Human being Essay

There has always been a concern as to why some people behave in some weird ways that not any ordinary person will act in such a manner. It is a fact that all individuals are different from each other but there are expectations that human beings have over others. That certain character trait should not be expected in a normal human being. A study into the issues of psychopath and sociopath will help to show some light to the question of how different persons can be described and classified in a view of understanding human behavior and human psychology. Who are psychopaths or sociopaths? According to Patrick (2007) a psychopath or a sociopath is an individual who displays unique unordinary behaviors as compared to the other normal human beings. Such an individual shows signs of not having any guilt or troubled conscience for something he or she has done which is wrong, likes putting blame on other people for the mistakes that he or she commits, likes lying all the time about several issues, do not value other people as fellow human beings, get involved in destructive actions fights and wars, some are sexually irresponsible, have low self control, not realistic in whatever they plan and do, and seem to attract the attention of others by portraying a false picture of themselves among other unordinary behaviors. What are the causes? As argued in Goldstein and Weiner (2003) there are some reasons that have been found out to result in the development of such character traits some of them include; in born traits that a person inherits from his or her family background, some could happen where the society in which people live in draws lines of behaviors that seem to be extra ordinary from the rest of others in the society, would come also as a result of the influences of the external environment and as a result of the adaptive strategies in a bid to survive in the world with others and the problems and experiences that a person underwent while growing will also contribute like if a person was exposed to violent circumstances in hi or her childhood the same things are likely to be done by that person. Is the female psychopath different from the male sociopath? How and in what way? Why is this important to understand? The way in which a female psychopath behaves tends to be more similar to that of their male counterparts although the ratio of male to female a bit higher. The kind of activities that they involve themselves in are the ones that will help to distinguish the differences but basically the same idea is that they all display behaviors that seem to be unruly, Berecz (1999). A female psychopath will show behaviors like; most of them would not want to get into a serious marriage commitment by staying with a husband but instead would prefer to stay alone with her children, would want to be draw the attention of the people around her, likely to mistreat her own children, she does not want to strive for anything that can help her but instead will want other people to do everything she is supposed to do for her benefit Million, Simonsen and Smith (2003). According to Gill and Barraclough (2007) such a female person is too proud of herself and could want to have all the things that others have to herself. In some cases will want to attempt suicide as a way to deal with her problems, all her life she will be blaming other people for the miseries she might be undergoing. She engages in criminal activities like conning people their belongings, leading people to crimes, are drug addicts of a high extent with their life styles leading to sex exploits and males and females they way she wishes for herself which in some instances could include killing. As discussed in Herve and Yuille (2007) the males will involve themselves in very many sexual relationships with women and will be able to convince women with a lot of ease to get into relationships with him. He tends to spend his money in a reckless way, like involving themselves in criminal activities like murder, violent robberies, once he marries he is likely to abandon his wife and children and being unfaithful to the other spouse. Involve themselves in ungodly acts like having sex with the animals, would like to cover his weaknesses with good acts like being generous with his wealth. They are also likely to drug addicts like alcohol, bhang among others. Conclusion According to the analysis that has been made above the way Female psychopaths behave is different from the way male sociopaths would behave because men are more energetic and will display the disorders that they have with relating with others by use of applying force in either fighting, car breaking , among other physical means of applying force. As for the females their disorders will be see through the various reacts that a female will undertake like her talking and other means of communication. They involve themselves in many sexual relationships and will get away with it from all the partners without admitting to that behavior among others Berecz (1999). Word count 876 References Alan Goldstein, Irving Weiner (2003). Forensic psychology: Forensic psychology. John Wiley and sons publishers. Christopher J. Patrick (2007). Handbook of Psychopathy. Guilford press. David Gill, Jennifer Barraclough (2007). Hughes’ outline of modern psychiatry. 5th edition, John Wiley and sons publishers. John M. Berecz (1999). Sexual styles: a psychologist’s guide to understanding our lover’s personality. Humanics publishing group H Herve, John C. Yuille (2007). The psychopath: theory, research and practice. Routledge publishers. Theodore Million, E. Simonsen, M. B smith (2003). Psychopapthy: Antisocial, criminal and violent behavior. Guilford press. .

Marcus Ang Is A Member From The Field Sales Section Essay

Marcus Ang is a member from the field sales section. His sales performance in the recent months has been below target in contrast to his outstanding sales in the past years. Marcus blames it on the poor economic situation, however the other sales staff seem to able meet their target. How should Madam May May attribute Marcus’s performance? First of all, Madam May May has to know about what happened to Marcus. What causes him to blame the poor economic situation while the other sales staff still be able to meet their target. As we learn from the organization behavior, we know that employee’s behavior will affect the performance of an organization. According to Fritz Heider and H.H. Kelly, they stated that people’s behavior is affected by internal and external factors. On the other hand, Kelley’s attribution theory refers to three types of factors which are distinctiveness, consensus and consistency. Distinctiveness is about whether the subordinate’s behavior occur during the performance of this task only? Next, consensus is like whether this behavior unusual for the subordinate’s peers? Then, consistency is about if this behavior unusual for the subordinate in other situations? In this situation, Madam May May should first consider about the factor of consensus. As Marcus cannot be able to hit the target while other are able to reach their target. Next Madam May May should consider about locus of control dimension, which mean whether the primary cause of the behavior is a characteristic of the subordinate, or a characteristic of the situation. Second ,stability dimension whether the subordinate is likely to remain stable or unstable? The crossing of the locus of control and stability dimensions produces four casual factor that a leader can utilize to explain a subordinate’s behavior, ability , task difficulty , luck ,chance, effort.

Typography and Clarendon

Clarendon is a classical font that was designed by Robert Besley. In 1842, Besley entered the design under Britain’s Ornamental Designs Act. It was than released in the year 1845 for the Fann Street Foundry in England. Clarendon was named after the Clarendon Press in Oxford. It is acknowledged as the first major listed English slab-serif typeface, because Besley worked hard at trying to patent the typeface. The font patents around that time merely lasted up to three years, as soon as it became extremely well liked and a lot of foundries copied it.In 1935, the Monotype foundry revised Clarendon typeface. The first templates and major hits for Clarendon stayed at Stephenson Blake and market and then afterwards founded at the Type Museum in London. In 1953, Hermann Eidenbenz took over and reworked it. Today Clarendon has ten font names that you can use such as: Clarendon Black, Clarendon Bold, Clarendon Extra Bold, Clarendon Bold Condensed, Clarendon Condensed, Clarendon Heavy, C larendon Light, Clarendon Medium, Clarendon Regular, and Clarendon Roman. They call it a slab-serif because it has some bracketing and some contrast in size.Clarendon was one of the final century typography to be developed. Clarendon is also a metal type and a popular wood type. It emphasizes text by being the primary design to be related bold. As an example of this it emphasizes, â€Å"WANTED† in the old west signs. Clarendon came along ways over the past years now several logotypes that are recognized in the United States of America uses this font. In 1973, the Sony logo was created and is used in Clarendon Bold Expanded. The national parks signs that are known worldwide are Clarendon font.Also People Magazine logo, Ruby Tuesday logo, Starbucks logo and so forth use the font Clarendon. Work Cited â€Å"Typedia. † : Clarendon. Media Temple, 2006-2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Know Your Type: Clarendon. † Idsgn: A Design Blog. N. p. , 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 Oct . 2012. . SONY logo Clarendon in use: People magazine logo, US National Parks signage, Ruby Tuesday logo, Starbucks Chocolate logo, Pitchfork logo, Tonka logo, U2 album cover, Riki Watanabe clock, Wells Fargo logo

Smart Database Design to Avoid Fault Data Research Paper

Smart Database Design to Avoid Fault Data - Research Paper Example This paper reveales the diverse ways of entering data into databases along with reasons of entered and stored poor quality data in databases and its impacts on the organizations. One of the reasons is improper database design, therefore in order to avoid poor quality data in databases, features of good database design along with guidelines for developing a smart database to avoid faulty data have been provided in this paper. Keywords: database design, data quality, avoiding faulty information, Garbage in Garbage out (GIGO), database normalization, smart database design. Introduction Today, each and every decision from solving particular problem to deciding future of an organization is based on availability, accuracy and quality of information. â€Å"Information is an organizational asset, and, according to its value and scope, must be organized, inventoried, secured, and made readily available in a usable format for daily operations and analysis by individuals, groups, and processes, both today and in the future† (Neilson, 2007). The organizational information is neither just bits, bytes saved in a server nor limited to client data, the hardware and the software that store it. A data or information to which an organization deals with is a process of gathering, normalizing and sharing that information to all its stakeholders. It might be difficult to manage this imperative huge information manually. This is the reason that databases are formulated and high in demand. A database facilitates to store, handle and utilize implausible diverse organization’s information easily. A database can be defined as â€Å"collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated† (Rouse, 2006). Developing a database is neither a complicated process nor complex for using and manipulating information stored in it. A database smoothes the progress of maintaining order in what could be an extremely chaotic informative environment. In databases, a collection of information is stored individually and its management entails preliminary indexing of existing data by categorizing the isolated saved information based on common factors (identity). It can be done through assigning values which signify appropriate condition (i.e. national identities, names, cell numbers, etc.). Undoubtedly, if the data gathering and storing process are malfunctioned, the established data will be incorrect as well; this process is known to be as Garbage in Garbage out (GIGO). Quality and accuracy of data are too critical and fundamental for a database developed/maintained by any organization, either the database is developed for achieving a small goal with limited scope or it is a multi-billion dollar information system. It can be said that the value of data is directly proportional to the quality of data. It is one of many reasons that an inadequately designed database may present incorrect information that may be complicated to utilize, or may even stop working accurately. Why Poor data Quality? As there are a number of ways to enter data in databases that include initial data conversion (data conversion from some previously existing data source), consolidating existing database with new database, manual data entry, batch feeds and real-time data entry interfaces, therefore, there are a plenty of diverse root causes currently subsist for storage of inaccurate and poor data quality in databases. Some of them are because of inappropriate database design whereas the others are due to external outage factors. The basis of these errors is a lot more than just stumble-fingered typographer (typo error). Some of the reasons of poor quality data except database design include receiving

Article on a controversial subject Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article on a controversial subject - Essay Example First, the author does not indicate, who conducted this study, where it was conducted as well as the materials that were used to facilitate the data that was collected. In this regard, this statement and the data may be regarded as a generalized perspective owing to the fact that its validity is yet to be proven. Secondly, the author provides data indicating a research that was undertaken in 2008 by the Pew Research Centre concerning the support and opposition of gay marriage; the research indicated that approximately 47% of the American Populace opposed gay marriage while 43% supported gay marriage. However, the article fails to indicate where specifically the study was conducted and how it was conducted. America is considered one of the largest nations in terms of geographical and demographical size: Therefore, the essence of providing data regarding a study that was conducted in America without proper proof and credibility, would lead to a scenario where information is considered general or less credible. At the beginning of the article, the author makes a claiming indicating that it seems in the previous year, that opposition to gay marriage was used as a strategy to rally and energize conservative foundations. This statement is not supported by any fact or data, and may be considered a personal perspective of the author. Additionally, acknowledging the fact that the owner uses the word ‘seems’, one may conclude that the information provided by the author could be basically a personal opinion rather than factual information. Taking into consideration the fact that the article was published in 2012, the major issue that arises in regard to usability and reliability of the information indicated is that the article may be considered out-of date: This is due to the fact that society is dynamic in nature, meaning that there are various changes that occur on a daily basis i.e. socio-economic developments in this

Can we apply Hobbes argument about the state of nature to Essay

Can we apply Hobbes argument about the state of nature to international relations - Essay Example In this regard, the state of nature considers men to be in a competition with each other for resources that include food, for example. As a result, they tend to distrust and fear one another thus instigating a pre-emptive attack due to the quest to maximise their own interests at the expense of other people. On the other hand, difference, emanates from the desire for natural equality and the fear factor that eventually leads to war. On this note, the state of nature suggests that, the alternative option for removing the contributory factors to conflict is to embrace the state by surrendering sovereignty to the Leviathan in order to enjoy security and order. According to Hobbes, the international sphere exists in a form of the state of nature (1985, p.37). This paper explores whether Hobbes argument about the state of nature can apply to international relations. While international relations emphasises a peaceful co-existence between sovereign states, the Hobbesian view focuses on the defensive character of states. This makes it difficult to apply the Hobbesian argument in international relations because; it discards the moral principles that guide the relations among states. Hobbes advances five conditions for the state of nature that includes equality, competition, and the existence of two types of people, non- universal egoism and uncertainty. With regard to equality, Hobbesian view reiterates that people possess almost equal mental and physical capabilities. As a result, those regarded as weak also have enough power either mental or physical to destroy the strongest. The competition caused by scarcity of resources also creates a situation where everyone grapples for the same unlimited resources. The Hobbesian view further associates the scarce resource with power since not everyone can amass power. In this sense, power is often a preserve for a few individuals in the society who tend to maximise it for their own self-interest (Hampton, 1987,

Construction and Maintenance of Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction and Maintenance of Building - Essay Example In addition, the primary source of energy for the building will be generated from a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit. Combined power and heat integrates the production of usable heat and power (electricity), in one single, cost effective and highly efficient process. The CHP system is sustainable, clean and renewable. CHP generates electricity while also capturing usable heat that is produced in this process its efficiency is greatly increased. This is unusual contrasts with conventional ways of generating electricity where heat is simply wasted and in the process impacting negatively on efficiency. In today’s coal and gas-fired power stations, up to two-thirds of the entire energy consumed get lost in such a way, frequently witnessed as a cloud of smoke rising from the cooling turrets, the process is very environmentally unfriendly. This will be a very eco-friendly aspect of construction as it is very efficient in its purpose and design. Sub-structure or Foundation- is the lower section of the building, located below the ground level and the damp proof course. A foundation is part of the structure that is in direct contact with the ground to which the loads are equally transmitted to the supporting surrounding soil. Shrinkable soils are those types whose contents are made up of more than 35% have a modified plasticity index greater or equal to 10% and of fine particles. The fine soil particles are having nominal diameters of 60 Â µm. Plastic index of a given soil is its measure of the change in volume potential that is determined by Atterberg Limits test. Soil particles whose nominal diameters after the test are greater than 425 Â µm are eliminated through sieving in advance. Particles with diameters smaller than 425 Â µm are promptly reported for Atterberg Limits test. The Plasticity index of the soil multiplied by the real percentage of particles with contents less than 425

Business Ethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Business Ethics - Article Example In this way they make money. The SEC put out a warning that they will be looking closing at hedge funds that make over 3%. Is it right for the SEC to do this? There are a bunch of moral questions involved in this issue. One could place moral questions on the role of hedge funds. Is it right for hedge funds to purchase stocks expecting to make a profit because they know the stock's value is overly price. 2. The SEC should not put out such warnings because they will be capping the profit initiative, the ability of people to make a profit whenever they see it. This sounds more like a right under our free market system. Another argument is that it is not possible to truely regulate the market without be unfair to those who have made an earnest buck in the market. Some investors may be lucky, or some hedge fund operators may have done good due diligence research and they should be awarded whatever profit that comes their way. 3. The SEC should put out such warnings. Hedge funds have been known to create create market changes based on pure speculation, resulting in market busts where a lot of people lose their money.

Should the N-word be removed from the version of the The Adventures of Essay

Should the N-word be removed from the version of the The Adventures of Hucklberry Finn - Essay Example There are two reasons why censorship of the book should not be allowed. First, it goes against the spirit and letter of the Freedom of Speech provisions in the constitution of the country. Second, there is nothing inherently sinister about the word ‘nigger’. In other words, the author, instead of reinforcing the negative stereotype of black people, is only showing the abusive usage of language by their white owners. Moreover, the language used in the American South during the antebellum years can only be truly captured if such words are included in the novel. The essence and literary style of the Realist genre, which the novel employs, would be lost if political correctness is given importance over real substance. Also, since the civil rights movement of 1960s, the usage of the word ‘nigger’ is substituted by the more acceptable ‘black Americans’. But the change in nomenclature has not translated into change in their social status. Despite the U nited States presently boasting a black President, the community lags behind white folks in many respects. In this sense, this token change was merely euphemistic. Terming the language in the novel as being abusive is to miss the point. Author Mark Twain is playing the twin roles of writer and historian in the book.

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position Research Paper

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position you aspire to hold (medical supervisor) - Research Paper Example The typical methodology geared to dealing with performance appraisal systems relies on using a generalized approach where one performance appraisal system is used for a number of different hierarchical positions in an organization (Cascio, 2013). However, it would only make sense to design a performance appraisal system that is attuned to the needs of a particular position being appraised. This paper attempts to design an optimal performance appraisal system for the position of a medical supervisor based on current research findings. Description of Position The performance appraisal system under design is for the position of a medical supervisor. Essentially the position requires a large amount of daily interaction with patients as well as members of staff and occasionally contact with members of regulatory agencies. Additionally, the medical supervisor represents a senior position at any medical institution and is responsible for overseeing the training and skill development of his subordinates. The medical supervisor needs to keep tabs on the budgeting of resources and scheduling of staff members to ensure uninterrupted medical service to patients. The multifaceted nature of the job of a medical supervisor means that the incumbent medical supervisor needs to be ready on all fronts to deliver in order to be relevant to the organization’s overall objectives. Proposed Optimal Appraisal Performance System The proposed appraisal performance system for the position of a medical supervisor is divided into sections based on the major responsibilities for the position. The responsibilities are segregated through broad overviews since the current paper is not intended to dissect all of the responsibilities in complete detail. The primary responsibility of a medical supervisor is to the patients under treatment. Patients can be seen as the customers for any medical system so delivering to the customers is of the utmost importance. The medical supervisor is suppor ted by his staff at various levels and positions in order to service the patients so dealing with staff is a secondary responsibility to ensure satisfactory service provision at least. Moreover, the medical supervisor is responsible to his immediate superiors and members of regulatory agencies such as the American Medical Association (AMA) who require consistent feedback for continuous performance assessment. Performance Appraisal for Patients The basic contention behind performance appraisals is to provide employees with feedback regarding their performance (Broady-Preston & Steel, 2002). In the case of medical institutions, the customers are patients under treatment. Performance appraisal needs to emanate from patients and their relatives who judge the quality of services being delivered by a medical supervisor. Essentially such a grass roots level performance appraisal system bases itself on the 360 degrees appraisal system proposed by Milliman (1994). The idea behind such an app raisal system is to ensure that all people interacting with an employee especially customers provide their effective feedback in relation to the employee’s attitude and behavior (Cascio, 2013). This provides the medical supervisor with a more goal oriented performance appraisal system that encourages a quantitative method to evaluate job

FP (Iran) V. Secretary of State for the Home Department Case Study

FP (Iran) V. Secretary of State for the Home Department - Case Study Example The brief facts of the case, FP (Iran) V. Secretary of State for the Home Department (2007), is that the Appellant, an asylum seeker, had initially filed an appeal,through counsel, against the Home Office's rejection of her claim for asylumWith the advent of civilisation and the law making process, it has been the endeavour of man to ensure that Rule of Law prevails in all decisions made in disputes. Judges have accepted time and again that just as everybody has certain rights that are subject to prevailing laws, so also all officials upholding the law have a responsibility to ensure that they shall not commit any act without proper justification. Administrative Law is a set of governing principles that form a part of public law that ensures the fair and reasonable implementation of the laws enacted by the Parliament The main principle of Administrative Law is that all actions on the part of the Government must be legal and if it is not then the public must have a remedy against such illegal action (Kuttner, 2007).Prior to discussing the importance of the present case in the development of Administrative Law, it is important to understand the facts of the case. The brief facts of the case, FP (Iran) V. Secretary of State for the Home Department (2007), is that the Appellant, an asylum seeker, had initially filed an appeal, through counsel, against the Home Office's rejection of her claim for asylum, before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (henceforth referred to as AIT). The AIT held that the said appeal was not valid giving error of law as the reason for its decision. A rehearing was fixed and notice of the same was sent to the last known address of the Appellant. However, the Appellant having shifted residence did not get the notice and was not present during the hearing. From the perusal of the judgement, it is apparent that the Appellant had had informed her solicitors of this change and they had in turn informed the Home Office. However, neither the app ellant nor her solicitors had informed the AIT. The Judge on finding the Appellant absent went on to hear the appeal on the premise that the notice had indeed been properly served as per the rules. The appeal was dismissed on the grounds that there was discrepancy in the evidence presented by the Appellant, which has not been clarified. The Judge further held that the absence of the Appellant for the rehearing showed a lack of interest in the case and hence could not be upheld. The main question that the Judges in this present case faced was whether the Appellant can be held responsible for the actions or inactions of his or her lawyers. In this case, the Appellant had to pay the price for her lawyer's failure to inform the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal about the change of address, which resulted in the Appellant not being informed about the hearing leading to her absence and ultimately dismissal of appeal. Given this factual background, it is very clear that certain basic principles of law have been violated by the AIT while deciding this case. Rule of law implies that all decisions made by any Court should be fair, efficient and speedy. This concept has been taken in its literal meaning by the AIT even in the arena of rule making without any thought towards the conflict that could arise while implementing the rules. The judgement in the present case deals with the different aspects of administrative law as reflected in this case and how each aspect has been affected and the resulting judgement or opinion of the judges. Analysis and Assessment of Judgement 1.Fairness The first point that the judgement discusses is whether the provisions embodied in the Statute and rules there under are fair or not. According to the judgement, various changes are proposed in the law governing such cases based on the fact that the existing rules and principles are inadequate to fairly deal with such cases. Prior to understanding the

Civil Unions and Same-Sex Marriages Essay Example for Free

Civil Unions and Same-Sex Marriages Essay Questions about morality, family relationships, freedom of expression, and sexuality are at stake in the gay marriage debate. The main argument of the issue of same sex marriage is how much we should allow the government to control in issues like marriage in our private lives. â€Å"At Issue: Gay Marriage†, which is a book written by Debra Miller in 2012, includes a broad spectrum of views on the subject. One of the biggest issues in the gay marriage debate is the meaning of the separation of church and state in the United States. Some organizations and churches argue that state support of same-sex marriage is a breach of their religious freedoms which are protected by the US Constitution and if they are forced by laws enacted to include same sex marriages that they are being forced to accept acts that are against their religious beliefs. In a statement made concerning same sex marriage; some religious organizations and churches claimed that homosexual acts go against their religious beliefs and the natural moral law and that they should not be forced to perform marriages that go against their beliefs. Religious organizations say that to legalize homosexual marriage is religious persecution in their eyes. People that approve of gay marriage make the point that marriage is a legal right and a religious right as well because church and the state are separate. Activists argue that homosexual couples have a right to a marriage the same as heterosexual couples do. Another point that is called on is that people do not have to marry in a church but can do so in a court house as well and that no church or religious organization is bound to marry any couple. They are basically saying that churches are not forced to do anything against their belief system. One side will argue against federal laws that encompass and over rule state laws. Others will argue that each state should be able to make and enforce laws that concern each state as they see fit within their state governmental departments, like those concerning marriage laws. President Bush believed and stated that â€Å"the voice of the people is being compromised by the actions of a few judges in isolated cases†, (President George Bush, 2003). Former President Bush believes that laws like these could threaten every state in the union because of the â€Å"full faith and credit† clause in Article IV of the Constitution, (The United States Constitution, Article III, Section 2, 2013), which requires all states to honor the laws of every other state. President Bush said in an interview that the full faith and credit clause would require all states same-sex marriages performed anywhere in America. Bush, 2003) Civil Unions include heterosexual and same sex unions according to The Department of Internal Affairs, (The Department of Internal Affairs, 2004). Civil Unions differ from marriage because they are entered into by two people who chose to live together as man and wife and present themselves to the public and in private this way without an official marriage or marriage license. They consider themselves married but the government, whether state, local, or federal do not. At one time heterosexual civil unions were accepted and now are no longer recognized in most states. What this means is that people with a marriage license issued by the state are guaranteed certain rights, responsibilities, and privileges that people in civil unions are not given. These rights extend to the work place where insurance is guaranteed to a spouse of heterosexuals that are married but not to civil unions between same or opposite sex couples working in the same place. If same sex marriage and civil unions are both accepted and laws are enacted to approve of them then I believe this opens the doors to many other types of behaviors in the future that will do more harm than good to our society. These behaviors would include the right of an older person to marry a child for instance or to marry an animal or inanimate object even. We must ask ourselves one question and that is where we are willing to draw the line in our inclusions and amendments to the laws that were written to protect us in the beginning. The more we accept the more we are willing to accept as a society.

Performance Appraisal System In Nokia

Performance Appraisal System In Nokia This report is aimed at critically analysing the performance appraisal and their strategic implications in contemporary firms operating in turbulent and changing business environment, requiring valuable, rare and inimitable business processes to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. In order to achieve the aim of this report, the researcher has chosen Nokia, the Finnish telecom giant that has been highlighted as the best telecommunication company to work for by Forbes International (Datamonitor, 2009). The company is also among one of the largest in terms of market capitalisation within Europe and therefore owes much to the Finnish national culture within its management, especially human resource management. Drawing upon Times (2005), the company has its modest roots as one of the many forestry firms a century ago in Finland; however it has evolved over the years through its effective human resource policies to employ more than 50,000 people across the globe with operations span ning all the developed, emerging and developing economies. It has been argued by Nokia (2009a) that people policies have played an important role in the rise of the firm within telecommunication sector that required high degree of creativity and innovation by its employees and workforce. The company is among the few firms within telecommunication industry that has profit margins in excess of 20% to 25% for more than a decade, which have not been effected by the fierce competition by other firms in contemporary firms (Nokia, 2009b). It can therefore be highlighted that intellectual capital has been one of the key source of achieving these efficiencies and effectiveness within the business that have been translated into sustainable competitive advantage. Nokia Organisational Background: Nokia has held the leadership position within the global mobile handset sector for more than a decade, which has however been challenged at different points in time by a range of other manufacturers but the company has evolved its business model to align itself with the changing business environment. Drawing upon Datamonitor (2009), the company has diversified into related business in the wake of stiff competition from value and luxury segments, therefore requiring both high degree of differentiation and cost leadership by the firm. The company is currently actively pursuing its position within telecommunication equipment, TV set-top boxes, and mobile telephony software and hardware development. In the light of Nokia (2009c), the company has its roots like many other traditional Finnish companies within forestry in 1865, however the company evolved over the decades and become one of the leading players in mobile technology in 1960s. It is argued by Pollitt (2004) that the key changes within strategy of the firm came in 1980s when senior management become focused on developing intellectual capital and retaining high performance of the company, which was coupled with public offerings of the firm. The company became part of the global corporations after starting trading in London (1987), Frankfurt (1988) and New York (1994). The company has acquired a number of firms during its evolution and has strategically accumulated the human resources from these firms, which has again benefited from its performance appraisals, pay-for-performance, and talent retention strategies, which have been critically analysed in this report. Human Resource Strategy: Nokia has been highlighted by both academic and commercial literature as one of the organisations that can be used for comparison and benchmarking due to the fact that it is flat structured and networked across its global operations (Christopher, 1995). This structure of the firm has led to the fact that it is agile and flexible to grab any window of opportunity that appears within the business environment of the firm. This structure has been aligned with the corporate strategy of the firm to achieve broad market competitive focus within the market that has underlying differentiation competitive advantage in terms of Porters Generic Strategies, which can be illustrated as follows: Cost Leadership Differentiation Focus Narrow Target Broad Target Lower Cost Differentiation Competitive Advantage Competitive Scope Nokias Position on Porters Generic Strategies Adapted from Porter (1985) Strategic Core Strategic Periphery * It can be argued that in order to achieve the strategic aim and objectives of the firm to become an agile and flexible entity that can achieve competitive advantage, the firm required a robust human resource strategy that is in line with these changes. Drawing upon Briscoe Schuler (2004), there has been radical change within the HRM strategy of the company after the appointment of Mr. Jorma Ollila as the CEO of the firm in 1992, who initiated the pay-for-performance concept within the company. The philosophy behind the refocus of the HRM strategy has been to create a compensation mechanism that in aligned with the performance and hard work of employees, therefore motivating employees to achieve the key performance indicators that are assigned to them. This was aligned with the Nokia Way, the values of the firm, which were defined to incorporate performance of employees as one of the key in achieving overall objectives of the firm. It has been argued by Nokia (2009d) that Nokia Way h as been seen as the common glue that has held the HRM strategy of the firm aligning it with the business environment. There has been significant discussion within literature highlighting the best fit approach of the company towards its retaining talent through appraisals and compensations that are effective and efficient. Performance Management and Nokia: The Nokia Way has been highlighted within the literature as one of the key documents consolidating the HRM strategy of Nokia and it is this document that has highlighted retention of high performers. Drawing upon Stanley et al (2000), it can be argued that the document is no different from HRM policies presented by many other organisations; however the way in which it is processed on day to day activities has been highlighted as the key advantage of the firm. Drawing upon Nokia (2009a), performance of individuals working within Nokia is undertaken from a range of dimensions, but three of them are considered very important, which include: (a) overall customer satisfaction added by the individual; (b) respect for others within the team; and (c) achievements of individuals and their continuous learning. The literature has highlighted that there has been number of issues within management of performance of individuals and their appraisals within companies. Drawing upon Rutter (2002), within Nokia managers and employees have been given high degree of independence in developing the dimensions into quantifiable goals, aims and objectives, which can therefore be related to the overall performance of their team, department and the organisation. This has been because of the initiative of the company to keep entrepreneurism alive within the firm, where the focus is on getting things done rather than follow prescriptive steps and procedures. According to Lynn (2002), these characteristics of performance appraisal have been achieved through a range of in-house programs, which include: listening to you, investing in you and pay-for-performance. The aim of these programs can be seen to be aligned with the overall business strategy of achieving high degree of efficiency and effectiveness of the business, which would therefore help create value for the stakeholders. Erik Jonathan (1995) have argued that all these programs are a means to an end i.e. to develop an integrated system of performance goals setting, development of strategies to achieve these goals, and quantification of the overall performance. It should be noted that in order for the seamless flow of performance management between these different programs, the culture of the company plays an important role. This is the reason that the company has developed a team orientated internally competitive culture, which deters negative implications of the competition, howe ver highlighting the positive aspects of it to achieve strategic goals and values. The performance management of the firm also has been expanded into other reigns of HRM, which can be highlighted from the diversity management within the firm. Drawing upon Briscoe Schuler (2004), it can be argued that the business environment of the company highlights that there is high number of diversity within the demands of the customers across the national markets. In order to fulfil these demands, the company should mimic the business environment in its internal business environment, making its resources and competencies aligned with it. This according to Nokia (2009d) can be achieved through the diversity management and planning of the firm that require performance appraisals to include features and quantification of diversity of thinking. There are number of characteristics that have been highlighted within the literature surrounding performance management in terms of diversity inclusion and management. However, Rutter (2002) has highlighted that it should be achieved at pr oduct, functional and cultural level, therefore providing the direction for companies to use and include in their performance management. The performance appraisals also have to include the achievement of individuals within corporate social responsibility (CSR) area, which has become one of the key criteria for performance at corporate level. Drawing upon Nokia (2009a), in 2009 the company has highlighted that reducing its carbon footprint and making employees to volunteer for educational sectors in developing countries would be included into the performance appraisals of the employees. This would help the firm in achieving high degree of strategic alignment with the current demands of firms to be responsible for the extended social and environmental issues within national and international economies, where they operate. It can therefore be argued that performance appraisals within Nokia are used as strategic tools, which can help achieve the extended aims and objectives of the firm. It has been argued that these appraisals has helped the firm in retaining intellectual capital that is aligned with the overall philosophy and Nokia Way, which have been at the heart of developing sustainable competitive advantage. It can be argued that performance appraisals undertaken by the firm are valuable, rare and inimitable competency of the firm, which contribute a lot in achieving the overall aim and objectives of the company. Pay for Performance and Motivation: The review of the commercial literature surrounding performance appraisals has highlighted that at Nokia performance, rewards and motivation management are all interlinked with each other, so that there is an integrated component that can be used to achieve the aim and objectives of the firm. It should be noted that the company uses pay-for-performance as the key tool which logically flows from effective and efficient performance appraisal techniques used by the firm. Harry (1999) has argued that one of the key vulnerability of per-for-performance management systems is that performance needs to be constantly monitored across the business and its functions so that the strategy can work in synch with realities on ground. The reward structure other than pay within Nokia has also been designed in a way that performance appraisals and motivation tendencies of individuals feed into the system to achieve optimal results. The key issue that has been faced by the management at Nokia is to analyse the performance appraisals of employees working in different economic and social conditions, therefore making their external environment an important driver in how the compensation is perceived. This is the reason there has been discussion surrounding the overall standardisation of the pay and reward structure in the company or localise it according to the national and regional economic conditions. Nokia being a truly global company has therefore been faced with this issue more so than any other organisation, which also stems into the overall reward management and bias of individuals in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic reward structures. Nokia has therefore taken performance appraisals very seriously, where there are segments within these appraisals, which have been linked with the overall pay and reward structure of the company. It is highlighted that company has included both hard and soft aspects of compensations and rewards in the light of the appraisals (Pfeffer Langton, 1993). Therefore, it can be argued that the appraisals are not only responsible for the development of overall pay of the individual, but also the type and mix of motivational tools that are applied to their particular performance regimes and trends over the months. The performance appraisal process adopted by Nokia has been seen very open, broad focused, yet inclusive of employees and their respective teams. The compensation of individuals within Nokia comprises on the results of these appraisals in the form of pay, bonuses, incentives, company stock options and other benefits. The company uses investing in people (IIP) as an annual meeting between managers and employees, where discussion surrounding their focused function along with broad company goals are discussed, which are then quantified into the key dimensions that are set out in the light of changing business objectives of the firm. It should be noted that Tahvanainen (1998) has conducted an empirical research on the link between performance appraisals and pay structures at Nokia. The research has highlighted that pay structure within Nokia is considered highly competitive in regards with the other competitors, which is based on 360 degree feedback called listening to you, which is an i nformal discussion between different teams, which leads to making them discuss their objectives and negotiate their access to resources and information, which can help them all in achieving their own respective goals and performance objectives. The company has also rolled out the electronic version of IIP, which uses companys intranet to discuss and appraise the performance of virtual teams that uses competencies of individuals across the globe to achieve high degree of efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the overall goals of the firm. Key Recommendations: The critical review of academic and commercial literature surrounding Nokias performance appraisals has been highlighted as a successful model within this report. The critics however argue that in recent developments the company has lost its leadership position within mobile handset sector, which has led to its shifting focus towards other sectors. The strategic development and deployment has both been suggested within the report as key performance indicators of the firm, which has been seen as resulting from open, clear and inclusive performance management and appraisal techniques. In order to further improvise the performance management and its appraisals, the researcher has discussed recommendations in the following discussion. There have been critics that have argued that although Nokia has strategically aligned its performance management with the aims and objectives of the organisation, however there are still key gaps with its alignment with the business environment, which require attention. It can be argued that although pay-for-performance have its motivating capabilities for the high performers, however for the average performing, which are the majority within any organisation, this can act as a demotivating factor. It can be suggested that Nokia, like any other company would have normal distribution of performance among its employees, suggesting that not more than 15% of the total employee population would be in the high or underperforming categories, while the rest of 85% of workforce would fall into the average performance. This, according to Pfeffer Langton (1993) has led to the vulnerability within the organisation to alienate these 85% of the workforce, which would add value into the products a nd services of the company. The performance appraisals should therefore be realistic and standardised across the organisation, where like-for-like comparisons are undertaken, which are abridged between functions to achieve high degree of effectiveness and efficiency. It can be suggested that the open criteria used within the firm, which boils down to the discussion between managers and employees suggest that each appraisal cannot be compared with the other appraisals, therefore making it hard to compare on like-to-like grounds, which can lead to distortion of performance results. It can also be argued that commercial segment of the company has been one of the high performing section across the firm, which can be due to the fact that sales, revenue and profit margins are quantifiable variables, while performance of employees in support functions is much harder to access through tangible performance indicators, which is also true about these functions. This, according to Storey (1992) can add insecurity among the intellectual capital of the firm regarding their job, pay and other benefits received from the firm. It can therefore be highlighted that the company has to provide the security of pay and then add bonus-per-performance on top of that to m ake it more plausible in contemporary uncertain times, with job losses and market failures. The internal competition between teams can lead to deterring forces that would affect the overall performance of the company, as team members would engage themselves in negative activities to undercut access to information and resources for other teams, making the organisation lack efficiency and effectiveness. Conclusive Remarks: In the light of the critical review of literature and practice of Nokia in the field of performance appraisals, it can be argued that this HRM strategy of the firm has become a source of competitive advantage for the firm. It has been found out that pay-for-performance has only been applicable within Nokia due to the effectiveness and efficiency of the performance appraisal systems, which are seen just, clear and inclusive by employees. The fact that the system is inclusive, the report suggests that it acts as an implicit form of motivation for employees to have a competitive internal business environment, where teams compete to achieve high degree of overall performance for the company. It can be argued that performance appraisal strategy of the firm is in line with its broad focused differentiation based corporate strategy, therefore leading to achieve the strategic goals and objectives.

Reflection On Nature And Nurture Philosophy Essay

Reflection On Nature And Nurture Philosophy Essay The theme of Nurture v. Nature is a topic of heated debates. Different scientists in many branches of science still can not find agreement about the degree of influence of hereditary and social factors on human development. Carolyn Csongradi in her article Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? explores this theme and gives her opinion on the topic. The author investigates how relation between nature and nurture influence thinking processes. The research is very interesting because the process of human thinking and cognition is another object of controversy and heated debates and the author unites two interesting and controversial topics in one article. In the first part of the article she explores different approaches to the problem of nature v. nurture influence. The author of the article explores different theories which investigate the relation between hereditary and social influence. The article is interesting because the author gives arguments from different field of human science. She approaches the problem from different perspectives and this gives the readers opportunity to get a detailed information on the topic. Those who believe that hereditary factors have greater influence on human development believe that genetic information determine human personalities and behavior. Of course some behavioral patterns may be nurtured but still major influence belongs to hereditary factors. According to evolutionary approach our knowledge and reactions are inborn but they may be modified by upbringing and society. Evolutionists believe that the most important knowledge about the world is selected by natural selection and passed through time and generation. This kind of information helps different spices to survive. According to Darwin, the founder of the Evolutionary Theory, instincts which are useful for the survival of the entire spice are more valuable and that is the reason why some behavioral patterns became suitable for the life in the society. During the 1800s, Charles Darwin speculated that certain rules for conflict arbitration were needed at the point in time when a species evolved a longer mem ory, a keener imagination and became involved in social contracts. For example, a bird, which could leave an active nest to migrate with her group, choosing that instinct over the one to nurture, would find this choice too difficult with a better memory (Csongradi). Neurological studies described by the author of the article show that nature prevails over nutrition. As an example the author speaks about the research of Oliver Sacks, who investigated behavior of savants people with extraordinary artistic abilities. Oliver Sacks finally came to the conclusion that surrounding has little influence on the abilities of these people. They are not dependant on the things which surround them and on the people around them. Then the author turns to philosophical investigation on the topic. The author turns to the opinion of outstanding philosophers, such as Hume and Kant, who underlined the important role of hereditary factors in human behavior and development. Kant believed we inherited certain categories or concept grids on which experiences could be sorted or organized (Csongradi). Freud, famous behaviorist and the founder of psychoanalysis, also believed that nature became that factor which determined human behavior and reactions. Descartes, famous philosopher of the 16th century expressed even more radical view. He doubted the existence of any objects outside of human mind. The author of the article gives description of the simple experiment which proves that our reactions and perceptions are determined by our mind. This simple experiment very vividly illustrates that human mind determines our perception and experience. In this experiment three bowls of water are put on the table. One bowl of water is hot, another is very cold and the third one is tepid. The participant of the experiment puts one hand in the cold water and another hand in the hot one. After several minutes he places both hands in the bowl with tepid water. The sensations in two hands will be different. This experiment proves that human mind influences our perception of reality. The author also gives arguments against natural approach. As she states there exist values which are not necessary for the survival of the spice. Certain qualities were developed not only through natural selection process and this fact raises doubts concerning natural approach. Such qualities as altruism, truthfulness or justice contradict to natural approach because they are not always necessary for the survival of the spice. Some choices may even result in the death of an individual but still there are people who make these choices. Carolyn Csongradi made interesting investigation on the theme of relation between genetic and social influence on the development of human personality. In her article she provides information in interesting and convenient manner. Information is divided into subcategories which makes it convenient to get the authors idea. It is evident that Csongradi stands for natural approach. Her thesis is clearly formulated in the beginning of the article. She presents several groups of arguments in order to prove her position. These groups are: philosophical discussion, neurological studies, evolutionary view. These three sections present different kinds of proofs for the naturalistic approach. The author uses research data. She bases her conclusions on the research of the contemporary scholars. In addition, she addresses famous philosophers of the past in order to give proofs of her position. Csongradi descries neurological research and studies which give proofs to natural approach to the person ality formation. In addition, the author describes simple experiment with water which can also prove to which extend our perception is conditioned by our mind. Big number of references at the end of the article proves that the author addresses multiple sources in her research. At the end of the article Csongradi describes arguments of the opposing side. She gives data which does not fit smoothly into the theory of natural approach and evolutionary selection. She gives arguments which must provoke reader for their own reflections on the topic. In general, the article gives interesting and trustworthy data on the theme of natural and social influence on the individual. The article Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? A New Look at an Old Debate by Carolyn Csongradi can be found in the site of National Health Museum (http://www.accessexcellence.org). In these site specialists and researches in different fields of human knowledge discuss questions of human health, bioethics and other important questions. The information presented in the website may be regarded as trustworthy. Despite the site contains advertisements, it does not refer directly to the themes of the articles. The articles presented in the site are written by specialists and presented in simple and interesting manner in order to give different people opportunity to expand their knowledge in different fields. Csongradi, Carolyn Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? A New Look at an Old Debate http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/SER/BE/whata.php Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes?A New Look at an Old Debate by Carolyn Csongradi What Is The Relationship Between Nature And Nurture In The Acquisition Of Knowledge? Nature is more influential than nurture: Knowledge arises from genetic information honed by a process of natural selection. Some portions of this knowledge might be nurtured, but genetically determined forms also may modify how we categorize our experiences. Evolutionary view: From an evolutionary point of view, certain things we know about the world are innate, although modifiable by interactions with family, education, religion and society. This knowledge about objects and what is valued is natural having been selectively reinforced over time. For instance, pack behavior observed in wolves is a form of collective behavior which supports kinship preferences and caring, while perpetuating a common genetic pool. These core values, associated with social groups, were used long ago by individuals who were successful in their primitive world and had the greatest chance of procreation. Accurately understanding the world enhanced both group and individual survival. During the 1800s, Charles Darwin speculated that certain rules for conflict arbitration were needed at the point in time when a species evolved a longer memory, a keener imagination and became involved in social contracts.(29) For example, a bird, which could leave an active nest to migrate with her group, choosing that instinct over the one to nurture, would find this choice too difficult with a better memory. He argued that certain instincts, such as caring for young as opposed to making a rapid decision to leave, were preferentially selected in any conflict because those values had longer lasting consequences. (30) A reasonable alternative interpretation might be that those behaviors encouraging the survival of young also perpetuated those genes which might select for altruism at least among relatives. This form of altruism enhances the survival of the genotype of the altruist. Altruism for non-relatives is quite a different story because the personal pay-off or gain is less easil y discerned. Neurological studies: Oliver Sacks, author and neurologist, has devoted much of his recent book to describing the unique behavior of a group of his patients who are savants.(37) A savant is someone who demonstrates an extraordinary talent in a particular field such as art, music, or mathematics. A large percentage of savants are autistic with limitations in their ability to personally relate to others. Sacks became friends with a young boy named Stephen, who was an autistic savant, capable of memorizing complex scenery at a glance and retaining the information for months. When asked he would accurately construct a pen and ink sk etch from what he had observed earlier. He started his pictures at one edge of the paper, working across to the other edge, filling in the framework and all the details without an outline. While drawing, the house could come down and Stephen would not notice. He sometimes took artistic license and added features which did not originally exist, but the basics, the original flavor, remained. In a sense, having demonstrated his enormous talent at an early age, he had little need for nurture from the environment or from other humans. Philosophical discussion: In examining the relationship between what was inherited and what was learned from experience, philosophers Hume and Kant were echoed by the behaviorist, Freud, when they spoke of natures contribution as a force to be reckoned with, educated or subdued. Human nature was always a fact to contend with. In a more extreme view from the 1500s, Descartes questioned whether anything existed outside of the mind. He finally conceded that if there were real things instead of only our thoughts about them, God was responsible for the interpretation. Kant, who realized that Descartes position made all knowledge subjective to each individual, tried to move away from this restrictive view and proposed that the mind was an active participant in knowledge acquisition, constructing certain aspects of an experience. Kant believed we inherited certain categories or concept grids on which experiences could be sorted or organized. (5) To understand how the mind might construct an experience, the following experiment should be helpful. Obtain three bowls each holding about a gallon of liquid. Arrange them so that the first bowl contains hot water; the second, tepid; and the third, very cold water. Simultaneously, place your left hand in the hot water and you right in the cold. Wait one minute and immerse both hands in the tepid water. What has each hand told you about the temperature? Additional examples of the minds involvement in interpreting experience are seen with optical illusions, the unnoticed retinal blind spot and other adaptive behaviors found in the nervous system. One of the problems with a purely nature based argument is how to explain the existence or continuing survival of certain values which may involve actions for which there is no obvious natural selection pressure. For example, why should a choice be made contrary to an individuals stated preferences or which may result in actual punishment? Altruism for non-related individuals, truthfulness and justice as fairness are values difficult to support from an evolutionary view, particularly when some choices cause the death of an individual, effectively removing those genes from the pool. Hypothesizing these as primarily inherited values would generate a requirement for a very complex set of genetic directions having a large common human base of reference. The search for a potential common morality has provoked more debate than agreement among anthropologists, theologians, and philosophers.(33)

Animal Farm, by George Orwell Essay -- Animal Farm Essays

In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig Napoleon uses specific tactics to gain power and control over the animal farm. Some of these techniques include controlling information through education, scapegoating, use of fear, swaying public opinion and blind obedience. Throughout the novel, the most prominent way that Napoleon gained power was through controlling the education that the animals received. In the beginning of the novel, Snowball believes in educating all of the animals on Animal Farm, young and old, by trying to organize committees and instituting classes devoted to reading and writing (page 39). However, Napoleon openly states that educating the young is more important that the old. When Jessie and Bluebell have puppies, Napoleon takes them away and secludes them from the rest of Animal Farm to teach them on his own (41). Throughout the novel, after Snowball's removal, education becomes less and less important, and pigs and dogs are the only animals really being taught anything. This comes in handy for Napoleon as he begins to make "adjustments" to the rules that Animal Farm is based upon, such as drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, and walking on two legs. The fact that the animals can't do math is an advantage as wel l when Squealer starts reeling off facts and figures about rations and death rates and other nonsense (105). Another technique Napoleon takes advantage of is scapegoat...

The Pastoral Setting of Shakespeares As You Like It :: Shakespeare As You Like It Essays

The Pastoral Setting of As You Like It    Central to the pastoral vision of As You Like It is the setting in the Forest of Ardenne, especially the contrast between it and the ducal court. In the former, there is a powerful political presence which creates dangers. Deception lurks behind many actions, brothers have secret agendas against their brothers, and people have to answer to the arbitrary demands of power.    In the Forest of Ardenne, however, life is very different. For one thing, there is no urgency to the agenda. There are no clocks in the forest, and for the exiled courtiers there is no regular work. They are free to roam around the forest, prompted by their own desires. There is plenty of food to eat, so the communal hunt takes care of their physical needs. That and the absence of a complex political hierarchy creates a much stronger sense of communal equality hearkening back the the mythical good old days. The exiled Duke himself attests to the advantages of living far from the court, free of the deceits of flattery and double dealing and welcomes Orlando to the feast without suspicion.    And, most important here, especially in comparison with the history plays, is the importance of singing. As You Like It is full of songs-not performances by professional court musicians, but impromptu group singing which expresses better than anything else the spontaneous joy these people derive from life in the Forest and the joy they give back to others. The songs indicate clearly the way in which in the Forest people can shape their actions to their moods-a situation totally unlike the court where one has to consider one's actions much more carefully.    Hence, the Forest of Ardenne provides for the exiled courtiers an important freedom to experiment with their lives, to discover things about themselves. In the Forest people can talk openly with whoever they might happen to meet on a stroll through the trees, and that might be anyone, given that in the Forest no one owns any particular territory (there are no rooms, palaces, roads-unlike the court where there is a preoccupation with property) and thus one might well meet and have to deal with a person whom one would never get close to in the court (that can have comic results, of course, as Touchstone's conversations with Audrey and William demonstrate).

Intro of Physical Journeys

Texts may show us that the world of physical journeys involves unexpected detours. To what extent do the texts you have studied support this idea? The world of physical journeys, is the movement from one place to another, where the traveller undergoes a process of change and development, where they become endowed with experiences and where there are goals that are achieved culminating in an overall transformation physically, intellectually and emotionally. Within theses changes they are caused by unexpected detours or obstacles, new challenges or hindrances. The poems from the collection called â€Å"Sometimes Gladness† by Bruce Dawe portrays this like: â€Å"For The Duration† coveys this through the tedious attempts of men trying to escape jail, â€Å"Migrants† represents this through a group of immigrants finding a new land for their habitat ; trying to fit in and â€Å"Last Seen At 12:10am† depicts a worrying and traumatic mother in search for her misplaced daughter. The epic fantasy novel The Lord Of The Rings also symbolises of a group of determined protagonists on a agonising quest to find a ring. (Write a sentence and say a brief summary about each poem and how it may explore the answer. ) Bruce Dawe's â€Å"For The Duration† conveys a physical journey of the challenges faced when they attempt to break out of jail. The use of the technique enjambment between the first and second stanza, creates a sense of suspense

Diasporic Article Critique

We define Diaspora as a movement of any population with common ethnic identity from their settled territory to areas farther away. This is common to populations from countries which are experiencing poverty, economic unrest, and military problems, making it not very suitable for living. This is the situation discussed in the article by Mary Rogan, entitled Girl, Interrupted. She talks about the life and death of Aqsa Parvez, a Pakistani immigrant in Toronto, Canada.The article focused on the life of 16 year old Aqsa, who tried to blend in with the western culture of her new home (Rogan, 2008). The article initially recounts that events that happened the day Aqsa Parvez was murdered by her own father and brother because she allegedly disrespected their culture and religion. The article was nothing more than an account of the things that happened before and after the death. It tried to fit in the pieces that led to the death of the teenager, coupled with the statements given by two of her closest friends.If you look at the situation in a spectator’s perspective, you would see that it was nothing more but a case of domestic violence, with the father overly beating the child for not following his orders. However, if the case is viewed in a cultural or religious perspective, it would reveal a different story. Diaspora in the context of Aqsa Parvez’ situation would mean moving from her place of origin towards Ontario, while brining with her all her cultural and religious beliefs (Berns-McGown, 2008).She was a from a Muslim family, and devout one at that, which is why every aspect of their culture should be followed, and deviating from it would mean disrespect, and should be dealt with accordingly. Aqsa Pavrez is born and raised in the Islam culture, so she has to adopt in her life every teaching that the culture presented to her. The article Girl, Interrupted focused on one symbolism all throughout the article, and that is the wearing of a Hajib. Muslim women were regarded as the treasures of the religion, which is why they have to be covered all over, as much as possible, not revealing an inch of their naked skin.For those living in Muslim countries, women were clad in robes and cover their face, revealing only their eyes. But for the case of Aqsa Pavrez, she was only required by her parents to wear a Hajib, a cloth that would cover her head and hair. This situation is a manifestation of cultural diaspora, wherein Aqsa Pavrez and her family carries with them the religious and cultural beliefs and practice of their homeland. However, since Ontario is different from where they came from, they have to somehow adapt and adjust these practices to match the place.Aqsa Pavrez and other women from the same culture and religion were not anymore required to be clad in long robes just to cover every inch of their skin. They were instead required to wear lose shirts and large jeans, and to wear a Hajib to cover their head. For those who have strongly adhered to their cultural and religious practices, complying with these guidelines was easy. They are somehow able to fit in with the new environment, but are able to maintain and preserve with them the teachings of their culture and religion.But Aqsa Pavrez was different. According to the article, she did not despise wearing their traditional clothing, but instead, she wanted to wear it according to her choice. She wanted to have freedom in choosing what to wear, freedom of expressing herself, especially since she’s a teenager, with friends who are very much different from her. She somehow wanted to blend in, and the practices that she was accustomed to were hindering her from doing so. In a Diasporic perspective, we can say that indeed, there are people just like Aqsa Pavrez.They don’t hate the culture and religion they grew up with, but they also wanted to enjoy what other people are enjoying. The cultural practices that she was expected to follow were hin dering her from doing the things she wanted, which is why most of the times, she broke the rule set by her father and older brother. In the context of Diaspora, the people who settle in foreign lands such as this were expected to alter the beliefs and practices that they have brought with them. They are in a different land, and not all of the cases that they grew up on would apply.If we are to judge the actions of Aqsa Pavrez, she was merely adapting to the new environment, and was trying to mix the culture that she grew up on, with that of the foreign land they have settled in (Sen, 2006). This action is very much expected, though there are some constraints that she has encountered. First of all, she was still in her youth, and she couldn’t possibly stand on her own feet considering her age. It was too early to become independent, so no matter what her desires are, it is impossible to put it into fruition.Her family, especially her father and brother, hindered her from doing so, primarily because they wanted her to retain the practices and beliefs that they grew up on. The sad thing though, for the case of Aqsa Pavrez is that she was not given the chance to grow up. She died before even reaching the point where she can decide on what she wants. The title could be wrong because girls like Aqsa would still need intervention. What could be more appropriate is that, it is a Life, Interrupted.

Larry Page

————————————————- Decoding Larry Page Leadership style This paper analyses the different behaviors that define Google’s co-founder and CEO leadership and management traits and style. ————————————————- Decoding Larry Page Leadership style This paper analyses the different behaviors that define Google’s co-founder and CEO leadership and management traits and style. Aymee Flores 339707 March 8th, 2011 Aymee Flores 339707 March 8th, 2011Contents Biography2 Decoding Larry Page Leadership Style4 How Larry Page’s Leadership Styles relate to my mine9 Conclusion10 Works Cited11 Biography Lawrence â€Å"Larry: page was born march 26, 1993 in East Lancing, Michigan. He was born into a family of computer experts. His father was a pioneer in artificial in telligence and computer science and is mother a computer programing teacher. He grew up in a house where technology was the norm, computers parts and Popular Mechanics magazines where everywhere.His older brother taught him from early on how to disarm artifacts in order to find out how they worked, this fueled his knowledge and motivation greatly to begin inventing, he once built a working inkjet printer out of LEGOS, at age twelve Page already knew he was going to have a company eventually. Page was first attended the University of Michigan for a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and then decided to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at the Stanford University, here is where he met Sergey Brin and started the project that would change his life forever.The idea began while searching a dissertation theme about exploring the mathematical properties of the World Wide Web. According to John Battelle, founder of â€Å"Wired† magazine page assumed that web li nks where just citations so his project named â€Å"Backrub† was about classifying and counting all the backlinks of the World Wide Web and according to Page it would make it a more valuable place. At the beginning of â€Å"Backrub† the World Wide Web could be sought as a giant book without an index, so the goal of the project was to gather data and index it using what is called a web crawler, a bot programmed to perform this specific task.Then Page and Brin created their first product called â€Å"Pagerank† which was an algorithm that assigned numerical weighting to the hyperlinks already indexed by the web crawler and measure its importance, from here he created a search engine that was far more effective than the ones that already existed. This new Google search engine made its first debut at the Stanford University webpage in 1996. Together with is partner Brin in 1998 he founded Google Inc. at the time he hired Eric Schmidt as a CEO.The company’s mis sion was â€Å"To organize the World’s Information and to make it universally useful and accessible. † In 2006 the company was already made public and had its main quarter in Mountain view, California. Google Inc. grew very quickly and began to add more products and services such as email, advertising services, location services, productivity software and photo editing software and much more other breakthrough and innovative services and products just as the Android mobile operating system and Google Chrome Browser. Today Google. om is listed as the internet most visited website in the U. S according to Alexa Traffic Rank. And many of its famous brands are in the top hundred most visited sites such as YouTube and Blogger. According to an article by the social media online magazine Mashable, Google reported earnings of 50 billion dollars in January 2013 and is still expanding. Decoding Larry Page Leadership Style Because of his decision of hiring Eric Schmidt as CEO bac k in 2001 Larry Page was often cataloged as an introvert leader and when he took back the title of CEO in 2011 he didn’t hold any big meetings, interviews.What matters the most to Page is innovating this can be appreciated by the fact that he spends $1 billion on patents to help the company grow, this was sought to emulate Steve Job’s leadership but the truth is that this is most likely shaped by his engineering background. According to an article by CNN Money he still remains an enigma and his leadership style can be appreciated during commencement speeches and talks to coworkers and Google executives.During these talks he focuses about the future, as stated before Page is all about innovations and he firmly believes that by tackling audacious ideas that can eventually change the world would attract incredibly smart people that can achieve something worthwhile as he expressed at the Google Faculty Summit in 2009. Page’s supportive leadership style can be proved by his proficiency at building networks and expertise building and leading teams. He insisted on being very closely involved in the hiring process at Google always looking for university graduates to join the company.It is widely known that he dislikes the traditional bureaucracy and management styles and is always cutting or reassigning middle management positions. This can be seen by the company’s reorganization tendencies. While studying the company’s website it can be seen that all the description and pertinent information is compressed to no more than one paragraph, this is because Page encourages faster and concise decision making. According to wall Street Journal he would ask managers to e-mail him updates of their projects in 60 words or less.Also he encouraged them to have a session in the afternoon where top executives had to work on a public area of the building in order to make them more accessible to employees and facilitate communication among each other . This shows very strong supportive and participative leadership styles. Because the company is not organized with the typical management styles and is more focused on projects a team environment is the rule here which encourages involvement of followers in every aspect of decision making processes.Although he involves the team when it comes to decision making within a project he displays directive leadership traits when it comes to organizing the company. According to Google board member Mr. Ram Shriram he has a very clear idea of how the company should be organize therefore he personally picked the people that could run large areas of the company and set their objectives. Page would set very clear-short term and long-term goals for his managers. After further research it is very clear that Larry Page’s strongest leadership styles are participative and supportive.According to an interview by The Fortune magazine the wellbeing and lifestyle of the company’s employees i s top priority to him as he says â€Å"My job as a leader is to make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, and that they feel they're having a meaningful impact and are contributing to the good of society. † Google is known for its innovative work space that are far from looking like a typical office, he feels that the company is like a family and therefore he treats them like one.This has boosted employee satisfaction, productivity and even improved their health to the point that their healthcare costs grow less compared to other companies. As stated before Page is regarded as an introvert, which might contradict the traditional believe that a leader should be outgoing and charismatic in order to be successful but the fact that he is an introvert supplies him with other set of traits and skills that make him successful and ultimately explain his supportive and participative tendencies.Traits that characterize introverts are that they are very good at listeni ng; therefore they are not going to dominate a social situation which will allow them to hear about other people’s innovative ideas. This will also explain Page’s tendency to want to attract people qualified as intelligent. A person that has an engineering and technologic mindset would rather hear from a smart person than a charismatic one. In addition Page has a strong directive approach when it comes to setting the company’s main goals but he is willing to let his followers choose their path to reach those goals.Nevertheless Larry Page has been a CEO for a relatively short amount of time so there is still a lot to see from this leader. During his short time as a CEO he has definitely demonstrated strong organizational skills and has brought back cohesion and focus as well as decisiveness to a company that was becoming scattered within is many diverse projects. Larry Page’s Leadership Style Applied to Hospitality Industry Google’s innovative appro ach can bring great success for someone working in the hospitality industry.The hospitality environment is all about communication and team work, this is a people’s business therefore it is imperative to have a supportive approach when leading followers. There are many levels or work in this industry that range from skilled labor to management and business work. Page’s supportive approach can be very beneficial for hotel managers because they are leading people that come from all sorts of backgrounds, by providing an environment where the employees feel comforted and supported by their company it will increase employee’s satisfaction and productivity at their workplace.For example a manager can display this kind of behavior if a front desk employee becomes frustrated with a hard situation involving a difficult guest or is having some kind of hardship in their personal life a manager can encourage communication with the employee and provide an understanding attit ude as well as build a better relationship with the employee that will allow that employee to feel comfortable within his workplace augmenting their feelings of empowerment and therefore excelling at their duties.The hospitality industry environment requires critical thinking skills, our industries workspaces are the same but a day and a situation is never the same, a hospitality employee have knew experiences and new interactions everyday with customers. Participative behavior from managers is extremely important; a manager cannot be in every place at the same time. Every employee has different experience at the workplace due to the nature of the Hospitality industry, for example a front desk agent that does the A.M. shift has a completely different experience and needs than the one doing the P. M. shift. Therefore is necessary that the manager gathers input from his employees in order to improve the processes and procedures necessary to solve a particular problem or to improve the workplace experience. Delegatory leadership is also needed in the hospitality industry because it often involves critical decisions to be made from the followers that directly affect the customers.For example when at the front desk an employer needs to be empowered to make decisions and resolve certain type of problems that might rise like room changes or extra amenities to compensate for ant dissatisfactory experience a customer might have. How Larry Page’s Leadership Styles relate to my mine After analyzing Page’s leadership traits I found myself very related to his style. As a leader I see myself revolutionizing the workplace, giving a lot of importance to the way an employee is treated and feels after analyzing Page’s leadership traits I found myself very related to his style.As a leader I see myself revolutionizing the workplace, giving a lot of importance to the way an employee is treated and feels while doing his work. The challenges that might be found applying his style to the type of career I am doing would be overcoming an industry that is already established and has a bureaucratic management style, it would be a groundbreaking task to apply a more relaxed and creative work environment and involve the employees in the decisions of the company.I strongly believe that innovation and technology can be brought to this industry and can be encompassed with customer experience and this can be achieved if the bureaucratic lines in the current management styles can be blurred somewhat and projects that come from employees ideas instead of only owners of stake holders of a company would take place. Page’s management does not think about money being spent, this is the same vision I have for the hospitality industry.In order to revolutionize the industry and the customer’s experience whether it is by creating new amenities at the already existing facilities or creating new futuristic lodging concepts can only be achieved if t he mindset of making business for money can be put as a second priority. Conclusion My research about Larry Page’s leadership style has been very moving and eye opening. I strongly believe that this should be the management style of the future because he was able to prove that the old bureaucratic style is not necessary in order to make company thrive.The world is constantly changing and therefore the structure of our companies need to change as well and become more proficient and team based in order to reach our full potential as well as innovating and creating new concepts that can be easily achieved by participative leadership and groundbreaking projects. Works Cited Larry Page Ties Employee Pay to Google's Social Performance, Leslie Horn, PC Magazine Online, April 8, 2011Is Google's Larry Page already turning out to be a truly great CEO? Google focus on its core business)(Google shutdown of Google Labs, Aardvark, Slide, Fast Flip ), Dumenco, Simon, :  Advertising Age, S ept 26, 2011, Vol. 82(34), p. 0020New Stage, New Skills. (Business/Financial Desk)(Google Inc. ‘s Larry Page), Miller, Claire Cain, The New York Times, Jan 22, 2011, p. B1(L) Media Entrepreneurs of the Decade: Larry Page & Serge Brin, Google. (BEST OF THE DECADE), Shields, Mike, Brandweek, Dec 14, 2009, Vol. 50(44), p. 20(1)Larry Page CEO OF the Year. Greg Sterling. Search Engine Land. Jan 2, 2012Larry Page and Google: Individual Empowerment Requires Forceful Leadership, Tweak your Biz, Article.June 12, 2012At Google, Page Aims to Clear Red Tape, The Wall Street Journal, Amir Efrati. March 26 2011Introverted Leaders: Three Reasons Larry Page Will Succeed as Google CEO, The power of Introverts, Susan Cain. Blog. Jan 24, 2011. Chief seeks more agile Google; as CEO, Larry Page must pierce bureaucracy, compete with nimble upstarts. (Company overview), Efrati, Amir ; Morrison, Scott, The Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition, Jan 22, 2011, Vol. 0(0), p. B1(1)| | | | For Google CEO La rry Page, a difficult premiere role. (Company overview), Efrati Amir, The Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition, August 30, 2011, Vol. 0(0), p. B1(1)|

Interactive Session: Running the Business from the Palm

Chapter 1 Interactive Session: Organizations: Running the Business from the Palm of Your Hand Case Study Questions 1. What kinds of applications are described here? What business functions do they support? How do they improve operational efficiency and decision making? Email, messaging, social networking, and sales force management are described in this case study. The applications support business functions including collaboration, location-based services, and communications with colleagues.These applications improve operational efficiency and decision making by allowing people to communicate from wherever they are. They are no longer tethered to one place or one machine. They can receive information and data instantaneously which allows them to make better, faster decisions. In the case of Doylestown Hospital, doctors use iPhone applications to access medical reference applications, giving them a broader base of information on which to base decisions. 2. Identify the problems that businesses in this case study solved by using mobile digital devices.TCHO Chocolate solved some of its operational and production problems by using iPhone apps to remotely log into each chocolate-making machine, control time and temperature, turn the machines on and off, and receive alerts about when to make temperature changes. The company owner remotely views several video cameras that show how the TCHO Flavor Lab is doing. Company employees exchange photos, email, and text messages via iPhone apps. GE’s employees use iPhone and iPad apps that help them find patterns and trends in large volumes of data that may help alert them to problems before they become serious enough to affect customers or suppliers.Monitoring apps let managers zoom in from a global map to a specific transformer and read key performance indicators at any time. Dow Corning managers analyze real-time data from core corporate systems including sales figures, trends, and projections, using mobile handheld devices. â€Å"In 15 seconds I can get a sense of whether there’s a financial performance issue I need to get involved with,† said Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Don Sheets. Sunbelt Rentals combined multiple systems and databases into a single package for its sales teams.Rather than accessing several different computer systems for information, sales agents receive combined information from corporate point-of-sale systems, inventory control and management systems, and enterprise systems, for a truly integrated view of business functions. SAP’s Business One mobile application sends alerts on specific events to sales managers, giving them real-time information about deviations from approved discounts, inventory availability, and in-stock products. 3. What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from equipping their employees with mobile digital devices such as iPhones, iPads, and BlackBerrys?Any business with a need to communication wit h customers, suppliers, and business colleagues can benefit from equipping employees with mobile digital devices. Student answers will vary as they relate their own experiences and knowledge of using mobile digital devices. Try to encourage the students’ creativity and imagination with this question. Here are a couple examples: Insurance companies: claims adjusters or agents writing new policies or updating old ones, can take pictures of property as-is or that’s been damaged, update data on the condition of a property, and document property damage for claims processing.Real estate agents: can take pictures of homes for sale and send to prospective buyers, send information to other agents or prospective buyers and sellers, answer questions, and complete documents related to buying and selling property. Winemakers: can receive up-to-date weather forecasts, track crop information via GPS coordinates, store and access data on crop varieties for later analysis, track employ ee productivity during harvest time, take pictures of crops to include in a database, and communicate with suppliers and customers. 4. One company deploying iPhones has said, â€Å"The iPhone is not a game changer, it’s an industry changer.It changes the way that you can interact with your customers and with your suppliers. † Discuss the implications of this statement. First and foremost, those that effectively and efficiently deploy mobile digital device technology gain a huge competitive advantage over those who do not use the technology to stay in constant touch with customers and suppliers. Sales and Marketing can take a hit by not having access to information that can close business deals faster and more efficiently. Costs can increase without the ability to contact suppliers and track product shipments, especially for those companies who use just-in-time supply chains.Interactive Session: Technology: UPS Competes Globally with Information Technology Case Study Qu estions 1. What are the inputs, processing, and outputs of UPS’s package tracking system? Inputs: The inputs include package information, customer signature, pickup, delivery, time-card data, current location (while en route), and billing and customer clearance documentation. Processing: The data are transmitted to a central computer and stored for retrieval. Data are also reorganized so that they can be tracked by customer account, date, driver, and other criteria.Outputs: The outputs include pickup and delivery times, location while en route, and package recipient. The outputs also include various reports, such as all packages for a specific account or a specific driver or route, as well as summary reports for management. 2. What technologies are used by UPS? How are these technologies related to UPS’s business strategy? Technologies include handheld computers (DIADs), barcode scanning systems, wired and wireless communications networks, desktop computers, UPSâ€℠¢s central computer (large mainframe computers), and storage technology for the package delivery data.UPS also uses telecommunication technologies for transmitting data through pagers and cellular phone networks. The company uses in-house software for tracking packages, calculating fees, maintaining customer accounts and managing logistics, as well as software to access the World Wide Web. UPS has used the same strategy for over 90 years. Its strategy is to provide the â€Å"best service and lowest rates. † One of the most visible aspects of technology is the customer’s ability to track his/her package via the UPS Web site.However, technology also enables data to seamlessly flow throughout UPS and helps streamline the workflow at UPS. Thus, the technology described in the scenario enables UPS to be more competitive, efficient, and profitable. The result is an information system solution to the business challenge of providing a high level of service with low prices in t he face of mounting competition. 3. What strategic business objectives do UPS’s information systems address? †¢ Operational excellence: UPS has maintained leadership in small-package delivery services despite stiff competition from FedEx and the U. S.Postal System by investing heavily in advanced information technology. †¢ New products, services, and business models: In June 2009 UPS launched a new Web-based Post Sales Order Management System (OMS) that manages global service orders and inventory for critical parts fulfillment. The system enables high-tech electronics, aerospace, medical equipment, and other companies anywhere in the world that ship critical parts to quickly assess their critical parts inventory, determine the most optimal routing strategy to meet customer needs, place orders online, and track parts from the warehouse to the end user. Customer and supplier intimacy: Customers can download and print their own labels using special software provided by UPS or by accessing the UPS Web site. UPS spends more than $1 billion each year to maintain a high level of customer service while keeping costs low and streamlining its overall operations. †¢ Improved decision making: Special software creates the most efficient delivery route for each driver that considers traffic, weather conditions, and the location of each stop. UPS estimates its delivery trucks save 28 million miles and burn 3 million fewer gallons of fuel each year as a result of using this technology.To further increase cost savings and safety, drivers are trained to use â€Å"340 Methods† developed by industrial engineers to optimize the performance of every task from lifting and loading boxes to selecting a package from a shelf in the truck. †¢ Competitive advantage: UPS is leveraging its decades of expertise managing its own global delivery network to manage logistics and supply chain activities for other companies. Its Supply Chain Solutions division pro vides a complete bundle of standardized services to subscribing companies at a fraction of what it would cost to build their won systems and infrastructure. . What strategic business objectives do UPS’s information systems address? UPS invests heavily in information systems technology to make its business more efficient and customer oriented. It uses an array of information technologies including barcode scanning systems, wireless networks, large mainframe computers, handheld computers, the Internet, and many different pieces of software for tracking packages, calculating fees, maintaining customer accounts, and managing logistics. You may want to highlight how UPS has had to change and adapt to new technologies to remain competitive. . What would happen if UPS’s information systems were not available? Arguably, UPS might not be able to compete effectively without technology. If the technology were not available, then UPS would, as it has through most of its history, a ttempt to provide that information to its customers, but at higher prices. From the customers’ perspective, these technologies provide value because they help customers complete their tasks more efficiently. Customers view UPS’s technology as value-added services as opposed to increasing the cost of sending packages.