Critical research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Critical research paper - Essay Example Creon judgment that Polyneices body was not to receive a proper burial brought out different characters of Antigone and Isemene. Polyneices body would be left unburied and be consumed by birds or animals (Heaney 2). Antigone and Isemene are different in their conduct as exposed in their character. Wolf (6) highlights that; Antigone has strong convictions and chooses to follow them. In contrast, Isemene is complacent and reluctant to act upon her convictions. Antigone believes that their brother should receive a proper burial by performing apposite burial rites. Although Polyneices was the aggressor in Thebes struggle, Antigone considers that he should be buried since he was a member of the family. Antigone’s actions are visualized as a reflection of her will because she defies the king. Greek women did not enjoy freedom as the men did. This is why Creon’s determination to defeat Antigone is motivated because she is a woman. There were societal structures accompanied by rules that defined the place of woman in Greek. Men were placed higher in hierarchy than women. Antigone perspective repels the stipulated gender roles because she is rebellious. Antigone breaks the rules of Greek culture by refusing to be passive. Isemene chooses to be compliant with the rules of Greek culture to avoid displeasing her customs. Isemene’s perspective on men is that they are superior to women and women should be submissive. Cultural viewpoint on men as superior to women makes Isemene believe that men should be obeyed. Isemene realizes the short falls of the Greek’s perspective on women as problematic. Creon sees his mistake and cannot apologize to a woman, because he would go against his cultural practice. The outstanding behavior of Antigone as a woman is that she defies the kings decree, yet she is a woman. Even though disobedience punishment is death, Antigone chooses to disobey Creon who is also a member of her family

Help Desk Institute to Professional Knowledge and Development Research Paper

Help Desk Institute to Professional Knowledge and Development - Research Paper Example The first section gives an overview of HDI - what it does and its role in the technical support industry. The next section gives an explanation of the contributions of HDI towards increasing the professional knowledge and abilities of its members. This paper concludes with a discussion on how the knowledge and skills acquired from HDI can have a significant impact on my chosen career path. At the core of HDI’s creation is the desire to help individuals in the IT service and support profession improve their practices and increase work efficiency. As expressed in its mission statement, HDI aims to â€Å"lead and promote support professionals by empowering members through access to timely and valuable industry information, encouraging member collaboration, establishing open standards and providing globally recognized certification and training programs† (Migliazza, 2008, para. 1). HDI, therefore, provides a venue for technical support and service professionals to come together and discuss the prevalent issues and problems in the help desk, as well as share best practices in an effort to find solutions to these problems. HDI also has a wealth of information from reports, research and articles from experts that provide relevant and up-to-date data about the latest trends in help desk services, as well as benchmarking tools. Each year, HDI gathers experts and leaders in the field of technical support and service during its annual conference and expo in a spirit of learning and participation. Furthermore, HDI offers standards-based training and certification programs that are internationally recognized. As pointed out by Baschab and Piot (2007), â€Å"sponsoring help desk staff for HDI certification is a worthwhile investment in their productivity, and sends a clear message to the team about the major importance of their role in the IT department† (p. 276).  Training and certifications will propel me to advance in my career path in the technical support and service field.   Of course, there is undoubtedly a wealth of insights gathered from my work experience.   The theoretical knowledge will put these insights in context, strengthening its validity and allowing me to innovate as I learn more about the theory behind the practice.   Training also prepares me to deal with multiple clients from various fields with different bac kgrounds, an important tool in this profession.   Becoming a member of HDI membership will help me keep abreast with the latest developments in the help desk profession.   Having a venue for discussion and collaboration with other professionals will allow me to contribute to the improvement of the profession.

The General Force of Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The General Force of Analysis - Essay Example The journal also analyzes the pressure, which suppliers place on a company has an enormous impact on the margins of the company. This includes the factors, which influence the intensity of the suppliers’ power, include shortage of suppliers and unavailability of substitutes of a product. The issue of customers affecting a company’s boundaries because of the number of buyers, the quantity of purchases, and ease of finding substitutes of a product, price and importance of a product is also discussed in the journals. The authors mention how risk of substitutes is determined by the ease of customers to acquire an alternative to a product or service because they are fascinated by cheap alternatives. In addition, Competition among companies, and how they determine the returns of a company were explored; consequently, the issue of return reduction when competition is high in the retail sector is discussed. Competition is increased when there is no company that stands above the rest and when there is no difference between products and services.The authors Munir et al, explore how the Pakistani mobile company Moblink, employs research on their stakeholders so as to determine those affected by those who influence the procedures of the company and those interested in its success or failure. Stakeholders may be individuals or organizations. The journal discusses how Moblink reduces competition in the industries by introducing barriers. It also shows how Moblink determines how suppliers and customers affect its returns.

World War 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World War 3 - Essay Example Therefore, he outlined the major factors that would contribute to this war. Thus, according to Mills, the following factors would contribute to the occurrence of the third world war: Power Elites created by the US industrial complex According to C. Wright Mills, the structure of national policy was centered on politics and military supremacy. Therefore, if a country had to achieve economic prosperity, it had to be superior on the war front and in its military organization (Goertzel, 242). Thus, economic prosperity was to be achieved through the assertion of political and military power, instead of applying the economic principles which drive the economy. Therefore, the economic elites who lead major organizations were also the same who drove the political life of both the USA and the USSR, the major rivals in the foreseen war (Goertzel, 242). Making the political power an elite component, where the political and military authority was centered on the economic elite’s point of view posed some war danger. According to Mills, the political, the military and the economic elites shared a common world view (Goertzel, 243).... Mills observed that the elites were using the media as their tool of manipulation and propaganda to mislead the masses, whom they considered inferior. Therefore, with the economic elites at the helm of political and military authority, a devastating war was inevitable (Goertzel, 242). The conspiracy and poor definition of reality According to the Americans, the enemy of the people was Russia. This faulty definition, which substituted the reality with the preconceived notion of a specified enemy, could ultimately cause another devastating war (Goertzel, 241). The actual definition of the enemy is war, since any war, irrespective of the parties involved, has the same damaging effects. Therefore, while the Americans substituted the real definition of the enemy and personalize it to suit their interest, they created an environment for pursuing the wrong target (Goertzel, 243). If the American could perceive war as the common enemy, they would work towards ensuring that no more war could be experienced in the world, owing to the damaging effects caused by the previous world wars. Nevertheless, through the erratic perception of Russia as the enemy, they were determined to continue the warfare until they subdued it (Goertzel, 243). This inevitably made the third World War a reality that could not be escaped. Additionally, the Americans based their arguments on a false premise that peace with the USSR could not be achieved unless through war. This made it clear that the Americans would pursue the Russians. The same case applied for the Russians, who perceived the USA as an aggressive opponent, who could not relent until a war determined who was powerful. This prepared a stage for the most devastating war in the history of the world, which could

International and domestic air transportation services Essay Example for Free

International and domestic air transportation services Essay Introduction The Qantas group operates international and domestic air transportation services for leisure and business traveling, freight and logistics services .It is also provides support activities including information technology, catering ground handling, engineering and maintenance. Qantas with its dual strategy brand Jetstar flies now to more than 173 destinations in 42 countries and operates a fleet of 246 aircraft. The objective of this airline is to operate a 20-strong airbus 380 fleet by 2015.The group is also a part of the world global marketing and code-sharing alliance, which consists of 11 leading airlines. Qantas’ stakeholders are its shareholders, employees, customer, business partners and the community. Indirect stakeholders include the media, governments and non-government organizations. They all have a major influence on the business, its strategy and therefore its performance. It is to mention that Qantas group is in the unique position of having two outstanding and well established brands in both the premium and low fares categories with Qantas and Jetstar, which makes it a magnitude rival for Singapore Airlines. The headquarters of Qantas is located in New South Wales, Australia. It is split up into three main branches which include the Flying business, flying services Businesses and the Associated Services. All departments of this group have focused on one goal and that’s nothing except ensuring high quality service in most efficient way. But they long term purpose is to operate the world’s best premium airline, Qantas, and the world’s best low fare s carrier, Jetstar. Body Comprehensive Porters 5 forces analysis Nowadays, Porter’s Five Forces model is the most important force which affects the Airline industry, especially because the market is completely saturated. There are more service providers than needed in both local as well as international markets (GreenBb, 2008). The airlines continuously compete against each other in terms of customer services, technology, prices, in-flight entertainment, and many more areas (GreenBb, 2008). Actually, Porter’s Model is a business strategy tool which is used to analyze the competitiveness and attractiveness of the airline industry of which Qantas operates. It is considered as an important part of planning tool set (Kawatra, 2013).Its analysis consists of 5 fundamental competitive forces: The rivalry among existing players: Medium to High Qantas is faced with competition within the domestic airline industry in Australia from Virgin Blue and Tiger Airways and international competition from all major airline operators including British Airways and Deutsche Lufthansa (all three airline operators are national flagship carriers). The fierce rivalry has resulted in high cost of competition, lower profits and slow market growth. Bargaining power of Suppliers: Medium The main factors which determine the bargaining power of suppliers include switching costs, substitute suppliers, threat of backward and forward integration and supplier concentration. The airline supplier market for aircrafts is very concentrated as there are two main suppliers, Boeing and Airbus. Their bargaining power is high in this industry (GreenBb, 2008). This restricts Qantas, along with its competitors, from exercising control over their suppliers to generate higher profit. Threat of Substitutes: Low The threat of alternative solution to international airline travel is somehow limited. However, the threat for domestic airline travel includes train, bus or car travel which is determinants of money, preference, time and convenience of the traveller. The ease of switching to a substitute increases competition (xiamichael, 2012). Hence, when switching cost is relatively low, the competition becomes higher and price becomes even more important. The airline industry is very competitive and as a result, profit margins are usually low. Also, the bargaining of the supplier is very high which undermines companies in the airline industry to exercise control over their supplier. With high entry cost, new competition into the international airline market is very low. Qantas can continue to dominate this market while still competing with domestic market using the Frequent Flyer programme increase loyal customer. Threat of new entry: Low In the world today, the airline industry is so saturated that there is hardly space for a newcomer even to squeeze its way in. The biggest for this is the cost of entry. The high cost of buying and leasing aircraft; operational activities including safety and security measures, customer service and manpower; makes the airline industry one of the most expensive industries (Q.G). Other barriers to entry which will prohibit new comers into the airline industry include Government restrictions and the brand name of existing airlines. Brand name recognition and frequent fliers point also play a role in the airline industry. An airline with a strong brand name and incentives can often attract a customer even if its prices are higher. On the other hand, a newcomer could just enter this saturated market easier with a completely new concept or technology (GreenBb, 2008). Bargaining power of Buyer: Medium to Decline The bargaining power of buyers is another force that can affect the competitive position of a company. The airline industry is very competitive as they are competing for the same passengers and switching cost between airline operators is low. As a result, the buyer power is high in this industry. There are various choices presented to customers; which usually means brand loyalty or price is the main factors when selecting an airline (Q.G). Buyers for Qantas include business travelers, leisure travelers, and travel agents. In fact, they demand value for every dollar spent, therefore they expect more and more from the airline. Qantas has the frequent flyer program which rewards loyal customers and increases switching costs for a passenger selecting a rival airline operator. Add to this, the technology developments help the Qantas to reduce the buyer power (xiamichael, 2012). Conclusion The airline industry is very competitive and as a result, profit margins are usually low. Also, the bargaining of the supplier is very high which undermines companies in the airline industry to exercise control over their supplier. With high entry cost, new competition intothe international airline market is very low. Qantas can continue to dominate this market while still competing with domestic market using the Frequent Flyer program increase loyal customer. Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| Threat Rating| Key Rational| Rivalry Among Existing Competitors | Degree of seller concentration?| Y-H| There are more airline companies as compared to the customers’ requirement, that’s why this market is saturated.| Y-H| Top class air lines are also now focusing on the lower price to gain maximum market share.E.g. Qantas has initiated jet star. | Rate of industry growth?| Y-H| Yes, it’s growing but the substitute factors also make it very hard to maintain that growth rate. And also there is Lack of diversification| Y-H| In future It would be same as it is according to today’s forecasting.| Significant cost differences among firms?| Y-H| Major costs and expenses are same but it depend on the destination airline is operating.| Y-H| Same trend will continue.| Excess capacity?| Y-H| There is immense competition in airline industry that leads to excessive capacity as compared to demand. | Y-H| Customers’ growth will be overcome by the competitors’ competition. | Degree of product differentiation among sellers? | Y-M| Qantas has both high cost carrier as well as low cost carrier.| Y-L| Innovation and technology will lead to new opportunities to the airline industry.| Brand loyalty to existing sellers?| Y-H| There is no brand loyalty by the customer because of price competition in the industry.| Y-H| Same trend Will Remain as it is.| Buyers’ costs of switching from one competitor to another?| Y-H| Just one click for changing the airline from thei r computer screen.Most of customers change the airline on the bases of price factor| Y-H| No change in near future.| Strengths of exit barriers?| Y-H| because of high capital cost for equipment (air planes) and other facilities there would be a huge waste.| Y-M| Some factor like technology might help to reduce the cost| Can firms adjust prices quickly?| Y-H| Of course with considering price strategies they would adjust.| Y-H| Same costing strategies.| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Threats of New Entrants | Significant economies of scale? | Y-M| It would cost a lot to buy/lease an aircraft| Y-H| The costs of buying or leasing aircrafts are decreasing. | Importance of reputation or established brand in purchase decision?| Y-H| The competition is based on price| Y-H| The competition is based on price| Entrants’ access to distribution channels?| Y-H| High accessibility to lots of websites and application would make it much easier and also There are flight centers and travel agencies| Y-H| With the fast growing technology it will open even more doors through the accessibility to distribution channels| Entrants’ access to technology/know how?| Y-M| professional courses which could make it possible to learn how to use the technology| Y-L| The number of skilled labor would decrease| Entrants’ access to favorable location?| Y-H| All the firms operate from airports.| Y-H| All firms operating from airports.| Government protection of incumbents?| Y-M| There should be some government regulation But it still going to be attainable| Y-L| More regulation would be needed in order to make the environment more secure and safe| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Pressure From Substitutes | Availability of close substitutes?| Y-M| Tele conference, online chats and VOIP could replace the be exactly at the place Also for short distances it could be replaced with railways, buses, personal transportation.But still it could be the best choice for long distance and international traveling and also the fastest way.| Y-H| Their impact becomes significant when the speed advantage of aircraft becomes less important| Price-value characteristics of substitutes?| Y-M| They are all the same, even sometimes it could cost more| Y-H| Substitutes’ costs will decrease while airline costs are relatively fixed.| Availability of close complements?| Y-M| Frequent flyer programs, hotels, and tour packages| Y-M| Complements environment would be limited| Price-value characteristics of complements?| Y-M| The prices are reasonable but there are alternatives than going after packages and loyalty programs| Y-M| -| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Power of Suppliers | Is Suppliers’ industry more concentrated than industry it sells to?| Y-H| Suppliers such aircraft and engine producers are consider as oligopoly | Y-M| There will be more supplier| Few substitutes for suppliers’ input?| Y-H| There would not be that much substitution for the suppliers| Y-M| There will be more supplier| Do firms in industry make relationship-specific investments to support transactions with specific suppliers?| Y-H| Airport services are concentrated in the small area of air ports but low changing costs.| Y-H| Same Trends expected.| Are suppliers able to price discriminate among prospective customers according to ability/willingness to pay for input?| Y-H| With a high competitive industry and the limited suppliers and fixed regulations price discrimination threat is highly expected.| Y-M| More manufacturers/service providers are expected.| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Power of Buyers | Is industry buyers more concentrated than the industry it purchases from?| Y-H| Because there is a very competitive industry price discrimination mostly happens | Y-M| There will be more supplier.| Do buyers purchase in large volumes? Does a buyer’s purchase volume represent large fraction of typical seller’s sales revenue?| Y-H| There would be a high scale of supply and low scale of demand with the buyer’s market| Y-H| There would be a high scale of supply and low scale of demand with the buyer’s market| Can buyers find substitutes for industry’s product?| Y-H| Separate transactions | Y-H| With more transactions expected but still not enough for a high volume purchases. | Are prices in the market negotiated between buyers and sellers on each individual transaction or do sellers â€Å"post’ a â€Å"take-it-or-leave it price† that applies to all transactions?| Y-H| Websites increased the price transparency | Y-H| Same trends expected.| Bibliography GreenBb. (2008). Industry Analysis. Kawatra, P. (2013, january). Porters Five Forces Model. Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/course-notes/Porters-Five-Forces-Model-1340484.html. Q.G. (n.d.). The Qantas group international and domestic air transportation services. Retrieved from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/management/the-qantas-group-international-and-domestic-air-transportation-services-management-essay.php. xiamichael. (2012, June). Qantas 5 Forces. Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Qantas-5-Forces-1021718.html.

The Use Of Ergonomics Health And Social Care Essay

The Use Of Ergonomics Health And Social Care Essay The practice of safety in workplace has seen incredible advances as time has gone, due to advancement in technology, although there is still considerable amount of challenges that comes in form of injuries and illnesses (Hopwood and Thompson, 2006). This is where ergonomics comes to play a role in making the workplace safe for activities that would be carried out by the employee. Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology (Wikipedia, 2010). Unsafe, unhealthy, uncomfortable or inefficient situations at work or in everyday life are avoided by taking account of the physical and physiological capabilities and limitations of humans (Dul and Weerdmeester, 1993). Human health and safety is at optimum range when the workplace environmental parameters are suitable for the employee (Story, 2010). Each year, poorly designed products and workplaces account for thousands of injuries and skyrocketing costs. That is why ergonomics the human factor in product and workplace design is fast becoming a major concern of manufacturers (Gross, 1995). This report is about how is about applying and proper training on the use of ergonomics to everyday workplace can prevent life threatening illnesses, discomfort, accidents, and how employers can save money by reducing costs related to issues like workers compensation, absenteeism and turn over, as it makes operations more efficient by creating work place designs with fewer errors and improve on workplace user friendliness (MacLeod, 1995), with the goal of reducing musculoskeletal discomfort, increase work productivity, efficiency and comfort, as an employee who is more comfortable is more productive (Meriano and Latella, 2008). 1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this report is to know what ergonomics is all about and how it can be incorporated into the health and safety sector. The objectives of this report are; Reduce risks factors associated with poorly designed work stations and, To design a workplace that is suitable for the human body rather than the human body adapting to workplace. To be able to identify, measure, control and monitor the occupational health hazards/agents in the workplace which may cause ill-health to employees. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 WHAT IS ERGONOMICS? Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population, it tends to look into work related problems that poses a risk of musculoskeletal disorders and ways of alleviating them (Cohen et al, 1997). It is also the applied science that is devoted to provide comfort, efficiency and safety into the design of items in the work place (Shelly and Vermaat, 2010), ergonomic intervention can benefit both employer and employee (Meriano and Latella, 2008). The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows: Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. A large number of factors play a role in ergonomics; these include body posture and movement, environmental factors, information and operation as well as work organization. Ergonomics differs from other fields by its interdisciplinary approach and applied nature (Dul and Weerdmeester, 1993). The benefits of ergonomics include job satisfaction and enhanced worker motivation, added problem-solving capabilities, and greater acceptance of change. Involving staffs can help to identify job hazards, suggest ways to control these hazards and working with management in deciding how to put this control in place. 2.2 WHO IS AN ERGONOMIST? An Ergonomist is one who has adequate knowledge of the relation between humans health and humans performance (Schlick, 2009) taking into consideration the job, equipment used and information used (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics). According to Dul and Weerdmeester, 1993, the professional ergonomists can work for the authorities (legislation), training institutions (universities and colleges), research establishments, the service industry (consultancy) and production sector (occupational health services, personnel departments, design departments, research departments, etc.), they also wrote that the ergonomist highlights the areas where ergonomic knowledge is essential, provides ergonomic guidelines and advises designers, purchasers, management and employees, on which are more acceptable systems. 2.3 HISTORY OF ERGONOMICS: Science of Ergonomics dates back to 1717, when Bernadino Ramazzini, father of occupational medicine, speculated on factors within the work environment that contributed to his patients illnesses, he described violent and irregular motions, bent posture and tonic strain on the muscle as factors that contributed to musculoskeletal pains in his patients (Meriano and Latella, 2008). However, in the United Kingdom, ergonomics started in 1917 in World War I when the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Medical Research Council were asked to investigate industrial conditions, particularly of munitions workers, this led to the establishment of Industrial Fatigue Research Board who performed research on above topic in 1929 because of the expanded scope of work (hours of work, training, accidents, lighting and ventilation, and design of the machinery. In 1949, the Ergonomics Research Society was established at a meeting held by a small group of research workers at the Admiralty; this made the society the earliest to be formed in the world (Meister, 1999). 2.4 LEGAL CONTROL OF ERGONOMICS: The law serves as a vital function in complex social setting as it provides standards or guidelines that define unacceptable and acceptable human behaviour. A breach in this law can be considered violation of the law and the transgressor could face civil or criminal penalties the legal system of every governmental jurisdiction and at every level of organised society must constantly adapt to changing demands, so there has and will be a continuing effusion of controlling laws. It is for this reason that the legal system is based on concepts of human faults. Liability prevention or mitigation is the avoidance of fault by investigation, analysis, evaluation, risk assessment, corrective action, and preventive remedies. The probability of a scientist or engineer having contact with law is high, it is wise to become familiar with the area of entanglement (Marras and Karwowski, 2006), as there are a myriad of roles that can be played in state or federal common law actions, workers compensati on cases, allegations of statutory violations, arbitrations or mediations, government agency hearings, or citations involving Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Vinal, 1999). According to Health and Safety at Work (HASAW) Act 1974, which is legislation, it states that; it is the duty of the employer to carry out a risk assessment in the work place. Failure to this is regarded as a breach in the law and has its consequences. 2.5 METHODS OF UNDERTAKING ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT The fundamental goal of human-centred engineering is to match human characteristics such as body size, strengths and weaknesses, and capabilities and preferences with the relevant attributes of equipment, tasks, and procedure (Kroemer, 2006). The different methods used in the assessment of ergonomics include; I Physical methods II Psycho physiological methods III Behavioural and Cognitive Methods IV Team methods V Environmental methods VI Macroergonomics methods (Stanton et al., 2005) All these methods make use of the following techniques listed below; Measurement teams Anthropometric techniques Assessing energetic capabilities Assessing muscle strength Assessing mental workload Assessing vision capabilities Systematic gathering of information The ideal field assessment tools used should possess the following attributes; Predictive: the tool should provide predictive measure of risk of musculoskeletal injury, Robust: can be used in any work situation, Inexpensive: tool can be available at minimal monetary cost, Non-invasive: should not affect when worker performs or process work flow, Quick: assessment could be performed quickly, Easy to use: tool could be used with minimal training, (Marras and Karwowski, 2006). 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 INTEGRATED ERGONOMICS ASSESSMENT FOR THE WORK STATION For the purpose of this assessment to be done, several protocols would have to be met. The first thing that would be done is to get a work station that can be used to carry out an ergonomics assessment, and the Help Desk in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) has been selected. A proposed meeting was set up with the Manager of the LRC to get permission to carry out the assessment, the manager approved of this and forwarded necessary messages to the supervisors in the LRC who helped in completing the task. A confidentiality questionnaire was handed to one of the supervisors, which was filled and returned and would be used as a point of reference in the results. Using anthropometric method of ergonomic risk assessment, measurement of the work station would be taken using a measuring tape and pictures snapped for further evidence of the work station for ergonomics assessment. Ergonomics assessment on the work station would be done on the basis of the task carried out. The task carried ou t in the Help Desk in the LRC involves helping students use the computer systems to locate books in the library and helping to arrange books in shelves. For this reason, there is the need to alternate between sitting down and standing. Below is a chart that shows a plan on how the work would be carried out. Observation Hazard Identification Ergonomics Assessment Evaluation Risk Validation Control and monitor Review Chart 1: Flow Plan on the methodology of the ergonomic assessment. 4.0 RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATION The particular work station selected for this ergonomics was carefully observed for the different task carried out to see if there is any problem associated with the work place. Anthropometric technique was used to carry out this work by getting measurements of the work place. 4.1 OBSERVATION: The help desk offered assistance in carrying out this work after permission was granted by the Manager of the LRC. Looking carefully at the way work was done and asking questions from the staff being monitored were put into consideration, also photographs were taken to also get a clear picture of how the employee carries out the task. Fig 1: A Staff carrying out her duties on a Visual Display Unit. 4.2 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION: hazard identification was obtained mainly by asking questions from the employee on the work station, making use of a questionnaire and viewing the work station for possible activities that may cause health disorder(s) and affect the employee. Health and Safety at Work (HASAW) Act 1974 demands that the employer should make sure that employers carry out a risk assessment in the work environment to ensure safety of staffs. See result in table 1 below. Table 1: Hazard Identification on the help desk. Hazard Hazard aspect Impact/ Effect Posture Stooped posture (resulting from fatigue and long hours of working) Stiffness of the back, neck, and wrist from working too long on the Visual Display Unit Variety of health problems, like caved shoulders, muscular imbalances, rounding of the upper back and a tendency to lean forward while walking. Incidence of lower back disorders. Movement Twisting of the waist, neck, stretching the hand and holding in that position for a long time (straining muscles in the hand) Pain and strain on neck muscles and waist. Stress on muscles of the arms while stretching causes fatigue of the arm muscle. Visual Display Unit (VDU), keyboard and mouse. Fixed position of the neck when staring at the VDU, and stress on fingers from too much typing, twisting and flexing of the wrist when handling the mouse. Makes the employee aware of some eye defects that he/she was not aware of. Straining of the arms to reach the mouse and twisting of the wrist to get to the keyboard and grabbing the mouse. 4.3 ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT: Ergonomics assessment on the work station showed that the design of the station has a moderate score as it accommodates the employee and has a low risk level. Below is a table of the total ergonomic risk factor and how it was derived. Table 2: Ergonomic Work Position Evaluation. Assessed by: Igho Date:14/12/2010 Ergonomic Evaluation Risk Factor Static Points Comments/Action Work Positions (Sitting) 0 pts 2 pts 4 pts √ if 20 secs + X 3 if static Neck (Flexion) bending head forward √ √ 6 Moderate Shoulders (Raising elbows) √ √ 6 Moderate Wrists/Hands √ √ 6 Moderate Back (flexion) bending forward at the hips √ √ 12 High Hiking Shoulders √ √ 0 Low Twisting (incorrectly with feet stationary) √ √ 0 Low Table 3: Task factor Evaluation Task Factors Points Awarded Muscle force Low √ Moderate High 0 Vibration Low √ Moderate High 0 Lighting Good √ Fair Poor 0 Workplace Temperature Comfortable √ Warm/Cool Hot/Cold 0 Table 4: Risk Factor total on the work station. Risk Factor total Risk Factor Points Total Comments/Action 0 pts 2 pts 4pts Work Positions 0 7 8 15 16 pts+ = 4 High (8-12) Task factors 0 8 9 15 16 pts+ = 0 = 4 Moderate (4 7) Lifting 0 7 8 13 14 pts+ = 0 Low (0 3) Table 5: Key Descriptor Scale Descriptor Consequence Control 0-3 LOW Little or no complaints of muscle aches and pains Taking of short time breaks 4-7 MODERATE Stress and fatigue on muscles which is tolerable Selection of an employee to monitor how tasks are being carried out 8-12 HIGH Work Musculoskeletal disorder, static load on muscles leads to painful fatigue on muscles Reduction of work that can cause musculoskeletal disorder and training of staffs to become more aware of ergonomic risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders. Below is a sketch on the work station used in the LRC, measured in cm. 48cm 24cm 96cm 48cm 72cm Floor Fig 1: Sketch and measurement of the work station. The sketch above can be compared to the British standard dimension to know if the measured work station meets up with the standard. Table 6: Work place measurement compared with British Standard Dimension Measured Work Station British Standard Dimension (5th 95th Percentile (mixed Population 19 65 yrs) Popliteal height 48cm 44cm Thigh Clearance 23cm Table Height (Popliteal height + Sitting Elbow height) 72cm 68.5cm Sitting Shoulder Height Position 57cm 59cm Back rest 48cm RISK VALIDATION Based on the production of a well ergonomically equipped work station, a good control and review of the work station, and everything put in order, information and training of employees there may still be a problem that can pose as a threat to the work place. This can be seen in workers habit; sitting forward on the chair, sitting in the middle of the chair, leaning on arm rest and back rest, arms resting on the table are some examples of employees habit, and this can result in intervertebral disc injuries and back problems as the muscles of the back are easily stressed. CONTROL AND MONITORING To control occupational health and safety risks, improvement of performance and benefits in work places in order to eliminate or minimize risk to employees and other interested parties exposed to risks associated with its activities, it is necessary to implement, maintain and continually improve occupational health and safety in the work place. The following can be used to control and monitor on-going activities and tasks in the work place; Avoid Unnatural Posture: bending the trunk/head sideways is more harmful than bending forward The working area should be located so that it is at the best distance from the eyes of the operator. Hand grip, materials and tools should be arranged in such a way that the most frequent movements are carried out with the elbows bent and near to the body. Manipulations can be made easier by using supports under the elbows, forearms or hands. Padded/soft warm materials that can be adjustable to suite people of different sizes. It is essential that the workplace should be suited to the body size and mobility of the operator/employee, since neutral/natural postures and movements are a necessary part of efficient work. Neck and head posture: head and neck should not be bent forward by more than thirty degrees when the trunk is erect, else fatigue and troubles may occur. 4.6 REVIEW Having seen that ergonomically, the work station is tolerable, and staffs have been informed on how to position themselves whilst working, there is need to review work practice every three months to ensure and enforce that the mode of working is still in place to avoid injuries that may have built up with time. 4.7 RECOMMENDATION After measuring the work station and comparing with the British standard measurement, it is recommended that the chair (adjustable) should be adjusted to fit the user so as to get the comfortability needed in order not to stress and strain muscles in the back and feet. The mouse and Visual display unit should be ergonomically put in place to the comfort of the operator, to reduce tension and strain to the eyes, hands and wrist ERGONOMICS POLICY AND CONCLUSION 5.1 ERGONOMICS POLICY: The purpose of this policy is to endeavour staffs to adhere to guidelines in the work place with the aim of ensuring a safe working environment as well as to bring health hazard to a minimum. It is the managements responsibility to carry out duties under the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 and other legislation including amendments to ensure safe working practices and work environment. For this reason, the help desk shall abide to the following guidelines; Ergonomics efforts shall be embedded, maintained and preserved on the help desk in Learning Resource Centre (LRC) to ensure a safe and healthy work place environment for employees. Cooperation of work force in making sure that ergonomic improvement is realised. (Joint effort of managers, supervisors, employees and other supporting staffs) Designation of post to a responsible employee to check that workers are well positioned, to prevent Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the work station. Training of staffs to be more aware of ergonomic risk factors related to Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Informing staffs about ergonomics and its risk factors can help to reduce cost of treatment of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders, as the budgeted cost can be used as employees benefits. This policy would be implemented and reviewed three times a year to ensure that the health conditions of the employees are in order, to reduce money spent on treating employees for work related musculoskeletal disorders. This policy would be handed to each staff through information and trainings and in written form. 5.2 CONCLUSION After a thorough ergonomic examination of the help desk in the LRC, and assessing the working environment, proper ergonomics evaluation was done and control measures put in Place as well as a policy for the safety and health of the employees so as to reduce chances of the risk of having a staff complain about a work related musculoskeletal disorder. Control measures used after ergonomic assessment and risk validation was carried out is to help in reducing the chances of getting a work related musculoskeletal disorder and cost of treatment from injuries sustained (if any at all, considering the tolerable amount derived from the evaluation and chances of any injury sustained, this is as a result of proper training of the staffs).

The Effects of Globalization

The Effects of Globalization This paper will discuss and evaluate the effects of globalization within a worldwide economy. It will discuss the undeniable positive externalities of globalization weighted against the accepted negative effects of a more correlated market place. Deregulation, decreased regulatory oversight, technical progress and human innovation has facilitated increased connectivity and economic interdependence, resulting in the effective development of a spider web of interlinked, market participants, wrapped in a shroud of business process opacity. Globalization and the changing economic modalities of free trade principles, coupled with inadequate risk mitigation strategies will be analyzed as a catalyst and precursor to the collapse of capital markets worldwide and the subsequent demise and bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers operations globally. A framework will be examined where internationalization has cultivated an environment of increased profit exploitation opportunities, but has also through i nformation asymmetry created domino network of infectious system components whose individual failure compromise the wellbeing of the entire system. Keywords: Globalization, Lehman Brothers, Externalities, Economy, System, Strategy. An acute analysis on the effects of the positive and negative externalities of continuous globalization within the development of a one world market composite global economic personality GLOBALIZATION is defined as the process by which geographic boundaries have been transcended by increased technical progress. It is the development of a one world market place, or worldwide economic ecosystem governed by the interconnectivity of individual component economic units. Globalization is a set of processes, rather than an end situation representing the unrelenting erosion of all barriers to free trade, increasing worldwide economic integration. (Kaarbo Lee, 2005). Business expansion through internationalization is a positively correlated function of globalization. Globalization has created a singular, unified worldwide economic collective, operating as a dynamic composite personality, permeating all market verticals, industry sectors and political covenants (LeBon, 1973) The increasingly homogenized and ever flattening operational landscape created as a globalization collective unconscious side effect, has facilitated numerous undisputed benefits to all market participants, including the emancipation of women, increased routes to market for business, lowered production costs, bettered supply chain networks, a deeper global labor pool, an increase in aggregate consumer sovereignty and countless others.(Jung, 1934) The process of globalization through all methods has resulted in a more liberated free market economic archetype. The creation of the Internet in the early 1990s and the technological progress enjoyed since has facilitated a convergen ce and homogenization of competitive advantages. Businesses have increased access to a more educated, culturally diverse talent pool, allowing for and assisting in the development of sustainable competitive advantage. Supply chain networks that transcend tradition geographic boundaries have lowered the costs of production, improving the organizational bottom line. Improved profits through cost saving has produced a shift in the demand curve for labor. Standardized product offerings thorough certified global manufacturing best practice methodologies have afforded the consumer the luxury of being able to take quality for granted. As the world becomes smaller with easier access to information, substantial improvements in education and healthcare have been possible; originally thought incurable diseases now have therapy lowering infant mortality rates and improving life expectancies. Between 1950 the worldwide infant mortality rate was 174 deaths per 1000, in 1990 this figure had fallen to 64 deaths per 1000 (CIA Fact Book, 2006) Furthermore once culturally suppressive states are now waking and accepting the possibility of women in the work force with the rational that by limiting the economic participants available in their respective economies a said country will lower its ability to compete against more gender accommodating and accepting countries. Globalization has fundamentally altered the way organizations compete, the way they market and their intrinsic value propositions. Businesses are no longer defining strategy with a local bias, but are competing within a global business ecosystem, where decisions can only be made by understanding all of the inputs and outputs of that system. Businesses can no longer operate as independent components of an economic collective but rather act as interrelated component parts of an overall system (Von Bertalanffy, 1976) Open markets are the best engine for lifting living standards and building shared collective prosperity. (Clinton, 2000) Only countries that remove the shackles to free trade, capital movement and international competition will realize socioeconomic progress. In weighing the benefits of continuous globalization it is evident that for every positive there is often a negative. Some economists argue that globalization has a debilitating effect on emerging markets and infantile industry, destroying rather that incubating competition by allowing first world economic powers through ambiguous and fine print riddled trade agreements to exploit the status quo, underpaying developing nations for all processes of consumption satisfaction. The interconnectivity of rich and poor nations is a zero sum game, that exists outside the framework of pareto criterion. It is not possible for one economic unit (Country) to benefit without making another economic entity worse off. Someone has to win and someone has to lose. It is still however acceptable and beneficial if the alternative of not engaging in trade is less savory than the loss that any such trade would incur. (Pareto, 1970) It is clear that there are significant in-equity problems as a result of gl obalization. It is argued that globalization has increased sovereign wealth income inequalities with continual divergence resulting in more polarization of incomes worldwide. Greater access to labor markets has on one handed facilitated increased employment, and on the other hand the excess supply has created a producer sovereign labor market and hence lowered global wage rates. Lower disposable income particularly in emerging economies, lowers aggregate demand within the national economy. (Keynes, 1970) The lowered demand for internal labor as a result of decreased money supply is the precursor to a vicious cycle of unemployment due to cyclical demand, and continuously lowered central bank interest rates in an attempt to inject momentum into economic growth. This means that rather than leveraging the opportunities created by the fruits of globalization, poorer nations are struggling with internal economic strife, and falling even further behind their Western counterparts. The secon d cost of globalization stems from the resource and economic interdependencies that it creates. When economies and the businesses within those economies are so closely linked and correlated, there is a systemic risk to the whole economic ecosystem that if one of the parts of that system were to fail, there would be a domino effect knocking over all other elements of that system. (Lowenstein, 2002) This is evidenced in the collapse of the subprime housing market in the United States in late 2007. As financial institutions began to falter in the US as a result of complex structured products understood by few, the problems inevitably began to spread to firms in Europe and the United Kingdom. The sheer density and number of unknown correlations between firms meant that no one organization had a complete picture of its exposure to it counterparties. This lack of knowledge prevented firms from being able to implement any risk mitigating strategies and was the ultimate cause of the failure of Lehman Brothers, a century old Wall Street investment banking giant. Lehman Brothers International, as an organization built itself on the foundation laid by economic globalization, from a scrappy tier two investment bank with seventeen billion dollars of revenue in 2003 to fifty seven billion dollars in 2007.(Ishikawa, 2009) With the benefit of hindsight, globalization was the greatest Lehman Brothers change champion and simultaneously its Achilles heel. As the financial services world joined hands in holy matrimony in early 1990s, agreeing to ever more lenient repurchase financing terms for fellow members, the church bells were ringing marking the beginning of the end. Complex financial alchemy was used to develop highly structured, highly profitable instruments of speculation with Lehman Brothers and compatriots leading the charge. Easier access to overseas markets and clientele created by globalization had allowed the firm on offer its services on an ever widening foreign au dience. Lehman Brothers believing that it was operating in non correlated markets and essentially hedging its bets continued to create and sell financial derivatives. When the music stopped and the market began to sink in 2007, Lehman Brothers immediately found itself in an unfamiliar situation. Not only were US markets falling, but it seemed that world markets were acting in unison and collapsing together. Lehman Brothers as a function of globalization experienced a black swan event, an event so statistically implausible that it was unlikely to happen in a million years. A harsh lesson on the black swan principal, The observation of one thousand white swans is not enough to infer that all swans are white, but the sighting of a single black swan is enough to refute the conclusion'(Taleb, 2007) A worldwide recession as experienced in 2010 caused in part by globalization could result in a desire by government and market participants to break the economic bonds built by and through the globalization process, as was observed in the Great Depression of the 1930s and as is currently happening with the financial debacle in Greece. The upshot of which is severe economic dissatisfaction, followed by be economic disagreement, culminating in economic warfare and possibly to military conflict. (Intriligator, 2001) All of the above highlighted by a strengthening agreement in the belief that globalization through all of it incarnations is intrinsically undermining the value of the sovereign state. Increasingly it is seen that globalization is allowing foreign powers in the form of external political influencers as well as Multi National Corporations to govern the resources of a nation as they see most beneficial to their own motivations. The fundamental aim of this paper was to discuss the positive and negative externalities of globalization and the effect that they have on the business playing field. Whether globalization by opinion is viewed as negative or an inherently positive force for continued economic progress, it is unmistakable that it produces massive opportunities and frightening challenges. It must also be accepted that the combination of variables, known and unknown that has lead society to a globalised one world economic system are still abundantly active. The trend is still bullish and is likely to accelerate with economic resources diminishing, increasing technical progress happening daily and barriers to progress falling as fast, globalization is a journey to be embraced rather than feared. It is the key that will remove the chains of impoverishment from third world economic powers, and it is the lock that will bind a composite global economic collective into achieving sustainable socioeconomic prog ress.