Book Report on Sun Tzu Art of War and Management

A Peak from a Perspective A deep breath. We’re waging a war. It seems that in any kind of business, there is somewhat of a battle to be fought, whether with the company itself or with other organizations vis-à  -vis the company. As to how to skate through the rocky atmosphere with a graceful land from a triple hoop axel jump is discussed in the book, Sun Tzu: Art of War and Management although in a different view. Through its different principles in war, each concept is translated as to how it can be used in the business showground. The principles begin from making a decision whether waging a war is practical or not. In business perspective, this translates to the idea whether entering into a business would be rational. The viability of†¦show more content†¦They realized that not only fertilizer was needed but also chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides to irrigate the farmland. They capitalized on the opportunity that the market is not yet fully saturated or occupied. This follows th e concept of appraising the terrain, whether it is open or constricted. They don’t have much concern regarding their competitors because as long as they have cheaper sources of their products, they have an advantage over their rivals. But unlike Hi-Fern Marketing which doesn’t have enemies in the battlefield of business, the fierce competition of Alto Broadcasting System-Chronicles Broadcasting Network (ABS-CBN) and Gozon Marketing Association (GMA) is one of the popular rivalries present in the country. Each network’s objective is high ratings which translate into a heftier slice of the multi-billion peso advertising pie. For quite a while, ABS-CBN had a commanding lead over GMA. The latter was content to be a strong number two. Ironically, GMA was the number one station during the martial law era in the 70s under the stewardship of current ABS-CBN chief operating officer Freddie Garcia. When the Lopezes got back ABS-CBN after the Edsa Revolt in 1986, the late Geny Lopez was able to convince Garcia to return to his mother station. This exemplifies the concept of headhunting under the various principles advocated by Sun Tzu. It was Garcia who liftedShow MoreRelatedStudying Management Unit : Formativ e Assignment1631 Words   |  7 Pages 2ND NOVEMBER 2015 Candidate number: 23639 Tutor: Peter Nicholls STUDYING MANAGEMENT UNIT – FORMATIVE ASSIGNMENT Discuss whether knowing the history of management is useful for studying management today THE VALUE OF HISTORY OF MANAGEMENT 1. INTRODUCTION A deep knowledge of the history of management, together with a reasonable amount of critical thinking, is perceived as a driver that enables prospective students and managers in enhancing their inventive aptitude and creative capabilities (BridgmanRead MoreSun Tzu Art of War for Maxis2378 Words   |  10 PagesAppendix I UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE ACADEMIC YEAR: 2009/2010 JAN 2010 TRIMESTER UBMM1011 SUN ZI’S ART OF WAR BUSINESS STRATEGIES Assignment cover Sheet Course details Course : ______________________________________ Year and Semester of study : _______________________________________ Lecturer’s Name : __DR. WONG KEE LUEN_____________________ Assignment Details Topic : _____________________________________ Due Date : Week 7, 5 March 2010Read MoreSunzi Assignment- Ibm4648 Words   |  19 PagesDiscovering Opportunities Discovering opportunities is one of the philosophies that used by IBM Company. 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It comes from adapting to opponent’s weaknesses† said by Sun Zi. â€Å"If competitors focus on price, they sacrifice quality; If they focus on quality, they are vulnerable onRead MoreThe Role Of Human Resources Department At The Management Training Process1556 Words   |  7 PagesIn order to understand the role of the Human Resources department in the management training process, there must first be an understanding of the origin and true intention of the implementation of such department. Many business professionals may be under the impression that Human Resources is a modern institution created around the industrial era made famous by the teach ing and research of Dave Ulrich. To a certain extent this would be a correct assumption. There are multiple perceptions of the modernRead MoreLeadership And Leadership Implications For Swinging The Pendulum Too Far1925 Words   |  8 Pagesimportant book he read while in the military, â€Å"The Art of War,† by Sun Tzu. At that time, I took it as good advice to reflect on. I didn’t know how to apply his advice right away and as my experiences grew I knew I would encounter the quandary of do I share the whole story, a portion, or nothing at all. Years later I would return to his guidance again and again and ask myself, am I sharing too much? Am I not sharing enough? How much should I share about myself with others? There are management and leadershipRead MoreWhy Should Anyone Be Led By You1901 Words   |  8 Pages At the ripe age of 18, a coworker shared what he expressed was very important advice. He said, â€Å"The more people know about you, the more they will use against you.† He said it came from an important book he read while in the military, â€Å"The Art of War,† by Sun Tzu. At that time, I took it as good advice to reflect on. I didn’t know how to apply his advice right away but as my experiences grew I knew I would encounter the quandary of do I share the whole story, a portion, or nothing at all. YearsRead MoreThesis - Information Operations in Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Levels of War23393 Words   |  94 PagesNAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS INFORMATION OPERATIONS IN STRATEGIC, OPERATIONAL, AND TACTICAL LEVELS OF WAR: A BALANCED SYSTEMATIC APPROACH by Bunyamin Tuner September 2003 Thesis Advisor: Thesis Co-Advisor: Daniel Boger Steve Iatrou Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated toRead MoreStrategic Management Process12814 Words   |  52 PagesSTRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PROCESSS Strategic or institutional management is the conduct of drafting, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its long-term objectives[1]. It is the process of specifying the organization s mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans, often in terms of projects and programs, which are designed to achieve these objectives, and then allocating resources to implement the policies and plans, projectsRead MoreOrganizational Behaviour Analysis28615 Words   |  115 PagesMaking Sense of Organisations: Metaphorical knowledge. Traditional Management: Mechanism, Rationality and Bureaucracy. Modified Bureaucracy: The Human Relations Movement and Job Design. Organisational Culture: Real and imagined. Why Work?: The motivation to get out of bed in the morning. The Politics of Organising: Goals? Whose Goals? Power and Conflict in Organisations: Pathology or Normality? Leadership and Management: The gentle art of being in ch arge? Negotiation and Influence: What does it take

Machiavelli was the first “modern” thinker and the father...

Machiavelli was the first â€Å"modern† thinker and the father of realism. During his time, he considered rulers barbaric, wanting only money power. Machiavelli also observed human nature in which he came to learn that human nature is self-centered. He believed human nature doesn’t change. Thus, the â€Å"Prince† was written in purpose to how a prince should obtain and hold onto power. Machiavelli discusses five points that a ruler should follow in order to obtain the status of a prince. Machiavelli discusses that way for a ruler to get principality by the means of masses. He states to avoid hatred and to not oppress the masses. It is much easier to please the masses and obtain their trust. Along with pleasing the masses one has to take†¦show more content†¦But in order to acquire these lands a ruler must make sure the previous ruler has no heirs and must not alter old laws or impose new taxes. A quote from the â€Å"Prince† that satisfies this statement is, â€Å"everyone sees what you seem to be, few have direct experience of who you really are†. Basically, a ruler can put up an act in front the people but in all reality do what he needs to do for his self-interest. These principalities can be used to give advise to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Putin is a politician who served as the president since 1999-2008 and 2012-present. He has been reelected as president a few times. In 1999, Putin had promised to rebuild Russia, which helped to obtain votes, and he won the presidential election. When he came into play, Russia was a weak country and had a weak economy. As the president, Putin wanted to end corruption and make sure that Russia had a strong-marketed economy. An issue that Putin has been trying to fix is the economy. There were a high percentage of low class families in Russia and this has been a problem before Putin came into chair. The poverty rate in Russia at this present time has raised 1.1% la st year that is 13% of the population, 18.1 million people living below the poverty line. The minimum wage in Russia is about 4,600 roubles and the minimum cost of living is 6,200 roubles. The balance between the minimum wage and poverty population correlates with one another. Income isShow MoreRelatedThe Contributions of Nicolo Machiavelli and John Locke to Political Thought1763 Words   |  8 Pagesof Nicolo Machiavelli and John Locke to Political Thought In political thought, there have been many people that have progressed political theory. Nicolo Machiavelli and John Locke are two of those famous individuals. The research here will be focused on them. Each Machiavelli and John Locke support a different political theory. At first, the background and relevant contexts will be discussed. Each person has written something that has influenced modern politicalRead MoreRealist Analysis : The Russian Crimean Crisis2260 Words   |  10 Pagesmotivations of the main actors involved, from a Realist IR perspective. Modern philosophy considers realism as a fully broad term which consists of several movements all showing a unity when it comes to Political realism. On top of the realism founding thinkers overlies the famous names of Thucydides, Hobbes and Machiavelli. Those famous realism thinkers believe that the international world is an anarchic system which guides international relations. This one conceptRead MoreEssay on Renaissance Art1826 Words   |  8 PagesThe Renaissance was a period of European history that began in 14th-century Italy and spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. 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Republica Himalayan Science Fair Free Essays

REPUBLICA KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Himalayan Club de Scientia, an independent science club of Himalayan White House International College in New Baneshwor is organizing Himalayan Science Fair 2011. The event is taking place on January 28 and 29 from 10 am to 4:30 pm inside the college premise. Mukul Dhakal, Program Coordinator of the science exhibition and a grade 12 science student, shared, â€Å"We are organizing this nationwide science exhibition so that the students can get a platform where they will get to expose their talents. We will write a custom essay sample on Republica Himalayan Science Fair or any similar topic only for you Order Now This way students who have learned science theoretically, will also get to experience it practically. † Dhakal further informed that the program is entirely a student program and is the first of its kind nationwide inter-college science exhibition where students from +2 or equivalent can participate and show their talents. The program also includes seminars, cultural programs, food festival, education fair and gaming competitions. Students participating from outside the Kathmandu valley will be provided room and board from January 27 to January 30. Sarin Raj Pokharel, Finance Director of the HICSCI club and a grade 12 science student, said, â€Å"Our club used to organize many events in which only the students from our college could participate. So for the first time we are independently organizing a nationwide mega event where everyone can participate and get an exposure to the practical aspects of science. † â€Å"The main reason behind organizing this event is to find and promote junior scientists. Since the demand of science and technology seems to be growing, we thought it is good to start from the college level itself in order to foster young talents,† he said. He further informed that after successfully organizing the 1st valley-wide inter-college science exhibition in 2009 where 28 colleges had participated, this year HICSCI stepped forward to organize the 1st nationwide science exhibition. â€Å"We expect 30 teams from within the valley and 20 from outside. The event is being judged by science professors from Tribhuvan University. The first prize is Rs 25,000, second Rs 15,000 and third Rs 10,000,† informed Pokhrel. Those students and youth organizations interested to participate in the exhibition must register their team for the fair latest by Jan 20. How to cite Republica Himalayan Science Fair, Essay examples

Organisational Environment

Question: Write an essay on Organisational Environment. Answer: With the progression of industrialization, organisations throughout the world have concentrated more on the attainment of sustainable position within the marketplace. This has in turn created a complicated scenario for the new entrants as well as existing organisations with lower market power (Maduenyi et. al., 2015). Consistent increase in the number of organisations further enhances the opportunities for employees. The search for better career opportunities such as job satisfaction, high salary and diversified environment among others influences the employees to work with a higher level of efficiency. With respect to the concept of an ideal workplace, satisfaction of employees has become a matter of deep concern for the organizations in the accomplishment of their goals with the effective formulation as well as implementation of the strategies (Aydin Ceylan, 2009). Organisations therefore, concentrate more on developing their work environment with the use of innovative techniques and strategies to retain the experienced employees, thereby helping the organisations in achieving their goals within the target period. This ongoing process of creating an ideal work environment has on one hand enhanced opportunities for organisations in the external market, while on the other hand has posed innumerable challenges for them` due to high competition and huge workforce. In the past decades, organisations were found to be facing immense level of challenges not only in maintaining their workforce within the internal environment but also in competing with its rival organisation in the external environment. One of the key reasons behind facing these challenges is the utilisation of lesser effective accounting process and public relation (Frederick, 2014). The report intends to conduct an in-depth analysis on the contemporary issues that the organisations have been facing in the fields of accounting, management as well as public relation. The report further highlights the discussions related to the effective strategies so that organisations can manage these issues in order to ensure the attainment of its objectives. To provide a transparent understating of the stated issues, the report further includes the overview of management and other strategies that need to be adopted for avoiding the issues to the best possible extent. Overview of Organisational Environment The term 'organisation' refers to the method of managing a group of individuals to follow a single path for the attainment of a common objective. It also tends to encourage the individuals in enhancing their abilities, thereby maintaining the position of the organisation in the long run (Frederick, 2014). Organisations nowadays have consistently turned to utilize team-work as an essential strategy or management tool for its success. Besides, maintaining appropriate behaviour and culture within the work environment is considered to be the pillar for the management to build the organisational structure. However, due to haphazard communication process, organisations often face problems in achieving their expected outcomes. In this perspective, strategic involvement within the management plays a vital role in developing effectiveness of organisations and in retaining its position in the market (Maduenyi et. al., 2015). Aydin Ceylan (2009) have further elaborated the stated view by considering the organisations to be the most effective environment for the different concepts such as management, strategic tools, public relation and finance among others to contribute significantly in developing the overall organisation culture. Thus, strategic involvement is an essential practice in an organisation through which the management aims at balancing the requirements of external market as well as the organisations objective. Considering the strategic implementation, accounting information is one of those factors, which has significant contribution in developing strategies for organisations. Frederick (2014) supported the fact by affirming that before implementing any strategy, organisations need to evaluate several aspects such as financial position and management process. Therefore, it can be stated that these aspects are correlated with each other, which provides the organisations with an opportunity to a ttain their expected outcomes, thereby helping it to compete with the rival organisations in the external market. Strategies help the management to concentrate on a particular factor although the management first needs to understand the current requirements or issues of the organisation, so that they can implement further strategies in mitigating those issues (Aydin Ceylan, 2009). Professional accounting provides a transparent understanding of the financial capabilities of the organisation based on current situation as well as probabilities for its future growth. In the modern scenario, every organisation initially concentrates on attaining their economic goal by increasing revenue as well as the profit margin. This further helps the organisation in retaining its position in the target market. High market power provides an opportunity to control the market through its different strategies such as cost leadership, differentiation and change management (Ullah, et. al., 2014). However, to achieve the position parallel to maintaining transparent accounting process or evaluating accounting information frequently, adopting appropriate management process is also an important factor. In case the employees are unable to follow the strategy or provide a better outcome, the organisation will not be able to achieve its target in the long run. In this perspective, it can b e stated that organisations need to adopt appropriate management process and consider accounting information effectively to acquire knowledge on its financial capabilities, which will together raise the organisation at a higher position (Maduenyi, et. al., 2015). Identification of Contemporary Issues Accounting Issues Concentrating on the accounting information of an organisation, Maduenyi, et. al., (2015) have highlighted certain aspects such as return on investment (ROI), return on asset (ROA), revenue growth, profit margin, and stock price among others based on which an organisation can determine its financial position. The stated aspects will also lead to the evaluation of the limitations that can likely arise in near future. Considering the strategic involvement, these aspects not only help in determining the financial abilities of an organisation but also in examining the requirements of changing the management process and other strategic tools (Gney Bozkurt, 2012). In current situations, the organisations are mostly facing ethical issues in the process of examining accounting information such as accounting scandals, which is a matter of concern in managing the work process with appropriate strategy implementation (Mojgan, 2012). Gney Bozkurt (2012) have also stated that the increasing rate of accounting scandals and corruptions within the system has an impact on the auditing body of organisations. Jackling, et. al., (2007) have illustrated the fact by stating that the organisations recently have largely concentrated on gaining competitive advantages among other competitors for which they are consistently increasing their abilities and workforce. This factor further creates a complicated situation within the organisational environment, which influences several unethical activities within the work process. It has further been reported by Maduenyi, et. al., (2015) that a wide range of organisations is continuously facing problems for not disclosi ng their accounting policies. Concerning the stated fact, organisations need to follow certain regulations while auditing or managing the work process. Violating these regulations might lead the organisations towards a challenging phase, where the rival organisations might tend to dominate those organisations for gaining higher position in the market (Ullah, et. al., 2014). Lusher (2012) has evaluated the significance of accounting examination in maintaining the organisation flow, with the help of the following diagram (Figure 1). It indicates that within the past five decades, the accounting system has visibly evolved from a strict financial statement illustration to an ideal model by including external as well as internal environmental issues, government issues and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. Thus, it has been apparent that for current organisations, the accounting system is a collaboration of social, political and economical issues as well as opportunities through which organisations can expand their business in the target market (Unegbu, 2014). With respect to the issues within the organisation environment, since organisation management process completely depends on the accounting reporting procedure therefore issues or complications can become a barrier to the organisation growth (Hoque, 2006). Lusher (2012) has further reported that accounting scandals can emerge from the methodological errors rather than from judgemental mistakes. In most organisations, the management fails to prepare the accounting report in a transparent manner with every minute data, which therefore has an impact on its judgement process. Jackling, et. al., (2007) have highlighted the real examples of organisations that are currently facing legal issues as a result of audit-failure, corporate collapse as well as a lack of ethical consideration within the process. This can be properly understood with the examples of World Com based in the US and HIH Insurance based in Australia. Jackling, et. al., (2007) have further stated that these kinds of scandals result towards the breakdown of public relation as the accountants or auditors do not focus on public interest. Organisations although mainly focus on economic growth, but they have to consider social development and public interests as a part of the organisational goal (UNCTAD, 2013). Management Issues Management from the organisation's perspective concentrates on a wide range of people from different cultures, who work within a particular environment to attain a common objective (Heath Palenchar, 2008). Bedi (2014) has highlighted workforce diversity as an increasing challenge that organisations are facing in the contemporary market. In the present era, people from different cultural backgrounds work together to enhance the organisational capabilities, which further provides better opportunities to organisations in its target market (Heath Palenchar, 2008). However, Bedi (2014) has considered workforce diversity as a challenge for current organisations in managing the work process. Responsibilities of the management include providing guidance to the employees for following a particular flow. However, managing employees from different cultures and influencing them to perform using similar strategy might become a serious concern for the management (Singh, 2014). Naghibi Baban (2011) have highlighted change management as another issue that the organisations tend to face specifically in this competitive era. High competition therefore influences the market to shift towards more complicated phase with the frequent changes in the requirements. Bronn Bronn (2002) have supported the view by stating that in most cases the organisations do not include employees while implementing any decisions or changing the work process although they are bound to follow them. Therefore, due to a lack of transparent communication the management fails to communicate with the employees regarding the changing process, which impacts negatively on the overall organisational environment (Naghibi Baban, 2011). Abdullah (2009) has further illustrated that with the development of education system as well as training opportunities in organisations, well-trained employees are increasing along with other experienced or existing employees. This factor has become a major concern for the management in managing the internal environment of organisations. Based on the stated issues, it can be ascertained that organisations mostly face issues due to increased workforce, high competition and failure in maintaining diversified work environment, which needs to be overcome for enhancing their abilities in the market (Naghibi Baban, 2011). Issues in Maintaining Public Relation Public relation is the most effective part in current business context, which provides opportunities to the organisation in gaining competitive advantages. Venter Louw (2012) have defined public relation as the communication process that organisations maintain to retain their internal and external stakeholders. The public relation practitioner aims at enhancing the reputation of an organisation and concentrates on the maintenance of valuable relationship among the employees, customers and other stakeholders through well-maintained communication process (Tran Tian, 2013). According to the view presented by Mehta Xavier (2009), this practice is essential for the organisational growth based on which the management can increase its overall market power. Nowadays, people have huge range of options due to consistent increase in the new entrants in the market. Therefore, enhancing valuable relation with the stakeholders will help organisations to retain them effectively, which reduces th e competition as well (Venter Louw, 2012). It has been apparent from the stated fact that maintaining proper public relation provides huge opportunities to the organisations in this competitive marketplace. However, Venter Louw (2012) contradicted the fact by stating that organisations nowadays do not consider this practice seriously, which continuously has an impact on the goodwill of the organisation and increases the level of competition in the market. High competition can be considered as the major reason due to which organisations are unable to concentrate on maintaining proper public relation. Maduenyi, et. al., (2015) have elaborated the fact by affirming that in several situations, organisations implement diverse strategies to reduce competition and gain higher market value. However, maintaining proper relation with the stakeholders by providing quality product or service, job satisfaction and high ROI will help the organisation to reduce competition (Naghibi Baban, 2011). In current decades due to high competition, most of the organisations ignore the public relation while implementing any strategic change within the work process, which is an increasing concern for global industry (Walsh, et. al., 2003). Stating precisely, organisations mostly concentrate on increasing the revenue and profit for which they at times compromise the requirements of their stakeholders. This can further create conflicts among the stakeholders largely. Company goodwill is the most valuable asset specifically for expanding the business in the international market. However, without involving public relation in the organisations, as a strategic priority, maintaining company goodwill or high brand value will become a serious challenge for the organisation in this world of high competition (Mathew Ogedebe, 2012). Application of Knowledge The above sections have highlighted several issues faced by organisations in current era within accounting reporting system, management and maintaining public relation. To mitigate these concerns, organisations nowadays have applied huge range of techniques, which although provide profitable outcome to them in certain purviews however in case of international market managing certain dimensions along with high profit (Naghibi Baban, 2011). Concerning the fact, it has been apparent that organisations mostly face problem for being largely involved in competition and neglecting the requirements of the stakeholders or other social responsibilities. In this regard, the public relation is the most vital factor for the organisation to expand, which can be managed through providing high return to the investors so that they can be more interested towards the organisation rather than investing in other competitor organisations. Large number of investors indicates high financial capabilities, w hich provides huge support to the organisation in maintaining competition with profit (Venter Louw, 2012). With regard to the financial perspective, organisations need to be more conscious regarding the disclosure of auditing policies, which will help it to reduce errors in audit reports or accounting system. Since organisations largely depend on the financial reports prior to implementing any strategic change therefore reducing errors within auditing system will also enhance positive outcome to the strategy implementation process (Heath Palenchar, 2008). On the other hand, management is the most essential part of an organisation, which is involved in every aspect such as accounting, maintaining work environment, public relation and in encouraging employees towards achieving its goals. Thus, organisations need to categorise the responsibility of the management regarding these aspects so that the system can follow a transparent method, which will eventually reduce errors or mismanagement within the organisational proceedings (Naghibi Baban, 2011). The illustration provided above (Figure 2) can be considered as the preferable structure for an ideal organisation through which the management can control the system effectively. It clearly indicates a transparent process of work management including Strategic Apex involved in decision making process after evaluating the reports presented by Techno-Structure, the analysts of financial aspects. Middle-line managers and support staff are the management that is involved in processing the changes taking place within the work environment. They also encourage the employees to follow the strategies in which operative core elements are the employees, who actually complete the task by following the change within work process (Lunenburg, 2012). Hence, it can be ascertained that organisations need to follow a transparent work procedure by providing different responsibilities to management, thereby reducing mismanagement within the diversified work environment (Heath Palenchar, 2008). Strategies to Overcome Considering the above mentioned applications, certain strategies can be suggested to organisations for managing accounting system and public relation in this competitive market. In case of accounting reporting system, the System Theory is the most effective theory through which organisations can maintain the relation between external environment and organisations (Mehta Xavier, 2009). It has been apparent above from Figure 1 that in 21th century the financial report does not only include financial results or illustration of organisations, it further includes internal and external environment issues, CSR report and other governmental or ethical issues. Therefore, through System Theory the report can further provide more transparent result on the external environmental issues and implement strategies accordingly (Brnn Brnn, 2002). As per the external environment and public relation, Tim Hortons can be considered as a perfect example for maintaining its quality and public relation con sistently. The company is serving since 36 years with high revenue and has expanded the business across the world (Nelson, 2007). Since the establishment, the company has concentrated on building relation with its stakeholders by providing better quality products and high return which has put the company into a higher position in the international market (Lunenburg, 2012). Decision making process is another vital concern while focusing on the reduction of errors or mismanagement within the work process. In most situations, organisations involve several employees or managers into a single responsibility such as preparing financial forecast, annual statement and sustainability report among others. Involving excess number of employees influences complication regarding calculations, thereby increasing the level of errors in auditing. This might in turn lead towards strategic implementation failure in the future course of actions (Heath Palenchar, 2008). The diagram (Figure 3) shown below can be considered as a model for appropriate management system within an organisation (Brnn Brnn, 2002). Thus, it can be inferred that providing responsibilities to one particular management will increase the speed and will provide a transparent outcome. Additionally, providing better facilities to the stakeholders including employees on one hand enhance the public relation, while on the other hand encourage employees to work hard for attaining organisation goal (Brnn Brnn, 2002). In this perspective, it can therefore be suggested that organisations need to consider ethical aspects and social responsibilities within the organisational process with centralised decision-making, which will eventually increase its efficiency in the market (Heath Palenchar, 2008). Conclusion From the above discussions and evidences, it can be ascertained that due to high competition, organisations nowadays concentrate immensely on gaining competitive advantages. However, this practice can further put the organisations into a challenging phase since the international market involves a wide range of competitors as well as huge market to operate in. Accounting issues are one the most important concerns in comparison with other problems evident within the organisational operations. The management considers the financial report or sustainability report for evaluating the current position of the organisation as compared to the other rival companies. Therefore, errors in the report might lead the organisation towards mismanagement or even failure to operate in the internal market. Another increasing concern that has been highlighted from the issues includes lack of transparency within the communication process which enhances conflict among the stakeholders and organisation. Bas ed on these issues, the suggested strategies can further be considered as the most effective solutions through which the organisations can reduce their financial errors within auditing process as well as maintain positive public relation along with high profit. Hence, it can be concluded that although high competition forces organisations towards gaining huge market power, concentrating on satisfying the stakeholders can provide more successful outcomes in terms of company goodwill or sustainability. References Amisha Mehta and Robina Xavier, Public Relations Management in Organisations (2009) An Introduction to Public Relations: from Theory to Practice 190. Angus O. Unegbu, Theories of Accounting: Evolution Developments, Income-Determination And Diversities In Use (2014) 5 Research Journal of Finance and Accounting 1. Anna L. Lusher, What is the Accounting Profession's Role in Accountability of Economic, Social, and Environmental Issues? (2012) 3 International Journal of Business and Social Science 13. Ben-Piet Venter, and Faan Louw, Is Public Relations without a Future? A South African Perspective (2012) 2 Sociology Mind 293. Beverley Jackling, Barry J. Cooper, Philomena Leung, and Steven Dellaportas Professional Accounting Bodies' Perceptions of Ethical Issues, Causes of Ethical Failure and Ethics Education (2007) 22 Managerial Auditing Journal 928. Bulent Aydin and Adnan Ceylan, The Role of Organizational Culture on Effectiveness (2009) Ekonomika A Management 33. Diwakar Singh, Managing Cross-cultural Diversity: Issues and Challenges in Global Organizations (2014) IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering 43. Fred C. Lunenburg, Organizational Structure: Mintzbergs Framework (2012) 14 International Journal of Scholarly, Academic, Intellectual Diversity 1. Hafij Ullah, Jamil Ahmed Khonadakar, and Syeda Tamanna Fahim Role of Accounting Information in Strategic Decision Making in Manufacturing Industries in Bangladesh (2014) 14 Global Journal of Management and Business Research 9. Haslinda Abdullah, Major Challenges to the Effective Management of Human Resource Training and Development Activities (2009) 2 Journal of International Social Research 11. James Mathew, and Peter M. Ogedebe, The Role of Public Relations in a Non-Governmental Organization: A Case Study of Ten Selected Christian Churches in Maiduguri (2012) 3 Academic Research International 202. James P Walsh, Klaus Weber, and Joshua D. Margolis, Social Issues and Management: Our Lost Cause Found (2003) 29 Journal of Management 859. Michael Regester and Judy Larkin, Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations: A Casebook of Best Practice, (Kogan Page Publishers, 2008) 104. Mohammad Ali Naghibi and Hediyeh Baban, Strategic Change Management: The Challenges Faced by Organizations (2011) 4 International Conference on Economics and Finance Research 542. Nelson, Organizational Environments and Cultures (2007) External Environments 31. Peggy Simcic Brnn, and Carl Brnn, Issues Management as a Basis for Strategic Orientation (2002) 2 Journal of Public Affairs 247. Prabha Renuka Horo Frederick, Organisational Behaviour and Its Role in Management of Business (2014) 6 Global Journal of Finance and Management 563. Preeti Bedi, Poonam Lakra and Ekanshi Gupta, Workforce Diversity Management: Biggest Challenge or Opportunity for 21st Century Organizations (2014) 16 IOSR Journal of Business and Management 102. Quangyen Tran and Yezhuang Tian, Organizational Structure: Influencing Factors and Impact on a Firm (2013) 3 American Journal of Industrial and Business Management 229. Robert L. Heath and Michael J. Palenchar, Strategic Issues Management: Organizations And Public Policy Challenge, (Sage Publications, 2008) 113. Safa Mojgan, Examining the Role of Responsibility Accounting in organizational Structure (2012) 4 American Academic Scholarly Research Journal 1. Sylvia Maduenyi, Adunola Oluremi Oke, Olatunji Fadeyi, and Akintunde M. Ajagbe Impact of Organisational Structure on Organisational Performance (2015) International Conference on African Development Issues 354. UNCTAD, International Accounting and Reporting Issues (2013) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 1. Zahirul Hoque, Methodological Issues In Accounting Research: Theories, Methods And Issues, (Spiramus Press Ltd., 2006) 384.

Accountability and Open Government Cheung, Chor-yung Essay Example

Accountability and Open Government Cheung, Chor-yung Essay In a civilized society, the use of political power is a profound responsibility. Holders of public offices can only exercise their authority legitimately if they do so in accordance with principles, rules, and procedures agreed by or acceptable to the society at large, and it is incumbent upon the public officials to justify their decisions with good reasons if challenged. Failure to do so will likely render their exercise of political power unacceptable. Legitimate power, in other words, must be subject to public scrutiny. Power holders who fail the test of public scrutiny will be held responsible, and they will have to step down from their offices if those failures are regarded as sufficiently serious. In the parlance of modern political studies, we call such a system an accountability system. Since accountability in this context comprises both the meaning of giving an account to explain and justify a government decision and of being responsible for its consequences, accountability also implies open government to facilitate public scrutiny of acts of government. Accountability and the Basic Law Accountability is a central but complicated concept in the Basic Law, the mini-constitution of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). A careful reading of the chapter on the political structure of the Basic Law shows that at least four different kinds of accountability can be identified in this constitutional document; they are legal, administrative, deliberative, and political accountability respectively. We will write a custom essay sample on Accountability and Open Government Cheung, Chor-yung specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Accountability and Open Government Cheung, Chor-yung specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Accountability and Open Government Cheung, Chor-yung specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer a) Legal Accountability Paragraph two of Article 43 of the Basic Law stipulates that the Chief Executive of the HKSAR is accountable to the Central Peoples Government (CPG) and the HKSAR in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law. More specifically, Article 64 provides that the HKSAR government (HKSARG) must abide by the law and be accountable to the HKSAR Legislative Council (Legco) and shall implement laws passed by the Legco and already in force. In other words, the Chief Executive must abide by the Basic Law to discharge his duties to implement the CPGs one country, two systems policy over the HKSAR and to act for the best interest of it. The Chief Executive (as the head of the HKSARG) and the executive authorities also have the legal obligation to observe the laws and to implement them as and when required in accordance with the due process. Failure to do so will make the Chief Executive and his officials legally accountable, and Article 73(9) also empowers the Legco to initiate impeachment pro ceedings against the Chief Executive if no less than one-fourth of all Legco members charge him with serious breach of law or dereliction of duties. b) Administrative Accountability As the Chief Executive is appointed by (Article 45) and accountable to the CPG, he is administratively a subordinate of the Premier of the State Council, who represents the CPG to make the appointment. The Chief Executive therefore should be held accountable to the Premier for the good administration of the HKSAR. Articles 57 and 58 of the Basic Law also prescribe that the Commission Against Corruption and the Commission of Audit, the heads of which are both principal officials nominated by the Chief Executive, shall work independently and be solely accountable to the Chief Executive in discharging their administrative duties to fight corruption and to audit public expenditure within the HKSAR respectively. Article 99 of the Basic Law provides that all civil servants shall be responsible to the government, which effectively means that they are all, via their respective line managers, accountable to the Chief Executive for the good administration and implementation of government policy. Since the introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System (POAS) in July 2002, all principal officials with policy portfolios are all made directly accountable to the Chief Executive for the outcome of their respective policy portfolio (more on this in the next section). However, for principal officials from the disciplinary forces other than the Commissioner of the Commission Against Corruption (i.e. Commissioner of Police, Director of Immigration, and Commissioner of Customs and Excise) who are not responsible for policy making, administratively they are directly accountable to the Secretary for Security (herself also a principal official) as their departments fall within the ambit of the latters policy portfolio. c) Deliberative Accountability Article 64 of the Basic Law specifically prescribes that the HKSARs executive authorities shall be accountable to the Legco, in which two of the requirements (i.e., presenting regular policy addresses and answering Legco questions) are clearly related to providing information to and explaining and justifying government decisions in the legislature. I think it is reasonable to call this kind of requirements deliberative accountability, as they are meant to make the government accountable in providing regular information to the Legco to promote public debate and scrutiny of government action. d) Political Accountability It can be argued that the Basic Law also prescribes some form of political accountability between the executive and the legislature, in which the Chief Executive is required to resign in the event that his major policy fails to inspire confidence and support. However, the arrangements in the Basic Law in this respect are both unique and complicated. Similar to the parliamentary system in western democracies, Article 64 of the Basic Law stipulates that the HKSARG is accountable to the legislature for matters relating to taxation and public expenditure. It also requires that if the executive ultimately (cf Article 52) losses the confidence of the legislature in these matters or matters relating to major government legislation, the Chief Executive has to resign. However, Legcos initial refusal to approve a budget or a major government bill will not lead to the dismissal of the government of the day; instead, in Hong Kongs so-called executive-led system, the Chief Executive is given the advantage at this stage to dissolve the Legco (Article 50). Only when the new Legco again shows its lack of confidence in the government at a subsequent stage by refusing to pass the same bill that the Chief Executive is held politically accountable and is required to resign.1 It is also important to note that, unlike the common practice in a parliam entary democracy, the passage of a vote of no confidence against the executive in the Legco will not automatically lead to the fall of the government or any ministerial dismissal. While the arrangements in the Basic Law in this regard are rather uncommon, it is still reasonable to think that when it comes to political accountability, the executive is responsible for getting the support of the legislature in matters relating to taxation, public spending, and important government legislation, though it requires two consecutive legislatures no confidence in these matters to trigger the removal of a Chief Executive, which gives considerable leverage to the executive in manipulating the first legislature to succumb to its wishes. The Principal Officials Accountability System and Its Problems In July 2002, the second Tung Chee-hwa administration of the HKSAR introduced the POAS to the government, in which all policy making principal officials, comprising the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Financial Secretary, the Secretary for Justice, and 11 other policy secretaries, are no longer manned by civil servants. Instead, they have all become political appointees with direct policy responsibility to the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive admits that since 1997, government policy and operation have been subject to increasing critical scrutiny by the public, the media, and the Legco. The government acknowledges that in a sense, the introduction of the POAS was a response to calls for resignations of senior officials to take responsibility for serious policy failures since the changeover of sovereignty. For example, in March 1999, after having heavily lobbied the pro-government legislators, the government managed to just overcome a no confidence motion in the Legco against the Secretary for Justice for her alleged failure to defend the rule of law by disallowing the prosecution to proceed against a newspaper proprietor Sally Aw who was well connected to the Chief Executive on corruption charges. In June 2000, a motion of no confidence against the Chairperson of the Housing Authority and the Director of Housing was carried in Legco, for legislators had lost confidence in the two officials in their ability to reform the public housing sector and found them politically responsible for the short-piling scandal, in which corrupt officials allowed substandard piles to be built in government housing estates. Although the non-civil servant Chairperson, Ms Rosanna Wong, resigned voluntarily just before the passage of the vote, the Director of Housing, being a civil servant with security of t enure for his job, did not step down to take policy responsibility. In essence, properly understood, the POAS is a form of individual ministerial responsibility in which individual policy maker, unlike in the past, is required to shoulder the consequences of policy failures. There are, however, two fundamental problems with the POAS. First, as the Chief Executive is not popularly elected and the politically appointed principal officials are not responsible to the public or to the elected Legco, the POAS will only enhance the Chief Executives power to fire and hire principal officials if he finds their performance not to his liking instead of promoting democratic accountability. Second, since Hong Kong has yet to develop constitutional conventions governing the operation of individual ministerial responsibility, it is far from certain that the introduction of the POAS will enhance principal officials accountability. A case in hand to illustrate this is the penny stocks fiasco. The fiasco erupted less than one month after the introduction of the POAS, in which the local stock market lost HK$10 billion in stock value in one day caused by the ill-conceived proposal of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) to de-list stocks trading in the local market below 50 Hong Kong cents for 30 consecutive days without consolidating their shares. While both the Financial Secretary and the Secretary for the Financial Services and Treasury (SFST) are responsible for this policy area, they both refused to take responsibility, arguing that the HKEx was not a government department and the proposal was not initiated by the government, though the SFST subsequently admitted in Legco that he was sent a copy of the summary of the HKEx proposals in advance but failed to have read them before their public release. Although the Financial Secretary appointed an inquiry to look into the fiasco, there still have no signs of seeing the development and acceptance of constitutional conventions determining when and under what conditions a minister should be held responsible for indirect departmental faults (or the so-called vicarious responsibility of a minister). Likewise, before there are well established conventions governing the resignation and censure of responsible officials and regulating the relationship between politically appointed min isters and politically neutral civil servants, it remains to be seen if the POAS can really promote accountability and nurture a culture of responsible governance in the HKSAR. Accountability and Democracy Hong Kong is no democracy at the moment, with the Chief Executive being selected only by 800 privileged people and at least half of the seats in the legislature not returned by universal suffrage before 2007. Without democracy, no accountability system is secured, for not being responsible to the people, power holders will have no incentives to make the decision making process transparent, will explain and justify their decisions only at their discretions, and will not be held accountable even if their policies have already lost the confidence of the people. The POAS, as mentioned in the previous section, is flawed because principal officials are not even held responsible to the semi-democratic Legco, not to say to the people for policy failures. There is no institutional guarantee that the non-popularly elected Chief Executive will respect the judgment of the Legco and the people in issues related to the accountability of the principal officials. While it is true that the Basic Law has provisions providing for a system of accountability covering the legal, administrative, deliberative, and the political aspects, given the undemocratic nature of the present political system in the HKSAR, each and every one of this aspect needs to be reformed or strengthened if we take accountability seriously. In the case of legal accountability, while the Chief Executive is required to be accountable to the HKSAR, meaning that he shall discharge his constitutional and legal duties in the best public interest, it is far from secure that his perception of public interest will not be more in line with the 800 people whom have the power to select him than with the general public. We must also remember that Legcos power to impeach the Chief Executive in case of serious breach of law or dereliction of duties is not final, for even if the impeachment motion is carried with the support of two-third of the members, it is still up to the CPG to make the final decision to remove the Chief Executive. As regards administrative accountability, since the Commission Against Corruption and the Commission of Audit are there to check the executive authorities against corruption and inappropriate use of public expenditure, accountability will be enhanced if both Commissions are made accountable to the Legco instead of to the Chief Executive, as the latter, being the head of the HKSARG, is still part of the executive authorities whose performance and behaviour are required to be scrutinised by the Commissions concerned. Likewise, some other offices for the enhancement of administrative accountability not provided for in the Basic Law, such as the Office of the Ombudsman, should be made accountable to the Legco than to the Chief Executive. Deliberative accountability is one area in which the lack of democracy will make it highly ineffective. While the Basic Law requires the Chief Executive to present policy addresses to the Legco, the current Chief Executive Mr Tung Chee-hwa is, to say the least, most reluctant to appear before the Legco to answer questions, and his refusal to meet the public after the delivery of his Policy Address 2003 demonstrated that public deliberation of government policy will not be taken seriously without democratic accountability. Further, we must also remember that quality deliberation requires free access to relevant information. In this respect, the lack of legislation for free access to public information is a major handicap for the promotion of deliberative accountability, and a right balance must be struck in the protection of legitimate state secrets and the right of the media and the public to know about important and even sensitive official information. In addition, to further enhanc e the quality of deliberation in the Legco, Legco members and their political parties should be given more public funding to enhance their policy research capacity so that quality alternative policy proposals could be produced to compete with the governments proposals. Political accountability, in its full sense, cannot exit without full democracy, for policy makers can only legitimately exercise their political powers so long as they still have the confidence of the people. In this strict sense, the HKSAR will only have genuine political accountability the day when full democracy is introduced. This applies both to the election of the Chief Executive and of the Legco. If either one losses the mandate of the people, they have to step down from office. Under the present arrangements of a semi-democratic Legco and a Chief Executive returned by only 800 people, political accountability, at most, only applies to those Legco members who are elected by universal suffrage. This is a highly unsatisfactory situation and shows that the exercise of political power in the HKSAR falls far short of the civilised requirements of responsible government. The Basic Law nevertheless stipulates that the Executive Authorities and the Chief Executive are accountable to the Legco. They also need to get the support of the latter in matters relating to taxation and important government legislation. However, the Basic Law also gives the advantage to the Chief Executive to dissolve the Legco in case such a support is lacking in the first instance. Under the present circumstances, this executive-led feature of the political system will further undermine the ethos of accountability, for the hurdle for an elected Legco to climb in order to remove a non-popularly elected Chief Executive who has lost the confidence of the legislature is unreasonably high. Also, owing to the mixed composition of the Legco, with members returning both from indirect elections in small-sized functional/electoral constituencies and from direct elections under the proportional representative system, together with the requirement of split voting among Legco members in Leg co initiated proposals, the legislature is fragmented, making it almost impossible to form a coherent and effective alternative to the executive. The political accountability of the government to the legislature is therefore at best ineffective, at worst non-existent.

Inspiring Quotes - Inspirational Quotes For Stress Relief

Inspiring Quotes - Inspirational Quotes For Stress Relief Often, a shift in perspective can help relieve the stress of a variety of situations; thats where inspiring quotes can be not just fun to read, but great for stress management as well. The following group of inspirational quotes goes a step furthereach quote is followed up with an explanation on how the concept relates to stress, and a link is supplied to supply you with additional information to take things a step further. The result is a collection of inspiring quotes you can share, and an increase in optimism and motivation as well. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.- Mother Teresa Being fully present today is not only a great way to maximize your success, but its a very effective strategy for relieving stress as well. If you struggle with anxiety and rumination, try mindfulness. We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. -Anne Frank I love this quote. And while different specific things may lead to happiness for each of us, we all tend to respond to the same basic elements, according to positive psychology research. Heres what makes most people happywhat specific things make you happy? Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. -Robert Schuller Perhaps surprisingly, perfectionists can be LESS productive because the intense focus on perfection can lead to procrastination (or missing deadlines entirely!) and other success-sabotaging side-effects. Do you have perfectionistic tendencies? If so, what might you do today to allow yourself to enjoy a successfully imperfect day? We turn not older with years but newer every day. -Emily Dickinson This is a great quote to remember each birthday, or on days when youre feeling your best times just may be behind you. One thing I started doing for birthdays (and adding to on ho-hum days) is creating a bucket list of great things I still intend to do. What might be on your bucket list? Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way. -Douglas Pagels Sometimes adding some fun activities into your schedule can give you the energy and motivation to handle the work of your day with a smile. Other times, these activities can lighten your mood, or provide you with a sense of meaning that can get you out of bed in the morning. What imaginary letters might lessen your stress today? Never regret. If its good, its wonderful. If its bad, its experience. Victoria Holt I’m a big fan of savoring experiences (the positive psychology way)- that’s easy! Accepting and learning from mistakes is challenging, but no less important for our emotional wellbeing, and positively vital for our stress levels! What mistakes can be embraced and mined for good experience? Being happy doesnt mean that everything is perfect. It means that youve decided to look beyond the imperfections. unknown Stress relief, like happiness, doesnt come from having a perfect life. It comes from appreciating the great stuff, and coping with the less-than-great stuff. What do you appreciate in life? What can you look beyond? Freedom is mans capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves. Rollo May One of the best ways to change your life is to change the way you think about things. Changing your perspective can change everything. How would your day be better if your thoughts shifted? He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger. -Japanese Wisdom Its not always easy to do, but if youre able to laugh instead of crying or screaming, stressors are easier to handle. Think of a time when you did this well, and remember your strength. A childs life is like a piece of paper on which every passer by leaves a mark.-Chinese Proverb We are all affected by the experiences we have in life, especially as children. Helping kids learn healthy stress management techniques (and reminding ourselves at the same time, or learning along with them) is one of the best gifts you can give. How might you make a difference in the life of a child today?

Critical Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Review - Assignment Example In many cases, the performance or social situation is not used though sometimes it is considered with horror. For individuals who have not attained 18 years of age, there is persistence of the disorder for six or more months before its diagnosis. This disorder must trigger clinical distress that is vital in the occupational, social, or other significant functioning areas. Social phobia is not due to abuse of substance, medication, or medical condition. The disorder also involves excessive worry, or self-consciousness on what others think of the victim (Turner et al., 2002). The victim of the disorder is always afraid of being judged, shamed, or ridiculed by others, hence absence of oneself in social situations, incidence or prevalence, nature or course of social phobia, as well as the related social and economic burden from a local and global perspective. Studies based on communities have made it clear in their reports that social phobia can be a lifetime issue. The prevalence ranges from 3% to 13%. Many individuals who suffer from the disorder fear speaking in public. A few of those suffering from the ailment also fear relating to strangers and meeting new people (Rutz, 2006). In outpatient hospitals, social phobia ranges from 10% to 20% of patients suffering from anxiety disorders. This disorder does not arise in situations of inpatient admissions. Social phobia starts in teenagers, which sometimes emerges from the history of childhood shyness, or social inhibition. Nevertheless, children experience its start in early stages of their childhood. Onset may at times follow a humiliating and stressful experience. Although other people do recover or improve from this disorder, it is always prolonged, and the course fluctuates with stressors of life. For instance, social phobia may decrease when a person with the disorder marries. Individuals suffering from social phobia may arise with issues, negative evaluation, and rejection or anti-criticism. Victims find it di fficult to be assertive, and feel inferior or lowly placed in the society. These victims possess inadequate social skills that are always anxious. The victims may also underperform at school because of participation in class or avoiding classes. People suffering from the disorder do not perform at work because of being anxious. They also fear speaking in public to colleagues and authorities. These people have few relations; hence, they do not marry (Long, 2005). In the worst instances, the victims leave school, work, hang with unfulfilling friends and totally stay away from dating or refrain from their original family. B) Psychosocial and contextual factors that increase the likelihood of admission to an acute mental health setting (Hint: Consider case examples from your clinical placements and what the research literature informs about precipitating, and maintaining factors for any given individual with the mental health issue chosen). Although psychosocial and particularly behavio ural interventions appear to be effective in the reduction of mental disorders, they do have negative effects. These include the following: they may be insufficient because their effects vary in different children, the cost is high in terms of time and resources, and there is minimal evidence on generalization, maintenance, implementing across domain and settings simultaneously to arrive at optimal effects (Fabiano & Pelham, 2002). As behavioural strategies need persistent and