Experimental Design & Methods 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experimental Design & Methods 2 - Research Paper Example In the assessment of the current advertisement, campaign used by the Idaho State University will begin with a comprehensive analysis of the goals of the advertisement. This involves understanding its intended meaning, its anticipated impact on the targeted population, the demographics of the target population as well as its anticipated impact on the image of the University. When these dynamics have already been outlined, they will be used as standards through which the content of the advertisement will be assessed. Content testing will involve finding out whether the advertisement is successful at obtaining the attention of its target audience, if the advertisement is sufficiently informative to enable the audience to evaluate the advertised material and whether the advertisement is believable enough to convince the audience. Additionally, the testing will consider whether the advertisement is memorable in order to make sure that the audience will remember its main aspects, whether t he advertisement appeals to the target audience and whether the advertisement produces the anticipated effect in regards to brand image of Idaho State University. Selecting the advertisement that is most suitable entails more than mere choosing of the most eye-catching approach as the most suitable approach should have an ability to meet all the goals that have been set out by the Idaho State University. The chosen approach should also be able to communicate the appropriate message to the target audience, have an appeal to the target audience and be consistent with the marketing endeavors of the University. The experiment to assess whether the advertisement campaign used by the Idaho State University is effective and whether it will be more successful if a different social media platform is used will be conducted in two phases; the

Interpretations of our Culture and gender Essay Example for Free

Interpretations of our Culture and gender Essay Culture is a representation of many aspects ranging from indigenous practices, eating habits and even clothing, thus culture is expressed all the way through many and various ways, customs, habits and behaviors. Nevertheless culture is also identified through language. Culture and language are so intertwined and in that complexity, culture can neither be separated from language nor can language be separated from culture. The way people choose to use language in various phases of life affiliates them to a one specific culture from the other. In this context, cultures are very different from one another, for instance in some cultures women have no voice in society and there are roles that they are not allowed to play. However, (Embers 2007) note that, â€Å"it must not be forgotten that some people can create a class through stratification or class which may end in discrimination or segregation†. In this case there is class of the poor and another of the rich and through these classes; people develop a culture befitting them. In matters of sex or gender, some ethnic groups are very discriminative towards women and the class of women has been given lesser roles in society than men. Women do not make decisions or are not involved in decision making processes or procedures. However, it has dawned in many cultures that women play vital roles for the survival of many societies. Many rigid cultures that have rendered women voiceless have realized women at many a times make brilliant decisions than expected. So, what have they done? Women have been listened to and many have been given powerful leadership positions in such cultures to make impacting decisions. Currently, in many cultures women are leaders and they have performed. So far so good, there is no major disagreement and the way forward for many cultures is not to use gender or sex as a whip, but to be specific let girls and boys in any cultural setting get equal education, position and or all other favors, then give them equal opportunities. Reference: Ember, C. Ember, M. (2007). Cultural Anthropology, 12th Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

The Beauty of Color Essay -- Creative Writing Essays

As the car stopped, he caressed me immediately; in synch with the stopping of the engine was the start of us. I say us because I feel like that’s what it is to become intimate with someone, you merge, mesh, mix into some form of a united being. I enjoyed him. Intimacy was an act of passion. It didn’t take love to feel passion, and it didn’t take an appropriate union to become a part of another person. We were one as he kissed me, touched me. I felt him and he felt me. One. â€Å"You like that,† he said, panting like some needy animal. Please be quiet. â€Å"Say it if you like it,† he panted some more. Shut the hell up. â€Å"Is it good?† â€Å"Quiet!† I yelled without realizing that my thoughts were vocalized. He pulled back and stared at me as if I were some whacko, needless to say the look was returned. A quick awkward expression and a not so melodious cry ended the moment. Now, the only sounds we heard other than the heavy breathing of us both was the zooming of passing vehicles. As I licked over my dry lips I recognized the taste of sweat in my mouth, kissing his neck I guessed. As he got up and scooted to ‘his side’ of the van I scratched my head noting that my hair felt like shit. Relaxed hair need not get sweaty; I felt the naps I tried so hard to conceal creeping back into the roots of my follicles. No ‘good’ hair here. His eyes were closed and I could see the moon reflecting light off of his caramel-complexioned skin. I got up and moved, naked, to the front of the van to roll down the windows; the dankness of the vehicle was enough to make me gag. â€Å"When are you going to take me home?† I asked. Without opening his eyes he shrugged his shoulders and gestured for me to shut up. â€Å"I would like to get back before my show... ...ooks, Paw-Paw was the only person in the world to ever call me beautiful. *** â€Å"You are not like me.† I said plainly. I opened my eyes to see that he was no longer listening. One thing about us, we connect during intimacy, but other than that we play tag. I want to tell him, though. Shake him and explain that his color makes me squirm. The way others of his ‘paper-bag-brown’ have talked down to me, made me question myself. Tell him that it took years to reverse the hatred that I grew for myself. I was eager, wanting to spill it all to him, make him understand. But I mellowed out. Looking at the moon on his skin I just pulled him towards me into my shadow, my dark shadow. Instead of telling him how I felt I would show him. Show him my hatred, my love, my curse, and my blessing. And in that van, in the dark of my shadow, we were both as black as we wanted to be. The Beauty of Color Essay -- Creative Writing Essays As the car stopped, he caressed me immediately; in synch with the stopping of the engine was the start of us. I say us because I feel like that’s what it is to become intimate with someone, you merge, mesh, mix into some form of a united being. I enjoyed him. Intimacy was an act of passion. It didn’t take love to feel passion, and it didn’t take an appropriate union to become a part of another person. We were one as he kissed me, touched me. I felt him and he felt me. One. â€Å"You like that,† he said, panting like some needy animal. Please be quiet. â€Å"Say it if you like it,† he panted some more. Shut the hell up. â€Å"Is it good?† â€Å"Quiet!† I yelled without realizing that my thoughts were vocalized. He pulled back and stared at me as if I were some whacko, needless to say the look was returned. A quick awkward expression and a not so melodious cry ended the moment. Now, the only sounds we heard other than the heavy breathing of us both was the zooming of passing vehicles. As I licked over my dry lips I recognized the taste of sweat in my mouth, kissing his neck I guessed. As he got up and scooted to ‘his side’ of the van I scratched my head noting that my hair felt like shit. Relaxed hair need not get sweaty; I felt the naps I tried so hard to conceal creeping back into the roots of my follicles. No ‘good’ hair here. His eyes were closed and I could see the moon reflecting light off of his caramel-complexioned skin. I got up and moved, naked, to the front of the van to roll down the windows; the dankness of the vehicle was enough to make me gag. â€Å"When are you going to take me home?† I asked. Without opening his eyes he shrugged his shoulders and gestured for me to shut up. â€Å"I would like to get back before my show... ...ooks, Paw-Paw was the only person in the world to ever call me beautiful. *** â€Å"You are not like me.† I said plainly. I opened my eyes to see that he was no longer listening. One thing about us, we connect during intimacy, but other than that we play tag. I want to tell him, though. Shake him and explain that his color makes me squirm. The way others of his ‘paper-bag-brown’ have talked down to me, made me question myself. Tell him that it took years to reverse the hatred that I grew for myself. I was eager, wanting to spill it all to him, make him understand. But I mellowed out. Looking at the moon on his skin I just pulled him towards me into my shadow, my dark shadow. Instead of telling him how I felt I would show him. Show him my hatred, my love, my curse, and my blessing. And in that van, in the dark of my shadow, we were both as black as we wanted to be.

Arguing the Existence of God from Religious Experience

Analyse the argument for the existence of God from religious experience â€Å"A religious experience offers a sense of the ultimate and an awareness of wholeness, a consciousness of the infinite and an absolute dependence. † Edward Schleiermacher. Religious experience has been a contentious subject for philosophers of religion in trying to actually define what a religious experience is, along with psychologists and religious believers. Otto, James, Hardy and Schleiermacher are among many people who have tried to define a religious experience and there basic understanding is it is an encounter with the divine.It is non-empirical, a personal occurrence that brings with it an awareness of something beyond ourselves. Those who have had such an experience count it as the ultimate proof of the existence of God. It is difficult to find a common theme with religious experiences due to the variety but you can divide them into two basic groups; a direct experience and an indirect experi ence. Testimonies of the occurrence of religious experiences can be found throughout human history, but do they prove that humanity has a link with God if they are true and if they are false, why are we so ready to believe them?Every testimony of a religious experience is unique and most occur to individuals in private but others are ‘corporate’ experiences, when large numbers of people share in the same experience. Despite the testimony of believers there is a vast range of alternative explanations for such events which means it is impossible to arrive at a definite understanding of religious experience and to verify or falsify whether such events occur. The argument from religious experience is an inductive argument.Those who believe that religious experiences are proof of Gods existence usually argue inductively and look at the subjective testimonies of individuals to draw similar conclusions from their experiences that can only be explained in terms of the existence of God. Thus Richard Swinburne in ‘Is there a God? ’ argues inductively that it is reasonable to believe that God is loving and personal and would seek to reveal himself to humanity as an act of love to enable people to bring about good; â€Å"An omnipotent and perfectly good creator will seek to interact with his creatures and, in particular, with human persons capable of knowing him. Swinburne suggests that religious experiences can be felt empirically and interpreted non-empirically through our ‘religious sense. ’ Thus, if someone has a religious experience, we should believe the experience has taken place, even if their experience differs from others. In analyse of the inductive argument, it is strong as there is evidence that after the experience the experient is changed forever. Moreover some of the greatest events in history have resulted from people having religious experiences, such as Paul’s conversion after seeing a vision of Christ and was instrumented into spreading Christianity around the world.Nevertheless, the continued problem remains that the conclusion is only the best answer that appears probable on the basis of the evidence offered. The conclusion depends on an accurate interpretation of the evidence which may be influenced by the beliefs of the experient or the person interpreting the experience. The cumulative argument for religious experience is based on the view that if you take all the arguments about religious experience together, then they are more convincing than one argument alone.If all the testimonies to religious experiences are taken into account, then this would certainly add weight to religious experience as proof of the existence of God. Swinburne concludes his work with the cumulative argument and believes that when the arguments are considered in isolation of the others they don’t prove God, but put together, they make an overwhelming argument which cannot be denied in the grand s cales of Atheism Vs Theism. But it has been argued the theory is logically and mathematically flawed as taking many low probabilities and adding does not make on more probable argument – in fact the opposite.You should be multiplying the weak arguments to get a very weak argument. Richard Swinburne believed that unless we have good reason to think that someone is not telling the truth we should work on the principle that what they say is the case, these are his ‘principles of testimony and credulity’. Under his principle of testimony, he argues unless we have evidence to the contrary we should believe what people say when they claim to have had a religious experience: â€Å"In the absence of special considerations, the experiences of others are as they report. Furthermore Swinburne created the principle of credulity that holds the belief that unless we have overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we should believe that things are as they seem to be. In ‘The Existence of God’ he wrote; â€Å"How things seem to be is a good guide to how things are.. † Therefore in his view, religious experiences provide a convincing proof for the existence of God. In support if Swinburne’s position, empirical research undertaken in recent years has indicated that as many as 40% of people have at some time in their lives had an experience that could be classified as religious.Furthermore in 1969, the Religious Experience Research Unit in Oxford surveyed people by asking them the question: ‘Have you at any time in your life had an experience of something completely different form your normal life, whether or not you would describe it as God? ’ Many responded positively, saying it was the first time they had told anyone about their experience but it had been one of the most important moments of their lives.However one difficulty Steven Law highlights in his book ‘The Puzzle of Ethics’ is taking such ‘rev elatory’ experiences at face value is not restricted to one faith. He wrote, â€Å"Catholics see the Virgin Mary. Hindus witness Vishnu.. the fact that people have so many bizarre and often contradictory experiences.. ought to lead someone who claims to have had a ‘revelation’ to treat their experience with caution. † Law calls for experients to question their experience and for atheists to remain sceptic, as the experient could easily have mistaken their experience.The argument from religious experience is a posterior which means that it is based on experience, and if the experience is reliable it may lead to reliable conclusions. Many theists believe in order for a belief in God to be rational, they don’t need to back up their experience with proof as God’s existence was directly revealed to them through a personal experience of God. Those who have experienced may have done so but the evidence doesn’t strongly support that conclusion for non-religious believers.

Summary on “Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods”

I will be writing a summary of the journal article â€Å"Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods† written by David J. Harding (2009), who argues that, â€Å"cross-cohort socialization by older neighborhood peers is one source of socialization for adolescent boys† (Page 445). He uses primary data collection from 60 adolescent boys in three Boston neighborhoods to â€Å"understand the causes and consequences of these interactions and relationships† (Harding, 2009, Pg. 445).In the journal article â€Å"Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods† by David J. Harding, Harding (2009) suggests that disadvantaged neighborhoods influence how adolescents make romantic and educational decisions. Adolescents are also more likely socialized with the more accessible older people in the neighborhood who don’t have a job, and work on the streets. The young peo ple feel that socializing with older men in their community that work in the â€Å"underground† economy helps with navigation through the dangerous streets and the older men influence their decision.The social isolation theory â€Å"argues that lack of participation in the mainstream labor market isolates residents of inner-city communities from middle-class social groups, organizations, and institutions† (Wilson, 1996, pg. 446). That theory, according to Harding (2009), suggests that kids in communities that are have high unemployment, don’t experience a life that is organized around their families work place, so some don’t feel like they need to join the work force in the future for a source of income.They see their community make a living on the streets. One hole in the social isolation theory is that it does not address that in inner-city neighbors, people do, in fact, share some of the same ideals as other social classes such as the desire to get mar ried and the importance of education (Harding, 2009). In ghetto-cultured neighborhoods, even decent families are competing with their child’s peers when it comes to influencing their decisions on sex, crime and school.Adolescents look up to young men who are higher ups in the neighborhood due to their success in the streets (Harding 2009). Violence in inner-city neighborhoods is also a way to move up in the social totem pole of the community showing your masculinity and earn respect. Harding suggests his own theory; he had a methodology for primary data collection. He interviewed 60 adolescent boys between the ages of 13 to 18 in three ghetto locations in Boston.In his investigations, he found that violence in disadvantaged neighborhoods is rarely random or accidental; it is directly related to interpersonal relationships and on going conflicts (2009). Another observation was, â€Å"the younger adolescent boys of Roxbury Crossing and Franklin struggle to cope with the ever-p resent threat of violence, relationships with older peers are one strategy for securing at least a measure of protection†¦By contrast, adolescent boys in Lower Mills face a much lower threat of victimization.Their social lives are not structured by strong neighborhood identities that restrict social networks or the use of geographic space, so strategies for reducing the threat of victimization are less necessary† (Harding, 2009, Pg. 452). In Harding’s investigations, he takes note that there is big distinction between neighborhoods. He gives the example of a kid named Marcus that has a neighbor who owed him $4, but since he didn’t want to fight his neighbor, he threatened his neighbor’s friend that lived in another neighborhood to get his money back.There is a large amount of respect between people in the same neighborhood and big rivalries between different neighborhoods (2009). Parents in Lower Mills don’t have to worry about their children g etting jumped or fighting. They go to the park and have a good time. On the other hand, parents of children in Roxbury and Franklin are constantly worrying about whether their children are getting involved with dangers on the streets. Neighborhood identity has a lot to do with violence (Harding, 2009).Violence is a defining characteristic of impoverish neighborhoods and it structures kids lives and socialization (Harding, 2009). According to Harding, â€Å"With respect to social organization theory, this article shows how the failure of a community to control violence can have spillover effects in other domains through the impact of violence on the age-structure of peer networks† (2009, pg. 462). References Harding, David. (2009). Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods. American Sociological Review. 74, (3), 445-464.

Free Essays on Whitman

Very few people will contest that Walt Whitman may be one of the most important and influential writers in American literary history and conceivably the single most influential poet. However many have claimed that Whitman’s writing is so free form as evident in his 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself that it has no style. The poetic structures he employs are unconventional but reflect his very democratic ideals towards America. Although Whitman’s writing does not include a structure that can be easily outlined, masterfully his writing conforms itself to no style, other then its own universal and unrestricted technique. Even though Whitman’s work does not lend itself to the conventional form of poetry in the way his contemporaries such as Longfellow and Whittier do, it holds a deliberate structure, despite its sprawling style of free association. When people say Whitman has no style, they are making a statement about his adherence to conventional standards of poetic form. Style, though, is something completely personal, not conventional. Whitman dared to go outside the conventional boundaries of poetic expression because he seldom followed the standards in rhyme, meter, and stanza form. However, hasn’t every great poet changed the rules governing the creation of great art in some way or another? Without a doubt they have, that defines them as great poets and gives them style. Whitman’s greatness lies in his divergence from the norm, his individuality, not his strict adherence to the arbitrary rules of his predecessors. Whitman’s approach to poetry is a reflection of his thought. These thoughts are free and wild, and his typical run-on sentences and his endless litanies of people and places represent the thoughts trying to be conveyed. The overall effect of these run-on sentences provides the reader with a feeling of greatness and of freedom. All of the feelings that are evoked from Whitman’... Free Essays on Whitman Free Essays on Whitman Very few people will contest that Walt Whitman may be one of the most important and influential writers in American literary history and conceivably the single most influential poet. However many have claimed that Whitman’s writing is so free form as evident in his 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself that it has no style. The poetic structures he employs are unconventional but reflect his very democratic ideals towards America. Although Whitman’s writing does not include a structure that can be easily outlined, masterfully his writing conforms itself to no style, other then its own universal and unrestricted technique. Even though Whitman’s work does not lend itself to the conventional form of poetry in the way his contemporaries such as Longfellow and Whittier do, it holds a deliberate structure, despite its sprawling style of free association. When people say Whitman has no style, they are making a statement about his adherence to conventional standards of poetic form. Style, though, is something completely personal, not conventional. Whitman dared to go outside the conventional boundaries of poetic expression because he seldom followed the standards in rhyme, meter, and stanza form. However, hasn’t every great poet changed the rules governing the creation of great art in some way or another? Without a doubt they have, that defines them as great poets and gives them style. Whitman’s greatness lies in his divergence from the norm, his individuality, not his strict adherence to the arbitrary rules of his predecessors. Whitman’s approach to poetry is a reflection of his thought. These thoughts are free and wild, and his typical run-on sentences and his endless litanies of people and places represent the thoughts trying to be conveyed. The overall effect of these run-on sentences provides the reader with a feeling of greatness and of freedom. All of the feelings that are evoked from Whitman’...

Sophias Resturant Essays - Footwear, Fashion, Nike, Inc., Sneakers

Sophia's Resturant Essays - Footwear, Fashion, Nike, Inc., Sneakers Sophia's Resturant Overview At the age of 24, Sue Koenig launched Runners World retail shoe store. Well known and nationally ranked as a runner herself, Sue knew first hand of the need for athletic shoes uniquely designed for the serious runner. Her timing was perfect. Word-of-mouth spread and Runners World developed a good base of loyal and repeat customers. A national health and exercise craze further fueled the demand for high-end quality running shoes. This was a boon to early success, and resulted in a steady and profitable growth during the first ten years of operation. Sue had exclusively chosen Nike's premier line of running shoes as the cornerstone of Runners World retail product line. For a time, Nike's strong image and aggressive promotion campaign proved to be a very wise and solid marketing strategy. However, a number of factors have begun to adversely affect Runners World's performance. Company growth has come to a virtual standstill as recent sales have flattened out. Profit levels remain reasonable but could weaken if some immediate and possibly drastic changes are not incorporated. Competition, fashion and a wide spread loss of interest in running have cut into the niche market share Runners World once solely enjoyed. This has Sue concerned about what to do. When Sue initially started Runners World, she had a very specific target market in mind - the serious jogger or runner who wanted the best quality running shoes money could buy. Things were simple and straight forward, but now the demand and climate is changing. Customer choices, expectations and needs have expanded. There are many alternatives that Sue needs to carefully investigate and explore. Fundamentally, Sue must seriously evaluate whether there is still a large enough market locally for her particular inventory. Present Strategy In her heart, Sue knows that her mission is sound - to provide high-end running shoes to those who share her passion for the sport. There is no question that she reaches her target market. Her clientele, consisting of the most serious runners, are repeat buyers who turn running shoes into a staple. They find a shoe they like and stick with it. The high-end Nikes she currently sells were always well accepted and seen as top quality. Feeling that change is inevitable if she wants to stay competitive, Sue knows it is necessary to reconsider the business strategy of her marketing mix. Although compelled to price her inventory in line with Nike, Sue is still able to sell the shoes and get a $5 to $7 per pair premium. This has resulted in attractive profits overall while still remaining competitive in the market. As trends go, Sue is aware that running is on the decline. Nike running shoes are still her primary product, but as exercising turned to a kinder, gentler phase, Sue added a secondary inventory to her store. Hoping to capture a more diverse market, Runners World added Nike shoes for walking, aerobics, basketball, tennis, and cross training. These sold well for a while but sales for these other shoes have also flattened out. Runners World desperately needs to attract new business. Comfortable at its current location for the past twelve years, the surrounding area has become home to other retail chains and department stores, increasing the competition in the sports shoe and apparel market. Stores such as Foot Locker and Wal-Mart are clambering to catch up with their rivals who have been in the business for a while and carry immense selections. Sue's reputation as a nationally ranked runner had always been sufficient to promote Runners World, a familiar and stable fixture in the community. More recently, she has become painfully aware that her reputation alone won't be enough to sustain her current market. Determined to re-establish the store as the source for her runner's needs, Sue begins the daunting task of analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to her business. Conclusions Based on our analysis of Sue's current marketing strategy and the questions we have raised regarding Runner's World's future, we strongly urge Sue to continue to specialize in running shoes, but to add other high-end brands other than Nike and avoid the trendy and/or low-end brands such as Skechers (MENTION OTHER BRANDS & RESEARCH THEIR PRICES), which would only confuse her customers. We

Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice

Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice By Maeve Maddox The use of the word mouse to mean computer device began in 1965, but the appearance and movement of mice have influenced language for a long time. The Latin word for mouse is mus. The Romans got the word from Greek mys. The word mussel,( a bivalve mollusk) derives from the Latin diminutive musculus (little mouse.) The little sea creature was thought to resemble a mouse in size and color. The word and spelling muscle to denote contractile tissue dates from the late 14th century. The movement of a muscle, especially the one in the upper arm (biceps), can be compared to that of a mouse moving about under something. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the analogy of mouse/muscle already existed in Greek, and double-duty words that can mean either mouse or muscle exist in modern languages as well. Old English spelled the word for the sea animal various ways: mucxle, muscell, muscelle, muscule, musscel, muxle. As might be expected, the spellings of mussel and muscle collided for a while. The spelling mussel to distinguish seafood from bodily tissue was first recorded about 1600, but the distinctive spelling was not fully established until the 1870s. The prefixes my and myo that occur in many medical terms also derive from Greek mys: myalgia: pain in a muscle or group of muscles. myocarditis: inflammation of a a muscle layer of the heart myoplasty: plastic surgery of muscular tissue. The medical terms relate to the muscle connection, but mouse origins are clear in the word myomancy:divination by interpreting the behavior of mice. Finally, just for fun, the Greek letter M is spelled and pronounced mu in English. The Greek vocative form of mys is also spelled mu. This is what happened when an English-speaking curate tried to teach his cat the Greek alphabet: There was a kind curate of Kew †¨ Who kept a large cat in the pew, †¨ Which he taught every week †¨ alphabetical Greek, †¨But got no farther than mu.* *Thanks to Rod Decker Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Conversational Email

Managment Motivating Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managment Motivating Style - Essay Example This paper describes management motivating style, by focusing the motivating styles practiced by Raul Valdez, Manager Cardinal Health. Raul Valdez was interviewed with the purpose of identifying the approaches he applies in to motivate his employees. In order to set up an environment that will stimulate the employees to motivate themselves, Valdez has recognized the need to understand the employee’s motivational needs. He does this by evaluating every employee’s motivational needs that are consistence with the strategies and goals of the organization. Valdez says that the success of their organization directly depends on the improvement of an individual’s or group’s motivation (Singla 265). Valdez derives his motivation skills from theories by Herzberg and Maslow. Maslow theory suggest that people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs which include safety needs, esteem needs, physiological needs, belonging needs and self-actualization needs (Beach 31). Phy siological needs refer to the standard basic needs such as water, air, food, shelter and sleep. Safety needs entail personal security and safety as well as job security. Belongingness is the need to be part of groups such as family, clubs, religious groups, and work groups (Beach 31). Self esteem needs are grouped into two categories. The first esteem originates from mastery or competence of a task. The second esteem result from recognition and attention that come from other people. Self-actualization need is the â€Å"desire to become everything that one is capable of becoming† (Beach 32). Maslow suggested that individuals are motivated by the needs that are above the minimal needs which are fulfilling (Singla 265). People have fulfilled certain set of needs are not likely to be motivated by environments that fulfils needs at the lower level. Similarly, people will not be motivated by environments that fulfill higher needs before their lower needs are fulfilled (Beach 31). T his is the reason why Valdez has to determine how each employee works and what sparks energy in them. He says that employees have their personal needs and own drive that must be fulfilled for them to get motivated. He achieves this by maintaining adequate communication system with every employee, as well as watching and observing them. When the manager is faced with performance problem resulting from lack of motivation, he discusses the cause of the problem with every employee, and suggests what can motivate them, or the fact that makes them lose focus. For example, employees who are struggling to fulfill their physiological needs of sufficient shelter, food and water are likely to be motivated by the self-actualization (Beach 32). They should also be encouraged to seek inner peace and knowledge. Similarly, employees who have secure family, healthy ego and safe homes influenced by accumulation of wealth, are likely not to be motivated by providing financial rewards. Herzberg’ s motivation theory deals with the activities employees do at work. The motivators are recognition, growth or advancement, interest and achievement in the job (Hiam 35). In order to apply these theories, the leaders and managers must understand the motivational need of an individual or a group, so as to set up an environment in which they will motivate themselves. In addition, an overall approach that will reinforce the desired motivation is also established. This is the reas

Contemporary Investigation Case Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Investigation Case Review - Essay Example The purpose of administrator is to advise the creditors on viable solutions like ending the administration and returning the companies control to board of directors, converting the administration into a creditors voluntary liquidation or have the company enter into Deed of Company Arrangement (â€Å"DOCA†) under Sec. 439C whereas the purpose of appointing the liquidator is wind up the affairs of the company by gathering its assets and distributing it to creditors and others whom the companies owe in any form resulting in deregistration of the company. (Marshall, 2006)1 Administrator is conferred with powers to exercise which were earlier exercised by the previous officers of the corporation whereas the liquidator is appointed through court with legal powers to officially or voluntarily winding up the company. (Tomasic,2 et.al. 2002,pp 743 & Marshal,3 2006) In regard to relation with forensic accountant, the administrator will be the in charge of the company and will required the forensic accountant to provide his expert opinion by determining the economic damages incurred till now whereas the liquidator will be performing the obligation of liquidation on the report of forensic accountant. Forensic accounting investigators is determined by the scope of work while find answers to the involvement, coconspirators, impact on financial statement, cause for deed, and ways to overcome the situation. The investigators should bear in mind that they are only to detect the fraud and put the facts on paper and submit the same to the in-charge officer. (Golden et.al. 2006, pp. 524)4 In order the investigate the company details regarding whether any fraudulent activity is performed and resulted in bankruptcy, a detailed and scientific plan is prepared for the purpose of investigation. Wolf Transport has history of around 26 years and therefore it is necessary to record each and

Does learning how to properly express oneself help Dissertation

Does learning how to properly express oneself help - Dissertation Example The study does not attempt to supplant existing programs, rather, it seeks to work with it, and enhance existing programs. This is done by opening and providing alternative means with which violence may be prevented. Social scientists believe violent crimes to be crimes of expression. While conducting motivational speaking sessions at schools in New Orleans, I have noticed that there are not many school-based programs in the district. The programs that currently exist do not look at the juvenile problem of violence as a possible problem of expression. Disciplinarian measures such as suspension and expulsion along with tight security methods seem to be the proposed solution to the problem of school violence. In this state of ‘tight security’ to curb juvenile violence, the study offers an innovative method - creative expression as a means of violence reduction, of juvenile violence prevention. This approach is novel, as no such programs currently exist, especially in New O rleans. Problem Statement Despite data showing reductions in violent crime nationally, youth violence remains a serious problem (Feder, Levant, & Dean, 2010). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistic, more crimes are committed against students’ ages 12-18 at school than away from school (Roberts, Zhang, Truman, 2010). Students who ranged from ages 12-18 experienced approximately 1.2 million nonfatal crimes at school compared to about one million nonfatal crimes away from school. The figures represent total crime victimization rates of 47 crimes per 1,000 students at school and 38 crimes per 1,000 students away from school. The number of school days in a year is essentially equivalent to the number of non-school days in a year. Despite the balance of days between school and non-school days, most (63%) violent crimes committed by juveniles occur on school days (OJJPD, 2010). Violence is the leading cause of nonfatal injuries among young people (Hammond, Haegerich, & Saul, 2 009). According to 2008 FBI statistics, New Orleans had the highest per capita murder rate in the nation (Murder Capital Title, 2009). The intersection of teen violence and the murder capital was evident more than ever in 2006. As New Orleans was scrambling to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans emerged as the murder capital once again. Five teenage juveniles ranging from ages 16-19 were gunned down in a one incident. The horrific event prompted the mayor of New Orleans to call for the deployment of the Louisiana National Guard to patrol the streets of New Orleans. Despite turning New Orleans to mirror an Iraqi city with armed military soldiers patrolling its streets, the violence remained. Juvenile violence remained a problem in New Orleans despite the presence of the Army. Once again, another attempt of increased security results in no answer. Tighter security looks good, but it has not proven to reduce violent crime. In this regard, the urgency of finding alternative mean s of addressing the problem of juvenile violence on top of existing programs is of intrinsic value. This is to promote existing programs, and open other venues that may help the young person express their experiences. Purpose Statement The purpose of this mixed research study is to

How population growth can spur economic prosperity and promote Research Paper

How population growth can spur economic prosperity and promote progress - Research Paper Example However, in this context it is worth mentioning that rapid rate of growth of population also creates negative effects upon the degree of growth of economies, by reducing the amount of effective labor force in the economy (National Research Council (U.S.), 1986, p. 47). There are several policy issues related to the process of creation of positive effects of higher population growth upon the process of economic prosperity and the process of promotion of economic growth. These policy issues are closely related to the generation of different fiscal as well as monetary policies which are undertaken by governments of developed, developing as well as less developed countries across the globe (Bloom et al., 2001, p. 6). One of the most important policies is creation of effective amount of natural and productive resources in the economy, so that the volume of excess of demand and thus rise in prices of goods and services do not happen in the concerned economy. This policy is largely abided by the government through effective increase in the volume of government expenditure on production processes. Also the monetary policy is implemented by the government in respect to creation of effective amount of money supply in the economy through creation of new empl oyment opportunities (Bloom et al., 2001, pp. 6-7).In this context, the policy which has been implemented in the USA, regarding the creation of larger number of jobs for the older people of the country, because of the fact that the mortality rate is very low in the country, has been highly significant (Bloom et al., 2001, p. 20). There are different ethical as well as legal issues in regard to the process of creating of progressive effects of population growth on economic growth. These ethical issues are related to large number of issues, including environmental issues, resource allocation and distributional issues,

Insurance Case Study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Insurance Case Study - Coursework Example A further analysis in the case study reveals that Mr. Farid does not deny the answers he gave. He had stated he is the Manager and added that his work entailed inspection of construction sites and training of workers. With this information, the insurer still went ahead to insure him under non-manual work. A look at his medical health reveals a heart disorder which puts Mr. Farid at more risky state of leaving his employment. This analysis reflects on asymmetric information where full disclosure of the duties undertaken by Mr. Farid is not given. This led to adverse selection of Mr. Farid because the heart disorder deteriorated leading to employment forfeiture (Amy, 2007). The outdoor activities were the majority of tasks that Mr. Farid did. Prudent Insurance Inc. would not have given the income policy to Mr. Farid had the information about his activities been clearly outlined. Question 2 As an underwriter, I would not approve the claim from Mr. Farid. This is because the insurer shou ld have assessed the kind of work Mr. Farid undertook on a daily basis of which he forfeited to do. A risk assessment would reveal his work jeopardizes his health condition further let alone the construction inspectorate job. There was very high risk of Mr. Farid losing his job based on his health. Mr. Farid had explained in his response that he also did construction inspections exposing him to activities like climbing ladders, lifting small items as a demonstration etc. The insurer ought to have done an observation of the daily activities to assess the work before issuing the policy. The heart disorder predisposes Mr. Farid to loss of his employment or forfeiture due to the kind of work he undertook. In light of this, the insurer should have assessed the daily duties to determine at what rate the disorder would have deteriorated. This is not measurable but an estimate would have been made. His age should have been put in consideration with the health status in mind (Thummuluri, 201 0). Question 3 As an insurer, I would deny the claim. This is because the claim form clearly depicts the breach of the contract signed between the two parties. His work entailed office work and inspection of constructions and training. These kinds of duties would have delayed the health condition outburst. The claim clearly states lifting heavy items and further carrying these items. These are way off the inspection duties that entail a review of work done, work in progress, review of remaining work, budget analysis and further deduce necessary reports. His sentiments do not depict compliance with what his duties entails. Though he exaggerated the number of hours for each activity, this does not change my stand. He was not supposed to do these strenuous duties ab initio. Although his claim of loss of income is substantial, this is out of the context of disclosure of his work. Part II: Household items Insurance Question 1: Mr. Green’s earlier conviction would affect the underw riter decision by refuting or denying the policy. The acts of violence are not insured against in this kind of a policy. The policyholder stands at a risk of seizure of his goods or damage during the violent acts. A claim from the police department may necessitate auction of household goods if he cannot settle the damages inflicted in the violence. This insurance policy covers against loss of household items from fires, floods, or natural disasters. The violent acts predispose unforeseen loss to the Insurance Company. Full disclosure of

How population growth can spur economic prosperity and promote Research Paper

How population growth can spur economic prosperity and promote progress - Research Paper Example However, in this context it is worth mentioning that rapid rate of growth of population also creates negative effects upon the degree of growth of economies, by reducing the amount of effective labor force in the economy (National Research Council (U.S.), 1986, p. 47). There are several policy issues related to the process of creation of positive effects of higher population growth upon the process of economic prosperity and the process of promotion of economic growth. These policy issues are closely related to the generation of different fiscal as well as monetary policies which are undertaken by governments of developed, developing as well as less developed countries across the globe (Bloom et al., 2001, p. 6). One of the most important policies is creation of effective amount of natural and productive resources in the economy, so that the volume of excess of demand and thus rise in prices of goods and services do not happen in the concerned economy. This policy is largely abided by the government through effective increase in the volume of government expenditure on production processes. Also the monetary policy is implemented by the government in respect to creation of effective amount of money supply in the economy through creation of new empl oyment opportunities (Bloom et al., 2001, pp. 6-7).In this context, the policy which has been implemented in the USA, regarding the creation of larger number of jobs for the older people of the country, because of the fact that the mortality rate is very low in the country, has been highly significant (Bloom et al., 2001, p. 20). There are different ethical as well as legal issues in regard to the process of creating of progressive effects of population growth on economic growth. These ethical issues are related to large number of issues, including environmental issues, resource allocation and distributional issues,

Discussion question-essay Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion question-essay - Coursework Example Outsourcing projects and hiring more laborers from India in telecommuting arrangements can help HP lower its cost structure. Another way to reduce costs is by sourcing materials from low cost nations such as China. One of the main reasons that people think that the acquisition of EDS by Hewlett Packard would not work is due to differences in organizational culture. Organizational culture can be defined as the system of shared actions, values, and beliefs that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members (Schermerhorn and Hunt and Osborn). The culture of HP is relaxed and casual style, while EDS has a military discipline and staid culture. Since the dominant culture, Hewlett Packard, is the easy going relaxed one it should not be difficult for EDS employees to buy in to such a culture. The use of change management will also be critical into shaping the new organization. â€Å"Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes†

Just say Know! Essay Example for Free

Just say Know! Essay Intelligent consideration of the war on drugs may lead one to believe that it is inexplicable, irrational and unsustainable. It is none of these. It is a rational subterfuge perpetrated for a particular purpose, namely, the profits resulting from the importation and distribution of huge quantities of heroin and cocaine, and those who are behind the war on drugs are the same as those who are responsible for the widespread use of these addictive and life-destroying drugs. Unless they are stopped the war on drugs and all its attendant horrors will continue to ruin America. Just one CIA drug ring, that of Rafael Caro Quintero and Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo based in Guadalajara, Mexico was smuggling four tons A MONTH into the U. S. during the same period! Other operations including Manuel Noriega (Panama), John Hull (Costa Rica), Felix Rodriguez (El Salvador), Juan Ramon Matta Ballesteros (Honduras) and elements of the Guatemalan and Honduran military were dealing close to two hundred tons a year or close to 70% of total U. S. consumption at the same time! All of them have been connected to CIA by documentation and testimony which already exists! This coke was smoked, snorted and injected by people of every race and in every state; in the cities and on the farms. — http://www. radio4all. org/crackcia/sjmn. html The CIA smuggling cocaine? U. S. covert action organizations responsible for flooding the U. S. with addictive drugs? Farfetched? Far from it — the evidence is now overwhelming. Put simply, in order to keep making enormous profits, those responsible for the distribution of addictive drugs in the U. S. (and it is not only the CIA) must keep the use of these drugs illegal. Were drug use legalized their profits would disappear overnight. So how to keep drugs illegal? Simply buy up enough legislators to block any steps toward revealing the facts of the matter or toward reversal of the present state of prohibition. The profits of the drug lords, and the corruption of the legislators, makes this possible. So drug use is demonized, those who use drugs are turned into criminals, and to make it appear that the authorities are sincere in their attempts to combat the drug problem hundreds of thousands of drug users are arrested and thrown into jail for up to forty years. Those responsible for this, and for the addiction of millions of Americans and others for the sake of profit, can only be described as evil. Not only are users of the life-destroying drugs heroin and cocaine caught up in this pogrom but also users of non-addictive life-enhancing drugs such as LSD, THC (marijuana), psilocybin (mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy). The users of such substances are often some of the kindest and most non-violent people youll ever meet (Ive met plenty of them), but for the sake of perpetuating the profits of the drug lords (both American and foreign) many of them have had their lives ruined and most of the rest live in fear of persecution. Its about time that Americans woke up to the fact that it is the prohibition of drugs which is making possible these profits, is corrupting their government and which is likely (if not corrected) to be the ruin of their country. The information regarding who is profiting from the illegal status of drug usage is available now, and no-one will be able to say, as the good Germans of the Nazi era said, we didnt know. Just say Know! On 1997-05-22 the late Terence McKenna said, on the Art Bell radio talk show, in response to a callers question as to why psychoactive drugs are illegal: Let me say this I mean, Im a bit of a pessimist on this subject. Because I take psychedelics so seriously, I cant imagine them ever being really legal unless theres a total social transformation because my analysis of it is, the reason everybody from a Marxist state to a Christian oligarchy to a high-tech industrial democracy can get together and agree that psychedelics are a terrible terrible thing is because the social effects of psychedelics being taken by large numbers of people is a kind of deconditioning from the cultural myths, whatever they are. Its no knock on any given society, its just that if people start taking psychedelics, they start questioning what theyve been told about reality. And culture is in the business of keeping you inside a set of predetermined answers to those questions. Although McKenna had some interesting to say about drug usage (and called for the legalization of all drugs), here he missed the main point entirely. It is true that psychedelics are de-conditioning agents, and that they lead to questioning of mainstream premises defining reality (and perhaps even contribute to the dreaded questioning of authority — though no drugs are needed for this), but this is not the fundamental reason that the Drug War continues. The fundamental reason is money. As stated above, it is the enormity of the profits from the international illicit drug trade that requires drugs to remain prohibited. Nothing much can be done to end the Drug War until this fact is recognized (recognition will come more quickly to those who read James Mills book, The Underground Empire). To assert, as McKenna did, that prohibition continues because legislators are afraid of youth questioning authority, suggests that the solution is to reassure and re-educate those legislators so that they see the light. Such a re-education is certainly desirable, but it will do very little to bring an end to the Drug War as long as the fundamental economic basis for prohibition is not recognized and acknowledged. In the meantime the insanity continues †¢ The late Peter McWilliams wrote: Prisons are filled to capacity and beyond. In most areas an early-release program has been instituted which, of course, fails to differentiate between prisoners whose crimes had innocent victims [e. g. theft, assault and rape] and prisoners whose crimes did not [e. g. marijuana smokers]. This puts truly dangerous criminals out on the street sooner, giving them extra months, and in some cases years, to rape, rob and plunder. Due to overcrowding caused by the War on Drugs, prisons (not enjoyable places under the best of conditions) have become intolerable. Some of them violate the constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment. With the overcrowding, any hope of rehabilitation, job placement, counseling, therapy, or achieving any other high-minded goals is completely derailed. — Aint Nobodys Business If You Do, p. 242. And the carnage continues †¢ P. B. Floyd: Weighing The Harms In 1980, Californias prisons held 23,511 inmates or 1 in 1006 residents. By 1994, about 125,000 were incarcerated, or 1 in 256. By the year 2000, the California Department of Corrections projects that 1 in 146 people in California will be in prison. Drug offenses were responsible for 25 percent of the US prison population in 1995, up from only 8 percent in 1980. About 220,000 drug prisoners were held in state prisons in 1995, up 1070 percent from 1980. Over 70 percent of the arrests have been for possession of drugs, not sale or manufacture. Over 200,000 prisoners of the Drug War in the State of California alone — victims of a vicious and depraved pogrom occurring right under the noses of the citizens, most of whom are willing to look the other way, like the good Germans of the 1930s. As regards state persecution of minorities there is no difference between sending a person to prison for smoking pot and sending a person to a labor camp for being a member of a group which lights candles in memory of deceased relatives on Friday evenings. In both cases the imprisonment is done by Nazis or those with the mentality of Nazis. And if you think this comparison of drug warriors to Nazis is far-fetched, just take a look at the book mentioned above, R. L. Millers Drug Warriors and Their Prey: From Police Power to Police State. If you read this book you wont be able to say to your children, I didnt know what was happening. Jonathan Blumen: What I Learned From Auschwitz The article by P. B. Floyd discusses the following harms resulting from the war on drugs: o Incarceration Boom and Lives wasted in prison o Addicts cant get effective treatment o Increased AIDS Cases o Civil Liberties Lost o Increased street and organized crime o Waste of billions o Third world dictators supported Yet this War has been going on for twenty years and is still being promoted by the U. S. and other cryptofascist governments despite the massive evidence of its harm. What is really going on that this can happen? †¢ U. S. Prison Population Sets New Record in 1996 [Page removed from Yahoo and also from the Wayback Machine. ] The U. S. prison population increased by about 55,900 inmates last year, reaching a record 1,182,000 at the end of 1996 and posing new problems with overcrowding, the Justice Department reported Sunday. The report attributed the increase in the state prison population over the decade to more black drug offenders and more white violent offenders behind bars. Other factors included a sharp increase in the number of people imprisoned for drug offenses. — Reuters, 1997-06-23 †¢ U. S. Prison Population Slowed in 96 [Page removed by the L. A. Times] Counting both prison and jail inmates, more than 1. 6 million adults were behind bars as of last June 30, an incarceration rate of 615 inmates for every 100,000 U. S. residents. That rate of imprisonment put the nation second only to Russia, which had a rate of 690 inmates per 100,000 residents in 1995, the last available figure. The two countries imprison a far higher proportion of their citizens than any other country in the world. — Los Angeles Times, 1997-06-23 †¢ STATE PRISONS EXPECTED TO GROW 37% BY 2003 Californias already crowded prisons are projected to add 57,733 inmates by 2003, a 37 percent increase, state officials said Wednesday. The Department of Corrections said the states adult prisons now house 155,687 prisoners, compared with 66,965 in 1987. Officials predict that the population will reach 202,855 in 2002 and 213,420 the next year. — Orange County Register, 1997-12-11, page 4.

Reflecting on Competency with Subcutaneous Injection Technique

Reflecting on Competency with Subcutaneous Injection Technique The focus of this essay will be to select one clinical skill in which I am developing competence in and reflect upon how to achieve the necessary level of competence for this stage of the programme. For the purpose of this essay I have chosen to focus on subcutaneous injections technique as my clinical skill. The nursing and midwifery councils (NMC) Standards for Medicines management states that administration of medicine is not solely a mechanistic task to be performed in strict compliance with the written prescription other medical practitioner. It requires thought and the exercise of professional judgement. In order to perform safe practice it is essential to possess sound knowledge of the anatomy, patient assessment and nursing interventions and methods used are evidence based. (NMC 2007). My rationale for selecting subcutaneous injections (SC) was whilst on my first placement based on a surgical ward this was a widely used skill, which was performed on many occasions. This technique was mostly used for the administration of an anticoagulant (tinzaparin sodium) also know as heparin, given to patients in order to prevent harmful blood clots forming in veins following an operation. Heparin works by changing the way blood clots, allowing blood to flow smoothly through the vessels. (REF) Whilst giving an injection was once the role of the doctor, since the invention of penicillin in 1940s it became the activity of the nurse (Workman 1999). Administering injections is an important part of drug administration and a regular, common place activity for the nurse which unfortunately can easily become a complacent task; the technique should be mastered with a sound knowledge base. Injections are used to distribute medication through a needle or syringe. SC injections are administered for various reasons; these include slow distribution into the body, good absorption due to intramuscular tissue containing small blood vessels and unable to take orally because medication would become inactive by stomach acid. Workman (1999) suggests taking four considerations when administering injections; the site of administration, technique used, equipment used and the route to be used. The choice of the site of injection is based on sound clinical judgement, best evidence and patient assessment (Potter 2010). Site selection is normally upper arm, abdomen or thigh. (Lister Dougherty 2008) suggests upper arm as a most favourable choice as they contain fewer large blood vessels and less painful sensations, however in practice the abdomen is a more common site for heparin as the skin contains a thicker subcutaneous tissue (Hunter 2008).It has been expressed that rotation of sites can decrease the likely hood of irritation and ensure improved absorption (Dougherty and Lister 2009). Traditionally the technique used when administering subcutaneous injections has been using a 45degree angle into a raised skin fold, however since the introduction of shorter needles and pre filled syringes this has been challenged and it is now recommended that the injections are given at a 90 degree angle into a raised skin fold to ensure medication is given into the SC layer. (REF) The manner to which a medicine is administered determines the extent to which a patient gains clinical benefit. Nurses are responsible for the correct administration of prescribed drugs to patients in their care at all times. Standards for medicine management (NMC 2008a) Adopting a skilled injection technique may make the patients experience less painful and prevent unnecessary complications, whereas poor understanding of the technique could result in the injection being administrated intramuscular which could affect the rate of absorption and cause potential harm to the patient (Hunter 2008). SC injections involve depositing medications into the loose connective tissue underlying the dermis, this tissue is not a richly supplied with blood vessels as muscles are thus allowing the medication to be absorbed slowly. Prior to administering a SC injection the following precautions must be followed: a patients pre-existing condition must be assessed to prevent contraindications, patients prescription chart checked to check correct route, correct dosage of medication, expiry date, hands washed with soap and water to prevent infection, positive patient identification then record the administration on the appropriate chart to avoid any duplication of patients treatment (Dougherty and Lister 2009) The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual suggests that before administering injections the skin should be cleansed with an alcohol wipe for 30 seconds and allowed to dry in order to prevent any contamination, However it has been questioned that the alcohol in the wipe was causing irritation to the skin or prolonged use may cause skin hardening (Hunter 2008). The local trust do not recommend the use of any skin preparation prior to administering SC injections, however aseptic technique to be maintained and as with all patient contact gloves must be worn (Pratt et al 2007) Disposal of the used injection is extremely important to prevent needle stick injuries, a needle should never be re-sheathed; the most frequent route of exposure to blood-borne diseases for health care workers is from needle stick injuries (Potter 2010). The clinical environment is a never ending source of potential learning experiences that become more meaningful the more you participate. (Sharples 2009) The NMC will only accept that a nurse is competent if they are a competent learner (NMC 2004) Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is a systematic approach adopted by nurses to provide a rational decision making that facilitates achievement of best practices often achieved by obtaining the strongest available evidence whilst applying patient care (Potter 2010). EBP is implemented because it allows the highest quality of care and resulting in the best patient outcome (Melnyk and friecut-overholt 2011) The NMC (2008) states that patients have the rights to have a safe environment and staff has a duty to protect patients in maintaining knowledge based practice and continuing with their lifelong learning. I realised in order to be able to become a competent nurse in the future I would need to recognise the type of learner I am and be able to reflect upon this. If I am unaware of my strengths and weaknesses, it is more likely I will be unable to help others (Burnard 1992). Self-awareness and analysis are key component in reflection, and reflection is an essential skill which needs to be acquired, developed and maintained; being self- aware allows us to take control of the situations we find ourselves in, thus becoming less vulnerable (Wilding 2008). There are four different learning styles identified these are; Activists, Pragmatist, Reflector and Theorist. Activists immerse themselves in new experiences, using their enthusiasm to flourish on new challenges. Pragmatists are thought to be practical, putting thoughts, theories and techniques into practice. Reflectors like to take a step back and observe, collecting and analysing information about events and experiences, often slow to reach a conclusion. Theorists on the other hand have a tendency to to favour the facts and are not content on things which dont seem rational (McGill and Beaty 1995) I discovered my learning style was the Activist, although I felt I possessed a few of the other characteristics in the other styles. I enjoy learning most by doing the task at hand and witnessing things rather than reading about them. Bremer (1984) advocates the preferred method of learning is by observing role models, this is often displayed whilst on placement observing mentors carrying out tasks before they allow the student to attempt it for themselves. According to Boud (1993) reflecting on personal experiences plays a major factor in developing to a higher level. Brenner (1984) agrees by suggesting nurses develop to become experts by taught knowledge, by applying the intuition and experience through work practice, however, not all nurses will become experts. In order to develop my learning fully I recognised the need to start completing a reflective diary, recording experiences good and bad, strengths and weaknesses in order to improve my performance. Reflecting on experiences allows us to learn from them and how to improve on them to increase patient care. I am often told by nurses who have been qualified for many years that they often reflect on various situations and if they could have responded to a situation more differently and more effectively. Frazer and Greenhalgh (2001) states that capability is the extent to which the individual can apply, adopt and synthesize new knowledge from experiences and continue to improve performance. The World Health Organisation (WHO 1998) identifies competence as the ability to carry out a certain professional function which is made up of a repertoire of professional practice. Schon identifies two particular types of reflection, a reflection on action and a reflection in action. Reflection in action takes place in practice and may influence future decisions and outcomes, whilst reflection on action traditionally occurs in educational settings either clinical areas or in the classroom (Hinchliff et al, 2008). Ghaye et al (1996) believe that without reflection it is almost impossible to improve in practice. Understanding your own individual learning style is extremely interesting and considered invaluable in developing the ability to learn and partake in learning experiences, and especially important whilst on placement (Sharples 2009). By gaining personal insight and understanding it may help us understand others better (Burnard 1995) An essential part of learning is to seize any learning opportunity that may be presented, a student must show willing, motivated and recognise they are responsible for your own learning. If you as a student present yourself as unmotivated, it will be unlikely that your mentor or others will be motivated to encourage your learning (Sharples 2009). Learn through experimental learning on clinical placement and insightful learning in uni Strategic approach to learning (Kolb 1984)

The Importance of Voice in Writing :: Essays on Writing

For my first paper I'll talk about voice, and how it affects the conversations that we have with other people, and how we perceive certain voices to sound in stories, and other works that we read. I think that in general voice is a type of mystery, and that it is one of those things that we really can't understand. When looking at a piece of writing I think that a clear and concise voice is one of the things that makes a piece work. This is my own feeling, and it might not agree with others, but when I'm reading a story, and it is full of good stuff like conversation, and heart felt feelings, I feel that the author is able to tell me what he/she is trying to say, I think that it has a better impact on the reader compared to the writing that goes on about nothing, and seems to only have one monotone voice. I think that one of the best ways to create a clear voice while writing is to pretend that you are talking to a friend, and having a conversation about what happened in one of your most hated classes. For me this is an easy way to create a voice that isn't to dull, and with any luck will hold the attention of the reader all the way to the end of my work. This type of voice isn't all that hard to create, but using it at the right time might be a little tricky. According to what Morgan said in class the last time we met, voice isn't used all that often in technical writing. This would explain why some of the texts that we are forced to read are so boring. The authors of these books aren't looking to entertain, they are looking to educate, and get a point across to the reader. This is true foe the most part, but wouldn't it be nice if we could pick up a text, or a manual for a new computer, and understand what is being said? I think that in the near future many of the books, and manuals that will be coming out will have a new voice of their own. I think that in general people find it easier to understand what is being said if the writing or instructions that they are reading seem to make sense, and don't sound like the author is trying to make them feel like an idiot.

Modern Business Environment Essay

To what extent is the ‘soft’ HRM model achievable and desirable for organisations in the modern business environment? The modern business environment For the past few hundred years the business environment has been mostly based upon turning man hours and materials into hard products (produce). What we are seeing now is a shift away from this production by mass labour, to a system whereby goods are produced by machine and the services needed to facilitate this are produced by man. Taking the UK economy as an example, the latest economic forecast by the TUC (Fig 2) shows a steady decline of manufacturing in favour of service sector jobs. This reinforces the view that the emphasis is shifting from producing goods to providing services. â€Å"The only advantage many companies have are the competencies and abilities of their people† (Dewe 2002). With firms using the same machines competitive advantage (or disadvantage) is created by the knowledge and skills of the employees. Tom Watson Jr, former President of IBM recognised the shift: â€Å"all the value of this company is in its people. If you burnt down all of our plants & we just kept our people & information files, we would soon be as strong as ever. Take away our people & we might never recover† (People Management 1998:34). Knowledge therefore is power, we are moving from a physical economy to one A UK government report (Competitiveness White Paper 1999) sees this new environment as requiring â€Å"†¦greater receptiveness to know-how and the ability to see its commercial potential; eagerness to keep on learning at all levels in a business; and a flair in spotting new customer needs and fresh business opportunities.† This suggests that the modern business environment is a place where knowledge is key. In his speech to the Business Link annual conference, Peter Mandelson MP Secretary of State for Trade & Industry saw the knowledge economy as â€Å"transforming old jobs as much as creating new, with implications for manufacturing and service industries alike.† This leads us to the idea that the modern business environment is a place where investment is required in human capital to produce this knowledge economy. In the modern business environment, with the emphasis on value of human capital, security can no longer depend on a job or organisation but upon the employees own skill and competences (Van Ruysseveldt 1995:3-4). Organisations may not be able to guarantee long term employment, but to entice workers of quality they must look to other means. Hard & Soft HRM HRM can be divided into two approaches: ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ (Fig.3). As we see from the diagram ‘hard’ HRM is primarily financially driven, with a fairly hard view of controlling the wages bill, workers are seen as a cost rather than as an asset to the organisation, the emphasis is on getting the best return on their money, creating efficiencies. The company position will take precedent over the collective views and concerns of employees. Such a way of managing human resources was demonstrated by ‘Fordism’ where the workers on the assembly line were under tight controls and even had to divulge personal information to be able to work for Ford (White Heat 1994). The work of Taylor (Taylorism) and the principles of scientific management were used in the late 19th century to allow factories to be managed through scientific methods rather than by â€Å"rule of thumb.† This idea also treated the workers as just another cog in the wheel of production and worked out the best way that the worker could operate. The modern business environment has changed greatly since the days where all workers were seen as tools to be maintained, much like machines, with regulations and tight controls. This was the hard school of HRM where peripheral workers are disposable and labour is directly productive (Beardwell & Holden 2001:98). This model can also be viewed as ‘managing headcount in a rational a way as for any other economic factor’ (Storey 1987:6). The workforce was merely a factor of production or cogs in the wheel. This ‘hard’ HRM policy suits a workforce that is involved in a repetitive job; each process is standardised to allow tighter controls. The theory is that the firm should maximise human efficiency in the same way as any other resource. This was made a success by businessmen like Henry Ford in the days of mass industrialisation. However, with the advent of high technology machinery much of the repetitive work is now done by robot leaving only jobs for skilled maintainers and operatives, not leaving much scope for hard HRM practices to survive. McDonaldisation has built upon the ideas of scientific management and the successes of men like Ford. Each part of the process of bringing the food to the customer has been scientifically scrutinised and adjusted to make it more efficient. As a result of this approach, they have a controlled workforce and a set of strict rules and procedures that ensure the workforce is working exactly as the employers wish them to. McDonalds have recognised that there is still a place for the unskilled worker, as machines cannot be relied upon to do all the jobs. In this instance there is still a place for the hard school of HRM. ‘Soft’HRM (fig 3) revolves around the development of employees. Employees are viewed as assets to the company, rather than as purely another cost of production. This requires the management to regard the workforce as partners in the work process and nurture them to maximise their output. Heery and Noon (2001) suggests soft HRM is an approach recognising the need to treat employees as assets that must be looked after. A soft HRM policy would therefore place the emphasis on training and development in order to get the best out of the workforce as opposed to tight controls (Beardwell & Holden 2001:98). Therefore, a policy of ‘soft’ HRM seeks to increase production by ‘communication, motivation and leadership’ (Storey 1987:6). Becker (1992 Nobel prize winner for economics) suggests that expenditures on education, training and medical care could all be considered as investments in human capital. â€Å"They are called human capital, because people cannot be separated from their knowledge, skills, health or values in the way they can be separated from their financial and physical assets† (Donkin 2002) If employees have an inherent capital value for their knowledge and skills, it would be reasonable to assume that an organisation can improve its competitive-edge through the excellence of its people (SHL group 2002). The work of Maslows goes some way to explaining the reasons why humans need this development and training. Maslow suggests that individuals have a hierarchy of needs (fig 1). Fig 1 outlines Maslows theory that human nature drives individuals to satisfy ‘instinctual’ needs. The theory suggests that once an individual has achieved one set of needs they are no longer motivated to seek this (as they already have it) and will continue to want more thus rising up the hierarchy. Maslow’s theory would seem to suggest that a firm must ensure that employee’s needs are continually met not only the safety and physiological aspects (the legal requirements of an employee’s contract) to increasing employee productivity. If a firm has to continue to meet ever increasing needs to motivate staff then this theory would be a good explanation of why firms use ‘soft’ HRM. Types of ‘soft’ initiatives * Flexible working, working from home or allowing workers the choice of hours outside a core time of 10:00-15:00 for example. * Job Sharing, by allowing employees to become multi skilled (training) they can operate in a variety of roles thus making their job appear more interesting but also allowing a backup if an employee were to be off work at any time. * Parental leave, with the increased pressures on family life many firms now offer special breaks for staff with children, from allowing days off for hospital appointments to paid paternity leave. * Performance related pay; this could be seen as a hard or soft perspective dependant upon viewpoint. If a system of bonuses exists for good work this would be a soft measure. If (‘tele’ sales) you only get paid if you hit certain targets, this would be a hard measure. The primary argument in favour of PRP is that it acts as a motivator, through both providing incentives in the form of monetary rewards and by recognising achievements. Further benefits cited include the fact that individuals can identify closely with their employers’ goals and that this can increase productivity and encourage quality, flexibility and teamwork (Armstrong and Murlis, 1991). As we can see from the above examples ‘soft’ HRM is much more difficult to quantify than hard HRM. It is more an overall approach to staff welfare and development than a clear set of rules and procedures. What makes it so difficult to quantify is that two firms may claim to be operating the above ‘soft’ HRM policies but in practise they maybe very different systems. For example, the concept of flexible working can be interpreted as allowing employees freedom to choose to work from home or the office, or the firm may use the system of core hours (as above). These are two very different systems but both however come under the heading of flexible working. To decide which method a particular firm is using will require a broad look at the pay and conditions and the freedom employees enjoy. It is also useful to note that it is seldom a case of an employer operating one form of HRM, it is necessary for firms to allow their workers some freedom but at the same time retain control. A good example of this is Microsoft; they operate a seemingly soft policy on HRM with a whole range of employee benefits and training programmes (24hr nurse line, free entry to local events and professional development programmes). However, to retain the knowledge and skills that they develop the firm insists that if an employee is to leave the company they must not work in the computer industry for a period of 6 months. This shows that the organisation is willing to invest time and money to maintain a highly trained workforce but at the same time keeps a tight control on them. Why is ‘Soft’ HRM Desirable? To examine the reasons why a firm should adopt policies of soft HRM we must look at the dangers of not doing this. A recent CIPD survey (CIPD 10/2001) has outlined the costs of organisations for not retaining and motivating staff. The survey has shown that one in four employees left their organisation in 1999 (the highest figure since the survey was created in 1995). What was even more alarming was the cost of replacing these lost staff. The average price for replacing a management level employee was à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6086 which was an increase of 28 percent on 1999 the highest cost was to replace a professional services employee which was à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8316. The danger for organisations is how this turnover effects company performance, two thirds of organisations believe this to have a negative effect with 13 percent claiming that it has a serious negative effect. The CIPDs findings suggest that staff feel freer to leave an organisation when they know they can acquire employment elsewhere. In a labour market of low unemployment it seems that firms must make themselves more attractive to their employees. RebusHR, a firm that deals with outsourced HR issues for a range of companies sees soft HRM as â€Å"a good way of retaining and attracting the best staff†¦giving people choice and a feel-good factor†¦it shows that you’re interested in them and listen to what they say†(Shepherd K 2002). In the article entitled â€Å"Profitable personnel† (People management 1998:28-31) West and Patterson suggest that good employee relations are directly inked to increased performance. In their survey the ‘Sheffield effectiveness programme’ they found that people management ‘†¦is not only critical to business performance: it also far outstrips emphasis on quality, technology, competitive strategy or research and development in its influence on the bottom line.’ The survey looked at a firm called Zotefoams, which operated an ‘enlightened’ HRM policy. Workers on the shop floor operated in teams and were multi-skilled; they also had a certain level of responsibility for dealing with work priorities and quality problems. The aim was to create a multi-skilled and motivated workforce with more responsibility at the lower levels freeing up management for other tasks. With the management freed up for other duties this allowed the firm to be that much more flexible. Out of the 100 firms surveyed, Zotefoams enjoyed the highest profits and productivity over the seven-year period of the survey. In the final paragraph of the article, West and Patterson sum up their conclusions ‘†¦ those in which the managers have eagerly addressed these challenges [developing skills and ownership] that have experienced rapid improvements in financial performance.’ The findings in the ‘Sheffield effectiveness programme’ are backed up by a study by the Sunday Times (100 Best Companies to Work for 2002) in which 21,000 people were studied over a period of months from the bottom end of the corporate ladder. In an article within this publication, Milton Moskowitz and Robert Levering suggest that ‘Being a generous employer is not just good public relations – it’s also good for business, especially when times are hard.’ This viewpoint makes sense if we take into consideration the negative effect of labour turnover on a company’s performance and the high cost of recruitment. Entering into ‘soft’ practices in human resource management should save the organisation in the long term. The Human Capital Index, developed by the consultancy Watson Wyatt (Overell 2002) is based upon data of HR policies and practices gathered from 600 companies. This data is correlated against financial information. The firm believes it has identified how HR policies are effective predictors of value – and which policies bring most value to the organisation. Organisations with â€Å"the best† HR practices deliver twice as much value to shareholders as their average competitors (Overell 2002). Is soft HRM achievable? According to RebusHR (a large human resources organisation which handles HRM issues for clients such as DaimlerChryslerUK) the biggest barrier to the concept of soft HRM practices is the administrative burden of co-ordinating the information (Shepherd K 2002). This stems from the problem that ‘soft’ HRM is intangible, whilst it is possible to relate high staff turnover to lack of ‘enlightened’ HRM policies, it is not possible to directly quantify the benefits derived from the existence of ‘soft’ policies. This leads organisations to see the cost and extra burden placed upon the HR department with an introduction of a soft HR policy, but it is difficult for this to be weighed up against the benefits on paper. In the IPD survey â€Å"Benefiting from a balanced life† (July/Aug 1999) of the firms questioned many were operating soft policies with 75% offering paternity leave and 57% offering parents special dispensation for time off to look after their children. Popular also were job sharing schemes (57%) and flexi-time systems (47%). From this survey we can see evidence that firms are operating soft HRM policies, what is unclear from the research is to what extent these policies affect the bottom line. The impact of soft HRM is intangible which means it leads us to the problem of quantifying any real benefits. The whole concept of soft HRM appears to be to retain and motivate staff, in the TUC economic forecast we see a high level of employee turnover in the services sector (hotels, restaurants) show the highest levels of employee turnover, but is this as a result of hard HRM practises? true turnover costs are more complex than simply figuring out the average cost of replacement. The costs of losing a good performer are greater than the costs of losing an average performer. The true cost of losing a key seasoned player is hard to estimate. There is the investment in development of the employee, the value of the knowledge and experience gained, and the lost productivity that also have to be considered to arrive at a true cost figure. In the case of McDonalds we see a split between management staff and shop floor workers. Whilst the management have many flexible benefits (PRP, bonus, life/health insurance etc) the workers on the shop floor do not (McDonalds 2002). They are regarded as cogs in the wheel and are treated fairly but firmly as in the hard school of HRM. As a consequence of this, shop floor turnover is higher than that of the management. However, is this higher turnover a result of the HRM policy? Or is it a nature of the type of work? What I would suggest is that the sort of work involved with working on the shop floor of McDonalds is not conducive to a long career in that position. The result of this would be the high staff turnover for low skilled repetitive jobs. The dilemma facing HRM managers is that they need low skilled workers to provide the services such as discussed and to operate soft HRM policies such as training would move these workers away from where they were needed. We therefore cannot have it both ways there must be a balance between employee development and retaining quality people for their positions. If soft HRM seeks to address the retention and motivation of staff we must not lose sight of the fact that we do still need low skilled workers. Soft HRM assumes the existence of a knowledge society (Livingston 2001), the emphasis is on the human resources manager the harness the knowledge. Knowledge work is typically considered to be about variety and exception rather than routine. It is generally considered to be performed by professional workers with high levels of skill and expertise. Livingstone makes the point that the potential for waste of this knowledge through bad management is ‘immense and gut wrenching.’ This claim is given substance by Thompson. In his research only 14 percent of employees received any training at all and that almost half of that lasted for less than a week (figures referring to the UK 2001). For HRM to work effectively we must reorganize work to firstly make the most of existing knowledge and human capital but also to develop this human capital to maximise future performance. In this modern business environment knowledge takes the leading place from other drivers of economic change such as labour, technology and markets. The dilemma we face with soft HRM is that (as explained above in the McDonalds example) a lot of routine work is done by workers with minimal training and knowledge and only small numbers of highly skilled employees are required. Thompson pointed out that if employment growth is not dominated by knowledge work it’s going to be dominated by something else. There are strong and clear indications that it is dominated by low skill, routine work largely in the service sector. We can’t make every job high skill, high wage, and high learning because there are jobs that neither the employee nor employer can grow. One of the reasons they can’t be grown is because, in our other guise as consumers, a lot of us want the cheapest possible flights, goods, services and so on. We can’t have it both ways. If we want cheap, controllable, efficient service, we’re not going to create a lot of high wage, high skill, high learning jobs. There are many dilemmas associated with the ideas of hard and soft HRM. We must realise that we cannot expand the knowledge and skills of all members of society infinitely. There will always be a place for the unskilled worker and as such there must be a place for hard HRM. However, in todays changing environment soft measures must come to the fore. The notion of ‘the velvet glove concealing the iron fist of hard HRM’ (Beardwell & Holden 2001:93) shows that even soft measures are still measures of control. No matter how soft a companies HRM policies appear to be, they will still be designed for the benefit of the organisation rather than of the individual. The bottom line must always come first. Figures and tables Fig 1 Fig 2 : TUC (2002) Fig 3: Cornelius et al 2002    Bibliography ACAS, found at http://www.acas.org.uk/ [accessed 10/11/02] Armstrong, M and H Murlis, 1991 & 1994. Reward Management – A Handbook of Remuneration Strategy and Practice Second & Third edition. London: Kogan Page ltd. Beardwell & Holden, Human Resource Management, A contemporary Perspective, 2nd Edition, 1997 Beardwell & Holden, Human Resource Management, A contemporary Perspective, 3rd Edition, 2001 Becker, G, cited in Donkin R, 30/10/2002 – Employees as investors – FT 30/10/02 Bexhill College, http://intranet.bexhillcolledge.ac.uk [Accessed 18/10/02] CIPD, Labour turnover survey, October 2001 found at: http://www.cipd.co.uk [accessed 30/10/02] Cornelius N, Gagnon S, Found at: http://www.thomsonlearning.co.uk/businessandmanagement/ cornelius2/intro.pdf [Accessed 13/11/02] Derek Duffy, TMS Institute, http://www.tms.com.au/forum/dcforumid5/59.html#1 [Accessed 18/10/02] Dewe, P, cited in Overell, S, 30/10/2002 – The metric system for performance – FT 30/10/02 Heery, E. and Noon, M. (2001) A Dictionary of Human Resource Management, Oxford University Press IPD, Benefiting from a balanced life, July/Aug 1999http://www.cipd.co.uk [accessed 30/10/02] Livingston, D. (1999). The Education-jobs gap: Underemployment and economic democracy. Toronto, ON: Garamond Press. Livingston, D. (2001). Worker control as the missing link: Relations between paid/unpaid work and work-related learning. In Second International Conference on Researching Work and Learning Conference Proceedings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary Faculty of Continuing Education. Mandelson P, Business Link annual conference – 7 October 1999. Microsoft Website, http://www.microsoft.com [Accessed 19/10/02] Overell, S, 30/10/2002 – The metric system for performance – FT 30/10/02 People Management, 8 January 1998 Peoplesoft, Available from Financial Times 31/10/02 Sennett, R. (1998). The corrosion of character: The personal consequences of work in the new capitalism. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Shepherd, K, cited in Murray S, 30/10/2002 – Marrying Performance with Reward – FT 30/10/02 SHL group, Available from: http://www.shlgroup.com/cases/philips.htm [Accessed 31/10/02] Storey J, 1987, Developments in the mangenment of human resources: an interim report, Warwick papers in industrial relations, Vol 17 Storey J, 1989, New perspectives on Human Resource Management Sunday Times, 100 Best Companies to Work for 2002, 24th March 2002. Thompson, 2002, Available from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/cted/confer2001/pres_summary.html [Accessed 31/10/02] TUC Economic Forecast, 2002, http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-4028-f0.cfm UK Government White Paper , Competitiveness White Paper, Our Competitive Future; building the knowledge driven economy 1999 Van Ruysseveldt et al, 1995, Comparative Industrial and Employment Relations Watson T, cited in Mayo A, 1998 – Memory Bankers – People Management 22(1) 34-38 Welton MR, 2002, Available from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/cted/confer2001/pres_summary.html [Accessed 31/10/02] White Heat 5, Video recording, Beat of the System, London BBC, 1994

Sedalia Engine Plant Case Study Review

We have reviewed your case at Sedalia Engine Plant and believe we have found a plan that fits your needs. We believe that while your company surely holds a lot of promise, we have a few ideas to we would like to recommend to you and perhaps take into consideration. We have your best interests at hand and only serve in helping you in bettering your company and becoming more efficient. By the means of what is known as lean production, you can continue to preserve the value in your product while increasing efficiency in the production process, making your employees happier resulting in more productivity and quality control, and hoping to save your company time and money in the long run while not costing your employees, products or consumers anything, all of which are good things. You state that employees are starting to feel powerless and feel like they are unable to do tasks that would benefit the company. While you have implemented a program to address this, you indicate it is not working. One important principle of lean production is leveling out the workload. We recommend spreading the work load among all employees. If the work load is level across the board, employees will feel useful and not feel as though they have wasted efforts. Feeling like a part of a team and feeling equal amongst your work peers creates for greater solidarity and an increased chance for greater work quality, resulting in product quality. Adding standardized tasks is also the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment. Employees themselves should be passionate about the company and work together for one goal. These people should be in agreement with your companies’ philosophy. Those you elect to be team leaders or managers should be equipped for the position. They should thoroughly understand every aspect of the company and also be trained in being team leaders, while at the same time understanding the teaching methods of the company. Building strong leaders to help lead and keep teams working together is essential for the well-being of your company. As mentioned prior, giving each employee a fair amount of the work will help with their morale, and providing strong leaders equipped with good leadership skills to direct their equal efforts makes for an outstanding system. Concerning the Board of Representatives, Board of Employees, and Human Resources, these teams will need to work in tandem to be effective. These three teams should be making decisions together, and rapidly implementing the unanimous decision. These decisions should focus on the long-term picture, not the short-term picture, even if sacrifices will need to be made. The Board of Representatives should constantly be watching with their own eyes to ensure production is being carried out in a proper manner. The Board of Employees should be concerned with making employee tasks standardized, and work to continuously improve the level of standardization. With standardized tasks and work evenly spread across employees, employees will feel empowered to succeed. To avoid wasting time and resources, the focus should be on building quality first, rather than worrying about fixing problems later. Your company should only be using reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes. You should also provide visual controls so no problems are hidden. Remember, quality is â€Å"key†. In regards to the issue pertaining to wage differentials and job security, a good way of going about handling that is to compromise with the workers. Also if you use the steps for searching for integrative solutions, that would help as well. The first step would be to separate the people from the problem. I know that wages and job security directly affect the employees, but it is best if you take away the employees from the issue and really find out the company issues with differing wages. The second step would be to focus on the shared interest of all the parties. As for the plant, you would naturally want to do what is in the best interest of the company, but if you are really trying to resolve and compromise the issue you would need to look at the issue from an employee point of view. The next step, and one of the biggest ones, is to generate options. It is good to not just come up with one solution to the job security issue, but to also formulate many options that can be used to solve that problem. I suggest layout a plan that employees were to follow and if they didn’t, that would put their wages and job security at risk. The fourth step in the breakdown would be evaluation. It is best to evaluate the options using objective criteria. This step simply means to thoroughly look over options and have a certain criteria to follow for the options to be of any relevance to the problem. The last step would be to iteration. There is not a, onetime, perfect option for every problem. The best way to go about this is to keep trying. If one solution doesn’t fully solve the wage issues at the plant, than keep trying other plans. It was mentioned that POT is still functioning, but an Organizational Review Group (ORG) was established to discuss plant guidelines along with Exempt and Non-exempt Task Force Groups (NEIG & EITG). In response to employee criticism and the potential for negative publicity, the board of trustees made a decision to establish a â€Å"Task Force on the Work/Family Interface. The mission of the Task Force was to make recommendations on possible additions and modifications to company policies and programs that will better accommodate the family responsibilities of its employees. Members of this Task Force included: company executives, exempt and non-exempt employees, and members of the board of trustees. The Task Force can make recommendations in a large number of areas including health insurance coverage, absence with pay, leave without pay, sick leave, promotion criteria and policies, training programs, family leave, job sharing, flextime and child care. I believe task forces are an improvement on past practices, but I also do believe there could be another option as well Your decision-making processes should be based on a long-term philosophy of proving good services and products, even at the expense of short-term financial goals. While profit is important and essential, a high one means nothing if your employees aren’t happy, resulting in your products not having as much quality, resulting in unsatisfied customers. This rips everyone off in the end. High morale and work ethic is core, as previously stated. Bringing back building a philosophy within the minds and work ethic of team leaders and employees, it trickles down into the product itself and reassures that your company stands for something great and admirable, not simply another big name making lots of money. It is probably very important for you to hold a high morale and solid reputation, and with these key ideals and systems, that is very much possible. We thank you for your time and hope you to take our recommendations into deep consideration. We feel these decisions would be wise for the lasting future and quality of your products, people and proficiency.