Advantages Of The Euro Currency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advantages Of The Euro Currency - Essay Example The greatest advantage of the Euro is that there is regional currency stability due to the fixed exchange rates. The Euro has led to price stability within the EU characterized by low inflationary trends and stable public finances. This has increased the credibility of the Euro due to large currency zone thus stability against the speculation. This credibility is reinforced by a common monetary policy that is governed by the European Central Bank. Currency stability has encouraged trade as there is a reduction in both external and internal currency instability. The single currency eliminated the risks involved in exchange rates making importers and exporters better placed to make accurate growth projections in foreign markets. Businesses no longer pay hedging costs as insurance against currency fluctuations. They are also spared against the costs incurred as a result of accounting across currencies. Small businesses are the greatest beneficiaries as they would otherwise incur greater costs as a result of currency fluctuation, unlike large multinationals that enjoy the benefits of economies of scale. This has encouraged entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operators' to trade beyond geographical boundaries and expand their businesses (BBC News, 1998). The single currency has encouraged tourism as people are spared the task of currency exchange thus red tape procedures are eliminated. This means that tourists are not at risk because of carrying huge sums of money and do not encounter extra charges because of commissions (BBC News, 1998). It has enabled individuals to trade beyond their geographical locations and compare prices. The internet has made this even better as one can easily shop for the best offer on a product or service.

Competency based HR Activities&8207 in Oman Private sector Dissertation

Competency based HR Activities† in Oman Private sector - Dissertation Example The vision as outlined in its HRD strategy (Vision 2020) is: â€Å"To develop human resources and the capabilities of the Omani people to generate and manage technological changes efficiently, in addition to facing the continuously changing local and international conditions, in a way that ensures maintaining the Omani traditions and customs.† The need to diversify in order to reduce its reliance on oil is of major importance and the expectation is that the private sector will be most able to help the country to realise that vision. According to Potter (1989, p.26) effective localisation (Omanisation) occurs when a local (Omani) filling a job is sufficiently competent to fulfil organisational needs. The strategies by which the Government of Oman plans to achieve its long-term â€Å"Vision 2020† plan are: sustainable development within a stable macroeconomic framework; human resources development; diversification of the economy; and development of the private sector (UNE SCO Report n.d.). ... Challenges The dependence on expatriate labour has serious consequences politically, economically and socially (Rees et al 2007). Oman along with other Middle Eastern countries has been highly dependent on expatriate workers for advanced technical and professional expertise and manual labour (Aycan et al 2007, p. 13). Human capital is recognised as the means to social progress and economic development, and therefore the development of Omanis is seen as the key to the realisation of Oman’s vision. This is especially important with the emphasis that has been has placed on Omanisation. According to Ghailani and Khan (2004) the private sector is viewed as one of the main vehicles for growth and development through which greater employment generation is likely to occur. In the long run Omanis rather than expatriates are expected to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the private sector (Al-Hamadi et al 2007). In this regard the Government’s social policy and specifically that connected with the development of the skills of Omanis has taken priority as it strives to enhance the capacity of its people to participate effectively in the country’s development (UNESCO Report n.d.). Another challenge is the increasing unemployment of Omanis, especially those who have only completed secondary education. This situation exists amidst the high percentage of expatriates employed in the private sector. Omanis remain reluctant to take up certain positions in the private sector. Al-Hamadi et al (2007, p.104) states that data suggests that Omanis have a preference for certain sectors while they reject others such as construction and other manual jobs. Therefore, there are doubts that targets for certain industries in the private sector will ever be met without some

Knowledge Dilemma and Strategies for Knowledge Management

Knowledge Dilemma and Strategies for Knowledge Management Introduction Information being exchanged amongst the workers of an organisation is a system that has been an essential constituent of the procedure of knowledge management. With the introduction of the contemporary information and communications technology within corporations, it has become very convenient and has also become a valuable support function to make such exchanges possible by reducing the obstructions of time and distance. On the other hand, those corporations that have invested in technologies of this kind are frequently faced with the complications of inducing the workers to utilise the purpose of those technologies in order to communicate their knowledge and perceptions. The knowledge share/hoard predicament is a socio-psychological behaviour aspect that describes that employees feel the need to not share information or organisational knowledge that they posses because it may eventually harm their own status within the organisation or by sharing knowledge may therefore provide a co mpetitive advantage to their colleagues, over them. This has been elucidated further in Sabrautzki 2010 that since organisational knowledge is a collective resource employees may make use of it without actually contributing towards developing or increasing it. However, sharing or hoarding knowledge does have their own results which may be in a positive or a negative manner. Individuals usually hoard knowledge when they feel that sharing that knowledge would eventually result in a decrease of their power or status within the corporation because of the very fact that they have shared their distinctive wisdom with the rest of the workforce. While assessing the various forms of beneficial public problems, there have been certain suggestions of particular interventions that may be implemented by corporations in order to facilitate the organization to promote the required social dynamics which would eventually boost the all-encompassing concept of sharing knowledge and information within the corporation and its employees. Such interventions may assume various forms such as interventions that lead to restructuring or even increasing the recompenses for making a contribution towards increasing organisational knowledge or interventions that aim for augmenting effectiveness within the employees by means of sharing knowledge. Various substantial corporations have started to or have taken into consideration the aspect of implementing an organisation-specific and effective knowledge management system which would help the organisation and its employees share knowledge with efficacy. Most of such corporations aim at engaging in particular knowledge management initiatives because of the objective of attaining a competitive advantage over rival firms, enhancing marketing efficiency, intensifying focus on the consumer as well as increasing modernization within their product lines, as described further in Paton McCalman, 2008 that for a corporation, to develop a learning mindset amongst its employees, it is necessary to develop an attitude that works on the information pull element rather than a culture that encourages the information push attitude. A very significant element of the information pull culture has been the fact that it concentrates mainly on the softer aspects of management, therefore many corporations are often not very successful with the information pull attitude and as a result are not able to accomplish the complete benefits of a bottom-up knowledge delivery structure. Knowledge management consists of such executive practices carried out by a corporation for the purpose of generating, collecting, distributing and making use of organizational knowledge. There has been an increasing certainty amongst corporate leaders, experts and researchers that sharing knowledge within the organisation would be an important strategic resource. This is because organisational knowledge is regarded as a nonmaterial asset that is distinctive, reliant on direction, causally indefinite and is also difficult to replicate or replace in any way, therefore such attributes cause knowledge to be a possible reason for competitive advantage for an employee, hence the reason why hoarding it becomes a possible course of action for most employees, as subsequently the person in possession of it becomes a plausible target for attention from company management. Impact upon Knowledge Exchange and Trust within the Workplace The knowledge hoarding dilemma has made organisations move towards more effective alternatives which would assist the corporation in managing its knowledge in a better way. The current advancements in information and telecommunications technology have greatly assisted organisations in successfully sharing organisational knowledge among the employees. With the development and extensive implementation of global networking and telecommunication procedure, the usage of the intranet knowledge portals within organisations have made it achievable as well as cost-effectively practicable to share knowledge in order to integrate workforce, specifically within substantial and extensively disseminated corporations and also permitting such organisations to easily exchange records and reports and practically any form of multimedia records from one location to another. In Schwartz 2006 it has been explained further that within an organisation, the socio-technical attitude regards sharing of knowled ge to be a completely organised procedure that requires support from top-down involvement from the management as well as bottom-up employee and expert interventions. This sharing and exchange of information amongst the workforce encompasses an important constituent that is essential for the formation and management of combined knowledge and subsequently causes the availability of such implements that sustain such exchanges, while this in turn also immensely makes possible the execution of effective knowledge management systems within a corporation. On the other hand, various corporations frequently experience several issues within their operations and functionalities that ultimately put at risk the probable benefits of investing in modern automated systems for organisational knowledge management. Such as the element that workers may hoard the information that they possess from their fellow workers simply because of their inadequate awareness of the advantages sharing knowledge with other workers. Goodman 2007 describes this aspect further that when various groups within an organisation operate collectively, as a result they naturally develop a cu lture that encourages the sharing of knowledge, whereas global and interconnected groups function jointly in order to accomplish shared targets, thereby driving group effort amongst the assorted departments of sizeable corporations. Employees might also face other difficulties because of problems with being able to incorporate such activities in the course of their daily work owing to lack of time or the lack of abilities or the expertise to use information systems that support knowledge management. Whereas certain workers may perhaps not be able to understand the personal gain that they would obtain from exchanging organisational knowledge partially because of the fact that they receive inadequate encouragement from the management of the corporation for utilising new initiatives to the companys existing operational set up. Knowledge symbolises a source of supremacy and dominance for most employees in a corporation. It is this knowledge that is exchanged or shared amongst consumers and suppliers with reciprocation, good reputation and selflessness that in turn also operate as mechanisms of compensation. Trust, on the other hand, is a necessary requirement for trouble-free execution of such activities within the market. This conviction therefore exists on an individual stage and is possible by means of strong corporate working associations that may exist among co-workers, within work groups and even within various organizational levels. However various employees believe that by sharing significant organisational knowledge with the other co-workers, he or she becomes exposed to the hazard of decreasing ones worthiness within the corporation thereby raising the probability that he or she is not indispensable requisite for the organisation any longer. In Torrey Datta 2002 ithas been described that trust among employees comes when knowledge is understood and accepted through inner and outer cultural filters as well as by managing situational problems through via socially acceptable behaviour. When a corporation focuses on understanding the management of knowledge across various cultures, then this practice would in turn assist knowledge sharing as well as originality and creativity, thereby evening out the course that leads to further learning and knowledge exchanges taking places across cultural limitations. As a result differences in social culture are what an organisation must focus on when dealing with and achieving effective knowledge sharing and exchange. Furthermore employees also feel that it is most essential for them to be known as a specialist or an expert within their organisation, hence their reluctance to share knowledge with other co-workers. They believe that if a worker does not have the repute for proficiency then that knowledge or expertise would not be able to symbolise their power or dominance over their colleagues. When employees hesitate in sharing their knowledge it might also be because of the uncertainty that other co-workers may accept acknowledgment for the source of that information, and consequently assert acclaim for it. Such attitudes that cause hoarding of knowledge will eventually be detrimental for an organisation because not releasing important organisational knowledge might hinder the operational procedures of a corporation. Hislop 2009 states that the element of trust is the actual reason why employees hesitate to share information with their peers. Even when an individual does actually trust another an d shares knowledge, the aspect of uncertainty still remains as to where and how would that infomration be used by that person. When organisational knowledge becomes the only means of attaining a competitive advantage over other employees, then hoarding knowledge becomes prevalent within that corporation, ultimately also increasing the level of mistrust and feelings of jealousy and envy amongst employees. Organisational culture and ethics might also be compromised and would also cause a negative environment to develop within the workplace. However, it is essential for organisations and their employees to understand that sharing information with a colleague will most likely result in receiving beneficial knowledge in return, while it might even result in increasing ones own knowledge as well. Thus by the establishment of an educational framework within an organisation that promotes as well as remunerates the practice of knowledge sharing and prevents and reprimands the practice of hoarding important organisational knowledge for individual gain or gratification, would consequently ensure that the organisation h as been successful in carrying out its knowledge management practices. Stegmeier 2008, pg. 59, has explained this in the following words that various corporations enhance and develop advanced knowledge management systems that assist in classifying data according to competitive pricing analyses, market researches as well as according to technical information. The main purpose of conducting such tasks is to accumulate and store for easy accessibility, quick retrieval and to manage the intelligence of the corporation for its subsequent benefit. It is essential for an organisation to create a corporate philosophy that attaches importance to innovation and vision, incessant improvement as well as interaction and communication of thoughts and wisdom, as it is the presence of such organisational culture which would ensure that the knowledge management initiatives being employed do become successful in the end. When a corporation wants to manage its knowledge assets in an effectual manner it must also possess a workforce that is enthused enough to delve into new market prospects, is able to adapt to and implement new operational processes and new products as well as are keen on employing new methods to their work systems and operational structures. de Man de Man 2008 has described this further by saying that with the presence of trust amongst staff members diminishes the propensity of protecting and hoarding knowledge because this then provides the assurance that the other employee will not try to exploit the ingenuousness. The refore, corporations must adopt procedures that consist of reciprocal faith; companionship and respect which would therefore decrease protection of knowledge. Conclusion Organisations must also establish such work structures that are variable enough to allow ground-breaking and inventive modifications within corporate procedures, occupational descriptions that permit workers a rational degree of working independence, while they must also establish corporate procedures that make it possible for knowledge and information to be shared among employees in a timely and effective manner. Not only will such procedures ensure effective knowledge management, it will also eliminate any form of distrust amongst employees, in fact employees will also learn to rely on their co-workers and managers for receiving and sharing knowledge without the fear of not receiving credit for the knowledge being shared. Thus sharing and exchange of ideas within a corporation is one of the most essential procedures through which an organisation is able to achieve the practice of collecting knowledge without which an organisation would not be able to attain core knowledge that in t urn formulates its core competencies.

Orthodox Society :: essays research papers

By insisting on complete orthodoxy is society only hurting itself? I believe when a society demands orthodoxy it is asking for problems. Orthodoxy to a small extent can be helpful to society, but when it is required by the people, and they demand it to the fullest it can do nothing but cause problems. There is many reasons whey complete orthodoxy only hurts society. First off, it greatly diminishes all forms of creativity among the people and doesn’t allow for new ideas that can help benefit society. It also reduces the overall intelligence of the people. When it comes to orthodoxy and religion, it can weaken the quality of worship and the person’s relationship with God. In general, orthodoxy in a way sets limits to progress and development of society and doesn’t allow new ideas to become accepted or acknowledged. Orthodoxy is defined as what is traditional or the established faith in society. It is following what is the commonly accepted, customs and beliefs. The one thing that orthodoxy almost completely wipes out and discourages is creativity and new ideas that can be beneficial to society. Only traditional beliefs are accepted in an orthodox society. So even if a brilliant idea is introduced, it won’t be accepted just because it is new and different. The rate of progress among orthodox society is slowed greatly because of this. If we never accepted new ideas or anything not of the traditional beliefs, we would not be even close to where we are today. Our knowledge of life in general would be nothing like it is today. We are where we are today because of people who came up with new and crazy ideas. All of the great intellectuals were anything but orthodox in their beliefs. Many people who have helped society the most by new ideas and inventions were looked at as crazy during their li fetime. If we are accepting of new ideas it is the only way we are going to progress. Complete orthodoxy also lowers our intelligence and acceptance of other people. When someone is only taught one way to do things, they are not educated of other ways of life. No one can truly be considered educated if they have only been taught one side of the story. Imagine if we were taught all our life that blacks or Mexicans are bad, and no other belief was accepted.

Chinese philosophy Essay

Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the â€Å"Dao† or â€Å"Tao†. Tao, the core concept of Taoism, stands for â€Å"way†, the way of everything, the way shows how our universe run, the way how individuals can improve their soles better. In Zhou dynasty, there were many different philosophers talking about Tao/Dao. Gradually, the main definition of Taoism became ambiguous. Taoism, known by a religion, is very ancient in China. Taoism is about multi-gods. Besides those gods who once appeared in the immortal stories, there are many gods who were greatest educator or philosophers as well. Such as the founder of the theory of Taoism, Lao Zi, he is the highest-level god in the religion. Moreover, great educators and historical people like Confucian and Mencius or the hero Yue Fei or Guan Gong, they are also the gods in the religion. Taoists are seeking immortality. From the foundation of Taoism in 2 AD, Taoists have been seeking the best way to longer their lives. Taoists don’t care about what will happen â€Å"after life†. During these two thousand years, besides the development of their belief, Taoists also make a great contribution to iatrology. There are two part of Taoism in China. One is called â€Å"Zheng Yi Jiao† and the other called â€Å"Quan Zhen Jiao†. â€Å"Zheng Yi Jiao† was original from â€Å"Wu Dou Mi Jiao†, founded by Zhang Daoling while â€Å"Quan Zhen Jiao† was founded by Wang Chongyang. Now, in China main land, most Taoism temples are Quan Zhen Jiao. As for Zheng Yi Jiao, most Taoists are living in Taiwan now. Taoists of Quan Zhen Jiao must be vegetarians, living in temple and wearing the Taoist clothes. On the contrary, Zheng Yi Taoist don’t need to live in the temple. They can get married and eat meat as well. In China, Taoism is important not because it is a religion but it is part of the culture. In other words, there is a strong interaction between the developments of Taoism and Chinese culture. Taoism is an ancient philosophy and also a religion. When talking about Taoism as a philosophy, it is based on the theories from Lao Zi, Kong Zi (Confucian), Zhuang Zi, Meng Zi (Mencius) etc. All of them are from Zhou to Zhanguo Dynasty but Lao Zi is the founder of the philosophy of Taoism. Lao Zi was a wise man in Zhou Dynasty that is the third dynasty of Chinese culture. The main book of Lao Zi is called . It is said that Lao Zi was sitting on a bull going out of the city. The guard recognized Lao Zi and asked him where he was going. Lao Zi did not say a thing but left to the guard. In , Lao Zi addressed the basic theories of the universe and individual behaviors. Lao Zi maintains the universe is the root of everything. We should obey the natural changes so that we can make things better. The book is the foundation of Taoism and also of other philosophers’ theories because, as what I mentioned above, the core concept is Tao/Dao (way). Zhuan Zi, which is seen as the main developer as Lao Zi’s theory. In China, people will say â€Å"Lao Zhuang Zhe Xue† which means â€Å"Lao/Zhuang Philosophy†. Zhuang Zi hold the view that Tao/Dao is before human beings and is spirit. Therefore we should follow our spirit. According to L/Z Philosophy, Tao/Dao is metaphysis, is beyond our mind, is something we can/should not to change. When it came to Confucian and Mencius, the theories become a little different from the previous ones. Confucian and Mencius focus more on humanity even they started their concept from Tao/Dao. Most western point of view describe Confucian and Mencius’ theories as Confucianism. Literately differentiated from Taoism. Personally, comparing Confucianism and Taoism, I would say Taoism is the highest form of Taoism. Confucianism is based on humanity. It is about how to behave as a nice person, to people, to society. However, Taoism is more about the universe and about â€Å"Tao/Dao† the highest level in Chinese philosophy and culture. Thus, only learnt how to become a â€Å"nice person† can individuals reach the higher level of the philosophy.

The practice of nursing research: appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence Essay

Nursing Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reliable sources are very crucial in the health care sector since they help students to stay updated as well as enhancing their success in their classes. Relevant sources include websites, books, appropriate publications as well as online library. An effective research requires the student to define the topic, identification of concepts, and selection of relevant sources. Prior to any research, students should assess the reliability of sources and examine the sources to be used for specific tasks. Students can easily identify dubious materials by comparing multiple sources as their search approach. Therefore, they will be able to evaluate the worth of the information. The rationale of this paper is to describe appropriate use of wisdom continuum in nursing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Access to updated, accurate and pertinent information is increasingly becoming crucial for the nurses to adopt evidence-based practice and ensure their knowledge is updated. Nurses use different information sources to realize their information requirements. The main question to be addressed in this paper is why it is vital to consider the clinical resolution making situation, when exploring the approaches that nurses connect with research based information. It is also crucial to consider the rapport between the usefulness and accessibility of date from distinct sources and the verdict made regarding the information. It may be argued that for people to persuade the nurses to effectively employ research evidence when making clinical decisions, they must acknowledge the rapport between verdict from the nurses and the data that enlightens them (Solomon, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evidence-based decision making entails combining the information that crop up from patient choices, clinical expertise, and research facts within the framework of accessible resources. When making decisions, nurses choose from discrete range of alternatives (Thompson, 2004). The process of employing clinical judgment involves making decision from informed choices by evaluating the accessible data. Nurses should give appropriate weight to research evidence depending on its external and internal legitimacy. Integrating research facts into decision making involves composing a strategic clinical question regarding certain information need, evaluating the most appropriate information to solve that need, proper scrutiny of the obtained data, integrating the information into a plan, and weighing up the impact of the actions and decisions taken (Polit & Beck, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Decision making based on the information is a dogmatic method to making choices of how speculation can be employed to advance decision making. The central point is: how nurses utilize research based data in decision making? Little studies have been carried on this topic, apart from research that utilizes data from self report information from nurses as a basis of facts. Self report should not be considered as chief source of information to fill the gaps in support of ideal clinical observation and in-depth interviews, which nurses consider superior to address frequencies and types of varied decisions and practical information use (Polit & Beck, 2010). The major challenge of researching how individuals respond to inadequate evidence is that it is hard to identify the inadequacy of the needs. Researchers can only hypothesize nurses’ behavior by watching them or about what they say, since information need only subsist in the psyche of the person with the need. The need cannot be alienated from the intentions of evidence seeking actions. In developing motives, people make choices from values and beliefs that had formerly contented information requirements (Melnyk & Overholt, 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For proponents of fact based judgment making, the fundamental purpose for involving research based facts is to cut down uncertainty in clinical field. This implies that appropriate research increases the probability that the decision taken will give desired results. In some cases, new data can also elucidate or confirm present data, values and beliefs. Forms of clinical resolutions that nurses make offer an idea on how research information can help in decision making. Decisions are significant framework for utilization of information. The decisions that nurses are required make are work related, how they view their clinical duty, autonomy in operation, and the extent to which they believe they are influential and active decision makers. Nurses face decision complexity because of the following factors. Firstly, due to diverse and multiple decision objectives. Secondly, due to time constrain in decision making. Third, the conflicting decisio n aspects. Nurses face different challenges in decision making, since they have to make appropriate decision based on code of ethics. For a nurse to make appropriate decision making, rely on whether the decision lies within the continuum. The decision made also depend on the form of task appearance, the uncertainty of the task and the intricacy of the task. However, familiarity of a decision is not adequate to determine the form of reasoning involved (Burns & Grove, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, it is vital to understand the link between the decision to be made by the nurse and the facts that enlighten them. Nurses use different information sources to realize their information requirements. Nurses should assign weight to the research evidence depending on its interior and exterior validity. The major challenges that face the nurse are the fact that it is not easy to recognize the information needs. Information need is linked to the motive of the nurse, thus nurses must be focused as they make their decisions. Decisions are crucial framework for the nurses especially for information use. References Burns, N., & Grove, S. K. (2009). The practice of nursing research: appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (6th ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders/Elsevier. Evidence-Based Nursing. (n.d.). ebn. Retrieved September 9, 2014, from http://ebn.bmj.com/content/7/3/68.long Melnyk, B. M., & Overholt, E. (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2010). Essentials of nursing research: appraising evidence for nursing practice (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Solomon, J. (2010). New look Evidence-Based Nursing. Evidence-Based Nursing, 13(1), 2-2. Thompson, C. (2004). Nurses, Information Use, And Clinical Decision Making–the Real World Potential For Evidence-based Decisions In Nursing. Evidence-Based Nursing, 7(3), 68-72. Source document