Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Human Resource Management - Essay Example They have therefore devised innovative human resource management practices that empower workers to make decisions on matters that affect them. As a result, employee involvement and participation has become the central pillar of HRM. Employee participation and involvement (EIP) are often used interchangeably but as Hyman and Mason (1995) puts it; the two concepts have different meanings. Participation efforts are achieved through a legal framework designed by the government to enable employees to have a voice although at times they may exist in absence of such legislations like in Japan. On the other hand, involvement mechanisms are initiated by the management to enable them cope with the challenges of today’s economic climate. For the sake of this paper the two concepts will be used interchangeably since there is a very thin line between involvement and participation. The choice of the mechanism is determined by the political, social and economic conditions of the country and organization for which it is designed. Recently, there have been changes in the legal climate due to European Union initiatives aimed at improving working conditions and standards of living thereby initiating various participation mechanisms such as consultations (Knudsen, 1995). The paper will discuss the extent to which EIP initiatives have been a success. Definitions Employee involvement and participation can be defined as efforts geared towards empowering employees to influence decisions on matters that affect them by pushing responsibility for decisions down the organization hierarchy. The role of the employer in decision making process thus declines while that of the employee increases (Heathfield, 2011). This is done with the belief that by empowering employees, they will have a sense of ownership and hence gain morale, job satisfaction and commitment to organization goals. It is also believed that job satisfaction and commitment lead to improved retention as well attraction of the best talent in the labour market thereby achieving a sustained competitive advantage. Furthermore, the management requires to make quality decisions and this is enhanced by input from the workforce (Gennard & Judge, 2005). Participatory activities are also aimed at complying with legal requirements and in Europe it has led to increased role for trade unions. Historical Background Management efforts to improve productivity and efficiency began decades ago with the advent of scientific management systems advanced by Taylor and Ford. They believed that division of labour was the key to organization effectiveness and efficiency. Taylor thus concentrated on how to get most work done by analysing all tasks and designing jobs to eliminate wasted time. He ensured maximum job fragmentation and minimisation of skill requirements; employees were considered as stupid hence not able to make decisions (Bratton & Gold, 2001). Ford on the other hand, introduced assembly line method of produc tion which entailed short-cycles and standardization of commodities and processes. The division of labour led to monotony and boredom, job dissatisfaction, high absenteeism and turnover as well as increased costs in terms of monitoring and cooperation costs. This led to pressure for better methods of management by the human relations movement. The human

Analysis of General Theories of History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of General Theories of History - Essay Example Experiences from one generation to another do not vary greatly; thereby it is important to learn lessons from the overall course of history. The first attempt to record the science of history was undertaken by the Greeks about twenty-five hundred years ago. The need to comprehend history and translate its effects into the future does not arise in societies with long-standing and relatively steady social structures. Such a state of affairs is not given much consideration. However, when societies face sudden drastic turmoil which triggers changes in the social structure, then understanding the underlying motives which led to the change becomes imperative. Usually wars, travelling, trade and colonization result in an entirely different culture being imposed on the society which they come into contact with. This forced integration of diverse cultures culminates in a clash between different social strata; so it becomes crucial to identify and comprehend the sources and foundations of such oppositions. Men of knowledge compare and contrast various sorts of governments and social structures in an attempt to resolve differences and bring harmony to the society. It is obvious that conflict resolution is not possible unless conflict description and diagnosis are accurate enough. The role and responsibility of creating accurate problem diagnosis is within the domain of political theorists. Neither has history been created nor have our social structures evolved in accordance with a pre-defined plan. Nature has not dictated the course of events rather it is the people who compose societies who chose their cultural norms, established various institutions and developed ideologies. It is time to realize that the human nature itself is determined by changes in life and labour. History has been shaped by economic progress, division of society in different social-economic strata, changes in condition of labour, advancements in production and trading. In this respect there have be en a number of different contributions to thought on political history from various quarters. The evolution of political history in its current forms can be seen as deriving from the Age of Enlightenment where thinkers such as Hegel and Kant picked up the gauntlet to define history in such a manner. This work was carried on later by numerous others including Karl Marx who has had a major impact on the modern day given his role in the creation of a communist ideology. In more modern terms, the earliest thoughts on the philosophy of history derived from the views and work of Kant. He held that humanity had been driven into its current state of autonomy through the use of enlightened despotism (Kant, 1991) (Murphy, 1994). Kant’s views on the issue can be seen more clearly through his work titled Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose. Kant produced a paradoxical picture by expounding on the one hand that national liberation was only possible through enlightened despotism while ultimate autonomy rested entirely with the individual’s will to gain it (Williams, 1992). Kant recognised that history ensured that progress had to come in human affairs but Kant’s method of delineating the mechanism remains self-contradictory (Hampsher-Monk, 1993). Strangely he holds that liberation lies solely through

Post Bureaucracy And Decentralisation In Intensive Competition Management Essay

Post Bureaucracy And Decentralisation In Intensive Competition Management Essay Organisational structure is critical to a companys effectiveness of performance, and organisational structure varies according to companies unique contexts. Since 1980s, a growing literature has argued that the age of bureaucracy has ended or is ending, and there is a fundamental move beyond bureaucracy (Heckscher, 1998, p.2). We are moving from bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy. Generally speaking, post-bureaucracy includes subcontracting, decentralisation, flexible organisational boundaries, the boundaryless corporation and networking (Ackroyd, 1991). Since decentralisation is a very important part of post-bureaucracy, I will explain it separately. There are many factors that drive organisational structure from bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy, such as fast technological change, intensive competition, rapidly changing product markets and customer demands, and the requirement of flexibility. Cost reduction is also an important factor to trigger this trend. However, this trend also generates some concerns and criticism. For subcontracting, there may be insufficient supply of suitable workers; inconsistency of workflow may lead to inflexible which is against the flexible feature of post-bureaucracy; it will also enlarge the pay difference between core workers and periphery workers; there may be also lower level of products or services provided; and it can resul t in inefficiency of teamwork. Temporary workers tend to move between companies according to the pay and benefit levels. Because of this high flow of workforce, companies may resist to train employees. It will also be more difficult for unions and government to regulate such decentralised forms. In this paper, I will first talk about the definition of post-bureaucracy and decentralisation; then I will explain the reasons why companies are fascinated about post-bureaucracy and decentralisation; and finally, I will discuss and evaluate concerns and criticism of such trend and their validity. Main Body What is Post-Bureaucracy and Decentralisation? Generally speaking, post-bureaucratic organisational structure is about moving away from bureaucratic organisational structure and it is about decentralisation, corporation and networking. Post-bureaucracy blurs the boundaries between companies and countries, and post-bureaucracy encourage interorganisational relationships which include strategic alliance, joint venture, outsourcing/ subcontracting, unilateral agreement and network organisation (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004, p. 557-560). Post-bureaucratic organisational structure stresses spontaneity, empowerment, participation, decentralisation, flexibility, downsized and delayered, and team work between the organisation and its environment (Ackroyd, 2002; Maravelias, 2003). The autonomy existing in post-bureaucratic structure is much more than it is in bureaucratic structure. According to Heckscher and Donnellon (1994), in order to successfully build post-bureaucratic structure, there must be some trust because through this structu re, there will be many knowledge and information sharing, interaction and corporation. Unlike bureaucratic model which is about directing participants, post-bureaucratic structure requires persuading participants (Heckscher and Donnellon, 1994). One of the most obvious features of post-bureaucracy is subcontracting which means using agent temporary workers to complete specific tasks that used to be conducted by companies direct workers (Rees and Fielder, 1992). Post-bureaucracy means decentralised on many aspects of organisation; however, it does not mean that there is no domination at all (Josserand et al, 2006). No matter how decentralised an organisation is, it still requires some degree of control and hierarchies to make sure the company is on the right direction. Decentralisation means that companies give the power of decision-making to lower levels of groups (Schermerhorn et al, 1994). The lower levels of groups do not necessarily mean management groups; it can be any sub-units within the company. With the delegation, such groups can enjoy a degree of autonomy or independence (Mullins, 2005, p.1053). Decentralisation usually associated with fewer hierarchies, wider span of control and free flow of ideas (Mullins, 2005). Mullins also mentioned that there are many advantages of decentralisation, such as increased employees motivation, quick responsiveness to local changes and improved support services. Why are Post-Bureaucracy and Decentralisation fascinated? Companies are fascinated and apply more about post-bureaucracy and decentralisation because they have many advantages which contribute to the effectiveness of companies performance. There are many factors encourage companies to move from bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy. First, the fast change of technology requires companies to corporate and works together (Mayle, 2006). This is especially important for high-technology, innovation industries and telecommunication companies because technological change is more obvious in those industries. No matter how many highly skilled expertises a company has, there are always some technologies it cannot develop by itself or get access to. However, through corporation and networking, companies can share the latest information and technology-based knowledge. The wide variety of information allows people to conduct their jobs more effectively (Guetzkow, 1965). This is similar with DeGeuss idea of organizational learning which means organizations learn from each other and improve during the process of corporation (see Schneier, 1994). DeGeus argued that through organizational learning, it helps companies to better adopt and facilitate to dynamic change and then make improvement. Corporation and networking can also h elp companies to gain competitive advantages (Porter, 1996). This is true because each company has its own technological strength. If companies can share their own strength with others, there will be mutual benefits. If companies cannot follow the new technological change, they may either produce with higher cost or have lower productivity. Second, global and intensive competition requires companies to move towards post-bureaucracy, such as subcontracting and outsourcing. Because of the intensive competition, companies need to reduce production costs or improve productivity in order to stay in business and gain competitive advantages. The main reason that companies are using agencies is the requirement of reducing labour cost (Ward et al, 2001). There are a wide variety of outsourcing, such as technology services outsourcing (software, telecommunications et al) and business process outsourcing (accounting, logistics et al) (Offshoring Times, 2009). Companies can also outsource HR functions to reduce labour cost. For example, BP Amoco outsourced its human resource function to a US-based company-Exult; and Exult helped BP with almost all HR functions, such as training, employee relations and recruitment; and for the first year of their contracting, BP successfully cut its cost from US$350 million to $250 million (Pickard, 2000). The third reason is the rapidly changing product market and customer demands force companies to corporate with each other. Because of the rapid changing environment, companies need to adjust their production quickly and effectively. For example, Apple shares some internal information with its partners, such as software developers, sub-system supplies and dealers, and they work together to help Apple predict sales and adjust its production according to the prediction (Bahrami, 1992). Because of globalisation, business can be operated all over the world instead of limiting within a single country or a local area. It is costly and hard to start a new business in another area because regulation may be not the same as it is in home country, and customer preference may be different as well. However, if companies can adopt the strategy of joint venture, boundaries will not be a problem. Companies can also make good use of each others resources. For example, there was a joint venture between West European companies and companies in the ex-Soviet block. One party provided investment and experts, and the other provided labour and entry to the markets (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004, p558). In this way, they shared their production factors as well as getting access to markets. For network and partnerships, such as strategic alliance, there are many advantages, such as more access to resources and diversity of perspectives (Sturtevant and Lange, 1996). Strategic alliance can help companies to share resources and work efficiently. For example, in 1991, IBM, Apple and Motorola conducted a project (PowerPC) together; during the project, IBM provided their RISC microprocessor technology to Motorola; and then Motorola produced high-speed PowerPC chips for both Apple and IBM (Bertrand, 1992 as cited in Sengupta et al, 1998, p27). Greater flexibility, risks-sharing and options-generating can be achieved through partnerships (Evans, 1982). Partnerships can also help companies to respond quickly to unexpected change and adjust to it more efficiently (Hart, 1937). Some argued that companies use subcontracting and outsourcing in order to weaken trade unions bargaining power (as cited in Wallis, 2000, p730). Trade unions generally focus their attention on a unionised direct workforce. Therefore, companies can take advantage of this feature and undermine trade unions bargaining power. According to Prowse and Turner (1996), during the 1984-5 strike on coal industry, NCB introduced subcontracting on some coal-site tasks in order to fragment workforce and undermine organised labour force power in coal industry. Through subcontracting and outsourcing, pressure from hard, dangerous or boring tasks can be decreased. For some highly repeated low-skilled tasks, such as switching buttons, the turnover rate is high; because this kind of tasks requires almost no knowledge about the company, so it is a good idea to use agency workers to reduce employees pressure. This is also the case for some dangerous and unhealthy jobs. For example, for some strong-noisy jobs, no matter how good the protection device is, it is still bad for workers hearing if it lasts for a long time. It is humanity to use different people for short times. This is even the case in hospitals. In the accident and emergency department, staffs pressure is high because working in this department requires speed, efficiency and it often associated with some bloody occasion (Purcell et al, 2004). If hospitals can outsource some jobs to professional agencies, jobs can be completed as well as reducing employees pressure. There are other reasons that attract companies to use subcontracting and outsourcing. Subcontracting give employers chances to get access to specialist skills unavailable within the company (Holmes, 1986). For example, according to RJB Mining representatives, through subcontractors, they can get workers with specialist skills to undertake discontinuous tasks (Wallis et al, 2000, p.729). For hi-tech industries, it is sometimes hard to find highly-skilled workers within local areas. For example, ICTUK, a company which provided computer service to client companies, found that it was hard to find employees with skills they needed; so, ICTUK used Indian agency that provided required employees from India to UK (Purcell et al, 2004, p712). Because tasks are different at different time, if the company keeps all skilled workers as direct workers, it will be costly. By using subcontractors, company can get needed workers as well as saving money. Another reason companies prefer to subcontractor s is that it will be cheaper through outsourcing. Since they are temporary workers, the rate of pay is usually lower than direct workers; and companies do not need to provide some benefits to workers from contracting companies, such as holiday pay (Rees and Fielder, 1992). By using subcontracting, companies can also avoid investment in the latest machines and tools, which can save companies lot money (Lorenz, 1998). In addition to that, workers from contracting companies can conduct tasks more quickly than companies direct workers because they tend to focus on specific areas and require little or no training on needed skills (Wallis et al, 2000). It is also believed that using subcontracting can help companies to avoid morale problems on laying off regular employees (Kalleberg, 2003). Problems and Concerns about Decentralisation and Post-Bureaucracy Although there are many advantages of post-bureaucracy and decentralisation, there are still concerns and problems; they are inefficiency of the supply of skilled workers, hard for contractors to recruit and keep employees, imbalanced treatment between core workers and periphery workers, less control of temporary workers and their work, hard for government and unions to regulate, not good for teamwork within companies, and training programs constraint. Criticism of post-bureaucracy happened mostly in subcontracting. For subcontracting, concerns and problems mainly come from three aspects-the supply of labour (contractors), the demand of labour (client companies) and the government and unions. It is argued that the contractor sometimes experience insufficient supply of skilled/suitable labour which can cause problems (MacKenzie, 2000). Mackenzie mentioned that the insufficient supply of skilled/suitable labour cause problems to both contractors and client companies. For contractors, if they do not have the skilled workers to satisfy other companies need, they will have bad reputation, and their business will endanger and encounter close down. For companies which want to use agencies, if they cannot find the suitable workers they want, and hard to recruit direct workers, they will either complete these tasks with bad quality or not complete these tasks at all. The other problem faced by contractors is that it is hard for them to retain employees from different levels. Temporary workers are quite fluid, and sometimes contractors are not able to provide people required by client companies; people who work as temporary workers tend to move to contractors who provide the best p ay rates (MacKenzie, 2000, p.715). It is not possible for contractors to offer the highest pay rate all the time, so it is difficult for them to keep skilled workers at different times. This is especially true when the product market is competitive. Purcell argued that within competitive market, specialist skilled workers are usually in high demand; and they often chose to work for contractors who offer the highest bidder or achieve employment flexibility that fits in with their preferences rather than the employers (Purcell, et al, 2004, p.713). Because of the feature of highly fluid labour force, contractors tend to restraint and avoid training programs (MacKenzie, 2000, p.718). Through BTs case, he argued that BTs loss of qualified workers discourage BT to train its employees because BT was afraid that workers might leave the company after training. BTs reaction is reasonable. Just imagine, if BT keeps training all its employees with whatever the latest market requires, BT will o f course get qualified skilled workers. But, because workers tend to move towards best pay and benefits provision, finally, BT may end up with loss of qualified workers, and at the same time, it may increase its competitors competitive advantage because competitors get the qualified workers that BT have trained. It is believed that the client companies also take risks during subcontracting. The most obvious one is that they cannot always get the employees they want. If companies rely on subcontractors as traditions, once there is insufficient supply of skilled workers, companies may feel hard to recruit qualified workers (MacKenzie, 2000, p.716). For employees who get the required skills do not mean that they will complete the tasks correctly and effectively. Therefore, even if companies get skilled workers, there is also the possibility that they may interrupt the workflow or project (Roque, 2009). Based on Roques own experience, subcontract workers sometimes make decisions without asking client companies which may cause problems because they do not know the companies very well; subcontractors may also miss their deadlines or break their contracts. If the outsourced tasks are part of the whole project, ineffectively completing of those tasks can affect the project as a whole. Whats more, if managers in client companies do not know how to effectively use subcontract workers, there will be also risks of completing tasks ineffectively (Lyytinen and Ropponen, 2000). It is also complained that using temporary workers can lead to less effective teamwork (Purcell et al, 2004, p.715). They argued that since temporary workers are from outside of the company, they know little about the companys culture and doing things differently from direct workers. Because there is no direct control or less control from client companies, the quality of products and services provided by subcontract workers is not guaranteed. During research conducted in hospitals, Purcell et al found that temporary agency staff can cause problems on quality control and continuity of patient care which add more pressure on regular staff in hospitals (2004, p. 718). If a company does not have any experience on decentralisation, decentralisation may not be helpful. For example, after applying decentralisation, t here will be small groups of workers; and those small groups may feel aimless or they may work towards wrong directions (Bahrami, 1992, p. 37). For government and unions, it is hard to regulate and intervene. According to Lorenz (1998), the agreements between contractors and client companies are never in written form except for the order form. Lorenz also argued that because of these incomplete contracts, they cannot use courts to resolve disputes; they can only solve disputes, misunderstandings and ambiguities through discussion until they agree with each other. Then, it will be harder for government to intervene in disputes happened between those two parties. The triangular relationships in employment are especially hard to handle (Deakin, 2001). Governments are trying to regulate subcontracts, and there is extra subcontract administration cost added to governments ordinary costs (Howell, n.d.). In addition, it is argued that through decentralization, some macroeconomic policies are harder to implement and finally decrease stability (Prudhomme, 1994). For unions, it is easier for them to organise stable direct workers; and the emergence of temporary work agencies give unions new challenges to organise and regulate this kind of labour force because most of those temporary worker are not stable, and they move between companies, even between industries (Heery, 2004). In addition to that, many skilled workers have left unions and become self-employed open shop workers or employees of specialty subcontractors (as cited in Perng et al, 2005, p.1). In this way, union membership will decline, and unions bargaining powers will be weakened. It is possible that decentralisation costs companies more. Because of the centralised structure, companies can allocate and distribute resources more centralised and effectively. According to Lyons and Bailey (1993), through decentralisation, cost advantages, such as economies of scale, may be diminished. One advantage of subcontracting is that it can foster work flexibility. However, this is not always the case. Based on MacKenzies study about telecommunication industry, because workloads were different at different times, number of temporary workers required was different as well (2000). Using subcontractors supposed to be flexible, but contractors were not satisfied by the inconsistency of workflows. Therefore, in order to achieve agreements, client companies tried to make forecasts about workloads and tried to stay with that. According to Atkinson and Meager (as cited in MacKenzie, 2000), the effort of trying to manipulate workloads was contravene the flexible feature of contracting. It is argued that pay and benefits for core workers within companies and periphery workers in contractor firms are not equal. According to Atkinson and Gregory (as cited in Wallis et al, 2000), Workers who stay in the company permanently are core workers, and they enjoy great pay and benefit packages, and they usually do not need to worry about unemployment; however, for the periphery workers (subcontracting workers, temporary workers, part-time workers and self-employed workers), their jobs are insecure. It is also argued that the pay rate on the same kind of job is different for core workers and periphery workers (Mangum et al, 1985; Kalleberg, 2003). It is unfair treatment. According to Callaghan and Hartmann, because of subcontracting, there is a two-tiered system of employment, which means that core workers have good pay, benefits, opportunities for training and job security; while peripheral workers have lower wages, no benefits, worked in low-skilled jobs with few training opp ortunities, and face significant job instability and insecurity (see Smith, 1997, p. 328). However, temporary workers are not always in worse conditions compare with core workers. Purcell et al (2004) stated that for some professional agencies, such as nurses, the hourly pay rate for temporary nurses was even higher than the NHS-employed average nurses. No matter whose pay rate is higher, generally speaking, there are imbalanced treatment on pay and benefits between core workers and peripheral workers. Conclusion Post-bureaucracy encourages subcontracting, decentralisation, corporation and network. Companies with post-bureaucratic structure usually have loose management style, wider span of control and fewer hierarchies. Therefore, there will be greater autonomy within company which motivate employees to take responsibilities and contribute more to the company. Decentralisation is part of post-bureaucracy, and it is about giving more power to lower levels of work units. Small units can thus respond quickly to instant changes. Post-bureaucracy and decentralisation attract organisations because of both outside and inside incentives. It is generally about either reducing production costs, improving productivity or get resources, knowledge, information and technologies that are not available within one company. Through subcontracting, companies can get different levels of skilled employees that are not available within companies. In this way, companies can adjust number of workers used according to market change and periodical workload. Companies can also avoid bad reputation of dismissing employees all the time. Through subcontracting, labour cost can also be decreased because temporary workers pay rate tends to be lower than direct workers. Contract workers usually complete tasks quickly because they are focus on specific areas and require little or no training. Through network and partnership, companies can get wider range of resources and information. Companies can also contribute its own strength to the same project in order to get the best result. Through partnership, companies can share risks on unknown or new areas and get a wide range of perspectives from experts. By learning from each other, companies can always follow the fast changing technology, product market and customer demand. Although there are so many fantastic advantages that attract organisations to move to post-bureaucracy, there are also concerns and problem associated with it, and most of the problems focus on subcontracting. The insufficient supply of skilled/suitable workers from contractors is a big problem for both contractors and client companies. Because of the insufficient supply, contractors may lose clients and get bad reputation; while for client companies, without these required workers, tasks cannot be completed. This insufficient supply mainly due to that temporary workers tend to move towards best pay and benefit provision. This phenomenon may also lead to companies restrain training programs. Through subcontracting, there is a danger that products/services may be provided in poor quality because of the limited control by client companies. In addition, many people complained about the imbalanced treatment between core workers and periphery workers. Generally speaking, on the aspects of pay rate, benefit package, training provision and job security, periphery workers are in worse condition compared with situation for core workers. Whats more, segmentation of workforce is also hard for government and unions to organise and regulate. According to the concerns and problems mentioned above, post-bureaucracy still has a long way to improve. Solutions can be provided based on the problems. Government and unions can make special rules for those labour; companies can keep several contractors instead of one in order to get needed workers all the time; client companies and contractors can try to balance core workers and temporary workers pay and benefit package together; and client companies can assign certain people from own companies to supervise subcontracting workers work, and make sure they are in good quality.

Research In Motion Essay

Research In Motion (RIM) is most famously knows for its smart phone device Blackberry. Blackberry, when first introduced in 1999, took the corporate market by storm because of its capability of storing and managing e-mails along with other professional tools. Later the introduction of Black Berry Messenger (BBM) was another successful addition and made it famous among the non-corporate user class all around the globe. From its inception to the introduction of Blackberry and until today, RIM has had various challenges in terms of safeguarding its intellectual property and took some steps to counteract those problems which I will be discussing in this paper. 1.What were some of the challenges that RIM faced to protect its intellectual property, and how did RIM handle those challenges? The first challenge for RIM was in 2001 when it claimed that its competitor Glenayre Electronics infringed on its patent and charged dilution, unfair competition, and false advertising (1). As a result RIM sued them over using its patented mailbox integration technique that was exclusive to its Blackberry smartphone device which was later settled in their favor (2). Another lawsuit filed by RIM was against Good Technology in 2002. RIM alleged that Good was infringing on four of its patents. The first is â€Å"for a method and apparatus to remotely control gateway functions in a wireless data communications network.† The second â€Å"relates to a method and system for loading an application program on a device.† The third â€Å"relates to a method and system for transmitting data files between computers in a wireless data communications environment.† And the fourth â€Å"relates to a mobile device that is optimized for use with thumbs† (3). Finally in 2004 Good Technology signed a settlement with RIM under which it will give RIM a lump-sum payment during its current quarter and ongoing quarterly royalties. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed (4). Later in 2006, RIM was sued by mobile e-mail provider Visto Corporation that RIM violated four of its patents. The patents in question relate to the accessing and synchronizing of information over a network and are fundamental to the BlackBerry service (5). After a long battle of three years, in 2009 RIM agreed to pay $267.5 million to settle this dispute adding to a costly series of intellectual-property purchases (6). The company spent more than $1 billion in the past two years on intangible assets, such as patents. It booked part of the cost of the Visto settlement, which gave them a lifetime license to some Visto patents and legal possession of others, as an acquisition of intangible assets (6). Another big event was the RIM-Motorolla lawsuits in 2008 when Motorolla filed a lawsuit against RIM for using its patented technology but in reply RIM sued back Motorolla. RIM filed the lawsuit for â€Å"demanding exorbitant royalties† on patents that were essential to RIM’s business. Besides being accused of â€Å"anti-competitive conduct,† Motorola was also accused of violating nine different patents and for breaking a 2003 agreement by refusing to agree to new terms beyond January 2008. Adding injury to lawsuit, RIM also claimed that Motorola’s licensing fees were due to â€Å"declining fortunes of its handset business† (7). This long battle came to an end when both companies settled out of court. Under the Agreement, Motorola and RIM will benefit from a long-term, intellectual property cross-licensing arrangement involving the parties receiving cross-licenses of various patent rights, including patent rights relating to certain industry standards and certain technologies, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 802.11 and wireless email. In addition, the parties will transfer certain patents to each other (8). 2.What were some of the industry factors that influenced RIM? Industry factors that influenced RIM are Competition, Scale and Future (9). Patents, copyrights and trademarks help a firm safeguard its intellectual assets giving it an edge in the market and enabling to stay competitive in the market. From the lawsuits discussed above, we can see that just in 10 years on inception, RIM had over seven patent related issues for its technology. In technological field, a patent enables a firm to bank on its technology by not allowing other firms to use and produce it. So it enables the firm with the patent to have exclusive right to that technology and have a competitive advantage. When a firm’s technology is successful, patent enables that firm to exploit from it and hence expand their firms scale by securing a larger consumer base leading to a better bright future for the firm. 3.Apply as many TCOs as you can to the RIM. There are quite a few TCOs that can be applied to RIM. Competence Enhancing and Component Innovation applies very well to RIM. Looking at the introduction of Blackberry in 1999, after 14 years we still find them have a strong demand among the smartphone consumer base. So RIM has constantly been improving its blackberry phones keeping them up to date by providing new features that keep the consumer base attracted. Similarly if we look at introduction of features like e-mail service and BBM for blackberry, they are following the component innovation ideology discussed in the course. On the other hand, RIM also follows the concept Network Externalities. BBM can be a good example to support this. Anyone with a blackberry anywhere in the world can send a free message to the other blackberry user using the blackberry network. BBM is actually one of the features’ that has protected Blackberry against I-phone. Tying to BBM, RIM also follows the policy of Trade Secret because no one other than the corporation itself has access to the BBM data. RIM has gone to an extent that recently in India, even the government was not allowed to access the BBM data and after a 19 month service ban the government, RIM finally allowed them to have access but through a different server (10).

How Can Men and Woman Communicate More Effectively Through Technology

How can men and women communicate more effectively through technology? * Women are more expressive when they type or text, on the other hand men aren’t as expressive .EX: women may use more punctuation or emoticons * Men should try to be expressive so that it doesn’t like they don’t care or to let the woman know they are listening and caring about what they have to say * Or, women should try to tone it down a bit with the seriousness of everything when everything doesn’t have to be so critical or over exciting for no reason * When communicating through texts or email, since women tend to be more expressive they tend to max out the the160 character message limit (news wise) * Men would probably listen more if they didn’t have to read such lengthy texts.Women should probably try to fit what they have to say in few words that still get their point across. * The best ways of communication would obviously be face to face but next to that, technology like chat rooms and instant messaging and social networking sites make it easier for opposite sex to talk to each other. (eCommunications) * Takes away the stress and pressure of talking in person. If these are the ways men and woman communicate, they need to make sure that they think about the misinterpretations that could happen. To avoid the misinterpretation, men and woman should both understand that technology isn’t a real serious way of communicating just in case the whole misinterpretation gets in the middle of things and starts drama. * Sources: * â€Å"When Texting, Eligible Women Express Themselves Better.   Newswise: News for Journalists, Press Release Distribution for Public Relations. Indiana University. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www. newswise. com/articles/when-texting-eligible-women-express-themselves-better>. * â€Å"Best Ways to Communicate Through Technology. †Ã‚  ECommunications. ECommunications. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://efunsoft. com/best -ways-to-communicate-through-technology. htm>.

African-American History Timeline 1910 to 1919

Like the previous decade, African-Americans continued to fight against racial injustice. Using various methods of protest--writing editorials, publishing news, literary and scholarly journals as well as organizing peaceful protests--African-Americans began to expose the ills of segregation not only to the United States but the world. 1910 According to U.S. Census data, African-Americans make up ten percent of the United States population.The National Urban League (NUL) is established in New York City. The purpose of the Urban League was to help African-Americans find jobs and housing resources.The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) established the first issue of Crisis. W.E.B. Du Bois becomes the monthly magazines first editor in chief.Throughout the United States, local ordinances are established to segregate neighborhoods. Towns such as Baltimore, Dallas, Louisville, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Richmond, Roanoke and St. Louis establish such ordinances separating African-American and white neighborhoods. 1911 Kappa Alpha Psi, an African-American fraternity is established at Indiana University.Omega Psi Phi is established at Howard University. 1912 An estimated sixty-one African-Americans are lynched.W.C. Handy publishes Memphis Blues in Memphis.Claude McKay publishes two collections of poetry, Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads. 1913 The 50th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation is celebrated.Delta Sigma Theta, an African-American sorority, is established at Howard University.Woodrow Wilsons administration establishes federal segregation. Across the United States, federal work environments, lunch areas, and restrooms are segregated.African-American newspapers such as the California Eagle began campaigns to protest the portrayal of African-Americans in D.W. Griffiths Birth of a Nation. As a result of editorials and articles published in African-American newspapers, the film was banned in many communities throughout the United States.The Apollo Theater is founded in New York City. 1915 The Great Migration picks up steam as African-Americans leave the South for Northern cities.The Oklahoma Grandfather Clause is overturned in Guinn v. the United States.Carter G. Woodson establishes the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). That same year, Woodson also publishes The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861.The NAACP proclaims that Lift Every Voice and Sing is the African-American national anthem. The song was written and composed by two brothers, James Weldon and Rosamond Johnson.Booker T. Washington dies. 1916 Marcus Garvey establishes the New York branch of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).Woodsons ANSLH publishes the first scholarly journal dedicated to African-American History. The publication is called Journal of Negro History.James Weldon Johnson becomes field secretary for the NAACP. In this position, Johnson organizes mass demonstrations against racism and violence. He also increases the NAACPs membership rolls in southern states, an action that would set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement decades later. 1917 When the United States enters World War I on April 6, an estimated 370,000 African-Americans join the armed forces. More than half serve in the French war zone and more than 1000 African-American officers command troops. As a result, 107 African-American soldiers are awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government.The East St. Louis Race Riot begins on July 1. When the two-day riot is over, an estimated forty people are killed, several hundred are hurt and thousands are displaced from their homes.The NAACP organizes a silent march in response to lynchings, race riots, and social injustice. Considered the first major civil rights demonstration of the 20th Century, almost 10,000 African-Americans participate in the march.The Messenger is established by A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen. 1918 Three African-Americans and two whites are killed in the Chester, Pa. race riot. Within days, another race riot erupts in Philadelphia killing three African-Americans and one white resident. 1919 Eighty-three African-Americans are lynched--many of them soldiers returning home from World War I. At the same time, the Ku Klux Klan is operating out of 27 states.The pamphlet, Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States: 1898-1918 is published by the NAACP. The report is used to appeal to lawmakers to end the social, political and economic terrorism associated with lynching.From May 1919 to October 1919, a number of race riots erupted in cities throughout the United States. James Weldon Johnson names these race riots as the Red Summer of 1919. In response, Claude McKay publishes the poem, If We Must Die.The West Virginia State Supreme Court decides that an African-American is denied equal protection under the law if there are no African-American jury members.Claude A. Barnett develops the Associated Negro Press.The Peace Mission Movement is established by Father Divine in Sayville, NY.The Homesteader is released in Chicago. It is the first film to be produced by Oscar Micheaux. F or the next forty years, Micheaux will become one of the most prominent African-American filmmakers by producing and directing 24 silents films and 19 sound films.

Security Issues and the Breakdown of Payment Systems - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1884 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Tags: Cyber Security Essay Did you like this example? Critically Discuss Security Issues and the Breakdown of the Payment System. Introduction Regulation 2560/2001/EU applies to cross-border payments in euros within the EU and established with effect from 1st July 2003 the principle of equal charges for a cross-border transaction and a strictly domestic transaction. The Consultative Document à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“New Legal Framework for Payments in the Internal Marketà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [1] acknowledges that the Regulation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“has contributed to a considerable reduction in the price for [such] paymentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and has provided an incentive for the payment industry to modernise their EU-wide payment infrastructuresà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . However, it is acknowledged that technical and legal barriers still prevent EU citizens, companies and payment service providers from reaping the full benefits of a Single Payment Area for non-cash payments. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Security Issues and the Breakdown of Payment Systems" essay for you Create order The Executive Summary (p.2) concludes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Internal Market for goods and services cannot function properly without cheap, efficient and secure [emphasis supplied] payment services.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  While the Regulation addresses the first of these three criteria, considerable progress is still required in respect of the efficiency of services (and, in particular, the introduction of appropriate protection for parties in the event of breakdown) and security of networks in the face of increasing external attack. Annex 20 of the Consultative Document raises issues in respect of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Security of Networksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and Annex 21 similarly invites submissions in respect of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Breakdown of a Payment Network.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ It is proposed to address each of these subjects in turn. Security of the Networks Annex 20 describes attacks upon the databases of, inter alia, the banking industry and e-commerce merchants which have led to conce rns as to payment fraud and have resulted in the recall and reissue of many thousands of payment cards. The full scale of the problem is unknown since, due to the potential for the undermining of confidence in such institutions, it has been estimated that as many as 80% of such incidents are not reported[2]. A study undertaken for the European Commission into public perceptions of the security of electronic payments[3] identified the fact that from a security perspective, electronic banking systems including on-line bank transfers are the preferred methods of payment. This is due to the use of a system of 2-factor identification (e.g. password and selected digits from a PIN number). By contrast, the use of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“card not presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  payment over the internet poses risks because authentication depends upon the use of credit card numbers and expiry dates (which information can be the subject of misappropriation or the increasing crime of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“identity t heftà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Regrettably, this type of transaction remains the most prevalent for cross-border payments. New, more secure solutions, have yet to achieve a significant degree of market penetration. In particular, the use of what is known as SSL à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Secure Sockets Layerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , a generic method to cryptographically secure communication on the Internet taking place between a client and a server is as yet weak or non-existent in terms of general commercial application. At the Tampere European Council, the member states reaffirmed their commitment to reinforcing the fight against organised crime. This led to the issue of the Communication from the Commission à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Preventing fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of paymentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [4] and its accompanying Fraud Prevention Action Plan. It was acknowledged that the payment industry has developed and implemented new technical fraud prevention measures (such as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“chip and PI Nà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  technology) but if cross-border payments are to be adequately protected, further, more general measures are required. The first paragraph of the Fraud Prevention Action Plan states, inter alia, that the longer term objective must be the introduction of a structured and co-ordinated security approach by all interested parties. It is essential to promote standardised security requirements which can be independently and objectively evaluated. An example of this is ISO Standard 15408 which allows the definition of security requirements for information technology systems including payment products. Criminal sanctions are also necessary. At the Community level, proposals have been made for the common definition of certain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cyber crimesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  carrying common penalties[5]. While such reform is to be welcomed insofar as it would provide a measure of uniformity and ease of enforcement within the EU, it cannot address the risks posed by the global na ture of modern information technology which renders European merchants and institutions vulnerable to international attack from beyond the borders of the EU. Annex 20 argues that the harmonisation of penal legislation against cyber crime both in the EU and beyond and co-operation with other stakeholders may lead to the conclusion that there is no need for further legal provisions on the security of the infrastructure and the payment area and further initiatives may be left to self-regulation. This approach is complacent. While acknowledging the difficulty of state regulation of crimes committed outside its jurisdiction, such a challenge militates in favour of internal regulation to ensure compliance with the highest possible standards of electronic security. The increase in e-banking and e-commerce generates an increasingly urgent imperative to protect such systems if confidence is to be maintained and the advantages of such transaction methods to the development of the Internal Market are to be preserved. Article 17 of Directive 95/46/EC already provides for the controller of the data to take appropriate measures to protect against unauthorised access. An increasingly obvious deficiency occurs where the processing of such data is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“outsourcedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  to another party. While the controller in such circumstances is under a duty to choose a processor who is able to supply the necessary guarantees as to security of data, there is no reason why indeed it might be regarded as essential that the processor is also made the direct subject of primary legislation in order to ensure the integrity of his guarantees and to provide appropriate remedies (beyond the merely contractual rights of the controller) in the event of default. Breakdown of a Payment Network By contrast with Annex 20, Annex 21 raises the issue of liability in the event of breakdown of a payment network but fails to provide even the most meagre of proposed strategies for dealing with the issue or even any meaningful suggested topics for discussion and response. The risk of system breakdown is particularly acute in the case of Payment Services Providers since they have à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“network externalitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  which means that they are exposed to risks not only as a result of the compromise of the integrity of their own internal systems but also the systems of those other institutions with which they are interdependent. In addition, the trend toward à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“outsourcingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  discussed above increases their vulnerability to breakdowns over which they have no direct control. Such system failures can have significant impact in the marketplace upon a customer who may incur financial penalties (e.g. for late payment) or suffer loss of commercial opportunity or other loss as a result of not being able to action an electronic payment. The merchant also is at risk since, in the event of such failure, potential profit may be lost i f otherwise willing customers are not able to make payment by other than electronic means. The obvious question is, upon whom should such losses ultimately fall? Not surprisingly, the banks take a particular view. Barclays[6] argue that to extend liability to include unlimited consequential losses due to system breakdown will cause many providers to reconsider their exposure to the payments market. They argue that they have invested in contingency arrangements so that payments are not delayed even if there are failures, that customers have a wide range of payment options available to them and that breakdown is rare. Finally, there is the familiar plea that the industry is subject to a high degree of self-regulation and that the consequences of system failure are adequately addressed by the bankà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s contract with the customer. Significantly, it is not asserted that compensation arrangements are adequate under the present regime, rather that the customer contract is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the best way forwardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  provided this is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“transparent to the customerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . To seek to limit liability in this way is offensive to basic legal principles. By direct or indirect means, the customer either in the form of a consumer or in the person of a merchant supplying goods or services and wishing for reasons of commercial competitiveness to offer the option of payment by electronic means, is paying for a service which he has a consequent right to expect will be operated efficiently and without causing loss to him through its failure. Where such failure occurs, the consequences are clearly and reasonably foreseeable as they have been by the Commission in the Consultation Document. Just as it was appropriate for the Commission to regulate the charge for electronic cross-border transfers by Regulation 2560/2001, it is appropriate for there to be similar intervention to ensure confidence in systems and the further increase in th eir use for the benefit of the Single Market and to provide a transparent system of rights and remedies in the event of breakdown of systems. Conclusion Regulation 2560/2001/EC provided an important boost to the use of electronic payment systems for cross-border transfers by removing the disparities previously existing in respect of charges for such services. Recognising this benefit to the operation of the Single Market, the Consultative Document seeks to explore ways of increasing and enhancing this benefit by addressing a range of technical and legal restrictions which continue to impinge upon the efficient and secure operation of such means of payment. If this is to be achieved, urgent action is required to address the increasing threat to the security of and thus confidence in the use of such services. Payment Services Providers must shoulder the leading responsibility for guaranteeing the security of such systems and where this continues to be deemed inadequate, must b e required by Regulation to do so. This applies also in the distinct but related field of system breakdown. Self-serving arguments about the current adequacy of systems and the familiar special pleading for self-regulation should not be allowed to stand in the way of continued improvements in e-payment and e-commerce with the manifest economic benefits that this will confer upon the Community. Again, this is too important an objective to be left to chance or half-hearted and self-interested attempts at self-regulation. The model of Regulation 2560/2001 and its demonstrable success may be relied upon in both areas to bring about continued improvements in the framework for payments in the Internal Market. Bibliography APACS, The Regulation on Cross Border Payments in Euro, Cards Compliance Guidelines for the UK Banking Industry, (July 2003) Barclays plc Response: Commission Communication A New Legal Framework for Payments in the Internal Market (9 February 2004) Electroni c Payments key conclusions of study undertaken for European Commission on public perceptions, (September 2003), www.europa.eu.int/comm.internal-market/payments/docs/fraud/study-security New Legal Framework for Payments in the Internal Market, COM (2003) 718 final Irish Payment Services Organisation, IBAN Update, (Oct 2004), www.ipso.ie Preventing fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment, COM (2001) 0011 final Proposal for a Council Framework Decision on attacks against information systems, COM (2002) 173 final Regulation 2560/2001/EU 1 Footnotes [1] COM (2003) 718 final, p.2 [2] IDC and Gartner (November 2002) [3] Electronic Payments key conclusions of study undertaken for European Commission on public perceptions, (September 2003), www.europa.eu.int/comm.internal-market/payments/docs/fraud/study-security [4] COM (2001) 0011 final [5] Proposal for a Council Framework Decision on attacks against information systems, COM (2002) 173 final [6] Barclays plc Response: Commission Communication A New Legal Framework for Payments in the Internal Market (9 February 2004)