Case for a National Missile Defense

The United States political groups and those specialized public and private sectors outside the government have evidently manifested strong interest in deploying a ballistic missile defense to protect the United States from attack. The ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty prevents nationwide defense but actually allows the United States to launch up to 100 interceptors for long-range ballistic missiles at a single site (Causewell, 2002 p.75). On the other hand, critics and socially concerned groups have provided many thoughtful arguments for saying that NMD should not even continue or progress in its development (Lindsay, 2002 p.144). The current trend of argument nowadays brought by the public pressuring sectors and those concerned in the countries militaristic defense is the abolishment of the treaty. Many supporters of National Missile Defense (NMD) state that the United States should initiate an amendment or abrogation of ABM treaty so that it can further execute the development of NMD for the maximizing the countries’ defense potential (Causewell, 2002 p.75). To consider, there are actually many political personnel in the Congress that do not agree with the Clinton Administration’s approach arguing that the threat justified the more rapid deployment of an NMD system. Significantly, there have been a wide debate and argument accompanied by this procedure. Most objection are concerned mainly on the defense status of the country upon the initiation of the project, while positive side argues that this kind of technology might provide the United States the potential to obtain the edge of their defense system. In the study, the primary discussion involves the issue on NMD and its actual presence in the United States. The main inquiry of the discussion resides to the fact of proving the most appropriate argument for the paper to support. This accompanies evidences and historical accounts that are shown during the whole course of the discussion. Discussion Historical Background The United States has pursued the development and deployment of defenses against long-range ballistic missiles since the early 1950s. It launched a treaty-compliant area located in North Dakota during the mid-1970s; however, its operation was closed only after a few months. President Reagan initiated a development plan in order to further enhance the program into a more intensive defense during the time of early 1980s, but these programs were reverted back on several occasions during the Reagan and Bush Administrations (Causewell, 2002 p.75). Most evidently, from the historical perspective, the Clinton Administration initially centered its attention in developing the technological aspect of the NMD project; however, in 1996, the administration itself   provided an outline indicating a strategy to initiate the further development and deployment of an NMD system by 2003 if the threat warranted and the technology was ready (Causewell, 2002 p.76). During January 1999, the Clinton Administration announced that it had adjusted this program to permit deployment in 2005, and would decide in summer 2000 whether to proceed with deployment of up to 20 at a single site (Causewell, 2002 p.76). Fortunately, this statement of the administrator was modified in February 2000 to include and permit the 100 interceptors. Most knowingly, the Bush Administration prefers to possess an intensive and robust NMD program that is likely to include land, sea and space-based assets. As the statement of the President exemplified, he remarked intensively to the Administration’s commitment to missile defenses in a speech on May 1, 2001 (Causewell, 2002 p.75). This scenario even proves that the initiation of NDM is within the plans of the Bush administrator; hence, its existence as one of the Government’s military and defense program is present. The U.S Senate’s votes last October 1999 against the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the renewed drive in recent years toward the deployment of a U.S. The issues on NMD system have initiated the analysts in the United States and international aspect to express their concern about the apparent U.S. trend toward a unilateral approach to security (Patrick & Forman, 2002 p.242). The Clinton Administration provided different aspects about the deployment of an NMD system. These components provided by the administration served as the primary guide in the technical management of the program. As per the administrations instructions, these components included an assessment of the threat to the United States form long-range ballistic missiles, an assessment of the maturity of the technology and the feasibility of deploying an effective system, consideration of the implications for the ABM Treaty and the possibility of gaining Russian agreement on amendments, the potential costs of the prospective system, and the environmental implications of deployment (Causewell, 2002 p.75). Many political groups questioned the Administration’s commitment to NMD funding and deployment. News and arguments point out that the government provided these additional funds in order to speed up the construction and development of the NMD program; however, this resulted to more inquiries and curiosity among the concerned public. In additional to this government effort, the Administration even passed legislation from both the House and the Senate passed on NMD deployment to further increase its phasing. Considering the Congress and White House have evidently merged and controlled the by the Republican Party, the advocates and supporters of NMD should expect a congressional approval for Bush administration plan (Causewell, 2002 p.75). Theories on Problems at Stake Political parties present in the Congress and other concerned sectors have a strong preference for the launching of ballistic missile defense (BMD) system to add up to the defensive power of the United States. In can be recalled during the time Soviet Union collapse that occurred predominantly in 1991, Iraq utilized their Scud missiles in the event of Persian Gulf War, and the use of ballistic missile technologies, all piled up as primary risk of the United States. Significantly, there are two historical scenarios in the summer of 1998 that provided these significant concerns (Causewell, 2002 p.76). First, during the accounts that occurred in July, from the congressionally-operated committee headed by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concluded that United State’s search to further enhance their long-range ballistic missiles might be able to attain such target in the span of 5 years of deciding; however, it is essential that the United States should have, at the very least, warning before conducting the tests and deployment of such missiles. Second, during the ending periods of the month of August, North Korea flight tested 3-stage ballistic missiles. Even though the third stage of this missile did not make it through during its first flight, and this missile would not have possessed such range to attain the continental United States, North Korea manifested that it had built the technology for â€Å"staged† missiles, which has been an important discovery and influence in the field of longer-range ballistic missiles development (Causewell, 2002 p.76). According to political groups, the threatening aspect of this NMD program to the United States is from the fact that only a handful of countries, most of which are probably not now close to having operational intercontinental missiles. These groups have argued that the United States are not yet prepared for building a fully operating NMD system, and the risks involved are too extensive to initiate such goal. One of the problems that might arise is that enemies can attack the United States in ways that do not require long- range missile. The situation of NMD can make the nation vulnerable to other nation’s possible attack. Moreover, NMD could jeopardize arms control and related efforts such as the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction program intended to secure nuclear warheads and materials within Russia (Lindsay, 2002 p.144). Considering that Bush Administration still has no initiated a detail blueprint or outline for this program in terms of its prospective missile defense architecture, or any detailed and documented motives to initiate the withdrawal from the ABM Treaty. However, in meetings with NATO defense ministers in Brussels on June 7, 2001, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld stated that the Bush Administration would purse in the facilitation and enhancement of missile defenses and that scrapping of the ABM Treaty was â€Å"inevitable† since it greatly prevented both testing and launching of missile defenses (Causewell, 2002 p.76). In the United States, opponents of the CTBT and proponents of NMD assert that their views are driven not by isolationism or unilateralism, but rather by their belief that post—Cold War threats demand new approaches to U.S security. However, the perceived resurgence in U.S. unilateralism nevertheless has grave consequences for both U.S. and international security. A particularly troubling aspect of recent U.S behavior has been the overt dismissal of the views of allies on the issues of CTBT ratification and NMD (Patrick & Forman, 2002 p.242). Recommendation and Policy Options In providing these recommendations, there are certain things that need to be considered in order to come up with the rightful justifications of the decisions made. First, ballistic missile technology, such as long-range missile technology and NMD, is currently being developed in other countries as the use of it in defensive power is being considered progressively. There is a factual possibility   that Iran, Iraq, or North Korea will obtain the capacity to attack the United States using this technology. Hence, this is the initial point to consider in defending against this type of advanced technology for the reason that, the United States might be overrun by these features if they will not incorporate such technology within their defense system (Lindsay, 2002 p.144). Second, the technology for shooting down the enemy’s incoming missiles is not as feasible and accurately done in real time setting—particularly when matched against the small long-range missile arsenals that countries such as Iraq, Iran, or North Korea could plausibly facilitate in the years ahead (Lindsay, 2002 p.144). The use of enhanced sensors, computerized systems, and missile technology should soon provide the possibility of carrying out a high-reliability intercepts. The advantage of this is the promulgation of enhanced interceptors and substitutes it for the use of Nuclear Bomb. Third reason to consider is the ending the cold war that initiated an opportunity to recap the contribution of U.S missile technology to its national security policy and in U.S.-Russian relations. Fourth, the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is considered as one of the major threats in the United States can be nullified by the developing the NMD. As for the missile technological experts, they claim that the development of this NMD and enhancement of its features and missile technology can potentate in the development of such super-defensive nation. Lastly, nuclear deterrence, while reliable in most circumstances, cannot always guarantee its success as it is also not as feasible type of defense. Such Deterrence should not be assumed to apply under such circumstances, since the threats present against the country would already be confronting extreme annihilation even if it did not use NMD against the United States. For these five reasons, the advantage for pursuing the development and initiation of the NMD program dominate; hence, from its summed up rationale, the strength the United States can obtain with the use of such technology centers in the fact that they can actually provide massive defense advantage over the possible attack of other countries that may have the potential of using the same kind of technology. Conclusion In the discussion of the study, the prime conditions that have been obtained is the wide support of NMD progression among the political and military groups for the reason of U.S advancement in the field of national defense. From the discussion above, five recommendations are previewed in order to depict the advantages of incorporating such system in the national defense, which as a whole, pertains to the advancement of country’s defense against outside threats. This project has been preferred by Bush administration, although arguments have been present to the ABM treaty and other support groups negation of project’s launching and development. References Causewell, E. V. (2002). National Missile Defense: Issues and Developments. Nova Publishers. Lindsay, J. M. (2002). Defending America: The Case for Limited National Missile Defense. Brookings Institution Press. Patrick, S., & Forman, S. (2002). Multilateralism and U.S. Foreign Policy: Ambivalent Engagement. Lynne Rienner Publishers.   

Biblical Injunctions against Homosexuality

Homosexuality remains one of the hottest topics in the modern society. We argue, whether homosexuality has the right to exist in society, and try to explain homosexuality notions in Biblical terms. Objectively, neither proponents, nor opponents of homosexual relations have ever suggested any single relevant system of arguments to defend their position. We try to rely on religion, and we try to interpret our views on homosexuality through the Biblical injunctions against homosexuality. Yet, we still fail to properly interpret Biblical provisions.As a result, proponents and opponents of homosexuality use different (and even opposite) interpretations of the same Biblical texts to support their arguments. John Corvino vs. Vatican: Homosexuality and the Bible It is always interesting and useful to review the two opposite viewpoints, when it comes to evaluating the relevance of both arguments. Such comparison is even more useful, when the arguments are based on the Biblical texts – the texts which still lack single unilateral interpretation.John Corvino has become a well known advocate for the rights of homosexuals. He has used the major Biblical provisions to support his approval of homosexuality. In his work The Bible Condemns Usurers, Too he has used the analogy between homosexuality and the process of lending money for interest. In the Book of Exodus, we read: â€Å"if you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not exact interest for them† (Childs 33).However, contemporary society actively utilizes the principles of interest in traditional banking practice (with the exception of Islamic banking which still relies on lending without interest). Does this mean that while the Bible prohibits homosexuality it still has the right to exist? In Corvino’s view, it does. Moreover, Corvino uses one of the strongest Biblical injunctions against homosexuality to suggest that the Bible has probably been erroneous! The Bible explicitly re fers to â€Å"dishonorable passions.Their women exchanges natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men† (Ziesler 97). Corvino tries to suggest, that although the Bible condemns homosexuality, the times and social conditions have changed. â€Å"Suppose that in Paul’s time homosexual relationships were typically exploitative, paganistic or pederastic† (Corvino). For Vatican, though such suggestions are at least weak.First of all, Vatican unilaterally condemns homosexuality. Second, Vatican grounds its position on the same Biblical injunctions against homosexuality. It is remarkable, that Vatican primarily uses the same letter of Paul to Romans to support its strong condemnation of homosexuality: â€Å"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one anot her. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.Amen† (Vatican Statement on Homosexuality). It is not difficult to guess what the Church would respond to Corvino: the Church would certainly defend the holy union between a man and a woman. The letter of Paul to Romans is the direct condemnation of homosexuality, and it is difficult not to deny that the Bible takes homosexual behavior as immoral. In 1997, Vatican released a Statement on Homosexuality. That Statement has become the brightest and the most understandable interpretation of Vatican’s position towards homosexuality.â€Å"To choose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator’s sexual design† (Vatican Statement on Homosexuality). Even in the light of such strong Church’s arguments, Corvino’s pos ition remains unchanged. He persistently tries to assure the public that we misinterpret Biblical provisions. Corvino grounds his position on the irrelevance of contemporary Biblical interpretations, and on the fact that many Biblical injunctions against homosexuality are at least outdated. Vatican would hardly agree with that position.When the Bible says â€Å"By their fruits ye shall know them† (Ziesler 99), this does not mean that the Bible stands for homosexuality. Moreover, Vatican openly recognizes that it has appeared under the serious pressure to accept homosexuality. While Corvino suggests that the Church refuses to see homosexual relations as good, Vatican responds that â€Å"there is an effort in some countries to manipulate the Church [†¦] to conform to these pressure groups’ concept that homosexuality is at least a completely harmless, if not an entirely good, thing† (Vatican Statement on Homosexuality).For Vatican to reject homosexuality means not only to rely on certain Biblical passages; it means to evaluate the position of homosexuality proponents, and to re-direct the proponents’ arguments against themselves. Conclusion We have seen that both Vatican and John Corvino ground their research of homosexuality on the Bible. Moreover, Vatican and Corvino evaluate the same Biblical injunctions against homosexuality to prove that each of them keeps to a more correct path in the homosexuality debate.The Bible openly condemns homosexuality. John Corvino suggests that the Biblical injunctions against homosexuality are outdated and require re-consideration in the light of the changing societal conditions. Vatican keeps to the thought that homosexuality cannot be good, it cannot be harmless, and takes Corvino’s position as threatening to the religious stability of the society.Both arguments deserve attention; both require detailed re-evaluation in terms of Biblical interpretations, and the analogies drawn by John Co rvino. It would be incorrect to state that either Vatican or Corvino have failed to justify their position towards homosexuality. It will be better to say that as long as both positions exist and are defended in the society, we will be able to produce a more objective view on what homosexuality is, and whether it has the right to exist as a notion.Works Cited Corvino, John. â€Å"The Bible Condemned Usurers, Too. † Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, 24 (1996): 29-32. Childs, Brevard S. The Book of Exodus: A Critical Theological Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press, 1974. â€Å"Vatican Statement on Homosexuality†. 1997. Catholic World News. 06 March 2008. http://www. cwnews. com/news/viewstory. cfm? recnum=4548 Ziesler, John A. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. New Testament Commentaries. CRM Press.

Cultural Awareness Essay

Culture and the environment affect a business in many ways. Culture is not simply a different language, a different shade of skin, or different styles of food. Culture, and the environment in which you are a part of, affect the running of day to day business operations of all companies’ day in and day out. This paper will assess how Linda Myers, from the article, â€Å"The would-be pioneer,† (Green, S. , 2011) was affected by the huge culture shock of working for a global conglomerate from Seoul, South Korea. We will discuss what went wrong with Ms. Myers approach to business, Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture as it pertains to the article, and make some recommendations based on the author’s thoughts. Let’s first start by discussing how culture and environment affect management in an institution. A culture and its environment affect the operations of a business because that culture generates practices based on its environment. To clarify, how a business sets its policies is based on cultural exceptions, like politics, points of view, whatever is considered the â€Å"norm† for that environment. In many cultures, it is also safe to assume that women do not have the same pull as a man in charge. An example of how women are belittled can be women in Middle Eastern countries that are forced to wear veils to cover their faces and walk behind their husbands, not hand in hand like in Western cultures. Politics plays a huge part in how a company runs as well. If a country is firm in the belief that men are the only way to accomplish goals and run the government, then companies under that government will more than likely have the same approach. Many countries still believe that men are superior and don’t quite believe that women should be in the workplace. We have seen American culture change to where women successfully run businesses. These gender based assumptions are inadequate to reality, however, some countries still hold on to those beliefs. For Ms. Myers, being successful in America, did not translate to being successful in South Korea. Although she was an executive, she had many barriers that hindered her from adequately helping the company in the ways that she wanted. Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of Culture  Dr. Geert Hofstede created the first four dimensions of culture in the 1970’s after analyzing statistical data from IBM over the course of many years. In the 1990’s he created the fifth dimension after noticing specific cultural differences in Asian countries and their ties to Confucian philosophy. (www. mindtools. com) The five dimensions are as follows: Power/Distance (PD), Individualism (IDV), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long Term Orientation (LTO). I will only discuss a few of these as they seem more prominent to this case. First, let’s talk about the Power/Distance (PD) dimension as it pertains to Ms. Myers in South Korea. Power/Distance (PD), â€Å"refers to the degree of inequality that exists- and is accepted- among people with and without power. A high PD score indicates that society accepts an unequal distribution of power, and that people understand â€Å"their place† in the system. Low PD means that power is shared and well dispersed. † (www. mindtools. com) As an example from the article, Myers goes on to say, â€Å"there were basically four levels: VP, director, manager, and worker bee. You only talked to people at your level. SK Telecom boasted that they were one of the first Korean cultures to rid themselves of a strictly hierarchal form of running. However, Myers saw that although they said that, they did not embrace that to the fullest. Merely putting something on paper does not constitute practicing the said task. In order for the company to have abolished the hierarchal form of leadership, they would have needed to instill better practices and allow more input from all levels of the company. Masculinity (MAS) refers to how a society views/values the traditional aspects of male versus female roles. This dimension ascertains that men are in the positions of power and women are to be in the home, or hold less valuable roles in the workplace. This example is considered a workplace with high MAS. A workplace with low MAS is considered to have male and female positions; however, those positions work closely together and do not get in the way of the work environment. This traditional view was another obstacle in Ms. Myers’ venture in Korea. The company brought her in to fix their issues with cultural growth, but did not utilize her to the best of her ability. She failed to recognize that the Eastern culture she was working for, did not allow her to have a longer â€Å"leash† like the American/Western companies she had worked for in the past. Uncertainty/Avoidance Index shows how anxiety of workers affects the workplace. High UAI is considered looking for rules and regulations for all situations. There is no â€Å"grey† area and everyone is to operate exactly the same. Low UAI refers to there being less rule writing and more personal growth and interpretation of the conflict or decision. In this article, I would say that SK Telecom had a high UAI however; Ms.  Myers herself was a person working with low UAI. Her anxiety and how she approached situations was not in-tune with the policies and procedures of the company. There were cultural boundaries such as language and expectations that she did not know how to confront. Although she was qualified for the position, she really was not prepared well enough to meet the tasks and policies of the company based on her experiences. The last dimension that really applies to this case is Long Term Orientation or LTO. This refers to how a company values a member’s loyalty/seniority in the company. Men and long time employees have more pull in the workplace. I feel as though SK Telecom valued the opinions of those members who had been with the company for a substantial amount of time. Bringing an outsider in to work, did not work with how the company operated internally. SK Telecom had high LTO and again Myers’ internal operation was with low LTO, a promotion of equality, creativity and individualism. Conclusion In this paper I discussed, The Would-Be Pioneer by Green. We discussed how the cultural differences affected Ms. Myers and how different South Korea is compared to Western culture. We also covered the four of five Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions that applied to the article. We discussed Power/Distance, Masculinity, Uncertainty/Avoidance Index, and Long Term Orientation, all of the factors that played a part in Myers’ failure as a consultant with SK Telecom. In the future, for those who look to work abroad, we should study as much about the culture as possible. We need to understand as much as possible about the work environment in which we work, if we wish to succeed in a foreign government.

Analyzing a work of music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing a work of music - Essay Example The one event that finally made him finish on a song that he had desired to write the whole of his life was the Russia shooting down the Korean jet flying to Seoul from New York where 269 people, including 63 Americans, died. â€Å"I saw the senseless strike as a personal attack against our countrymen and it moved me to pen to paper† says Greenwood. â€Å"The song came so easily, it nearly wrote itself.† â€Å"I’m from California, and I don’t know anybody from Virginia or New York, so when I wrote it-and my producer and I had talked about it-[we] talked about the four cities I wanted to mention, the four corners of the United States.† The producer however suggested Detroit and Houston because they both were economically part of the basis of the US economy. He says ‘so I just poetically wrote that in the bridge while they chose New York and L.A. (the boot.com) In 2003, the song was performed b the American Idol season two finalists and released as a single, with part of the proceeds going to American Red Cross. It raised 155,000 dollars for the charity though some words were changed such as ‘men’ in ‘and I won’t forget the men who died† was replaced with ‘ones’. It reached number 4 in the ‘hot 100’ and it was certified gold b the RIAA the same year (Keuss, 03-45).

Al Dunlap at Sunbeam Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Al Dunlap at Sunbeam - Case Study Example ct, and getting a great management team together, his restructuring turned the company around by raising share prices from $12 per share to its all-time high of $53 per share (Albert J. Dunlap 1). His shareholder-value approach to public business corporations brought huge initial gains for the corporation. The final step of the rescue plan was identified by Dunlap in his own words as an aggressive growth plan (2). This was his first attempt at growing an organization he had restructured – he had sold all other companies before. So how did the growth go? Sunbeam went from $53 per share to below $12 per share within three months – even faster than the turnaround. 1. Growth needs newly researched products, strong advertising, increased distribution channels, and a good marketing strategy. All this needs capital investment and time. Sunbeam had capital investment. What they did not have was time, as Dunlap gave only 6 months for new products to be researched and to be brought into the market. This was essentially flawed, as described by a former executive Ron Gaber from their rivals Black & Decker, who stated that most companies usually give at least a year and a half for new research products. Also, Al did not have anything in the manufacturing line to claim this. 2. Then Dunlap gave his trademark touch to growth. He took over three mediocre companies – First Alert, Coleman and Signature – and then set out to grow Sunbeam through the newly procured companies. He planned to restructure the new acquisitions (Thomas, and David 8), but that again required more time than he had. In my opinion he should have grown upon what he had rather than taking over new companies because it was similar to having all the work force and unstable factories he had just disposed of. 3. Then he stocked huge quantities of gas grills and other seasonal items, which did not sell as expected, causing great amounts of capital to be held up, required for research. This error can be

UK Welfare Reform Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

UK Welfare Reform Bill - Essay Example It instead encourages them to work hard and earn their own income (Meyer and Sullivan, 2004). The bill compels all the people who claim benefits to follow an employment advisor's directions or sanctions be placed on their benefits. This is in order to ensure that any benefits claims are made in the right way. These new conditions are meant to ensure that only deserving people are considered for benefits. This bill proposes that beneficiaries work for their benefits through some sort of a workfare with a labor rate of about '1.73 hourly for 35 hours every week. This bill further proposes the piloting of this workfare and its subsequent rollout without any further primary legislation. The workfare clause of the bill has attracted a lot of criticism from various quarters who have proposed various amendments to the clause. The UK Department of Welfare and Pensions has refuted any claims of workfare increasing the likelihood to find work. The department particularly notes that workfare is not effective in getting jobs for people, especially in jurisdictions of weak labor markets that have a high rate of unemployment. The department also faults the bill's effectiveness in for individuals who have numerous barriers to work. The bill has further been accused of reducing employment chances since it limits the time for job hunting and also fails to offer the necessary experience and skills needed by the employers. Work-related activity The bill allows Jobcentre Plus and other private contractors to give mandatory directions to single parents as well as disabled and sick claimants. These directions require these claimants to undertake specific activities or risk facing sanctions on their benefits. This move will ensure that the claimants put some effort towards improving themselves rather than waiting on the government to do it for them. Increased conditions for couples This bill introduces two new changes for any couples who claim benefits. First, it removes the disabled or sick people's rights to claim ESA for couples where one of the partners can claim JSA. Second, this bill requires partners of JSA, ESA and IS claimants to participate in work-related activities or face sanctions. This in effect means that these partners have no choice but to work. Contributions for ESA and JSA This bill greatly restricts eligibility to contribute to ESA and JSA. Those working will now be forced to work longer to be able to pay the required contributions to qualify for the benefits. This will go a long way in reducing the number of qualified contributors to JSA and ESA. This will as a result force many of these claimants to means-tested benefits. The means-tested benefits are not only complex, but also suffer low take up. Others will end up not having any entitlement to means-tested benefits. Carers and maternity allowances This bill proposes the abolishment of dependent additions paid with maternity and carers' allowances. Both benefits are not means-tested and its beneficiaries are the poorest of the poor in the country. The removal of these benefits will lead to over-reliance on means-tested benefits. Those who do not pass the means test will be forced to live on a very low level of income (Scott et al, 2003). Offenders' benefit penalties The bill proposes a four-week benefit suspension for those

Multi Product Economic Order Quantity with Joint Ordering and no Stock Case Study

Multi Product Economic Order Quantity with Joint Ordering and no Stock Outs - Case Study Example Inventory Management Policy Inventory Cost Various elements of inventory cost include ordering cost, carrying cost, purchasing cost and stock-outs cost. Variation in ordering quantity results into variation in cost. The important elements of ordering cost includes preparation and Cost of tendering or bidding, negotiations with the suppliers, selection of suppliers and placement of purchase order. Ordering cost per unit comes down with increase in quantity. Ordering – Cost Curve Rationale for inclusion in Joint Ordering We have considered cement, paint and tiles for joint ordering purposes. Once the frame of the building is in place, the need for cement, tiles and paint arises, though use of cement is involved in all stages of construction. Plastering of walls with cement, flooring and painting work are simultaneously done at different parts of the building in an alternative manner in view of curing. Therefore, clubbing these materials for joint ordering is eminently justified since mostly suppliers of building materials deal with all these materials under one roof. Order Quantity and Joint Ordering Cost Since ordering cost is a component of material cost, order quantities for various materials considered for joint ordering need to be matched and fixed. It is mostly a question of alignment in the operations, taking into account the constraints such as availability of storage space or other factors. Stock Outs Situation Shortages or stock-out situations are avoided under efficient inventory management system. A system where purchases are based on pre-determined re-order level at which replenishment of stock takes place, considering the lead times and contingencies based on experience and market conditions, this issue of shortages or stock out situations arise when the stock level breaches the minimum level which is set below the re-order level. The cost of emergency purchasing and transportation will be high in these cases. Also, these situations involve a dditional cost since the customers’ demand in relation to delivery may not be fulfilled and result into penalties in the construction industry. Inventory Control Inventory comprises stocks of various materials required in the operation of the business, in this case construction. The main objective of inventory control is to achieve maximum efficiency in the operations with the minimum investment in inventory. Various organizations in various types of industries adopt different inventory models depending upon the level of uncertainty with reference to lead time and demand. The understanding of ordering cost and carrying cost and its relationship for striking a balance in order quantity will be useful in deciding the minimum, maximum and reorder levels for various items of stocks for joint ordering in a multiproduct environment to keep the inventory cost at minimum level. The inventory carrying cost will be very high if the order quantity is at higher level. On the other hand, if the size of the order is small, the ordering cost will be very high. The relationship between carrying cost and ordering cost is used in working out economic order quantity. Economic Order Quantity = SQRT((2*A*S)/C) Where A = Annual usage in units S = Ordering cost per order C = Annual

Project management for a building conversion Essay

Project management for a building conversion - Essay Example It has been selected to be a Grade B office building. This paper seeks to present key activities involved in conversion to Grade B office integrated in the project management perspective. We will see how activities will be schedule, resource management, and quality assurance among other fundamental principles surrounding any project. PREDECESSOR ACTIVITIES The first crucial step is to seek permission from the local authority in form of an application for change of user. This will need the approval of the local authority’s plans for the area. (IEEE, 2005).That is, whether the area is official recognized as an industrial area only or a residential area. Depending on the prevailing by-laws, the approval may be issued or not. Afterwards, we can proceed to the preliminary design of the office. That is, the floor layout of the offices required among other things. These specifications will be tailored to the client in Hong Kong. A detailed assessment of the existing building will be done to check integrity of the current building, the kind of foundation, parts of the building that are intact or need re-designing to fit in the preliminary design. ... Once the building permit is issued, the conversion works can officially commence with other revisions being made on the prior design if necessary but still approval from relevant authorities is mandatory. This is how this conversion will generally go. The detailed procedures will be modelled within the Microsoft Project 2007. KEY AREAS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT In any project, whether product manufacturing, or service delivery, there are crucial aspects of activities that need to be addressed should we desire a successful project. These factors are necessary for the project manager. How he or she addresses these issues will show his capability and skills and project is no exception. Besides time, there are various key areas in project management (PMBOK, 2008) and these include cost management, project quality management, human resource management, project scope management, Risk management These are discussed as follows 1. Time Management Time management ensures that the project is comple ted as planned. This has an impact costs and effectiveness in running the project. This sector covers the processes required to ensure timely completion of the project (Dennis 2007).The sequencing aspects is crucial. Certain activities can only commence after predecessor activities are completed. For this project we applied the fundamental activities involved in the conversion of an industrial building to an office building. We will also cover the critical path. This is basically the path that should not be delayed as it will determine the overall project conclusion time. Milestones will help us monitor project course. From the MS Project we came

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - Essay Example The author’s transformation leads to the growth of her inquisitive nature as she gets to question some of the various issues that surround her life. It is through this rebellious streak that the reader gets to appreciate the author’s transformation. This is especially because the time, in which these private changes were taking place, the region was facing tumultuous and incredibly dangerous disruptions (Satrapi, 2004). This paper will examine the novel, and help bring out aspects of the book that might make a difference in the lives of people. The author indicates in the novel that she happened to be the granddaughter of an emperor in Iran. As she tries to comprehend the extent of such novelty, she grows up trying to also understand the complexities of the life she lives. The author works on divulging information about rebellion in the lives of people around her, and the societies in which she lived. It is in the book that the reader gets to comprehend the nature of th e region, and some of the upheavals it was going through as it transitioned through the boundaries individuals created for themselves and others (Satrapi, 2004). Persepolis tries to delve into some of the issues that affect societies in modern times. It is through the book that people are made aware of their natures, and how to get about life minding others. The book tries to bring to reality the major themes that occurred in the region back then, but that may still be affecting society in present times. However, this is for the reader to conclude after completing the novel. The book sheds some light on the differences that exist between the lives that people lead on the outside, while living contradictory lives privately. The case of the author’s parents could be the perfect example. They talk of how evil the regime was, and they try to express their rebellion in their home. This is done by drinking wine and supplying their daughter with posters from famous people that were not from their world (westerners) (Satrapi, 2004). The upheaval saw changes take place that may not have necessarily been welcome in the region by people who were content with what they had, that is; safety and comfort in their beliefs and customs. Also, the different reasons behind rebellion can be found in the book as the author tries to claim that the presence of knowledge or even fear could be motivators for people to rebel. The revolution in Iran came about as a result of the difference in social class. There were tremendous gaps between the rich and the poor, which the author insinuates that she often felt ashamed of, especially when she was in her father’s Cadillac. The author tries to bring to the reader the diverse points of view that were held by different people present in her life, for instance; her grandmother, her parents, and outside society. This is done in an effort to bring forth all the sides of the story, and not just placing judgments on certain groups of people, or try to decide who might have had it better or worse. The historical perspective is the aspect that is brought out by the author (Satrapi, 2004), whose humor and alternating tone assists in bringing out the seriousness of the issue that rocked the region in the twentieth century. Violence, religious persecution, corruption, and even torture are themes which are recurring in the novel. They are themes that are seen through the eyes of a child (younger Marjane), while the humor she displays tries to create the sanity that is

First-Time Buyers Essay Example for Free

First-Time Buyers Essay Housing is a common asset that most people regard as their biggest financial asset and the largest make-up of their wealth; the purchase of a house is usually one of the largest investments an individual will make, and therefore lower house prices may encourage more people to consider purchasing housing, serving as a more affordable investment. On the obvious side a fall in house prices will only encourage further demand for housing. A demand supply analysis will show that the falling prices should theoretically allow individuals who are considering buying a house but holding back due to fluctuations in prices finally take the jump onto the property ladder – falling prices provides an incentive for individuals to make this large investment, particularly as in the long term the value of housing may also increase depending on the state of the economy. While falling prices may indicate a slump in an economy, it provides an excellent chance for people who previously may have not been able to afford a purchase to do so. It is also important to take into account that housing is also a necessity in any part of the personal life cycle, and therefore any fall in prices will create an opportunity and incentive. It also does not necessarily mean that first-time buyers must look to make a large investment immediately; extract two suggests that lower prices may allow considerers to think of renting property as an early ‘alternative’, helping save up for a single cash deposit which would then in turn allow first-timers to climb onto the property ladder. However, as stated in extract two falling house prices does not necessarily indicate a good environment for contemplating investors to finally make the choice of investing; there are numerous other costs to consider such as the availability of mortgages, described as ‘dropping to its lowest level for more than a decade’. The lack of mortgages may in fact serve as a deterrent to first-time buyers, preventing them from climbing onto the property ladder as there are numerous other costs to consider. Extract two also states that lenders have refused to drop their interest rates in line with the governmental cuts, and once again this will only provide a disincentive to first-time buyers no matter how low the price of housing falls. Rising unemployment and cuts in the subsidies budget towards building affordable homes will also serve to undermine confidence in the housing market. While the governmental cut in subsidies towards funding new affordable homes may not have a direct impact on a first-time buyers decision, it is important to note that this policy will contribute to the level of confidence in the housing market, an example being lenders no longer willing to cut their interest rates following suit of the government doing so; the government is offering little support in the housing market and many are therefore not willing to take the risks. The people that will lose out from this ultimately are the first-time buyers who will be deterred from making such a large investment particularly if lenders and the government provide little confidence in this market. Therefore, while the fall in housing prices may incentivise first-time buyers to some degree overall it is likely to only have a limited effect, as many buyers will still be put off by the inability to receive mortgages as well as the other numerous financial costs involved.

Importance of Employer Branding Concepts

Importance of Employer Branding Concepts Terms of references This report highlights the rising awareness for the development of Employer Branding concept and its benefits for the organisations in present competitive labour market. The conflict between effective employer branding and employees rights and satisfaction toward organization has been examined in this report with specific focus on the unethical and controlling effect. Introduction Employer branding is the perception of employees about an organization as a place to work. Its designed for motivating and securing employees alignment with the vision and values of the organizations. From the HR perspective the concept was subsumed the older term INTERNAL BRANDING that was essentially the process of communicating an organizations brand value to its employee. Employer branding The concept of EMPLOYER BRANDING was created in the 1990s by Simon Barrow, who founded People in Business (now part of TMP Worldwide) and was the co-author of The Employer Brand. 1 In the past, Barrow had been a consumer goods brand manager and headed up an advertising agency in London, but later became the chief executive of a recruitment agency. He was immediately struck by the similarities between the challenges faced in promoting consumer goods and in publicising the strengths of an organisations employee proposition. Both, he recognised, required a strong brand, and so the concept of employer branding was conceived. Barrow defined the employer brand as the package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by employment and identified with the employing company. Sullivan (2004) defines employer branding as a targeted, long-term strategy to manage the awareness and perceptions of employees, potential employees, and related stakeholders with regards to a particular firm. Ambler and Barrow (1996) define employer brand in terms of the benefits it conveys on employees. In other words, the employer brand represents the array of economic, functional and psychological benefits that an employee might receive because of joining an organization. Just as product brands convey an image to customers, an employer brand conveys an organizational image to potential and current employees. In that regard, the employer brand presents a value proposition about what people might receive as a result of working for a particular employer (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004). These definitions indicate that emp loyer branding means promoting and building an identity and a clear view of what makes an organization different and desirable as an employer. It has similarities with product and corporate branding but the key difference is its more employment specific. Recruitment and employer branding Developing an employer brand is a combination of adopting vision, values, and behaviours, and delivering a service that shows commitment to best practice and service excellence. It begins with the recruitment process that offers number of tools that can be used to create perceptions of an employing organization, these tools are: 1. Job advertisement and description 2. Interview process 3. Offer letters 4. Information pack for new recruiters 5. Employee handbooks 6. Induction and training. The recruitment process is an important way to build a positive relationship between the organization and employee. Throughout the procedure, the organization can create a strong and positive view about them; even it can be extended to unsuccessful candidates as well. When employees have accepted the sincerity and accuracy of the employer brand, they will carry it forward, actively promoting the brand to colleagues and customers. However, employer branding which is basically untruthful will not work and is likely to be counter-productive. Benefits of Employer Branding Long-term impact: Successful employer brand can have positive impacts on recruiting for at least five years baring any major PR issues surrounding the company. Increased volume of spontaneous candidates: The number of applicants will increase each year. In some cases, applications will increase by 500%. Higher quality candidates: Not only the quantity but the quality of candidates will improve dramatically, individuals who never would have considered in the past will start applying. Higher offer-acceptance rates: As employment image becomes better known and more powerful, firms offer acceptance rates will improve dramatically. Increased employee motivation: Employee motivation will be easier to maintain because of employees increased pride in the firm and the better management practices that are required to maintain an employer-of-choice status. A stronger corporate culture: Because one of the goals of employment branding is to develop a consistent message about what its like to work and what it feel to be a part of the organization, employment branding can help strengthen firms corporate culture. Decreased corporate negatives: Effective branding programs identify and counter negative comments about the organisation. Increased manager satisfaction: The resulting higher quality of candidates and higher offer-acceptance rate means that hiring managers will have to devote less time to interviews, and they will be more satisfied with the recruiting function. A competitive advantage: Because employment branding efforts include extensive metrics and side-by-side comparisons with talent competitors, firms can ensure that their talent-management approaches are differentiated and continually superior. Increased shareholder value: The effective and improved employer image can positively impact a firms stock price. Support for the product brand: An employment brand can support the corporate brand and related product brands because many consumers mentally make the link between attracting quality employees and producing a quality product. The brand essence should summarize what the brand stands for, becoming the nucleus for product development, all communications and even HR initiatives for employees. Its definition should also be consistent with the corporate vision/mission and values. For example, Volvo is a good example of a brand description is Volvo Style, driving pleasure and superior ownership experience while celebrating human values and respecting the environment. Volvos values and associations reflecting this brand identity are what are considered to be typically Scandinavian e.g. nature, security and health, human values, elegant simplicity, creative engineering and the spirit of stylish/innovative functionality. For Volvo, this description not only mirrors the psycho-graphic profile of the ideal customer for their cars, but also summarizes what Volvo as a company means to all its workers its employer brand. These are intrinsic values that Volvo workers can relate to, what they believe in and why they feel comfortable making a commitment to their jobs. One can easily visualize the types of HR programs that would inspire a sense of pride and re-enforce these intangibles e.g. nature, health, security and other meaningful human values. Living the brand LIVING THE BRAND is identifying with an organizations brand value to such an extent that employees behaviours fit exactly to the image that the business is trying to portray to its customers (Alan Price 2007). The alignment between employees behaviour and value of organizations brand image is very important. It is suggested that organisations need to ensure that there is no gap between what the organisation is saying in the outside world and what people believe inside the business. The employees should be perceived as Brand ambassador and brand marketing would only be successful if they LIVE THE BRAND. From this perspective: 1. Organizations have encouraged employees to buy in to the business vision and values. 2. They have to ensure that everyone in the organization clearly understand the purpose of the common set of values. According to Ind (2004), the themes discussed are likely to be of interest to HR and marketing practitioners as well as those involved in internal communications within organisations. Employees themselves are expected to internalise features and aspects of the organisations brand to ensure that they become brand champions, thus helping to represent to organisations brand to the outside customers. Such an approach immediately raises some interesting problems relating to equality and diversity as it expects each employee to share a particular set of values and act in accordance with these values. The employee branding approach being recommended by Ind raises a number of challenges for those interested in an equality and diversity agenda. An organisation that aims to ensure that empl oyees are living the brand will specifically aim to attract and recruit employees who already share the values of the corporate brand. Furthermore, those already employed within the organisation will be encouraged to internalise the values of the organisation. Clearly, there are problems for encouraging diversity here, with one of the principles of diversity management being an acceptance and recognition that people are different and individual differences (especially of values) should be welcomed. Inherently, a living the brand focus is likely to go against such a principle. Ind makes the point that encouraging employee identification and commitment to the organisations brand values might deny an expression of individuality. However, Ind suggests that internal branding combined with allowing employees to be empowered will enable freedom with order. Denial of individuality (dress code policy) When it comes to professional image, many employers are realising that Standards of dress and personal presentation are essential thus having a policy on dress code can be important. Where the employees meet customers, they act as the shop window for the company and the benefits of presentable appearance are obvious. However, even where the employees work is internal, there are less tangible benefits such as: Creating a team atmosphere, Engendering standards of professionalism, and Creating a corporate image. As employers are realising this, they are paying more attention to the appearance of their employees and the image and perception of the business dress, grooming and personal hygiene are all part and parcel of this. However, the issue of work place dress codes can be highly controversial. It is vital that employers are aware of the discrimination issues that dress codes can create. Issues with work place dress codes In organisations with uniforms, the issues can be more wide ranging. For instance, at the Greater Manchester Police Force, bureaucracy and unwillingness to accept change has hampered the introduction of hijabs for Muslim women. At Inchcape Fleet Solutions where all 140 non-senior staffs are provided with polo shirts or blouses branded with the company logo the style of the uniform does not suit all staff and most do not like wearing it. This would affect their moods at work and consequently affect their performance. Complaints of discrimination Furthermore, a complaint was raised informally by the staff forum of child trust fund provider Family Investments and relates to the fact that women can wear trousers that are not full length, while men cannot. Employees have requested that the company allows shorts to be worn, as long as they are below the knee Also, in September 2006, a British Airways worker has been suspended and attended an appeal over wearing a cross at work at Heathrow Airport. She claims the suspension is discriminatory, especially since the airline allows Sikh employees to wear traditional iron bangles and Muslim workers to wear headscarves.BA has said it will review its uniform policy in light of the media storm the story has provoked. Employer branding and discrimination law There are three areas of discrimination relevant to dress code policy: 1. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 2. Religious or Belief Regulations 2003 3. Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Sex discrimination and dress codes There is the obvious potential for sex discrimination in any dress code, which sets different requirements for men and women. Past claims have challenged policies that: women must wear skirts men should not have long hair Men must wear a collar and tie. The case of Matthew Thompson who objected to the dress code imposed by the Department for Work Pensions at his place of work, a job centre in Stockport, can also be a good example. Mr Thompson claimed that the dress code discriminated against male employees as they were forced to wear a collar and tie whereas female employees could wear T-shirts to work. The Employment Tribunal found in favour of Mr Thompson stating that the dress code was discriminatory as the requirement to wear a collar and tie was gender based and there were no items of clothing that were imposed on women in the same office. From the Thompson case, it became clear that employers should be careful in the way that they draft their dress codes. Employers are not prevented from imposing dress codes that require employees to wear specified items of clothing as long as the code is drafted in such a way as to be even-handed between men and women. For example, jobs in the City, the current convention is for both men and women to wear suits. The convention is that a man should wear a tie with a suit but the same does not apply to a woman. A dress code requiring a smart suit could apply to both sexes but be enforced in a non-discriminatory manner appropriate for each sex. Religion/belief discrimination and dress codes A dress code that requires employees to act in a way contrary to their religious beliefs, risks being indirectly discriminatory. Thus, a dress code forbidding headgear will be discriminatory to male Sikhs, who must wear a turban. The best way to avoid these problems is to be as non-specific as possible. A widely worded dress code requiring smart appearance, with non-binding examples of suitable dress, cannot fall foul of specific clothing-related beliefs. To cross-check your dress code against the main religions clothing beliefs, refer to Acas Guide on Religion and Belief which has a useful chart at Appendix 2 (pages 40-50). It may be possible for employers to objectively justify a dress code contrary to any of these beliefs, if it can be done so objectively. For example, employees at a chocolate factory were successfully prohibited from having beards for health and safety reasons. However, employers should be very wary of relying on objective justification as the courts are reluc tant to accept it. There may be a question mark in some cases whether a persons views are beliefs. According to Acas, Rastafarianism (which requires the wearing of a hat) is a belief system. Certain political beliefs or powerful sentiments such as patriotism (the wearing of an American flag badge) may or may not be regarded as beliefs. Employers should respect beliefs that are strongly held whether or not they are religious in nature. Disability discrimination and dress codes Disabled employees may not be able to comply with a dress code, for example, an employee with a neck injury unable to wear a tie. However, by and large, this need not affect the way the code is drafted; instead, employers should be sensitive in the enforcement of the dress code. In summary, employers should be quite a bit flexible when writing a policy on employee dress or appearance. Reasonable flexibility and sensitivity to the employees racial differences should be allowed in the dress code to make employees comfortable and any conflict and law suits, while meeting the Trust standard of Dress code. This view is echoed by organisations such as Broker Network, which believes that employees should be able to make their own judgments on what is best to wear. Many companies are now turning their backs on the concept of dress-down Fridays, opting instead to ditch smart business-wear every day of the week. A survey of 560 organisations has found that four out of five employers believe a more relaxed dress code leads to greater productivity. Nine out of 10 organisations that replied to the poll by the Peninsula employment law consultancy had declared ties an unnecessary part of their dress code. Conclusion The issues discussed above create a challenge for HR professionals involved in employee focused branding projects, especially those where employees are expected to share a specific set of values. That is that such initiatives will undoubtedly create a tension and potentially conflict with principles underlying an equality and diversity agenda. Inds suggestion that inside-out branding allows freedom and order remains unconvincing even when the employees are involved in constructing the brand values. An organisation that dictates a set of values for employees to internalise is still a homogenising force. Organisations that genuinely take diversity programmes seriously will have to tackle this tension. One possible way out of this conundrum is to include equality and diversity awareness as a key value included in the internal brand proposition. Recommendations Any guidelines should be carefully drafted, and employers are advised to treat any requests to dress contrary to the company code for religious or racial reasons with respect. Employers should consult the employee in question and discuss how to accommodate reasonable requests, and try to find a favourable solution. A tribunal will be more likely to be sympathetic to the employer where a policy is required for health and safety purposes, rather than simply to maintain a corporate image. Decide what restrictions on employees appearance are necessary and why. For example, teachers are expected to wear sensible footwear, suitable for the activities their job involves. Restrictions should not be excessive or unreasonable, for instance insisting on suits or ties in the office when employees are not customer-facing. Set out the guidelines clearly, and include the rationale behind any restrictions. Explain why restrictions may be placed on some employees but not others (for example, no body piercing for those operating heavy machinery for health and safety purposes, and those working within a cafà © of a supermarket may have stricter codes enforced on them than those who work in the same store, but dont come into direct contact with food). Give employees notice of when the policy will come into force. Allow employees a grace period before disciplining for non-compliance. Explain what will happen if employees are found to be in persistent breach of the policy (disciplinary action and, potentially, dismissal). Give the name of an individual that employees can talk to if they feel they cannot comply with the policy. Current legislation on issues that could lead to discrimination should be reviewed from time to time, and staff handbook should be read by employment lawyers to ensure compliance. Guidelines should also be updated to accommodate the legislation. Base the policy on business-related reasons. Explain your reasons in the policy so employees understand the rationale behind the restrictions. Common business-related reasons include maintaining the organizations public image, promoting a productive work environment, or complying with health and safety standards. Require employees to have an appropriate, well-gro omed appearance. Even casual dress policies should specify what clothing is inappropriate (such as sweat suits, shorts, and jeans) and any special requirements for employees who deal with the public. Communicate the policy. Use employee handbooks or memos to alert employees to the new policy, any revisions, and the penalties for noncompliance. In addition, explain the policy to job candidates. Apply the dress code policy uniformly to all employees. This can prevent claims that the policy adversely affects women or minorities. However, you may have to make exceptions if required by law. (See next suggestion.) Make reasonable accommodation when the situation requires an exception. Be prepared to accommodate requests for religious practices and disabilities, such as head coverings and facial hair. Apply consistent discipline for dress code violations. When disciplining violators, point out why their attire does not comply with the code and what they can do to comply REFERENCES: Edwards, M. R. (2008) Employees as a Focus of Branding Activities: A Review of Recent Contributions to the Literature and the Implications for Workplace Diversity, Equal opportunities international. Vol 27(5) pp. 447-481 [online] Available from: www.emerald.com [Accessed 1 April 2009] Carrington, L (2007) EMPLOYER BRANDING [Online] Available from: http://globaltalentmetrics.com/articles/EB_2007_Brandempl.pdf [Accessed 26 March 2009] Wolff, C. (2007) EMPLOYERS USE DRESS CODES TO ENHANCE CORPORATE IMAGE, IRS. Issue 878. Available from: http://www.xperthr.co.uk [Accessed 26 March 2009] Downes, J. (2007) POLICY CLINIC: DRESS CODES, [online] Available from: http://0-www.xperthr.co.uk.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/article/81919/policy-clinicdress-codes.aspx?searchwords=Policy+clinic%3a+Dress+codes [Accessed 26 March 2009] Millar, M (2006) EMPLOYERS RELAXING WORK DRESS CODE CAN HELP IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY, [online] Available from: http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/07/26/36558/employers-relaxing-work-dress-code-can-help-improve.html [Accessed 26 March 2009] Dr. Sullivan, J (2008) EMPLOYMENT BRANDING: THE ONLY LONG-TERM RECRUITING STRATEGY, [online] Available from: http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [Accessed 26 March 2009] Stephen Morrall, S Urquhart, C (2003) SEX DISCRIMINATION ARE DRESS CODES DISCRIMINATORY? [online] Available from: http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [Accessed 26 March 2009] Gronlund, J K (2008) HOW EMPLOYER BRANDINGCAN FOSTER TRUSTS AND LOYALTY? [Online] Available from: http://www.employerbrand.com/Points_pathf.html [Accessed 26 March 2009]