Week4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Week4 - Essay Example This intellectual property will affect the Quick-Med Technologies in a great way, as the Rosacea disease is prevalent in nearly 16 million American, so a very effective technique of curing Rosacea will gives them a huge market and big profits because other treatments available have side effects and other companies can’t use this technique due to intellectual property rights of Quick-Med Technologies. Competing companies would be affected by this intellectual property of Quick-Med Technologies, as they can’t use this more effective technique and the current techniques have side effects so they are likely to face low sales of their products which are associated with the treatment of Rosacea. Advanced Cell Technology, Inc has many Intellectual properties in the area of regenerative medicine. They have utility patents like methods for treating retinal degeneration using human RPE cells and manufacturing RPE cells from human ES cells. Advanced Cell Technologies has acquired these patents because this is potentially a very large market, there are some 200 or more diseases of retina which effects millions of people worldwide, and that may be treated by using their technology of RPE cells. Secondly there are currently no available treatments for some diseases like Stargardts Disease and Age related Macular Degeneration, which can be treated with their new treatment technology, and which is potentially a 20-30 billion dollar market. These new intellectual properties will extend the companys patent coverage of the scalable manufacturing of human RPE cells for therapeutic use, this Intellectual property will further expands their patent estate with respect to protecting the use of RPE cells in a wide range of treatments. As this is a multibillion dollar market and there are currently no available cures for some of the diseases

Adapting Communication for Age of Pupils Essay Example for Free

Adapting Communication for Age of Pupils Essay When working with children each age group requires a different level of support and also a best way to communicate, communication doesn’t just change on the age of the child but also the child themselves. When working with children in the foundation stage F-1 it is appropriate to speak to children n there level whenever possible this helps the child to feel more comfortable as they haven’t got someone towering over them, also for the adult it helps them to hear the child correctly as younger children are likely to not be as loudly spoken and may lack in confidence. Also another non verbal communication in this age is to use lots of facial expression as children will pick up the meaning of a word or what context it is meant in by facial expression as well as tone of voice. Younger children also benefit from the use of actions to go with words such as having a hand action for hello waving etc. this makes language more remember able to them and easier for them to use. The verbal communication for this age needs to be simple, using words which the child will understand both the meaning of the word and the context it is meant in for example clear instructions are helpful such as â€Å" go and get your coats on, its cold today, they need to be done up, and then line up please† a opposed to â€Å" coats on† the children will not know to do up or line up. Clear tone of voice I also needed and children quickly respond to this if a member of staff has a calm happy tone of voice and changes to a stern tone the pupils are likely to recognise she is upset about something as her tone of voice has dramatically changed. Where as if a member of staff always had a flat tone of voice which doesn’t change children are likely to be less aware or able to pick up on the contexts things are meant as they are unable to relate to the changing of tone. See more:  Mark Twains Humorous Satire in Running for Governor Essay In KS-1 pupils have much better language skills and can use more complex words, Verbally I can use more complex words such as time words, and more complex description words when communicating with them light humour is also appropriate as they will be able to understand it. In KS-1 pupils are likely to find it a little unnerving If I were to always speak to them on their level as they are older and may see this as been spoken to like a baby, however eye contact is still important when speaking to them. Hand actions will no longer be needed at this stage, also facial expression is still important but needn’t be as exadrated. As children get older depending on their development they are likely to be able to communicate on a more adult level, exploring language and understanding its context and meaning, using humour and asking questions if unsure of how something is meant. The context of the communication. How I communicate with the CYPs in the settiing will be adapted also to the context in which I am talking for example when in the classroom working with a pupil on a task I will speak in a calm relaxed tone of voice, encouraging them while they do the task, if a pupil had been struggling I may change my tone of voice to a more enthusiastic pitch recognising their achievements. When in a classroom and a pupil might talk whilst the teacher is talking either to myself or another pupil usually saying their name in a stern tone and unsmiling face is enough to get them to correct their behaviour. Whilst in the playground speaking to a pupil on a social subject I can relax use light humour, be interested in what they are saying without asking inappropriate questions. I can use hand gestures and have a more relaxed pose. Communication differences. Pupils depending on their individual needs, preferences may need different communication from their peers for example is a pupil is quiet shy and quietly spoken they may feel more comfortable with the adult to speaking to them in a calm quiet manner whereas a adult being load and confident may make them feel very nervous etc. Pupils who have SEN. may need communication to be different to suit their needs for example if they have additional learning needs they may have difficulty understanding language as well as there peers and need simple language with actions and facial expressions to help them. Pupils with sight difficulties may need more physical communication such as leading around the room by hand or being allowed to explore activity’s by touch. Pupils with a hearing difficulties may benefit from visual aids around the classroom such as school rules such as no running. They may also need adults to repeat things to them if they are unsure and also for adults to always face them when talking to them to enable them to lip read, and speak in a clear load voice. TDA 3.1( 2.3) The differences between communicating with adults, children and young people. The way I communicate with adults and pupils varies depending on the context, however in a professional situation a lot of the communication is the same such as using a calm happy tone of voice, good eye contact and open body language. Some things which are different which may be appropriate for a child but not for a adult such as using a stern tone of voice to discipline a child, wouldn’t be suitable for use on a adult as they are adults and this would cause conflict as it isn’t my place to get them to correct their behaviour, Adults don’t need me to speak to them on their level although in some situations this may be useful for example in a noisy pace to bend down to talk to another adult who is seated. Depending on the age of the child humour used may not be appropriate although as with children as any humour used is likely to be hear by children it will remain light and clear so no one misunderstands its context and also humour must never hurt someone else’s feelings. Hand actions and exadirated facial expressions aren’t needed with adults as they might be benifitual to communicating with children. How to adapt my communication with adults to meet adults individual communication needs. Adults within the setting like children too will have their own needs, preferences when communicating Also their communication preferences may change depending on the situation/ environment they are in for example if a member of staff is outside in a busy playground supervising, they have to supervise the pupils so are unlikely to maintain full eye contact which in some situations may be seen as having bad communication however in this situation the child is paramount and they are putt ing the child’s safety first. Also in a noisy environment they are likely to need me to speak louder and clearly. In a situation where the member of staff may be doing some written work I will approach them quietly so not to disturb them as the written word may be important. Adults may also have a disability or need such as a hearing impairment which will mean I will need to make sure my face is visible when talking to them so that they can lip read, also I would never talk to them across the room but make sure I am stood in front of them when communicating with them, I will also speak in a clear load voice. Managing disagreements with CYP. If I were to become in a situation where myself and a child came into a disagreement I would firstly make sure the child has understood something I said probably by repeating myself and use simpler words. It may be that I may have misunderstood the meaning of something a child said so to confirm I will ask questions to make sure I am clear on the context they meant It in. It may be a achedemic disagreement for example a child telling me they have already read a certain book, I would refer to their home/ school book to check as all books children read are written down. Most disagreements via myself and a child can easily be resolved either by clarifying meaning, they might not have meant what they said in that manner , or if its about their school work I can check with the teacher or through any written records the school has that are relevant. In my setting I will have to maintain professional communication even if I disagree or experience any conflict with another adult. I would keep this unobvious to the pupils within the room instead dealing with the issue outside of the classroom at a appropriate time i.e. in the staffroom at a designated break time. I feel that in most instances I would be able to solve the issue with a verbal open conversation with the other adult explaining to them what I am unhappy about and why. However if the incidence was serious where the other member of staff showed a misconduct of practise i.e. racism poor health and safety etc. I may feel it appropriate to consult the head teacher of what has happen/what I have witnessed. I will refrain from criticizing the member of staff myself. In a more serious event I may be asked to write down what I have encountered if the head teacher needs to seek advice take the incident to the school governors or local authority. TDA 3.1 (3.2) An explanation of the importance of reassuring CYP and adults of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of this. As part of safeguarding I in some cases am required to break any confidentiality if the information may mean a child is in potential harm or at risk from harm. Any disclosures from children concerning adults both within and outside of the school setting have to be reported to help risk to be assessed and prevented. In the case of adults it may be they a adult has concerns over another adults practise maybe due to a action taken by the adult , their mental health at a certain time or something a child has informed them off. When hearing any concerning information I will always firstly reassure the information giver that they have done the correct thing, I will them tell them that I cannot keep it to myself but will have to tell a appropriate person however it wont be told to anyone just the people who need to know. It is important that I tell them this so they don’t think of me a misusing their trust, or doing something to upset them, they need to know that the children’s safety comes first and any information that is passed on is done so only to protect them and only the relevant people will be told about it.

SOCIETYS SLAVES :: essays research papers

The books Brave New World, by Aldrous Huxley, and 1984, by George Orwell, are alike because they have comparable organizations. By using brainwashing techniques, censorship, and the obliteration of history, the leaders in Brave New World and 1984 control the thoughts and recollections of the people in their societies. Without using these techniques, the societies being controlled could not exist, because the people would not be disciplined like they needed to be. The citizens in these societies are slaves of the leaders, but cannot resist or do anything to change things for themselves. Chiefly, brainwashing was essential to accomplish while the children were young because then it would ensure that they would grow up to be model citizens in the society. Principally, love was disallowed in both societies, by the virtue that it would cause problems. Fights would begin over relationships that would cause uncertainty that was not needed in the society. When the citizens Brave New World were young, they were involved in sexual games that would introduce them to sex and portray it as something casual. "†¦.this little boy seems rather reluctant to join in the ordinary erotic play." (Brave New World, pg. 30) As they got older, they were not able to know love, or would not be able to distinguish it from sex, so it became the norm to 'have everyone'. In 1984, marriages were allowed, but on the grounds that the two people getting married were not in love. They wanted the people to feel like they were only getting married to be of service to the party (when their children were set up working with the Spies, growing up to be pawns for the Party). The one they were supposed to love was Big Brother. "You must love Big Brother. It is not enough to obey him you must love him." (1984, pg. 201) Everyone was designed so that people would feel like they were existing for the Party, and the Party is virtuous. People's reactions towards death was also deteriorated in Brave New World, so people would not show anxiety if one of their friends died. "What are these filthy brats doing here? It's disgraceful." "Disgraceful? But what do you mean? They're being death conditioned." (Brave New World, pg. 208) They would just continue on living in the society, as existing happily and productively was their purpose. In 1984, emotions about occurrences like death was frowned upon as well.

Reflective Paper

Reflective Paper – Effective Human Resources Management Theresa Tapley BUS 303 Dr. Kevin Righter March 13, 2010 Reflective Paper – Effective Human Resources Management Effective Human Resources Management (HRM) plays a major role in ensuring that an organization will survive and prosper. The HRM facilitates the most effective use of people or employees to achieve organizational and individual goals. The HRM consists of numerous activities which include, equal employment opportunity (EEO) compliance, job analysis, human resource planning, the recruitment, selection, motivation, and orientation of employees, performance evaluation and compensation, the training and development of employees, labor relations, and the safety, health, and wellness of the workforce. Effective human resources management plays a vital role in the success of an organization and is an active participant in charting the strategic course of competitiveness, productiveness, and efficiency. An effective HRM focuses on action rather than on record-keeping, written procedure, or rules. Although the use of rules, records, and policies are incorporated, â€Å"action† is the focus. The HRM emphasizes the solution of employment problems to help achieve organizational objectives and facilitate employees’ development and satisfaction. An effective HRM is, also, people-oriented. Whenever possible, the HRM treats each employee as an individual and offers services and program to meet the individual’s needs. An effective HRM program is concerned with helping an organization achieve its objectives in the future by providing for competent, well-motivated employees. Human resources are incorporated into an organization’s long-term strategic plans to assist with ensuring that future growth needs will be adequately staffed with qualified, trained employees (Ivancewich, 2010, pg 5). EEO and Affirmative Action One external factor that has a powerful influence on my company's HRM unction is the equal employment opportunity and human rights legislation, which has a profound effect on our policies and procedures concerning recruiting, selection, evaluation, and promotion. The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an independent federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability and retaliation for reporting and/or opp osing a discriminatory practice. This commission is empowered to file discrimination suits against employers on behalf of alleged victims and to adjudicate claims of discrimination brought against federal agencies. No other regulatory area has as thoroughly affected HRM as the EEO programs have. It has implications for almost every activity in HRM and sets standards for hiring, recruiting, training, terminating, compensating, evaluating, planning, disciplining, and collective bargaining. Employers, to prevent employment discrimination in the workplace or to take remedial action to offset employment discrimination implement EEO programs, (Ivancevich, 2010, pg 65). According to the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website, the EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. The laws also apply to all type of work situations, including hiring, firing, promotions, demotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits. During the employment selection process, each candidate should be evaluated on their qualification of the job requirements, based on their experience, education, and skill set. Many corporations use testing as an important tool. Rae T. Vann, general counsel of the Equal Employment Advisory Council, a national association of large federal contractors, observed, â€Å"When done properly, testing can be a very important tool in the employment selection process, and we commend the Commission on its efforts to improve the quality and fairness of tests and other job screening methods† (Title VII: Affirmative Action, 2006). I encourage my Clinical Managers to become familiar with the provisions of the EEO standards and guidelines. It is essential that they make every effort to seek counsel from our HR dept when initiating the interview and hiring process, dealing with poor performance, disabilities, demotions, appearance of harassment, and training and re-training. Throughout my five years of administrative management, I have unfortunately had to learn HRM and EEOC laws the hard way, through trial and error. With each mistake that I have made, such as not consulting the HR department before decreasing a dual role employee’s hours so that she could focus on one role due to extremely poor performance, I have learned the proper steps to come to the same conclusion. The decrease in hours caused her to lose her benefits and subsequently she filed an EEOC claim of discrimination and retaliation. Fortunately, due to proper documentation of the corrective actions, developmental action plan and the documented counseling, our HRM has adequate information to refute the claim. Now, I consult my HRM representative with any concerns, questions, or updates related to employee situations. Planning, Recruitment, and Selection Human resources planning are the processes by which management ensures that it has the right personnel, who are capable of completing those tasks that help the organization, reach its objectives. It involves forecasting of human resources needs and the projected matching of individuals with expected vacancies (International Labour Organization, 2010). An effective HR plan, also, provides mechanisms to eliminate any gaps that may exist between supply and demand. HR planning determines the numbers and types of employees to be recruited into the organization or phased out of it (Ivancevich, 2010). The Human Resource Planning Process incorporates strategic planning which will have a direct effect on the organization's profitability. The strategic plan must adapt to environmental circumstances. It must forecast how many and what employees are required for the organizations staffing requirements. Next, it must determine how many and what kind of employees are currently employed with the skills and training necessary for the future needs. Finally, after the HR system has analyzed the supply of and the demand or future workers, these two forecasts are compared to determine what action should be taken. Effective workforce planning is a critical element of effective strategic and operational planning. Workforce planning provides managers with a strategic basis for making human resource decisions. It allows managers to anticipate change ather than being surprised by events, as well as providing strategic methods for addressing present and anticipated workforce issues. The US Department of Health and Human Services states, â€Å"Organizational success depends on having the right employees with the right competencies at the right time. Workforce planning provides managers the means of identifying the competencies needed in the workforce not only in the present but in the future and then selecting and developing that workforce† (US Dept. Health and Human Services, 2010). The HR department for my company has implemented a staffing model tool that projects future, potential, or expected growth versus the actual census, the current staffing and skill set of that staff, and calculates the hiring needs of specific positions within the direct and indirect patient care. Once the future needs are determined, then the hiring process begins. Human Resources Development Training and development are processes that attempt to provide an employee with information, skills, and an understanding of the organization and its goals. Training and development are designed to help a person continue to make positive contributions in the form of good performance and advancement within the organization. A solid orientation program is the first step in developing an employee. It reduces anxiety and fears, reduces start-up costs of a new employee, reduces turnover, saves time for supervisors and co-workers, and develops realistic expectations, positive attitudes toward the employer and job satisfaction. Once will established in a specific position, then the manager and employee must set goals for development and advancement. Management and professional development is designed to reduce obsolescence and to increase employees’ satisfaction and productivity. An important part of development is the evaluation process. Performance management is the process by which executives, managers, and supervisors work to align employee performance with the firm’s goals. An effective performance management process determines and evaluates performance, provides feedback to the employees about their performance, and measures and monitors skill-set (Ivancevich, 2010, pg 251). The company that I work for has an excellent formal performance evaluation process that is very effective in the development the employee and the motivation to succeed. Appraising and managing performance at my workplace starts form the day of hire. Each newly hired direct or indirect patient care must attend a through and intensive training program. After 90 days, from date of hire, the new staff member is evaluated for suitability for the position. The manager will present a written 90-day evaluation to the staff member. This evaluation will result in a successful completion of the introductory period, determine a need for an extension of 30 days to improve and meet expectations, or termination due to being unsuitable for the position (this usually occurs when the staff member continually fails to follow policies and procedures and/or causing patient endangerment). Every manager must complete an annual evaluation for staff members under their direct supervision. The score on the evaluation determine the merit increase and caps set forth by the company. When a staff member is failing to follow policy and procedure, putting patient’s safety in jeopardy, tardiness or excessive absenteeism, insubordination, breaking confidentiality and HIPPA regulations, and etc. the manager will conduct corrective action in the form of documented counseling, written corrective action, final corrective action, 3 day suspension, and/or termination. To make this process more effective and ensure compliance with EEOC and federal and state regulations, both next level supervisor and the HR dept representative must approve all final corrective actions, 3-day suspensions, and terminations. Compensation and Benefits There are several reasons that an employer or corporation will offer benefits and services to their employees. One reason is to keep the organization competitive in recruit and retaining employees. Another reason is to keep a union out or because the union has won this during negotiations. Finally, is the fact that providing benefits and service contributed to increased employee performance and job satisfaction (Ivancevich, 2010, pg358). Federal and state governments mandate three benefits programs offered by private and not-for-profit employers. The three mandated programs are unemployment insurance, social security, and workers’ compensation. In addition to the benefits required by law, many employers provide other kinds of benefits voluntarily, such as, compensation for time not worked, insurance protection, retirement plans, FMLA or medical FMLA, life insurance, short and long-term disability, and various retirement programs and stock ownership plans. Some organizations offer tuition reimbursement and flexible benefits plans. Whenever I am interviewing a candidate for a position, I always spend a portion of the interview discussing and explaining our benefit package. Sometimes our hourly rate is not quite as high as our competitor, but our benefits and employee services usually out ways the difference in compensation. Safety and Health The Human Resource Management team of the dialysis company of which I am employed, works very closely with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to ensure that the most acceptable and innovative concepts in employee safety and health are used. The NIOSH is the primary federal agency that conducts research on the safety and health of the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970, to provide research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health established it in 1971 (Bradley, 2002). The NIOSH develops and promotes the use of national and state-based surveillance systems to identify, quantify, and track injuries and illnesses. Epidemiological analysis of these databases helps identify unsafe and unhealthy workplace conditions. NIOSH also supports laboratory and field research to further identify, assess, and control occupational hazards and exposures and the diseases and injuries they cause. In addition to identifying risks, the NIOSH develops and evaluates prevention measures such as control technology, personal protective equipment, and work practices. Through research internally within our company and the NIOSH, many improvements and standards have been put into place for water treatment safety and personal protective equipment. We have strong policies and procedures that protect both the employee and the patient from exposure to health or safety hazards. There are several reasons for establishing good occupational safety and health standards. First, on a moral note, an employee should not have to risk injury or death at work, nor should others associated with the work environment. The second is economical in nature. Many governments realize that poor occupational safety and health performance results in cost to the State, through social security payments to the incapacitated, costs for medical treatment, and the loss of the employability of the worker. The employing organizations also sustain costs in the event of an incident at work, such as legal fees, fines, compensatory damages, investigation time, and lost production, lost goodwill from the workforce, customers, and community. Lastly, from a legal standpoint, the occupational safety and health requirements may be reinforced in civil law and/or criminal law. It is a known fact, that without the extra â€Å"encouragement† of potential regulatory action or litigation, many organizations would not act upon their implied moral obligations. During a Frontline interview with assistant secretary of labor for occupational health and safety, John Henshaw, the question was asked, â€Å"How successful do you think OSHA has been at protecting workers in the United States? † Mr. Henshaw replied, â€Å"In the last 30 years, OSHA has made some tremendous strides in reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. In the last six to eight years, injuries have gone steadily down and fatalities have gone down to the point where they are the lowest ever (Frontline, 2002). The dialysis industry is carefully scrutinized to uphold acceptable OSHA safety and health standards. We, also, have internal auditors that simulate inspections to ensure compliance and safe practices. Employee and Labor Relations Labor relations can refer broadly to any dealings between management and workers about employment conditions. Most commonly, however, labor relations refer to dealings between management and a workforce that is already unionized, or has the potential to become unionized. Labor relations are thus crucial to industries like autos and airlines with heavily unionized workforces. In the United States, labor relations were profoundly affected by the National Labor Relations Act passed during the 1930’s, which gave workers the right to form unions and bargain collectively. Labor relations have been drastically affected by the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which prohibited the â€Å"closed shop†, as well as, the introduction of right-to-work laws in more than 20 states (Ivancevich, 2010, pgs 477). By the early 21st century, labor relations were less affected by labor unions, to which only 8 percent of private sector workers belonged in 2004, about half of the rate in 1983. The decline reflects the increase in labor relations consultants, who have helped managements avoid unionization (Anonymous, 2010). The presence of a union directly affects most aspects of Human Resources Management, including recruiting, selection, performance evaluation, promotion, compensation, and benefits, among others (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 34). Unions were once thought of a being for blue-collar factory workers, but now even engineers, nurses, teachers, secretaries, salespersons, college professors, professional football players and even physicians belong to unions. Within my workplace, we have an ongoing informational and educational campaign against the unethical practices of recruitment and enticement for our employees. We offer seminars and counseling in regards to the unionization tactics. While facing declining membership, union officials have turned to highly questionable practice of organizing new members through a process called â€Å"card check†. With card checks, paid union organizers try to persuade workers to sign cards saying that they favor union representation. This persuasion comes in the form of deception, coercion, and harassing visits to worker’s homes. John Ivancevich describes this practice as the â€Å"authorization card† (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 480). Under current laws, as soon as more than 50 percent of the workers sign a union authorization card, all employees within that organization will be required to participate in the union and pay union dues, even though not a single employee has actually been able to cast a personal, private vote. Often times, individual will sign the cards under intentional or unintentional misunderstandings or to get the organizer to stop harassing them, even though the employee may have no desire to join a union (Anonymous, 2010). Conclusion Human Resources Management is the heart of every organization. It serves as an advocate for each employee, while also protecting the organization from legal repercussions. Whether it is ensuring equal employment opportunity (EEO) compliance, providing job analysis, planning for the future staffing needs and subsequent recruitment and selection of qualified candidates, each of these areas are vital to a well-organized corporation. The HRM is paramount in the motivation, training, and development of employees. Ensuring a positive orientation experience, and concise performance evaluation and compensation will aid in retention and job satisfaction. Finally, the HRM has an extremely important role in labor relations and ensuring the safety, health, and wellness of the workforce. References Anonymous. (2010). When voting isn’t Private. Retrieved on February 26, 2010 from website: http://www. unionfacts. com/articles/cardCheck. cfm Bradley, J. (2002). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved on 3/1/2010 from website: http://www. cdc. gov/niosh EEOC Office of Legal Counsel staff members (2006). Title VII: Affirmative Action. Retrieved on February 12, 2010 from website: http://www. eeoc. gov/eeoc/foia/letters/2006/vii_affimative_action. html Frontline. (2002). A Dangerous Business. Frontline Interview with John Henshaw. September 30, 2002. Retrieved on 3/2/2010 from website: http://osha. gov International Labour Organization. Retrieved on February 11, 2010 from website: http://wwwilo. org Ivancevich. J. (2010). Human resource management (11th ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780073381466. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved on February 10, 2010 from website: http://www. hhs. gov/ohr/workforce/wfpguide. html Reflective Paper Reflective Paper – Effective Human Resources Management Theresa Tapley BUS 303 Dr. Kevin Righter March 13, 2010 Reflective Paper – Effective Human Resources Management Effective Human Resources Management (HRM) plays a major role in ensuring that an organization will survive and prosper. The HRM facilitates the most effective use of people or employees to achieve organizational and individual goals. The HRM consists of numerous activities which include, equal employment opportunity (EEO) compliance, job analysis, human resource planning, the recruitment, selection, motivation, and orientation of employees, performance evaluation and compensation, the training and development of employees, labor relations, and the safety, health, and wellness of the workforce. Effective human resources management plays a vital role in the success of an organization and is an active participant in charting the strategic course of competitiveness, productiveness, and efficiency. An effective HRM focuses on action rather than on record-keeping, written procedure, or rules. Although the use of rules, records, and policies are incorporated, â€Å"action† is the focus. The HRM emphasizes the solution of employment problems to help achieve organizational objectives and facilitate employees’ development and satisfaction. An effective HRM is, also, people-oriented. Whenever possible, the HRM treats each employee as an individual and offers services and program to meet the individual’s needs. An effective HRM program is concerned with helping an organization achieve its objectives in the future by providing for competent, well-motivated employees. Human resources are incorporated into an organization’s long-term strategic plans to assist with ensuring that future growth needs will be adequately staffed with qualified, trained employees (Ivancewich, 2010, pg 5). EEO and Affirmative Action One external factor that has a powerful influence on my company's HRM unction is the equal employment opportunity and human rights legislation, which has a profound effect on our policies and procedures concerning recruiting, selection, evaluation, and promotion. The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an independent federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability and retaliation for reporting and/or opp osing a discriminatory practice. This commission is empowered to file discrimination suits against employers on behalf of alleged victims and to adjudicate claims of discrimination brought against federal agencies. No other regulatory area has as thoroughly affected HRM as the EEO programs have. It has implications for almost every activity in HRM and sets standards for hiring, recruiting, training, terminating, compensating, evaluating, planning, disciplining, and collective bargaining. Employers, to prevent employment discrimination in the workplace or to take remedial action to offset employment discrimination implement EEO programs, (Ivancevich, 2010, pg 65). According to the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website, the EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. The laws also apply to all type of work situations, including hiring, firing, promotions, demotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits. During the employment selection process, each candidate should be evaluated on their qualification of the job requirements, based on their experience, education, and skill set. Many corporations use testing as an important tool. Rae T. Vann, general counsel of the Equal Employment Advisory Council, a national association of large federal contractors, observed, â€Å"When done properly, testing can be a very important tool in the employment selection process, and we commend the Commission on its efforts to improve the quality and fairness of tests and other job screening methods† (Title VII: Affirmative Action, 2006). I encourage my Clinical Managers to become familiar with the provisions of the EEO standards and guidelines. It is essential that they make every effort to seek counsel from our HR dept when initiating the interview and hiring process, dealing with poor performance, disabilities, demotions, appearance of harassment, and training and re-training. Throughout my five years of administrative management, I have unfortunately had to learn HRM and EEOC laws the hard way, through trial and error. With each mistake that I have made, such as not consulting the HR department before decreasing a dual role employee’s hours so that she could focus on one role due to extremely poor performance, I have learned the proper steps to come to the same conclusion. The decrease in hours caused her to lose her benefits and subsequently she filed an EEOC claim of discrimination and retaliation. Fortunately, due to proper documentation of the corrective actions, developmental action plan and the documented counseling, our HRM has adequate information to refute the claim. Now, I consult my HRM representative with any concerns, questions, or updates related to employee situations. Planning, Recruitment, and Selection Human resources planning are the processes by which management ensures that it has the right personnel, who are capable of completing those tasks that help the organization, reach its objectives. It involves forecasting of human resources needs and the projected matching of individuals with expected vacancies (International Labour Organization, 2010). An effective HR plan, also, provides mechanisms to eliminate any gaps that may exist between supply and demand. HR planning determines the numbers and types of employees to be recruited into the organization or phased out of it (Ivancevich, 2010). The Human Resource Planning Process incorporates strategic planning which will have a direct effect on the organization's profitability. The strategic plan must adapt to environmental circumstances. It must forecast how many and what employees are required for the organizations staffing requirements. Next, it must determine how many and what kind of employees are currently employed with the skills and training necessary for the future needs. Finally, after the HR system has analyzed the supply of and the demand or future workers, these two forecasts are compared to determine what action should be taken. Effective workforce planning is a critical element of effective strategic and operational planning. Workforce planning provides managers with a strategic basis for making human resource decisions. It allows managers to anticipate change ather than being surprised by events, as well as providing strategic methods for addressing present and anticipated workforce issues. The US Department of Health and Human Services states, â€Å"Organizational success depends on having the right employees with the right competencies at the right time. Workforce planning provides managers the means of identifying the competencies needed in the workforce not only in the present but in the future and then selecting and developing that workforce† (US Dept. Health and Human Services, 2010). The HR department for my company has implemented a staffing model tool that projects future, potential, or expected growth versus the actual census, the current staffing and skill set of that staff, and calculates the hiring needs of specific positions within the direct and indirect patient care. Once the future needs are determined, then the hiring process begins. Human Resources Development Training and development are processes that attempt to provide an employee with information, skills, and an understanding of the organization and its goals. Training and development are designed to help a person continue to make positive contributions in the form of good performance and advancement within the organization. A solid orientation program is the first step in developing an employee. It reduces anxiety and fears, reduces start-up costs of a new employee, reduces turnover, saves time for supervisors and co-workers, and develops realistic expectations, positive attitudes toward the employer and job satisfaction. Once will established in a specific position, then the manager and employee must set goals for development and advancement. Management and professional development is designed to reduce obsolescence and to increase employees’ satisfaction and productivity. An important part of development is the evaluation process. Performance management is the process by which executives, managers, and supervisors work to align employee performance with the firm’s goals. An effective performance management process determines and evaluates performance, provides feedback to the employees about their performance, and measures and monitors skill-set (Ivancevich, 2010, pg 251). The company that I work for has an excellent formal performance evaluation process that is very effective in the development the employee and the motivation to succeed. Appraising and managing performance at my workplace starts form the day of hire. Each newly hired direct or indirect patient care must attend a through and intensive training program. After 90 days, from date of hire, the new staff member is evaluated for suitability for the position. The manager will present a written 90-day evaluation to the staff member. This evaluation will result in a successful completion of the introductory period, determine a need for an extension of 30 days to improve and meet expectations, or termination due to being unsuitable for the position (this usually occurs when the staff member continually fails to follow policies and procedures and/or causing patient endangerment). Every manager must complete an annual evaluation for staff members under their direct supervision. The score on the evaluation determine the merit increase and caps set forth by the company. When a staff member is failing to follow policy and procedure, putting patient’s safety in jeopardy, tardiness or excessive absenteeism, insubordination, breaking confidentiality and HIPPA regulations, and etc. the manager will conduct corrective action in the form of documented counseling, written corrective action, final corrective action, 3 day suspension, and/or termination. To make this process more effective and ensure compliance with EEOC and federal and state regulations, both next level supervisor and the HR dept representative must approve all final corrective actions, 3-day suspensions, and terminations. Compensation and Benefits There are several reasons that an employer or corporation will offer benefits and services to their employees. One reason is to keep the organization competitive in recruit and retaining employees. Another reason is to keep a union out or because the union has won this during negotiations. Finally, is the fact that providing benefits and service contributed to increased employee performance and job satisfaction (Ivancevich, 2010, pg358). Federal and state governments mandate three benefits programs offered by private and not-for-profit employers. The three mandated programs are unemployment insurance, social security, and workers’ compensation. In addition to the benefits required by law, many employers provide other kinds of benefits voluntarily, such as, compensation for time not worked, insurance protection, retirement plans, FMLA or medical FMLA, life insurance, short and long-term disability, and various retirement programs and stock ownership plans. Some organizations offer tuition reimbursement and flexible benefits plans. Whenever I am interviewing a candidate for a position, I always spend a portion of the interview discussing and explaining our benefit package. Sometimes our hourly rate is not quite as high as our competitor, but our benefits and employee services usually out ways the difference in compensation. Safety and Health The Human Resource Management team of the dialysis company of which I am employed, works very closely with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to ensure that the most acceptable and innovative concepts in employee safety and health are used. The NIOSH is the primary federal agency that conducts research on the safety and health of the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970, to provide research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health established it in 1971 (Bradley, 2002). The NIOSH develops and promotes the use of national and state-based surveillance systems to identify, quantify, and track injuries and illnesses. Epidemiological analysis of these databases helps identify unsafe and unhealthy workplace conditions. NIOSH also supports laboratory and field research to further identify, assess, and control occupational hazards and exposures and the diseases and injuries they cause. In addition to identifying risks, the NIOSH develops and evaluates prevention measures such as control technology, personal protective equipment, and work practices. Through research internally within our company and the NIOSH, many improvements and standards have been put into place for water treatment safety and personal protective equipment. We have strong policies and procedures that protect both the employee and the patient from exposure to health or safety hazards. There are several reasons for establishing good occupational safety and health standards. First, on a moral note, an employee should not have to risk injury or death at work, nor should others associated with the work environment. The second is economical in nature. Many governments realize that poor occupational safety and health performance results in cost to the State, through social security payments to the incapacitated, costs for medical treatment, and the loss of the employability of the worker. The employing organizations also sustain costs in the event of an incident at work, such as legal fees, fines, compensatory damages, investigation time, and lost production, lost goodwill from the workforce, customers, and community. Lastly, from a legal standpoint, the occupational safety and health requirements may be reinforced in civil law and/or criminal law. It is a known fact, that without the extra â€Å"encouragement† of potential regulatory action or litigation, many organizations would not act upon their implied moral obligations. During a Frontline interview with assistant secretary of labor for occupational health and safety, John Henshaw, the question was asked, â€Å"How successful do you think OSHA has been at protecting workers in the United States? † Mr. Henshaw replied, â€Å"In the last 30 years, OSHA has made some tremendous strides in reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. In the last six to eight years, injuries have gone steadily down and fatalities have gone down to the point where they are the lowest ever (Frontline, 2002). The dialysis industry is carefully scrutinized to uphold acceptable OSHA safety and health standards. We, also, have internal auditors that simulate inspections to ensure compliance and safe practices. Employee and Labor Relations Labor relations can refer broadly to any dealings between management and workers about employment conditions. Most commonly, however, labor relations refer to dealings between management and a workforce that is already unionized, or has the potential to become unionized. Labor relations are thus crucial to industries like autos and airlines with heavily unionized workforces. In the United States, labor relations were profoundly affected by the National Labor Relations Act passed during the 1930’s, which gave workers the right to form unions and bargain collectively. Labor relations have been drastically affected by the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which prohibited the â€Å"closed shop†, as well as, the introduction of right-to-work laws in more than 20 states (Ivancevich, 2010, pgs 477). By the early 21st century, labor relations were less affected by labor unions, to which only 8 percent of private sector workers belonged in 2004, about half of the rate in 1983. The decline reflects the increase in labor relations consultants, who have helped managements avoid unionization (Anonymous, 2010). The presence of a union directly affects most aspects of Human Resources Management, including recruiting, selection, performance evaluation, promotion, compensation, and benefits, among others (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 34). Unions were once thought of a being for blue-collar factory workers, but now even engineers, nurses, teachers, secretaries, salespersons, college professors, professional football players and even physicians belong to unions. Within my workplace, we have an ongoing informational and educational campaign against the unethical practices of recruitment and enticement for our employees. We offer seminars and counseling in regards to the unionization tactics. While facing declining membership, union officials have turned to highly questionable practice of organizing new members through a process called â€Å"card check†. With card checks, paid union organizers try to persuade workers to sign cards saying that they favor union representation. This persuasion comes in the form of deception, coercion, and harassing visits to worker’s homes. John Ivancevich describes this practice as the â€Å"authorization card† (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 480). Under current laws, as soon as more than 50 percent of the workers sign a union authorization card, all employees within that organization will be required to participate in the union and pay union dues, even though not a single employee has actually been able to cast a personal, private vote. Often times, individual will sign the cards under intentional or unintentional misunderstandings or to get the organizer to stop harassing them, even though the employee may have no desire to join a union (Anonymous, 2010). Conclusion Human Resources Management is the heart of every organization. It serves as an advocate for each employee, while also protecting the organization from legal repercussions. Whether it is ensuring equal employment opportunity (EEO) compliance, providing job analysis, planning for the future staffing needs and subsequent recruitment and selection of qualified candidates, each of these areas are vital to a well-organized corporation. The HRM is paramount in the motivation, training, and development of employees. Ensuring a positive orientation experience, and concise performance evaluation and compensation will aid in retention and job satisfaction. Finally, the HRM has an extremely important role in labor relations and ensuring the safety, health, and wellness of the workforce. References Anonymous. (2010). When voting isn’t Private. Retrieved on February 26, 2010 from website: http://www. unionfacts. com/articles/cardCheck. cfm Bradley, J. (2002). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved on 3/1/2010 from website: http://www. cdc. gov/niosh EEOC Office of Legal Counsel staff members (2006). Title VII: Affirmative Action. Retrieved on February 12, 2010 from website: http://www. eeoc. gov/eeoc/foia/letters/2006/vii_affimative_action. html Frontline. (2002). A Dangerous Business. Frontline Interview with John Henshaw. September 30, 2002. Retrieved on 3/2/2010 from website: http://osha. gov International Labour Organization. Retrieved on February 11, 2010 from website: http://wwwilo. org Ivancevich. J. (2010). Human resource management (11th ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780073381466. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved on February 10, 2010 from website: http://www. hhs. gov/ohr/workforce/wfpguide. html

Lawn Tennis

Lawn Tennis A Research Paper Presented to Mrs. Nora May H. Cubal Mati School of Art and Trades City of Mati Davao Oriental SY:2011-2012 In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirement in English IV Presented by Junave N. ceballos IV-Quezon I-Introduction Thanks to the wide coverage that television and other media gives to the game, tennis is now one of the most popular sports. How does one define the game? It is a game played with racquets and a light ball between two players. The players stand on opposite sides of a net placed in the center on a rectangular court that may be made of grass, clay or asphalt. It can also be played between two teams of two players. Racquetball, a variation of the game, is played in an indoor court with a specially marked floor and high walls off which the ball must be played. Tennis has a long history, and according to records available, its establishment can be traced to two separate incidents. In 1859, Major Thomas Henry Gem, a solicitor, and his friend Batista Pereira, a Spanish merchant, were living in Birmingham, England, and played a game that they termed â€Å"pelota† after a Spanish ball game. It was played on a lawn. This later came to be known as tennis, and in 1874 they formed the Leamington Tennis Club, which laid out the rules of the game. It was on 23 July 1884 that the first tennis tournament was held on the grounds of Shrubland Hall. Meanwhile, in December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield devised a similar game to entertain his guests at a party on his estate in Wales. It is believed that his version was adapted from an older sport of indoor tennis or royal tennis that had been invented in 12th century France. The world tennis comes from the French word â€Å"tenez,† an imperative form of the verb â€Å"tenir† which means â€Å"to hold. † This, apparently, was a cry used by the player who was about to serve the ball. The players or the teams, depending on whether it is a â€Å"singles† or a â€Å"doubles† match, stand on opposite sides of the net. One player is the server and the opposing player is the receiver. The server serves the ball, which is returned by the receiver. The ball has to go over the net into the service court opposite the server's. If the ball hits the net but lands in the service court, it is a void service. The server then gets a second chance. A proper service starts a rally in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the net. The first player or team that fails to return the ball loses the point. -1- II-Definition of Terms 1. action: Synonym for spin. 2. ad court: Left side of the court of each player, so called because the â€Å"ad† (â€Å"advantage†) point immediately following a deuce is always served from this side of the court. 3. advantage: When one player wins the first point from a deuce and needs one more point to win the game; not applicable when using deciding points. . advantage set: Set won by a player/team having won at least six games with a two-game advantage over the opponent(s). Final sets in the singles draws of the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the tennis Olympic event, as well as the Davis Cup, are all advantage sets. 5. all: Used by the chair umpire to announce scores when both players have the same number of points or the same number of games: 30–all (30–30), 15–all (15–15), two games all, four games all, etc. When both players are at 40, the preferred term is deuce. 6. ll-court: Style of play that is a composite of all the different playing styles, which includes baseline, transition, and serve and volley styles. 7. backhand: Stroke in which the ball is hit with the back of the racquet hand facing the ball at the moment of contact. A backhand is often hit by a right-handed player when the ball is on the left side of the court, and vice versa. 8. backspin: Shot that rotates the ball backwards after it is hit; also known as slice or underspin. The trajectory of the shot is affected by an upward force that lifts the ball. See Magnus effect. 9. ackswing: Portion of a swing where the racquet is swung backwards in preparation for the forward motion to hit the ball. 10 bagel: Winning (or losing) a set 6–0 (the shape of the zero being reminiscent of the round shape of a bagel). See also breadstick. -2- III-Discussion A. Tennis Courts The NTC has 120 acrylic hard courts (50 indoor, 50 outdoor), 6 clay courts, and 14 grass courts. B. Hard Courts: The NTC's 120 acrylic courts are a GreenSet Grand Prix Acrylic surface. The indoor courts have a sprung timber sub-frame, while the outdoor courts are laid directly on asphalt. This GreenSet surface is used at many international tournaments including Davis Cup, Fed Cup, WTA and ATP Masters Series events. C. Clay Courts: The National Tennis Centre boasts two different types of outdoor clay courts which have been designed to brave the elements of the UK climate and allow for the longest possible clay court playing season and maximum use. 4 Northern European Clay Courts (These are identical to the courts used at the Bastad ATP Tennis Event in Sweden) and 2 FRENCH-COURT ® synthetic clay courts. D. Grass Courts The LTA consulted All England Lawn Tennis Club head groundsman Eddie Seaward to advise on the installation of its four outdoor grass courts. The quality and playing characteristics replicate those found at the Wimbledon Championships. E. High Performance Training Facilities Along with its 22 tennis courts, the NTC is equipped with a state-of-the-art gymnasium, outdoor sprint track and hydrotherapy and plunge pools. The NTC has overnight accommodation for up to 54 people, along with a player lounge and recreation room to be fully equipped to host high performance players from out of town. -3- F. Sports Science Centre The NTC provides highly professional services in Performance analysis, fitness, psychology, physiotherapy and rehab, strength and conditioning, medical support and nutrition, led by Head of Player Support – Simon Jones Simon ensures that his team of highly qualified specialists, work in an Interdisciplinary way bringing an applied, player centered support service to Britain’s top players and coaches The Sports Medicine and Science Centre at the National Tennis Centre offers Britain’s elite players: * Physical therapies – physiotherapy, osteopathy and massage * Tennis Functional Movement Screening Sports medicine – general practice, sports medicine and specialist review * Sports nutrition * Sports psychology * Exercise physiology – Physical testing * Monitoring of training loads * Daily monitoring of hydration and physical readiness * Cardiac screening * Educational advisory service including Anti Doping * Performance analysis including fixed on court camera IV-Suggestion/Recommendation With over one million titles in the database, it isn't feasible to handpick recommendations for every film. That's why we came up with a complex formula to suggest titles that fit along with the selected one. The formula uses factors such as user votes, genre, title, and keywords to generate an automatic response. The system produces excellent results most of the time but since recommended titles are not manually chosen, occasionally they may include less than perfect matches, particularly on films where we don't have a lot of data/credits. -4- If you disagree with a recommendation for a given title and know of a better one, we encourage you to help us improve the results. While you can't modify the recommendations directly, updating the keywords will have the biggest impact on their selection. Look for the â€Å"Update† button at the bottom of the main title page and add more relevant (or just plain more) keywords and help make our Recommends feature more useful, more appropriate, and more fun. V-Summary Lawn tennis is a comparatively modern modification of the ancient game of court tennis. Maj. Walter Clopton Wingfield thought that something like court tennis might be played outdoors on lawns, and in Dec. 873, at Nantclwyd, Wales, he introduced his new game under the name of Sphairistike at a lawn party. The game was a success and spread rapidly, but the name was a total failure and almost immediately disappeared when all the players and spectators began to refer to the new game as lawn tennis. In the early part of 1874, a young lady named Mary Ewing Outerbridge returned from Bermuda to New York, bringing with her the implements and necessary equipment of the new game, which she had obtained from a British Army supply store in Bermuda. Miss Outerbridge and friends played the first game of lawn tennis in the United States on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club in the spring of 1874. For a few years, the new game went along in haphazard fashion until about 1880, when standard measurements for the court and standard equipment within definite limits became the rule. In 1881, the U. S. Lawn Tennis Association (whose name was changed in 1975 to the U. S. Tennis Association) was formed and conducted the first national championship at Newport, R. I. The international matches for the Davis Cup began with a series between the British and U. S. players on the courts of the Longwood Cricket Club, Chestnut Hill, Mass. , in 1900, with the home players winning. Professional tennis, which got its start in 1926 when the French star Suzanne Lenglen was paid $50,000 for a tour, received full recognition in 1968. Staid old Wimbledon, the London home of what are considered the world championships, let the pros compete. This decision ended a long controversy over open tennis and changed the format of the competition. -5- VI-Bibliography http://www. infoplease. om/ipsa/A0112966. html Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia www. hallamgrange. org. uk/  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ www. proline. com. sg -6- Table of Content I-Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 II-Definition of Terms†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 III-Discussion†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3-4 A. Tennis Courts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 B. Hard Courts:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 C. Clay Courts:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 D. Grass Courts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 E. High Performance Training Facilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3-4 IV-Suggestion/Recommendation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4-5 V-Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 VI-Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6

How to be More Aggressive at Work, Without Looking Like a Jerk

How to be More Aggressive at Work, Without Looking Like a Jerk You’ve probably heard that being aggressive in the workplace is a good thing. The problem is being aggressive without coming off as â€Å"aggressive†. This is a very difficult skill for people to master, sometimes more difficult than various hard skills they possess. So what’s the secret to mastering this contradictory skill?  Source: [thinkconfidence]

The irrationality of human existence within the The Outsider by Albert Camus and A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Example

The irrationality of human existence within the The Outsider by Albert Camus and A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Example The irrationality of human existence within the The Outsider by Albert Camus and A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Paper The irrationality of human existence within the The Outsider by Albert Camus and A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Paper Essay Topic: Literature The Outsider reflects Camus philosophical theory, referred to as the theory of the absurd, that there is no rational meaning in human existence. He believes that humanity is unable to accept this truth and so search for meaning where, in actual fact, none exists. This idea is explored implicitly through the character of Meursault, the narrator and protagonist of the novel. Moreover, aspects of Camus theory can be identified within Ibsens play, A Dolls House. The play illustrates humanitys search for meaning of which Camus suggests, although Ibsens intention was merely to portray the oppression of nineteenth century marriages. In the novel The Outsider, the protagonist, Meursault, is depicted as a man who does not possess any rational meaning in his thoughts or actions. When put in a room with several other prisoners, most of them Arabs1 and is asked what he had done unlawful, Meursault simply replies that he killed an Arab1. Then, he carries on recounting other aspects of the occasion such as his sleeping mat and how he could just see the sea2 through the tiny window. This scene demonstrates how Meursault is not concerned with judgment as he does not ponder over what should or should not be said in order to conform to the accepted morals of society. His candid reply exhibits his irrational nature, both in thought and action, seeing as he does not think any further of the incident or have an explanation for what had happened. In addition, he carries on noticing the physical matters surrounding him despite their insignificance to the situation. Camus creates such a character to exemplify the true nature of human beings, according to him. He does not make it so that Meursault is a supporter of societys customs in order to clarify the characters status as an outsider. Meursault is perceived as an outsider to society because of his acceptance that there is no rational meaning in human existence. Furthermore, his way of thinking and the way he acts show no basis on reason, but more so, on irrationality. This proves that, for Meursault, rational meaning is nonexistent. Camus emphasizes this through the simple language used throughout the novel. He writes in first person perspective and without the use of adjectives and metaphors to reflect Meursaults straightforward nature and how his interest lies in physical truth rather than interpretations. An illustration is when Meursault receives a telegram from the home. It announces: Mother passed away3. Meursault only states that it could have happened today or yesterday but that he do esnt know. This reveals his concern for the physical truth and his lack of response to the situation. He does not continue on to expressing his sentiment which also illustrates his indifference to humanity. In contrast to Meursaults character, Ibsen creates his protagonist as one who does base thoughts and actions on the basis of rationality. When asked if it ever occurred to Nora Helmer, the protagonist of Ibsens play A Dolls House, that she was committing fraud by forging a signature on an official paper, she replies that it didnt mean anything to her because, at the time, her husband was in a critical state4. She then reasons for the fraud by saying she couldnt stand4 the man she made the deal with as he went through all those cold-blooded formalities4 knowing the difficult situation she was in. Unlike Meursault, Nora seems to be concerned with judgment as she attempts to justify her misdeed with an explanation. This is a representation of what Camus mentions in his theory as Nora searches for a rational meaning in order to conform to the social and moral standards set by society. Initially, Nora is conveyed as a complete adherent to the conventions of society. She did not question nineteenth century marriage norms and accepted her status as a wife and mother. Her husband, Torvald, addressed her as a little sky-lark5, a little squirrel6 as well as a little singing bird7. The recurrence of the word little suggests Noras insignificance and expresses Torvalds condescending attitude towards her. Further, these pet names signify her as purely a plaything. Nora is also symbolized as a plaything by the Christmas tree mentioned at the beginning of the play. She is comparable to a Christmas tree as it possesses a physical beauty about it and can also evoke feelings of warmth as a mother does. However, both the tree and Nora seem to be simple household decorations to Torvald as opposed to anything with genuine worth. As the play progresses, Nora finds herself being more and more oppressed by her marriage and decides to leave behind her family in search of an identity independent from her own as a wife and mother. Her rebellion against her family, and especially her husband, is foreshadowed at the very start of the play as she takes a bag of macaroons out of her pocket and eats one or two5 against her husbands favor. When asked of the matter, she lies directly to him and states that she would never dream of doing anything8 that he didnt want her to. This remark contrasts to Meursaults frank nature as Noras deceitful personality is revealed. Additionally, Noras departure explores Camus theory in the way which she attempts to find meaning in her own existence. By leaving behind her family, she believes she will discover her true identity as somebody more than just a wife and mother. Ibsen uses irony to present this situation by symbolizing Nora as the singing bird which her husband regularly addressed her as. He tells her that she mustnt go dropping her wings7 but, in reality, she does quite the opposite she flies away. The bird is a symbol for her freedom as it is able to fly freely without the limitations of its cage, in Noras case, without the limitations of being a wife and mother. In The Outsider, humanitys search for meaning is also communicated, however, through the other characters rather than the protagonist. Camus uses the motif of observations to exemplify how endless this search for meaning is. In the courtroom of Meursaults trail, the judge observes a witness for a rational answer to either convict or discharge Meursault for the murder previously committed. In response, the witness again repeated9 a futile statement that results in him being asked to sit back down. This scene demonstrates how people attempt to give rational explanations to irrational actions. As the prosecutor is unable to find a rational meaning behind the murder, Meursault is condemned to death for being a menace, or merely an outsider, to the customs of society. His trail beforehand is incorporated to encapsulate humanitys attempt to find rational meaning. It is an illustration of the theory of the absurd because, in the end, there is no rational meaning, and so, this scene successf ully depicts Camus belief that to find rationality in an irrational world is prone to be a failure. This motif of observation also communicates Meursaults emotional detachment, mentioned earlier, as he describes things only as they are, without any interpretation or judgment of it. This detachment is significant as it verifies Meursaults status as an outsider to humanity. He does not do as the majority of people would: form opinions. An illustration of this is when Meursault observes the peculiar little woman10 dining at Celestes. He notices all the physical details such as how she took out a blue pencil11 to write with and the magazine which gave the radio programmes for the week11. He notices these details of color and subject without thinking any deeper about them and, within moments, he forgets about her. This is ironic as she is very similar to Meursault himself yet he regards her as peculiar. Both Camus and Ibsen also explore how appearances can disguise reality. Ibsen displays this through Noras drastic change in character from a seemingly unintelligent and simpleminded woman to someone of strong will and independence, whilst Camus shows that Meursaults appearance as a menacing person is all along masked by societys perception of him as an outsider. In conclusion, both protagonists accept their reality and experience what freedom is to them. For Meursault, he accepts the reality that he is truly an outsider to society whereas for Nora, she accepts the reality that she is not fitted as a wife or mother. For that reason, she decides leave, against the conventions of her time, in order to pursue her own aspirations. However, if Camus philosophy were to be applied to Ibsens play, then Noras search for meaning would ultimately be a failure as no meaning would exist in the first place.

The Countries Where Coca-Cola Is Not Sold

The Countries Where Coca-Cola Is Not Sold In 2013, Coca-Cola brought its product to Myanmar after relations between Myanmar and the international community began to improve. Today, the popular assertion is that Cuba and North Korea are the only two countries where Coca-Cola is not officially sold. Coca-Colas website claims that Coca-Cola is available in over 200 countries but there are actually only 196 independent countries on the planet. Further inspection of the Coca-Cola list reveals that numerous countries are missing (such as East Timor, Kosovo, Vatican City, San Marino, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan- you get the picture). Therefore, the assertion that Coca-Cola is missing only from Cuba, and North Korea is most likely a falsehood. Additionally, in looking at the Coca-Cola website list, it is obvious that more than a dozen listed countries are not countries at all (such as French Guiana, New Caledonia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, etc.). Thus, while Coca-Cola is widely distributed, there quite a few independent countries where the beverage is not available. Nonetheless, Coca-Cola likely remains the most widely distributed American product on the planet, even exceeding McDonalds and Subway restaurants.

IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

IT - Essay Example have be used to allow for branching out in different geographical locations, tapping into new markets, reaching out to more customers and to moving outside the country of origin. However, with the increased importance of the data resources some big data issues, which may have negative impact on enterprises, have also emerged. Top in the list is the privacy challenge. Since most businesses are pursuing big data projects, privacy and security of the information is becoming a big concerns especially due to the increased cyber threats. Storage is also a big data challenge. Organizations have huge volumes of information that need to be used and storing the data can also be a challenge. The other major issue is the analysis of the data. The analysis may require highly paid scientists and experts as well as appropriate graphical interfaces and tools and this may increase the operating costs. Cloud computing refers the use of software solutions that are not hosted externally by another datacenter or hosting service provider. The organization will simply access the interface through the appropriate software while leaving the administrative task of managing the content to the hosting company that ensures that the information stored is safe and secure. One area in which the technology can be used is in the storage of big data. When an organization gives the responsibility of storing and hosting data to a second datacenter or a service provider, it is able to reduce the costs associated with putting up storage infrastructure for its IT needs. Moreover, using the cloud computing technology allows the business to have access to the information from any point since it is not specifically stored in the office. For an enterprise to benefit from its IT infrastructure, it needs to strategically align its IT functions with the business goals. This will, however, be influenced by several factors. For such an alignment to take place, there is a need to address the corporate cultural

The creation of the National Assembly was important to the French Essay

The creation of the National Assembly was important to the French Revolution because it brought together the three different states - Essay Example Rousseau also emphasizes the reigning regime’s inability to bring equality, and hence the need for democracy. Before the revolution, the nation had three divisions. The divisions comprised of the Clergy, the Nobility and the Commoner, with little representation of the commoners who were the majority. As such, the commoners sought for equal rights and representation. Montesquieu work (the Spirit of the Law) aided significantly in the implementation of democracy (Halsall). He argued that there ought to be balances within the government, with the incorporation of the people and not a single family. During the Enlightenment era, the people of France had become conversant of their rights. Montesquieu and Rousseau worked significantly in highlighting the rights of the people and the ills associated with monarchy. As such, they began to perceive the ills that the reigning authorities were perpetrating to them. This compelled them to question the governing systems of the time, and hence the need to transform them. There was a great need for the creation of a National Assembly and a constitution. The introduction of democracy in the US with set rules within the constitution and a congress and senate equivalent to the National Assembly also served as a significant influencing factor for the revolution. Montesquieu article also compare the French government with the US (Halsall). The governing systems also proved to be too ineffective to govern the people. The people felt the need to introduce a National Assembly and a constitution with unambiguous rights of the people. France also faced economic challenges at the time, owing to the huge debts accumulated by the former monarchies. The king of the time, Louis 16th also lived a lavish lifestyle, thus magnifying the already worse economy of the nation. The king’s wife, Marie Antoinette was infamous for leading an extravagant life. This meant

Motivation in organization, in the eyes of B.F. Skinner Essay

Motivation in organization, in the eyes of B.F. Skinner - Essay Example In operant conditioning, Skinner shows that punishment dealt in any form severely affects an organism in a very negative manner and therefore must not be practiced. Applying this concept to education, Skinner believes that punishing a student, especially very young ones can bring about adverse effects in their behaviour in the future. If applied to Organisational behaviour, a leader or organizer within the group must keep in mind that the administration of punishment may or may not have negative repercussions to the members of the group if it is not done properly. Although punishment is allotted in school and in the workplace, Skinner believes that this does not promote the mental well-being of students and workers. He also believes that there is no such thing as "motivation", stating that this is just a by-product of punishment and that individuals learn and function more efficiently if they are let to discover things by themselves assuming that they are provided with all the materi als they need. This work relates Skinners psychological concepts to organisational behaviour, how his concepts affect the group as a whole and the members within the group. Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born on March 20 1904 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. He went to Hamilton College taking up a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature circa 1926. He tried to pursue a career in writing fiction after he graduated from college. He chose to settle in Greenwich Village, but was later frustrated with his works, thinking that he can never make it right because he feels that he lacks the experience and passion to write. He the chance upon the philosophical works of Bertland Russel which also discusses the behaviourist theories of psychologist John B. Watson who would later on inspire B.F. Skinner to study psychology. Skinner was so inspired with Watson and his work that he began to express much interest in the behaviour of people around him. His interest in psychology was also reflected in his fictional work, but he eventually decided to stop writing and study Psychology at Harvard. He received his doctorate degree in psychology at Harvard, working afterwar ds as a university researcher until 1936. He then went on to teach psychology at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and in the University of Indiana, but found himself back at Harvard in 1948 as a professor of psychology. He was a rather decorated educator having received awards like the Medal of Science in 1968, presented to him by no less than President Lyndon B. Johnson. Himself. Three years past and he was awarded with the Gold Medal of the American Psychological Foundation and was given the Humanist of the Year Award of the American Humanist Association in 1972. Eight days before his death in 1990, he became the first recipient of the Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology by the American Psychological Association (Wikipedi, 2006a; Wikipedia, 2006b). Being the author that he is, B.F. Skinner has published numerous books about psychology and fiction. Among these are: Walden Two in 1948, Science and Human Behaviour in 1953, Verbal Behaviour in 1957 a nd both Freedom and Dignity and About Behaviourism in 1971 (Tsicali, 2003). B, F. Skinner's

Fire service administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Fire service administration - Essay Example he company has various departments such as the exploration department, the FrPD department that is responsible for providing protection against fire in the company and the training department that is responsible to offer the employees training in order to ensure that they are effective in carrying out their duties. It has fire advanced training center where the employees undergo rigorous training before they are given the responsibility to protect its facilities and also the people. In my essay, I will look at the training department that came up with ‘the all innovativeness program.’ I will use the systems approach in analyzing how the organization implemented the program, the problems it faced and how the management is involved in implementation of the program. This is a program that was started when the company discovered that the people had great potential. In the program, the management welcomed the employee’s ideas and encouraged them to submit ideas for improving the company performance. The vice-president told the management committee that the subordinates had the ability to run the organization. The submission of their ideas was made possible through the web management system where the employees were to post their ideas. 3,500 ideas were submitted in the year 2002 and they kept on increasing and by the year 2009, 80,000 ideas were submitted. The company took their ideas into consideration and this saved the organization a great deal. The company also appreciated the synergy value in the program that comes due to the interaction between people. The company thought, planned and coordinated various employees from various departments and took their ideas into consideration when they trained them because of the realization that the people they were dealing with were professionals who had a lot of experience. It has a well-organized and efficient way of decision making that is clear to all the employees. It kept in mind the potential of each

Various songs between 1830-1960 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Various songs between 1830-1960 - Assignment Example I have listened to Jelly Roll Morton as I like blues and jazz and he plays a mean piano. I like the way the instruments interact. This kind of music reminds me of a book I enjoyed once by Machael Ondatje , Coming Through Slaughter, about a jazz horn player who blew his lip out when he went nuts and played until he could not play any more. La Paloma is an old Mexican folk song I also remember hearing as a child. It is a beautiful melody, and I never expected to hear it played as jazz. I guess the melody lends itself to improvisation. I never thought about it as anything other than a pretty folk song and I sure never dreamed that Jelly Roll Morton ever played it, though I guess it would have been very popular for afternoon parties, a la Stephen Foster. 3. King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, â€Å"Dipper Mouth Blues† (1923) I have to find more of these guys. I think that’s a real early Louis Armstrong playing the muted trumpet. The clarinetist is really mellow. At the time whe n this was recorded, the music was real, no digital augmentation and I love the complexity of this jazz, but I do with it had the fuller sound of stereo. My ears like the depth of modern recordings. I wonder how they ever got that name. It sounds like the name of a fish. I wonder how much music we missed, because the players were racially segregated? 4. Original Dixieland Jazz Band, â€Å"Tiger Rag† (1917) (on APM CD) I have only heard later versions of this tune, I think by Louis Armstrong’s band,. The chorus is very familiar, but I do not really remember the rest of the music. I went looking and found a version with Art Tatum on piano. I did not know anyone’s fingers could move that fast. 5. Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five, â€Å"West End Blues† (1928) Wow, this is one I had not heard. The rhythm is very regular like for dancing, but the instruments are really clear with solos on the horns. I have not heard many trombone solos. It sounds like a low Dix ieland, with the combined instruments and voice sort of having a conversation. The piano sounds like one that has tacks on the hammers. I think that was called honkey tonk piano. It is a great sound and reminds one of the places where this music was played. I get a vision of taverns, bars and some upper scale clubs playing this music. Great trumpet solo by Louis Armstrong. I have liked some things I heard with him playing, but I did not know he was such a great musician. 6. Jelly Roll Morton, â€Å"Black Bottom Stomp† (1926) It is really great that some people are sharing their old 78 records on Youtube. I would never have heard some of these. This tune really showcases dance rhythm Dixieland. The instruments sound a little strange, like maybe they are using mutes on some of the horns. 7. Guy Lombardo, â€Å"We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye† (lyrics) I heard this by Frank Sinatra, but I like the one by Guy Lombardo better. It has more style. The old Sinatra record is a sim ple dance tune with only an interesting solo on a high pitched xylophone. It is a happy love song., while many of this time were very sad. I guess girls really like sad songs and they bought most of the music. After all, it was girls who wanted to dance in these times. It was an acceptable way to touch. There was no television then, so these radio shows were really popular among middle and higher class people. It was happy entertainment, and I prefer the big band sound. 8. Bing Crosby, â€Å"Out of Nowhere†

Fire service administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Fire service administration - Essay Example he company has various departments such as the exploration department, the FrPD department that is responsible for providing protection against fire in the company and the training department that is responsible to offer the employees training in order to ensure that they are effective in carrying out their duties. It has fire advanced training center where the employees undergo rigorous training before they are given the responsibility to protect its facilities and also the people. In my essay, I will look at the training department that came up with ‘the all innovativeness program.’ I will use the systems approach in analyzing how the organization implemented the program, the problems it faced and how the management is involved in implementation of the program. This is a program that was started when the company discovered that the people had great potential. In the program, the management welcomed the employee’s ideas and encouraged them to submit ideas for improving the company performance. The vice-president told the management committee that the subordinates had the ability to run the organization. The submission of their ideas was made possible through the web management system where the employees were to post their ideas. 3,500 ideas were submitted in the year 2002 and they kept on increasing and by the year 2009, 80,000 ideas were submitted. The company took their ideas into consideration and this saved the organization a great deal. The company also appreciated the synergy value in the program that comes due to the interaction between people. The company thought, planned and coordinated various employees from various departments and took their ideas into consideration when they trained them because of the realization that the people they were dealing with were professionals who had a lot of experience. It has a well-organized and efficient way of decision making that is clear to all the employees. It kept in mind the potential of each

FORD AND THE WORLD AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IN 2012 Essay

FORD AND THE WORLD AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IN 2012 - Essay Example GM took over Ford as a result. This resulted due to the vision of GM being much more decentralized organizational arrangement. Customers were also offered much more options and choices as the product portfolio of GM happened to be much broader in nature. The bulk production of cars in United States influenced the growth of the post-war period, but that was only till the 1970s, which saw intensive rivalry from countries like Japan. Toyota offered customers in the US and through Europe better deals, not only with respect to quality but also cost Another reason for intensive competition can be attributed to government actions in Europe and US. The government of these areas tend to provide bonuses for getting rid of old cars and subsidizing purchase of ones that are new. Bonuses are also offered for the regaining of demand in major markets. Due to new incentives in production as well as increasing demand, competition increased. The automobile industry can be explained diagrammatically in the following figure: Porter’s Five Forces Model ((Investopedia, 2009) The automotive industry is facing a strong and tough competition as most of the competitors are not only large with respect to size but also have market, resource and financial stability as well as a proven track record. Competitors are promoting new products that may compete with each other at a high level. Competition focuses on attracting recruiting and retaining marketing personnel. Due to the fast pace of changes in technology the position of automobile players would unfavourably be affected if future developments in new technology are not accessed as well as anticipated. The automotive industry has faced low profitability due to the following key challenges: Regionalization Overload and division of markets, Challenges that only a few makers have happened to manage positively as well as effectively. New skills are needed to deal with the ongoing competition and ensure that the company/organization op eration results in profits. Many countries have grasped the skills of manufacturing cars. The quality of cars produced are not only good in quality but are also low in cost as compared to cars produced in Europe and US. The figure below shows the key challenges suppliers face in the automobile industry: Other reasons for low profitability include the cost of health care, the rise of China to a persistent overcapacity, manufacturers relying heavily on static business models (as shown in the figure above), and unable to show some adaptability skills especially in a changing environment. History shows to what degree the position of companies have changed during the last century due to them being unable to adapt themselves according to the changing market. Henry Ford built his realm on the basis of its capability to produce vehicles in bulk at an unmatched cost. Ford’s market share was defied by Alfred at GM. Alfred sensed that customers required a broader range than Ford provide d especially in maturing markets. Alfred started offering vehicles that served every purpose as well as every class of the society. Hence, in 1927 Ford happen to lose its market share and never happen to regain its dominant market share as yet. Market share, in the mature automobile industry has not and will never be obvious only on the basis cost

Non resident citizens Essay Example for Free

Non resident citizens Essay Universal suffrage is a term that is used to refer to the right of adult citizens to vote. Suffrage includes the right to vote as well as the opportunities that are available to vote. Universal suffrage however refers mainly to the right to vote (wordnet. princeton. edu). A government should therefore seek the mandate of the people to continue being in office. Traditionally, universal male suffrage referred to the right of males to vote irrespective of their economic status. Each male was not required to show any wealth ownership in order to vote. France started practicing universal male suffrage as early as 1792 during the revolutionally period but only in theory. They however faced severe challenges during this period and the theory did not materialize until 1848 when resident citizens were granted this right. In most countries around the globe, voting rights were only extended to those who proved their wealth ownership who were only a few males. Other world democracies considered religion as an important factor which decided who to vote. As time went by, most of these restrictions were dropped and many citizens got the opportunity to cast their vote. This was due to the role that democratic movements played in the 19th century by unifying Liberals and Social Democrats in northern Europe. The movements were quite fruitful as their slogans like Equal and Common Suffrage finally granted full universal suffrage to even women. ( By Republican (not a Radical†) Universal Suffrage: Female Suffrage). France however denied women the right to vote until 1944. Even though full universal suffrage was practiced later, some citizens did not benefit from the privilege of voting especially criminals, the mentally ill and non resident citizens. Various movements contributed to the campaigns that saw the birth of full universal suffrage. In the 19th century, the movements aimed at removing wealth requirements for voters. It later campaigned for the right of women to participate in the voting process in the 20th century. The 2nd world war was a major setback to the enactment of the universal suffrage because it interfered with the normal legal process of many nations. Race and ethnicity are other major factors that have hindered many citizens from voting. Many nations in the world denied minority groups the right to vote on the basis of their race or ethnicity. For instance, in South Africa, the people who could only vote were whites during the apartheid era. This continued until 1994 when mult-party democracy was instituted. Similarly the blacks were also not allowed to vote in the United States of America even though they had that right. The formation of the Ku Klux Klan after the American Civil War ensured that blacks were intimidated in order not to vote. Disfranchisement refers to denying someone the right to vote. In the United States of America, the poor were denied the right to vote if they paid no taxes or if they were under a welfare system which gave them assistance. Non resident citizens are also denied this right to a certain degree; Italians are represented by a representative at-large in the Italian parliament, United States citizens who live outside the U. S. usually vote as residents of the last state where they lived while non resident Britons are not allowed to vote for their parliament.

Analysis of the Coffee Industry in Ethiopia

Analysis of the Coffee Industry in Ethiopia SUMMARY Ethiopia is the home and basis of inherent resources and coffee Arabica diversities. It relies greatly on export of key agricultural products in which coffee is the major and significant crop. The country has a reputation of high quality coffee due to its branded varieties of coffee. But, most of the coffee farmers in Ethiopia are not capable of getting the benefits connected with production and marketing of a finest quality product due to production, institutional and organizational supports, storage and functioning of domestic and international market related constraints (ODI, 2009). Smallholder farmers are the main producers of coffee by contributing 95 percent of the total coffee output in Ethiopia. However, the different challenges faced by coffee farmers chiefly affect their livelihood and discourage them to engage actively in the process of coffee production and marketing which lead to a significantly decreases in the country’s foreign exchange. This suggests that it is very critical to study and monitor systematically the production and marketing systems in all coffee growing areas of the country for the sake of planning and designing suitable research and development interventions that are applicable to the specific systems. Thus, the purpose of the study is to analyze the trends of coffee sector in Ethiopia in general and generate baseline information on production and marketing of coffee in Mana woreda of Jimma zone, one of the coffee growing areas of Ethiopia in particular by concentrating on parameters like production, marketing, institutional and organizational support conditions and challenges and opportunities of the farm households. To achieve the objectives of the study, Mana woreda was purposefully selected. A two stage random sampling technique was applied for the study as there were two sample units, i.e., Kebeles (Peasant Associations) and farm households. In the first stage, four kebeles were selected randomly out of 27 kebeles in the study woreda. In the second stage, a total of 90 farm households were selected randomly from all of the four kebeles to generate a year round primary data on coffee production and marketing by means of semi-structured questionnaire. The required secondary data were also collected from relevant data sources. Microsoft Excel 2010 was used to enter the row data and exported to the statistical software called â€Å"SPSS version 20† to analyze the data for descriptive statistics method of analysis. The socio-economic characteristics of the sample respondents in the study area revealed that majority of coffee farm households were males (93.3%) whereas the remaining were females. The age of the farm household head ranges from 20 to 68 years. The average age of the coffee farmers was 42.23 years. About 90 percent lie within the most actively working age category (18-64 years). 92.2% of the farm households were married while the rest were widowed and single. The average family size of the farm households was 5.44. The distribution of household heads by their level of education showed that about 42.2% of farm household heads were illiterate and 27.8% can read and write. 24.4% had formal education up to grade 8, while 5.6% attained secondary education and above. An average dependency ratio of farmers is 0.71, which is better off compared to the national average, i.e., 0.97. All of the farm households in the study area were practicing farming activities, where cultivation of coffee took the major share. Coffee production (forest, semi-forest and garden coffee) is the main means of livelihood. Grain production (mainly Maize, Sorghum and Teff), Fruit production (especially Avocado) and Off-farm activities are also reported as the other means of income for the farm households. The coffee farmers have an average of 21 years of farming experience (ranging from 4 to 38 years) in coffee production. The majority of the sample farmers (82.2%) own the land between 1 ha and 3 ha. The average land holding in the study area was 1.84 ha per household (min. 0.5 ha and max. 6 ha) which is two times more than the national average (0.8 ha). About 67.8 percent of smallholder farmers acquired their land through inheritance from their families and 27.8 percent has got the land officially from the governed kebeles (Peasant Associations) through redistribution. The study found out that crop production is the primary farming activity in the study area where cultivation of coffee took the major share. Coffee production (forest, semi-forest and garden coffee) is the basis of livelihood for the farmers. Farm households allocate larger portion of their land for coffee production and used inter-cropping method of producing coffee with other crops mainly for consumption purposes and some of the crops helped to produce more coffee by serving as shade trees. Majority of the farmers owned forest and semi-forest coffees. Only 10 percent of the farmers cultivate garden coffee. The average yield of produced coffee was 13.33 quintal/ha which is larger than the national average (7.2 quintal/ha). All of the farmers produced both red cherry and sun dried coffee. The proportion of sun dried coffee (63%) is higher than that of the red cherry (37%). Farm households used different sources of labor for their coffee farm work (such as land clearing, planting and harvesting) in the study area. The major source of labor was family labor (75%). Traditional form (Debo) and hired labor were also the other sources. The entire coffee farmers were not used inorganic fertilizer, and chemical inputs like insecticide or pesticide for their coffee production. But majority (64.4%) of the farmers used traditional or organic manure instead of chemical inputs. This confirms that the type of coffee produced in the study area was naturally organic. They also have a habit of planting new coffee seedlings which are provided from their own nursery, local market and woreda ARDO. Coffee is harvested at the full maturity stage and stripping method of harvesting is mainly used since majority of the farmers owned forest/semi-forest coffees. Coffee farmers used traditional and temporary storage houses with poor storage facilities which affected negatively th e inherent qualities and appearance of the green coffee. Results about coffee marketing showed that coffee growers, local collectors, wholesalers and cooperatives participated in coffee marketing channels with an availability of market places near to villages and with easy road access and proximity to larger towns. Farmers sell their coffee in the form of red cherry during harvesting and in sun-dried form after storing for some months for cooperatives, local collectors and wholesalers. The prices of red cherry and sun-dried coffee in the market were not stable and fluctuating from time to time. Meanwhile, the trend of coffee market is apparently decreasing across time as a result of this fluctuation and volatility of coffee price. Cooperatives purchase the majority of the red cherry coffee and give better coffee prices more than the local traders. Farm households were forced to sell their coffee produce at a lower price to local traders who exclusively set the price when cooperatives are inactive in the market due to absence of collective bargaining power and lack of price and market information. The principal cost of the farmers was cost of transporting coffee to the market followed by labor cost. Regarding with institutional and organizational support schemes for coffee farmers, denial to formal credit is predominant for majority of the farm households despite the closeness to financial institutions in the study area due to restricted criteria or inappropriate loan terms (related to grace period, duration of payment and collective eligibility), high rate of interest and inaccessibility of credit agents. The extension services provided for farmers from DAs were not adequate and effective enough to support farmers in order to enhance their coffee production and marketing activities because of shortages of technical expertise, facilities as well as ineffective means of communication. Primary cooperative associations which deal with coffee are found in the study area and most of the coffee farmers (85.6%) are members. The members are mainly benefited from cooperatives in getting better price than other traders, accessibility to sell their coffee products, transportation, provision of credit and training services. Thus, cooperatives are playing a vital role in improving the production and marketing problems of coffee farmers. Coffee farm households in Mana woreda faced both production and marketing problems. One of the most frequent production problems encountered by coffee farmers was coffee berry disease. This is exacerbated since all of the farmers are producing organic coffee which excludes the use of fungicides and other chemicals. High number of old trees death and shortage of shade trees; absence of improved technologies or traditional way of production; inadequacy of appropriate extension services with qualified experts; change of weather condition; scarcity of land and shortage of improved seeds and its higher cost were the other production constraints faced by the coffee farmers. The most frequent marketing problem was coffee market price volatility. Transport facilities; lack of price and market information; absence of collective bargaining/price setting; lack of access and availability of credit; middle men interference; theft; and traditional storage facility and packing materials were also t he subsequent marketing problems of coffee farmers in the study area. Despite the challenges, there are also opportunities for coffee farmers in Mana woreda. Suitable agro-ecology, accumulated traditional or ancestral knowledge of farmers with experience; better access to infrastructure and proximity to local market places; variety of coffee types suitable for roasting industries; cheap provision of labor; growing domestic coffee consumption and a scope of value added niche product are the main opportunities. Therefore, relevant development programs that participates the farming community under the prevailing farming system should be planned and effectively executed. A number of actions need to be undertaken in order to promote the development of coffee market chain. This particularly includes, capacity building, technological applications and improved extension services. Institutional and organizational support condition is also a key to improve the coffee production and marketing constraints of farm households. In this ground, emphasis should be given to expand transportation system and storage facilities, offering formal credit and effective extension services and strengthen cooperative associations to support farmers in coffee production and marketing.