SWOT Analysis of Regis Corporation Essay Example for Free

SWOT Analysis of Regis Corporation Essay Section I – Organizational History Regis Corporation, a Fortune 1000 company, specializes in beauty salons, hair restoration centers, and cosmetology education. The Company owns, franchises, or holds ownership interests in approximately 12,700 worldwide locations (Regis Corporation, 2009). Regis corporate and franchise locations operate under concepts such as Supercuts, Sassoon Salon, Regis Salons, MasterCuts, SmartStyle and Hair Club for Men and Women (Regis Corporation, 2009). In addition, Regis maintains an ownership interest in Provalliance, which operates salons primarily in Europe, under the brands of Jean Louis David, Franck Provost and Saint Algue. Regis also maintains ownership interests in Empire Education Group in the U.S. and MY Style concepts in Japan. System-wide, these and other concepts are located in the U.S. and in over 30 other countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia (Regis Corporation, 2009). In its nearly 9,500 North American salons, Regis offers a wide range of hair care services including haircuts, styling and coloring, as well as a wide selection of professional hair care products (Regis Corporation, 2009). Through their 96 Hair Club for Men and Women locations, Regis also offers a comprehensive menu of hair restoration products and services (Regis Corporation, 2009). Section II – Strengths and Weaknesses I would consider two of Regis Corporation’s strengths to be their longevity brand recognition and salon geographic locations. Two of Regis Corporation’s weaknesses are poor management and poor management. Strength #1- Longevity Brand Recognition Regis began 88 years ago and since then has grown into a multi-billion dollar company. Regis Corporation owns several well-known brands such as SuperCuts, Master Cuts, Vidal Sassoon, and ProCuts. They also have their own complete hair care line of products called DesignLine. Strength #2- Salon Geographical Locations Regis strategically places all of their salons in locations with high customer traffic flow such as malls, shopping centers, and Wal-Mart Supercenters. Having salons located in these areas allows for customer flexibility as well as a highly visible location for potential walk-in clientele. Regis is also has salons operating in Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as over 400 salons operating internationally in Europe (Regis Corporation, 2009). Weakness #1- Poor Management After reading many Regis employee reviews from glassdoor.com, the majority of cons the employees listed had to do the management. Employees described management as unconcerned with quality of stylists hired, unresponsive to employee’s needs and concerns, and low opportunity for advancement. Upper and lower level management need to be properly trained and incorporate employee empowerment which includes employee recognition, sharing leadership, and providing feedback (Glassdoor.com,). Weakness #2- Poor Customer Service After reviewing many customer reviews, many of the complaints were centered on customer service issues. Some customers complained they were rushed through their service and there were complaints of having to wait over an hour for their service even though they had an appointment. Bad customer service is bad for the hair business because you not only loose that one client; you also lose any future referrals from the client and it can develop a bad reputation for the salon itself (Glassdoor.com,). Section III – Opportunities and Threats Two current opportunities for Regis Corporation’s are their hair restoration businesses and the availability of real estate for new construction. Two of Regis Corporation’s current threats are the downturn of the general economic environment and their current negative same-store sales. Opportunity #1- Hair Restoration Business In December 2004, Regis Corporation acquired the Hair Club for Men and Women (Regis Corporation, 2009). Currently this industry is comprised with numerous locations domestically and internationally. By consolidating and expanding, this industry would generate a great deal of revenue. Growth plans for hair restoration include construction of a modest number of new locations in untapped markets domestically and internationally (Regis Corporation, 2009). Opportunity #2- Availability of Real Estate for New Construction The availability of real estate for new construction is an opportunity for Regis to continue to expand not only the new construction of salons but also the construction of new hair restoration centers. By adding new units in convenient locations with good visibility and customer traffic. The availability of real estate will allow Regis to achieve long-term growth objectives (Regis Corporation, 2009). Threat #1- Downturn of the General Economic Environment Downturn of the economic environment results in customers spending less and waiting longer between returning visits to the salon. General economic factors include interest rates, recession, inflation, deflation, tax rates and policy, energy costs, and unemployment trends (Regis Corporation, 2009). Visits to hair restoration centers would be greatly impacted by increases in unemployment rates and decreases in income levels (Regis Corporation, 2009). Threat #2- Negative Same-Store Sales Same-store sales is taking the amount of revenue generated by stores (open one year or more) over a certain period and then comparing it to an identical period in the past. Many factors affect same-store sales such as fashion trends, competition, or even weather conditions. Regis same-store sales have declined for the eleventh consecutive quarter to 2.3% (Zacks Investment Research, 2011). Continued declines in same-store sales performance may cause us to be in default of certain covenants in their financing arrangements (Zacks Investment Research, 2011). Section IV – Summary Regis is a well-known brand name and had been in business for over 80 years. Regis is one of the largest companies in the hair care industry holding about 2% of the worldwide market. Their salons are conveniently located in malls, shopping centers, and even within Wal-Mart Supercenters. They have salons located all across the United States and have expanded their business to Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Regis needs to improve on their employee satisfaction in regards to management and need to focus on improving customer service relations. Regis’s newly acquired hair restoration line provides a great opportunity to consolidate and expand this industry in turn creating a great deal of revenue. The availability of real estate for new construction is also a great opportunity for Regis to expand in the construction of new salons and new hair restoration centers, which will allow Regis to achieve long-term growth objectives. A threat to Regis is the downturn of the economic environment, which results in consumers spending less and waiting longer between salon visits. If Regis same-store sales do not begin to improve it will have a huge impact on their financing arrangements.

Ethical Dilemmas in a Business

Ethical Dilemmas in a Business Introduction Ethical Dilemmas often occur in business situations as well as everyday life. These could be simple problems such as whether to lie about deadline requirements in order to get work done faster, or something complex such as manipulation of facts and figures in financial statements. The core value system of the person making any such decision plays a huge role in the extent of his or her ethical manipulation. Competitve pressure on the other hand can force people to make ethical decisions radically different from what their value system might relay. This is a problem that is widespread in todays business environment, where stepping on someone else ensures an easier platform for growth. The model of The ends justify the means has overwritten a lot of the value based ethics which was heavily ingrained in our psyche. This report hopes to make simple guidelines which will allow one to make decisions keeping a humane as well as ethical approach which emphasizes the Right decisions, not the Easy ones. Business Scenarios Entailing an Ethical Dilemma Some of the best learning regarding any Ethical dilemma occurs when one experiences it firsthand. These problems occur when we are unprepared for it, thus a pre-determined framework would prove extremely useful. Ethical decision making deals with moral issues: A moral issue is present where ever individual actions, when freely performed, may harm or benefit others (Jones, 1991, p. 367). An ethical decision is defined as a decision that is both legal and morally acceptable to the larger community whereas an unethical decision may be regarded as either illegal or morally unacceptable to the larger community (Jones, 1991, p. 367). Thus let us have a look at some examples of Ethical Dilemmas which would require such Ethical Decision Making. Company Bankruptcy and Employee Loyalty Lehman Brothers which was a premium investment bank until its Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration in September 2008 was a preferred employer for over 25000 people and their families. The company evoked a vehement sense of loyalty and pride, but bankruptcy changed all that. Lehman Brothers Services India LTD, which is the outsourcing and knowledge center in India received the news on a Monday, employees which included the author himself resolved themselves to jumping ship before even trying to see if they could do anything to help the firm. This is an ethical dilemma since on the one hand the employer has helped support the families of its employees, however on the other hand the employee has to decide quickly about the future course of action which will affect his or her family. A possible solution which would have been feasible was for the employees to provide their utmost support to management in order to steer the company out of rough waters. This is a difficult decision to make since it may even involve no pay during the period of bankruptcy, and hence almost no employee chose this decision. Service Bonds in Companies A widely used vehicle in corporate culture today is service bonds, issued by the company against almost all its new employees. These simply state that the employee must stay within the employ of the company for a certain duration before switching companies and/or leaving the job, failing which he or she would be penalized a certain amount of money. The Ethical Dilemma appears here mainly when the employee gets hired by the company while he or she may have an offer or opportunity in the near future. A prime example is when freshers are hired out of college, but they are waiting for an MBA admission. The job is just a failsafe option, and as soon as said MBA admission goes through, the employee will leave the firm. This is an Ethical Dilemma on both fronts, from the point of view of the employer as well as the employee. On the one hand, the bond is in itself a vehicle which does not hold any value in a court of law. Thus most companies will harass the employee but ultimately they are unable to recover any of the amounts mentioned in the bond, however they do withhold experience and relieving certificates. On the other hand the employee himself signs up for the training knowing full well that he or she may be leaving the job early, it is a very hedonistic approach, and is done only for self benefit, he or she does not care whether the company hired him or her keeping in mind requirements, and does not bother about the damages the company may incur due to a sudden loss of an employee. A possible solution here, which is unfortunately infeasible is a full disclosure on the part of the employee while joining up a company, this would usually result in the employer not hiring said employee to prevent any problems should the employee suddenly leave. Credit Sharing in the Workplace As rational human beings most of us understand the value of teamwork. The workplace however emphasizes this in order to have smooth and uninterrupted functioning. Teamwork is a prime requirement for any employee who joins any firm. One of the biggest ethical dilemmas faced both as an employee as well as a manager is how best to recognize individual contribution in a team based environment. It would be wishful thinking to assume that all employees contribute equally to the success of a project, thus the emergence of performance rewarding was born in the workplace. Here employees are gauged on individual performance in a team context, their contributions, mistakes as well as ideas are all assessed and suitable reward systems are kept in place. This however results in what is known as Credit Sharing whereby employees try to gain credit for work that they had a minimal contribution in. This usually happens when the work itself provides a sizeable benefit to the project, either in terms of revenue generation or cost minimization. Employees who were unrelated to this work still try to leverage it since it could provide a boost to their immediate future in terms of salary raise, or promotions. A possible solution to such a problem unfortunately cannot be found, this is simply because it is highly dependent on individual ethics to determine how low he or she may be willing to stoop to gain credit where credit was never due. Management unfortunately also cannot efficiently monitor this since it might result in inefficiencies in overall management of the project. Guidelines for Self for Dealing with Ethical Dilemmas An easy way to create a guideline for self to deal with Ethical Dilemmas, one needs a reference model of some kind which will allow for such a guideline to be created in the first place. Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Dilemmas both share a common thread in that they deal with moral issues at their core. Thus for a decision maker to act ethically he or she must (a) recognize a moral issue, (b) make a moral judgment, (c) give priority to moral concerns and establish a moral intent, and finally (d) act on the moral concerns (Selart and Johansen, 2010, p. 3). Thus logically it would be a necessary condition that the moral agent in this case the decision maker should be able to recognize a moral dilemma. This is highly relevant since pressure or competition usually dull our senses in this regard, since profits or immediate gains will be present and must be decided upon. However the severity of the moral dilemma elicits a moral impulse which could be radically different from what rationality tells us to pursue. What this means is that we may be more prone to making moral/ethical decisions, when we are able to identify the severity of the problem at hand. This is referred to as moral intensity and is a prime candidate for allowing ethical decisions to be made. Let us have a look at how some external factors could influence decision making and use them to form a basic guideline for dealing with ethical dilemmas. Effect of Stress or Competition on Ethical Decision Making Stress is deemed as having a negative effect on leaders decision making by preventing them from recognizing ethical/moral dilemmas which their decisions could entail. Time related deadlines have an effect which could result in limited focus and to cognitive biases. It also makes leaders have less access to external information sources (Selart and Johansen, 2010, p. 11). Thus a primary rule of thumb which we should ensure while dealing with any decision that could involve moral issues is Prevent or reduce stress while making a decision, since studies have shown that stress influences ethical decision making primarily through its effect on pro-social behavior or the willingness and motivation to take others interest into account (Jex et al., 2003) Studies also show that a root cause of stress related problems comes from the reward or lack of thereof which results in stress related ethical failings in managers (Selart and Johansen, 2010, p. 12). Effect of Globalization on Ethical Decision Making Globalization is the new mantra by which todays companys move. It ensures competitive advantage by reducing costs and promoting more profitable sales opportunities, it also results in a diversified and distributed workplace. This is one of the prime causes of ethical dilemmas. Being distributed could result in marginalization of branch employees when decisions affecting corporate culture or financials get made; this is often seen in the case of a lot of the leading multinationals which operate with an IT arm in India. Another great challenge for managers in global business is the misunderstanding of their decisions due to conflicting moral compasses of their stakeholders from different cultures, which could result in their best decisions being, confounded (Thompson, 2010, p. 1). An effective tool suggested to counter this is the Global Moral Compass which allows for managing complex moral challenges that business leaders cannot ignore, as well as providing an adaptive framework which allows for linking diverse value propositions and wisdom traditions (Thompson, 2010, p. 1). This is the global moral compass for business, its 4 parameters include. Vision Moral vision is the true north of the moral compass; the spiritual, affective aspect of moral identity expressed in the power of myth, narrative, and images representing core values. Code it is the moral code by means of which one lives ones life, this code is enhanced by personal experience and is ever changing. Fitness Moral fitness is the symbolic aspect of moral agency; it is ritualized action that expresses and reflects the vision and values of moral identity. Performance Performance is the proof of the pudding the intentional aspect of moral agency demonstrated in concrete decisions and behavior (Thompson, 2010, p. 13-14). Thus some more rules of thumb can be generated via the means of globalization and its effect on ethical decision making Globalization requires a more complex set of moral principles which guide decision making; this is enhanced by the use of the global moral compass which can be used to point decisions to the right direction. Globalization requires that the culture, socio-economic situations, geographies as well as history of stakeholders involved be understood to a certain degree, before a decision benefitting them all can be made. True value addition can be had when all the stakeholders are in almost full or full agreement with decisions made, thereby we may need a certain degree of inclusivity to be incorporated in decision making to ensure that stakeholders are completely in sync with the decisions being taken. Effect of Monetary Gain in Ethical Decision Making In recent times a lot of unethical decision making has been uncovered in terms of financial misreporting done by CEOs and other top ranking officials of various companies. The lure of money is thus viewed as a serious barrier in ethical decision making; this is something even laymen can understand. Simple financial incentives like bribes given to government officials influence how fast they perform work, and as such is an ingrained habit in the minds of people today especially in a corrupt bureaucracy like Indias. However studies have found that it cannot simply be narrowed down to the lure of financial incentives that lead to such behavior, other factors including CEOs narcissism, shareholders expectations and subordinate silence as well as CEOs dishonesty could all be possible causes for such unethical decision making (Chen, 2010, p. 1). Now the study also aims to look just beyond financial remuneration as a source of ethical failing on the part of the CEOs, since a lot of them have contributed to charities of some kind or the other (contributions themselves being significant). Thus this evidence suggests that simply CEOs character flaws cannot conclusively be used to resolve this ethical failing (Chen, 2010, p. 2). Some factors which could influence this include Moral or Ethical standards present in the country of origin, cultural norms which influence managerial behavior, corporate and individual corruption levels in the country of origin and incorrect assessment of information due to inflated self expectations in terms of performance. All of these factors can lead to unethical decisions being taken mainly in regards to financial reporting of the firms performance. However we must also identify the effect that stakeholders can cause on mangers when it comes to financial reporting or ethical decision making. Ever increasing expectations, continuous percentage improvement requirements and unrealistic targets all have a direct influence on managers and CEOs making the decisions that they do. However most people are ready to brush this aside as it would result in the blame being spread across people rather than rest squarely on a single person, this unfortunately is a Scape-Goat mentality and is highly ingrained in the psyche of the general populace as was amply demonstrated by the victimization of Mr. Kalmadi in the Commonwealth Games scandal in India. More attention needs to be paid to the responsibilities of shareholders, financial analysts and the financial press in setting realistic expectations for companies. Simply focusing on improving the ethical behavior of individual CEOs without removing this root cause is unlikely to have much effect on the level and frequency of misreporting (Chen, 2010, p. 15). Thus the rules of thumb which we can garner from the above include. While making financial decisions, it is better to make it keeping multiple trustworthy people in the loop, this ensures that decisions although signed off by a single entity (the CEO) would still be ratified by multiple people. The key point here is that decisions made collectively have the possibility of dissonance among stakeholders making said decisions, which would lead to further questioning of the decisions and thus a more refined and correct decisions can be made. Altruistic perspectives aside, stakeholders themselves should be able to handle negative results and management must have enough moral fiber to take the right decision in letting the stakeholders know of any failings without fear of castigation. Effect of Communication in Ethical Decision Making In todays competitive environment, communication or a lack of thereof can lead to decisions being made which may seem unethical. Information is a powerful tool which can prevent decisions which can negatively affect people. Thus communication of this information from the holders to the decision makers becomes paramount to ethical business decisions being made effectively and efficiently. Communication on corporate culture itself can have a positive impact on ethical decision making in the workplace, we thus explore the use of a Business Code of Ethics or BCE which is a pre-requisite in recent times for any company in operation. The BCE simply conveys acceptable behavioral norms and rules which are active in the workplace, and could prove to be an efficient tool in curbing unethical decision making which managers might make in the absence of such an instrument. Studies however show that such a BCE comes with several limitations, this could include, frequency of communication of the BCE, quality of communication used, reinforcement of the BCE via actions of top management, level to which the BCE is ingrained in the decision making of middle and lower level management and finally overall adoption of the BCE via the general populace in the workplace. Communication in this regard is mainly seen via the means of this code of ethics. Now this could result in certain limitations with respect to achievable targets, or patterns of behavior which can be deemed acceptable to meet said targets, however in the long run it is observed that this has a positive impact on both the quality of work culture ingrained in the organization, as well as individual ethical standards which permeates through the employee base (Kaptein, 2010, p. 16). Thus some takeaways from communication and BCE include Effective communications of acceptable ethical standards have a significant positive impact on both workplace culture as well as individual ethical/moral standards improvements. Although a certain degree of compromise must be made in terms of performance for enforcing said ethical standards, it will have a positive impact in the long run and will allow the company to overcome any future negative impacts which may have occurred had such a provision not been in place. Conclusion Thus all throughout we have seen that just external factors alone cannot be used as the final determinant of ethical decision making abilities of an individual. He or she can also influence the surroundings and make decisions which can be both Right as well as beneficial to the maximum number of people, not just his or her organization. This is illustrated by the use of effective communication, utilizing the moral compass, reduction the impact of stress and financial incentives and finally realizing that the individual has to take the ultimate responsibility of his or her decision, and although redemption may be found by attributing any fallacies to external factors, the price will still have to be paid by the individual who made the decision.

Pros And Cons Of Delegating Human Resources Management Essay

Pros And Cons Of Delegating Human Resources Management Essay A line manager is responsible for an employee or a work group who do not have any managerial responsibility. Some of the daily duties that a line manager undertakes are people management, dealing with customers/clients, monitoring work process, measuring operational performance, organising allocation and rotas and monitoring absenteeism. Although line managers play a vital role in bridging the top level management and the lower hierarchical staff on a daily basis, it is seen that most of the line managers, however, may not have formal management education because he/she is generally promoted from within. Due to the daily and frequent contacts between the line managers and the staff to whom he/she is responsible, it has been a more common practice to see the line managers undertaking several human resources responsibilities including recruiting and selection of employee the function otherwise used to be exclusively of the human resource department in the past. This is widely practiced lately mainly because of the fact that the line managers have a better understanding of the job that needs to be carried out in order to match the corporate strategy and operations strategy of the organisation. With the prevailing frequent communication between the line managers and the employees, it also contributes towards increased morale in the employees ensuring a higher productivity and competency of the employees and enhanced focus on customers. Since most of the line managers do not have formal management education, they might not be fully reliant on the managerial tasks that they perform and hence they have drawback in their undertaking of human resources tasks although they have added value to the human resources professionals by allowing them to invest their time on more strategic issues. Pros and Cons of Delegating Human Resources roles to Line Managers Cons Increased speed of decision making Line management responsibility for people issues Local management accountability Potential cost savings Strategic role for central HR/IR Short lines of communication Lack of time to perform HR duties Increase in line managers workload Additional costs of training managers Increase in grievances/tribunal cases Potential for HR/IR to be marginalized People management not considered to be part of the line managers job Pros: Increased speed of decision making: Line management responsibility for people issues Local management accountability Potential cost savings Strategic role for central HR Short lines of communication B. Cons: Lack of time to perform Human Resources duties Increase in line managers workload Additional cost of training line managers Increase in grievance/tribunal case Potential for HR to be marginalised People management not considered to be line managers job The people and performance research carried out for the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) by a team at Bath University (Hutchinson, 2003) found that the line managers played a vital role in terms of implementing and enacting HR policies and practices. They found that where employees feel positive about their relationship with their line managers they are more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment and loyalty which are associated with higher levels of performance or discretionary behaviour. Discretionary behaviour is defined as that which goes beyond the requirement of the job to give extra performance which can boost the bottom line. Line managers also play the strongest part in structuring peoples actual experience of doing a job. According to an online survey of 121 organisations, collectively employing almost a quarter of a million people, shows that four in five (80.2%) organisations have devolved responsibilities such as managing flexible working requests and handling grievance and disciplinary procedures to line managers over the past few years. And two in three predict the role of line managers will take on even more HR functions over the next few years. (Williams, 2008) Also, another interesting finding was that the line managers claimed to be satisfied with the HR responsibilities that have been devolved to them and are keen to take on activities that relate explicitly to the development of their team. Most line managers report working closely with their HR counterparts and see the configuration moving towards a partnership. The line managers main concern is that a lack of support from HR during the delivery of the service can detract from the overall effectiveness. They also note that junior level line managers are likely to feel less supported by HR and comment that it is merely their high level position that drives the HR-line partnership in their situations. (Susan Whittaker, 2003). The role of line managers in both public and private organisations has changed quite significantly in recent years. The line managers have been allocated more responsibilities and are accountable not only for budgeting and allocating of resources, but most importantly for people management issues as per Hoogenboorn Brewster (1992.). According to some sources such as Storey (1992: 190), he argues that line managers may well be playing a far more central role in labour management than HR personnel. Whereas another source, Hales (2005) traces the greater involvement of line managers in HR issues to two developments. He argues that the line managers have been taking on the role of a coach , conductor or a leader of a highly motivated team as a result of the spread of Human Resource Management and the adoption of more participative forms of management concerned with securing high performance through commitment rather than control. Human Resource Devolvement has led to line managers acquiring middle management functions and becoming mini-general managers accompanied by the loss of supervisory functions downwards to work teams. It is hence more appropriate for line managers to take responsibility for people development since they operate alongside the people they manage and therefore it is argued that that their reactions are more immediate and appropriate (Whittaker and Marchington, 2003). Initial research indicates some positive support for line manager HR involvement. Hutchinson and Purcell (2003) found that line manager involvement in coaching, guidance and communication positively influences organisational performance. Likewise, a case study of line manager involvement in HR in the NHS by Currie and Proctor (2001) found that line managers are important contributors to strategic change when provided with discretion in implementing HR strategies within their own work groups. Whittaker and Marchington (2003) maintain that line managers increasingly welcome HR responsibilities and are prepared to take them on as they add variation and challenge to their work. Gibb (2003) argues that requiring line managers to be more involved in the HR issues may also lead to a transformation of managers own attitudes towards HR, organisational change and thus a transformation of human relations at work (Gibb, 2003). By increasing line manager involvement in HR, it is argued that better workplace conditions will result as line managers have better understanding than specialists of the type and range of interventions needed. In this pursuit, line managers are assisted by more effective and user-friendly human resource information systems, new technologies and Human Resource call centres, making it possible for line managers to handle some HR work without the assistance of Human Resource Department. It is seen that a speedy resolution of conflicts and lower rate of employee turnover is possible by moving Human Resources responsibilities closer to employees through line managers. Indeed, providing greater authority to line managers and encouraging greater initiative taking may address a long-standing criticism levelled at HR departments; namely a lack of appreciation of the immediacy of the line managers problems (Harris, L, Doughty, D. Kirk, S. (2002). According to Maxwell and Watson (2006), business partnerships between HR specialists and line managers have emerged as the dominant model for Human Resources operations within organisations. Similarly, Ulrich (2005) outlines the role of HR Strategic Partners as working alongside line managers to help them reach their goals by crafting strategies to maximise productivity through alignment of corporate resources to these goals. We can hence understand that devolving HR responsibilities to line managers offers a number of benefits to organisations. A greater freedom to HR specialists to engage with strategic issues is provided enabling them to forge closer relationships with line managers and a partnership model towards managing employees is developed. Similarly, line managers understand and appreciate the complex nature of dealing with the employee issues and become more encouraged and involved in everyday workplace management tasks. However, line managers have pointed various issues concerning HR involvement despite the above mentioned benefits of participating in HR activities. It will obviously increase their workload by getting involved in HR tasks. Increased workload leads to feelings of incompetence among line managers and reluctance to take responsibility for devolved HR activities. Indeed, this has led to feelings amongst some line managers of being dumped upon (Renwick 2003: 265) or pushed upon to take new HR responsibilities (Harris, L, Doughty, D. Kirk, S. (2002):) due to a climate of fear and mistrust driven by HR. The experience and ability of line managers to take responsibility for HR issues may present a major barrier to devolvement. Both Whittaker and Marchington (2003) and Hailey, V.H., Farndale, E. Truss, C. (2005) suggest that line managers skills and competence in HR practices may be limited and a lack of training in this area will undoubtedly affect a line managers overall effectiveness. I ncapability and misunderstanding of HR practices on the part of line managers will prevent the organisation from developing a strong learning culture (McCracken and Wallace, 2000) with McGovern et al. (1997) arguing that a lack of training may lead to inconsistencies in implementing organisational HR policies potentially exposing the organisation to lawsuits and employment tribunals. Their research though, indicates that management development is not a priority for the top management and reliance on the notion of trial-and-error is prevalent in organisations. Furthermore, the failure of organisations to take a long-term developmental view is exposed by a reluctance to set aside a specific budget for training and the belief that management development is the individuals responsibility. Many line managers get under pressure to meet operational targets, and often struggle to fulfil their people management duties. This is partly because they are not equipped with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to be effective. As a result, managers sometimes effectively abdicate responsibility for aspects of people management. A commonly used phrase is thats HRs job often tends to be heard a lot in many companies whether relating to employee development, managing an individuals performance or dealing with absenteeism issues. Recent research involving nearly 3,000 employers by the Work Foundation and the Institute for Employment Studies found that organisations with a comprehensive, structured approach to people management, covering areas such as recruitment, development plans and employee appraisals, perform better than those without, as indicated by higher profits per employee, higher profit margins and ultimately higher productivity. Sometimes its easy to be critical of managers, but often theyre not properly equipped to be effective. Investment in management training requires clearly set-down policies and procedures. There appears to be lack of clear guidance and easily accessible information, its not surprising that many line managers response when an issue arises is either to pick up the phone to HR or to ignore the problem and hope it would goes away or transfer responsibility to someone else. It is interesting but to be fair to line managers, sometimes part of the problem may also lie with the HR department itself. For all the talk about wanting to devolve more responsibility to the line, in practice HR professionals are sometimes reluctant to trust line managers to manage. They are unwilling to give managers the tools and information they need to do the job effectively: after all, knowledge is power, and by being the gatekeepers of all information relating to employees, policies and processes, HR may feel that it has power. This is clearly not in the long-term interests of the HR function. HR teams must realise that if they are to fulfil their potential and be true partners to the business, then they need to trust their managers with the day-today stuff. This doesnt mean being unsupportive but continued support to line managers to assist them with responsibility for the way that people are managed. It does mean defining strategies and policies and then putting in place the frameworks and the systems that enable managers to take accountability for the day-to-day execution but in a controlled, informed and effective way. Line managers must aim to be more accountable whereas HR professionals being more strategic could assist when working together. Better solutions are needed to support key people management processes and its likely that intelligent use of technology is likely to represent at least part of the answer. Technology-based services offer organisations the potential to give much greater support to their line managers, but in a highly cost-effective way. Line managers can be given tools to walk them through common processes, access to comprehensive information about their employees, guidance on how to manage effectively, and prompts when tasks or actions are due all accessed via a single web-based service. In view of the above, making line managers responsible for the delivery of HR can be complex. Line managers may not possess the required skills needed to implement HR initiatives and may feel ill-equipped or insufficiently trained to accept responsibility for day-to-day HR tasks. Devolving HR responsibilities may also represent a lack of appreciation of the workloads, time pressures and overall priorities of line managers threatening the overall standards of HR delivery across the organisation and diminishing the value of HR. It is found that getting line managers involved in HR tasks is a step towards achieving a more strategic, value-added approach to managing employees. Line managers play an important position in the organisational hierarchy and can directly affect the quality of front-line services. It will greatly increase the existing pressures of excess workload and the need to deliver on short-term priorities by devolving line managers with HR responsibilities. It will also mean the requirement of display of a higher level of HR competency by the line managers which calls for the need for high-quality training programmes for line managers to ensure that they feel confident in discharging their new HR responsibilities. Such training may help organisations avoid costly litigation and damage to their public reputation. Therefore, HR professionals must engage with line managers and develop a partnership to bring about a speedier resolution to workplace conflicts by allowing line managers to seek guidance and advice whenever required thereby making line managers more responsible for HR.

The Effectiveness of Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Essay

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are eating disorders that severely affect both men and women around the world. The cause of the eating disorder usually derives from psychological, biological and social forces. Eating disorders have become an epidemic in American society, twenty-four million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S. (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.\, 2011). There are many ways to address and treat an eating disorder. There have been multiple studies conducted to test the effectiveness of different types of treatment. My central research question analyzes the relationship between the continuation of the eating disorder with the presence of intervention or some form of therapy. The use of therapy will take place as the dependent variable due to its relationship toward the termination of the eating disorder. There are social processes involved in the ceasing of an eating disorder or alleviating the symptoms of the disorder as shown through group therapy (Mclorb and Taub, 1987). I will review different sociological literature that approaches the relation between the continuations of eating disorders with the presence of treatment. In the observational case study by Mclorb and Taub, (1987), they interviewed participants of a group therapy session involving a group of fifteen young women battling a range of eating disorders. The therapy sessions were modeled after alcoholics anonymous meetings. The subjects would meet weekly in search of support, this was a form of therapy that allowed the subjects to involve or remove themselves at any point in time. The main purpose was to seek a sense of support from people dealing with the same issue. They discusse... ... IL: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders. Retrieved November 30, 2011 (http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/). 6) Yager, Joel, Michael J. Devlin, Katherine A.Halmi, David B. Herzong, James E. Mitchell III, Pauline Powers, Kathryn J. Zerbe. (2006) Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with eating disorders, Third edition Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association. (http://www.karwautz.at/documents/apaedsguideline2006.pdf ). Original Citation found in Bosch, Amanda, Raymond Miltenberger, Amy Gross, Peter Knudson and Carrie Breitwieser. 2008. "Evaluation of Extinction as a Functional Treatment for Binge Eating." Behavior Modification 32(4):556-576 (http://exlibris.colgate.edu/Mondo/remote-or-local-url.asp?http://search.proquest.com/docview/811355510?accountid=10207).

Poetic Techniques in John Donnes The Dream Essay -- essays research p

The Dream, by John Donne, is a poem that is filled with passionate diction, syntax, and figurative language along with a tender tone meant to convey the almost celestial feelings Donne has for his lover. The first stanza shows a wide range of fantastical language with the intention of drawing the reader slowly and steadily into the hazy, dreamlike setting. Along with the words like ?fantasy?, ?fables? and ?dreams? come affectionate phrases that effectively show us that the poem is meant to be addressed to a lover, ?Dear love? being the most obvious example. Later on in the poem, the language shifts from drowsy and steady to more intense and complicated, yet less passionate and more doubtful. Donne?s choice in the last stanza to utilize fiery words like ?torches? and phrases ?light and put out? and ?thou cam?st to kindle? depict a sense of overwhelming passion, as uncontrollable as fire. Donne doubts that he can control his lover to continue loving him as fervently as in his dream, which is why his dream lover is ?an angel? while his lover in reality is compared to fire. Don...

Can We Decrease Homlessness

Hicks 1 August 16, 2012 Can we decrease homelessness? The essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift is a brutal satire in which he suggests that the poor families should kill their young children and eat them in order to eliminate the growing number of starving citizens. At this time there was extreme poverty and a wide gap between the poor and the rich, the tenements and the landlords. Throughout the essay Swift uses satire and irony as a way to attack the indifference between classes.Swift is not seriously suggesting cannibalism; he is trying to make known the desperate state of the lower class and the need for a social and moral reform. Although this essay was written in the 1700’s we still have the same issues of homelessness and poverty in today’s modern society. Anna Quindlen Pulitzer Prize award winner author of â€Å"Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids,† states â€Å"Today the average homeless woman is younger than ever before, many have been in foster care or in shelters herself and so considers a chaotic childhood the norm† (345).Quindlen talks about the cycle of homelessness and poverty three hundred years after swifts essay. Smith goes to extreme measures to explain his new plan to raise the economic wellbeing of his country. He explains â€Å"what age is too young and what age is too old, in order to eat the Hicks 2 tenants children when they are at their prime juiciness. He also gives a list of suggestions on how to cook them. A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout. (350-352). Although he suggests to sell and cook the homeless babies. Swift is trying to point out the fact that reforms that would be practical and beneficial to the people are being overlooked for the convenience of the rich. Melanie Scheller author of â€Å"On The Mea ning Of Plumbing And Poverty,† writer for North Carolina Independent Weekly, state’s â€Å"My family was visibly and undeniably poor. My clothes were obviously hand-me-downs, I got free lunches at school, I went to the health depertment for immunizations† (356).Like swift Schellar emphasizes on what being in poverty and homeless is like. â€Å"It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants† (349).They are trying to get people to understand that not every homeless person has a way to get out and go find work so they can go find work and provide for their f amilies. Hicks 3 Peter Singer author of â€Å"The Singer solution to world Poverty,† an Australian-born philosopher and bioethicist, states â€Å"poverty, hunger, illness, and lack of shelter, these are the things that plague a majority of the people of the world and yet most of us are not even aware of it† (359).He believes that prosperous people should donate all of the money not needed for the basic requirements of life to organizations meant to help those less fortunate that are homeless and/or in poverty. Life swift he is trying to find a way to help those whom need it. Swift says â€Å"with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of entailing the like or greater miseries upon their breed forever† (353). Both Singer and Swift feel the need to help those less fortunate and want other people to know that they can help.The hole meaning is to try and get people to understand that not everyon e is as well of as them, that not everyone can just go off and get a job so they can provide for their families and that is why they end up in poverty and homeless. Swift says â€Å" I profess in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich† (353).If Swift was around today I believe he would be a great president for the United States of America and that he would actually make a great difference to those in poverty and homeless. Hicks 4 Works cited Ackley, Katherine Anne. Perspectives on Contemporary issues, 4th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006. Print. Quindlen, Anne. â€Å"Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids. † Ackley 344-346. Scheller, Melanie. â€Å"On The meaning Of Plumbing And Poverty. † Ackley 354-357. Singer, Peter. â€Å"The Singer Solution To World Poverty. † Ackley 358-362. Swift , Jonathen. â€Å" A Modest Proposal. † Ackley 348-353.

Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone Essay

The Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (RUF/SL) invaded Sierra Leone from Liberia in March 1991. Initially they claimed to be a political movement supporting ‘liberation’ and ‘democracy. Instead the RUF, in reality, was an insecurely combined organization of mainly rebellious young people that inflicted mortal disaster throughout the country of Sierra Leone. The political revolution message failed to attract popular support, the RUF board on a barbarian ten-year civil war that had devastating consequences for civilians, in particular children. General Information about Child Soldiers The numbers of child soldiers are continually variable given the growth of diverse armed conflicts. The number of children under the age of 18 who have been forced or induced to take up arms as child soldiers is commonly thought to be around of 300,000. Non-governmental military organizations tend to recruit soldiers under the age of 15.Governmental armed forces, on the other hand, are more likely to recruit soldiers under the age of 18. From what is known the age of 7 is the youngest a child soldier can be. Over 50 countries currently take on children under the age of 18 into their militia. [pic] Figure 1. The African situation since Africa has without any doubt the largest number of child soldiers[1] What is a Child Soldier? UNICEF, The United Nations Children Fund, defines child soldiers as â€Å"any child—boy or girl—under eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity[2]. According to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers: â€Å"Child soldiers perform a range of tasks including participation in combat, laying mines and explosives; scouting, spying, acting as decoys, couriers or guards; training, drill or other preparations; logistics and support functions, portering, cooking and domestic labour; and sexual slavery or other recruitment for sexual purposes.†[3] Girls are also called child soldiers and this is the case for many reasons. Girls usually fulfil numerous roles. While they are commonly recruited and used for sexual purposes, they are almost always also caught up in other military responsibilities. These include fighting, laying explosives, portering, and performing domestic tasks. How many child soldiers are there? It is difficult to give a worldwide number of child soldiers at any one time. There are various reasons as to why exact figures cannot be calculated. An example is that military commanders frequently mask children or do not allow access to observers. Armed groups regularly operate in dangerous, unapproachable zones to which observers do not have access and many children carry out support roles and are therefore not visible in military operations. How do children become soldiers? A special report on the impact of armed conflict on children which was created in 1996 explained how children become soldiers. In the report it is stated ‘Hunger and poverty may drive parents to offer children for service or attract children to volunteer as a way to guarantee regular meals, clothing or medical attention. Some children become soldiers to protect themselves or their families in the face of violence and chaos around them, while others, particularly adolescents, are lured by ideology. Children also identify with social causes, religious expression, self-determination, national liberation or the pursuit of political freedom, as in South Africa or the occupied territories.† [4] Another reason emphasizes the efficient value of children, especially for tedious tasks. An important explanation to keep in mind could be that child soldiers may be valuable for signalling purposes. A rebel leader may hope to show significance, commitment or terror through abduction of a child[5]. Finally, some people insist that young children are more malleable, adaptable, and obedient, as well as more easily persuaded and deceived. Therefore they are said to be easier to manage and retain[6]. If children are as productive as adults, we should find a disproportionate number in armed groups. The following two case studies give examples of what a girl and a boy have gone through during Sierra Leone’s devastating civil war. By describing their tasks, the reasons as to why these violate Human Rights can be clearly seen. Case Study: Fatmata Fatmata was one of only two survivors from her village in Sierra Leone. She was barely six years old when she was captured by the cruel rebel groups. She was taken to a rebel stronghold and forced to work under harsh conditions as a servant. In Fatmata’s own words: â€Å"We had to work all day while they would curse my mother and abuse me†. When she got older, Fatmata was forced to become the second wife of one of her rebel captors, therefore meaning she was raped and gave birth to the child of a rebel.[7] Case Study: Ishmael Beah In ‘A Long Way Gone’: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a successfully enthralling story of his life as a child soldier. At the age of twelve, he fled from rebel attacks and wandered a land caused to be unrecognizable by brutality. By thirteen, he had been captured by the government army, and Beah, even though he was a gentle young boy at heart, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. At sixteen, he was taken away from fighting by UNICEF. Beah, like many other child soldiers, had gone through devastating psychological traumas and through the help of the staff at his rehabilitation centre, he learned how to forgive himself, to regain his humanity and was finally able to heal.[8] Human Rights According to the Truth and Reconciliations commissions report the use of local as well as international human rights mechanisms in responding to the shocking criminal acts that took place in Sierra Leone during the previous decade is important to the development of international human rights law[9]. Sierra Leone became a member of the United Nations in 1961 and is a signatory to most of the important human rights committees including the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The Government of Sierra Leone has also ratified the optional protocol. Children Rights Act has been enacted in Sierra Leone quite recently in 2007. The Government of Sierra Leone signed and ratified the Protocol on 8 September 2000 and 15 May 2002. Convention to the Rights of a Child The Convention to the Rights of a Child (CRC) is built on diverse legal systems as well as cultural traditions. The Convention is a universally agreed set of fixed standards and obligations. These human rights set the least amount of pre-emptive declaration and freedoms that should be valued by governments. In Article 38, the Convention on the Rights of the Child insist that governments to take all possible measures to guarantee that children under 15 have no direct involvement in warfare. The Convention also sets 15 years as the minimum age at which a person can be willingly recruited into or willingly signs up in the armed forces.[10] Optional Protocol The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the contribution of children in armed conflict symbolizes a progressive leap in the international law in order to defend children from the damaging effects of recruitment and use in warfare. The Protocol requires States who authorize it to obtain all practicable measures to make sure those members who are part of their armed forces and are under the age of 18 do not have a direct involvement in the fighting’s. States must also raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into the armed forces from 15 years but does not require a minimum age of 18. The Protocol reminds States that children under 18 years are entitled to distinctive protection and so any voluntary recruitment under the age of 18 must include adequate protection. Compulsory recruitment below the age of 18 is fully banned and States parties must also take legal measures to forbid self-governing armed groups from recruiting and using children under the age of 18 in conflicts.[11] ARTICLE 1 of the Optional Protocol: ‘States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that members of their armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities.’ This shows that the Protocol raised the age that children are allowed to be a member of an illegal or legal armed force from 15 years to 18 years. UNICEF and ‘The International Rescue Committee’ and how they have helped In Sierra Leone, UNICEF was the lead agency for child protection, which worked with its colleagues to reduce arms, and to release and reconnect process for child soldiers from 1998 to 2002.They construct protective and healthy educational environments where former child soldiers obtain the opportunity to learn how to live without weapons, gain new skills which enables them to be prepared for their future and to learn how to become prolific citizens in their society. Most importantly they are given a second chance to learn how to be children again. Demobilized children were moved to temporary care centres supported by UNICEF where they were given health care and also psychosocial counselling. They also participated in educational and recreational activities while family tracing reunification was going on. A vast majority of former child soldiers have been reunited with their families. Access to education and family and community support programmes have been the key to their success to help the former child soldiers[12]. With headquarters in Freetown and three field offices in Kono, Kenema and Kailhaun districts, the International Rescue Committee provides programs that focus on child protection, education, and health, specifically for former child soldiers after the civil war ended in 2000. The IRC works to increase local participation in project activities, build local capacity, promote and protect human rights, partner with local communities and organizations, and address relief and development needs in a holistic fashion. The Revolutionary United Front rebels released 600 child soldiers. The International Rescue Committee provided education, skills training, and psychosocial care to 100 of them[13]. Conclusion To conclude, there have been many programmes that have been created to reduce and assist former child soldiers. Off course it is not possible to help every single child soldier and there are many reasons for this. Some of the reasons are that there are still a number of these soldiers that may still be involved and their whereabouts are not known. During the civil war, many of the parents of these children were killed, so it is difficult to reunite them with their families, and if they are lucky another family member may still be alive in order to look after them. Organisations, like UNICEF, provide homes for former child soldiers who are unlucky to not have anybody. By education and counselling, children learn to forgive themselves for violent crimes they were forced to commit and help themselves to progress in the future. REFERENCES †¢ Beah, I (2007). ‘A Long Way Gone’: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Harper Perennial. p5-218. †¢ Beber, B and Blattman, C. (2010). The Industrial Organization of Rebellion: The Logic of Forced Labor and Child Soldiering*. Available: http://chrisblattman.com/documents/research/2010.IOofRebellion.pdf. Last accessed 6th December 2010. †¢ Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers. (2007). Questions and Answers. Available: http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/questions-and-answers. Last accessed 1st December 2010. †¢ Michael Odeh and Colin Sullivan. Children in Armed Conflict. Available: http://www.yapi.org/rpchildsoldierrehab.pdf. Last accessed 8th December 2010. †¢ Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (1990). Convention on the Rights of the Child . Available: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm. Last accessed 8th December 2010. †¢ Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2000). Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. Available: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc-conflict.htm. Last accessed 8th December 2010. †¢ Report of the Sierra Leone Truth & Reconciliation Commission. (2004). Children and the Armed Conflict in Sierra Leone. Vol. 3B, p231-340. †¢ Spagnoli, F. (2008). Human Rights Quote (49): Child Soldiers. Available: http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-on-war-conflict/statistics-on-child-soldiers/. Last accessed 8th December 2010. †¢ UNICEF. CHILD SOLDIERS. Available: http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/soldiers/soldiers.pdf. Last accessed 1st December 2010. †¢ UNICEF. FACTSHEET: CHILD SOLDIERS. Available: http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/childsoldiers.pdf. Last accessed 8th †¢ UNICEF. (29 April 2008). What is a child soldier?. Available: http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_childsoldiers.html. Last accessed 4th December 2010. †¢ UN Works. Fatmata’s Story. Available: http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers/fatmata_story.html. Last accessed 8th December 2010. ———————– [1] Spagnoli, F. (2008). Human Rights Quote (49): Child Soldiers. Available: http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-on-war-conflict/statistics-on-child-soldiers/. Last accessed 8th December 2010. [2] UNICEF. (29 April 2008). What is a child soldier?. Available: .† http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_childsoldiers.html. Last accessed 4th December 2010. [3] Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers. (2007). Questions and Answers. Available: http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/questions-and-answers. Last accessed 1st December 2010. [4] UNICEF. CHILD SOLDIERS. Available: http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/soldiers/soldiers.pdf. Last accessed 1st December 2010. [5] Beber, B and Blattman, C. (2010). The Industrial Organization of Rebellion: The Logic of Forced Labor and Child Soldiering*. Available: http://chrisblattman.com/documents/research/2010.IOofRebellion.pdf. Last accessed 6th December 2010. [6] Beber, B and Blattman, C. (2010). The Industrial Organization of Rebellion: The Logic of Forced Labor and Child Soldiering*. Available: http://chrisblattman.com/documents/research/2010.IOofRebellion.pdf. Last accessed 6th December 2010. [7] UN Works. Fatmata†™s Story. Available: http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers/fatmata_story.html. Last accessed 8th December 2010. [8] Beah, I (2007). ‘A Long Way Gone’: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Harper Perennial. p5-218. [9] Report of the Sierra Leone Truth & Reconciliation Commission. (2004). Children and the Armed Conflict in Sierra Leone. Vol. 3B, p231-340. [10] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (1990). Convention on the Rights of the Child . Available: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm. Last accessed 8th December 2010. [11] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2000). Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. Available: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc-conflict.htm. Last accessed 8th December 2010. [12] UNICEF. FACTSHEET: CHILD SOLDIERS. Available: http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/childsoldiers.pdf. Last accessed 8th [13] Michael Odeh and Colin Sullivan. Children in Armed Conflict. Available: http://www.yapi.org/rpchildsoldierrehab.pdf. Last accessed 8th December 2010.