Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Research Paper Example They may also re-live the terrifying situations they underwent even years after the actual incidence took place. There are many veterans who return from wars in which they were exposed to terrifying situations and were expected to act in inhumane ways. They are consequently unable to fully re-adjust to civilian life. This is because there are not enough facilities that look to address this issue. The Preferable Research Design The qualitative research method is the best for studying the decision-making process in determining financial assistance for PTSD sufferers. This research design allows for information to be acquired through open ended questions in interviews. Creswell presents the main traits of five methodologies that concern qualitative research in health science literature. He also addresses the importance of using mixed methods when conducting researches that have to do with public health matters. Mixed methods allow researchers to be able to understand issues from differe nt perspectives in order to develop and further enrich the gist of any singular perspective. Mixed methods used in healthcare research also allow the researcher to contextualize information by adding information about participants like the victims of PTSD to the views of workers at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital. Using both qualitative and quantitative data is important because it allows for the researcher to be able to comprehend the existing problem better. The researcher can compare facts after verifying them in order to offer reasons for existing trends. Using both research methods also allows for having one database based on another. When a quantitative research stage is used to succeed a qualitative research stage, the intent of the researcher may be to generate a survey instrument that is based on qualitative findings. Moreover, when the qualitative research stage follows the quantitative phase, the researcher may be wanting to establish the best ra tionale with which to explain the system used to garner the quantitative results (Osborne, 2008). Problem Statement Even though the subject of PTSD cases among war veterans is openly addressed in today’s society, this still does not help all soldiers suffering from this illness to be able to access treatment when they need it. There is a need to use mixed methods in research in order to enhance the quality of information gathered in a research. There are different types of problems facing the public health dispensation of services such as the provision of treatment for PTSD. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to develop a design for using a mixed method study that will seek to evaluate the decision-making processes that are used to decide eligibility for funds from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital for war veterans with PTSD are verified. Part 2: Each student is to turn in a two page paper describing the research design selected suitable to address the problem and purpose of the study. Also, include a comparison chart between qualitative and quantitative data. Also, include the different qualitative approaches and their explanations. In addition, include the different quantitative approaches and their explanations. (Two pages) Qualitative method Quantitative method Instances whenResearch type is conducted Includes interviews, entries and open-ended questions Data is numerically documented Analysis style It is harder to

Seminar issues in hospital Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar issues in hospital - Case Study Example A human resource unit must develop the skills and potential of an organization. Recent research indicates that career development and a challenging work environment is a priority for most employees (Griffin, 2015). They must create individual development plans for every position in the organization. In addition, this development needs evaluation and measurement to identify the satisfaction level of its workforce. The organization can use some devices to reduce the workforce. Succession planning is essential to ensure that the remaining employees can comfortably handle the remaining work. A voluntary exit incentive program is a useful device to ensure a smooth transition of laid-off employees out of the organization (Hopeman, 2003). Two years is a long enough period to ensure that the program is successful in an organization. Another device is the use of a forced ranking system, in which the abilities of the workforce are ranked according to their skills, and other factors such as length of stay in the organization, and performance (Hopeman, 2003). The human resource department is the most suited unit to implement the two devices in a fair manner. A voluntary exit incentive program is cheaper than a forced ranking system. A forced ranking system is a complex process that involves observation, collection, and analysis of

Enterprise Rent-a-Car Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enterprise Rent-a-Car - Case Study Example lue, or market share, good management systems to clearly identify true performance and profitability (Gardiner, 2005). These success drivers are obvious but it is amazing how many businesses ignore their importance. This is particularly true in difficult markets or economic recession where short term financial constraints lead to cost cutting. Early casualties are staff levels, training, research, product innovation, non-essential' customer care etc. These are targeted because they produce relatively easy short term cost reduction. Ironically they often also reduce the ability of the business (Rent-A-Car Home Page 2008). Enterprise Rent-a-Car follows a focus strategy (differentiation). ... 2. In order to execute strategy, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, introduces strong corporate values and philosophy which shapes the culture and relations. The management approach is relevant to the commercial requirements of the marketplace and the situation of the business. The main advantage of Enterprise Rent-a-Car is "service-focused business practices, including picking customers up and focusing marketing efforts on repair shops, insurance companies, and policyholders whose cars have been damaged or stolen" (329). The pace of change has significantly increased in recent years and the competitive arena has enlarged, driven by corporates with an appetite for new markets, reduced barriers to international trade, and technology. Undoubtedly, customer needs are discovered and fulfilled. After all, that has been the entire refrain of our tune of value. But firms that try to deliver value in different countries with little or no attempt to build on value capabilities previously accumulated else where are, in effect, like conglomerates whose different products have no conscious value relationship to one another. Unique mission and values of the company support its growth and stable market position (Rent-A-Car Home Page 2008). Family ownership helps the company to escape restructuring and keep its unique values and brand image. Enterprise Rent-a-Car has responded to competitive crises by establishing employee-focused programs to improve productivity and quality. Managers in Enterprise Rent-a-Car have adopted the view that customer focused programs can unlock the creative potential and commitment of their customers (Dobson and Starkey 2004). 3. The main determinants of success are the optimal use of human,

Clean Edge Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Clean Edge - Case Study Example The company is also experiencing growth in sales of other products implying that customers have confidence in the company’s products. The weaknesses off the company include inability to reach a consensus in relation to branding and marketing. Managers are specifically interested in the success of their brand rather than for the good of the company. Threats include substitutes and new entrants. The major competitors in the industry are also producing non-disposable razor products and thus the company must brace itself for stiff competition. Also, entrant of new firms will increase the amount of substitutes in the market. The behavior of the customers in regard to this product is clear. The consumers are gradually changing from replacement razors to the non-disposable razor products. The customers are expecting newer and advanced technologies that will give them a smoother shave. In this regard, consumers are increasingly choosing the super-premium category. Launching Clean Edge as a Niche product means that the product will focus on a few highly groomed persons who want a different shaving capability. It is the most preferred strategy among the company managers. Launching Clean Edge as a mainstream brand means that the product offers the regular shaving experience. The managers think that the strategy would cannibalize the market of other company products such as Pro. To avoid cannibalization of other company products, I recommend Clean Edge to be launched as a niche product. Launching it as a niche product will also enhance the product’s position as a super-premium product. I would recommend the name Paramount Clean Edge. The name would enhance the company’s name and enhance in brand positioning. Launching the product under the name Paramount would reap from the reputation of the company’s products. The name will also boost the visibility of the

School Uniforms Essay Example for Free

School Uniforms Essay The issue of school uniforms in today’s public schools is a silent but very controversial issue, Gaining momentum with school administrators and parents debating on whether or not to convert their public schools. With academics on a decline compared to the world average, (Wu, Elaine) along with school violence at its highest that it has ever been. The United States is a seeing a change towards school using school uniforms to help solve many problems associated with public schools. School uniforms in today’s society â€Å"promote school safety and enhance the learning environment, and diminish the clothing completion† As said by Marsha Boutelle. School uniforms unify a school and help the blending of the school cultures, instead of massive polarization among students. Of course student who could not wear uniforms due to religious reasons or other appropriate reasons could sign out doing so along with parent permission. Along with School uniforms we see a boost in academic performance. With the United States dropping behind other developed nation ranking in at number 18 of 24. (Wu, Elaine) this is low for a nation that is spending a lot on education every year. Kids are losing focus on school and are competing for what the newest fashion or gadget rather than focusing on school these days. With the addition of school uniforms in American society kids can focus more on their classes rather than social factors that students focus on when there is no school uniform and the dress code is not strict. With the addition of school uniforms in public schools you can see students bonding together helping students feel like they are accepted and part of a much bigger picture than just them. Also the boost in academics helps out everywhere with helping students get into universities of their choice rather than just a university that excepts them and helps them get scholarships, which a lot have a GPA requirement, that must be met in order to qualify or to continue receiving. This helps out students and parents get funding for the college or trade school they attend. And with the millions of dollars in scholarships that go unused each year. Students could defiantly use this money to pay or help pay for their college. And this helps out businesses get tax cuts find what could be future employs and save them money in the end when taxes are due. But many people argue against school uniforms in America and say that it affects their creativity and violates the first amendment. (Cornell) Arguing against school uniforms parents feel that not being able to dress in the latest clothing fashions. They feel that their children are being restricted on their creativity and ability to freely express themselves. Coming back to the United States constitution’s first amendment which is the freedom of speech, saying that what the students are wearing is a symbol of speech and is expressing them. But this argument is flaw when it comes to students who still cannot abide by even the schools standard dress code policies. For example â€Å"sixth grader tiffany gets sent to the principal’s office because the teacher thinks she is dressed inappropriately. She is wearing a micro mini skirt and a halter top that shows her midriff. Principle Judy Montgomery, of Sacramento’s Bear Flag Elementary School, takes Tiffany home to change her clothes and to check in with her parents. There reaction isn’t what she expects â€Å"Her mother was upset with me† Montgomery says. Her mother says she looks cute. † (Boutelle) This is showing that some parents can’t even enforce a school appropriate dress code on their children in this day and age. This example is showing how kids are being influenced by today’s hip hop culture. Effecting what young people are wearing even if it is degrading to them. And its creating distractions to other people in the academic environment therefore hindering others ability to do their best and distracting them from being creative in their own ways. So this argument is invalid when kids are so dressed down that it’s distracting to others. And the inability for parents to be able to tell their children that what they are wearing is inappropriate and shows that a standardized dress code should be put in place. There is a time and place to dress however you like and that is outside of school. Kids can dress however they please outside of a standardized institution. Also it would be very unprofessional if parents had to meet a teacher or principle for a conference or something school related. And the teacher or principle was wearing unprofessional clothing looking unclean and not clean cut, In other words not looking professional for their job. Students and parents alike don’t like to see this it’s very hard to take them serious and consider them professional. So the argument is flawed when it comes to it in the end, because in schools are supposed to be unifying and be an academic environment. Another problem in American schools is school violence School violence can be greatly reduced by the use of school uniforms. With kids unable to noticeably tell or distinguish which kids belong to what gangs in school if any at all. Also with uniforms it’s much harder to tell which kids come from money and which kids come from needy families. Relieving kids of the stress of which social economic status you come from. With a blending, it helps kids see who the actual person is rather then who or where they came from or what their culture is or background. For example all you have to do is step in to any public school with a normal dress code during lunch and you can just see all the different groups that are happening in a school from rich kids and jocks to the nerds and the poor kids. You see the school gangs separating representing for their gang or group. At any moment there could be a confrontation between any of these groups and instantly a conflict has started or worse school violence could happen between people. Since something has happened everything is stopped until the situation gets resolved whether it’s broken up by the school cop, teachers, or resolved by the people it happens between. Some of this can be stopped, as bill Clinton said in his 1996 state of the union address â€Å"I challenge all our schools to teach character education, to teach good values and good citizenship. And if it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms. † (Clinton) This quote is showing how kids are committing violence in school over something as simple as a â€Å"designer jacket†. (Clinton) everyone wearing uniforms also makes it very easy to recognize people who are not supposed to be there or can make an intruder stand out in a crowd. So what is to stop kids in school from killing or committing violence over any other reason in public schools? But David L Brunsma begs to say that school uniforms can actually solve school violence or even boost school academic performance. After he did a study on how school uniforms. His graph (summary of uniform policy effect) shows that there is either not enough of a change or there was a drop in performance according to his graph. But the graph does not show any numbers on it so it’s hard to say anything about also. On this subject there is a lot of supporting data for both sides which make it hard to say what is legit and what is not because not every study is reproduced in this field. Brunsma says that school uniforms actual cause a false sense of security and are actual detrimental to what is going on in the climate of the school. (School Uniform Policies in Public Schools†) With so much contradicting evidence to his claim it only raises questions to why uniforms help in some parts of the U. S and across the world but not all over the united states. In conclusion school uniforms should be instated in public school, with a boost in academic performance. Which would in turn boost the United States in the ranking system of developed nations, and along with that would make it a much more respected educational institutional as a whole in the world of education. Also school uniforms unify schools bringing them closer to a whole and unifying the school. School uniforms help students feel a part of something bigger than just them. Also it keeps schools much less polarized making students safer and keeping the school violence significantly low. But it won’t solve all conflicts because there is always someone out looking to start something or is suffering from a severe problem. This can be prevented by students taking initiative to help protect their school. Students should help everyone out in their school by helping keeping it unified. Works Cited 1. Boutelle, Marsha. Uniforms: Are They a Good Fit? The Education Digest. 73. 6 (February 2008): 34-7 2. Brunsma, David L. School Uniform Policies in Public Schools. Principal (Reston, Va. ). 85. 3 (January/February 2006): 50-3 3. Brennan, Timothy. Do uniforms make our schools better? Ive seen them boost school climate. American Teacher. 89. 5 (February 2005): 4 4. Firmin, Michael, Suzanne Smith, and Lynsey Perry. School Uniforms: A Qualitative Analysis of Aims and Accomplishments at Two Christian Schools. Journal of Research on Christian Education. 15. 1/2 (Spring/Fall 2006): 143-68 5. Brunsma, David L. , and Kerry Ann Rockquemore. Statistics, Sound Bites, and School Uniforms: A Reply to Bodine. The Journal of Educational Research (Washington, D. C. ). 97. 2 (November/December 2003): 72-7. 6. Daugherty, Richard F. Leadership In Action: Piloting a School Uniform Program. Education. 123. 2 (2002): 390 7. PRESIDENT CLINTON, WILLIAM JEFFERSON, STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,U. S. CAPITOL JANUARY 23, 1996, http://clinton2. nara. gov/WH/New/other/sotu. html 8. Wu, Elaine, â€Å"U. S. falls in education rank compared to other countries†, The Kapio Newspress, 2004, http://kapio. kcc. hawaii. edu/upload/fullnews. php? id=52 9. Cornell University Law school, http://www. law. cornell. edu/constitution/constitution. billofrights. html.

History of Ergonomics Essay Example for Free

History of Ergonomics Essay Ergonomics refers to the study of the interaction between humans and the environment. This study is aimed at understanding mechanisms that are necessary in order to improve the working conditions of humans. Such working conditions include health, performance and comfort. The study is intended at enhancing strategies that optimize the performance of humans at work. This implies that it focuses on techniques that are required to restructure office etiquette and procedures in order to improve the overall productivity. However, ergonomics is not necessarily limited to office environment as it also encompasses other fields of human life. In a practical perspective, ergonomics is a science concerned with the design of office equipments and artifacts in order to improve the comfort of workers and improve the overall productivity and effectiveness (Gilmore et al. , 1998). An ergonomicist is interested in the study of the interaction between humans and the tools they use in their working environments. The study of ergonomic includes the design of office equipments and space, and the positioning of switches in control rooms. It additionally includes the study of the interaction of the human behavior and their surrounding. This study originated form Greece where the term ergonomics was derived from ergon meaning work and nomos meaning natural law in Greek. Later on a 19th century sociologist Fredrik Taylor invented the term ‘Scientific management’ to gain maximum results in the factory work. Since then, the practice of ergonomics has tremendously developed over time. As the age of space approaches, new factors continue to emerge such as weightlessness and gravitational force. As the modern world progresses into the future, the field of ergonomics continues to become more sophisticated. In the United States, an army personnel known as Alphonse Chapanis in 1943 explained that plane accidents caused by pilot errors could be significantly be reduced by using a more simple and rational cockpit instead of the common control layout (Jubel, 2007). Institutional ergonomics is concerned with the socio-technical aspects of the work environment which refers to the amalgamation of structure, process and organizational strategies. Cognitive ergonomics deals with the psychological perspectives of the workplace which involves the study of ideas, opinion and memory. In academic viewpoint, the study of ergonomics would comprise the knowledge of psychology, engineering and health science. It is therefore necessary for an ergonomicist to possess a bachelors or masters degree in these disciplines. The practice of ergonomics can find use in several aspects of human life such as workplace, home setting, education and sports. The practical study of ergonomics involves the design of working equipments such as computer chairs or keyboards. Other ergonomic discipline involves the study of the environment of the world as is referred to as quantum ergonomics (Gilmore et al. 1998). History of ergonomics In the United States, the field of ergonomic is believed to have originated during the period of the Second World War (Wickens Hollands, 2000), even though developments that led to its inception can be traced back to the 20th century. Before the Second World War, the main focus of the work place was designing humans to adapt to the machines used at work basically referred to trial and error method as opposed to designing the machines used at work to match the requirements of humans. This can be observed form the study conducted by Taylor in which the selection criteria, time and motion studies, training and work rest programs were examined (Taylor, 1911). This study of time and motions was expounded by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (Gilbreth Gilbreth, 1917). Majority of the ergonomic developments were necessitated by military requirements. With the commencement of the First World War, which was the first conflict where airplane was used in combat, there emerged the need to adequately train pilots new mechanisms of war. This necessitated the development of new aviation technologies based on psychology. In addition these trends prompted the emergence of aeromedical research studies. Even though progress was made during this period, the momentum for developing and exploring the discipline further was no achieved since there was lack of vital technological advancements and personnel due to the ongoing Second World War (Meister, 1999). The period between the First World War and the Second World War recorded a significant decline in research, however, some success were realized during this period. Aeromedical research work did not stop during this time which realized advances in several laboratories built across the United States such as the Brooks Air Force Base located in the city of Texas and the Wright Field situated in Ohio. These laboratories were significant in the development of ergonomics. Their study was focused on identification of attributes of successful pilots and establishing the impacts of environment stressors on the performance and productivity of flights. Furthermore, the study of anthropometry which is a field concerned with the measurement of the human body was considerably employed in designing airplanes during this period. Other researches were also being done in the private sector such as the automobile behavioral studies (Forbes, 1939). The emergence of the Second World War, and its accompanied needs, formed the driving force behind the development of the field of ergonomics. First, the demand of mobilizing and recruiting substantial numbers of people both men and women made it very difficult for individuals to specialize in a particular job. Therefore, there was a shift in focus where individual’s capability was designed in order to reduce the negative impacts of their shortcomings. Secondly, the period of the Second World War witnessed the turning point in terms of technological advances. The rapid development of technology outpaced the capability of human to adapt and offset poor designs. This was particularly observed in airplane accidents experienced by vastly trained pilots as a result of problems witnessed with the configuration of the control systems and the instrument displays (Fitts Jones, 1947). In addition, enemy targets were unfortunately missed by machine controlled radars (Wickens Hollands, 2000). Psychologists were employed to experiment and study these emerging issues by employing laboratory mechanisms in order to solve these problems. As a result, the discipline was ergonomics emerged despite the fact that the people involved in its development failed to realize it during this period (Meister, 1999). The two subsequent decades immediate after the Second World War witnessed a growing military research catalyzed largely by the emergence of the cold war. Military research institutions developed during this war were enlarged and new ones created. The private sectors also continued to develop ergonomic groups mainly in aviation and communication, and digital Industry. The Human Factors Society, a professional body mandated to study ergonomics in the United States was established in 1957 and had an approximate of 90 members then who attended the first inaugural meeting. This name was later abolished in 1992 and replaced with the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Currently, this society boasts of over 4500 people, majority of who are participants in the technical groups established under this society, student bodies and attend the yearly meetings. Beginning in the 1960s, the field of ergonomics continued to expand especially in the previously identified areas. This development expanded into new fields such as computer architecture and software, nuclear weaponry, internet technology among others. In the recent past, new areas of study have emerged which includes neuroergonomics and nanoergonomics (Jubel, 2007). Conclusion A persistent premise that has been developed over several decades is the ever increasing center of influence that ergonomics has attempted to encompass, as technological advances continue to emerge. What simply began as a mere detachment of experimental psychology focusing on the interaction and relationship of people with machines in the work place has tremendously expanded to cover almost all aspects of interaction of individuals and their environment. Several researchers have hypothesized about the future of human factors and ergonomics. With the speedy technological advances in such areas as biotechnology and nanotechnology, it would be very exciting to speculate the emerging problems that ergonomics would be called upon to solve in the future (Vicente, 2008). In the today’s modern world, as it was the case during its inception, human factors and ergonomics has still remained a multi disciplinary field of study. In the United States for instance, this discipline has expanded from behavioral sciences including empirical psychology, and some engineering fields of study. Among the countries in the European block, the discipline of human factors and ergonomics has found its stronghold in physical science disciplines such as human physiology. Currently, people from diverse educational backgrounds and disciplines varying from physiology, engineering and psychology have focused their exclusive skills and knowledge in the study of the interaction and relationship of people with systems.

The Importance Of Going Green

The Importance Of Going Green A definition of green management according to is the process within an organisation of applying innovation in order to achieve sustainability, waste reduction, social responsibility and a competitive advantage by the aids of continuous learning and development. Organisations shall be doing such developments, by implementing environmental goals and strategies which match the goals and strategies of the organization. This will therefore help the organization to stay focused to its mission and vision. Nowadays, it is found that companies advertise their products by promoting their environmentally friendly behaviour. It does not matter whether it is on TV or on banner; the message of go green is almost always used. But why green? Green is not simply a color. Going green is a way of making changes in the lifestyle of some organizations as well as the society also. This implies bringing in some changes which are friendlier towards the environment. It is to note that the mere truth while doing every simple thing impacting on the planet good or bad, an individual has all the right to make choices, thus the later can control the impact generated. (Team Treehugger, HTGG, 2007) 2.1.1 Importance of going green Moreover, another main thing is the importance of going green. Not many organisations have realized the importance that going green can have on their business. Firstly, adopting green management system means that it will be here forever. Other forms of energy are all finite, but green system will never be depleted. The renewable source of energy will always be here to keep the human needs ongoing. Secondly, by using green materials and workmanship it helps to keep the environment safe as compared to the energy imports which is quite costly. It has been therefore proved that in the United States, green technologies have been able to provide a boost to the economy`s trade deficit. Thirdly, going green will surely benefits the company in terms of its savings. Paying bills online means less money when companies go paperless, it is also a form of savings in terms of postages and paper costs. Hence both the individual and the businesses benefit from the green initiative. Similarly, if you use compact fluorescent light (CFLs) bulbs, you are like to save money on each bulb you purchase. According to Energy Star, replacing a fluorescent bulb you with an incandescent bulb consumes 75 percent less energy. Thus, if you replace a 100-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL, you will save over $100 per year, based on U.S. Department of Energy figures. (Chris Dinesen Rogers, 2010) According to (Chris Dinesen Rogers 2010) going green can be beneficial to economic growth. Following the National Recycling Coalition, the recycling industry employing over 1 million people and generating approximately $200 billion in annual revenues is extremely good for the economy. It is also stated that that When you recycle, you are contributing to the sustained growth of the economy. In addition to the above, while using recyclable or organic products implies that toxic materials are removed from the production process hence it can be considered as an environmentally-friendly activity. This explains why organisations must reduce their disposal rates, because the more they dispose of, the more valuable and costly materials are being wasted, as well as producing more greenhouse gases as these landfills decompose. (Green Energy Choice 2013) Going green also means a more sustainable world. According to an article published on (All-recycling-facts.com 2009-2012) the rate at which we are utilizing the world`s resources and deteriorating the globe with several kind of pollution could be very disastrous. A result of these dreadful action is leading to the destruction of the earth`s ecosystem which implies that, we will soon be left with no clean air, water, land and food. It is also stated that the day we reach such a stage, there would be nothing which will be able to save us or even nothing to talk about. Our very lives would be threatened since there will be an atmosphere of impure air, undrinkable water, unhygienic food and probably nothing to save us from the ruthless climate change. Hence, it is primordial that each and every one of us contributes equally as a human community towards a greener environment and promotes green behaviour as something which others must follow. Following the competitive market in companies operates; organisations found it necessary to go divert their production towards greener products since consumers are becoming far more aware of green products are ready to move to competitors. The fact that a company uses a product which has already been used simply reduces the cost of production while at the same time reducing the needs for power as the company is consuming less energy. (Madhurjya Bhattacharyya 2011) also pointed out the fact that the Bank of America now uses much less paper as a result of which has lead to an increase in its customers. The bank also recycles paper internally and gives cash back offer facilities to employees up to a certain limit if ever they decide to buy hybrid vehicles in other words ecological vehicles. Few are those who moved from being traditional, but successful are those who took the risk and implemented the new green management system. Furthermore, with the evolution of the technologies, companies have begun to adopt the EMS approach. This can be referred to as Environmental Management System. This approach helps in gathering information, formulating goals, making the right choices while at the same time improving performance. In other words, EMS is a broader version of quality programs to managing the environment. Hence over the past decades, increasing number of companies has initiated new strategies to integrate the environment into their business strategy so as to improve both their environmental and business performance (Porter 1991; Smart 1992; Porter and van der Linde 1995a, 1955b; Hart and Ahuja 1994). To set the ball rolling on, while some managers are investing in the environment and this is most welcomed by the society, others will have to derive ideas about how to identify circumstances which will be favoring both the public benefits and corporate benefits. Some may want just the ISO 14001 label on their product while simultaneously for some other firms better utilizing their resources may be beneficial to the environment as a whole. All this gave rise to competitive advantage between firms. In the 1990s there was a big debate in the field of Business and Environment about whether it pays to be green. According to the following strategies put forward; free lunch, double dividend and win-win hypothesis, chances for businesses to be profitable in the environmental investments is uprising. However on the other hand, Reinhardt (1998) argued that, the question is not whether companies will be able to do it, but it was about the time factor, that is, when the companies will be able t o implement such strategies and when they will begin to benefit from such investments. 2.1.2 Porter`s Strategies Similarly, Michael Porter identified two different types of competitive advantage generated by firms in 1980; Low cost and differentiation. According to Porter, selling products or services with the lowest costs in the industry would be beneficial to the company in terms of competitive advantage. Hence the firm will be selling its product either at the price prevailing in the industry in order to earn higher profits than that of rival or adopting a price which is below the average price in the industry so as to gain in terms of market share. Such a situation is called a price war among firms in the same industry. During such a situation, a firm can maintain its profitability level to the detriment of its competitive edge on the market. However, it is to note that even if there is no such price war, as the industry grows older, price will decline as a result of which; the firm producing at the lowest cost will remain profitable for a longer time period. The differentiation strategy is when the organisation develops a particular product which offers unique attributes that are valued by consumers and the same product is seen differently from the products of the competitors. According to Porter (1985: 13), a cost leader cannot ignore differentiation. This means that differentiation is as important as lowering the cost of production. Similarly, Levitt (1980) pointed out that everything can be differentiated even a commodity. He says this can be applied for industries dealing in primary metals, grains, chemicals, plastics, and money also. However, Peters and Austin (1985: 61) did not totally agree on this theory. They argued that if we put the label of commodity on a product it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Buzzell and Gale (1987: 113) supported this idea with their argument: if you think of your product/service offering as a commodity, thats what it will bea commodity. 2.1.3 Spending Green With regard to green marketing in practice, the health report are somewhat uncertain. A surge in products and services claiming more or less legitimate claims to environmental friendliness was noted in the 1990s, when a significant proportion of consumer advertising campaigns in many countries contained messages related to the environment (Banerjee et al., 1995; Carlson et al., 1993) Today, however, observation suggests a decline in green claims for mainstream products. In some developed countries, this has at least resulted in a correspondingly less widespread occurrence of vague claims related to doubtful green product attributes, meaning that consumers are now more aware about green products. Consecutively, it is found that when it comes to green consumption, women are doing their part of responsibility when making purchases (i.e.) they are making much more green purchases than men do. While doing so, they also promote their products and services to be environmentally-friendly. Following a study on the purchasing habits of consumers, it was found that women are more environmentally-conscious when it comes to decision making in business that their male counterparts. Women clearly disagreed on the fact that some business owners still believe that promoting their products and services as being environmentally-friendly has little impact on consumers buying habits. It even goes further when Dr. Myra Hart, reported that environmental friendliness was ranked in the top three factors by women business owners, influencing consumer purchasing decision of consumers. It was ranked just below quality (98%) and price (85%) and finally cited environmental friendliness as a moderate infl uencer (76%). As a result of this study, it showed that consumers do take into consideration the environmental factor when making purchases either for them or their business (Lahle Wolfe 2013) Likewise, it is quite obvious that cannot consume the same thing for a long period of time. Consumers always tend to move to other new products and sometimes their behaviour are affected by means of advertising or even their past experience they had with a particular product. By consuming more of less environmentally harmful products and services, consumers can bring in positive changes and therefore lessen the impacts on Earth. Consumers don`t realise, but they have enormous power to improve the world. While on one hand, consumers are advised to consume less in order to protect the environment, on the other hand the money saved can be utilized in order to advance the green economy. Green shopping can be termed as a situation where consumers normally spend money on products that are less harmful towards the environment which is likely to build a more sustainable world. Small changes in consumer behaviour like adopting products that comes with less packaging and those which are made w ith plastics can improve the green economy. Hence, the spending pattern of consumers will determine the type of world they will create in the future. (Richard Matthews 2012) In addition to the above, according to (Debra Atlas 2013) 71% of consumer consider the welfare of the environment when they shop. He also claimed that green thinking has been increased among consumers minds. Environmental concerns are now becoming important to firms also since they have the opportunity to develop their green products demanded by consumers and therefore position their company on the market as a being a green company. This will also help the firm in terms of competitive advantage and increased performance. (Singh 2010) Following globalization, consumers now have access to information which raise their awareness about the manufacturing processes of the products and this made them seek green products. (Hailes 2007) For example; consumers may be interested in the green attributes (whether the product is recyclable, biodegradable, etc) of a product as well as the manufacturing process (whether environmental norms have been respected during the process). (Singh 2008) Practically, with the new trend of green management, consumers are willing even more to spend greener. This means that consumers tend to behave more positive towards the sustainability of the environment than the green movement. In other words, the green products will gradually replace the traditional power products because of their environmental benefits. This is likely to be a successful venture because according to (Wiser 1998) consumers are willing to pay for green products. As a result of this, it will generate a new market for renewable energy products. Hence, this may help to put forward green marketing as a successful tool in the energy market. However, sometimes it not about meeting the consumers expectation; businesses have to surpass the expectations to meet quality products demanded by consumers (Gupta Lehman, 2002; Blackwell et al., 2001; Naumann et al., 2001; Foreman, 2000). Another option which may help the company to build a relationship with its customers` is to create a strong brand image so that it the purchaser decision will rely more on perceptions than on reality. (Vrontiss Thrassou, 2007) This also helped organizations to realise the fact that they have to shape the perceptions of consumer in regard to their products by making use of every marketing communication tools at their disposal. This has therefore led to a situation where consumers were overflowed with adverts and became unresponsive over a period of time. As a result of this, the job of producers to influence the mind of the consumers became much harder and needed extra effort. (Blackwell et al., 2006) Hence it can be said that consumer decision m aking is therefore based on information processing (Johnson Puto, 1987) Also, when it comes to accountability, Robins (2008) points out that a company must be ready to accept its responsibility for its operations and their impact on society and natural environment. Companies should work for welfare of the society as a whole and therefore towards a greener world. Similarly, (Sirsly, 2008) recommended that Corporate Social Responsibility is not always generating the monetary and economic value for the firms, but it help firms to differentiate among themselves. When a third party endorsed its corporate efforts, the reputation of a firm is reinforced in the eyes of both market and non-market stakeholders Sirsly and Lametrz(2008). Eventually, Karna et al. (2003) argued that environmental issues were all in the hands of the government. Hence marketing strategies along with government aids can help to build strong green marketing campaign and therefore helps to protect the environment in better and efficient way. If a firm is introducing a highly differentiated product, it is maximizing the stockholders returns and effectively using environmental strategy. A firm engaged in the cause related marketing because of its long term benefits i.e. to attract and retain consumer for longer period of time. In such type of marketing activity, consumers are emotionally motivate to take part and because they wanted to feel different from other members of society or in their groups Ottman (1993, p.91). 2.1.4 The Cost Factor While going green, several factors influencing the financial aspect of the project should be taken into consideration; one of the most important one is the energy cost. It is found that over time, energy costs usually change and thus it becomes difficult to reap profit from the investment. It is assumed that if the energy costs are low, then the cost benefit of implementing the green system will be low too, but on the contrary assuming fluctuations in the economy, the energy costs might increase which will result in striking payback in the future. For example; the cost of buying a hybrid car may be as the same as a normal car for a long term basis assuming a constant price of gas, but suppose the price of gas experience an increase in the future, then the hybrid car will help one to save much more money than expected. (Gregory Hamel, 1999; 2013) Besides, (Rebecca Lake, 2010) pointed out the fact that several practices and behaviours of going green slogan are all motives of saving money, but still there are still ways while adopting green living can be from moderate to very expensive. It is found that, the technology associated with green living is not beneficial to the environment but often at a much higher cost than their traditional counterparts. For instance: let`s consider the installation of solar panel. It can be very useful in saving money on a long term basis, but at the same time it may cost thousands of dollars to install the equipment. Energy saving appliances is normally to be used so as to save water and energy, but they usually come in a high priced package which sometimes is very costly to organisations. Similarly, eating organic food is another to go green, but in order to get these; one has to pay a significant price unless you decide to grow your own food. Basically, (Chris Joseph, 2013) put forward the fact that when companies implement environmental norms within the organisation, it always ends in costlier products. This implies the switch from the traditional way of production to producing green products which can lead to expensive products to the consumers. It can affect the organisation`s source of revenue if it is operating in developing country, since consumers in developing country have less buying power compared to those in developed country. Similarly, according to Jon Kaplan who owns a Greenworks Cabinetry in Florida manufactures eco-friendly furniture products. Since he has to get most of his materials from the West-Coast and Asian countries too, his products cost much more on the market. This means that he has to sell his products at higher prices which may lead to a situation where consumers will obviously shift to competitors. As a whole, while companies decide to go green, many consumers would like to see the organisation actively doing things so as to prevent the depletion of natural resources. Going green does not happens in a matter of minutes, it is a whole process and it involves huge costs which is not always effective for the company. (Admin, 2013), stated that deciding on whether being environmentally responsible or the level of spending is more will be crucial. If ever the spending out way the desire to be eco-friendly, then it will not be a successful project. Problems may pop up on the side of suppliers also. The company will now need to find new suppliers who will be providing materials on time; else significant losses will be incurred by the company. Producing the same quality of finish product will be primordial for the organisation in order to maintain its image on the market failure to do so will be disastrous. Similarly, implementing the green system within the company will mean; trainin g the employees. Employees will have to be trained to deal with the new approach and different method of work. Training may be costly and at the same time lowering productivity while employees are at their training session. 2.2 Supply Chain Management Supply chain management was views years ago, as the process of converting raw materials to finished products and finally delivered to the end-user (Bearmon, 1999). This process can therefore be defined as the extraction and exploitation of the natural resources gifted by the nature (Srivastava, 2007). It is hence very important to note that environmental sustainability has been something primordial since the last decades in business practice. Since the early 1990`s companies were faced with the dilemma of implementing Environmental Management in their supply chains (Wu Dann, 1995) which is however not an easy task. Therefore the green concept to the supply chain of business increases the level of competitiveness among firms which will have a direct relation to the environment. This therefore gave rise to the Green Supply Chain Management. (GrSCM) 2.2.1 Green Supply Chain Management Green Supply Chain Management is the revolutionized version of the traditional supply chain. This involves a direction relationship with the environment. The quality revolution in the late 1980s and the supply chain revolution in the early 1990s has awaken several business conscience to become environmental friendly (Srivastava, 2007, p. 53). Green Supply Chain Management became not just a simple fad, as it aimed at both practionners and academics in waste-reduction programs as well as preserving the quality of the products` life and the natural resource. In order to achieve excellence in business, Eco-Efficiency and renewably processes became something most businesses shall be adopting (Ashley, 1993; Srivastava, 2007). Businesses are bearing the pressure of both governmental and global market demands to become more sustainable (Guide Srivastava, 1998; Gungor Gupta, 1999). Waste management is another topic that pop up from the GrSCM literature. This proved its importance with the work of Roy and Whelan (1992). It therefore gave rise to a standardized model for reducing electronic waste without harming the environment. As a result of this, different waste management issues came into context which emphasized mainly on recycling and remanufacturing. Owen (1930), Hannah and Newman (1995); Sarkis and Cordeiro (2001) and Nagorney and Toyasaki (2005) are all examples of trends of waste management becoming an issue. 2.2.2 Green Design Green design is an important sub-part in the Green Supply Chain Management. It states that each product or service should be design in such a way that it encourages environmental awareness. Beamon (1999) developed ISO14000 which was introduced as a result of the Rio Summit on the Environment in 1992. Tremendous pressure groups were for the fact that firms should encourage greening in their respective supply chain. In 1991, the first green design literature came to existence. NavinChandras (1991) pointed out the first literature in order to reduce the number of wastage that is more businesses going green. Works of Ashley (1993); Allenby and Richards (1994) and Zhang, Kuo, Lu and Huang (1997) came into context and expanded the framework of green design. Life-cycle analysis was an example of a framework that came out of green design. Works of Arena, Mastellone and Perugini (2003), Beamon (1999) and De Ron Penev (1995) all discussed life-cycle analysis as a framework. 2.2.3 Reverse Logistics Reverse Logistics (RL) is the complete reversal of the traditional or forward logistics (Beamon, 1999). Reverse logistics was defined as a process where manufacturers accept products which were shipped from the previous point for consumption which will be possibly use for recycling and re-manufacturing Dowlatshahi (2000) and Carter and Ellram (1998). Fiksel (1996) argues that becoming eco-friendly towards products re-manufacturing had a chance to emerge in some firms. Heavy industries having complex supply chains should see that they benefit from the reverse logistics (RL). Thierry, Wassenhove, Van Nunen and Salomon (1995) supported the fact that automobile industries were making full use of reverse logistics; examples would be: BMW and General Motors. The trend does not end only with those companies, Hewlett Packard, Storage Tek and TRW were also using reverse logistics as a supply chain process. All this were done in the simple main aim to remain competitive in their respective ind ustries (Srivastava, 2007). (Srivastava, 2007) stated that collection is the first stage in every recovery process. Products are then selected, assembled and transported to facilities for re-manufacturing. Used products came from various sources, but then had to be transferred to one particular place so that the converging process can begin (Thierry et al., 1995). It was also claimed that sorting and recycling are very essential mechanism in the process of sorting reusable products. The collection schemes were done on the basis of whether the materials were separated by the consumer (separation at source) or centralized (mixed waste) Cairncross (1992) and Srivastava (2007). Hence the main aim was to sort products so that it can be reused to reduce costs of making new products which is diagrammatically represented on the next page: Source: Jamal Fortes. (2009). Green Supply Chain Management: A Literature Review, Otago Management Graduate Review 2.3 Empirical Literature Review According to the empirical studies carried on in order to test the relationship between the firm`s performance and environmental concerns it was found that the results varied. Some results delivered positive results (Judge and Douglas, 1998; King and Lenox, 2002; Melnyk et al., 2003) while on the contrary some did not identified positive outcomes of environmental proactivity on businesses` performance (Cordeiro and Sarkis, 1997; Gilley et al., 2000; Link and Naveh, 2006). In addition to the above, it was found that firms are facing various pressures from both within the company and governmental parties to become more responsible and at the same time greener. Those pressures have as main aim to reduce the level of impact of firms on the natural environment and the society as a whole. As a matter of fact, social responsibility and being conscious about the environment are being integral among nowadays firms. Hence, the most important issue is about these aspects and the financial performance of the business. That is, in other words, are firms being able to protect the environment as well as being profitable? Bowen (1953) supported the fact that corporate social responsibility is not the remedy and thus it will not cure the society of all its ills immediately, but he thinks that it a new venture that should be supported and implemented by each organization who wants to survive in the industry. He also argued that the social responsibilities of businessme n also known as the obligations of firms must follow the policies which will be beneficial to the society as a whole. Josà © F. Molina-Azorà ­n, Enrique Claver-Cortà ©s, Maria D. Là ³pez-Gamero, Juan J. Tarà ­, (2009),Green management and financial performance: a literature review, Management Decision, Vol. 47 Iss: 7 pp. 1080 1100 Moreover, it is found that, the pressure exerted by environmental management on firm performance, this influence can really help firms to cut down on their costs while at the same time respecting the environment. Reducing or if possible prevent pollution will allow the firm to save on control costs, input, and energy consumption, and to recycle used materials (Hart, 1997; Taylor, 1992). Thus, producing and delivering goods while simultaneously reducing the ecological impact and use of resources will surely help the firm to attain eco-efficiency (Schmidheiny, 1992; Starik and Marcus, 2000). However, on the contrary, those firms which continue to pollute the environment are therefore regarded as a sign of inefficiency (Porter and Van der Linde, 1995). Companies must learn to view environmental improvement in terms of resource productivity. Managers should not only focus on the costs of eliminating or treating pollution, they should review their approach, and thus pay more attention to the cost they have forgone while polluting the environment, in other words, the opportunity of pollution. (wasted resources, wasted effort, and diminished product value to the customer). In addition to the above, it is found that by using practical environmental strategies, firms can eliminate wastages, redesign existing product systems to reduce life cycle impacts, and therefore develop new products with lower life cycle costs (Hart, 1995). If ever organizations go deeper to extend their strategies, this will surely help them to achieve organizational efficiency. In fact, by responding to market pressures firms may save costs so as to achieve greater production efficiency and gathering gains which are easily obtained associated with reducing excessive wastes, material, and energy use. (Hart and Ahuja, 1996) Therefore, it should be noted that green management can provide opportunities to lessen costs while simultaneously increase revenues. Ambec and Lanoie (2008) argued the fact that there are four possible opportunities for companies to use in order to reduce costs (risk management and relations with external stakeholders; cost of material, energy, and services; cost of capital; and cost of labor) and three opportunities to increase revenues (better access to certain markets; differentiating products; and selling pollution-control technology). Furthermore, environmental management can help to maintain and improve relationships between the different stakeholders as well as reducing the level of conflicts between them which can sometimes prove to be costly (Hull and Rothenberg, 2008). Organizations maintaining good relationships with their stakeholders are likely to achieve success much more effectively than competitors (Donaldson and Preston, 1995). Similarly, while creating, developing and maintaining ties with the stakeholders it will surely help to better financial performance of the companies (Jones, 1995; Brammer and Millington, 2008). In the case of the influence of green management impacting on corporate environmental performance, did not generate a clear result. While some studies showed positive impacts. For example, Dasgupta et al. (2000) found positive effects of green management measures on self-assessed compliance with environmental regulations. Anton et al. (2004) found that the Environment Management System helps to reduce the level of toxic emission, and Potoski Prakash (2005) found that companies which have been already certified ISO 14001 reduce their level of pollution more than non-certified ones. Hence, these studies point out to possible problems with regard to their measures of green management and therefore try to develop approaches which shall be useful to such problems. However, their instruments based on cross-sectional data are not fully convincing. In the sense that, Dahlstrà ¶m et al. (2003) did not find that the ISO 14001 certification improves the compliance with environmental regulatio ns and Lenox and Nash (2003) even showed that firms which are less environmental friendly are more attracted to public voluntary environmental programs. Besides, it should be noted that the measures for corporate environmental performance such as toxic emissions or the compliance with environmental regulations are mostly one-dimensional indicators, meaning they look at one facet of the coin. There is more technological environmental performance whi