Effect of recession or credit crunch on telecom companies case study Research Proposal

Effect of recession or credit crunch on telecom companies case study ORANGE - Research Proposal Example The cascading effect has made the companies to think about the ways and means to handle the crisis. The telecom sector which initially gave indications of defying the recessionary trends has also started feeling the pinch. Saverio Romeo, the ICT analyst at Frost & Sullivan recently said that, the IT sector is going to be hit mainly in two ways1; Technology has brought about many changes in almost all spheres of life. Information technology in particular has proved to be a great influence towards transforming the way we communicate, listen to radio broadcasts, watch television broadcasts, impart education, search for information, track the movement of processes and services etc. Telecom sector is the key beneficiary of the IT revolution. Today, a simple mobile instrument can be used for services like, mobile-banking, storing songs, m-commerce, handy television receiver, net-surfing etc. besides serving as a telephone instrument. Telecom companies are making fullest use of this fusion in ICT by coming out with a number of schemes for retaining the existing customers as well as for attracting the potential customers. Reputed brands like 'Orange' have been investing in Research and Developmental activities as well. 'Orange Labs' from the France Telecom-Orange Group play a leading role in carrying this trend forward. With the he lp of a strong team of about 5,000 researchers, marketers, and engineers the company has been actively on way to provide best available services to its customers. But the moot question is how long they can sustain such efforts if recession continues longer. Efforts will be made through this study to figure out how companies are moving forward to contain the damage. Objectives of the Study This study is primarily being undertaken to study the telecom sector in general and how the recessionary trends are impacting the sector. With the help of examples like that of Orange, efforts will be made to find out concrete policies, if any, being undertaken by the companies in this direction. The study will try to seek answers to the following key objectives; i. Analysing the growth of the telecom sector in the last couple of years ii. Analysing some of the previous challenging situations that the telecom sector went through, and how the sector was able to pass thru iii. Analysing how some of the leading telecom companies have been performing in the recent past. iv. Analysing the policies being adopted by some of the governments in different parts of the world to help the telecom sector. v. What constructive role the Government as well as other stakeholders can play to see that the telecom sector is able to sustain the crisis like situation. Research Methodology The research will be carried out with the help of; i. Existing literature on the subject from government database, telecom sector companies, international organisations or other reliable sources available on the internet. ii. By going out in the field and assessing the ground reality by way of soliciting the views of users/ consumers in the sector iii. By seeking the opinion of the some of the experts in the field, from private sector as well as from the

Equality and Diversity Essay Example for Free

Equality and Diversity Essay In this module I am going to discuss about the aspect of equality and diversity within the health sector, about Act and legislations and the role official bodies (CQC and OFSED). Moreover, I am going to define the terminology of equality and diversity. The example of the policies and procedure that I am using is the one from the company that I am currently working for; Positive Community Care (PCC) and the names of the service users has not been mentioned because of data protection Act1998. Equality means being in the same in quantity, size, degree, value or status, evenly or fairly balanced. A good example is two football teams were playing a game and the pitch was slanted in one direction, thus making it an unfair situation for one of the team. It will be unfair for them and they won’t have an equal opportunity of winning. Equal means to have the same value but it does not mean that thing have to be identical, for example one kilogram of rice and one kilogram of flour in weight is the same., but they don’t have the same â€Å" physical characteristics†. In the UK equality means that everyone is valued as individuals. It also means that everyone has equal rights and that there is a balance of power in the county. One good example is democracy where all the citizens living in the UK have the liberty to vote. Furthermore, Health care in the UK is unequally distributed because it is linked to other life factors, namely socio-economic groups. Poverty is one of the major contributions to ill health; the government is trying to implement changes like clean water supplies, efficient sewage works, less overcrowded housing, improved diet in order to minimise inequality among people. Besides, people and children from lower income families are more likely to suffer from infectious and parasitic diseases, poisonings, accidents, respiratory diseases and cancer than those with a higher income groups. â€Å"Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty, et al., 1995).† http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hr022 (accessed on 21.04.12) The National Health Service (NHS) was set up to help to eliminate the worst excesses of ill- Health when people could not afford to seek medical attention but this does not give people the right to health care. The homeless and travellers were not able to have access to General Practitioners (GP) as they didn’t have a permanent address. As hospitals, NHS, GPs and primary care trusts are public organisations; they are required to operate within the law set by the Equality Act 2010, which means they have a duty to promote equal opportunity and not to discriminate on the grounds of protected characteristics. In every study or work place, they are required to have policies and procedures relating to equality and diversity. Codes of conduct are also very important. These are the statements about how an organisation intends to implement the laws that exist and prevent any type of discrimination. In order to protect and maintain equality at work, laws are in place to make sure people is not discriminate on the grounds of race, age, sex (including maternity and pregnancy), Marital status (including civil partnership status), Gender reassignment, Sexual orientation (gay or lesbian), Disability, Religion/ belief, Trade union membership or being a non-member and Employment statues (full-time, part-time or bank). Policies and procedures and codes of conduct are aimed to encourage values and manage diversity and thus, provide equality for all. Moreover, it also creates a work force that is representative of the communities from which employers are recruited and say what is expected of employees regarding equality and diversity. Finally, it is to set out legal rights and responsibilities of employees in relation to equality and diversity. Thompsons PCS Model According to Neil Thompson (2009): It is a model that has been developed by in his work place to enables and guide us to have a better understanding of how discrimination works in society. It explains the features of the model clearly as it help to demonstrate how discrimination is much wider and difficult than the views, attitude and behaviors of the person. Furthermore, it helps us to distinguish how prejudice, stereotyping, labelling and discrimination are surrounded in different part of our society. How does the PCS Model work? P Refers to the personal or psychological level (thoughts, feelings, views, attitudes and actions of the person involved in the decision or case). C Refers to the cultural level, which focuses on shared ways of seeing, thinking and doing (Thompson, 2009). He also defines it as ‘an assumed consensus about what is right and what is normal producing conformity to social norms. For example â€Å"Children should be bought up by mother and father† or â€Å"men are better with manual work than women†. S Refers to the structural level, which Thompson defines as being associated to the network of social divisions that make up society. He argues that oppression and discrimination are institutionalized and thus sewn in to the fabric of society (2009). It is also worth considering how institutions such as the health service, the education sector and other public services might be prone to structural influences, and what impact this may have on certain groups within society. Here is an example of that has been broken down using the Thompsons PCS Model: A severely disabled woman who is confined to her wheelchair and needs help with eating and drinking goes on day out with staff at a theme park. At the restaurant, the manager asks if she would mind eating in a separate room as it is putting the other guests off their food. P Personal: The disabled woman who is witnessing the situation is being subject to direct discrimination due to her disability. It is linked to her thoughts, feeling and the negative attitude of the hotel owner. C Cultural: In our modern society it unbelievable of where do his views come from? What are his assumptions about disability? That disabled people are worthless and has no right to sit down with other people in the dining room (e.g. their right to eat where they want doesnt count)? S Structural: What part do the media play in this? Do the media include the voice of people with a disability? How many disabled people do we commonly see on the television? This means that disabled people remain invisible and â€Å"dehumanized†. On a more positive note the DDA 2005 puts a duty on organizations to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people the DDA would have given the disabled woman who suffered a discrimination redress. The Thompson’s PCS Model is explained using Acts and Legislations: In 1975 and 1976 the Sex Discrimination Act and Race Relations Act came into force. Thirty years later, it was recognized and reinforced because of the inequalities and abuses in societies that continued to occur. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Equality Act 2006 came into force in order to strengthen the Act as inequalities and discrimination continues to prevail on gender and ethnicity. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (following previous legislation in 1995) was amended. â€Å"An advocate should be free from conflicts of interest with those providing services to the person they are working with and should represent the other persons interest as if they were the Advocates own.† http://www.devon.gov.uk/advocacy.htm (accessed 30.04.2012). It helps people to voice their opinion and to be understood. It also gives them support, information, backing, and a service to help them and to make choices. Furthermore, it is cost effective as it is free and is a confidential service which is easily available to everyone.

Effect of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on Labor Supply

Effect of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on Labor Supply Michael Lederman How does the EITC affect labor supply? The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides a tax credit for those who qualify with positive earnings, low income, and minimal capital gains. It is more so directed at working families, whether it is 2 parents or a single mother. It is intended to push more people into the work force, especially low-income women. In fiscal year 1998 the EITC is expected to cost the federal government $24.5 billion, $7 billion of which will result from expansions incorporated in the 1993 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA93) (Houser Scholz, 2). It pushes for a â€Å"make-work pay† strategy of welfare reform so people do not rely as heavily on welfare programs. There are many articles that discuss what effect the Earned Income Tax Credit has on labor supply in America and the way the policy has affected so many. In â€Å"The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Social Policy Reforms on Work, Marriage, and Living Arrangements† by Ellwood, he examines how changes in social reforms, such as the EITC, have impacted labor supply, marriage, and cohabitation. Ellwood acquired and used the current population survey from March 1995 of women ages 18-44 who worked at least 26 weeks, also separating between married or single, with children. Then he used a wage equation to predict a potential 1998 wage for the women. Then the predicted wage was used to place the women into predicted wage/skill quartiles after accounting for education level. The incentives were much higher for low skill single mothers to work. Differentiating the women between skill and wage levels is critical in determining which group of people receives benefits and which don’t get affected at all. In 1986, she could hope to earn just $2,800 more and her effective tax rate being 76 percent; but by 1998, the number ha d jumped to $7,600 with her effective tax rate falling to 31 percent (Ellwood). The lowest quartile showed the greatest amount of change, and the following quartiles showed change, but nothing too drastic. Employment rates were rising for unmarried mothers. For married women, incentives to work were sharply reduced for low-income women, with effective tax rates falling slightly for women in other quartiles. A large change in work by the lowest quartile occurred with employment rates shooting up from 34 percent in 1992 to 55 percent in 1999. In regard to married women, some cases led to them being discouraged to work. Roughly 54 percent of married women in the bottom quartile would have faced penalties up to $1,288 (had they been earning $10,000) whose husbands likely were earning less than the EITC maximum. Another 28 percent would have had no incentive to work because their husband’s income surpassed the EITC maximum. The EITC encouraged more work force participation by sing le mothers, but hadn’t had such an effect on married mothers. Overall, based on the number of mothers in each group affected, this article concluded the EITC results in a net increase of working women. In â€Å"The Earned Income Tax Credit and Transfer Programs: A study of Labor Market and Program Participation† by Dickert and Scholz, they focus on the degree to which welfare policies, like the EITC, that alter after-tax wages affect hours of work, labor market participation, and welfare program participation. They used the following empirical model to study the effect of wages, taxes, and program benefits on labor market and program participation; bivariate probit models of labor market and transfer program participation. They included variables for income, transfers, and demographic characteristics in both participation equations. Two models are estimated separately: one for one-parent families and the other for primary earners in two-parents families. Net wages are key in influencing participation when it comes to the EITC. The empirical results for the single parent model found that net wages positively affected labor market participation. A 10 percent increase in the af ter-tax wage raises the single parent’s probability of working by two percent (Dickert Scholz). Two-parent families do not show any significant changes in labor market decisions for primary earners. Tax rates were also found to exert a strong negative effect on the probability of labor force participation. For single parents, the probability of working generally increases with predicted wage rates. In the bivariate probit model for single-parents families, a highly significant negative correlation is found between the labor market and transfer program participation. The article also examines the offset between the new participants in the labor force and the decrease in hours worked by those already working. The simulations show the EITC increases net wage of single parents by 15 percent, which in turn increases their probability of working by 3.3 percentage points. Assuming they work on average 20 hours a week for 20 weeks a year, this implies hours worked by single-parent f amilies would increase by 72.8 million hour per year (Dickert Scholz). Overall, the simulation results imply that greater labor market participation will lead to an increase of 74.4 million hours, compared to the 54.5 million hours less worked by those already in the work force, more than enough to offset. This article accounts for both the positive and negative effects EITC has on the labor force, and explains how the two cancel each other out with extra benefits to society. In the article â€Å"Welfare, The EITC, and the Labor Supply of Single Mothers† by Meyer and Rosenbaum, they focus on the effect that tax and transfer program had on incentivizing single mothers to work. They use the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group Files and the March CPS files. Estimates from these specifications suggest that EITC and other tax changes account for 60 percent of the 1984-1996 increase in employment of single mothers (relative to single women without children). The article highlights the fact that the EITC credits increased from $1.6 billion in 1984 to $25.1 billion in 1996. A structural model was created, which accounts for taxes, welfare, Medicaid, welfare waivers and time limits, training and childcare, education, unemployment rate and macroeconomic conditions, and hours worked. These variables of empirical evidence are absolutely essential when making informed policy decisions. Every factor must be taken into account when making policy dec isions, and the more evidence and information you get involved, the more solidified your conclusion. A one thousand dollar reduction in income taxes if a woman works increases employment last week by 2.7 percentage points and last year by 4.5 percentage points; labor supply of single mothers responds to taxes. A one thousand dollar reduction in annual welfare maximum benefit increases employment last week by 3.4 percentage points and increases employment by 3 percentage points. Also, a 10 percent cut in the maximum benefit increases both annual and weekly employment rate by 1 percentage point (Meyer Rosenbaum). The period between 1984 and 1996 where tax and transfer policy was being pushed encouraged single mothers to work more. The one flaw I can find in this article is no discussion about the different phases that EITC entails. An individual experiences different incentives at different points of the EITC, and that is something that must be accounted for. A matter in question I believe needs changing is a way to figure out how to get change the fact that two-thirds of recipients, and 84 percent of total earnings, are in the phase-out range of EITC (Browning). It must be more focused on the phase-in region, where the growth of labor supply is actually occurring. The favorable benefits and results happen during the phase-in region, but sadly this is a small proportion of the population of recipients. A policy recommendation I would suggest would be to somewhat change the structure of the EITC to prevent this waste of money from transpiring. Perhaps a brand new welfare program needs to be put into place instead of the EITC that focuses more on the increased net wages for those who truly need it. An possible option would be for a recipient entering the phase-out region to report their earnings so that it may be determined whether they still should qualify to receive these net wage increases. In conclusion, these articles all feed off of one another to build up knowledge of the exact effects the EITC has on society. Single mothers experience higher incentives to join the work force, along with other low-income individuals. When structuring a model to research the effect of policy, it is crucial to take every variable into account. The EITC does cause decrease hours worked, but the increase in labor supply makes up for it. Increased net wages with the EITC is a big enough incentive to push people into work. It is important to doubt empirical methods and be suspicious of results. For example, some women with children may not be able to work to due the need to take care of their children, or any other possible factors as so. With the evidence stated here, we can claim EITC positively affected labor supply. Reference List Browning, E. K. (1995). EFFECTS OF THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT ON  INCOME AND WELFARE. National Tax Journal, 48(1), 23-43. Dickert, S., Houser, S., Scholz, J. K. (1995). The earned income tax credit and  transfer programs: a study of labor market and program participation. In  Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 9(pp. 1-50). MIT Press. Ellwood, David T. 2000. â€Å"The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Social  Policy Reforms on Work, Marriage, and Living Arrangements.† National Tax Journal, no. 4: 1063-1105. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost Meyer, B. D., Rosenbaum, D. T. (2001). Welfare, the earned income tax credit, and  the labor supply of single mothers.The Quarterly Journal of Economics,116(3), 1063-1114. Michael Lederman

American Labor Movement: Development of Unions :: American America History

American Labor Movement: Development of Unions The American Labor Movement of the nineteenth century developed as a result of the city-wide organizations that unhappy workers were establishing. These men and women were determined to receive the rights and privileges they deserved as citizens of a free country. They refused to be treated like slaves, and work under unbearable conditions any longer. Workers joined together and realized that a group is much more powerful than an individual when protesting against intimidating companies. Unions, coalitions of workers pursuing a common objective, began to form demanding only ten instead of twelve hours in a work day. Workers realized the importance of economic and legal protection against the powerful employers who took advantage of them. (AFL-CIO American Federalist, 1) The beginnings of the American Labor Movement started with the Industrial Revolution. Textile mills were the first factories built in the United States. Once factory systems began to grow, a demand for workers increased. They hired large amounts of young women and children who were expected to do the same work as men for less wages. New immigrants were also employed and called "free workers" because they were unskilled. These immigrants poured into cities, desperate for any kind of work.(Working People, 1) Child labor in the factories was not only common, but necessary for a family's income. Children as young as five or six manned machines or did jobs such as sweeping floors to earn money. It was dangerous, and they were often hurt by the large, heavy machinery. No laws prevented the factories from using these children, so they continued to do so. (AACTchrNET, 1) "Sweatshops" were created in crowded, unsanitary tenements. These were makeshift construction houses, dirty and unbearably hot. They were usually formed for the construction of garments. The wages, as in factories, were pitifully low, no benefits were made, and the worker was paid by the number of pieces he or she completed in a day. Unrealistic demands were put on the workers who could barely afford to support their families. (1) The United States had the highest job-related fatality rate of any other industrialized nation in the world. Everyone worked eighty hours or more a week for extremely low wages. Men and women earned twenty to forty percent less than the minimum deemed necessary for a decent life. The number was even worse for children. (Department of Humanities Computing, 2) Often workers would go home after a long day and have to continue work on an unfinished product, which they had to return to the factory in the morning.

Describe the definition of nursing as put forward by the American Nurses Association. How does it address the metaparadigm theories of nursing? Essay

The ANA defines nursing as â€Å"the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations† (American Nurses Association website, n.d.). The 4 metaparadigms of nursing are person, environment, health/illness, and nursing. All 4 are interrelated and describe the central interest of the nursing discipline (Gunther, 2011). The ANA addresses the 4 concepts in its definition of nursing. The person is central to the ANA definition. Nursing considers a person as a whole and not only the present illness. The nursing process allows a nurse to focus on a patient as an individual. In defining nursing, the ANA addresses the concept of The Person when referring to â€Å"the individuals, families, communities, and populations† (ANA website, n.d.). By collecting pertinent data, nurses identify patient’s current responses and the ability of that person to manage his/her care, and are then able to make clinical judgments about individual, family, or communities’ response to health problems or life processes. One of the six essential features of nursing put forth by the ANA is â€Å"attention to the range of human experiences and responses to health and illness within the physical and social environments† (ANA website, n.d.). Nursing is concerned with human responses as they relate to the person’s environment whether it is in the hospital or in the community. With the help of the nursing process, nurses assess the person’s environment through the collection of subjective and objective data, perform risk assessments, identify safety hazards, and implement safety practices that will improve the patient’s health status and prevent further injury or illness. The first two concepts are closely related to the third concept: Health/Illness. It is also addressed in the ANA’s definition of nursing. Nurses use critical thinking to promote and restore health, and prevent illness. Through evidence-based practice, nurses are able to provide scientific rationales for the nursing interventions chosen to reach appropriate patient goals. Emphasis is often placed on patient education, the basic purpose of which is to provide patients and their families with the necessary skills that will  enable them to optimize their health and functioning (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, & Lynn, 2011). The fourth concept refers to the actions a nurse takes when providing patient care (Gunther, 2011). This concept incorporates within itself the first three and it is embodied in the ANA definition of nursing as a whole. Nurses use a unique knowledge base to diagnose and treat a wide range of human responses to a variety of factors, including not only the physiologic but also the sociologic, spiritual, and environmental factors. Nurses establish and carry out a plan of care for each person individually through the use of well-established actions to facilitate health and healing. References American Nurses Association website. (n.d.). www.nursingworld.org Gunther, M. (2011). Theories and frameworks for professional nursing practice. In J. L. Creasia, & E. E. Friberg (Eds.), Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed.). Retrieved from https://evolve.elsevier.com Taylor, C. R., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., & Lynn, P. (2011). Fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of nursing care (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Pestle Factors Essay

PESTEL analysis stands for â€Å"Political, Economic, Social, and Technological, Environmental and Legal analysis†. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing market research and gives a certain overview of the different macro-environmental factors that the company has to take into consideration. Political factors or how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labor law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided and those that the government does not want to be provided. Furthermore, governments have great influence on the health, education, and infrastructure of a nation. Economic factors – Businesses need to make money to continue to exist. They do this by listening to customers to ensure they keep their customers and attract new ones with good services that customers want and need. It is extremely important for businesses to respond to changes in demand from customers. They include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a firm’s cost of capital and therefore to what extent a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy. Social factors – Society’s habits and tastes are changing. People are more aware of the importance of the environment and becoming ‘green consumers’. Green consumers prefer goods and services that are ‘environmentally-friendly’ and which have less impact on the environment. They include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a company’s products and how that company operates. For example, an ageing population may imply a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labor). Furthermore, companies may change various management strategies to adapt to these social trends (such as recruiting older workers). Technological factors – Businesses are continually developing new technologies to provide the best solutions for the market place. Intelligent companies find out what the most appropriate technologies are for their businesses and use them. They include ecological and environmental aspects, such as R&D activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. They can determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions. Furthermore, technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to innovation. Environmental factors – include weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness to climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products they offer-it is both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. Legal factors – Legal changes that affect business are closely tied up with political ones. Many changes in the law stem from government policy. They include discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products.