The Pros and Cons of Gene Alteration Essay -- Exploratory Essays Resea

The Pros and Cons of Gene Alteration Abstract A new epidemic in human reproduction is slowly sweeping the earth, and it is known as human gene alteration. It gives parents the ability to decide their babies' sex, hair color, or even eye color. Creating these so called "designer babies" seems like the perfect way to have the child you have always dreamed of. But is this a moral way to go about reproduction? Is it fair to these children to mess with their genes just for your own satisfaction of having the perfect baby? Gene alteration can also be used in other more beneficial ways. One being to prevent and weed out disease that effects an unborn child. Gene alteration can be very beneficial, but only if used in the right way such as preventing and controlling disease. Myths of Reproduction For centuries, people have been trying to choose their babies sex through home remedies. Some of these home remedies include: diet, temperature, and the phases of the moon. For diet, researchers believe if the mother eats veggies, sweets and an excess amount of calcium she will have a girl. It is also believed that if men avoid hot tubs and wear loose clothes they will have boys. The phases of the moon are also thought to be a factor. If a baby is conceived during a full moon, it is most likely going to be a girl. If a baby is conceived on a quarter moon, it will probably be a boy (Kantrowitz, 2001, p. 51). There are thousands of these home remedies that people actually swear by. The truth about these home remedies, is that they probably don't work. If they did then every one would have their desired baby. With the advancement in today's technology, however people will no longer have to engage in these silly myths. Definition .. ... Retrieved March 11, 2004, from https://web.lexisnexis.com/universe/document?_m=8f14991eb35bb87abff7d11a7daf2b98&_docunum=1&wchp=dGLbVtzzSkVb&_md5=17984652323d3c0d8bb44c1f7e551007 Lee, Ellie (2003 April). Debating designer babies. Retrieved on March 14, 2004, from http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000006DD57.htm Marsh, Beezy (2003 December). Mother loses designer baby planned to save her son. Retrieved March 13, 2004, from https://web.lexisnexis.com/universe/document?_m=8f14991eb35bb87abff7d11a7daf2b98 &_docunum=3&wchp=dGLbVtz-zSkVb&_md5=623f346923e2f9b4d3d84c4afa17e5cd Robertson, John (1994). Children of choice. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Sofer, William (1991). Genetic engineering. Massacusettes: Butterworth-Heinemann. What is germ line therapy? (n.d.). Retrieved on March 24, 2004, from http://www.dhgp.de/info/FAQ/faqtext3_3.html

Essay --

Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 brought a climax the long debate about the powers of the federal and the state governments, bringing about the Civil War. Though the war itself was long and rough, it didn’t match the problems of the reconstruction of the south. Newly freed African Americans had high hopes for full equality with the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments but because of the Southern white resistance and the withdrawal of supervision, it brought about even more racism by creating segregation and putting them back on plantations, increasing the whites hate and violence. War and Reconstruction changed the social, political and economic landscape in America with the creation of the black codes, racial groups such as KKK, and Civil Rights acts. As soon as the former slave had been freed their freedom was taken away by black codes, restricting most of their newfound rights and bringing back the idea of southern slavery. This changed the social structure because instead of creating equality after the war between African Americans and Whites, it brought back what the Civil War tri...

Teaching Numeracy to Adults with Learning Disabilities Essay -- Teachi

Introduction As an employee of County Community College, I teach an Adult Basic Skills Numeracy class. I originally started the academic year with 18 learners, but by April 2015 I had approximately 6 learners per session. Most learners are female, of Afro-Caribbean or African origin and aged between 20 and 50 years. It has been suggested that many learners see numeracy as a male domain (Cemen, 1987; Gutbezahl, 1995; Levine, 1995; Miller et al, 1994) and I have noticed that I teach predominantly female learners who are particularly shy and have low self esteem. They are also full of self doubt and lack confidence in their mathematical ability and some do not see numeracy as a useful subject when compared to literacy. To some it is just a means to an end and not something to learn for the sake of self-improvement. Most learners are not in full time employment when they start the course, but as the course proceeds, approximately half of all learners will leave to take a job. The main motivation of learners is to achieve a numeracy qualification and couple this with a literacy qualification and use this as route for entry into the Access to Higher Education programs offered either by County Community College or neighboring colleges. Most of the learners can see the benefit of gaining qualifications as a way of improving their lifestyles by allowing them to have more employment options. The majority of learners have school age children and it has been noted that a lot of the learners want to make a good example for their children in regards to education and employment. I have chosen two learners to use for a case study of learning difficulties experienced by adult numeracy learners. The learning difficulties that are ... ...on to the special section. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 130 (June): 163 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_05.htm23/07/2007 Physical Relaxation Technique: Deep Breathing, PMR and the Relaxation Technique [accessed July 2007] http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/anxiety/23/07/2007 Coping with Math Anxiety [accessed July 2007] http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20010630/fob4.asp23/07/2007 Math fears subtract from memory, learning [accessed July 2007] Trujillo, K. M., Tracing the Roots of Mathematics Anxiety through In-Depth Interviews with Preservice Elementary Teachers http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_2_33/ai_62839422 [accessed July 2007] Bibliography Cofield, F. et al. 2004. Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: A systematic and critical review. Learning and Skills Research Centre, London.

Scared straight

Critique of the â€Å"Scared Straight Program† The program established in the 1970s, called Scared Straight is used throughout the United States as a means of deterring Juvenile crime. This program consists of youth that are at risk visiting adult prisons, the youth then have contact with prisoners to hear about the life and reality of being locked up from inmates (Slowikowski, 2011). The programs can involve tours of the facility, living the life of a prisoner for a full day, aggressive â€Å"in-your-face† presentations by inmates, and one- on-one counseling.However well intentioned these prison visit programs may be, decades of research have shown that this approach is not only ineffective, but possibly harmful to youth (Slowikowski, 2011). Now there was a study done by Anthony Petrosino and researchers at the Campbell Collaboration analyzed results from nine Scared Straight Programs and found that such programs generally increased crime up to 28 percent in the experi mental group when compared to a no-treatment control group (Slowikowski, 2011). In another analysis of Juvenile prevention and treatment programs, MarkLipsey of the Vanderbilt Institute for public Policy Studies found that youth who participate in Scared Straight and other similar deterrence programs have higher recidivism rates than youth in control groups (Slowikowski, 2011). Also there was a report done in 1997 presented to the U. S. Congress where there was 500 crime prevention evaluations and said the program â€Å"Scared Straight† is â€Å"what does not work† in preventing Juvenile crime. Yet programs like â€Å"Scared Straight† are continuing to be used as an approach in the United States and throughout the world.On January 13, 2011, A&E Television Networks aired the first of a multiepisode series of reality shows called â€Å"Beyond Scared Straight† (Slowikowski, 2011). It had become the most watched show in the United States with having an audien ce of 3. 7 million people (Sullivan, 2011). This then has parents and viewers thinking the â€Å"Scared Straight† programs works, which then they do not think of the other possibilities of programs that are proven to work and be more beneficial to at-risk youth in deterring Juvenile delinquency. When I think of the A&E series of â€Å"BeyondScared Straight† I think of it as showing at-risk youth at home with their parents what it would be like if they were a part of this program. The at-risk youth I think don't take it as serious as the show portrays it to be because in this program your getting yelled at in your face by the inmates, you have a session where the inmates share their stories with the youth and explain how they wish they would taken a different path, the youth will see their parents through video or glass windows, they may spend up to 24 hours in the facility, etc.With a program like â€Å"Scared Straight† there are many things we can critique. Fir st these programs require young people to project into the future. They don't think like that, they don't think logically or long term. That's why theyre kids. They are impulsive, and think short term, espically whenb it comes to punishment (Sullivan, 2011). Kids know how hit and miss the criminal Justice system is. They believe they might not get caught when they think about committing a crime. What young people react to is: How swift is the punishment in terms of the behavior?How certain is it that a consequence will occur? How severe is the punishment? The extreme nature of the punishment shown in â€Å"scared straight† programs doesn't match the expectations of young people. They don't picture themselves locked up (Sullivan, 2011 . ) Again a program like â€Å"scared straight† is something that was made by adults for young kids, but we need to realize that these young kids don't react the same was as adults do or would in a program like â€Å"scared straight. What these at-risk youths need are to be put in activities of everyday life that will keep them from going to prison rather than putting them in a â€Å"scared straight† rogram saying this is where you're going to be if you continue the road your going down. Why not show these at-risk youth what and where you should want to be in life, like a Job show them responsibility and what it is like to earn hard working money to save for something, to be able to afford the things you want, etc.

Certified General Accountant Essay

As a Certified General Accountant (CGA), ethics are a fundamental requirement. CGAs affect the welfare of their clients and also the wider stakeholder-society. It is crucial to work in accordance with the six CGA Canada Code of Ethical Principles. Fraud and negligence do occur however and they have negative implications on the professional, the client, the professional body, and society as a whole. For example, in the case of Kelley Lynch, she was trusted by her client, Leonard Cohen, to work responsibly as his business manager (Malemed). Unfortunately, her activities can be analyzed to demonstrate how she failed to act responsibly and directly violated three ethical principles. Lynch violated the ethical principle of Trust and Duties. As a professional accountant, Lynch failed to honour the trust that her client bestowed upon her and used her privileged position as business manager to cater to her own needs. For example, Lynch conspired with Richard Westin to hire him as Cohen’s tax lawyer in order to cater to her self-interest With Westin’s help, they devised a complex corporate structure as a vehicle for retirement savings. Taking advantage of her privilege to access Cohen’s finances, she stole over $50 million. Another key violation is that she failed to remain independent in mind and appearance, as she was once in a personal relationship with Cohen (Malemed). * * Lynch also violated the principle of Responsibilities to Society. She failed to uphold to responsibilities to society, which include acting with trustworthiness, integrity and objectivity. She failed to display these characteristics in her own actions and in her dealings with her colleague, Westin, while serving her client. For example, Lynch is entitled to 15% management compensation, however she broke Cohen’s trust by stealing more than $5 million of his savings, which is greater than her defined compensation amount. She failed to act with integrity and objectivity, when her client took time off from his career. She used this opportunity to receive more royalties through the scheme that Westin helped to develop (Malemed). * * Lynch also directly violated the principle of Deceptive Information. As a professional accountant, Lynch failed to not be associated with information that is false or misleading. With Westin’s help, Lynch pretended to sell Cohen’s music-publishing company and royalty for $12 million. Lynch falsely stated to Cohen that the money from the sale would go to a company owned by his children, but instead it went to a company almost owned entirely by Lynch (Malemed). * * In conclusion, Lynch failed to act responsibly with handling the finances of her client, Cohen and directly violated at least three of the six ethical principles. This is just one incident of fraud and negligence that has occurred in professional accounting bodies. Therefore, to maintain the integrity and respect of the CGA profession, it is crucial that members always act in accordance with the CGA Canada Code of Ethical Principles.

Assess the view that ethnic differences Essay

?An Ethnic minority background increases your chances of arrest and conviction, some people argue that police racism in itself results in higher suspicion against black people in general. According to official statistics there are significant ethnic differences in the likelihood of being involved in the criminal justice system. Black and Asians are overrepresented in the system. For example black people make up 2. 8% of the population, but 11% of the prison population. Contrastingly whites are underrepresented. However such statistics do not tell us whether members of one ethnic group are more likely than members of another ethnic group to commit an offence in the first place; they just tell us about involvement in the criminal justice system. For example differences in stop and search or arrest rates may be due to police racism, while differences in rates of imprisonment may be the result of courts handing down harsher sentences on minorities. There are other sources of statistics to reveal link of ethnicity and offending. Victim surveys ask individuals to say what crimes they have been victims of. We can get information on ethnicity and offending from surveys when we ask what ethnicity of the person who committed the crime against them. For example in the case of mugging blacks are overly represented among those indentified by victims as offenders. Victim surveys show much crime is intra-ethnic; it takes place within rather than between ethnic groups. For example the British crime survey (2007) found 90% of where the victim was white; at least one of the offenders was also white. However while victim surveys are useful in identifying ethnic patterns of offending, they have several limitations. They rely on a victim’s memory of events. Ben Bowling and Coretta Phillips (2002) found whites may over identify blacks, saying the offender was black even when not sure. They only cover personal crimes, which make up 20% of all crimes. They exclude under 16s; minority ethnic groups contain a higher proportion of young people. They exclude crimes by big business; thus tell us nothing of ethnicity of white collar criminals. Thus victim surveys only tell us about the ethnicity of a small proportion of offenders, which may not be representative of offenders in general. Self report studies ask individuals to disclose their own dishonest and violent behaviour. Graham and Bowling (1995) found that blacks and whites had similar rates of offending, while Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis had lower rates. Similarly Sharp and Budd (2005) note that the 2003 offending, crime and justice survey of 12,000 people found whites and mixed ethnic origin groups were more likely than blacks and Asians to say they had committed offences. The Home Office have conducted nine self report studies on drugs since the early 1990s, all with similar findings. Sharp and Budd (2005) found 27% of mixed ethnicity individuals said they had used drugs in the last year, compared to 16% of blacks and whites, and 5% of Asians. Use of class a drugs, such as heroin or cocaine was 3 times higher among whites than blacks and Asians. The findings of self report studies challenge stereotypes of blacks more likely than whites to offend, though they support the widely held view Asians are less likely to offend, however self report studies have their limitations in relation to ethnicity and offending. Overall the evidence of ethnicity and offending is inconsistent. For example while official statistics and victim surveys point to the likelihood of higher rates of offending by blacks; this is generally not the results of self report studies. There are ethnic differences at each stage of the criminal justice process. To explain them we need to look at main stages of the process that an individual may go through, possibly culminating in a custodial sentence. Phillips and Bowling (2007) argue since the 70s there have been many allegations of oppressive policing of minorities, including stop and search, deaths in custody, police violence and failure to respond effectively to racist violence. Minorities are more likely to be stopped and searched by police. Statistics show Asians were three times more likely to be searched under this act. Its thus unsurprising minorities are less likely to think police acted politely when stopped, or think they were stopped fairly. Phillips and Bowling (2007) argue these communities feel over policed and over protected and have limited faith in the police. There are three possible reasons for the disproportionate use of stop and search against minorities. Police racism; the Macpherson Report (1999) on the police investigation of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence concluded there was institutional racism in the Metropolitan police. Other have found deeply ingrained racist attitudes among individual officers. For example Phillips and Bowling point out that many officers hold negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities as criminals, leading to deliberate targeting for stop and search. Such stereotypes are endorsed and upheld by the canteen culture of rank and file officers. Ethnic differences in offending; an alternative explanation is that the disproportionality in stop and searches simply reflects ethnic differences in levels of offending. However it’s useful to distinguish between low discretion and high discretion stops. In low discretion stops police act on relevant information about a specific offence, for example a victim’s description of the offender. In high discretion stops police act without specific intelligence. It is in these stops police can use stereotypes that disproportionality and discrimination are more likely. Demographic factors; ethnic minorities are over represented in the population groups who are most likely to be stopped such as the young, the unemployed, manual workers and urban dwellers. These groups are all more likely to be stopped, regardless of their ethnicity, but they are also groups who have a higher proportion of ethnic minorities in them, so minorities get stopped more. Figures in England and Wales show that in 2006/07, the arrest rates for blacks was 3. 6 times higher than for whites. Contrastingly once arrested blacks and Asians were less likely to receive a police caution. One reason for this may be more likely to deny the offence and likely to exercise their right to legal advice. However not admitting the offence means they cannot be let off with a caution and are more likely to be charged instead. The crown prosecution service is the body responsible for deciding whether a case brought by the police should be prosecuted in court. In doing so CPS must decide whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction and whether the prosecution is in the public’s interest. Studies suggest the CPS is more likely to drop cases against minorities. Bowling and Phillips (2002) argue this may be because the evidence presented to the CPS by the police is often weaker and based on stereotyping of ethnic minorities as criminals. When cases do go ahead minorities are more likely to elect trial before a jury in the Crown Court rather than the magistrates court, perhaps due to mistrust of magistrates impartiality. However crown courts can impose more severe sentences if convicted. Thus is interesting to note minorities are less likely to be found guilty. This suggests discrimination, in that the police and CPS may be bringing weaker or less serious cases against ethnic minorities that are thrown out by the courts. In 2006/7 custodial sentences were given to a greater proportion of black offenders (68%) than white (55%) or Asian offenders (59%), whereas whites and Asians were more likely than blacks to receive community sentences. This may be due to differences in seriousness of the offences or defendants previous convictions. However a study of 5 crown courts by roger Hood (1992) found even when such factors were taken into account, black men were 5% more likely to receive a custodial sentence, and were given sentences of an average of 3 months longer than whites. Another reason for harsher sentences id pre sentence reports (PRs) written by probation officers. A PRs is intended as a risk assessment to assist magistrates in deciding on the appropriate sentence for a given offender. However Hudson and Bramhall (2005) argue that PRs allow for unwitting discrimination. They found reports on Asian offenders were less comprehensive and suggested that they were less remorseful than white offenders. They place this bias in the context of demonising Muslims in the wake of 9/11 attacks. In 2007, one quarter of the male prison population was minorities. Blacks were five times more likely to be in prison than whites. Black and Asians were more likely to be serving longer sentences. Within the total prison population all minorities had a higher than average proportion of prisoners on remand. This is because minorities are less likely to be granted bail whilst awaiting trial. There are similar patterns in other countries, for example in USA two fifths of prison population is black. There was large scale migration from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent in the 50s, at this time it was agreed minorities had lower crime rates. However by the 70s there was conflict between blacks and the police meaning â€Å"black criminality† became more of a problem. Contrastingly by the 90s Asian crime also became viewed as a problem. Events e. g. 9/11 cemented the idea that Asians were a threat to public order. There are two main explanations for ethnic differences in crime; left realism and neo-Marxism. Left realists Lea and Young (1993) argue ethnic differences in statistics reflect real differences in the levels of offending by different ethnic groups. Left realists see crime the product of relative deprivation, subculture and marginalisation. They argue racism had led to economic exclusion of ethnic minorities who face higher unemployment, poverty and poor housing. At the same time the Medias emphasis on consumerism promotes a sense of relative deprivation by setting materialistic goals that many minorities are unable to reach by legitimate means. One response is formation of delinquent subcultures, especially by young unemployed blacks. It produces higher utilitarian crime to cope with relative deprivation. Furthermore as these groups are marginalised and have no groups to represent their interests their frustration is liable to produce non utilitarian crime such as rioting. Lea and Young acknowledge police often act in racist ways and results in unjustified criminalisation of some members of minorities. However they don’t believe discriminatory policing fully explains the statistics. For example over 90% of crimes known to the police are reported by the public rather than discovered themselves. Under these circumstances even if police act discriminatory it’s unlikely it can account for ethnic differences in statistics. Similarly Lea and Young argue we cannot explain differences in minorities in terms of police racism. For example blacks are more criminalised than Asians. The police would have to be selective in their racism for racism to cause these differences. Lea and Young thus conclude that the statistics represent real differences in levels of offending between ethnic groups and these are caused by real differences in levels of relative deprivation and marginalisation. However Lea and Young can be criticised for their views on the role of police racism. For example arrest rates may be lower for Asians because police stereotype them differently. Stereotypes may have changed since 9/11, explaining rising criminalisation of this group. While left realists see official statistics reflecting real differences in offending between ethnic groups, other sociologists have argued differences in statistics do not reflect reality. These differences are the outcome of a process of social construction that stereotypes ethnic minorities as inherently more criminal than the majority of the population. The work of neo Marxists Paul Gilroy (1982) and Stuart Hall (1979) illustrates this view. Gilroy argues the idea of black criminality is a myth created by racist stereotypes of African Caribbean’s and Asians. In reality these groups are no more criminal than any other. However as a result of the police and criminal justice system acting on these racist stereotypes, ethnic minorities came to be criminalised and thus to appear in greater numbers in official statistics. Gilroy argues ethnic minority crime can be seen as a form of political resistance against a racist society, and this struggle has roots in earlier struggle against British imperialism. Gilroy holds a similar view to that of critical criminology which argues working class crime is a political act against capitalism. Most blacks and Asians in the UK originated from former colonies where their anti imperialist struggles taught them how to resist oppression, for example through riots and demonstrations. When they found themselves facing racism in Britain they adopted the same form of struggles to defend themselves, but their political struggle was criminalised by the British state. However Lea, Young and Gilroy are criticised on several grounds. First generation immigrants were very law abiding, so it’s unlikely they passed their anti colonialist struggle onto their children. Most crime is interethnic, criminals and victims usually have similar ethnic backgrounds, so it can’t be seen as anti colonial struggle against racism. Lea and Young argue Gilroy romanticises street crime as revolutionary. Asian crime rates are similar to or lower than whites. If Gilroy were right then the police are only racist towards black and not Asians, which seems unlikely. Stuart Hall et al adopt a neo Marxist perspective. They argue the 70s saw a moral panic over black muggers that served the interests of capitalism. Hall et all argues the ruling class can normally rule the subordinate classes through consent. However in times of crisis this becomes more difficult. In the early 70s British capitalism faced a crisis. High inflation and rising unemployment provoked widespread industrial unrest and strikes. When opposition to capitalism was growing the ruling class may need to use force to keep control. However the use of force needs to be legitimated or provoke more resistance. The 70s also saw a media driven panic of the growth of mugging. In reality mugging was a new name for street robbery and Hall et al suggest there was no significant increase of this crime at the time. Mugging was soon to be associated by the media, police and politicians with black youth. Hall et al argues that the emergence of the moral panic about mugging as a specifically black crime at the same time as crisis of capitalism was no coincidence; the moral panic and crisis were linked. The myth of the black mugger served as a scapegoat to distract attention from the true cause of problems of unemployment, namely the crisis of capitalism. The black mugger symbolised disintegration of social order. By presenting black youth as a threat to the fabric of society the moral panic served to divide the working class on racial grounds and weaken opposition to capitalism as well as winning popular consent to authoritarian forms of rule to suppress opposition. However Hall et al do not argue that black crime was solely a product of media and police labelling. The crisis of capitalism was increasingly marginalising black youth through unemployment and drove them to a lifestyle of hustling and petty crime to survive. However Hall et al have been criticised on several grounds. Downes and Rock (2003) argue that Hall et al are inconsistent in claiming that black street crime was not rising, but also that it was rising because of unemployment. They do not show how a capitalist crisis led to a moral panic, nor do they provide evidence that the public were in fact panicking or blaming crime on blacks. Left realists argue inner city residents fears about mugging are not panicky but realistic. Until recently the focus of the ethnicity and crime debate was largely about the over representation of blacks in the criminal justice system. However recently sociologists have studied racist victimisation of ethnic minorities. Racist victimisation occurs when an individual is selected as a target because of their race, gender or religion. Racist victimisation is nothing new, but brought into public view with the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the subsequent Macpherson inquiry into the police investigation. Information of victimisation comes from two main sources; the British crime survey and police recorded statistics. These generally cover racist incidents, any incident perceived to be racist by the victim or another person. They also cover racially or religiously aggravated offences where the offender is motivated by hostility towards members of a racial or religious group. The police recorded 60,000 racist incidents in England and Wales in 2006/7, mostly damage to property and verbal harassment. However most incidents go unreported; the British crime survey estimates there were 184,000 racially motivated incidents in 2006/7. The police recorded 42,600 racially or religiously aggravated offences on 06/7, mostly harassment. 10,600 people were prosecuted or cautioned for racially aggravated offences in 2006. The risk of being a victim of any sort of crime varies by ethnic group. The 2006/7 British crime survey shows people of mixed ethnic background had a higher risk of becoming a victim of crime than blacks, Asians or whites. The differences may be partly the result of factors other than ethnicity. For example for violent crime factors such as being young, male and unemployed are strongly linked to victimisation. Ethnic groups with a high proportion of young males are thus likely to have higher rates of victimisation. However some of these factors such as unemployment are themselves partly due to discrimination while the statistics record the instances of victimisation they don’t capture the victim’s experience of it. As Sampson and Phillips (1992) note racist victimisation tends to be over time with repeated minor instances of abuse with periodic physical violence. The resulting long term psychological impact needs to be added to the physical injury and damage to property caused by offenders. Members of minority ethnic communities have often been active in responding to victimisation. Responses range from situational crime prevention measures such as fireproof doors to organised self defence campaigns. Such responses need to be understood in the context of accusations of under protection by the police who often ignore the racist dimension in victimisation and fail to investigate incidents properly. For example the Macpherson enquiry (1999) concluded the police investigation into the death of black teenager Stephen Lawrence was marred by incompetence, institutional racism and failure of leadership by senior officers. Others have found deeply ingrained racist attitudes among individual officers.

International Hr P

International HR Project: Procter & Gamble Co. Rachel Angelina Walker Morrisville State College BSAD 415 International Human Resource Management Dr. Linda F. Turner February 10, 2013 Organizational Background P&G is a global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer products. The company markets its products in over 180 countries spanning Americas, Europe, EMEA and Asian region. In the company profile (The Proctor and Gamble Company), P&G’s organizational structure is explained as being comprised of global business units, global operations; global business services and corporate functions.The company is organized into two global business units: beauty and grooming, and household care. The main focus of this business unit is new product upgrades, innovations and marketing plans. The company profile (The Proctor and Gamble Company) also states that P&G is one of the world's largest consumer goods companies. â€Å"Its products reach 4. 4 billion people worldwide. P has the s trongest portfolio of brands in the industry, with 50 leadership brands that generate 90% of the company’s sales and profits† (p. 123).P has a leading market position and strong brand portfolio which provides them with a competitive advantage. The 2012 company profile (The Proctor and Gamble Company) recorded revenues of $83,680 million, an increase of 3. 2% over 2011. P listed North America as the company's largest geographic market, this accounts for 39% of their total revenues. â€Å"P&G generates revenues through five reportable segments: fabric care and home care (32. 1%* of the total revenues in 2012), beauty (24%), baby care and family care (19. 4%), health care (14. 6%) and grooming (9. %)†(p. 103). The current global operations that comprise P&G's Market Development Organization involve â€Å"go-to-market† plans at the local level with dedicated retail customer, trade channel and country-specific teams. It is organized into five geographic units: North America, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa, Latin America and Asia which comprises Japan, Greater China and ASEAN/Australia/India/ Korea. For 2013, the company will be forming a joint venture in the Asian geographic unit. Intricacies of Global OrganizationsAs we prepare to expand our operations to China, we will begin by creating an international design and structure. There will be several stages that our company undergoes in an attempt to break into the Chinese market successfully. First, we plan to engage in portfolio investment in order to purchase stock from the local firms in China. Procter & Gamble Co. is a worldwide recognized company established in many markets across the globe. Therefore, although we will be emphasizing the exportation and sales of our products in the Chinese market, this stage will not be a very big operation due to our already existing global familiarity.At this time, our company will take on light training to ensure that our employees have the capabilities to do business across borders. As stated previously, we already operate across several boarders so the training will just ensure some skill sharpening among existing employees who will be affected by our expansion to China. The second stage in creating our international structure will be sales. In this stage we will be focusing on hiring managers, or training existing managers, who will specialize in purchasing and sales in China.The next stage deals with our method of entering the Chinese market, we have chosen to gradually expand into China by beginning with licensing. By doing this we have located firms that already exist in China that are capable and experienced with manufacturing our products. By licensing, we are able to cut costs and be more integral in the local community allowing for a more seamless expansion into Chinese market. The only person that will be involved in these operations from Procter & Gamble Co. will be the Sales Negotia tor that we have hired and trained.Technology will be an important tool in the vital relationship between our negotiating manager and our licensing operations. Our final and most exciting stage will be the joint venture that Procter & Gamble Co. has set up in China. We will be partnering with a local company who we will do business with for the contracted time of three years which we decided was ample time to get started in the market. A joint venture is defined as the corporation of two or more businesses in which they share assets, profits, loss and even gave a control in the organization.Both parties bear the risk of loss, as well as, a share in the assets in a joint venture. Advantages: 1. Sharing the economic risk. 2. Using larger funds 3. As a joint venture, companies will access larger funds for the production and products. Therefore, there will be greater chances of company’s growth. Disadvantages: 1. Shared profit: Both the parties have to share the profit and that m ay be the written agreement. 2. Importance of Joint Venture agreement. It is better for both the parties if everything gets clarified on the paper before signing in to the joint venture agreement. . Undesired outcome: As there will not be one party who will be liable to supervise the departments so there can be disputes and lawsuits. Employees from each company will be assigned to the new China based entity. An equal share of managers and workers from each company will be hired and re-trained to align culture and company goals among employees. P will incorporate best policies and practices from both entities in order to create equality among the IJV for employees from each entity. As we expand our operations to China, Procter & Gamble Co. ill utilize a ‘transnational’ business strategy. As a company we want to localize our company as much as possible to the Chinese community while remaining somewhat familiar to our domestic employees who will be moving with our operatio ns to China. The transnational approach allows us to attempt to maximize both global and domestic responsiveness and integration. The goal is for us to appear as a local firm in the communities we are locating to. Other attempts to localize will include various charities and fundraising for culturally important issues in the community.The company will maintain a functional structure in order to simplify communication across our many global expansions. (Dibadj, Powers & O'Connor, 2012, p. 12). Another issue that must be addressed is the role the Chinese government plays in our economic activities. There are obviously many differences between doing business in a democratic government and doing business in China which is a communist country. â€Å"As the most populous nation in the world, China offers awesome potential markets for multinationals.Currently, multinationals dominate FDI in China, but they are faced with very different risks and characteristics from the local Chinese ente rprises that have traditionally served as China’s major investors† (Chitakornkijsil, 2011, p. 1). Some of the downfalls the Chinese economy were illustrated in a study by Chitakornkijsil (2011) which concluded, â€Å"†¦the accumulating information gained from these investments shows very mixed results. Telephones cannot be connected to each other. Many Chinese are reluctant to talk to strangers. Others are bankrupt† (p. ). The government’s activity will affect our global operations in China because the lack of technology, like lack of telephones, causes a communication problem for both marketing and internal communication. Also, the social differences like not communicating with strangers may make it hard for HR to integrate the domestic and Chinese cultures in the workplace. Another risk associated with entering China is as, â€Å"†¦for intellectual-property violations, many regard China as being in a league of its own. The nation is a major wo rld center of counterfeiting.Copyright violations are conducted by unscrupulous business people and abetted by the employees of the multinationals being ripped off. Some mainland-based Western pharmaceutical manufacturers put the counterfeit rate at 10 percent or more. Increasingly, as multinationals suffer losses, decisions about whether to make further investments in China may be dropped altogether or put on hold. The counterfeiting issue influences P&G's ability to raise the prices of products because counterfeiters can undercut on price.In addition, when counterfeiters sell unsafe or inferior products, they undermine and harm its owner’s reputation and undermine loyalty to the brand with customers† (Chitakornkijsil, 2011, p. 4). Despite the various detrimental characteristics of doing business in China, there are many encouraging qualities as well. One of the benefits was mentioned by Chitakornkijsil (2011) is, â€Å"The opportunity to have access to the most popul ous nation in the world, China offers awesome potential markets for multinationals† (p. 1).Also, there are various ways to avoid the implications described previously like copyright fraud. â€Å"Various foreign multinationals depend on joint ventures with local partners to decipher the local terrain. The local partners ideally would provide knowledge of local conditions and business environments†¦However, for now, China remains a high-risk but high-potential market. † (Chitakornkijsil, 2011, p. 11). I feel confident in the joint venture we have contracted and the extensive research we’ve done about the Chinese economy.As Chitakornkijsil (2011) stated, the joint venture will ideally provide knowledge of local conditions and ultimately prevention of local issues. Although there are risks that Procter & Gamble Co. will be taking by expanding to China, it is a high-potential market and as the Senior Executive for HR, I feel the potentials outweigh the risks. Cul tural Implications and Differences The following table demonstrates some of the many cultural differences P employees will face when integrating with our Chinese counterpart. We will prepare our employees as well as the employees joining the IJV with proper cultural training.This training will be mandatory for all positions affected by the joint venture; all employees will be compensated and rewarded for completed training. At the end of training, employees will be tested for competency as it relates to their individual position in the IJV. |   |Chinese |Americans | |Conception Of the Self |Collectivist: Higher value placed on group cooperation |Individualist:   Higher value placed on self-reliance.Self-promotion| | |and individual modesty. |is more accepted. High value placed on â€Å"freedom† from externally | | | |imposed constraints. | |Social Relationships |Formal, hierarchical. People most comfortable in the |Informal, egalitarian. People most comfortable with thei r social | | |presence of a hierarchy in which they know their |equals; importance of social rankings minimized. | |position and the customs/rules for behavior in the | | | |situation. | | |Friendship |Small number of close, lifelong friends who feel deeply |Large collection of â€Å"friends† and acquaintances which changes over | | |obligated to give each other whatever help might seem |time and involves only limited mutual obligations. | |required. | | |Obligation |Relationships with other people involve reciprocal |People avoid interdependent relationships and situations that might | | |obligations. |entail long-term | |Task vs. Relationship Orientation |Relationship-oriented:   Maintaining a harmonious |Task-oriented.Relationships are less important than getting the | | |relationship has priority over accomplishing tasks. |work done. | |Harmony vs. |Avoid direct confrontation, open criticism, and |Willing to confront directly, criticize, discuss controversial | |†Truth† |controversial topics. Concern maintaining harmony and |topics, press personal opinions about what they consider â€Å"the truth. | | |with â€Å"face. |Little concern with â€Å"face. † | |Role of laws, rules, and regulations |More faith in personal relationships than in written |Written rules presumably apply to everyone and are assumed to produce| | |rules and procedures for structuring interactions. |fair, reasonable procedures and decisions. | |Time Consciousness |Relatively more attention to the past and to the |Less interested in the past; eye on near-term future. | |longer-term future. | | |Ascribed vs. Achieved Status |Traditionally, a person's status in the society was |People's status is based mainly on their own achievements, including | | |based importantly on inherited characteristics such as |education obtained and level of success realized in their line of | | |age, gender, and family.This is changing. |work. | (Selmer, 2008, p. 208). The cultu ral differences mentioned in the chart will be at the core of our training seminars. We will strive to provide employees with better understanding so that employees from both entities can integrate and feel equally understood by the company. Various Facets of the IHRM function As we globalize, Procter & Gamble will explore the locations within China that we find desirable for our company’s expansion and identify the HR challenges that will arise as we re-locate to these areas.The nature of Chinese markets is different than the United States which means that our company has to think carefully about what the given geographical locations have to offer. After careful research and deliberation we have decided to focus on China’s Tier 1 cities (Shanghai and Beijing). These areas are highly populated areas with a large, middle-class representation and income levels well above the national average. Tier 1 cities are China's most mature markets in terms of consumer behavior, an d are typically the most suitable testing ground for foreign companies with limited experience in China.As mentioned previously, we will be staffing our international joint ventures with employees from both our company and the firm we are joining in China. Although we will be using employees who are already with the companies, there will still be a selection and training process in place to ensure that the best fit employees are selected for this opportunity. Recruiting We will be utilizing and internal recruitment strategy within our firms here and also within our partner’s firm abroad to recruit employees. We will use company resources such as; bulletin boards, company intranet, email, and referrals.It may be difficult finding people who are willing to move overseas so recruiting sources should find candidates who have high receptivity to international careers which reflects their attitude toward working internationally. These include their personality, prior international experience, age, gender, marital status, and education. Each firm will hold a recruitment session on the first of the month to educate employees about the opportunity and encourage them to apply. There will be an application for this position where employees will be entered to bid for the job openings along with employees from our international partner’s firm.This will ensure that employees from both firms are equally considered for all positions. Selection After all applications are received, hiring managers from both firms will collaborate to consider the qualifications of each candidate for the positions applied for. The maturity of the candidate and their ability to integrate with new and foreign culture and policies will be strongly considered. It is also important that P&G screens candidates for most suitable personal characteristics, such as adaptability and desire to learn and experience new things and new people.During this selection of individuals, our hiring manage rs will collaborate with the partner firm’s hiring managers through a series of selection including; phone interviews, skill testing, and a final panel interview. Also, by collaborating with the managers from our joint venture we can ensure that employees from both firms are being represented equally and fairly. Management Another key decision to be made is whether to employ expatriates in senior management positions or whether to localize these roles.Employing expatriates tends to be seen to offer greater operational control, although is also more costly in terms of salary packages, relocation costs, insurance and other expenses. Also, most expatriate managers have a very limited local knowledge of Chinese cultural and business practices, and very seldom have the Chinese language skills necessary for dealing with Chinese companies on a day-to-day basis. â€Å"A key benefit of hiring a Chinese manager is the local market knowledge and deeper understanding of Chinese business they bring to the role.Not only are salary and insurance costs lower for local employees, but Chinese employees very often have existing contacts with suppliers, customers and local government authorities that can be fully utilized† (Shen & Edwards, 2008, p. 45). Unfortunately, in many industries the supply of highly skilled local managers with industry experience is extremely limited, and employers may still be forced to pay a premium to attract the right caliber of employees. Equally, staff turnover rates are extremely high in China and retaining quality managers over the long term is challenging.Losing local managers will also risk losing access to their networks and local market knowledge. Due Diligence Due diligence is an important action when setting up in China for the first time. P&G’s objective of due diligence as we globalize is ultimately to verify the trustworthiness of partners and employees, and to identify any red flags before proceeding with any sizeabl e investment. Although some basic due diligence can be carried out in-house, nowadays there are also numerous legal and risk assessment consultants with offices in China that provide business intelligence, individual background checks, and risk analysis consultancy.Compensation There are a number of different options for establishing a worldwide compensation system. P&G has chosen what we feel is the most fair and uniform system of compensation which is referred to as the HQ scale. In this approach, worldwide salary levels are established at headquarters with differentials for each affiliate subsidiary according to their differing costs of living and local geography. This way every employee will be paid uniformly and there will be no ambiguity between the pay of expatriates and local employees.Also, in efforts to support integration of cultures, there will be raises based on the completion of diversity training. P&G will also offer bonuses for those employees who achieve specific bu siness goals as well. Benefits Companies in China provide their employees and workers with a variety of benefits. Benefits are an important component of a company's compensation package for attracting and retaining its employees. The benefits, in addition to base salary, serve as incentives to the employees and encourage them to enjoy working for P.Benefits at P will include health coverage, income protection, reimbursement accounts and other programs such as Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program, Commuter Benefit Program and Adoption Assistance. Eligibility for benefits will depend on partners paid hours which must be a minimum of 240 hours in each calendar quarter. This is uniform with the requirements of local employees which will ensure that compensation is fair across both local and global operations. Taxes Another common concern is tax liability.As the employer, P is liable to pay income tax – in the form of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) – and every three m onths give the tax certificate to the employee. As far as employee income taxes, we will adhere to the current laws in China which are as follows: China Tax Rates 2012 †¢ The tax on an individual's income is progressive. As at 2013, an individual's income is taxed progressively at 3% – 45%. †¢ The 2013 corporate tax rate for domestic and foreign companies is 25%. †¢ Small companies pay 20% corporate tax in certain cases.Overseas Income †¢ An individual and company who are Chinese residents are also taxed on their income outside China and receive a credit for overseas taxes. †¢ Qualification for residence for an individual: Permanent residence in China while an individual who has no permanent residence in China but has lived in China for less than 5 years is taxed on his income in China, or overseas income that has its origins in China. †¢ Individuals staying in China more than five tax years are taxed on their worldwide income too.Table of Income Tax Rates in China for an Individual in 2013 |Tax % |Monthly Income (CNY) | |3% |1 – 1,500 | |10% |1,501-4,500 | |20% |4,501-9,000 | |25% |9,001-35,000 | |30% |35,001-55,000 | |35% |55,001 – 80,000 | |45% |80,001 and above | (New income tax rates for China employees, 2009, p. 4). Performance Management P has a systematic process by which we involve both local and international employees, as individuals and members of a group, in improving organizational effectiveness in the accomplishment of agency mission and goals. Our employee performance management includes: †¢ planning work and setting expectations, †¢ continually monitoring performance, †¢ developing the capacity to perform, †¢ periodically rating performance in a summary fashion †¢ rewarding good performanceWell-Being of the International Workforce The employee health, safety, and well-being are very important topics for P and will require extra attention by the firm in many ways. We will have to increase our attention to employee’s well-being around the world. Since we have more employees at risk because of increased global trade we will establish a more detailed health and safety policy on a global basis for all employees involved in the IJV to China. We will also have to deal with specific health and safety concerns in China such as the higher air pollution and the risk of kidnapping and/or terrorist attacks. Legal and Regulatory Environment in ChinaAlthough China's entry to the WTO in 2001 helped to liberalize China's trade environment to some extent, many industries remain heavily regulated. There are still a lot of industries that remain off-limits to foreign companies and many industries where severe limitations remain in place. â€Å"As China's economy develops, it is also accumulating a growing number of industry-specific regulations and standards, which both domestic and foreign companies should conform to. China has a host of different minist ries and regulatory organizations that are responsible for industry regulations and laws. This makes it very difficult for foreign businesses to comply† (Shunfeng, Chengsi, & Jianghuai, 2012, p. 24).In attempt to organize and comply with these regulations, P&G has done large amounts of research in attempt to unravel the web of complex laws and regulations, and try to understand which authorities have primary responsibility for implementing them. References Chitakornkijsil, P. (2011). Risks and Opportunities for Foreign Multinational Companies in China. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 4(2), 15-24. Dibadj, A. , Powers, S. , & O'Connor, M. (2012). Procter & Gamble: Time for Action — Enabling Growth Through Lower Costs and Increased Investments. Bernstein Black Book – Proctor & Gamble: Time For Action – Enabling Growth Through Lower Costs & Increased Investment, 1-213. New income tax rates for China employees. (2009).China Business Review, 21(2), 4. Selmer, J. (2002). The Chinese connection? Adjustment of Western vs. overseas Chinese expatriate managers in China. Journal Of Business Research, 55(1), 41-50. Shen, J. , & Edwards, V. (2008). Recruitment and selection in Chinese MNEs. International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 15(4/5), 814-835. doi:DOI: 10. 1080/0958519042000192960 Shunfeng, S. , Chengsi, W. , & Jianghuai, Z. (2012). INDUSTRIAL UPGRADE, EMPLOYMENT SHOCK, AND LAND CENTRALIZATION IN CHINA. Contemporary Economic Policy, 30(4), 523-532. doi:10. 1111/j. 1465-7287. 2011. 00266. x The Procter & Gamble Company. (n. d). Company Profile Retrieved from Marketline.