Life of Charlemagne Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life of Charlemagne - Essay Example However, in the bibliography that he has written he clearly chose to give in to the "lust of immortality to celebrate the glorious deeds of other times (Einhard 1)." The bibliography is obviously written with the purpose of extolling Charlemagne and highlighting his virtues for the knowledge of the generation to come. The Life of Charlemagne commences by a description of the Merovingian family which used to rule France contrasting their flaws and weaknesses with the virtues of Charlemagne's ancestors. Einhard also admitted his lack of knowledge on the birth and childhood of Charlemagne thereby skipping the time span and concentrating on his military conquest (5). Charlemagne is recognized for his success in battles from his first military undertaking in the Aquitanian War to the Saxon War, Lombard War, Slavic War, and the War of the Huns. Through military force, he is also able to gain the submission of the Breton and Beneventan. Because of these victories, Charlemagne is able to largely expand his territory: "He so largely increased the Frank kingdom, which was already great and strong when he received it at his father's hands, that more than double its former territory was added to it" (16). Aside from conquering vast lands, the ruler should also be commended by winning the allegiance of several nations which is even strengthened by his fondness of sending them letters (17). He also enhanced the beauty of his kingdom through the construction of establishment including the Basilica of the Holy Mother of God and the bridge over the Rhine at Mayence (18). The latter portion of the bibliography humanizes Charlemagne by expounding his personal traits and characteristics including his looks, the manner of his dressing, and his private life. Eidhan gave a very good description Charlemagne's and his favorite food: "His meals ordinarily consisted of four courses, not counting the roast, which his huntsmen used to bring in on the spit; he was more fond of this than of any other dish" (25). After reading the bibliography of Charlemagne, I am able to look at a deeper side of him not as a hero but as an ordinary individual, who has flaws, is fond of music, and of giving. Far from the portrayed picture of him as a hero and saint in history books, the account is much more enlightening. The translator has done a good job from lifting the Latin version into English. The account is very much comprehensible, interesting, and enriching. Works Cited Eidhan. The Life of Charlemagne. Trans. S. E. Turner. 2 February 2008

Significant Event Essay Example for Free

Significant Event Essay There’s a significant event that happened when I was only four years old. I saw my adult cousin dead in the park that my sister, bother, and I used to play in. I’m sure the memory that I have of this devastating event is not 100% accurate for a number of reasons. One being, the fact that it happened so long ago my memory could’ve been tarnished by hearing different stories from different individuals who also witnessed this dreadful event. Another reason being, the fact that I’ve tried so hard to forget this incident but I’m sure I never will. The last reason being, it was dark and everything happened so fast with a lot of things going on at once. There were so many different emotions being displayed at that time and I was just too young to understand. The affect that this event has had on my subjective well-being has been detrimental in some ways. I am unable to take my kids to a park which is very unfortunate because they deserve to experience the fun of swings, slides, and nature. I can’t get the image of his lifeless body lying there out of my head. It’s painful emotionally to even think about because although I was very young, I remember this older cousin who used to give my brother and me haircuts. This event caused me to lose out on some adult happiness affecting my subjective well-being as a whole. This event has played a significant role on the continuous development of my personality in a few ways as well. I am very humorous which can be viewed as a defense mechanism or a way to defuse a heated situation and not face reality. Like the phrase â€Å"laugh to keep from crying†. It has also given me the personality trait of sympathy. I am extremely sympathetic to people who has experienced losses within their family. Additionally, I am very emotionally sensitive to the point that it is unusual for a grown man. This sensitivity is credited to the fact that there were so many emotions being expressed that night and it was transferred to me as a young boy as an answer of how to deal with painful situations. There are positive and negative impacts involving my health caused by this event. This was far too stressful and dramatic for me to deal with at such a young age which caused a lot of negative impacts on my health. I have what people call â€Å"bad nerves† because of this situation. For example; I sometimes shake. I randomly have problems sleeping as I am subject to jump in my sleep or gasp for air. However, this event has had some positive impacts on my health when I think of the risks that I could’ve taken in that same neighborhood had I not seen the death of my older cousin. I could’ve made poor choices that would’ve got me hurt or caused me my life but because I had these images in my head constantly, I never wanted to end up like my cousin.

Corporate Social Responsibility of Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria

Corporate Social Responsibility of Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria The main objective of this literature review is to attempt answering the research questions posed in our proposal because it is the focus of this research. In doing that, we shall review definitions, recapitulate and employs insights to the studies of previous prominent researchers on the topic particularly as it concerns MNOC in Nigeria. The work shall mainly consult books, journals and articles amongst others. With the general growth of CSR in many multinational companies, it is hardly surprising that CSR attracted considerable attention in recent years. In an attempt to digest CSR, studies have focused on the meaning, drivers and scope of CSR. While some researchers say it should not exist, others said it should be philanthropic, some said it is to enhance business, and others even think it regulatory compliance. Much of the earlier work emphasized two prominent definitions: philanthropy or business enhancement. Ojala (1994) said it has three major facets: complying with the law; setting and abiding by moral and ethical standards; and philanthropic giving. The first popular/acceptable definition of CSR is by Bowen (1953, p.6) He defined CSR as the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society. Since then, many definitions followed ranging from Carroll (1979), McWilliams and Siegel (2001), Whetten et al (2002), Maignan and Ferrell (2004) and Sriramesh et al. (2009) EUs Green paper on CSR defined it as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines CSR as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of its workers. . .as well as the local community and society at large. These definitions are important to this work as they see CSR as voluntary. To CSR advocates it is giving back to the land/people from whom it has taken so much, else poverty, unemployment, lop-sided development would continue to haunt Companies. Shankar Venkateswaran (2000) said that Islands of prosperity cannot survive in a sea of poverty the sea will ultimately engulf the islands. On the contrary, critics believe that CSR are used to distract public from asking questions posed by MNC operations. To them, CSR is not committed to sustainable development as claimed because activities of MNCs are contrary CSR. Example is Shells CSR led to pioneering in triple bottom line reporting, still there was a scandal of its misreporting of oil reserves in 2004. REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS People view CSR differently, some advocate while others criticize. Peter Drucker (2004) is of the view that CSR should not exist at all. He said corporate social responsibility is a dangerous distortion from business principles. If you find an executive who wants to take on social responsibility, fire him. Fast. Others said that the organizations pay taxes to ensure that society and the environment are not adversely affected by business activities. This leads us to the first research question. What could be the main drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility by multinational companies? Is it to promote corporate image and benefit business or do they have positive responsibilities that add value to the communities they do business in? Motivations to engage in CSR are varies. Some are response to market forces, globalization, consumer and civil society pressures, etc. Some see it as a higher incentive to protect brands and investments (NEEDS). CSR drivers will be reviewed in three categories: economic, institutional and social drivers Economic Drivers There has been a lot of literature supporting that CSR is to enhance business. This proposition was clearly supported by Milton Friedman (1970). To him, a corporations purpose is to maximize returns to its shareholders and not to society as a whole. He said When I hear businessmen speak eloquently about the social responsibilities of business in a free-enterprise system, I am reminded of the wonderful line about the Frenchman who discovered at the age of 70 that he had been speaking prose all his life. The businessmen believe that they are defending free enterprise when they declaim that business is not concerned merely with profit but also with promoting desirable social ends; that business has a social conscience and takes seriously its responsibilities for providing employment, eliminating discrimination, avoiding pollution and whatever else may be the catchwords of the contemporary crop of reformers. In the same vein, McKibben Bill (2006) suggests that corporations which exist solely to maximize profits are unable to advance the interests of society as a whole. Also, Lord Justices Pill, May and Keane (1997) in proving that McDonalds business contradicts its social responsibility principles ruled that eating enough McDonalds food may make ones diet high in fat therefore increase the risk heart disease in McDonaldHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds_Restaurants_v_Morris__SteelHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds_Restaurants_v_Morris__Steels Restaurants v Steel HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds_Restaurants_v_Morris__SteelHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds_Restaurants_v_Morris__Steel Morris. For Johnson (1971p.54 cited in Vrabic, 2010) Social responsibility states that business carry out social programs to add profits to their organizations. He perceives CSR as long-run profit maximization not just activity to demonstrate ethical s tandards. Orlitzky, Schmidt, and Rynes (2004) in their study found a correlation between social/environmental performance and financial performance. Kurucz (2008, p.86), in his study identified four general types of business cases to support that CSR enhances business: cost and risk reduction, profit maximization and competitive advantage, reputation and legitimacy, and synergistic value creation. Cost and risk Reduction: Firm engage in CSR to reduce costs and risks to the firm, since stakeholders demands can present a potential threat to corporate financial goals (Kurucz, 2008, p. 88). Competitive Advantage: CSR can be used to gain competitive advantage over industry rivals (Kurucz, 2008, p. 89). It is also used as a lobbying strategy for tighter regulations that leads to higher market values especially in oil companies with heavy polluting activities. (Porter 1991, cited in Vrabic, 2010) Reputation and Legitimacy: CSR is made for strategic reasons and are designed to extend legitimacy and enhance corporate reputation, to maintain its legitimacy, repair or defend its lost or threatened legitimacy (Kurucz, 2008, p. 91). Miles and Covin (2000 cited in Vrabic, 2010) opined that environmental stewardship creates reputational advantage that enhances marketing and financial performance. To Brown and Dacin (1997), negative social reputation can have detrimental effect on product evaluations and positive social reputation can enhance product evaluations. This could be seen from the boycott of Shell gas station by European consumers due to Shells attempt to dispose Brent Spar oil platform in the Atlantic Ocean and the consequent 50% decline sales (Neuger, 1995 cited in Vrabic, 2010). Synergistic Value Creation Approaches advocating synergistic value creation are focused seeking opportunities to reveal, relate, and synthesize the interests of diverse set of stakeholders. Some studies, however, have taken a different approach. Lerner and Fryxell, (1988 cited in Vrabic, 2010)) argue that firms incur unnecessary costs that does not add value and reduce profitability by increasing social performance. Institutional Much as there may be economic drivers of CSR, to serve long term national interests, Governments have a strong interest in promoting CSR initiatives mostly through regulation to complement their environmental and social programs (Mazurkiewicz, 2004a). Prominent CSR researchers consider regulation as a natural adjunct to improving the social performance of business, contingent only on the correct design of market incentives (Porter and van der Linde 2000, p. 156, cited in Vrabic, 2010). In Europe, many countries have introduced legislation to mandate environmental reporting for corporations (Haigh and Jones, 2006). Also, Inter-governmental organizations like EU, UN and OECD promote CSR through various policies that encourage companies to voluntarily engage in more sustainable and socially responsible conduct of business. In the oil sector, (Frynas, 2009, p.50 52) argue that decisions are becoming politicized especially with joint venture agreements. With joint venture, Government owns shares, oil, grants licenses, provides regulatory framework, and defines respective rights and responsibilities of investors. Social Factors Moon and Vogel, (2008, cited in Vrabic, 2010) argue that in the global market, MNCs often appeared to be as powerful as states, yet unaccountable as Governments and international institutions most times create regulatory vacuum to control their actions. This vacuum the NGOs normally fill by questioning MNCs actions (Held and McGrew, 2002, cited in Vrabic, 2010). NGOs demand that companies follow the conventions and agreements signed within UN, respect basic environmental regulations adopted by western governments or regional organizations (Bandell, 2004). The second question is Why are there proliferations of youth militancy and movement, protests, invasion of oil facilities and abduction of oil workers, intense dispute and conflicts against the MNOCs in the Niger Delta despite the CSR? The problems between the oil companies and host communities are best described by Watts, (2004:198) as the story of development and counter development working with and against one another in complex and contradictory ways. The crises and hostility according to Eweje (2007) arise sometimes because indigenes feel they dont get enough social and economic infrastructures/assistance from the MNOCs. The CSR seem to escalate the crisis. This is because either by omission or commission, CSR activities and processes impact negatively on local communities, often outweighing the positive benefits CSR brings (Watts, 2004). Christian Aid (2004) says that despite Shells claims about honesty, integrity and respect for people, the oil company has failed to bring about change in the delta. It also confirmed that some of the acclaimed schools, hospitals and other social amenities have been abandoned or did not meet the needs of the communities they were meant to support. It found evidence that Shells clean-up of oil spills and repair of pipelines in Nigeria is scandalously inadequate and would never be tolerated in Europe and North America. This failure of CSR added to the bad feeling between the local community and Shell (Andrew Pendleton Christian aid report). Sometimes oil companies carry propaganda by way of CSR. Example is the CSR that followed Ogoni crisis to redeem Shells image especially with several publications and propogandas.58 Oil companies sometimes connive with the state to be violent, using private security and state agents who are often overactive in their tasks of protecting oil installations and workers. This leads to harassment, intimidation and suppression of environmental development and rights activities. Sometimes crises arise because of oil spills. Nembe indigene 3 (cited in Tuodolo 2007) said Oil activities cause serious environmental problem. Oil spills; discharge of drilling and production waste; and gas flaringà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The negative impact of these on the peoples health and livelihood is enormous: All of us in this community are fishermen à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there is always spillage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ have destroyed our marine life and our occupationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. To show Shells negligence and non-sustainability, it spilled 14,000 tons of oil into the Niger Delta in 2009 while that of 2008 is between 2,200-8,000 and a daily flaring of about 604 million per day (SPDC, 2009). On their part, Shell CEO Peter Voser(2010, reported in Guardian newspapers) said that Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta, remains a very challenging place in which to operate. Security issues and sabotage are constant threats to our people, assets and the environment. Even when the crises arise, oil companies respond when and how they like. They sometimes pay compensation and initiate community projects, but do not enhance their social responsibility credentials (Omotala 2010). He said One, the oil companies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are known for paying compensations that are far lower than international minimum standards. They are also reputed for the avoidance of payments of compensation on frivolous grounds such as attributing oil spills to sabotage for which they may not be culpable. In some instances, they only pay compensation after protracted court cases that are usually very costly to the host community. Sometimes the development does not worth it even when they are implemented. Idemudia (2009) said CSR developments must protect, preserve and conserve the environments upon which the livelihood of rural inhabitants depends to be meaningful and sustainable. MNOCs are being accused of living by their words. Example, a community leader asserts that most of these developments are only reflected on their books, not on the ground and even then it is not based on the priorities set by the communities but what suits their public relation image of the company ( Eweje, 2007). All this culminated together causes the rising violence, militancy, protests, invasion of oil facilities, pipeline vandalization and abduction of oil workers in the region which sometimes swings both the oil companies and Government to actions. Eweje (2007) concludes that no matter how laudable the CSR initiatives are if the host communities do not feel that the projects will create a sustainable economic, social and environmental development the conflict and unrest in the Niger Delta will continue. There have been questions of whether CSR differ in developing and developed countries. Amaeshi et al. (2006) in their work asked if there is a Nigerian brand of CSR or is it an imitation of western CSR practices. NEEDS XV argue that socio-culturally framed and that the socio-cultural characteristics of Nigeria are unique and as such, the practice of CSR would mainly be shaped by the socio-economic conditions in which these firms operate. To NEEDS, CSR in Nigeria would be aimed towards poverty alleviation, health care provision, infrastructure development, education, etc, not necessarily reflection of popular western standard like consumer protection, fair trade, green marketing, climate change, social responsible investments, etc. Oil spills are more in Nigeria and even where there is, prompt actions are not taken (Christian Aid 2004). Considering this point, Frynas, (2005) said that where government fails to effectively make and enforce environmental regulation, MNOC only voluntarily care to avoid oil spills and may be label it CSR. CSR today looks more of regulatory compliance in developed countries with more effective government. In Nigeria, Shell admitted that its approach to CSR causes community disorder (SPDC, 2005:28), yet Shell has not changed the practices despites its claims to CSR. While the more popular opinion like (Frynas, Christian Aid) is that there is double standard, sometimes MNOCs act the same way in both developing and developed countries. This can be justified by signing of collaborative agreements with Colombian with the Colombian Defence Ministry to provide $2.2 million on top of the mandatory war tax in 1995 by BP (Muttitt and Marriott, 2002). BP was accused of forming its own army and hiring security people with histories of human rights abuses and even murder (Beder, 2002, cited in Vrabic, 2010). Investigations revealed that BPs security firm, trained the Colombian police in counterinsurgency and intelligence techniques used against local communities, and also provided weapons to the 16th Battalion of the Colombian army, which then conducted a massacre (Gillard, 1999 cited in Vrabic, 2010). There was fierce stakeholder pressure on BP and BP evaluated its social and environmental strategies (Frynas, 2009, p. 22-23). Some years after, a senior BP manager admitted: Weve learned from our mistakesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. In Colombia we were accused of getting too close to the army and police in order to protect our operations. We listened, approached the Human Rights Watch for advice, and then organized new security arrangements (Rice, 2002, p. 135). Could it be safe to say CSR in developing countries are not at its best and if so is overlap, ineffective coordination and communication, absence of regulatory framework, partnership with Government/local communities major problems hindering the effective implementation of CSR projects? In Nigeria, Rauscher (1992, cited in Frynas 1998) says that Governments sought to attract foreign investors by permitting ecological dumping, for the sake of economic development. Ite (2004) also argued that the government has continued to renegade on its commitment that it becomes almost impossible for the CSR investments by the oil firms to contribute positively to their host communities. Oil companies blame oil pollution on political instability like sabotage because there is no comprehensive legislation on compensation payments to communities in Nigeria (Frynas 1998). But Walter and Ugelow (1979) in their work said that Nigerias environmental policy is been tolerant to corporate polluters for a long time compare to international standard. Frynas argues that there is a direct relationship between state welfare provision and the need for CSR initiatives. To him, greater social and environmental responsibilities should be taken in countries where the government does not have effective mechanisms of regulation and provision of public goods. He cited Nigeria as his example. Patricia Werhane (2007) on her own part cited corruption as a serious problem hindering CSR implementation in developing countries. She said A big challenge facing multinational corporations is how they should respond to local corruption. Both Shell Oil and Exxon/Mobile sought to carry out drilling operations at sites plagued by corrupt local and national governmentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (Patricia Werhane 2007) This is also Watts view when he said What passes as development is usually contracts and bribes-so-called cash payments-with influential traditional elites, orchestrated through ineffective or corrupt community liason officers (Watts, 2004). CSR ineffective coordination manifests in commercialized conflicts between individuals and groups who always fight over the benefits; community funds for development are mismanaged, misappropriated, and embezzled or shared by community leaders or clique (Watts, 2004). Social disorders like arms possession, increasing illiteracy, criminality, lawlessness and the disintegration of tradition and culture now became order of the day. CSR should be considered more as a corporate moral responsibility, and limit the reach of CSR by focusing more on direct impacts of the organization (Patricia Werhane 2007). It is suggested that for CSR to worth its onion, there should be better governmental and international regulation and enforcement, rather than voluntary measures. This is EU approach. For example, Denmark on 16 December 2008, adopted a bill making it mandatory for the 1100 largest Danish companies, investors and state-owned companies to include information on CSR in their annual financial reports. In Nigeria, FEC approved CSR policy on 21st May 2008. Also, Akwa Ibom state enacted oil and gas law stipulating social responsibility of oil companies. To Christian Aid (2004:2) the only way to instill honesty and integrity into business practice is to strip CSR of its voluntarism and enact laws that spell out minimum social and environmental standards that companies must meet. Jettison corporate social responsibility: make it corporate social accountability, because for too long CSR has served as merely a branch of PR and in some cases as the only spurts of development activity by large companies. CONCLUSION This work had defined CSR and explored the fundamental drivers of CSR. The observation is that today CSR is a consequence of various factors together interactions of various social groups and NGOs, state institutions and self promoting economic motives. Three main drivers were seen as the main promoters of CSR, and one could conclude that CSR is more of business strategy than social. In the Niger Delta the continued crises could be attributed to the fact that MNOSs do their things in their own way without actually touching indigenes lives. They employ any means to protect their business interest As regards the standard, MNOC adopt different standard for different stroke that is why this work is of the view that there should be laws guiding CSR not just MNOCs doing what they think is suitable to them. This work also found out that there are structural factors, systemic failures, absence of enabling environment hinder positive impact of CSR. Although the popular view from this review is that MNOCs engage in CSR to enhance business therefore there should be CSR regulations, it cannot be ruled out that regulations especially stringent ones and host communities problems will discourage the MNOC who may decide to move their investment to a more friendly business environment. This clearly gives room for more research.

Malcom X/Nation of Islam Essay -- discrimination

The Nation of Islam was founded during the Great Depression in Detroit, Michigan by a silk merchant named Wallace D. Fard. He began preaching to the black community that they didn’t deserve to live in poverty, and that the white people exploited the people so much that Fard believed that this community needed their own state. Fard accumulated more than 8,000 followers who believed that Fard was actually god, in the form of man. Elijah Poole, later known as Elijah Muhammad, took over the Nation of Islam after Fard’s disappearance in 1934. One Nation of Islam follower widely known for his work was Malcolm X. Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 under the name Malcolm Little, the fourth child of Rev. Earl and Louise Little. Malcolm’s father was of Baptist faith that preached on Sundays, and supported Universal Negro Improvement Association and Marcus Garvey, a stirring orator who advocated black pride and a black exodus from the United States to Africa. Rev. Little spread Garvey’s message, and this, according to legend, is what got him killed by white supremacists in 1931. (Gale 1997) At age 6, Malcolm’s widowed mother Louise suffered a mental breakdown and was declared insane. Through all this, Malcolm managed to keep his spirits up by getting good grades, debating, playing basketball, and hoping someday to become a lawyer, only to have his dreams crushed at the age of 14, by a critical white teacher. â€Å"That’s no realistic goal for a nigger,† his teacher told him, and that he should aim at doing some sort of work with his hands. (Frost 2001) Malcolm’s dreams were crushed, and at the age of 16 he moved up to New York with his sister. There he worked on the streets of New York dealing drugs and hustling. By the time he was 20 years old, he was the leader of a burglar ring, and was caught with stolen goods. He was sentenced to 8-10 years in prison, which turned out to change Malcolm’s life around.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A man named Bimbi, who Malcolm admired, inspired him to straighten up. Malcolm began hitting the books, sometimes spending half the days in the prison library; it seemed he was searching for something to get him out of the rut he’s been in since he was 14. (Frost 2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm began receiving letters from his brother, Reginald, who told him in his writings about the Nation of Islam, the teachings of an uncle... ... into orthodox Islam. African-Americans' interest in their Islamic roots has flourished since Malcolm’s death. (Haley) The memory and image of Malcolm X has changed as much after his death as his own philosophies changed during his lifetime. Malcolm was first thought to be a violent militant, but now he is understood as an advocate of self-help, self-defense, and education. He succeeded in putting together history, religion, and mythology as a skeleton for his eventual belief in world brotherhood and human justice. In his eyes, Malcolm thought faith was a prelude to action, and that ideas were useless without policy. Malcolm X’s autobiography is read in schools throughout the United States. It has inspired some African-Americans to get involved in their Islamic roots. In 1992, Spike Lee made a movie based on the autobiography that sparked an interest in the meaning of life and death of Malcolm X. X Russ Lahey Bibliography Frost, Bob â€Å"The Complex Journey of Malcolm X.† Biography Feb. 2001, Vol. 5, p64 Gale, Thomas â€Å"Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz)† The African American Almanac, 1997, 7th ed. Haley, Alex and X, Malcolm The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Oct 1992

Why Prohibition Failed to Control American Alcohol Consumption

A single sketchy light flickers in a dark room. The smell of pure, hard liquor (most likely moonshine), permeates the air. Screams, laughter, shattering glass, and the freshly-made whiskey are shared by all in the dingy lair–until a stern knock cuts through the noise, silencing and destroying the night. It was this scenario and countless others like it that defined American Prohibition, also known as â€Å"The Noble Experiment†, a ban on any intoxicating beverage from 1920 to 1933.Reasons Prohibition was enacted was to correct corruption and reduce prison numbers, solve social unrest, lower taxes, and improve hygiene and health of the people. However, Prohibition ultimately failed in its attempt to control the behavior and vices of its citizens. One particular issue that arose from Prohibition was that it fostered corruption; poor, young immigrants gradually morphed into mobs and general crime became organized. Extensive crime syndicates solidified and what is now collo quially known as the â€Å"Mafia† formed.The public had nowhere else to turn but these bootleg distilleries (dubbed â€Å"speakeasies†), because the method of getting in was a password–and by the end of Prohibition, over one million gallons of liquor had been bootlegged and brought into the United States alone. Not only had organized crime increased, but most crimes in general did, too. In addition to distilling alcohol illegally, police budgets in the period of Prohibition had increased by 11. 4 million dollars (adjusted for today’s inflation, more than 140. 5 million dollars). Total federal expenditures on penal institutions increased by a whopping 1000%.Homicides, civil unrest, the prison population, and Prohibition violations had actually increased during Prohibition. The demand for alcohol and the elimination of the public’s legal supply ultimately played a large part in the spike in crime during this era. Besides the fact that crime multiplie d uncontrollably, Prohibition was also practically unenforceable. Interestingly enough, the act of drinking in itself was not banned, rather, only sale and distribution. Bootleggers outnumbered police officers and enforcement became laughably lax in some areas of the United States.The 21 Club, a popular speakeasy in New York City, had been raided many times by police, but the owners were never caught. Many American immigrants viewed liquor not as a vice but as an integral cultural component. Smuggling and bootlegging were in full swing, and by 1927 the number of speakeasies was twice the number of legal bars pre-Prohibition. The Volstead Act itself (the enabling legislation for Prohibition) allowed the sale and production of wine at home and for religious purposes, allowing for vineyards to sell grapes and concentrate for people to make their own wine at home.The contents of the law was full of loopholes that were often exploited, such as whiskey prescription for medical reasons. Th e Prohibition saw a sharp increase in prescriptions written for patients that called for alcohol. Prohibition had also decimated the alcohol-production industry, particularly that of winemaking. As mentioned previously, winemakers had to find loopholes and crafty ways to bypass the law. Many went out of business due to the fact that any alcohol over 0. 5% was banned, and most wines had about a 13% alcohol content.Wine for sacramental purposes was allowed, and people who acted as imposters of church figures obtained wine through this alternative route. Lack of support was widespread and only increased as Prohibition went on. The increase of chaos, loss of businesses, and most of all crime only caused any original support for the law to dwindle. Finally, at 3:32 p. m. on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, effectively nullifying the 18th Amendment and repealing Prohibition.As the Roaring Twenties came to a close, the United States of America saw that the tax revenue gen erated by legal sale of alcohol would help take the edge off of the financial burden that came with the Great Depression. In conclusion, Prohibition in the United States is generally known as an unsuccessful experiment in enforcing morality in legislation. Illegal distilleries and speakeasies (establishments for illegally purchasing alcohol) broke out and encouraged the spread of crime. The Mafia was established as poor immigrants who found an easy way to make a great deal of money by selling alcohol to those in desperate want of it.Countless loopholes were exploited and enforcement of the laws, over time, decreased steeply. Despite the conviction by Congress that going dry would help the United States cut down on alcoholism and crime, Prohibition ended up doing the exact opposite. Overall, lack of support, increase in crime, unenforceability, and necessity of alcohol in society during the 1920s caused the ultimate downfall and failure of the American Prohibition.CITATIONS (sorry th at this version does not have them inline): http://www. cato. rg/publications/policy-analysis/alcohol-prohibition-was-failure http://www. albany. edu/~wm731882/organized_crime1_final. html http://www. westegg. com/inflation/infl. cgi http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/database/article_display. cfm? HHID=441 http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1655505/pdf/calwestmed00210-0040b. pdf http://library. thinkquest. org/04oct/00492/Why_It_Did_Not_Work. htm http://www. netplaces. com/wine-guide/a-brief-history-of-wine/prohibition-wipes-out-an-industry. htm http://history. howstuffworks. com/american-history/prohibition. htm

Essay Sample on Don Quixote A Hero or Not

Essay Sample on Don Quixote A Hero or Not The Webster Dictionary defines a hero as a person that is courageous and performs noble deeds. Many people would argue that Don Quixote falls under the category of being a hero because of the fine line that is drawn with Webster’s definition. Unfortunately, some close examination of the text will show that he really isn’t a hero. Part of Webster’s definition for a hero states that the person must be courageous and takes courageous actions. Don Quixote definitely does take many courageous actions. One of these examples would be when he attacks the windmills. This is definitely a courageous act. He could have easily been hurt or even killed. Many people would say that this would show his heroics. He also shows his courage when he decides that he wants to fight the lions. Anyone that would want to try and fight a lion most definitely has courage. Luckily for Don Quixote, the lion did not want to fight, but rather wanted to rest. Once again Don Quixote showed his courageous side however. At the end of the story, Don Quixote decides to try and defeat the Knight of the White Moon to show his heroics. He is very courageous for doing this because at his older age, one blow could do very much damage and it does, as we all know. Anyone that would ride a horse and take a chance of getting hit with a lance has som e serious courage. With all these examples of courage, one automatically will think that Don Quixote is a hero. This is not true, however. By calling Don Quixote a hero, many people are just using the first part of Webster’s definition. The whole definition must be fit before we can call Don Quixote a hero. The whole definition reads that one must be courageous and also perform noble deeds. The second part of the definition is very important when it comes to Don Quixote. Many of his deeds are not noble at all. In fact, many of them are the exact opposite. When we look at the same examples as used earlier, it is very clear that Don Quixote’s actions have little nobility in them. The first example was when he attacked the windmills, thinking they were giants. Yes, it is courageous, but there is absolutely no noble deed in this action. It is more of a fine line of stupidity than it is heroism. The next example was when Don Quixote wanted to duke it out with the lion. Once again, he felt he w as being noble to the King by doing so but this was not the case. First of all, the King probably would not have appreciated hearing that one of his lions was slain. Second of all, by requesting that the cage must be opened, Don Quixote was putting many peoples’ lives at risk for no appropriate reason. Finally, his duel with the Knight of the White Moon was not noble either. He had no reason to fight him, and if he would have won, it was for nothing. He didn’t save anyone or anything noble like that. He was flirting with a fine line of stupidity once again. As can be seen, the definition hero does not apply to Don Quixote’s actions. In order for Don Quixote to be a hero, he must fulfill the entire definition of the word instead of just part of it. People should refer to Don Quixote as â€Å"The Adventurer† rather than a hero.

Jack And The Beanstalk to Animal Farm †English

Jack And The Beanstalk to Animal Farm – English Free Online Research Papers Jack And The Beanstalk to Animal Farm English 1.Yes, our society does have entertaining ways to give young people important advice. There are many fairy tales in which we are told when we are younger that gives us very important advice. For example, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk teaches us not to squander our money on silly things. We then have many movies, TV shows, music, and books that have good morals in them. All we have to do is look for them. Like in Animal Farm, we learn that we should not try to dominate others because he ends up turning into the person/people that dominated over us. So, yes, our society does have entertaining ways to give young people important advice. 2.â€Å"The mind of man is of two kinds, pure and impure: impure when in the bondage of desire, pure when free from desire.† This quote is basically saying that we should not desire. We should just like what we have and not worry about achieving more. This way, we will be happy because we will have a pure mind. â€Å"All living creatures are led astray as soon as they are born, by the delusion that this relative world is real.† This quote is basically saying that we are not of this world. This world is just a stopping place, and soon, we will go to another world. This will continue until we have become enlightened, and find the true world. 3.On the most part, it is not alright to break our word. However, there are instances that it is for the best. Sometimes we have to break our word for the greater good. If someone is in danger, and you told a friend that you would be careful, it would be alright to break your word to help that person in danger. Or, if you promised a friend not to tell anyone a secret, but if you didn’t tell someone, your friend could get in trouble or injure themselves, it would be alright to break your word. It just really depends on the situation. 4.My favorite part of the â€Å"Bhagavad-Gita† is the quote â€Å"The tortoise can draw in his legs: The seer can draw in his senses. I call him illuminated.† I find it very interesting because I find that becoming illuminated is one of the best things to do. This way, life will be good, because a person would not have to worry about what was going to happen. An illuminated person would just be able to live a life in peace, and during a time in which our world is in chaos, living a life of peace would be a great thing. 5.Most people in the United States are not even-tempered in success and failure. Many people are just worried about succeeding in life that if they don’t, they get angry. And with teens, it’s all drama. I don’t know how so much drama can happen in a teen’s life, but I guess it does. So, Americans really aren’t even-tempered in success and failure. Research Papers on Jack And The Beanstalk to Animal Farm - EnglishThe Hockey GamePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHip-Hop is ArtCapital PunishmentGenetic EngineeringThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationLifes What IfsHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceUnreasonable Searches and Seizures

Beowulf, an Epic Hero essays

Beowulf, an Epic Hero essays An epic hero is defined as a larger than life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. Commonly epic heroes have superior strength, have strong love for their people, are fearless of death, and are very ethical people. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of an epic hero. Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero who is a representative of his time because of his super-human strength, his strong love for the people, his fearless of death, and his ethical personality including his strong moral characteristics common of his time. It is obvious that Beowulf has super-human strength because he kills Grendel with his own bare hands. Grendel had been terrorizing the Danes for twelve years and none of them could defeat Grenadel with weapons! During the battle with Grendel, Grendel notices Beowulfs extraordinary strength: [Grendel] Knew at once that nowhere on earth Had he met a man whose hands were harder; His mind was flooded with fear- but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight Hard grip (p. 33, 433-437). To proclaim his victory and triumph over evil, Beowulf hangs an arm of Grendels, which he savagely ripped from the beast, from the ceiling. Later, Beowulf goes on to kill the Grendels mother, who is even more viscous than Grenadel. In the battle with Grendels mother there is yet another example of Beowulfs super-human strength when Beowulf lifts a huge, massive sword and kills Grendels mother with it. It is said that the sword was so massive that no ordinary man would have the strength to lift it. Beowulf also boasts of his strength many times throughout the poem. For example, in his argument with Unferth, But the truth is simple: No man swims in sea as I can, no strength is a match for mine (p. 28,...

Synthesis of Dibenzalacetone by Aldol Condensation of Benzaldehyde and Lab Report

Synthesis of Dibenzalacetone by Aldol Condensation of Benzaldehyde and Acetone - Lab Report Example Under basic conditions, the carbonyl group of acetone having an alpha hydrogen atom is converted to an enolate ion (Mc Murry, 1999, pp. 939). The enolate ion thus produced is a strong nucleophile and attacks the carbonyl group of the â€Å"accepting partner†, which in this case is benzaldehyde (Mc Murry, 1999, pp. 939). An alkoxide is formed as a result of this nucleophilic attack. The alkoxide then undergoes protonation by H2O, forming a â€Å"neutral condensation product†, hydroxyketone. This undergoes dehydration in presence of NaOH, forming an enolate ion, hydroxyenolate, which then forms Benzalacetone by loss of a hydroxyl group. Benzalacetone also has alpha hydrogen, which again forms enolate ion under basic conditions, similar to the first step. This enolate nucleophilically attacks another Benzylaldehyde molecule. Subsequent reactions are similar to those already discussed, leading to the formation of dibenzalacetone, the final product. Thus, two molecules of be nzaldehyde and one molecule of acetone are required to form one molecule of dibenzalacetone. O O O CH3 – C – CH2 – H CH3 – C– CH2 – H – C – OH- Acetone Enolate ion- nucleophilic attack on benzaldehyde O OH O O- CH3 – C – CH2 – CH – CH3 – C – CH2 – CH – OH- ?-Hydroxyketone Alkoxide O OH O CH3 – C – CH- – CH – CH3 – C – CH = CH – Hydroxyenolate Benzalacetone O – CH = CH – C – CH = CH – Dibenzalacetone (iii) Experimental: Benzaldehyde (80  µl), acetone (29  µl), and ethanolic NaOH (1.0 ml) were used in this experiment. The reaction was carried out in a conical vial containing a magnetic spinvane, according to the procedure specified in the SC214 practical manual, page 41. Filtration of the product was done using a Hirsch funnel, and the Craig tube method was used for purification and recrystalliz ation of the product as per the SC214 practical manual, page 42. Melting point and IR spectrum were also obtained for the characterization of the product. (iv) Results: The weight and yield of the product (dibenzalacetone) are calculated as follows: (1) Calculation of mass of the product: Weight of glass= 37.458 g Weight of glass along with Dibenzalacetone crystals= 37.502g Therefore, mass of Dibenzalacetone crystals= 37.502 – 37.458 = 0.044g (2) Calculation of yield of the product: % Yield of Dibenzalacetone = Benzaldehyde is the limiting reactant in this experiment No. of moles of Dibenzalacetone= = = 0.001877 = 1.87 ? 10-4 moles No. of moles of Benzaldehyde= = = 0.000784 =7.84 ? 10-4 moles Since 2 benzaldehyde molecules are involved in each reaction, =7.84 ? 10-4/2 = 3.92 moles % yield of Dibenzalacetone= = = 0.477?100 = 47.7% Therefore, % yield of Dibenz

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

No topic - Essay Example A question is asked on the manner of averting Home Depot from commencing. Devoid of a written accord, how can one stipulate if cheating is a sincere mix-up or intentional cheating? With these aspects of the above depiction, it follows that there are similarities between the difficulties of organizing cartels and the challenges of other forms of international cooperation (PrÃŒÅ'ibram, 35). International corporations face challenges like the identification of a true market requirement and the dilution of a brand-name power. For instance, the success of a business is keyed to the offering of services and goods needed by a customer. Since the customer’s problem needs a solution, the product or the service used should have the capability of solving the consumer’s wants. The capability of the product to provide a solution should be effective in a way that its significance are easy to communicate. It is, therefore, a very hard task to meet this challenge since customer needs are unlimited. Due to the different methods of entertainment in the internet, the culture of Americans and their corporate symbols are famous brand-names in the world. However, this is no indication that American products will be popular in other countries. Gaining of trust is from other countries is a very complicated task (Fear,

The Origin of the Concept of Logistics Research Paper

The Origin of the Concept of Logistics - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that the origin of the concept, Logistics, was noticed before the birth of Christ and was employed by the Greek generals (Leon, the Wise and Alexander, the Great) to procure food, ammunition, and clothing for their army. It has been noticed that for years, the concept of logistics had been an issue of war affairs. History has recorded which shows that what people wanted were not available or produced in the place of its consumption. These goods were not accessible even when they had the urge to consume them. The food and the commodities were dispersed widely and were also available in abundance, during certain times of the year. Earlier, people had the tendency to consume their choice of food or commodity at the location or after moving the goods to a preferred site and hoarding them for later use. However, the absence of well-developed storage and transportation systems had brought in difficulty for them to consume these goods. As a result , the movement of the goods was limited to an individual depending on how he/she moves it. The main problem that was faced by them was the perishable nature of the goods, which forced them to gather the needful frequently. The restrictions faced by the people in storage and transportation had made them live in places closer to the source of production in order to facilitate easy consumption (Ferrell and Hartline, 2010). Thus, the concept of logistics was not prominent and proficient in those days because of its cost. The cost of logistics was quite high which therefore restricted the traders and the business to transport the goods and commodities from one place to another. It was a big problem for the mass to stay close to the source of the production since the traders or the business did not provide them with the facility of transportation of the goods to their homes. The concept of logistics would have eliminated these problems if it had been introduced and properly utilized then. The goals of the traders were to acquire higher productivity and earn good profits from their business and thus, they did not emphasize much on logistics (Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner, 2009). However today, with the passage of time, logistics have become the heart and the success of every business. It is used as the most important strategic weapon by the companies for transporting their goods from one part of the world to another so that every person has the right to use or consume it. However, it can be noticed that today, in a few areas, the production and consumption take place in the same geographic region. So that marks for an exception. There are striking examples that can be observed in different parts of the worlds like, South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Here, the population resides in small, self-sufficient villages and most of the goods that are used by them are acquired or produced in close proximity. Few essential goods are imported from other areas and thus, the production efficiency of the companies is low and the economic standards of living are not even noteworthy. In this type of an economy, a well-developed logistics system can bring positive changes to the exchange of goods among several countries (Dooley, et al., 2006). Logistics – Defined Logistics can be defined as the management of the flow of resources, which exists between the point of consumption and point of origin, for meeting the requirements of the corporations or the consumers. The resources that are managed in the logistics include materials, food, equipment, liquids, and staffs as well as the abstract items like, information, particles, time and energy. The logistics of the items usually take into account the integration of flow of information, production, packaging, material handling, inventory, warehousing, transportation and also, security (Clifton, 2012).  

Case Study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study 2 - Essay Example The drawbacks result to baffling cases and transgressions. Not considering the affluence of information obtainable, it does not assist in operating the amenities. The intellect acquired from the offenders would be precious and significantly noteworthy in rule enforcement. Nevertheless, the decree enforcers openly squash underfoot and discharge it as implausible. Correctional officeholders cleverly find out covert messages from detainees regarding performance of the other jailbirds (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007). That notwithstanding, they have their intelligence dishonoured by their superiors (regulation enforcement personnel). If the detectives restrain the intellect, it can direct to fruitless communication. This dims the enforcement conglomerates from attaining imperative intelligence. The facet of non-credibility of the springs (criminals are the spring) flaunts itself as a major hindrance to communication. According to the rumour mill, the incarcerated are pathological lia rs. This tells us that neither the correctional bureaucrats nor the enforcement conglomerates can acknowledge a solitary portion of intelligence from them. Detainees employ slander as a way of stage-managing the administration. (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007) This encumbers healthier communication, which is predominantly essential in edict enforcement. The boss-subject relationship undergoes stumbling blocks, which dissuades unconventional course of communication in the procedure of working. The subordinate (correctional agents) tends to talk about only those issues that are not likely to get them into trouble. This fear serves to cover up inconveniences that may possibly mirror on the lesser party. The correctional administrators hold back crucial insight from getting to their superiors. The intellect assembly assemblages further carry on the knowledge to themselves, in an exertion to shun many avoidable measures. The use of multifaceted message avenues thus bars invariable st ream of information. This holds rapid compilation of knowledge and its application back. Professional-occupational specialism in relation to the correctional superintendents, puts on show an unremitting and proficient, communal scheme. This design educes premeditated and unintentional perspiration. These consist of coaching and vocational group traditions. Amateur correctional bureaucrats obtain a momentous jolt on first contact with the crooks. As they discover to subsist in seal up contact with the crooks, the bureaucrats sack the typecast that offenders are precarious. (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007) On-job schooling tags on ahead joining the preparation school, which is more of inevitability than intent. This socialization process acts to weed out ineffectual officers. An exceptionally nerve-racking matter with the correctional officials is their disunity. They are deficient in the pervasive subculture that erstwhile groups signify. They hardly labour as one nor go halves i n the decision-building procedure. This debilitates communication amid them. They somewhat assume and condemn each other, other than come together and endorse cohesion, which is debatable. This is pluralistic unawareness where the folks affected concede with their personal standpoints rather than others’. The procedure of socialization is unchangeable. As a result, officials take part in a fundamental duty in determining work-related specialism. The superintendent ought to aspire to

The Development of Organisation Theory Assignment

The Development of Organisation Theory - Assignment Example In most organizations, the leading forces impinging on role performance are social or symbolic rather than economic. Although the social significance of the workgroup to individual workers was first reported in the studies of factory workers, recent research shows that the significance of informal work groups is much greater for individuals in high-status positions than those in low-status positions. Management-level employees are more likely to go through social and geographical mobility, which cuts them off from their parents, their place of birth and their friends. As a result, they are inclined to depend greatly on social relationships established at their workplace (Henderson 1996). To the extent that co-workers have become an important reference group for employees, one would expect them to support one another. Abraham Maslow’s (1950) theory of a hierarchy of human needs suggests needs categorized in the following ascending order; (1) physiological, (2) safety, (3) love, (4) esteem, and (5) self-actualization. Under this theory, the type and level of need for work-group appreciation are influenced by the type and level of which the needs are being satisfied by individuals external to the workplace. However, a certain amount of safety and esteem from one’s colleagues, managers and subordinates are crucial for successful functioning within any organization. For this reason, the major focus of managers should be on creating and maintaining good human relations in the workplace (Luthans 2010). Due to the recent technological progress, there is generally a shortage of significant interaction among culturally diverse employees. There is also a deficiency of affection in a number of the homes of workers. Human relations demand employers develop closer personal relationships in their organizations.  

The earnings report management in the United Kingdom Essay

The earnings report management in the United Kingdom - Essay Example This research aims to evaluate and present the aspects that include adverse market reactions to the share price put on a listed entity incase outcomes fall short of the expectations of the market, the relationship of executive managers; salaries to results, stock options and capital gains, compliance with loan covenants and understating profits for the reduction of tax liabilities among others. In the United States of America, financial reporting has been strengthened with vigorous investigations of earnings manipulation and manager dealings. This was highly used by US SEC and other regulatory authorities. This was done mainly because financial frauds that have occurred recently have been due to insider trade relationships and earnings manipulation. In addition, there have been changes in accounting discretion, which influence issues that touch on accounting and financial earnings. One of the most famous methods that managers can use to manage earnings is through the administration o f accruals with avoidance of direct cash flow outcomes. Some examples are unjustifiable dreadful debts requirements, delay in asset write-offs and opportunistic assortment of accounting techniques among others. However, the discretionary element of accruals has created a loophole for executive to manipulate the accrual element of earnings. Because of the flexibility provided by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), accrual earnings management could result to managerial discretion.

Case Study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study 2 - Essay Example The drawbacks result to baffling cases and transgressions. Not considering the affluence of information obtainable, it does not assist in operating the amenities. The intellect acquired from the offenders would be precious and significantly noteworthy in rule enforcement. Nevertheless, the decree enforcers openly squash underfoot and discharge it as implausible. Correctional officeholders cleverly find out covert messages from detainees regarding performance of the other jailbirds (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007). That notwithstanding, they have their intelligence dishonoured by their superiors (regulation enforcement personnel). If the detectives restrain the intellect, it can direct to fruitless communication. This dims the enforcement conglomerates from attaining imperative intelligence. The facet of non-credibility of the springs (criminals are the spring) flaunts itself as a major hindrance to communication. According to the rumour mill, the incarcerated are pathological lia rs. This tells us that neither the correctional bureaucrats nor the enforcement conglomerates can acknowledge a solitary portion of intelligence from them. Detainees employ slander as a way of stage-managing the administration. (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007) This encumbers healthier communication, which is predominantly essential in edict enforcement. The boss-subject relationship undergoes stumbling blocks, which dissuades unconventional course of communication in the procedure of working. The subordinate (correctional agents) tends to talk about only those issues that are not likely to get them into trouble. This fear serves to cover up inconveniences that may possibly mirror on the lesser party. The correctional administrators hold back crucial insight from getting to their superiors. The intellect assembly assemblages further carry on the knowledge to themselves, in an exertion to shun many avoidable measures. The use of multifaceted message avenues thus bars invariable st ream of information. This holds rapid compilation of knowledge and its application back. Professional-occupational specialism in relation to the correctional superintendents, puts on show an unremitting and proficient, communal scheme. This design educes premeditated and unintentional perspiration. These consist of coaching and vocational group traditions. Amateur correctional bureaucrats obtain a momentous jolt on first contact with the crooks. As they discover to subsist in seal up contact with the crooks, the bureaucrats sack the typecast that offenders are precarious. (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007) On-job schooling tags on ahead joining the preparation school, which is more of inevitability than intent. This socialization process acts to weed out ineffectual officers. An exceptionally nerve-racking matter with the correctional officials is their disunity. They are deficient in the pervasive subculture that erstwhile groups signify. They hardly labour as one nor go halves i n the decision-building procedure. This debilitates communication amid them. They somewhat assume and condemn each other, other than come together and endorse cohesion, which is debatable. This is pluralistic unawareness where the folks affected concede with their personal standpoints rather than others’. The procedure of socialization is unchangeable. As a result, officials take part in a fundamental duty in determining work-related specialism. The superintendent ought to aspire to

The earnings report management in the United Kingdom Essay

The earnings report management in the United Kingdom - Essay Example This research aims to evaluate and present the aspects that include adverse market reactions to the share price put on a listed entity incase outcomes fall short of the expectations of the market, the relationship of executive managers; salaries to results, stock options and capital gains, compliance with loan covenants and understating profits for the reduction of tax liabilities among others. In the United States of America, financial reporting has been strengthened with vigorous investigations of earnings manipulation and manager dealings. This was highly used by US SEC and other regulatory authorities. This was done mainly because financial frauds that have occurred recently have been due to insider trade relationships and earnings manipulation. In addition, there have been changes in accounting discretion, which influence issues that touch on accounting and financial earnings. One of the most famous methods that managers can use to manage earnings is through the administration o f accruals with avoidance of direct cash flow outcomes. Some examples are unjustifiable dreadful debts requirements, delay in asset write-offs and opportunistic assortment of accounting techniques among others. However, the discretionary element of accruals has created a loophole for executive to manipulate the accrual element of earnings. Because of the flexibility provided by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), accrual earnings management could result to managerial discretion.

Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay Some students apply for admission only to their first-choice school, while others apply to several schools. Which plan do you agree with, and why? Be sure to include details and examples to support your opinion. I am of the opinion that is better to apply to several schools instead of only to your first-choice school. I think that this plan gives you more options to be accepted in one university, help you improve your applications and open you other opportunities that you could not have considered. I think that applying to just one school is very risky. Probably, you first-choice school is one of the best of the country so it receives a lot of applications each year and the selection process is extremely competitive. Therefore, you have to consider that the odds of not being accepted are high. If this is the case, you will have to wait until the next year to go to the university. I think that taking this risk is unnecessary and you avoid it by simply applying to more than one school. Secondly, doing all the paper work for different universities lets you improve your applications. As different universities ask you to write about different aspects of your personality, interests, goals, etc. you learn more about yourself. As a result, you can improve all your applications, especially the one for your first-choice school, and your chances to be admitted increase. Finally, doing the application process for other schools than your first-option school lets you know other universities. Sometimes, when you finish high school, you just consider one university. This might be the one where your parents or brother go, and the one which your favorite professor recommended you. However, there could be other good universities with different academic curricula and some of these other schools could even fit to your goals and interest better. Exploring and applying to other schools, give you the opportunity to learn more about these other schools. Therefore, I think that applying to more than one schools have many advantages. It is a less risky plan, lets you improve your application and open you to new opportunities in other schools. Moreover, the cost of this plan is low because once you have done one applications, the following ones are much easier and takes far less time.

Issues with Offshore Call Centres

Issues with Offshore Call Centres Advancements in communications, software development and other technologies have enabled practically every type of business to expand its services to off-shore locations with the probable choices of countries where both the infrastructure and specific needs of the clients can easily be met. Examples of such services include but are not limited to call-centers, as also the subject of our present dissertation, back office operations, insurance claim processing, revenue accounting as well as web/digital development. Indeed one of the successful areas have the disciplines which involve information technology (IT) related services, making it a crucial element and part of a value chain for present day businesses.  These IT enabled services and business processes are generally sourcedfrom a location where the end-user are not located, hence the remoteprovision of such set of services. The concept behind this phenomenonis to deliver services from off-shore locations using the state of thea rt technologies in communication, also called data networks which mayinclude wireline or wireless. Thus, clients or customers are providedthe same set of services or business processes from workers or subsidiaries based in offshore locations. An example to this respect is that of serving the clients of a multinational in the United Kingdom,where as the individuals involved in serving these clients are located in far off region such as India. In such an environment, there is noneed for the British clients to know about the whereabouts of the individuals serving their particular needs, nor is it necessary for theworkers to divulge such information to the British clients. The gap between the clients and the workers in such a situation is fulfilledthrough the modern forms of communication software. These software enable a British caller for example to place a call to India, withoutrealizing that the call has actually been made to India and in responsean Indian worker will respond to the said query of the British callerrespectively. The objective behind the entire exercise of outsourcingand running an offshore facility by a business operating in the UnitedKingdom or the United States of America is truly economical. As theparent company has to spend only a fraction of the amount otherwiseneeded to run and operate the same set of services in their homecountry (UK or the United States of America). As the global businesses move ever closer to globalization and spreading their business wings in practically every corner of theglobe, outsourcing or setting up off-shore facilities has indeedemerged as one of the fastest and perhaps most successful modes ofaspects of a business value chain. Some of the primary reasons for the immense popularity of the outsourcing include increasing levels ofproductive through measures that are both cheap as well as efficient.Above, all where companies maintain their level of excellence in theservices and businesses processes offered to their clients, the phenomenon of outsourcing has added tremendously to their pool of revenues. One of the first aspects business seek in setting up an offshorefacility is the requisite level of skilled manpower, which is todayavailable in huge quantities in a number of third world countries. Thisskilled manpowers primary and basic requirements include individuals who can speak excellent English, are highly quality conscious, as wellas computer literate. These criteria are found in ample quantify incountries such as India, which has attained the status of being thenumber one choice for companies the world over. Another importantcriteria which business organizations in the Western countries seek arethe factor of cost, as also the largest and most important element inthe entire outsourcing decision. A brief comparison of the wages ofqualified personnel in the United Kingdom or for that matter in theUnited States of America with qualified personnel in India shows thatthere is a huge difference ranging from 70-80 percent. This hugedifference automatically calculates into a net savi ng of 50-60 percentfor the company based in United Kingdom or the United States ofAmerica. Then there is the aspect of customer service and delivery,which accounts for a major element in any business. This particularaspect has been more than emphasized by majority of the businessorganization with their headquarters and principle offices in thewestern countries. The maintenance of exceptional standards and qualityin both the deliveries of services and business processes ensures thatclients and customers alike remain content. It is these set of reasonsthat more than serve as potentials and viable options for setting upoff-shore facilities for products and services for companies, inparticular those with principle bases in the western countries. A briefsurvey of the Fortune 500 companies revealed that more than 200companies from this elite list had already set up their off-shorefacilities in a country where the availability of the above set offacilities had more than provided for their continued and progressivesuccess over the years. (Youndon, 2004) As reiterated in the above lines, the outsourcing phenomenon andsetting up of offshore facilities in a more economical and professionalenvironment is increasingly revolutionizing the entire mode of runningand operating businesses. This is not only in the United Kingdom, theUnited States of America, but in a number of countries of the Europe aswell. The majority of the focus is however limited to the countrieswhere English is the first language spoken, and where the entireclient/customer base is English speaking. It is precisely thiscriterion of the English language that both the United Kingdom andUnited States of America have found third world countries where Englishhas reached the standard and status equal to or nearly equal to thestandards found in the said western countries. The fact that Indiabecame a number one choice in approximately a decades time isprecisely the reason as Indian government and the public both havefocused on making their populations excel in the English langua ge, aswell as the various basic forms of computer literacy. Youdon, E., writing in his book Introduction to Outsourcing printedby Prentice Hall quotes studies carried out by an American surveygroup, Cutter Consortium notes that outsourcing has become amainstream phenomenon in the period between 2000 and 2004. The samesurvey also revealed that, unlike the dot.com bubble of the 1980s, thisphenomenon shown no signs of recession. On the contrary the high-techboom initiated by the outsourcing phenomena will more than likely takeon the shape of a permanent trend, one which will keep on increasingwith the passage of time.   (Youndon, 2004) The survey by Cutter Consortium also showed that the rising trends ofoutsourcing has led to extremely high levels of unemployment in thecomputer industry of the United States of America, and in additionthere has been a gradual shift of tens of thousands of IT related jobsto countries such as India, the Philippines, Russia, and China. Thus,one may note that though setting up of offshore businesses has led to atremendous boom for companies and organizations in the UK and theUnited States of America from every practical perspective. The sametrend has resulted in the rising levels of unemployment, particularlyin the US, as also mentioned in the preceding paragraphs. A brief into the not so recent history, say the decade of the 1990swould reveal that even the largest of multinational companies couldnever have imagined, and for some it was a radical thought to moveentire departments from hub of US cities to for example the city ofBanglore in India or to Moscow in Russia. However, the age-old conceptof savings and down-right economics led the path to seekinglower-paying employees, yet this was truly difficult as the advances intelecommunication technology and requisite levels of computer literacywas still a far-off dream for countries such as India and Russia. However, only a decade later, in 2002, there have been such tremendousdevelopments and rising levels of computer literacy, as well as commandover English language in the said countries. This has been combinedwith the simultaneous advances in technology, which duly raised thedemand for offshore facilities. The same offshore facilities has nowreached some 28 percent of the entire IT budget for Europe and theUnited States, a mark reached within two years from 2000 to 2002. Asalso confirmed by the findings of Forester Research in their 2002survey, the allocation of major IT budgets for offshore facilities willlikely increase by a significant percentage in the coming years. Asimilar survey carried out by Gartner Group showed that by year 2004,some 8 out of every 10 CIOs in American organizations had receivedorders to set-up a part, if not entire technology service department tooffshore facilities. The same studies also confirmed that 4 out 5companies would already have taken the step by t he end of year 2004. To name only some of the famous American names who have already set upshop in the different cities of India, Russia, Eastern Europe and Chinainclude computer giants such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Unisys6, andDell. Also included in the list of companies who have established callcenters in above said countries are a number of banks, firms based onthe New Yorks Wall Street, insurance companies, as well asmultinationals such as General Electric who serve their clients with atruly information-intensive network and IT departments. Credit-cardcompanies, consumer appliances companies as well as a number of otherindustries have also established offshore call centers. (Robinson andKalkota, 2004) The offshore facilities of business organization, irrespective of theirorigin in the United Kingdom or the United States of America haveattained the status of the principal phenomena, as also reiterated inthe above paragraphs. Majority of these who have set up shop asoffshore facilities are those involved in software development,maintenance, project management, and it is these particular segments ofIT industries that are earmarked to witness tremendous growth in thecoming decades. Unlike the dot-com bobble of the 1980s decade, thereare no signs that these phenomena of outsourcing, including callcenters will likely see a period of recession in the near future.However, there are questions put up by economic pundits, such as thelikelihood of leveling off, say at 10 15 percent or at a higher levelof 50 percent with the focus on overall employment within the sameindustries. The answers to such queries are the same, which is thecontinued growth and competition will remain and serve as the principletrigger for this spate of continued growth. Taking an insight view of the number of industries which haveestablished call centers in far off and remote regions/countries, itwould be evident that majority of them fall in the category ofknowledge based industries. The phrase of knowledge based industriesis coined precisely to make a distinction with other industries as callcenters are providing just this. They are providing services withstrong points in just two areas of expertise; first is their computerliteracy and second is their command of English language. Thus, one maynote that these two aspects are the core, and perhaps the pivotalreasons for the tremendous success of the call centers, aside from thecost factors for the parent companies based in the United Kingdom orthe United States of America. A brief on the US companies in search of setting up call centers asoffshore facilities shows that they are deemed as innovators in thisparticular phenomenon of outsourcing. In doing so, these companies takeinto account three principle aspects, which also serve as potentialconflicts with the consumers. One of the first aspects which assists these businesses is theeconomics and high speeds offered in the telecommunication and Internetfacilities for call centers, as compared to similar facilities say adecade ago. Examples to this effect include mortgage-approvaldepartment of a business which wishes to set up a call center facility,as the business would be least concerned whether it is a technologicalpioneer or not. Similarly such businesses need not worry about the highcosts incurred in advanced telecommunications which may otherwise wipeout any savings achieved from strategy of employing low wage employees.(Youndon, 2004) Second aspect which serves as a conflict between the businesses settingup call centers through outsourcing and their consumers the widespreadknowledge about the phenomena of call centers and outsourcing. Even ifone were to compare the increasing awareness and knowledge about callcenters with that of, for example a decade ago, it would be evidentthat little was known. For example call centers now include in theiragenda conferences held amongst the various call centers throughvideo-phone, or even video conferencing; the increase use and knowledgeof consultants for call centers who assist in such processes asselection of vendors, negotiation of contracts, and management ofadministrative and financial details. In this context, the overwhelmingwave of information at the disposal of these new breed of consultantsin the call center business may not necessarily guarantee the successof the respective call centers. However, they do enjoy an edge in areasof advice and guidance as compared to th eir counterparts in the ITarena (for example data entry operators/pioneers), say a decade ago. The third aspect which serves as the conflict between the businessesand their consumers over the call centers and outsourcing is theincreasing pressure to investigate into the affairs of the outsourcebusiness, or the call center in our case study. A decade ago, the casewas somewhat opposite, as there was little or no pressure toinvestigate the activities of the outsource businesses. One may notethat the decade of the 1990s was indeed a boom time for a number ofcompanies, and the general atmosphere was one of generous wages and asteady growth of employment. This trend was augmented by competition atthe global level, which also witnessed a steady growth of outsourcingbusiness the world over. Yet, the single most factors that perhapsserved to halt this growth was outgrowth and rising global demands forgoods and services, which outstripped supply. It would take a decade,when this rising demand of goods and services was be somewhat matchsupply, a phenomenon which we presently witness in e ntire outsourcingincluding call centers in the third world countries. Thus, present conditions on the call center arena the world over showthat supply is more than the demand for goods and services. It isprecisely this reasoning, that majority of the companies wishing to setup a call center now have a greater choice to select workers andregions where workers are least expensive. This is more commonlyobserved in the knowledge-based industries, which also includes thecall centers of India, Russia, Philippines, and China. As also a stateof conflict between the companies and their consumers, the first(businesses) are now more pressurized to cut back on costs due tofierce global competition, hence the search for ever more cheaperknowledge based labor force with less demanding working conditions andlow-paying employees respectively. The above section has briefly discussed the phenomenon and trends thathave become a mainstream for call centers, as also some of the businessperspectives from the point of those companies wishing to set up callcenters for economic reasons, competition, and growth of theirrespective organizations. However, the segment of consumers too is ever important and perhapscrucial element of a call center business. As it is the presence ofconsumers for whom the call centers emerge in the first instance.Since, majority of the consumers belong to countries where Englishlanguage is the first language, the emergence of call centers withEnglish language speaking employees is indeed a pre-requisite. The highwages prevalent as well as demanded by employees in the Englishspeaking countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the UnitedStates of America has forced large number of companies to outsourcetheir businesses, in part if not in whole to regions and countrieswhere is ample availability of less paying employees, yet havingcommand of the English language and are computer literate. For this theprobable choice falls on countries such India, the Philippine, theRussia and China. However, the standard and expertise of language orcomputer literacy are not the only factors, which make an ou tsourcingorganization successful. In this respect, the consumers as the principle beneficiaries of callcenters have a rightful demand to obtain services and products that areof optimal quality; a set of factors that has been somewhat left out bythe companies operating call centers in remote regions of the world. Aprime example to this effect can be observed from a complaint from agroup of consumers against call center operators and their employees,which duly resulted in a ruling from a court of public opinion with thefollowing wordings; You have no right to bother us and leave us dangling. And if we dobusiness with you, your word isnt good enough. You have to prove it. Though the above ruling is only a hint at the prevalent unease on thepart of consumers, yet this more than provides for call centeroperators and businesses to polish up their role in the provision ofgoods and services from offshore facilities, and through the use ofemployees with a little different accent, and perhaps little knowledgeon the actual complaint or command when calling up potential clients. The consumers at the end of call centers have also found strongfootings from both the laws and regulations, which have more, thanrestricted the activities of operators of, call centers. This can beobserved in the new set of US Federal regulations which place a limiton call abandonment rates, caller ID blocking, as well as demandinbound upsetting agents to ask consumers for their account IDs, andabove all to record those calls. A similar act favouring Th consumersis the Do-Not-Call or (DNC) registry which may become effective in thevery near future. The DNC is said to have a very strong support fromboth the US Congress as well as the US public. Though the registry hasyet to become fully effective and become a law, there are already morethan 50 million US phone subscribers who have filed for the DNCregistry. All these regulations and acts that are deemed to assistconsumers from the operators and businesses of call centers are perhapshuge hurdles from the perspective of the businesses. As theseregulations and laws, also termed as outbound rules will not onlyrestrict call center operations, but also serve to cost huge job lossesboth within the countries where call centers are operating, as well asthe offshore facilities which have been set to gain economic and othercrucial business advantages. A survey carried out by the American Teleservice Association (A.T.A.)revealed that the outbound rules could mean job losses to the tune ofsome 2 million individuals in the United States alone. As one of thefirst steps taken against the levy of such laws by the US government,legislators and public prosecutors, the A.T.A. has filed suits againstthe DNC regulations. Another aspect to be noted vis-a-vis the consumers at the end of callcenters is that the implementation of regulations and laws benefitingthe US consumers will have a direct affect on the US employees of callcenters, in turn forcing businesses to give importance and focus onoutsourcing and offshore facilities for call center businesses. Thus,even if and when there is a likely shift in the call centers, the joblosses for US employees will probably be effective even without suchlegislations. To satisfy the consumers, the call centers will thushave to comply with such regulations, even if these results in huge joblosses as also mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Yet another set of incentives and benefits for the consumers which alsoserve, as direct conflicts with the businesses are the marketingmethods employed by respective businesses. For example, businesses whenfaced with such strict measures and legislations as stated above mayturn to options such as direct mail, direct response, and inserts inpublications to prompt inbound calls, emails, and chat sessions. Inresponse to such changes in regulations and calls from publicofficials, the call centers at home will have to undergo and bringabout changes. These may include modifications in predictive dialersincluding their complete replacements, replacement of modern callrecording equipments and bring about changes in the mode of sellingfor both inbound and outbound agents, in turn positively affectivityand raising the standard of phone calls to consumers. The call centerson the other hand In contrast, the call centers operating in remote andfar-off locations with advantages in lower costs for both employees andinfrastructure will be least affected from such measures at homegrounds. In this context there are two particular regulations which directlyaffect the call center operations and which also serve as potentialconflicts with the businesses as well. The first is the TelemarketingSales Rule (TSR) which is administered by the US Federal TradeCommission (FTC). The second is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act(TCPA) which falls under the US Federal Communications Commission(FCC). Under the workings of both the FTC and the FCC, businesses are allowedto place calls to consumers who have given prior consent, and who haveenjoyed previous business relationships with the respective firms.There is also a time factor involved in such calls according to whichthere has to be a transaction within the last 18 months, and similarlya period of 90 days must have passed since the last inquiry was placed.On the other hand both these regulatory authorities and theirregulations become ineffective if and when a consumer refuses to accepta call, even if there was a business relationship in the recent past,and it is the obligation of the respective businesses to honor suchrefusals. The levy of and changes in the rules by both the TCPA and TSR havecalled for changes in the outbound calls for call center operations. Anexample to this respect include call abandonment rules, according towhich marketers have to connect live agents to place calls to theconcerned consumers, and this call has to have to duration of 4 ringsor a time limit of 15 seconds, and compliance of neither may result inabandonment of said call/s. A second rule of both the TCPA and TSR restricts the number of callsabandoned to just 3 percent, which are answered by live persons.However the TSR rules measure the same on a per day basis and a percampaign basis, while its sister authority, the TCPA measures the callover a months period. In compliance of such regulations and in response to the complaints ofthe consumers, the TCPA claims that no calls are abandoned if theresponse is in the form of voice messages within 2 seconds of receiptof a consumers call. Similarly the calls are not abandoned if theconsumer has previously consented to receive messages, includingexisting business relationships. (Read, 2004) Though outsourcing is being largely concentrated in areas of softwaredevelopment, maintenance, manufacturing, logistics, and adding thelatest area of knowledge based industries, one may note thatoutsourcing has perhaps been there for the last nearly 2 decades.However, the changes that have perhaps revolutionized the entire out-sourcing business, in particular the emergence of call centers includessuch disciplines as customer, transaction processing, finance andaccounting, human resources, desktop support and software development. The core reason, and perhaps the strongest factor to force theemergence of such huge numbers of call centers in remote regions of theworld such as India and China as prime examples are cost-cuttingstrategies by making earnings look all the more attractive. Included inthe cost-cutting strategies was the wages and salaries of theemployees, truly a major chunk of operating costs, which was dulyreplaced with employees hired at a fraction of what would otherwise bepayable for example within the United States of America or UnitedKingdom. This was amply found in the offshore labor, who were bothcomputer literate as well as well suited to serve the English speakingconsumers on the North American continent, and the United Kingdom. A brief comparison with other process-improvements innovationsincluding but not limited to Total Quality Management, Re-engineering,and Six Sigma, the offshore outsourcing too is predicted to facesomewhat similar consequences, and for arriving such a conclusion, itis only imperative that one studies the cycle of the above saidinnovations measures taken by business organizations. Included in this management drive innovation cycle are 4 principle steps, through each business organization has to undergo. The first is the slope of hype, and one may note that outsourcing, inparticular the emergence of call centers are passing through what maytermed as the honeymoon period, as also evident from the tremendoussuccesses achieved by majority of the organizations setting up callcenters. The duration of the hype period has witnessed a large numberof organizations somewhat copying or initiating projects based on thepresent forms of innovation. This is done to gain experience from thecurrent and ongoing process management techniques, without the need toinvest in experimenting. Another feature of such a tactic is a merepursuit of a competitor within the same industry. An example to thisrespect can be observed in the trends of e-commerce and e-business inthe later part of the 1990s decade. Thus, it was observed thatpractically every business organization was in pursuit of an e-commercestrategy, often without a detailed insight or logical reasons for doingso. A wave of e-commerce companies thus e merged offering best ofservices, and searching for a place in the market as a trustedadvisor in their endeavours to compete win offshore contracts. Suchcompanies were duly aided by venture capitalists that fueled the hypethrough a number of attractive financial instruments. The second principle of process management is that of despair, orrather the slope of despair. As the business enters the slope ofdespair, it is evidence that the honeymoon era, as also described inthe preceding paragraph has come to abrupt end. The offshore projectsinitiated in rather haste, including initiation or blindly following acompetitor with the same industry will witness a failure as noconsideration was given, nor any wieghtage given to the decision ofsetting up an offshore facility, or call center. The result of taking adecision in such haste is that promises to consumers remainunfulfilled, in turn triggering a possible backlash from within theorganization. Recent examples to this respect can be observed in thedecisions to call back and close shop decision taken by famous namessuch as Dell and Lehman Brothers. It is also observed that during thisslope of despair, a large number of organizations that are not seriousin operating offshore facilities would opt for closing down theiroffshore facilities. Further, such companies would either go for acomplete re-evaluation of their principle strategies, while those whoare truly serious in pursuing and benefiting from their offshore plans,continue to excel and strive to maximize their earnings from thetremendous set of advantages hidden in the operation of offshorebusinesses, including call centers. The third important aspect in the process management innovation measureis that of consolidation and assimilation. This step is immediatelyproceeded after that of despair where serious contenders stay on, andthose who step in the market without serious considerations eitherere-evaluate their strategies, or completely fall back and retreat totheir home grounds. The business of e-commerce witnessed similar trendsand behaviors. Having undergone the crucial step of consolidation, abusiness more often than not enters the slope of profit era. As alsoevidenced in majority of the businesses involved in e-commerce, mostorganization have today realized that e-commerce is not a merenecessity, rather a pre-requisite for their businesses. A similar spateof events awaits the offshore business, where call centers arepredicted to reach levels of extra-ordinary profits for their parentorganizations, a likelihood prediction for the end of the presentdecade. The study of the above 4 principle aspects of process managementinnovations shows, as also evident from recent corporate history, thatit is the home countrys economy, which by and large dictates thesuccess or failure of a corporate strategy. Thus, if economy is movingtowards recovery, not only will other businesses suffer, but theoffshore business including call centers will too face the same fate.Similarly, if the home economy is failure, and is continuouslywitnessing a fall, offshore outsourcing as well as all other businesseswill bound to see an acceleration and growth with significant profitmargins who can sustain the ups and falls of offshore businesses.However, there are more than likely chances for the IT sector, inparticular the knowledge based industries which include the callcenters will witness a similar migration as has happened with themanufacturing from the North American and European continents to moveto the Pacific Rim countries. (Gore, 2003) The above section of the dissertation has briefly discussed some of theaspects of offshore call centers including the businesses as well asthe consumers and the conflicts between them. The above section hasprimarily focused on the US businesses as they enjoy the single largestsegment of the global offshore call centers. The is followed by UnitedKingdom enjoying a second place, and which will constitute thefollowing section of our dissertation. The following part will thustake into account a brief history of outsourcing, and move on todiscuss businesses and consumers from the European perspective, with aparticular attention on the implications on the British businesses,British consumers, and the British job markets with respect to callcenters. Having briefly touched the US perspective of outsourcing businesses,the following section discusses the businesses, consumers and theirconflicts from a British point of view. A survey carried by M/s Outsourcing Insight Ltd., Harvard, M., showedthat the year 2000 was a record period for Britain as it witnessed theemergence of some 35,000 call center related jobs, and establishment ofsome 88 call centers. This tremendous growth pattern in the outsourcing business in theUnited Kingdom proved a number of points. For example, it showed that arecord number of businesses had chosen to shift and expand towardsoutsourcing. It also proved that the consumers had a wider choice. Itwas also evident that each call center was offering a more diverse setof services, a more specialized version and an ever-competitiveenvironment to offer for their customers. (Harvard, 2000) However, with the tremendous growth pattern viewed in the expansion ofcall centers, British businesses also realized that there was a crucialneed for an approach that would provide for needed end results andoptimization of their outsourcing objectives. For example, theselection of an outsourcing partner was one such area, which requiredneeded diligence and an equally cautious approach. It was largelyobserved that in their endeavours to increase their market share andcompete in their respective industries, majority of the Britishbusinesses failed to recognize that competition and offering truly highstandards of services and products called for an equally high standardsof capabilities and services. This was only possible in the appropriateselection of an outsourcing partner who fulfil Issues with Offshore Call Centres Issues with Offshore Call Centres Advancements in communications, software development and other technologies have enabled practically every type of business to expand its services to off-shore locations with the probable choices of countries where both the infrastructure and specific needs of the clients can easily be met. Examples of such services include but are not limited to call-centers, as also the subject of our present dissertation, back office operations, insurance claim processing, revenue accounting as well as web/digital development. Indeed one of the successful areas have the disciplines which involve information technology (IT) related services, making it a crucial element and part of a value chain for present day businesses.  These IT enabled services and business processes are generally sourcedfrom a location where the end-user are not located, hence the remoteprovision of such set of services. The concept behind this phenomenonis to deliver services from off-shore locations using the state of thea rt technologies in communication, also called data networks which mayinclude wireline or wireless. Thus, clients or customers are providedthe same set of services or business processes from workers or subsidiaries based in offshore locations. An example to this respect is that of serving the clients of a multinational in the United Kingdom,where as the individuals involved in serving these clients are located in far off region such as India. In such an environment, there is noneed for the British clients to know about the whereabouts of the individuals serving their particular needs, nor is it necessary for theworkers to divulge such information to the British clients. The gap between the clients and the workers in such a situation is fulfilledthrough the modern forms of communication software. These software enable a British caller for example to place a call to India, withoutrealizing that the call has actually been made to India and in responsean Indian worker will respond to the said query of the British callerrespectively. The objective behind the entire exercise of outsourcingand running an offshore facility by a business operating in the UnitedKingdom or the United States of America is truly economical. As theparent company has to spend only a fraction of the amount otherwiseneeded to run and operate the same set of services in their homecountry (UK or the United States of America). As the global businesses move ever closer to globalization and spreading their business wings in practically every corner of theglobe, outsourcing or setting up off-shore facilities has indeedemerged as one of the fastest and perhaps most successful modes ofaspects of a business value chain. Some of the primary reasons for the immense popularity of the outsourcing include increasing levels ofproductive through measures that are both cheap as well as efficient.Above, all where companies maintain their level of excellence in theservices and businesses processes offered to their clients, the phenomenon of outsourcing has added tremendously to their pool of revenues. One of the first aspects business seek in setting up an offshorefacility is the requisite level of skilled manpower, which is todayavailable in huge quantities in a number of third world countries. Thisskilled manpowers primary and basic requirements include individuals who can speak excellent English, are highly quality conscious, as wellas computer literate. These criteria are found in ample quantify incountries such as India, which has attained the status of being thenumber one choice for companies the world over. Another importantcriteria which business organizations in the Western countries seek arethe factor of cost, as also the largest and most important element inthe entire outsourcing decision. A brief comparison of the wages ofqualified personnel in the United Kingdom or for that matter in theUnited States of America with qualified personnel in India shows thatthere is a huge difference ranging from 70-80 percent. This hugedifference automatically calculates into a net savi ng of 50-60 percentfor the company based in United Kingdom or the United States ofAmerica. Then there is the aspect of customer service and delivery,which accounts for a major element in any business. This particularaspect has been more than emphasized by majority of the businessorganization with their headquarters and principle offices in thewestern countries. The maintenance of exceptional standards and qualityin both the deliveries of services and business processes ensures thatclients and customers alike remain content. It is these set of reasonsthat more than serve as potentials and viable options for setting upoff-shore facilities for products and services for companies, inparticular those with principle bases in the western countries. A briefsurvey of the Fortune 500 companies revealed that more than 200companies from this elite list had already set up their off-shorefacilities in a country where the availability of the above set offacilities had more than provided for their continued and progressivesuccess over the years. (Youndon, 2004) As reiterated in the above lines, the outsourcing phenomenon andsetting up of offshore facilities in a more economical and professionalenvironment is increasingly revolutionizing the entire mode of runningand operating businesses. This is not only in the United Kingdom, theUnited States of America, but in a number of countries of the Europe aswell. The majority of the focus is however limited to the countrieswhere English is the first language spoken, and where the entireclient/customer base is English speaking. It is precisely thiscriterion of the English language that both the United Kingdom andUnited States of America have found third world countries where Englishhas reached the standard and status equal to or nearly equal to thestandards found in the said western countries. The fact that Indiabecame a number one choice in approximately a decades time isprecisely the reason as Indian government and the public both havefocused on making their populations excel in the English langua ge, aswell as the various basic forms of computer literacy. Youdon, E., writing in his book Introduction to Outsourcing printedby Prentice Hall quotes studies carried out by an American surveygroup, Cutter Consortium notes that outsourcing has become amainstream phenomenon in the period between 2000 and 2004. The samesurvey also revealed that, unlike the dot.com bubble of the 1980s, thisphenomenon shown no signs of recession. On the contrary the high-techboom initiated by the outsourcing phenomena will more than likely takeon the shape of a permanent trend, one which will keep on increasingwith the passage of time.   (Youndon, 2004) The survey by Cutter Consortium also showed that the rising trends ofoutsourcing has led to extremely high levels of unemployment in thecomputer industry of the United States of America, and in additionthere has been a gradual shift of tens of thousands of IT related jobsto countries such as India, the Philippines, Russia, and China. Thus,one may note that though setting up of offshore businesses has led to atremendous boom for companies and organizations in the UK and theUnited States of America from every practical perspective. The sametrend has resulted in the rising levels of unemployment, particularlyin the US, as also mentioned in the preceding paragraphs. A brief into the not so recent history, say the decade of the 1990swould reveal that even the largest of multinational companies couldnever have imagined, and for some it was a radical thought to moveentire departments from hub of US cities to for example the city ofBanglore in India or to Moscow in Russia. However, the age-old conceptof savings and down-right economics led the path to seekinglower-paying employees, yet this was truly difficult as the advances intelecommunication technology and requisite levels of computer literacywas still a far-off dream for countries such as India and Russia. However, only a decade later, in 2002, there have been such tremendousdevelopments and rising levels of computer literacy, as well as commandover English language in the said countries. This has been combinedwith the simultaneous advances in technology, which duly raised thedemand for offshore facilities. The same offshore facilities has nowreached some 28 percent of the entire IT budget for Europe and theUnited States, a mark reached within two years from 2000 to 2002. Asalso confirmed by the findings of Forester Research in their 2002survey, the allocation of major IT budgets for offshore facilities willlikely increase by a significant percentage in the coming years. Asimilar survey carried out by Gartner Group showed that by year 2004,some 8 out of every 10 CIOs in American organizations had receivedorders to set-up a part, if not entire technology service department tooffshore facilities. The same studies also confirmed that 4 out 5companies would already have taken the step by t he end of year 2004. To name only some of the famous American names who have already set upshop in the different cities of India, Russia, Eastern Europe and Chinainclude computer giants such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Unisys6, andDell. Also included in the list of companies who have established callcenters in above said countries are a number of banks, firms based onthe New Yorks Wall Street, insurance companies, as well asmultinationals such as General Electric who serve their clients with atruly information-intensive network and IT departments. Credit-cardcompanies, consumer appliances companies as well as a number of otherindustries have also established offshore call centers. (Robinson andKalkota, 2004) The offshore facilities of business organization, irrespective of theirorigin in the United Kingdom or the United States of America haveattained the status of the principal phenomena, as also reiterated inthe above paragraphs. Majority of these who have set up shop asoffshore facilities are those involved in software development,maintenance, project management, and it is these particular segments ofIT industries that are earmarked to witness tremendous growth in thecoming decades. Unlike the dot-com bobble of the 1980s decade, thereare no signs that these phenomena of outsourcing, including callcenters will likely see a period of recession in the near future.However, there are questions put up by economic pundits, such as thelikelihood of leveling off, say at 10 15 percent or at a higher levelof 50 percent with the focus on overall employment within the sameindustries. The answers to such queries are the same, which is thecontinued growth and competition will remain and serve as the principletrigger for this spate of continued growth. Taking an insight view of the number of industries which haveestablished call centers in far off and remote regions/countries, itwould be evident that majority of them fall in the category ofknowledge based industries. The phrase of knowledge based industriesis coined precisely to make a distinction with other industries as callcenters are providing just this. They are providing services withstrong points in just two areas of expertise; first is their computerliteracy and second is their command of English language. Thus, one maynote that these two aspects are the core, and perhaps the pivotalreasons for the tremendous success of the call centers, aside from thecost factors for the parent companies based in the United Kingdom orthe United States of America. A brief on the US companies in search of setting up call centers asoffshore facilities shows that they are deemed as innovators in thisparticular phenomenon of outsourcing. In doing so, these companies takeinto account three principle aspects, which also serve as potentialconflicts with the consumers. One of the first aspects which assists these businesses is theeconomics and high speeds offered in the telecommunication and Internetfacilities for call centers, as compared to similar facilities say adecade ago. Examples to this effect include mortgage-approvaldepartment of a business which wishes to set up a call center facility,as the business would be least concerned whether it is a technologicalpioneer or not. Similarly such businesses need not worry about the highcosts incurred in advanced telecommunications which may otherwise wipeout any savings achieved from strategy of employing low wage employees.(Youndon, 2004) Second aspect which serves as a conflict between the businesses settingup call centers through outsourcing and their consumers the widespreadknowledge about the phenomena of call centers and outsourcing. Even ifone were to compare the increasing awareness and knowledge about callcenters with that of, for example a decade ago, it would be evidentthat little was known. For example call centers now include in theiragenda conferences held amongst the various call centers throughvideo-phone, or even video conferencing; the increase use and knowledgeof consultants for call centers who assist in such processes asselection of vendors, negotiation of contracts, and management ofadministrative and financial details. In this context, the overwhelmingwave of information at the disposal of these new breed of consultantsin the call center business may not necessarily guarantee the successof the respective call centers. However, they do enjoy an edge in areasof advice and guidance as compared to th eir counterparts in the ITarena (for example data entry operators/pioneers), say a decade ago. The third aspect which serves as the conflict between the businessesand their consumers over the call centers and outsourcing is theincreasing pressure to investigate into the affairs of the outsourcebusiness, or the call center in our case study. A decade ago, the casewas somewhat opposite, as there was little or no pressure toinvestigate the activities of the outsource businesses. One may notethat the decade of the 1990s was indeed a boom time for a number ofcompanies, and the general atmosphere was one of generous wages and asteady growth of employment. This trend was augmented by competition atthe global level, which also witnessed a steady growth of outsourcingbusiness the world over. Yet, the single most factors that perhapsserved to halt this growth was outgrowth and rising global demands forgoods and services, which outstripped supply. It would take a decade,when this rising demand of goods and services was be somewhat matchsupply, a phenomenon which we presently witness in e ntire outsourcingincluding call centers in the third world countries. Thus, present conditions on the call center arena the world over showthat supply is more than the demand for goods and services. It isprecisely this reasoning, that majority of the companies wishing to setup a call center now have a greater choice to select workers andregions where workers are least expensive. This is more commonlyobserved in the knowledge-based industries, which also includes thecall centers of India, Russia, Philippines, and China. As also a stateof conflict between the companies and their consumers, the first(businesses) are now more pressurized to cut back on costs due tofierce global competition, hence the search for ever more cheaperknowledge based labor force with less demanding working conditions andlow-paying employees respectively. The above section has briefly discussed the phenomenon and trends thathave become a mainstream for call centers, as also some of the businessperspectives from the point of those companies wishing to set up callcenters for economic reasons, competition, and growth of theirrespective organizations. However, the segment of consumers too is ever important and perhapscrucial element of a call center business. As it is the presence ofconsumers for whom the call centers emerge in the first instance.Since, majority of the consumers belong to countries where Englishlanguage is the first language, the emergence of call centers withEnglish language speaking employees is indeed a pre-requisite. The highwages prevalent as well as demanded by employees in the Englishspeaking countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the UnitedStates of America has forced large number of companies to outsourcetheir businesses, in part if not in whole to regions and countrieswhere is ample availability of less paying employees, yet havingcommand of the English language and are computer literate. For this theprobable choice falls on countries such India, the Philippine, theRussia and China. However, the standard and expertise of language orcomputer literacy are not the only factors, which make an ou tsourcingorganization successful. In this respect, the consumers as the principle beneficiaries of callcenters have a rightful demand to obtain services and products that areof optimal quality; a set of factors that has been somewhat left out bythe companies operating call centers in remote regions of the world. Aprime example to this effect can be observed from a complaint from agroup of consumers against call center operators and their employees,which duly resulted in a ruling from a court of public opinion with thefollowing wordings; You have no right to bother us and leave us dangling. And if we dobusiness with you, your word isnt good enough. You have to prove it. Though the above ruling is only a hint at the prevalent unease on thepart of consumers, yet this more than provides for call centeroperators and businesses to polish up their role in the provision ofgoods and services from offshore facilities, and through the use ofemployees with a little different accent, and perhaps little knowledgeon the actual complaint or command when calling up potential clients. The consumers at the end of call centers have also found strongfootings from both the laws and regulations, which have more, thanrestricted the activities of operators of, call centers. This can beobserved in the new set of US Federal regulations which place a limiton call abandonment rates, caller ID blocking, as well as demandinbound upsetting agents to ask consumers for their account IDs, andabove all to record those calls. A similar act favouring Th consumersis the Do-Not-Call or (DNC) registry which may become effective in thevery near future. The DNC is said to have a very strong support fromboth the US Congress as well as the US public. Though the registry hasyet to become fully effective and become a law, there are already morethan 50 million US phone subscribers who have filed for the DNCregistry. All these regulations and acts that are deemed to assistconsumers from the operators and businesses of call centers are perhapshuge hurdles from the perspective of the businesses. As theseregulations and laws, also termed as outbound rules will not onlyrestrict call center operations, but also serve to cost huge job lossesboth within the countries where call centers are operating, as well asthe offshore facilities which have been set to gain economic and othercrucial business advantages. A survey carried out by the American Teleservice Association (A.T.A.)revealed that the outbound rules could mean job losses to the tune ofsome 2 million individuals in the United States alone. As one of thefirst steps taken against the levy of such laws by the US government,legislators and public prosecutors, the A.T.A. has filed suits againstthe DNC regulations. Another aspect to be noted vis-a-vis the consumers at the end of callcenters is that the implementation of regulations and laws benefitingthe US consumers will have a direct affect on the US employees of callcenters, in turn forcing businesses to give importance and focus onoutsourcing and offshore facilities for call center businesses. Thus,even if and when there is a likely shift in the call centers, the joblosses for US employees will probably be effective even without suchlegislations. To satisfy the consumers, the call centers will thushave to comply with such regulations, even if these results in huge joblosses as also mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Yet another set of incentives and benefits for the consumers which alsoserve, as direct conflicts with the businesses are the marketingmethods employed by respective businesses. For example, businesses whenfaced with such strict measures and legislations as stated above mayturn to options such as direct mail, direct response, and inserts inpublications to prompt inbound calls, emails, and chat sessions. Inresponse to such changes in regulations and calls from publicofficials, the call centers at home will have to undergo and bringabout changes. These may include modifications in predictive dialersincluding their complete replacements, replacement of modern callrecording equipments and bring about changes in the mode of sellingfor both inbound and outbound agents, in turn positively affectivityand raising the standard of phone calls to consumers. The call centerson the other hand In contrast, the call centers operating in remote andfar-off locations with advantages in lower costs for both employees andinfrastructure will be least affected from such measures at homegrounds. In this context there are two particular regulations which directlyaffect the call center operations and which also serve as potentialconflicts with the businesses as well. The first is the TelemarketingSales Rule (TSR) which is administered by the US Federal TradeCommission (FTC). The second is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act(TCPA) which falls under the US Federal Communications Commission(FCC). Under the workings of both the FTC and the FCC, businesses are allowedto place calls to consumers who have given prior consent, and who haveenjoyed previous business relationships with the respective firms.There is also a time factor involved in such calls according to whichthere has to be a transaction within the last 18 months, and similarlya period of 90 days must have passed since the last inquiry was placed.On the other hand both these regulatory authorities and theirregulations become ineffective if and when a consumer refuses to accepta call, even if there was a business relationship in the recent past,and it is the obligation of the respective businesses to honor suchrefusals. The levy of and changes in the rules by both the TCPA and TSR havecalled for changes in the outbound calls for call center operations. Anexample to this respect include call abandonment rules, according towhich marketers have to connect live agents to place calls to theconcerned consumers, and this call has to have to duration of 4 ringsor a time limit of 15 seconds, and compliance of neither may result inabandonment of said call/s. A second rule of both the TCPA and TSR restricts the number of callsabandoned to just 3 percent, which are answered by live persons.However the TSR rules measure the same on a per day basis and a percampaign basis, while its sister authority, the TCPA measures the callover a months period. In compliance of such regulations and in response to the complaints ofthe consumers, the TCPA claims that no calls are abandoned if theresponse is in the form of voice messages within 2 seconds of receiptof a consumers call. Similarly the calls are not abandoned if theconsumer has previously consented to receive messages, includingexisting business relationships. (Read, 2004) Though outsourcing is being largely concentrated in areas of softwaredevelopment, maintenance, manufacturing, logistics, and adding thelatest area of knowledge based industries, one may note thatoutsourcing has perhaps been there for the last nearly 2 decades.However, the changes that have perhaps revolutionized the entire out-sourcing business, in particular the emergence of call centers includessuch disciplines as customer, transaction processing, finance andaccounting, human resources, desktop support and software development. The core reason, and perhaps the strongest factor to force theemergence of such huge numbers of call centers in remote regions of theworld such as India and China as prime examples are cost-cuttingstrategies by making earnings look all the more attractive. Included inthe cost-cutting strategies was the wages and salaries of theemployees, truly a major chunk of operating costs, which was dulyreplaced with employees hired at a fraction of what would otherwise bepayable for example within the United States of America or UnitedKingdom. This was amply found in the offshore labor, who were bothcomputer literate as well as well suited to serve the English speakingconsumers on the North American continent, and the United Kingdom. A brief comparison with other process-improvements innovationsincluding but not limited to Total Quality Management, Re-engineering,and Six Sigma, the offshore outsourcing too is predicted to facesomewhat similar consequences, and for arriving such a conclusion, itis only imperative that one studies the cycle of the above saidinnovations measures taken by business organizations. Included in this management drive innovation cycle are 4 principle steps, through each business organization has to undergo. The first is the slope of hype, and one may note that outsourcing, inparticular the emergence of call centers are passing through what maytermed as the honeymoon period, as also evident from the tremendoussuccesses achieved by majority of the organizations setting up callcenters. The duration of the hype period has witnessed a large numberof organizations somewhat copying or initiating projects based on thepresent forms of innovation. This is done to gain experience from thecurrent and ongoing process management techniques, without the need toinvest in experimenting. Another feature of such a tactic is a merepursuit of a competitor within the same industry. An example to thisrespect can be observed in the trends of e-commerce and e-business inthe later part of the 1990s decade. Thus, it was observed thatpractically every business organization was in pursuit of an e-commercestrategy, often without a detailed insight or logical reasons for doingso. A wave of e-commerce companies thus e merged offering best ofservices, and searching for a place in the market as a trustedadvisor in their endeavours to compete win offshore contracts. Suchcompanies were duly aided by venture capitalists that fueled the hypethrough a number of attractive financial instruments. The second principle of process management is that of despair, orrather the slope of despair. As the business enters the slope ofdespair, it is evidence that the honeymoon era, as also described inthe preceding paragraph has come to abrupt end. The offshore projectsinitiated in rather haste, including initiation or blindly following acompetitor with the same industry will witness a failure as noconsideration was given, nor any wieghtage given to the decision ofsetting up an offshore facility, or call center. The result of taking adecision in such haste is that promises to consumers remainunfulfilled, in turn triggering a possible backlash from within theorganization. Recent examples to this respect can be observed in thedecisions to call back and close shop decision taken by famous namessuch as Dell and Lehman Brothers. It is also observed that during thisslope of despair, a large number of organizations that are not seriousin operating offshore facilities would opt for closing down theiroffshore facilities. Further, such companies would either go for acomplete re-evaluation of their principle strategies, while those whoare truly serious in pursuing and benefiting from their offshore plans,continue to excel and strive to maximize their earnings from thetremendous set of advantages hidden in the operation of offshorebusinesses, including call centers. The third important aspect in the process management innovation measureis that of consolidation and assimilation. This step is immediatelyproceeded after that of despair where serious contenders stay on, andthose who step in the market without serious considerations eitherere-evaluate their strategies, or completely fall back and retreat totheir home grounds. The business of e-commerce witnessed similar trendsand behaviors. Having undergone the crucial step of consolidation, abusiness more often than not enters the slope of profit era. As alsoevidenced in majority of the businesses involved in e-commerce, mostorganization have today realized that e-commerce is not a merenecessity, rather a pre-requisite for their businesses. A similar spateof events awaits the offshore business, where call centers arepredicted to reach levels of extra-ordinary profits for their parentorganizations, a likelihood prediction for the end of the presentdecade. The study of the above 4 principle aspects of process managementinnovations shows, as also evident from recent corporate history, thatit is the home countrys economy, which by and large dictates thesuccess or failure of a corporate strategy. Thus, if economy is movingtowards recovery, not only will other businesses suffer, but theoffshore business including call centers will too face the same fate.Similarly, if the home economy is failure, and is continuouslywitnessing a fall, offshore outsourcing as well as all other businesseswill bound to see an acceleration and growth with significant profitmargins who can sustain the ups and falls of offshore businesses.However, there are more than likely chances for the IT sector, inparticular the knowledge based industries which include the callcenters will witness a similar migration as has happened with themanufacturing from the North American and European continents to moveto the Pacific Rim countries. (Gore, 2003) The above section of the dissertation has briefly discussed some of theaspects of offshore call centers including the businesses as well asthe consumers and the conflicts between them. The above section hasprimarily focused on the US businesses as they enjoy the single largestsegment of the global offshore call centers. The is followed by UnitedKingdom enjoying a second place, and which will constitute thefollowing section of our dissertation. The following part will thustake into account a brief history of outsourcing, and move on todiscuss businesses and consumers from the European perspective, with aparticular attention on the implications on the British businesses,British consumers, and the British job markets with respect to callcenters. Having briefly touched the US perspective of outsourcing businesses,the following section discusses the businesses, consumers and theirconflicts from a British point of view. A survey carried by M/s Outsourcing Insight Ltd., Harvard, M., showedthat the year 2000 was a record period for Britain as it witnessed theemergence of some 35,000 call center related jobs, and establishment ofsome 88 call centers. This tremendous growth pattern in the outsourcing business in theUnited Kingdom proved a number of points. For example, it showed that arecord number of businesses had chosen to shift and expand towardsoutsourcing. It also proved that the consumers had a wider choice. Itwas also evident that each call center was offering a more diverse setof services, a more specialized version and an ever-competitiveenvironment to offer for their customers. (Harvard, 2000) However, with the tremendous growth pattern viewed in the expansion ofcall centers, British businesses also realized that there was a crucialneed for an approach that would provide for needed end results andoptimization of their outsourcing objectives. For example, theselection of an outsourcing partner was one such area, which requiredneeded diligence and an equally cautious approach. It was largelyobserved that in their endeavours to increase their market share andcompete in their respective industries, majority of the Britishbusinesses failed to recognize that competition and offering truly highstandards of services and products called for an equally high standardsof capabilities and services. This was only possible in the appropriateselection of an outsourcing partner who fulfil