Issues in management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Issues in management - Essay Example CSR becomes a focus for an organisation as it is believed that it can enhance profitability and build a positive social reputation for the business. It has been asserted that the idea of CSR is that society and the business are inter-connected and not disparate individuals, hence society maintains anticipation that a business will illustrate appropriate behaviours and outputs beneficial to society (Wood 1991). This essay will debate socially-related issues of corporate social responsibility in relation to the fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F), an organisation providing apparel merchandise to youth markets in the UK and the United States. The essay provides a critical debate on the theories and models of CSR with primary emphasis on the ethical responsibilities of a firm to society and their relation to the socially-related problems at Abercrombie & Fitch currently plaguing this retailer. Abercrombie & Fitch is a U.S.-headquartered retailer providing casual fashion merchandise targeted at the 18 to 22 year-old female and male market demographic. The firm’s product line consists of T-shirts, jeans, hoodies and fragrances relevant to this market. Prior to the year 2012, A&F had achieved explosive revenue growth and had managed to build considerable customer loyalty against major competitors such as The Buckle, Chico’s, Eagle Outfitters and Aeropostale. The company’s market share and stock value began to plummet in 2012 and the business was forced to close hundreds of stores as a result of diminished consumer interest in purchasing products from the firm (Eaton 2014; Covert 2014). In October 2011, the firm’s stock was valued at nearly $80 USD per share and, by November 2014, the firm witnessed its stock plunge to a value of only $28.98 (Yahoo! Finance 2014). From the shareholder’s perspective, Abercrombie & Fitch was no longer providin g the wealth and profitability expected by investors. However, why was this occurring so

Kinesiological analysis assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kinesiological analysis assessment - Coursework Example In most of the occasions, the athletes perform a counter movement jump. They start from an upright position, make a downward movement by flexing at the knees and hips then extend the knees and hips again to drop vertically on the ground as shown in figure 1a. Such actions make the muscles be pre-stretched before shortening in the desired direction. A male group two member performed squat jumps and countermovement jumps. He played without arm movement on a force platform. The vertical position of the subjects center of mass can now be obtained using free flight equation. From the observation made during the vertical countermovement jumps, the subject had a maximum take-off range at which the knees get flexed to around ninety degrees. For the squat jump, there was no clear optimum take-off as shown in figure 1. The figure illustrates the kind of motions that occur in countermovement jump and squat jump. In a countermovement, the jumper commences from an upright standing posture, makes downward movement just by flexing at the hips and knees and vigorously extends the knees and hips to jump vertically off the ground. It is like other movements like running, other types of jumps and throwing where the required motion starts by movement in the opposite direction thus making the muscles be pre-stretched before turning in the required direction. Pre-stretching further enhances the work output and the force production of the muscles in the movement flow (Hanson, 2005). In a squat jump, the movement begins from a stationary semi hunched posture then vigorously extends the hips and knees to climb vertically from the ground as shown in figure (1b). In this case, no preliminary downward phase is employed, therefore, no pre-stretching of the muscles. This kind of jump was observed to be highly artificial kind of movement that is rare during practice. Most people prefer countermovement form of climbing because it appears natural and a real number can drop

Water pollution in Washington DC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water pollution in Washington DC - Essay Example Recent studies have shown that the water in the river of Washington DC has been found to be extremely contaminated. The wildlife is suffering from this polluted water to such an extent that the fish are displaying instability in their traits. Poor sewerage systems and outdated treatment processes in the metropolitans throughout all the inhabited continents of the world has created inconvenience for the residents of these metropolitan cities of the world and the rivers are extremely polluted as a result making the river water inappropriate for consumption. It is not just the humans who have been affected as a result of this ignorance on the part of the authorities but also the wildlife. Although a majority of the major metropolitan cities have been slow to react to the developments such as population increase and geographic expansions, one of the most prominent and most affected cities as a result of water pollution is Washington DC. This is why I am writing in this newspaper in order to highlight the areas where these problems are at their worst and how these issues can be addressed by the government authorities as well as on a private basis. A huge proportion of the sewage and contaminated water has been disposed off into rivers which pollutes the water and makes it unusable and medically disastrous for those who consume the river water as well as the wildlife. Recent studies have shown that the water in the river of Washington DC has been found to be extremely contaminated. The wildlife is suffering from this polluted water to such an extent that the fish are displaying instability in their traits. Many fish have even been found out to be intersex in nature. By intersex in this case means that many male fish have shown signs of feminine fertility. This is something of a great worry for the authorities as this means that not only the water in these rivers is bad for human health but also these fish are unfit for consumption by the people. Research studies have shown that many of the sample male fish of the rivers of Washington DC have displayed mixed sexual behaviors and patterns such as sign of fertility in the testes of male fish (Goldenberg). Authorities on often occasions have tried to curtail this pollution process of the river water but their efforts have gone in vain so far. Either the authorities do not consider the problems to the right measure or they are short of resources and planning to solve this problem. The sewerage system working right now in Washington DC is extremely outdated and unable to fulfill the demands of the current population. The system that has been running the sewage water to the treatment plant and further was installed in the 1960’s and at that time, the population of the city was very low when it is compared to the current population. The treatment system is simply not good or updated enough to fulfill the demands of the current era. The Washington DC has a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system ins talled which means that when the rainfall is at its peak, this system is up and running and it has a lot of water to carry to the treatment plant and eventually into the river. The system carries water from the rain which then flows into these drains and the sewage water as well. When the water pressure in this drainage system is very high, the water inflow exceeds the capacity of the sewage water treatment plant and thus much of the water overflows and the untreated water flow into the river. It has been estimated that around 52 million gallons of untreated sewage water flows into the river at an annual basis (Rock Creek Conservancy). This is an alarming figure since this much toxic water is capable enough of destroying the purity of the river in the long run. As I have mentioned earlier, the authorities have shown little interest in improving this situation either due to their ignorance or that they are short of resources to be allocated to this sector. However sooner or later, th e related government departments, NGO’s and the general public will have to realize that this ignorance will cost the city and the people themselves very dearly. Therefore, the concerned authorities