Business Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Research - Essay Example NatWest traces its origin to the year 1968 when the National Provincial Bank merged with the Westminster Bank. NatWest has remained one of the â€Å"biggest four clearing banks† in the United Kingdom and it has opened over 1,600 branches and 3,400 automated teller machines across the UK (Jones, 2012, p.258). The bank currently has nearly 7.5 million customers and over 850,000 accounts specifically tailored for small businesses. It operates through a subsidiary bank known as Ulster Bank in the republic of Ireland. As per the year 2003 NatWest was a wholly owned subsidiary of the RBS. However, it has currently become the ultimate holding company of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS). Basing on this, it is evidently cleat that the shareholders, competitors and interest groups of RBS are directly linked to the National Westminster Bank. The government of the United Kingdom acquired majority of the shares of RBS in 2008 to become the majority shareholder of the bank. Currently, the UK government owns over 67% of the ordinary shares floated by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group in the stock market. OWNERSHIP Government Ownership of National Westminster Bank As already stated, NatWest is the main holding company of the Royal Bank of Scotland. ... The government went further to acquire B shares in December thus making the cumulative government ownership of the RBS Group to stand at 81.15 percent (Waller, 2000, p.31). Stephen Hester is the chief executive officer of the Royal Bank of Scotland, a company which by extension owns the National Westminster Bank. Since the majority of the shareholding comes from the government whose main source of income is the taxpayer’s money, it is also true to say that NatWest is a bank owned by the public (Steiner, 2000, p.18). UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) was then charged with the mandate of overseeing the government’s investments in financial institution including Royal Bank of Scotland Group. In connection to the desire of promoting economic stability and healthy competition in the banking sector, the UK government has given UKFI the duty to manage the orderly but active disposing of government’s shareholding in some of these institutions. Norwich Union is a compos ite insurer and owns about 1.12 percent of the original shares of NatWest Bank. Before the â€Å"takeover† of the company by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the managers of this bank were in full support of the bid presented by the RBS. COMPETITION NatWest, which by extension refers to the Royal Bank of Scotland, faces competition from several banks that include HSBC, Credit Suisse Bank, Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered. About HSBC: It is ranked as the top most banks in the whole world. According to the financial statements of the bank released in the first quarter of 2011, this bank recorded the largest profit of 4,153 billion dollars. It highly trusted in emerging markets such as China. This factor

Moral Dilemma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moral Dilemma - Research Paper Example This essay implements both of these theorists’ perspectives, in characterizing the moral development of am eleven-year-old child named Jeremy. Jeremy is an eleven-year-old child who has been faced with a moral dilemma surrounding his actions on a test. The specific scenario is that Jeremy, who has struggled in math, has been promised an increase in weekly allowance if he improves in math by one letter grade. During a math exam, he decided to look on a couple of his peers’ papers and change his answers accordingly. He ended up getting a perfect score, raising his grade by a letter grade, and receiving an increase in allowance. While Jeremy has been successful in his pursuit of a higher grade, it’s clear that his actions constitute moral impropriety. As established, Jeremy’s actions in cheating on his text represent morally improper actions. Still, the question remains whether such immorality is an aberration or is an age appropriate indication of Jeremy’s stage of moral and cognitive development. These concerns have been examined by both Piaget and Kohlberg. Both of these theorists implement a developmental model with stages of the individual passes through (Douglas 1993). Kohlberg’s theory of moral development functions within the overarching context of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (Douglas 1993). In considering Kohlberg’s theory of moral development within the context of Jeremy’s situation, it’s clear that Jeremy is acting at an age appropriate level. Perhaps the prominent consideration in terms of Jeremy’s development is what Kohlberg terms the pre-conventional stage of development. For individuals at Jeremy’s age, the age appropriate level is the se cond stage of the pre-operational stage. According to Kohlberg & Lickona (1976) this stage is characteristic of acting in ways that directly benefit the self without disregard for larger moral concerns. It’s clear that

Peer Editing Assignment Essay Example for Free

Peer Editing Assignment Essay The world we live in today is troubled one. The contradiction people face is that while some people sit in the lap of luxury and drive hundred thousand dollar cars there are others who are forced to take the bus to work. There are individuals who cannot afford healthcare who are generally those getting sick on a continual basis. There are definitely some aspects of our daily living that simply can’t be changed, but there is always room for change and it is apparent that this change is in demand. There are large populations of people in the world who die every year from health related problems, than those involved in violent deaths. Diseases like cancer and heart attacks are the number one global killers. A cure for genetic diseases through genetic research are quite possibly the answers to a world of questions. It is important to realize that genetics is one of the broadest subjects as it covers a plethora of areas such as disease, disability, geographical relations, ethic ramifications and ancestry to name a few. The answers to the variety of genetic malfunctions and other questions lie in the group of scientists and genetic engineers who explore the symptoms, as well as the cures, for so many ailments in the final goal of living in a disease free world where fear of death by an invisible killer is vastly unknown as â€Å"bioengineering is a field with such staggering potential for good† (Parker 68). The purpose of this essay is to shed light on some of the more unknown aspects of this area of research through the exploration of the history of genetics, what our current needs are and work that is currently being done, along with where genetics focuses toward the future of genetic technology in an attempt to prove that genetic research is essential to our society. Genetics is not a new area of research but has been around long before research into DNA ever began. When the creation of the first cells through the adaptation of cell mutation, genetic mixing can be traced back to the time of the dinosaur. One of the most obvious animals to win the fight in genetics is the giraffe. When you look at a giraffe and its long neck, it is important to realize that at one time, the giraffe was thought to have looked more like a horse. Both animals have similar bone structure even down to the hooves. But, as time went on and trees first sprouted along the landscape it was easy for the giraffe to get fed as the food source, at the time, was at eye level and close to the ground; then, as trees got taller over the centuries the giraffe needed to adapt in order to survive. Giraffes would therefore spend much of their energy stretching their necks toward the sky in order to reach the branches of the trees thus forcing a genetic mutation. As their bones and muscles stretched so did the size of their offspring thus leading to the birth of giraffes that were born with longer necks. Over the centuries these animals have grown to have the longest neck relative to their size. The brontosaurus may have evolved in a similar fashion but all life was brought to a screeching halt when the dinosaurs were extinct. As we have become a more civilized society and exploring science we have discovered the existence of genetics. Modern genetics has always known for a long time that was some blueprint that all animals of similar species have in common. The first documentation of genetics was centuries ago when a scientist experimenting with plants desired certain effects which were documented through the affects of different plants with others by mixing the seeds. This is also the first known documentation of gene splicing. Scientists interested in genetics as well as an amateur botanist, had developed ways of predicting the offspring given the dominant and recessive traits of the donor parents in a system called a Punnett Square. Since that time we have come a great distance, but the science was still primitive until some scientists discovered and laid the foundation of entire science. With discovery of the Double Helix, the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick the world was changed forever. James D. Watson was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and was accepted to the University of Chicago at the age of 15 where he completed his Bachelor’s in Zoology, then continued on to the University of Indiana and received his PhD in 1950 in Zoology. Shortly after starting at Cambridge, Watson met Crick who shared his passion for the DNA structure mystery. In March, 1953 with a higher appreciation of the nucleic acid literature, his work resulted in the proposal and discovery of the double-helical configuration and publishing several papers on the topic. Watson and Crick worked on discovering the construction of DNA after several failed trial and error attempts, they succeeded and on February 28, 1953. Looking ahead, in 1992, Watson left to work for the Cold Springs Harbor Research Facility where he is currently sitting as President. The momentous discovery of DNA has created entire industries which has impacted mankind tremendously. Rewarded for their hard work in 1962 Watson, Crick, and Wilkins shared the Noble Prize in Medicine. The human body is an amazing structure with many cells all containing DNA strands with literally millions of strands of DNA making up the human body. More than fifty years after its initial discovery, the entire code has still not been deciphered; if you were to print the code in books and try to read it you would not be able to finish it in your lifetime. In the last several years research and development of genetic engineering has evolved ten times over. It is only recently that we have been able to prove some of Einstein’s theories this long after his death and I fear it will be many more before genetics and its possibilities is truly understood. Genetics in the last several years has gone into dangerous territories with studies in gene splicing and stem cell testing. Stem Cells are the most basic form of human life. Cells taken from ertilized embryos are cells that have not been assigned a specific task yet and whether they are to be heart cells, skin cells, or even hair cells. It is the hope of scientists that with stem cells can improve the quality of life through curing cancer and many other life ending and life changing diseases. Through the engineering of stem cells it is hoped that they can replace dead and damaged cells, for example, in someone’s legs thus helping them to walk again. Last year the boldest operation to date took place which saw stem cells help create and repair the diseased heart of a man. The stem cells replaced cells ravaged by disease removed by the doctors. This procedure, however, did come at a cost. The current government feels that using stem cells is unethical as they are life and harvesting the cells from embryos thus in turn killing them is not right. This all really needs to be taken into context and look at the balance scale; in one hand a father, husband, friend, coworker who never asked for a thing in his life except for the love of his family, and in the other, a cell that nobody knows and may not even make it to birth. The logical choice would be to look at the man as the gauging factor in saving his life. With the current policy and laws in place by our current conservative government would see the man who would choose to have a hospital in France perform a heart transplant harvested through stem cell growth instead of on his native soil and now that he has an illegally grown heart he can never set foot in America again or face the possibility of prosecution. When most people are faced with this type of choice, most wouldn’t want to live in a country that denies this possibility. Besides, our constitution states that â€Å"all men [women and child] are guaranteed life liberty and the pursuit of happiness†; (United States Constitution) but perhaps only when it is convenient. With regulation governing research it has been difficult to do studies in America thus forcing companies and scientists to seek refuge in other nations. This causes a major problem as US based companies are worried it is too high a risk to invest in and fund research of this kind. These scientists live on systematic research grants to continue their work. After these new laws were put in place only several years ago many companies went out of business because they lost funding (Technology Review 47). It is troubling that a nation founded on new ideas would ban such research but it all has to do with where the votes in congress are. Stem cell research is not all encompassing of what genetics is as the work in genetics is helping people born with disabilities. Through better understanding our bodies can better cures be found. People born with certain disabilities can usually trace these back to other members of their family. In a recent study more than 30% of mentally Ill patients in psychiatric care have heredity connections and other member of their family suffer from similar symptoms. Genetics, at its roots, is the study of possibilities: who we are and how we got here. Scientists don’t believe we just appeared like this centuries ago; we evolved, adapted and grew from a lesser species. Take a look at yourself in the mirror and you will see some of your family features; not just your parents, but your grandparents as well. For instance, I have my father’s hair and my mother’s eyes, but my grandfather’s nose as ‘we are our father’s sons’, as they say, and look as well as act like them. The use of genetics is not limited to the medical field as in recent years genetics and DNA have played a major part in law enforcement and has led to the apprehension of many criminals. While fingerprints can be smudged and unclear DNA is definitive, no two people in the world have the same DNA not even twins. Using DNA is essential to putting suspects behind bars: a hair, skin epithelials and bodily fluids all contain DNA and all can be used as evidence. Even old cases gone unsolved have been reopened using new technology to get a conviction. Some research organizations are government funded through doing research for defense and government funded programs paid for by our tax dollars. Then there is the private sector, which is the most driven. It would be of great importance to have systematic research grants and giving more of them to our scientists who are working on genetics and stem cell research. In a world where more money is spent researching breast augmentation surgery then life saving genetics, once again, he who has the gold makes the rules. More importantly, if there was as much money in curing cancer as there is spent in creating cosmetic surgery procedures and Viagra, we would have cured this disease a decade ago. Only the future will tell what is to be discovered. It is essential that we keep working to provide resources in funding, legal and administrative areas to keep the discoveries coming. Maybe soon we will not be at risk for any disease or ailments and maybe one day we’ll find a cure for the common cold but probably not in my lifetime.

Financial and Non-Financial Motivation: An Overview

Financial and Non-Financial Motivation: An Overview In modern society, business markets are getting more competitive. As a consequence, firms in the markets try to use more effective ways to achieve their goals, which include earning more profit and expanding market share. Motivation, which is a way that encourages employees to make an effort to work, is a feasible method to help firms to reach their targets. According to Tutor2U (n. d. a), if workers are motivated well, the business will get better productivity as well as improved product quality, and earn good reputation. Hence, a business ought to spend considerable time in thinking the best way to motivate employees, and there are a significant number of different opinions about it, including financial motivation and non-financial motivation. These two methods of motivation focus on different kinds of employees and satisfy different needs of workers. In addition, both of the two measures have their advantages as well as disadvantages. Therefore, the business should use these two m ethods together to encourage employees to work harder or worse, and make productivity good or bad. Different people have different needs to work, so according to specific conditions, a business should use different methods to motivate its workers. Hall et al. (2008) state that Maslow concluded a theory that there are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work, and they are physical, safety, social, esteem and self actualization. An employee would be motivated by the higher need, only once a lower level of need has been fully satisfied (Tutor2U, n. d. b). For example, a person, who has no money and is dying of hunger and thirst, may think about basic wage at first instead of job security and respect from others. A business ought to offer different sets of incentives from worker to worker, because workers are not all motivated in the same way. According to Hall et al. (2008), McGregor also suggested two theories to explain why people have the will to work. Theory X assumes some workers are motivated by money, while theory Y assumes other workers are mo tivated by many other factors. For instance, due to the little amount of wage, lower paid workers, who include blue collar workers, tend to be willing to work overtime to earn higher pay. However, as for the better paid employees, including white collar workers, salary is not the only important factor for them. They may pay more attention to other aspects of work, such as colleagues, recognition and promotion. Consequently, a business should take different measures aiming at different kinds of employees in order to meet all of their needs and make profits. Financial motivation, which is related to a fair days pay for a fair days work, has both its strengths and weaknesses. Money is necessary for everybody, especially for the poor who have a strong desire to earn more money so as to make a living. Hence, the specific approach that motivates employees using money could be a good way to improve performance of workers as well as productivity. On the other hand, financial motivation may also cause some problems too, such as quality and operating problems. Hall et al. (2008) list some possible methods of financial motivation, including piece rates, fringe benefits, performance related pay and profit sharing. Each method has different benefits and drawbacks to motivate workers. An example is piece-rate pay, which is recommended by Taylor, it is the wage that is paid to workers by the number of products they make in a certain period of time (Hoddersamplepages, n. d.). Workers would work harder to earn more, because the ones who produce more co uld get higher pay. It might be good for increasing the speed of work therefore productivity. Nevertheless, piece rates tend to make employees rush work, so lead to some quality problems, and further influence the reputation of the business. Another measure is fringe benefit, and it is the extra money that employees receive in addition to their normal wage or salary, such as a company car, free use of a house as well as private health insurance (Tutor2U, n. d. c). It can help satisfy the social needs of employees and make them loyal to the firm. At Google for example, it provides free meals for employees to motivate them to be more loyal and make profits for the company (Hall et al., 2008). However, Tutor2U (n. d. c) also points out that fringe benefits could be difficult for the firm to operate because of increasing costs that are used by individuals. Therefore, there are some obvious advantages and disadvantages of financial motivated methods. Owing to the problems of financial incentives, firms should also use non-financial incentives to encourage workers. The similar to financial motivation, non-financial motivation has not only many significant benefits but also some drawbacks too. According to Tutor2U (n. d., b), Mayo reported that the human relations approach is the process for retaining and developing people in organizations but not using ways that involve money. A case in point is Tejas Securities Group. The Chairmans Cup is a silver chalice, which is awarded by the firm each month. It is the award to the workers who contribute to the success of the whole firm, so it inspires employees to work harder toward achievement (Searchwarp, n. d.). Non-financial incentives include job enrichment, empowerment and team working (Hall et al., 2008). Job enrichment means giving workers new sets of interesting and challenging tasks, which is supported by Herzberg (Hr-scorecard-metrics, 2010). It provides employees more chances to develop their capabilities and make them gain a strong sense of achievement. On the other hand, Tutor2U (n. d. d) reports that job enrichment might make some expensive mistakes if the work is too complex for workers or they do not possess the correct skill level. As for empowerment, it gives official authority to workers to make decisions and control their own activities (Hall et al., 2008). For example, employees can arrange how to use their time and how to achieve the tasks by themselves. The advantages of empowerment are significant, one of which is making employees feel free to make the most suitable choices for themselves. The disadvantages are obvious as well. Hall et al. (2008) point out employees might be given more work with the same pay, so they may be not willing to do it. Furthermore, empowerment may increase the costs that relate to the business, such as the costs of changing the workplace and training the workers (Hall, et al., 2008). If the employees make wrong decisi ons, it tends to have bad effects on the whole business. As a result, both the strengths and weaknesses of non-financial incentives exist. To sum up, according to Maslows hierarchy of needs as well as McGregors theory X and theory Y, different workers may have different needs to be met through motivation. On the one hand, either financial motivation or non-financial motivation is useful to encourage employees. On the other hand, both of the methods have their drawbacks as well. As far as I am concerned, these two methods are both beneficial for a business to motivate its employees, improve productivity, then earn more profits and achieve the business objectives. Thus, a business ought to combine these two methods, and use them together reasonably. The business should also take advantage of both financial as well as non-financial motivation, and try to avoid some unnecessary problems depending on specific needs of employees and real conditions of work.

Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis :: Psychology Handout Essays

Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis The aim of this essay is to clarify the basic principles of Freud’s theories and to raise the main issues. It is important to be clear about the meanings of certain terms that you may come across and throughout the handout you will find footnotes clarifying certain terms. Firstly though, a word about the terms psychoanalysis and psychodynamics. Psychoanalysis refers to both Freud’s original attempt at providing a comprehensive theory of the mind and also to the associated treatment. The term encompasses both Freudian theory and therapy. You will also come across the term psychodynamics. This term is used to denote the approach which began with psychoanalysis but which has now broadened into a much more diverse collection of theories and models developed by other psychologists, all of which nevertheless retain some of the main ideas of Freud’s original theory. 1.8.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BACKGROUND Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 in Moravia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire and is now in the Czech Republic. He spent most of his life in Vienna, from where he fled, in 1937, when the Nazis invaded. Neither Freud (being Jewish) or his theories were very popular with the Nazis and he escaped to London where he died in 1939. He had wanted to be a research scientist but anti-Semitism forced him to choose a medical career instead and he worked in Vienna as a doctor, specialising in neurological disorders (disorders of the nervous system). He constantly revised and modified his theories right up until his death but much of his psychoanalytic theory was produced between 1900 and 1930. Freud originally attempted to explain the workings of the mind in terms of physiology and neurology ...(but)... quite early on in his treatment of patients with neurological disorders, Freud realised that symptoms which had no organic or bodily basis could imitate the real thing and that they were as real for the patient as if they had been neurologically caused. So he began to search for psychological explanations of these symptoms and ways of treating them. In 1885 he spent a year in Paris learning hypnosis from the neurologist Charcot; he then started using hypnosis with his patients in Vienna. However, he found its effects to be only temporary at best and it did not usually get to the root of the problem; nor was everybody capable of being hypnotised. Meanwhile Breuer, another Viennese doctor, was developing another method of therapy which he called the cathartic method, where patients would talk out their problems.

The Effects of the Renaissance Essay -- European Renaissance Essays

The Effects of the Renaissance When the Renaissance crept into the world?s social senses people were moved. However, when the Renaissance began to affect the literature of the sixteenth century, the world was changed forever. The Renaissance, meaning a ?re-birth,? was a time of many changes. These changes wrought pandemonium among the civilized people of earth. There was a recovery and discovery of medieval texts in which scholars were deeply impressed by. Those in love with the arts and literature now had more choices to view and read. There was an outpour of those individuals attempting to create paintings that exemplified the feelings that saturated the minds of the brilliant scholars. Most importantly, however, was the huge change of the role of the church in everything. Martin Luther nailed up his ?95 Thesis? and thus began the Reformation of the Catholic Church. With this came a rushing tide of secularization in Europe. This, of course, blew over into literature and the arts. The Faerie Queen is one epic that included the ideals and morals that the excom...

Leadership Study Essay

Question 1: What is your opinion of Gerry’s approach to evaluating the output of the new-product development group? While Gerry seems ready for fresh and new product ideas, his approach to evaluating ideas presented by Maria and the new-product development group is harsh and in my opinion put forth as disapproval vice constructive criticism. The team has been working hard and Gerry’s comments, â€Å"I get the impression that there is a lot of activity going on here, but it does not seem to be focused activity†, would make me defensive and rather than listening to Gerry, Maria is probably thinking about how to respond to the snide comments and feedback. Gerry could have been more tactful and should have been more supportive when turning down the teams ideas and putting Maria on the defensive. As a result, they are likely to interpret criticism as a personal attack on their self-worth.1 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 362) It would have been better in my opinion to say nothing o r use tact in his approach and rather than criticize, he could have used it as a coaching opportunity and turned down Maria’s idea with constructive feedback. Question 2: Do you think that Maria is getting too sensitive to criticism? Gerry’s comments are not constructive but rather criticism so, no, I don’t think Maria is getting too sensitive to Gerry’s criticism. Garth Laidlaw pointed out that new-product development is a risky business and that 90 percent of new-product ideas never make it to the market shelves so Gerry should’ve expected some failures. I think Gerry should have come into the venture using what DuBrin calls a use loose-tight leadership style. Looseness refers to granting space for new ideas and exploration, whereas a tight approach means finally making a choice among the alternatives.2 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 365) Innovation is also enhanced when workers throughout the organization are able to purse absurd ideas without penalty for being wrong or for having wasted some resources.3 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 365) Question 3: How do constraints on creativity enter into this case? Gerry is not practicing transformational leadership and fostering an environment for change and innovation. The executive office sees a need for innovation, establishes a team and even places the team away from the corporate flag but I didn’t see Gerry having a clear vision or  providing any type of guidance on the types of goods or sector that the new product development group should focusing their talents. Information about establishing a climate for creativity can be divided into (1) leadership and managerial practices for enhancing creativity and (2) methods for managing creative workers.4 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 357) Gerry wants innovation and creativity, provided resources but his rigid leadership style would hinder creativity in any organization. One should provide excellent tools and resources, give creative people flexibility, turn down ideas gently, and employ creative people to manage and evaluate creati ve workers.5 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 366) The company seems focused on innovation for its own sake without a clear goal in mind, and Gerry is quick to criticize the ideas presented by the innovation team rather than recognizing opportunities in lemons. It takes a lot of lemons to make lemonade.