Normalization Employeers Productivity Essay

There are several reasons why employers should be careful not to overwork their employers. At the top of that list is securing long term sustainability. Long term sustainability involves mapping out feasible productivity plans that balance workforce output and employee maintenance costs. This means that employers must factor in several other variables aside from net profitability when determining the ideal number of hours that their employees should work. Where having company policies that encourage overtime and consequentially overwork does tend to boost individual employee productivity in the short term, Gunner (2000) showed that the increase was only part of a reverse parabolic trend, where a typical employee would work excessively reaching a productivity peak and then burn out and lose productivity within the next few months. This means that the overall productivity of a particular employee would ultimately be the same or even lower than if the company did not encourage overworking. This is also undesirable because companies also do not generally prefer a very high employee turnover which cripples production continuity and creates a negative image of the company as a temporary stepping stone to greener pastures. The despotic method of overworking employees to get the maximum profitability is not feasible in current corporate climate where it is equally difficult to find good employers as it is to find good employees. Companies should be interested in keeping good employees and this means keeping these employees satisfied with their work and their work atmosphere. Overworking is one of the major causes of stress which in turn is one of the primary causes of employment dissatisfaction (Edwards, 2003). In conclusion, companies should maintain the balance between employee productivity and satisfaction by keeping them from getting overworked. This benefits the company with normalized productivity, prevents workforce burnout, and improves employer profile. Â   References: Edwards, A. (2003). Stress: Causes, Symptoms, Complications. Kennedy & Kennedy. Gunner, J. (2000). Employee Productivity Trends in Southern States Based Corporations. Harvard Press.

Women in Sports

In today’s society women are not allowed to play baseball with men due to patriarchal myths and misconceptions that have been around since the emergence of baseball in America. All women should be able to play baseball with men and there is no legitimate reason why they shouldn't. Women are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of playing baseball just as men are. With that being said their biological sex or gender should not and does not affect their ability to play baseball in the company of men. In addition their sex should not deem their athletic ability as inferior in comparison to men.Since the adoption of baseball as an American pastime, the sport of baseball has been cultivated and altered to amputate women exuding the masculinity of baseball. The emergence of baseball as popular and profitable sport has failed to acknowledge and highlight the athletic abilities women. Instead its conception has affirmed women to be fragile and it has also depicted women to not have the skills or talents to play and compete alongside men. There are numerous individuals who are opposed to fusion of women and men on the baseball field.These individuals use demeaning stereotypes and beliefs to support their claims. Often these claims are false and are not supported by factual or scientific data. For example these claims say that women are weaker than men, women are not physically capable of playing sports, or a woman's place is in the home rather than on the playing field. These claims have been in existence since the beginning of time and have filtered into the arena of baseball. These claims are used as agencies to enforce the superiority of men and the inferiority of women.Those who are opposed to the idea of men and women playing baseball together, often defend their argument with the belief that women are not physical capable of participating in sports. In addition they often entice the belief that women are more susceptible to injury than men. This is not a valid reason to exclude women and there is an abidance of research that refutes this claim. In addition to excluding women based on their sex, the sport of baseball is connected to racial segregation. It was believed that baseball was a white man's sport and only men who were white possessed the ability to play the sport.This ideology has filtered into present society, resulting in a few number of African Americans or people of color who participate in the sport. With that being said race is absolutely a factor in whether or not women can play baseball with men. Women who are not white are seen as inferior and they are not expected to be successful in playing baseball. There are great deal of stereotypes that surround race and a person's athletic ability. These stereotypes have been around since the â€Å"Americanization† of baseball and traces of them are still evident today.Physical size and strength, the possibility of injuries, and the color of one's skin have been used as strong reasons to prohibit women and girls from entering the world of baseball, all of these claims are absurd and false, these issues should not just be associated women due to their biological sex. Women regardless of race are just as capable as men to participate in the sport of baseball. We can alleviate and erase these myths surrounding the inferiority of women and the superiority of men in the arena of sports.To solve this problem we must start early, we must preparing girls early to have the ability and skill to play baseball amongst their male counterparts. Girls are often shunned away from little league games due to the toughness, manliness, or the possibility of becoming a tomboy. In addition, it is argued that girls would get hurt playing baseball and boys would quit the team. (Ring, 2009, p. 121) The idea that girls and boys don't share the same physical abilities in conjunction with excluding girls for their protection are often used a tools to keep girls from p laying boys.Girls are expected to play the feminine version of baseball, which was constructed to limit the physical capacities of women and girls and to prevent them from acting in a manly of masculine manner. It is commonly believed that boys are better suit for playing sports and girls are not regarding their physical capabilities. There are minimal differences in the physical development of boys and girls. Boys and girls are commonly equal regarding their physical capabilities, except that boys have greater forearm strength and girls have a greater range of flexibility. With the proper training or practice these differences can be reduced.It is also argued that girls are more susceptible to injury than boys and that their bones are not as strong as boys. The claim is just as false as the others that are used to exclude girls or women from baseball. According to Dr. Joseph Trog, â€Å"any age disparity in bone strength was negligible between the ages of ages of eight and twelve, and if anything, girl's bones tend to be more resistant to breakage than boys. â€Å"(Ring, 2009, p. 123) If girls are allowed to begin training at an early age there should not be any reason why girls and women should be prohibited from competing and playing amongst men.There are barely any developmental differences between young boys or girls and if there are they can be easily overcome with proper training. â€Å"The real difference in sizes and strength show up by the middle of high school, when boys and girls are fifteen or sixteen years old. † (Ring, 2009, p. 149) This refutes the belief that young girls and boys cannot play sports together due the so called differences in their physical capabilities. If individuals who are opposed actually did research instead relying on false claims they would see that there is no legitimate reason to separate boys and girls regarding differences in physicality.Instead of playing baseball girls and women are expected to play softbal l, which is seen as inferior with respect to baseball. The association of women and softball was thought to alleviate the issue of women playing baseball with men, â€Å"It served the purpose, so much on the minds of turn-of-the-century health and education experts, of providing women with safe, nonviolent way to get exercise, and it removed the threat to baseball of contamination by female participation. â€Å"(Ring, 2009, p. 60) This exhibited the fear of men regarding women playing baseball along with them.It wasn't that women were not physically capable of sharing the field with men, they were afraid of women taking the spotlight. With that being said, we need to start modeling our young girls into the wonderful and talented baseball players that they can be, instead of allowing them to settle for sport that was developed to limit their physical capabilities. I am not by any means suggesting that girls should not play softball because some women may be comfortable playing amon gst the ranks of men.I am saying that would limit those who are interesting in playing baseball. Once a woman has surpassed the collegiate level of softball, she is not able to pursue a higher level of success in softball. The only option is the major or minor leagues which solely based of baseball. It would be extremely difficult for softball players to revert to playing baseball. The sport of softball requires just as much skill and dedication as baseball and sadly they are segregated by gender with one being superior and the other inferior.Physical size and strength are not factors in the whether or not a woman is capable of playing baseball among men. Women of any size and strength who has the proper training and dedication for the sport of baseball are just as able as any man to play the sport. Individuals opposed to women sharing the field often use the excuses that women are not as strong as men and smaller them as well. They often associate women with weakness with women, as said before with the proper training and skill women are just able as men to play baseball.With that being said women can participate in the same training programs as men and receive the same results in strength gains. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a women's absolute strength is less than that of a men's, but if strength is expressed relative to fat free mass or muscle cross sectional area the difference is greatly reduced or nonexistent. (Kramer, 2004) Although there are many myths circulating that men are significantly stronger than women, scientific studies repudiate those myths.Training programs need not to be different or toned down to perpetuate the notion that women are weaker than men and that they should play separately, and train according to different guidelines. According to Robert Conatser who is a certified athletic trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist with a master's degree in athletic training believes that tr aining and experience would make it possible for some women to succeed at the integrated game. Ring, 2006, p 148) In addition, critics of baseball often claim that a woman’s naturally small stature in comparison to most men will inhibit their success in baseball. Individuals often associate a woman's size with weakness and this feeds this belief that women are not capable of playing with men. Women who are smaller than men are just as capable if not more of performing well in the sport. In the case of baseball, size is not a factor nor is gender or sex. The performance standards of baseball should solely be based on performance and technique.On average, males are 10 to 15 percent larger in physical stature than women. (Ring, 2009, p. 149) In my opinion this is not a substantial difference between the two and therefore size should not be a factor in baseball performance. The occurrences of injuries are negatively associated with women and are used as excuses to exclude women f rom playing baseball alongside mean. According to Robert Conaster, â€Å"Part of the resistance to letting women play with men is injury prevention. † (Ring, 2009, p. 48) It is obvious that most women are smaller than men, and if injury occurs due to a collision the woman is going to be more susceptible to an injury, but that is a risk taken. I feel as though the occurrence of an injury is possible with any sport regardless of gender or size, no one is safe from any injury. Critics often say that a woman’s bones are weaker than men making her prone to the occurrence of an injury as the result of a possible collision while playing baseball. That is also used as a form of resistance to suggest that women should not play with men. Even if a women were smaller than a man, if she strong or well conditioned her muscles would protect her bones in a collision just as a man's would. † (Ring, 2009, p. 149) This supports my reasoning why women should be allowed to play with men, if they train properly, possess the skills to perform the sport well, and exhibit dedication passion there should be no liable reasons to deny them the opportunities to playing with men. â€Å"Breaking a bone is not a predictable event: it has much to do with specifics of a hit, regardless of whether the player involved is a man or a women. Ring, 2009, p. 149) It takes skill, talent, passion and sometimes luck to prevent the occurrence of any injury, For example, â€Å"The ability of a pitcher to avoid injury from a line driven streaming at him or her from sixty feet away is the result of training, reflexes, not gender. (Ring, 2009, 149) There are so many ways to get around the myth that women are incapable of playing men as result of their gender, but a as a culture we have trained to associate men with strength and power and women with weakness and submissiveness.The success or ability in a specified sport is reflection of dedication, skill, talent, and passion refuting th e idea that its related to one's chromosomes. Baseball is immersed in a great deal with discrimination, in addition to someone being ostracized based on their gender; individuals are marginalized due to the color of their skin. The sport of baseball since its inception as an American passed time has excluded those who were not white or male. This made it difficult for both women and people of color to participate in the beloved sport.Although there were separate leagues they did not receive the same praise or respect as players who were white, instead they were seen as inferiors or alternatives. With that being said race is affects whether or not women play baseball with men and it has been an issue since its rebirth in America. Race is used another form of exclusion or definitive mark of superiority. Just as woman's biological characteristics were used a weapons of exclusion, race is used as well. These reasons are supported by the cultivation of seasoned stereotypes.For example Af rican Americans are expected to be fast and only perform well as basketball players or track stars, it is often said that baseball is not suited for African Americans. Currently there is absence of women of color within teams that are only for women, this was also relevant during the Americanization of baseball. African Americans were not allowed to play among white women and they had to form their own teams. African American women and other women of color were hit a double whammy, there were not allowed discriminated against as a result of their gender and their ethnicity as well.Race is a strong determinant in whether or not a woman participates in baseball. If women were allowed to play baseball among men, there would still be an absence of women of color. Women of color are not socially expected to play baseball and they are not expected to be good at baseball. This results in the limit or absence of women of color in baseball, thus causing disparities regarding race in baseball . Therefore there is a lack of women of color sharing the field with men and white women. I think white women would be accepted more than women of color if given the opportunity to share the field with men.Besides, due to the low number of women of color participating baseball will limit the integration of women of color and men. It is widely believed that if women were allowed to play baseball with there would be a shortage of available positions for men. I feel as though women wouldn't affect the opportunities for men to play. Individuals who are capable of performing a particular position as desired should be able to play regardless of their gender and those of the opposite sex should not feel threatened especially if they are on the same team.An individual’s talents or abilities should not be labeled by their gender, especially in the case of women. Men are threatened by a woman who may perform a sport better than them and often use the excuse that women are taking their positions. Would man say to his male counterpart who just happened to be more sufficient for a particular position, I would have to say no. The integration of women and me on the baseball field does not limit the opportunities for men. If a man performs a certain position better than a woman then the man should take the field or vice versa.Skill and technique should be the only determining factors not one's gender. Women are shunned away from baseball and are provided limited opportunities to share the field with me. Our society has developed many stereotypes and ideals to keep women out of the realm of baseball, these ideals are supported by numerous arguments, most of which are completely false. Since the evolution of baseball in America women have been seen as subordinate species regarding baseball and their abilities. In addition a lot of talented female baseball players have not acknowledged in history.Their accomplishments have been diminished by feminizing remarks, these wome n are not respected. It is widely accepted that women and baseball are not compatible especially regarding the integration with men. These stereotypes and beliefs have been lingering around for centuries; it is about time they are erased. Women should no longer be denied to play and be successful at baseball, we as a culture need to uplift and support women who want to play baseball alongside their male counterparts. Women are very capable of playing baseball with men, sciences proves it and the talented women who look to play baseball exhibit it.

Media Violence and Children Essay

Your children are surrounded by violence. From video games and television to the news itself, bloodshed is everywhere. Many parents and educators fear that violence seen on the media will at the very least desensitize children, and that it may even make children more likely to commit atrocities themselves. Other people claim the violence seen on the media is not real, and that children understand this. So who’s right? In order to better understand this crucial issue, we need to examine the history of violence in entertainment as well as revelations made possible by modern science. Violence in entertainment is not new. Even in ancient Rome, people gathered to watch gladiators. In gladiator combats, two trained men (usually criminals or slaves) would fight each other in front of a cheering crowd. Sometimes, men would also be forced to fight wild animals. These shows were incredibly popular; in order to accommodate the huge masses of people eager to watch the combat, Roman officials built the Colosseum, which could seat 50,000 spectators, in 80 CE. The opening of the Colosseum was celebrated with 100 days of games, during which thousands of men and animals were seriously injured or killed. Long before children watched violent cartoons, they listened to violent stories. Even our most cherished fairy tales often contain bloodshed. In fact, modern versions of fairy tales tend to be a lot less violent than the originals. For example, in Hans Christen Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, the little mermaid has her tongue cut out, almost stabs her prince, and dies; Disney’s famous version of this classic tale is significantly happier and less violent. But why is violence such a popular form of entertainment? There are several possible answers, and they are probably all true to some extent. People like watching violence because it is, at least to some degree, forbidden; all functioning societies need to have laws against murder. Seeing other people’s pain also makes your own problems seem insignificant. Finally, some violence in the media was meant to teach a practical lesson. Many gladiators were condemned criminals, so their violent and entertaining death served as a warning against would-be criminals. Public executions have served the same purpose throughout history. Fairy tales also warned children against the dangers of misbehaving. For example, the little mermaid disobeyed the rules of her father and her people, and she suffered as a result. Modern violence in the media is not that different from what occurred in the past. People enjoy watching violence because it is forbidden, distracting, and it can teach lessons about reality. At the same time, violence is becoming more and more prevalent. Additionally, much of the violence shown in video games, movies, and television is completely unrealistic; real consequences are very rarely shown, especially in cartoons. As a result, the violence may be too glamorized to teach real life lessons. Even if violence does teach a morality lesson, children may still be negatively affected. Vincent P. Mathews, a professor of radiology at Indiana University School of Medicine, discovered that watching violence on the media might actually alter brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that watching violent images decreased frontal lobe brain activity in children whether or not they had previous problems of aggression. Decreased frontal lobe activity is associated with attention and self control problems. Also using fMRI, Klaus Mathiak at the University of Aachen in Germany discovered that playing violent video games and thinking about actually participating in real violent activities stimulate the same part of the brain. In other words, an individual’s brain cannot distinguish between violent actions that are committed by the individual and violent activities that are purely make believe. Additionally, violent video games may be training the brain for real life violent behavior. So what does all of this mean for parents? Children, like adults, are naturally drawn to violent images, and it is possible for children to learn valuable lessons from violent stories. However, exposure to too much violence, especially glamorized violence, probably does have a negative impact of children. Although more scientific research needs to be conducted before conclusive answers can be given, children may have a hard time distinguishing between real violence and fake violence, and simply watching violence may lead to increased behavioral problems. If you are worried that your children are watching too much violence, you should monitor exactly what they are watching. Movies and video games both have rating systems, and all televisions 13 inches or larger that were manufactured in the United States since January 2000 contain V chips. V chips allow parents to control what programs are watched, even when the children are unsupervised. You could also limit the amount of time that your children are allowed to spend watching television or playing video games, regardless of whether or not the programs or games contain violent content. Finally, you can discuss the reality of violence with you children to make sure that they can differentiate between make believe and reality.

What are the key influences that have shaped the development of Human Essay

What are the key influences that have shaped the development of Human resources Management in South Korea over the last thirty years - Essay Example The success of industrial organizations in this country is extensively attributed to both management styles and work attitudes. The extraordinary growth of the Korean economy for the last 30 years has got the attraction of academics and business people from around the world. The country got a real annual growth rate of about 8 per cent in gross national product during this time. Growth in the corporate sector was prominent and in fact shaped the basis of the economic growth. However, it had many problems despite its quantitative growth (Park 2001). Bearing in mind that the success of HRM development in the South Korea was remarkably high, the only growth factor cannot give explanation all of performance of this country in human resource development. Therefore, it is not just growth but special characteristics of Korean growth that have in fact contributed to the growth of education. (Mabey 1998) The current economic recession has affected every country of the world. Over the last two years, businesses around the world have been hit by regional economic crisis. In Asian countries, currency crisis and the attendant business slump led to different approaches within the businessmen and financial experts for reducing waste and creating greater efficiencies. The South Korean economy which dodged the recession with a narrow margin has little impact on its business structure. The tight money policies enacted by the government forced Korean firms to reform in order to alter organizational competence and profits. Although there are several historical factors which boosted South Korean economy after 1950, the period of 1945-1961 has roots of HRM development and economic boom in the country. During this period people of this country took great interest in gaining education which was the result of strong social indicators and economic motivations. During the period of 1945-1961, education played a great role in changing the lives of Koreans. The

Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Chemistry - Essay Example Aluminium is metal with atomic number 13 and it will combine by loosing two electrons. Beryllium and aluminium are metals and will combine with other elements by loosing electrons while oxygen will combine by gaining electrons, therefore our empirical formula will have the following formula: Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons; the atomic number is equal to the number of protons therefore Pn has the atomic number 117. Because atoms are neutral then the number of electrons is equal to the number of neutrons. The atomic number is 117; this means that the electronic arrangement is 2: 8:18:32:50:7 this is given by the formula 2N2 which give us the maximum number of electrons in each cell where N is the shell number. We have 6 shells and 7 electrons in the last shell, this means that the element belongs to the 7th period and the 17th group. The empirical formula will be Pn2O7 because oxygen will tend to gain two electrons or loose 6 electrons and Pn will also tend to gain one electron or loose 7 electrons, therefore the highest normal oxide will be loosing Pn loosing seven electrons and Oxygen gaining two electrons. Six decays means loosing six neutrons, and bearing in mind that the number of neutrons is equal to the number of electrons and that the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons then our resulting element will have an atomic number 67-6 = 61.

Segmenting markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Segmenting markets - Essay Example Factor Analysis is a statistical tool that helps in understanding variables, or factors among the correlated and observed variables. It is mostly used to determine the variations in a larger number of groups by identifying the small number of factors within the large number of a particular group The first step is to select a method for factor analysis. There are two methods while conducting a factor analysis which are known as exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis is a technique for factor analysis which is often used for a larger set of variable. If the goal of a researcher is to identify the relationship with the measured variable then he should opt for the exploratory factor analysis. This method would help a researcher if no prior assumption or theory is made on the relation of the factors. However, in confirmatory factor analysis the variables are determined with the relation of prior assumptions or theory which aims to see if it meets the expectation as it was predicted. This method is selected when a social research is conducted. The simplification of a factor analysis is often interpreted by a method known as rotation which makes the output more understandable for the researcher. Rotation is the next step involved in factor analysis. The pattern of loadings in rotation works differently on each variable, the loading of each variable that has extracted factors are maximized while it minimizes the loading for other factors. There are five methods of rotation in which varimax, equamax and quartimax are orthogonal rotations whereas promax and direct oblimin are oblique rotations. The rotation of a particular variable mostly depends on a person if he thinks that the factors that are underlined should be related or not. If factors are considered to be independent then the author suggests that a person should use orthogonal rotation methods whereas if factors have chances to correlate then it is required to a dopt direct oblimin which is an oblique rotation (Gorsuch, 1983). Labeling a factor is the next step which is an art of segmentation in which a factor is named which best describes the particular factor. The most common and appropriate technique is to name the highly ranked or the top one or two factors on the list. It is labeled on the basis of its characteristics, for example factor one can be labeled as price conscious whereas factor two can be labeled as quality conscious (Rummel, 1970). In the final step, interpretation is been made to assess the validity of factors outlines previously. In this step, four types of validity methods are used namely, content validity, concurrent validity, predictive validity, and construct validity. Content validity intends to measure the intended or the desired area which is associated with the theme of the research. Construct validity intends to assess the factors which involve the testing of hypothesis to which the researcher was trying to meas ure. Concurrent validity is the method in which scores are correlated with some other variables and then it is justified. In predictive validity method, a test is used to determine or justifying the theoretical outcomes which were expected. These steps are used for the purpose of finding a correlation between variables (Gorsuch, 1983). 2. Cluster Analysis: Cluster analysis is a statistical technique which helps in assorting of ‘mountain’ of information into neat files by forming a cluster or a group in which variables are similar to one another. It helps in creating subgroups which becomes more manageable than previously dealing with the individual variable. Similar to factor analysis, it is used to determine the relationship of variables between other variables. The first step involved in cluster analysis is the assigning of similar variables to their respective

Role of women in colonial America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role of women in colonial America - Essay Example In United States, early involvement of women can be traced before colonization of the country up to independence. While contribution of women is viewed to be minor, American women played significant role in colonizing the country, establishing the American identity and in the independence movement. 1Ann Bleeker identified three different categories of women in America. They include African American, native Indians and the Europeans. These groups of women came from very distinct backgrounds and they played different roles in colonizing and establishing the foundation of America. 2Bleeker noted that women who had settled in America from European continent had specific roles in the society. These roles included preparing food for the family, weaving, in addition to rearing and educating the children. The Jewish women were not an exception and 3Helena noted that they performed similar traditional roles just like women who had settled in America from Europe in the sixteenth century. 4Murr ay noted that women were not allowed to hold leadership positions or have social organization of their own. Their major occupation was home making but few owned property that they had mainly inherited from their families.

The microsoft case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The microsoft case - Assignment Example onopolizing, attempts for monopolization, conspiring or combining with other people with the motive to monopolize part of a  trade  among several States. However, Microsoft was aiming at gaining the monopoly power in the PC market (Economides, 2001). Yes,  I do agree that Microsoft was trying to gain monopoly power in the computer software industry.  Microsoft  mismanaged the opportunity of being the leading market holder in the computer industry, which led to antitrust behavior investigations. The Company had managed to  attain  95% market share through antitrust behaviors (Brinkley & Lohr, 2000). The reports led to the  investigation  for determining whether Microsoft is aiming at establishing a monopoly in the market of the computer software. There have been numerous facts proving that Microsoft was making  efforts  monopolize  the  industry  of software. The creation of Microsoft Office as a package that comprises of packages that are  entirely  assisting the  professional  was a deliberate move to monopolize the market. Microsoft  was also sued  due to developing an operating system that had Windows Media Player; thus, engaging the real media player in unfair competition (Brinkley & Lohr, 2000). In Monopoly markets, Companies have market  power in given segments that  involve  the  production  of commodities. The Monopolies are also the price makers of the products produced. In the case where Government Monopoly  is involved, the government controls accessibility to production. The Government monopoly relates to a monopoly of government cooperation or an agency. However, there are Pros and cons to the natural monopoly. The natural monopoly results due to businesses that require a high start up costs in order to operate in a given business. To the company, monopoly ensures that unnecessary competition is avoided; this results to increased marginal revenue and  strong brand name (Tucker, 2010). Monopoly ensures that an organization enjoys economies of scale

IT Manager Interview Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IT Manager Interview Assignment - Essay Example In his present position as Senior Manager, Corporate Projects, he manages software development projects of all corporate clients. He heads a team of twelve project managers and other ICT professionals under him. 1. Ours is basically a software development company. We develop customized software for our clients. My job is to manage software development projects from our corporate clients. It is my responsibility to ensure that all projects for corporate clients are executed smoothly and delivered and implemented within deadline. I have to ensure quality of the end products and see that the product meets all the projected needs of the client. 2. Our projects involve software development. We develop web-based management information systems, inventory systems, monitoring systems and work flow systems. We also have to take up content development for all the information systems we develop. In fact, software development and content development has to go hand-in-hand for the successful development and implementation of any customized software product. This is one aspect that I try to communicate to all our clients. Keeping software development and content development apart can result in major mismatch between software and content in actual implementation. So we prefer to do customized software development simultaneously with the required content development for the software. We also take up web portal development for our corporate clients. Here, I would like to differentiate between software development and web content development. In software development we work purely for the development of a software-base information system on a definite development platform. The information system may be web enabled. In web portal development, it is an entirely web-based exercise where the entire effort is concentrated on keeping up the web presence. There is an essential difference in priorities. 3. Even though

Revision practice Essay Example for Free

Revision practice Essay The revision changes recommended, in the darft states the topic sentence should directly address, the thesis as well as state the topic. Each paragraph should have an effective closing, that reinforces the main point. The revision changes also recommend, the thesis statement should be present, but don’t forget the essay which should begin with an entire. The introductory paragraph, should provide background information on the topic to the readers and grab the readers attention. When writing the supporting detail, for instance when using, learning style, it also means how each individual student learn best, it is best to try to write options for learning. Remember to organize the information in the parargraph, each paragraph should consist of at least five sentences of a topic sentence, and three supporting sentence, and a concluding sentence only in the first line of the paragraph, should be indented. Do not use first person pronouns like †i† in academic writing, also avoid using personal stories in, academic writing, these same ideas can still be convey without making it personal. Working on rewording the paragraph would help to highlight the, same benefits of the ideas, without describing a personal experience. Academic writing should be formal writing, and not informal writing. Avoid repetitive of words, keep conclusion short, it should be four sentence and focus on summarizing, the two or three of the most important main ideas from the essay. The revision changes recommended by, writepoint states when writing avoid leaving a space before a comma. Also remove comma before writing a restrictive phrase otherwise replace†that† with â€Å"which†. Don’t use lots in an essay without commercial words, the word lots is used only for commercial shipments and real estate, are measured in lots. To use â€Å"a lot of†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ means â€Å"many† â€Å"much† or a large amount†. Also recommended by writepoint for any academic writer, should not divide two-part verb beginning with has/ have/ had. The revision provided by plagiarism checker reports processed on, march 16 2012,the feedback states the slimilarity index, was 0%, internet sources 0%, publication 0%, and student papers n/a. 1. The topic sentence directly address the thesis, as well as states the topic, for instance, the topic sentence states, although students either can learn from online classroom or traditional classroom, online classroom is more flexible. 2. Each paragraph have an effective closing that reinforces the main point , for instance the main ideas are in the three paragraphs, for instance, learning styles, benefits, and cost of education. 3.  The essay is coherent, it flows with ideas smoothly, for instance, online learning and traditional learning, flow in order, one after the other this make the essay easy to understand. It flows from the beginning to the end, because the starting of the essay starts with the topic sentence and ends with the topic sentence, this allows the idea to flow after one another within the paragraph, and from paragraph to paragraph so the ideas can flow smoothly.  The essay flows from the beginning to the end, which starts with the introduction of the topic s entence in the beginning and to the end of the conclusion of the three main ideas, flows in order. 4. The order of the support is logical and effective, because it gives support to the essay, for instance, the essay giveS example of how student can balance work and school, the supporting detail, is how flexible online learning is, and how effective the support is states how student can balance school life and personal life, this makes the order of support logical and effective. . The essay provides strong evidence to support any opinions, the evidence to support the opinions is ,saves money on gas for car, due to no travel time, this allows saving time and money saving. 6. The essay reflects on the evidence and explain its importance, the evidence is student can benefit, the importance is student can save money and time, which do explain no travel time and also student don’t have to pay for parking, this allows students to save time and money. . The essay use strong transition between sentences and between paragraphs, the words and phrases shows how the ideas in the sentence and paragraph are related, for example, online learning style, is the transitions between traditional learning The next steps to be taken in the revision process, is to take out unnecessary words and replace weak words, with specific and appropriate wording, this helps the essay. Revision process, allows you to make changes to the first draft before you put the finishing touches, during the editing and proofreading stage. The revision process allows you to improve the draft before you start the editing process. The revision process, is the step when you, add, cut, move, or change information in order to make the ideas in the essay, more accurate, more interesting or more convincing. After revising the content, the next step is to do the editing. This allows you to examine the surface features of the content. The editing process, allows you to examine your spelling, grammer, usage of words, and punctuation in the darft. When editing, it helps you to use proper format when creating the finished essay. The revision process, overall allows you to, add, cut, move, or change information in order to make the ideas in the essay, more accurate, more interesting, or more convincing, when writing your essay.

Challenges to Kingstons Tourism Industry

Challenges to Kingstons Tourism Industry Kingston has many natural, heritage and infrastructural assets that lend themselves to the development of urban tourism and, at one time, was viewed as a viable tourist destination. The citys history, however, indicates a level of creeping neglect and social turmoil which has led to what is today, an almost non-existent tourist presence. However, it is the social problems that are faced by Kingston, in the form of poverty, crime, and violence, that form the strongest arguments in favour of the development of tourism infrastructure in Kingston. It argued that these are merely symptoms of the greater problem of social exclusion and the lack of economic opportunities for the community at large. Therefore infrastructural development that leads to the creation of sustainable employment opportunities is required. The citys current dependency on manufacturing and related industries has failed to provide the growth or economic benefits required, particularly since the liberalization of the Jamaican economy and the removal of trade protection. Jamaica has not been competitive, neither as a low cost producer of manufactured goods nor as centre of excellence in any particular manufacturing process, not even when compared with its Caribbean neighbours, such as Trinidad and Tobago. It is therefore unlikely that this sector will be the engine of future growth required to provide the people of Kingston with the economic and social benefits required. Conversely, Jamaica has gained significant comparative advantage in tourism, even though its capital city has not been central to this thus far. Many cities in the US and around the globe, facing decline in their manufacturing or primary industries, have embarked on a similar development path and like these cities, Kingston has few available development options. However, research suggests a positive relationship between investment in infrastructure and between performance as well as between tourism and welfare. The writer suggests that properly managed tourism infrastructure in Kingston has the potential to provide significant benefits to its citizens. There is, however very little indication that tourism development in Kingston is high on the agenda of tourism policymakers. The Tourism Master Plan, while acknowledging Kingstons assets, does not make it a priority and merely passes the responsibility to the UDC. Additionally, while a number of papers, studies and plans exist that relates to various sections of Kingston, and some of these do acknowledge the tourism potential, there appears to be very little co-ordination of these initiatives and no central body that is responsible for guiding the achievement of the various plans. It is recognized that the successful development of tourism in Kingston requires the involvement of the central government, local government, the private sector and active participation of the community. It is suggested that while the government will have some role to play in the provision of basic infrastructure, the major investment in tourism infrastructure should come from the private sector. Beyond this however, the government needs to create the environment to encourage this private sector investment and act as facilitator to the development by addressing such issues as: Creation of the tax regime that would facilitate the development Development and encouragement of the capital markets Legislation to facilitate removal of derelict buildings and facilitate city cleanup Inner city housing solutions that provide good living conditions for the community Assessment and address of social and environment issues Provision for security of citizens and assets Tourism planners need to have a clear understanding of the key drivers that affect the demand for tourism products and extensive research may be required into the key factors affecting the major sources of tourists that would gain value from visiting Kingston. Markets include the, dsts VFR, CariEuropean markets, which are not heavily penetrated by the present offerings of resort towns, would make ideal initial candidates markets to be studied, applications of Butlers Area Life cycle Model to the destinations in Jamaica may be useful as it is possible that the creation of Kingston as an alternative location could strengthen Jamaicas strategic offerings. This is especially important as the resort towns approach the later stage of the life cycle and over-capacity becomes a more significant limiting factor for tourism growth an issue. At present, the governments ownership of the national airline Air Jamaica arTe Jamaica UTban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) and the ownership and operation of the Norman Manley International Airport make it an active player in the provision of tourism transportation in Kingston. In addition to its ro as policy setter and regulator the government will and therefore require fulg of the factors affecting the tourism demand and s tourism transportation. It is anticipated that Kingston will become a major cruise shipping destination and this will potentially raise issues and conflicts with the container shipping industry. There is little doubt that crime and of the major issues facing the markets acceptance of Kingston as a viable destination. However, , it is important that this is not used we do not use this as of investment. It is noted that in Jamaicas crime against tourists is relatively low and it is also noted that other countries that have high crime levels, are considered as viable tourist destinations. While the hosting by Jamaica of the semifinal of the Cricket World Cup in 2007 will may not be judge a shining success either financially or as a catalyst for tourism, the hosting does provide a number of lessons which need to be utilized in the future. It cannot be denied that the use of such events to Kick Start tourism in Kingston, if properly planned and managed could be an important part of the tourism planners strategic tool kit. A Strategic Plan is required In the writers opinion there is a clear need for a Strategic Plan for the development of Kingston; a component of which should be the development of tourism. This plan must have as one of its deliverables; the formulation of a clear vision for tourism in Kingston. This vision must be shared among the stakeholders including, national and city Government, the relevant Public Sector bodies, the private sector and the community. A clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Kingston as a potential destination for tourists is required and in this regard it is important that the discourse on crime and violence and the impact on tourism is clearly understood. A significant output of the strategic plan should be a full inventory and assessment of the existing attributes, tourism assets such as attractions, potential attractions and infrastructural assets in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA). This will need to be compared with the desired assets and infrastructure to determine the required investments. This investment is likely to be very significant and, given Jamaicas current fiscal constraints, is not likely to be accommodated in the present budgetary environment. The discussion of PPII does touch on infrastructure financing, though it is recognized that creative and innovative ways need to be developed to finance the development. A key issue, which must be fully considered, discussed and evaluated in the strategic plan is the issue of Leadership and Politics. While this has not been discussed in detail in this paper, it cannot be ignored as it represented a common theme in a number of the case studies that were reviewed, including St Louis, Baltimore and especially Montreal. Additional Research Required It is recognized that it is beyond the scope of this paper to consider all the applicable areas that require consideration. There is, for example, significant scope for new research to be carried out in order to understand the attitudes of the community, in Kingston and Jamaica generally, towards the active development of tourism in Kingston. It is important to determine whether the community will view such developments as being positive, viable and beneficial to them. and therefore we wish to , the the benefits that will the stakeholders in the unity will expect tain from delivering that value to the tourists and, the positive and negative social and environmental impacts that re expected to result from increased tourism and the related development need to be answered? There is also a need to carry out research into the potential markets mentioned earlier before embarking on significant infrastructural or marketing expenditure. Additional data on what type of tourist may be targeted, where they will come from and what value will they get they will get from would be beneficial to future developers.

Role of the Human Resource Manager

Role of the Human Resource Manager Executive Summary The following report has discussed about the role of Mr. John Edwards, Human resource manager of Reliance Communication Ltd. The report focuses on the responsibilities and complexity of a person who is performing the role of a human resource manager. Interaction of Mr. Edwards as a human resource manager with other departments of the organization and with people outside the department is also discussed. The report begins with introduction to human resource management and highlights its importance in every business. Introduction is followed by a brief summary of the company. The report provides an analysis of the role of Mr. Edwards, what his priorities are and what he should do to be more effective in his job. The report is concluded with key points discussed in the report and is followed by references. Introduction The focus of Human Resource Management (HRM) is on managing people within the employer-employee relationship. It involves the productive use of people in achieving the organizations strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employee needs (Stone, 2008). The competitive advantage for organizations in the old economy centered on the financial capital and technology, the emerging economy has shifted its emphasis on investment in human capital, knowledge and the commitment of the employees. The focus in the business world has shifted from physical assets to knowledge and information capital. The effective management of human capital poses new challenges in the organisation for leadership and managerial capabilities. The human resource function has gone from the traditional hire and fire role to a strategic partner with finance, operations and other business departments that are not centers of profit for the organization. The job of HR, as is the job of all such departments, is to ensure that the business gets the most out of its employees. In another words, the human resource management needs to provide a high return on the businesss investment in its people. This makes it a highly complex function (Cascio, 1998). The following discussion is all about that is discussed above. Discussion will surround around involvement of Mr. Edwards in the company and how he is developing assets for his company. Company Profile Reliance Communications (formerly Reliance Infocomm), along with Reliance Telecom and Flag Telecom, is part of Reliance Communications Ventures (RCoVL). It is an Indian telecommunications company. Reliance Communications is a leader in telecommunications products and consultancy, a privately owned company with over 20 years of service to the business community, and with a reputation for integrity, superior implementation and support. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani controls 66.77 per cent of the company, which accounts for more than 1.36 billion shares. It is the flagship company of the Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Reliance Energy, Reliance Capital and telecom initiatives of the Reliance ADAG (Company profile). Role of HR Manager Staffing: Key function of Mr. Edwards is to fulfill staffing needs of the company and it can be done in variety of ways, whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs. It takes place in two three steps. First step is to identify the requirements of the company and what kind of requirements is being requested. Second step is to determine the number of people and the skills mix necessary to do the work. Final step is to recruit and select the people best suited for the job and then to train them to fit and work efficiently in the organization. Retention: one of his critical roles in todays environment must be to help keep, develop and motivate the good people with scarce skills. This, of course, means knowing who they are and making sure that sufficient time and attention is spent with them. He makes sure that employees are rewarded for performing their jobs effectively, so as to keep them motivated. To make them comfortable he ensures that harmonious relations are maintained between the employees and the company and to maintain a safe and healthy work environment. Managing change: The constant evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization results in the need for the HR manager to frequently manage change. Both knowledge about and the ability to execute successful change strategies make him exceptionally valued. He acts as a change agent, serving as a catalyst for change within the organization. He has achieved this by developing problem solving communication and influence skills. He Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes. Employee Advocate: He acts as an advocate to every employee working in his company, to makes them aware of every information they require. It is his duty to provide current and prospective employees with information about policies, job duties, working conditions, wages, and opportunities for promotion and employee benefits. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, and administering contracts and helping resol ve work-related problems interpreting. Analyze training needs to design employee development, language training and health and safety programs (Dolezalek, 2008). Development: is a function in which his objective is to preserve and enhance employee competence in their jobs through improving their knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics. Other functions: Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements. Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives. Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel-related data such as hires, transfers, performance appraisals and absenteeism rates. Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement of organizations personnel policies and practices. Plan, organize, direct, control or coordinate the personnel, training, or labor relations activities of an organization. Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination (Hofstede, 1980). Responsibilities of Mr. J. Edwards Tasks What he Do What he Doesnt Do Skills Required Skills not Required Provide expert guidance, perspective, and support to enable managers and supervisors to make appropriate pay decisions Yes Communicate programs and guidelines to help managers and supervisors understand all aspects of the compensation program Yes Identify, collect, and analyze external market data in order to ensure alignment Yes Maintain the competitiveness of the staff compensation structure by reviewing the market trends annually and, when appropriate, making adjustments to the structure to reflect market pay levels Yes Evaluate and determine appropriate job family, level, title, exempt/non-exempt classification and salary range for each new position and for each request for reclassification Yes Hiring, supervising, training, monitoring and firing of staff. Yes Maintain performance management tools for each staff position on campus Yes Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations Yes Effective communication Yes Ethical behaviour Yes Persuasiveness and the ability to influence others. Yes Strategic thinking and critical/analytical thinking Yes Organizational skills Yes Interdependencies Human resource manager works with different types of people and groups within and outside the organisations. Without interacting with these groups he wont be able to do achieve his goals with efficiency. Thus he is very much interdependent on these groups to bring the best out of him and the people his is supervising. Following chart shows the various departments he is related to: = outside organisation = within organisation Top management: HR manager links the employee with the company. If there is demand made by the employees such as change in pay structure, working conditions or resolving disputes between them, he gets in touch with the management and tries to resolve the issue as soon as possible. In return top management sets the guidelines and objectives which are to be followed by the employees. He makes sure that if there is any change in the guidelines for the employees, they are implemented. Sales department: sales department of Reliance communication is very big and have different branches. There are sales people who manage the sales process and there are others who complete the sale. Both the branches require people with different skills. Sales department will inform the HR manger about their requirements for personnel and it is the responsibility of Mr. Edwards to fulfill it on time. He may do it by directly recruiting people or if it is an emergency, he may approach any recruiting agency t o meet his requirements. Production Department: He maintains a constant touch with the production manager and provides him with staff that is required to fulfill the department. In this case it is his duty to guide employees of workplace safety and other safety measures. Marketing Department: Mr. Edwards play a very important role when dealing with the marketing department. He not only recruits people for them but also discusses the need of skills that are feasible for promoting the company and accordingly sets out the criterion for selection. Accounts department: he prepares an estimated budget, which will be required for the purpose of hiring and training new employees. In return he hires people for the accounts department when required. There are few interactions which are similar with every department. He takes initiative to motivate employees in every department and makes sure that he is in constant touch with employees who are facing any problems or having any issues while working. He sets up programs at regular basis to interact with employees of every department to know their problems and inform them if there are any changes required by the top management (Mujteba, 2006). Recruiting agencies: he contacts these agencies when there is an urgent need to employ people and it is not viable to go through the process of recruitment because of its time consuming feature. He will inform them with his requirements and in return they will provide with people of required skills. Conclusion The role of the HR manager must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR manager, who is considered necessary by line managers, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor. According to Dickson (1998), most important function of HR manager is to provide a support system to its employees; it can be emotional or physical. In todays organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives. The HR manager contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the effectiveness of the HR function. He also sponsors change in other departments and in work practices. To promote the overall success of his organization, he champions the identification of the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, he helps determine the measures that will tell his organization how well it is succeeding in all of this. Managing people is one of the most difficult aspects of organizational management; it means dealing with people who differ physically and psychologically (Mendenhall, 2007). References: ïÆ' ¼ Stone, R. J., (2008). Human Resource Management, 6th edition. Pg. 3. John Wiley publication. ïÆ' ¼ Dickson, R. (1998). Huaman Resource Management 2. Retrieved from http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rossticle/essays.htm, retrieved on 12th August, 2009. ïÆ' ¼ Company Profile. Retrieved from www.reliancecommunications.com. Retrieved on 12 August, 2009. ïÆ' ¼ Cascio, W. F. (1998). Managing Human Resources. Pg 46. Irwin McGraw Hill. ïÆ' ¼ Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. ïÆ' ¼ Mendenhall, Mark E.; Oddou, Gary R.; and Stahl, Gunter K. (2007). Readings and Cases is International Human Resource Management 4th ed. Routledge Publishers, Taylor Francis Books. ïÆ' ¼ Mujtaba, B. G. (2006). Cross Cultural Change Management. Llumina Press, Tamarac, Florida. ïÆ' ¼ Dolezalek, H. (2008). Good Job! Training, 45(6), pp. 32-34.

Sex Offenders- Four Domains of Criminogenic Needs Assessment Essay

This essay begins with the introduction of the Risk-Needs-Responsivitiy Model which was developed to assess offending and offer effective rehabilitation and treatment (Andrews & Bonta, 2007). The R-N-R model â€Å"remains the only empirically validated guide for criminal justice interventions that aim to help offenders† (Polashek, 2012, p.1) consisting of three principles which are associated with reductions in recidivism of up to 35% (Andrew & Bonta, 2010); risk, need and responsivity. Firstly, the risk principle predicts the offenders risk level of reoffending based on static and dynamic factors, and then matched to the degree of intervention needed. Secondly, the R-N-R targets individual’s criminogenic needs, in relation to dynamic factors. Lastly, the responsivity principle responds to specific responsivity e.g. individual needs and general responsivity; rehabilitation provided on evidence-based programming (Vitopoulous et al, 2012). This R-N-R model will be used to assess the case of Jamie Wilson, focusing on the assessment of his criminogenic needs in relation to his offence, as changing these dynamic factors can reduce the probability of recidivism (Andrew & Bonta, 2010). Furthermore, this essay will consider the risk and responsivity in regards to Jamie Wilson’s case. Jamie aged 27, has been convicted of a rape of a child and sentenced to eight years custody. The victim aged 12, was approached by Jamie on the way home from school and sexually assaulted. Jamie has no previous convictions of this type; however he has convictions for shop-theft, drinking and driving with no insurance. The needs principle of the R-N-R consists of four domains of criminogenic needs as discussed below. The first domain deviant sexual interest ... ...on And Violent Behaviour, 5(5), 491-507. doi:10.1016/S1359-1789(98)00036-6 Weldon, S., & Gilchrist, E. (2012). Implicit Theories in Intimate Partner Violence Offenders. Journal Of Family Vioence, 27(8), 761-772. doi:10.1007/s10896-012-9465-x Witt, P., Greenfield, D., & Hiscox, S. (2008). Cognitive/behavioural approaches to the treatment adult sex offenders. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 36(2), 245-269, retrieved from EBSCOhost Worling, J .(2012). The assessment and treatment of deviant sexual arousal with adolescents who have offended sexually. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 18(1), 36-63. doi: 10.1080/13552600.2011.630152 Worling, J. (2006). Assessing Sexual Arousal with Adolescent Males Who Have Offended Sexually: Self- Report and Unobtrusively Measured Viewing Time. Sexual Abuse: A Journal Of Research & Treatment, 18(4), 383-400. doi: 10.1007/s11194-006-9024-1

Poes Fall of The House of Usher Essay: Biographical Contexts

Biographical Contexts For The Fall of the House of Usher In the summer of 1838, Edgar Allan Poe left the city of New York, where he faced criticism and minimal recognition, and moved to Philadelphia, where he would soon gain profound success (Quinn 268). Just a year prior to this move, Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, who accompanied him to Philadelphia (Wagenknecht 18). Little is known of Poe's time in New York other than the fact that he faced severe poverty with total earnings amounting to under one hundred fifty dollars (Peeples 31). Therefore, since Philadelphia shared the prestige with New York as a publishing center, it offered Poe new publishing opportunities and opened the doors to success (Quinn 268). He found this success editing Burton's Gentleman's Magazine from 1839-1840 and then Graham's Magazine from 1841-1842 (Peeples 74). During this time, Poe delivered lectures on American poetry, published thirty-six tales including "William Wilson," "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and also rel eased a collection of stories in 1840 entitled Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (Peoples 74). It was during this peak of Poe's publishing career that he published "The Fall of the House of Usher." This tale relates to various aspects of Poe's life including his occupation as an editor, his battle with alcohol and drugs, his psychological and emotional well-being, and the impact of death on his life and work. Although Poe found success while working for Burton and Graham, he did not find contentment, for neither Burton's magazine nor Graham's met Poe's expectations of his ideal publication. Poe was frustrated with his career and aspired to edit a magazine of his own, a magazine of ... ...mes of his publishing career, yet Poe faced many obstacles in his private life during this time including poverty and alcohol abuse. Although his alleged alcohol and drug addictions are issues yet to be settled, they were clearly an influence in his life and work. In addition to his habits regarding alcohol and drugs, his psychological stability has also been called into question. The impact of death, which was prevalent throughout his life, was tremendous. Regardless of the many struggles Poe encounter, he has emerged as one the greatest Romantic writers in American history. Â  Works Cited Peeples, Scott. Edgar Allan Poe Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1998. Quinn, Arthur Hobson. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. New York: Coopers Square Publishers, 1969. Wagenknecht, Edward. Edgar Allan Poe: The Man Behind the Legend. New York: Oxford UP, 1963.

The Act of Valor

The Act of Valor Today’s society consists of a diverse human race that shares a common goal, to live life to its fullest potential. In the film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, the main character, Frodo, is set out on a quest to destroy the ring that has long acquired the presence of evil. On his quest to destroy the ring, he encounters many challenges. His challenges consists of keeping the ring safe from the evil ones who want it back, making sure the ring gets to the destination, and keeping his life safe from harm.Along his journey, he is joined by a couple of his friends, all of which he must learn to trust, in order to destroy the rings that possesses evil. They are faced with the challenges to keep safe from Saruman and his orcs, the black riders, and Sauron’s soul. Throughout his journey, his qualities of a hero show. He owns the qualities of resilience, determination, courage, trust, and heroism. Without the qualities he possesses, it would have been an impossible task to complete. Frodo faces many challenges as he tries to destroy the ring.Those who seek to retrieve the ring are out to murder him. Without the help of his friends and those who care for him, he would not have stayed alive. Through his courage and determination, he shows that he can be trusted to be the one that destroys the ring. He is equipped with many qualities that help him complete the task. His optimism brought the strength he needed to succeed. As individuals in today’s society, we face many challenges in our lives. Yes, challenges can bring us down, but it also makes us stronger.Some of us are faced with challenges such as being able to survive, fighting cancer, being the first to go to college, being able to pay for bills, etc. Nevertheless, each of us encounters challenges that help shape and develop our lives. Challenges are not meant to kill anyone, but instead they are meant for people to reach their full potential in being able to f ind the answers and strength to be able to overcome the challenges we face. Each of us is born for a reason. It is impossible to tell what out fate is, but as time goes by, we start to find out just what our mission on Earth is.Frodo possesses the qualities of a Hero Archetype. Being a determined, resilient, trustworthy, and courageous individual, he is one that pleases everybody. Frodo never quit with being able to destroy the ring. Although he faced many challenges along the way, he managed to stay strong. He witnessed Gandalf’s death, he was nearly dead, and he had to leave his home to complete the task, but despite all that he encountered along the way, he managed to be determined. There were many negative effects on Frodo, but he maintained his composure and stayed optimistic until the end.Each of us has been knocked down multiple times by school, work, or simply the stress that we all face. Being knocked down is for us to realize what we need to do to get back up. Deter mination is the key to withstanding any negative effects on life. If we have a positive outlook on life and how our future will be, we can start to be heroes of our own lives. Frodo’s goal was to destroy the ring. Facing the challenges that follows as he is on his journey may impact him. By being determined, his goal to protecting the ring from the evil is reached.In our lives, we have many goals in life that we want to reach. We make mistakes here and there, but we learn from them and grow stronger. By being determined and positive, we can make sure our goals are reached. During Frodo’s journey, his friends and individuals who help protect him from those that want to retrieve the ring from him accompany him. They guide him in his journey to find his way safely. They are there to protect him from the evil that surrounds him. During our lives, we befriend many individuals who help us with our future.These friends of ours, are people we trust, turn to when they are in ne ed, or simply to have a sense of security. Just like Fordo being accompanied by his friends, we have friends we turn to when we need them. Frodo’s task is to protect the ring from the evil black riders that want it back. As he is on his journey, he makes many decisions that help him and his friends stay alive. The critical decision making that he makes throughout the film are vital in order to keep the ring in his possession, as well as stay alive.We are faced with making decisions that are crucial to our future. Without making the best decision, we cannot be successful in our lives. Frodo’s decision making made it possible for him to succeed. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, is not just a film, but it also shows its comparison to today’s society. Frodo faces many challenges while he is set out on his quest to destroy the ring. Each of us, face challenges in our life that make it difficult for us to succeed, but by working extra hard, we can m anage to overcome any challenge.Also, Frodo makes vital decisions that help with the safety and survival of Frodo and the group of followers. We face many points in our lives that consist of valuable decision-making. Those who want to protect him, as well as his friends accompany Frodo. During our lifetime, we befriend many people who become treasures to our hearts. Being able to have people we can turn to and trust is truly amazing. The film shows many relations between reality and how the movie is portrayed. As Frodo is on his journey to destroying the ring, he shows great heroism that is noticed by many.

General Economic Indices for the Power Tool Market Essay

In assessing the power tool industries, it can be found that there are several general economic indices which have are important in assessing the viability of the industry. There are four of these which could be assessed for the purpose of the Able Corporation as they pursue their goals with their products. These four general economic indices include housing starts, expenditures for residential construction, expenditures for commercial construction, and expenditures for home repairs and improvement. First, the housing start statistics which have become relevant to the industry â€Å"represent the beginning of the construction of new privately owned single-family homes, townhouses, and multifamily apartment buildings† (Frumkin, 2005, p. 132). Moreover, it excludes infrastructures for housing which fall under mobile homes, group quarters, public housing properties, renovations made to existing houses, and converted housing from non-residential to residential housing (Frumkin, 2005). From the historical data presented from the US Census Bureau, there is an erratic trend that can be seen from the year 2004 to 2008. However, it is apparent that there is a continuous decrease from the year 2005 up to the 2008 leaving the year 2004 as the only exception. The respective values for each year are 1,955,800 for the year 2004; 2,068,300 for the year 2005; 1,800,900 for the year 2006; 1,355,000 for the year 2007; and 905,500 for the year 2008 (â€Å"New Privately Owned,† n. d. ). From the trend shown, it is made apparent that the housing units which have been started are becoming lower every year from the US data. Second, there are also relevant data which are made available for the expenditures which are placed for residential repairs and improvement. This type of data shows the amount of money that has been used for the purpose of improving the residential places for purposes of repairs and improvement. For the year 2003, the data shows that $179,700,000,000 has been spent on the first quarter, $173,200,000,000 has been spent on the second quarter, $187,400,000 has been spent on the third quarter, and $166,700,000,000 has been spent on the fourth quarter (US Census Bureau News, 2008). On the other hand, there are costs of $198,900,000,000 for the first quarter, $192,600,000,000 for the second quarter, $202,100,000,000 for the third quarter, and $200,500,000,000 for the fourth quarter (US Census Bureau News, 2008). For the year 2005, the respective value for the first to fourth quarters are $213,600,000,000 $192,800,000,000, $220,900,000,000 and $235,500,000,000 (US Census Bureau News, 2008). For the year 2006, the values for the respective four quarters are $232,200,000,000, $225,000,000,000, $231,000,000,000, and $226,000,000,000 (US Census Bureau News, 2008). As for the year 2007, the value for the first to the fourth quarter is $230,900,000,000, $227,700,000,000, $213,200,000,000, and $236,600,000,000 (US Census Bureau News, 2008). From these values, it is shown that the expenditures for each quarter and across the years are increasing such that there has been more cost spent for this on the latest years of the historical data. Third, the report of the US Census Bureau also shows that there are also expenditures for residential construction which can be studied from the year 2003 to 2007. For the year 2003, the total expenditure is $705,276,000,000. The succeeding values are: $803,305,000,000 for 2004, $897,989,000,000 for 2005, $937,047,000,000 for the year 2006, and $875,010,000,000 for the year 2007 (â€Å"Construction and housing,† 2009). While the trend shows that here is a constant increase from the year 2003 to the year 2006, there is a sudden plunge for 2007 which can be accounted to several economic factors that prohibit the construction of new residential infrastructures. Fourth, there is also an economic index available for expenditures on nonresidential units, which is also taken from the US Census Bureau. From the year 2003 to 2007, the respective values are $229,335,000,000, $238,478,000,000, $256,644,000,000, $295,715,000,000, and $349,566,000,000 (â€Å"Construction and housing,† 2009). From these data, it can be observed that there is a continuous increase in the amount spent for the purpose of construction nonresidential units. In relation to the power tool market, these economic general indices are considered to be important because of the role it plays in terms of the demand for power tools which are required for construction. The housing start data would dictate how many new power tools may be required together with the amount of expenditures that are seen to be used for improvements and construction of new infrastructures. The fact that power tools are considered to be a necessity for the construction and repair of housing and nonresidential units relates this industry to the construction of housing and nonresidential ones. During cases where there are disparities, it is important to note that these general economic indices will be of great help only when accuracy is present. However, when there are cases where it is difficult to see which of the current findings are accurate, there should be information from other related economic factors that come from the government which could be a reliable source of data. Thus, it can be seen that there are several factors which affect the power tool market considering the economic relations it has with the construction industry. There are several ways through which the economic forecasts for the power tool industry can be obtained in relation to the construction data. References Frumkin, N. (2005). Guide to economic indicators (4th Ed. ). Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe. Newly Privately Owned Housing Units Started. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://www. census. gov/const/startsan. pdf. Section 20: Construction and housing. (2009). Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://www. census. gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/construct. pdf. US Census Bureau News. (2008). Expenditures for improvements and repairs of residential properties estimated at $226. 4 Billion in 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://www. census. gov/const/c50_curr. pdf.

Land of the Aryans: The Persian Culture Essay

Iran is formerly known as Persia until 1935. It is a country in Central Eurasia located in the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf. Iran is the cognate of the name Aryan, which means â€Å"Land of the Aryans†. Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. The Culture of Iran is a mix of ancient pre-Islamic culture and Islamic culture. Iranian culture probably originated in Central Asia and is strongly suggested as the predecessor of Iranian culture ca. 2000 BC. Iranian culture has long been a predominant culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, with Persian considered the language of intellectuals during much of the 2nd millennium, and the language of religion and the populace before that. Persian Philosophy to Major Religions The Iranian plateau has contributed ideas and techniques for sixty known centuries which have helped to continue and civilize mankind. Writing, numbers, the arts of agriculture and of working metals, the sciences of astronomy and mathematics, and the beginnings of religious and philosophical thinking — these all come from the Near East, and the fountain head of much of Near Eastern culture was on the Iranian plateau (Nasr & Razavi, 1999, p. 3). The three Wise Men from the East whom at the birth of Jesus brought gold, frankincense and myrrh were probably Zoroastrian priests from Persia. Their gifts symbolized essential beliefs which wee contributed by Zoroastrianism to Christianity, such as: the concepts of the Evil One as a positive force; the notion of the angels, of the Last judgment, or paradise, of the resurrection of the dead; and of the ultimate victory of good over evil (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 2). There are also two other influential religions that came out of Persia. One is Mithraism, which unsuccessfully competed with Christianity for the first three centuries of our era. And the other is Manichaeism of which St. Augustine was a devotee before he converted to Christianity (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 2). Moreover, according to Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder (1945): Buddhism was also partially influenced by Persian philosophy when Buddha passed through the Far East on its mission of enlightenment. (p. 2) No important religion would now be what it is were the Persian contributions to be taken from it (Nasr & Razavi, 1999, p. ). Persian Pottery Early ancient painted pottery, which had begun in Western Asia by 4000 B. C. , was man’s first â€Å"manuscript†; for the blueprints, useful though they be as ornament, were much more than that to those who made and used the vessels. Persian potteries were the expressions and evidences of fears and hopes, symbols for evoking supernatural forces to aid in the constantly anxious struggle of living (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 7). All of the images in Persian pots symbolize the harmonious relationships of man to nature and the divine aid of a god watching over and guiding them. Metal Arts Western civilizations considered pottery, ceramics or paintings as major work of art. But for Persian and Middle Eastern civilizations, it is the metal works that is considered as the prime of the art works. Bronze is considered as a most important medium on metal arts, even comparable to silver and gold in terms of its value, because it is far more durable than the said metals. The artistic talents of the smiths were preserved and learned for thousand of years for the Persian, and adds to the artistic value of the metal arts (Ghirshman, 1962, p. 12). Simplicity and strength were the artistic ideals. Tradition dictated symbolic shapes like the bull’s head ewer and other animals to present the vitality of these animals such as lions and birds, believing that it will be passed on the metal arts (Ghirshman, 1962, p. 14) All sorts of handsome objects were fashioned by the Seljuq metal workers. A mirror back illustrates the famous and much loved story of Bahram Gur and his sweetheart Azada, whom in a rage he was fated to slay. Pictorially it is unimpressive; as a work of decoration and judged by the modeling of its animals it is superb (Pope, Ackerman & Schroeder, 1945, p. 64). The active figures in the center evenly and ingeniously fill the space between the cusped arches of the framing zone which, with the intervening spaces, almost forms a reciprocal. Within this are falcons, foxes, and peacocks that repay careful examination. Carpets According to Pope (1931), it is by her carpets that the art of Persia has been most widely known (p120). Their fame has been abroad in the world these many centuries. The most priced Persian carpets are those made for the kings and princes of the Persian society. They are usually made from fabrics and other raw materials especially and exclusively for the royalty’s use (Pope, 1931, p. 121). They also commission the best painters and architects in town to make a unique and personalized design. The brilliant and sophisticated Persian color sense finds its perfect embodiment in the carpets. Their size permits of a far greater variety of colors than is appropriate in the smaller, lighter textiles or than is possible in a painted page. There is practically no limit to the range of colors the Persian dyers could command, and yet with all this wealth available, the rug designers chose a relatively limited number; twelve to fourteen tones is the average for the great sixteenth century carpets (Pope, 1931, p. 23). The Death of the Persian Culture The decline of the Persian art started in the rise of Europe. Because of various social problems such as societal depression, poverty, Afghan invasion and governmental incompetence are fatal to the preservation and development of the Persian culture. Yet, even if the Persian culture is considered stagnant nowadays, but the Iranian movies and contemporary music and literature, the influence and appreciation of humankind on Persian culture can no longer be disregarded.

Understanding Organisations and the Role of Hr

1. Introduction The briefing note is aimed to support a new manager to gain some understanding of the organisation in preparation for their start. Enterprise is a private sector organisation that has a current turnover of ? 1. 1bn. Enterprise currently employ’s circa 17,000 people including direct and DSP staff. 1. 1 Enterprise is the UK’s largest dedicated maintenance and front-line service provider to the public sector and utility industry. 2. Company Analysis 2. 1 Enterprise offers a wide range of services to its customers.The business is split into two divisions, one of which is the Government division. The Government division offers nationwide coverage in the following work streams: Grounds Maintenance, street cleansing, refuse collection, social housing, asbestos surveys & removal, building repairs & maintenance and local roads. The Government division is involved in a joint venture with Amymouchel. The second major division is the Utilities division. The Utilitie s division is broken down further into sub divisions which are, defence, MOD, gas, water and power.The main role of the Utilities division as a whole is to perform maintenance tasks including fixing water leaks, repairing gas leaks, installing Utility supplies, designing and installing power substations and repairing broken connections. The Utilities -division is also involved in joint ventures with Carillion and MoDern Housing solutions. Enterprise also has a Central Support division that contains dedicated departments who provide support services to the group. The departments within the central support include Finance, I. T, Payroll, Central HR, Health & Safety, Commercial, Procurement and Marketing. See Appendices 1. ) 2. 2 Due to the fact that Enterprise provides such a diversity of services the customers are both from the Public and Private sector. Enterprise has long term partnerships with Local and Central Government. An example of this would be a 28 year ‘waste partner ship’ with Solihull Borough Council. Other Local Government organisations that Enterprise perceives as customers currently include London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Liverpool City Council, Wolverhampton City Council, Manchester City Council, Gloucestershire City Council and Peterborough City Council.Central Government customers include MOD Defence Estates, Highways Agency and Transport for London. Enterprise works closely with Utilities companies to provide people’s homes and business with reliable gas, power, and water and communication links daily and has major contracts and partnerships with the following customers: United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, Scottish Power e-on Energy and National Grid. As the majority of Enterprise operations are carried out within the community they have a high emphasise on Corporate Responsibility in order to engage the wider community. . 3 Enterprise has a unique approach in terms of its purpose and goals. The main purpose of t he organisation is captured within the mission statement which is; ‘’To be at the heart of our customers and communities; delivering plans to improve service and maintain essential infrastructure for present and future generations in an environment that allows our people to contribute and realise their full potential’’. Enterprise as a Private organisation has a purpose of providing a financial return to its Stakeholders as well as surviving and developing if possible.Enterprise has a set of driving principles that define the goals that work towards delivering the Enterprise vision which is; ‘’In our chosen markets of utilities and the public sector, to be the leading integrated service provider focused on front line delivery. ’’ The 5 driving principles are as follows: Health & Safety: As Enterprise work at the centre of people’s lives and neighbourhood’s Health & Safety of both employees and members of the public is paramount. This means that the policies are rigorous, thorough and proven.Community Cohesion and Well Being: Responsibility in the community that Enterprise works in, the companies it works with and the employees. Sustainable communities that balance the social, economic and environmental components of their local area. This will benefit the residents, businesses and future generations. Partnership & People: Enterprise’s preferred method of working with a customer is through a transparent partnership. This facilitates communication and enables better working relationships.The flexible pro active nature of these partnerships allows contracts to evolve and move with the changing nature of the industry and customers need in the opinion of Enterprise. Enterprise follows a ‘respecting people’ agenda which allows employees to influence service delivery. They continually invest in skills and technical knowledge in order to remain an innovative leading service provide r. Performance Improvement & Best Value: The experience and knowledge Enterprise has of its markets, combined with their least cost operating models, enable them to design services that produce improved performance and best value for customers.Technology and Innovation: Enterprise has innovative technology and bespoke software that designed by an in house team. This increases the efficiency of operation and improves communications between sites, offices and customers. IT is at the core of all operations and a least cost, improved performance is essential to ensure a safe workplace. 2. 4 Enterprise believes that external factors do have an impact on the business activities of the organisation. Please see (Appendices 2. ) which is a PESTLE analysis of Enterprise.Listed below are four examples of external factors that Enterprise will be directly affected by, Auto Enrolment This is the Government initiative that Enterprise considers as a political external influence. Auto enrolment is a imed at getting employees enrolled into a pension scheme. Enterprise as a large business has to do this by April 2013. Employees are automatically enrolled into the scheme with the option to ‘opt out’. The minimum contribution of the employees is 1% of their salary with a contribution from the employer. The impact on Enterprise is financial due to the contribution to the pension scheme.The fact that all employees need to be communicated with and engaged with the scheme is a drain on cost and time. Enterprise has had to employee a number of temporary staff who specialise in pensions to guide and work on the impact of the scheme. This again is a financial strain on the organisation. Rising Fuel Costs Enterprise have identified the increasing rise in fuel costs as a potential threat to the business. Enterprise has reacted to this by introducing a ‘Lower initiative. ’ All new starters to the business are given information on ways to save fuel, for example car s haring.As many of the operations within Enterprise involve vehicles and plant reducing fuel consumption is extremely important. Graduates Enterprise has always had a graduate scheme and recruits every year. Due to the both social and political impacts the number of graduates per year is decreasing, increased university cost sand high rates of unemployment are the main contributors for this. This is impacting on the business in terms of reduced Graduate vacancies and fewer specialist candidates. Enterprise view graduates as the future and look to talent manage graduates into certain arrears of the business.They are also seen as ideal candidates whilst ‘succession planning. ’ A positive impact of the above is that apprentice schemes have become a popular alternative within the UK and Enterprise has over 130 active apprentices. This is a 50% increase on 2010 figures. Adverse Weather Over the last few of years the weather has changed significantly which has had an effect on Enterprise. It has impacted the business in both a positive and negative way. For example due to the cold weather in the winter the need for winter grit to be laid on the road has increased, this means business for Enterprise in this area has been amplified.On the opposite side of the coin, during wet summers work on the roads for example laying new cables and surfacing dressing can be a slow process. Enterprise perceives this as an external Environmental factor that is difficult to manage. 2. 5 Enterprise operates a ‘conventional’ hierarchical organisational structure predominantly but has aspects of ‘span of control structure’ also. This is mainly due to the size of the organisation and the variety of services it offers. As Enterprise is split into two major divisions with sub sections within these departments it is difficult to put the overall organisational chart into context.Enterprise does have aspects of a ‘Matrix’ organisation. This is dependent on projects that need to be undertaken or new contracts that are won. Enterprise has to be flexible to endorse this kind of structure and have the resources to cover staff movement. Please see (Appendices 2. ). Enterprise produces quarterly organisational charts to track any movements that take place and analyse where people slot in to the business. Appendices 2, illustrates the structure of the finance department for Enterprise which is a relatively tall conventional structure and is built up via a number of levels.Within the finance department there are several different functions including, financial accountants, purchase to pay, sales ledger, payroll and treasury. This chart highlights the positions of all the employees that make up each function and how they are all interlinked to make the finance department as a whole. It also confirms the spans of control of Managers and supervisors. 2. 6 As described in 2. 5 the Finance department in Enterprise has several differe nt functions. An explanation of how these functions work together ould be as follows; The monthly payroll team pulls together the payroll 3 days before the money is due too reach the employee’s accounts. This has to be signed by the Support Services manager. Once this has been signed payroll process, this is then with the treasury department to allocate the monies into the accounts of the employees in time for pay day 3 days later. After this the accountants are left to analyse the payments for each department of the business and raise any queries they may have. 2. 7 The culture of Enterprise is outlined in the mission statement and within its 5 driving principles (see 2. ). Enterprise also has a strict set of values that it expects all of its employees to follow: * Integrity – Transparency, relationship, fair, equitable and professional * Practicality – Straightforward, productive, innovative and pragmatic * Achievement – Focussed, driven, clear, ambitio n and success * Collaborative – Flexible, positive, incentivised, developing, community and team * Responsiveness – Listen, engage, create and participate The culture of Enterprise does have an affect on operations. Examples below: 1.Due to Enterprises commitment to its vision, principles and values, Enterprise can offer responsive efficient services provided by dedicated individuals 2. Enterprise works within the community promoting local employment and engagement with the use of small and medium enterprises (SME’s) through the Enterprise Foundation which is a vehicle dedicated to delivering community related support and improvement projects. This is a key part of the CR agenda. 2. 8 Enterprise has a dedicated central HR function that supports the organisations strategy in many ways.Please see below three examples of this: Learning & Development Enterprise encourages employees to undertake training courses to improve personal development. HR will research parti cular courses to make sure they are relevant to the employee’s role and report back to the budget holders with the findings. PDR Workshops Enterprises HR team offers managers the opportunity to attend workshops to make sure they carry out PDR’s efficiently (personal development reviews. ) For example it is explained that the PDR’s are linked to talent management which looks at developing Enterprise’s current employees linking back to the business strategy.Induction Corporate inductions are delivered by the HR department to all new starters. This is seen as essential to emphasise to all employee’s the vision, goals and strategy of the business as well as making new employee’s welcome and provides key statutory information. 2. 9 The HR function at Enterprise is always on hand to provide support to line mangers and their staff. Here are three ways in which they achieve this: * Updating policies and procedures in accordance with legislative chan ges and with the business needs.Making sure these are easily accessible for line managers and their employee’s to access. * Through knowledge and experience HR professionals within Enterprise provide managers with support on disciplinary issues. Making sure that the correct process is followed to avoid tribunal cases. * HR systems are an integral part of Enterprise as all office based staff use them. The HR team control these systems and provide data from them to support manager’s needs. 3. Conclusion This briefing document is aimed at familiarising a new manager with the services, structure and systems of Enterprise.It has shown that Enterprise is a large maintenance and front line service provider within the public sector and utilities industry employing circa 17,000 staff in the UK. The structure is a mixture of conventional, hierarchical and matrix. The services include all aspect of utilities including repairs of gas, water, power and electricity and public servic es including building maintenance and refuse collecting. HR supports the business by being a point of contact for managers and employees on any issues they have. This works towards Enterprise achieve it overall strategy and goals.