The Storm of 1928 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Storm of 1928 - Essay Example The overwhelming number of dead bodies were just too much for the rescue team. With just a number of days the wetness and the sun that set the place made the bodies decay beyond recognition. Some of the bodies were burnt in the fire as there was nowhere the bodies could be taken for burial. This points to a lack of the preparation measures of such a disaster.  The evacuation measures that could be used to save people in case flood struck were largely lacking. Apart from those who instantly died from the overflowing water, others died as they tried to find their way to a safe place. They would travel long distance where the flood had thrown them without finding any help. Frail and weak, many of them died while in search for food and shelter. If there were a good rescue measure, some of these people could have been saved. For instance, use of state resources such as military helicopters that could have been sent to rescue the survivors.  The technological advancement perhaps has ma naged to enable things that were impossible do back then in 1928. For instance, the detectors that can be used to warn of any changing cyclone movement in oceans that would be alert of any impending danger. Despite the limit of the technology back then, there were alerts made through the Radio. The government should have made efforts to relocate those people close to the coastline. The fact some people went around telling others of the impending hurricane cannot be used as a justification that proper information was given to the victims.

Parent Firms of Joint Ventures

Parent Firms of Joint Ventures Are joint-ventures and their parent firms more closely related in terms of skill-relatedness than in terms of value-chain? Abstract The distance between joint-ventures and their parent firms is a fairly new topic of research in the field of diversification. In the process of determining the actual parent firm of a joint-venture out of all alternative industries, it turned our that both vertical- and skill-relatedness proved to be significant. The results indicate further that skill-relatedness is more predictive in this process than vertical relatedness and that joint-ventures are more likely to have parents that have skill overlap to their primary activity than industries that do not. These results hold for the entire sample and a subsample of manufacturing firms. Another finding is that joint-ventures and their parents tend to be more closely related in skills than their parents active in the joint-venture. Suggesting that joint-venture are a mechanism to reduce cognitive distance and increase the absorptive capacity of the new knowledge being transferred. 1. Introduction Diversification and relatedness between firms has been widely researched and finds their theoretical foundation in Coase (1937); Penrose (1959) and others. Coase (1937) can be regarded as one of the first to address the transaction costs theory, while Penrose (1959) addressed the resource based view of the firm. Both theories form the basis of many empirical research to understand more about diversification behavior of firms. These theories therefore form a basis for further research in diversification and especially in the distance between joint-ventures and their parents for this paper. Output produced by one industry often form the basis of production in other industries. It makes economic sense to integrate these activities into already existing activities to improve efficiency, make the company less dependable on their primary activity and expand the company, in order to achieve growth. Fan and Lang (2000) found this already before in their research about diversification. Firms tend to have secondary segments that are related in terms of in-output. This vertical integration of activities is most likely to occur when facing high market transaction costs. Neffke and Henning (2010) also investigated diversification behavior of firms using in-output relatedness. Their research however introduced a new measure of skill-relatedness, which turned out to be dominant in predicting diversification behavior of firms. Conform the resource based view, regarding human capital as the prime asset of the firm, their research firstly compared observed job switchers against the predicted job switchers between certain industries. Individuals gain, certain specific skills during their working life and can only redeploy this knowledge (â€Å"know-how†) in other industries which posses some degree of knowledge overlap. If this is not the case, switching will only hurt the individual, since he or she will be not valued for all acquired skills during his working life. This measure of skill-relatedness between industries proved to outperform in-output relatedness and supported the resource based view in diversification activities of firms. While diversification behavior and relatedness is widely researched, this is not the case for the relationship between joint-ventures and their parents. A joint-venture is a separate legal entity (Harrigan, 1988) and has at least two parents, who are in joint-control and reliable for their equity share in the joint-venture. This paper will discuss, why a joint-venture might be preferred over alternatives and how this might influence the distance between joint-ventures and their parent firms. This will provide new insights in the relationship between joint-ventures and their parent firms. In order to investigate the relationship between joint-ventures and their parent firms and testing for dominant mode in this relationship, this paper used a sample of 237 German joint-ventures between 2005-2011 and constructed an average vertical relatedness according to Fan and Lang (2000) for German industries between 2005-2007. It than included the skill-relatedness of Neffke and Henning (2010) based on Swedish labor switchers between 2004-2007. These data allowed us to make an overview of all joint-ventures and all industries in which it can have their parents. We then tagged the actual parent firms of the joint-ventures with a one and all other industries with a zero, allowing us to run a logit regression with the actual parent firms as our dependent variables. The findings indicate, that the resource based view is the dominant mode in explaining distance between joint-ventures and their parent firms. This provides more insight in the importance of close relatedness in terms of skills over other forms of relatedness. In the following chapter, we start with a theoretical framework about diversification and argue that the resource based view can be regarded as the most important in diversification moves. We will then discuss the alternative diversification possibilities and the limitations of diversification. This will be followed by a discussion of the most important strategic motives on joint-ventures choice. These strategic motives and the theoretical framework will be summarized at the end of chapter 2 and we will explain how this all will relate on the distance between joint-ventures and their parents. In chapter 3 we will discuss empirical evidence on diversification and joint-ventures and their implications on our research. Then we will follow with a data discussion and our method of research in chapter 4 and 5. The results and out findings will be presented in chapter 6 and the final chapter will discuss our outcomes, provides some more insight in the distance between both parents active in the joint-venture, limitations, policy implications and future research. 2. Theory on diversification: an introduction This paper investigates the distance between joint-ventures and their parents. Before we can have a look at this relation, we start with a theoretical framework about diversification and the implications of this framework for our research. Thereafter, we will explain more about diversification motives and the problems and limitations firms might face when diversifying. We then summarize all this and discuss how this all relate to our expected findings on joint-ventures and the relatedness with their parents. 2.1 Theoretical framework behind diversification strategies A theoretical framework behind diversification strategies will be discussed in the coming chapter. This theoretical framework provides more insights in the diversification motives of firms. After these motives have been discussed, we can discuss their influence on the distance between joint-ventures and their parents at the end of chapter 2. 2.1.1. Transaction cost theory The transaction cost view is a theory of Coase (1937) and Williamson (1975, 1985) and addresses the view that economizing is the core problem of economic organizations. The core of these problems in organizational context lay in the assumptions of incomplete information and self interest seeking firms / people. Incomplete information in contracts implies that it is impossible for individuals and firms to predict each future event, therefore all contracts are incomplete and exposed to uncertainty of future situation not foreseen by firms and individuals. If these future states / conditions change, the incentives for the individuals and firms involved might also change. In other words, there is room for self-interest of individuals. In the transaction cost theory, these assumptions of bounded rationality and self-interest seeking are paired and as a result there is room for fraud or guile of economic agents. Economic agents are driven by self-interest and the transaction costs theory a llows these agents to deceive, disguise and confuse in order to maximize their self interest. Opportunistic behavior and moral hazard are thus included in the theory of transaction costs. These assumptions are the basis for the theory of transaction cost and have some consequences, especially when it comes to contract modes and thus joint-ventures. Due to bounded rationality and opportunistic behavior of economic agents, all contracts are incomplete (Williamson, 2006). This means, economic agents have an incentive to behave to their own optimal ex post outcome if situations change which cannot be contracted. The second assumption is contract as promise (Williamson, 2006). This assumes that economic agents will fulfill contracts as promised. However, this will not be obtained if these agents are given opportunistic opportunities. â€Å"The transaction costs analysis entails an examination of the comparative costs of planning, adapting, and monitoring task completion under alternative governance structures† (Williamson, 2006, p. 58). The transaction will become the basic unit of analysis and minimizing transaction cost will result in the most efficient governance structure. Transactions differ in three ways from each other; (1) frequency at which transactions recur; (2) level of uncertainty to which they are subjected; (3) level of asset specificity involved. Since asset specificity is of crucial importance, we elaborate some more about the characteristics of asset specificity. â€Å"Asset specificity has reference to the degree to which an asset can be redeployed to alternative uses and by alternative users without sacrifice of productive value† (Williamson, 2006, p. 59). This asset specificity becomes of importance in the context of incomplete contracts, while asset specificity can take different forms; (1) physical asset specificity; (2) site specificity; (3) dedicated asset specificity and (4) human asset specificity. The complexity of a transaction is therefore highly dependent on the asset specificity (k) of the asset and investments in that asset. A supplier can for example use a general purpose technology with low asset specificity (k=0) or it might invest in a specialized technology with high asset specificity (k=1). High asset specificity is likely to involve high bilateral dependency between the parties in the transaction. Since the parties involved in the contract become vulnerable of each other, switching is difficult and costly option due to the mutual dependency and the investments done in specific assets. The buyers cannot easily turn to an alternative supplier and the current supplier is highly dependable on the demand of its current buyer. Therefore the higher the asset specificity, the more likely it become that higher contract costs have to be faced. Both parties have more incentives to devise safeguards to protect the investment in the transaction if asset specificity is high. How ever, if there is low asset specificity (k=0) and we thus have a general purpose asset, contract are easily monitored and market transactions will be preferred. Back to the diversification decision, minimizing transaction costs is regarded of crucial importance for the choice in governance mode. This implies that firms choose between a wholly owned subsidiary, a simple market transaction or a hybrid made, as a joint-venture for example. This trade-off between a joint-venture and other governance modes has been widely researched. Hennart (1991) for example found that; Japanese firms start joint-ventures with U.S. counterparts to combine intermediate inputs when they are subjected to high market transactions costs. This paper uses a relatedness in terms of in-output and can therefore measure the distance in terms of the use of intermediate products between industries. The influence on joint-ventures and partner distance will be discussed at the end of chapter 2. At this point of the paper, it is however important to understand that high relatedness in the use of intermediate products is likely to be caused due to high transaction costs. This w ould imply that if diversification has a high level of relatedness in value-chain and are thus closely relatedness in terms of vertical relatedness, this is most likely caused by high transaction costs and supports the transaction costs view of diversification.. 2.1.2. Knowledge and resource based view In the resource based view, knowledge (â€Å"know-how†) is regarded as the most important production factor within the firm. The origin of the resource based view goes back to the work of Penrose (1959), who inspired the discussion of the resource based view of the firm and the importance of resources to achieve firm growth. Penrose stated that: â€Å"the firm is a collection of productive resources (human and non-human) under administrative coordination and authoritative communication that produces goods and services for sale in the market for a profit† (Penrose, 1959, p. xvii).† â€Å"The administrative coordination and authorities communication define the boundaries of the firm† (Penrose, 1959, p. xvii). The firm specific human resources are regarded as the most important of all resources within the firm. Without these human knowledge, there can be no operating firm. As a result, the firm cannot make decisions, long-term planning, run operations and it c an certainly not make any expansions. From this point of view Penrose (1959) indentified two major causes of firm growth. First of all, causes external to the firm and secondly those causes that are internal to the firm. â€Å"External causes for firm growth, as capital constraints, cannot be fully understood without an examination of the nature of the firm itself† (Penrose, 1959, p. 532). We may therefore conclude that firm growth is endogenous to the firm; this is a result of two reasons mentioned by Penrose (1959). In order to execute plans and strategic action, human capital is required. After completion of the project/action, managerial resources will be released with increased knowledge. These resources gained experience and knowledge during the time of the expansion and can be redeployed at alternative use after the time of the expansion. The redeployed individuals with an increased knowledge and skills might improve efficiency and organization of the firm, but might also be able to development new or speci alized services. Depending on the expansion, individuals involved might also gain ‘unique knowledge of their experience; this is particularly true for certain forms of tacit knowledge, which are more difficult to transmit. The theory of firm growth of Penrose (1959) has been regarded as one of the earliest contributions to the resources based view of the firm, stressing the importance of knowledge as the key production factor within a firm. The drive of firms for growth, is a drive for new knowledge that is not accessible to the firm before their diversification. However, the motives and goals of each diversification differ and so do the resources possessed by each firm in a diversification. These differences and similarities in knowledge are of crucial importance in the resource based view, where acquiring new knowledge is the ultimate goal for achieving growth. Acquiring knowledge comes with certain problems; the â€Å"fundamental paradox† of knowledge and the difficulty arising from transferring tacit knowledge are two of those problems. In the fundamental paradox of information it is extreme difficult to determine the value of the knowledge for the buyer of the knowledge, which causes high c ontract costs. Since it is impossible for the buyer of knowledge to estimate ex ante the characteristics of what is being bought. On the other hand, if the seller of the knowledge provides this information, he will be revealing important information and transferring his â€Å"know-how† free of charge (Arrow, 1959). If the targeted knowledge, is a certain â€Å"know-how† which cannot be patented and protected against spillovers to competitive firms and other industries it become far more difficult. Certain types of knowledge cannot be put on paper and granted a patent. Firms experiences in manufacturing, distribution, and country-specific knowledge, knowledge of markets, customers and especially high educated employees cannot be patented but are of crucial importance of a firms success in the resource based view. â€Å"This type of knowledge that cannot embody specifications, designs and drawings, but instead is embedded in the individual is called ‘tacit knowledge†. (Polanyi, 1959; Hennart, 1988, p. 366). These individual characteristics of experience and social nature make transfer, coordination and spread of knowledge between firms, extreme complex and difficult (Lam, 2006). The transfer and spread of this tacit knowledge is one of the difficulties when facing diversificat ion decisions. The transfer and spread of this tacit knowledge can be done in different alliance forms, which will be discussed later in this paper. However, for now, it is important to know that diversification is undertaking to gain new knowledge, which must be for same part related to the knowledge of the firm. This is the case since the new resources must be redeployed at alternative use after a project, which might be a joint-venture for example. As for distance in diversification, higher skill-relatedness and thus diversification activities that are more closely related in skills stresses the importance of the resource based view. 2.1.3. Portfolio management theory A third and final theory behind diversification motives is the portfolio theory of Markowitz (1952). Diversification decisions of firms are important decisions taken by firms management in order to maximize the expected returns of their portfolio of investments. These investors are the shareholders of the firm and have a claim on the residual value of the company assets, when debt has been paid. In order to maximize this expected return of the firm outstanding shares, the law of large numbers will ensure that the actual yield of the portfolio will be almost the same as the expected yield. In any case, holding a diversified portfolio would be preferred over all non-diversified portfolios (Markowitz, 1952). Increasing variance in your portfolio would mean an increase in the number of projects, since each project would be successful / unsuccessful at a certain probability, which is referred to as risk. Holding a large variety, in other words, betting on more than one horse, increases yo ur probability on having a winning project. The portfolio management theory suggests that diversification tends to take place in activities that are unrelated to the primary activity of the firm. If this is the case, diversification activities (such as a joint-venture) would be unrelated to the primary activity of the firm. There would be a large distance between the firm and its diversification activities, while transaction costs and the resource based view are stressing the importance diversification in more closely related activities, although for different motives. 2.2 Different diversification alternatives In all theories discussed, the main driver for diversification is in order to achieve growth. Either, by minimizing transaction costs in the transaction costs economy or by diversification of risk, which increases the probability of a winning innovation. In all these theories is explained how they might influence the distance between diversification activities. Is there however any limit to firm growth in their challenge to innovate and to expand? According to Penrose (1959) there is no limit on the size of a firm, however the growth of the firm has some limits it can reach. In the Hercules Powder Company case study Penrose claimed: â€Å"Growth is governed by a creative and dynamic interaction between a firms productive resources and its market opportunities. Available resources limit expansion; unused resources (including technological and entrepreneurial) stimulate and largely determine the direction of expansion. While product demand may exert a predominant short-term influence, over the long term any distinction between ‘supply and ‘demand determinants of growth becomes arbitrary† (Penrose, 1959, p.1) How does this reflect to diversification strategies? Penrose (1959) distinguished between different areas of diversification. The firm can be divided into different productive activities, that consist of machines, processes, skills and materials, all closely and complementary associated in the production process, which Penrose (1959) calls the production/technology base. The firm now faces the decision to diversify into a new market using the existing technology base. It might prefer entering an existing market using a new technology base, which is referred to as horizontal/complementary expansion. The last scenario would be to enter a new market using a new technology base. As described above, the ability of a firm to expand and grow is limited by its internal resources, from which human resources is regarded as the most important. Diversification increases the creative and dynamic interaction of a firm and its resources. All these forms of diversification have implications on the expected distance between the diversification activities and thus joint-ventures and our research. Entering a new market using a new technology would probably have a larger distance in terms of skills from its primary activity than entering a new market with an existing technology. In this latest case, the technology and specific knowledge can be partially redeployed at alternative use, while this is not the case in the first alternative. The main implication from Penrose (1959) famous work is that firms diversify in order to achieve growth. According to Penrose (1959) the resource based view of the firm is the dominant view in order to achieve this growth by diversification. This would suggest that the distance between diversification activities would be more closely related in terms of skills and less closely in vertical relatedness, used as a measure for the transaction costs theory. If diversification is undertaken in order to diversify risk, conform the portfolio management theory diversification activities would not be related at all. 2.3 Limits on diversification and diversification distance? There are different diversification forms as discussed in the previous chapter. It is important to understand that firm growth is limited by its human capital (Penrose, 1959). A firm should therefore carefully choose its diversification activities. A clear understanding of these limits and where these limits depend on is extremely important to understand the distance between firms diversification activities. Since this implicitly answers the question, to what extent firms diversify and is there a limit on the distance between partners and their diversification activity? Cohen and Levinthal (1990) discuss the ‘absorptive capacity of a firm, which indicates: â€Å"the ability of a firm to recognize the value of new, external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends, which is critical to its innovative capacity† (Cohen and Levinthal (1990), p. 128). This absorptive capacity puts limits on the commercialization of new knowledge and boundaries on diversification. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) assume that a firms absorptive capacity and the individual absorptive capacities of its employers are largely a function of the firms level of prior related knowledge. Earlier research suggest that absorptive capacity might be a byproduct of a firms RD investments and others suggest that firms can also invest directly in absorptive capacity while investing in specialized educ ation/training. The key to absorptive capacity is that organizations needs prior related knowledge to assimilate and use new knowledge for exploitation. This is very important for the resource based view in our paper, since this implies that diversification activities of firms should be related in terms of skills. Since, the higher the prior knowledge in ones memory, the higher their ability to acquire new knowledge and the ability to recall and use that knowledge. What is often the case in organizations and especially expected in joint-ventures is the transfer of learning skills across bodies of knowledge that are organized and expressed in similar ways. Mowery et al. (1996) indicated that joint-ventures are the most efficient alliance form for transferring tacit knowledge, which could certainly human specific skills. As a consequence, experience or performance on one learning task may influence and improve performance on some subsequent learning task (Ellis, 1965). Cohen and Levin thal (1990) make two important assumptions about knowledge, important for diversification strategies. â€Å"Firstly, knowledge is cumulative and secondly, learning performance is greatest when the object of learning is related to what is already known† (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990, p. 131). This implicit that learning is more difficult in novel domains, in other words radical exploration of new ideas, products, technologies and standards. Diversification might offer an advantage, since with diversification comes a wider knowledge base and as a results an increasing probability that the new knowledge is already / partially known to the organization. The absorptive capacity of an organization however, does not only exist off the aggregated absorptive capacity of its individuals, but also on the ability to exploit this knowledge. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) mention there is a trade-off between high levels of absorptive capacity of an organization and the ability to exploit this. They describe this as a trade-off between inward-looking (specialization) versus outward-looking (diversify) trade-off, where excessive dominance by one or the other will be suboptimal. Exploitation can best been seen as specialization of old familiar ideas and certainties in organizational learning, while exploration can best be described as the invention of new technologies, standards, products or ideas in an organization. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) discuss also the importance for innovation of close relationship with both buyers and suppliers, suggesting a vertical relatedness would be beneficial for innovation performance. In the trade-off described, Co hen and Levinthal (1990) suggest that to the keep an effective, creative utilization of new knowledge a portion of prior knowledge should be closely related with a the firm new knowledge, and another part should be fairly diverse, although still related. If this is the case, firm diversification activities should be closely related in terms of skills supporting the resource based view of the firm. Why is it important to have both creative utilization and a portion of prior knowledge is best described by March (1991), who distinguishes between exploration and exploitation. Returns of exploration are systematically less certain than those of exploitation (March, 1991), this might influence the choice for diversification for the long term however, exploration has long run positive return although this outcome is certainly not always the case in the short run. Exploration activities therefore capture much more risk taking, uncertainty, variation, flexibility, discovery and innovation than exploitation. Exploitation is more focused on production, choice, efficiency, marketing, costs and benefits (March, 1991). The importance of exploration is best described in a model of mutual learning in an closed organization and its personnel in it (March, 1991). The organization is regarded as a storage of knowledge (consisting of procedures, norms, rules and tacit assets) and the organization, accumulate knowledge over time by learning from their personnel. â€Å"Individuals (personnel) however, are socializing the organizational beliefs, which are diffused to individuals through various forms of instruction, indoctrination, and exemplification† (March, 1991, p. 74). This mutual learning approach between organizations and individuals has implications for the choice between exploitation and exploration in organizations and has therefore consequences for the short-run and long-run incentives. In this model of mutual learning organizational code is affected by the beliefs of their personnel, the other way around, the individuals are influenced by the organizational code / norm. Important to know is, that individuals can not influence each other, the influence each other through the organizational code. What will happen in this closed model? In this organization, each adjustment in beliefs is served to eliminate the difference between the organizational code and the individual beliefs. If the individuals over time become more knowledgeable about the code, they become also more homogeneous with respect to knowledge and in the end will find an equilibrium. In this equilibrium the individuals beliefs share the same organizational code. It is therefore important to keep a portion of new knowledge in order to increase the organizational code. March (1991) also describes a second model, evaluating the role of personnel turnover in the organization and turbulence environment are considered. The length of service of an individual in an organization has a positive effect on the knowledge of the individual and therefore also a positive effect on the average knowledge of the individuals. A recruit therefore has a negative effect on the average knowledge of the individuals. The role of turnover on the organization knowledge is more complicated and is a problem of learning rates versus turnover rates. As described in model of mutual learning the strength of the recruit is, the diversity in knowledge, since the recruit posses on average less knowledge than the individual it replaces. Long serving individuals, on average know more, but their knowledge is already reflected in the organizational code over time and therefore they are less likely to contribute to the organizations knowledge base. Now consider environmental turbulence t o the organization, this can be the case of processes involving lags in adjustment rates. Consider an organization without personnel turnover, in this organization the beliefs reflected by the individual and these beliefs do not change, although the environment is changing. After some time the organizational code is systematically degraded through changes in reality and a much lower equilibrium is reached. Organizations with a moderate personnel turnover however, are resistant to these environmental shocks and adjust to the new knowledge of the recruits (diversified knowledge). March (1991) extent this model of competitive ecology in a model to compete for scarce resources and opportunities. Assuming the performance of a firm is a measure of the average value (x) and some measure of variability (v), which are normally distributed. An increase in both will increase the probability to gain competitive advantages over competitors. In this part there consist a trade-off between an increase in the mean and the variance. Which supports earlier literature, that diversification is undertaken to gain excess to new knowledge to some extent, but is expected to be related to prior knowledge of the firm. March (1991) conclude that exploration firms compete far more on variance than exploitation firms. 2.4 Implications and differences between the theories discussed The main difference between the management portfolio theory and the resource based view and the transaction costs view is that the management portfolio expect that diversification tends to take place in unrelated industries, while this is not the case for the other two theories, although at different level of relatedness. The resource based view stresses the importance of knowledge gain and the benefits of this new knowledge in diversification. Transaction costs theory however focuses more on the cost side of the transaction.Leaving the transaction costs as basic unit of analysis to determine an appropriate alliance form, which will minimizes the transaction costs of the firm. According to Wang (2007), a firm shoul

The Connection of Mortality with One’s Love of Life in T.S. Eliots The Wasteland and Yulisa Amadu Maddys No Past No Present No Future :: Eliot Wasteland Maddy No Past Present Essays

The Connection of Mortality with One’s Love of Life in T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland and Yulisa Amadu Maddy's No Past No Present No Future Through many writers’ works the correlation of mortality and love of life is strongly enforced. This connection is one that is easy to illustrate and easy to grasp because it is experienced by humans daily. For instance, when a loved one passes away, even though there is time for mourning, there is also an immediate appreciation for one’s life merely because they are living. In turn, the correspondence of mortality and a stronger love for life is also evident in every day life when things get hard and then one is confronted by some one else whom has an even bigger problem, then making the original problem seem minute. This is seen as making the bad look worse so then the bad looks good and the good looks even better. The connection of mortality and one’s love for life is seen in both T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland and Yulisa Amadu Maddy’s No Past No Present No Future. Eliot’s words "I will show you fear in a handful of dust" imitate much of his attitude during the poem The Waste Land. This quote can be interpreted in different ways. One way is that the dust Eliot mentions is a symbol for humans starting as dust and returning to dust in death. Therefore, the quote would be expressing the feeling of fearing death. By exemplifying this fear, Eliot then enables his audience to take it further to appreciating life because the only other choice is death. In Eliot’s The Wasteland, It seems as if the more his world is falling apart, the more he wants to break it down and find what really matters or what he really needs to continue living and to truly appreciate life. As he examines his surroundings, he realizes so much of it is in ruins, and that alone makes him feel as though his own life is slipping away, as if he does not even control his own fate. Eliot also realizes how upside down and backward his world is now functioning. Everything that was once right is now wrong, and everything that once seemed moral is not moral any more. Once this is brought to his attention, Eliot decides the only way to overcome this is to do away with the bad and keep only the good, then reforming the old into a new overall positive and secure place of true life.

English Studies Reflection paper Essay

One should assume that in taking an Intro to English course that they would be formally and informally introduced to English. However, that assumption escaped me. I didn’t know that we would explore so many avenues for English as a major, but I’m pleased that we did. This journey through the various areas of English has both enlightened me and piqued my interest. While I entered into this course feeling very confident with the path that I wanted to travel, I am now a bit more open-minded about additional ways to reach my destination; which is English Education. As an English teacher I can see the roles that each area of study that we covered could potentially play in education for me as well as my future students. When I consider Publishing Studies and what it has to offer, I immediately think of projects I could assign my students. Publishing studies takes a book in its skeletal state and constructs all the layers until it becomes a live and fully functioning piece of art. Publishing studies in a sense is the production phase of the books we read. It is where the book goes to develop. It starts with the brains of the operation or the writer. Once the writer creates the manuscript it is then passed on to the heartbeat of the process. There are various organs within that cause the heart to function. Those organs include the designer of the cover, the designer of the layout and even the editors. The area of production studies is a well-oiled machine working to produce the fully developed body of the writers’ creation. However, without linguistics what words would the writer use to even create such a masterpiece?

Development and Diversity Essay

When a child is conceived they begin to develop in the mother whom and continue to develop until adulthood. Today we look at these developments and find new ways to teach children that all develop at different rates. Throughout history child development was ignored and little attention was paid to the advantages in their early abilities such as language usage, and physical growth that occurs during childhood and adolescence. Throughout the years there has been many people have come up with theories that support the growth of the development of children. I will talk about one of these theories here. B. F. Skinner, who carried out experimental work mainly in comparative psychology from the 1930s to the 1950s, but remained behaviorism’s best known theorist and exponent virtually until his death in 1990, developed a distinct kind of behaviorist philosophy, which came to be called radical behaviorism. He also claimed to have found a new version of psychological science, which he called behavior analysis or the experimental analysis of behavior (Richard Culatta) The behaviorist theory is a worldview that operates on a principle of â€Å"stimulus-response. All behavior caused by external stimuli all behavior can be explained without the need to consider internal mental states or consciousness. Originators and important contributors of this theory are John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B. F. Skinner. The behaviorist theory is based off of positive and negative feedback to students in a classroom. It is a way to train the students in learning the correct way so they can keep moving onto the level of their education. An example can be a mouse in a cage that is really thirsty. Well the mouse will do and try anything to get out of that cage to get something to drink but when it finds the feeding bottle and see that all it has to do is push the little tab on the end to get some water the mouse is satisfied. The same go for students and children. Children will fight tooth and nail to try and get out of anything that they do not like but if they see a reward at the end they will stay with it to get the reward. This keeps them focused and controlled at the same time. There are three main contributors to this theory John B.  Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B. F. Skinner. These three have all contributed to this theory in one way or another. John B. Watson conducted research on animals, children, and advertising to further the theory. Ivan Pavlov conducted research on temperament of children, conditioning and involuntary reflex actions. Finally B. F. Skinner invented his own philosophy called radical behaviorism. All of these men have helped to improve on the theory to help us understand children’s learn and development better so we can teach them in better ways. Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten† (B. F. Skinner) The theory of behaviorism can be used in a classroom setting in many ways. It is the way that it is used that will determine if it works for the teacher and the student or hurts the teacher and the student. Giving children goals at an early age to accomplish tasks in the classroom can be a really good thing. Children always want a reward for the things they do. They are taught that at a very early age with their parents when doing thing like picking up their rooms and getting a reward for that at home. Well that carries into the classroom setting also. To reward students is giving them very positive feedback on their work many teachers use the star system. A large chart on the wall with all the student’s names and stars for the good work they have done. This gives students a little push to do their best because they want those stars so they can be proud or even get a reward for the most stars. This is a great idea in most cases but teachers need to be careful with this also because it can backfire on them. If you have a student that is a slower learner and does not receive stars like the others this can hurt that student and their learning. Yes there has be negative feedback with positive feedback but if all the child gets is negative feedback it can lead to them just giving up and we do not want that. So we have to walk a fine line when it comes to using different techniques in the classroom. All students are different and learn different so we have to work around that so all of our students receive the same education as the other. You can use activities in your classroom that go along with behaviorism and that will benefit your students in many ways. For example take ten sentences that go along with your lesson plan. Say you are teaching about animals in your class this week you can make up ten sentences and leave one word out of each sentence. Then you would list the missing words out of order and have the children fill in the blanks with the words that are off to the side. You can give rewards for their work to stimulate them in doing their best by giving a sticker for each one they get correct. This is a good way to do it because you have a really good chance of getting at least one sticker and all are happy but most of the kids will do well because they are going to try for more than just one. There are many different theories in education that can help a teacher in the classroom. These all work to give the student a better learning experience. It is the way you use them that will determine if they work or not for you and your students. With behaviorism you need to give positive and negative feedback to your student it is that you have to walk a fine line so you do not discourage your students from learning but make them want to be the best student they can be.

Free Essays on Competitive Advantage

Competitive edge is defined as how effectively an organization meets the needs of customers relative to others that offer similar goods or services. There many companies in the United States that have this competitive edge in their industry. Their competitive edge causes growth in many key aspects within the business. These are return on investment, better service to their employees and customers, paying of debt, and increased market share. There are many ways a company can have a competitive edge. These are price, quality, flexibility, time, service, employees, and product or service differentiation. A few of these companies are Dell Computer Corporation, United Parcel Service (UPS), and Wal-Mart. These companies have strengths in one or more of the competitive advantages listed above. The competitive advantages listed can be defined as the following. The most common way to have a competitive price is to make the cost low to customers. Most customers will look for the lowest price i n the market. The main reason for customers wanting lowest price is to save money. By having a customer save money they are more likely to invest in the products or services offered by the company. Quality is defined as how well the product or service serves it purpose. Many customers will not continue to buy a product or service that breaks repeatedly, does not last longer or cannot perform the task that is needed to be done. A company’s ability to recognize and adapt to changes in the economy, trends of the market or other market facts is related to how flexible the company is. If the demand of a specific type of product or services increase or decreased in a certain market and the company cannot meet the required about need by customers then another company in the industry it will lose its competitive edge. Time refers to many operations that go on within the business. These operations are defined as the ability for the organization to deliver its produ... Free Essays on Competitive Advantage Free Essays on Competitive Advantage Competitive edge is defined as how effectively an organization meets the needs of customers relative to others that offer similar goods or services. There many companies in the United States that have this competitive edge in their industry. Their competitive edge causes growth in many key aspects within the business. These are return on investment, better service to their employees and customers, paying of debt, and increased market share. There are many ways a company can have a competitive edge. These are price, quality, flexibility, time, service, employees, and product or service differentiation. A few of these companies are Dell Computer Corporation, United Parcel Service (UPS), and Wal-Mart. These companies have strengths in one or more of the competitive advantages listed above. The competitive advantages listed can be defined as the following. The most common way to have a competitive price is to make the cost low to customers. Most customers will look for the lowest price i n the market. The main reason for customers wanting lowest price is to save money. By having a customer save money they are more likely to invest in the products or services offered by the company. Quality is defined as how well the product or service serves it purpose. Many customers will not continue to buy a product or service that breaks repeatedly, does not last longer or cannot perform the task that is needed to be done. A company’s ability to recognize and adapt to changes in the economy, trends of the market or other market facts is related to how flexible the company is. If the demand of a specific type of product or services increase or decreased in a certain market and the company cannot meet the required about need by customers then another company in the industry it will lose its competitive edge. Time refers to many operations that go on within the business. These operations are defined as the ability for the organization to deliver its produ...

Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment essay

Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment essay Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment essay Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment essayIn what ways can an understanding of the stages of adulthood be helpful? Do you think that knowing about these stages beforehand can make experiencing the stages any easier or more enjoyable? Why or why not?The understanding of the stages of adulthood may be helpful in terms of understanding profound transformations that take place in the life of individuals. This understanding will facilitate overcoming possible problems and difficulties that individuals may experienced, for instance, in the middle adulthood.What are some of the developmental challenges and risks that accompany the transition from high school to college? What are the key markers in the United States that signal when an individual enters adulthood?The major developmental challenges and risks associated with the transition from high school to college are the transition to the independent life in the college compared to the high school life, when individuals remain within their families. The independent life of individuals and their ability to earn for living are the major markers when individuals enter adulthood.Research has shown that many risky behaviors, such as binge drinking and casual sex, increase during early adulthood. At the same time, individuals are becoming more cognitively advanced. Why is there such a discrepancy between increased cognitive ability and poor decision-making that occurs during this developmental period?Increased cognitive ability is the result of the completion of basic skills and abilities as well as the formation of the basic system of values. However, they may have poor decision-making because of the lack of experience of taking important decisions and the system of values that may be changing in the course of life.Men and women have very different approaches to relationships and intimacy. How can we overcome these differences to have healthy, happy relationships?Men and women can overcome differences i n their relationships and intimacy through learning those differences that will help them to understand them better.

Flatback Sea Turtle Facts

Flatback Sea Turtle Facts Flatback turtles (Natator depressus) live primarily on the continental shelf of Australia and nest only on Australian beaches. Despite their limited range, probably less is known about this sea turtle species than the other six sea turtle species, which are more wide-ranging. Initial classification of flatback turtles led scientists to think they were related to Kemps ridley or green sea turtles, but evidence in the 1980s led scientists to determine that they were a separate, genetically distinct species. Description The flatback turtle (also called the Australian flatback) grows to about 3 feet in length and weighs about 150-200 pounds. These turtles have an olive-colored or gray carapace and pale yellow plastron (bottom shell). Their carapace is soft and often turns up at its edge. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ReptiliaOrder: TestudinesFamily: CheloniidaeGenus: NatatorSpecies: depressus (referred to as depressa in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)) Habitat and Distribution Flatback turtles are found in the Pacific Ocean, primarily in waters off Australia and Papua New Guinea and occasionally off Indonesia. They tend to frequent relatively shallow, coastal waters less than 200 feet deep. Feeding Flatback turtles are omnivores that  feed on invertebrates such as jellyfish, sea pens, sea cucumbers, crustaceans and mollusks, and seaweed. Reproduction Flatback turtles nest along the northern coast of Australia, from Western Australia to Queensland. Males and females mate offshore. Mating often results in bites and scratches in the females soft skin, which later heal. Females come ashore to lay their eggs. They dig a nest that is about 2 feet deep and lay a clutch of 50-70 eggs at one time. They may lay eggs every 2 weeks during the nesting season and return every 2-3 years to nest. Although the egg clutch size of flatback turtles is relatively small, flatbacks lay unusually large eggs - even though they are a medium-sized turtle, their eggs are almost as big as those of the leatherback - a much larger species. The eggs weigh about 2.7 ounces. The eggs incubate for 48-66 days. The length of time depends on how warm the nest is, with warmer nests hatching sooner. The baby turtles weigh 1.5 ounces when they hatch and carry undigested yolk, which will nourish them during their initial time at sea. Flatback turtle nest and hatchling predators include saltwater crocodiles, lizards, birds, and crabs. Once they reach the ocean, hatchlings do not go into deeper waters like other sea turtle species but stay in shallow waters along the coast. Conservation The flatback turtle is listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN RedList, and vulnerable under the Australian Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act. Threats include harvesting for eggs, bycatch in fisheries, nest and hatchling predation, entanglement in or ingestion of marine debris and habitat destruction and pollution. References and Further Information Australian Government. EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna.IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group. Flatback Turtle: Natator depressus .Red List Standards Petitions Subcommittee 1996. Natator depressus.  IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Spotila, James R. Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide to Their Biology, Behavior and Conservation 2004. The Johns Hopkins University Press.SWOT. State of the Worlds Sea Turtles.Waller, Geoffrey, ed. SeaLife: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, D.C. 1996.

A Communication Media Approach towards Marketing Essay

A Communication Media Approach towards Marketing - Essay Example From this study it is clear that most often the already existing patients constitute an accessible potential for generating additional business. Email newsletters not only allow the healthcare organizations to stay frequently in touch with their customers, but also allow them to keep their customers continually apprised of the availability of new procedures, latest developments taking place in specific fields and specialties, important events, available equipments and varied helpful promotional activities. The already existing patients are often more likely to subscribe to the additional services offered by a healthcare organization, provided they take the care to inform them and communicate with them. Hence, email newsletters are a great means of sharing ideas with the customers.This paper declares that email newsletters are an effective means of communication between the customers and healthcare services providers. They not only prove to be cost effective and efficient in the long run, but allow the service providers to customize their marketing approach, while taking into consideration the health records of the existing customers, available with them. They also allow the service providers to provide links to their central website, which can be used by the customers to access additional information and reassurances if and when required by them.  In an E-commerce approach to healthcare marketing, it is essential to seek and retain customer confidence,... They can choose to subscribe to the newsletters published by the healthcare organizations by simply sharing their email address and ticking the box provided on the websites or the regular paperwork of these organizations (Blumberg, 2005). Anytime, the customers can unsubscribe these newsletters by visiting the oft provided link (Blumberg, 2005). So email newsletters allow the patients to access information, as and when they want. Effectiveness Email newsletters are an effective means of communication between the customers and healthcare services providers. They not only prove to be cost effective and efficient in the long run, but allow the service providers to customize their marketing approach, while taking into consideration the health records of the existing customers, available with them. They also allow the service providers to provide links to their central website, which can be used by the customers to access additional information and reassurances if and when required by the m (Blumberg, 2005). Confidentiality However, care needs to be taken to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the customers while using email newsletters to communicate with them. In an E-commerce approach to healthcare marketing, it is essential to seek and retain customer confidence (McFadyen, 2008). Any inability to safeguard customer confidentiality and privacy may lead to repercussions that may prove to be counterproductive to the business interests of an organization in the long run. It’s Different The suggested mode of conducting marketing communication differs in many ways to the other modes of communication. First and foremost it is quick and cost efficient. Besides, to a great extent it takes the customer consent and preferences into

Best Jet airline Financials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Best Jet airline Financials - Essay Example The enticing packages will give the student representatives motivation to ensure that the mini holidays on are weekends to ensure high revenue collection. It’s assumed that the cost of the flights will not deter the students from using the airline. It’s assumed that the association with British airways will rebrand the airline and attract more of the students who are used to the British Airways. The services offered will be enough to sustain a stream of students and that the studenst will travel on consistent terms to ensure high returns. The deals all over Europe will lure the students to ensure that they can travel to areas they have not travelled increasing the number of travelling individuals and higher revenue. The offer of the airline to give students jobs will increase the sales volume since the students will sell the products among themselves. These incentives will attract more students to come and use the airline hence higher

UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZED CRIME Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZED CRIME - Essay Example In general, the organized groups in the US do not like to show themselves in public because this hinders their smooth operations. Although the US does not face any huge threats from organized crime groups at the moment, but the history shows that these groups can cause the state institutions to get into long and hard struggles. There are three types of groups which have criminal intent on the land of USA. FBI has categorized these groups as Eurasian organizations, Italian, and Balkan organized groups. Eurasian organized crime groups are associated with the individuals who originate from Russia and Eastern countries which were created after the collapse of the Soviet Union. These organizations have migrated to the US and are not home bred. Kidnapping, drug trafficking and frauds are the basic crimes the Eurasian organizations are into. The Italian organized groups are known as IOC groups in the US. The best known Italian group in the US is the Sicilian mafia. The main criminal activities that these IOCs are involved in are money laundering and sale of counterfeit products in major cities of the US. The Japanese society is not a crime free one for the citizens and the government. Although Japan is included in developed countries list, but the crime rate in comparison to the US is very low. Most of the criminal activity is performed by the organized criminal entity Boryokudan. Violence, its discipline, illegitimate activities and the organizational structure characterize this organized crime group (Huang & Vaughn, 1992). Since the war of Japan with the US, this group has gained a lot of power and is working on a high profile in Japan. Unlike the activities of the US crime groups their main activities in this era are to monopolize, go global, go to war with others, and racketeering. Since the 1980s the term of organized crime has spread in China like a wild fire. In 1998, almost 100,000

Marketing Strategies For Growth Overseas At Tesco Essay

Marketing Strategies For Growth Overseas At Tesco - Essay Example Having described the premise of marketing strategies, this report will focus on Tesco, a multinational foods retailer operating in China, the United States, India, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea. In some regions of the world, consumers are collectivist and value tradition whilst in other operating areas, consumers are more individualistic and brand-conscious. Price elasticity is a concern depending on the socio-economic conditions in each area of operations, thus requiring customized marketing strategies for each region. The results of a recent survey identified that 67 percent of customers considered Tesco their favourite supermarket due to its value and quality focus in the marketing mix and related to how the business positions itself among international competitors (Ma, Ding and Hong 2010). Tesco operates in an oligopoly market structure where competitive activities related to marketing continue to change the focus of business activity. The foods retailing environment maintai ns considerable competitive rivalry in pricing and promotion, as well as distribution methodology in order to serve diverse customers. Because of this, Tesco must focus on the marketing mix in order to differentiate from competitors that carry rather homogenous goods for the international consumer. Tesco utilizes marketing strategies related to green environmentalism, value promotions, brand extensions, diversifying product line offerings, and e-commerce as methods to improve its competitive position and ensure higher sales volumes internationally. 2. Theoretical framework International marketing strategies are plans of action that recognize costs, efficiency, and brand value/equity associated with specific strategic objectives related to how the business wants to... This paper stresses that since the environment where Tesco operates internationally is saturated with grocer competition, the business has developed effective strategies to try to avoid price promotions common with other supermarkets. Its value agenda provides the business with considerable brand loyalty and also brand equity that can be extended to supplementary service provision. It is uniquely positioned through its e-commerce model as a value leader and through its flexibility in procurement to fit local tastes even though these costs are higher for adjusting the supply chain methodology in the home country. However, the revenue gains achieved by Tesco, which is the number one supermarket according to comparative sales, offset these costs associated with the marketing mix adjustments. Tesco may not be able to maintain its unique value-orientation against competition with the new entrants like Aldi that carry discounted goods that consumers perceive as top quality. Partnerships wi th local producers to create private label Tesco products still fulfils its corporate social responsibility objectives in its marketing strategy for relationship and value-building, but can enhance its product selection for private label introduction or extension. When it is not only pricing, but also value associated in consumer markets with private label brands, it has long-term risk potential for Tesco’s unique differentiation and positioning related to value provision. This report makes a conclusion that corporate social responsibility, too, stays away from pricing promotion and price emphasis in order to remain true to its value-conscious agenda and positioning efforts. According to results of a large sample group questionnaire, 71 percent of those targeted believed that Tesco has reasonable prices.

Shared Practice Velocity Part I responses Assignment

Shared Practice Velocity Part I responses - Assignment Example On the other hand, if managers would also focus keenly on getting more to what they have in terms of competence and skills, it will be another effective way to fix bottle necks at the workplace. This can easily be done through capacity creation at the workplace (Senge, 2006). Reading about how you combined systematic flow with business model was very interesting and I believe this was in the right place. I however believe strongly that if you had found a way of combining this directly with the issue of velocity discussed by Jacob, it would have made your arguments more resounding. The reason for this alternative suggestion is that in most cases, managers tend to think that the application of the three continuous improvement methods and thus velocity is only necessary when they are faced with the need to go directly into production (Mankelow, 2011). I however do not think this is the right way to approach continuous improvement. The concept of velocity can be made part of the very organizational culture of companies so that the need to avoid waste will be a continuous process as success within the organization must be a prompt and ever existing concept (Hsu & Sun,

Comprehensive Annual Fnancial Report Briefing Essay

Comprehensive Annual Fnancial Report Briefing - Essay Example As a result, they have to invest more in marketing because that is the component that will help the companies to boost their profits. On the other hand, the governmental organizations usually deal more on assisting citizens of the country. That means that the efforts of the government are usually towards helping the citizens of the country as opposed to making profits. Therefore most of the services that are offered by the government are usually subsidized and that will help to ensure that the poor and needy people in the community get access to the most essential facilities. The main sources of government revenue include fines that are collected, licenses, and donations. That means that any government facility that is available doe not majorly deal on the issue of making profit but basically charges a small fee for the facilities to be able to sustain their most essential needs (Martin, 2000). The other differences include the following, the owners of the government facilities is th e public whereas for profit corporations are owned by shareholders. The decision is made by the shareholder of the company whereas the decision for governmental facilities is made by the people that have been elected by the public as their representatives. The government facilities do not aim at making profits while the for-profit corporations usually aim at making of profits. ... es Notes of financial statements The statements that are prepared by for profit organizations include; Balance sheet Income statement Statement of cash flows Statement of stockholder’s equity Notes of financial statements The source of revenues for the government include the following Donor contributions Fines Taxes Levies Investment income Grants Source of income for the for profit business include the following Sales of merchandise Fees for services Investment income Gains on investments MD and A This should introduce financial statements that are basic and give an overview that is analytical in regard to the activities of the government. The MD & A usually provides a financial manager with a good opportunity to present both long and short term analysis of the activities that regard the operations of the government. The process should; provide an n analysis that is objective and easily read in regard to governmental activities. It should also include analysis that shows year ly performance. The analysis should show the yearly source of income for the government, the usage of funds by the various governmental bodies, the way the funds were distributed and any amounts that were left as surplus. This process will ensure that there is accountability in the government and that the fund that is associated with the public is appropriated well so as to ensure that there is no instance of fund misappropriations. The MD&A usually focus primarily on the government. The comments that are found in the MD&A should be able to distinguish between information hat regards the different components of the government and the primary government working and the primary government. The e outline of the MD&A 1. Brief description of financial statements. The description should include

Shared Practice Velocity Part I responses Assignment

Shared Practice Velocity Part I responses - Assignment Example On the other hand, if managers would also focus keenly on getting more to what they have in terms of competence and skills, it will be another effective way to fix bottle necks at the workplace. This can easily be done through capacity creation at the workplace (Senge, 2006). Reading about how you combined systematic flow with business model was very interesting and I believe this was in the right place. I however believe strongly that if you had found a way of combining this directly with the issue of velocity discussed by Jacob, it would have made your arguments more resounding. The reason for this alternative suggestion is that in most cases, managers tend to think that the application of the three continuous improvement methods and thus velocity is only necessary when they are faced with the need to go directly into production (Mankelow, 2011). I however do not think this is the right way to approach continuous improvement. The concept of velocity can be made part of the very organizational culture of companies so that the need to avoid waste will be a continuous process as success within the organization must be a prompt and ever existing concept (Hsu & Sun,

International Human Resource Management Term Paper

International Human Resource Management - Term Paper Example HR has come a long way from its traditional role of personnel management to being considered the strategic partner of the organization. Today HR plays a proactive role in taking the initiatives and concentrating on the deliverables. HR is involved not only in the implementation of strategy but also in strategy formulation. HR is now considered one of the sources of competitive advantage for the company. Although the role and importance of HR is not debatable any more but in practice its role varies not only from company to company but also from country to country. This paper will discuss international human resource management and its various approaches with special reference to Spain. The aim of this paper is to study the institutional context that shapes and influences HRM in Spain. Different laws related to HRM, education and training system, employer organizations, trade union organization, collective bargaining structures, company governance arrangements and its impacts on HRM w ill be discussed here. A case study of a Spanish organization will also be discussed to study various practices and activities of HR. Historical Background of HRM in Spain Although human capital has always been important but recently the importance of human capital with comparison to capital, raw material, land and even technology has increased a lot. It is believed now that in this global world the key to success is having a better human capital than your competitors. It is difficult to obtain and control positive contributions from the employees hence efforts are made to make an environment that ensures voluntary flow of such employee behavior. The concept of Human resource management (HRM) has followed the same path which international HRM has followed moving from personnel management to strategic HRM. The development of HRM in Spain can be better understood if the developments are studied in the chronological order. The history of Spanish HRM can be divided into five periods. HR M during the Franco regime, (1950-9) marked by clerk autarchy The economic crises and political transition, Human Relations (1960-76) Development planning From the economic crises to economic recovery, labor relations (1977-85) conflicts and agreements HRM in today’s Spain In the period of clerk autarchy the main focus was on bureaucracy. HR was restricted to the daily management of data and ensuring working according to the pre-established rules and regulations. It was the era of personnel management. The purpose of the personnel management was to make employee’s comply with the rules and regulations of the business. Spain has seen different labor conditions during its development. The first form was the personnel management where foreman was assigned the role of personnel manager but in a very restricted form. The second phase was of the economic crises and political transition. It is marked by human resource development planning. In this phase the shift was towards technocracy. The qualified employees were given importance through various incentives for enhancing performance, training and development programs, appropriate selection process accompanied by adequate salary scales classified according to the service. Here the personnel management role of HR was to ensure that employees adapt according

The Use Of Performance Management In Hr Business Essay

The Use Of Performance Management In Hr Business Essay Performance management is a topic that cuts across traditional HRM boundaries, as it also has implications for employee development. Performance Management is seen as a dimension of employee resourcing and performance monitoring and review as part of the appraisal process. In many organisations, formal, systematic procedures are introduced to regularly assess employee performance, usually involving, at a minimum, an interview between a manager and an employee, with documentation of recorded performance. One major reform being undertaken in the public service is the development of a performance management system. Its primary aim is to improve performance by focusing on key areas of activity of the Ministry/department, teams and individuals through on agreed framework of planned goals, objectives and standards. 7.3 DEFINITIONS Noe et al. (2008) define performance management as the process trough which managers ensure that employees activities and outputs are congruent with the organisations goals. (This definition emphasises the need for performance management to be aligned to the strategy of the organisation). Performance management can be defined as a strategic and integrated approach to delivering sustained success to organisations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of teams and individual contributors (Armstrong and Baron, 1998). 7.4 MEANING OF PERFORMANCE Bates Holton (1995) pointed that performance is a multi-dimensional construct, the measurement of which varies depending on a variety of factors. They also state that it is important to determine whether the measurement objective is to assess performance outcomes or behaviour. Kane (1996) argues that performance is something that the person leaves behind and that exists apart from the purpose. Bernadin et al. (1995) are concerned that performance should be defined as the outcomes of work because they provide the strongest linkage to the strategic goals of the organisation, customer satisfaction and economic contributions. The Oxford dictionary defines performance as the accomplishment, execution, carrying out, working out of anything ordered or undertaken. Performance is about doing the work as well as about the results achieved. Performance can therefore be regarded as behaviour the way in which organisations, teams and individuals, get the work done. Campbell (1990) believes that: Performance is behaviour and should be distinguished from the outcomes because they can be contaminated by system factors. For Brumbach (1988), performance means both behaviours and results. Behaviours emanate from the performer and transform performance from abstraction to action. Not just the instruments for results, behaviours are also outcomes in their own right the product of mental and physical effort applied to tasks and can be judged apart from results. From this definition, we can conclude that when managing the performance of teams, and individuals, both inputs (behaviour) and outputs (results) need to be considered. This is the so-called mixed model (Martle, 1995) of performance management which covers competency levels and achievements as well as objective setting and review. 7.5 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT What, in your opinion, is the difference between Performance Appraisal and Performance Management? Noe et al (2008) emphasises that Performance Appraisal is only a component of Performance Management as it involves the administrative and relatively isolated duty of measuring aspects of an employees performance. Performance Management is a broader concept than Performance Appraisal in that it provides not only for the measurement of performance, but the defining of performance according to organisational goals as well as the provision of performance feedback. Performance Appraisal (Performance Measurement Specification of Performance Criteria Performance Feedback Performance Management (Noe et al, 2008) 7.6 FEEDBACK Feedback is a method of communication, usually face-to-face with another person where the desired outcome is normally: Improved work performance. A maintenance of performance. A change of behaviour. To make another person aware of ones behaviour upon others. Performance Management is strategic in the sense that it is concerned with the broader issues facing the business if it is to function effectively in its environment, and with the general direction in which it intends to go to achieve longer terms goals. It is integrated in four senses: Vertical integration linking or aligning business, team and individual objectives. Functional integration linking functional strategies in different parts of the business. HR integration linking different aspects of HRM, specially organisational development HR development and reward. The integration of individual needs with those of the organisation, as far as this is possible. Activity 1 (i) Differentiate between Performance Appraisal and Performance Management as you see it in the local context. (ii) Discuss the importance of feedback in the management of performance. 7.7 PURPOSE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance Management is a means of getting better results from the organisation, teams and individuals by understanding and managing performance within an agreed framework of planned goals, standards and competence requirements. It is a process for establishing shared understanding about what is to be achieved, and an approach to managing and developing people in a way that increases the probability that it will be achieved in the short and long term. It is owned and driven by line management (Armstrong, 2001). Activity 2 (i) Based on your experience of performance management within the organisation in which you work, what do you think is the purpose of Performance Management? Performance Management has three essential purposes: Strategic purpose. Administrative purpose. Developmental purpose. Strategic purpose A Performance Management system serves to link employee performance to the overall organisational strategy and organisational objectives. However, research has shown that very few organisations utilise Performance Management in a manner which supports the strategy of the organisation. The strategic purpose may be achieved through designing evaluation mechanism which define employee performance in terms of organisations strategy and goals. Achievement of the organisations objectives. Increased productivity. Increased profit. Motivation of employees. Administrative purpose Performance Management systems provide information which assists organisations with administrative decisions relating to issues such as salary administration (pay rises), lay-offs and promotion (Noe et al, 2008: 348). Pay related pay (increment, bonus). Developmental purpose Performance Management systems provide information about employee strengths and weaknesses and in so doing, identify employee development needs (Noe et al, 2008: 348). Identify Training Needs Activity 3 (i) Discuss the purposes of performance management in your organisation. 7.8 APPROACHES TO PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Hereunder are the approaches to Performance Management: The comparative approach. The attribute approach. The behavioural approach. The results approach. The quality approach. The multi-rated approach. Note: The different approaches to Performance Management have their own strengths and weaknesses. 7.8.1 The Comparative Approach The comparative approach measures an individuals performance by comparing his/her performance to the performance of others. Three techniques adopt the comparative approach: Ranking : Supervisor ranking his subordinates from best performer to worst performer. Forced Distribution : Where employees are ranked in groups. 3) Paired Comparison : Where the supervisor compares every employee with every other employee in the work group, giving an employee a score of 1 every time he/she is considered to be the higher performer. Activity 4 (i) Discuss the comparative approach to Performance Management in your organisational context. 7.8.2 The Attribute Approach This approach focuses on the identification of employee attributes (knowledge, skills, attitude and experience) necessary for the organisations success. The employee is measured against these attributes. This approach includes techniques such as: Graphic Rating Scales : Where the supervisor rates the subordinate on particular traits and characteristics. Mixed Standard Scales : Where the supervisor rates the subordinate against relevant performance dimensions. Activity 5 (i) Describe the attribute approach to the Management of performance in your organisation. 7.8.3 The Behavioural Approach The behavioural approach defines behaviours necessary for effective performance in a particular job. In assessing performance, managers identify the extent to which a subordinate has exhibited the required behaviours. Example: (i) Behavioural Observation Scale. (ii) Assessment Centres. 7.8.4 The Results Approach This approach is based on the belief that results are the one best indicator of how a subordinates performance has contributed to organisational success. Results-based techniques include: Management by Objective (MBO) where goal setting is cascaded down throughout the organisation and the goals become the standard against which an employees performance is measured. Productivity Measurement and Evaluation System (PROMES) which involves a process of motivating employees to higher productivity. Balanced Score cards which may be used to manage the performance of individual employees, teams, business units as well as the organisation itself. The appraisal considers four related categories: Financial. Processes. Customer. Learning. The balanced score card enables managers to translate organisational goals into business unit, team and individual employee goals for each of the above categories. 7.8.5 The Quality Approach The focus of the quality approach is on improving customer satisfaction through a customer orientation and the prevention of errors. The design of a quality-based performance management system should focus on: The assessment of employee and system factors. The relationship between managers and employees in solving performance problems. Internal and external customers in setting standards and measuring performance. Using a number of sources to evaluate employee and system factors. Activity 6 (i) Enumerate the essential issues of quality based performance management system in relation to an organisation of your choice. 7.8.6 The Multi-Rated Approach Many organisations adopt a 360-degree feedback approach to performance measurement where information on an employees performance is not only provided by the employees immediate supervisor, but by those people whom he/she deals with on a day-to-day basis (eg. customers, co-workers, subordinates, suppliers, contractors, consultants). (Snell Bohlander, 2007: 343). This approach allows employees to receive an accurate view of their performance as different people see different things. (Snell Bohlander, 2007: 343). This approach usually involves the administration of a questionnaire to a number of people with whom the employee interacts, in which they indicate how well the employee performs in a number of behavioural areas. (Noe et al, 2008: 497). 7.8.6.1 Strengths of the 360-degree Feedback Approach As the employee is appraised from multiple perspectives, the approach is more comprehensive than other approaches. The information produced is of good quality. There is an emphasis on internal and external customers as well as the team. Bias and prejudice is lessened as the appraisal is not dependent on one persons view alone. Feedback from people other than the manager contributes considerably to an employees development. 7.8.6.2 Weaknesses of the 360-degree Feedback Approach It is a complex system in that numerous appraisals need to be combined. It can be intimidating, resulting in resentment on the part of the employee being appraised. Appraisals from different individuals may be different and confusing. Considerable training is required to ensure that the system works as it should. Employees could undermine the reliability of the approach through colluding in terms of the appraisal which they are to give each other. 7.9 SUMMARY [ In this Unit, the definition and meaning of Performance Management has been explained. The purpose of performance management has been enumerated. The approaches to performance management have been discussed in details.

Beloved by Morrison :: Morrison Beloved Essays

Beloved by Morrison "It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave"(Morrison 1987). These are the words that Toni Morrison used to describe the actions of the central character within the novel, Beloved. That character, Sethe, is presented as a former slave woman who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressive horrors of a life spent in slavery. Sethe's action is indisputable: She has killed her child. Sethe's motivation is not so clearly defined. By killing her "Beloved" child, has Sethe acted out of true love or selfish pride? The fact that Sethe's act is irrational can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe kill her baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe end her daughter's life because of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? By examining the complexities of Sethe's character it can be said that she is a woman who chooses to love her childre n but not herself. Sethe kills her baby because, in Sethe's mind, her children are the only good and pure part of who she is and must be protected from the cruelty and the "dirtiness" of slavery(Morrison 251). In this respect, her act is that of love for her children. The selfishness of Sethe's act lies in her refusal to accept personal responsibility for her baby's death. Sethe's motivation is dichotomous in that she displays her love by mercifully sparing her daughter from a horrific life, yet Sethe refuses to acknowledge that her show of mercy is also murder. Throughout Beloved, Sethe's character consistently displays the duplistic nature of her actions. Not long after Sethe's reunion with Paul D. she describes her reaction to School Teacher's arrival: "Oh, no. I wasn't going back there[Sweet Home]. I went to jail instead"(Morrison 42). Sethe's words suggest that she has made a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be dragged back into the evil of slaver y. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believes that her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in her omission of the horrifying fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder of her child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughter's death, it is also made clear that Sethe has detached herself from the act. Beloved by Morrison :: Morrison Beloved Essays Beloved by Morrison "It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave"(Morrison 1987). These are the words that Toni Morrison used to describe the actions of the central character within the novel, Beloved. That character, Sethe, is presented as a former slave woman who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressive horrors of a life spent in slavery. Sethe's action is indisputable: She has killed her child. Sethe's motivation is not so clearly defined. By killing her "Beloved" child, has Sethe acted out of true love or selfish pride? The fact that Sethe's act is irrational can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe kill her baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe end her daughter's life because of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? By examining the complexities of Sethe's character it can be said that she is a woman who chooses to love her childre n but not herself. Sethe kills her baby because, in Sethe's mind, her children are the only good and pure part of who she is and must be protected from the cruelty and the "dirtiness" of slavery(Morrison 251). In this respect, her act is that of love for her children. The selfishness of Sethe's act lies in her refusal to accept personal responsibility for her baby's death. Sethe's motivation is dichotomous in that she displays her love by mercifully sparing her daughter from a horrific life, yet Sethe refuses to acknowledge that her show of mercy is also murder. Throughout Beloved, Sethe's character consistently displays the duplistic nature of her actions. Not long after Sethe's reunion with Paul D. she describes her reaction to School Teacher's arrival: "Oh, no. I wasn't going back there[Sweet Home]. I went to jail instead"(Morrison 42). Sethe's words suggest that she has made a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be dragged back into the evil of slaver y. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believes that her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in her omission of the horrifying fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder of her child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughter's death, it is also made clear that Sethe has detached herself from the act.

The Ideal State of Today Essay -- Philosophy, Lao-Tzu

The search for the ideal state has been an on going mission for leaders since the creation of the first government. For a state to be truly ideal, its administration and chief must have the right characteristics. A government is a system that governs a state. A leader is someone who operates the administration. Although this seems simple, historical and current chiefs and regimes have proven it is not. The teachings of men such as Lao-Tzu and Niccolo Machiavelli include specific details on the traits a leader must posses in order to run and maintain a government where he or she is happy as well as the citizens. However, several of the traits classified as necessary for both a leader and government, by Lao and Machiavelli are undesirable in the path to the ideal state. In his work, â€Å"Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching,† Lao-Tzu discusses the Tao. Lao believes the Tao or â€Å"the way† to be the most effective method into developing a leader fit to manage a government in which everyone is content and is at peace. According to Lao, â€Å"the Master doesn’t talk, he acts. When his work is done, the people say, Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!† (25). Therefore, the chief, in order to run the administration, he must govern the people in ways that they are barely aware of his presence and ruling. The people, when they forget their superior, â€Å"goodness and piety appear† (25). Subjects living under such a government, turn to a higher supreme power, which they believe is responsible for their accomplishments, which creates religious devotion. Niccolo Machiavelli, in â€Å"The Qualities of the Prince,† discusses whether a prince should keep his word to his people. Machiavelli said, â€Å"the princes who have accomplished great deeds are those who have cared ... ...ch speculators prosper while farmers lose their land, government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures, when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible while the poor have nowhere to turn-all this is robbery and chaos† (Lao-Tzu 29). In addition, this is complete capitalism and, therefore, the government will not succeed. One country that has united the two types of administrations is China, which is the world’s second-largest economy and has become known as the â€Å"world’s factory† (Bin 2). According to Prof Alok Bhargava in â€Å"Persuade Beijing of need for democracy,† â€Å"China is now more capitalist than communist. The Chinese economic policies have lowered production costs and brought prosperity† (16). China’s use of dual administrations demonstrates the positive outcomes of doing so, even though; China considers itself completely a communist country.

Modern technology today Essay

With the advent of more modern technology today, and the expansion of corporate markets, commercial transactions between industries grow by the day. As commerce, in its basic sense, pertains to the trading of something of economic value, be it goods or services, information, and most of all, money, it is required of an individual to know how to analyze the economic systems that guide every transaction and endeavor related to commerce. As an empowered individual, my enthusiasm and desire for learning the commerce of man is very strong, at the same time I possess the capability to initiate ideas and activities that help in conceptualizing products or services that may be â€Å"traded† for value. To further learn the intricacies of the field of commerce, I have decided to take up the Bachelor of Commerce program. I believe I will be successful in this field. When assessing basic market financial records in newspapers, I easily comprehend economic trends that I often imagine myself as a good financial analyst. Coupled with the fact that I have enough experience in dealing with different kinds of people in economic terms, I know that ill be successful in this field. The rise and fall of economies in every country influence events globally. I was intrigued with this issue that this pushed me to exert effort in realizing my dream of taking up Commerce as a course. At the micro-level, I am attentive in class, like to recite and debate on issues relating to economics and commerce. The pursuit of education is to be encouraged to better understand the world around us and to contribute to its development. In my own opinion, I can serve this purpose by learning things related to commerce, and with the qualities I possess, I can provide additional knowledge to the study of commerce.

Debut Albums and High Social Status Essay

Different people have different ambitions. I have many ambitions in my life. Some want to be rich. Some wish to become leaders of the country to gain honor. Some desire to be great scientists. There are others who are mainly led by a spirit of adventure. The latest craze among young boys and girls is to go to foreign countries. Their aim in life is to earn a lot of money within a short period. I am a human being. I too have my own ambition. My ambition in life is not wealth, power or high social status. I am too modest a young man to aim at any of these things. My ambitions are simple enough. My first ambition is the service of the poor and the down-trodden. My heart weeps at the sight of people in trouble. I do my best to help those who need my help. And what a joy it is to me to find that I have been of service to someone. To work for others gives me a sort of peace of mind. My second ambition in life is to become a good, hardworking and an honest engineer. Different people have different ambitions. I have many ambitions in my life. Some want to be rich. Some wish to become leaders of the country to gain honor. My ambition in life is not wealth, power or high social status. I am too modest a young man to aim at any of these things. My ambitions are simple enough. My first ambition is the service of the poor and the down-trodden. My heart weeps at the sight of people in trouble. I do my best to help those who need my help. And what a joy it is to me to find that I have been of service to someone. To work for others gives me a sort of peace of mind. My second ambition in life is to become a good, hardworking and an honest engineer.

The Youth in the Journey of Excellence

The Youth in the Journey of Excellence Every Filipino child has the talent to share and to be developed. This is the reason why we always go to school- to showcase our talents for us to succeed and achieve our goals in life. Our talent is our path for us to excel in the quest of excellence. Some children know how to sing and dance while some know how to paint. You see, children like us have different talents to share and to be showcased. All of us have the talent and skills to be proud of. This Valleygsahan event is one way to develop our learnings and knowledge.It is because we know that we can always excel in life if we have the passion and the hard work in every single thing that we do. It is also because we know that we can fulfil our ambitions in life. Although we may lose in some battles, it is just the challenge for us to excel to be a better person and to be an individual who perseveres in life. It is not enough that we only have the knowledge or talent for us to succeed but it must be coupled by hardwork and prestige.. But we, the youth, let us not forget to follow our dreams because our dream is the hope for us to excel in life. Education is the key to success†. Let this saying be our strength for us to study well in school because we all know that as a child, we have many ambitions that we want to come true. As the youth, we have many goals in life that we want to fulfil and achieve. We want to excel in our careers no matter what barriers would come because we won’t ever give up our dreams and we also know that achievement and excellence come only to those who have the courage, strength, and perseverance to fulfil their goals in life†¦We will continue to fight and fight for us to excel without giving up. With the word â€Å"education† ,we know that this powerful word can lead us into a better future for us to excel and for us to achieve excellence in our journey in life. Just like the other children, I also have many dreams a nd ambitions. For me, I want to become a writer someday because writing is my passion and no matter what, I will work hard to achieve my dreams because I want to have excellence in my life.In this society where I live, there are many well-known personalities here that serve as the inspiration for the youth because we know that those prominent individuals encountered hardships for them to achieve what they are right now. As the youth, we will follow their footstep and we will also be passionate in everything we do. Just like them, we will walk in the path of excellence for we know that in that path, excellence awaits. Let us always bear in mind that we should never give up even though we will encounter hardships and trials because it is just the challenge for us to be stronger.To my fellow Filipino children, do not be afraid to dream because those dreams and ambitions will lead us to excellence. Education will serve as our key to success. Hardwork and passion will be our path to achi eve our goals in life. Our dreams and ambitions will be the hope for us to excel . The youth will be the inspiration for our fellow Filipino children who want to achieve excellence in life. It has been proven, the Filipino youth had reached success, achievements and excellence in their journey of life.