Performance Improvement Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Performance Improvement Program - Essay Example (Coutts and Schneider) Emery and Giauque also found that non-monetary forms of remuneration, such as the organization of working hours, improvements in equipment and work resources and the development of skills, are appreciated by employees. In some of the instances the inefficiencies in employee performance may be the result of an inconsistent behavior of the people representing the management. A number of behavioral issues may be responsible for this state of affairs. There is an absolute necessity of diagnosing the performance management problems to identify the causes for the inconsistencies in the behavior of the management towards subordinates. Such an examination becomes vitally important in the case of a service organization such as a consulting company, since the revenues of the organization depend entirely on the performance of the individuals working with the organization. The analysis of the performance management problem will lead to the implementation of a proper Perfor mance Improvement Plan. The purpose of such a plan is to identify weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for improvement and skill development of the individual employees. This report examines the performance management problems being faced by International Assignment Services PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hong Kong Limited, a multinational consulting organization, due to lack of an effective system of performance improvement plan and feedback in the company and also to suggest a suitable Performance Improvement Plan for the organization to improve the performance of the organization. International Assignment Services - A Background PricewaterhouseCoopers Hong Kong Limited is an international consulting organization with a number of professionals working with the organization at various levels. The company has an 'International Assignment Services (IAS) department providing consulting services to different types of clients in Hong Kong and China. The structure of the department consists of professionals working in different hierarchical levels such as Partners, Senior Managers, Managers, Senior Consultants and Associates. The individual job responsibilities and hierarchical position of people at these levels is provided below. This presentation assumes importance to understand the intricacy of the performance management problem in the organization. Partners The highest level within the department, who set objectives and gives direction to the team, have at least 10 years of experience in the fields, with strong relationship with commercial clients and officials in the China and HK tax bureau. Senior Managers Have years of experience in IAS, have a strong client base, work closely with Partners in setting team objectives and most of the tax compliance and consultation work will be delegated to Senior Consultants. Other than client work, Senior Managers will have other internal roles in the department, e.g., Head of the Coaching team, System improvement/ developer, Career Counselor, etc. Managers Less experience than Senior Managers, fewer clients than Senior Managers, so for most of the time, Managers will be out to seek for new clients, for example holding tax seminars

Asset Pricing Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asset Pricing Issues - Assignment Example are likely to remain the subject of legitimate interest far into the future. In other words, they will continue to be useful in helping us understand not just financial markets but also human behaviour and psychology. An example of the many issues facing researchers is the shape of the security market line which, according to the capital asset pricing model, reflects the most efficient portfolio that would give the best return for a certain level of risk. As recounted by Campbell (2000, 1528-29), changes in the slope of this line led to several hypotheses that were attempts to discover the patterns of behaviour of such data. Amongst the conclusions that continue to influence equity markets is that of the significant contribution that small firms make to market returns. The digitalisation of data and the increasing power of number-crunching computer technology in the last twenty-five years certainly helped not only in gathering data and improving its integrity, but also in the develop ment of mathematical models that somehow helped explain the data. Second, many models have been developed in response to the data. ... Coming in the form of equations (packed with Greek letters), these models help us to understand the reality that is captured by actual data. Several of the studies enumerated by Campbell (2000) helped in the development and our understanding of financial markets in the last twenty-five years. We are warned, however, on a point of caution implicit in the use of market data, especially as more academics attempt to find any observable patterns that are market anomalies (over-reaction and contrarian profit-making, month- or day-of-the-week effects, etc.). One key issue is the rationality (or lack thereof) of market investors and its connection to the integrity of the data. The continuing debate over the efficiency of capital markets between believers (Fama & French, 1998) and behaviourists (Shiller, 2000) call into question whether rational investor behaviour give rise to random data that irrational investors (as most investors are characterised by behaviourists) turn into predictable (a nd therefore, non-random) data through an act of rationality. Third, the analysis and discussion of data and models have improved our understanding of the sources of risk, the economic forces that determine the rewards for bearing risk, and the factors that determine the over-all level of asset prices. The different asset pricing models have taught the investing public, businessmen, and public policy-makers several important and overwhelming lessons, such as: first, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and second, that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings in Argentina can bring down the management and the stock price of a company. What the first lesson teaches us is that the

Mathematics learning Theories 02 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mathematics learning Theories 02 - Essay Example Behaviorism Theory in learning considers observation on behaviors of students. Learning takes place when there is an increase in behaviors considered positive and reduction in behaviors considered negative. The theory compares mind to muscle and that they both benefits from exercise (Schoenfeld, 2013). In this theory, learning results from direct interaction with the environment. The theory uses rewards as reinforcements for good behavior and punishment for those having undesired behaviors. Cognitive learning theory explains how a person perceives information from the environment to the cognitive part of the brain. Cognitive theory considers the ability of human to be conscious of their thoughts. The information modifies the cognitive part in the brain to meet the environmental demands (Hoyles & Lagrange, 2010). The theory looks at the thinking and cognitive development depending on ages. As a child grows, the cognitive development also occurs through equilibration and understanding of concepts. In equilibration process, an individual balance both the ability to assimilate and accommodate new information. In constructivism theory of learning, the students or personal understanding of a concept that is independent of the other. In this mode of learning, a teacher does not lecture or transfer mathematical knowledge but provide students with situations to make mental constructions on their own (Instructional design, 2015). The constructivism theory encourages dialog in learning between students and teachers. How individuals acquire knowledge becomes the focus in this theory. It purports that challenges and questions lead to acquiring knowledge in learning mathematics through engagement in problem solving and the environment. The aim of this theory is to improve teaching and learning in classes through engagement of both students and teachers. This theory model faces challenge in creating situations that support students’ explanation while at the

Asset Pricing Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asset Pricing Issues - Assignment Example are likely to remain the subject of legitimate interest far into the future. In other words, they will continue to be useful in helping us understand not just financial markets but also human behaviour and psychology. An example of the many issues facing researchers is the shape of the security market line which, according to the capital asset pricing model, reflects the most efficient portfolio that would give the best return for a certain level of risk. As recounted by Campbell (2000, 1528-29), changes in the slope of this line led to several hypotheses that were attempts to discover the patterns of behaviour of such data. Amongst the conclusions that continue to influence equity markets is that of the significant contribution that small firms make to market returns. The digitalisation of data and the increasing power of number-crunching computer technology in the last twenty-five years certainly helped not only in gathering data and improving its integrity, but also in the develop ment of mathematical models that somehow helped explain the data. Second, many models have been developed in response to the data. ... Coming in the form of equations (packed with Greek letters), these models help us to understand the reality that is captured by actual data. Several of the studies enumerated by Campbell (2000) helped in the development and our understanding of financial markets in the last twenty-five years. We are warned, however, on a point of caution implicit in the use of market data, especially as more academics attempt to find any observable patterns that are market anomalies (over-reaction and contrarian profit-making, month- or day-of-the-week effects, etc.). One key issue is the rationality (or lack thereof) of market investors and its connection to the integrity of the data. The continuing debate over the efficiency of capital markets between believers (Fama & French, 1998) and behaviourists (Shiller, 2000) call into question whether rational investor behaviour give rise to random data that irrational investors (as most investors are characterised by behaviourists) turn into predictable (a nd therefore, non-random) data through an act of rationality. Third, the analysis and discussion of data and models have improved our understanding of the sources of risk, the economic forces that determine the rewards for bearing risk, and the factors that determine the over-all level of asset prices. The different asset pricing models have taught the investing public, businessmen, and public policy-makers several important and overwhelming lessons, such as: first, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and second, that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings in Argentina can bring down the management and the stock price of a company. What the first lesson teaches us is that the

Literature Review Relating to levels of Physical Actiity and Older Essay

Literature Review Relating to levels of Physical Actiity and Older People - Essay Example Physical activity levels in older people in rural areas are comparatively less when we consider the urban elder people because of social, economical and cultural factors. The older generation of UK in general and that of Ireland in particular are very much reluctant in doing physical activities to maintain their physical and mental health (See appendix for the statistics). The rural areas of Ireland are sparsely populated with no cities or major towns, which made the problem even worse. Moreover transportation services like the train services are less to the rural areas of Ireland which made this area less developed. People over the age of 55 (Older people) in this region are not engaging in physical activity levels as laid down by the Irish Government. This paper is written as a literature review concentrating mainly on the older generation of the Irish people especially in rural areas. Aim of this literature review is to prove that lack of infrastructure facilities, development and awareness forced rural Irish older people to stay away from physical workouts. In this paper, I have reviewed relevant journals/ articles mainly from UK, America and Australia to establish the need of physical activities for older people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical inactivity causes 2 million deaths a year worldwide and increases all causes of mortality (Medibank 2007, p.8). The advancements in science and technology and increasing living standards are the major reasons for the physical inactivity. For example, walking and cycling were the major means, people used to travel from one place to another earlier. But the arrival of new technology oriented industrialization, revolutionised the human life and people started to give up the traditional means of transportation, which once helped them to stay fit. Caspersen et al, (1985) defined physical

Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay Did you know that education in school is really important? Many parents believe that education is important because it leads to a degree which grants you a good job. With an education you can get a steady pay check. With that pay check you will get away to financial independence as an adult. Why is Education So Important? he first thing that strikes me about education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world around us. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is the only thing that gives knowledge. Some say, education is the process of gaining information about the surrounding world while knowledge is something very different. They are right. But then, information cannot be converted into knowledge without the catalyst called education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things rightly. It is not just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the lessons of life. Did you know that education in school is really important? School and education help people you understand beyond the world around them. Education helps ones immediate family, area, region, country, culture, race, or civilization. These different subjects open up information and knowledge. An important aspect of education is learning how to learn in order differentiate fact from fiction. Education is important because it equips us with all that is needed to make our dreams come true. Education opens doors of brilliant career opportunities. It fetches better prospects in career and growth. Every employer of today requires his prospective employees to be well educated. He requires expertise. So, education becomes an eligibility criterion for employment into any sector of the industry. We are rewarded for exercising the expertise required for the field we venture. We are weighed in the market on the basis of our educational skills and how well we can apply them. Education brings about economic wealth, political stability and social prosperity; all these are hallmarks of a prosperous society. It can therefore be said that education playas an important role if a society is to be successful. Tertiary education is an important aspect in the development of any society that considers or aspires to be modern. It is by far the best investment that a nation or an individual can make in its youth or oneself respectively. Educated people are in a better position to contribute to the development of their country; these educated individuals get employment opportunities that give them satisfaction and also earn some form of respect among their work mates. It also plays an important role in the integration of a society in that by interacting with people from various areas, it will raise different issues that people in rural areas are facing thereby promoting knowledge and understanding of these areas Life is nothing without education? Life without education is like living in the streets. Without education youll become lost. You will not have a guaranteed future. You will no go home ridding your favorite car to your Own home. By learning your basic alphabets youll work your way through to have a professional career. Therefore with out Education to school you will not learn at all. Life is never without education. In societies without formal schools, parents pass skills on to children. Education starts before you ever go to school and goes on after you finish school. That said, formal education is a great way to ensure that every child knows what is most necessary to live in a particular society. Without education you will be an illiterate person your children in the future will come up to you and you’re not going to know how to answer them with a right answer. Education will help build your own perspective. Schools are the place you school of started how to pronounce and count. Importance of education is needed in order to succeed in today’s world. In order to receive education you must go through some process. Your first process is to graduate from high school with your diploma. The next step is to attend college to obtain a degree in a trade that you would like to pursue. Without education you wouldn’t get good pay or promotion that you deserve. However, some people feel that they can get by in life without education, sadly that is not true. If you would like at the graphic at the bottom you will see that the higher the education you have the more money you can make. Education is important to have in today’s society. Importance of education able you to have a good job security and knowledge of your field supporting the hard work a person put into there education. Overall, school is the basic start that will drive you to your future. With knowledge youll get the sense of pride that you know must of the things. Education will help brighten your children’s future. 66% of the US population has a high school diploma or high. You should be amongst these people.

Identity Theft And Phishing As Cybercrimes Criminology Essay

Identity Theft And Phishing As Cybercrimes Criminology Essay Cybercrimes can be defined as criminal activities which take place or occur within cyberspace. These crimes are common and ever increasing as cybercriminals continue to find new ways of taking advantage of unwary internet users (Mitchell, 2010). A frequently practiced form of cybercrime includes identity theft, which is the use of an individuals private details without their knowledge or approval (Ombudsman for Banking Services, 2009). This essay will discuss phishing as a form of identity theft with the use of various articles as examples to enhance the understanding of identity theft and phishing as cybercrimes. In addition, a criminological theory will be applied to identity theft in order to gain further insight into this particular cybercrime. Defining Cybercrime Cybercrime is used generally to describe a variety of illegal offences of which only a few are specifically associated with computers and the telecommunications infrastructure that supports their use. This specific crime type involves the utilization of digital technologies in the task of the offence or is specifically directed at computing and communications technologies, or is incidental to the commission of other crimes (Smith et al. 2004:7). Identity theft and phishing can be described as forms of cybercriminal activity. These crimes are defined as hybrid crimes. Hybrid crimes are those which can exist online as well as offline. Specifically, these crimes work with the worldwide scope that cyber environments provide (Muncie et al. 2010:77). Currently, cybercrime is an extremely profitable business and will no doubt continue to be for a very long time. The main reason for this is because many people are not aware of how rife it is and of how susceptible they are to the threat of this crime. The best possible way that consumers and corporations can protect themselves from cybercrimes and cybercriminal activity is to alert themselves and those around them with the use of awareness campaigns and also, people should make sure that their systems are protected with Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus software kits which have precise virus definition and regular software updates to decrease the risk of being under threat of cybercriminal activity (Microzoneg, 2009). Identity Theft Identity theft is defined as a crime that happens when someone wrongfully gains access to and uses the personal information of another individual in a way that involves fraud or dishonesty. Usually, this crime is carried out in order to gain access to an individuals personal funds. Victims of identity theft normally become aware when they note that they are frequently being charged for items that they never purchased, or when they realise that there has been an opening of a new credit card after viewing their credit reports (Jasper, 2006:1). Annually, 10 million consumers are the victims of identity theft. There are many ways in which cybercriminals can obtain an individuals personal information, and these are generally very cleverly disguised. Criminals can intercept personal information that is freely shared over the Internet and can also easily obtain information such as the victims account details by emailing them and falsely acting as their bank (Jasper, 2006:1-3). Because of the fact that individuals are so afraid that they will fall prey to cybercriminals, at times they do not think rationally when asked for their personal details. When provided the chance of being able to protect themselves, individuals will willingly give all the details needed if the bank requires them to do so. Thus, cybercriminals do not find it immensely difficult to obtain all the beneficial information that they need. Some examples of identity theft crimes are the run-up of costs on the victims credit cards, opening a new credit card account making use of the victims name, birth date and social security number, establishing a telephone or wireless facility using the victims name, opening a bank account and writing bad cheques on the account and obtaining employment by making use of the victims personal identity (Jasper, 2006:3-4). Phishing as a Cybercrime Phishing is a form of identity theft which includes the deceitful endeavour to gain the personal details of an individual with the use of text messages and emails. The criminal will act as the victims bank, for example, and will request personal information from the consumer (such as the PIN number) in order to gain access to the funds in the account. (Ramsamy, 2009) As explained before, the consumer makes it easy for the cybercriminal to gain access to their personal funds and resources as they are so adamant on keeping themselves safe from cybercrime that they very readily give out their information without thinking sensibly. Cases of Cybercrime Over the years, cybercrime has become much more frequent in nature. These cases can be found occurring throughout the world, and will probably continue to occur for a very long time as it is such a profitable business (microzoneg, 2009). Theft of Virtual Characters In the month of November 2009, a man was arrested for stealing virtual characters from a web based role-playing game. The man apparently obtained the log-in information for Runescape, reportedly the worlds largest multi-player online game, to embezzle their virtual characters. The article, published in The Times, states that the man who is from Avon and Somerset Area had already had a number of computer mistreatment offences on his criminal record (Ahmed, 2009). These types of crimes do occur quite often, as a similar case occurred in the Netherlands in 2008. Reportedly, a group of fourteen and fifteen year olds were convicted for the assault of a fellow Runescape player. The boys had threatened the player with a knife, pressuring him to give them a mask and an amulet within the game (Ahmed, 2009). Online gaming seems to be the cause of a lot of recent violent behaviours amongst youth, and the stealing of virtual characters may not seem to be such a tremendous crime, but thinking of all the time and effort that has been put into creating that specific character, this crime shouldnt be, according to Mark Gerhard, the chief executive of Jagex Games, treated differently to the theft of any other valuable possessions (Ahmed, 2009). Credit and Debit Card Information Hackings Another case of cybercrime was highlighted in May 2008, when a Mr Albert Gonzalez was arrested for one of the largest hackings in all of US history. The computer hacker aided with the theft of tens of millions of credit card numbers from major retailers (AP, 2009). He is reportedly going to be spending between 17-25 years behind bars as a result of the seriousness of this criminal offence. Gonzalez did, however, confirm that he had used a number of drugs and consumed large quantities of alcohol preceding his arrest. He admitted to using various narcotics such as marijuana, LSD and cocaine and he has also been said to have behavioural patterns which are very consistent with that of Aspergers Syndrome, which is a form of autism (AP, 2004). According to Dr Barry Roth, a member of the defence commission, Albert was an internet addict who was often associated with awkwardness, had troubles when it came to connecting with people and had an odd fixation with machines and technology in general (AP, 2009). Because drugs and alcohol are so often associated with violent behaviour and aggressiveness, it can be said that they warp the minds of many people and cause them to do things that generally are not expected of them. Since Albert Gonzalez did make use of drugs and alcohol frequently, it could perhaps be said that it caused him to become fixated with technological things and the Internet specifically because it also gave a sense of escaping reality and, since alcohol causes people to believe they can do anything, could have led Albert to believe that he could steal money and still get away with it. With all crimes, the psychological and behavioural background of the offender needs to be taken into consideration. Military Computer Hacking In 2002 a man named Gary McKinnon was arrested for what is described as the greatest military computer hack of all time (The Sunday Times, 2009). McKinnon was allegedly blamed for $700,000 of destruction when he hacked into 97 military computers at the Pentagon and NASA and stole 950 passwords, as well as erased files from the Earle naval armaments post in New Jersey. McKinnon stated in an interview to The Sunday Times that he had not meant for the hackings to seem malicious, but that he was simply curious and wanted to find out information about UFOs. He also openly admitted that he sees himself as a nerd and a loner and that he used to drink beer and smoke dope while hacking into the military systems (The Sunday Times, 2009). This perception of himself could arise from the fact that Gary has Aspergers syndrome. This syndrome does not affect the mental intelligence of the person because the sufferer is in fact very intelligent, but it does leave the sufferer feeling uncomfortable in social situations (The Sunday Times, 2009). This crime could leave Gary McKinnon spending 60 years in prison, which is a very high price to pay for simply being curious. Due to the fact that he has Aspergers syndrome and often resorts to drinking and smoking marijuana, it could be assumed that perhaps these elements wrongfully influenced him to engage in illegal activities, and in addition with his illness could have made matters even worse. Perhaps, due to his loneliness and inability to socialise, he resorted to finding company with the Internet and hacking to gain information that interested him. The Role of Gender in Cybercrime Generally, males are known to display higher rates of abnormal behaviour as compared to females. Although small, the gap between the rates of male and female criminal behaviour is constant. Historically, most forms of crime such as violence, aggressiveness, and freedom of speech were carried out by men, but with the case of cybercrime we cannot simply state that males perform these criminal activities more than females because there is not enough evidence of this; it has not been explored to a very great extent. However, a test done by a few undergraduate students concludes that existing theories of crime may apply similarly to males and females in predicting digital crimes (Morris, 2009:393-404). Criminological Theory Applied to Cybercrime A criminological theory that can be applied to the act of cybercrime is the theory of Routine Activities. This theory states that criminal actions take place when there is an intersection of space and time of a stimulated criminal, a desirable target and an absence of competent supervision (Cullen, 2002). The two important people who were responsible for the proposal of this theory are Larry Cohen and Marcus Felson in 1979. Their theory is very strongly related to that of the Rational Choice theory. This is because both theories concentrate on the features of the crime as opposed to the features of the offender (DeMelo, 1999). The Routine Activities theory states that offences are linked to the nature of everyday patterns of social interaction (DeMelo, 1999). Felson and Cohen believed that changes in society had and is still leading to social disorganisation and thus to broader crime opportunities (DeMelo, 1999). In the cases of the cybercriminals, Albert Gonzalez, Gary McKinnon and the virtual character thief, this criminological theory is applied very well. They had begun their cybercrimes (hackings) with enthusiasm and determination, had found attractive targets to fulfil their desires, and had no one to tell them that it was wrong, illegal and could get them into a lot of trouble. Conclusion Therefore, it is quite clear that cybercrime is a rather serious crime and is continuing to increase in frequency as time goes by and society constantly changes. Also, the nature of these crimes is becoming more and more violent, especially amongst the youth of our world. Societies need to become more self-disciplined, and both offenders and victims need to be more aware of the dangers and consequences of these criminal behaviours, especially phishing and identity theft. Phishing and identity theft as forms of cybercrime can be classified under the Routine Activities criminological theory as they rise in frequency as society changes and a disorganised society opens up greater crime opportunities for offenders. Cybercrimes should not be taken lightly, and if not dealt with correctly, will continue to be on the rise for many years to come. Word Count: 2088