is calculated in â€Å"One Concept about Bond†, as the liability at the beginning of the first period. The interest expense of every period equals to the liability at the beginning of that period times the interest rate. Liability at the end of the period before payment (column D) equals to column B plus column C. Finally, after deducting $400k from column D, w e get the liability at the end of the period, which is $9088. 5K. Use this value as the liability at the beginning of period 2 and repeat the calculation above, we can finish the left side part Exhibit 2. This table shows how the liability increases with each period.At the end of the 20 years it is exactly equal to $10 million face value. To compare the differential book earnings for alternative 2 and 3, we just add an extra part to the left side of the original table. There will be a $2. 2 million loss in the first period, and differential interest payments and amortized discount in the following periods. We add up these 3 differential values and get the New Earnings Effects. (See Exhibit 2 and 3) Conclusion From the book earning perspective, we can see that if the company issue any kind of new bond, there will be increases in future years’ earnings and a loss in current year’s earnings.The loss will make Mr. Lyons unhappy. As a matter of fact, this perspective just g ives us an implication of the company’s financial status. It is more reasonable to use cash flow to compare these 3 alternatives, since it takes the time value into consideration. From the cash flow perspective, since PW3> 0 but PW2< 0, which means Alternative 3 finally makes us pay less money than Alternative 1 but Alternative 2 finally makes us pay more money than Alternative 1. Thus we should choose Alternative 3.