Cyberbullying Among Teens - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1238 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Bullying Essay Cyber Bullying Essay Did you like this example? Before the internet, bullying was a problem, a problem that occurred in school hallways and popular hangout spots. Face-to-face bullying could only reach so far, the victims could choose to walk away and find a safe place. Adolescents and teenagers were safe in the privacy of their own homes. Hateful words and physical harm could not enter the walls of their own bedrooms. Now with rapidly growing technology bullying knows no boundaries. Cyberbullying has become a world-wide problem that can be damaging to teens and can lead to suicide, depression, self-mutilation and low self-esteem. Social media is a large part of everyone’s live especially teenagers. In today’s society cellphones and other electronic devices are the main form of communication. Teenagers depend upon their electronic device and it seems as if the media has taken over their lives. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Cyberbullying Among Teens" essay for you Create order â€Å"It is estimated that 93% of adolescents, ages 12 to 17 years, use the internet and 75% of this population have their own cell phone. Twenty-five percent of those having a cell phone use it for social media.† â€Å"Adolescents spend an average of 10 hours a day using various forms of media.† (Burnett) Did you know that middle schoolers use more media than any other age groups? The overuse of social media has been linked to lower academic achievement grades, lower attachment to school and shorter attention spans. Social media can also lead adolescents to becoming the target of cyberbullies. How common is cyberbullying, 15-22% of teenagers admit to cyberbullying others and about 1 in 3 youth report they have been a victim of bullying. While social media and the internet has its drawbacks it also has positive aspects as well. Social media allows teenagers to engage with others from different cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds without the use of social media they might not have been given this opportunity. The internet as well as social media has great educational benefits when used correctly. Social media is also a way to spread social awareness about issues these teenagers believe need to be addressed. Cyberbullying is a controversial matter that must be addressed. Unlike face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying cannot be avoided. When you are being bullied face-to-face you can choose to walk away or ignore the situation, but with cyberbullying no matter how long you turn off the internet or how long you chose to avoid the situation once you turn back on the cellphone or log back into social media the words and comments will be there waiting for you. The use of the internet allows a bully to send harassing messages through e-mail or instant messaging: post obscene, insulting, and slanderous messages in chat rooms. An organization called stopcyberbullying.org describes cyberbullying as â€Å"when an adolescent or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another adolescent or teen using the internet, interactive and digital technologies.† (Wiredkids). Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that uses technology such as text messages, apps and social media to cause a person to feel embarrassment, shame and guilt. Cyberbullies can use social media 24 hours a day to harass their target no matter where they are. Cyberbullies use social media to intentionally inflict mental harm to any chosen victim for no other reason than their own personal gratification. Cyberbullying can take many forms publically or privately including social media, text messages and instant messages. Cyberbullying can not be blamed on social media sites. These networking sites do not create cyberbullies nor do they encourage the actions of a cyberbully. I bet your wondering who a cyberbully is. How can you identify a cyberbully? Well the answer to that is that a cyberbully is a person who torments others using social media, the internet or any other digital technology. Cyberbullies are typical known to the victim. The interesting thing about cyberbullies is that in most cases they have been victims of bullying to. Cyberbullying is not limited to the United States it has become a worldwide problem. It is fast growing and as of now no one seems to know how to stop it. The US government has already imposed several laws regarding cyberbullying. If you are caught cyberbullying depending upon which state you live in you could be punished by being expelled, fined and even receive jail time for a misdemeanor or a felony. Cyberbullying is not just posting hateful and rude comments on someone’s social media page. Cyberbullying can be threatening to hurt or kill someone online, posting mean or hurtful pictures or videos on the internet. Pretending to be someone else online in order to obtain false or hurtful information about someone or even creating a webpage about someone where others can post mean or hurtful things about them. Despite the absence of physical harm cyberbullying can be more harmful than traditional bullying. Cyberbullying is limited, it can be viewed by anyone which can cause the victim unforeseen harm to not only the victim but to family and friends as well. The harmful effects of cyberbullying are not just a cause for concern for parents but for educators as well. Victims of cyberbullies are unable to escape the bullying can lead to several psychosocial problems but psychological problems as well. Depression, anxiety, substance abuse and heightened anger disposition are only a few of the problems that victims of cyberbullying can experience. What can we do when we notice the signs of cyberbullying? The first thing to do would be to talk to the victim. Ask questions and learn what is happening. Find out who is involved and how long the situation has been going on. The next step would be to report the bullying. Most schools have policies put into place for cyberbullies. The last step would be to offer support. Sometimes all a victim needs are to know that someone is there for them. Let them know that they are not alone and that you are there to help. So how do we prevent cyberbullying? The first step is to learn the warning signs that someone you know, or love is a victim of cyberbullying. Many signs of cyberbullying are most often noticed when the victim is around an electronic device. The victim can start showing signs of avoidance when around social situations. They may delete their social media accounts and they can become withdrawn and depressed and lose interest in activities and people they once liked. It is important to teach teenagers and adolescents what they can do with if they were to experience cyberbullying. It is important that they keep all the messages, pictures and videos and anything else the bully has sent or posted on websites. It is also important that they know that they can talk about what is happening. By talking about the issues at hand it makes it easier to handle the situation and the victim will not feel like they are all alone. Victims also need to learn that it is not ok to retaliate. It is tempting to return the bullying but by retaliating the victim might make the situation worse. Cyberbullying has and is increasing as our technology increases. It is important that teachers and parents are aware of the situation and teach teenagers how to handle the situation if it should ever arise. We will never be able to completely stop cyberbullying but maybe by being more educated and better aware of the situation we can help those that are being victimized by cyberbullies.

Student Loan Debt Creates Lifetime Burden - 2337 Words

Crowell, Charlene. Student Loan Debt Creates Lifetime Burdens. Philadelphia Tribune: 1. Aug 13 2013. ProQuest. Print. The main argument from this source deals with the notion that student debt is only on the rise and is continuing to cause a variety of problems for both the student and the economy. The point of this article is to bring awareness to the rising numbers of student debt that has accumulated over the years as well as informing the audience of what can be done about this and showing the burdens associated with having this much debt for both the individual and community. Mainly the topics of labor, education, economy, life stressors, and what steps to take in order to avoid these factors are covered in this article.†¦show more content†¦DiMaria, Frank. Student Loan Debt Unlikely to be Next Subprime Crisis. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Jan 13 2014: 10-1. ProQuest. Print. This particular source, which comes from a magazine, provides a solid counte r argument to student debt existing as a major issue in the United States and its economy. The magazine states â€Å"The outstanding balance of student loan debt, though it is high, is dwarfed by that of mortgage loans and for student loan debt to cause serious damage to the U.S. economy the default rate on student loans would have to be greater than 50 percent on all student loans outstanding† (DiMaria 10). This reiterates the authors view on student loan debt not being as much of an issue to the United States economy as many would claim it to be. The author also stretches how the U.S. economy can’t be affected by default on just student loans and points out how the private sector’s exposure is directly tied to each cohort. For example, the author mentions how the borrowers who entered repayment of their loans in 2007 experienced a far different economic climate than those who entered repayment in 1992, thus pointing out the absence of impact studen t debt might have had in the economy in current years. The author also mentions that many student loans are supported by the government, which diminishes many problems

ATDPTI Paper Free Essays

The supplies used by the Indians on the reservation are completely outdated and unhelpful. An example of outdated supplies on the reservation is when Arnold is still at his school on the reservation and he receives a geometry textbook with his moms name inside of it. He then realizes that this geometry book was used when his mom went to school on the reservation. We will write a custom essay sample on ATDPTI Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Soon Arnold had realized that his book was prehistoric he threw the book at his teachers face by accident and broke his nose. The last thing Arnold wanted to do was start the year off badly. As ell as supplies teachers are very different in the way they act and treat their students compared to the teachers at Reardon. Teachers at Arnold’s old school on the reservation have terrible methods of teaching their students. When students go to school, they depend on their teachers to teach them, but when the teachers don’t so their job right the motive for the students to learn is gone. An example of bad teaching methods or actions in the novel ADOPT is when Mr.. P who was Arnold’s teacher on the reservation was talking about how teachers were expected to beat their students if something was one wrong. The way people are treated and taught at a young age can affect the way they act for the rest of their lives. Education is a very important aspect of ADOPT but their are many more. As well as education, money and income of a household of a family has a huge impact on the way that certain families act. In the novel ADOPT one of the differences in money be;en white people and Indian people is their wealth. Wealth determines how much money you receive and depending on that income someone could be poor or wealthy. In ADAPTS Arnold happens to live in a very poor family. When Arnold gets to his new school he notices that all the white people that attend Reardon have nice clothing and Arnold also notices that his clothing is not so nice compared to the other kids. This causes Arnold to feel like he does not fit in, which does not help him specifically on his first day. Money and income also affects peoples way of life. If someone is poor then they might set lower standards than people who are not poor. When people set lower standards than they should that could be bad because that can lead to not achieving goals that they would want to accomplish. An example of setting bad standards in the novel ADOPT is when Arnold is saying that he will get nowhere in life and the only chance of him getting anywhere in life is through drawing his cartoons. He thinks this way because he does not have the money to go to college or school which makes him feel like he can get no where in life. Money is needed for many things and can help in life if available. To be healthy, one must have a certain diet that suits them. When comparing the health of white people and Indians in the novel ADOPT one ill see that the state of health of the white people is depicted better than the health that of the Indians. To survive you must eat, but this often did not happen in many families on the reservation including Arnold’s family. An example of bad health in the novel ADOPT is after Arnold and the Reardon basketball team beat the basketball team from the reservation. After Arnold had won the game he realized that the some of the players on the reservation team had not eaten the previous night. Arnold felt terrible about this and wished he could change what he had done. Another reason health is important is sickness. How to cite ATDPTI Paper, Papers

Community Health Assignment

Questions: 1. Examine health statistics and demographic data to identify the rates of poverty and homelessness in your geographical area (Oakland, California).. What resources and agencies are available in your area to support these populations? What services are available through the federal government, the state, and the local community? Identify specific geographical boundaries, and survey the area to identify community resources, soup kitchens, health centers, food banks, and clothing distribution centers. How do persons who need these services access them? Give specific examples. 2. Identify the roles of the nurse in the preparedness, response, and recovery stages of a disaster. What role(s) is the community or public health nurse best suited for, and why? Answers: 1. Oakland is a major West Coast in the United States of California. The Oakland is well associated with the agriculture as its core economical structure including the production of wheat, rice its major parts (Poortinga et al., 2012). The Government Social Service defines the poverty as the people in the society who cannot participate and contribute to the activities of the most of the casual people take for granted. California is one of the major areas where most of the people suffer from poverty, or the people have to make difficult choices. For example, the people of the Oakland sometimes even underwent skipping of the meals for the payment of the books for childs education. The vital causes for poverty in Oakland of California are such as: Work and Income: Many people those are working and trying to support their families so that their families do not suffer from any difficulties meet basic costs of the livelihood each week. Though there are some exceptional cases where the people earn but due to the large population in their families, they are unable to feed or contribute their earnings to everyone. About 418,000 people receive unemployment payments. It also includes the 258,000 people who have unemployment since last 12 years. Whereas, about 714,000 people approximately are disabled to support the pensions due to the administrative and legal policies in Oakland of California. On the other hand about 540,000 parents are on pensions who survive their livelihood including their health on that certain amount of money. It becomes more complicated for the people to survive with all the belongings of life within a small amount of pension (Razani et al., 2015). Education: Low employment is one of the core reasons for unemployment and poverty in Oakland of California. Family with low education level generally cannot provide their children good education because of their income. They cannot afford the good education for their children. For example: In the year of 2004, about 97.5 per cent of the 236,000 new jobs were only allotted to people with TAFE or equivalent work experiences. Housing: People with low income rarely have their own homes. They spent most of their money on the rented homes. As per, for example, it can be said that over the last two decades, house prices have been increased by 400 per cent, while on the other hand, the income has only risen to 120 per cent. About 1 million of the middle-class people who earns at a moderate rate spends about 30 per cent of their income in house-rents, therefore the level of poverty increases in Oakland, of California. As a result of this, the income gets divided into various parts, where one large part goes for the investments of the house. The other small parts get distributed among the health issues and the livelihood of the people. Health: People living in poverty are the main sufferers of the health such as physical and mental illness. For example: in the year of 1995 to 1997 death rates from lung cancers in men was about 60 per cent and about 98 per cent of higher rates of the health issues in Oakland of California (McClintock et al., 2012). The agencies that are available to support these populations are such as: California Council of Social Service: This organization has published the response of the major works done to minimize the rate of the health issues and the poverty level in Oakland, of California. This agency is one of the deliberate workers in the field of social services. Therefore, produces a great impact on the poor populations and the people deliberately eager for the help from the government (Simon, 2014). Child Poverty Action Group: The agency work for the poverty of the children in the needy families of the Oakland. They promote shelter, food, education and healthcare to the children in many parts of the world such as United States of America, New Zealand, etc. The Asthma Foundation: The Asthma Foundation or the AAFA is the most oldest and leading asthma and allergy charity of America, specifically in the Oakland of California. This disease is one of the chronic and epidemic diseases in California. Therefore the Asthma Foundation worked efficiently to reduce the rate of this disease especially within the populations suffering from poverty (Roy et al., 2015). There are other agencies too, which helps the populations of the Oakland and help them for the social betterment and make a move for the benefit of the people of California. There are many ways to acquire the best service for the social benefits, such as: Federal Government: The core service available through the federal government includes the establishments for the national standards of care; highlighting the key facts for the national standards to set in order to help the society to get the ultimate benefit; production of the national programs that would meet the needs of the poor populations of Oakland, California; lastly the core service includes the supply of the adequate funding of the programs to develop, and deliver to the ultimate health care of the unhealthy poor population of the state (Lowe et al., 2012). The State: The state makes a service of providing the care front and center of the state itself. A family doctor or the doctors those are sponsored by the state government itself for the free check of the poor people and getting the medications done an excellent condition. The second service provided by the state government includes the support of the patients with well organized medical home. It must be well equipped and well organized so that every level of people can go there for medications. Local Community: One of the vital roles in the health care of the population of Oakland is the services provided by the local community. The services include the timely access; national immunization strategies; national pharmaceutical strategies organized by the local communities; homelessness plans; and poverty plans; etc. (Kemppainen et al., 2013). Specific geographical boundaries are conducted with specific surveys to identify related factors such as: community resources- the survey includes the information of a nonprofit social service provided in the state. Some specific resource centers are CRC or the Community Resource Center of California which was established in the year of 1979; soup kitchens- these are unaffordable for the poor people of the state; health centers- these do help the unhealthy poor population of the state with right treatment, and proper medications, food banks- Food banks are affordable range of the maximum people, but though the people suffering from poverty, must be supplied with adequate amount of foods by the state; and clothing distribution centers- these are conducted by the different agencies therefore, majority of the people do not suffer from the lack of clothing in Oakland (Haveman, 2015). 2. There are several factors which require the role of the nurses to be conducted in a highlighting way. The factors are such as: the preparedness, response, and recovery stages of a disaster. Preparedness: The nurses serve a critical role in the urgent the roles of the nurse in the preparedness at the local, state and the national level. They carry out different roles through planning, community, and the education of the consumers during the post period of the disasters. They primarily provide care to the women, infants, men and the aged people especially concerning about the valuable populations. Response: The nurses undergo an active participation in variable phases of disaster preparedness and response within their institutions and communities. Recovery stages: They are supposed to engage themselves in respond during a crisis, and assist with mitigating hazards throughout the recovery phase (Findley et al., 2014). The nurses are best suited for community health. This is because they have the basic concept in including the promotion of the health problems, medical treatment, rehabilitation, evaluation of community help, etc. (Elias, 2013). References: Elias, R.R., 2013.Grocery Stores: Neighborhood Retail or Urban Panacea? Exploring the Intersections of Federal Policy, Community Health, and Revitalization in Bayview Hunters Point and West Oakland, California(Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley). Findley, S., Matos, S., Hicks, A., Chang, J. and Reich, D., 2014. Community health worker integration into the health care team accomplishes the triple aim in a patient-centered medical home: a Bronx tale.The Journal of ambulatory care management,37(1), pp.82-91. Haveman, R.H., 2015. Understanding Poverty. Sheldon H. Danziger and. Kemppainen, V., Tossavainen, K. and Turunen, H., 2013. Nurses' roles in health promotion practice: an integrative review.Health Promotion International,28(4), pp.490-501. Lowe, G., Plummer, V., OBrien, A.P. and Boyd, L., 2012. Time to clarifythe value of advanced practice nursing roles in health care.Journal of advanced nursing,68(3), pp.677-685. McClintock, N., Wooten, H. and Brown, A., 2012. Toward a Food Policy" First Step" in Oakland, California: A Food Policy Council's Efforts To Promote Urban Agriculture Zoning.Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems Community Development,2(4). Poortinga, W., 2012. Community resilience and health: The role of bonding, bridging, and linking aspects of social capital.Health place,18(2), pp.286-295. Razani, N., Meade, K., Schudel, C., Johnson, C. and Long, D., 2015. Healing through nature: a park-based health intervention for young people in Oakland, California.Children Youth and Environments,25(1), pp.147-159. Roy, A., Schrader, S. and Crane, E.S., 2015. The Anti-Poverty Hoax: Development, pacification, and the making of community in the global 1960s.Cities,44, pp.139-145. Simon, G.L., 2014. Vulnerability-in-production: a spatial history of nature, affluence, and fire in Oakland, California.Annals of the Association of American Geographers,104(6), pp.1199-1221.

Followership Essays - Leadership, , Term Papers

Followership Definition: The concept of followership has existed for many decades and is defined as the willingness or capacity to support a leader. Summary: The concept of leadership has received a lot of attention in recent times after realization that the concepts of followership and leadership are tightly intertwined which is changing the training nature of these concepts. In previous times leaders were taken to be the elite class while followers were seen as individuals who did not have any achievements. Leadership has been romanticized and focused on so much leaving a deficit in developing good followership skills among employees. However, due to the increased access of employees to business related data the leader is not the ultimate reliable source of information and employees (followers) therefore have become just as important as the leaders. There may exist an imbalance of power between the two groups but influence can be exerted in both roles and therefore leadership is not complete if we fail to recognize the unity with followership. Discussion: It is important to examine the organizational inspiration and atmosphere and in addition the duty level of employees. For example, a manger may assess his/her representatives in a bid to understand their standpoints that propel the organization to be more effective in achieving its objectives. One model of effective followership is outlined in Kelley's model. The model approaches different styles of followership by adopting two behavioral dimensions. The first dimension assesses how followers think basically and freely. The other dimension evaluates the engagement level whether uninvolved or dynamic in the association. A good follower defends and supports their leader. Additionally they possess the strength to tell their leader when he/she does something incorrectly. Being a good follower develops a person into a good leader because they will have a better understanding of the requirements of his/her followers. The concept of followership has an integral role to play in achieving goals for any group task. However, this was previously overlooked and more emphasis placed on prominence leadership. Attributes of leadership were widely advertised with all the active fragments of accomplishment while followers (employees) were viewed as dispensable elements. Bill Gates may have received all the accolades for developing Microsoft but he may never have achieved any growth had he been deprived of his followers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for him. Doctors all around the world would not carry out their tasks effectively without the support of their staff (followers) who do not occupy expert positions in the hospitals. In conclusion, if people, companies and organizations would view the followership idea and take up the responsibility of the techniques of developing great followers, they will boost the relationship between leaders and followers and institute a fruitful hierarchical change. Some writers still don't consider followership to be of great importance but there are those who consider it to be vital in any leadership procedures. It is very easy to view followership as simply employees following instructions of their leaders and doing what they are told, however, it entails more than this. Followers supplement the qualities of their leaders, sometimes cover their shortcomings and work freely in line with their leaders' mentality and drive. Leaders command more influence and attention than followers, but followers can affect or constrain the activities of their leaders in more than just a passive way. Moreover, qualities that define good leaders such as competence, dependability and honesty are also included in the desirable qualities of good followers. Biblical Perspective: In Hebrews 13:7-17 the bible teaches us to be good followers. God avails his leadership directly to us through the Holy Spirit and the Bible and also through human leaders. Although God alone is the ultimate authority, he delegates His authority through people in different roles such as governing authorities, church leaders, employers, husbands and parents. All through the New Testament Christians are encouraged to relate respectfully with to the delegated authorities. Furthermore in Mt. 7:15-20 Jesus warned us to be wary of counterfeit leaders who lead God's people astray. Almost every letter in the New Testament warns us of such leaders.

Terrifying Tales of Terrible Terror! (4 Tips on Writing a Scary Story)

Terrifying Tales of Terrible Terror! (4 Tips on Writing a Scary Story) Terrifying Tales of Terrible Terror! (4 Tips on Writing a Scary Story) If you’re too old for trick or treating but want to have fun on Halloween, trading ghost stories with friends is a great alternative (it’s also how Mary Shelley came up with Frankenstein). I feel so pretty. But what if you and your friends are all too brave for old yarns about ghosts and ghouls to rattle you? Well, you could invent a scary story to set spines tingling using these (terrifying) writing tips. 1. Not Peanut Butter! Anything but Peanut Butter! We’re all scared of something, whether it’s the dark, giant spiders or getting peanut butter stuck to the tops of our mouths. (We’ll confess that the last of those is quite niche.) The horror! The horror! A good place to start with a scary story is therefore your own fears and anxieties, since it’s far easier to find the dark corners of a situation when it’s based on something personal. 2. Don’t Panic, Guys, It’s Just a Kitten. What? No! Get Off Me! AAAAARGH! Another possibility is to make something familiar from everyday life threatening. Examples include Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and roughly 75% of Stephen King’s written output. Try considering things in your environment that you usually take for granted, then use â€Å"what if?† style questions to come up with a situation in which they suddenly become deadly! Questions like: What if kittens had laser eyes? 3. We’re Trapped! One very effective way of adding tension to a story is to trap your characters somehow, such as being locked in a haunted building or lost in a forest with something that is hunting them. Alternatively, you could â€Å"trap† your characters by stripping them of something they rely on. Being chased by a serial killer? It’d be a terrible shame if your phone didn’t work and you couldn’t call for help. Something wicked lurking in the shadows? I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as the lights don’t go out†¦ *fzzzt-pop!* Oops. Should have changed that bulb before opening a portal to the dark realms, shouldn’t you? 4. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! An important aspect of telling a scary story – and storytelling in general – is â€Å"show, don’t tell.† This means that you shouldnt be too direct, like openly stating that a character is scared: â€Å"Upon feeling the peanut butter on the top of his mouth, Duncan started to panic.† Instead, you should try to bring situations to life by describing them as they are experienced by the characters: â€Å"Duncan bit into the sandwich and immediately froze. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead as he felt the sticky, nutty evil spread through his mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Open wide! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Telling the story this way can also make your characters seem more real, thereby encouraging your audience to care about them and what they’re feeling. Get this right and you should have a scary story that will haunt the dreams of even the bravest reader!

Evolution of Management Accounting Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Evolution of Management Accounting - Term Paper Example Since then, there has been gradual development and implementation of changes in managerial approaches to match the new business requirements (Riahi-Belkaoui, 54). However, the business environment has been undergoing tremendous developments both in nature and scope over the last six decades (Bhimani, 76). This is due to emerging innovations and increase in operations as a result of globalization. Therefore, each business should be aware of its goals and develop strategies for accounting to achieve its goals of production more effectively and efficiently. As a result of 1980s innovations, there is an increase in competition for the businesses which requires a change in the way businesses use to make their financial reports and regulate their operations (Kaplan, 399). Due to poor stock market performances of 1920s, business directors started focusing on creating financial report as a financial reporting requirement at that time hence limiting the growth of management accounting strateg ies. As a result of emerging competitions among the world nations, Automobile manufactures of Japan forced Americans and European nations to establish broader view of business performance based on value and service as opposed to assessment based on efficiency of output (Kaplan, 394). The business performance has been undergoing a lot of changes aimed at improving their operations and increasing the managerial efficiency. The ancient strategies are inadequate to match the modern requirement for effective business operations (Riahi-Belkaoui123). This is because in the modern period business are focusing on cost reduction and profit maximization through technology and advancement. There is no room for errors in the current period since a slight defect could make... As a result of 1980s innovations, there is an increase in competition for the businesses which require a change in the way businesses use to make their financial reports and regulate their operations (Kaplan, 399). Due to poor stock market performances of the 1920s, business directors started focusing on creating the financial report as a financial reporting requirement at that time hence limiting the growth of management accounting strategies. As a result of emerging competitions among the world nations, Automobile manufacturers of Japan forced Americans and European nations to establish a broader view of business performance based on value and service as opposed to assessment based on an efficiency of output. The business performance has been undergoing a lot of changes aimed at improving their operations and increasing the managerial efficiency. The ancient strategies are inadequate to match the modern requirement for effective business operations. This is because in the modern pe riod business is focusing on cost reduction and profit maximization through technology and advancement. There is no room for errors in the current period since a slight defect could make the business to lose its entire operations to the competitors. Furthermore, businesses are focusing on minimization of the expenses through reduction of inventory. Therefore, businesses have to develop production strategies to ensure they meet daily client’s needs without surplus or deficit as a result of a deficiency of inputs.

Internship in the Bahrain Petroleum Company Essay

Internship in the Bahrain Petroleum Company - Essay Example Founded in 1929, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is a unique company that has undergone several transformations over the years that mark its existence (Bapco.net, 2015). Consequently, the private sector company boasts of being the pioneer oil discoverer in the Arabian Peninsula, with the exportation and refinement of this commodity beginning a decade after the inception of the company. Moreover, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is central in shaping the Bahraini wealth-generation pattern and in the development of the country’s work force. Â  Founded in 1929, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is a unique company that has undergone several transformations over the years that mark its existence (Bapco.net, 2015). Consequently, the private sector company boasts of being the pioneer oil discoverer in the Arabian Peninsula, with the exportation and refinement of this commodity beginning a decade after the inception of the company. Moreover, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is c entral in shaping the Bahraini wealth-generation pattern and in the development of the country’s work force. Â   Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) has a wide employee base that consists mainly of native citizens. Though it is wholly owned by the government of Bahrain, Bahrain Petroleum Company, (BAPCO) does not only indulge in the production of oil. The primary operation of the company is the exploration of petroleum, with the massive technological investments geared towards improving the production of petroleum. Â  

Professionalism project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professionalism project - Essay Example Sheng reckons that individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government can use managerial accounting to evaluate their business performance. More so, Sheng notes that managerial accounting follows no accounting standards or general principles and hence companies can choose specific tools and techniques for managing their businesses (Caplan 1). Sheng observed that business could implement managerial accounting by themselves or hire professional accountants with knowledge on management accounting to carry out this role. In Sheng’s case, her relative uses certain managerial accounting techniques to evaluate the business performance of the food store. Most importantly, Sheng says that various management accounting techniques help their family in making important management decisions. She named the techniques he relative uses that included budgets, variance analysis, target costing, activity based costing, just – in - time system, and break-even analysis. Sheng states that budgets are important in the food store as they create a financial road map for the management to follow while planning on how to spend business capital in the future. Sheng notes that the process of making the food store’s budget involves the analysis of past production figures, labor cost, and raw material costs used to do specific things in the business. She hence says that they use another technique called variance analysis to ensure that the management follows the budget and provides information on how to handle potential variances. Sheng states that variance analysis involves the calculation of variances on the assumed labor costs, and level of sales in the food store. As such, variance analysis helps the management of the food store to choose which department in the food store needs changes. On the other hand, Sheng state that her relative uses Just-in-time systems to ensure that supply of products to the food store takes

Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust

Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust Management Report Cover Sheet CIPD Management Report Utilising E Recruitment Executive Summary This Management report will look at the Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust and identify if E recruitment can help with the difficulties experienced in the Trust. Alongside a literature review of Recruitment difficulties, Employer Branding, Traditional recruitment and E recruitment, the author has conducted a benchmarking exercise in order to establish best practice in recruitment in local NHS organisations, A Process Mapping exercise to identify current practice and identify any difficulties or hold ups in the current process and a Managers questionnaire to allow the author to identify current perceptions of the recruitment service in the organisation alongside what expectations are. 1.0 Introduction The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was established in April 2002 and manages hospitals in Bury, North Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. Serving a population of approximately 800,000, the Trust is one of the largest in the country and had an operating expenditure of over  £425 million in 2006/07. It runs services across five hospital sites: Fairfield General Hospital, Bury; North Manchester General Hospital; The Royal Oldham Hospital; Rochdale Infirmary and Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale and employs a staff of approximately 10,000. The Trust has four divisions identified as Surgery, Medicine, Women and Childrens, and Diagnostics and Clinical Support. It also has directorates providing support to clinical services including Human Resources, Facilities, Planning, Finance, Information and Management Technology, Modernisation and Performance, Governance and Research and Development. There is a central HR function, with designated HR Managers for each division. Restructuring of this model has taken place in recent years. Recruitment is managed from the North Manchester General Hospital site and provides a central function. The local economy in which the Trust is situated is strong, with a great deal of competition from local organisations for staff. There is little competition within the NHS for staff, as Pennine is ‘the only Trust in town, in each of the 4 areas. Transport links to the Trust are generally good, although access to some peripheral sites is difficult, and car parking can be a problem, especially at the Royal Oldham site. The Trust is concerned, as many Trusts in the Greater Manchester area are, that many of its nurses will retire within the next five years and it is trying to develop a programme to get people to stay on after the normal retirement age. It also attempts to recruit as many student nurses as possible, but positions for newly qualified staff have been reduced in the last few years due to reconfiguration of services and redeployment to avoid redundancy. The Trust has a lower proportion of nursing staff from ethnic backgrounds than the local population, when comparing the 2001 Census with its workforce data; but the percentage of staff as a whole from ethnic backgrounds is higher, due to the numbers of medical staff from ethnic minorities within the Trust. The Trust works hard to recruit staff from ethnic minorities/deprived backgrounds. It has an Equality and Diversity Team who work to promote diversity within the Trust, supporting proactive recruitment where there is a concentration of individuals from ethnic or disadvantaged backgrounds. With a workforce of over 10,000 people, the average monthly cost of recruitment at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is xxxxxx. In addition the average length of time it takes to place a new employee in post is 55 days from the closing date of an advertised position to offering that position to a new recruit. Recruitment is currently a major issue in the Trust with days lost in the recruitment process costing money and reducing morale and effectiveness. At present the department is receiving a lot of pressure from the rest of the Trust and the reputation of the department is poor. This management report is being undertaken to identify recommendations that will allow the recruitment process to become more efficient and identify whether utilisation of e recruitment is a viable proposal in the Trust and whether its implementation will increase efficiency and save resources. All employers face the challenge of employing the right staff for their organisation and this often falls under a human resource arena. The recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals has been identified as a key challenge facing the NHS (NHS Plan 2002). High on the agenda at local, regional and national levels is the development of strategies and initiatives to attract suitable people to work in the professions, in order to ensure that services are responsive to patient needs. 2.0 Literature Review Recruitment is an extensive subject with many aspects making up the area. A study by Ullman (1966) cited in Breaugh Starke (2000) was one of the first to examine recruitment sources. He found that new employees who were recruited by means of informal sources (i.e., employee referrals, direct applications) had a lower turnover rate than individuals recruited via formal sources (i.e., newspaper advertisements and employment agencies). Barber (1998) has since concluded that past research has not made a strong case for the importance of source differences. The author is interested in research into the prevalence of the sources used in traditional recruitment, which appears to be research that has not been undertaken significantly Torrington, Hall and Taylor (2005) identified that employers in the UK recruit over 3 million people each year, in a costly and time consuming exercise to add suitable staff to their organisation. They identify a need to ‘sell jobs to potential employees in order to ensure they can generate an adequate pool of applicants. Organisations are now facing a greater challenge recruiting rather than selecting. (Ployhart 2005) Other researchers having also identified the difficulties organisations have in attracting candidates, identifying selection will only be effective and financially defensible if a sufficient amount of applicants apply to the organisation. (Taylor and Collins, 2000) However according to Barber (1998), It is important that employers do not consider the recruitment process to be completed at this point, It continues during the short listing and interviewing stages and is only deemed as complete when an offer is made. For the purposes of this literature review the author will review thoughts and research on the initial stages of recruitment, that being the attraction of employees and advertisement of vacancies in order to recruit to the organisation, this will allow the author to include the areas of employer branding and e-recruitment in the review. 2.1 Recruitment Difficulties The Audit Commission identified that the UK labour market is currently highly competitive with unemployment at a historically low level. Employers are openly competing harder to attract and retain staff. There are also widespread reports of recruitment and retention problems across local public services, the NHS being no exception. Major concerns about shortfalls in the number of staff, and fewer younger people being attracted to work for the public sector, means there is a potential ‘demographic time bomb. It has been identified that 27 per cent of the public sector workforce are now aged 50 or over. (Gulland (2001), Audit Commission (2002)) Recruitment is also expensive, in a recent survey, CIPD (2007) identified the average direct cost of recruiting a member of staff is  £4,333; this increases to  £7750 when organisations are also calculating the associated labour turnover. They also identified that eighty four percent of organisations have reported difficulties in filling vacancies, a rise of 2 percent on the previous year. The key challenges faced by organisations in regard to recruitment have been identified from the survey as xxxxxxxxx CIPD believes that ‘effective recruitment is central and crucial to the successful day-to-day functioning of any organisation. They state that ‘successful recruitment depends upon finding people with the necessary skills, expertise and qualifications to deliver organisational objectives and the ability to make a positive contribution to the values and aims of the organisation. The Audit Commissions report (2002) also highlighted concerns about skill shortages, both in terms of basic skill levels in the workforce, and in the key leadership, management and specialist skills that are needed. Previous research from the Audit Commission which showed that, on average, a new recruit performs at only 60 per cent of their productive potential when they are first appointed, reaching 100 per cent only after they have been in a post for a year, makes recruitment in these areas and adequate delivery of services harder to manage. In their extensive report on public service recruitment, they identify the way the employers can maximise their recruitment practices. They advised Informed, quick and professional responses to job advertisement enquiries are essential for maximising applications; routine monitoring of recruitment will ensure that recruitment initiatives are driven by the bigger picture rather than just the latest concern; success in addressing diversity issues are to be achieved through efficient, effective targeted recruitment campaigns based on knowledge of the target community; and any initiative to attract a specific group of staff will benefit from being profession-led and in partnership with HR. Audit Commission (2002) Effective recruitment practices and policies are recognised as making a significant contribution to an organisations success, according to Plumbley (1990). He states it is not simply about placing suitable candidates into jobs, but also about building an adept and flexible workforce in order to meet the organisations changing and demanding needs. The first stage of recruitment and selection is to be able to attract an adequate number of appropriate candidates. Prospective employees do not select the organisation they wish to work for on the foundation of job and organisational characteristics such as location, and organisational structure alone. 2.2 Employee Brand The increased competitiveness in the recruitment market has led to organisations spending more time, effort and resources on developing their recruitment brand and expanding the range of advertising methods used, to try and attract quality applicants from as broad and diverse a pool possible. Studies show that the organisations image, reputation and identity plays a vital part in attracting suitable talented applicants (Cable Turban, 2001; Slaughter, Zickar, Highhouse, Mohr, 2004; Lievens Highhouse, 2003). Identifying that in order for the corporate brand to be more successful at attracting suitable candidates there is an importance in promoting and monitoring that brand. Fombrun, (1996) agrees with this stating the reputation of an organisation has been acknowledged as one of the key factors that can affect the probability of potential applicants choosing to apply to work for it. In the same way, organisation reputation has been found to be an important influence on applicants decisions of whether they fit with an organisation and want to join it (Rynes et al., 1991). This researcher has also showed that applicants utilised information on how informative and the ‘recruiter friendliness as an indicator of how an organisation treated its employees. Fombrun (1996) expands this argument to identify that reputation is of particular concern to applicants seeking employment in knowledge-based institutions, such as universities and hospitals, because of the intangibility of the services these organisations provide. Whilst Turban et al. (1998) also found that applicants perceptions of the specific attributes of a post were influenced by their evaluation of the organisation, even if they had been interviewed and were successful. The importance in private/commercial organisations reputation in relation to the recruitment and retention of staff has been well documented in literature, for example: (Turban, 2001) and Cable and Graham (2000), Gray and Ballmer 1998)), there has however been comparatively little consideration on the impact of reputation for public sector organisations. Most people in the course of their life have a need to use the services the NHS provide, some more than others and health is an important issue, not only on a personal level, also in the political arena. The NHS is the UKs largest employer, so many of the UK population are at present working in it, with a great number more many having done so at some point in their lives. In brief, the NHS has a wide range of different stakeholders, who may feel they have a vested interest in the quality; provision of services and ultimately, the reputation. People have varied, and very personal experiences of the NHS and this could mean image and reputation are therefore difficult to manage. The Audit Commission study (2002) study showed that public sector staff think that their image in the eyes of the public would discourage potential recruits from entering the NHS. The study analysed a broad sample of the national press to see if the evidence supported this perception. Analysis showed that plenty of stories are told and while coverage is extensive, the picture of public sector work presented to the reading public is bleak. Of the former public sector workers surveyed, 68 per cent thought that the image of their former profession would discourage people from entering that job. Only 9 per cent thought the opposite that the image would encourage people to enter. The NHS is such a well-known organisation that carries out specific roles in society, that when considering a career in the NHS people often have an idea regarding an occupation they would like to pursue. The GTI (2006) conducted a survey to establish the major determinants that influence applicants in their choice of employer. The results show that for 22% of student nurses and doctors, the reputation of a prospective employer (often influenced by media coverage) is a key factor in determining their aspirations. They identify that word of mouth can be damaging to an employers reputation. If employers get things wrong, it can really affect the way they are viewed by potential employees as over half of the survey respondents have shared their bad experiences with their peers. So for some people the images and reputation of the NHS may be crucial to their decision of whether to work for it. 2.3 Traditional Recruitment Methods Traditional recruitment methods are the way that an organisation announced a job opportunity to the marketplace through a classified advertisement, a job fair, an external recruiter, or other media. Any candidate who happened to see the announcement would submit his or her CV, ring the company for an application form or submit a letter of interest. Lievens and Harris. (2003) stated in the past, job searching was a more time-consuming activity. A candidate who wished to apply for a job would need to first locate a suitable job opportunity, which often involved searching through a newspaper or contacting acquaintances. After locating potentially suitable openings, the candidate would typically have to prepare a cover letter, produce a copy of his or her resume, and mail the package with the appropriate postage. Arboledas, Ferrero and Vidal (2001), presented some examples of recruitment methods that organisations have traditionally used. These were identified as newspaper advertisement, faxed/mailed resumes, recruitment agencies or the use of headhunters. Galanaki (2002) also identified all these methods and defines them as ‘traditional recruitment methods. This idea of traditional methods can also be found quoted in numerous HR texts, which have sections dedicated to recruitment and try to identify best recruitment practices. The authors of such texts include Cole (2004), Rayner and Adam Smith, Armstrong (2007) and Mullins (2005). This was supported by a further IDS study in 2006 that reported that to maximise their chances of appointing the best candidate, many organisations have utilised a combination of online and traditional approaches In 2004 Softworld HR and Payroll identified in a study, that 24% of respondents envisaged e-recruitment entirely replacing all traditional methods of advertising in the future, however 76% of the practitioners surveyed, see it as an additional tool to allow the widest possible range of applicants to be accessed. Traditional methods also identify the use of recruitment agencies in the way of recruiting staff, Recruitment 2020 difficulties in recruitment agency etcc†¦ According to an IES study (2005), recruitment agencies remain confident that the growth in e-recruitment technology will not eliminate their role in the process, as many organisations lack the time and expertise to carry out these tasks. Many organisations, especially smaller ones may also lack the technology to carry out their own recruitment online. With the low unemployment that currently exists the task of finding quality candidates will remain challenging and this may prompt organisations to continue to use agencies, in particular, for specialised, senior or difficult to fill positions In the 2007 CIPD recruitment and retention survey, it was identified for the first time in the UK; corporate websites have broken even with local newspapers advertisements as the most common method of recruiting candidates. 2.4 E-recruitment E-Recruitment is identified as ‘the use of Internet technology to make the job of recruiting staff more efficient and effective, when used together with traditional recruitment methods; the benefits derived from e-recruitment can be considerable. (E-recruitment Best Practice Guide 2007) Internet usage in recent years has seen the recruitment process transformed. Online recruitment, internet recruitment, web-based recruiting and e-recruitment are terms used to describe the use of the internet to recruit potential employees, and mediums to conduct other elements of the recruitment process. We will use the terms interchangeably in this report. E-Recruitment is becoming a significant part of the recruitment strategy of a wide range of organisations worldwide, in addition to becoming an increasingly popular method for job seekers in searching and applying for jobs. According to Schreyer McCarter (1998) e-recruitment refers to â€Å"The recruitment process, including placing job advertisements, receiving resumes, and building human resource database with candidates and incumbents The traditional method of recruitment has been revolutionised by the emergence of the Internet. In the past few years, the Internet has dramatically changed the face of HR recruitment and the ways organisations think about the recruiting function. There is predicted to be a continued dramatic growth in recruiting and hiring via this medium in future years. The utilisation of e recruitment by organisations has seen a general upward trend according to Berry (2205). 93% of organisations were using their corporate website to advertise job vacancies in 2005, compared with 72% in 2002. It would seem that e-recruitment has already been implemented in many organisations from small companies to large organisations. These organisations are already using e recruitment to advertise jobs and accept CVs on the Internet, and also communicating with the applicants by e-mail. In the CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey it was identified that eighty-four percent of respondents have made greater use of e-mail applications in the last three years. Over seven in ten organisations also said they are actively advertising jobs on their corporate websites and using online applications. A survey by the public appointment service in Ireland in 2006, relating to e recruitment in Irish organisations, has also identified a high level of current or intended future use of e recruitment, this being identified as an area forming an important part of the Irish recruitment strategy. Lievens and Harris (2003) have identified the following methods of using the Internet to attract candidates, acknowledging that approaches are continually changing. †¢ Company websites Advertising posts and providing information to candidates through the company website. The facility to apply online is often also provided. †¢ Job Boards Commercial general purpose recruitment portals, (e.g. Yahoo!, Monster.com) and specific industry job boards. †¢ Online Searching Recruiters searching online sources such as company websites/professional chat sites. to identify candidates who may not be actively looking for a position. †¢ Relationship recruiting Using the internet to build and maintain long term relationships with passive candidates, through using internet tools to learn more about web visitors interests and experience and to e-mail regular updates about careers and their fields of interest. Kerrin and Keetley (2005) have suggested that the reasons for many organisations to introduce e recruitment have been recruitment cost reduction, speedier processes, access to a wider pool of applicants and better employer branding. In the CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover survey 2006,  it was also identified that the key drivers for e-recruitment were; reducing recruitment costs (cited by 71%), broadening the selection pool (60%) and increasing the speed of time to hire (47%). It was also noted that over a third of respondents believed it brought greater flexibility and ease for candidates, and over a quarter believed it strengthened the employer brand. This has been firther supported by the IRS Employment review 2007. Reduction in costs E-Recruitment enables employers to reduce advertising costs and remove their dependency on recruitment agencies. Technology in online recruitment is not expensive and the hours saved in the pre-selection process gives hr staff more time. Administration can be significantly reduced in most organisations. This can prove to be particularly important when recruiting high volumes of staff or when receiving high volumes of applications. (DTI 2006, Guertal et al 2007) Cappeli (2001) calculated that ‘it costs only about one-twentieth as much to hire someone online as to hire that same person through †¦ other traditional methods. This can be achieved through significantly reducing advertising costs and by reducing recruitment related administration according to Elkington (2005) An IDS HR Study in April 2006 identified how the Internet now plays a significant role in recruitment activities of employers. The report examined the use of corporate and third party recruitment websites and identified they are being used to reduce advertising costs and tap into a more diverse candidate base. They also identified that technology is streamlining the application process with the encouragement of online applications, linking into sophisticated application tracking systems and allowing organisations to measure the success of attraction methods. IDS state that over 70% of adults utilise the Internet, and employers are using this medium to attract and recruit much more frequently. They identify significant cost savings for employers and reduced time taken to fill vacancies, but are keen to point out the wariness of employees in missing out on potential candidates and feel that traditional recruitment media is set to retain and important role, particularly when recruiting locally or hard to fill jobs. Grout and Parrin, authors of the book, ‘recruiting excellence agree with this assessment by IDS. In an article for HR Director (2006), they identify that online recruitment can improve efficiency by the reduction in man hours involved in the process, and help employers reach a wider and larger audience of jobseekers. They also recognise that it can be a valuable part of a recruitment process, in addition to traditional press advertising and the use of agencies (dti, 2005) Kerrin and Keetley (2005) however, have stated, that the full cost savings are often only realised if the whole recruitment process is carried out online. Reducing time-to-hire With e-recruitment you can cut the time taken to recruit by as much as 75% and recruit the right employees more quickly into the organisation. Time is also saved by spending less time tracking, communicating with and screening applicants. Online recruitment allows the sharing of best practice and improving the consistency of recruitment processes across the organisation. The Public Appointments Service survey showed that a reduction in administrative workload (cited by 49% of respondents), and reduced timescales for hiring (cited by 40% of respondents), were key drivers in the decision to implementing e recruitment. Hogg (2000) stresses a shorter recruitment cycle can be gained by the speed at which several steps of the recruitment process are carried out online. Elkington (2005) supports this and has identified that the immediate posting of jobs online and the effortlessness of completing online application forms and e-mailing CVs to an organisation has made these steps much faster. Moving further into the recruitment process the short-listing process can be accelerated by routinely aligning applications dependent on prearranged criteria (CIPD 2005). Applications can be progressed within minutes rather than weeks, saving both recruiters and job applicants time. Widening Talent Pool Internet tools that enable employers/recruiters to reach a wider pool of potential applicants and to fill positions faster with less cost to the organisation are obviously advantageous in such a competitive environment. Online advertising opens up a wider candidate pool, by providing 24/7 access to job seekers, at local, national and international locations, thus providing a better chance of finding the right candidate (CIPD 2005 1). As job seekers become increasingly more web literate and the growth of broadband makes web surfing easier and cheaper (IRS 2005), the potential for e-recruitment to attract wider candidate pools is increasing. Enhancing Employer brand More and more candidates expect to apply directly online and routinely make judgements about employers based on their recruitment process. To combat this employers are adopting increasingly dynamic e-recruitment solutions to allow them to differentiate themselves and to professionally manage the recruitment process. (Willock, 2005; Paton 2006). E-Recruitment enables an organisation to raise its profile as an innovative, forward looking recruiter and allows the opportunity to provide visitors to the website with a positive experience. E-Recruitment can help to build the image of a brand. Barrow (2005) recommends that organisations build their brand identity very carefully however, warning of a need to ensure substance is beneath the clever name, logo or design, as employees once appointed will see through the facade. This is further supported by Gray and Balmers (1998) term, the ‘routine interactions that outsiders have in shaping image and reputation. Corporate communications are likely to be received with scepticism when they do not match personal experience. Kerrin and Kettley (2003) in their report ‘e-recruitment is it delivering identified a key factor for organisations in their adoption of e-recruitment is the desire to increase their profile as an employer of choice amongst potential candidates and to promote their image as a progressive organisation. CIPD (2005) also demonstrated that more detailed information can be provided on the organisations website than in a newspaper advertisements and in recruitment agency literature, reinforcing the employer brand, improving the corporate image and profile whilst also giving an indication of the organisations culture The use of the Internet allows organisations to pass far more information in a much more dynamic and consistent fashion to candidates than was the case in the past (Lievens and Harris 2003). Applicants therefore have much more information at their disposal before they even decide to apply for a job than in the past. In addition, candidates can easily and quickly search for independent information about organisations from various sources, such as chatrooms, libraries. Therefore, unlike in the past, a candidate may have applied for a job based on practically no information; todays candidate may have reviewed a substantial amount of information about the organisation before choosing to apply. Disadvantages of e-recruitment The CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey revealed some concerns that e-recruitment could increase the number of unsuitable applicants and that it could act as a barrier to recruiting older workers Another factor which seems to be deterring some employers from making greater use of online recruitment systems is a concern over the level of internet access and levels of comfort with internet technology of their target audiences. While usage of the Internet does vary by social group there is evidence to suggest that recruiting online results in at least as diverse an applicant group as those recruited through traditional methods McManus M.A., Ferguson M.W. (2003 A further concern in relation to access is the suitability of online recruitment methods for candidates with disabilities. Research from www.jobsgopublic, 2004, shows that many employers exclude candidates with disabilities by having poorly designed websites and e-recruitment processes, and there is increasing pressure to address this in order to ensure compliance with equal opportunities legislation. (IRS 2007) Developers of e-recruitment technology are increasingly aware of these requirements and are producing products/systems with higher levels of accessibility and that are in line with EU policies and legislation on e-inclusion. Another possible limitation for organisations may include a lack of knowledge of the available options and difficulties in sourcing/ choosing the appropriate technology that will be compatible with their existing HR systems and will serve their needs now and into the future. This report and others e.g. [3] aim to help raise awareness and highlight the issues for practitioners and decision makers. Still limited in its application, typically online recruitment is used to solely advertise and administer the application process Underexploited online recruitment site can gather rich data pn usage most employers do not interrogate the usage to improve effectiveness Considered unsuitable for certain kinds of vacancies Applicants afe not of a better quality 7 in 10 say admin easier to perform 7 out of 10 more likely to improve reputation. 8 out 10 cheaper 2.5 NHS Jobs There was a time when we could assume that the brightest and best of each generation would want to join the public sector. But that is an assumption that we can no longer make, particularly when the financial rewards at the top of the private sector are so great, and too often public sector workers are weighed down by bureaucracy and silly rules. Tony Blair, 1999 (Ref. 1) It has been suggested in surveys by CIPD (20052) and Kerrin Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust Management Report Cover Sheet CIPD Management Report Utilising E Recruitment Executive Summary This Management report will look at the Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust and identify if E recruitment can help with the difficulties experienced in the Trust. Alongside a literature review of Recruitment difficulties, Employer Branding, Traditional recruitment and E recruitment, the author has conducted a benchmarking exercise in order to establish best practice in recruitment in local NHS organisations, A Process Mapping exercise to identify current practice and identify any difficulties or hold ups in the current process and a Managers questionnaire to allow the author to identify current perceptions of the recruitment service in the organisation alongside what expectations are. 1.0 Introduction The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was established in April 2002 and manages hospitals in Bury, North Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. Serving a population of approximately 800,000, the Trust is one of the largest in the country and had an operating expenditure of over  £425 million in 2006/07. It runs services across five hospital sites: Fairfield General Hospital, Bury; North Manchester General Hospital; The Royal Oldham Hospital; Rochdale Infirmary and Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale and employs a staff of approximately 10,000. The Trust has four divisions identified as Surgery, Medicine, Women and Childrens, and Diagnostics and Clinical Support. It also has directorates providing support to clinical services including Human Resources, Facilities, Planning, Finance, Information and Management Technology, Modernisation and Performance, Governance and Research and Development. There is a central HR function, with designated HR Managers for each division. Restructuring of this model has taken place in recent years. Recruitment is managed from the North Manchester General Hospital site and provides a central function. The local economy in which the Trust is situated is strong, with a great deal of competition from local organisations for staff. There is little competition within the NHS for staff, as Pennine is ‘the only Trust in town, in each of the 4 areas. Transport links to the Trust are generally good, although access to some peripheral sites is difficult, and car parking can be a problem, especially at the Royal Oldham site. The Trust is concerned, as many Trusts in the Greater Manchester area are, that many of its nurses will retire within the next five years and it is trying to develop a programme to get people to stay on after the normal retirement age. It also attempts to recruit as many student nurses as possible, but positions for newly qualified staff have been reduced in the last few years due to reconfiguration of services and redeployment to avoid redundancy. The Trust has a lower proportion of nursing staff from ethnic backgrounds than the local population, when comparing the 2001 Census with its workforce data; but the percentage of staff as a whole from ethnic backgrounds is higher, due to the numbers of medical staff from ethnic minorities within the Trust. The Trust works hard to recruit staff from ethnic minorities/deprived backgrounds. It has an Equality and Diversity Team who work to promote diversity within the Trust, supporting proactive recruitment where there is a concentration of individuals from ethnic or disadvantaged backgrounds. With a workforce of over 10,000 people, the average monthly cost of recruitment at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is xxxxxx. In addition the average length of time it takes to place a new employee in post is 55 days from the closing date of an advertised position to offering that position to a new recruit. Recruitment is currently a major issue in the Trust with days lost in the recruitment process costing money and reducing morale and effectiveness. At present the department is receiving a lot of pressure from the rest of the Trust and the reputation of the department is poor. This management report is being undertaken to identify recommendations that will allow the recruitment process to become more efficient and identify whether utilisation of e recruitment is a viable proposal in the Trust and whether its implementation will increase efficiency and save resources. All employers face the challenge of employing the right staff for their organisation and this often falls under a human resource arena. The recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals has been identified as a key challenge facing the NHS (NHS Plan 2002). High on the agenda at local, regional and national levels is the development of strategies and initiatives to attract suitable people to work in the professions, in order to ensure that services are responsive to patient needs. 2.0 Literature Review Recruitment is an extensive subject with many aspects making up the area. A study by Ullman (1966) cited in Breaugh Starke (2000) was one of the first to examine recruitment sources. He found that new employees who were recruited by means of informal sources (i.e., employee referrals, direct applications) had a lower turnover rate than individuals recruited via formal sources (i.e., newspaper advertisements and employment agencies). Barber (1998) has since concluded that past research has not made a strong case for the importance of source differences. The author is interested in research into the prevalence of the sources used in traditional recruitment, which appears to be research that has not been undertaken significantly Torrington, Hall and Taylor (2005) identified that employers in the UK recruit over 3 million people each year, in a costly and time consuming exercise to add suitable staff to their organisation. They identify a need to ‘sell jobs to potential employees in order to ensure they can generate an adequate pool of applicants. Organisations are now facing a greater challenge recruiting rather than selecting. (Ployhart 2005) Other researchers having also identified the difficulties organisations have in attracting candidates, identifying selection will only be effective and financially defensible if a sufficient amount of applicants apply to the organisation. (Taylor and Collins, 2000) However according to Barber (1998), It is important that employers do not consider the recruitment process to be completed at this point, It continues during the short listing and interviewing stages and is only deemed as complete when an offer is made. For the purposes of this literature review the author will review thoughts and research on the initial stages of recruitment, that being the attraction of employees and advertisement of vacancies in order to recruit to the organisation, this will allow the author to include the areas of employer branding and e-recruitment in the review. 2.1 Recruitment Difficulties The Audit Commission identified that the UK labour market is currently highly competitive with unemployment at a historically low level. Employers are openly competing harder to attract and retain staff. There are also widespread reports of recruitment and retention problems across local public services, the NHS being no exception. Major concerns about shortfalls in the number of staff, and fewer younger people being attracted to work for the public sector, means there is a potential ‘demographic time bomb. It has been identified that 27 per cent of the public sector workforce are now aged 50 or over. (Gulland (2001), Audit Commission (2002)) Recruitment is also expensive, in a recent survey, CIPD (2007) identified the average direct cost of recruiting a member of staff is  £4,333; this increases to  £7750 when organisations are also calculating the associated labour turnover. They also identified that eighty four percent of organisations have reported difficulties in filling vacancies, a rise of 2 percent on the previous year. The key challenges faced by organisations in regard to recruitment have been identified from the survey as xxxxxxxxx CIPD believes that ‘effective recruitment is central and crucial to the successful day-to-day functioning of any organisation. They state that ‘successful recruitment depends upon finding people with the necessary skills, expertise and qualifications to deliver organisational objectives and the ability to make a positive contribution to the values and aims of the organisation. The Audit Commissions report (2002) also highlighted concerns about skill shortages, both in terms of basic skill levels in the workforce, and in the key leadership, management and specialist skills that are needed. Previous research from the Audit Commission which showed that, on average, a new recruit performs at only 60 per cent of their productive potential when they are first appointed, reaching 100 per cent only after they have been in a post for a year, makes recruitment in these areas and adequate delivery of services harder to manage. In their extensive report on public service recruitment, they identify the way the employers can maximise their recruitment practices. They advised Informed, quick and professional responses to job advertisement enquiries are essential for maximising applications; routine monitoring of recruitment will ensure that recruitment initiatives are driven by the bigger picture rather than just the latest concern; success in addressing diversity issues are to be achieved through efficient, effective targeted recruitment campaigns based on knowledge of the target community; and any initiative to attract a specific group of staff will benefit from being profession-led and in partnership with HR. Audit Commission (2002) Effective recruitment practices and policies are recognised as making a significant contribution to an organisations success, according to Plumbley (1990). He states it is not simply about placing suitable candidates into jobs, but also about building an adept and flexible workforce in order to meet the organisations changing and demanding needs. The first stage of recruitment and selection is to be able to attract an adequate number of appropriate candidates. Prospective employees do not select the organisation they wish to work for on the foundation of job and organisational characteristics such as location, and organisational structure alone. 2.2 Employee Brand The increased competitiveness in the recruitment market has led to organisations spending more time, effort and resources on developing their recruitment brand and expanding the range of advertising methods used, to try and attract quality applicants from as broad and diverse a pool possible. Studies show that the organisations image, reputation and identity plays a vital part in attracting suitable talented applicants (Cable Turban, 2001; Slaughter, Zickar, Highhouse, Mohr, 2004; Lievens Highhouse, 2003). Identifying that in order for the corporate brand to be more successful at attracting suitable candidates there is an importance in promoting and monitoring that brand. Fombrun, (1996) agrees with this stating the reputation of an organisation has been acknowledged as one of the key factors that can affect the probability of potential applicants choosing to apply to work for it. In the same way, organisation reputation has been found to be an important influence on applicants decisions of whether they fit with an organisation and want to join it (Rynes et al., 1991). This researcher has also showed that applicants utilised information on how informative and the ‘recruiter friendliness as an indicator of how an organisation treated its employees. Fombrun (1996) expands this argument to identify that reputation is of particular concern to applicants seeking employment in knowledge-based institutions, such as universities and hospitals, because of the intangibility of the services these organisations provide. Whilst Turban et al. (1998) also found that applicants perceptions of the specific attributes of a post were influenced by their evaluation of the organisation, even if they had been interviewed and were successful. The importance in private/commercial organisations reputation in relation to the recruitment and retention of staff has been well documented in literature, for example: (Turban, 2001) and Cable and Graham (2000), Gray and Ballmer 1998)), there has however been comparatively little consideration on the impact of reputation for public sector organisations. Most people in the course of their life have a need to use the services the NHS provide, some more than others and health is an important issue, not only on a personal level, also in the political arena. The NHS is the UKs largest employer, so many of the UK population are at present working in it, with a great number more many having done so at some point in their lives. In brief, the NHS has a wide range of different stakeholders, who may feel they have a vested interest in the quality; provision of services and ultimately, the reputation. People have varied, and very personal experiences of the NHS and this could mean image and reputation are therefore difficult to manage. The Audit Commission study (2002) study showed that public sector staff think that their image in the eyes of the public would discourage potential recruits from entering the NHS. The study analysed a broad sample of the national press to see if the evidence supported this perception. Analysis showed that plenty of stories are told and while coverage is extensive, the picture of public sector work presented to the reading public is bleak. Of the former public sector workers surveyed, 68 per cent thought that the image of their former profession would discourage people from entering that job. Only 9 per cent thought the opposite that the image would encourage people to enter. The NHS is such a well-known organisation that carries out specific roles in society, that when considering a career in the NHS people often have an idea regarding an occupation they would like to pursue. The GTI (2006) conducted a survey to establish the major determinants that influence applicants in their choice of employer. The results show that for 22% of student nurses and doctors, the reputation of a prospective employer (often influenced by media coverage) is a key factor in determining their aspirations. They identify that word of mouth can be damaging to an employers reputation. If employers get things wrong, it can really affect the way they are viewed by potential employees as over half of the survey respondents have shared their bad experiences with their peers. So for some people the images and reputation of the NHS may be crucial to their decision of whether to work for it. 2.3 Traditional Recruitment Methods Traditional recruitment methods are the way that an organisation announced a job opportunity to the marketplace through a classified advertisement, a job fair, an external recruiter, or other media. Any candidate who happened to see the announcement would submit his or her CV, ring the company for an application form or submit a letter of interest. Lievens and Harris. (2003) stated in the past, job searching was a more time-consuming activity. A candidate who wished to apply for a job would need to first locate a suitable job opportunity, which often involved searching through a newspaper or contacting acquaintances. After locating potentially suitable openings, the candidate would typically have to prepare a cover letter, produce a copy of his or her resume, and mail the package with the appropriate postage. Arboledas, Ferrero and Vidal (2001), presented some examples of recruitment methods that organisations have traditionally used. These were identified as newspaper advertisement, faxed/mailed resumes, recruitment agencies or the use of headhunters. Galanaki (2002) also identified all these methods and defines them as ‘traditional recruitment methods. This idea of traditional methods can also be found quoted in numerous HR texts, which have sections dedicated to recruitment and try to identify best recruitment practices. The authors of such texts include Cole (2004), Rayner and Adam Smith, Armstrong (2007) and Mullins (2005). This was supported by a further IDS study in 2006 that reported that to maximise their chances of appointing the best candidate, many organisations have utilised a combination of online and traditional approaches In 2004 Softworld HR and Payroll identified in a study, that 24% of respondents envisaged e-recruitment entirely replacing all traditional methods of advertising in the future, however 76% of the practitioners surveyed, see it as an additional tool to allow the widest possible range of applicants to be accessed. Traditional methods also identify the use of recruitment agencies in the way of recruiting staff, Recruitment 2020 difficulties in recruitment agency etcc†¦ According to an IES study (2005), recruitment agencies remain confident that the growth in e-recruitment technology will not eliminate their role in the process, as many organisations lack the time and expertise to carry out these tasks. Many organisations, especially smaller ones may also lack the technology to carry out their own recruitment online. With the low unemployment that currently exists the task of finding quality candidates will remain challenging and this may prompt organisations to continue to use agencies, in particular, for specialised, senior or difficult to fill positions In the 2007 CIPD recruitment and retention survey, it was identified for the first time in the UK; corporate websites have broken even with local newspapers advertisements as the most common method of recruiting candidates. 2.4 E-recruitment E-Recruitment is identified as ‘the use of Internet technology to make the job of recruiting staff more efficient and effective, when used together with traditional recruitment methods; the benefits derived from e-recruitment can be considerable. (E-recruitment Best Practice Guide 2007) Internet usage in recent years has seen the recruitment process transformed. Online recruitment, internet recruitment, web-based recruiting and e-recruitment are terms used to describe the use of the internet to recruit potential employees, and mediums to conduct other elements of the recruitment process. We will use the terms interchangeably in this report. E-Recruitment is becoming a significant part of the recruitment strategy of a wide range of organisations worldwide, in addition to becoming an increasingly popular method for job seekers in searching and applying for jobs. According to Schreyer McCarter (1998) e-recruitment refers to â€Å"The recruitment process, including placing job advertisements, receiving resumes, and building human resource database with candidates and incumbents The traditional method of recruitment has been revolutionised by the emergence of the Internet. In the past few years, the Internet has dramatically changed the face of HR recruitment and the ways organisations think about the recruiting function. There is predicted to be a continued dramatic growth in recruiting and hiring via this medium in future years. The utilisation of e recruitment by organisations has seen a general upward trend according to Berry (2205). 93% of organisations were using their corporate website to advertise job vacancies in 2005, compared with 72% in 2002. It would seem that e-recruitment has already been implemented in many organisations from small companies to large organisations. These organisations are already using e recruitment to advertise jobs and accept CVs on the Internet, and also communicating with the applicants by e-mail. In the CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey it was identified that eighty-four percent of respondents have made greater use of e-mail applications in the last three years. Over seven in ten organisations also said they are actively advertising jobs on their corporate websites and using online applications. A survey by the public appointment service in Ireland in 2006, relating to e recruitment in Irish organisations, has also identified a high level of current or intended future use of e recruitment, this being identified as an area forming an important part of the Irish recruitment strategy. Lievens and Harris (2003) have identified the following methods of using the Internet to attract candidates, acknowledging that approaches are continually changing. †¢ Company websites Advertising posts and providing information to candidates through the company website. The facility to apply online is often also provided. †¢ Job Boards Commercial general purpose recruitment portals, (e.g. Yahoo!, Monster.com) and specific industry job boards. †¢ Online Searching Recruiters searching online sources such as company websites/professional chat sites. to identify candidates who may not be actively looking for a position. †¢ Relationship recruiting Using the internet to build and maintain long term relationships with passive candidates, through using internet tools to learn more about web visitors interests and experience and to e-mail regular updates about careers and their fields of interest. Kerrin and Keetley (2005) have suggested that the reasons for many organisations to introduce e recruitment have been recruitment cost reduction, speedier processes, access to a wider pool of applicants and better employer branding. In the CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover survey 2006,  it was also identified that the key drivers for e-recruitment were; reducing recruitment costs (cited by 71%), broadening the selection pool (60%) and increasing the speed of time to hire (47%). It was also noted that over a third of respondents believed it brought greater flexibility and ease for candidates, and over a quarter believed it strengthened the employer brand. This has been firther supported by the IRS Employment review 2007. Reduction in costs E-Recruitment enables employers to reduce advertising costs and remove their dependency on recruitment agencies. Technology in online recruitment is not expensive and the hours saved in the pre-selection process gives hr staff more time. Administration can be significantly reduced in most organisations. This can prove to be particularly important when recruiting high volumes of staff or when receiving high volumes of applications. (DTI 2006, Guertal et al 2007) Cappeli (2001) calculated that ‘it costs only about one-twentieth as much to hire someone online as to hire that same person through †¦ other traditional methods. This can be achieved through significantly reducing advertising costs and by reducing recruitment related administration according to Elkington (2005) An IDS HR Study in April 2006 identified how the Internet now plays a significant role in recruitment activities of employers. The report examined the use of corporate and third party recruitment websites and identified they are being used to reduce advertising costs and tap into a more diverse candidate base. They also identified that technology is streamlining the application process with the encouragement of online applications, linking into sophisticated application tracking systems and allowing organisations to measure the success of attraction methods. IDS state that over 70% of adults utilise the Internet, and employers are using this medium to attract and recruit much more frequently. They identify significant cost savings for employers and reduced time taken to fill vacancies, but are keen to point out the wariness of employees in missing out on potential candidates and feel that traditional recruitment media is set to retain and important role, particularly when recruiting locally or hard to fill jobs. Grout and Parrin, authors of the book, ‘recruiting excellence agree with this assessment by IDS. In an article for HR Director (2006), they identify that online recruitment can improve efficiency by the reduction in man hours involved in the process, and help employers reach a wider and larger audience of jobseekers. They also recognise that it can be a valuable part of a recruitment process, in addition to traditional press advertising and the use of agencies (dti, 2005) Kerrin and Keetley (2005) however, have stated, that the full cost savings are often only realised if the whole recruitment process is carried out online. Reducing time-to-hire With e-recruitment you can cut the time taken to recruit by as much as 75% and recruit the right employees more quickly into the organisation. Time is also saved by spending less time tracking, communicating with and screening applicants. Online recruitment allows the sharing of best practice and improving the consistency of recruitment processes across the organisation. The Public Appointments Service survey showed that a reduction in administrative workload (cited by 49% of respondents), and reduced timescales for hiring (cited by 40% of respondents), were key drivers in the decision to implementing e recruitment. Hogg (2000) stresses a shorter recruitment cycle can be gained by the speed at which several steps of the recruitment process are carried out online. Elkington (2005) supports this and has identified that the immediate posting of jobs online and the effortlessness of completing online application forms and e-mailing CVs to an organisation has made these steps much faster. Moving further into the recruitment process the short-listing process can be accelerated by routinely aligning applications dependent on prearranged criteria (CIPD 2005). Applications can be progressed within minutes rather than weeks, saving both recruiters and job applicants time. Widening Talent Pool Internet tools that enable employers/recruiters to reach a wider pool of potential applicants and to fill positions faster with less cost to the organisation are obviously advantageous in such a competitive environment. Online advertising opens up a wider candidate pool, by providing 24/7 access to job seekers, at local, national and international locations, thus providing a better chance of finding the right candidate (CIPD 2005 1). As job seekers become increasingly more web literate and the growth of broadband makes web surfing easier and cheaper (IRS 2005), the potential for e-recruitment to attract wider candidate pools is increasing. Enhancing Employer brand More and more candidates expect to apply directly online and routinely make judgements about employers based on their recruitment process. To combat this employers are adopting increasingly dynamic e-recruitment solutions to allow them to differentiate themselves and to professionally manage the recruitment process. (Willock, 2005; Paton 2006). E-Recruitment enables an organisation to raise its profile as an innovative, forward looking recruiter and allows the opportunity to provide visitors to the website with a positive experience. E-Recruitment can help to build the image of a brand. Barrow (2005) recommends that organisations build their brand identity very carefully however, warning of a need to ensure substance is beneath the clever name, logo or design, as employees once appointed will see through the facade. This is further supported by Gray and Balmers (1998) term, the ‘routine interactions that outsiders have in shaping image and reputation. Corporate communications are likely to be received with scepticism when they do not match personal experience. Kerrin and Kettley (2003) in their report ‘e-recruitment is it delivering identified a key factor for organisations in their adoption of e-recruitment is the desire to increase their profile as an employer of choice amongst potential candidates and to promote their image as a progressive organisation. CIPD (2005) also demonstrated that more detailed information can be provided on the organisations website than in a newspaper advertisements and in recruitment agency literature, reinforcing the employer brand, improving the corporate image and profile whilst also giving an indication of the organisations culture The use of the Internet allows organisations to pass far more information in a much more dynamic and consistent fashion to candidates than was the case in the past (Lievens and Harris 2003). Applicants therefore have much more information at their disposal before they even decide to apply for a job than in the past. In addition, candidates can easily and quickly search for independent information about organisations from various sources, such as chatrooms, libraries. Therefore, unlike in the past, a candidate may have applied for a job based on practically no information; todays candidate may have reviewed a substantial amount of information about the organisation before choosing to apply. Disadvantages of e-recruitment The CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey revealed some concerns that e-recruitment could increase the number of unsuitable applicants and that it could act as a barrier to recruiting older workers Another factor which seems to be deterring some employers from making greater use of online recruitment systems is a concern over the level of internet access and levels of comfort with internet technology of their target audiences. While usage of the Internet does vary by social group there is evidence to suggest that recruiting online results in at least as diverse an applicant group as those recruited through traditional methods McManus M.A., Ferguson M.W. (2003 A further concern in relation to access is the suitability of online recruitment methods for candidates with disabilities. Research from www.jobsgopublic, 2004, shows that many employers exclude candidates with disabilities by having poorly designed websites and e-recruitment processes, and there is increasing pressure to address this in order to ensure compliance with equal opportunities legislation. (IRS 2007) Developers of e-recruitment technology are increasingly aware of these requirements and are producing products/systems with higher levels of accessibility and that are in line with EU policies and legislation on e-inclusion. Another possible limitation for organisations may include a lack of knowledge of the available options and difficulties in sourcing/ choosing the appropriate technology that will be compatible with their existing HR systems and will serve their needs now and into the future. This report and others e.g. [3] aim to help raise awareness and highlight the issues for practitioners and decision makers. Still limited in its application, typically online recruitment is used to solely advertise and administer the application process Underexploited online recruitment site can gather rich data pn usage most employers do not interrogate the usage to improve effectiveness Considered unsuitable for certain kinds of vacancies Applicants afe not of a better quality 7 in 10 say admin easier to perform 7 out of 10 more likely to improve reputation. 8 out 10 cheaper 2.5 NHS Jobs There was a time when we could assume that the brightest and best of each generation would want to join the public sector. But that is an assumption that we can no longer make, particularly when the financial rewards at the top of the private sector are so great, and too often public sector workers are weighed down by bureaucracy and silly rules. Tony Blair, 1999 (Ref. 1) It has been suggested in surveys by CIPD (20052) and Kerrin