Ethics in Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in Negotiation - Essay Example It is usually an ‘anything that sells’ approach that is adopted by such sellers. Sellers tend to arbitrarily decide on prices since merchandise is acquired from a plethora of sources with no objective means of deciding on price (Kugel, 2013). They thus pitch a price according to the profile of the customer who visits, based on personal discernments about their willingness and ability to pay for the items. Most customers are however aware of this fact, and the more affluent ones quickly reject the initial price as it borders on exploitation. Hence, bargaining becomes necessary to avoid being taken advantage of by crafty retailers practicing price discrimination to maximize profits. With stalls set up very close to one another, a customer can look through the catalog of a number of vendors whilst standing in one of them. He can thus be aware of the quality of items offered by other vendors, which if greater, can be used as leverage against the current one. Vendors are typically reluctant to let go of customers once they start negotiations, and threats about opting to visit other stalls are extremely effective in getting them to reduce their asking price. They are aware that customers benefit from choice and selection, and if they do not comply with their reasonable wishes, another vendor will. A major factor behind the existence and prevalence of bargaining in flea markets is that of information asymmetry. In a normal market, a customer is aware about the details of merchandise such as the manufacturer, area of production, quality etc. This is not the case with flea markets, where customers are aware that they may be getting anything from a good quality reject of a top notch brand to a used up, ready for scrap item. Sellers in most cases know more about the products origins etc., and can thus often fool customers in believing that the product may be of higher quality than what

Evaluation of disciplinary interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation of disciplinary interview - Essay Example So I had to discard my initial strategy of being passive and straight away adopt assertive manner to explain my reasons. The most important factor that favoured me was that the interviewer was ready to listen to my reasons with open mind. It was for these reasons that I was able to satisfactorily explain my erratic timekeeping. The open disposition of the interviewer greatly helped to ease my tension. The manager’s understanding of human behaviour greatly facilitated my strategy to come to the desired outcome. All through the interview, I never felt threatened. But the mild rebuke from the manager about my not being open with him regarding my personal problems and timely communication of the same was justifiable. Though, he was quite sympathetic about my child’s health problem, he informed me gently that he too is a father but at the same time, being a manager, he is also accountable for his workers performance as well as for their welfare. Had I discussed my problems with him, I would have better managed my office and personal life. Indeed, I was let off with warning that any future late hours would be treated as such and no leverage would be given. The feedback was an important proceeding that comprised of open class discussion of my role play video. The peer observation was the highlight of the interview. I was informed that the first assumption of the manager about my late coming had really taken me by surprise and I had no alternative but to become assertive to maintain my credibility. I had also maintained respect for my manager that had shown through my facial expression and non verbal behaviour. My manager was very open minded and empathetic that had helped me to be frank and discuss my personal problems. The attitude and behaviour of the manager inspired trust which became the major element of facilitating satisfactory outcome of the interview. The manager’s assertion that effective communication helps to solve problem

Analysis of the global challenges and economic situation in Argentina Essay

Analysis of the global challenges and economic situation in Argentina - Essay Example Inflation As the economic activity in Argentina has expanded in 2010, there was a sudden increase in money supply which has resulted in increasing the consumer prices. According to the Central Bank of Argentina, the YoY increase in money supply during Feb 2011 increased by nearly 27.8%. This resulted in increased inflation figures for Argentina. As a result, the exporters of the country, mainly in the manufacturing sector are losing their competitive position in the market, driven by increase in domestic costs and relative stability in the exchange rates (Ken 2011). â€Å"Beyond entrenched high inflation, the erosion of external competitiveness during 2010-2011 is another thorny issue the next administration will have to face, which, if not properly handled, could end up generating a crash- rather than soft-landing of the economy in 2012† - Alberto Ramos, Economist, Goldman Sachs, Mar 2011. As a result, Argentina’s middle class suffered most due to high inflation, there by affecting mobile phones, cable, petrol, health insurance premiums etc. in the month of Jan 2011 According to Argentina’s national statistics agency Indec, the country’s annual inflation in was 10% by the end of Feb 2011 and 10.6% by Jan 2011. Inflation was mainly supported by increase in prices of tourism services, clothing and increase in prices of food and beverages. Also, according to EIU, the inflation was supported by the government’s intervention in the agricultural sector which has resulted in the reduced production of important foodstuffs such as beef. Many local consulting companies in Argentina differ on these official inflation figures are they estimated the country’s inflation... This paper provides a thorough analysis of the recent economic developments in Argentina. The essay aims to analyse the current economic environment in Argentina, including GDP, Inflation, Industrial Production Index, agriculture, the country’s debt situation, foreign exchange rate, unemployment, Consumer ABS, Central Government revenue and expenditures. Argentina’s GDP grew by 9.2% year-on-year through the quarter ended Dec 2010. The economy’s strong performance was driven by domestic demand, with private consumption rising 11.5% year on year, up from 8.9% in the previous quarter. As the economic activity in Argentina has expanded in 2010, there was a sudden increase in money supply which has resulted in increasing the consumer prices. According to the Central Bank of Argentina, the YoY increase in money supply during Feb 2011 increased by nearly 27.8%. The country aims to impose trade barriers due to high imports. In 2010, Argentina reported 46% rise in its imports, to reach $56.4 billion. This was mainly due to heavy imports of intermediate goods used by automobile industry and capital goods industry. Argentina has stepped up trade barriers in terms of import duties or the range of products. The government should remove growth obstacles by reducing import and export tariffs and moderating its stringent price control measures. This would result in increasing the trade activity with other countries. It would also result in increasing the investors’ confidence which would result in increased FDI and FII in the country

Evaluation of disciplinary interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation of disciplinary interview - Essay Example So I had to discard my initial strategy of being passive and straight away adopt assertive manner to explain my reasons. The most important factor that favoured me was that the interviewer was ready to listen to my reasons with open mind. It was for these reasons that I was able to satisfactorily explain my erratic timekeeping. The open disposition of the interviewer greatly helped to ease my tension. The manager’s understanding of human behaviour greatly facilitated my strategy to come to the desired outcome. All through the interview, I never felt threatened. But the mild rebuke from the manager about my not being open with him regarding my personal problems and timely communication of the same was justifiable. Though, he was quite sympathetic about my child’s health problem, he informed me gently that he too is a father but at the same time, being a manager, he is also accountable for his workers performance as well as for their welfare. Had I discussed my problems with him, I would have better managed my office and personal life. Indeed, I was let off with warning that any future late hours would be treated as such and no leverage would be given. The feedback was an important proceeding that comprised of open class discussion of my role play video. The peer observation was the highlight of the interview. I was informed that the first assumption of the manager about my late coming had really taken me by surprise and I had no alternative but to become assertive to maintain my credibility. I had also maintained respect for my manager that had shown through my facial expression and non verbal behaviour. My manager was very open minded and empathetic that had helped me to be frank and discuss my personal problems. The attitude and behaviour of the manager inspired trust which became the major element of facilitating satisfactory outcome of the interview. The manager’s assertion that effective communication helps to solve problem

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization - Research Paper Example Therefore, the paper will focus on developing an argument, which is supporting globalization and against it, through identifying both advantages and disadvantages. Arguments Supporting Globalization One of the benefits related to globalization is the reduction of the cultural barriers in order to increase the effects of the global village, hence enhancing the development and different nations across the world (Held & McGrew, 2000; Crafts, 2004). Therefore, through breaking the cultural barriers, numerous nations are able to adapt to the global market and behave in a similar way with the rest of the world (Gilpin, 2000). In this case, globalization facilitates enlargement of the global market, since many nations are able to join the market at their ease. Moreover, it also creates consistency in brand image, via a process of choosing to market products or commercial operations in the global market (Germaine, 2000). The other merit of globalization relates to the new means of transport and techniques of communication that facilitates participation of customers in immediate information level of globalization (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt & Perraton, 1999). In fact, this stage of globalization is also contributing to people’s participation in international trade form anywhere in the world, hence leading to a direct influence on the world economy, which is higher than the beginning of the century (Perraton, 2001; Mussa, 2000). Moreover, the level of political and economic globalization is associated with the process of denationalization of the market, politics and legal system, thus allowing the understanding of core sense of globalization, which relates to economics (Woods, 2000; Baylis & Steve, 1997). The other advantage of globalization relates to improvement in the political status of various countries, due to the creation of opportunities for governments to compare the leadership skills with those of the other nations, or imitate the unique skills (Went, 2000) . It also facilitates delocalization of businesses and activities, thus enabling the improvement of the performance. On the other hand, globalization contributes to spread of technology form one nation to the other leading to enhancement in activities of the less developed countries (Hirst & Thompson, 1999). Therefore, globalization enables nations to compare the activities and positive moves in their competitors, in areas related to adverse technological skills with an aim of improving their performance (Lechner & Boli, 2000). Arguments against Globalization Globalization has been associated with negative effects in the development of nations across the world, whereby the economic crisis affecting a country like America affects other countries (Mohammadi, 2000; Clark, 1997; Scott, 1997). This is due to changes in the process in the world since it becomes a large market; hence, a disruption on the economic status of one country, especially the most influential ones as America affect s the other countries that have connections in their economic activities (Rupert, 2000; Jones, 1995). On the other hand, globalization has also contributed to an increased flow of skilled and non-skilled labor for the developed nations such as America, since the corporate in these nations seek out for cheap labor, thus causing a rise in the level of unemployment (Scheve & Slaughter, 2001). Globalization also

Health and Safety in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety in the Workplace Essay * The wiring can be temperamental, the hot water system is often not working and the canteen is in a basement room with no external lighting or windows. There are only 3 toilets in the building and these are also situated on the lower ground floor, near to the canteen. The Workplace (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that in reference to lighting; â€Å"Every workplace shall have suitable and sufficient lighting. Where it is practicable, the lighting shall be by natural light. Suitable and sufficient emergency lighting shall be provided. † To mend the lighting issue in the canteen, sufficient lighting would need to be provided maintained otherwise the company would be breaching these regulations. These regulations also state that in regards to temperature in the workplace; â€Å"should be reasonable for indoor workplaces. There should be a sufficient number of thermometers provided to allow checking of temperature.† With the hot water system failing to function at all times it is required; the temperature should be monitored carefully should ideally be replaced with one that is reliable. The toilets in the canteen area will need to be well lit as well, but also very well ventilated with a high quantity of fresh air. The Workplace (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that three bathrooms are required for between 26– 50 employees, if there are more employees then additional WC facilities will be required. Also, There must be hot and cold water, soap, and either electric hand dryers or towels provided. The Electricity at Work Act 1989 states that within the work place, those responsible must; â€Å"Have their electrical systems constructed in a way that prevents danger. This includes testing all new equipment to ensure that it is safe. Maintain their electrical systems correctly to prevent danger. Have repaired or closed any electrical system that causes danger.† The electrical system is temperamental will need to be repaired in some areas perhaps replaced to keep up to the standards that The Electricity at Work Act 1989 requires. * The lift has been out of service for some considerable time and the computers are constantly breaking down. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states that any equipment provided must be maintained and kept in good working order† therefore the computers the lift are not meeting these regulations as they are continuously breaking down or in the case of the lift, not working at all. They must either be replaced or repaired so that they are available for use by all people within the building. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 also say, with regards to the lift, that where manual handling is unavoidable, they should be mechanised with the use of trolleys, lifts and hoists. So if any lifting tasks were to occur, the lift should be available to use as it is already in place. * None of the air conditioning units are working and none of the windows open. All files that need to be kept are stored under the stairs on each of the different floors. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 say that a minimum temperature of 16 °C should be maintained in an area of normal physical activity there should be a good number of thermometers positioned at above 0.5m off the ground to display the room temperature. There is no maximum temperature for a workplace however these regulations state that the workplace should be comfortable and reasonable. The Workplace (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1992 also say that â€Å"the supply of fresh air should not normally be below 5-8 litres per second, per occupant† so the fact that the air conditioning units don’t function the windows do not open breach these regulations entirely should be repaired or replaced immediately. With the files of the company being stored under the stairs, the company could well be breaching the rules of The Data Protection Act 1998 which states that information stored about people cannot be accessed by a third party without their knowledge. The inadequate storage below each of the stairs is not secure therefore anyone within the building could access them. The Statutory duties of employers and employees relating to health, safety and welfare as set out by the government says that the employer must explicitly provide arrangements for ensuring safe means of handling, use, storage and transport of articles and substances. All files being stored under the stairs does definitely not provide a safe means of storing documents so an alternative organisational system should be used for the company’s files. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 also sets out to â€Å"protect people at work† â€Å"to protect people not at work from those who are†, the files could pose a trip hazard to employees people visiting the building, another reason for an alternative storage system to be implemented. * The offices are cleaned on a weekly basis, but all the cleaning products are kept in the canteen near the emergency exit. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health[1] not storing the cleaning products safely securely if they contain any harmful ingredients (which many cleaning products do) breaches the regulations set out. You can prevent or reduce workers exposure to hazardous substances by: * finding out what the health hazards are; * deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment[2]); * providing control measures to reduce harm to health; * making sure they are used ; * keeping all control measures in good working order; * providing information, instruction and training for employees and others; * providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases; * planning for emergencies. If the cleaning products have always been stored by the emergency exit, then the company are in breach of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 as they have failed to identify that there is a risk to its employees have obviously failed to conduct a thorough risk assessment. With the cleaning products obstructing the emergency exit, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that â€Å"clear fire instructions should be displayed in all buildings; escape routes should be clearly signposted and free from obstruction†. The cleaning products being stored there are a direct violation of this they should be removed then stored safely securely. * The majority of photocopiers are out of action on each of the floors; this means that all staff have to go to the 5th floor to get good quality copies. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states that any equipment provided must be maintained and kept in good working order†, the unusable photocopiers breach these regulations must be repaired or replaced. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 state â€Å"to avoid the need for employees to undertake any manual handling operations at work which involve a risk of their being injured†. Under the Regulations, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of all manual handling operations should be carried out to quantify the risks and put suitable guidance and support in place to make sure risks are kept to a minimum. The employer is also expected to train staff where necessary in the correct way to manually lift and handle objects. The employer has done neither, so to prevent accidents occurring, the employer should implement these immediately. * On your first day at the new office, one of the receptionists, who is due to go on maternity leave in the next two weeks; falls down the stairs (after having done a large amount of photocopying) and breaks her leg, her arm and her collarbone. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR)[3] requires an employer to carry out a risk assessment on all manual handling tasks that pose an injury risk. If the employer had assessed this properly, a system or alternative way of moving the photocopied documents could have been developed, or perhaps another member of staff could have taken on this responsibility. The employer’s duty is to avoid manual handling as far as reasonably practicable if there is a possibility of injury. If this cannot be done then they must take steps to reduce the risk of injury as far as reasonably practicable. With the lift being available but closed due to a fault, the employer is not utilizing the available mechanisms as the lift has not been repaired. This puts any employee carrying any large object(s) at risk of injury the lift will need to be repaired with adequate alternative carrying methods for employees who are unable to do so. Also, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 says that rest facilities must be provided for pregnant women and nursing mothers, this may not be relevant to the woman falling down the stairs, however if this has not been provided for her, it could have contributed if she was tired unable to find a place to rest or not allowed to take time to rest.

Changes to Britains Landscape

Changes to Britains Landscape The past few decades have witnessed an explosion of concern about the ways in which the countryside is changing in Britain. This burgeoning of interest seems to revolve around one main set of issues relating to resource use and management and to issues about the conservation of the natural environment and landscape. This can be seen in the House of Lords report (1990: 7) on the future of rural society, recognising that, while ‘historically, rural communities have been based on the exploitation of the natural resources of the countryside †¦, now priorities have changed’. Therefore, this essay aims to investigate the changes that have occurred in the British landscape since the post-war period, the reasons for these changes, and the likely future trajectory of change and policy implications. This will be done by looking at agriculture, migration and tourism as factors of environmental change in the British countryside. The many changes in agriculture since 1945 can be aptly described as revolutionary in that farming at the beginning of the twenty-first century is a vastly different proposition than at the beginning of the twentieth century. A transformation covering all farming systems has been effected through the interaction of numerous factors. The overwhelming commitment of government to aid and subsidise agriculture has been vital in helping to stabilise the industry. The growing wealth of the nation as a whole increased demand, especially for ‘luxury’ foods. There has been a ‘green’ revolution in which new techniques have supplanted old traditions, with mechanisation becoming commonplace. The decline of the general agricultural labourer has continued – to be replaced by fewer skilled workers operating new machinery or working as a specialist in a particular branch of farming. In terms of production, the extent of the revolution can be gauged from such statisti cs as the doubling of the wheat yield between 1915/19 and 1965/9, the doubling of milk and egg production between 1935/9 and 1970/4, the overall two and a half times increase in the national net output between 1937/9 and 1971/3 (Donaldson, 1972), and a four-fold rise in wheat production from the late 1940s to the early 1980s, and a 30 percent increase in the production of beef and pork during the same period (Soper, 1986). The effects upon the landscape of post-1945 changes in agriculture were described for West Berkshire by Bowers and Cheshire (1983: 29 – 51) who stressed the role played by subsidies paid to farmers. Their study area included both clay vale and chalk downlands which were studied by air photographs and ground survey and can be taken as representative of much larger trends occurring nationwide. Between 1947 and 1976 the area had lost over one-third of its hedges, half its footpaths and tracks and nearly two-thirds of its ponds. There was a small decline in the area under woodland whilst the total amount of farmland had decreased slightly as a result of residential and recreational growth. Within agriculture itself permanent pasture had fallen by nearly 80 percent, being replaced by cereals and a substantial area of oilseed rape. The number of farms in the area fell from 19 in 1947 to 12 in 1981. The great increase in the area under arable meant that chalk downland pasture was com pletely eliminated. This typifies a general trend throughout most of Britain toward a more open, less enclosed countryside, much different from that of the previous centuries, where many of the major landscape types have been altered, with deterioration occurring more widely and to a greater degree than at any other time in modern history (Bowers and Cheshire, 1983: 48). The greatest visual change in the landscape was the loss of pasture and its replacement by cereals being grown in enlarged fields. This enlargement had been at the expense of hedgerows, of which 55km out of 129km in the study area discussed above had been removed between 1941 and 1981. The loss of hedgerows was identified as being part of a vicious circle (Bowers and Cheshire, 1983: 39). Rising rents and land prices promoted intensification, leading to greater use of capital which, in turn, was favoured by subsidies on capital inputs. The subsidies have also promoted the use of chemical inputs and mechanisation, producing further intensification and landscape change (e.g. Cox et al., 1986). The arable monoculture that has been the result of this intensification requires few stock-proof barriers and is operated by means of larger machines which need bigger fields. Hence, there has been little incentive to retain hedges, especially as they require maintenance and so would require addit ional expense to pay for the extra work required. This degradation of the land stock should be halted and sustainable agricultural practices implemented through the involvement of farmers in decision making as well as policy implementation. Along with changes in agricultural practices, it is the resurgence of population growth in rural areas that constitutes a key cause of fundamental changes that are now occurring in the countryside. Forty years ago discussion of rural affairs was dominated by the issue of depopulation, however, the rural population turnaround identified in the 1970s has become the dominant pattern of contemporary rural population change. The underbounding of urban areas and local metropolitan decentralisation represents most clearly this new post-industrial settlement pattern. The statistical evidence marshalled for the UK points to a definite change in population trends affecting extensive rural zones, and this is not just limited to the fringes of larger cities. An analysis has demonstrated the large scale of the turnaround in the most rural parts of Britain, which had a population growth rate of 8.9 percentage points above the national average between the 1971 and 1981 Censuses, compared with one 5 .5 points below the average in 1951-61 (Champion, 1989). This population growth has taken the form of conversion of old agricultural buildings, development of unused farmland and the encroachment of housing onto pristine ‘greenfield’ sites. The surrounding countryside has also been changed due to the high level of infrastructure and services which this new population group requires. Another type of usage of rural localities causing major conservation issues is tourism. Rural tourism, which goes hand-in-hand with urban-rural population migration, however, is not a discrete activity divorced from other forms of leisure activity. Visitors on holiday in rural areas may spend some of their time visiting towns or resorts. This relationship between tourism in rural areas and other places is important, and holds part of the answer to addressing the problems. The countryside is an important resource for tourism in Britain, attracting a quarter of all domestic holiday nights and a third of all day trips. British people take some 10 million holidays and spend some 45 million nights in the English countryside as well as making over 1,000 million day visits. Up to a half of England’s 20 million overseas visitors also visit the countryside while they are in England and place a high value on its attractiveness (Countryside Commission, 1995). With the decline in agricultural employment, many rural areas are looking to tourism to make an even greater contribution in the future. However, as well as bringing social and economic benefits to the countryside, tourism can also brings costs, through intrusive development, traffic congestion, erosion and disturbance to wildlife and local people. Such problems are often compacted due to their highly local and seasonal nature. With the problems above outlined, it is clear that there is a need for a policy of sustainable use of the British countryside, which integrates the problems associated with modern agriculture, tourism and urban-rural migration. The Environment Act (HMSO, 1995) has gone some way to mitigating these issues, but there is still work to be done in the new millennium. The problem of climate change will likely exacerbate an already delicate ecological situation in some localities, with increased temperatures and reduced rainfalls. There is also the question of whether the encroachment of rural development upon natural resources can be halted, either through regulation of planning laws or the development of sustainable consumption, ecotourism and environmentally friendly technology. These initiatives may be stifled under the current regime of agricultural subsidies and ignorance toward greenfield development which plagues the current system. At all levels, use of rural areas must become sust ainable if they are to remain as productive as they have been since 1945, while maintaining their ecological integrity for the benefit of future generations. References: Bowers, J. K., Cheshire, P. (1983) Agriculture, the countryside and land use, Methuen, London. Champion, A. G. (1989) Counterurbanisation: The changing pace and nature of population decentralisation, Edward Arnold, London. Countryside Commission (1995) Sustainable rural tourism, HMSO, London. Cox, G., Lowe, P., Winter, M. (1986) The state of the farmer: perspectives on agricultural policy, in Cox, G., Lowe, P., Winter, M. (eds), Agriculture, people and policies, Allen Unwin, London, pp. 1 19. Donaldson, J. G. S. (1972) Farming in Britain Today, Penguin, Harmondsworth. HMSO (1995) The Environment White Paper, HMSO, London. House of Lords (1990) The future of rural society, HMSO, London. Soper, M.R.H. (1986) British agriculture today, Association of Agriculture, London.