Managing Of The Activities To Achieve Results Commerce Essay

Managing Of The Activities To Achieve Results Commerce Essay The challenge facing business and society in the 21st century is how to use resources more efficiently. Every business large or small needs to consider carefully: how to reduce its use of energy How to minimize waste. The central economic problem is how to match finite resources with unlimited wants. With the demand for resources rising as the world economy grows this is becoming more of a challenge. Leading global companies like Anglo American strive to find new solutions to this problem every day. Anglo American is one of the worlds largest mining companies. Its portfolio of mining businesses spans precious metals and minerals in which it is a global leader in platinum and diamonds, base metals (copper and nickel) and bulk commodities (iron ore, metallurgical coal and thermal coal). The companys mining operations and extensive pipeline of growth projects are located in southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America and Asia. The purpose of the organization is set out in a mission statement. To be the leading global mining company through the operational excellence of world class assets in the most attractive commodities and a resolute commitment to safe and sustainable mining. In 2008 there was a downturn in world economic activity. This resulted from a loss of confidence in the world financial system. The downturn led to a steep fall in commodity prices such as coal, copper and platinum. By late 2009 these prices started to rise again as demand for commodities increased. Sustainability Although mining companies are affected by changes in economic activity, mining is a long-term investment business. Firms like Anglo American have to take a long term view of the business. This involves extracting commodities in a sustainable way over a long period of time. The company focuses on those commodities in which it has a favorable position. It concentrates on larger mines where extraction will be possible for many years into the future. It also looks at mining projects where costs can be kept to a minimum but where there are opportunities to expand operations. There are several issues of sustainability facing Anglo American. Key ones are: securing energy supplies, such as electricity and resources including water, for the future Managing emissions to minimize harm. Anglo American uses large quantities of energy in its operations. It also generates the potential for energy, e.g. by producing coal to generate power stations. A key aim of the company therefore is to do more with less. It must achieve maximum efficiency with minimum waste. Anglo American believes that by operating in innovative and socially responsible ways it can do things better than its rivals. Doing things better in business is referred to as competitive advantage. Social responsibilities are those duties to all the stakeholders of a business, not just the shareholders. Embedded within social responsibility is the concept of sustainable development. Sustainable development involves using resources so that: resources are available to meet the needs of people now resources can be available to future generations The needs of the natural environment are respected. Mission statement of the Anglo American Chairmans Fund To be the leading corporate donor in South Africa, through growing an informed understanding of the countrys developmental challenges, to apply the resources at its disposal to maximum effect in supporting and adding value to practical interventions, creating new opportunity and addressing urgent social needs. Corporate social investment (CSI) is an integral part of Anglo American South Africas business. It strives to strengthen the economy and better the lives of disadvantaged communities through projects that lead to infrastructural development, enhanced health and education, improved quality of life and a balanced ecosystem. The Anglo American Chairmans Fund supports projects throughout South Africa and these are grouped in a programmatic approach to ensure higher impact for beneficiaries and optimal use of resources. TASK 2 OPERATIONAL PLANS Aims and objectives Businesses need to have clear aims to work towards. Aims are the long term intentions of a business. They provide a focus for its activities. Anglo Americans aims are clearly set out in its mission. The aims involve a triple bottom line. Anglo Americans triple bottom line measures its economic, social and environmental performance. Anglo American seeks to balance the triple bottom line across all its activities projects and operations. This would translate into: making a profit for shareholders providing returns to society by providing jobs or showing responsibility in international, national and local communities Minimizing any negative effects on the natural environment. Every business needs to break down its broad aims into more specific objectives. Objectives are the medium-term stepping stones that help a business achieve its aims. For Anglo American, these include: SMART objectives Businesses need to set out their objectives in ways that are clear and easy to measure. Using SMART objectives makes it easy to assess whether targets have been met. Specific relating to clearly identifiable targets, for example, to be the partner of choice for governments. Measurable set out in ways that can be measured. Examples include cost reductions, waste reductions or energy efficiency targets. Achievable objectives should not involve unrealistic targets. They should not be set too low either. Anglo American believes that making cost savings of $1 billion by 2011 is an ambitious yet achievable target. Relevant the objectives should relate to key business or corporate aims. For Anglo American this means using resources more sustainably. Time-framed giving a clear deadline or end point by which the objective needs to have been achieved. TASK 3 QUALITY SYSTEM A number of factors affect the research and development process. Cost is perhaps the most influential factor. Research does not come cheaply; introducing new technologies is expensive. Investment may be needed for a long time before introduction. It is important that there is a return on investment from the new products or processes once they are launched in order to justify the expenditure on research and development. Changing technologies are another influence upon product or process development. They provide Anglo American with a different way of meeting the needs of its customers. Changing technologies also have a long-term influence upon planning. Such developments may lead to new processes and the sharing of technologies through technology transfer across the Group. For example, the design and development of a new electro-hydraulic rig has reduced the time needed to drill mine shafts. New developments in conserving and recycling water have made it possible for Anglo American to mine in arid regions of Africa and Australia. It is also important that primary sector organizations develop their businesses responsibly. Anglo Americans business depends on it extracting raw materials from the earth. Anglo American takes a clear and positive approach to corporate social responsibility. Sustainable development is built into all its policies, strategies and business practices. For example, the company has developed a Socio Economic Assessment Toolbox. This set of procedures, advice and rules helps to ensure a responsible approach to operating in communities. Every decision is assessed for its economic, social and environmental impacts. This ensures that natural resources will continue to be available for future generations. TASK 4 MANAGE HEALTH AND SAFETY Aims and objectives set out the ends that firms are seeking to achieve. A strategy is the medium- to long-term plan by which the aims and objectives are met. Anglo Americans strategy is to create ways of working within the company that focus on sustainable development and balancing the triple bottom line. Values Anglo American has six guiding values. The values help to create a culture focusing on sustainability. The culture of an organization is the typical pattern of behaviours and beliefs held by its members. The culture affects the attitudes, management styles and decisions made by the staff. An important way in which a firm can shape this culture is by setting out a values statement. This clarifies what the organization believes in. For example, the safety of people is a core value of Anglo American. The goal is that of causing zero harm. Everyone in the organization understands the importance of working to reduce energy use and waste creation. Strategic programs In addition, Anglo American has a range of strategic programs designed to develop innovative ways to use new technology. The result is reduced energy use and fewer emissions. Some of the programmers are specific to a particular site. Others work across the organization. Examples of these strategic programs include: Investing in carbon capture technology. Coal fired power stations generate carbon dioxide emissions. New technology can be used to capture this carbon before release into the atmosphere. It can then be stored safely, e.g. underground. Investing in alternative energy such as wind power. Creating plans and actions for recycling water. Centralizing the global supply chain. This can cut down journey times and distances that materials travel. Anglo Americans strategy is to protect the environment and minimize the impact of its operations. Anglo American also aims to make a sustainable and positive difference to community development. This involves acting with integrity to build respectful relationship within the societies in which it works. Task 5: IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE Anglo American is a multinational organization with a high profile in the primary extractive sector. Because many new mineral deposits are to be found in developing countries, some of which have weak governance, Anglo American recognizes that it must be rigorous in observing local laws, even if they are not always enforced. It has a significant role in supporting good governance initiatives and boosting the opportunities available to the communities associated with its mines. Anglo American is a global leader in commodities which consumers value such as platinum and diamonds. As a world leading mining company, it yields good returns for shareholders. However, it recognizes that it has a range of other stakeholders. Employees need good working conditions and fair rewards; local communities require an investment in safe practices that are sensitive to local needs. Behaving in a socially responsible way is therefore crucial to Anglo Americans aims. This is why its values are so important. Placing an emphasis on safety through the goal of zero harm can help Anglo American to win the confidence of many of its stakeholder groups. Concentrating on minimizing environmental impact also signals a respect for nature and local populations. Through its aims and objectives and in its values and strategic actions, Anglo American is able to demonstrate a commitment to optimizing energy use and minimizing waste production. It aims to create a mindset throughout the company that focuses on sustainable practice. This will win the support of governments, employees, local communities and other stakeholders.

Poetry analysis on “How Do I Love Thee” and “Sonnet XVIII” Essay

Both, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s â€Å"How Do I Love Thee† and William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet XVIII,† explore the universal theme of eternal, transcending love. Similarly, both sonnets are confessions of love towards a male subject. Browning’s is a passionate love; one that the Greeks referred to as eros. â€Å"Eros is Love, who overpowers the mind, and tames the spirit in the breasts of both gods and men .† Shakespeare’s, however, is the love of agape. It is the love one feels for his family, and friends . In dealing with the theme of love, both poems reference the beauty of their emotions, and the everlasting nature of such beauty. Barrett’s â€Å"How Do I Love Thee† follows the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet, and is therefore written in iambic pentameter. It consists of 14 lines, and is divided into an octave and a sestet. The octave has a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA. It presents the primary problem facing the author, in this case being the question of her declaration of love. The sestet has a rhyme scheme of CDCDCD. It resolves the problem presented by clarifying the ways in which the author loves her beloved, and claiming that her love would be strengthened in the afterlife. Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet XVIII† follows the structure of a classical Shakespearean sonnet, and as such, is written in iambic pentameter. It consists of 14 lines, divided into three quatrains and a rhyming couplet. The rhyme scheme of the first quatrain is ABAB, and introduces the primary notion of the sonnet, it being the comparison of the speaker’s beloved to a summer’s day. The second quatrain has a rhyme scheme of CDCD, and  strengthens the comparison of the beloved to a summer’s day. The third quatrain’s rhyme scheme is EFEF, shifting the focus from the temperate summer, to the virtually everlasting nature of the memory of the beloved. The couplet has a rhyme scheme of GG, and concludes the sonnet by tying together the themes of love and poetry. Barrett’s sonnet is imbedded with beautifully incorporated literary devices. She begins with the rhetorical question, â€Å"How do I love thee?† She then proceeds to answer this questions by saying, â€Å"Let me count the ways.† This can be interpreted as an evident hyperbole, as her feelings are so pure that she could never truly count the number of ways in which she loves this man. Barrett uses figurative language in saying, â€Å"I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach.† This places a picture of infinite space, or in this case infinite love, in the readers mind. She also makes use of analogy through the lines, â€Å"I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;† This compares the passion and love she is giving of her free will, to the passion which men put forward when fighting for justice. This establishes not only that her love is not bound, but also that it is strong, and honest. An analogy can also be seen in the following line, as she states, â€Å"I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise,† insisting her love is as modest and pure as the hearts of those men who are striving for justice. The last line of the sonnet states, â€Å"I shall but love thee better after death.† Death is somewhat ironic in this context, since it is both what ends the poem, and what ends life. Shakespeare’s introduces his sonnet with the line â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer day?† In a sense, this foreshadows that the beloved will, in fact, be compared to a summer’s day. Perhaps, even more than that, it foreshadows the use of metaphors throughout sonnet, as the comparison will be made. Shakespeare begins the comparison by drawing parallels between his beloved and the summer’s day, through the line â€Å"Thou art more lovely and more temperate.† He carefully chooses his adjectives so that they may apply to both summer, and his beloved. He continues by stating that â€Å"rough winds do shake the darling buds of May.† In this, he is using rough winds as a symbol of erratic chance and change, and implying that his beloved is superior  because he does not suffer from these winds. The author personifies the sky, or â€Å"heaven,† by using the metaphor of an â€Å"eye† in place of the sun. He further personifies the season by mentioning that the summer’s â€Å"gold complexion† is often â€Å"dimmed,† which compares yet another human attribute of his beloved, with a trait of summer. The author then assures his beloved that his â€Å"eternal summer shall not fade.† Through this, he uses summer as a metaphor for beauty. The speaker brags that his beloved will never suffer the same fate as a summer’s day, because he has dedicated him to â€Å"eternal lines.† This adds the theme of poetry to a sonnet that had, until now, been about love.

Pros and Cons of Prison Privatization Essay

Prisons are institutions that have specifically been designed to handle the members of the society who are under conviction of different crimes. The people who reside in the prisons are referred to as inmates or prisoners and the time they spend in the prisons depends on the imprisonment period. This period is dependent of the intensity of the crime committed. Once in the prisons, the inmates undergo rehabilitation, incapacitation, retribution and deterrence which are elements for considered appropriate for the provision of justice to the society. In the past, it has been the responsibility of the government to manage these institutions on behalf of the society. The increased debate on the privatization of different institutions has seen a debate being launched in regard to the privatization of prisons. This implies that the main purposes of these institutions to the society are shifting from not just maintenance of justice but also as a source of financial wealth. The new advancement is directed at allowing the straightening out of the contemporary faults that exist within the public prisons such as recidivism and overcrowding but there are some people who are opposed to this due to some possible negative results. In short, the process of privatizing the prison industry has both negative and positive effects and this paper seeks to address some of the pros and cons of this exercise. Privatization though a new concept to be applied in prison department in most of the countries across the globe, there are a few countries who used it in the past. For example during the mid 18th century, the United States government entered into a treaty with a number of private investors to manage a number of its institutions and these investors went ahead to contract inmates to some of their private enterprises as a source of labor. Some of the institutions that were contracted included ‘New York Auburn and Louisiana’ penal colonies. However, this did not last for long based on the fact that there was rampant corruption that was carried out as well as vicious resistance from other businesses who termed this as some kind of ‘unfair’ competition that was caused by these workers who were unpaid. Contemporary private prisons are however not the same as these because they operate on new models that are more promising. The Pros on the Prison Privatization Industry One of the major benefit that privatization of prisons would bring about is cost saving. The cost of crime depends upon relative increase in the rate of crime. The government in different countries spends billions of dollars every year on construction of prisons so as to be able to handle the increasing rates of crime. This is not the only cost based on the fact that guards to guard these inmates need to be recruited as well as other expenses that include; administration, food, health and education costs. It is argued by the majority of proponents of this idea that private companies can operate the prisons at a cost that is far much low than what the government uses and still maintain the quality services that are required. Some of the major reasons that these proponents give in regard the reduced cost are the elimination of bureaucracy, red tape, and the numerous laws that usually makes the costs of managing the prisons to rise in the case of public prisons. Allowing the private sector to manage these institutions will imply that some of the costs that are involved in learning the jail will not be generated from the tax payer’s contribution directly and as a result the money may be diverted to other government projects. This will facilitate better utilization of the government’s funds to develop the areas that are in serious need of development. Due to the issue of competition privatization there will be increased productivity as well as reduced waste in terms of resources. Studies have revealed that the boarding cost in the private owned prison to reduce to half that of the government owned prisons. There have been other studies some institutions saved more than twenty percent of the cost incurred in terms of the construction expenses and management costs reducing by 5-15% Sloane, 1996). The cutting down on cost is something that has been criticized heavily by the lobby groups who think that this will lead to the deteriora tion of the conditions inside these prisons. This is an economical plan that aims at giving back to the society as it serves to preserve justice to the community. According to the economic theory, the problem of financial support towards the running of the prison facilities would go down if there are more available, renting and selling prison cells, the challenges in terms of the funding and efficient allocation of prison space. Privatization of prisons is based on this factor of trying to exploit the opportunities by the introduction of factories adjacent to bars, cost reduction of the costs and give the prisoners the freedom to earn some pay as they give back to the society through the provision of labor. By this, they will be making peace with the society that they infringed some pain in the initial time through committing of crime. Though the public prisons try as much to carry out this exercise, this cannot be compared to the private sector that expresses this in a more profound manner. One way of demonstrating this is what was demonstrated in the United States sometimes ago. There was a time when there were more than one hundred private firms that with more than two thousand prisoners in the manufacturing industry. These inmates used to manufacture goods with the range of bird feeders, circuit boards, and other related equipments and from the money that was earned through this method, about 56% of it was used to cater for the room and boarding facilities, restitution of the victim, and support of the family. The process also left the inmates with some acquired skills that they could use during their re-integration process that welcomed them back to the society. Having some skills that they could use to earn a living put them in a better position in the society based on the fact that these people were liable of being treated by the community as ex-convicts that may rerun back into crime. It is also worth noting that the process of privatization may lead to some other new methods of criminal control other than the use of jail to detain people there by denying them freedom. One method can involve methods of detaining criminals within their dwelling by the use of new technology such as surveillance through small devices worn on the body such as bracelets or the electronic monitoring. It is however worth to note that such methods would cause some greater concern of the general public based on the fact that some would question whether the method would be effective in ensuring that crime is contained in the society. In short the privatization of the prison industry would have a lot of benefits as mentioned in the points that have been stated above. The financial benefits, well being of the prisoner, security gains, and answerability among other factors might be used by the proposers of this system to ensure that the majority of the prisons are privatized so as to improve this important institution that ensures the execution of justice in a given country. The concept of privatization is indeed a very bright idea that has so many advantages though the issue needs to be put under more scrutiny to be able to get to the bottom of some of the positive features that have been mentioned in this paper. This is a concept that has the potential of flourishing if given the attention it deserves to ensure that the social interests come before the urge to maximize profits by the corporations that have been contracted to set up the private institutions. It is also worth noting that each of the positive points that have been presented in favor of privatization, an equal amount of disproof as a means of counteract or frustrate this should be expected as it is the case for the public prisons. This is because in each debate regarding an issue that will touch on the welfare of the society there are those who are behind its implementation and there are those who solidly oppose such an issue; this is a good example of this kind of a topic. The Cons on the Prison Privatization Industry It is obvious that the main motive behind privatization is the profit. This is one of the major issues that can lead to a conflict of interest. It should be noted that prisons not only serve to separate the criminal from the rest of the society and give them punishment, it is also the duty and responsibility of the people in charge of the prisons to ensure that the criminals go through a rehabilitation process to ensure that that the recidivism rate is highly reduced based on the fact that it is very risky to relapse to the earlier behavior. Though the private prisons are cheaper than the public, they are not as efficient based on the fact that obtaining profits through the management of a prison would mean that rehabilitation programs, medical care, food and the hiring costs will be reduced at the expense of the welfare of the inmates. As a result, there high chances that the inmates will be underfed, experience poor living conditions, lack the rehabilitation guidance and be supervised by inexperienced and unskillful officers. James Austin who was an analyst conducted a survey in regard to the welfare of the inmates in some of these prisons and the results he obtained spoke volume of the kind of experiences that the inmates had to cope up with. One of the discoveries he made was that there was 49% more assaults on inmates by staff and 65% more assaults by inmates in the private run facilities than in the facilities that were learn by the government. This is one of factor that indicates that these private prisons are not that efficient when it comes to their performance. Another report that was conducted in England indicated that that the privatized prisons had bad scores in terms of the security and management based on the fact that there was failure in containing drugs, severe assaults and intentional criminal act ivity in the prisons. In addition, there are poor payments as well as working conditions in the private prisons as compared to the public prisons and this is the reason why there is high turnover in the public prisons as compared to the private prisons. It is also worth noting that privatization brings about lack of transparency in the prisons department. Public prisons have high degrees of transparency as compared to the private prisons. Despite having low transparency, the private prisons are also hard to legalize, scrutinize and bleaching of the contractual agreements are common and hard to detect and resolve. In short, the public prisons can be scrutinized easily by the public unlike the private prisons where public scrutiny cannot be assured due to the operation contracts that are usually confidential causing a serious failure in terms of accountability. Finally, this issue that seems to contradict the traditions that have been used for a long time by different countries in regard to the state respon sibility. There are functions that have been known for a long time to belong to the government and not to private developers since they are considered to belong to the class of the state responsibility to its citizens and one of this is the national defense. This is one thing that goes hand in hand with the protection of the public against crime and one of the major methods of doing this is the prison department and as a result, this department should be managed by the government of the particular country. Furthermore the act of administering punishment needs to be delivered by a body with high authority for it to be effective and this can only be the government towards is citizens who have indulged into criminal activities. As a result the ruthlessness of the punishment impacted by imprisonment or the denial of freedom needs to be executed by the government which is the sole representative of the society and not some individuals from the private sector. Privatization has also received some critics in regard the issue of ‘low-balling’. This is a system or a trick that played by contractors on the government. They under bid their fellow competitors with the aim of winning the tender and once they have won the tender, the costs are increased to very outrageous figures. The worst thing is that the competitors stand a chance of learning into bankruptcy, a situation that can leave the government in a positional that does not have any correctional capability. If this is introduced in the prison sector, this would mean that such an important section of the ensuring justice in the country would have some technical hitches and provision of poor facilities, a thing that would make this body loose its purpose. Despite the system having some advantages, there are a good number of disadvantages that may hinder the process of privatization in a given country. Some of the arguments presented by a section of scholars may not hold water but there are some arguments against privatization that should really be put into consideration for the sake of the welfare of the citizens who should be the first priority of any government (Sloane, 1996). Morality is a very important virtue and based on the fact that there are some aspects of privatization that undermine this value, it is a matter that needs to be deliberated deeply. It is also questionable as to whether the issue of morality and the society peer responsibility as well as the ultimate should be left to the hands of people whose major motive is to maximize profits and search of financial gains. This is an issue that makes the society to appear as if it is no longer guided by morals but rather by greed for money and opportunistic advocacy.

Freedom of Speech Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v....

The articles Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kansas City and Freedom of Religion: Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association both engage in conflicts pertaining to the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kansas City is an article about the KKKs attempt to spread their beliefs through a public access cable television channel. Dennis Mahon and Allan Moran, both of the KKK, asked to be broadcasted on air in 1987, and the whole situation led to a major problem. The†¦show more content†¦Reverend Cleaver was a notable man and was also one the victims of a KKK cross burning on his property. The Kansas City area was one of the most segregated areas in the country and there had been other continuing incidents of gra ffiti and harassment to black members of the community. Reverend Cleaver believed that the KKK should not be granted the ability to exercise their freedom of speech because they were a terrorist organization and murderers of thousands of people across the country. The only solution to keeping the show off the air was to prove that the Klansas City Kable would trigger violence in the neighborhood. Because none of the episodes of Klansas City Kable had been created yet, Reverend Cleaver had to turn to another idea. He presented the idea of eliminating the public access channel altogether. Finally, on June 16, 1988, the city council of Kansas City voted 9 to 2 to drop the public access channel. Surprisingly, one of the two votes against the idea was Joanne Collins. She got a lot of attention because she was black. She believed the freedom of speech should not be withheld from anyone, even if it was the KKK. This event caused much debate and officials battered over what the Fir st Amendment stood for. Because the public access channel was dropped, Pevar filed a suit in federal district court on behalf of the KKK: Missouri Knights ofShow MoreRelatedEssays for the American Pageant, 14th Ed.11068 Words   |  45 Pagesportray him to voters as an elitist who was out of touch with the needs of the people. By building up western enthusiasm and gaining the support of some political machines that were being developed to recruit voters among the working class in the cities of the East, the Jackson campaign easily prevailed in the Election of 1828. Jackson reciprocated by holding an inaugural party at the White House to which all were invited. The resulting fracas was referred to as â€Å"King Mob†, but it showed that Jackson