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

How the Study of Sociology Helps us to Understand Different Societies E

Sociology allows us to understand how different groups of people act the way they do, and also brings us into their cultures, heritage and different backgrounds. This study also explains how culture plays a role in the way different groups act, and how it reflects on their society. There are many social issues that sociology explains, such as how larger social and historical forces effect the way the communities act and how individuals act. All of these topics stress how important sociology is today, and how much of a difference it makes in the understanding of different societies. In today?s society people are influenced by the way other people live, and the way people carry out their lives. Other people like to fallow other peoples values, morals, and how they carry out their responsibilities. All of these things effects the way an individual lives, and acts, for instance if people go to school to get an education and get a well paying job. Many people are going to do the same thing just to be in the same class and society, and make the money to have what everyone else has. The importance of education in today?s world is very important in getting that job that pays exceptional well. In today?s society people go to school get a good job and a few years after getting established they start a family. In the past people sometimes graduated highschool and starting a family was more important then getting that well paid job. There are many benefits in having an social imagination. With the imagination people know how to live their lives, and know how to fit in to a group. They fit into a group to feel welcomed and not like an outsider. Feeling part of a group also give a person self confide... ...n beat up cloths then I assume that their not wealthy, dirty, and doesn?t like to take care of them selves. This judgment of others is bad because I know from experience. I wear nice cloths and try to look good all the time but I am not rich or that wealthy. I know kids from my high school who wear worn, beat up cloths that are really rich, and they wear those cloths because that?s their style of living. It could be their culture in a sense but they are just being them selves. With out the study of sociology many people wouldn?t know where to begin in how to understand how a society works. The examining of how the culture works and functions helps us to get a feel of how the different cultures relate to each and every one?s society. Through this study we get a whole new view on how the world is oriented on culture and how every society acts.

Academic Skill Vs Soft Skill. Which Is More Important? Essay

Having a scroll of degree or master would be great and that could be a pass for you to have your dream job. But do you ever thought that having those qualifications are enough for you to survive in your career phase? Nowadays, the employer has a high demand towards the workers as they want the worker to have more than the education as a one’s forte but good in the other ways. What they want are the individuals to own a good amount of soft skills. From my point of view, I strongly believe that having a great soft skill would benefit me more rather than having the academic skills only. Unlike  academic skills, which describe a person’s level of intelligent and that skill are also considered as an ability to perform specific tasks broadly applicable across job titles and industries. It’s often said that academic skills will get you an interview, but you need soft skills to get and keep the job. That are aspect from your personality that be streets ahead as your professional assets. Being working or involved in certain industries could be challenging for each of us since each industry do have their own requirements regarding the skill that the job wanted the employee to have. Even nowadays, more employer stated that having a good CGPA would benefits those job seekers but at the end of the day the employer would hire someone with more than that which one with the soft skill and the one with a higher CGPA would loss the opportunity to gain the job. It is apparent that soft skill is really important to compare with just an academic skill to survive in these new eras. So, before we’re going through the example of soft skill, what actually soft skills mean? Basically, what is soft skills? Soft skills are a synonym for â€Å"people skills.† The term describes those personal attributes that indicate a high level of  emotional intelligence. Soft skills refer to a set of personal qualities, habits, attitudes that can potentially make good students and comply with academic requirements. In short, they are the way you talk, you move, hear and present yourself. They are the behaviors learned, which develop from willingness and commitment to understanding the emotions of others and others. One of the impacts of having a soft skill is a conflict resolution. Conflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. The disagreement may be personal, financial, political, or emotional. When a dispute arises, often the best course of action is a negotiation to resolve the disagreement. The first thing you need to do when you’re going to resolve a conflict is that you need to be able to view the problems and issues from multiple perspectives and possess strong problem-solving skills. Try to put your shoes in his place and figure it out the best way to conceal without having a commotion. Since all these commotions will not only affect the problematic parties but also the surrounding atmosphere will become cold and cheerless as everyone is annoyed with those situations. Also, it is very important that the problem solver to have an ability to empathize, meaning that you’re able to perceive and understand the fee lings and emotions of others. Active listening is another skill important for you to have, which is a listening technique that requires you to provide feedback to the person to whom you are listening by restating or paraphrasing what someone is communicating to confirm your understanding. To solve a conflict requires you to be a good and active listener by not only hear from only one side. Some careful thought can be taken after listening to their explanation. Can you just imagine if only everyone has the ability to become an active and good listener, all the misunderstanding and miscommunication stuff could be prevented? That just shows how owning a soft skill can help you become a better person and how does it affect one’s life. We should bear in mind that while we can use scientific ways (hard skills) in realizing the solution, mode and manner of communication (soft skills) is equally very important to achieve the proper solution. When resolving a conflict, you also need to be able to control and manage your emotions; use and interpret nonverbal cues; and think critically and objectively. Don’t let the emotion controls all over your mind that can cause some serious circumstances. Finally, it’s very important you can compromise, which refers to the willingness to concede something in exchange for an opposing party’s concession and no bias or favoritism so that the conflict can be resolved the issues and try to deal with one’s emotion as everyone. Do be patient in solving a conflict and don’t ever let the surrounding affect your right mind. In brief, the best thing about owning a soft skill is the fact that you don’t need qualifications to get them and you can start working on them right now, whether you are at school, in training or in work as it comes from experience. By having this kind of advantage, it not only gives a small impact on one’s life but is also a very precious asset that’s not everyone can simply get it. Despite the difference between soft, and hard skills, the main purpose of this article is not to narrow one’s focus to distinguishing between these two skills, nor is it an aim to portray one as being more desirable than the other. Both are important for academic success as well as succeeding in life. What is of importance, however, is to know how these two skills interact and serve to complement each other, and how this would benefit other especially students’. For example, hard skills will help you to write well and construct well-founded and objective arguments; sof t skills will equip you with, say the social skills and confidence to communicate your point across. Essentially. employers want candidates who comprise a combination of both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills. These skills empower them to understand who they are and how best they can come across as competent individuals in any given situation. Because learning and fulfilling requirements are often expanded to improve job prospects, it is inevitable that employers will make their criteria factors when selecting the right candidate. Therefore, the skills exposed to the students and expected to practice in the academic field must represent, and meet the needs of the business world.

Juvenile Court Trend Analysis essays

Juvenile Court Trend Analysis essays Amazingly, for the seventh consecutive year since 1994, juvenile delinquency has declined. This includes rape, robbery, and murder, especially the years between 1994 and 2001; arrest rate for Juvenile offenders fell 44%. Murder fell 70% between 1993 and 2001 (Snyder, 2003). Although the statistics are confusing and overwhelming, they derived from local law enforcement agencys reports annually by the number of arrests made on the most serious charge. Because these statistics were based on arrests, this does not count the number of crimes committed in one single arrest or many arrests. An estimated 2.3 million juvenile arrests were made in 2001 in which is actually considered a decrease. Of all murder victims, 90% were adults and the other 10% were juveniles. An astonishing 1,630 juveniles were murdered in 2001 and most of them were white male, under the age of five, and killed with a firearm. (Snyder, 2003) In the estimation of statistical data for juvenile delinquency, it shows to be in a decline in proportion to its clearance data. Clearance data refers to the clearing of crimes per arrest. If they arrest a juvenile concerning 40 burglaries, they have cleared up 40 cases of that particular crime (Snyder, 2003). If they clear up one burglary with connections to a group of juvenile delinquents, then it is only that one. This data specifically suggests that juveniles are not as responsible for the cleared crimes as the adults are. This also suggests that juveniles are more likely to commit crimes in groups rather than alone. The property crime index rate has dropped by 41% between 1994 and 2001 and has seen the lowest level of arrest rate since the 1960s. After a stable arrest rate in the 1980s, the decline began in mid 90s and has been declining ever since. More than any other property crime, burglary has remained the lowest in arrest rate. The rate for burglary has been c...

mandatory voting essays

mandatory voting essays Imagine a country where the voter turnout rate was one hundred percent. A country where all of the people of the nation came together to choose their future leaders. Unfortunately, this ideal is impossible without government intervention. Legislation should be created to enforce the act of mandatory voting in the United States. Making voting mandatory would give politicians an opportunity to be honest and truthful during their campaigns. Because they would not have a certain group of people to appease, candidates would be able to focus on issues they found significant. In doing this, the voters would have a clear image of what and who the candidate is. This in turn would make it easier to choose the right candidate for each individual person. Second, the population of our country would be better represented if everyone were forced to vote. Candidates would be compelled to focus on the issues of the entire race of Americans. For instance, it is true that highly educated white males are most likely to vote. In result, candidates make it their interest to please this group of people. Yet, if every person were forced to vote, representatives could center mainly on the classes that most populate the country or region in which they are running for. In order to force every citizen of the United States to vote a consequence must take place if someone chooses not to vote. This penalty should consist of a small fine less than $75. This would force most people to participate in the election of representatives, yet still not hurt a household if something should come up where an individual cannot vote. In order to bring out the honor and prosperity of America, it is imperative that the country unites and chooses their representatives. This is necessary because it will help our minority groups become better re ...

Week Two Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc Essay

Week Two Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc - Essay Example For any organization the main aim should be maximization of the shareholder’s wealth, not just profit maximization of the organization. The shareholders can benefit in two ways; either by receiving dividend or by the internal growth of the company. From last 20 years the company hasn’t paid any cash dividend, so they can only be benefited by rise in stock price. At present the company’s shock price is going down although the company is making a good profit. This clearly indicates that the main goal of company is to just maximize profit as much as possible, because this directly affects the pay of managers. But on the same time company is losing its reputation in market which is evidenced by the declining stock price. Hence the management of Sports Products Inc. should change their present goal of profit maximization and should pay more emphasis on the shareholders’ benefits which can be only achieved if the stock price increases. As a company receives all its resources from the society, hence they also have some responsibility toward the betterment of the society. They should take care that any of their activity should not degrade the environment. At present the stock prices are doing down even when the financial report indicates a continuous rise in profits. This clearly indicates that there is some problem in the management. At present the management is emphasizing merely on profit maximization. Basically there are two ways for profit maximization- either increase the revenue or decrease the expenditure. The company is following the second one. They are trying to reduce their expenditure at all possible ways. Even they overlook the pollution norms for reducing cost. They dump their waste products directly into the adjacent stream. This not only pollutes the surrounding environment but it lead to highly hazardous diseases by polluting

How do the teachings of Buddhism and Christianity match up Where are Research Paper

How do the teachings of Buddhism and Christianity match up Where are they similar and where do they differ - Research Paper Example Buddhism is geographically restricted to Asia only, while Christianity is prevalent throughout the world. This paper would discuss certain similarities and differences found between the two. Similarities and differences There are many notable aspects of Buddhism that are similar to the Catholic faith and its traditions. The Five Moral Precepts of Buddhism, for example, compare closely to the Ten Commandments which have set out law for centuries: for Jews in the time of Moses, then later for disciples of Christ, and even for Christians today. The Five Moral Precepts include the refraining of murder, thievery, sexual misconduct, lying, and the consumption of intoxicants. Similarly, the Ten Commandments call for abstention of killing, stealing, adultery, as well as dishonesty. Although the Ten Commandments consist of more than these immoral actions, these aspects of Christianity and Buddhism were designed based on similar beliefs. The main book of rules or official set of regulations fo r Christianity is the bible, which has two parts, the New Testament and the Old Testament. Christ came to this world when Siddhartha Gotama was 29. He was born into a wealthy family and realized that only wealth could not fulfill his inner being so he started studying religion. At age 80 he died in happiness knowing he had created a new religion that has influenced the world. Buddha as he was named alter in his life took all the true and pure parts of all religions and put them together into a religion that was almost perfect in his eyes. The similarities between these two religions of the world are great. Both the religions are monotheistic and affirm that after death only those people shall gain the eternal salvation of heaven that adhered to the rules or commandments in this world. Both of these religions also praise, or in Buddhism's case, respect their messiah and ask for eternal salvation from their god. Buddhism is based on the beliefs of Buddha who was raised as a rich child who didn't know what pain, sickness, age, and death were until he demanded his father to allow him to exit the palace and view the town. When he went he saw an old man and asked his father what was wrong and only then did Buddha figure out that there are bad things in our world. At the end of his visit he saw a monk with an ancient, calm look upon his face that Buddha soon would have. After this incident his father exposed him to the world in every way and Buddha started studying religion. At first he was just interested in why people needed it but the more he studied it the more attached he became to it. He and his five followers did this in an effort to receive the answer of what is the only way to receive the ability to pass to heaven. After the incident under the tree word spread and through good deeds of other individuals he obtained a temple and many followers some of which were women. At the age of 35 he became a religious leader in Northeast India and for the next 45 years he taught Buddhism. Rites and Rituals In Christian community, Baptism takes place at a young age. Most infants taking place in Baptism are only a few months old. Baptism is all about welcoming a new member to the Christian community and letting them live the way Jesus lived his life. The ceremony of Baptism takes place in 6 parts. The parents and the selected godparents of the child are asked what their intentions are. Prayers are made and a couple