Effectiveness of Brand Extension in Personal Care Product: A Case Study on Dove of Unilever

Brand is perceived to be in important intangible asset for company which gives company a cutting edge in product market through positioning in consumer mind. To leverage on success of brand, companies go for brand extension which is offering different new product in the same brand name.Such brand strategy is intended to be pursued to save cost of launching new brand, to minimize risk of brand failure and to leverage on success of existing brand. Organization who are in personal care product business often go for such brand extension treating brand as their assists where they try to leverage on their brand equity by launching new products under already established brand names (Vanitha et al, 2001). There are many factors that define the effectiveness and success of brand extension in personal care products.Perceived Quality of Parent Brand, the relative importance of fit of brand with consumer characteristics and mission of brand are important variable which determine brand success (P ark, et al, 1991). Beyond those factors, in case of personal care brand extension, media planning, brand development and brand management and public relation to communicate the brand are considered to be influential in evaluating the success of brand extension.This research work is perused to evaluate the effectiveness of brand extension strategy in personal care products in general and brand extension strategy of Dove brand of Unilever. The report will elaborate whether brand extension strategy of Dove was successful one considering the variable mentioned above.The report is prepared based on customers’ responses collected through survey and observations of branding expert to assess such effectiveness. The turnover from products launched under brand extension strategy will be dependent variable that will be evaluated against Brand Campaign, Media Planning, Brand Development and Brand Management, and Public Relation Strategy of brand. The study will be based on Dove brand of Unilever which will outline how company changes branding strategy with evolution of Dove brand.1.1 Background of the OrganizationUnilever’s journey as business organization started at 1872 as margarine business. In 1890, the company was named as Lever Brothers Limited. In 1930 Margarine Unie (Netherland) and Lever Brothers Limited (UK) merged and renamed as Unilever Limited. Serving 2 billion customers worldwide, the company is achieving annual turnover of â‚ ¬51 billion in 2012 (Unilever, 2013). The company sells its products across 190 countries where emerging market now counts for 55% of the business. The company have portfolio of 14 cash cow brand that are generating â‚ ¬ 1 billion sales worldwide. The company employs around 173,000 people around the globe (Unilever PLC. 2013a).The portfolio of categories shows that around 35% of revenue comes from Suvoury, Dressing and spread, followed by Personal Care which is about 28%, Home Care which is 18% and food and beverag e segment covers 19%. Unilever has a portfolio of 400 brands among which some are world largest in terms of generating ideas. With an asset base of â‚ ¬46.16 billion, the company has operating profit of about â‚ ¬7 billion (Unilever PLC. 2013b).Dove is a billion brand of Unilever which is generating annual revenue of â‚ ¬2.5 billion a year in 80 countries. Dove Brand was launched in 1957 as alternative to soap to care of dry skin. Since 1980 many product is launched under Dove brand ranging from body-wash, deodorants, body lotions, facial cleansers, to shampoos and conditioners through brand extension (Unilever PLC, 2013). Unilever terms Dove as a brand with a purpose.1.2 Rational of the StudyBrand is perceived to be very important factor to position product in consumers’ mind. A brand image has become a salient resource and critical success factors of competition which gives firm competitive advantage in product market. To leverage on such competitive edge firms at times takes strategy of brand extension to leverage the success of existing brand to optimize and rationalized investment in brand. But such brand extension produced mixed result in terms of effectiveness or return on brand extension due to brand fit with product launched, functionality of brand and consumer attitude to accept new product (Kim and Deborah, 2008).To change consumer perception on the ground of functional benefit of brand, organization has to  reshuffle its branding communication to reposition brand in consumer mind which communicate a broader view of brand rather than functional benefits. The effectiveness of such brand extension depends on how firm develop brand, build brand and plan media to communicate the brand and maintain public relation to engage stakeholders (Bottomley and Stephen, 2001). Innovation of Branding campaign is another important parameter in this regard. The study will evaluate the brand extension strategy of Dove through examining through differ ent factors mentioned just above to justify brand extension strategy in Personal care product category.1.3 Business Research QuestionsThe following research question will be designed to conduct the study. what is the brand extension strategy of FMCG company in personal care products What are the factors that affect brand extension strategy of an established brand in case of personal care products How brand campaign, media planning, customer attitude, brand development and management, public relation reshuffle brand extension strategy in case of Dove brand of Unilever What is the statistical observations of effect of components of brand extension in positioning product in consumer brand1.4 Research objectiveEvery research is conducted with fulfillment of some objectives in mind. Those objectives persuade the researcher to pursue research in this field of study to enrich the researcher intellectual observation. The following are the research objective of the study which motivates the researcher to pursue this research. To review brand extension strategy in personal care productTo trace out the reasons that plays key role in developing brand extensions strategy in personal care products To explore the critically success factors that determines the effectiveness of brand extension strategy in personal care products To extract out how brand campaign, media planning, customer attitude, brand development and management, public relation played role in affecting success of brand extension of Dove brand of Unilever To evaluate the outcome of the study through statistical test to validate the findings of the study on rand extension strategy of Dove To suggest appropriate and specific recommendations and to provide conclusion along with mentioning the scope of future scope of study.2.0 Literature ReviewLiterature review is very important part of any credible research and it provides the research an opportunity to review similar and related previous research to take knowle dgeable insight to design his or her study. The second chapter of the research will cover the literature review related to title of the research. The following sections will be covered by this chapter.2.1 BrandBrand can be defined as name, tern, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers (AMA, 2011).2.2 Brand Extension and Types of Brand ExtensionBrand extension is strategy of launching and selling new product under an established brand name of other existing products to persuade customer’s perception with success of existing products (Monga and Deborah, 2007). Extension can be described as strategy to sell new products without establishing a new brand of the company (Chen and Liu, 2004).There are two types of brand extension mostly used in branding strategy. The following graph is elucidating such types of brand extension.2.3 The Reasons o f Brand ExtensionThere are logics why organization goes with brand extension instead of launching new brand for every new product. The most influential arguments are reducing risk and cost of launching new products, increasing sales and profit of the company and being able to ask a premium price (Alokparna and Zeynep, 2012). The other reason includes increase brand awareness and perceived brand value of the company (Smith and Park, 1992).2.4 Brand Extension in Personal Care productsBrand extension in personal care product is more prevalent than other types  of product due to homogeneity in product nature and communication of common perception to the consumers. From Unilever to P&G everyone does follow brand extension strategy more or less in their personal product portfolio (Xie, 2008).2.5 Factors that Determines the success of Brand Extension strategyVarious factors brand extension strategy of personal care products. The given case outlined the following factors that were conside red influential in affecting brand extension strategy to Dove from soap to other personal care products2.5.1 Branding CampaignBranding campaign is very important parameter to change customer perception from a narrower point of view to broader point of view. Earlier Dove is considered a cleansing cream or moisturizing cream (Tom et al, 2012). Whenever Unilever intended to communicate Dove as Masterbrand, it reshuffles its campaigning strategy to communicate Dove brand campaign as â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† (Deighton, 2008). The case produced the following discussion.2.5.2 Branding to Change Customer AttitudeSuccessful brand extension strategy change customer attitude to the favor of new product launched under established product category. In Dove case, the branding campaign redefines the notion of beauty to the women of the world by saying that every woman possesses real beauty, which is merely not defined by size, skin or age.The brand defines beauty as function of self- esteem, feeling superiority about oneself. Such bold step to change women attitude toward beauty invites discussion and debate, which ultimately gave the familiarity of new product under Dove brand (Deighton, 2008a). The following comments are from Marketing Director of Dove.2.5.3 Media PlanningMedia planning is very important to communicate brand extension to new launched products. The effectiveness of media planning largely defines how effectively and efficiently message can be communicated to the target customers (Jack and Roger, 2002).Uniqueness and cost consideration are most influential ingredients in media planning where company favors to choose unusual media to attract easily customers’ attention and least cost media to save marketing cost of the organization (Clarke, 1997). Dove posted a filming featuring dove in YouTube for which Unilever did not spend a penny literally.2.5.4 Brand Development and Brand ManagementBrand development is successful predictor of brand fu ture. If an innovative and compelling brand is developed, it is mostly assured that brand will emerge as successful. Whenever a brand is successfully positioned in one product category, it is very easy to extend it to new product (Kumar, 2005). Successful brand development requires innovative brand development team, alignment of branding communication with characteristic of products so that they best fits each other (Monga and Deborah, 2007). In case of Dove Brand, extension brand development was separated from brand management in specific market.2.5.5 Public Relation and Brand ExtensionPublic relation or PR is emerging as very effective tool in communicating messages of new brand or brand extension to customers. The recent observation is that impact of advertisement is falling and that of PR is rising. PR is more effective when it comes to matter of communicating credibility of brand, saving of cost and clutter (Và ¶lckner and Henrik, 2006).Moreover, Brand friendliness with PR can formulate a compelling communication strategy of brand extension with low cost (Tom et al, 2012a). Public relation of Dove was compelling covering both positive and criticism comments from leading press and marketing commentators which gave the firm great publicity (Deighton, 2008). New York Times mentioned about PR success of Dove as below3.0 Research MethodologyResearch methodology will be third chapter of the research, which is mainly a roadmap of the research to the outcome, which will be employed with different type of methodology to extract out the insight from the incumbent research (Hunter and Leahey, 2008). The research methodology section will employ the following techniques.3.1 Design of ResearchThe most important element in research methodology is research design which will be cornerstone for further research steps to extract out relevant information from collected data. The research design consist of planning of  research, dissecting and collecting raw data and obser vations from the key stakeholders to build a harmonious research that will fulfill social objectives (Brymanand and Bell, 2003). The research design is launched with research philosophy.3.2 Philosophy of ResearchThe research philosophy is very important ingredient of research design where philosophy concentrates on reasoning of rationality and scientific approaches, law of generalization to develop and establish knowledge. This research is based on positivism philosophy where transparency of research will be ensured through usage of true sense to make reproduction of information (Hussey and Hussey, 2007).This philosophy of research mainly employs scientific tools and techniques to reason knowledge of imagination extracted from observed behavior (Saunders et al, 2009). The research philosophy that stands against this research philosophy is anti-positivism philosophy which prefers people judgment on research issues. Positivism philosophy uses statistical tools which is not used by ant i-positivism philosophy (Remeniyi et al, 2008).3.2.1 Justification of Positivism PhilosophyThe justification for selecting positivism philosophy is that in this philosophy research is carried out on through objective manner to explore the cause effect relationship between exogenous and indigenous variables (Irving, 2006).3.3 Research ApproachThere are mainly two broad type of research is used by the researcher for conducting research. These approaches are induction and deduction approach. This research will be based on deduction approach, which is a top down research approach concentrating to relate research outcome with reasoning rather than a subjective general statement. This approach is very much relevant to bring a concrete conclusion. Deductive approach depends on earlier conceptual and theoretical structure, which is supported by quantitative data (Steinar, 2007).3.3.1 Justification of Deduction ApproachThe strongest argument of using deduction approach is that this approach is based on scientific principles, which leads to highly structured and organized ground for the development of research hypothesis. This approach is also relevant for collection of research data to elucidate the relation and dependency among the variables to prove the hypothesis (Kumar, 2008).3.4 Methods of ResearchQuantitative and qualitative two research methods will be used in this research through application of different qualitative and quantitative research technique.3.4.1 Quantitative MethodsThis method will be used for collecting primary data collection. Different statistical parameters will be used under this method. The graphical presentation will be employed as instrument of quantitative method along with charts to display information more visibly (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2005).3.4.2 Qualitative ResearchIn case of subjective measurement qualitative technique will be employed. Brand extension and product categories have many dimensions that are qualitative in nature whic h need subjective evaluation. This method will be used mostly in case of data which are nonnumeric in nature and more concerned with behavioral aspect of the respondents.This research has applied a mixed approach of research by incorporating qualitative and quantitative variable. Quantitative one has been applied to find the Effectiveness of Brand extension in case of Personal care products. On the other hand, to measure impact of public relation, media planning and brand management qualitative approach will be used.3.5 Data SourcesData will be collected from mainly two types of sources, primary sources and secondary sources. For primary data, population will be female customers of Unilever in London. Beyond customers, brand manager of Dove at Unilever UK will be asked for an interview, which is also another source of primary data. Total 100 customers will be surveyed and three managers will be interviewed.The primary data will be concerned with collection of data through a question naire that will ask about demographic profile of customers and research topic related questions where respondent will be asked on predetermined questions (Agresti and Finlay, 2009). The questionnaire will provide some statements and give respondent to put score based on their  opinion. The secondary source of data will be relevant articles, books, website and annual report of Unilever. Appropriate referencing will be provided to authenticate the sources of secondary data.3.5.1 Sampling, Design and Size3.5.2.1 Target PopulationThe target population of the research is all the potential respondents relevant to research study within some specific parameters (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2005). For the purpose of this study, the population included female users of Dove brand of Unilever UK in London. The demography of the respondent is developed in such a way that customers from different age, ethnicity and income level is selected.3.5.2.2 SamplingSampling is a technique to filter responde nt from population to conduct the study as deal with whole population is literally impossible. the influential sampling method is probability sampling where equal chance of each candidate from population might be selected. There are other sampling technique that could be employed in this research study which are random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified random sampling etc (Foss, 2007). Having considered time and resource constraint, convenience sampling technique is best suited with this study3.5.2.3 Design of SampleDesign of sample refers to the process of selection of sample units. A self-administered survey will be conducted among the targeted sample and the in person with female users of Dove brand in London.3.5.2.4 Sample sizeA sample size of 100 is expected to be collected for this study. Beyond them 3 managers will be asked for interview. Enough time will be given to each participant to reduce the error. The questionnaire is designed in simple English to reduce risk o f ambiguity. RespondentsNumber Female users of Dove brand 100 Executives managing Dove Brand 3 Total 1033.6 Data Analysis Tools and TechniquesGraph, table and different diagram will be used to display data that will be collected through questionnaire. These will be done in primary data analysis. The core part of the questionnaire will be based on 5-point Likeart Scale. The questionnaire provided to female users of Dove will consist of close-ended questions and interview questionnaire provided to the managers of Unilever will be open-ended questions. To assess the responses C-alpha test will be employed. The following techniques will also be used in this study.3.6.1 Usage of Statistical Tools for AnalysisTo examine, filter and transform the collected data with research objective statistical tools will be used for reaching conclusion and approving decision making (Panneerselvam, 2004). Data will be analyzed through application of most up to date statistical tools used in business rese arch.Two distinct questionnaires were used in this research to analyze effectiveness of brand extension strategy of Dove brand. The following statistical tools have been used in this research. Graphical Technique: the graph will be produced in spreadsheet software of Microsoft Office Excel. In addition to generation of graphs, excel will be used in most quantitative analysis of the study.Pearson Correlation Matrix: Correlation matrix is in fact a technique to develop relation between dependent and independent variables. It mainly observed how variables are dependent of each other. Scaling Technique: Scaling technique will be used in this study in case of subjective evaluation of respondents. In this procedure, weight is assigned according to rank (Cooper and Schindler, 2008).Result will be presented as percentage through rank percentage analysis. Regression Analysis: Regression analysis is used in research arena mainly to calculate the dependency of dependent variable with independe nt variables. It incorporates different statistical test such as P value, t-test to assess the influence of the relation in terms of statistical consideration. The regression equation of this study will be as belowWhere, Y= Dependent variable (Dove Brand Turnover) ÃŽ ± = Constant ÃŽ ²1= Coefficients of brand campaign X1= Brand campaign ÃŽ ²2= Coefficients of customer perception toward brand X2= Customer perception toward brand Î’3= Coefficients of Brand Development and Management X3= Brand Development and Management Î’4= Coefficient of Media Planning X4= Media Planning Î’5= Coefficient of Public Relation X5= Public Relation e= Error term3.7 Ethical ConsiderationTo complete research with appropriate research guidelines research ethics is very important. Considering ethical aspect of research enough time is given to the respondent of the study so that they can depict their true view on research questions. Primary and secondary data will be used in this study. Consent from the respondents will be taken and appropriate permission will also be ensured for usage of their given data.Confidentiality of the responses will be maintained strictly to ensure privacy of their data. The disclosure of respondent identity will be based on their permission where if they are not willing to disclose identity, their identity will not be exhibited. Beyond that fact, usage of any secondary data from any source will be acknowledged with appropriate reference. Hence, the ethical aspect of research will be followed very strictly in this research.3.8 Possible Research OutcomeThe research is pursued to find out whether brand extension strategy of personal care product is effective through analyzing the case of Dove brand of Unilever. The incumbent researcher is very must interested to explore the association of brand extension through different factors in making success of newly launched products. The research will produce how brand campaign, customer perception towards brand, b rand development and management, and brand, media planning and public relation associates in making brand extension effective in case of Dove brand of Unilever.3.9 LimitationThe main limitation of the research is the period allocated for conducting the study. Another important limitation is the inability to remove the biasness of the responses due to subjective nature of the data. Another limitation is the dimension factors related in brand extension in addition to mentioned factors, which might produce incomplete conclusion.4.0 Time Scale of ResearchThe dissertation will be produced by maintaining the following time scale Task to be Executed Week 1 Week 2-4 Week 5-8 Week 9-11 Week 12 Questionnaire Development and Outline of the ThesisSurvey ConductData mining and FilteringIntroductionLiterature ReviewResearch MethodologyData AnalysisSubmitting First DraftSubmitting Second DraftProof Reading and Error CheckingFinal Submission5.0 ConclusionIt is observed that brand extension strategy in personal care products is more prevalent and effective than any other products. This research study is intended to explore the effectiveness of brand extension strategy of Dove brand of Unilever. The researcher believes that the study will produce valuable insight in such evaluation that will be useful for both the executives and academicians. It will also create opportunity for further research in this field of the study.

Effective Employee Selection and Its Importance Essay

One of the most important decisions comes when having to select an employee to fill a job vacancy. In the current labor market, highly qualified applicants are scarce and, among the existent ones, it is hard to spot the ideal candidate. Sometimes it is so urgent that a position be filled, that a person may win the job by default, or sloppy selection criteria may be applied. A â€Å"quick fix† may ease workload for a while, but it might prove lethal for the business viability itself in the long run. Therefore, a larger attention in the selection process can provide the business with employees who will finally produce the desired results. The analysis of the employee selection process is a fairly new practice. During the 70’s, any systematic attempt to sort out skills was often unpopular (Lee, 50). This began to change during the 80’s and into the 90’s, when an estimated 80% to 90% of companies used pre-employment testing (Brindow and Spencer, 80). As Chris Lee states, â€Å"we are returning to a focus on individual competence [†¦] objective standards are coming back in both education and employment† (Lee, 49). Another survey by researchers Randall, Cooke and Smith established that 95% of employers who tried testing for screening sales candidates were still using it (Randall, 53). All the data shows the inclination of the modern businesses to highly stress on everything that will maximize the effectiveness of employee selection and, consequently, employee performance. Processing an applicant for a job normally entails a series of steps, which are determined by the size of the organization, the types of jobs to be filled or the number of people to be hired. The selection stage should be backed up by an effective recruitment process, which greatly depends on job analysis and job description. Job analysis is â€Å"a process to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job. Job Analysis is a process where judgements are made about data collected on a job† (HR – Guide). Its purpose is to establish and document the â€Å"job relatedness† of employment procedures such as recruitment, selection, training, compensation and performance appraisal through its product, the job description. During the selection process, the job description is used in creating an accurate  advertisement for the job and attracts the proper candidates, that is, the persons that most probably will fit for the specific job. A realistic job preview, based on an accurate job description and specification (the qualifications demanded for the job), will help applicants understand what the job entails and make more informed decisions as to whether they want to apply for the job or not. According to Gregorio Billicopf of the University of California, â€Å"selected applicants who understand both the positive and negative sides of a job, are most likely to stay and succeed†. (Billicopf, 18). After the recruitment process has been concluded and the applicants have sent their resumes, the first step of the selection process should take place; screening the resumes. CV’s provide basic information for use in the next step of the selection process and are used to screen out the unqualified applicants. For instance, if the position requires the ability to use a word processor, the resume provides a clear picture whether the person owns this ability or not. Resume screening is a standard procedure in most organizations during the selection process, despite their size, activity or culture. After the resume screen – out, the remaining applicants will be invited for an interview, which is the most important step in the selection process. It supplements information obtained in other steps in the process to determine the suitability of an applicant for a specific opening. Organizations use several types of interviews. The structured interview is conducted using a predetermined outline that is based on the pre-mentioned job analysis, while unstructured interviews are not based on any outline, and use open – ended questions. The structured interviews should be preferred over the unstructured ones, as the former helps the interviewer maintain control of the interview that all pertinent information on the applicant is covered systematically by also providing the same type of information on all interviewees. On the other hand, unstructured interviews may provide a more relaxed atmosphere, but they â€Å"lack of systematic coverage of information and are very susceptible to the personal biases of the interviewer† (Byars & Rue, 141). Organizations use three additional types of interviewing  techniques to a limited extent; the stress interview, which puts the applicant under pressure while the interviewer adopts a hostile attitude toward the interviewee in order to detect who is highly emotional and who is not, the board or panel interview, in which two or more people conduct an interview with one applicant, and the group interview in which several applicants are questioned together. A successful interview requires training in the skills, techniques and requirements of successful interviewing. All these will include an effective preparation for the interview, such as scheduling a time and location for it, review of all paperwork of the applicant and the current position description and specification and making a list of interview questions that will help in collecting the information needed for the decision. When the applicant arrives, the interviewer should help him / her feel at ease by showing him / her polite and friendly attitude and let him / her know about the organization. During the interview, the answers the applicant will give will prove to be valuable source of information. Carefully selected open – ended questions should be asked so that the answers given will help determine the suitability of the applicant to a particular position. Additionally, this will encourage the interviewees to supply more in depth information. But still, this should follow a specific and consistent outline in order to ensure a uniform method of questioning, which will be applied to all applicants. It is also important to allow silence for thinking and reflection by the applicant, so that he / she slowly reveals his / her basic competencies, which often determine the interviewee’s advantage over the rest of the applicants and affects the hiring decision. A basic competency is a knowledge, skill or behavior essential for one to function as an effective member of the specific organization and is an essential part of the selection criteria developed and reviewed before the interview questions are written (Univ. of Michigan, 38). Finally, it is important to record actual answers to questions as opposed to evaluative or conclusive comments. This will minimize subjectivity and biases, factors that may prove lethal during the hiring process, because the persons adopting them will most  probably end up with the wrong decision and an unsuitable new employee. Even though the interview will certainly tell a lot about the candidate’s qualifications, the only reliable way these qualifications can be measured are tests. The applicants can be tested before, during or after the interview. Tests can be classified as power versus speed tests, as well as written, oral or practical tests. They can measure knowledge, ability, skills, aptitude, attitude, honesty and personality (Billikopf, 20). Whatever the type of the test used, however, the integrity of test questions needs to be guarded. Many tests have undergone validation and reliability studies. The type of test to be used during the selection process depends on the size of the organization, its activity as well as the nature of the position that is to be filled. Aptitude tests measure a person’s capacity or potential ability to learn and perform a job. Some of the more frequently used tests measure verbal ability, numerical ability, and perceptual speed, spatial and reasoning ability. Psychomotor tests measure a person’s strength, dexterity and coordination. Job knowledge tests measure the job related knowledge possessed by a job applicant. Proficiency tests measure how well the applicant can do a sample of the work to be performed. The last ones are the most frequently used by employers worldwide, in all types of organizations. Other types of tests are interest tests, which are designed to determine how a person’s interests compare with the interests of successful people in a specific job, personality tests which attempt to measure personality traits, polygraph tests with the use of the polygraph, a device that records physical changes in a person’s body as he or she answers questions, and physical examinations (drug and AIDS testing or even genetic testing). The last ones are normally required only for the individual who is finally offered the job, and the job offer is often contingent on the individual passing the physical examination. â€Å"The exam is given to determine not only whether the applicant is physically capable of performing the job but also his or her eligibility for group life, health and disability insurance† (Byars, 143). Because of the expense, physical examinations are usually one of the last steps in the selection process. The final step in the selection process is choosing one individual for the job. There are usually more than one qualified persons, but if the previous steps in the selection process have been performed properly, the chances that a value judgment based on all the information gathered will be successful improve dramatically. Because people sometimes falsify their credentials and backgrounds, though, it is important to check references. Additionally, people sometimes interview well but have a record of not actually performing as well as they have led the interviewer to believe. Therefore, it is important to check out any areas in which there are doubts or uncertainties. Reference checks are also a form of insurance. â€Å"The hour or two it takes to conduct a reference check is far less time than the time it will take to deal with performance, attitude or behavior problems† (Univ. of Michigan, 36). The people that the responsible person for the selection has to contact are former supervisors, people whose names the candidate has given as work references to establish the working relationship, people that the employer knows personally who have worked with the candidate and people recommended by any of the above who are said to know the candidate’s work. However, some employers may hesitate to provide negative information about a former employee out of fear of lawsuits. Only people known and trusted can be relied on to give an accurate picture of a potential employee, and, even then, people have different perceptions and personalities, factors that must be considered when weighing employer references. After the evaluation process has been completed, the one most suitable applicant will finally be selected. Recruiting and selecting the right people for the organization is a challenge, and every situation is unique. Innovation, persistence and the ability to communicate the strengths of the business and the benefits of the positions offered, will attract high quality employees. Selecting among them will be hard, but if the selection process steps are implemented properly, the final decision will prove to be really beneficial to the organization. No matter who makes the final decision – the human resource department, the manager of the department or even the owner of the firm -, this decision should be backed up by the correct procedure, otherwise the consequences  could be extremely costly, if not lethal. All managers should be trained on the selection process for the benefit of the organization. WORKS CITED Billikopf, Gregory. â€Å"Labor Management in Agriculture: Cultivating Personnel Productivity†. University of California. 2003. p. 2-5, 18-23. Brindow Peter, Spencer Leslie. â€Å"When Quotas Replace Merit, Everybody Suffers†. Forbes. Feb 1993. p. 80. Byars Lloyd, Rue Leslie. â€Å"Human Resource Management†. 8th edition. Mc Graw – Hill. p. 141-144Job Analysis: An Overview. The HR – Guide. Oct 2002. May 2006. < http://www.job-analysis.net/G000.htm>Lee, Chris. â€Å"Testing Makes a Comeback†. Training Vol. 25. Dec 1988. p. 49-50. M-Pathways Employment Steering Committee Sub-Group Report. â€Å"Conducting a Successful Employee Selection Process†. University of Michigan. Apr 2001. p.20-35. Randall, James. â€Å"A Successful Application Of The Assessment Center Concept To the Salesperson Selection Process†. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. May 1985. p. 53.

Not sure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Not sure - Essay Example The Navigation Act trade law that was passed by the British parliament in 1651 mandated that the colonists only sell their products to Britain. Furthermore, the colonists were required to pay soaring taxes on goods imported from Dutch and France. Nevertheless, these policies ensured that the colonies and Britain benefited equally. Despite the numerous trade restrictions imposed by the British government the colonial merchants thrived. In 1754, the French and the English were embattled in a war for the control of North America. It is necessary to note that ‘the French also had colonies in North America during the 1600s and 1700s.’ The British and her colonies defeated the French in 1763, taking almost all of the land occupied by the French. Another impact of the victory was that it created tensions between the British colonies and the ‘motherland.’ Great Britain had incurred huge debts in fighting the war. The colonies also benefited from the victory; therefore, Britain felt that it is necessary for the colonists to aid in paying the debts incurred during the war. Therefore, the Stamp Act came into force in 1765. This law required all colonists to pay taxes in order to get an official stamp on newspapers, deeds, wills and other printed material. This move by the British government to impose taxes outraged the colonists in America. In addition, throughout history they had never directly paid taxes to the British government. Their argument was that the Stamp Act desecrated the natural rights of colonists, and they resolved that the British government was wrong to tax them without representation. According to the British system of governance representatives of citizens in parliament, defined the tax rates agreeable with their people. However, in this case the colonists had no representatives in parliament, and thus they saw it as an act of injustice that ought to be resisted (Bailyn). This tax laws fostered the growth of hostility between the colonists

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Final reflective - Essay Example Whether art gallery owners and museum curators have understood their ability in this representation, this conflict between what women contribute and how they are exploited is in itself a reflection of gender dynamics. It is interesting that the way in which women are often allowed to express their artistic beliefs and experiences is through what men often termed as craft. The American art of quilting is often marginalized, but the development of many of these quilts is justice poignant as an oil painting or sculpture. I was fascinated by learning about the meaning of quilting and what it represented in American society. Their social aspects to it that are woven into the development of the art form. As well, there are symbols and meanings that not everyone will understand when you look at quilts but thats our past within cultures as specific messages. One example of this is the ‘eye of God’ which is in many traditional American quilts. This comes from purposely making sure that one section, no matter how small, is in perfect. The message is that nothing on earth is perfect and only God can make something that is perfect (Manairdi 340). I do think that its humorous because its just tha t everything else in the quilt is perfect and there is a certain tongue-in-cheek arrogance to that idea. Discussions on the human body also relate to a reflection of the feminine. It is not that male bodies are not represented in art, but that they are not exploited in quite the same way that womens bodies are exploited. This is a great deal to do with the fact that artists who are accepted as ‘great’ are mostly men. It is the male gaze from which male and female gender differences are most often defined. Walters discusses the idea that there are three ‘looks’ that represent the male gaze. The first is that as men gaze at women, women become the object of the gaze. The second is that the male gaze acts as spectator and women are

First semester essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

First semester - Essay Example In other words, whether the reports are prepared in conformity to all the material respects or not. The information is considered material if it has significant impact on the decision making process. If the omission of the information from the financial report can influence economic decision then the information is believed to be material (Williams, 2002). Materiality in auditing is the key concept to understand and evaluate for all the auditors. The job of auditors, whether internal or external, is to identify the materiality while making the audit report of the company. Materiality can be determined using qualitative aspects of the business. The qualitative aspect refers to the significance of a particular transaction which may not look big in size but may have importance because of the nature of the transaction (Zadek & Merme, 2003). There are various qualitative factors that are approached by the auditors to make realistic and authentic decisions. Some of the factors are (1) Likelihood of earning management, (2) Misstatement of share price, (3) Misstatement on projected earnings, (4) Likelihood of financial statement fraud, (5) Ineffective audit control culture, (6) Litigation risk, (7) Fraud detection or its symptoms etc. (Zabihollah & Riley, 2009) The nature of transaction can also be explained in terms of the disclosure regarding the financial transaction, which may not be significant in terms of size but lack of proper disclosure may have significant impact on the presentation of the business structure (Gupta, 2004). Now the question arises, how much the concept of materiality is important in audit process? The answer is explained using the literature review on materiality. The increase in requirement of information in more civilized financial market requires that more stringent audit process must be conducted to identify the facts on which the quality of the business process can be judged (Puncel, 2007). Therefore,

The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) - Assignment Example Finally, it is done by showing the coverage and activity of agencies that are responsible for law enforcement through counting the number of arrests and using the strength data of police employee (Siegel, 2009). In Uniform Crime data reporting, reports for crimes are obtained from agencies responsible for law enforcement via the nation based on reporting procedures and uniform classifications. In order to provide the most complete outlook of crime in the U.S data is obtained only on offenses that are usually known by police officers. A meaningful view of crime can be seen by examining the seven major Crime Index offenses. These are chosen for their seriousness, likelihood of a report being made and the frequency of occurrence: forcible rape, murder, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and larceny-theft. The FBA can get the number of crime offenses from reports of law enforcement agencies. The law enforcement agencies have records of victim complaints, witness reports and crime reports discovered during operations of the agency. The reports can be obtained from the contributing law enforcement agencies on a monthly basis. To ensure that there is uniformity and that qua lity of the data is maintained for any received data, Uniform Crime Reporting should ensure provision of training on all detailed procedures used for classifying and scoring offenses (Leonard, 2001). Since it was started, the uniform Crime Reporting plan has been able to provide a reliable, steady flow of information concerning crime in the country. However, since Uniform Crime Reporting is a summary reporting system, people may not provide data concerning individual crime incidences. The summary based method, even though it is reliable, has limitations in various aspects which can hinder submission of information from the examined population. These include lack of sufficient information regarding various

Gender, Sexuality, And Power In The Australian TV And Film Essay

Gender, Sexuality, And Power In The Australian TV And Film - Essay Example Initially, the nation was against any form of immigrants from nations outside of Europe. In a bid to enforce this, the country adopted the Immigrant Restriction Act in 1902 which required that the immigrants into the nation had to prove that they had a command of at least one of the languages spoken in Europe (Jabukowicz, 1994). This effectively barred immigrants from Asia and Africa. It favored the development of the Anglo-Australian from the early years and in turn, implied that they became the dominant population of the nation. This dominance translates to power as the Anglo-Australians are the most powerful in the nation even up to date. The TV and film industry have demonstrated this dominance and power over the years (AUSTRALIAN FILM COMMISSION; SMYTH & ASSOCIATES, 1994). The power enjoyed by the Caucasian community has been portrayed in the TV and film industry in Australia as being related to gender and sexuality. This relationship is in the sense that the powerful Caucasians intermarry amongst themselves while the minority groups comprising of the Orientals and the blacks also intermarry amongst themselves. The policy in Australia which encouraged the immigration of strictly the Europeans was abolished following the end of the Second World War and this saw the incoming of other nationalities into Australia. The throngs of the policy were however felt till sometime around 1970 (Khamis, 2009). The immigrant communities were compelled to have their cultures swollen into the mainstream Anglo-Australian community. This implied that the power of the Anglo-Australian dominance compelled the new immigrants to share in a common sexuality and gender interaction as dictated by the mainstream Anglo-Australian culture. The TV and film of Australia has made this evident in the recent past. In 1989, the Commonwealth Government endorsed the principles of the report titled National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia: Sharing Our Future. One of the key principles of this report was the principle of Cultural identity. This principle protects all Australians’ rights, in the constraints of limits that are carefully defined, to share and express their distinct cultural tradition. This implied that the immigrants would be freed from the dominance and power of the Anglo-Australian culture and, hence, could stick to their traditions in relation to sexuality and gender within the context of their native cultures. Another principle was the principle of Social justice which protects the right of every Australian to equity in opportunity and treatment, besides the elimination of barricades of ethnicity, race, religion, culture, gender,

Managing Remote Coders Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Remote Coders - Research Paper Example Job requirements as highlighted by organizations in their job advertisements, location of remote coders and responsibilities of a remote coder, all have evolved with time. These remote coders can work from any location including their home and can provide quality service to health care providers. Many job opportunities are available for remote coders on national and international level. The need for precise coding of patient data has created a high demand for the professional remote coding specialists. Weil (2007) in his article claims that â€Å"with coder shortages, increasing coding complexity and the ever-present need to find cost saving solutions, organizations are turning to outside relationships to maintain a competitive advantage while delivering superior patient care†. The medical coding process involves the coding of medical records of patients into numerical format for the purpose of data storing. Coding is done by reviewing medical records of the patients and trans forming medical details of the patients’ illnesses and procedures into numerical codes. Requirements of Other Organizations based on Job Advertisements The organizations, which appoint remote coders, have certain requirements. To become a remote coding specialist, one must acquire certain technical skills and qualifications. Adequate resources and training are available for remote coders to polish their skills. A remote coder needs to have certification from a well-recognized organization as AHIMA or AAPC. A certified coding specialist certificate is essential to work as a remote coder. A certified professional coder is a specialized person with high professional value who has passed a coding examination conducted by AAPC. It is highly recommended that a remote coder has at least two years of coding experience at a hospital and is able to satisfy the CEU requirements. According to Becksterhead (2010), â€Å"applicants must have a minimum of one year's coding experience and A HIMA certification, with Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) certifications†. The remote coders are expected to have high school diploma. However, the preference is mostly for candidates with a Bachelors degree. The remote coder applicant is also expected to possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. Since the coder has to review the medical records and other documents extensively, the language proficiency is of prior importance for him. As per Black (2009), â€Å"he should have excellent organizational skills for detail-oriented and repetitive job duties. Also requires the ability to work independently and make decisions with minimal supervision†. It is also essential for the coder to have knowledge of medical terminologies, pharmacology and disease processes. Implementing Remote Coding at a Facility Initially to implement a remote coding program, an adm inistrator can make use of simple cost and benefit analysis. It is highly cost effective to recruit remote coders on permanent basis. Klarberg (2010) in his article writes, â€Å"Remote coding can be successfully implemented and managed by even the smallest of facilities. Prior to implementing a remote coding program, it is imperative that HIM administrators fully discuss remote coding solutions with various departments†

Effective management of change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Effective management of change - Essay Example The company has had a substantial share of fortunes since its establishment as a partnership between Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks in 1884 (Kirk & Tyson 1997; Rees 1969; Tse 1985). It has come to have a workforce of well over 60000 globally; a feat that is only achievable when there has been good and consistent expansion programmes in place (Beaver 1999, pp. 325-334). The company grew steadily for a century after which turbulent times emerged that saw its market share drop drastically in the 1990s and subsequent reduction in profitability. The world had become a more competitive market place and Marks and Spencer had lagged in this realisation. The situation in the later quarter of the 1990s saw the company running out of vigour in regards to its turnover, profitability and market dominance. In the turn of the century the company announced the lowest profit in its history and the lowest basic earnings per share i.e. 145 million pounds pre tax profit and zero basic earnings per share (Bevan 2001). With the drastic fall in profits and the low market confidence culminating into huge shedding of its share price, the management had to have a plan to steer the once market giant back to its long lost glory (Bevan 2001). Many changes in the management had to be initiated and this was no doubt a daunting task for the management and the staff alike. As it is well known that it takes quite a short time and less effort to destroy or lead to decline but to rise again to the top takes a great deal more effort, resources and time. These are the factors that the Marks and Spencer management has to put in mind in formulating the turn around strategy and planning on its implementation. Marks and Spencer in the early 2000 made a big change in its brand aiming at having a new corporate image. The new changes were to be spearheaded by Luc Vandevelde as the new chairman aged 48 years. The starting point for Vandevelde was

Progressive Insurance Essay Example for Free

Progressive Insurance Essay Teenagers and young adults in today’s time usually have minds of their own. I honestly believe family, friends, and the media all play major parts in their lives and have great influence on them. Most people think that television, cellphones, and social networking are the causes of their corrupt minds, but in all reality every little aspect has influence on them in some way. Television, cellphones, and social networks, better known as â€Å"the media† plays a great influence on teenagers that’s the new trend at this present time, that’s all teenagers know. Even though family and friends are teenager’s biggest support, they feel the need to run to more. Teenagers and young adults honestly feel as if they can be themselves on these sites sad, but very true. You will soon find out that teenagers will open up and express themselves to Facebook, twitter, and instagram before they open up and talk to their parents about life issues they go through. Right now that’s all teenagers really knows to do. Parents do not enforce rules like they use too. Parents do not make it mandatory that the family have dinner together at the family table. Most parents don’t sit down and talk to their children to make sure they’re doing a good job in school. Days now have parents working two jobs because there’s only one parent in the homes. You also have parents on these social websites with their children making them feel as if it’s okay to do some of those things. After observing the masses, the media has the most influence over our teenagers. It’s sad, but it’s definitely true. Parents need to go back and fix these things, and make better examples for their young ones. It’s never too late.

Tartuffe Society Moliere

Tartuffe Society Moliere The Role of Reason in Tartuffe Molià ©res Tartuffe speaks volumes about reason by highlighting it in some of the main characters, while at the same time exaggerating the lack of it in others. The period known as the Enlightenment overemphasized the importance of the ability to reason, often leaving man feeling that he alone was in control of his destiny. The play is a clever satire, which attacks religious hypocrisy, gullibility, foolishness and social problems that were all present in society during the time period in which it was written. Molià ©re uses his pen as a teaching tool to point out the folly of relying only on one path to obtain knowledge, whether that path is religion, reason, or experience, and subsequently losing sight of the truth. The play begins with Madam Pernelle cutting everyone off mid-sentence and refusing to listen to anyone, while at the same time declaring that no one in the house will pay attention for a single minute. This scene sets the tone for the foolish premise of only trusting ones own ideas and perceptions. This closed mindset prevails throughout the play. The work presents the voice of reason in the lowly maid, Dorine, the less powerful brother-in-law, Clà ©ante, and the son, Damis. These three see Tartuffe for the hypocrite that he is and try in vain to convince the others of the mans clever deceptions. Dorine openly labels Tartuffe as a fraud and a bigot. She humorously describes the pious imposter as a â€Å"man of destiny† and then adds, â€Å"Hes made for horns.† This is amusing because it insinuates that he is the Devil and not a man of God. These are bold statements for a member of her class. She is much more insightful than most of the characters, but she is repeatedly told to be quiet and is referred to by Orgon as a dunce or a dunderhead. Unfortunately, the words of reason from Dorine, Clà ©ante, and Damis have no effect on Orgons or Madame Pernelles favorable impression of Tartuffe. However, these reasonable characters provide an interesting balance between themselves and the foolishness of the other charact ers. The readers introduction to the master of the household, Orgon, begins with a ridiculous conversation where Dorine reports that Elmire has been ill during his absence. Speaking almost as if he is deeply in love, Orgon is unable to even entertain thoughts of concern for anyone except Tartuffe. Orgon and Madame Pernelle are so convinced that they are endowed with the absolute truth that they are unwilling or unable to even consider the real truth. Their eyes are blind and their ears are deaf to anything that is in direct conflict with their preconceived ideas or beliefs concerning Tartuffe. Madam Pernelles obtuseness concerning Tartuffe is dwarfed by her sons complete and total devotion to the con man. They are both easily duped and vehemently refuse to allow their minds to be changed by others, which could possibility indicate an inherited naivety and hardheadedness. Mariane is more of a neutral character. She is not without the ability to reason, but feels powerless to go against her fathers wishes. In one of the early scenes, she tells her father that she will say whatever he tells her to say. This statement demonstrates the power of her fathers control. Mariane and Valà ©re both seem rather foolish when they are first discussing the possibility of her marriage to Tartuffe. Neither is voicing what they truly feel about the situation. Molià ©re uses Marianes character to point out conflicts between the parent and the child, one struggling to gain some small amount of control and the other struggling to maintain complete control of his family. The reader is made aware of other familial control issues between the in-laws, the husband and the wife, and the father and the son. For this reason, it is even more interesting that Orgon willingly turns almost all control of everything in his life over to Tartuffe. The relationship of the characters in the play mirrors some of the control struggles and problems in society at that time, only on a smaller scale. Many of these same struggles and problems still exist today in families and society. Tartuffe had been thoroughly discussed by the other characters long before he actually made his entrance. His words and actions immediately uphold the impression previously given by those who see him for what he is. As he tries to seduce Elmire, he speaks of religious matters and the secrets of science. He blatantly states that â€Å"Heaven is not averse to compromise.† When Damis tells his father of Tartuffes betrayal, oddly enough, Tartuffe does not deny it. He actually says that he is wicked and tells Orgon to charge him with any deed and adds that he will not defend himself. Orgons irrational response is to accuse Damis of being deceitful. This scene provides proof that Orgon is totally under Tartuffes spell. He refuses to believe the awful truth about Tartuffe even when it comes directly from the mans own lips. Even after Orgon is forced to see Tartuffes true character, he is unable to convince Madame Pernelle of the evil mans deceitfulness until she sees proof of his dec eption in the form of an eviction order. It is at this point that they are both chided for their stupidity by Dorine when she appears to defend Tartuffes benevolent act of liberating them from material things that might have endangered their salvation. Metaphors, allusion, and comic devices are all powerful tools used in Tartuffe to make a statement about the existence of hypocrisy and other social ills in society at that time. The play serves as a warning against the dangers of blindly accepting anything at face value. It was not meant as an insult to the religious community. This is evidenced by the fact that in the end Tartuffe is exposed as an imposter. Common sense and a willingness to consider the perceptions of others seem to be the missing components for those characters so completely duped by Tartuffe. It is important to note that social status does not dictate reason and in this play Molià ©re gives the voice of reason to the less important characters. Many people are capable of reasoning, but not all are capable of coming to the correct conclusion. The reasoning ability of the human mind is great, but reason alone is not enough to ascertain the truth in every situation.

The Drum and The charge Of The Light Brigade Essay -- English Literatu

English coursework: -The Drum And The charge Of The Light Brigade The Drum and the Charge of the Light Brigade were both wrote by very distinguished poets. John Scott who â€Å"The Drum† was a Quaker and he was opposed to all violence. He was born in 1730 and died in 1783. He once made a famous quote which shows how much he hates war and violence, "We never go to War, not because we fear death, but because we are neither wolves, nor tigers, nor dogs, but men, but Christians. Our God who ordered us to love our enemies and to suffer without complaint doubtless does not wish us to cross the seas and slay our brethren merely because certain red-coated murderers enrol the Citizens by making noises with two little sticks on stretched asses' hide.† Alfred Tennyson was born in 1809 and he died in 1892. The most famous poet of the Victorian age, he was a profound spokesman for the ideas and values of his times. In 1854 he wrote the poem â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade.† Both poets’ use repetition to create imagery of what they are describing. Scott uses the word â€Å"parading ...

Humorous Wedding Speech by a Friend of the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roa

Humorous Wedding Speech by a Friend of the Groom Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Robert. As they were speaking just now, it struck me how much David and his new father-in-law now have in common. After all, it's the first time in 25 years that Arthur has been able to speak for 10 minutes without interruption from the women in his family. And it'll be the last time in 25 years that David gets to do the same. So I sincerely hope he treasures this moment. But it is great to finally see David with a ring on his finger as he learned a long time ago that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in. So Pamela, was it the 101 red roses he sent to your office that made you give in? However, before Pamela accepted David's proposal of marriage, she wanted to clarify a few things. In particular, she wanted to limit the amount of football he was watching on TV. Well, thank goodness they managed to sort it out. In the end, David agreed that he would stop watching any game as soon as the last goal was scored. So there can be no argument about who’ll be wearing the trousers in David and Pamela’s house. David will be wearing them - right under his apron. You see, Pamela has already started to train David well - and it may surprise some of you to hear that she didn't have to start by showing him where the kitchen was. She actually had to explain to h... ... approaches marriage with the same team spirit he’s demonstrated in all the things we’ve done together, he is sure to make a success of it. Ever since I’ve know him he’s been an unselfish team player, whether it was cub scouts, football or on adventure holidays. His commitment and determination are probably what Pamela saw first in him†¦ that and his money. Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honour to be standing here as David’s best man. I suppose I should actually say it's an honour and a pleasure, but I know the pleasure won’t kick in until this speech part is over. So let’s hurry up and toast the bride and groom. To David and Pamela - may the roof above you never fall in and may you both never fall out.

The following piece of work is an analysis of the short story called Es

The following piece of work is an analysis of the short story called the signalman by Charles dickens. â€Å"The signal man† is set in the mid 19th century. The main setting is that of right beside a train tunnel where the main character the signal man stays to let trains through etc.The storyline is set mostly in the night time. The story has an eerie effect on me as a reader. While I was reading the signal man I picked up on the tense atmosphere. At one point early on in the story, there’s a moment which brought the tension to the story in a strong way. â€Å"He looked up at me without replying, and I looked down at him without repeating too soon.† I think this moment brings some tension as, it made me eager to see what was going to happen next. I also think that the silence of the signal man brings some darkness to the story. His silence made him seem like a sinister character. Charles Dickens describes him to use hand actions as well. In a strange way I enjoy how the signal man is so creepy. I think I find this, as it gives more depth to him as a character. â€Å"He pointed to the red light he had looked at†. â€Å"His manner seemed to make the place strike colder to me†. Throughout the story Dickens presents the narrator and the signal man differently. I feel the signal man is portrayed as lonely, quiet sinister character. â€Å"He had taught himself a language down here,--if only to know it by sight, and to have formed his own crude ideas of its pronunciation†. This shows that he has hardly any contact with external influences. I could imagine seeing the signal man on a frosty winter’s morning, feeling his stare, burning through my skin like a concentrated sun on paper. He works alone in the middle o... ...f the signal man, it helped me realise what Dickens meant by the certain hand gestures made by the signalman himself. Also it gave another level to the tension and the ending was more forceful as well. The ending of the story does its job well. It brings the little pieces that the story has accumulated together, explaining the truth about explaining things that I questions earlier on. Like why the signal man puzzled about why the narrator yelled "Halloa! Below there!† As well as the strange stories that the lonely signal man had spoke of. Even though the story was short and realistic, I would not recommend it to other readers. I think it has a good impact, but is not my type of book overall. It takes a while to engulf the reader, and when it does, the story is almost over. The ending is not powerful enough to change my thoughts on the story though†¦

How significant the impact of corporate social responsibility is associated to the legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory Essay

The research area that I think is both important and of interest is the significance of corporate social responsibility. With the development of academic theory in accounting field, the research of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained great promotions. And those researches have brought about profound influences to corporations and publics. The importance of this discussion of significance of corporate social responsibility disclosure is that it can affect many groups of people and a lot of perspectives of society to a large extent. In order words, the disclosure of CSR can be very critical to a society. Another element that makes me feel CSR is important is that some companies may change their practices to respond to the expectations of the society when there is a CSR issue within these companies. For this case, CSR even could potentially facilitate certain industries to a better future. In addition, CSR is important also because that it now trends to involve into a very large range of industry. The CSR became a wide concerned issue. Thus, these factors inescapably draw my attention on to it. The topic of corporate social responsibility is still a young object to study compared with other old theories. This is why this topic attracts me to research it. Moreover, even though CSR has drawn all of the attention from public and companies, there are still plenty misperceptions and many vague parts about it. The purposes of this paper are to clarity the understanding of CSR in many different points of view based on my researches on the topic. Research question The research question of this article, which drew my attention to explore into the theories of accounting area, is that how significant the impact of corporate social responsibility is associated to the legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory. This question led to many interesting facts which will be listed below. Academic Articles 1. Corporate social responsibility: evolution of a deï ¬ nitional Carroll (1999) discussed the history of the evolution of the concept and definition of CSR. As Carroll found, in the 1990s, the CSR conception bridged considerably to alternative themes such as stakeholder theory, business ethics theory, CSP, and corporate citisenship. Carroll holds a positive perspective that CSR will further affect the stakeholder society, particularly at the global level and new emerging technologies arenas, and commercial applications. Thus, the author believes that the CSR has a bright prospective because at its core, it addresses and captures the most important concerns of the public relating to business and society relationships. It is also identified that in the last two decades, CSR continually worked as a core construct but yields to or is transformed into alternative thematic frameworks. 2. Refinements to Legitimacy Theory in Social and Environmental Accounting In this paper, Tilling (2004) showed some points that is relevant to my research. To begin with, he gave the definition of Legitimacy to build the discussion of social and environmental accounting area. In addition, the author also identified some of the more topical developments in the ethical and management aspects on corporations and legitimacy. For example, the author demonstrated fundamental concepts of layers of legitimacy theory. The table brought some ideas about legitimacy theory in different perspectives and it illustrated the phases of an organisation in managing its legitimacy. Moreover, Tilling made some clear thoughts that the contributions of legitimacy theory that have already been made by accounting researchers that are yet to be fully recognised, which means that the essences of legitimacy theory are not fully grasped. Therefore, this explained why social and environment disclosures are voluntary. 3. The Role of Theory in Explaining Motivation for Corporate Social Disclosures: Voluntary Disclosures vs ‘Solicited’ Disclosures Van der Laan (2009) investigates that it is voluntary in nature to public corporate social disclosures (CSD) for entities in early stage since CSR has been developed. And then the author found that the interests of researchers are moving to motivational aspects of disclosures of CSR. More and more companies are requested to report on their interactions with society in various forms which involves the term: ‘solicited’. This phenomenon indicates that the value of reporting CSR is increasingly important. It can be regarded as a natural consequence that the style of disclosure information is likely to be demanded other than only from voluntary actions due to the increasing stresses on organisations to be responsible. Stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory are viewed as explanations of motivations of CSR disclosures. Thus, to stakeholders, legitimacy theory is about management notions rather than accountability. 4. Legitimacy theory: a story of reporting social and environmental matters within the Australian food and beverage industry In this research, Guthrie, Cuganesan & Ward (2006) mentioned the links between the company’s choice of legitimation strategies and company’s level of profile. The authors assumed companies as ‘high profile’ and ‘low profile’. It states that the higher profile the enterprises are, the more possibilities to disclose more CSR information will be. This may be because of the natural quality of this particular industry. Companies in different industries have different motivations towards legitimation owing to their different activities on CSR. Another point is that corporations with high profiles trend to apply more disclosure strategies in order to change expectations and perceptions of public and deflect attention of them. Based on the view of legitimacy theory, this article concludes that CSR is likely to be a trend of corporations to report, which means that, within the legitimacy theory, the CSR significantly affected companies’ strategies in most aspects. 5. Social reporting in the tobacco industry: all smoke and mirrors? Due to the particularity of tobacco industry, the possibility of facing serious erosion of legitimacy appears more in tobacco industry than any other industries. Thus, the effects on mentioning CSR in reports in tobacco industry are likely to be greater than in other businesses. Moerman & Van der Laan (2005) states the process that use social reporting to fix the gap between the social and the economic. Moerman & Van der Laan cited specific data to clarify this belief. With the understanding of legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory, World Health Organisation extends the notion of stakeholders that have the potential to exercise pressure on the ‘legitimacy’ of an industry via global regulation’s control. 6. Gaining legitimacy in contemporary world: environmental and social activities of organisations This article studies the relations between environmental and social motions of organisations and organisational legitimacy. According to Emtairah and Mont (2008), the first point can be made is that CSR activities are likely to influence legitimation efforts of organisations. For instance, energy producing companies are willing to reduce the carbon emission in order to sustain the legitimacy to meet collective set of societal expectations to maintain ‘social license’ to operate. The second point classifies that how those potential variations influence these differences as constructs for further empirical research when companies made choices of CSR activities for legitimation purposes and the conditions. Overall, this article states the reasons for companies to disclose their corporate social responsibility. 7. The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice In this discussion, Carroll & Shabana (2010) states some features of ‘business case’ for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The study of the business case mentions the cause why the companies should accept and improve their CSR. In addition, Carroll & Shabana gives the answers of what the business communities and organizations get out of CSR. Moreover, the most important view that Carroll & Shabana made is that with the evolving understandings of CSR and some of the long-established, the current responsibilities of companies to society is beyond proï ¬ t-seeking and pursuing the maximum wealth, which indicates that corporations should be responsible to their stakeholders even if it occurs sacrifices on profit. Studying business case of CSR may produce some outcomes in good ways which are reducing cost and risk, strengthening legitimacy and reputation, building competitive advantage and creating win–win situations. 8. The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting In this case, Maguire (2011) pointed out the impacts that CSR has produced to the whole world by analysing the quantity of CSR reporting of different periods. According to the statistics from CorporateRegister.com, in 2009, around 4,000 corporations published CSR disclosures which this figure is 10 times greater than it used to be in the mid of 1990s. Although companies are increasingly attempting to disclose reports about their social and environmental effects, reporting on such non-financial data has not yet become the majority. More statistics showed that, in 2009, almost 90% of the Fortune Global 100 issued CSR reports, but most stakeholders are still not clear with the social and environmental performance of these corporations. The author concludes that CSR reporting is certainly important for future years. 9. Shareholder value versus stakeholder values: CSR and ï ¬ nancialisation in global food ï ¬ rms Jones & Nisbet (2011) studies the range of CSR which includes a test case of food manufacturing industry. It investigates the causes of CSR that arises from the ï ¬ nancialisation of company strategies and how these deï ¬ ne and rank social promises and roles within such internal institutions. By analysing the four biggest global entities’ case, the negotiated closure of two speciï ¬ c factories verifies an incompatibility between deeming employees as stakeholders and CSR as a business strategy. This paper concluded that corporate CSR perspectives on ‘stakeholder partnerships’ are highly limited in scope. In addition, global firms’ CSR with in financialised markets are unlikely to complement or replace unalloyed market forces, or state regulation and intervention. It is beyond either neoliberal, socioeco-nomic governance by markets, or welfare regulation by public authorities. 10. Does CSR Reduce Firm Risk? Evidence from Controversial Industry Sectors Jo & Na (2012) clarified the links between CSR and firm risk in debatable industry sectors, such as alcohol, tobacco, gambling etc. and the result is found that CSR engagement inversely influences company risk after controlling for various characteristics of corporations. Jo & Na employ a system equation method and difference regressions to insistently search that CSR engagement of firms in controversial industry sectors negatively affects firm risk in order to cope with endogeneity problem. Authors found that, through CSR engagement, the influence of risk reduction is more economically and statistically important in controversial industry companies than the companies in non-controversial industry. Expectations In responding to the research question, the findings are expected to be appeared from academic papers that variously content the information about the relation between CSR and its influences to this society through legitimacy or stakeholder theory perspective. The expectations of results can be general or specific. For example, one result expected to be found is the conditions of interacted impacts based on the fundamental relations between legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and CSR. Based on that finding, a further expectation can be made that whether CSR affects the legitimacy of a company and to what extent. Furthermore, I expect to find out what kind of corporations or industries are influenced or influenced most and to response what steps they will take to sustain existence. Another expectation of proper findings is the understanding of the role of theory in explaining motivation CSR and for what reasons that companies are voluntary or solicited. Moreover, the concept of what benefits CSR strategy may bring to corporations is required by the research question. In addition, the future forecast about CSR is also required in this topic. Lastly, how to make decisions between stakeholder theory and shareholder theory has to be discussed. Since the level of research we have done so far, more profound discussion should occur. The expectation can be whether CSR can complement or replace certain nature functions of the society or economy. Accounting Theories The accounting theories that might help me to explain the expectations I have for my research question are positive theory, legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, shareholder theory and corporate social responsibility (CSR) theory. Positive theory explain, predict organisations’ activities. This theory is the fundamental for other theories. Legitimacy theory posits that business organisations are bound by the social contract to undertake socially desired actions in return for approval of their existence, goals and rewards from their activities. This theory has close relationship with CSR issues. Stakeholder theory suggests that the purpose of a business is to create as much value as possible for stakeholders while keep the interests of customers, suppliers, employees, communities and shareholders aligned and going in the same direction. Contrastively, shareholder Theory describes that businesses do not have any moral obligations or social responsibilities at all, other than to maximize their own profit. Shareholder and stakeholder theories are normative theories for CSR, guiding what a organisation’s role ought to be. Corporate social responsibility refers to the way that a business takes into account the financial, environmental and social impacts of decisions and actions it is involved in. This description meets the core of this article. Data Collection To collect enough data for this essay, I chose data base as my searching method. By accessing to UTAS account, I can simply use the library data base functions to search what I want. This is a timesaving and multi-functional approach. The reason why I made this point is that the library data base of UTAS has enormous resources and various types of articles such books, journals, dissertations, newspaper articles etc. I can easily use it to find the information. Moreover, the searching data base has many other functions, which require login, that are very convenient. For example, when I search an article, the resources are listed out really fast and it is automatically in a sequence of the most relevant outcomes. This procedure saves a lot of time from eliminating useless articles. The preview factor is amenity as well. After searching some particular key words, when I move my mouse onto any titles of the search results, without clicking on it, a preview window jumps out with all the brief information about this article. The best function is the ‘save this item’ button, which I can use to save useful articles neatly and simply. Ethics It is important to know that ethics is a bottom line of the work and research by our hands to avoid hurting other people or ourselves. Ethical considerations play important role during my research. Ethics approval helps to ensure that research complies with established guidelines. What I need to do at UTAS to obtain ethical approval is to plan the research project and find an organization to review on the plan. The Research Integrity and Ethics Sub-Committee (RIEC) can offer some help to me to obtain the ethical approval at UTAS. I can also go to the Research Integrity Advisers (RIAs) to ask for help. Clear view can be made that I have the duty to ensure the integrity of my work and that my research enhances the good name of UTAS and the profession. I am also required to observe ethical, professional and legal responsibilities in the conduct of research. In addition, I am aware of that students must apply for ethics approval prior to the recruitment of participants and the commencement of any data collection. It is not possible to retrospective ethics approval. Moreover, all resources used in my research must be electronic copies and documented. Question Development 1. According to the history of the evolution of the concept and definition of CSR, how did CSR bridge to other theories. By answering this question, respondents will be able to know about CSR’s evolution and more importantly, respondents will have some brief ideas about the relations built between legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and CSR. 11. Does CSR affect companies’ legitimacy? If yes, to what extent do you think it will be? How did the CSR develop under different circumstances? This indicates the core link and gap between legitimacy and CSR. This article shows a trend that more and more companies are requested to report on their interactions with society in various forms which involves the term: solicited. 12. When do companies become voluntary or solicited? This answer illuminates the truth of growing significance of CSR in worldwide. 13. Which industries are most likely to be affected by the changes in CSR strategies of corporations? Respondents should enter into a deeper thought, although most of the businesses will be affected by CSR issues, only few of them paid high costs on their CSR problems. 14. What are the aspects of those companies to be influenced? By examining this idea, readers gain the knowledge of limitation of the scope of CSR consequence related to legitimacy. 15. What motions would organisations take to balance its legitimacy, CSR strategy and the profitable goals of company? This article studies the relations between environmental and social motions of organisations and organisational legitimacy. This question needs to be asked because that this article shows what loss will happen if CSR strategy is not appropriate. 16. What benefits can CSR strategy bring to corporations by studying business of CSR? Studying business case of CSR may produce some outcomes in good ways which are reducing cost and risk, strengthening legitimacy and reputation, building competitive advantage and creating win–win situations. 17. How is CSR going to affect the future’s companies’ reports? Answering this question will make readers realise how significant the CSR is and how will it enhance social and environmental conditions as to be treated a priority for politicians and other stakeholders. The CSR reporting is not only affecting current companies activities, but also future’s. 18. Can CSR complement or even replace unalloyed market forces, or state regulation and intervention? This question shows that CSR is so importance that even could be referred to the discussion of replacing state regulation. However, the conclusion is negative. 19. What is the relation between CSR and firm risk in controversial industry sectors? Readers will know the facts in reality of this case. Reference list 1. Carroll, AB 1999, ‘Corporate social responsibility: evolution of a deï ¬ nitional construct’, Business and Society, 38, pp. 268–295 2. Tilling, M 2004, ‘Refinements to legitimacy theory in social and environmental accounting’, Commerce Research Paper, no. 04-6, ISSN: 1441-3906. 3. Van der Laan, SL 2009, ‘The role of theory in explaining motivation for corporate social disclosures: voluntary disclosures vs ‘solicited’ disclosures’, The Australasian Accounting Business & Finance Journal, vol. 3, no.4. pp.15. 4. Moerman, L & Van der Laan, SL 2005, ‘Social reporting in the tobacco industry: all smoke and mirrors’, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, vol. 18, no.3, pp.374-389. 5. Guthrie, J, Cuganesan, S & Ward, L 2006, ‘Legitimacy theory: a story of reporting social and environmental matters within the Australian food and beverage industry’, The Fifth Asia Pacific Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting Conference, p.1-35. 6. Emtairah, T & Mont, O 2008, ‘Gaining legitimacy in contemporary world: environmental and social activities of organisations’, Int. J. Sustainable Society, vol. 1, no. 2, pp.134–148. 7. Carroll, AB & Shabana, KM 2010, ‘The business case for corporate social responsibility: a review of concepts, research and practice’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 12, no.1, pp. 85-105. 8. Maguire, M 2011, ‘The future of corporate social responsibility reporting’, Issues In Brief, vol. 1, no. 1. 9. Jones, B & Nisbet, P 2011, ‘Shareholder value versus stakeholder values: CSR and ï ¬ nancialisation in global food ï ¬ rms’, Socio-Economic Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp.287-314. 10. Jo, H & Na, H 2012, ‘Does CSR Reduce Firm Risk? Evidence from Controversial Industry Sectors’, Journal of Business Ethics, volume 110, no. 4, pp. 441-456

Ontario Gateway Analysis Essay

As requested, our team has conducted a thorough analysis of the four existing insurance policies (RCNC1, RCNC2, CTC, and HIC), including the costs and benefits of each proposal, and associated risks. Based on our investigation, we recommend using the CTC insurance plan as of March 1, 1997. CTC Excels on Cost Savings and Risk Our analysis focused on achieving two main goals: 1) minimize the chance of losses exceeding $37m over next year; 2) minimize overall costs over next five years. We assumed an accident rate of 1 in 5,000,000 flights, as used industry-wide, and we have checked the sensitivity of our decision considering a rate 25% more favorable given our aircraft characteristics. Please see below details on our recommendation, and refer to Appendix for additional details. 1. Cost analysis over next year: When using the industry-wide accident rate, three plans offer significant coverage in the next year such that losses of aircraft will not exceed $37m with a probability of over 99%; these plans are: CTC, HIC, and RCNC1. CTC costs are estimated to be the lowest when considering the average of $13.5m and standard deviation of only ~$2m which reflects a lower spread of the costs. Additionally, CTC cost savings average ~$14.5m when compared with the other plan offerings, with a low standard deviation which reflects more predictable savings. Similar results are obtained when we consider a safer accident rate (i.e., 1 in 6,6m flights). 2. Cost analysis over the next five years: When using the industry-wide accident rate and considering the three plans identified, CTC offers the most optimal plan over the next five years, at an average cost of $67.5m with a low standard deviation of ~$3.8m. While this is the second optimal cost of the three identified plans, the lower standard deviation reflects a lower spread (resulting in lower risk) over the five year horizon.  Additionally, CTC cost savings over the next five years average ~$46m when compared with the other plan offerings, and 95% of the cost savings are over $44m. Similar results are obtained when we consider the safer accident rate. In summary, our analysis identified CTC plan as the most optimal of the four options, based on cost savings over next year and over next five years. The CTC insurance plan should minimize the chance of losses exceeding $37m over the next year, and would offer the lowest overall costs over next five years. Please let us know if you have any questions or need any additional details.

North Carolina as a colony

North Carolina is one of the thirteen colonies established by England around 1650. The  territory was called Carolina in honor of Charles the First.  Queen Elizabeth I of England granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter for the establishment of a  settlement in North America. Sir Raleigh and the Queen planned to establish a colony to be able to  explore for treasures and to scout for a strategic location where they can raid loaded Spanish ships. Based on these reasons, an expedition was sent in 1584 to explore for a suitable location and also  bring samples of the nature’s bounty on the area. After the successful exploration, the group  returned to England. In 1585, the first group of colonists was organized and they arrived at the north  end of the Roanoke Island. Ralph Lane with seventy-five men was left in the island while Sir  Richard Grenville, leader of the expedition returned to England to get additional food supplies and  additional men. Friction with the natives occurred when the settlers attacked a village in response to  the stealing of a silver cup by the natives. By April 1586, relations with a neighboring tribe had  degraded to such a degree that they attacked an expedition led by Lane to explore the Roanoke River.1 There was still no sign of Grenville’s fleet and due to hardships encountered, the settlers  accepted the offer of Sir Francis Drake to return to England.  Ã‚  The second group was led by John White and they arrived in June 1587. White tried to  reestablish friendly relations with the neighboring natives. At first, the natives were hostile and  aloof. But gradually the English gained their confidence by offering glass beads and dolls as signs  of friendships (Hale 128). But the aggrieved tribes whom Ralph Lane attacked were still unfriendly  to the new colonists and shortly thereafter, one colonist was killed by these natives. Fearing for their  lives, White was elected to return to England to inform of their situation and ask for help.   Two  significant events occurred shortly after the colonists’ arrival: two â€Å"friendly† Indians were baptized  and a child was born. Virginia Dare, as the baby was named, became the first child bor n to English-  speaking parents in the new world.2 But White was delayed in coming back to the colony because  of the following reasons: the vessel was not in good condition to travel back home and in crossing  the Atlantic Ocean; the refusal of the captain to sail back to the colony during winter time and then  the war with the Spanish Armada was imminent   and all the able ships were tasked to fight. He was  able to return in the spring of 1590 and found only the remnants of what was once a settlement. There were no signs of life, only the word â€Å"CROATAN† carved on a nearby tree.3   The second  failure can be attributed by factors beyond the control of the settlers. Although Sir Raleigh was  given a charter to colonize, attention was focused on the war with Spain. Cole and Warren  concluded that, â€Å"because England was so completely involved in fighting the Spanish Armada in  1588, no supplies were sent, nor any communications maintained with the settlements†. (403) The  colonization might have been successful if the expedition was fully equipped with farm implements,  food supplies and able manpower who are trained to do hard work in cultivating the soil. They  should have establish friendly relations with the natives to preserve their lives as well as with the  natives’. The impact left by Ralph Lane and John White on the area was that they had spread Christianity and English language to the new world.   It is ironic that Stuart Monarch James I rather than the visionary Elizabeth succeeded in  finally planting the British flag on the American shores. (Garraty and Gay 663) In 1607, three  shiploads arrived at Jamestown sent out by the London Company of Virginia. Captain John Smith  imposed a semi-dictatorial attitude to his men to check their incompetence and lack of initiative. His  edict, â€Å"He who does not work shall not eat† (Cole and Warren 406) was effective that they soon  cultivated crops especially staple crops and tobacco. By 1610, more settlers arrived and by 1612,  there were exportation of tobacco to other places. Significant too were the introduction in 1619 of  representative government – important to the Englishmen who contemplated migration to the New  World – and the beginnings of Negro servitude – important despite its inhumanity, to the economic  future of North America.(Garraty and Gay 665) Reference List Cole, Fay-Cooper, and Harris Gaylord Warren. An Illustrated Outline of History of Mankind. Grolier Incorporated: New York, 1963. Garraty, John A., and Peter Gay. The Columbia History of the World. Harper and Row: New York, 1972. Hale, John R. Age of Exploration. Time-Life International: Nederland, 1974. â€Å"Historical Highlights of North Carolina †.The State Library of North Carolina. 3 April 2006. 14 Nov. 2006. â€Å"Roanoke Island†. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 14 Nov. 2006. 15 Nov. 2006.

Research Critique Part 1 Essay

This paper will critique a qualitative research study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics in 2004, By Dr Helen Aveyard, about how nurses manage patients who refuse nursing care procedures. The article explains how nurses view informed consent as not being essential to nursing care procedures. Problem Statement The clinical problem being examined in the research study is the way in which nurses obtain consent prior to administering nursing care procedures, and the way nurses manage patients who refuse any nursing care procedures. By stating that nurses â€Å"do not regard obtaining consent as an absolute requirement† also stating that â€Å"consent is preferred but no considered essential† the significance is established and a clinical problem identified.(Aveyard, 2004, p. 346) The author identifies the need for further education of nurses on the need to obtain informed consent for nursing care procedures, and the need for more research of this topic. Purpose and Research Questions The study clearly identifies the aim of the study as â€Å"to examine the way in which nurses manage patients who refuse nursing care procedures.†(Aveyard, 2004, p. 346) The study identifies two main purposes for the research study as: 1- To examine how consent is obtained prior to nursing care procedures, 2- To explore the ways in which consent could be approached by clinical nurses.†(Aveyard, 2004, p. 347) The author provided clear purpose or aim of the research problem, â€Å"the way in which nurses manage patients who refuse nursing care procedures.†(Aveyard, 2004, p. 346) And related the problem to the questions of how consent is obtained, how obtaining consent can be approached, and at the extent to which consent remains voluntary. The qualitative method is appropriate for this study as the information needed was obtained through interviews, observations and focus groups to answer the question of how nurses obtain consent and for exploring ways consent could be approached in the future, due to the lack of discussion in nursing literature on obtaining consent prior to nursing care procedures.(Aveyard, 2004, p. 346) Literature Review The author cites qualitative research articles and nursing education manuals and training manuals from many different authors and time periods. There were no quantitative studies cited. All research article referenced were relevant to the study, most were greater than seven years old and older. No evaluations of strengths or weaknesses were available for referenced material. The limitations of this study were named as: â€Å"data was exploratory, It was not the specific intention to explore the management of the patient who refuses care; the topic came from the inductive data analysis.(Aveyard, 2004, p. 349) It is relevant as this is a previously unexplored area of nursing.(Aveyard, 2004, p. 349) The author builds a logical argument through discussion of nursing education, and the fact that nursing education and the focus of informed consent in nursing education is on the nurse’s role in obtaining consent prior to medical procedures and research procedures, and not prior to nursing care procedures. The author uses the argument that the lack of discussion on informed consent does not negate its importance and it purpose which is to protect a patients autonomy .(Aveyard, 2004, p. 346) Conceptual/ Theoretical Framework. There is no specific perspective identified within this study. There was no diagram or conceptual framework in the study. The results are clearly defined and sample was described as being purposive sample of qualified nurses from two teaching hospitals in England. (Aveyard, 2004, p. 647) The author used a grounded theory type of qualitative research study. Through observation of how consent is obtained, nurses’ interpretations of why consent is obtained, six focus groups, and in depth interviews, data was collected and analyzed. (Aveyard, 2004, p. 347) The sampling was purposive, and was said to consist of qualified nurses who were â€Å"willing-and able- to recall and discuss critical incidents. (Aveyard, 2004, p. 347) The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed focus group and interview data were combined in data analysis and transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparison.(Aveyard, 2004, p. 347)