How was Segregation Reinforced in the Neighborhoods of West Philadelphia - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 562 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/10/30 Category Politics Essay Level High school Tags: Segregation Essay Did you like this example? West Philadelphia during a period of intense struggles over racial discrimination in the neighborhoods is expressed from housing to television. Specifically, the groups of white homeowners organized to prevent black families from moving into West Philadelphia. Moreover, the racial tensions around Bandstand West Philadelphia studio threatened to scare off the advertisers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How was Segregation Reinforced in the Neighborhoods of West Philadelphia?" essay for you Create order Bandstands producers wanted to make the shows representations of Philadelphia teenagers safe for television advertiser and viewers, and they decided to achieve this goal by not allowing black teenagers to enter the studio. On the other hand, Bandstand also implemented racially discriminatory admissions policies, and white homeowners associations justified their defense of racial segregation through a language of private property and profit that monetized and racialized. As a result Bandstand became a target of protests by blackteenager who were excluded from the show demand and evasions into courtroom argument and street protests. On page 114 In June 1961, the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, charging the Philadelphia Board of Education with discriminating against black students and teachers by not providing and maintaining a racially integrated school system. In high school, they also have difference treatment of black students and their denials of discrimination, the Philadelphia school boards policies resembled those of bandstand. They think the shows admissions policy was lightproof ,yet repeatedly denied admission to black teenagers.. Therefore, Jewish civil rights leader and black educational activist waged separare media campaigns, including television and radio broadcast and newspaper articles, to call attention to the citys educational inequality. As result , there are many street protest on page 4 By the early 1960s, the struggle over de facto segregation in the citys schools emerged from written demand and evasions into courtroom arguments and street protests. West Philadelphia provides a unique example of how schools and television articulate similar visions of segregated youth culture. Beside American Bandstand, the other shows brought together teenagers of different races to discuss tensions in racially changing neighbor hoods at West philadelphia. They highlighted the creative talents of black teenagers and brought image of these teens into Philadelphia homes, it also offered a mediated space for interracial association.. According the book in the late 1950 and early 1960s the exclusionary racial practises of marginalized black teens from this imagined national youth culture. At the same time, they excluded black teenagers from the programs studio audience, the shows image of youth culture move ethnicity and gender to the foreground. Until 1964, American Bandstand continued to discriminate against black teenagers ,so the author offers new archival documents, newspaper articles, and the oral histories that proved it. This approach evades the specific local history surrounding American Bandstands years in Philadelphia, as well as the anti black racism in Philadelphia and nationally that motivated the show discrimination. Although they were not change the shows policies, the efforts of these black teens clearly show that American Bandstands studio continued to remained a site of struggle over segregation through the early 1960s. Yet, these stories of the black teenagers who made American Bandstand a civil rights issue are erased in histories of American Bandstand. The historical evidence ultimately led me to see how American Bandstand emerged from strong de sires to protect racial segregation in both Philadelphias neighborhoods and school and also in local and national youth consumer culture. Overlapping forms of defensive localism in housing and television gave evidences why Bandstand implemented racial.

Organizational Goals Of A Manager - 1622 Words

When thinking of management, many may think of their immediate supervisor, which may and can consist of a front line supervisor, store manager, or team leader, but regardless of their role and whether they are top, middle, or first line managers, they all have four essential concepts they must learn to master in order to be successful. â€Å"Managers are individuals in an organization who direct and oversee the activities of other people in the organization so organizational goals can be accomplished† (Robbins, DeCenzo, Coulter, 2015). In order for a manager to be able to do their job effectively and efficiently there are some concepts he or she will have to learn and implement. Planning and organization, being the first two concepts, will be†¦show more content†¦Strategic management develops an organizations plan for how they will do what it’s in business to do. â€Å"Strategic management is used to look at and plan the future† (Yakup, Zeynep Derya 20 16). The role of planner for a manager also comes with its challenges, in these cases he must remain calm and resorts to his strategic weapons: employee skills, innovation, social media and bench marking. A manager that can stay calm and in control under a time of uncertainty, are better capable of coming up with a better solution/plan. A manager can do this is by becoming open to ideas and allowing lower organizational levels to make plans this promotes innovation, a better work environment, improved manager-employee relationship, and loyalty to the company. Organizing â€Å"Organizing as the function of management that creates the organization’s structure† (Robbins, DeCenzo, Coulter, 2015). The organizations structure depends on the goal that the organization is trying to achieve. One of the many responsibilities management is faced with is the decision of having to alter or change an organizations structure and design for the improvement of the organization and having employees work more efficiently and effectively. There are six elements in organizational design that managers must know and keep in mind. The six elements are, workShow MoreRelatedThe Value Of An Effective Performance Evaluation Process1170 Words   |  5 Pagesan Effective Performance Evaluation Process Douglas Moyer Polk State College MAN-4301 Human Resource Management Matina Wagner November 29, 2015 â€Æ' The Value of an Effective Performance Evaluation Process One of the most misunderstood tools used by managers in today’s businesses is the performance evaluation. At its basic level, the performance evaluation is a tool that allows an organization to evaluate an employee’s past performance compared with a set of performance standards (Dessler, 2015). TheseRead MoreManagement and Leadership Paper1284 Words   |  6 Pagesthere are many differences that separate a manager from a leader. Bateman and Snell, 2008 stated that â€Å"Management is the process of working with people and resources, to accomplish organizational goal† (p19). Leadership is a manner in which a leader aspires to persuade his or her team to launch and achieve organizational goal. This paper will discuss the difference between management and leadership, the roles and responsibilities of leaders, and the managers in creating and maintaining a healthy cultureRead MoreOrganizational Design and Organizational Structure Essay1427 Words   |  6 PagesO RGANIZATIONAL DESIGN AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE An organization is a pattern of relationships-many interwoven, simultaneous relationships- through which people, under the direction of managers, pursue their common goals. These goals are the products of the decision - making processes. 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Competencies And Distinctive Capabilities -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Competencies And Distinctive Capabilities? Answer: Introducation Whether in an argument or a debate, the presentation of evidence accompanied with reasoning is important. Such is known as a rebuttal. A rebuttal should undermine a claim or weaken an opinion. However, in my critique assignment, a rebuttal is a discourse with norm to provide a unique critique. The word is, at times used in association with refutation. Refutation is all about providing statements that are contradictory in an management of any kind. However, the two terms are different in a strict argument. While rebuttal involves the provision of evidence, refutation will only rely on opinion that is contrary. Any comment that is agreed or disagreed with should be support using reasons or evidence. In arguments, lack of evidence would poorly reflect on ones point of view (Doyle, 2017). The articulation of counterargument is the most effective rebuttal any opinion with which a writer agrees or disagrees. Just like in everyday forums pertaining to philosophy, review of arguments and cri tiques is vital. Arguments are meant to persuade people in everyday life. In this case, the assignment provided is an irrationally convincing one and should have its characteristics changed. However, I have come to realize that an article with an argument referred to as a logical argument and truly good is supposed to be persuasive and rational (Hofstrand, 2017). This is not because it is intended to be appealing to irrational people or force rational thinking into people, but because it is convincing. Logics and evidence need to be communicated appropriately. The reason for argumentative communication in philosophy is to solicit criticism. Such critiques would help in determining if an argument is sound, fallacious, unsound, or irrationally convincing. In as much as arguments that are irrationally convincing may also persuade with practical uses, spotting problems and fallacies is easy. Such fallacies can be spotted in rational point of view (Saxena, 2014). To enhance my argument, there are four general elements that should have been incorporated. By referring to the argument as good, I mean that the assignment is made in a genuine attempt to be rationally convincing and logical and not the irrationally convincing kind of an argument (Kader, 2017). The four elements of rational argument are: Premises Any form of argument referred to as logical should have premises. Such premises should be clearly stated or identified. By definition, premises are statements that are declarative, also known as propositions. Such propositions are sources from which conclusions are made. They are also known as the assumptions (Price, 2011). Sources An argument that is good and convincing should have sources for premises. In any case any of the premises is false, the argument is considered irrational. Therefore, if the ready doubts any of the premises, the argument wont convince. Even if something is obviously true or common knowledge to the writer, the reader might not be clearly sure if it is. Besides, it is always assumed that things commonly believed to be true are often not true. Sources are at times exempted from premises considered to be self-evident. Good sources are not provided for reasons of self-evidence. However, if a source is found from a true definition or self-evidence, it can be used (Kaplan, 2017). Inference Inferences are fallacies or logics used for concluding arguments. Such references may either be fallacious or logically valid. As a matter of fact, an argument can still be considered logical even if the premises are false (SanDiego, 2017). Conclusions The deductions from premises are referred to as conclusions. They are determined from logical inferences. From a logical perspective, if the premises are true, the conclusions will also have to be true. In such a case, the argument is considered logically valid. Such a case means that if the argument is illogical, the conclusion may be false and so does the premises. On the contrary, the conclusion, through sheer coincidence, may be true even for illogical arguments. The truth is that it is a fallacy to have proposition concluded as false because it is part of an argument that is unsound (Ethics, 2017). My argument has left the reader in dire need of rebutting it. As a result, the truth in the argument must be attacked through its premises or validity of its logic. By attacking the credibility of the sources of the argument, the truth of the premises can be determined. On the other hand, the validity of the logic can be determined by pointing out the fallacys logical. Evidence, in an argument, should be the focal point (Pirtea, Nicolescu, and Botoc, 2009). Also, a proper rebuttal should rely on elements as a way of winning arguments. Last but not least, communication ethics is vital. In every argument, writers should be able to identify and resolve ethical concerns (Careerizma, 2017). In an attempt to do so, the basis of a strong argument would be needed. There are hidden curriculum lessons that may affect the ability of students to express themselves without causing ethical conflicts. Nursing that students are nurtured to go through such situations with a lot of ease, the curricula designers need to determine the circumstances in which students would have difficulty addressing ethical issues. Afterwards, students should be provided with proper skills of communication. There are several studies that show that students have challenges under this topic (Ethical Standards, 2017). Others argue that students perceive ethical conflicts in their everyday studies. On the contrary, studies havent determine if the comfort of students challenging what they think to be unethical behavior shifts with regards to specialty rotations or the reasons behind students difficulties in bringing up ethical issues. A proper guide to any developed curriculum should determine the areas that students find comfort or discomfort when it comes to raising ethical concerns. Through teamwork, aspects of group work that lead to such difficulty should also be determined. Through the specialty of students, I can hypothesize that level of comfort pertaining to challenging ethical issues is likely to vary (Capabilities and Competences, 2017). Reference Capabilities and Competences (2017) Capabilities and Competences. [online] Ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/dstools/capabilities-and-competences/ [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Careerizma (2017) Communications Skills. [online]. Management, Examples, Types, Importance and Training. Available at: https://www.careerizma.com/skills/communication-skills/ [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017]. Doyle, A. (2017) Communication Skills for Workplace Success. [online] Employers Look For These Communication Skills. Available at: https://www.thebalance.com/communication-skills-list-2063779 [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017]. Ethical Standards (2017) IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE ETHICS STANDARDS IN GOVERNMENT AND THE CIVIL SERVICE. [online] Available at: https://www.oecd.org/mena/governance/35521740.pdf. [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Ethics (2017) Importance of Ethics in Accounting Financial Decision Making, . [online] Available at: https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/importance-ethics-accounting-financial-decision-making-4394.html [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Hofstrand, D. (2017) Improving Business Communication Skills. [online] Organizational Communication Structure. Available at: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-116.html [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017]. Kader, M. (2017) Strategic Management (StratMgt). Open2study.com. Available at https://www.open2study.com/courses/strategic-management [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Kaplan (2017) Critical success factors and core competencies. [online] Kfknowledgebank.kaplan.co.uk. Available at: https://kfknowledgebank.kaplan.co.uk/KFKB/Wiki%20Pages/Critical%20success%20factors%20and%20core%20competences.aspx [Accessed 20 May 2017]. McArthur, E. (2010) Diversity in the Workplace - Leading Association for Diversity Conferences and Collaboration. Workforcediversitynetwork.com. Available at https://www.workforcediversitynetwork.com/res_articles_managingdiversity_mcarthur.aspx [Accessed 20 May 2017]. McKay, M. (2017) Effective Business Communication Skills. [online] Communication Etiquette. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/effective-business-communication-skills-2865.html [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017]. Mitel (2017) Improving Your Business Communication Skills. [online]. Available at: https://www.shoretel.com/improving-your-business-communication-skills [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017]. MSG (2017) Resources, Competencies and Distinctive Capabilities. [online] Managementstudyguide.com. Available at: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/resources-competencies-distinctive-capabilities.htm [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Pirtea, M., Nicolescu, C., Botoc, C. (2009) THE ROLE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING IN MODERN ORGANIZATIONS. Annales Universitatis Apulensis, Series Oeconomica, 11(2). [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Price, S. (2011) Qantas unions stand up to management. [online] Greenleftweekly. Available at: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/qantas-unions-stand-management [Accessed 23 January 2018]. SanDiego (2017) Business Communication Skills. [online] Extension. Available at: https://extension.ucsd.edu/courses-and-programs/business-communication-skills [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017]. Saxena, K. (2014) Capabilities versus Competence: How are they Different?. [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141123155439-7430899-capabilities-versus-competence-how-are-they-different [Accessed 20 May 2017].

Similarities between college and high school free essay sample

UniversityCollege and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities between college and high school or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. Similarities between college and high school free essay sample College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities between college and high school or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways. College and high school are very similar because they both focus on making us a better player in the race of life. First of all, students have to earn good grades. In college students have to get good grades in order to have a better career, likewise in high school pupils have to get decent grades to get accepted into a better college. Second, the classes are similar. The courses we take in college and high school have same context, however college courses are more challenging. In addition, college and high school teaches the same way. They both have textbooks, teachers, classrooms, homework, and of course the final exam. Moreover, they both have clubs and organizations. High school and college have organizations and clubs that a student can join that fits their interests, these organizations and clubs can make their college application or a resume look worthy. For these reasons, it is clear that college and high school have similarities in many ways.

Case Study Charles Schwab in 2008

Case Study Charles Schwab in 2008 Introduction Investor confidence is one of the major factors that determine the funds that investors are willing to invest in various sectors of the economy. The current economic conditions determine the confidence of the investors. In addition, the future economic outlook also determines the investor confidence. Favorable future economic outlook increases the confidence of investors.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Case Study: Charles Schwab in 2008 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Prior to the global financial crisis, investor confidence was very high. Investors were willing to invest huge funds in the financial markets. This led to the growth of companies that specialized in the provision of financial services. These companies include stock brokerage firms, insurance companies, and banks. Charles Schwab is one of the companies that existed during this period. Charles Schwab was one of the most profitable comp anies that provided financial services. The company specialized in the provision of discount brokerage services. This helped in differentiating the company from other companies that provided financial services. However, the company also faced several problems. These problems necessitated the company to undertake several strategic decisions to improve its competitiveness. History, Development, and Growth of the Company One can trace the history of Charles Schwab to 1963. Charles R. â€Å"Chuck† Schwab was one of the founders of the company. In 1963, Chuck Schwab formed the Investor Indicator newsletter with the help of two other partners. They incorporated Investor Indicator on April 1971 as First Commander Corporation. First Commander was a subsidiary of the Commander Industries. The main business activity of First commander was to conduct a broker-dealer business and publish an investment magazine. Chuck Schwab and four others partners decided to buy back the stock of the co mpany from Commander. This facilitated the formation of Charles Schwab Co., Inc. The company has its headquarters in San Francisco. Brokerage transactions were the main services that the company offered. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) helps in the regulation of companies that engage in brokerage services. The SEC is one of the major bodies that determine the growth of brokerage firms. From time to time, the SEC implements various regulations that affect companies that provide financial services. Soon after the incorporation of Charles Schwab, the SEC implemented several changes that affected brokerage firms. In 1975, the SEC enacted regulation that that increased the flexibility of charges that companies that offered financial services charged its customers.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Several brokerage firms took advantage this directi ve to increase their commissions. However, Charles Schwab took advantage of this directive to increase its competitiveness. The company established discount brokerage. This was a new type of brokerage. This move enabled the company to attract more customers. In the financial services sector, service hours determine the number of customers that an organization may serve. Therefore, it is vital for companies to have long service hours. This would enable them to serve more customers. Throughout its history, Charles Schwab has used service hours to increase its competitiveness. The company has prolonged its service hours on several occasions. In 1978, Charles Schwab prolonged its service hours. This was the first time that a company in the industry had prolonged its service hours. This strategic move enabled the company to attract more customers. This strategic decision helped in increasing the number of customers of the company to more than 40,000. In 1980, Charles Schwab formed a 24-h our quotation service. This was the first time that a company had established a 24-hour quotation service in the industry. This strategic move enabled the company to increase its customers significantly. It enabled the company to increase its customers to approximately 150,000. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the major stock exchanges in the world. Therefore, it was vital for Charles Schwab to become a member of this renowned stock exchange. Charles Schwab joined the NYSE in 1981. This enabled the company to trade on various stocks and securities in the stock market. When Charles Schwab became a member of the NYSE, its clients were more than 200,000. The company was on its way to becoming one of the most popular companies that offered financial services in the U.S. Technology enables companies that provide financial services to create a network that helps in supporting the activities of companies in this sector. Charles Schwab realized the importance of technology in it s growth. In 1979, the company made huge investments in a mainframe that used modern technology. This system enabled the company to automate its transactions.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Case Study: Charles Schwab in 2008 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, the system helped in improving the record keeping of the company. In the 1980s, the company launched several technological solutions that helped in improving the competitiveness of the company. In 1984, the company introduced the ‘Mutual Fund Marketplace.’ In addition, the company launched the ‘TeleBroker’ in 1989. Launching several technological products helped in establishing the company as a leader in the online investment revolution. Charles Schwab used mergers and acquisitions to maintain its growth. In 2000, the company merged with U.S. Trust. During the same year, the company acquired CyBerCorp, Inc. This enable d the company to improve the quality of services it offers to online traders. Training Americans on how to be financially fit is one of the most recent campaigns of the company. The company collaborated with the Boys Girls Clubs of America to teach young people about money management. This helped in improving the visibility of the company in the industry. In addition, it guarantees the future growth and profitability of the company. This is because the teens are the future customers of the company. Various strategic decisions have enabled Charles Schwab to become a leader in the provision of financial services. The company has more than 300 offices and 7 million client brokerage accounts. In addition, the assets of the company’s clients are approximately $1 trillion. Various subsidiaries of the company enable it to offer a wide range of financial services to its customers. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses Engaging is discount brokerage is one of the factors that has improve d the competitiveness of Charles Schwab. Charles Schwab was one of the first companies that offered discount brokerage. The company offered discount brokerage instead of increasing its commission fees due to the SEC regulations that facilitated the negotiation of commission rates. Other companies took advantage of this directive to increase their commission rates. Therefore, this move helped in improving the image and reputation of the company.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People associate the company with discount brokerage. It is a fact that Charles Schwab is not one of the cheapest discount brokerage in the industry. However, being among the first companies that engaged in discount brokerage has improved the reputation of the company. It is vital for companies that provide financial services to focus all their efforts on their customers. They should strive to improve the welfare of the customer while making handsome profits. Availability of information determines the investment decisions of customers. It is vital for companies that offer financial services to provide customers with all the information they may need to make sound investment decisions. Charles Schwab strives to provide their customers with all the information that they may need to make investment decisions. In addition, the company offers its customers various technological tools that enable them to make sound financial decisions. Empowering customers helps in improving the image and reputation of the customers. It reduces the likelihood of customers making the wrong financial decisions. This improves customer loyalty. It is vital for companies to strive to form good relationships with their clients. Customer relationships determine the competitiveness of companies. Companies that provide services use several strategies to improve the relationships with their customers. Forming personal relationships enables these companies to gain the trust of the customers. Charles Schwab strives to form personal relationships with its customers. This enables the company to increase customer loyalty. Companies in various industries strive to reduce their operating costs. This helps in increasing the profitability of the companies. Companies may use several strategies to reduce their operating costs. Technology is one of the major tools that enable companies to reduce their operating costs. Charles Schwab is one of the companies that use technology to reduce their operational costs. Throughout its history, the company has implemented various technological tools that have reduced its operating costs. In addition, these technological tools improve the quality of services that the company offers. Using an online platform is one of the strategies that have enabled the company to reduce its operating costs. It enables customers to place orders without having to visit the company’s offices. Online processing reduces the costs of maintaining the staff of the company. The perception that people have on a certain company determines its competitiveness. Since its inception, people have perceived Charles Schwab as a discount brokerage firm. This has made it difficult for the company to attract the high-end customers. High-end customers usually prefer full brokerage firms. This is because they offer personalized services. Despite being a discount brokerage firm, Charles Schwab also offers services that resemble those in full brokerage firms. Therefore, it is vital for the company to use various strategies to attract the high-end customers. However, the company should ensure that it does not shed its image as a discount brokerage firm. This is because the low-end customers are the major clients of the company. Therefore, losing these customers may have devastating effects on the company. It is vital for companies that would like to guarantee their future growth and profitability to improve their presence in emerging markets. Saturation of companies and services in developed countries reduces the growth potential of companies in these countries. Charles Schwab does not have a good presence in emerging markets. The company concentrates its activities in developed countries. Saturation in these markets reduces the growth potential of the company. Therefore, it is vital for the company to improve its presence in emerging markets. Nature of the External Environment Online trading holds the key to the future growth of companies that offer fina ncial services. Charles Schwab was one of the first companies that realized the importance of online trading in financial services. However, the revenue that the company gets from online trading has been declining. Increased competition is one of the major factors that have reduced the revenue from online trading. Companies can easily open online trading platforms. This has increased the number of companies that offer online trading services. Retirement packages account for a sizeable percentage of the products of companies that offer financial services. The U.S. population is aging. This would increase the demand for various retirement services. Therefore, it is vital for companies that offer financial services to take advantage of the changing population patterns. This would improve the profitability of the companies. Companies should create several products that target people who are retired. The global and domestic economic conditions affect the profitability of companies that p rovide financial services. Slowing of the economy has a negative effect on the growth and profitability of companies that provide financial services. Slowdown of the economy necessitated Charles Schwab to undertake several strategic decisions to safeguard its position. Investor confidence also determines the profitability of companies that offer financial services. Reduced investor confidence reduces the amount of money that investors are willing to invest in financial markets. In 2008, there was a significant reduction in the investor confidence. People were not willing to invest in the financial markets due to the revelations of problems in the subprime market. Most people withdrew their investments in the financial markets. Reduced investor confidence had a negative effect on the financial markets. It led to the steady decline of market indicators in various regions. This reduced the profitability of Charles Schwab. Market volatility also determines the profitability of companies that offer financial services. During the global financial crisis, the financial markets were on a steady decline. Companies that offer financial services operate in a highly regulated environment. The SEC is one of the major bodies that regulate companies that provide financial services. Regulation helps in safeguarding the investments of customers. It ensures that companies do not engage in illegal activities. In addition, it ensures that companies do not exploit their customers. In 2008, the SEC implemented various regulations to help in safeguarding the investments of customers of companies that offer financial services. However, these measures did not increase the investor confidence. Increased regulation may jeopardize companies that offer certain financial services. Regulation may increase the bureaucracy of the companies. This may reduce the number of customers who are willing to invest in the companies. In addition, regulation may limit the ability of companies to venture into various markets. This is because companies that offer financial services have to meet stringent requirements to receive licenses to operate in various regions. These requirements prevent companies from engaging in illegal activities. SWOT Analysis Strengths The presence of Chuck Schwab in the management of Charles Schwab is one of the major strengths of the company. Schwab has undertaken several strategic decisions that have helped in developing the company. In addition, he has invaluable experience in the stock brokerage industry. Schwab offers visionary leadership that helps in improving the current and future growth of the company. Charles Schwab is one of the most popular discount brokerage companies. The company has a very strong brand name. Charles Schwab was one of the first companies that offered discount brokerage services. Charles Schwab empowers its customers by offering them all the information that they would need to make investment decisions. This helps in improvi ng the image and reputation of the company. Charles Schwab has very low operating costs. The company uses technological tools to reduce its operating costs. The technological tools also enable the company to improve the efficiency of its activities. Charles Schwab forms personal relationships with its customers. This enables the company to retain its customers. In addition, it helps in improving customer satisfaction. Charles Schwab has efficient marketing strategies. The company launches advertising campaigns regularly. These advertising campaigns help in improving the visibility of the company Weaknesses Charles Schwab has been unable to shed its image as a discount brokerage firm. This has reduced the ability of the company to attract customers who have a high net worth. Therefore, customers who have a low net worth form the bulk of the company’s customers. Charles Schwab does not have a large presence in emerging markets. Most of the company’s operations are in dev eloped markets. This limits the future growth and profitability of the company since the developed markets are already saturated. Charles Schwab engages in expensive advertising campaigns. These advertising campaigns increase the operating costs of the company. Opportunities The aging of the American population provides the company with many growth opportunities. This is because it would increase the amount of retirement services that the company offers. This would improve the profitability of the company. Charles Schwab is one of the largest companies that provide financial services. This is despite the fact that the company focuses on developed markets. Therefore, venturing into the emerging markets would help in improving the future growth and profitability of the company. Threats Slowdown of the global economy would reduce the growth and profitability of the company. Reduced investor confidence threatens to lead to the total collapse of the company. During the global financial c risis, few investors were willing to commit funds to the financial markets. Technology has revolutionized the provision of financial services. Therefore, it is vital for the company to undertake several changes that would incorporate new technology regularly. Failure to do so would make the company become irrelevant. There is increased competition in the financial services sector. Various companies provide online financial services. The ease of opening platforms that enable companies to provide online financial services have increased the number of companies that provide financial services. Corporate-Level Strategy Corporate-level strategy guides the strategic decisions of a company. Companies use their corporate-level strategies to create value in their activities. The corporate-level strategy helps in coordinating different activities of the company. Companies use the corporate-level strategy to determine the direction that the organization should follow in the long term. The corp orate-level strategy enables companies to gain a competitive advantage. The corporate-level strategy enables an organization to determine the businesses that the organization to concentrate on to improve its long-term profitability. A company may decide to concentrate on a single business to improve its long-term profitability. In addition, a company may use vertical integration or diversification to improve its long-term profitability. Charles Schwab uses vertical integration to improve its long-term profitability. Throughout its history, the company has used mergers and acquisitions of other companies in the industry to improve its long-term profitability. Charles Schwab acquired companies that provide online services to improve its ability to provide online financial services. In 2000, the company acquired CyBerCorp. CyBerCorp was a company that provided online financial services. In 2001, Charles Schwab renamed the company to Cyber Trader. In addition, Charles Schwab enhanced th e software of the company. This helped in improving the quality of services of the company. The inability to capture customers who have a high net worth was one of the major problems of the company. In addition, most customers of the company left the company after their assets reached $500,000. This reduced the profitability of the company. Charles Schwab used vertical integration to capture the high net worth customers. The company merged with the U.S. Trust. The U.S. Trust was a company that focused on managing the wealth of high-end customers. This strategy enabled the company to increase the number of high-end customers. In addition, it enabled the company to retain customers whose assets reached $500,000. This strategy enabled the company to shed its image as a discount brokerage firm that served low-end customers. Charles Schwab later sold the U.S. Trust to Bank of America. Advances in technology enabled the company to retain high-end customers. The company used various techno logical tools to generate model investment portfolios. These portfolios helped in personalizing the financial services of the company. Technological tools enabled the company to reduce the number of forms of advice. This helped in improving the quality of services that the company offered its customers. In addition, it enabled the company to offer sound financial advice to customers in various locations. Vertical integration enables Charles Schwab to take advantage of the capabilities of other companies. Retirement-plan services are some of the major products of the company. However, the company would not have been able to increase its retirement products if it had not acquired other smaller companies that provided retirement services. In 1995, Charles Schwab acquired Hampton Co. Hampton was a company that specialized in the provision of retirement-plan services. Charles Schwab uses diversification to increase its long-term stability. The company offers a wide range of financial ser vices. These include brokerage of securities, mutual funds, investment advisory services, and banking. In addition, the company also provides retirement services. The growth of online financial services has helped in the growth of the company. In 2003, the company launched the Charles Schwab Bank. The bank provided home mortgage loans. Schwab Retirement Plan Services, Inc. enables the company to provide retirement services. Subsidiaries of the company enable it to provide a wide range of financial services effectively. Business-Level Strategy Business-level strategy helps in identifying the methods that a company would use to compete in a certain industry. Therefore, the business-level strategy determines the competitive strategy of the organization. One of the major differences between business-level strategy and corporate-level strategy is that business-level strategy focuses on only one business. On the other hand, corporate-level strategy focuses on a wide range of businesses wi thin an organization. Therefore, the business-level strategy enables an organization to manage its business effectively. The business-level strategy ensures that the activities of the business units conform to the corporate-level strategies of the organization. In addition, business-level strategy enables an organization to develop capabilities that would help in improving the competitiveness of the organization. Business-level strategy also helps in monitoring the industry environment of the company. Some business-level strategies include cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. Cost leadership is one of the major business-level strategies of Charles Schwab. The company strives to organize its activities in a method that enables it to provide various services at a lower cost. This enables the company to offer various services at very low prices. This strategy enables the company to gain a competitive edge in the provision of financial services. Use of information technology is one of the major methods that the company uses to reduce its operating costs. Technological tools enable the company to automate various activities. In addition, technological tools enable the company to improve the quality and efficiency of its activities. Online trading platforms enable companies to reduce their operational costs. They eliminate the need to open branches in various locations. Customers only need an internet connection to access the financial services. E*Trade is one of the major competitors of Charles Schwab. It was one of the first companies to offer its services via the internet only. This strategy enabled the company to reduce its operating costs significantly. Reduced operating costs enabled the company to offer its services a lower price. The threat posed by the company necessitated Charles Schwab to launch an online trading platform. The company launched ‘eSchwab’ to counter the threat posed by E*Trade. This product enabled the company to provid e real-time personalized financial information to customers. It enabled customers of the company to undertake financial transactions via the internet. In addition, it enabled customers to access financial information via the internet. This strategy enabled the company to reduce its operating costs significantly. Therefore, it could afford to reduce the prices of its services. Charles Schwab strives to empower its customers. The company offers financial information that helps customers to make sound investment decisions. Offering financial help helps in increasing customer loyalty. In addition, offering financial help enables the company to increase its interaction with customers. The company uses various strategies to show that it is willing to offer financial advice to its customers. The ‘Talk to Chuck’ campaign is one of the recent advertisements that highlight the willingness of the company to offer financial advice to its customers. In addition, this advertising cam paign showed the transparency of the company. It enabled customers to access information about the company. Organizational Structure Charles Schwab specializes in the provision of financial services. The company has operations in the United States, Hong Kong, and various European countries. In addition, the company offers online financial services to people around the globe. The company manages financial assets that are worth more than $1 trillion. Charles Schwab offers a wide range of financial services. These services include banking, mutual funds, and retirement-plan products. Therefore, it is vital for the company to use an organizational structure that would help in managing its activities efficiently. Charles Schwab uses a matrix organizational structure. This organizational structure enables the organization to coordinate its activities. Charles Schwab has various managers that oversee various functions of the organization. These functions include networking, engineering, sal es and marketing, and communication. This organizational structure enables the organization to benefit from the talent of its employees in various functions. The size of Charles Schwab makes it difficult for the company to use only the functional organizational structure. In addition, the company offers various financial products. Charles Schwab employs a divisional organizational structure to help in the management of various products of the company. This organizational structure enables the company to manage its banking services, retirement-plan products, and online financial products effectively. In addition, this organizational structure enables the organization to fulfill the needs of various stakeholders quickly. Charles Schwab uses teams to accomplish various tasks within the organization. This helps in improving the quality of the products of the organization. In addition, the company empowers employees to develop various innovative products that would improve the competitiv eness of the company. Empowering employees helps in improving the quality of their services. Conclusion Charles Schwab is one of the most popular companies that offer financial services in the U.S. The company has more than 300 offices in various regions around the world. Investing in technology is one of the major factors that led to the success of the company. Investing in technology enabled the company to reduce its operating costs. This enabled the company to offer its services at very low costs. Charles Schwab is renowned for its discount brokerage services. This image limits the ability of the company to attract high-end customers. The company merged with U.S. Trust to shed this image. The growth of the internet poses several risks to the company. This is because it has increased the number of the companies that provide online financial services. These companies have very low operating costs. This enables the companies to offer various financial services at very low costs.

Successful women share their best career advice

Successful women share their best career advice Everyone- women, men, old, young- can use some guidance in their careers. Mentorship has long been established as a huge difference-maker, especially for people just starting out or people embarking on a new professional path. This level of support has proven especially beneficial for professional women, who do best when they’re able to get insight and advice from other professional women. Yet according to a study of professional women by talent scouting firm Egon Zehnder, only 54% of women have access to that kind of mentorship by other women. That doesn’t mean that those of us without those resources have to go it alone- rather, we can take inspiration from successful women who have been willing to share some of their hard-won knowledge and insights. Let’s look at some of the most inspiring career advice out there, from women who’ve made it.Be open to opportunities.â€Å"Be prepared to spot growth opportunities when they present themselves- because they are the key learning opportunities. You’ll know because they make you uncomfortable, and your initial impulse may be that you’re not ready. But remember: Growth and comfort never co-exist.†- Ginni Rometty, chairman, president, and CEO of IBM  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Always take on new challenges- even if you at not sure you are completely ready.†- Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If a job’s not scary, it’s not worth doing.†- Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive at London First  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Don’t cut off your career branches too early. Don’t step away from your career based on what ‘might’ happen.†- Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of General Motors  If you wait around for the exact right opportunity, you might find yourself waiting around while your skills and experience go to waste. If you’re a new grad, or looking for a new job, it can be tempting to not go for opportunities that aren’t exactly like you envisioned your career, or that feel like a stretch for the experience and skills you have. But really, what do you have to lose by stretching a little? The worst possible outcome is the word â€Å"no,† which is rarely fatal. And in the best case, you could be hired for a job that challenges you and makes you grow as a professional.Be resilient.â€Å"Life’s a marathon, not a sprint. When things go wrong, dust yourself off.†- Kate Grussing, Founder and Managing Partner at Sapphire Partnership  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.†- Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State  Failures and disappointments are going to happen occasionally, no matter who you are and what industry you’re working in. Sometimes these will be your fault, and sometimes they won’t. The one thing that all failure scenarios have in common is that you can move on from them. No matter how embarrassing it may feel, or how dire, all you can do is accept that things happened the way they did, understand why things happened what they did, and learn what you can do next time to help avoid the same kind of catastrophe.Build your team wisely.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"You are only ever as good as the team you build, so be a talent magnet and surround yourself with the best and the brightest.†- Marianne Lake, CFO of J.P. Morgan Chase  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†Never be afraid to recruit people brighter than you are, and never be afraid to recruit people who are different than you. That is sometimes hard to do, but incredibly powerful if you want to create a team that is really effective.†- Judith McKenna, COO of Walmart  Think of it as career #squadgoals. Every successful person has worked as part of a team at some point in their careers- and in fact, teamwork is one of the qualities most prized by employers. The important part is making sure that your team is able to support your goals. That may mean being a more engaged and supportive colleague yourself, or if you’re in a management role, it means recruiting the best possible people to help you grow achieve your own goals.Everyone has his or her own career goals in mind, and it can feel like we need to step on others to achieve those, but things will go much more smoothly- not to mention more easily- if you focus on building ways to work together instead of taking everything on yourself.Be yourself.â€Å"Be who you are. You’re unlikely to be first or last- your journey is your journey.†- Desiree Clarke-Noble, Director, Head of Brand and Marketing at Royal Bank of Canada  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sit down and ask yourself, ‘What is the most important thing to me?’ What grosses me out the most? What makes me the most upset - is it healthcare? Is it so many people being hungry in our culture? Is it sexual abuse? Mix that with doing somet hing you love, something you could keep doing forever and ever. For me, it was ending violence against women, and I mixed it with music. And I’ve had a 25-year career. So that’s my advice: Find something you really care about and mix that with something you love doing.†- Kathleen Hanna, musician and activist  If your professional self is more aspirational than authentic, you’re likely to find yourself dissatisfied with the career path your persona has chosen for you. Whatever choices you make- job, relationships, skill-building- should be ones that fit with who you are, not necessarily who you think you should be.Find your focus.â€Å"The thing people want most is your focus and attention. You destroy that when you think you’re multitasking, because you’re not accomplishing either.†- Wendy Clark, president and CEO of DDB North AmericaMultitasking can be seen as a prized skill, in a world where there are about 40 digital distractions every minute and ever-increasing demands. Instead of focusing on the number of things you can do this minute, try thinking about the quality of what you’re doing and learning in the moment. Being able to send an email while half-listening to a colleague and compiling a report will get more things checked off on your to-do list, but how many of those things are you actually doing well? If you try to bring mindfulness and thoughtfulness to your to-do list, you are upping the quality factor of your work.Project confidence in all you do.â€Å"Speak slower; be more executive and more authoritative. When you speak quickly it’s hard to distil big messages and put a good case forward to your customers and your team.†- Helen Sutton, Vice President of Enterprise in Northern Europe at DocuSign  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Don’t be afraid to ask questions; that’s one thing that differentiates women from men.†- Claudia Palmer, Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Offi cer at ReutersOne of the best things you can do for your career is to take control and ownership of your professional path. That means expressing yourself clearly, and being an advocate for your own interests. Whether it’s negotiating a salary increase or trying to get ahead, being timid or hesitant is unlikely to get you what you want. The more you can project confidence and competence, the more you’ll be able to build confidence in your abilities.If you have any of your own favorite pieces of career advice for or from women, we’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Discussion 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Discussion 3 - Essay Example The surgical package is therefore designed to help physicians make safe and appropriate choices for their patients as part of the general surgical procedure. Evidently, the surgical package is used when a patient needs or wants to have a particular surgical operation, and applies to all types of surgical procedure. Each stage of the package will be delivered by a physician at the appropriate time; anesthesia would therefore be delivered immediately pre-surgery, whereas taking a history or performing a physical may be done further in advance. The surgical package is used to ensure that the surgical procedure runs as smoothly as possible and that the patient feels safe in the hands of a physician, particularly as anesthesia and surgery can be a daunting experience. It is also aimed at ensuring that there are less complications involved in a surgical procedure; anesthesia is used to prevent pain, whilst post-operative examinations are performed to help prevent infection and to identify complications. The surgical package is therefore necessary to make good decisions with respect to surgical

Criminology - Gangs (MS-13) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminology - Gangs (MS-13) - Essay Example However, the stiff affiliation to the group led to the eruption of criminal activities in the American region as the group’s majority members were poor, and executed any criminal act in order to achieve their perceived lifestyles. The perception that the cultural theory influenced the gangs formation emanates from the evidence presented by the video that presents different interviews sourced from the former gang members. It is known that many of the gang members are teenagers while others are as young as eight years old (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). The argument accrued from the information provokes the understanding that the gang embraces the use of criminal ideologies to rob, assassinate, and vandalize properties at the expense of the rival people in the American community (Strippas, 2014). Therefore, the use of the cultural theory is the influential aspect that has led to the rise of illiteracy levels amongst the highly connected criminal organization that has been a menace in the Northern Virginia region amongst other American states (Baumeister & Masicampo, 2010). The Mara Salvatrucha- 13 Gang started in Los-Angeles from the Pico-Union, an organization that comprised Salvadorans who had migrated into America following the Central American civil wars. The 13 numerical sign emanated from the M alphabet, which is the thirteenth alphabet. Arguably, a notorious gangster called Eme initially used the alphabet. It is evident that the social environment influenced a majority of the Salvadorans to embrace the movement as they lived under poor conditions. In the present, the MS-13 Gang’s membership is estimated to comprise a population exceeding 100,000 members who are spread in over 42 states in the U.S.A. The notorious gang is renowned for its use of subculture codes in communication. Further, the gang members bear tattoos on their

Scientific method Essay Example for Free

Scientific method Essay Policy and practice impacts of research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council A case study of the Future of Work programme, approach and analysis Steven Wooding, Edward Nason, Lisa Klautzer, Jennifer Rubin, Stephen Hanney, Jonathan Grant Policy and practice impacts of research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council A case study of the Future of Work programme, approach and analysis Steven Wooding, Edward Nason, Lisa Klautzer, Jennifer Rubin, Stephen Hanney, Jonathan Grant Prepared for the Economic and Social Research Council. The research described in this report was prepared for the Economic and Social Research Council. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark.  © Copyright 2007 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2007 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P. O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1YG, United Kingdom RAND URL: http://www.rand. org/ RAND Europe URL: http://www. rand. org/randeurope. To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [emailprotected] org Preface This report, prepared for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), examines the impact of the ESRC’s ‘Future of Work’ programme on policy makers, professional practitioners and other groups outside academia. It also explores the applicability of the ‘Payback Framework’, a conceptual model for research evaluation, to social science. The Future of Work programme was an initiative that aimed to bring together leading researchers in the United Kingdom in an investigation of the future prospects for paid and unpaid work. The first phase of the programme started in October 1998, followed by a second phase in January 2001. The report is presented in two volumes. This volume presents the conclusions of the research and summarises the methods and results. The second volume includes a brief literature review of the evaluation of social science and the influence of research on policy; an overview of the Future of Work programme; detailed analysis of a survey of Future of Work PIs (Principal Investigators); and four complete case study narratives of projects from the programme. The report will be of interest to the ESRC and policy makers in the wider social science and policy community who are interested in how social science informs policy and practice. It will also be of interest to those developing methods to evaluate research. The research was led by RAND Europe in collaboration with the Health Economics Research Group (HERG). RAND Europe is an independent not-for-profit think tank and research organisation that serves the public interest by providing evidence for policy making and public debate. HERG, a Specialist Research Institute of Brunel University, has as one of its main research themes, methodological and empirical studies of the impact of research. This report has been peer reviewed in accordance with RAND’s quality assurance standards (see http://www. rand. org/about/standards/) and therefore may be represented as a RAND Europe product. For more information about RAND Europe or this document, please contact Steven Wooding Senior Policy Analyst Tel: +44 1223 273897 Email: [emailprotected] org RAND Europe Westbrook Centre, Milton Road Cambridge. CB4 1YG, United Kingdom Jonathan Grant Deputy to the President Tel: +44 1223 293 893 Email: [emailprotected] org [emailprotected] org iii Contents Preface iii Overview of impact vii Executive summary ix Acknowledgments.. xiii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 Methodology and project structure .. 3 2. 1 The analytical framework . 3 2. 2 Initial tasks .. 5 2. 2. 1 Brief review of social science impacts literature . 5 2. 2. 2 Review of FoW documentation 5 2. 2. 3 Key informant interviews. 5 2. 2. 4 Output of initial tasks 5 2. 3 Payback survey .. 6 2. 4 Interim report 7 2. 5 Case studies. 7 2. 6 Analysis workshop 9 CHAPTER 3 Results . 11 3. 1 Key findings from the literature review and key informant interviews.. 11 3. 2 Summary of results from survey.. 13 3. 3 User interviews 26 3. 4 Case study summaries.. 27 3. 5 Case study A. 27 3. 6 Case study B. 30 3. 7 Case study C 33 3. 8 Case study D 35 3. 9 Concluding comments 37 CHAPTER 4 Discussion.. 39 4. 1 Impact of the FoW programme .. 39 4. 1. 1 The FoW programme has had significant wider impacts on policy and practice 39 v Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe 4. 2 4. 3 4. 4 4. 1. 2 What impact has the FoW programme had? 39 4. 1. 3 Why has the FoW programme had an impact? 40 4. 1. 4 What affects the impact of projects .. 41 Applying the Payback Model to wider impacts of social science .. 42 4. 2. 1 The Payback Framework can be applied to social science .. 42 4. 2. 2 Generalisation of categories.. 42 4. 2. 3 General points about assessing impacts of social science . 43 Further research.. 45 Concluding comments. 46 REFERENCES. 47 Reference list.. 49 vi Overview of impact The Future of Work (FoW) programme succeeded in bringing together an interdisciplinary group of academics, stimulating constructive discussions and providing access to policy makers to ensure the wider impact of the research. The FoW programme had significant academic and wider impacts. There was substantial output from the programme in the area of knowledge production. To date this has included 11 books and 69 book chapters; four journal special issues and over 100 peer reviewed articles, alongside over 200 conference presentations. Six of the researchers felt they had changed the direction of their research field. In terms of capacity development, involvement in the FoW programme was seen as a moderate or considerable contributor to 20 academic promotions, and the most common benefit of the programme cited by researchers were the opportunities to meet other researchers and in providing fora for discussion. In our survey of Principal Investigators (PIs) they reported 50 policy impacts, across a range of organisations including national government, political parties, employers and unions. Contributions to the policy debate included more than 60 working papers and official reports; seminars for the DTI, Low Pay Commission and Cabinet Office. More directly there were nine secondments, which placed the researchers in a policy environment, including a senior role in the DTI Women and Equality unit, where the researcher was able to influence strategy and policy decisions relating to equality. Further specific examples of policy impact were: the chairmanship of the TUC Partnership Institute by a researcher, allowing him to impact on employer/union relationships; the drafting of guidance notes on complying with employment legislation for the DTI by a research group; direct input into the Work and Families Bill (2003), which introduced new legislation on maternity and paternity leave; and citation in a House of Lords judgement on pay and conditions, specifically looking at unfair dismissal. Outside the government sectors our case studies identified a number of impacts on employers, including changes in workload policies and career structure; effects on maternity and family friendly working practices in a large consulting organisation and the negotiation of union-employer partnership deals. vii Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe Dissemination Almost half of the PIs felt the extensive networks of the Programme Director, and steering committee, had provided them with direct access to policy makers. These policy makers included those in the Work Foundation and a government agency. In addition, the FoW Media Fellow enhanced the impact of the research on more distant policy makers. He achieved this by producing research summaries set in the context of current policy and other research findings. Crucially, he worked to timescales suitable for policy makers rather than those of researchers. Evaluation methodology This evaluation used the Payback Framework as a conceptual structure and showed that the framework is useful for evaluating the wider impacts of social science. We used a number of techniques to collect data for the study: document review; key informant interviews; an on-line survey; and case studies. However, we found that some impacts are inaccessible to evaluation, because of political sensitivity or anonymity guarantees. viii Executive summary We examined how the ESRC Future of Work (FoW) programme influenced policy and professional practice. While doing so we reflected on the methods used to assess and identify impacts. Specifically, we considered whether the Payback Framework, a conceptual model for research evaluation, was appropriate for social science. Here we summarise the key findings. The FoW brought together an interdisciplinary group of academics, stimulated constructive discussion and provided access to policy makers. This may be especially significant given the view expressed by key informants that employment policy and management practices may be especially hard to reach with evidence as they are heavily contextual and apt to be influenced by fashion and ideology. Impacts The FoW programme had significant impacts on knowledge and research. This was evident in the numerous publications and conference presentations attributed to the programme. Most Principal Investigators (PIs) attributed incremental changes in their field of research to their projects, and some attributed a clear change of direction in their field of research to their projects. Most of the projects also influenced other researchers. The FoW programme had significant impacts on public policy. Although some PIs could identify specific impacts of their research, many found it difficult to identify actual policies they had influenced. PIs generally thought they had influenced policy in an incremental way and informed the policy debate. PIs also gave many presentations of FoW research to policy audiences. The FoW programme had significant impacts on career development. More than 75% of PIs thought the FoW programme had helped them to form networks with researchers, policy makers and practitioners; nearly half of PIs attributed career development for researchers to their FoW projects, including nine secondments to government. The FoW programme impacted on the policies and practice of organisations. There were many presentations given in organisations; PIs thought organisational practices were influenced by the research, but only some were easily identifiable. The policy environment determines policy impact. In one case the heightened awareness among policy makers of issues around maternity leave and women returning to work ix Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe provided fertile ground for research on how women make these decisions. In a second case the waning interest in union-employer partnerships was thought to have reduced the impact of a TUC institute chaired by a former FoW researcher. In general, the FoW research seldom caused major changes in policy but often resulted in impacts such as stimulating debate, fine-tuning policy, dispelling myths and providing confirmatory support. Dissemination The FoW programme provided access to policy makers. It effectively combined the networks of the Director and steering committee, and provided the researchers access to these networks which included key policy makers in the DTI, Low Pay Commission (LPC) and Cabinet Office. The FoW Media Fellow enhanced the impact on policy makers. This was achieved largely for two reasons. First, because his summaries of the FoW research were produced to a timescale suitable for policy makers, rather than researchers. And second because they were accessible to policy makers: setting the FoW research in the context of other research and current policy discussions. Researchers and policy makers differed in their views on how best to disseminate to policy makers. The two groups consider different channels to be important: researchers favouring academic publications, policy makers favouring the Media Fellow’s publications. The Payback Framework is a useful model for evaluating social science research. The Payback Framework provides a structure for research evaluation. It comprises a logic model of the research and dissemination process and a classification scheme for the immediate and wider impacts of research. This consists of five categories: Knowledge; Impacts on future research; Impacts on policy; Impacts on practice and Wider social and economic impacts. Both the literature review and fieldwork showed that the Framework could be effectively applied to social science research. Impacts and attribution Some impacts may be inaccessible to evaluation, for example some impacts were politically sensitive, so participants requested that they were not discussed. Also, subjects of the original research may have been influenced by their participation in that research, but their identity could not be revealed to the researchers in this evaluation. A confluence of inputs and incremental ‘knowledge creep’ make it difficult to attribute policy change to a given input. The Payback Framework provides a structure in which to explore the context within which projects are developed. However, the incremental nature of policy remains a difficulty in assessing impact at the project level. There are few mechanisms in social science to codify and synthesise research. In contrast to biomedical science, in the fields covered by the FoW programme there are fewer formal mechanisms to systematically review research; these mechanisms can offer tracers of policy influence. x RAND Europe Executive summary Timing Research on impacts may happen too early or too late. If research on impacts occurs too early, some impacts may not yet have occurred. If it occurs too late, certain impacts may have already come and gone. This possibility of transience makes it harder to investigate the impacts, as they may not be captured by a current snapshot of policies and policy debates. In order to provide a comprehensive view of the wider impacts of research this project suggests it would be important to warn researchers at the start of the project about likely evaluations; provide researchers with a mechanism to capture early impacts; and then evaluate research after further impacts have had time to develop, probably 5-10 years after completion of the research. The literature suggests that for research relating to ‘hot topics’ in policy, initial impact is likely to occur earlier and that 2 years post completion may provide the best time frame for evaluation. Implementation of evaluation There was widespread cooperation in the evaluation. The majority of PIs (including all case study PIs), 80% of nominated research users, and others nominated by PIs, agreed to participate in the research when approached. Researchers and users may prefer structured interviews to written surveys. Our experience also suggests that such interviews would provide more useful information for evaluation. Our on-line survey required significantly more of most participants’ time than predicted. xi Acknowledgments This study would have been impossible without the generous support of those involved with the Future of Work programme – we thank them for their constructive criticism and for sparing their time for interviews and to fill in our survey. We would particularly like to thank those researchers whose grants were selected as case studies. We would also like to thank Veronica Littlewood of the Economic and Social Research Council for her help and advice, including at the analysis workshop. Finally, we would like to thank Professor Martin Buxton and Stijn Hoorens who acted as the quality assurance reviewers. xiii CHAPTER 1 Introduction This report explores the wider impacts of social science research: how research affects policy, practitioner behaviour and public opinion. It does this by examining the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Future of Work (FoW) research programme. The ESRC is the UK’s largest research funder and training agency addressing economic and social concerns. As such it aims to provide high quality research on issues of importance to business, the public sector and government. The FoW programme set out to bring together leading UK researchers, across a wide range of disciplines, in order to investigate the future prospects for paid and unpaid work. The programme was shaped by a consultation exercise involving 140 policy makers, academics and practitioners, carried out by Professor Peter Nolan in 1997. The first phase of the programme started in October 1998, followed by a second phase in January 2001. The total funding of the programme amounted to ? 4 million and attracted 221 applications for the first phase, of which 19 were supported. A further eight projects were supported in the second phase. The aims of the programme are shown in Box 1. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ To create the evidence base that would then ground theories of work To enhance public understanding of the critical developments most likely to impact on people’s working lives To deepen accounts of the future of work by systematic mapping of past and present shifts and continuities To foster interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives To use innovative methods to engage with research users To act as a focus for debate within and between the academic, practitioner and policy-making communities Box 1. Aims of the FoW programme. Peter Nolan, Montague Burton Chair of Industrial Relations at Leeds, went on to direct the programme. He encouraged interaction between the research groups, promoted dissemination of programme findings and raised the programme’s profile. The Director was assisted by a programme advisory committee of senior representatives from government, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), business and academia. The advisory group attended meetings, participated in site visits to meet researchers, and provided access to policy networks. The written dissemination activities were led by Robert Taylor, a 1. Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe former journalist at the Financial Times, who was appointed as the programme’s Media Fellow. He wrote a series of seven booklets, aimed at policy makers, that described FoW research and set it in context. The output of the programme has been substantial: its outputs so far include 11 books, 69 book chapters, over 100 refereed articles and over 400 media mentions. This study explores the wider impacts of the programme in more detail. Over the past decade there has been an increasing culture of accountability affecting government spending. This climate has led ESRC to investigate the most effective ways to evaluate social science research, and to demonstrate the wider impact of its research on society. This report builds on experience of evaluating research in the health services and biomedical settings and seeks to apply it to social science. In this work we take the Payback Framework, originally developed by the Health Economics Research Group (HERG) at Brunel University, and test its applicability to social science. The Payback Framework was initially developed to examine the payback of health services research (Buxton et al., 1994; Buxton and Hanney, 1994; Buxton and Hanney, 1996). It was further developed in an earlier ESRC analysis of non-academic impact from research (Cave and Hanney, 1996) and subsequently extended to examine basic and clinical biomedical research (Wooding et al. , 2005; Wooding et al. , 2004). This study tested whether the Framework could be applied to examine the payback of social science research. To do this we briefly reviewed the literature on social science evaluation and the common models for examining the impact of evidence on policy, and concluded that they could be aligned with the Payback Framework. We then used the Payback Framework to examine the research projects in the FoW programme. We used the Payback Framework to structure a programme-wide questionnaire and a series of four case studies. Finally, we used these three streams of evidence to summarise the wider impacts of the FoW study and to see what can be learnt from the programme. We also used the evidence to develop a refined Payback Framework and consider its applicability for evaluating the wider impacts of social science research. 2 CHAPTER 2 Methodology and project structure. This project set out to examine the wider impacts of the FoW programme and to test the applicability of the Payback Framework to social science. It used a number of data collection methods (shown schematically in Figure 1). First we conducted a brief review of the literature concerning the ways in which social science affects policy and how the impacts of social science can be assessed. To develop our understanding of the FoW programme we reviewed documents from the ESRC and interviewed key individuals. We then surveyed all the Principal Investigators (PIs) who held grants from the FoW programme  to investigate the wider impacts of their grants, and asked them to nominate a user of their research for follow up via a telephone interview. To examine the pathways to impact in more detail we carried out four case studies of FoW PIs. The data collected throughout the study were then analysed in a one-day workshop. More detail on each of these stages is provided in the sections that follow. Figure 1. Project schematic 2. 1 The analytical framework The analytical framework for the study was based on the Payback Framework. The Payback Framework consists of two elements: a logic model representation of the complete research process (for the purposes of research evaluation), and a series of categories to classify the individual paybacks from research. The logic model and categories of the Payback Framework that served as the starting point for this study are presented below in Figure 2 and Box 2 respectively. The logic model provides a framework for analysing the ‘story’ of a research idea from initial inception 3 Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe. (Stage 0) through the research process (Stage 2) into dissemination (Interface B) and on towards its impact on people and society (Stage 6). The model is meant as a research tool to facilitate cross-case analysis. It does this by providing a common structure for each case study thereby ensuring cognate information for each study is recorded in the same place. The model is not meant to imply that the research process itself is linear. If necessary, individual pieces of information can be recorded in more than one place in the Framework to ensure they are picked up in the relevant cross-case comparisons. Figure 2. The version of the Payback Framework used as a starting point for the study1 Knowledge production Journal articles; conference presentations; books; book chapters; research reports Research targeting and capacity building Better targeting of future research; development of research skills, personnel and overall research capacity; staff development and educational benefits Informing policy and product development Improved information bases for political and executive decisions; development of pharmaceutical products and therapeutic techniques Health and health sector benefits. Improved health; cost reduction in delivery of existing services; qualitative improvements in the process of delivery; improved equity in service delivery Broader economic benefits Wider economic benefits from commercial exploitation of innovations arising from RD; economic benefits from a healthy workforce and reduction in working days lost Box 2. The payback categories of the Payback Framework used as a starting point for the study (Source: Hanney et al. , 2004) The categories of the Payback Framework are considered in the Discussion section of this report where the applicability of the model to social science research is discussed. 1 Source: Hanney et al. , 2004 4 RAND Europe Methodology and project structure 2. 2 2. 2. 1 Initial tasks Brief review of social science impacts literature A brief review of the literature, presented in Volume II, examines frameworks of evaluation previously used to examine the impact of social science research as well as models of research impact. The review was intended to identify lessons from the literature that would inform the current study, but was not intended to be comprehensive. 2. 2. 2 Review of FoW documentation At the outset of the project we also reviewed the ESRC records covering the FoW programme. This informed our interview protocol for the key informant interviews and provided the basis of our overview of the FoW programme, which was used as background information throughout the study. This overview is presented in Volume II. 2. 2. 3 Key informant interviews To gain a deeper understanding of the overall context and impact of the FoW programme we carried out interviews with six key informants. Suitable key informants were identified by ESRC and by the Director of the FoW programme: o o o o o o Professor Peter Nolan (FoW Programme Director) John Hougham (Chair of Advisory Board) Professor Toby Wall (Member of panel that appointed the Programme Director and Member of Advisory Panel) Bill Callaghan (Member of Research Priorities Board and Chair of Commissioning Panel) Professor William Brown (PI on two grants, one in each phase of the programme) Robert Taylor (Programme Media Fellow). These interviews were written up and examined for themes relating to the wider impact of social science and the FoW programme. These themes were then clustered and used to inform the refinement of the Payback Framework. We also carried out a second follow-up interview with Peter Nolan late in the project to examine various issues that had been raised in the survey and case study phases of the project. 2. 2. 4 Output of initial tasks The findings of the initial tasks suggested that the logic model aspect of the Payback Framework was generally appropriate for the social sciences. However, the categories needed some generalisation; our initial revision of these categories was presented in our interim report to the ESRC and are shown in Box 3. 5 Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe Knowledge production Journal articles; conference presentations; books + chapters; research reports Research targeting and capacity building Sparking new research proposals; providing research training; supporting career advancement Informing policy and product development Raising the profile/awareness of existing research among policy/practitioners makers; dispelling/resisting myths; providing policy options; prioritising areas; designing management assessment tools; developing benchmarking protocols Employment sector benefits. Improved working conditions; higher participation in workforce; more effective regulation Societal and broader economic benefits Lower stress among workers; improved public health; improved mental health through decreased unemployment; greater productivity; improved equity Box 3: Draft Payback Categories for the Social Sciences afer initial tasks. 2. 3 Payback survey To examine the range and types of payback produced across the FoW programme we invited all the PIs to complete an online survey. The survey concentrated on the wider impacts of the projects, but also asked some questions about the initiation of the research. The survey questions were based on those used in previous payback studies and modified in light of the key informant interviews and literature review2. PIs were invited to participate in the survey using personalised emails which contained a direct hyperlink to their questionnaire. PIs who had grants in both phases of the FoW programme received two emails linking to two separate surveys. The survey was implemented using MMIC web questionnaire software. 3 Data were downloaded from MMIC and analysed using SPSS version 14 and Microsoft Excel version 2000. 4 The questionnaire was originally drafted on paper. The paper draft was reviewed by the ESRC and by both of the project’s quality assurance reviewers. After incorporating their comments it was converted into a web questionnaire and again reviewed by the ESRC. We also asked a RAND researcher from outside the project team to test the questionnaire by talking us through their thoughts as they filled it in. This helped us to identify misunderstandings and confusing questions. 2 Payback questionnaires first used in Buxton et al. , 2000 and subsequently refined for payback analysis of the NHS Research Implementation Methods Programme and the Dutch and UK Health.