.

Monday, September 30, 2019

Dwi case with multiple fatalities Essay

Driving while being intoxicated is a serious crime. This becomes more serious when the charge is juxtaposed with multiple fatalities including DWI charges. These charges include underage driving, underage drinking, resisting against arrest and public damage. (Kar, 145) Such an incident took place in Middletown in 1999. This is a perfect example of the multiple fatalities while driving. Henry Bitchel was 15 when he crashed his 1966 Ford on a public telephone booth. The officer in charge booked the offence and tried to measure his blood alcohol level suspecting him being drunk. To this Henry resisted and thus offence was created against the law. However with the help of force the officer registered the blood alcohol level was placed in a much higher than the permissible level. (King, 126) Thus four major charges were lodged against Henry. The first was of underage driving without a valid license, the second charge was underage drinking as he was 15 years of age. The third was resisting arrest and it should be stated that Henry could have well done without this one. The last one was damage of public property in form of a telephone booth. The fifth and the main issue that was charged against Henry was the case of drinking while driving. (Lamb, 243-245) It should be noted that the law is enforced for the betterment of civic society and the good of the civilians. Therefore it is evident that the citizen should follow these rules. Otherwise, as in the case of Henry, there could be multiple fatalities including DWI charges and that is a must avoidable scenario. Works Cited: Kar, P; History of US Automobile Market (Kolkata: Dasgupta & Chatterjee 2005) pp 145 King, H; Civic Fitness Today (Dunedin: HBT & Brooks Ltd. 2005) pp 126 Lamb, Davis; Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata. (Wellington: National Book Trust. 2004) pp 243-245

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Navy seals

After striving to indicate a person who has had a significant influence on me I have come to a conclusion, that rather than a individual person I have a particular group. This particular group is unlike any other in the I the world. This group consists of elite men who put their homeland before themselves, they are capable of putting the needs of others before their own. These men were willing to do everything and anything to become part of the elite group known around the world as the Navvy Seals.Navvy seals are groups of elite soldiers, known around the world for their abilities in he air on the land and in the sea. These soldiers lead the world in their special oops. They are unlike another soldiers in the world, willing to risk their lives for anyone in need around the world. Ready to assist and cry for help. I see the Navvy Seals the way most people my age see pro sports players. Like pro sports players the SEALS are the best of the best. Their training and tactical work is so v igorous that their number one philosophy is â€Å"the easy day was yesterday†. Which is one of many in the Navvy.To be given the opportunity to serve my country a a Navvy Seal would mean the world to me. I would spend every breathing moment being the best I can be for my country family and myself. All my life I have wanted to be affiliated in the military. Four to five years ago I had very low self confidence in myself and others and not very great aspirations. My plan was to enroll in the marines after high school and attain my college education from the military. My primary aspiration for my life was to exceed the achievements of my mother, who didn't graduate high school.I wanted to be able to say if I could do it why couldn't you? My mind and heart were consumed by the dreadful thought of my rothers and how they would never have the opportunities that I have been blessed with. It wasn't until I had opened up to my uncle Derek who is a marine that I had a change of heart a bout virtually everything past and present. My uncle was in absolute disagreement with my plan. He explained the importance of college to my and the pride that comes with the privilege of becoming a marine that will extinguish my desire to exceed the accomplishments of my moms.Together we looked through the different military academies and I found Annapolis the most interesting because their classes in economics. I have a strange liking towards economics, like the stock market and the economy. Those thing Just really seem to interest me to I hope to major in economics and international trade while attending Annapolis. My interest in international trade comes from my desire to travel, which is another one of the many reasons I aspire to be a Navvy Seal. Ever since I was little I've wanted to see the world, and what it has to offer.There is absolutely no better way at accomplishing that dream other than attending Annapolis become a Navvy Seal, and sounds to go to be true, but I know i n my heart that in order to accomplish that goal I ave to be mentally and physically tough enough to get there. Speaking about becoming physically and mentally tough I have already begun those first small steps. It started off with small attitude adjustments such as my love for athletics, instead of dreading the next workout I changed the dreading into excitement that put me in the mindset to get better rather than Just get through the workout.Eventually I got to a point where my moms actions didn't influence my mind as much. In fact I changed my entire perspective on my mom, although, she isn't perfect she chose her path and being angry about that isn't helping me or her in nyway. So instead of being angry I chose put all the extra time I spent being angry and wishing things could be different to actually make a difference in my life not Just for me but for her my brothers and anyone else that thinks they can't do it.I feel like a much better person, free from the invisible chains that ranted excuse after excuse of why I couldn't or didn't get the Job done. I find happiness and hope to be the greatest things in life and I know whole heartedly that the SEALS brought those thing to me. Nothing makes me happier than getting a good grade on an ssignment and knowing I've gotten Just a tad bit closer to my dream. I can sometimes get lost in my thoughts of the the future, to the point where I feel as if I'm reading a good book with precise imagery.Imagining myself 10 years from now along side the best special pops team in the world, seeing the world and serving my country. Another exciting thing about the SEALS is their brotherhood. The fact that they would risk their lives for one another is breath taking. They would rather all sacrifice their lives saving one of their own than leaving them behind. Their goal number one oal in operations it to complete the given task unnoticed, quietly, quickly, and most importantly together.Like family these men will do anything f or each other and will go to the ends of the earth to protect their own. The final thing I will mention is the SEALS ability to be wherever they are needed whenever they are needed. No matter the circumstance they are always willing to put their lives on the line for whomever is in need. Which is also like something I've always done. I may not meet the needs or standards of everyone but I will always go out of my way to help someone in need.Not only because I know it is the right thing to do but because I remember when I didn't have much and someone would go out of their way to help me. I will never forget those people which makes it necessary for me to do the same for others. All that being said I don't believe that I am perfect by a long shot, there are thousands, heck millions that have it ten times worse than me and have beat the odds. But one thing is for sure once given the chance I will do everything I'm my power to be the best I can be for myself and my country,

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Mycorrhiza

The symbiotic relationships that establish involving the roots of major plant species and fungi are called Mycorrhizae. These symbiotic relationships differentiated by the two-way movement of nutrients whereby carbon runs to the fungus. The fungus then facilitates the movement of the inorganic nutrients towards the plant, in that way, it gives a vital connection between the soil and the root of the plant (Smith, 1997).The absorbed nutrients by the mycorrhizal fungi can direct to enhanced plant development and reproduction. Accordingly, mycorrhizal plants are frequently more viable and more capable to endure ecological strains than non-mycorrhizal plants.Mycorrhizal relationships differ extensively in structure and purpose. Basidiomycetes that cultivate among root cortical cells of various tree species which create a Hartig net are called Ectomycorrhizal fungi (Smith, 1997). On the other hand, fungi that under the order Glomales and create extremely pronged forms called arbuscules, co ntained by root cortical cells of numerous herbaceous and forested plant species are called Arbuscular mycorrhizal.Through mycorrhizal fungi, plant is able to respond to colonization (can vary from remarkable development promotion to development depression. Known elements that affect the response of the plant are the following: the nutrient condition of the soil, the inoculum possibility of the mycorrhizal fungi, and the mycorrhizal dependence of the horde crop.Crop rotation, fallowing, and tillage are among management practices that may negatively distress the number of mycorrhizal fungi in the field. Inoculation techniques and methods may be employed in the case wherein native inoculum is short or unproductive. Through the advanced pace of technology in the contemporary and scientific world, inoculation is mainly practicable for uprooted crops as well as in regions where soil interruption has significantly abridged the local inoculum potential.What Mycorrhiza IsA relationship or s ymbiosis involving plants and fungi which takes over the cortical tissue of roots throughout the stages of active development of plant is referred as mycorrhiza. Such relationship is described by the shift of the carbon produced by the plant towards the fungus as well as the movement of obtained nutrients by the fungus to the plant.In 1885, a German forest pathologist Frank first employed the term mycorrhiza (which denotes â€Å"fungus-root†) to the relationship that he observed from between the tree and fungus. From then on, the symbiotic relationships observed between plants and fungi are characterized by mycorrhiza (Smith, 1997).Increased development and yield or environmentally by enhanced condition characterize the advantages that the plants get from their symbiotic relationships. In such ways, the advantage accumulates mainly for the fact that mycorrhizal fungi establish a vital connection between the soil and the roots of the plant (Varma & Hock, 1999). Mycorrhizal fun gi generally propagate mutually in the soil and in the root.The extramatrical hyphae (or the soil borne) adopt nutrients drawn from the soil solution and transfer them towards the plant’s root. In this process, mycorrhiza enlarges the productive absorptive exterior part of the plant. In soils which lack nutrient or moisture, nutrients engaged in extramatrical hyphae can result to enhanced plant development and reproduction. In effect, mycorrhizal plants are frequently more viable in defense of ecological hazards than those plants that are not mycorrhizal (Varma & Hock, 1999).What Mycorrhiza DoesIn cases when there is a lack of soil solution in a nutrient, the surface area is the vital root factor which controls the uptake. The hyphae of mycorrhizal have the possibility to significantly amplify the part of the surface area of the root which main function is to absorb the nutrient.Moreover, it is noteworthy to take consideration on the allocation and role of the extramatrical h yphae. The hyphae must be allocated away from the nutrient reduction region that progress around the root if the mycorrhiza is to be productive in the uptake of nutrient (Smith, 1997). In the case when the nutrients are detached from the soil solution more hastily than they can be reinstated by transmission, a nutrient reduction region is developed.A jagged and thin reduction region is developed near the root in the case of a poorly-mobile ion, for example phosphate. Together with a sufficient amount of phosphorus, hyphae can voluntarily link this reduction region and develop into soil. Mycorrizhae improves the uptake of micronutrients (e.g. copper and zinc) for the reason that these elements are also transmission-bounded in major soils (Varma & Hock, 1999).The reduction region is broad and it is less probable that hyphae develop at length into the region that is not only affected by the root in case of more mobile nutrients, for example nitrate. The narrow diameter relative to root s effectively helps in the absorption of nutrient which is among the significant factors. The abruptness of the distribution incline for a nutrient is conversely associated to the radius of the absorbing unit (Smith, 19970. Consequently, the soil solution should be less exhausted at the outside of a contracted absorbing unit like a hypha. In addition, contracted hyphae can cultivate into undersized soil stomas unreachable to roots as well as to root hairs.Access to band of phosphorus not voluntarily obtainable to the plant is another benefit characterize to mycorrhizal fungi. One method to obtain such access is by the means of physiochemical discharge of organic and inorganic phosphorus from organic acids as a result of the low-molecular-weight organic anions’ action like that of oxalate which can function to either substitute phosphorus absorbed at metal-hydroxide shells y means of ligand-exchange effects, or liquefy metal-oxide shells that absorb phosphorus, or intricate me tals in solution hence averting moisture-generation of metal phosphates (Fox et al., 1990)How the World Sees MycorrhizaMycorrhizal relationships differ generally in composition and role. Notwithstanding the countless exclusion, it is likely to affirm wide-ranging oversimplifications concerning altitude, structure, soil properties, and roles of the various mycorrhizal forms that take over the leading undergrowth in a pitch of climatic zones (Read, 1884).Ericaceous plants (which control the acidic, high-organic heath land soils of subarctic and subalpine areas) are taken over by a cluster of ascomycetous fungi which give ascend to the ericoid-type of mycorrhiza (Smith, 1997). A wide-ranging development inside the cortical cells yet have small expansion into the soil characterizes this mycorrhizal variety.The fungi generate extracellular enzymes that break organic substances which enable the plant to absorb nutrients drawn from organic complexes derived in the colloidal substance conti guous on the roots. Heading alongside the ecological ascent, coniferous trees put back ericaceous shrubs as the prevailing foliage. These trees are taken over by an ample array of typically basidiomycetous fungi that cultivate amid root cortical cells establishing the ectomycorrhizal variety of mycorrhiza (Varma & Hock, 1999).Ectomycorrhizal fungi may generate huge amounts of hyphae in the soil and on the root (Smith, 1997). These hyphae work in the assimilation and transfer of location of water and inorganic nutrients as well as discharge nutrients from waste deposits through manufacture of enzymes implicated in the â€Å"mineralization† of organic substance.Grasslands frequently establish the principal foliage during the more humid and more parched finish of the ecological pitch. Nutrient employment is elevated and phosphorus is often a restrictive factor for development.A broad range of plants and even grasses are taken over by fungi fitting to the order Glomales. These fu ngi establish arbuscules or extremely divided structures within root cortical cells which necessitated the arbuscular variety of mycorrhiza. The Glomalean fungi may manufacture wide-ranging extramatrical hyphae and can drastically enlarge phosphorus-inflow charges of the plants they take over (Smith, 1997).The variety of these root-fungal relationships benefits plants with a variety of techniques and methods for well-organized carrying out in an arrangement of plant-soil scheme. The purpose of this paper is to offer an outline of this variety and to analyze the functions and potential for administration of the mycorrhizal symbiotic relationships in local and controlled ecosystems.ReferencesRead, D.J., Lewis, D.J., Fitter, A.H. & Alexander, I.J. (1992).   Mycorrhizae in ecosystems. CAB  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   International.Fox, T.R., Comerford, N.B. & McFee, W.W. (1990). Kinetics of phosphorus release from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   spodosols: Effects of oxalat e and formate. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 54:1441-1447.Smith, S.E. & Read, D.J. (1997). Mycorrhiza Symbioses (Second ed.). Academic Press.Varma, A. & Hock, B. (1999). Mycorrhiza: Structure, Function, Molecular Biology and   Biotechnology (Second ed.). Springer.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Strategic Management Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic Management Corporate Strategy - Essay Example Do you think your final report based upon the 5 steps chosen in question 1 above would be a valid strategic management process b. What precautions might you want to attach for readers as they read and interpret the report Yes. The final report based on these five steps listed in the earlier question will make up a valid strategic management process. However there are certain points of caution, which the readers should have in their mind. They are: 1. The strategy works towards continuous improvement of the processes or actions to reach the targets set and not to change the target itself in the name of improvement. 2. The strategy choice is based on various factors that make up the corporate strategy. However, the reader should be cautious that the alignment of this strategy to the corporate objective is as per the visualizations done. There could be gaps in them and this needs to be straightened out. 3. The reader should also note that the action plans and functional tactics are based on the various parameters that are available and the experience of the person evaluating the scope of work. There are bound to be some errors and mistakes in this evaluation. 3.(25 points)a. Compare and contrast the nature of external factors with the nature of internal factors. Give three examples each of external and internal factors. b. Discuss an example where an organization might be able to increase its control/influence over an external factor. c. Since external factors can impact the profitability of an organization, why do we have financial performance as an internal factor d. How does misclassifying an internal factor as an external factor in the EFE impact the analysis External factors that considered during analysis are: Opportunities and threats. For... The final report, that was discussed in the essay and based on the five steps, that were listed in the essay will make up a valid strategic management process. However, the researcher states that there are certain points of caution, which the readers should have in their mind. They are: The strategy works towards continuous improvement of the processes or actions to reach the targets set and not to change the target itself in the name of improvement. The strategy choice is based on various factors that make up the corporate strategy. However, the reader should be cautious that the alignment of this strategy to the corporate objective is as per the visualizations done. There could be gaps in them and this needs to be straightened out. The reader should also note that the action plans and functional tactics are based on the various parameters that are available and the experience of the person evaluating the scope of work. There are bound to be some errors and mistakes in this evaluati on. In the end of the essay, the researcher aims to compare and contrast the nature of external factors with the nature of internal factors and also gives three examples, both of external and internal factors, that can impact the profitability of an organization. In conclusion, the researcher discusses how to thoroughly analyze the proposed strategy selection of strengthening the strengths of the company and to capitalize on the same to cash in on the opportunities has been done after a detailed analysis of the existing scenario.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Health Insurance Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Insurance - Research Paper Example This calls for government intervention in health insurance costs to yield lower rates and better services. This paper discusses the reasons why government should be directly involved in health insurance. A recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund on health involving industrialised nations rated America in the lowest rank. According to Davis, Schoen, and Stremikis, â€Å"In July 2008, the Commission released the second National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, which ranked the nation’s performance on 37 indicators, 11 of which were based on international comparisons† (Davis, Schoen, and Stremikis). The parameters used in this survey include equality of health outcomes across its population, fairness of financial contributions, and patient responsiveness. The current health insurance system is financed by employers as a benefit to their employees. Low and middle-income earners do not get these benefits from employers and since they cannot afford from their mean salaries, they remain uninsured. Government involvement in health insurance will see to it that all its citizens can access it. Further analysis of the US health insurance costs problem reveals that most of the funds contributed by companies and individuals get into the hands of the administrators. This means that a lesser percentage than expected of these contributions go into actual health care of these individuals. This leaves the individuals who participate in this programme paying very high costs that do not match up the care given. Government involvement in a health insurance programme will allow it to have an added advantage to bargain better prices of drugs and services. The administration costs will no longer be there and reduced drug costs will make the prices of insurance to go down. In addition, single payer systems through government involvement will enable the government to hold down costs as it covers the entire population. Canada is a very good example of a state tha t uses the single payer system efficiently. According to Segal’s Health Care Reform Journal, â€Å"In 2006, the U.S. spent $6,714 per capita† without covering all its citizens, â€Å"while Canada †¦ spent $3,678† with universal coverage† (Clemmitt). America should learn from such states and involve the government. Government involvement in health care insurance will make it possible to track all the activities in the health system. The government will have no choice, therefore, than to give the best medical care in the world. To safeguard financial stability of this system with the government in it, citizens must enrol to prevent issues of people who do not sign up until they are sick. Some costs go up because of advanced technology that prolongs the lives of individuals who have terminal illnesses. For example, cancer patients live for six months longer with the help of some machines. According to Callahan as quoted in Health Care Reform Journal, â⠂¬Å"We will have to learn better how to live with that reality, to understand that limits to health care are necessary. We cannot afford endlessly expensive progress. Concretely, that means we will have to accept rationing† (Clemmitt). Since most insurers are out to make profits rather than to offer best medical care, government involvement will change this. Buyers will have another choice of insurance plan, which is government run and this will keep off non-genuine private insurers. However,

Research Methodology, Design & Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Research Methodology, Design & Process - Essay Example While the circumstances might seem extremely divergent, the necessity for speed and efficiency is universal to the healthcare profession and the ongoing need to increase the delivery of services at reduced cost. Thus, two commonly available drug treatment options are evaluated. SELECTION PROCESS In order to find articles of relevance, exhaustive searches of nursing journals, and surgical scientific journals were conducted to arrive at the two articles subject to critique. Same Day surgery and shock treatment are useful keywords. In some cases, when conducting extensive library research, online sources can easily supplement library searches beyond what can be achieved through the normal library reference system. If working in a library, a possible strategy is to identify the names of all journals that might possibly be relevant to the topic at hand, then using an online source to find the websites of those journals, as which time further searches can be conducted. Online searches of t he websites of technical journals can produce exact page numbers of articles relevant to any scientific topic, allowing the researcher to pinpoint the physical location of useful articles within the actual library. The articles chosen were felt to be highly relevant, both in terms of ongoing research and in regards to professional goals. CONTEMPORARY DAY SURGERY: PATIENTS' EXPERIENCE OF DISCHARGE AND RECOVERY Contemporary day surgery

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Company Law in the UK Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Company Law in the UK - Assignment Example The ruling of Lord Halsbury seems to uphold the company law that provides that whenever a company is registered, it acquires a separate legal entity and that it can no longer be termed as an agent of its members. In the case of McDaid Development (Ireland) Ltd Company, Mr. Peter McDaid, also the director of the company, was the sole shareholder of the company. On bankruptcy, Mr. McDaid owed the Ireland Bank over  £38 million and about  £800 thousand to small stakeholders. When the company was put under administration, Mr. McDaid was relieved of his duties as a director for a period of eight years on the grounds of misconduct. From the court’s decision in Mr. Salomon’s case, Mr. McDaid cannot be held liable for the company’s debts. Lord Halsbury defended Salomon by the words, â€Å"Company’s debt is Company’s debt† (Wooldridge, 2009, p. 58). As such, company’s debts and the shareholders have little, if not no connection. However, in the U.K. Company law act of 2006, the director is liable to accountability in matters concerning company assets, which Mr. McDaid had failed to provide. On this ground, the removal of Mr. MCDaid is justified. In brief, Company law perceives the company as an entity that is completely isolated from its shareholders. Therefore, it is upon the members, shareholders, and debtors, to evaluate the company’s viability. Though this aspect of the law has been criticized, there is still a lot of support to this ideology of the law.... In the case of McDaid Development (Ireland) Ltd Company, Mr Peter McDaid, also the director of the company, was the sole shareholder of the company. On bankruptcy, Mr McDaid owed the Ireland Bank over ?38 million and about ?800 thousand to small stakeholders. When the company was put under administration, Mr McDaid was relieved of his duties as a director for a period of eight years on the grounds of misconduct. From the court’s decision in Mr Salomon’s case, Mr McDaid cannot be held liable for the company’s debts. Lord Halsbury defended Salomon by the words, â€Å"Company’s debt is Company’s debt† (Wooldridge, 2009, p. 58). As such, company’s debts and the shareholders have little, if not no connection. However, in the U.K. Company law act of 2006, the director is liable to accountability in matters concerning company assets, which Mr McDaid had failed to provide. On this ground, the removal of Mr MCDaid is justified. In brief, Compan y law perceives the company as an entity that is completely isolated from its shareholders. Therefore, it is upon the members, shareholders and debtors, to evaluate the company’s viability before engaging in its operations. Though this aspect of the law has been criticized, there is still a lot of support to this ideology of the law. Question 3 The U.K. company law provides clear guidelines on the duties of Company directors and the consequences of breach of the duties so stated. The expectation of the law is that the director works in the best interest of the company and does not contribute directly to any actions that would hurt the company and its shareholder. Consequently, there exist liabilities and penalties for a

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

China And The Keynesian Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

China And The Keynesian Theory - Essay Example For purposes of regulating their markets, the majority of states were able to adopt the principles contained in the Keynesian theory. This principle advocate for the intervention of the government, in the economic system of the state. China is one of the countries that advocated for the use of the concepts of the Keynesian theory, for purposes of controlling its national economy. This is until 1978, with the market reforms of Deng Xiaoping, in China. This is because of the failures of the Keynesian theory to protect the market economies of the majority of the developed states. This includes the United States. These countries were only able to experience economic growth, during the 1950s, to the 1960s. However, after the 1960s, the economies of these countries began to collapse, experiencing an increase in unemployment, and stagflation. This made economic experts, and policy formulators to demand a new economic system. Neo-liberalism was a preferable theoretical framework, and it advo cates for a minimum intervention by the government, in the economic affairs of the state. Deng Xiaoping supported neo-liberalism, and he led this movement in China, and this is through the market reforms that he had begun in the country. Furthermore, his visit to the United States in 1979 was in a bid to understand the manner in which a neo-liberal state was able to function. The United States was one of the leading neo-liberal states, and its economy was improving because of the adoption of the principles of neo-liberalism.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Electrical and Electronic principles Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Electrical and Electronic principles - Lab Report Example When connected to the DC power source, the current flows through the circuit. The potential difference increases while the capacitor is being charged. When the voltage on the terminals is of the capacitors is equal to the power supply voltage, the capacitor is fully charged. When the circuit is disconnected from the power supply, the capacitor is said to be discharging through the resistors. The voltage across the circuits then drops gradually until it is zero. At first, there is very little charge in the circuit. When power is supplied from the DC source, a charge builds up in the both the resistors and the capacitors. It is noted that as the charge increases in the circuit, the current recorded on the circuit gets smaller. From the experiment carried out above, we can learn that the changes in both the voltage and current in a multisim circuit when charging and discharging. The charge Q in a circuit is dependent on the amount of voltage present and in turn this influences the current measured on the circuit. When the amount of charge gets larger, the amount of current measured gets smaller. When discharging, the voltage across the resistors and the capacitors drops gradually until it reduces to zero. The phase angles of both current and the voltage in this circuit have equal but opposite magnitude. The tests carried out in the lab and through simulation of the multisim circuit have been used to demonstrate that these conclusions are true. In conclusion, it has the concept of charging and recharging of multisim circuits has been well understood and all the factors that influence the obtained results have been identified hence the objective has been fully

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Human Resources Code of Ethics Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Code of Ethics Essay Message I am thrilled to join Company X’s management team. My colleagues have been stellar in providing me support and helping me accilmate to the organizational culture, which is different from what I am accustomed to. I have encountered my first challenge, a challenge that is incumbent that I bring to your attention along with three detailed solutions, inclusive of attractive and detractive aspects of each. It is also important that I share with you the methodology I employed to arrive at these conclusions, since it is reasonable for you to have access to and test the methodology employed to engender these solutions. I will also recommend to you an appropriate course of action. Separately, I will present a report, which will report the findings of an analysis that I conducted on our company’s ethical decision-making process. This report will include strategies to mitigate against concerns I will have raised in the memorandum. I will also discuss the process of creating a code of ethics that will provide for employee growth through ethical decision making and continued company revenue growth. Production Concern Company X is the leader in the production of toy whistles for children the world over. Our principal production plant is located within the United States and, naturally, is under the purview of production guidelines set forth by the U.S. government. The quality-assurance department recently informed me of a production issue that has arisen. Toy whistles that have been manufactured and are on schedule for shipment undergo an arduous testing process to ensure that the  constitution of each toy meets federal regulations. Toy whistles that will be shipped to South American countries have, unfortunately, failed lead-level requirements; they are slightly higher in lead than what is legally tolerable. Our company has decisions to make about how we address this considerable concern. After analysis, collaboration with team members, and sufficient reflection, I have developed three solutions to address this concern. Each solution has attractive and detractive aspects, both of which I will discuss. Ethical, legal, and financial considerations must be made with all solutions. Solution 1: Cease shipment; Re-produce Toy Whistles At current lead levels, the toy whistle would not be shipped to customers. The entire production process would re-apply, which includes re-securing the raw materials necessary to make replacement whistles, re-producing those whistles through the production process, and commissioning the quality-assurance department to verify that the whistles meet all federal guidelines for selling and consumption. It will also be important that the quality-assurance department provide a quality verification of its own processes. Such a verification will be necessary, since antecedent quality processes failed to identify the higher-than-normal lead levels of our toy whistles. Solution 1: Explanation of Method Used to Select Solution A combination of brainstorming and SWOT analysis were employed to determine three solutions for our company’s quandary. The brainstorming process involved three team members who reviewed the situation and offered ideas—any ideas—as solutions. Each team member produced two ideas, totaling six possible solutions. The following is a breakdown of submissions by team members: Bob Jones| Celine Jiles| Patti Durant| Stop Production; Adjust Lead Levels| Continue Production; Bribe Foreign and  Domestic Government| Stop Production; Offer Different Product| Stop Production; Make Plastic Whistles| Continue Production; Ignore Lead Levels| Stop Production; Close Business| A SWOT analysis was performed on each decision alternative to test its integrity. SWOT is an acronym for â€Å"Strengths,† â€Å"Weaknesses,† â€Å"Opportunities,† and â€Å"Threats† (Bradford, Duncan, Tarcy, 2000). The goal is to reduce the possible responses to those that require attention. Bob Jones Solution A Strengths: Legal and ethical approach to doing business. Promotes high levels of customer service. Holds all parties accountable for their actions due to process review and refinement. Weaknesses: Delayed production. Poor customer-satisfaction surveys in the short term. Costly to hold up production. Opportunities: Favorable contract renegotiation if determined process failure with supplier. Possible acquisition of new customers if mitigative steps made known. Threats: Possible government intervention if lead levels are exposed. Possible customer revolt if mitigative steps to lead levels not perceived correctly. Customer churn—possibly to competitor—due to production delay. Board of directors overhaul of C-level management Based on these considerations, Solution A is a viable candidate for resolution. Bob Jones Solution B Strengths: No delay in production. Customer satisfaction not harmed. Foreign government receptive to bribes. No disruption to revenue. Weaknesses: Domestic government not receptive to bribing. Massive costs due to bribing. No consideration for customer health. Short-term solution. Socially irresponsible course of action. Opportunities: Short-term customer growth. Relationship-building with foreign government. Threats: Considerable legal actions from both domestic and foreign government if not receptive bribes. Possible legal threats from customers. The costs associated with Solution A indicate that it is not a viable solution. Celine Jiles Solution A Strengths: Legal and ethical approach to doing business. Promotes high levels of customer service due to considering customers’ health. Holds all parties accountable for their actions due to process review and refinement. Weaknesses: Massive delays in production. Abrogation of contract with current supplier. Extensive training costs for new products. Extensive project-management costs to deploy new product. Substantial increase in customer churn due to offering different product. Possible negative press in foreign market. Possible domestic layoffs due to change in product. Opportunities: New streams of revenue due to new product. New streams of customers due to new-product demand. New, lower cost contracts with new suppliers. Possible employment of foreign workers to replace costly domestic workers. Threats: Legal threats from current employees subject layoff. Possible customer revolt if competitor unable to make up for our departure from whistle market. Increased regulatory scrutiny possible based on new product. Intractable board of directors. Based on these considerations, Solution A is a viable candidate for resolution. Celine Jiles Solution B Strengths: Minimal delay in production. Avoid lead-level requirements. Safter products for customers, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. Avoid legal issues from foreign and domestic governments. Contract abrogation with supplier if process failure due to supplier. Socially responsible course of action. Weaknesses: Contract abrogation with existing supplier if Company X process failure. Short-term customer dissatisfaction due to minimal production delay. Training for production of new whistles. Costly process refinements. Opportunities: Possible acquisition of new customers. Long-term customer growth. Possibly reduced prices with contract negotiations for new suppliers. If process adjustments made public, possible acquisition of customers in other countries. Threats: Minimal threat of legal action from domestic or foreign governments due to initlal lead-level failures. Minimal threat of substantial customer churn. The strengths of Solution B indicate that is viable enough to be considered. Patti Durant Solution A Strengths: Reduced production costs. Short-term customer satisfaction due to on-time delivery. Possible increased customer acquisition. Weaknesses: Very short-term solution. Disregard for long-term customer health. Disregard for domestic legal mandates. Socially irreponsible course of action. Long-term profit loss. High customer churn in long term. Opportunities: Short-term increase in streams of revenue. Threats: Extensive legal threats from public and private sector. Abrogation of current contracts iminent. Long-term erosion of shareholder confidence. Solution A should not be further considered due to the blantant disregard for customer safety. Patti Durant Solution B Strengths: Regard for customer health. Weaknesses: Total loss of all revenue and profit. Opportunities: No known opportunities. Threats: Possible legal action from suppliers, employees, customers, and governments due to abrogation of contracts, inability to pay out on employee pensions, or willfully missed customer demand. Solution B is unquestionably not worthy of further consideration. Solution 1: Advantages and Disadvantages The important advantage this solution offers is that our toy whistles’ lead levels will not detrimentally influence the health of our customers. Our identification of this issue will allow our company to take mitigative actions before the whistles are in the hands of our consumers. Another advantage of this solution is that our customers will be unaware that there could have been an issue with the whistles. Our consumers’ ignorance allows our company to avoid a public-relations concern or public excoriation of our product and company brand. There are no government mandates that our company must disclose these sorts of issues if they are discovered before being delivered to our customers. An important disadvantage to this solution is that the investigative process and resultant process refinements will prove costly and timely. It is evident that a production and service failure has occurred, since our whistles’ lead levels currently contravene United States legislative mandates; however, we are not certain where in the supply chain this failure has occurred. Unnecessary people-power must be devoted to resolving this issue sufficiently to prevent issues in the similitude of this one. Another disadvantage to this solution is the effect it will have on employee morale. To be specific, the judgment of the managers of these processes is dubious and will have to be investigated. It is unquestionable that coaching and development, inclusive of corrective action, will have to be meted to all parties involved in this situation. And because of the cost of resolving this matter, some managers and their employees may have to have their employment terminated. No matter how delicately the corrective action will be handled, other employees will inevitable respond negatively. This situation may encourage discussions of unionization. It may engender unnecessary employee churn. Or for those who have their employment terminated as a result of our investigation, it may very well involve contending against ex-employee litigation for perceived wrongful termination, which will involve government agencies and their investigations. Solution 1: Ethical Considerations This solution is an ethically viable option. The reason is that the lead levels prescribed by the federal government are ostensibly predicated on customer saftey and, if more stringent, supersede lead-level requirements of the target country. Providing customers, especially young children, with high-lead toys is immediately unethical and demonstrates a disconnection from social responsibility. Solution 1: Financial Considerations This solution, however, is the most costly and will make profit from these sales impossible unless we increase the price of the toy whistles. The  following are cost considerations of this solution: 1. Vetting Raw-Material Supplier: It is possible that the raw materials that we obtain from our supplier do not possess the integrity that we expect, which would cause products to fail quality verfifcations. An audit would be required of the supplier. This audit would entail the following costs: a. On-site inspections: $10,000, inclusive of labor costs and travel expenditures b. Report of findings: $5,000, inclusive of labor costs of presenting the findings c. Negative findings: $10,000, inclusive of replacing and contracting with a different raw-materials supplier. d. Positive findings: $15,000, inclusive of sunk costs of on-site inspections and reporting of findings (since no issue would have been with the supplier) 2. Vetting Production Processes: There may be deficiencies in the production process that cause higher levels of lead to result in our products. Here are the costs associated with this vetting: e. Departmental inspections: $7,000, inclusive of labor costs f. Report of findings: $5,000, inclusive of labor costs of presenting the findings g. Negative findings: $50,000, inclusive of making process adjustments, training on new processes, and follow-up labor costs h. Positive findings: $12,000, inclusive of sunk costs of inspections and reporting of findings. As easily noted, the costs of making process changes are considerable. However, the costs of these changes should not, by themselves, be an impetus to continue to produce high-lead toy whistles.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Consumer Learning and Attitude Formation

Consumer Learning and Attitude Formation Emily Keegan Because not all learning theorists agree on how learning takes place, it is difficult to come up with a generally accepted definition of learning (†¦) first, consumer learning is a process; that is, it continually evolves and changes as a result of newly-acquired knowledge (†¦) both newly-acquired knowledge and personal experience serve as feedback to the individual and provide the basis for future behaviour in similar situations (Schiffman, Kanuck and Hansen 2008). In relation to the above quote, it is imperative to first understand that there are many different theories regarding how consumers learn. However this essay intends to discuss and analyse the topic of how consumers learn and formulate their attitudes, by researching two different theories, which is learning by behaviour and learning by knowledge. Through these two different schools of thought we shall be discussing the study of ‘conditioning’, both classical and operant. This will be done by discussing the works of famous learning theorists, such as Ivan Pavlov, and BF Skinner. In terms of attitude formation, it is of course closely linked to our learning, as our attitudes are linked and are informed by our knowledge and feelings towards certain things, for example such as brand names. We shall then be applying this knowledge and these theories to relevant media examples, such as advertising, celebrities and media debates. It has long been a question in the study of consumer behaviour, are the behaviours and attitudes we possess, something we learn or something that we just inherently have. Theorists who agree with the notion of behavioural learning theories believe that: People’s experiences are shaped by the feedback they receive as they go through life. Similarly, consumers respond to brand names, scents, jingles and other marketing stimuli based on the learned connections they have formed over time (Solomon et al. 2010). Effectively meaning that any behaviours learned are a result of external occurrences in your life. This belief led to two of the most influential approaches to learning, the first of which was classical conditioning. Antonides and Raaij (1999, p.221) define classic conditioning as ‘a process in which a previously neutral stimulus acquires the ability to elicit a response by repeated association with a stimulus that naturally produces a similar response’ (Antonides and Raaij 1999). The most famous example of classic conditioning would of course be Ivan Pavlov and the salivating dogs experiment. In short Pavlov presented a dog with an unconditioned stimulus (which was food) and the dog’s unconditioned response was to salivate. He then introduced a neutral stimulus (which was a bell), when the bell was rung, there was no conditioned response from the dog as he did not salivate. However during the conditioning process anytime Pavlov produced food to the dog he also rang the bell. During this process the dog began to associate the sound of the bell with food and after conditioning, when Pavlov simply rang the bell (the conditioned stimulus) without producing any food the dog would salivate, this became known as a conditioned response. Psychologist B.F. Skinner is probably best known for his role in demonstrating the effects of operant conditioning. Bernstein (2010, p.181) defines operant conditioning as ‘a process in which responses are learned on the basis of their rewarding or punishing consequences’ (Bernstein 2010). Skinner created what is now commonly known as the ‘Skinner Box’ to study the learning patterns of animals. The skinner box is a cage that contains a food-release mechanism the animal activates when it responds in a certain way – for example, by pressing a lever or pushing a button. Through operant conditioning, organisms learn responses, such as pressing a bar that produces changes in the environment (release of food). In this form of learning the consequences of a response determine the likelihood that the response will occur again. In this form of learning, the consequences of a response determine the likelihood that the response will occur again (Nevid 2011). A typical example of operational learning and conditioning in relation to the media, is advertisements. In our everyday life the media surrounds or more specifically bombards us with adverts. Solomon et al (2010, p. 253) proposes that ‘advertisements often pair a product with a positive stimulus to create a desirable association’. In fact, most advertisements are so well conducted semiotically, with the intention that they remain in your memory and consciousness. One such commercial that stuck in my mind was conducted by Lancome cosmetics. For their newest perfume ‘Tresor Midnight Rose’. For the advertisement Lancome hired famous young actress Emma Watson to be the star or the face of its advert. As Egan (2007) explains, Advertisers are willing to pay large sums of money for celebrities who would hold the greatest influence on the target audiences and who will, hopefully, influence the consumer’s attitudes and behaviours in a positive way towards the said brand. Lancome describes the perfume itself as ‘sexy, sweet and playful’ and clearly felt that by using Emma Watson they were representing the perfume by using an actress who they felt embodied all those elements. So this would be a symbolic code employed within the advertisement itself. As codes are used in media texts to make them coherent and meaningful. In the commercial (AutoCurate 2011) Emma is portrayed as an independent, beautiful young women living in Paris. Who one day visits a book shop and by chance meets the handsome young man who works there. However she leaves behind her hat, which the young man clings on to in case he sees her again. One night sitting outside a cafà © he notices her walking down the street and runs after her. His chase leads him to a boat which is just pulling away, so he thinks he has missed her. Then he turns around and there she is standing behind him, its faith. It’s meant to be. In reference to positive stimuli, we can look at the name of the fragrance. Midnight could connote magic and enchantment, as some people know midnight as the ‘Witching hour’. Or the word rose, as a rose is one of the most romantic flowers particularly associated with Valentine’s Day and love. The concept of a midnight rose is also significant as the rose is a flower which is supposed to bloom at this time. Which could stimulate a response that the woman who wears this perfume comes alive at night and blossoms. That by wearing this fragrance you will become this enchanting, magical, mysterious women. Thus creating in the mind of the consumer a desirable association with the brand. Perfume is a particularly relevant example of operant conditioning. For example if a woman purchased ‘Tresor Midnight Rose’ and received compliments on her scent (a reward) then she is a lot more likely to continue to purchase the perfume. However if she received negative comments on her perfume (punishment), she is a lot less likely to wear it again. Now in terms of attitude formation: Attitudes can be based on cognitive, affective, and behavioural information (†¦) knowledge about an object can come either from direct experience with the object or from indirect sources such as parents, peers, and the media (Millon and Lerner 2003). One of the most popular models used to describe how an attitude is formulated is the ABC Model. As explained by Augoustinos, Walker and Donaghue (2006) The ABC model takes three elements into account, Affect, Behaviour and Cognition. Affect meaning, how the consumer feels about a certain object or product. Behaviour, essentially meaning an overt behaviour or intention towards an object. Finally by cognition, it is the cognitive response, meaning the convictions and beliefs a consumer has towards a product, brand, person etc. An example that springs to mind, of the power that the media has in changing and shaping people’s attitudes is the Angelina Jolie case. As noted by biographer Kathleen Tracy (2008), Jolie first began to be properly noticed in the late nineties with some very daring and interesting film choices, such as ‘Gia’ and ‘Girl, Interrupted’. However it wasn’t until her breakthrough role as popular video game heroine Lara Croft in Tomb raider that she really came into prominence. Besides her daring film role choices Jolie was known as a bit of a wild child, due to her estranged relationship with her father (acting legend Jon Voight) and her controversial marriages to both actors Johnny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton. Then of course there was her involvement in the divorce of Americas ‘it’ couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. While Jolie was once before seen as a rebellious and provocative young woman, she is now seen by many as a loving mother to six children and as an ambassador for some of the most global and world renowned organisations, such as UNICEF. So the questions begs to be asked, how can strong opinions and attitudes towards someone or something change so drastically? Well what is an attitude? An attitude is the individual predisposition to evaluate an object or an aspect of the world in a favourable or unfavourable manner (Antonides and Raaij 1999). These attitudes of course can be changed. This is due to a number of reasons, for example the ‘knowledge function’. Meaning that our knowledge of a topic or a product can change how we feel about them. Like in the Angelina Jolie example, if your only knowledge of her, was her role in the Pitt and Aniston divorce, you may be inclined to have a negative attitude towards her. However after learning about all her humanitarian work and loving relationship between herself and her six children (that she has gone on to have with Brad Pitt), your attitude towards her is likely to change in a positive way. Another example of attitude formation, could be the recent debate on homophobia in the Irish Media. This debate sprung to the forefront after last weeks ‘The Saturday Night Show’ on RTE. During the show, presenter Brendan O’Connor was interviewing gay rights activist Rory O’Neill (also known by his drag name Miss Panti Bliss). During this interview Mr O’Neil made a number of comments about writers John Waters, Breda O’Brien and the Iona Institute (a Catholic organisation, which promotes marriage and religious values), claiming that these people/organisation were homophobic. Since the show was aired, Brendan O’Connor publically apologised on his Twitter for any offense that may have been caused and RTE paid the Iona institute compensation. This has caused outrage among many different groups in society and in a follow up; A statement from RTE confirmed: The Saturday Night Show will host a debate on homophobia; what constitutes homophobia and who gets to define the word? (Irish Independent 2014). Theory of reasoned action – social pressure! P291. Self-perception theory and social judgement theory! P285. Conclude!!! Bibliography Antonides, G. Raaij, F.V.W. 1999. Learning Processes IN: Antonides, G. Raaij, F.V.W. (ed.) Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective. New York: John Wiley Sons Ltd, p. 221. Augoustinos, M. Walker, I. Donaghue, N. 2006. Social Cognition: An Integrated Introduction. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Ltd. AutoCurate 2011. Emma Watson in Lancà ´me Trà ©sor Midnight Rose Advertisement [Online]. Available From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVZ1wz7pz4U [Accessed 31 January 2014]. Bernstein, D. 2010. Instrumental and Operant Conditioning: Learning the Consequences of Behaviour IN: Hague, J.D. (eds.) Essentials of Psychology. 5th ed. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 181. Egan, J. 2007. Marketing Communications. London: Thomson Learning. Irish Independent. 2014. RTEs The Saturday Night Show to host debate on homophobia. Irish Independent: Irish News [Online], 31 January. Available From: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rtes-the-saturday-night-show-to-host-debate-on-homophobia-29966413.html [Accessed 1 January 2014]. Millon, T. Lerner, M.J. 2003. Attitude Formation IN: Weiner, I.B. (eds.) Handbook of Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology. 6th ed. New York: John Wiley Sons Ltd, p. 311. Nevid, J. 2011. Operant Conditioning: Learning Through Consequences. IN: Hague, J.D. (eds.) Essentials of Psychology: Concepts and Applications. 3rd ed. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p.175. Schiffman, L.G. Kanuck, L.L. Hansen, H. 2008. Consumer Learning IN: Schiffman, L.G. Kanuck, L.L. Hansen, H. (eds.) Consumer Behaviour: A European Outlook. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, p. 208. Solomon, M.R. Bamossy, G. Askegaard, S. Hogg, M.K. Learning and Memory IN: Solomon, M.R. Bamossy, G. Askegaard, S. Hogg, M.K. (eds.) Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Educated Limited, p. 246. Solomon, M.R. Bamossy, G. Askegaard, S. Hogg, M.K. Learning and Memory IN: Solomon, M.R. Bamossy, G. Askegaard, S. Hogg, M.K. (eds.) Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Educated Limited, p. 253. Tracy, K. 2008. Angelina Jolie: A Biography. Washington: Greenwood Publishing Group. 1

Friday, September 20, 2019

Growth of the IT Sector in India

Growth of the IT Sector in India ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor JONATHAN C WESTLAKE for his insurmountable guidance and tremendous encouragement throughout this research. Without him I couldnt get effective results in this research. His precious inputs and valuable suggestions helped me throughout my research. I would like to thank my award leader PHILLMICKLEBURGH for his wonderful support and advice in technical and personal matters throughout my course and project work. I would like to thank the working people (in Information Technology) for their valuable time for giving me requires data. Last but not the least I would like to thank all my family and friends for helping me in so many ways and for just being there when I needed that bit of extra strength to carry on. It is pleasure to acknowledge contributions of all above people. RESEARCH OVERVIEW The whole research was divided into five chapters for the flexibility of reader to make this research meaningful and better understanding of what it explains. All these five chapters are interrelated to make this research appropriate and each chapter has its own importance in this research to make the necessary findings. The first chapter contains brief description about this research, introduction to information technology industry in India and describes attrition meaning. Then this chapter describes purpose of this research, fundamental aim, objectives, research questions to be investigated in this research and the methodology applied to get effective result and necessary findings. The second chapter contains information about literature review of this research, which contains the collection of data from researches done previously related to this topic. This data has been collected from books, journals, articles, web sources and magazines. The third chapter describes well about the research methodology and explains how the researcher used different types of methods to collect primary and secondary data. The data has been collected from employees and managers of different Information Technology organizations in India. Two different questionnaires have been prepared by the researcher to collect the data. One is for employees to collect required data and second one is for managers to investigate the depth of the problems and related solutions of this research. A good response from the employees and managers made this research process easy to get the accurate information required. The fourth chapter is the evolution part of this research. The information collected as means of primary data and secondary data, has been analysed by the researcher to find the required answers for research questions. The analysed data is presented in the form of tables and pie diagrams. Fifth chapter is the finale report of this project, which is useful for IT organizations in India to prevent and reduce the Attrition rate. The recommendations were prepared on the basis of primary data, secondary data and analysis part of this research. The management can use these suggestions as upcoming strategies to curb the attrition in their organizations. RESEARCH INTRODUCTION IT (Information Technology) industry is booming in India. The growth of IT sector in India represents the potential of IT industry to perform at world class levels. Internationally famed companies and locally self-made small-medium sized companies are competing in developing new software with in this huge industry in India. These companies function mainly in two divisions, i.e. Technical (development of software) and Support (HR, Marketing and Finance). Big giants throughout the world are competing to get their software projects done from Indian companies due to some prominent reasons, which include Cheap Labour and Technical excellence. Taking advantage of these incoming clients, Indian companies are not leaving any stone unturned to provide the top quality service. There are many reasons behind this growth of Information Technology market in India. These reasons belong to social, economical, technical and political issues. There are many Universities offering courses on science and mathematics and this kind of education system placed a great emphasis on increased number of science and engineering students. According to the NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) of India These Universities are pumping out nearly 0.2 million engineering graduates every year. This population constitutes one of the greatest assets of Indian IT market. Even though there is shortfall of workers due to brain drain with many skilled workers interested to move overseas for better pay and living conditions. Software services sector occupied nearly seventy percent of technical industry of India and its abundant skilled man power is attracting international software companies to back end their operations in India. The advantage of Indias backend operations is geostrategic location which offers 247 services and reduction in turnaround times by leveraging time zone differences. Recently government of India set down new ministry for Information Technology which established comfortable environment for growth in IT developments and attracted many multinational companies by providing greater range of facilities with cheaper costs. According to the NASSCOM survey IT industry attained the revenue of US $17 billion in 2008 there by capturing 12% of world market and expected growth of nearly 16.5% by the end of year 2009. Though the above points are considered as positive attributes in the growth and development of Indian software industry, so also, the negative impact comes into picture in the form of ATTRITION (Loss of Employees/ Work force), which can be explained in terms of large growth of the â€Å"number† of companies attracting talent/ work force (people) which is finally leading to confusion among the work force in deciding the company to work for depending upon the offers made by them. Attrition can be defined as the out flow of employees from an organisation due to various reasons. This research will contribute to identify the reasons behind the dangerous attrition levels in IT industry with in India and will suggest possible solutions to fight this problem. The increasing growth of the industry is leading to equal opportunities for inexperienced and experienced workforce. Since the companies rely on senior and experienced workforce for the projects, there is an unhealthy competition among them to attract the so called senior and experienced workforce which is finally leading to attrition. This research paper clearly lays emphasis on the importance of considering attrition in perspective of individuals and organization because attrition destroys the value of business, causes companies to lose knowledge there by leading to never ending cycle of hiring. The researcher here emphasised on the reasons behind the attrition levels in IT industry in India and the possible solutions to curb it. Questionnaires used in this research serve as channels to understand the specific reasons behind attrition. RESEARCH TITLE: Reasons behind the increase in attrition rate in the Indian IT Industries focussing Employee Turnover and techniques to reduce the Attrition. RESEARCH AIM: The main purpose of this research is to investigate the reason behind the day to day increasing Attrition rate in the Indian subcontinent with respect to the IT industry and there- by develop a report with the factors affecting attrition and possible solutions to overcome these issues. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: The proposed research questions are as follows: What are the reasons behind high attrition rate in the IT sector of Indian sub continent? What factors determine the attrition rate? How can this attrition rate be reduced in IT organizations perspective? OBJECTIVIES: The main objective of this research paper is to determine the relationship between good human resource practices and the reasons behind the employee attrition. To analyse various factors that affect an individuals decision to leave a job for a better opportunity, including individual related, job related and organizational related. To discover various threats and issues those impact the business performance, organisational health and rise in business cost, thus emphasising the importance of attrition in perspective of IT organisations. To evaluate the issues those affect the performance of the industry and minimise the attrition rate and also to analyse the techniques of motivation those will help in reducing the same? ACTIVITIES TO ACHIVE THE OBJECTIVE: Primary data collection will be done by conducting online survey with managers and employees in the organisation; the main reason being to gather accurate information. Moreover, while collecting primary data if the researcher can get to meet any of the old staff who have retired or who have left the organisation due to some reason, researcher would collect information from them to enquire the reason behind their exit from the organisation and their experiences while they were working for the organisation, the difference between their old and new organisation they have joined, whether they are satisfied at the new work place and their expectations from the new company. Conducting a survey with employees would result in measuring the level of satisfaction they have attained in the organisation. To achieve the above task two different questionnaires aimed specifically at managers and employees respectively contribute to the collection of relevant information to understand the problem of attrition in the organisations perspective. The secondary data collection in this research will be done by reading books, journals, web sources, articles, magazines and collecting the old data which is related to human resource management etc related to the research topic. Thus, data analysis of the information gathered would bring in a clear picture of the reasons behind the increasing attrition rate. THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: To study the previous works done (on this research topic), making a list of them and analysing them by means of literature review. Discovering the designations where in attrition is more and creating the attrition chart by conducting organization study. Conducting a job satisfaction survey and evaluating the work environment by interviewing IT employees and spreading questionnaires. Conducting a survey with managers to have a look at recruitment process, benefits, training and motivation techniques implemented in the organization to cut down the level of attrition. Considering the reasons for attrition by the analysis of interview data. Suggesting and implementing techniques on how to reduce the attrition. LITERATURE REVIEW Attrition in Indian IT sector is rising drastically due to rapid globalisation and high economic growth. According to the researcher, the attrition is occurring mainly among technically skilled persons due to vast growth of opportunities and booming job market. This booming job market is creating enthusiasm not only among the graduates but also among the most satisfied employees. Due to this act organizations are unable to predict the start of attrition. One of the main reasons put forth for attrition is external inequity of compensation. The affect of attrition is seen in the form financial imbalances in organisations, which can be balanced by reducing attrition through retention of employees which is possible by the diligence of people in managerial positions. ATTRITION IN INDIA Almost all major business sectors in India are facing high attrition rates; these include BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), Telecom sector, Retail sector, Services sector, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical. Attrition rates in different sectors for 2007 are shown below. Source [online]: http://www.qcin.org/nbqp/qualityindia/Vol-3-No1/retaining.htm As evidence in the figure 1, BPO sector is the worst affiliated by attrition and IT sector is at ninth place with the attrition rate of 27%. This shows attrition in India is an enormous problem with wide range of concerns. As this research is narrowed by only concentrating on IT sector, a brief introduction was given below as a table about top Indian IT organizations. SOURCE [online]: www.economictimes.indiatimes.com/photo/4835043.cms The above table provides overview about working human resources in top IT organizations. Thousands of organizations were equipped with human resources as main source of business. Arup Chowdary, CIO of Everyday Industries explains â€Å"major challenges are in terms of resources. The kind of attrition that we have in the IT industry today is one of the business challenges. It is extremely important that the resources that are given into the project actually continue for a longer period of time, which is not really the case; because the IT industry so volatile. So one is managing resources and number two is training those resources with adequate means to come to the market standards† .This statement gives clear indication of attrition affect on Indian IT industry. According to the CCI (Chambers of Commerce of India) research study in India, attrition rate for 2007 was 27% and for 2008 was 29%, and according to Hewitt Associates survey for 2009-2010 most companies continued to experience attrition rates in double digits despite economic downturn. According to the India Attrition study 2008, which was done between October 2008 and March 2009 by partnership between BT and PeopleSoft, key drivers for employees leaving their jobs are opportunity or career growth, salary, type of work, training or development, family circumstances, current job dissatisfaction, health, work load and working environment. According to this survey highest percentage of people are leaving their jobs for career growth and next for salary. Among the people who leave IT organizations, more number of people is top performers (45%) of whole employees. Figure 3: Leaver type across Indian IT industry . REASONS FOR ATTRITION According to researcher, the major reasons for attrition other than monetary reasons (high salaries) are thought to be: Ø The aspect of exploring new avenues by the employees where they get a bigger opportunity to hone their existing skills. Ø Many employees, who work in IT sector, leave behind their interests and finally when they identify the clichà ©d nature of these jobs they willingly opt out and look for something novel and exciting even if it costs their careers. According to Dr. A. Oliver Bright, causes for attrition vary from one organizational level to another. Considering at senior management level many firms chase the dearth of top talent in business, this situation results in senior managers getting new offers with more compensation than existing job. At medium level, employees seek to move from one zone to another like moving from technical role to managerial role or slower moving sector to faster one. At junior level, hike in salary and demand for employees in the market make employees to move to another job. There is a rapid development in Indian IT business sector, because many organizations from the USA and the UK outsource their work to Indian companies, thus resulting in the rise of opportunities. Hence people want to reach the top of the career at faster pace. It makes the employees to skip from one company to another. Employee as reason for attrition: An employee might get the feeling of â€Å"insecurity† regarding his job if the management neglects his career ladder. There are chances of an employee leaving the organisation if the so called training does not emphasise on his area of work and career growth. The communication gap between higher managerial personnel and the employees could be another possible reason of attrition. Another reason is the delay of intra-organisational promotions, which if offered by a different organisation will lead to the loss of employees (attrition). Employees tend to leave the organisation if they are not engaged in projects, which can be avoided by focussing on their growth. Several reasons for attrition could be due to the employee himself/herself. The employee might not have grasped the job profile at the start of his/her tenure and/or the profile was not explained in detail by the company. Poor work habits of employees from their previous job get carried over to their new jobs which dist urbs their comfort zone. As explained earlier due to insufficient knowledge about the job profile the employee might not be competitive both in his/her organizational skills and interpersonal skills. This leads to improper job handling. A poor job fit, which is explained by the inversely proportional relationship between the new job preferences and the employee attitude/interest. High female staff attrition is great problem these days in IT organizations as many number of female employees quit their jobs to give focus on their families even their salary is with six digits. WIPRO joint CEO Mr Vaswani says male to female ratio is almost same at entry level, but women employees drops to about fifteen to twenty percent at middle management levels and further about five to ten percent at senior management levels, and he continuous that it is a loss when trained and talented employee leaves. Currently Infosys employs 33.4% of women, TCS 30% and Wipro 29%. A women project manager says â€Å"I had to stretch myself and the team till late nights to fit into clients time zone. Women also quit at mid level because their priorities change. They want to show their excellence as a homemaker, which was the case with me†.To reduce this attrition organizations increased maternity leave, offering work from home policies for women, relocating them if their husbands get t ransferred, trying to be gender neutral and making easier to women for working. {Source [online]: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Jobs/TCS-Wipro-Infosys-go-all-out-to-check-high-female-staff-attrition/articleshow/5324809.cms?curpg=2.Accessed on 13/12/2009} Ashok Arora, executive director for HR, Ashoka Leylands says â€Å"high end talent is always high on aspiration; their worry is not one of survival, but how fast they climb up the corporate ladder. Management people tend to lose them every time if they do not reasonably address their concerns. The reasons behind people changing their jobs: Employees expect more salary and more compensation than within their present position. Overseas opportunities, which may give hike in salary and position. A higher position in Indian culture means status and respect. If employees want to change their locations for personal and family reasons. Especially in India family plays a crucial role where a family decision can change the career path of a young professional and make employee to change his/her job (Dr. Elena Groznaya). People are interested in new technologies rather than working with same technology. To balance the social life and flexibility with working hours. Taking into account the company image and future growth of the organization. Employees will be self motivated to leave the company because of job insecurity, no freedom of decision making, relationship with peers, less compensation packages and lack of motivation. Management as cause of reason: It is very important for the management to meet the expectation of employees, if there is any such kind of problem or communication gap between management and employees then the persons would like to leave the organization. Another reason for attrition in organization is if management fails at satisfying employee needs and management does not follow correct policies or does not have appropriate tools to manage the employee related tasks then this situation leads to further dissatisfaction. Azim Premji (CEO, WIPRO Technologies) stated that â€Å"when talented people leave organizations despite of high salaries, they dont leave the organizations but they leave their managers†. When there is continuous process of good employees resigning their jobs then management should have a look at their immediate supervisor. Advantage of Indian IT industry is the availability of large number of human resources in market, when managers show their concern as â€Å"plenty of fish in the pond† towards their employees by not considering their personal values then there is chance of increase rate of attrition rate. When first time employees face difficulties with their managers they look forward to solve that situation, second time they will think about leaving, but third time they will look for external opportunity. Job profile as a cause of reason: Job profile may cause the increase in attrition by considering the following factors. While dealing with the outsourced projects the employees have to work according to the time zone of client place, employees have to work by travelling most of the time to reach their targets, and if the employee is not satisfied with his job profile all these factors push the employees to look for a different alternative. REFLECTING FACTORS OF ATTRITION According to the researcher high attrition level may cause the employees to feel insecure and leave the organization, while lower rate of attrition will act as a retention policy. High attrition level indicates the poor ability of organization to hold its people. â€Å"Attrition is unfortunately viewed as a management flaw when in fact it could well be a recruitment error†. (MONISHA ADVANI, CEO, EMMAY HR)[source:http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20050822/technologylife01.shtml)] Attrition level not only reflects the flaws in recruitment strategies but also training methods, retention strategies, work culture and company value in the market. CALUCULATING EMPLOYEE ATTRIRION It is very much important to concentrate on the rate of attrition in an organization which can be achieved by analysis and debate for. According to Sudiptha dev calculation of employee attrition may vary from one organization to another. Anil Naronha one of the director and HR of Novell software limited states that the standard method used to calculate the attrition of employees is dividing the number of employees who left during the year by the average number employed for that year. According to the researcher it is very important to consider the root problem while calculating the attrition level of employees by going back to the hiring stage. Fresher (newly recruited) attrition level will be calculated by considering the number of these employees left and critical level attrition will be calculated when key persons leave. Some organizations may not consider the attrition of beginners when they leave the organization for higher studies and moreover, termination of employees (whose performance is not met to the standards) is also not considered as attrition. But these exemptions depend on the policies/ methods followed by the organizations to calculate the levels of attrition. COST OF ATTRITION There are both visible and invisible costs associated with attrition. The invisible costs are low production rate which in turn creates loss in future sales, loss of customers and degradation of brand name in the market, loss of clients and contacts that person had with industry. Visible costs are the costs due to workforce leaving the organization, recruitment costs, training costs, loss of productivity costs and new hire costs etc. Costs due to loss of workforce includes the cost of the temporary recruitment to fill in while the position is vacant, compensation and benefits, administrative costs like clearing the benefits and stopping the payroll and cost of lost knowledge. Every person who leaves an organization becomes its ambassador, for better or for worse. When employees leave the organization continuously, it is important to consider the recruitment process which in turn will become a never ending cycle. Recruitment costs include cost of advertisement, employee referral costs and agency cost. Recruitment is a long-term process which consists of many stages and tasks to perform. These steps include understanding the requirements of position, advertising the vacancies, search for new talent, checking the background of applicants, preparing and conducting interviews and notify results to candidates whether they are successful or not. Training is the next aspect to consider which involves high costs. It is an important task to hire a person who conducts the orientation which includes the cost of orientation materials. Cost for training material includes cost of hardware, software and printing manuals. By considering the above factors one can lead to a conclusion that there are massive costs associated with attrition. TECHNIQUES TO REDUCE THE ATTRIRION The attrition levels can be reducedby the active input from HR people of the concerned organizations. Since they are the first line of contact for employees, they need to emphasise on the necessity to communicate with employees very often, motivating them and identifying any troubles and disturbances which if not done will gradually encourage the employee to leave the organisation. When the management neglects career ladder of an employee, that person might get the feeling of future insecurity. This can be reduced by conducting well prepared training sessions to improve employee skills and attitude. Some of the solutions that have been implemented successfully by the organisations in recent years to reduce attrition include, work-life balance, recognition and corporate brand building, healthy work environment, continuous employee learning (Subramaniam 2005). It is very important to follow the effective recruitment strategies rather than following traditional recruitment methods. This can help the company to improve the response between organization goals and individual expectations to reduce the attrition level. The type of Indian IT market can be called as people driven business, because it is a huge industry which is mainly depend on Human resources. So it is big challenge for human resource department to handle high stream of employees coming in and going out of the organizations.Padmaja Alaganandan, Principal Consultant, Mercer HR Consulting, India says â€Å"recruitment should be strategic to scale back organizations business targets because of their inability to recruit quality talent at the pace and scale called for. In such organizations with large scale of hiring, recruitment needs to be seen as a separate function with strong linkage to the business†. Compensation and rewards play vital role in IT organisations to motivate and satisfy the employees. When a company makes high profits, it should make an effort to recognise the contribution of employees in this success by releasing bonuses which will lead to a positive employee response in future endeavours. Dr Elena Groznaya(freelance researcher and consultant in the field of intercultural relations and diversity management) suggested some motivation methods, they are extrusive motivation by money (pay rises, bonus and promotion), by showing long-term perspective towards employee including the family and enabling personal development. In order to motivate staff, experts claim that it is important to recognise set of values and needs, those vary in each particular culture. According to the classical theory of Maslow the hierarchy of needs includes : Psychological, survival needs Safety and security needs Social needs of acceptance Esteem and acknowledgment needs Self-actualization and self-development needs Major impacts on the employee behaviour are organizational culture and working environment. Providing good work environment and acknowledging the employee as a customer is an effective technique to reduce the attrition level. A good employer can be differentiated from other employers by thoroughly looking at the priorities of them, while considering the goals and needs of employees. Maintaining work-life balance among the employees is the main technique to reduce the attrition level. The nature of IT industry is to upgrade its operations frequently to achieve the business requirements and for this there is a need of dynamic change in deploying and using the upgraded technologies. To achieve the above requirements the management needs to take measures to help employees to update their knowledge through training programs from time to time. It is important to identify top performers to reward and retain them, but keeping them secure and motivated becomes a key challenge. One of the best ways is to engage them by implementing strong career program for them. One of the top companies of India, National Information Technology, has implemented structured staff communication program which includes periodic sessions with business heads, skip level meeting, star performing bonus for high level performers and national or business level recognition programme. On other hand identify non performers to put on performance related exercises. To keep employees engaged there is need for staff involvement programmes like pre festive events, in-house sports activities and participation in outside activities. According to the WIPRO leaders quality survey, perfect leadership is one of the techniques to reduce attrition levels. Marcia Robinson and Ravi Kalakota (2005) suggested seven strategies for recruiting and retaining employees. Spend time developing and Bench marking incentives which include free transportation, education allowances, health related allowances, bonuses and performance based appraisals. The main problem in Indian IT industry is that most of the newly recruited students/employees are leaving the organization to pursue masters/ higher studies. This situation can be overcome by the organisations, through the provision of subsidies for the higher education of beginner employees, to improve their knowledge in their area of expertise. Change the locations of work by sending the projects to places where labour and real est Growth of the IT Sector in India Growth of the IT Sector in India ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor JONATHAN C WESTLAKE for his insurmountable guidance and tremendous encouragement throughout this research. Without him I couldnt get effective results in this research. His precious inputs and valuable suggestions helped me throughout my research. I would like to thank my award leader PHILLMICKLEBURGH for his wonderful support and advice in technical and personal matters throughout my course and project work. I would like to thank the working people (in Information Technology) for their valuable time for giving me requires data. Last but not the least I would like to thank all my family and friends for helping me in so many ways and for just being there when I needed that bit of extra strength to carry on. It is pleasure to acknowledge contributions of all above people. RESEARCH OVERVIEW The whole research was divided into five chapters for the flexibility of reader to make this research meaningful and better understanding of what it explains. All these five chapters are interrelated to make this research appropriate and each chapter has its own importance in this research to make the necessary findings. The first chapter contains brief description about this research, introduction to information technology industry in India and describes attrition meaning. Then this chapter describes purpose of this research, fundamental aim, objectives, research questions to be investigated in this research and the methodology applied to get effective result and necessary findings. The second chapter contains information about literature review of this research, which contains the collection of data from researches done previously related to this topic. This data has been collected from books, journals, articles, web sources and magazines. The third chapter describes well about the research methodology and explains how the researcher used different types of methods to collect primary and secondary data. The data has been collected from employees and managers of different Information Technology organizations in India. Two different questionnaires have been prepared by the researcher to collect the data. One is for employees to collect required data and second one is for managers to investigate the depth of the problems and related solutions of this research. A good response from the employees and managers made this research process easy to get the accurate information required. The fourth chapter is the evolution part of this research. The information collected as means of primary data and secondary data, has been analysed by the researcher to find the required answers for research questions. The analysed data is presented in the form of tables and pie diagrams. Fifth chapter is the finale report of this project, which is useful for IT organizations in India to prevent and reduce the Attrition rate. The recommendations were prepared on the basis of primary data, secondary data and analysis part of this research. The management can use these suggestions as upcoming strategies to curb the attrition in their organizations. RESEARCH INTRODUCTION IT (Information Technology) industry is booming in India. The growth of IT sector in India represents the potential of IT industry to perform at world class levels. Internationally famed companies and locally self-made small-medium sized companies are competing in developing new software with in this huge industry in India. These companies function mainly in two divisions, i.e. Technical (development of software) and Support (HR, Marketing and Finance). Big giants throughout the world are competing to get their software projects done from Indian companies due to some prominent reasons, which include Cheap Labour and Technical excellence. Taking advantage of these incoming clients, Indian companies are not leaving any stone unturned to provide the top quality service. There are many reasons behind this growth of Information Technology market in India. These reasons belong to social, economical, technical and political issues. There are many Universities offering courses on science and mathematics and this kind of education system placed a great emphasis on increased number of science and engineering students. According to the NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) of India These Universities are pumping out nearly 0.2 million engineering graduates every year. This population constitutes one of the greatest assets of Indian IT market. Even though there is shortfall of workers due to brain drain with many skilled workers interested to move overseas for better pay and living conditions. Software services sector occupied nearly seventy percent of technical industry of India and its abundant skilled man power is attracting international software companies to back end their operations in India. The advantage of Indias backend operations is geostrategic location which offers 247 services and reduction in turnaround times by leveraging time zone differences. Recently government of India set down new ministry for Information Technology which established comfortable environment for growth in IT developments and attracted many multinational companies by providing greater range of facilities with cheaper costs. According to the NASSCOM survey IT industry attained the revenue of US $17 billion in 2008 there by capturing 12% of world market and expected growth of nearly 16.5% by the end of year 2009. Though the above points are considered as positive attributes in the growth and development of Indian software industry, so also, the negative impact comes into picture in the form of ATTRITION (Loss of Employees/ Work force), which can be explained in terms of large growth of the â€Å"number† of companies attracting talent/ work force (people) which is finally leading to confusion among the work force in deciding the company to work for depending upon the offers made by them. Attrition can be defined as the out flow of employees from an organisation due to various reasons. This research will contribute to identify the reasons behind the dangerous attrition levels in IT industry with in India and will suggest possible solutions to fight this problem. The increasing growth of the industry is leading to equal opportunities for inexperienced and experienced workforce. Since the companies rely on senior and experienced workforce for the projects, there is an unhealthy competition among them to attract the so called senior and experienced workforce which is finally leading to attrition. This research paper clearly lays emphasis on the importance of considering attrition in perspective of individuals and organization because attrition destroys the value of business, causes companies to lose knowledge there by leading to never ending cycle of hiring. The researcher here emphasised on the reasons behind the attrition levels in IT industry in India and the possible solutions to curb it. Questionnaires used in this research serve as channels to understand the specific reasons behind attrition. RESEARCH TITLE: Reasons behind the increase in attrition rate in the Indian IT Industries focussing Employee Turnover and techniques to reduce the Attrition. RESEARCH AIM: The main purpose of this research is to investigate the reason behind the day to day increasing Attrition rate in the Indian subcontinent with respect to the IT industry and there- by develop a report with the factors affecting attrition and possible solutions to overcome these issues. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: The proposed research questions are as follows: What are the reasons behind high attrition rate in the IT sector of Indian sub continent? What factors determine the attrition rate? How can this attrition rate be reduced in IT organizations perspective? OBJECTIVIES: The main objective of this research paper is to determine the relationship between good human resource practices and the reasons behind the employee attrition. To analyse various factors that affect an individuals decision to leave a job for a better opportunity, including individual related, job related and organizational related. To discover various threats and issues those impact the business performance, organisational health and rise in business cost, thus emphasising the importance of attrition in perspective of IT organisations. To evaluate the issues those affect the performance of the industry and minimise the attrition rate and also to analyse the techniques of motivation those will help in reducing the same? ACTIVITIES TO ACHIVE THE OBJECTIVE: Primary data collection will be done by conducting online survey with managers and employees in the organisation; the main reason being to gather accurate information. Moreover, while collecting primary data if the researcher can get to meet any of the old staff who have retired or who have left the organisation due to some reason, researcher would collect information from them to enquire the reason behind their exit from the organisation and their experiences while they were working for the organisation, the difference between their old and new organisation they have joined, whether they are satisfied at the new work place and their expectations from the new company. Conducting a survey with employees would result in measuring the level of satisfaction they have attained in the organisation. To achieve the above task two different questionnaires aimed specifically at managers and employees respectively contribute to the collection of relevant information to understand the problem of attrition in the organisations perspective. The secondary data collection in this research will be done by reading books, journals, web sources, articles, magazines and collecting the old data which is related to human resource management etc related to the research topic. Thus, data analysis of the information gathered would bring in a clear picture of the reasons behind the increasing attrition rate. THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: To study the previous works done (on this research topic), making a list of them and analysing them by means of literature review. Discovering the designations where in attrition is more and creating the attrition chart by conducting organization study. Conducting a job satisfaction survey and evaluating the work environment by interviewing IT employees and spreading questionnaires. Conducting a survey with managers to have a look at recruitment process, benefits, training and motivation techniques implemented in the organization to cut down the level of attrition. Considering the reasons for attrition by the analysis of interview data. Suggesting and implementing techniques on how to reduce the attrition. LITERATURE REVIEW Attrition in Indian IT sector is rising drastically due to rapid globalisation and high economic growth. According to the researcher, the attrition is occurring mainly among technically skilled persons due to vast growth of opportunities and booming job market. This booming job market is creating enthusiasm not only among the graduates but also among the most satisfied employees. Due to this act organizations are unable to predict the start of attrition. One of the main reasons put forth for attrition is external inequity of compensation. The affect of attrition is seen in the form financial imbalances in organisations, which can be balanced by reducing attrition through retention of employees which is possible by the diligence of people in managerial positions. ATTRITION IN INDIA Almost all major business sectors in India are facing high attrition rates; these include BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), Telecom sector, Retail sector, Services sector, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical. Attrition rates in different sectors for 2007 are shown below. Source [online]: http://www.qcin.org/nbqp/qualityindia/Vol-3-No1/retaining.htm As evidence in the figure 1, BPO sector is the worst affiliated by attrition and IT sector is at ninth place with the attrition rate of 27%. This shows attrition in India is an enormous problem with wide range of concerns. As this research is narrowed by only concentrating on IT sector, a brief introduction was given below as a table about top Indian IT organizations. SOURCE [online]: www.economictimes.indiatimes.com/photo/4835043.cms The above table provides overview about working human resources in top IT organizations. Thousands of organizations were equipped with human resources as main source of business. Arup Chowdary, CIO of Everyday Industries explains â€Å"major challenges are in terms of resources. The kind of attrition that we have in the IT industry today is one of the business challenges. It is extremely important that the resources that are given into the project actually continue for a longer period of time, which is not really the case; because the IT industry so volatile. So one is managing resources and number two is training those resources with adequate means to come to the market standards† .This statement gives clear indication of attrition affect on Indian IT industry. According to the CCI (Chambers of Commerce of India) research study in India, attrition rate for 2007 was 27% and for 2008 was 29%, and according to Hewitt Associates survey for 2009-2010 most companies continued to experience attrition rates in double digits despite economic downturn. According to the India Attrition study 2008, which was done between October 2008 and March 2009 by partnership between BT and PeopleSoft, key drivers for employees leaving their jobs are opportunity or career growth, salary, type of work, training or development, family circumstances, current job dissatisfaction, health, work load and working environment. According to this survey highest percentage of people are leaving their jobs for career growth and next for salary. Among the people who leave IT organizations, more number of people is top performers (45%) of whole employees. Figure 3: Leaver type across Indian IT industry . REASONS FOR ATTRITION According to researcher, the major reasons for attrition other than monetary reasons (high salaries) are thought to be: Ø The aspect of exploring new avenues by the employees where they get a bigger opportunity to hone their existing skills. Ø Many employees, who work in IT sector, leave behind their interests and finally when they identify the clichà ©d nature of these jobs they willingly opt out and look for something novel and exciting even if it costs their careers. According to Dr. A. Oliver Bright, causes for attrition vary from one organizational level to another. Considering at senior management level many firms chase the dearth of top talent in business, this situation results in senior managers getting new offers with more compensation than existing job. At medium level, employees seek to move from one zone to another like moving from technical role to managerial role or slower moving sector to faster one. At junior level, hike in salary and demand for employees in the market make employees to move to another job. There is a rapid development in Indian IT business sector, because many organizations from the USA and the UK outsource their work to Indian companies, thus resulting in the rise of opportunities. Hence people want to reach the top of the career at faster pace. It makes the employees to skip from one company to another. Employee as reason for attrition: An employee might get the feeling of â€Å"insecurity† regarding his job if the management neglects his career ladder. There are chances of an employee leaving the organisation if the so called training does not emphasise on his area of work and career growth. The communication gap between higher managerial personnel and the employees could be another possible reason of attrition. Another reason is the delay of intra-organisational promotions, which if offered by a different organisation will lead to the loss of employees (attrition). Employees tend to leave the organisation if they are not engaged in projects, which can be avoided by focussing on their growth. Several reasons for attrition could be due to the employee himself/herself. The employee might not have grasped the job profile at the start of his/her tenure and/or the profile was not explained in detail by the company. Poor work habits of employees from their previous job get carried over to their new jobs which dist urbs their comfort zone. As explained earlier due to insufficient knowledge about the job profile the employee might not be competitive both in his/her organizational skills and interpersonal skills. This leads to improper job handling. A poor job fit, which is explained by the inversely proportional relationship between the new job preferences and the employee attitude/interest. High female staff attrition is great problem these days in IT organizations as many number of female employees quit their jobs to give focus on their families even their salary is with six digits. WIPRO joint CEO Mr Vaswani says male to female ratio is almost same at entry level, but women employees drops to about fifteen to twenty percent at middle management levels and further about five to ten percent at senior management levels, and he continuous that it is a loss when trained and talented employee leaves. Currently Infosys employs 33.4% of women, TCS 30% and Wipro 29%. A women project manager says â€Å"I had to stretch myself and the team till late nights to fit into clients time zone. Women also quit at mid level because their priorities change. They want to show their excellence as a homemaker, which was the case with me†.To reduce this attrition organizations increased maternity leave, offering work from home policies for women, relocating them if their husbands get t ransferred, trying to be gender neutral and making easier to women for working. {Source [online]: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Jobs/TCS-Wipro-Infosys-go-all-out-to-check-high-female-staff-attrition/articleshow/5324809.cms?curpg=2.Accessed on 13/12/2009} Ashok Arora, executive director for HR, Ashoka Leylands says â€Å"high end talent is always high on aspiration; their worry is not one of survival, but how fast they climb up the corporate ladder. Management people tend to lose them every time if they do not reasonably address their concerns. The reasons behind people changing their jobs: Employees expect more salary and more compensation than within their present position. Overseas opportunities, which may give hike in salary and position. A higher position in Indian culture means status and respect. If employees want to change their locations for personal and family reasons. Especially in India family plays a crucial role where a family decision can change the career path of a young professional and make employee to change his/her job (Dr. Elena Groznaya). People are interested in new technologies rather than working with same technology. To balance the social life and flexibility with working hours. Taking into account the company image and future growth of the organization. Employees will be self motivated to leave the company because of job insecurity, no freedom of decision making, relationship with peers, less compensation packages and lack of motivation. Management as cause of reason: It is very important for the management to meet the expectation of employees, if there is any such kind of problem or communication gap between management and employees then the persons would like to leave the organization. Another reason for attrition in organization is if management fails at satisfying employee needs and management does not follow correct policies or does not have appropriate tools to manage the employee related tasks then this situation leads to further dissatisfaction. Azim Premji (CEO, WIPRO Technologies) stated that â€Å"when talented people leave organizations despite of high salaries, they dont leave the organizations but they leave their managers†. When there is continuous process of good employees resigning their jobs then management should have a look at their immediate supervisor. Advantage of Indian IT industry is the availability of large number of human resources in market, when managers show their concern as â€Å"plenty of fish in the pond† towards their employees by not considering their personal values then there is chance of increase rate of attrition rate. When first time employees face difficulties with their managers they look forward to solve that situation, second time they will think about leaving, but third time they will look for external opportunity. Job profile as a cause of reason: Job profile may cause the increase in attrition by considering the following factors. While dealing with the outsourced projects the employees have to work according to the time zone of client place, employees have to work by travelling most of the time to reach their targets, and if the employee is not satisfied with his job profile all these factors push the employees to look for a different alternative. REFLECTING FACTORS OF ATTRITION According to the researcher high attrition level may cause the employees to feel insecure and leave the organization, while lower rate of attrition will act as a retention policy. High attrition level indicates the poor ability of organization to hold its people. â€Å"Attrition is unfortunately viewed as a management flaw when in fact it could well be a recruitment error†. (MONISHA ADVANI, CEO, EMMAY HR)[source:http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20050822/technologylife01.shtml)] Attrition level not only reflects the flaws in recruitment strategies but also training methods, retention strategies, work culture and company value in the market. CALUCULATING EMPLOYEE ATTRIRION It is very much important to concentrate on the rate of attrition in an organization which can be achieved by analysis and debate for. According to Sudiptha dev calculation of employee attrition may vary from one organization to another. Anil Naronha one of the director and HR of Novell software limited states that the standard method used to calculate the attrition of employees is dividing the number of employees who left during the year by the average number employed for that year. According to the researcher it is very important to consider the root problem while calculating the attrition level of employees by going back to the hiring stage. Fresher (newly recruited) attrition level will be calculated by considering the number of these employees left and critical level attrition will be calculated when key persons leave. Some organizations may not consider the attrition of beginners when they leave the organization for higher studies and moreover, termination of employees (whose performance is not met to the standards) is also not considered as attrition. But these exemptions depend on the policies/ methods followed by the organizations to calculate the levels of attrition. COST OF ATTRITION There are both visible and invisible costs associated with attrition. The invisible costs are low production rate which in turn creates loss in future sales, loss of customers and degradation of brand name in the market, loss of clients and contacts that person had with industry. Visible costs are the costs due to workforce leaving the organization, recruitment costs, training costs, loss of productivity costs and new hire costs etc. Costs due to loss of workforce includes the cost of the temporary recruitment to fill in while the position is vacant, compensation and benefits, administrative costs like clearing the benefits and stopping the payroll and cost of lost knowledge. Every person who leaves an organization becomes its ambassador, for better or for worse. When employees leave the organization continuously, it is important to consider the recruitment process which in turn will become a never ending cycle. Recruitment costs include cost of advertisement, employee referral costs and agency cost. Recruitment is a long-term process which consists of many stages and tasks to perform. These steps include understanding the requirements of position, advertising the vacancies, search for new talent, checking the background of applicants, preparing and conducting interviews and notify results to candidates whether they are successful or not. Training is the next aspect to consider which involves high costs. It is an important task to hire a person who conducts the orientation which includes the cost of orientation materials. Cost for training material includes cost of hardware, software and printing manuals. By considering the above factors one can lead to a conclusion that there are massive costs associated with attrition. TECHNIQUES TO REDUCE THE ATTRIRION The attrition levels can be reducedby the active input from HR people of the concerned organizations. Since they are the first line of contact for employees, they need to emphasise on the necessity to communicate with employees very often, motivating them and identifying any troubles and disturbances which if not done will gradually encourage the employee to leave the organisation. When the management neglects career ladder of an employee, that person might get the feeling of future insecurity. This can be reduced by conducting well prepared training sessions to improve employee skills and attitude. Some of the solutions that have been implemented successfully by the organisations in recent years to reduce attrition include, work-life balance, recognition and corporate brand building, healthy work environment, continuous employee learning (Subramaniam 2005). It is very important to follow the effective recruitment strategies rather than following traditional recruitment methods. This can help the company to improve the response between organization goals and individual expectations to reduce the attrition level. The type of Indian IT market can be called as people driven business, because it is a huge industry which is mainly depend on Human resources. So it is big challenge for human resource department to handle high stream of employees coming in and going out of the organizations.Padmaja Alaganandan, Principal Consultant, Mercer HR Consulting, India says â€Å"recruitment should be strategic to scale back organizations business targets because of their inability to recruit quality talent at the pace and scale called for. In such organizations with large scale of hiring, recruitment needs to be seen as a separate function with strong linkage to the business†. Compensation and rewards play vital role in IT organisations to motivate and satisfy the employees. When a company makes high profits, it should make an effort to recognise the contribution of employees in this success by releasing bonuses which will lead to a positive employee response in future endeavours. Dr Elena Groznaya(freelance researcher and consultant in the field of intercultural relations and diversity management) suggested some motivation methods, they are extrusive motivation by money (pay rises, bonus and promotion), by showing long-term perspective towards employee including the family and enabling personal development. In order to motivate staff, experts claim that it is important to recognise set of values and needs, those vary in each particular culture. According to the classical theory of Maslow the hierarchy of needs includes : Psychological, survival needs Safety and security needs Social needs of acceptance Esteem and acknowledgment needs Self-actualization and self-development needs Major impacts on the employee behaviour are organizational culture and working environment. Providing good work environment and acknowledging the employee as a customer is an effective technique to reduce the attrition level. A good employer can be differentiated from other employers by thoroughly looking at the priorities of them, while considering the goals and needs of employees. Maintaining work-life balance among the employees is the main technique to reduce the attrition level. The nature of IT industry is to upgrade its operations frequently to achieve the business requirements and for this there is a need of dynamic change in deploying and using the upgraded technologies. To achieve the above requirements the management needs to take measures to help employees to update their knowledge through training programs from time to time. It is important to identify top performers to reward and retain them, but keeping them secure and motivated becomes a key challenge. One of the best ways is to engage them by implementing strong career program for them. One of the top companies of India, National Information Technology, has implemented structured staff communication program which includes periodic sessions with business heads, skip level meeting, star performing bonus for high level performers and national or business level recognition programme. On other hand identify non performers to put on performance related exercises. To keep employees engaged there is need for staff involvement programmes like pre festive events, in-house sports activities and participation in outside activities. According to the WIPRO leaders quality survey, perfect leadership is one of the techniques to reduce attrition levels. Marcia Robinson and Ravi Kalakota (2005) suggested seven strategies for recruiting and retaining employees. Spend time developing and Bench marking incentives which include free transportation, education allowances, health related allowances, bonuses and performance based appraisals. The main problem in Indian IT industry is that most of the newly recruited students/employees are leaving the organization to pursue masters/ higher studies. This situation can be overcome by the organisations, through the provision of subsidies for the higher education of beginner employees, to improve their knowledge in their area of expertise. Change the locations of work by sending the projects to places where labour and real est