Genting Groups Corporate Social Responsibility Practices

Genting Groups Corporate Social Responsibility Practices Effective Implementation of CSR practices In order to remain financially viable and operationally sustainable, sustainable development policies on four basic pillars are centred by Genting Group – Environment, Marketplace, Workplace and Community.  (Sustainability report 2011) ENVIRONMENT Genting Group has long made the protection and preservation of the environment an integral part of their corporate philosophy and business policy. Maintaining a responsible approach to the environment and nature particularly in the conservation of natural resources, waste management and preservation of the flora and fauna are committed by them. Moreover, steps to prevent environmental pollution and conserve energy, water consumption and waste generation are taken from years to years.  (Sustainability report 2011, annual report 2010) (i) Energy Efficiency In year 2010, significant management time in identifying and testing the energy efficiency solutions that would deliver the biggest CO2 savings within an affordable capital programme was invested. In 2011, several conservation and efficiency improvements measures were implemented by Genting Group. These included replacing conventional lights with energy saving lights and the replacement of metal halide spotlights with induction lamps. Their diesel conservation projects are aimed at alleviating the depletion of their natural resources and air pollution. All their pump house diesel engines have been replaced with electrical motors which reduces the diesel consumption to approximately 2.4 million litters per year.  (Sustainability report 2011, annual report 2011) (ii) Waste Management 3R (Reduce, reuse, and recycle) programme and scheduled waste management are implemented. â€Å"Reduce† is achieved by using long-life energy saving lights, reusable cutleries and chemical tanks. â€Å"Reuse† is achieved by using re-using waste paper for printing and back office usage. â€Å"Recycle† is achieved by waste segregation at source and waste delivery according to types of waste. Vermin-composing to turn food waste into organic fertiliser is practised by the Group. Standard guidelines for the management of solid and scheduled wastes are also outlined by the Genting Group waste management. The procedures ensure that the wastes are properly identified, segregated, handled, transported and disposed off in line with the environmental policy, legal and other requirements. The EHS Committee ensures waste management processes are regularly audited in compliance with set standards.  (Sustainability report in year 2011) MARKETPLACE The Group adheres to the highest standards of corporate governance. It is done by operating with integrity, transparency and accountability with the aim of enhancing shareholder value and achieving sustainable business growth. We abide by the principles of honesty and professionalism in all our business dealings. Many of Genting Group’s environmental and social impacts are derived from activities in their supply chain. The strategy to minimise negative impact is basically done by controlling whom they buy the products from, their method of purchase and what their buy. The Group’s corporate website, www.genting.com is also a source of information on corporate and business activities. Annual reports, press releases, quarterly results, announcements and investor presentations are made publicly available on the website. The Group participates regularly in international and local investor forums.  (Sustainability report 2011) (i) ’Go Green’ Programme Lower transportation and packaging cost, lower emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and less fuel consumption food, locally-grown food is purchased by the Genting Group. Their cost-effective measures which make sure the freshness of their products also lend economic stability to the local buyers and farming community.  (Sustainability report 2011) (ii) Support Environment Friendly Proper disposal of the hazardous and environmentally unfriendly products are stipulated by The Environmental Quality Act 1974. To this effect, Genting Group has used the services of Green Seal certified companies to implement an environmental management system for their business.  (Sustainability report 2011) (iii) Self-Exclusion Programme Personal well-being of their guests was committed by Genting Group and they had implemented the Self-Exclusion Programme, whereby guests with a compulsion to gamble are free to have themselves prohibited from Casino. A Gaming Room has been introduced for this purpose. (Sustainability report 2011, Annual report 2009) WORKPLACE A global workforce of over 19,000 employees is owned by Genting Group. At GENM, they regard the commitment and creativity of their employees, a safe and good working atmosphere and efficient working practices as essential pre-requisites for achieving business success and maintaining a good reputation.  (Sustainability report 2011) (i) Employee Development An evolutionary progression and logical step for Genting Group’s talent management practice was marked in year 2011. As a key pre-requisite for sustainable international expansion, increasing the standards of assessing and developing employees and increasing the level of professionalism were embarked by them; a realm commonly plagued with subjective evaluations. Different talks and campaigns for the development of our senior management were organised in year 2011. Most of the talks are about engagement between the companies and their people into committing to a compelling cause behind the organisation’s mission and core values, and how it curbs behaviour and creates the return of shareholders.  (Sustainability report 2011, annual report 2009) (ii) Safe Workplace Protecting the health and safety of human resources and the public by giving them a good environment is also important for the Genting Group. In cooperation with health and safety experts, they organise monthly Occupational Safety Health (OSH) Talks to reduce the accidents in the respective workplace. One of the policies is ‘No-Smoking Policy’ has been introduced to reduce numbers of dangerous incidents. Besides that, it is also used to show the policy and emphasis how serious they view this matter, regular joint ‘No-Smoking Enforcement’ was organised by the OSH Section with the Management. It was done during the random checks in the area of the building.  (Sustainability report 2010) COMMUNITY A priority for Genting Group at GENM and philanthropic contribution is remained by community development and it is one of the ways they support the various community development activities, infrastructure support to local communities, the underprivileged, disability groups and NGOs. Contributions are made different ways throughout the year. For example, employee volunteerism, carried out through the GENM We CARE Team and the Awana We CARE Teams in order to encourage and provide an avenue for employees within the organisation to give whatever they have for the betterment of the society.  (Sustainability report 2011) (i) Services to Communities Genting Group’s contributions reach out to different sectors of the community. In the year 2011, different types of helps to various groups and sectors in the community were contributed. They included the Malaysian Liver Foundation, OrphanCare Baby Hatch Programme, and Malaysia Diabetes Association so on and so forth. They also undertook the Roti 1Malaysia Charity Project, a joint collaboration with 20 hotels in the Klang Valley, which involved the distribution of bread orphanages and homes.  (Sustainability report 2011, annual report 2009) (ii) Underprivileged and Disability Groups In their continuous effort to support the underprivileged community, 71 homes and charitable organisations were contributed during the various festivals 2011 celebrations. This is in addition to their year-long contributions to the various charitable homes and organisations as well as the underprivileged and marginalised communities. Over the year, they have donated more than 4,000 individuals at the Resort and Theme Park for a programme of activities, meals and merry-making.  (Sustainability report 2010) (iii) Education Genting Group sees education as an important part of making brighter future for everyone. Programmes, training sessions and educational endeavours that have been designed to ensure the younger generation gain more knowledge. For instances, the sponsorship of 1,000 helmets for school children for the Road Safety Campaign organised by the Bentong District Council. The campaign minimise road accidents among school children.  (Sustainability report 2010) (iv) Sports Genting Group too believes that sporting activities are needed to help groom an athletic nation. GENM contributes substantially to help organisations and ministries execute various sporting events. GENM is one of the main sponsors. They provided funds to the Football Association of Malaysia, Selangor Tennis Association in year 2011 and The Malaysia Netball Association for instances.  (Annual report 2010, Sustainability report 2011)

Julius Caesar Essay -- essays research papers

How Betrayal Led to Downfall in Julius Caesar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare shows how friends often betray each other. Julius Caesar is about to be crowned king of Rome, when some well-known Romans decide that it is not a good idea for this to happen. They form a conspiracy and kill Caesar. Brutus, an honorable Roman and a very good friend of Caesar’s, betrays Caesar by killing him for the good of Rome. Antony, Caesar’s best friend and another honorable Roman, betrays Brutus by turning against the conspirators. Cassius, a respected Roman, and Brutus betray each other by arguing and destroying their friendship. All this betraying lead to many deaths in the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Brutus betrayed Caesar for the good of Rome by killing him, he had no idea that he would regret it later on in his life. Brutus wanted to kill Caesar because he thought that if Caesar became king, he would forget who his real friends are and he would not pay attention to them. He also thought that Caesar would become too powerful and therefore did not want him to be king. This is shown when Portia says, â€Å"†¦Brutus hath a suit / that Caesar will not grant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2.4.41-42). Although Brutus had a clear conscience, the people of Rome did not. This eventually led to Brutus being driven out of Rome by the citizens. Not being associated with Rome anymore made Brutus’ life worse and he eventually took his own life as the only way to...

The Partiality Of Wholeness :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites Religious people believe in the existence of a supreme being. It has many attributes but two of the most striking are that it seems to both encompass and to pervade everything. Judaic sources are in the habit of saying that we all have a "share of the upper divine soul". Put more formally, we can say that we are both part of a Whole and permeated by it. But what are the relationships between the parts and the Whole? They could be either formal (a word in a sentence, for instance) or physical (a neurone in our brain, for instance). A formal relationship entails an impairment of the truth value of a sentence / proposition / theorem / syllogism with the removal of one or more of its parts. As a result, a part could be reconstructed to fit into an impaired Whole once the formal relationships (and the derivative truth value) are known. Things are pretty much the same in the physical realm: the removal of the part renders the Whole - NOT Whole (in the functional sense, in the structural sense, or in both senses). A part is immediately discernible: it is always smaller (size, mass, weight) than the Whole and it always possesses the potential to contribute to the functioning / role of the Whole. The part need not be active to qualify as a part - yet, it requires the potential to be active to do so. In other words : the Whole is defined by its parts - their sum, their synergy, their structure, their functions. Even where epiphenomena occur - it is inconceivable to deal with them without resorting to some discussion of the parts in their relationships with the Whole. But the parts are also defined by their context, by the Whole. It is by observing their place in the hyperstructure, interactions with other parts and general function of the Whole that we can assign the title ("parts") to them. There are no parts without a Whole. In this sense, it seems that parts and Wholes are nothing but language conventions, a way that we chose to describe the world that was compatible with our evolutionary and survival goals and with our sensory input. If this is so, then, being defined by each other, parts and Wholes are inefficient, cyclical, recursive, in short: tautological modes of relating to the world.

Social Media Essay

Writing Assignment: Social Media Essay. 3-4page paper: This paper is in three parts: 1) Discuss the social media in general, what it is, who uses it, how does it affect business; Social networking sites are based on the internet using by the computer, smartphone, or tablet that you able to access through Wi-Fi from anywhere. Companies use for improve teamwork or close to customers. Friends and families able to share pictures or greeting messages even they far apart. Everyone able to receive and share their personal interest and updated news. The social media is based on the internet with virtual communities that allowed people to share information, picture, or video. Definitely, social media does have more positive affect for individuals and companies. Today, however, there are always two sides of a coin. The individual account with social media is highly risk for security with person information. Facebook, blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, and podcasts are some of the social media that companies use to inform and persuade the public, to generate goodwill, and to build a positive brand awareness. 2) How do you use social media? Like and what I don’t like to use The great thing on the social media is a real-time update news. Another my favorite from the social media is sharing pictures within specific groups or public. However, most social media sites are connected world-wide. So it is never stop updating the message. Without self-control, it could disrupting personal daily task and routine. Also, social media sites using mostly slangs with comments such as lol, sth, asap, or more. Moreover, people use bullying or bitter word to hurt someone with anonymously comments. And, it has possible to reveal personal private life to unknown person who could use  for voice phishing. For example, my friend’s sister had phishing scam last year when she travel with friends. She posted some pictures on social network site that she was not in home. By somehow, the swindler found out and called their parents to asked ransom. 3) What are the different interesting and out of the way conversations going on in social media– that the general public may not know so much about– Also, discuss various mediums and methods to get one’s message across. For example, YouTube – advertising longer than public advertisement on television. What are the advantages and challenges? Also, how would you proceed with your virtual company using social media? Through social media for our iContol, I like to have announce experiential marketing for free to use about three to six months our product and first 100 people. Furthermore, our company can keep in touch with those 100 people’s feedbacks about product and service. In the conclusion, discuss which medium is preferred and why, how would you maximize its effects? Due Week 8 (submit under Week 8 Assignments)

Current topics

A Wag Whenever one sits down to write on the mess that one finds in the arena of higher education, one is struck by a sense of d ©J ¤ vu as well as a sense of inability to say nything new. Pawan Agarwal's comprehensive paper that he wrote for ‘CRIER, the excellent report by National Knowledge Commission (headed by the irrepressible Sam Pitroda) are Just two of the many articles that easily come to mind. The first one mentioned, has exhaustive data at a fairly disaggregated level so that this aspect need not detain us here.The issues and challenges in this context -that are fairly well understood – are diverse not typical. Thus, the challenge is not epistemological but one of political will and at a more mundane level of implementation. In India, it oes not take a genius to point out the problems in any sphere, least of all in the higher educational sector. The point however is (ought to be) to identify workable solutions. In this article I will concentrate on the cap acity, flexibility and quality issues that beset the higher educational sector in India and suggest some steps that need to be taken to remedy the situation.Rest assured, there will be no magic wand and no single solution. Help and initiative from whatever quarter must be sought and grabbed by both hands. A bouquet approach will alone be realistic, driven by ragmatism rather than ideology. Whilst finance is undoubtedly important, I argue that governance is the key. The essentials of the story are easily told: Despite tremendous expansion in the sector, there is inadequate capacity and hence access; after all we have 350 universities with huge enrollment (one of the largest in the world).The system is characterized by rigidity with absolutely no flexibility; we have degrees being offered in a rigid framework with very little choice for the students (who should matter the most) and the regulations are archaic with peculiar unresponsiveness to the current context. Thanks to the pervers e hiring policies and protracted procedures (not to mention politics: with and without state interference) the quality of faculty is in a state of rapid decline. The reasons and solutions are well known and yet some of them bear repetition.Having made a first cut let us revisit the issues in some detail, but first some preliminaries. India is at cross roads. It has all the pretensions of emerging as a knowledge economy and yet the time is running out for it to catch the bus. Surely, we don't require Thomas Friedman to point out the gravity of the situation. After all, what we o today – by way of investment – will have a decisive influence fifteen years from now. For that is how long (even in these fast paced times) it takes for changes in educational system to fructify.It is no secret that a genuine knowledge has a prerequisite of solid foundation provided by educational institutions characterized by relevance and excellence in training and research. This then must pro vide us with the parametric environment for what follows. The long queues in front of the colleges as well as the screaming headlines in the newspapers, starkly present the scarcity of capacity in the higher educational sector. The premium that the seats in better colleges for almost all the courses attract is common knowledge.Whilst there are supervisory mechanisms in place (de Jure) we know that supervision many a time means additional side payments. As an aside, the only solution lies in self enforcing system design which in this case would clearly imply removal of striuctural and overall scarcities through increased capacities. The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) report talks of setting up 50 National Universities (over a period) with augmented resources leading to capacity enhancement.There is the private universities' bill which should help too. There is a scope for great enhancement of capacity in the PPP mode, for which the regulation has to be more welcoming if not frie ndly. Whilst there is a need to think out of box, there is no denying the fact that the traditional state funding mode will however continue to be of importance for at least some time to come. We must once and for all put an end to view that improvements are possible witn Just non-monetary means.This implies a self binding commitment on the part of governments at all levels to provide the necessary financial resources. The urrent spending on higher education that is pegged at around 0. 7% of GDP must be doubled. This will require a serious lobbying effort. In this context, it may be noted that there is much that can be done by the institutions on their own in terms of raising resources. Alumni represent a huge potential source, so also setting up of off shore campuses and attracting foreign students are other obvious sources.However, this will require some amendments in the existing provisions of the ‘Act', also, experience suggests that such efforts are ‘rewarded' by cu t back in aid, instead of matching incentive grants being proffered. Such efforts in the past have been – post facto – subjected by the government, to severe restrictions on the use of monies so collected. Clearly there is a governance issue involved here. This apart, the required enabling (through regulatory changes) of private sector is a must for the purposes of raising supplementary resources.The private endowments which at one time were significant, have to be restored through incentive based legislation. At the same time the interference – as distinct from engagement – of the State in all aspects of education has to be significantly reduced, especially in the ‘operations' and rocedural aspects. This has been a major cause that led to the Universities being converted into patron saints of mediocrity! The state must truly practice private enablement with ‘oversight from a distance'. Of course, the processes involved in the setting up in th e national universities (or even investing in old ones! are so long drawn and convoluted that with the given absorption capacity of the institutions it will be some time before the plan becomes a reality. Also, and more importantly, the paucity with regard to the attendant requirement of quality faculty (which we shall ook at later) is so great that even with physical infrastructure the delivery will not be assured. This requires some bold and innovative thinking and application which requires a key governance initiative. The external agencies like the corporations and industries will have to play (be enabled to do so) a major role.In the interim, I would suggest that IT enabled distance learning mode as well as the platform for e-learning have to be exploited to the fullest extent. This will require huge organization and collaborative effort of the best minds. It is especially required to mention this here ecause these avenues (particularly the first mentioned) are pretty much have received step treatment and have been left to the whims and fancies of the second raters. This has created sections of milch cows that fraudulently extract money from the hapless students and give nothing in return.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Philip, who was called the new guy, asked that we go to Cana by way of Bethany, as he had a friend there that he wanted to recruit to follow along with us. â€Å"I tried to get him to join with John the Baptist,† Philip said, â€Å"but he wouldn't stand for the eating-locusts, living-in-pits thing. Anyway, he's from Cana, I'm sure he'd love to have a visit home.† As we came into the square of Bethany, Philip called out to a blond kid who was sitting under a fig tree. He was the same yellow-haired kid that Joshua and I had seen when we first passed through Bethany over a year ago. â€Å"Hey, Nathaniel,† Philip called. â€Å"Come join me and my friends on the way to Cana. They're from Nazareth. Joshua here might be the Messiah.† â€Å"Might be?† I said. Nathaniel walked out into the street to look at us, shading his eyes against the sun. He couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen. He barely had the fuzz of a beard on his chin. â€Å"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?† he said. â€Å"Joshua, Biff, Bartholomew,† Philip said, â€Å"this is my friend Nathaniel.† â€Å"I know you,† Joshua said. â€Å"I saw you when we last passed through here.† Then, inexplicably, Nathaniel fell to his knees in front of Joshua's camel and said, â€Å"You are truly the Messiah and the Son of God.† Joshua looked at me, then at Philip, then at the kid, prostrating himself on camel's feet. â€Å"Because I've seen you before you believe that I'm the Messiah, even though a minute ago nothing good could come out of Nazareth?† â€Å"Sure, why not?† said Nathaniel. And Josh looked at me again, as if I could explain it. Meanwhile Bartholomew, who was on foot along with his pack of doggie followers (whom he had disturbingly begun to refer to as his â€Å"disciples†), went over to Nathaniel and helped the boy to his feet. â€Å"Stand up, if you're coming with us.† Nathaniel prostrated himself before Bartholomew now. â€Å"You are truly the Messiah and the Son of God.† â€Å"No, I'm not,† Bart said, lifting the kid to his feet. â€Å"He is.† Bart pointed to Joshua. Nathaniel looked to me, for some reason, for confirmation. â€Å"You are truly a babe in the woods,† I said to Nathaniel. â€Å"You don't gamble, do you?† â€Å"Biff!† Joshua said. He shook his head and I shrugged. To Nathaniel he said, â€Å"You're welcome to join us. We share the camels, our food, and what little money we have.† Here Joshua nodded toward Philip, who had been nominated to carry the communal purse because he was good at math. â€Å"Thanks,† said Nathaniel, and he fell in behind us. And thus we became five. â€Å"Josh,† I said in a harsh whisper, â€Å"that kid is as dumb as a stick.† â€Å"He's not dumb, Biff, he just has a talent for belief.† â€Å"Fine,† I said, turning to Philip. â€Å"Don't let the kid anywhere near the money.† As we headed out of the square toward the Mount of Olives, Abel and Crustus, the two old blind guys who'd helped me over Maggie's wall, called out from the gutter. (I'd learned their names after correcting their little gender mistake.) â€Å"Oh son of David, have mercy on us!† Joshua pulled up on the reins of his camel. â€Å"What makes you call me that?† â€Å"You are Joshua of Nazareth, the young preacher who was studying under John?† â€Å"Yes, I am Joshua.† â€Å"We heard the Lord say that you were his son with whom he was well pleased.† â€Å"You heard that?† â€Å"Yes. About five or six weeks ago. Right out of the sky.† â€Å"Dammit, did everyone hear but me?† â€Å"Have mercy on us, Joshua,† said one blind guy. â€Å"Yeah, mercy,† said the other. Then Joshua climbed down from his camel, laid his hands upon the old men's eyes, and said, â€Å"You have faith in the Lord, and you have heard, as evidently everyone in Judea has, that I am his son with whom he is well pleased.† Then he pulled his hands from their faces and the old men looked around. â€Å"Tell me what you see,† Joshua said. The old guys sort of looked around, saying nothing. â€Å"So, tell me what you see.† The blind men looked at each other. â€Å"Something wrong?† Joshua asked. â€Å"You can see, can't you?† â€Å"Well, yeah,† said Abel, â€Å"but I thought there'd be more color.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Crustus, â€Å"it's kind of dull.† I stepped up. â€Å"You're on the edge of the Judean desert, one of the most lifeless, desolate, hostile places on earth, what did you expect?† â€Å"I don't know.† Crustus shrugged. â€Å"More.† â€Å"Yeah, more,† said Abel. â€Å"What color is that?† â€Å"That's brown.† â€Å"How about that one?† â€Å"That would be brown as well.† â€Å"That color over there? Right there?† â€Å"Brown.† â€Å"You're sure that's not mauve.† â€Å"Nope, brown.† â€Å"And – â€Å" â€Å"Brown,† I said. The two former blind guys shrugged and walked off mumbling to each other. â€Å"Excellent healing,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"I for one have never seen a better healing,† said Philip, â€Å"but then, I'm new.† Joshua rode off shaking his head. When we came into Cana we were broke and hungry and more than ready for a feast, at least most of us were. Joshua didn't know about the feast. The wedding was being held in the courtyard of a very large house. We could hear the drums and singers and smell spiced meat cooking as we approached the gates. It was a large wedding and a couple of kids were waiting outside to tend to our camels. They were curly haired, wiry little guys about ten years old; they reminded me of evil versions of Josh and me at that age. â€Å"Sounds like a wedding going on,† Joshua said. â€Å"Park your camel, sir?† said the camel-parking kid. â€Å"It is a wedding,† said Bart. â€Å"I thought we were here to help Maggie.† â€Å"Park your camel, sir?† said the other kid, pulling on the reins of my camel. Joshua looked at me. â€Å"Where is Maggie? You said she was sick?† â€Å"She's in the wedding,† I said, pulling the reins back from the kid. â€Å"You said she was dying.† â€Å"Well, we all are, aren't we? I mean, if you think about it.† I grinned. â€Å"You can't park that camel here, sir.† â€Å"Look, kid, I don't have any money to tip you. Go away.† I hate handing my camel over to the camel-parking kids. It unnerves me. I'm always sure that I'm never going to see it again, or it's going to come back with a tooth missing or an eye poked out. â€Å"So Maggie isn't really dying?† â€Å"Hey, guys,† Maggie said, stepping out of the gate. â€Å"Maggie,† Joshua said, throwing his arms up in surprise. Problem was, he was so intent on looking at her that he forgot to grab on again, and off the camel he went. He hit the ground facedown with a thump and a wheeze. I jumped down from my camel, Bart's dogs barked, Maggie ran to Josh, rolled him over, and cradled his head in her lap while he tried to get his breath back. Philip and Nathaniel waved to people from the wedding who were peeping through the gate to see what all the commotion was about. Before I had a chance to turn, the two kids had leapt up onto our camels and were galloping around the corner off to Nod, or South Dakota, or some other place I didn't know the location of. â€Å"Maggie,† Joshua said. â€Å"You're not sick.† â€Å"That depends,† she said, â€Å"if there's any chance of a laying on of hands.† Joshua smiled and blushed. â€Å"I missed you.† â€Å"Me too,† Maggie said. She kissed Joshua on the lips and held him there until I started to squirm and the other disciples started to clear their throats and bark â€Å"get a room† under their breaths. Maggie stood up and helped Joshua to his feet. â€Å"Come on in, guys,† she said. â€Å"No dogs,† she said to Bart, and the hulking Cynic shrugged and sat down in the street amid his canine disciples. I was craning my neck to see if I could see where our camels had been taken. â€Å"They're going to run those camels into the ground, and I know they won't feed or water them.† â€Å"Who?† asked Maggie. â€Å"Those camel-parking boys.† â€Å"Biff, this is my youngest brother's wedding. He couldn't even afford wine. He didn't hire any camel-parking boys.† Bartholomew stood and rallied his troops. â€Å"I'll find them.† He lumbered off. Inside we feasted on beef and mutton, all manner of fruits and vegetables, bean and nut pastes, cheese and first-pressed olive oil with bread. There was singing and dancing and if it hadn't been for a few old guys in the corner looking very cranky, you'd never have known that there wasn't any wine at the party. When our people danced, they danced in large groups, lines and circles, not couples. There were men's dances and women's dances and very few dances where both could participate, which is why people were staring at Joshua and Maggie as they danced. They were definitely dancing together. I retreated to a corner where I saw Maggie's sister Martha watching as she nibbled at some bread with goat cheese. She was twenty-five, a shorter, sturdier version of Maggie, with the same auburn hair and blue eyes, but with less tendency to laugh. Her husband had divorced her for â€Å"grievous skankage† and now she lived with her older brother Simon in Bethany. I'd gotten to know her when we were little and she took messages to Maggie for me. She offered me a bite of her bread and cheese and I took it. â€Å"She's going to get herself stoned,† Martha said in a slightly bitter, moderately jealous, younger sister tone. â€Å"Jakan is a member of the Sanhedrin.† â€Å"Is he still a bully?† â€Å"Worse, now he's a bully with power. He'd have her stoned, just to prove that he could do it.† â€Å"For dancing? Not even the Pharisees – â€Å" â€Å"If anyone saw her kiss Joshua, then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"So how are you?† I said, changing the subject. â€Å"I'm living with my brother Simon now.† â€Å"I heard.† â€Å"He's a leper.† â€Å"Look, there's Joshua's mother. I have to go say hello.† â€Å"There's no wine at this wedding,† Mary said. â€Å"I know. Strange, isn't it?† James stood by scowling as I hugged his mother. â€Å"Joshua is here too?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Oh good, I was afraid that you two might have been arrested along with John.† â€Å"Pardon me?† I stepped back and looked to James for explanation. He seemed the more appropriate bearer of bad news. â€Å"You hadn't heard? Herod has thrown John in prison for inciting people to revolt. That's the excuse anyway. It's Herod's wife who wanted John silenced. She was tired of having John's followers refer to her as ‘the slut.'† I patted Mary's shoulder as I stepped away. â€Å"I'll tell Joshua that you're here.† I found Joshua sitting in a far corner of the courtyard playing with some children. One little girl had brought her pet rabbit to the wedding and Joshua was holding it in his lap, petting its ears. â€Å"Biff, come feel how soft this bunny is.† â€Å"Joshua, John has been arrested.† Josh slowly handed the bunny back to the little girl and stood. â€Å"When?† â€Å"I'm not sure. Shortly after we left, I guess.† â€Å"I shouldn't have left him. I didn't even tell him we were leaving.† â€Å"It was bound to happen, Joshua. I told him to lay off Herod, but he wouldn't listen. You couldn't have done anything.† â€Å"I'm the Son of God, I could have done something.† â€Å"Yeah, you could have gone to prison with him. Your mother is here. Go talk to her. She's the one that told me.† As Joshua embraced Mary, she said, â€Å"You've got to do something about this wine situation. Where's the wine?† James tapped Joshua on the shoulder. â€Å"Didn't bring any wine with you from the lush vineyards of Jericho?† (I didn't like hearing sarcasm being used by James against Joshua. I had always thought of my invention as being used for good, or at least against people I didn't like.) Joshua gently pushed his mother away. â€Å"You shall have wine,† he said, then he went off to the side of the house where drinking water was stored in large stone jars. In a few minutes he returned with a pitcher of wine and cups for all of us. A shout went through the party and suddenly everything seemed to step up a level. Pitchers and cups were filled and drained and filled again, and those who had been near the wine jars started declaring a miracle had been performed, that Joshua of Nazareth had turned water into wine. I looked for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Having been free of sin all of his life, Joshua wasn't very good at dealing with guilt, so he had gone off by himself to try to numb the guilt he felt over John's arrest. After a few hours of subterfuge and guile, I was able to get Maggie to sneak out the back gate with me. â€Å"Maggie, come with us. You talked to Joshua. You saw the wine. He's the one.† â€Å"I've always known he was the one, but I can't come with you. I'm married.† â€Å"I thought you were going to be a fisherman.† â€Å"And I thought you were going to be a village idiot.† â€Å"I'm still looking for a village. Look, get Jakan to divorce you.† â€Å"Anything he can divorce me for he can also kill me for. I've seen him pass judgment on people, Biff. I've seen him lead the mobs to the stonings. I'm afraid of him.† â€Å"I learned to make poisons in the East.† I raised my eyebrows and grinned. â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"I'm not going to poison my husband.† I sighed, an exasperated sigh that I'd learned from my mother. â€Å"Then leave him and come away with us, far from Jerusalem where he can't reach you. He'll have to divorce you to save face.† â€Å"Why should I leave, Biff? So I can follow around a man who doesn't want me and wouldn't take me if he did?† I didn't know what to say, I felt like knives were twisting in fresh wounds in my chest. I looked at my sandals and pretended to have something caught in my throat. Maggie stepped up, put her arms around me, and laid her head against my chest. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said. â€Å"I know.† â€Å"I missed both of you, but I missed just you too.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"I'm not going to sleep with you.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"Then please stop rubbing that against me.† â€Å"Sure,† I said. Just then Joshua stumbled through the gate and crashed into us. We were able to catch ourselves and him before anyone fell. The Messiah was holding the little girl's pet bunny, hugging it to his cheek with the big back feet swinging free. He was gloriously drunk. â€Å"Know what?† Josh said. â€Å"I love bunnies. They toil not, neither do they bark. Henceforth and from now on, I decree that whenever something bad happens to me, there shall be bunnies around. So it shall be written. Go ahead Biff, write it down.† He waved to me under the bunny, then turned and started back through the gate. â€Å"Where's the friggin' wine? I got a dry bunny over here!† â€Å"See,† I said to Maggie, â€Å"you don't want to miss out on that. Bunnies!† She laughed. My favorite music. â€Å"I'll get word to you,† she said. â€Å"Where will you be?† â€Å"I have no idea.† â€Å"I'll get word to you.† It was midnight. The party had wound down and the disciples and I were sitting in the street outside of the house. Joshua had passed out and Bartholomew had put a small dog under his head for a pillow. Before he had left, James had made it abundantly clear that we weren't welcome in Nazareth. â€Å"Well?† said Philip. â€Å"I guess we can't go back to John.† â€Å"I'm sorry I didn't find the camels,† Bartholomew said. â€Å"People teased me about my yellow hair,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"I thought you were from Cana,† I said. â€Å"Don't you have family we can stay with?† â€Å"Plague,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"Plague,† we all said, nodding. It happens. â€Å"You'll probably be needing these,† came a voice out of the darkness. We all looked up to see a short but powerfully built man walking out of the darkness, leading our camels. â€Å"The camels,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"My apologies,† said the man, â€Å"my brother's sons brought them home to us in Capernaum. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get them back to you.† I stood and he handed the camel's reins to me. â€Å"They've been fed and watered.† He pointed to Joshua, who was snoring away on his terrier. â€Å"Does he always drink like that?† â€Å"Only when a major prophet has been imprisoned.† The man nodded. â€Å"I heard what he did with the wine. They say he also healed a lame man in Cana this afternoon. Is that true?† We all nodded. â€Å"If you have no place to stay, you can come home with me to Capernaum for a day or two. We owe you at least that for taking your camels.† â€Å"We don't have any money,† I said. â€Å"Then you'll feel right at home,† said the man. â€Å"My name is Andrew.† And so we became six.

Developing Yourself as an Effective Hr Practitioner

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resource Practitioner The CIPD Human Resources Profession Map The CIPD is the professional body for those working within a HR related role, to â€Å"manage the employer-employee relationship and align an organisation’s culture with its people† (CIPD). Researched through collaboration with business leaders the CIPD has developed a map of the activities, knowledge and behaviours required by the different HR roles to meet current business needs (diagram 1).The map consists of ten Professional areas, four Bands and eight Behaviours. Each area has an extended definition to clarify the key requirements of people who work in that area. Diagram 1 Diagram 1 At the core of the map lie ‘Insights, Strategy and Solutions’ and ‘Leading HR’. These two core elements are considered key areas as they extend across all the elements of the HR profession. Also read: HR Profession Map EssayInsights, Strategy and Solutions relates to the need for a successful HR professional to present and develop strategies and solutions based on a firm understanding of the business, it’s internal environment (vision, values, culture, structure and strategy) and its external challenges (competition, world economy, work/life balance, changing demographics of its workforce, changing legislation etc. ) It demonstrates the profession as a recognised business discipline with people and the organisation at its heart.Leading HR is defined as providing ‘active, insight-led leadership: owning, shaping and driving themselves, others and activity in the organisation’ (CIPD). Great leaders can be found across three main areas of leadership – personal leadership, leading others and leading issues. The ten Professional areas relate to the different roles within HR profession e. g. the requirement of someone operating within an Employee Eng agement role is defined as being responsible for ensuring â€Å" †¦ ll aspects of the employment experience – the emotional connection that all employees have with their work, colleagues and to their organisation (in particular line manager relationship) is positive and understood, and that it delivers greater discretionary effort in their work and the way they relate to their organisation†. The four bands of professional competence define the different levels of work activities and the corresponding responsibilities within each professional area, ranging from administrator to board level.Within the HR Map there is also a useful section on the knowledge and . activities required to transition from one band to the next. Finally the eight behaviours describe how the work activities should be carried out within each professional area. The Agency The Agency, despite being less than two years old, has grown from a team of five to 21 employees – 15 Consultants an d six Compliance Officers. The office is very fast paced and competitive, with Consultants urged to secure new posts for high calibre candidates as quickly as possible.Prospective candidates are invited to come into the branch for a registration interview, where they meet the Consultants who will try and place them within schools. Vivien is an experienced Compliance Officer, supporting three Consultants on her pod. Her role is to meet and greet new candidates when they come in for the registration interview, and check they have supplied the necessary paperwork to meet strict safeguarding guidelines before handing them over their consultant for interview. She works alongside Hans, the lead consultant in her pod.They have a very poor relationship, arguing frequently and demonstrate very little respect for each other’s point of view The Candidate proves to be outstanding and Hans manages to place the candidate in a school within two days. Hans is overjoyed and celebrating loudly in the office, at which point Vivien points out to him that she has Vivien has not completed all the necessary vetting procedures so the candidate does not yet meet the safeguarding requirements to begin work. Hans must now contact the school and delay the candidate’s start date, which inconveniences the school and reflects poorly on the agency.HR CUSTOMERS Consultants Need to meet targets to place high fully vetted high calibre teaching staff in school Consultants Need to meet targets to place high fully vetted high calibre teaching staff in school Managing Director Needs to ensure the company’s strategic objectives are met Managing Director Needs to ensure the company’s strategic objectives are met EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OFFICER EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OFFICER Compliance Officer Need to process high volume of new candidates quickly and accurately Compliance Officer Need to process high volume of new candidates quickly and accurately Diagram 2) (Diagram 2) HOW TO PRIOR ITISE NEEDS ‘Customers do want an HR function with strategic business impact, but this is about solving problems that are strategically important for the business, not about separate HR strategies’ (Hirsh et al) As a result of this lapse in correct protocols the school has threatened to end their contract with the agency, which would have a big impact in the revenue brought in by the pod. Hans is a very successful consultant, and part of his success he will interview a high volume of candidates, averaging 6 interviews per day.Hans has accused Vivien of not processing files quickly enough, letting them pile up on her desk. Vivien responds by telling them she can’t process files when she’s interviewing candidates consistently throughout her day for all three consultants. Vivien has asked in the past to change pods as hers is the most successful so she feels overworked whilst the other Compliance Officers are far less busy. The issues identified in this scena rio are a breakdown in communication, imbalance of workload, and damage limitation to one of the agency’s clients.They order in which they are prioritised – their significance, importance and urgency – must be taken in view of the company’s organisational needs and requirements. When faced with such competing priorities, Stephen Covey’s Grid is a useful tool. In this scenario addressing the school’s needs will fall into Quadrant 1, whilst addressing the poor relationship between Hans and Vivien may fall into Quadrant 2. Good communication is the lifeblood of any successful organisation, the results of which can be detrimental (as in the above scenario).There are many ways of communicating within an organisation, and the method and significance of the message can often determine the best method. TYPE OF COMMUNICATION| ADVANTAGE| DISADAVANTAGE| ELECTRONIC| Provides a record for referral follow-up| Can be impersonal and open to interpretation. | WRITTEN/ POSTER| Easily accessed and visible| The Sender does not know if the communication is received unless a reply is required| VERBAL – FACE TO FACE| Allows immediate feedback | Poor communication ability can interfere with how the message os received. Key elements in providing an effective HR Service. Having an understanding and awareness of the strategic purpose of the company will enable the HR professional to operate in an advisory or educational role, assist in decision making, be proactive by applying an overseeing (or policing) role. Senior managers particularly look to the HR function to have an independent, and challenging, view The key elements of effective HR as identified as: Effective service deliveryChallenges the way in which things are done, to find solutions that are better, cheaper or faster as well as an administrative role in implementing relevant processes and practices. Handling and resolving complaints, informal methods, formal methods, appeals a nd escalation (if required) Effective HR services for employees are seen as supporting, not diluting, the responsibility of the line for people management, and the ability of HR to coach line managers, especially around managing performance, is highly valued.Reinforces the compliance role of the HR/personnel function (both legally and ethically) when it is necessary Building and maintaining good relationships A HR professional needs to have its finger on the pulse of what employees are feeling and how well they are working, balancing the interests of employees with the needs of the business. Delivering service on time with any budget implications Affective time management skills, keeping interested parties ‘in the loop’ Dealing with difficult customers Continuous Improvement Keeps in touch with their ‘customers' through networking in order to understand the business better, reacts to feedback and proactively develops (or contributes to the development of service i nnovations which yield ‘customer' advantage in order to provide continuous measured improvement (Kaizen concept).References: CIPD – The Truth about HR http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/Methods-of-Communication. topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8919. html Employee communication – Richard Croucher, Human Resource Management , A case study approach Michael Muller-Carmen, Richard Croucher and Susan Leigh. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey ï » ¿Developing Yourself As An Effective HR Practitioner I am doing this HR course to further my career at work. I am supervisor.I am involved in HR in my job, as we do not have an HR department. I work with my Manager at present to help conduct annual appraisals, disciplinary procedures and inductions. I have also been involved with redundancies.We are a medium sized company, which has expanded since I joined in 2000 but as we are growing we feel the need to have 1 person to take on the HR role so that all staff have someone official that they can go to with any problems that they may have.HRPM: this is an easy to use table containing behaviours, professional areas and bands of competence. It allows users to assess their capability in the HR role they have chosen – whether it is general or specialist.The two core professional areas are insights, strategies & solutions and leading HR.As an example of insights in my role at work there are quite a few members of staff who are nearing retirement age and will retire within around two ye ars of each other so we will be losing all the experience and knowledge that they bring to their roles within the business whether that be manufacturing cables or within our quality assurance department, So I have suggested that we employ younger people who we can train working closely with these people so that their knowledge can be passed on. This has been proven to work as we have two members of staff who joined us around 6 years ago straight from school and are some of our best operators as we have trained them in the way we work.The core of the map is about developing an understanding of the organisation that the user is working in, clerk of the works, contracts manager, and architect.Performance and reward – this allows individuals within a work place to use their own skills, behaviours and experience by using a reward scheme such as bonuses.Learning and Development: Build individual and organisational capability and knowledge to meet current requirements – in ma ny industries it is necessary to train an re-train employees as companies become more diverse to keep up with competitors for example, at my place of work we are starting to build completely different types of cable harnesses to what we would have been building one year ago so there is a lot of re-training required for all shop floor staff.Band 1 of the HRPM is most essential in the company I work for, as it is customer orientated.When I am doing the HR role full time my main customers will be shop floor staff although I will be working for others such as Engineers, Our Receptionist and the Managing Director.There are 8 behaviours on the HRPM.Curious: This person is open minded and focused on the future of the business they are in, inquisitive and is always thinking of ways to add to their organisation, focused on the future of the business they are in and is always thinking of ways to add value to their organisation.Decisive Thinker: This person takes in data and information and is a fast learner. They use the information they receive in a structured way to identify options and make recommendations.Skilled Influencer: This person can influence stakeholders to gain commitment and support within the company/industry they work within.Personally Credible: This person uses professionalism to bring value to the whole company they work in including stakeholders and peers.Collaborative: This person works very well with other people within and outside of work.Driven To Deliver: This person is determined and resourceful and uses these skills to deliver the best results for their company.Courage To Challenge: This person will speak up for what they believe in even if confontated with resistance and unfamiliar circumstances.Role Model: This person always leads by example, has integrity and independence and balances personal organisational and legal matters very well.Activity 2In my HR role, I have 4 main customers. These are shop floor staff which includes inductions for new members off staff, Engineers and Our Receptionist. Shop floor staff: I sit in on (and will conduct) appraisals. We have a written assessment, which the shop floor staff must fill out before attending the appraisal. This includes questions about personal development. In the appraisal we discuss the types of work they would like to do in the future, any pay/skills upgrades they may be getting and when they can expect to get them by. We also discuss any problems they may be having although we always encourage them to come to us (our manager, the other shop floor supervisor or myself) with any problems as they come up rather than waiting for the appraisal.The shop floor manager currently  conducts the appraisals and I sit in on them and take notes then type up all the outcomes of the appraisal with a copy to be given to the employee. I conduct Return To Work interviews for employees who have had any unauthorised absence(s). This is conducted using a form with set questions asked and recorded by my-self about the nature of the absence. The Employee and myself then sign it and it is then scanned into their personnel file. I have sat in on and taken the minutes for redundancy meetings. I have had a limited role in these. As well as taking minutes, I am there for moral support, as I know all of our employees personally due to My job as a supervisor and the number of years I have worked there.Engineers:When I am a full time HR practitioner, I will be able to support the engineers with any problems they may have with other members of staff such as conflicts about the way the engineers plan jobs and the way they are actually built on the shop floor. This can be an issue for both the engineers and shop floor staff as the engineers quote the times for each job but they are not always accurate so this means that the shop floor staff may appear to not build cables in the allocated time.New Employees:I will be conducting all inductions for new Employees – This i ncludes a walk around the factory introducing them to key members of staff such as our other supervisor, first aid, fire marshals and the other members of staff who they will be working closest with. I will also show them the fire exits, evacuation points and show them the fireboard with everybody’s names on. I will tell them when the fire alarm is tested and register them on out hand scanner, which clocks everyone in and out of the building and is also used for payroll. I will show them where the toilets are and what times their breaks and lunch breaks are. New Employees have to read our health and safety handbook thoroughly.Conflicting Needs:I prioritise these by consulting with my manager and shop floor staff so that I am able to decide what to deal with first. For example, I would deal with a conflict between two or more employees by speaking to them separately away from their normal work environment and if appropriate, I would get them together to talk about the problem. This would take priority over an appraisal or other day-to-day activity.Communication:I use email to communicate at work. The advantage of this is that everything that is said between Myself and the person I am communicating with is in writing and can be referred back to if necessary. The disadvantage of this is that if it is something urgent, the person I am communicating with may not see the email straight away, as many members of staff are not desk bound. Verbal communication: this has the advantage of getting the message across immediately and being able to get an instant reaction both verbally and assessing through their body language. The disadvantage of this is that you would not be able to accurately refer back to the conversation at a later date, as verbal conversations are not always accurately remembered.Printed memo:I use these to communicate anything I need to tell the whole shop floor as they do not have access to email in their workplace. The advantage of this is tha t I can carefully think about and word the memo exactly how I want it to be put across. It is also good because it is in writing and can be referred back to at a later date. The disadvantage is that I cant always get an instant reaction to it as everyone gets it at the same time so will not necessarily inform me of any feedback unless I ask them.An example of all the above methods of communication is that when we unfortunately had to make redundancies some time ago, there was a memo given to every member of staff from their manager to let them know that everyone was at risk of being made redundant. My Manager and I then had to liase with our legal specialists via telephone and by e-mail. We then sat with each individual and let him or  her know if they were being made redundant or not. We felt that sitting down with everyone individually, they would be able to speak about any concerns they had whether they were being made redundant or not.