ASSIGNMENT 8 (HRM)

On the assumption that you heard/read the SONA of the President last month (July 2009), identify at least 3 areas related to Human Resource Mangement and explain how these areas can improve our quality of life. (2000words)


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Sona of the president - talking about Human Resource Related

1.)Microfinance

“Nakinabang ang pitong milyong entrepreneurs sa P165 billion na microfinance. Nakinabang ang 1,000 sa economic resiliency plan. Kasama natin ngayon ang isa sa kanila, si Gigi Gabiola. Dating household service worker sa Dubai, ngayon siya ay nagtatrabaho sa DOLE.”

Wow..entrepreneurs contribute a lot in our economy. The lesson that we can learn from this person Gigi Gabiola was the perseverance to achieve our goal in life, the challenge to be success in life or improve the quality of live. It is just that we should not depend on the president or in the government officials that we vote because it is our responsibility to make our goals come true. And I think the role of those who are in the positions are just to guide us on how we able to be success.

2.)Health

“Mula noong 2001, Nanawagan tayo ng mas murang gamot. Nagbebenta na tayo ng mga gamot na kalahating presyo sa libu-libong Botika ng Bayan at Botika ng Barangay sa maraming dako ng bansa. Our efforts prodded the pharmaceutical companies to come up with low-cost generics and brands like RiteMed. I supported the tough version of the House of the Cheaper Medicine Law. I supported it over the weak version of my critics. The result: the drug companies volunteered to bring down drug prices, slashing by half the prices of 16 drugs.”

A good benefit to us. Medicine are such expensive like the daily vitamins that you take. And also for the person that are sick or in ill it is such a headache in their minds. So, i say thank you for making this medicine for affordable. It just a great contribution to us people leaving in the Philippines to have a low price of medicine. Good job|!


3.)EDUCATION

“Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way….”

In my opinion it is just like we are studying, getting the course that we want and it is just a useless that our course is not fit for our job. WHAT THE EIW!!....(hmnpf) but in spite of that i understand that this country the Philippines is just a low of job importunity not in the sense a very little but the government cannot support the yearly graduates of our schools. So let's just help find a way we can get jobs after we graduate so that to help our selves and also to contribute to our economy.

4.) OFW Benefits

“Meanwhile, we should make their sacrifices worthwhile. Dapat gumawa tayo ng mga mas malakas na paraan upang proteksyonan at palawak ang halaga ng kanilang pinagsikapang sweldo. That means stronger consumer protection for OFWs investing in property and products back home. Para sa kanila, pinapakilos natin ang Investors Protection Task Force….”

For this issue yeah!!I really agree for that even if my parents are not OFWs but still i really understand the sickness when far from your family the sacrifices they have made day by day, the challenges so let just respect it.
In support for this I heard in the program in the ABS-CBN in WOWOWEE.. when the players where OFWs and then when one of the players there has a great disappointment of his wife because he said in five years he worked in abroad even a single cent she did not save. Wow!!what a crap!..what a terrible wife but to criticize his wife i dont really know the reason why she did not save but the husband said that it just about the "BISYO"! toinks.. crap!!

So here are some of areas of Human Resource :

Areas in Human resource management include:

Change Management-

organizational and personal change management, process, plans, change management and business development tips

Here are some rules for effective management of change. Managing organizational change will be more successful if you apply these simple principles. Achieving personal change will be more successful too if you use the same approach where relevant. Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes. If you force change on people normally problems arise. Change must be realistic, achievable and measurable. These aspects are especially relevant to managing personal change. Before starting organizational change, ask yourself: What do we want to achieve with this change, why, and how will we know that the change has been achieved? Who is affected by this change, and how will they react to it? How much of this change can we achieve ourselves, and what parts of the change do we need help with? These aspects also relate strongly to the management of personal as well as organizational change.

See also the modern principles which underpin successful change.

For a wonderful example of managing successful ethical change in modern times, see 'Three Wins'.

Do not sell change to people as a way of accelerating 'agreement' and implementation. 'Selling' change to people is not a sustainable strategy for success, unless your aim is to be bitten on the bum at some time in the future when you least expect it. When people listen to a management high-up 'selling' them a change, decent diligent folk will generally smile and appear to accede, but quietly to themselves, they're thinking, "No bloody chance mate, if you think I'm standing for that load of old bollocks you've another think coming…" (And that's just the amenable types - the other more recalcitrant types will be well on the way to making their own particular transition from gamekeepers to poachers.)

Instead, change needs to be understood and managed in a way that people can cope effectively with it. Change can be unsettling, so the manager logically needs to be a settling influence.

Check that people affected by the change agree with, or at least understand, the need for change, and have a chance to decide how the change will be managed, and to be involved in the planning and implementation of the change. Use face-to-face communications to handle sensitive aspects of organisational change management (see Mehrabian's research on conveying meaning and understanding). Encourage your managers to communicate face-to-face with their people too if they are helping you manage an organizational change. Email and written notices are extremely weak at conveying and developing understanding.

If you think that you need to make a change quickly, probe the reasons - is the urgency real? Will the effects of agreeing a more sensible time-frame really be more disastrous than presiding over a disastrous change? Quick change prevents proper consultation and involvement, which leads to difficulties that take time to resolve.

For complex changes, refer to the process of project management, and ensure that you augment this with consultative communications to agree and gain support for the reasons for the change. Involving and informing people also creates opportunities for others to participate in planning and implementing the changes, which lightens your burden, spreads the organizational load, and creates a sense of ownership and familiarity among the people affected.

See also the excellent free decision-making template, designed by Sharon Drew Morgen, with facilitative questions for personal and organizational innovation and change.

To understand more about people's personalities, and how different people react differently to change, see the personality styles section.

For organizational change that entails new actions, objectives and processes for a group or team of people, use workshops to achieve understanding, involvement, plans, measurable aims, actions and commitment. Encourage your management team to use workshops with their people too if they are helping you to manage the change.

You should even apply these principles to very tough change like making people redundant, closures and integrating merged or acquired organizations. Bad news needs even more careful management than routine change. Hiding behind memos and middle managers will make matters worse. Consulting with people, and helping them to understand does not weaken your position - it strengthens it. Leaders who fail to consult and involve their people in managing bad news are perceived as weak and lacking in integrity. Treat people with humanity and respect and they will reciprocate.

Be mindful that the chief insecurity of most staff is change itself. See the process of personal change theory to see how people react to change. Senior managers and directors responsible for managing organizational change do not, as a rule, fear change - they generally thrive on it. So remember that your people do not relish change, they find it deeply disturbing and threatening. Your people's fear of change is as great as your own fear of failure.

responsibility for managing change

The employee does not have a responsibility to manage change - the employee's responsibility is no other than to do their best, which is different for every person and depends on a wide variety of factors (health, maturity, stability, experience, personality, motivation, etc). Responsibility for managing change is with management and executives of the organisation - they must manage the change in a way that employees can cope with it. The manager has a responsibility to facilitate and enable change, and all that is implied within that statement, especially to understand the situation from an objective standpoint (to 'step back', and be non-judgemental), and then to help people understand reasons, aims, and ways of responding positively according to employees' own situations and capabilities. Increasingly the manager's role is to interpret, communicate and enable - not to instruct and impose, which nobody really responds to well.
change must involve the people - change must not be imposed upon the people

Be wary of expressions like 'mindset change', and 'changing people's mindsets' or 'changing attitudes', because this language often indicates a tendency towards imposed or enforced change (theory x), and it implies strongly that the organization believes that its people currently have the 'wrong' mindset, which is never, ever, the case. If people are not approaching their tasks or the organization effectively, then the organization has the wrong mindset, not the people. Change such as new structures, policies, targets, acquisitions, disposals, re-locations, etc., all create new systems and environments, which need to be explained to people as early as possible, so that people's involvement in validating and refining the changes themselves can be obtained.

Whenever an organization imposes new things on people there will be difficulties. Participation, involvement and open, early, full communication are the important factors.

Workshops are very useful processes to develop collective understanding, approaches, policies, methods, systems, ideas, etc. See the section on workshops on the website.

Staff surveys are a helpful way to repair damage and mistrust among staff - provided you allow allow people to complete them anonymously, and provided you publish and act on the findings.

Management training, empathy and facilitative capability are priority areas - managers are crucial to the change process - they must enable and facilitate, not merely convey and implement policy from above, which does not work.

You cannot impose change - people and teams need to be empowered to find their own solutions and responses, with facilitation and support from managers, and tolerance and compassion from the leaders and executives. Management and leadership style and behaviour are more important than clever process and policy. Employees need to be able to trust the organization.

The leader must agree and work with these ideas, or change is likely to be very painful, and the best people will be lost in the process.

change management principles

1. At all times involve and agree support from people within system (system = environment, processes, culture, relationships, behaviours, etc., whether personal or organisational).
2. Understand where you/the organisation is at the moment.
3. Understand where you want to be, when, why, and what the measures will be for having got there.
4. Plan development towards above No.3 in appropriate achievable measurable stages.
5. Communicate, involve, enable and facilitate involvement from people, as early and openly and as fully as is possible.


Executive recruiters -

Management Recruiting Today

Historically, management recruiting was a very personal professional. The management headhunters and recruiters cultivated direct, personal relationships with Business owners, managers of recruiting firms, and the like. At the same time, executive recruiters maintained a list of clients who were interested in finding gainful and satisfying employment in one professional field of another. With the advent of high-tech advances in communications, management headhunters have had to adapt and change in order to provide optimum Service to their clientele. In no small way, gone are the days where the fostering of personal relationships was of primary concern. And, presently, enter the day of high-tech communication and the Internet.
How an Executive Recruiter Stays in the Game

As mentioned at the start of this article, executive recruiters must be well versed in the latest technology if they want to continue to play a significant part in the field of employment placement and related endeavors. In the 21st century marketplace, with the use of high-tech Communication via the World Wide Web and similar venues, it is very easy for employers to make direct contact with potential employees thereby effectively freezing out the recruiters who are looking for management positions all together. Therefore, the most successful executive recruiters, search firms and Recruiting services are taking consistent and determined steps to maintain access to the most current forms of technology. By doing so, a search firm, recruiting firm or management executive recruiter will be able to continue to serve as a vital link between an employer and a prospective employee.
Internet Resources: The Online Directory of Executive Recruiters

Fortunately, there are an abundant number of Internet resources available to today's executive recruiter. Chief amongst these are online directories of various sorts and varieties. These online directories can assist management headhunters, recruiting firms, executive search firms and the like in obtaining information and services relevant to their particular pursuits. For example, pharmaceutical executive recruiters and management executive recruiter specializing in placing health care related professionals can draw upon a whole host of online directories and directory services that provide information on employment and hiring resources in the mammoth pharmaceutical industry. There are a significant number of specialty online directories that can readily serve and service the needs of head hunters and others in the employment and job placement industry. Examples of these types of information resources include different versions of the directory of executive recruiters and the more general recruiter directory.

sources: http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm
http://www.onlinerecruitersdirectory.com/executive-recruiters.html

ASSIGNMENT 7 (HRM)

"Human beings are the most important, potent and critical, resource of any organization, and yet the least understood and the worst managed of its resources" (1500words)

Wow..I think this is a great reflection to make and a very critical to think with this topic.

So to begin with,First I'll discuss it one by one to make it clear and at the bottom is my outline on how i discuss the subtopics.

*Why Humans are the most important in an organization?
*Why Humans are the most critical in an organization?
*why Humans are the most resource in an organization?
*Why Humans are least understood in an organization?
*Why Humans are the worst to manage of its resources in an organization?

Why Humans are the most important in an organization?

As a Human Resources professional, I like to explain this importance in car terms so that it's simple for anyone to understand.

The board of directors or senior managers make descisions about where they want the car (or organisation) to head, and how they would like this to happen (timeframes, route etc.).

The staff are the tyres and pistons - the working parts, and just like a car, the organisation goes nowhere if these parts are not oiled correctly.

In any organisation HRM works between staff and management to reach common goals and achieve a good workplace environment and an instant increase in producativity.

Of course this will only occur in organisations who's HR branch are given powers beyond payroll, like planning and consultitive arrangements.

Why Humans are the most critical in an organization?

Employee engagement is a critical issue for organizations today. It was identified as the number one strategy that organizations are pursuing in 2009, according to Aberdeen’s report The 2009 HR Executive’s Agenda. In addition, Aberdeen’s January 2009 study, Fully On-Board, found that Best-in-Class organizations are overwhelmingly focusing onboarding processes on engaging new employees and assimilating them into the organization's cultural and social fabric.

Aberdeen’s latest research, Beyond Satisfaction: Engaging Employees to Retain Customers, looks at how organizations are addressing engagement issues, and describes how Best-in-Class companies are achieving impressive results.

* 82% of Best-in-Class organizations attribute changes in profitability and/or revenue DIRECTLY to employee engagement initiatives and more than twice as likely as all others to validate that impact through data
* Best-in-Class organizations are 33% more likely to provide engagement training and tools to their managers than all other organizations
* Best-in-Class companies are also seeing a 22% year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction / loyalty and a 21% year-over-year improvement in turnover / retention

To create an engaging environment, organizations must understand how to engage individuals with the overarching goals of the organization - not just create an environment where employees feel satisfied that their personal needs are being met. In fact, this linkage to activities that delver business results is what differentiates employee engagement from employee satisfaction. Satisfaction could indicate that an individual is happy their paycheck comes on time, or that their schedule doesn't interfere with their weekend plans. It doesn't necessarily reflect any connection with the priorities of the organization. To achieve this alignment, employee engagement efforts must be managed and measured in terms of business impact, and organizations must create an engagement mindset among all leaders and managers.

http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/analyst-insight/86-human-capital-management-insights/754-employee-engagement-is-critical-for-organizations-today-

why Humans are the most resource in an organization?

How Human Resources can Resource Humans.

Despite our best intentions so much of what we practice in Human Resources, including training and development, does little more than reinforce that the organisation views its people as resources first and humans a distant second. Humans are analyzed, measured and evaluated as a resource, rather than as human beings with lives personalities, wants, desires and feelings.

We regularly talk of our people as categories ' the sales people' or 'Our middle managers' or we talk of them in terms of numbers and statistics, ' 45% of our people are engaged with their work.' "We now have a staff moral average of 83%'. We measure and review our people as averages, on everything from the levels of engagement and moral, through analysis of learning needs, to tracking our staff turnover figures, as percentages of the whole.

These numbers and averages are, of course, useful in terms of identifying trends that are emerging or transpiring within our business. However, the danger is that by placing too much emphasis (and faith) in the averages and percentages we inadvertently begin to think of and treat our people as EVERBODY rather than SOMEBODY! The down side of focusing too extensively on averages is that we can easily misinterpret the reality of the situation. People do not experience averages, they experience specifics and extremes and variances!
People experience specifics rather than averages because of course, we are all unique with unique perspectives and experiences, even in a common environment. However even though we all know and readily accept that we are all different it seems repeatedly in HR and training we do not necessarily act accordingly. We seem to regularly forget ( or are forced by circumstances and time restrictions) that what we are really talking about are individuals with specific needs desires and wants.
Even such current and popular frames of references as the emphasis on understanding the Generation Y phenomenon, tends to ensure companies begin to fall into the trap of generalizing the individuality and uniqueness out of the way they view and relate to people.

When Human Resources get too caught up with the numbers and averages we live up to our name as viewing people as resources by balancing our approach we can invert this phenomenon and begin to dedicate ourselves to Resourcing Humans. After fifteen years of working with people and organisations as corporate anthropologists we have found that organisations that engage and retain their people with the least amount of cost are more focused on resourcing their humans than treating them as human resources. So what's an alternative?
Well one approach that definitely works and has numerous merits is working with values. Using a comprehensive values approach organisations can support themselves and their people to identify and work with the specific values of individuals in an effort to align them with peoples work roles the company values and even the company strategy and culture.
Research of over ten thousand personal values inventories (drawing from the globally validated pool of 128 human values) for people in organisations, in Australia and New Zealand demonstrates that no two people have ever had an identical set of values. We define person's values as their preferences multiplied by the priority they place on each preference. When a person has clarified their preferences and the priority associated with each preference they create for themselves a personal values hierarchy.
When companies understand that each and every one of us are driven by and motivated from own unique personal values hierarchy then they are able to immediately create a language and process for supporting humans to become acknowledged as a SOMEBODY distinct and separate from others.
Organisations that support their people to clarify their own personal values and then work to align those values with their work role benefit enormously. The people feel that the organisation is acknowledging and celebrating their individuality and uniqueness.

Values alignment to a work role is also the key to supporting your people to establish in very specific and personal terms what is making work meaningful for them. It identifies what specifically is driving their motivation to work, perform and even excel, all of which is unlikely to emerge from averages…It will also make sure that learning and development can be focused on skills rather than trying to cover up issues of personal alignment and mismatched priorities.

Insights and understanding of people personal values in alignment to their chosen work results in increased engagement and the unleashing of discretionary effort. Discretionary effort, in turn has a direct impact on people work performance and their decision to stay in a role (retention).

For a simple quick and effective way of enhancing your HR approach to resource humans then supporting your people to clarify their personal values and align them to their role will take you and them a long way down this path.

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Human-Resources/818/How-Human-Resources-can-Resource-Humans.html

Why Humans are least understood in an organization?
because of:
Competence is shown in action in a situation in a context that might be different the next time you have to act. In emergency contexts, competent people will react to the situation following behaviors they have previously found to succeed, hopefully to good effect. To be competent you need to be able to interpret the situation in the context and to have a repertoire of possible actions to take and have trained in the possible actions in the repertoire, if this is relevant. Regardless of training, competence grows through experience and the extent of an individual to learn and adapt. However, there has been much discussion among academics about the issue of definitions. The concept of competence has different meanings, and continues to remain one of the most diffuse terms in the management development sector, and the organizational and occupational literature (Collin, 1989).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competence_(human_resources)

Why Humans are the worst to manage of its resources in an organization?

EMPLOYEE TRUST – WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FEAR THE WORST

Have you ever asked yourself; “Is this employee being upfront and honest with me?” We may have a gut feeling or something maybe does not size up, yet we have no concrete evidence of deceit. This is a difficult situation as the repercussions of falsely accusing an employee may hinder a future of trust.

It seems sometimes as managers of employees that we have to cultivate a sixth sense in order to know what is happening behind the scenes with certain individuals or groups of individuals within our organizations. And for those of us who have that sixth sense….it can be a benefit and a curse. The benefit being that we can sense an issue and hopefully prevent it from growing into a problem. The curse is that we can sense a problem and then we have to deal with it. And if we don’t act on that sense and deal with it, we kick ourselves later!

Experience typically shows that it is not advisable to ignore our sixth sense. When we ignore our senses or question our feelings, the doubt sets in and then we question our own abilities to know when something is not correct. This almost always backfires.

So what to do. First I will share what not to do. And that, my friend, is to not ignore the problem. Begin documentation. Not later, NOW. A sense of something not being quite right can come and go and be easily forgotten. Example: You discover an employee has not been completing assignments as expected. You think about this discovery and you recall a sense of this a while back ….and maybe more than one time. Darn it, why didn’t you act on it at that moment? Perhaps you could have resolved this situation before it became a problem.

More of what to do. Step back. What if you would have documented this situation the moment you felt that gut reaction. A suggestion would be to have a private file on our PC or better yet a handy notebook (yes people still use these). Keep a notebook that is easy to get to. Jot down occurrences on scrap paper and move that information to the PC file or notebook. We must bring ourselves to be in the habit of noting things as they happen.

Now you can take action. When confronting an employee, one of the most important rules to follow is to focus on facts. A good measure to determine between what is truly factual and what is not is to ask yourself if the “fact” can be argued. If it can be argued, it is not a fact. Facts make for easier and honest communications. Facts will support you well in court. Example of a non-factual confrontation: “Joe, you are constantly coming into work late and signing in that you are arriving on time.” Example of a factual approach: “Joe, over the last 4 weeks I personally witnessed you arriving 15-20 minutes late on 4 occasions. These occurrences were on each of the last 4 Mondays. When I reviewed your timecard it shows that you are arriving on time.”

There are some efforts that we can take to decrease these types of occurrences. This includes taking some time to observe our employees’ behaviors more often. Spend time around them and listen; listen well. Sometimes by just taking the time to truly hear our employees we will prevent the bitterness that is often the result of dishonest behavior or even retaliation. As a next step we may choose to learn more about our employees’ needs. This can come in the form of simply asking, performing an employee survey or forming task groups to identify issues within our organization. Perhaps we will discover that training is needed. In some cases when employees are more confident in their work performance they will be less likely to act out or be dishonest. Assure that there is a real sense of the ability to openly communicate within our organizations. These are ideas that can work well in any size organization and across all industries.

It comes more naturally to some, but learn to listen to that sixth sense. Our senses grow as a result of years of various types of life and work experiences. Our instincts are a highly valuable resource right up there with our degree, diploma, and work experience and work history. Arguably they may be worth much more. By learning to trust our senses and value what we have learned, we will support ourselves and our organizations by utilizing all of the skills we have to offer.

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Human-Resources/3504/EMPLOYEE-TRUST--WHAT-TO-DO-WHEN-YOU-FEAR-THE-WORST.html

ASSIGNMENT 6 (HRM)

What do you think will the 21st -century corporations look like? (1000words)

The 21st Century Corporations

What does the 21st century learning look like?

‘Globalisation and technological change are placing greater demands on education and skill development in Australia and the nature of jobs available to young Australians is changing faster than ever. Skilled jobs now dominate jobs growth and people with university or vocational education and training qualifications fare much better in the employment market than early school leavers.’

A new environment of schooling has been emerging over the last decade of the 20th century and it has been accelerating in the 21st century, stimulated by a new economy, new technologies and new understanding about learning. In today’s interconnected, technology driven world, learning typically takes place in physical, virtual and remote places. It’s now more important than ever that learning environments make the paradigm shift towards 21st century education.

Using technology alone may lead to high-tech lectures or technically proficient students, but that falls short of what 21st century learning is all about. This seminar will identify what are the key factors that make 21st century learning one that engages and motivates the learner and educator.

How should education be shaped to meet the needs a 21st century learning models? What do educators need to do to be prepared for 21st century teaching? What are the common issues and visions?

This seminar will feature leading technology companies showcasing their vision of 21st century learning environments and how they are being adapted into the education system across all sectors.

resources: http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/pid/819

What Does a 21st Century L&D Department Look Like?

A month ago, on April 21, Jay Cross at learntrends co-ordinated a round-the-globe series of online conversations on how learning can impact performance in organisations. Starting on the US West Coast and ending somewhere east of New Zealand, these virtual conversations opened up a whole Pandora’s Box of issues around the challenges and opportunities that learning & development faces if it is to really have an impact of organisational effectiveness.

Jay’s reflections on the event are worth reading.

NEW ROLES FOR LEARNING PROFESSIONALS

Ellen Wagner, Curt Bonk and I spent our 30 minutes facilitating a discussion on the topic of ‘New Roles for Learning Professionals’. Going back through my notes and the archive of the (very animated) chat/discussion that took place, some clear threads emerged on the types of capabilities that a 21st century L&D department need to have.

Here are some of the core capabilities identified:

1. consulting / coaching acumen (as well as learning acumen) that is focused on performance problems and outcomes. The ability to engage with senior (and not-so-senior) line managers to identify the root cause of performance problems, and not simply focus on learning.

2. the ability to ‘speak business’. An understanding of business goals is the ‘so what’ in learning. Everyone in L&D should be able to read and draw conclusions from a balance sheet and P&L account and understand the business drivers that line managers are focused on.

3. a good grasp of technology – across-the-board - but especially emerging technologies, and how they can fit into learning solutions

4. adult learning – an understanding of how adults learn in the workplace, and ‘what works’ in organisational learning.

Along with these, another set of attributes such as: ‘empathy, ’ listening’, ‘tolerance for ambiguity’, ‘basic communication ability’ were identified as essential by participants.

Harold Jarache also made the important point that ‘attitude trumps skills’ for a learning professional. We’ve known that in a more general sense for years – many of us have used the axiom ‘hire for attitude’ when we’re recruiting. I certainly have found it has served me well. I can’t think of any situation where I’ve hired on the basis of attitude where I would have done otherwise in retrospect.

INNOVATION – THE OXYGEN OF L&D

One one other vital high-level capability every L&D practitioner needs to have in spades is the ability and, even more importantly the desire, to innovate. Innovation in designing new approaches and solutions to solve performance problems is the oxygen for L&D. It’s not vitally important whether the innovation involves technology or not – although technology does offer some huge opportunities for solving business problems and we’re just plain stupid if we ignore them – but an L&D department that fails to demonstrate that it continues to be innovative is one that’s quickly becoming irrelevant as a strategic business tool. Such L&D departments deserve to have their funding redirected elsewhere.

resources: http://charles-jennings.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-does-21st-century-l-department.html

Can the 21st century corporation remain secure

Introduction

Texas at risk tomorrow?

21st century companies have no choice but to use technology to connect to the outside world - to communicate with customers, suppliers, partners, and their own employees. Unfortunately with that interconnection comes a range of new security issues.

Briefing reporters in Japan at the end of last year, Donald Rumsfeld referred specifically to the growing threat of "cyber attacks" 13 . These - best defined as viruses and hacking-attacks - are now causing high levels of concern amongst business leaders, with 60 per cent worried that they are at risk 14 .

Experts agree that, at the moment, most cyber-crime results from the intellectual motives of "super-kid" hackers, and very little relates to commercial crime or terrorism 15 . But it is expected that could change.

Terrorist technological capability is widely assumed by intelligence experts and the scope for terrorist abuse is increasingly recognised.

Could it happen in Texas? The government, at least, seems to think so. Last year, the Texas Department of Information Resources successfully carried out one of the first state-wide cyber attack simulations, in preparation for the possibility that terrorists could sabotage critical government computer systems 16 .

It's a threat which businesses need to take increasingly seriously too. For example, most oil and gas companies use process control software which, as many of you know, controls safety valves and with which a hacker could wreak havoc.

From a business perspective, the indirect risks are perhaps of just as great importance: loss of customers, and damage to the corporate brand and reputation if such an attack becomes public news.

Texas-targeted risk solutions

But enough of the threats. What can Texas do to manage its risks better?

The good news is that awareness amongst companies both around the world and here in Texas has improved significantly since 9/11. But there is much that remains to be done.

Contingency planning

First, let me start with contingency planning. Any underwriter will tell you that preparedness is key. Yet you may be surprised to know that many businesses actually aren't ready to face disaster when it strikes.

In one recent survey, almost 40 per cent of Western companies admitted that they do not have adequate plans in place to protect against terrorist attacks 17 .

The same is true of cyber-risk. A third of organisations admit that they cannot tell whether their systems are under attack, and believe that their ability to respond to incidents is inadequate 18 .

Some think that contingency planning is too expensive, but in fact the most important steps for surviving a crisis often cost little. Being unprepared can be the most expensive strategy of all. Careful thought and enough time are the important factors. But it is clear that companies must invest more - as much in terms of time as money - in contingency planning, to better prepare themselves against the broadest spectrum of risks which we all fear.

Improved security

Improved security is another step which companies can take relatively easily, but which can make all the difference, according to the experts in our market.

One of the first acts of US Congress back in 1790 was to launch ten cutters to patrol the eastern seaboard and guard major ports from illegal trade and smuggling: this was the foundation of the United States Coast Guard 19 . Moving forward 200 years, that challenge has changed.

In December last year, the Department of Homeland security announced that almost 32 million dollars would go towards improving defences along the Texan coast - with the Port of Houston Authority receiving the largest grant 20 .It's all part of a co-ordinated strategy which, to insurers, seems like a very sound strategy.

But there is no room for complacency. Further investment, even closer co-operation between government departments here as well as internationally, and plugging any gaps in federal law, are all vital.

All business leaders have a role to play too. Many companies have improved their security measures since 9/11, but there is little consistency and standards vary greatly. So where are the weak links? Our underwriters talk about perimeter control, checking of ID, close circuit TV monitoring, and a greater presence of security personnel as the main examples.

In order to improve security, companies will need to allocate funding, educate employees, and work better together with their industry peers to share information and develop solutions across their own corporate boundaries.

Sometimes people fear that additional security just leads to more red tape. But only 16 per cent of global companies feel that security measures introduced since 9/11 have had a negative impact on their business. Even better, over half believe that they have actually helped them to deliver their business goals 21 . It's an investment, and a change of culture, that's clearly worth making.

Greater consideration of insurance

Third, Texas businesses should consider insurance very carefully. The insurance markets learnt the hard way, following the Twin Towers disaster, that terrorism is a risk which needs to be separately priced - and priced at a level commensurate with the risk.

However, many companies are currently not buying coverage. Maybe they feel removed from the risk. Maybe they feel unable to bear the cost, or have still not got used to the idea of having to pay for it 22 .

A new survey by Marsh, a leading insurance broker who works closely with the Lloyd's market, shows that 46 per cent of US companies are buying terrorism cover 23 . The good news is that's nearly double the number buying it this time last year, but the bad news is that over half of corporations remain uninsured - and smaller companies in particular are much less likely to have insurance in place.

Amazingly, and this has particular resonance for Houston, energy companies are the least likely to buy terrorism insurance. Only 18 per cent of energy companies surveyed said they had coverage in place - compared to around 70 per cent of public entities and real estate companies.

The range of risks which terrorism brings is also expanding. Take 9/11, where some 25 per cent of the total 40 billion dollar loss related to business interruption 24 . In today's business environment, the impact of a business temporarily ceasing operation in one location can often be felt right across the world. And in a society where litigation is such a preoccupation, some companies are increasingly concerned about the liabilities they could face in the event of a terrorist attack, and we are seeing emergence of a new terrorism liability market to cover these risks. The hotel industry protecting its guests is one example, but pollution liability following terrorism is another - and so it is as relevant an issue for oil installations as for hotels. Of course, developing innovative solutions for new, complex and difficult risks has always been an area where the Lloyd's market excels, and Lloyd's is a leader in these fields.

Closer attention to risk management by the board

Finally, however, insurance is only part of the solution. In the end, closer attention to risk management is critical. Companies need to recognise that the risk environment has changed, and they cannot rely on 20th century management techniques to solve 21st century problems.

The whole area of cyber risk is one where the insurance market can and does offer solutions, but any insurer will look very closely at the risk management procedures in place before offering coverage. As one Lloyd's expert involved in this field puts it, if best practice is in place it mitigates the risk in 90 per cent of cases 25 .

Whether it's a question of more insurance; or using risk experts to help your business manage security, today's risks no longer fit into easy categories, and in the wake of Sarbanes-Oxley, responsibility for decision making on corporate risk lies in the boardroom.

We seem slow to learn the lesson. Although attitudes towards risk management are changing, it appears that much of the impetus for change is coming from regulatory pressures - rather than being a commercial motivation to manage risk better 26 . A culture of risk awareness has yet to emerge in the boardroom it seems - in only 31 per cent of corporations do all major decisions involve interaction with the risk management team.

resources:http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Speeches/Can_the_21st_century_corporation_remain_secure_Lord_Levene_Chairman.htm

Conclusion:

My conclusion about this 21'st century look like is just this is the beginning of extreme high-tech, fast emerging technologies and we can't stop it because everything in this world is changing. Because of this i think there are only two faces that the 21st century corporations experiencing first is the advantages of this wonderful new discoveries of technologies and the second is the abusing of this technology and use this technologies to their own benefits like being selfish,terrorist(hacking) and thats very dangerous.

ASSIGNMENT 5 (HRM)

Visit and identify a company website that has undergone HR downsizing. Identify the cause of downsizing and describe its processes.

So first let's just give some meaning to those words that I am not familiar.(hehehe)

WHAT IS DOWNSIZING?

MEANING:

Downsizing is the ‘conscious use of permanent personnel reductions in an attempt to improve efficiency and/or effectiveness’ (Budros 1999, p. 70). Since the 1980s, downsizing has gained strategic legitimacy. Indeed, recent research on downsizing in the US (Baumol et al. 2003, see also the American Management Association annual surveys since 1990), UK (Sahdev et al. 1999; Chorely 2002; Mason 2002; Rogers 2002), and Japan (Mroczkowski and Hanaoka 1997; Ahmakjian and Robinson 2001) suggests that downsizing is being regarded by management as one of the preferred routes to turning around declining organisations, cutting cost and improving organisational performance (Mellahi and Wilkinson 2004 )most often as a cost-cutting measure.

resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layoff

Overview: This overview focuses both on downsizing in the narrow sense (workforce reduction) and on related, generally broader or more fundamental strategies such as rightsizing and rethinking. The document defines key terms, discusses why downsizing is important, highlights implementation approaches, tools, and results and lessons, and suggests next generation issues. It includes a selected, annotated bibliography; examples of experts and resources in downsizing; and illustrative examples of the various approaches (e.g, downsizing, rightsizing, rethinking). Because most lessons of experience suggest that workforce reductions are rarely effective undertaken in isolation (i.e., downsizing for the sake of downsizing is increasingly regarded as a highly ineffective strategy), the overview attempts to weave together themes pertinent to downsizing, to rightsizing, and to some extent to rethinking.

resources: http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=60772&tag=content;col1

WHY DO FIRM DOWNSIZE?

*Reduce Costs
*Reduce layers of management to increase decision making speed and get closer to the customer.
*Sharpen focuses on more competencies of the firm and outsource peripheral activities.
*Generate positive reactions from shareholders in order to improve valuation of stock price.
*Increase Productivity.

Effects to downsize: Overall

*Mixed effects on firms performance; some cause short savings, but long term profitability and valuation not strongly affected.
*Firm's reputation as good employers suffers.
Ex. Apple computer reputation as good employer declined after several layoffs in 1990's.
*Downsizing rethinking of employment strategy. Lifelong policies not credible after downsizing.
Ex. IBM abandoned lifelo9ng policy after several layoffs in early 1990's.

Effects to downsize: Employees Morale

*Employee motivation disrupted: increase in political behaviors,anger, fear - which is likely to negatively impact quality of customer service.
*Violation of psychological contract,leads to cynicism, lowered work commitment, fewer random acts of good will.
*survivors experience more stress due to longer work hours with the re-deisgn jobs, and increased uncertainely regarding future downsizing.

Effects to downsize: Workforce Quality

*Many senior employees leave due to application of early retirement incentives: result is loss of institutional memory.
*The use of the voluntary workforce reductions (buyouts) results in the most marketable employees leaving (stars)-- difficult to control since all the employees must be legally eligible to qualify.
*Early retirements & voluntary reduction often result in too many people quitting and some are hired back as consultants at higher cost to firm.

Downsizing Effects

Downsizing works best when:

*Changes in strategy,Organization structure and culture accompany job cuts of downsizing.
*Weak business units and plant closures are used as basis of reductions, rather than across the board cuts affecting all the units (including healthy one).

Downsizing

Critical Thinking Questions:

1. Which is better criteria to use as the basis for downsizing employees: seniority or performance?

- for me, it is the performance. Because dealing with a company is not a joke business it is very real and there are lots sacrifices of what you have. In order to run a company it should deal with the "performance."

2. Should employers give future notice to downsized employees, or to tell them on the they they are expected to leave the firm ?

- o,yes!It should be so that the employee can get ready to search for another jobs.

3.Separation pay is voluntary. What benefits do firms gets when they give separation pay to employees in downsizing?

- ***

4. Is there a set of best practices to let an employee know he/she been downsized?

- If there, well i think it's a challenge to him/her to work better.

5. Under what circumstances might company's managers prefer to use layoffs instead of early retirements or voluntary severance plans as the way to downsized the workforce?

- ***

resources: http://www.authorstream.com/presentation/edwinlee-111819-downsizing-hr-business-finance-ppt-powerpoint/

Example of company undergone hr downsizing:

History Progress

1890s–1937-Early Ambitions

A merger of three 19th-century companies—the Tabulating Machine Company, the International Time Recording Company and the Computing Scale Company of America—creates the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) on June 16, 1911. CTR is the precursor to IBM. Thomas J. Watson Sr. joins CTR in 1914 and over the next two decades transforms it into a growing leader of innovation and technology and a prototype for the newly emergent multinational corporation. This shift is signaled in 1924, when the company’s name changes to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). From the beginning, IBM defines itself not by strategies or products—which range from commercial scales to punch card tabulators—but by forward-thinking culture and management practices grounded in core values. By adhering to its vision and values throughout the Depression—providing continued employment, even adding engineers and other staff in order to sustain its production output—IBM is able to play a pivotal role in enabling the U.S. government’s Social Security Act of 1935, “the biggest accounting operation of all time.”

1938–1951-Growing Influence

Although international commerce is brought to a halt by the Second World War, IBM expands its manufacturing capacity to meet wartime demands—adding to its Endicott, New York plant, and opening new facilities in Poughkeepsie, New York, Washington, D.C., and San Jose, California. Following the war, the company accelerates its international growth, and in 1949, it forms the World Trade Corporation to manage its foreign operations. In the span of two decades, the new organization will generate more than half of IBM’s bottom line. Business innovation works hand in hand with social innovation during this period, as IBM promotes diversity and corporate philanthropy in its policies. The company begins to focus on opportunities for women, minorities and the disabled—years before such considerations would become the norm.

1952–1963-Foundations of Modern Computing

The ascension of Thomas J. Watson Jr. to IBM’s presidency in 1952 marks the beginning of the company’s transition to a modern corporation. During the first decade of his tenure, Watson Jr.—later labeled by Fortune as the “most successful capitalist who ever lived”—begins to transform IBM from a leading industry player into a business behemoth that spans the globe. He refocuses IBM toward the development and commercialization of electronic computer technologies, creates and institutionalizes professional corporate management practices, and codifies unwritten IBM philosophy and behaviors into formal policies and programs. These technological, business and social innovations propel IBM into the 1960s as the world’s leading high-technology firm.

1964–1970-The 360 Revolution

In the early 1960s, IBM sees its marketplace lead threatened by a series of worthy challengers. In a bold business move—Thomas J. Watson Jr.’s legendary “bet the company” decision—IBM develops the revolutionary System/360™ family of mainframe computers. Sparked in part by the triumph of the System/360, IBM experiences a nearly fivefold increase in revenues and earnings over the course of the decade. The organization wears its mantle of success well, adopting a host of progressive new employee and social programs that make it one of the world’s most admired companies. If IBM ended the 1950s as a technology leader, it ends the 1960s as a global business icon.

1971–1992-Computing Gets Personal

Building on its success in the 1960s, IBM solidifies its position as the IT industry’s—and the business world’s—most profitable, admired and iconic corporation, and continues to develop innovative new products throughout the 1970s. From the magnetic-stripe technology used on credit cards, to floppy disks, to the Consumer Transaction Facility (an early form of today’s ATM), IBM’s ingenuity is felt everywhere. As a new era of computing begins to take hold in the 1980s, the company creates standards that legitimize the PC, turning it from a hobbyist device into an indispensable tool of modern life—in homes, businesses and schools around the world. The company also continues to push the boundaries of scientific discovery, with five IBM researchers sharing three Nobel Prizes in Physics. However, despite its depth and breadth of innovation, by the late 1980s IBM finds itself thrown into turmoil by the very revolutions it helped launch—initiating a downturn and period of unrest for the company that will persist into the following decade.

1993–2002-The Birth of e-business

Entering the 1990s, IBM confronts its most significant strategic challenges since the Depression and successfully undertakes one of the great turnarounds in business history. It moves into major new growth businesses, principally services and software, and embraces open standards for computing. The company also fundamentally reshapes its culture to refocus on clients and to be more agile, responsive and collaborative. This transformation coincides with the advent of the Internet, and IBM is a pioneer in helping clients capitalize on the new possibilities of global networked computing and business—what it dubs “e-business.” As the 20th century comes to a close, IBM stands, once again, at the forefront of global technology and business.

resources: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/interactive/index.html

ASSIGNMENT 9

Identify an information environment of your choice and write an essay to address the following questions: (3000 words)

• What should be your role within this environment?

For me my role with this issue is because I am an IT student well i just use this to spreed out this news in the net even this is very known in the internet.

• How can the principles of information organization and representation help you in performing this role?

As for this joining some forums in the net that they can give us new knowledge to solve this kind of problem.

• What are the challenges facing you in performing the role? How will you address these challenges?

Well, enable to pursue this kind of role one of the challenges is the soul of pursuing this role. I know this is a hard to meet but reading in formations like this is actually is a quiet interesting for me, and even in the my daily doings i contributed this news to persons who don't know the roots of this problems like the issue of stopping of using fossil fuel to minimize the global warming. Well, I'm proud to say that i did this i remember when i tell some of my cousins about of this issue i they know about this so that what i really want to do to read some new articles and to spreed out this news to the people so that if we are able to do this all in the world i think and probably we can see some solutions to this problem starting at our self.

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ISSUE: World Leaders Agree to End Fossil-Fuel Subsidies to Slow Global Warming

At the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Pittsburgh last week, the world's largest economies agreed to end subsidies for oil, coal and other fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming, but failed to move ahead on offering financial aid to developing countries that are already feeling the effects of climate change.

The $300 billion spent every year on subsidies worldwide actually accelerates global warming by keeping prices artificially low and increasing demand for fossil fuels. Phasing out the subsidies between now and 2020, as the G20 nations intend, would decrease global greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2050.

By punting temporarily on providing "climate change" money to poor countries, the G20 leaders renewed concerns that they may lack the commitment to achieve a meaningful international pact to slow global warming when they meet with other nations at the United Nations Copenhagen climate conference in December. Yet, in a joint statement, the G20 leaders pledged to increase their efforts to reach an agreement this year. They also asked their finance ministers to develop a variety of climate-related financial aid strategies for them to consider at their next meeting.

What Causes the Greenhouse Effect?

Life on earth depends on energy from the sun. About 30 percent of the sunlight that beams toward Earth is deflected by the outer atmosphere and scattered back into space. The rest reaches the planet’s surface and is reflected upward again as a type of slow-moving energy called infrared radiation.

As it rises, infrared radiation is absorbed by “greenhouse gases” such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone and methane, which slows its escape from the atmosphere.

Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, they regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that surrounds the planet.

This phenomenon is what scientists call the "greenhouse effect." Without it, scientists estimate that the average temperature on Earth would be colder by approximately 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), far too cold to sustain our current ecosystem.

How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?
While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing.

The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature.

* Burning natural gas, coal and oil —including gasoline for automobile engines—raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

* Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide.

* Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and “global warming” that is currently under way.

* Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.

* Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.

Ultimately, more greenhouse gases means more infrared radiation trapped and held, which gradually increases the temperature of the Earth’s surface and the air in the lower atmosphere.

The Average Global Temperature is Increasing Quickly
Today, the increase in the Earth’s temperature is increasing with unprecedented speed. To understand just how quickly global warming is accelerating, consider this:

During the entire 20th century, the average global temperature increased by about 0.6 degrees Celsius (slightly more than 1 degree Fahrenheit).

Using computer climate models, scientists estimate that by the year 2100 the average global temperature will increase by 1.4 degrees to 5.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 2.5 degrees to 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Not All Scientists Agree
While the majority of mainstream scientists agree that global warming is a serious problem that is growing steadily worse, there are some who disagree. John Christy, a professor and director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is a respected climatologist who argues that global warming isn’t worth worrying about.

Christy reached that opinion after analyzing millions of measurements from weather satellites in an effort to find a global temperature trend. He found no sign of global warming in the satellite data, and now believes that predictions of global warming by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century are incorrect.

What Causes Global Warming?

What is really causing the global warming and rapid climate change we're beginning to see worldwide?

Global Warming is Unstoppable and Humans are to Blame, says UN Report

On Friday, February 2, 2007, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—the leading international group of climate scientists—published a 20-page summary of a much longer scientific report, The Physical Basis of Climate Change [pdf], which confirms global warming is now “unequivocal” and states with more than 90 percent certainty that human activity “very likely” has been the primary cause of rising temperatures worldwide since 1950.

The report summary also says that global warming is likely to continue for centuries, and that it is already too late to stop some of the serious consequences it will bring—even if mankind could somehow hold the line on greenhouse gas emissions worldwide starting today.

Despite those grim conclusions, however, the report does say that there is still time to slow global warming and to lessen many of its most severe consequences if we act quickly. At the same time, the IPCC report avoids prescribing specific strategies, leaving that to policymakers worldwide, the audience for which the report summary was prepared.

This article answers some of the most common questions about the IPCC report and its predictions for the future of our planet.

Q: What are the expected consequences of global warming based on the summary of the fourth IPCC assessment of climate change science?

A: Global temperatures are expected to increase 3.5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, and there is a 1-in-10 chance that the increase could be far worse, a risk that many experts believe is too great to ignore.

Rising temperatures will alter global weather patterns that have a direct effect on water supplies and agriculture. Deserts will expand, the frequency and severity of droughts and deadly heat waves will increase, and snow will disappear in most areas—except on the very highest mountain peaks.

Sea levels worldwide are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches by 2100, and will continue to rise for at least the next 1,000 years.

Fierce storms, such as hurricanes, will become more frequent and more floods will occur, due to rising sea levels and heavier rainfall in some areas.

Continuing global warming will also lead to a rise in many diseases that are deadly to humans. Flooding will contaminate water supplies in some areas, giving rise to infectious diseases. Rising temperatures will also increase the range and breeding grounds of mosquitoes and other disease-bearing insects, exposing more people to diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis.

Q: What does the IPCC report say about the relationship between global warming and human activity?

A: In the strongest language ever used by the IPCC, the report says that human activity “very likely” has been the primary cause of global warming since 1950. (The term “very likely” indicates more than 90 percent certainty.)

The report summary also says that human activity has been a major contributor to climate change since the Industrial Revolution, which began around 1750.

Global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide—three of the most notable greenhouse gases—have increased significantly over the past 250 years as direct result of human activities. Concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases now far exceed any found during ice core research spanning the past 650,000 years.

The increase of carbon dioxide is due primarily to the use of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, and changes in land use, such as cutting down forests to make way for farming, housing and other development. Increases in methane and nitrous oxide are primarily due to agriculture.

Q: What does the report say about the risks of rising sea levels due to global warming?

A: Sea levels worldwide are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches by 2100, and will continue to rise for at least the next 1,000 years. By comparison, global sea levels rose 6 to 9 inches in the 20th century, so the effects of global warming on sea levels are clearly accelerating.

Rising sea levels will create millions of environmental refugees as people are forced to leave their homes in coastal areas. Many nations will be unequipped to cope with the waves of immigrants looking for new homes.

Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will change the pH balance of seawater, making it slightly more acidic. Although the oceans will remain alkaline, marine biologists predict that a shift toward greater acidity could threaten the survival of coral reefs and plankton—an essential and fundamental link in the marine food chain.

Even a moderate increase in the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could easily push average global temperatures to levels last seen 125,000 years ago during a warm period between two ice ages. At that time, sea levels were 12 to 20 feet higher than they are today. Much of the water from that earlier period is now frozen in Greenland and Antarctica, but many of those ice fields are beginning to melt.

Because scientists are not certain how quickly polar ice will melt, the estimates of sea level increases in the report are based on how much warming oceans will expand and do not take into account anticipated runoff from melting ice on land in Greenland and the polar regions.

Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning
Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.

Turn down the heat while you're sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

3. Change a Light Bulb
Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.

If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

4. Drive Less and Drive Smart
Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.

When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products
When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.

Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

6. Use Less Hot Water
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.

7. Use the "Off" Switch
Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.

It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

8. Plant a Tree
If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

9. Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company
Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.

10. Encourage Others to Conserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.

These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

source: http://environment.about.com/
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/ipcc_report.htm
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm