African Penguins

The topic of my report is african penguins who are also known as black footed penguins . I chose this topic because through out my life i have seen penguins only in Antarctica which made me wander how can they survive on islands. The main characteristics are that they are 26-27 inches in height and there weight is 4-11 pounds. There back is colored black and there front is colored white which has a black stripe. They have large black beak and feet. They sound like donkeys when they communicate with each other. Another interesting haracteristics is they have pink glands above each eye and their average swimming speed is 4-12 MPH. The African Penguin are found in South Africa which is in the southern hemisphere. After penguin choose their partner for life, breeding occurs throughout the year. Although the main breeding begins in February, Nest are constructed and two eggs are laid and they incubate for 38-42 days. When the eggs hatch the parents care for the baby penguins for 8-18 weeks. African Penguins like to hunt in the nutrient rich cold water and like to eat mainly fish such as squid, anchovies and a few other things The major facts about african penguins are that they are only found in south coast of africa. There is no other place in the world where these penguins are found. There is no fixed breeding season it can happen throughout the year. The enemies of penguins are sharks,killer whales and other dangerous marine creatures. In conclusion i very much enjoyed researching about this animal because they have a lot of interesting facts that the penguins in Antarctica don't have. The most interesting fact i learned was they have pink glands above there eyes.

Assessing the Quality of the Financial Statements Essay

†¢Reading the Financial Statements and Creating a Data File Our experience, and that of our students, is that careful and thorough reading of the financial statements yields a great deal of information about the firm. The financial statements, the notes, and management’s discussion and analysis provide valuable insights into the business strategies, profitability, and risk of the firm. Many firms explicitly disclose elements of the business that are performing well or poorly, also providing explanations about the performance. Many firms explicitly disclose projections of future business activities, such as expected future sales growth rates or capital expenditures, which are helpful information for projecting future financial statements. Analysts who do not carefully read the financial statements stand to miss this valuable information. After careful reading, the analyst should enter the financial statement data into a data file. One initial choice in creating a data file is whether to use the accounts and amounts that the firm provides in its Form 10-K or annual report to shareholders or to download and use amounts from various online sources or databases that format the amounts into a standardized template. One advantage of following the first approach is that you rely on the primary source of the financial statements, not on a secondary source about which you may not know all of the reclassifications and adjustments made to confirm the reported amounts to the standardized template. Another advantage of following the first approach is that the financial statement data will be classified into accounts consistent with the notes to the financial statements, the main source of information for assessing the quality of the reported amounts. The principal advantages of using amounts in a standardized template are that use of the template can save time and the financial statement amounts are reasonably comparable across firms. The next decision to be made is whether to input the financial statement data into FSAP, a financial statement analysis package that accompanies this text, or to create a new spreadsheet file. The principal advantages of FSAP are that it provides spreadsheets that have embedded formulas for the various profitability and risk ratios, it provides a template for preparing forecasted financial statements using the previously reported actual amounts as a base, and it inputs the forecasted amounts into several valuation models to arrive at equity values. †¢Assessing the Quality of the Reported Amounts One of the most important steps in financial statement analysis is to assess the quality of the reported amounts and make appropriate adjustments before proceeding to the analysis of profitability and risk. The saying â€Å"garbage in, garbage out† applies with particular importance to financial statements. To assess quality, you must read the financial statements and notes. Material nonrecurring or unusual income items are candidates for adjustment. Significant off-balance-sheet assets or liabilities also are candidates. Some adjustments may be needed to increase the comparability of the financial statement amounts for each of the firms analyzed in the term project.

Current Cultural Trends And Their Impact On Organizational Communications Essay

Communication in organizations depends on the type of organization and the setting of the workplace. The question is which management style should be used although it is safe to say that the best style of management is participatory. Current cultural trends have come into the picture and effectiveness is seen as the result when these trends are considered important in an organization. This is so because ensures that the output generated by the work of an employee is of high quality. When these cultural trends are noted well, employees are given tasks and the manager makes sure that the employees understand their duties and responsibilities. The employees are also given the chance to make their own decisions and impart their ideas and opinions in the process (All Business, Undated). Cultural trends affects management since it is the circle in which the management goes around. It is critical as the type of management, especially in a teamwork setting, would largely depend on the existing social culture between the employees. The manager will have a hard time adjusting if the social culture among his employees is not good, meaning the relationships are damaged or broken (Veser, 2004). Being efficient in the light of these cultural factors means producing outputs with little wasted effort because the communication is free-flowing. It is important, therefore, that employees are given good communication venues in order to come up with quality on the output they produce. Sometimes, an employee may be efficient but not effective. In being effective, one should could focus and concentrate on the particular work they have to do and dispose the clutter. It is better to be effective and produce good results than be efficient with poor outputs (Lifetools, Undated). Yes, quantitative techniques can be used to motivate employees in such a way that these tools will help them imagine or picture in their minds what the goal or strategy is all about. An organization is highly affected by cultural trends. It is particularly significant when there is an attempt to propose a change in the whole organizational system. Culture directly affects innovation and development in an organization. Culture serves as the foundation where the organization is laid upon, it is a conglomerate of ideas and beliefs of employees which nurtures the existence of the organization (Forte, 1998). Stakeholders can both help or pull down an organization. It could do either way, enhance the company or organization’s reputation or damage it. It should be ensured that there is a good existing relationship between the stakeholders or shareholders, otherwise the company will be in trouble. The advantage of managing this kind of relationships is that there will be various ideas when it comes to setting the direction of the company. A multi-stakeholder organization has a democratic and participatory environment. The setback is when these shareholders do not agree with each other and may result to split up. A borderless organization widens the scope of the management system, therefore there is the possibility that the management might be spread too thin in the organization. It will be harder to direct and lead a group that has wider, or worse no defined boundaries. It is necessary that management can focus and not flow to too many directions. It will be hard to gather the members as the organization grows, along with the different viewpoints and opinions (Jarillo, 1995). Going global has both positive and negative effects in an organization. It will be an advantage since the organization or company will be known in a wider arena and could even establish a network of stakeholders. Kentucky Fried Chicken, the fast food that sells chicken and is known all over the world, is a classic example of a success story of going global. But this may not always be the case as going global has its setbacks and weaknesses. For one, there is the possibility that the organization or business may not be accepted in another place other than its place of origin. Another would be that if the new branch or franchise does not perform well, it would carry the original name of the organization and would destroy the reputation of the original organization as well (Starks 2001). When members of a dominant culture become suspicious of subcultures and seek to isolate or assimilate them, it is often because the members of the dominant culture are making value judgments about the beliefs and practices of the subordinate groups. For instance, most Anglo-Americans see the extensive family obligations of Hispanics as a burdensome arrangement that inhibits the individual freedom. Hispanics, in contrast, view the isolated nuclear family of Anglo-Americans as a lonely institution that cuts people off from the love and assistance of their kin. This tendency to view one’s own cultural patterns as good and right and those of others as strange or even immoral is ethnocentrism. An individual becomes aware of his worldview as an individual comes as one applies his values in different situations. An example to illustrate this is when we see that most Americans today accept and approve racial equality in the workplace. Yet relatively few extend the value of racial equality to their family lives. They would not approve of a member of their own family marrying a person of another race or adopting a child of another race. Authors Sue & Sue (2002) have unique answers to communications across different cultures. Its focus on counseling racial populations as well as other diverse organizations makes us understand norms and cultures and its interrelationships. Their views have made clinicians take a second look at individual roles in understanding varied populations. People become aware of their worldview as an individual when they examine their values in relation to their environment. Values provide the framework within which people in a society develop norms of behavior. A norm is a specific guideline for action; it is a rule that says how people should behave in particular situations. Like values, norms can vary greatly from society to society. Polite and appropriate behavior in one society may be disgraceful in another. Norms also vary from group to group within a single society. From a societal perspective, choices and actions of an individual in U. S. society are highly influenced by norms. According to Turner and Killian’s emergent-norm theory, people develop new social norms as they interact in situations that lack firm guidelines for coping. These norms then exert a powerful influence on their behavior. The new norms evolve through a gradual practice of social exploration and testing. The crowd begins to define the situation, develop a justification for acts that would in other circumstances seem questionable. In this way, new norms may emerge that condone violence and destruction, but still impose some limits on crowd behavior (Turner and Killian, 1972, p. 21). Norms and values are resources for communication. They help us evaluate our past, interpret the present, and plan for the future. Can you think of two examples each of evaluating the past, interpreting the worth of the present, or planning for the future that do not involve implicit values and norms you use in everyday life? How so and why to each? New norms evolve through a gradual process of social exploration and testing. One or more people may suggest a course of action (shooting obscenities or hurling bottles, for example). Other suggestions follow. The crowd begins to define the situation, to develop a justification for acts that would in other circumstances seem questionable. In this way, new norms may emerge that condone violence and destruction, but still impose some limits on crowd behavior. The emergence of new norms, Turner and Killian argue does not mean that members of a crowd come to think and feel as one. Although it may appear to outsiders that a crowd is a unanimous whole, some participants may just be going along to avoid disapproval and ridicule. All these kinds of crowd action depended not just on the other people around but on the patterns of social organization by which people were both motivated to join the crowd and organized within it. One of the common sources of loss of motivation in the workplace is the presence of difficult employees (Darby 15). Employees are usually very sensitive with poor performers that are not given attention or sanctioned in the workplace (Blades, 1967). The presence of poor performers and the presence of problem employees usually affect the working environment and thus bosses should be able to improve the situation of the work environment in order to make working a positive experience for all. At the core, one of the important steps that should be employed is the ability of the manager or leader to identify the problem immediately. One of the key methods of problem identification is constant communication with the subordinates. It is very important to recognize that the differences in personalities in the workplace are really a major cause of conflict (Stanley 6). This means that the manager should always assume that there is always a tendency for conflict to arise. Even employees themselves are aware that conflicts are already occurring. In this particular scenario, the structure is that each technical team that handles technical support concerns of customers is headed by a team leader or manager. The role of the manager is to handle escalated concerns and the performance of the agents or staff. There is a problem of communication between the agents and the supervisor. The supervisor is having some problems with the performance of the agent and he handled this through massive sanctions against absenteeism and heavy corrective actions against minor offenses. The manager used a rather punitive system of motivating the employees, which the employees disliked because this adds to the already stressful job of handling technical problems of customers. The agents are also not very open to the manager regarding their problems because of his tyrannical method of leadership. The agents also viewed their manager as lacking technical skills and therefore do not really understand their line of work and the stress that is attached to it. Thirdly, there is an internal conflict between employees because they believed that some non-performers appeared to be more favored by the manager. The employees accomplishments are not recognized while their little mistakes are always emphasized. The manager should inculcate the recognition of higher level of needs of the employees. Glen (41) believes that motivating employees is really a difficult task because people have different sources of motivation. It is however very important for managers to never behave in a ‘demotivating’ way. According to Glen (41), the manager may not be able to motivate their people always, but the manager will always have a way of killing the source of motivation. To illustrate his point, he pointed out that in a technical company, it is very important that managers always consult their team. In computer companies, managers are always viewed to be less knowledgeable regarding technical areas. Inability to incorporate ideas from the team would generally make them feel that their talents are neglected. The technical expertise of the team should always be consulted because of the need to recognize their technical talents. The manager therefore should be responsive to the specific needs of the technical staff and understand the difficulties of their job and open the communication lines for solution. It is essential that in technical teams, where basis of membership is through technical skills, that the talents be recognized. The employees’ ability to make full use of their talents and skills would help them to maintain high level of performance. In this case, it is a recognition that motivation, does not merely come from rewards, but may also come from higher level of needs such as the need to have capabilities recognized and be utilized towards their full potential. On the issue of conflict, tt the core, one of the important steps that should be employed is the ability of the manager or leader to identify the problem immediately. One of the key methods of problem identification is constant communication with the subordinates. It is very important to recognize that the differences in personalities in the workplace are really a major cause of conflict (Stanley 6). This means that the manager should always assume that there is always a tendency for conflict to arise. Even employees themselves are aware that conflicts are already occurring. Secondly, there is a need for the manager to have an effective conflict resolution method. In most cases, it would be important that the manager provides individual conflict resolution (Stanley 6). This mean providing employees themselves is given the opportunity to resolve their own issues in order to empower them. The ability to resolve issues and conflicts help the employees in improving their level of confidence. Ability to resolve problems through their initiatives is one point of motivation for employees in the workplace. One way of illustrating an effective consolidation of cultural trends is illustrating the IBM example. IBM Institute for Business Value asserts that increased competition, changing workforce demographics and a shift toward knowledge-based work are requiring companies to place an increasingly higher priority on improving workforce productivity (Lesser and De Marco, Abstract). Companies rely on their Human Resources (HR) function to go beyond the delivery of cost-effective administrative services. They require the HR to provide expertise on â€Å"how to leverage human capital to create true marketplace differentiation. † Facing these challenges, many HR organizations have been actively revamping to more effectively deliver the strategic insights their businesses require. IBM’s study entitled â€Å"A New Approach, A New Capability: The Strategic Side of Human Resources† shows that competing in today’s environment requires companies to focus on building a more responsive, flexible and resilient workforce (p. 2). To do so, organizations must do a more effective job of sourcing talent, allocating resources across competing initiatives, measuring performance and building key capabilities and skills. HR organizations that provide strategic guidance on these issues can become proactive drivers of organizational effectiveness, rather than simply a supporter of these efforts. The HR organizations’ attempt to resolve the growing needs of quality recruitment by a new process of human resource hiring. This process is described as â€Å"positive discrimination in order to select the best† (Beardwell, 84). Others call it â€Å"affirmative action. † This refers to the concrete steps that are taken not only to eliminate employment discrimination but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination (87). The underlying motive for affirmative action is the principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons with equal abilities should have equal opportunities. Those who obtain employment can be sure that the company values them. Unfortunately, this also means rejecting people who smoke, are clinically obese, have high debts, participate in high-risk sports, and the like. In addition, the company also seeks permission from employee to access various databases, which include: criminal records; credit bankruptcy and mortgage defaults; vehicle license checks; educational records; curriculum vitae and applications search. The company believes this is a modern, sophisticated human resource approach because it is able to compare employee’s profiles against the national average for physiological, psychological, social and demographic factors. Affirmative action affects small businesses in two main ways. First, it prevents businesses with 15 or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and physical capability in practices relating to hiring, compensating, promoting, training, and firing employees. Second, it allows the state and federal governments to favor women-owned and minority-owned businesses when awarding contracts, and to reject bids from businesses that do not make good faith efforts to include minority-owned businesses among their subcontractors (Encyclopedia para 2). The interpretation and implementation of affirmative action has been contested since its origins in the 1960s. A central issue of contention was the definition of discriminatory employment practices. The discriminatory employment practices as listed by the Department of Administration and Equal Opportunity (p. 1) include: gender identity, sexual orientation, race discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation. Contrary, the prevailing employment practices include three things. First is the counseling and litigation with respect to employment discrimination (race/sex/disability/sexual harassment), wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, trade secrets/unfair competition, privacy in the workplace, workplace violence, executive contracts, affirmative action, use of independent contractors, OSHA, union organizing and other issues pertaining to hiring, promotion, compensation and discipline (Fenwick and West LLP, p. 1). Second is the representation of large and small employers in class actions and individual cases in state and federal courts and in arbitrations and mediations throughout the country. Last is the regularly advise employers concerning personnel systems, policies and practices that includes, among others: handbooks, policy manuals and drug testing programs, employment and independent contractor agreements, terminations, severance plans and releases, management training (sex harassment avoidance, EEO, rightful discipline: managing for high performance), protecting trade secrets and confidential business information, wage/hour and leave of absence compliance, disciplinary investigations, legal compliance audits, and whistleblower and retaliation claims (para 2 and 3). As the interpretation of positive discrimination evolved, employment practices that were not intentionally discriminatory but that nevertheless had a â€Å"disparate impact† on affected groups were considered a violation of affirmative action regulations (Encyclopedia of Small Business, section 2). Another central issue was whether members of affected groups could receive preferential treatment and, if so, the means by which they could be preferred. This issue is sometimes referred to as the debate over quotas. In the next level of new HR approaches is the care it provides for the employees’ well being. Companies are now committed to the health and wellness of its employees and this extends to the employees’ families. Companies do recognize that all employees from time to time have personal problems. If unresolved, these issues may affect emotional and physical health which ultimately could affect job performance. It is now within the HR’s goal to provide a confidential resource to all employees and their families to help address these issues before they interfere with well being. According to a review of the Gallup Studies by Harter, Schmidt, and Keyes (2002, p. 4), the well-being of the employees is to the best interest of the communities and organizations. They believe that the workplace is the significant part of an individual’s life that affects his/her life and that of the community. The average adult spends much of his/her life working. He/she spends much of his waking hours in work or about one third. Thus, the well-being of the employees is the best interest of the employers who spend substantial resources hiring employees and trying to generate products, profits and maintain loyal customers. Studies show that happy and productive employees clearly link emotional well-being with work performance (p. 2). In sum, work is a pervasive and influential part of the individual and the community’s well-being. It affects the quality of the individual’s life and his/her mental health and thereby can affect the productivity of the entire community. The ability to promote well-being rather than endanger strains and mental illness is of considerable benefit not only to the employees in the community but also to the employers’ bottom line. This aspect should be greatly taken care of by the companies’ HR organizations (Cornelius, p. 142). Concern for the well-being of employees extends to the environment. The company provides background music to help eliminate stress, it plays messages to staff throughout the day for the same reason: to relax people. Messages such as â€Å"stay calm†, â€Å"help colleagues†, â€Å"remember, the company is our community† are all designed for positive reasons. Employees also receive electronic messages by email. The company argues that this â€Å"thoughtfulness† ensures high morale. Video and audio surveillance ensures that staff feels secure. Other companies believe that the physical environment is also important to wellness and productivity. Fragrant aromas such as evergreen may reduce stress; the smell of lemon and jasmine can have a rejuvenating effect. These scents are introduced to all work spaces through the air- conditioning and heating systems. Scents are changed seasonally (Marx, Section 6). Some companies also believe that music is not only enjoyable to listen to but can also affect productivity. Thus, some companies continually experiment with the impact of different styles of music on an office’s or plant’s aggregate output. Personal computers deliver visual subliminals such as â€Å"my world is calm† or â€Å"we’re all on the same team. † Other companies have dietitians who guide the companies’ cafeteria and dining room. They make sure that the companies serve only fresh, wholesome food prepared without salt, sugar, or cholesterol-producing substances. Sugar- and caffeine-based, high-energy snacks and beverages are available during breaks, at no cost to employees. In a practical example of work productivity and employee performance, let us cite Dominion-Swann’s new workplace. Dominion-Swann (DS) is a technology-based company that respects its employees and whose knowledge is the core of its technological enterprise. It cares about its work community and value honesty informed consent, and unfettered scientific inquiry. Its employees understand company strategy. They are free to suggest ways to improve the company’s performance. It also offers handsome rewards for high productivity and vigorous participation in the life of its company. Committed to science, this company believes in careful experimentation and in learning from experience. Since 1990, DS has instituted changes in our work environment because it faced an uncertain future. Our productivity and quality were not keeping pace with overseas competition. Employee turnover was up, especially in the most critical part of our business- automotive chips, switches, and modules. Health costs and work accidents were on the rise. Its employees were demoralized. There were unprecedented numbers of thefts from plants and offices and leaks to competitors about current research. There was also a sharp rise in drug use. Security personnel reported unseemly behavior by company employees not only in our parking lots and athletic fields but also in restaurants and bars near our major plants. In the fall of 1990, it turned to SciexPlan Inc. , a specialist in employee-relations management in worldwide companies, to help develop a program for the radical restructuring of the work environment. There was instability while the program was being developed and implemented. Some valued employees quit and others took early retirement. But widespread publicity about the company’s efforts drew to the program people who sincerely sought a well-ordered, positive environment. DS now boasts a clerical, professional, and factory staff which understands how the interests of a successful company correspond with the interests of individual employees. To paraphrase psychologist William lames, â€Å"When the community dies, the individual withers. † Such sentiments, we believe, are as embedded in Western traditions as in Eastern; they are the foundation of world community. They are also a fact of the new global marketplace. DS’ four principles that underlie work-support restructuring are worth studying for every HR organizations who want to implement structural changes and get valued results. It consists of the following: 1. Make the company a home to employees. Break down artificial and alienating barriers between work and home. Dissolve, through company initiative, feelings of isolation. Great companies are made by great people; all employee behavior and self-development counts. 2. Hire people who will make a continuing contribution. Bring in people who are likely to stay healthy and successful, people who will be on the job without frequent absences. Candor about prospective employees’ pasts may be the key to the company’s future. 3. Technical, hardware-based solutions are preferable to supervision and persuasion. Machines are cheaper, more reliable, and fairer than managers. Employees want to do the right thing; the company wants nothing but this and will give employees all the needed technical assistance. Employees accept performance evaluation from an impartial system more readily than from a superior and appreciate technical solutions that channel behavior in a constructive direction. 4. Create accountability through visibility. Loyal employees enjoy the loyalty of others. They welcome audits, reasonable monitoring, and documentary proof of their activities, whether of location, business conversations, or weekly output. Once identified, good behavior can be rewarded, inappropriate behavior can be improved. These principles have yielded an evolving program that continues to benefit from the participation and suggestions of the company’s employees. This is a good support system to the promotion of the employees’ well-being. Providing support for employees with caring responsibilities in the workplace makes good business sense. Creating a positive work atmosphere that encourages employees to speak out is also another important factor. Benefits can be gained for both the employer and their employees. Companies nowadays attract qualified employees by providing a progressive and motivating work atmosphere. This is because such environment is an excellent opportunity for employees to grow professionally in a professional yet fun and casual environment. According to Susan Heathfield, HR Consultant, about 16 percent of the people responding in a recent Human Resources Forum poll have no performance appraisal system at all (p. 1). Supervisory opinions, provided once a year, are the only appraisal process for 56 percent of respondents. Another 16 percent described their appraisals as based solely on supervisor opinions, but administered more than once a year. The main reason is that performance appraisal is universally disliked and avoided. She concludes that, after all, how many people in an organization want to hear that they were less than perfect last year? How many managers want to face the arguments and diminished morale that can result from the performance appraisal process? This might be certainly true. Performance Management, however is geared towards employee development and organizational improvement (para 3). HR organizations should really implement the most effective and succinct measure of employee performance. Performance management begins when a job is defined. Performance management ends when an employee leaves the company. Between these points, the following must occur for a working performance management system. Heathfield suggests the following Performance Management and Development as the best initiatives to have a systematic appraisal in the general work system. It includes defining the purpose of the job, job duties, and responsibilities; defining performance goals with measurable outcomes; defining the priority of each job responsibility and goal; defining performance standards for key components of the job; holding interim discussions and provide feedback about employee performance, preferably daily, summarized and discussed, at least, quarterly; maintaining a record of performance through critical incident reports; providing the opportunity for broader feedback; using a 360 degree performance feedback system that incorporates feedback from the employee’s peers, customers, and people who may report to him; developing and administering a coaching and improvement plan if the employee is not meeting expectations (para 5). Based on the new tasks of the HR organizations as the company’s business partner, there are five key capabilities that are needed to make a strategic contribution to the organization (Lesser and De Macro, p. 6 ). These include: analytical skills; business acumen; consulting skills; change leadership skills; and the ability to share knowledge across the HR organization. HR organizations need analytical skills to develop evidence-based recommendations and effective business cases. They must understand how data flows through various HR and financial systems, and how to obtain and analyze human capital data that supports their recommendations. HR organizations also need to be proficient in developing models and scenarios that determine the cost and impact of changes in HR policies and procedures. Participants in our study found that they were unlikely to have sufficient depth in these ills within their own HR organizations and considered them among the most difficult to develop. HR organizations also need business acumen in the form of understanding their business unit’s strategies and operations. To serve as true advisors to the business, they must understand the dynamics of their industry, as well as the day-to-day activities performed by different functional units and how individuals within the units are evaluated. They also have to understand the needs of customers and partners to better see how their human capital decisions impact stakeholders beyond the organizational boundaries. Many organizations reported that this in-depth knowledge of the business was often in short supply within their HR groups. HR organizations will have to serve as lead advisors to their business units on human capital issues. To do so, a number of consulting skills are essential, including the abilities to build trusting relationships with senior executives, diagnose organizational problems and determine root causes, develop recommendations and business cases, and create action plans. Further, they must have the strength and conviction to deliver difficult messages to senior leaders, even if those messages may prove to be unpopular. HR organizations also need to be effective at driving change through the organization. This includes soliciting and initiating participation from individuals within the business unit to support change efforts, aligning recognition and performance measurement systems to support desired activities, and effectively communicating with multiple stakeholders. HR organization not only needs to provide expertise to the business units they support, they also should share knowledge across the HR organization (Mello, p. 138).

Academic presonal statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic presonal - Personal Statement Example Even the global forces are demanding more from the agriculture industry. The high demand is due to the world’s growing population. The mixture of all the elements makes the subject more interesting, it is not limited and with time the demand and scope of the business also increases. There is much more to do in the field, as the demand for food is increasing over the years. This increase in demand has led to increase in the production of animal along with the production with animals the sources of food also needs to increased. An Animal Scientist takes both the subjects into account. It also focuses on an area where minimum focus is being given, everyone is more occupied with technology and that is why very few people in the world are working for the cause and I want to make a name in an area which could substantially contribute to the survival of the world. I am the right candidate for the study, not only because I have high interest in the field of subject but at the same time I have contributed much of my life in learning about the concepts. I have done my bachelors and masters in Animal Science. During my graduation I learned the concepts about the subject that I would be able to apply later in life if given the opportunity to do practical work. Along with my academic background I have also worked in the field with Alghabal Algharbi, in their head office of Animal production. Along with working at the department for research work I have also worked as a lecturer in the name university. I find it very interesting to work in the field of genetic improvement as using selection to improve animal production. Along with my interest in working in the field of animal science I am very much fond of studying the effect of feed activity on animal reproduction under different circumstances. Another area of my interest is using bio and mental fe ed additives to improve feed efficiency, digestion and metabolism and their

Advantages of Induced Pluripotent Stem cell research Essay

Advantages of Induced Pluripotent Stem cell research - Essay Example A very important breakthrough came two years ago with the discovery that adult multipotent adult stem cells can be induced, by the addition of transcription factors, to convert into pluripotent cells (Takahashi, Tanabe and Ohnuki). These cells came to be known as induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells. Research of iPS cell technology must be promoted because of the many advantages of using iPS cells compared to the other stem cell types. The first major advantage is the use of somatic tissues instead of embryos as sources. Various types of somatic tissues can be used as sources of iPS cells for the repair of damaged tissues (Yu, Vodyanik and Smuga-Otto). Patient-derived somatic cells can produce patient-specific iPS cells that contain the patient’s genetic information. When these iPS cells are used in transplantation to replace diseased cells, the risk for rejection is reduced. Immune rejection is a problem in the use of embryonic stem cells (de Wert and Mummery). Another potential application is to use the iPS cells for constructing specific disease models and screening for effective drugs (Yamanaka). The potential therefore is high for healing degenerative and chronic diseases like cystic fibrosis, chronic heart problems, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s dis ease and many more (Yamanaka). The advantage of using somatic cells as sources for iPS cells leads to another advantage, which is the removal of the major ethical and moral issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells. Ethical and moral issues have hounded stem cell research since its potential applications were discovered, most concerning the use of 4-5 day old embryos as sources of embryonic stem cells. Since the embryos die upon the isolation of stem cells, the main ethical questions centered on life and its beginnings. Other issues were on obtaining stem cells from pre-implantation embryos, and if this is the case,

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Reflection paper - Essay Example They have also dug tunnels beneath the private property of individuals. This is with an aim of preventing Israel from attacking them, or destroying their weapons. This is because by using settlements where people live, Hamas is able to use them as human shields. Under International Law, it is a crime and illegal for soldiers to attack and kill unarmed civilians. Due to this tactic initiated by Hamas, the death toll of civilians in Gaza was so high, that Barnard and Rudoren identify as 650 people. This is by the time that this article was written. Barnard and Rudoren (2014) explain that under international law, Hamas has a legal obligation of minimizing its military operations near areas where civilians are living. Furthermore, they believe that Hamas is committing a war crime, through their action of firing rockets indiscriminately. Barnard and Rudoren (2014) also maintain that Israel has an obligation of identifying specific military targets in Gaza, and ensuring that civilians are not threatened by their military actions. The tactics of using civilians as human shield by Hamas, and storing weapons in civilian neighborhoods, is an example of urban warfare. Under international law, urban warfare is not illegal, but the law requires that the parties to the conflict must ensure that civilians are protected from harm. Barnard and Rudoren recognize that Israel is a more powerful army, as compared to Hamas, and hence to level the field, Hamas had to protect its weapons by hiding them in civilian areas, and engaging Israel in thos e areas (Barnard and Rudoren, 2014). However, after Barnard and Rudoren (2014) quoting thee extensive use of human shields by Hamas, they point out that there is no evidence that Hamas forced civilians to stay in such areas. Through this assertion, Barnard and Rudoren (2014) were trying to denote that Hamas was not committing an international war crime. To judge on whether this

EXEGESIS on ACTS chapter six verses one through six Research Paper

EXEGESIS on ACTS chapter six verses one through six - Research Paper Example What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.  6. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. (NRSV) Acts 6:1-6 touches on two important issues on the development of the early Church: the beginning of the creation of a church hierarchy and bureaucracy (regardless of whether this text can be related to the appearance of deacons in the second century) and the various social roles of the early Church as both a religious community centered on ritual and as an alternative social network. It also touches on the earliest sectarian division in the Church, between "Hellenists" and "Hebrews." Finally, it introduces the character of Stephen, soon to become the focus of the next two chapters of Acts and the first martyr. Acts 6:1-6 was taken by the Patristic tradition as the establishment of the deaconate (suggested by Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, 14, and overtly stated by Bede, Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, 6.3, both quoted at Martin 70). However unreflective of the Church organization of the mid-first century date that interpretation is likely to be, this pericope does establish the laying on of hands as an element of the ritual of ordination. The passage, however, is more likely to reveal traces of two other historical events is considerable importance. The first is the split between "Hellenists" and "Hebrew" that lies just under the surface layer of the text, in its record of the establishment of separate Church leaders for the "Hellenist" community. This is the first clear indication of division entering into the originally unitary Jesus movement as geographical, sociological, and perhaps even doctrinal differences led to the development of separate communities. I t is also the first instance of

Transparency for an open world Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Transparency for an open world - Research Paper Example Secondly, the controversy also revolves around the quality of photos taken. The photos question the intention of the photographer who took the photos even when the photographs follow the rule which governs photography. Questions are posed as to whether the photo shooting act was intentional or it was accidental. However, most photographs are controversial because majority of the photographers who captures them always fail to follow the rules like those governing the thirds and leads. They fail to consider the affected as they do not enhance the autopsy photos to suit the moods and emotions of the affected and even the public ((Morewitz, 2014).   Ã‚  Thirdly, it is largely speculated that majority of these photos are being displayed for monetary purposes. Individuals who display the photos always sell them to the highest newspaper and media bidders. Therefore, this raises the question on the intent for taking the photos in the first place. This is because companies or agencies posti ng these photos are profit oriented, therefore are capable of paying large sums for the photos just to increase their profits by making headlines on the photos. In my own opinion, I am in support of the public’s right to know the actual cause of a person’s death by being allowed to access the autopsy photos. This is because it clears any uncertainty regarding the cause of death especially those surrounded by controversies. An example is that the case involved maybe that of a public figure and their personality.

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary Research Paper

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary - Research Paper Example The three phases that this marketing simulation summary contains will include a brief discussion of the existing situation, recommending the appropriate solution to tackle the adverse situation, and finally the discussion of the results (Answers n.d). Moreover, we will look at positioning and differentiation and will try to understand the relationship between them. Positioning and differentiation of a product is extremely crucial for success of a marketing plan. Also, we will try to examine what effects does product life cycle has on a marketing plan. Sales growth chart of Cruiser Thorr has negative slope. The motorcycle has done well in the past but now it requires a serious thought. The dedicated customer segment for these cruiser bikes has grown older. So there is obvious change in liking and Cruise Thorr motorcycle is not as appealing to them as it was few years back. Even the younger consumer base for Cruiser Thorr maintains a distance from it because of the price factor. They doubt if Thorr offers proper balance between lifestyle and price that needs to be paid for it. So the purpose of this scenario remains to assess the positioning of Thor in the marketplace over given parameters. These parameters are namely Price, Lifestyle, Services rendered and Quality engineering. Price is the first P of marketing mix and is pivotal in making a buying decision. Wrong or inappropriate pricing could overshadow all other P’s and qualities that a product possesses. Younger consumers were always interested in competitively lower priced motorcycles. Here, an important decision regarding brand dilution is to be made and that what is the appropriate value. Lifestyle image of Cruiser Thorr needs an honest reconsideration. It has already been stated that older consumer cannot live the same way they used to when they were young, so there is shift in their preference when it comes to selecting a motorcycle. Under this parameter important data could be

The Cold War Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Cold War - Assignment Example 2010) That said there was plenty of room for disagreements and competition to erupt between the two; There are three are reasons that generally gave the United States little choice but to become a part of the Cold War. The first was the issues of free elections that Poland should have been able to participate. But due to under the table deal making by Stalin with Hitler during World War II the Soviet Union would not allow Poland their free elections. For this reason President Truman made it clear that as our allies we were required to aid and support them; the same was true of our Mediterranean allies.(Henretta et al. 2010) This pushed us into involvement. Next, was the arms competition. The aforementioned arms race left America little choice but to participate in the Cold War, or else face the Soviet Union becoming more powerful and far more dangerous. Lastly, the United States being entering into the Cold War had a great deal to do with ideology and philosophical belief systems. Th e Cold War represented the war between Democracy and Communism. Defeating the Soviet Union was the same as gaining the upper hand over Communism. Ultimately, the United States and the Soviet Union did not destroy each other, or the rest of the world, obviously. However, some scholars today will tell you that the Cold War did not end in the 1960s, as often stated; it did not until the Soviet Union officially fell decades

Motivational practices of an organization Essay

Motivational practices of an organization - Essay Example Motivational practices of an organization Motivation can be defined as the external and internal factors that stimulate energy and desire in an individual to be committed towards a goal. In simple words it can be defined as an internal and (or) external drive which makes or motivates a person to act in a certain manner to achieved he desired objective. Motivation results from the interaction of unconscious and conscious factors such as desire, intensity of needs and desires; incentive or value for achieving a goal; expectations of individuals (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010, p. 221). All these factors are the key reasons that drive an individual to behave in a certain fashion. Motivation has become an integral part of the business. The modern companies are constantly looking for new ways to recruit and retain talents. The companies also look to find out innovative means to motivate employees to get the best out the employees. Today, however many leaders try to create an effective trigger mechanism to promote a culture of self development and self-motivation; which actually brings to the company which would be in the focal point of discussion- Google Inc. Google Inc is an American multinational company that specializes in the domain of digital services and products including cloud computing, search engine, online ads. Majority of the profits of the company comes from the ad words. As on 2012 the revenue of the company was US$ 50.18 billion. The company was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. The company has more than 30,000 employees worldwide. During the course of the different motivational strategies adopted by the study along with the organizational culture of the company would be discussed and analyzed by applying appropriate motivational theories. Motivational Theories: Brief Overview The implications of motivational aspects in various top notch organizations have made several acade mic researchers to come up with various theories of motivation such as the Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs; Herzberg’s two factor theory; McClelland's Theory of Motivation. Theory X and Theory Y. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory was based upon four needs such as the self actualization, esteem needs, love, safety and physiological needs. McClelland's Theory of Motivation believed that an individual have three basic motivational needs such as the achievement, affiliation and power. Herzberg’s theory of motivation focuses on two main factors. These include the result which may lead to higher levels of motivation or job satisfaction and the other set of results which may cause hindrance in the way people from being dissatisfied. Hygiene needs can be met by the results including comfortable and pleasant working conditions, effectual supervision and good relationship with peers. Theory X and Y were developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X believed that wor kers are lazy and need to be supervised so that the desired results can be achieved, theory Y on the other hand advocated that workers understand the sense of responsibility and can motivate themselves to achieve the desired objectives. Analysis using Case Study Approach From the humble beginnings in the year 1998 in small garage the company has become one of the largest corporations in the world. One of the key to the success of the company has been the organizational culture. Google in well known for having an informal organizational culture. Google’s organizational philosophy says that one can be serious without a suit. The organizational philosophy also says that work should be challenging and challenge should be fun. Google does not create colossal groups. Also the company follows a pretty much flat organizational structure. There are literally no official channels of communication and hence ideas can flow from one group to another. Usually these groups are monitored by project managers. The

Tj Eckleburg Essay Example for Free

Tj Eckleburg Essay The eyes of TJ Eckleburg symbolizes the destruction of the American Dream. Evidence: Billboard fading, Main characters going into NYC to commit corruption and the Eyes looking upon the death of Myrtle. Like spiritual values, the billboard is neglected. â€Å"But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground†. â€Å"This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. † The hollowness that the author describes the eyes and how its faded represents the neglect and destruction of the American dream and how it looks upon only the material wealth and not the morals of people. The eyes are also set in the valley of ashes where the poor lived and it represents the hollowness of the American dream and that its a big lie and that that gold will turn into ashes. Corruption of the American society/dream. Tom go on his affairs with Myrtle, watches Gatsby drives to meet Wolfshiem to bootleg, and watches Daisy go find new thrills with Gatsby. The eyes watches how the main characters go in and out of NYC to commit corruption. George said â€Å"God knows what youve been doing, everything youve been doing. You may fool me but you cant fool God†. George is referring to the eyes and how you can fool everyone but the eyes know what you have done and what corruption you have contributed to the American dream. What these main character do shapes how we see the American dream and it tells us it can lead to destruction. The eyes watch as Myrtle’s American dreams died along with her. Eyes see how Myrtle and Toms affair began Watched it grow, watched how desperate she wants to live the American dream. She had it but to only die because of it. She got hit by Toms car and died in front of the eyes. The eyes saw the whole affair between Tom and Myrtle from beginning to end. Mrtyle yearns to live the American dream so she has an affair with Tom. Eventually the American dream caught up to her and she neglected her values and rushed out to a fast moving toms car and got it. This signifies the end of the American dream and shows you that the hollowness of this dream and that one day gold will turn into ashes as Myrtle dies in front of the eyes in the valley of ashes. They eyes of TJ Eckleburg reflects the destruction of the American dream. Like spiritual values, the billboard is neglected, corruption of the American society/dream and the eyes watch as Myrtle’s American dreams died along with her. The eyes of TJ Eckleburg shows us that the American dream is a big lie and that all good things come to an end, that gold can become ash. The corruption and pain that the American dream brings onto you and to others is not wroth that lifestyle.

Descartes Method of Doubt

Descartes Method of Doubt Explain Descartes Method of doubt; what does he hope to accomplish from this method; is Descartes a skeptic? Descartes began Meditation One of his classic Meditation on First Philosophy by saying that throughout his life, he had acquired several opinions and beliefs which he later discovered to be false (17-18). The main goal of Descartes was to find a foundation on which knowledge can be built. That is Descartes wanted to find a certainty or truth which could not be doubted beyond dispute. He agrees with Plato that knowledge requires certainty, but reject Plato idea that physical world is not knowable. What does it means to be certainty? Descartes main problem was how to achieve this certainty. In order to achieve this aim, Descartes adopted a systematic method known as the method of doubt. The method of doubt teaches us to take our beliefs and subject them to doubt. If it is possible to doubt, then we treat them as false, and we need to repeat this process until we are unable to find something to doubt on. The main point is that we treat all our beliefs as false until we find a foundation which is undoubtable, and we used the undoubtable things to build up everything on it. The method of doubt will be elaborated based on: doubting the senses, doubting the physical world (dream), and imagining that there exists an evil genius. Descartes begins by pointing out that our senses are unreliable. He questions all knowledge that he had acquired either from the senses or through the senses. He noticed that if the senses had deceived him even once, they were no more trustworthy. It is a mark of prudence never to place our complete trust in those who have deceived us even once. (18-19). For example, He often mistook what he saw at a distance such as straight thing look bent, round thing look oval, square thing look round, and mountains look purple (). In addition, even the impression Descartes received in the moment he was directly looking the fire before him while he was writing proved not to be reliable (19). How did Descartes know that he was not really in insane or dreaming? He answers this question by saying that our immediate impressions are so vivid that they must be real. However, Descartes contradict his answer by saying that he always dreamed of sitting before the fire while writing (19), and some of these dreams becomes visible to him quite vividly. Hence, he could not be sure that he was not dreaming at that moment. According to this doubt, Descartes confirmed that all the knowledge receivedthrough the senses must be temporarily prevented from continuing because there are not certain. In addition, we can doubt that what our senses give us is accurate, but they cannot be the foundation of building true knowledge or certainty. In addition, Descartes continues his method of doubt by assuming for the sake of argument that we are dreaming about everything. If we are dreaming about everything, there is still some knowledge that is acquired within the dream itself. This means that although we can doubt that all the images and ideas that we see in our dreams refer to some outward reality. However, we can consider these images and ideas in their simple components in order to see if any of images and ideas might be true in themselves. After rejecting all simple components of images and ideas which are based on senses such as color, sound, etc., Descartes came to the simple truth of mathematics. Which is that one plus two equals three does not depends on any sensible experience, but is gotten entirely from our minds despites of whether we are asleep or awake. Descartes used this principle to reach at a clear and distinct idea which is beyond all doubt. Therefore, we can say in words that one plus three equals four, but we cannot actually think in our minds that it equals four but three. Furthermore, Descartes took his search for the truth that is beyond any doubt to the extreme by imagining that there is an evil genius. Descartes consider the evil genius to be someone who has the power of God, but who is not good. The evil genius is determined to deceive us into thinking that there is a physical world when in fact there is none. For example, using the famous Matrix movie, the machines that are used in the movie would be considered as the evil geniuses. Everything would seem to us to be real just like in the matrix, but none of it would be real. However, Descartes does not actually believe that this evil genius exists, but there is no way to ruled it out based on our sensory experience. Hence, how can we doubt that one plus two does not equals three when our minds necessarily admit that it equals three? Descartes used the concept of the evil genuis to hypothesize that maybe there is an evil god who is deceiving us from getting the correct answer. Even though, we alwa ys think that one plus two equals three. Maybe this god is actually tricking us, and in reality it equals four. Descartes linked this circumstance where we are absolutely confident about our belief toward a certain fact, but despite this confident we often discover later that we had mistaken about the fact. This might be the case for our mathematical truths in which an evil god is deceiving us from getting the correct solution to a problem every time we count or do the mathematics. Moreover, Descartes main objective of using the method of doubt was to find a foundation on which truth or true knowledge can be built. Descartes wanted to find a certainty or truth which could not be doubted beyond dispute. The question what does it means to be certainty? as posed in above introduction can be define as being unable to doubt what we know. Something that cannot be possibly be doubted is certain. By possible to doubt, Descartes means any possibility what so ever. This will guarantee that whatever cannot be doubted really is certain. Therefore, if one could find something that was truly undoubted in this sense, we could use it in a valid argument like a syllogism. The conclusion of which would be that the world exists in the way that we think it does. In addition, Descartes was skeptical in his arguments. This is he apply reasoning and critical thinking to determine validity of his arguments. He was able to find supported conclusion and not the justification of a precon ceived conclusion. To conclude, Descartes developed the method of doubt to find certainty. For the purpose of this method, if we can doubt a belief then we treat that belief as false. He applies this method systemically. He doubts that the world is the way it appear to be, he doubts that there is a physical world at all, and finally he doubts the mathematical truths. However, the one thing that Descartes cannot doubt is that while he doubts, he must exist. Even if there was an evil genius and if he was deceiving me in to thinking that there was a physical world when in fact there is none, it could not be the case that I think that there is a physical world if there werent a me to deceived. Therefore, when I am thinking, I know I exist and this cannot be doubted. Using this method of doubt, Descartes finally found certainty which is he exist as a thinking thing, whether there is a physical world or not he cannot doubt he exists. This is the foundation he plans to build back all of the stuff he previousl y doubted as cited in the introduction.

Impact Of Leadership Styles

Impact Of Leadership Styles Leadership styles Transactional leadership and transformational leadership have gained attention over a period of last few decades (Bass, 1988; 1990; Bass and Avolio, 1993; Hartog, et al., 1997). According to Kirkpatrick Locke (1996), Transformational Leadership and Transactional Leadership both are directly related with numerous workplace outcomes such as job satisfaction, group performance, employees performance, and organizational commitment. These results have also been tested in different research settings (Al-Dmour Awamleh, 2002).In spite of this, the effects of managerial leadership styles from transformational and transactional perspectives have not been validated in IT firms. A key objective of this study is to fill this knowledge gap. This study will assess the effects of transformational and transactional leadership styles on employees performance in IT firms in India. According to Lewis et al (1998), In the 21st century, managers and leaders are expected to cope with a rapidly changing world of work. Hooper Potter (2000) suggests that managers will have to be competent leaders in order to transform their people to achieve the required company outcomes. Ryback (1998) describes a 21st century leader as having the ability to demonstrate a greater empathy and concern for people issues than his/her earlier counterparts. Managing projects in the information technology domain remains challenging, since various global trends contribute to rising complexities. Software development projects account for a very large portion of the overall IT outsourcing market. According to Dibbern et al. (2008), prior information technology research has provided a list of possible reasons why IT offshore outsourcing projects fail to meet the initial goals and expectations of both client and vendor. However, research is still limited dealing with leadership and management of Information technology projects (Lee 2008; Mao et al. 2008). Carson et al. (2007) states that one of the most important issues within project management is leadership. However, research about the crucial leadership styles focusing on IT projects is still limited. IT projects experience high failure rates since many years. The Standish Group reported significant time and cost overruns, add to by not fully meeting quality expectations of the project sponsors (Xia and Lee 2004). The primary reason, however, are not technological, but rather managerial issues (Scott and Vessey, 2002). Sumner et al. (2005) states that to successfully implement technical projects, strong project leaders with superior leadership skills are essential which will offers the potential to contribute to IT project success. Durham et al. (1997) states that research has proved the importance of leadership behaviour for team effectiveness, and for employees performance. According to Sumner (2000), lack of leadership or ineffective leadership is among the top hindering factors for IT project success. IT leaders of ten lack interpersonal leadership skills, because technical employees get promoted to become project leaders due to their technical knowledge, not for their people management capabilities (Rosenbaum 1991). The effect of transactional and transformational leadership style on employees performance have been validated on Health, Retail, Education and manufacturing sectors. There is a limited knowledge or research conducted on the leadership style of the project leader/team leader in the IT sector and how it affects the employees performance. This research aims to investigate the relationship between the effective team leader/Project manager leadership style and subordinates performance. The literature review discusses the link between Transformational leadership and employee performance and also the link between transactional leadership styles and employees performance. Objective of the Research This study investigates the impact of transformational leadership and transactional leadership style on employees performance. The objectives of this research are: Evaluation of the employees performance in relation to the transformational and transactional leadership styles. Assessing the employees preference over transformational and transactional leadership style. Finding the recommendations to improve employees performance with the help of transformational and transactional leadership style. Literature review Leadership and performance Yukl (1994) defined leadership as a social influence process whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person over other people to structure the activities and relationships in a group or organization. Max Weber is one of the major contributor of leadership and theorists to observe the parallel between the industry mechanization and bureaucratic forms of organization (Morgan, 1998).According to (Bass, 1990 Morgan, 1998) , the classical theorists such as Henri Fayol and F. W. Mooney, loyal advocates of bureaucratization in contrast to Weber, identified methods through which this kind of organizational structure could be achieved. These classical theorists set the basis for many modern management techniques. Webers concern about bureaucracy, however, did not affect theorists who set the stage for what is now known as classical management theory and scientific management (Stone et al., 2005).Scientific managers focused on the systematic management of individual jobs while the Classical theorists focused on the design of the total organization (Stone et al., 2005).Scientific management, an approach introduced by Frederick Taylor, was technological in nature (Hersey, Blanchard, Johnso n, 1996). Taylor initiated time-and-motion studies to analyse work tasks to improve worker productivity in an attempt to achieve the highest level of efficiency possible. He has also been accused of viewing people as instruments or machines to be manipulated by their leaders. Under scientific management theory the function of a leader was to establish and enforce performance criteria to meet organizational goals; therefore, the focus of a leader was not on the individual worker but was on the needs of the organization. Emerging theorists encouraged leaders to recognize that humans were not machines and could not be treated as such. During mid-1940s, a post bureaucratic shift moved everyone taking responsibility for the organizations success or failure (HeckscherDonnellon, 1994). Researchers started to examine the relationship between the leader behaviour and the other outcomes such as follower satisfaction level, organizational productivity and profitability. According to Griffin and Moorhead (2011),two of the first behavioural approaches to leadership were the Michigan and Ohio state studies which were conducted during 1940s and 1950s.The results of the Michigan studies suggested that there are two fundamental types of leader behaviour, job -centered and employee-centered which were presumed to be at opposite ends of a single continuum. The Ohio State studies also found two similar kinds of leadership behaviour consideration and initiating structure but this research suggested that these two types of behaviour were actually independent dimensions. These characteristics could be either high or low and were independent of one another. A new theory of organizations and leadership began to emerge based on the idea that individuals operate most effectively when their needs are satisfied (Stone et al. 2005). Maslows (1959) Hierarchy of Needs says that once a workers physiological, security, and social (intrinsic) needs were met, productivity would only be possible if the employees ego and self-actualizing (extrinsic) needs were also met. During 1950s and 1960s, the behavioural theories came into existence. According to Bass (1990), Theorists began to consider behavioural concepts in their analysis of organizational leadership and focused to understand the relationship between a leaders actions and the followers satisfaction and productivity. Barnard was involved in including behavioural components and his work focused on the behavioural components analysis of organizational leadership.Barnard claimed that leadership involves accomplishing goals with and through people (Bass, 1990). Subsequently, the goal of effective leadership was evolving and was moving away from classical and scientific management theories that treated workers as machines. According to (Johnson et al, 1996, p. 100), the real power centers within an organization were the interpersonal relationships that developed among working groups. Based on the idea that individuals operate most effectively when their needs are satisfied, a new theory of leadership began to emerge. McGregor (1960) work was closely linked to behavioural theorists, providing a foundation for the future emergence of transformational leadership. McGregor Theory Y says that individuals do not essentially dislike work and, under certain conditions, work could actually be a source of great satisfaction (Pugh Hickson, 1993). Theory Y assumed that individuals would employ self-direction and self-control, accepting and seeking responsibility (Pugh Hickson, 1993).During 1960s, researchers acknowledged that leaders did more than simply act they often had to react to specific situations, and thus, the situational/contingency theory of leadership evolved (Stone et al., 2005). However, in an appa rent return to the one best way of leadership, recent studies on leadership have contrasted transactional leadership with transformational leadership. According to Cummings and Schwab (1973), Leadership is perhaps the most investigated organisational variable that has a potential impact on employee performance. For the strength of an organization job satisfaction plays a vital role which has significant effect on employee performance.Walumba Hartnell (2011) suggests that the word performance is used to pass on the individual aptitude to be inspired, stirring, pioneering and to determinant to achieving the goals on an organization. Bass (1990) and Burns (1978) suggest that strong leaders outperform weak leaders, and that transformational leadership generates higher performance than transactional leadership. The researcher aim is to discuss whether the transformational leadership does really stimulate the employees for higher performance. From this we can conclude that transformational leadership stimulate higher performance. Cummings and Schwab (1973) suggest that in order for an organisation to perform an individual must set aside his personal goals, at least in part, to strive for the collective goals of the organisation. Employees are of paramount importance to the achievement of any organisation and hence effective leadership enables greater participation of the entire workforce, and can also influence both individual and organisational performance (Bass, 1997; Mullins, 1999). For an effective organisation, there must be effective and stimulating relations between the people involved in the organisation (Paulus et al. 1996). It is generally accepted that the effectiveness of people is largely dependent on the quality of its leadership and hence effective leader behaviour facilitates the attainment of the followers desires, which results in effective performance (Fiedler and House, 1988).Previous study results shows that there is a positive relation between satisfied employees and organization, as the performance of the satisfied employees are more productive for the organization then less satisfied employees (Ostroff,1992).Leadership is connected with employee performance (Ogbonna Harris 2000). The main idea of every organization is to enhance employee performance. Howell, Merenda (1999) Goodwin (2001) suggested that transformational leadership plays an imperative role in increasing job satisfaction as well as role play to achieve organizations goal and employees acts. Transformational leadership correlated with subordinate skills with work worth to assess employees performance as stated by Walumbwa, Avolio Zhu (2008). According to Ozaralli (2002), Organisations increase employees performance by giving empowerment to their team members. Researchers have studied that the employee performance is increased under the extraverted leadership when employees are passive and the result will be opposite if employees are proactive (Grant, Gino Hofmann, 2011). Researchers have also studied the employees performance with variety of variables. Opren (1986) observed that, satisfied employees not only be the cause of increasing employee performance but also they dont think to leave organization. Su, Baird and Blair (2009) feels, the level of productivity will be high when the employees are satisfied. According to Biswas (2009), the supporting style of manager also plays incredible role for increasing employees performance. Transformational leadership originated from charismatic leadership. House (1977) suggests that the personal characteristics of the charismatic leader include a high degree of self-confidence, strong moral convictions, and a tendency to influence others as well as engaging in impression management behaviours to boost trust and confidence in the leader. Furthermore, the articulation of a mission, setting challenging goals, and arousing motives are also important. Burns (1978) was the first person who identified the concept of transformational leadership. He suggested that transformational leadership is observed when leaders encourage followers to boost up the level of their motivation, morals, beliefs, perceptions, and coalition with the objectives of the organization. Bass (1985) proposed a new theory of transformational leadership and outlined its components. Transformational leadership engages followers by appealing to their upper level needs and ideas that yield higher levels of fo llower satisfaction and performance (Bass, 1985; Bryman, 1992).According to Schepers et al. (2005), transformational leaders allow employees to think creatively and analyse the problem from numerous angles and explore new and better solutions of the problem. Gill et al. (2006) suggested that organizations can reduce job stress and burn out by applying transformational leadership. Transformational leadership focuses on more sensitive side of organizational interactions like vision, culture, values, development, teamwork, and service (Fairholm, 2001).Bass (1998) claims that by emphasizing the symbolic and expressive aspects of task goal efforts and the important values involved, the transformational leader makes the difference. There are three mechanisms in Transformational Leadership: Leaders give values to their subordinates, motivate their subordinates and persuade in mounting or varying followers needs (William, Richards, Steers James, 1995).Transformational leadership is comprised of four central components. Bass (1985) suggests that Charisma is the key component of transformational leadership and it generates profound emotional connection between the leader and follower. According to Bass Avolio (1990) Charisma is operational through vision where the charismatic leader earns the respect and trust of followers, which leads to the acceptance of challengin g goals. The second transformational component is inspiration where leaders provides followers with challenges and meaning for engaging in shared goals and undertakings (Bass Avolio, 1990).Another major component of transformational leadership is individualized consideration, the leader first identifies the individual needs and abilities of followers and then mentors and coaches them, and also uses delegation (Bass Avolio, 1990). The final transformational component is intellectual stimulation, the leader helps followers to think on their own and analyse problems from their personal perspectives, encourages creativity, innovation, and challenge conventional wisdom (Bass Avolio, 1990). Most of the researchers had associated transformational leadership with employees performance and job satisfaction and argued that transformational leadership can be the best predictor of employee performance (Raja Palanichamy,2011).Transformational culture boosts both the organization and the employees performance without enforcing extra burden (Schlotz, 2009). Prior researcher has demonstrated that followers who work under transformational leaders are motivated and committed which facilitates their satisfaction with jobs (Givens, 2008). Masi cook (2000) believed that transformational leadership style is only the factor of increasing employee productivity.However,Parry Thomson ( 2002) claimed that it is important to adopt the appropriate leadership style for the success of an organization and examining, praising and assessing a leader do not truly assures the followers honesty in this case transformational leadership becomes inapplicable. According to Kuhnert Lewis (1987), transactional leadership is an exchange between followers and leaders desired outcomes by fulfilling the leaders interest and followers expectations, which involves promises or commitments embedded by respect and trust. Bass (2000) suggested that effective leaders accommodate the interests of their subordinates by giving contingent incentives, honour and promises for those who auspiciously succeeded in fulfilling the commitments of the leaders or the organization. On the other hand, Bryman (1992) argues that transactional leadership behaviours do not even qualify for a true leadership label because of the fact that the leader and follower agree, explicitly or implicitly, that desired follower behaviours will be rewarded, while undesirable behaviours will draw out punishment. He states that since it is based on exchange, transactional leadership does not seek to motivate followers. Bass (1985) and Burns (1978) suggest that total reliance on this lea dership style may cause performance and satisfaction to suffer. As modelled by Bass, transactional leadership is comprised of two fundamental dimensions: contingent reward and management-by-exception. Contingent reward takes place when the leader provides rewards if followers perform in accordance with the contractor expend the necessary effort. In Management-by-Exception, the leader takes action only when major deviations from plans are evident. Unlike Burns (1978), Bass (1985) insists that, to be effective, leaders need to demonstrate features of both transactional and transformational leadership. HowellMerenda (1999) conducted their research on transactional and leadership in forecasting employees performance and concluded that transactional leadership style is a positive predictor of followers performance. Gadot (2007) claimed that the transactional leadership style is weakly associated with performance. Ponce et al. (2006) Indicated that there is a dominance of the transactional leadership style over transformational style. Halpin et al (2006) suggested that leadership behaviours and team performance outcomes revealed that transactional leadership behaviour is significantly related to team performance. According to Jung et al. (1999), to make transactional leadership more effective, appropriate usage of contingent reward is an important feedback to assemble expectations with followers in term of their performance. Janssen Yperen (2004) acknowledged that transactional leadership assists the efficiency by enhancing innovative job performance and job satisfaction. From this we can conclude that some authors believe that transactional leadership stimulates higher performance and some believe that it is weakly associated with performance. Empirical evidence tends to support the view that leaders will maximize their effectiveness when they exhibit both transformational and transactional behaviours (Avolio et al, 1988; Bass Yammarino, 1989).Bass and Avolio (1994) and Ristow (1998) conducted research in different environments and found that transformational leadership has a positive influence on employee performance, and therefore organisational performance. Research conducted by Pruijn and Boucher (1994) showed that transformational leadership is an extension of transactional leadership (Bass, 1997).Bass and Avolio (1994) stated that the difference between these two models is that followers of transformational leadership exhibit performance which is beyond expectations, while transactional leadership, at best, leads to expected performance .Ristow (1998) suggested that transactional leaders were effective in markets which were continually growing and where there was little or no competition, but this is not the case in the markets of today, where competition is fierce and resources are scarce. Brand et al. (2000) has clearly shown that transformational leaders are more effective than transactional leaders. Brand et al. (2000) showed the evidence gathered in South African retail and manufacturing sectors, and also in the armed forces of the United States, Canada and Germany, points towards the marginal impact transactional leaders have on the performance of their followers in contrast to the strong, positive effects of transformational leaders .This research has been further supported by research conducted by Ristow, et al. (1999), according to which there was a positive relationship between certain styles of leadership and organisational effectiveness within the administration of South Africa cricket. Bass and Avolio (1997) conducted research on the topic of transformational and transactional leadership, an appropriate instrument was identified, called the MLQ(Multi factor leadership questionnaire ).The questionnaire contains statements that identify and measure the key aspects of leadership behaviour, and each statement in the questionnaire relates to either transactional, transformational or non-transactional leadership factors. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Type of Research Design The type of research design that will be used in this study is quantitative research design, survey method. The present study is quantitative in nature because I will use quantitative data which is collected through questionnaire. Then the first step of my study will be to make worth by the validity by as its focus using positivism approach. Positivism paradigm will be used in this study is on understanding the ideology of multiple participants in their locations and work place. The survey design is chosen because it provides a quantitative description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population. So that, it can best show the level of relation between leadership styles and employees performance. Sampling technique and measures The level of leadership qualities possessed by project managers/team leaders and the subordinates in XXXXX Company will be determined by the questionnaires distributed to a random sample of employees. Hence project managers/team leaders as well as their subordinates will be the participants of the study. Questionnaires will be distributed to a sample population of 50.All the questions are close-ended and are measured using Likerts Five Point scaling ranging from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always). The advantage of using close ended questions is that the results can be presented in the form of statistics and answers can be pre-coded so that the responses can be fed into a computer. Pilot survey has been conducted to check if there any problem in the questionnaire before the real investigation and the final version of the questionnaire has been set up. The transformational leadership is measured by the following components Idealized attributes, idealized behaviour, intellectual simulation, confi dence, individual consideration and inspirational motivation. The transactional leadership is measured by the following components contingent reward and management by exception (active). The performances measured that are included in this study are extra effort, effectiveness and satisfaction. Data Collection Instruments, Variables and Materials As a primary data collection instrument questionnaires will be distributed to a random sample of employees. The questionnaire is adapted from Multi factor Leadership Questionnaire; commonly called MLQ, developed by Bass Avolio (1990). The study will also make use of secondary sources of data such as relevant books in leadership and related areas. The data will be analysed with the help of descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis to find out the most relevant leadership styles and relationship of these leadership styles with the selected outcomes such as extra effort, effectiveness and satisfaction. According to my opinion, the MLQ holds well in studying leadership behaviour. Previous research shows that to study the leadership behaviours most of the researchers have adopted MLQ.The MLQ is valid and reliable and has been used extensively worldwide (Bass and Avolio, 1997; Whitelaw, 2001). It has proven to be a strong predictor of leader performance across a broad range of organisations (Bass and Avolio, 1997).The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (self-rated) is used to get evaluation of leadership behaviour and organizational effectiveness (Bass and Avolio, 2000). The MLQ is a questionnaire describing behaviour and employees performance outcomes, each rated on 5 point scale. It measure transformational, transactional leadership and employees performance outcomes like satisfaction, effectiveness and extra effort. The previous researchers have used MLQ which consists of two versions, one for the leader to complete, and one for the raters of the leaders to complete. The leaders complete a questionnaire describing their own leadership style, whilst the raters complete a questionnaire regarding the leadership style of their specific leader. These two versions consist of exactly the same statements, except that they are written from different perspectives. These two versions are known as the leader version and rater version respectively. I would be following the same approach. Reliability and validity are the statistical criteria used to assess whether the research provides a good measure (Whitelaw, 2001).The MLQ has been tested for reliability and validity in a number of settings (Pruijnand Boucher, 1994). The MLQ (Bass Avolio 2000) is one of the widely primary instruments used and accepted to measure transformational and transactional leadership styles.MLQ has gone through many revisions to strengthen its reliability and validity. Also more than 200 doctoral dissertations and master thesis have used the MLQ (Bass Avolio 2000). After collecting the data from the participants then SPSS software will be used for the data analysis. After recording the data into SPSS software, Descriptive statistic will be used to get the overall summary of the variables. In the table of descriptive statistic, the values of mean, Standard deviation and also the maximum and minimum values are obtained for leadership and performance variables which would define the response rate of the respondent. Descriptive statistical analyses will be performed to measure general demographic characteristics of the sample including age, gender, and years of tenure with the company. These analyses are unrelated to research questions or hypotheses but they are discretionary and exploratory in nature. The researcher believes that some of this demographic information may be useful and if any of the data proves interesting or significant in any way it may be an area for future research but it is not the focus of this study. Secondly, total scores wi ll be analyzed. Finally to test the hypotheses framed for the relationship between dependent and independent variables and to check the value that how much change comes in dependent variable due to independent variable, multiple regression analysis will be used.

Why Rome Fell (a Condensed Version) :: essays research papers fc

Why Rome Fell (a condensed version)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sun had long ago set, the newborn moon peeked out from behind a scattering of thin, high clouds. From a vantage point atop one of seven hills I could see glimpses of how this great city must once have looked. The mammoth buildings seem to shed their long years and are once again as they were; huge, awe inspiring, it is as if a portal in time had opened and I am afforded a glimpse into what was Rome. What could have caused this once master of all cities to fall? This paper will attempt to describe some of the explanations generally accepted, or should I say argued, and possibly shed some light on what could have caused the fall of what was, unquestionably, the most powerful empire in history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel that I must begin with the explanations given by Edward Gibbon. While few agree entirely with his logic, his Decline and Fall on the Roman Empire is certainly unavoidable in a paper such as this. His work could be best summed up by the word confusing. According to David Jordan, ‘the causes for Rome's fall march across the pages of the Decline and Fall, seemingly without pattern, and seemingly unrelated to each other. This quote taken from the seventh chapter of Jordan's Gibbon and his Roman Empire sum up my feelings concerning the work; however, I will attempt to show some of Gibbon's Causes for this decline. Two of Gibbon's causes are the political blunders of its emperors and their search for personal glory. These are especially obvious in his chapters on Constantine. In them Gibbon accuses the emperor of destroying Rome for his own personal glory. Another cause would have to be the anti-Roman nature of Christianity. Gibbons argues that the ‘insensible' penetration of Christianity was fatal to the empire by undermining the genius of a great people. On a pessimistic note, Gibbon also lists as a ‘causes' the inevitable collapse of all human institutions, some arguments on the corrupting nature of luxury, and some detailed reflections on the vanity of human wishes. While the arguments presented are lengthily backed, they seem to fail in explaining the true nature of the fall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Others, many others disagree with Gibbon's explanations and proffer their own for approval. One such author is David Woomersley who in his work, The Transformation of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , openly attacks Gibbon's work calling it ‘a blunt instrument with which to dissect these centuries.' That quote, taken from chapter sixteen, is one of many which show the violent disagreement of the two ideas.

Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? Essay

Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? (The Guardian, 2012), Denis Campbell and Nicola Davison, says that the unlawful business in human organs special kidneys has advanced quickly and unexpectedly. The reasons why selling kidneys has advanced quickly is that nowadays many countries have wars so there are many poor people who need money to live a good life. Also, after wars, there are many sick people that felt desperation because they lost their organs in the war and no one donated to them, so they needed to buy organs to stay alive. Other reason is because people have two kidneys so when they sell one kidney for important reasons, they won’t die. Most countries punish those people who sell their organs that is why in those countries there are many illegal trafficking of human organs, but in some countries trafficking human organs is legal like Iran. People who are trafficking human organs help other people to live a good life, also help sick people to feel healthy again and not to die. The desperation of many peo ple needing transplantation surgery and the poverty of many people with healthy organs often results in the trafficking of human organs. It’s a trade where the two persons win, because trafficking human organs help many poor people who don't have money to buy food or clothes by selling their organs that they can live without for money to the sick people who need this organ to stay alive. Selling organs can help the sick person to stay alive and give the poor person money to help his family from humiliating life. I read something posted on (ALL THINGS PAKISTAN blog, 2007) about a poor Pakistani guy who holds with his hand a paper with a sign that says â€Å"Would you buy my kidney please?.† I think ... ...can help many people. References All things pakistan blog. In (2007). Retrieved from http://pakistaniat.com/2007/10/17/would-you-like-to-buy-my-kidney-please/ Caplan, A. R., & Arp, R. (eds.) (2013). Contemporary debates in bioethics. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.kw/books?id=-RsoAAAAQBAJ&dq=how much does the middle man make trafficking organs&source=gbs_navlinks_s Denis, C., & Davison, N. (2012). The guardian. In Shanghai : Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/27/kidney-trade-illegal-operations-who Gross, R. (2008). Noblesse oblige blog. In Retrieved from http://noblesseoblige.org/2008/01/12/egyptian-man-sells-wives-kidney-on-black-market/ Parry, W. (2012). How poverty, false promises, fuel illegal organ trafficking. In Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/19237-illegal-kidney-organ-trade.html Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? Essay Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? (The Guardian, 2012), Denis Campbell and Nicola Davison, says that the unlawful business in human organs special kidneys has advanced quickly and unexpectedly. The reasons why selling kidneys has advanced quickly is that nowadays many countries have wars so there are many poor people who need money to live a good life. Also, after wars, there are many sick people that felt desperation because they lost their organs in the war and no one donated to them, so they needed to buy organs to stay alive. Other reason is because people have two kidneys so when they sell one kidney for important reasons, they won’t die. Most countries punish those people who sell their organs that is why in those countries there are many illegal trafficking of human organs, but in some countries trafficking human organs is legal like Iran. People who are trafficking human organs help other people to live a good life, also help sick people to feel healthy again and not to die. The desperation of many peo ple needing transplantation surgery and the poverty of many people with healthy organs often results in the trafficking of human organs. It’s a trade where the two persons win, because trafficking human organs help many poor people who don't have money to buy food or clothes by selling their organs that they can live without for money to the sick people who need this organ to stay alive. Selling organs can help the sick person to stay alive and give the poor person money to help his family from humiliating life. I read something posted on (ALL THINGS PAKISTAN blog, 2007) about a poor Pakistani guy who holds with his hand a paper with a sign that says â€Å"Would you buy my kidney please?.† I think ... ...can help many people. References All things pakistan blog. In (2007). Retrieved from http://pakistaniat.com/2007/10/17/would-you-like-to-buy-my-kidney-please/ Caplan, A. R., & Arp, R. (eds.) (2013). Contemporary debates in bioethics. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.kw/books?id=-RsoAAAAQBAJ&dq=how much does the middle man make trafficking organs&source=gbs_navlinks_s Denis, C., & Davison, N. (2012). The guardian. In Shanghai : Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/27/kidney-trade-illegal-operations-who Gross, R. (2008). Noblesse oblige blog. In Retrieved from http://noblesseoblige.org/2008/01/12/egyptian-man-sells-wives-kidney-on-black-market/ Parry, W. (2012). How poverty, false promises, fuel illegal organ trafficking. In Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/19237-illegal-kidney-organ-trade.html