Monday, September 30, 2019

Jenkins Corporation True of False Test

1) An example of a goal statement that is SMART is â€Å"Jenkins Corporation expects to achieve a 5% improvement in the on-time delivery of its computer components. True / False2) You are involved with a team where members encourage relationship-building roles and team members take responsibility for providing feedback regarding performance. Your team is in the norming stage. True / False3) Open ended questions elicit specific information are useful for point clarification and when time is limited. However, they questions restrict the interviewee’s freedom. True / False4) When presenting to a group that may display opposition to the topic, it is advisable to tailor your message utilizing a two-sided message. True / False5) Double-barreled questions assume a condition that the interviewee may not agree with but calls for the interviewee to support that condition. True / False6) When planning a meeting that applies the rule of three-fourths, information is dispersed to particip ants at the three-quarter point between meetings. True / False7) The task of the team in the forming stage is to clarify direction. True / False8) An Everest goal represents an extraordinary achievement. True / False9) Abilene paradox and boiled frog syndrome enhance the effectiveness of decision making in team meetings. True / False10) To reach the fourth stage of the four stages of team development labeled by Tuckman, a team must progress through the first three stages of development. True / False11) Once the team has developed a comfortable climate, the next stage is the performing stage. True / False12) â€Å"You are completely naive,† is more effective feedback than â€Å"Your comments are not on the topic.† True / False13) When conducting an interview, elaboration, clarification, and repetition may be used as probing methods. True / False14) When planning a meeting that applies the rule of halves, agenda items are in the hands of the agenda  scheduler no later than one-half of the time interval between the last meeting and the upcoming meeting. True / False

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Conventional Accounting Systems Essay

Advantages of a Computerized Accounting System The Difference Between Net Income & Pretax Accounting Income The Difference Between Strategic & Traditional HR Before the advent of fast and cheap computers, accounting traditionally was processed manually with all transactions recorded in columnar papers and kept in voluminous binders. Once computers became popular and software affordable, accounting tasks moved into this medium, where concepts stayed the same but mechanics changed from papers to programs. Sponsored Link Diesel Exhaust Brakes Exhaust Brakes On & Off-Highway Euro 6 & Tier 4 Compliant www.GTPP.co.uk Speed The most glaring difference between traditional and computerized accounting is the speed of operations. With an accounting program, data is entered once and it is saved. The program provides management with reports in a speed never dreamed possible in the traditional days. No more waiting days or weeks to know whether your business is making a profit. Using computerized accounting, information can be accessed in a matter of minutes. Once data is available in the system, it can be used in reports, queries and analysis. Accuracy Computerized systems have drastically increased accuracy of calculations when compared to the traditional, manual system, in which columns had to be added up, numbers moved from one page to the next, and trial balance and financial statements manually compiled. If errors occurred, many hours had to be spent trying to find and correct them. With accounting software, this problem is eliminated. In the case of accounting spreadsheets, adding simple formulas still may be needed, but it is an easier and more accurate process. Efficiency goes through the roof when a computerized system is used. Costs The traditional manual accounting system with paper and pencil is cheaper than the computerized version, in which a firm needs a computer, software, printer and other expenses associated with a system. The manual system may work for small businesses up to a certain point, but with the affordable costs of computers and software, many firms are opting for the computerized system. They are easy to use, and finding experienced employees to run the system is not a hurdle. Backups When using a manual system, the risk of losing data is real. If important papers are damaged or destroyed, that work may have to be re-created. Copies of the original work can be made, but that could be expensive and time-consuming. Accounting on a computerized system offers the choice of saving work on a CD, portable or external hard drive, flash drive, or even online. Many firms back up data every night as a precaution. If something happens the next day, the data can be restored from the backup. Considerations Using a computerized accounting system keeps all of the information organized and in one place—the computer hard drive. Finding and accessing information on an accounting software program is much easier than the traditional method. Specific data can be found using system functions, which usually include a "find" or “search” key. For example, finding information about a vendor on a manual system could take many steps and significant time. The same process in a computerized system most likely would yield the information in a snap, with less confusion and aggravation

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Employment Relationship

Literature Review: Employment Relationship Introduction Literature review is the method of having some intensive secondary information related with some specific issues and problems. In the context of this fact, the literature review presented within the paper, has aimed to reveal some different dimensions of employee and employer relationship in different cultures. There is a significant impact of surrounding environment and culture over any practice undertaken by a business organization.In this context, the literature review presents some crucial views of different authors and scholars regarding different nature and issues related with employee-employer relationship in different cultures. Employment relationship in the context of different cultures In different cultures, the presentation of the employment relationship can be done in different manner. There are different important issues and aspects of this relationship which can be explained in different manner in the context of di fferent cultural problems.Explaining this fact further, Singh (2010) has presented the employment relationship at the work place in the Indian context. In the views of the author, in line to the Indian culture, the employment relationship in the Indian is also quite ethical and concerned towards the betterment of the society as a whole. Works ethics and honesty is considered as the prime aspects of the commitment of the employee towards his organization. In response to this, the organizational values are also quite humanistic and in the favor of the employees developments.The author has highlighted the concept of emotional intelligence for the purpose of describing Employment relationship in the context of Indian organizations. As per the authors, managements of business organizations operating with the Indian culture, put emphasis over developing emotional and personal competencies in the employee as it leads enhance the perceived efficiency of the employee at the work place. In th e support of this, Ratnam (1998) has also asserted the diversity of workforce is the major characteristic of the Indian organizational culture.As Indian is a vast country which conceives diversity at a vast level, it becomes quite necessary for the employer to maintain a positive relationship with culturally diversified employees so that intra-organizational issues can be minimized in the most effective manner. In regard to this, issues related with intra-organization conflicts are quite natural in the context of Indian business organizations. Along with this, Sparrow (2006) has raised one more employment related issues in the context of Indian business organizations.As per the author, lack of motivation provided to employees, large availability of work force, and bureaucratic organizational structure commonly preferred by Indian organization are some of the highlighting factors of Indian business environment. In Indian organizational culture, a strict hierarchy and flow of order is followed, which sometimes leads to weaken the employment relationship at the work place. These are some of the critical factors and aspects related with employment relationship in Indian context which is quite different with that in the Anglo-American context.Different employment issues have also been highlighted by Drory and Vigoda-Gadot (2010) in the context of Israeli business organizations. As per the research conducted by the author, Israeli business organizations follow Islamic philosophy for commencing their business operations. As per such philosophy, there must be some specific rules and regulations confined by Islamic laws for the purpose of regulating different inter-organizational process. All the employees are strictly bound to follow such rules and regulation.In the views of the author, proper implication of Islamic law and regulation brings uniformity in the business operations of different related business organizations operating within the same market. Along with t his, high degree of discipline, and acceptance of work ethics are some crucial points of employment relationship within Islamic business organization. In the special reference of Israeli organizational culture, the author has demonstrated the implication of employment relationship in terms of organizational politics.In this context, the author has indicated towards the decreasing socialist ideology of the society that directly affects organizational policies and culture. The author has reflected has that in recent period of time, a declining trend of collectivism in Israeli business environment has been sighted, which cast a negative impact over perception of workers and employees regarding trade union. Employees have started to prefer individualism while resolving any issue with management.Obeidat, Shannak, Masa'deh, Al-Jarrah (2012) have demonstrated the Arabian Culture and work ethics followed within this culture quite prominently. As per the author, Arabian culture is quite cons ervative from the perspective of work ethics. All the ethics related with duty of employees, and moral and professional responsibilities of an employer are confined with the help of laws and rules of Islam. As per the findings of the author, Islamic philosophy followed within the culture of Arabian business organization considers honesty and fair treatment as the most desirable work ethic.In addition to this, the culture also implies that it is a moral responsibility of the employer to fulfill all the essential and basic needs of its employee. In support of Islamic perspective regarding employment relationship, Ahmad and Yekta (2010) have also elaborated the phenomena of employment relationship. The authors have elaborated their findings in the context of Iranian Cement Industry. The authors have found out that as per Iranian culture, support provided to employee to gain skills and competencies should be the major organizational philosophy of the organization.The cement industry of the country usually follows the phenomena of collective leadership as their core organizational philosophy. In addition to this, work ethics are considered at high priority in Iranian organizational culture. The authors have stated that prime shortcoming of this culture of the organization is that there is a gap between individual worker or employee and management, which directly leads to create an intra-organizational issues within organizational culture. Searle et al (2011) has reflected the perspective of employment relationship in the context of European business organization.The author has depicted in his literature that procedure and ideology of European business organization is quite different with that of the rest of the world. For this purpose the author has conducted an intensive online survey with different participants from different countries of the Europe such as Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Switzerland. As per the findings of survey, high employee involvement and engagement has been emerged as one of the major key aspects of employment relationship considered by business organizations in the European region.As per this ideology, employees are considered as the integral part and asset of the organization. The organizational performance is directly linked up with performance of employees. In this context, employee involvement becomes quite essential for the long term success of the organization. Owing to this reason, the definition of employment relationship becomes quite close in the context of European culture. In relation to this, Bassanini, Breda, Caroli and Reberioux (2010) have presented their findings in the context of business environment of France.As per the findings of authors, organizational culture of France is quite different with other European country as French organizations prefer the family business concept. Unlike other developed county, in France, the overall emphasis over collective leadership within the organization is qu ite less. In the country, the approach of people regarding family business is quite positive. Owing to this, the disposition of employer-employee within the country is quite informal. However, still the work ethics are prominently considered by both, employer and employee while accomplishing any organizational process.In addition to this, concern regarding employee benefits and welfare is also quite high within French business organization. In direction to this, it can be considered that like Anglo-American approach, French and other European country’s organizational culture is also quite positive for employment relationship. In addition to this, Ribeiro-Soriano and Urbano (2010) have explored the significance of employee-organization relationship (EOR) in the context of small scale business organizations.As per the authors, in existing business environment in which, direction of leadership has been shifted from individual leadership to corporate entrepreneurship (CE), it has been quite necessary for the management of the business organization to maintain a positive and close relationship with the employee. In the views of the authors, due to the advent of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in existing business environment, there is communication gap between employer and employee has been created which hampers the positive relationship between both such entities.For the long term sustainability and success of the organization it is quite essential for its management to maintain a close and positive communication and keep it policies quite aligned with employee welfare. Conclusion On the basis of the review of entire literature review, it can be concluded that employment relationship can be considered as relationship between employers and employees. There are different aspects of employment relationship such as work ethics, employer responsibilities towards employees, employee’s commitment, communication level and so on.In this context, the paper has investigated employment relationship in the context of different regions, i. e. , India, countries from Islamic countries, and European countries such as France. Different literatures have reflected that the span and disposition of the employment relationship is quite different in different regions. In different countries, due to different culture and business environment, the ideology of employment relationship differs from each other. Reference: Ahmad, Z. A. and Yekta, Z. A. 2010.Relationship between perceived organizational support, leadership behavior, and job satisfaction: An empirical study in Iran. Intangible Capital 6(2), pp. 162-184 Bassanini, A. , Breda, T. , Caroli, E. , and Reberioux, A. 2010. Working in family firms: less paid but more secure? Evidence from French matched employer-employee data. Drory, A. and Vigoda-Gadot, V. 2010. Organizational politics and human resource management: A typology and the Israeli experience. Human Resource Management Review 20, pp. 194à ¢â‚¬â€œ202. Obeidat, B. Y. Shannak, R. O. , Masa'deh, R. , Al-Jarrah, I. M. 2012. Toward Better Understanding for Arabian Culture: Implications Based on Hofstede's Cultural Model. European Journal of Social Sciences 28 (4), pp 512-522 Ratnam, V. C. S. 1998. Multinational companies in India. International Journal of Human Resource Management 9(4), pp 567-589. Ribeiro-Soriano, D, and Urbano, D. 2010. Employee-organization relationship in collective entrepreneurship: an overview. Journal of Organizational Change 23(4), pp 349-359. Searle, R. et al 2011.Trust in the Employer: the Role of High Involvement Work Practices and Procedural Justice In European Organization. International Journal of Human Resource Management 22(5), pp. 2-18. Singh, K. 2010. Developing human capital by linking emotional intelligence with personal competencies in Indian business organizations. International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management 5(2), pp 30-42. Sparrow, P. R. 2006. International manag ement: some key challenges for industrial and organizational psychology. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 21, pp. 189-266.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Project 2 - Essay Example The third one is the project schedule that provides the stakeholders with the tasks to be completed together with the required time frame required to complete those tasks. The third one is the requirement review where an approval is achieved from the business to exercise the proposed requirements of the project. The last one is the deployment plan that shows and identifies the necessary tasks required to move application of the project proposal to come up with the required end product. When the project is completed, the new Inn constructed should be able to provide high quality products and services to the consumers at affordable prices. Even though the organization is determined to make profits, they should not do so their priority should be guided towards the satisfaction of their customers. All the facilities in the new inn should be checked to certify their standard before customers start using them to enhance the safety of the customers. The project should also be delivered according to the time and budget agreed upon. The project should have various computer systems to store information on the project. The channels of communication should be well developed to ensure that the project manager communicates with all designated stakeholders easily and effectively. That is why there should be various channels of communications including phones for the involved stakeholders to have an easy access to them. Moreover, cash registers should be available to document the cost incurred for the day to prevent arising of problems when accounting for the cost incurred in the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

History of Christianity to the Reformation Research Paper

History of Christianity to the Reformation - Research Paper Example Not until in the year 312 A.D when the emperor and his soldiers were in the quest to overthrow Maxentius, a man who was allegedly believed to want to take over the Roman Empire. According to Anonymous (45- 46), the soldiers of Maxentius were thrice more than those of Constantine. David (1-2) adds that Emperor Constantine was born in a place called Naissus, in recent times renamed Nish. He was the eldest son of Constantius Chlorus and Helena. Emperor Constantine’s father was promoted to serve as the Augustus after he married a Caesar’s daughter and when he died Constantine took over the Augustus. This led to his fame and popularity among the Roman people. This gave him more power and probability to get the chair of Roman Emperor. The sudden change came when Emperor Constantine said a small prayer shortly before the battle was underway. Even though he was not sure of what was going on, it is legendary that after saying the prayer he looked up above and saw a cross that sh one greatly and was located higher than the sun. He thought that his gods were not as powerful as the Christian God otherwise the cross should have been located at the same level to the sun. If the sun that he served had appeared higher than the shinning cross, maybe he would not get that conviction. Since the sun was going to set, the shinning cross was vividly seen and had the words â€Å"by this sign conquer†. Therefore, he believed that it was the God of Christians who caused this sign to appear at such a moment after prayer. The sign he saw was proceeded by a dream in which Anonymous (45- 46) notes he still saw more of these signs. Then came the day when the battle was set. Maxentius troupe, the army that looked so big, was defeated surprisingly. Maxentius in pursuit to escape and save his life died after drowning in a river called Tiber. Emperor Constantine at this juncture was fully convinced that the help came from the God of Christians. Ever since he honoured Christi anity and worked to the best of his abilities to honour the God of Christians and became the first Christian emperor. He is the reason for the Christian faith and history to date (Anonymous 45- 46). According to David (1-2), Constantine became the undisputed emperor after his soldiers defeated the soldiers of Maxentius. This led to the rise of Christians who were at first despised, persecuted and deemed superstitious. Christianity hence forth prevailed in Rome and affected not only the Roman Empire but also the Christian church. Historians have not disputed the reason as to why Constantine transformed to Christianity. He adds that the God that Constantine honoured so much helped him in the beginning till the end of his reign. Again, this writer likens Constantine to Moses because the two were brought up in hostile homes and the religions that they held at this time are those that had overthrown their enemies; Christianity. Moses fought for Christianity when he was sent to release th e Israelites. The leaders of the enemies of these two men died by drowning in water and this mark another similarity between Moses and Constantine. David (1-2) describes Emperor Constantine as a one great and eminent person. Attributing these characters to the fact that he was brave hence the name Great. Before his reign, Christianity’s doctrines and teachings in Rome had lost value and integrity. After he sat on the great seat, Emperor Constanti

Barking Wellfare Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Barking Wellfare Organisation - Essay Example Hence, it may not find ready applicability in all cases. Therefore, it has become necessary to consider the net present value (NPV) of projects using DCF method, known as discounted cash flow method. The main advantages of the DCF, is that a positive NPV, would indicate the fact that the project generates more cash inflows rather than resource outflows, used up for servicing of the project. It is, therefore, the discretion of the management to decide whether the project may be accepted and implemented after taking cognisance of all the related facts and figures. Financial analysis is important because they form the bedrock of strategic corporate decision making and creating value additions for shareholders and others who are having financial interests in the Company and its operations. Step 3: If the NPV results in a positive figure, the project may be accepted and if negative, it should be rejected. (Brigham, Eugene F. and Ehrhardt, Michael C. (2004): Financial Management Theory and Practice: Capital Budgeting: Capital Budgeting Decision Rules: 509) â€Å"The net present value method is a modern method of evaluating investment proposals .This method taken into consideration the time value of money and attempts to calculate the return on investment by introducing the factor of time element.† (Gupta & Sharma). In this case study, the NPV has been considered the best option available, since it recognises the time value of funds that are being injected into the project, and is best suitable since in this case, both the cash inflows from the sale of plants, are controlled by market forces, and also the outflows depend upon the use of assets at different points of time in the period of determination. In the first place, this Welfare Organisation has rehabilitated and made employable, the physically disabled people, to lead socially useful lives for themselves and their community settings.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Rise And Fall Of Traditional Forms Of Music Retail Essay

Rise And Fall Of Traditional Forms Of Music Retail - Essay Example Music industry, as we know it, finds itself in deep crisis these days. Traditional forms of music retail show constant dip in sales every year; and this trend has started to unfold quite a long time ago. On the one hand, the noughties have witnessed a dramatic downfall in traditional market sales but, on the other hand, so-called digital music sales have been boosting market share for 15 years in row and there are no signs of any stark slowing down in this business segment. The digitization of music, technological development and booming e-commerce sector have opened a window of opportunities for some music industry players and issued the challenge of unprecedented structural crisis for the others. My goal in this paper is to identify the winners and losers of a drastic decline in traditional forms of music retail, analyze the reasons that stand behind such a decline, as well as its consequences, and find the roots of innovative ideas that have changed the face of music industry in t he 21st century. I have organized the paper into three sections, two of which have sub-sections. In the first section I elaborate on the strategic prerequisites for growth and decline in the traditional forms of music retail by making a brief retrospective journey into the history of music industry. In this section I also discuss the scope of economical and structural crisis that the music industry started to suffer with the advent of new technologies and rapid development of the Internet.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Funding a New Biotechnology Firm Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Funding a New Biotechnology Firm - Assignment Example Bragg notes that this may be advantageous as the entrepreneurs are able to maintain ownership of the enterprise. He contends that tax deduction is another merit for using this approach. However, the demerit includes repayment of the principal amount accompanied by interest. The gain is that the entrepreneurs are able to acquire additional funds and develop from start up. Angel investors are yet another way within which one can acquire financing. This according to Hill & Power (2002) is acquiring venture capital from individual investors. It is more appropriate for start up business that has yet to get revenues or sales. The individual investors may be willing to invest if conditions of relinquishing control are accepted. They also may want to invest if they have prior knowledge of success in that particular field, which in these regard is the biotechnology enterprise. In his article, DeBaise (2009) observes that angel investors are wealthy individuals who may want ownership in the en terprise. In 2007 angel investors invested around $26 billion, which amounts to around 57,120 ventures that breaks down to $450,000. This is according to the research carried out by venture research at the University of New Hampshire in the year 2007. This, it contends, leads to a powerful resource for new entrepreneurs (DeBaise 2009). Self funding is another way through which the entrepreneurs can acquire funds. This is where they can decide to raise the required amount through contributions from own funds (Megginson 2004). Examples of ventures that started in this way include Dell Company that had its founder Michael Dell start with his own savings. To a large extent, this is very encouraging as the advantage is that the entrepreneurs are able to maintain control of the... This essay stresses that the decision to start any business is exciting and encouraging to the growth of the economy of any country. However, many entrepreneurs blow up their dreams of starting up businesses due to lack of finances to develop their ideas. It is with this view that the above paper has offered the various ways the entrepreneurs can solicit for funds. The prospects of acquiring funds from any of the proposed funds strategy are exciting but what is required is caution in whatever choice one takes. Recommending any particular funds strategy may deem inconsiderate but making a preference is rather fair so as the entrepreneurs can be able to contemplate what they want. This is to be backed by evidence that indeed that particular funding strategy has been successful. Angel investors are yet another way within which one can acquire financing. This paper makes a conclusion that the United States is ranked top as a biotechnology leader with many investors in that particular venture and the highest funding strategy at an 80 percent is venture capital. This stands out then as the most appropriate funding strategy due to the nature of venture. Biotechnology venture is known to be a high risk venture thus requiring alot of capital and investors who have the knowledge of the market. Venture capital in this perspective appears to be the solution for the entrepreneurs.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Analizying Poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analizying Poems - Essay Example In sum, the poems sound like reminders for human beings to adjust their actions, perspectives and livelihoods in order for them to live in ways that are sensitive to some of the issues that lie hidden away from unperceiving eye, and which cause much of human suffering that is witnessed in the modern world. The Sound of Silence Garfunkel’s poem, â€Å"The Sound of Silence,† illustrates a moment of awakening for the speaker. In the first line, he refers to darkness as an â€Å"old friend,† (Garfunkel 1). The hidden meaning is that the speaker has lived with or in this darkness for a long time. Symbolically, this darkness represents ignorance and a general loss of direction and common sense. In a broad sense, this poem invites the readers to examine their own live in order to redeem themselves from systems of darkness, which systematically prevent them from the pleasures and joy of reality. In lines 12 and 13, the speaker talks of , â€Å"When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light/ That split the night,† (Garfunkel 12, 13). This moment appears to be the supreme moment of awakening. Symbolically, the darkness could imply the common misconceptions, prejudices, dogma, indoctrination and other kinds of information that cannot stand the test of credibility. Such systems have the effect of blinding humanity from the real truths. They are also the causes of suffering, conflicts, and other ills, which afflict societies. This poem is a mockery to the modern discourse of communication and human existence, which have eroded the natural sense of humanity. The poem relies significantly on figurative language to make meaning out of the many issues of general human interest. The poet directs the readers to some of the important issues that are often ignored by humanity in their rash to meet their daily needs. Generally, the poet seeks to remind humanity of some of the basic concerns that must be addressed in order for people to live in tot ality. By assigning the quality of sound to silence, the poet employs the technique of inversion and contrast to achieve his thematic objectives. Blowin’ in the Wind In the poem â€Å"Blowin’ in the Wind† the poet uses the technique of questioning to interrogate some of the weaknesses that prevent people from finding solutions to issues that appear to be quite ordinary. The question, â€Å"How many...?,† is repeated severally throughout the poem. At every instance, the question is directed towards a different subject, which, in essence, comprises the underlying themes in the poem. Such themes include death and suffering, negligence, loveless relations, reward, recognition and the permanence of phenomena. The persona delves into multiple issues that concern a range of subjects of human interest. In the first two lines, the poet appears to hint at the theme of human struggle: â€Å"How many roads must a man walk down/ Before you call him a man?† (Dyl an 1, 2). This line captures the futility of human efforts, which lead man to engage in multiple struggles, which are often poorly rewarded. This line reads like an indictment to the unfeeling world that fails to recognize the selfless struggles and sacrifice that some people engage into for the sake of improving the welfare of the society. This line could apply to themes of poor working conditions in the modern employment sector and other roles that fail to attract the necessary rewards and acknowledgement from people. The other question, â€Å"

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Create a Bussiness Essay Example for Free

Create a Bussiness Essay My name is Eric Thomas Mendoza, and I am the newly appointed manager of the products division for my company. The job of my team is to conduct research for my company and ensure that we are getting the best possible deal in the best interest of my companies business. My associates and I have recently discovered that we may be paying a higher price with your company versus your many direct competitors, one example that stands out is Portmouth Paper Supplies. My records indicate that your company and my firm have been in business together since the inception of my company, in 1988. Although I am required to get our products at the lowest cost, I would prefer to keep your company as our main paper supplier due to our long-standing relationship with your company. I am asking you to consider that you consider 10% price reduction for all of our orders over $400, which would make the prices more competitive and allows us to maintain the ongoing relationship between our companies. If you  do not wish to give us a more completive rate , by either beating or exceeding your direct competition, then we may have to discontinue our business relationship, because of basic economics and the present state of the economy. Your contract with us reaches its conclusion in 30 days. We here at Halcyon would like to offer to continue our business relationship, but that depends on you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Care Of Clients With Mental Health Problems

Care Of Clients With Mental Health Problems This essay will look at the relationship between schizophrenia and bio psycho social issues it will also explore the concept of recovery and also look at some of the approaches that are used to promote the recovery process. The National Health Service (2005) describes schizophrenia as a mental illness with substantial short and long term consequences for individuals, family, health and clinical services and society. One in hundred people experience schizophrenia in their lifetime with highest incidence of the disease in late teens and early 20s. People with schizophrenia suffer distress and long term disability and there is a lot of accompanied stigma and prejudice involved with the disease that can have negative effects on employment, relationships and life satisfaction. A persons family is completely destroyed with schizophrenia and carers and family members also carry the burden of the disease and caring the person for a long time. Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by profound disruptions in thinking, affecting language, perception and thee sense of self. It often includes psychotic experiences, such as hearing voices or delusion. It can impair functioning through the loss of an acquired capability to earn a livelihood or the disruption of studies (WHO, 2009) Schizophrenia is not caused by one single factor but a combination of different factors these factors are biological, psychological and social. This is what is known as the bio psycho social model of schizophrenia (Santrock, 2007). There are thought to be many causes of schizophrenia one of these are genetic factors. Riley Kendler (2006) state that 70% of people who develop schizophrenia have a relative who has schizophrenia, the closer the relation the more likely a person is to get the disease if a person has an identical twin with schizophrenia they have a 50% chance of developing schizophrenia. There is a genetic component to schizophrenia which means someone may be predisposed to developing schizophrenia but it does not mean that they are pre-determined to develop the illness. Biological factors can include age or a virus and environmental factors for example life stressors can trigger an onset of schizophrenia. Stressful life events that occur can include having a baby, losing a job, moving house or losing someone who is close but not everyone who goes through these stressful situations will be diagnosed with schizophrenia as some people can handle stressful situations better than other people will. Risk factors may be different for different individuals while one person may develop schizophrenia due largely to a strong family history of mental illness (e.g. a high level of genetic risk), someone else with much less genetic vulnerability may also develop the disease due to a combination of pre-pregnancy factors, pregnancy factors, social and family stress or environmental factors that they experience during their childhood, teen or early adult years. This suggests that individuals possess different levels of vulnerability to schizophrenia, which are determined by a combination of biological, social and/or psychological factors. It is proposed that vulnerability to schizophrenia will result in the development of problems only when environmental stressors are present (Riley Kendler, 2006). If the vulnerability of an individual is sufficiently high, relatively low levels of environmental stress might be sufficient to cause problems. If the vulnerability is much less, problems wil l develop only when higher levels of environmental stress are experienced (NHS report, on Schizophrenia 2005). In mental health recovery has a lot of different definitions and does not always refer to a person having complete recovery from mental health problems in the same way that a person can fully recover from having physical health problems. A person not only has to recover from the distress and trauma of psychotic experiences they also have to deal with social exclusion, discrimination, stigma, loss of position in society, feelings of hopelessness, possible forced hospitalisation and the trauma of receiving a diagnosis. The National Institute of Mental Health (2009) suggests that there is no single meaning of the concept of recovery for people with mental health problems, but the easiest way to explain the recovery model is one of hope and that it is possible for a persons meaningful life to be restored, despite serious mental illness. Recovery is often referred to as a process, outlook, vision, and conceptual framework or guiding principle (Watkins, 2007). The Mental Health foundation (2007) state that the recovery process should provide a holistic view of mental illness that focuses on the person as a whole and not just their symptoms. They also believe that recovery from severe mental illness is possible and it is a journey rather than a destination but it does not necessarily mean getting back to where a person was before their diagnosis recovery will happen in fits and starts and, like life it has many ups and downs, calls for optimism and commitment from all concerned, is very much influenced by peoples expectations and attitudes requiring a well organised support system this can be from family, friends or professionals it also requires mental health service providers to accept and take on new ways of working. Recovery highlights that while people may not have full control over their symptoms, they can have full control over their lives. According to the National Institute of Mental Health recovery is not about getting rid of mental health problems. It is about being able to help people beyond their problems helping the person to be able to recognise and develop the opportunities that connect their abilities, interests and dreams. Mental illness and social attitudes such as stigma that still surrounds mental illness can often impose restrictions on people experiencing ill health (Hinshaw, 2007). Recovery looks past these restrictions to help people achieve their objectives. A care pathway is an outline of anticipated care, placed in an appropriate timeframe, to help a patient with a specific condition or set of symptoms move progressively through a clinical experience to positive outcomes. The Department of Health Dual Diagnosis Practice Guide (2002) state that someone with dual diagnosis Schizophrenia and substance misuse issues will have an integrated care pathway as their care can be complex as there is likely to be multi agency involvement. The Summary of Assessments of Risk and Need (SARN) is a tool designed to be used in mental health services for describing service users needs for care. (Self et al 2008). It provides a brief description of the needs of people entering into Mental Health services or presenting with a possible need for change in a care plan. It was developed to aid in the process of establishing a classification of service users based on their needs so that appropriate service responses could be developed both at the individual and service level. It allows professionals from a range of backgrounds to summarise their assessments in a shared format. Thus it provides a common language for describing health states and related social conditions and improves communication between different users including service users themselves (National Health Service, 2009). There are several strategies used to promote the recovery process and these can include pharmacological interventions, CBT, family therapy. Those who have family benefit most if their families are well informed about the illness have support and skills to deal with the ill family member. Social skills training, vocational assistance and environmental modification help support recovery because if someone is in control of their finances have a job that they can go to this is likely to help with their personal growth and their self esteem. Cognitive behavior therapy can help reduce the distress and disability caused by symptoms of schizophrenia. Improve understanding and self management, reduce the risk of further relapse, improve mood and self esteem it involves client as an active participant in treatment. NICE guidelines (2009) state that psychological interventions should play a key role in the treatment of schizophrenia and that the best evidence is for CBT and family intervention. NICE guidelines now explicitly recommend CBT to be offered as a treatment option and family interventions should be available to families who are living with someone with psychosis or who are in close contact with someone with psychosis. CBT offers a collaborative approach ensures client is at the centre of care and is an active participant in decisions about treatment; this enhances engagement with services (Freeman Felgoise, 2005). Motivational interviewing was originally developed as a treatment for drugs and alcohol addiction. However, it is now used with clients with psychosis to enhance compliance with medication (Rollnick Miller, 2002). It is also used for clients with a dual diagnosis of drug or alcohol use and psychosis (Haddock et al, 2002). Motivational interviewing is based on the theory of stages of change or cycle of change (Proschaska Diclemente, 1982). According to Rollnick Miller (2002) the different stages of change are; In pre-contemplation the person does not acknowledge a problem exists. In contemplation the person is ambivalent they are in two minds about what they want to do. In action the person is preparing and planning for change. When they are ready the decision to change is made and it becomes all consuming. In maintenance the change has been introduced into the persons life. Some support may still be needed through the maintenance stage. Lapse is a temporary return to old unhelpful thoughts, feelings or behaviours. Relapse is a full return to the old behaviour. Lapse and relapse are viewed as natural part of the Cycle of Change and do not assume failure. It does not mean that lapse or relapse is desirable or even always to be expected. It simply means that change is difficult, and it is unreasonable to expect anyone to be able to change a habit perfectly without any slip ups (Rollnick Miller, 2002). When a relapse o ccurs, several trips through the stages may be necessary to make lasting changes. Each time the person is encouraged to review, reflect and learn from their slip ups. Rollnick and Miller (2002), state that motivational interviewing is especially effective when clients are either in the pre-contemplation or contemplation stages. Relapse rates in psychosis are extremely high, even if people stay on their medication so it is always good practice to work closely with the client and their family and list early warning signs (Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2007). This can lead to an action plan that can be implemented to help spot signs of relapse. Once a list of early warning signs has been completed a detailed action plan can be drawn up this will usually include, which the client and their family should do if signs of relapse are spotted. These plans can include what services should respond to the client and families concerns and give a list of available resources e.g. extra medication, phone numbers to call in crisis. Doing this can be empowering for both the client and their family it can enhance the relationship between them and mental health services giving them more control over their treatment and also enables them to feel supported in practical ways (Witkiewitz Marlott, 2007) . As with all therapies there is always problems the main ones associated with CBT and motivational interviewing are initial engagement, encouraging people to talk about their symptoms and problems, funding, time limitations and resources and ensuring that skilled mental health workers have sufficient training in carrying out these therapies. Being diagnosed with schizophrenia shouldnt mean that a person cant live a full and happy life. With the right help and advice and continuing support from mental health services a person who suffers from schizophrenia should be able to work, build relationships and live a normal life just like anyone else. According to Mind (2009) this is due to a better understanding of schizophrenia the introduction of more effective medications and the increasing use of therapeutic interventions.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Recruitment and Selection Methods in Tesco

Recruitment and Selection Methods in Tesco Introduction: Recruitment and Selection Process is one of the basic HR Processes. Recruitment and Selection is very sensitive as many managers have a need to hire a new employee and this process is always under a strict monitoring from their side. Recruitment and selection are two most important functions of personnel management. Recruitment process can be done in many ways like internal or external, and it involves with many steps of recruitment policies like job advert, job application process, Evaluations, job description and, legislations and training. The primary purpose of recruitment and selection is to achieve ones desire end, appointing the right person to the right job. Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm. Selection refers to Selection is the process of choosing the most suitable candidates from those who apply for the job. It is a process of offering jobs to desired candidates. This report focuses on recruitment and selection of TESCO plc. The main objective of this report is to critically analyse the recruitment and selection method applied in relation to market environment 1.2 Tescos background: Business of the company Tesco sells daily necessary things like food and also non food items. It carries more than 23,000 items ranging from cloths, stationary, groceries, wine, entertainment digital appliances, finance insurance, books, patrol gas, pharmacy, phone broadband. History of the company Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen, who sold groceries in the markets of the London East End from 1919. The Tesco brand first appeared in 1924. After Jack Cohen bought a large shipment of tea from T.E. Stockwell, he made new labels by using the first three letters of the suppliers name and the first two letters of his surname forming the word TESCO. The Global Oneness Commitment (2009) Business growth of Tesco: The two diagrams shows the growth of Tesco in the last five years Performance over last 5 years ÂÂ   2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Sales 37,070 43,137 46,611 51,773 56,563 Sales in o/s stores 7,559 10,480 11,031 13,824 14,994 No. Of stores 2,365 2,711 3,263 3,989 4811 No. Of o/s stores 586 814 1,275 1,614 2,013 Floor space 51,771 58,720 68,189 75,959 83,459 Floor space-O/S stores 27,580 32,817 40,404 46,410 52,470 Growth rate of the performance ÂÂ   2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Sales 10.47% 16.37% 8.05% 11.07% 12.57% Sales in o/s stores 13.14% 38.64% 5.26% 25.32% 18.42% No. Of stores 2.03% 14.63% 20.36% 14.28% 16.38% No. Of o/s stores 32.88% 38.91% 56.63% 26.59% 36.59% Floor space 14.03% 13.42% 16.13% 11.39% 11.59% Floor space-O/S stores 24.73% 18.99% 23.12% 14.86% 21.66% Source: Tescos Annual report and financial statement 2008 The business locations of the of Tesco Tesco operates in 14 different markets/countries through 4,811 stores all around the world with 468,508 staff work there. In the UK it has 2,282 stores and 286,394stuff work there. The details of UK stores are as follows: Table 1 Tescos store size in UK. UK Extra (average size 71,310 sq feet) 190 (Regular) Tesco (average size 29,984 sq feet) 10 Metro (average size 11,638 sq feet) 181 Express(average size 2,211 sq feet) 1130 Home Plus (average size 40,800 sq feet) 13 One Stop (average size 1,357 sq feet) 513 Table 2: Tescos stores outside the UK are as follows: Country Stores 2 USA 115 3 Czech Republic 113 4 France 1 5 China 79 6 Hungary 7 Japan 144 8 Malaysia 36 9 Poland 319 10 Republic of Ireland 116 11 Slovakia 70 12 South Korea 347 13 Thailand 609 14 Turkey 99 1.3 Objectives 1. To critically evaluate the current recruitment and selection approaches of Tesco plc. 2. To critically examine an alternative recruitment route that other companies are applying. 3. To draw conclusions about the room for improvement in Tesco recruitment and selection approach. 2. Literature review: Recruitment can be defined as a set of activities and practices used for the primary purpose of legally identifying sufficient numbers and quality of people fitting for a given purpose. It is carried out to provide an organisation with a pool of qualified potential individuals from which judicious selection for the most appropriate applicants can be made for filling vacancies in the organisation. A review of the HRM literature indicates that recruitment and selection are regarded as integrated activities and where recruitment stops and selection begins is a questionable point (Beardwell et al., 2004). Nevertheless, for the purpose of this work it is useful to differentiate between the two activities. As defined above, numerous authors (Whitehill, 1991: Roberts, 2008; McCormack and Scholarios, 2009) describe recruitment as a process of building a pool of potentially qualified applicants. Whereas selection is seen as a set of activities concerned with predicting which applicants will make the most appropriate contribution to the organisation in view of the present and future human resource requirements (Beardwell et al., 2004: McCormack and Scholarios, 2009). The recruitment and selection process refers some critical points. These are its very sensible process to change the internal organization of the company and to change on the external job market The recruitment and selection process meet with the some criteria, these are Process should be easy to realize the target people and audience of the recruitment and selection process. This process is not for the HRM organizations staff/employee, This process created only for the organization/companys manager, Manager are the main client for the recruitment and selection process. Despite recruitment and selection being considered as integrated activities unfortunately human resources literature discussions tend to neglect recruitment and place greater emphasis on selection. In view of this (McCormack and Scholarios, 2009) comment that the more effective an organisation is at identifying and attracting a high quality profile of job applicants, the less important the selection stage of hiring becomes. Therefore it can be suggested that an effective and agile recruitment strategy is the most fundamental human resource function and if managed well can have a significant impact on organisational performance and is critical to developing a more agile competitive edge (Pilbeam and Corbridge, 2006: Evans et al, 2007). As the contemporary business environment become increasingly competitive and labour markets continue to grow more diverse, organisations need to be more proactive in their resourcing strategies. Evans et al., (2007) and Richardson, (2008) argue that ineffective recruitment approaches can result in long-term negative effects, among them high training and development costs in efforts to minimise the incidence of poor performance and high turnover which in turn, impact on staff morale, the provision of high quality goods and services and the retention of organisational memory. Richardson, (2008) goes further to argue that at worst, the organisation can fail to achieve its objectives thereby losing its competitive edge and market share. However, it is important to consider that the process of implementing an effective and successful recruitment approach could bring along with it other costs related to the perceptions and attitudes of the people involved in this change. 3.1 Research methodology: 3.1.1. Sources of Information Primary Data: The primary data was collected by questionnaire survey. I prepared a questionnaire and asked the related person to fill it up. Secondary Data: I did browse the companys website to gather information. I also used the internet service to send the questionnaire. This report is the result of the collaboration of the members in the group and both primary and secondary information have been used. 3.1.2. Research Approach The face to face survey of the HR Department of Tesco, Sainsbury etc helped me to collect the data. This survey research approach has helped me to get a better understanding of their situation and problems. A questionnaire was prepared with questions that helped on providing information about their selection and recruitment process. 3.1.3. Research Instrument 3.1.3.1. Questionnaire I prepared a questionnaire with set of 8-10 questions related to the topic and asked the HR Mangers and employees of Tesco Sainsbury etc. Close End and open end: The questionnaire contains the MCQ type questions and also there were some options to write freely. I also used the checklist method of questionnaire (Yes/No). 3.1.3.2. Mechanical Tools Instrument like paper and pen were used for the questionnaire and for noting down notes. Computer, pen-drive, and printer were used for typing and printing the report. Analysis and evaluation: Primary analysis: I have done my primary analysis on 50 Tesco employees using a survey questionnaire (see appendix). From my primary analysis i have found out 60% of the employees think internet and job centre are the medium of advertisement.30 % think internet and store advertisement are the best way of job advertisement. Only 10 % think newspaper and job centre are the most popular medium of advertisement. 80% of the employees are happy about Tesco recruitment and selection process. But 40% of the employees think Sainsburys recruitment and selection process are better than Tescos to some extent. Many of the employees opinion was Sainsburys uses smarter recruitment and selection process than to Tesco. Namely their situation based test, using of video to identify skills and the mathematical test for identify numeric skills. From the survey I have also found out most of the employees think Tesco should make applications form available both online and offline. Those who have access to the internet can apply online and for those who do not, can collect a form from Tescos customer services, complete it and send it off by post or hand it in personally to customer services. This in turn could be given to the department which consists of this job and then be examined. Also Tesco should place more interviewers so that more applicants can be interviewed and so shortlisted applicants can be dealt with in a shorter period of time. Tesco should assess applicants during the interview as it would save time as both can be dealt with straight away/ at the same time. Secondary analysis: I have done my secondary research by reading through books, websites, magazines and newspaper. The findings are discussed below. Recruitment involves attracting the right standard of applicants to apply for vacancies. Tesco advertises jobs in different ways. The process varies depending on the job available. Tesco first looks at its internal Talent Plan to fill a vacancy. This is a process that lists current employees looking for a move, either at the same level or on promotion. If there are no suitable people in this Talent Plan or developing on the internal management development programme, Options, Tesco advertises the post internally on its intranet for two weeks. For external recruitment, Tesco advertises vacancies via the Tesco website www.tesco-careers.com or through vacancy boards in stores. Applications are made online for managerial positions. The chosen applicants have an interview followed by attendance at an assessment centre for the final stage of the selection process. Selection involves choosing the most suitable people from those that apply for a vacancy, whilst keeping to employment laws and regulations. Screening candidates is a very important part of the selection process. This ensures that those selected for interview have the best fit with the job requirements. In the first stages of screening, Tesco selectors will look carefully at each applicants curriculum vitae (CV). The CV summarises the candidates education and job history to date. A well-written and positive CV helps Tesco to assess whether an applicant matches the person specification for the job. The company also provides a job type match tool on its careers web page. People interested in working for Tesco can see where they might fit in before applying. The process Tesco uses to select external management candidates has several stages. A candidate who passes screening attends an assessment centre. The assessment centres take place in store and are run by managers. They help to provide consistency in the selection process. Applicants are given various exercises, including team-working activities or problemsolving exercises. These involve examples of problems they might have to deal with at work. On the other hand, Sainsbury has a bit different recruitment and selection process. After succeeding on online test Sainsbury takes first interview. Here HR manager call the candidates into a room individually to answer a few questions. These are just to make sure that whether the candidates have their passport, are the correct age for the job (as stipulated when they applied) and are being interviewed for the job they actually applied for apparently HR have a habit of messing that bit up. After this, all the interviewees will be sat in a room for the second recruitment test. The second test is split into four sections and given using a video. It usually takes around one hour to complete, and is quite simple. The first sectionÂÂ  is on customer service and is very similar to the other test that the candidates sat online. Again, they are given a situation that is in video format and are asked to identify the best and worst responses out of a selection of four. The second sectio nÂÂ  is on attention to detail. Candidates will be shown video clips, and will be asked to identify two things wrong with these video clips. The third sectionÂÂ  is on mathematics. The final sectionÂÂ  is all about candidates. It is the only part of the test not done by video, and comprises a series of statements with which candidates have to agree or disagree. Finally, 2nd interview comes up where candidates have to sit for face to face interview. Finally I can say that from the research it is clear that in some of cases Sainsbury has better system in recruitment and selection process. Tesco need to apply those systems in compare to other relative supermarket. If they put proper recruitment and selection technique then it will be easier than before. They can apply some techniques like video clips, mathematical terms etc. It will help Tesco to improve their recruitment process. Conclusion: Tesco PLC has an effective Recruitment and Selection however there are advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered. Advertising jobs online has its advantages as its cheaper than having it printed in newspapers for example and can be changed if required. However there are a few disadvantages. Some people may not have access to the Internet making it difficult to view the advertisement for the particular job. Some may have problems in using the Internet or not know how to use it and some may not have a computer in which case they would not even be able to access the Internet.. Tesco should make sure they know what is required of the job before shortlisting is taken place as applicant who may have the requirements may not be part of the applicants who are shortlisted or the opposite. Tesco should place more interviewers so that more applicants can be interviewed and so shortlisted applicants can be dealt with in a shorter period of time. Tesco should assess applicants duri ng the interview as it would save time as both can be dealt with straight away/ at the same time. Thus meaning Tesco should carry. References and bibliography: 1.Richardson, A. M, (2009) Recruitment Strategies: Managing/effecting the recruitment process [Online] available from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN021814.pdf [Accessed 4-0ct- 2010] 2. McCormack, A. and Scholarios, D. (2009) Recruitment, chapter 3 in Redman, T and Wilkinson, A, (2009) Contemporary Human Resource Management 3rd Edition, London: Financial Times Prentice Hall 3. UCL, (2008) Human resources-Recruitment and selection policy [Online] Available from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/recruitment.php [Accessed 22 Oct- 2010] 4. Pilbeam, S. and M. Corbridge (2006) People Resourcing. Contemporary HRM in Practice, London: Prentice Hall. Volume 17(4), pp.567-582. 5. TESCO-CARRERS, (2009)The application process-Tesco careers [Online] available from : http://www.tesco-careers.com/home/recruitment [Accessed 25-Oct- 2010] 6. SAINSBURYS, (2010) Careers at Sainsbury.[Online] available from http://www2.sainsburys.co.uk/aboutus/recruitment/careers_new.htm[Accessed 25-Oct- 2010]. 7. COURSEWORK, (2010) Tesco PLC has an effective Recruitment and Selection however the are advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered. .[Online] available from http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/Media_Studies/Internet/Tesco_PLC_has_an_effective_Recruitment_a_L126195.html[Accessed 30-Oct- 2010] 8. Iles, P.A. and Robertson, I.T. (1997), The impact of personnel selection procedures on candidates, in Anderson, N. and Herriot, P. (Eds), International Handbook of Selection and Assessment, Wiley, Chichester, pp. 543-66 9. Anderson, N., Born, M. and Cunningham-Snell, N. (2001a), Recruitment and selection: applicant perspectives and outcomes, in Anderson, N., Ones, D., Sinangil, H.K. and Viswesvaran, C. (Eds), Handbook of Industrial, Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 1, Sage, London and New York, NY, pp. 200-18 10. Beardwell, I. Holden,L. and Claydon (2004) Human resource management; A contemporary approach. 4th Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education 11. Gililand,S.W.(1993) The perceived fairness of selection system: an organisational justice perspective, Academy of management review, 18: 694-734.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Ethics Of The Hellenistic World Essay -- essays research papers fc

In comparing the ethical theories of the Epicureans, Aristotle, and the Stoics it’s found that they possess three separate ideas. These ideas are different in their individual beliefs; yet attempt to accomplish the same goals of creating an inner peace and sense of well being in their followers. Generally these three disciplines had distinctly separate ideas on how to set about accomplishing these goals; the Epicureans felt that the pursuit of pleasure was the correct path to enlightenment, while the Stoics had the idea that the conformation to strict laws regarding virtue was the proper path, and as for Aristotle, he held the middle ground in this debate of the minds, feeling that moderation was the key to complete happiness. Epicurus' ethics was a form of egoistic hedonism, meaning that the only thing essentially valuable is one's own pleasure. Anything else that has value is valuable merely as a means to securing pleasure for oneself. Epicurus associated this theory to a refined and individual view of the nature of pleasure, which lead him to recommend a virtuous, moderately frugal life as the best means to securing pleasure. His ethical theories find a foundation in the Aristotelian commonplace that the highest good is what is valued for its own sake, and not for the sake of anything else. Epicurus also agreed with Aristotle that happiness is the highest good. However, he disagreed with Aristotle by identifying happiness with pleasure. Epicurus gave two reasons for this. The main reason was that pleasure is the only thing that people do having value just for its own sake; that is, Epicurus' ethical hedonism is based upon his psychological hedonism. Everything we do, he claimed, we do for the sake of ul timately gaining pleasure for ourselves. This is supposedly confirmed by observing the obvious behavior of infants, who instinctively pursue pleasure and shun pain. The truth in this is also found in the behavior of adults, but in adults it is more difficult to see that this truth, since they have much more complicated beliefs about what will bring them pleasure. This hedonism was widely denounced in the ancient world as undermining traditional morality. "The trouble with Epicureanism is its assumption that the self is a bundle of natural appetites and passions, and that the end of life is their gratification. Experience shows that such a policy consi... ...le relates that the healthy exercise of virtuous function in a well-rounded life exploring personal interests and friendships is the cause of which happiness is the unavoidable and fitting effect. In other words, if you pursue the cause you will create the effect, but if you pursue only the effect circumventing the cause, you will miss both effect and cause entirely. â€Å"Aristotle rejects the Epicurean principle of pleasure; because, though a proof that isolated tendencies are satisfied, it is no adequate criterion of the satisfaction of the self as a whole. He rejects the Stoic principle of conformity to law; because it fails to recognize the supreme worth of individuality†(Hyde, 175). Even after this comparison it is difficult to contend which of these three theories would be a valid philosophy today. As they all have their seemingly strong points, there are still intrinsic weaknesses that would not hold up under the scrutiny of contemporary philosophers. Bibliography Hardie, W.F.R. Aristotle’s Ethical Theory. Great Britain: Oxford UP, 1968. Hyde, William. The Five Great Philosophies of Life. New York: Macmillan, 1945. Long, A.A. Hellenistic Philosophy. New York: Scribner’s, 1974.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Yanomamo Essay -- Anthropology

Yanomamo The Yanomamo are a tribe of twenty thousand who live in about two hundred and fifty widely dispersed villages in Brazil and Venezuela. It was first thought that the Yanomamo were a group of hunter-gatherers, but contrary to that thought they actually cultivate their own crops for food. They also hunt and forage, but only as needed. While the Yanomamo travel for several weeks when the jungle fruits and vegetables are ripe, they are a tribal society settled in villages, which break into small groups to go off on collecting expeditions. During such expeditions, game such as wild pigs, large and small birds, monkeys, deer, rodents, and anteaters, are hunted. The bulk of the Yanomamo food, more than eighty percent, is grown in their village gardens. The size of the garden is dictated by the size of the family it must feed. Because village headmen will have the responsibility of entertaining visitors and sponsoring feasts, they plant and care for larger plots. Plantain is their most important domesticated crop. Manioc, taro, and sweet potatoes are also cultivated along with cane, used for arrow manufacture, and tobacco, a crop of central importance. All women, men, and children chew tobacco daily and guard it jealously. The Yanomamo word for being poor is literally translated as without tobacco. Cotton is al so grown in the village gardens to provide the materials for hammocks and clothes. The Yanomamo envision the universe as having four layers hovering at...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Sociological Imagination Essay

The blackboard website will be unavailable between 7PM to midnight on June 29th for maintenance, so please make sure you upload it before 7 PM. Do not wait till last minute. Late assignments will result point deduction or even a zero essay grade. Format: Please submit an electronic word file named â€Å"your full name essay 1†, such as â€Å"JohnSmithessay1†, through blackboard on time. This essay should be 3-4 pages in total, double spaced, 11 point font. Do not directly copy and paste your assignment on blackboard! Choose to attach your assignment word file. Late assignments are not going to be accepted. â€Å"The sociological imagination enables individuals to see the intimate relationship between the events of history as they occur in human societies and the events of an individual’s or family’s biography.† wrote C. Wright Mills. In this assignment, you are to write up an Essay explaining the connections between your family biography and historical events over the past 50 years. Choose one family members of yours to focus on, such as your grandparents, you parents, your brothers and sisters, or you. Reflect on his or her life and think about how his/her life trajectory is intertwined with the historical changes in the country that you are from. The purpose of this assignment is to for you to apply the sociological imagination to analyze the profound influence that historical and societal contexts have on lives of individuals. Please make sure that you fulfill the following requirements: Clearly state what the personal events are. Explain how these personal events in your family are related to or affected by some of the historical events you listed. Explain in your own words what the sociological imagination is and whether/how it has helped you to better understand the life experiences of your family members. You can refer to the first assigned reading to answer these questions. Before you start your essay, you can do the following exercise on a piece of paper. Please do not include the time line drawing in your essay! It is just used for you to better conceptualize your essay. Draw a time line that begins in the 1960 and ends at the 2013. Above the line you are to identify in chronological order three significant events and/or transitions in the life of you or your family members (such events or transitions are like births, graduations, marriages, divorces, employment changes, income changes, geographic mobility, employment changes, or other changes you can think of). Next, think about the historical and social contexts underlying this particular individual’s life trajectory. What historical or societal events have affected his/her path or life? What historical or societal factors have influenced the important decisions he/she made in his/her life? Below the line identify in chronological order some of these important historical events. Write down the historical events and the time period it occurred or lasted. Such events in the United States include, are not limited to, World War II, the â€Å"Cold War†, the Korean War, the Civil Rights and Women’s movements, the Vietnam War, the recession of the 1980s, and etc. Please do not be limited by the events I list here. You are free to choose some historical events that are less well known (such as the development of colon technology, tea party movement and etc.) but you think are influential in your life or the life of the family member that you chose. After you have decided which family member and life events to focus on, write an essay on the relationships between these personal events and some the important historical events in your country. Please note: I am not asking you to write what you or your family were thinking or doing on the day of 911 or the inauguration day of president Obama. You are supposed to write about how these historical events substantially shaped the life trajectory of the particular individual you chose. Your essay will be graded based on how well you answered each question and the overall quality of your assignment. I strongly recommend you read the grading rubric in the appendix carefully before you start. Please organize your thoughts and arguments, present them in a logical manner and explain them in detail. Please proof read papers for typographical and grammatical errors. Appendix 1: excerpts of other students’ assignments as example The following are some examples from other students’ assignments. Please learn from them how to apply the sociological perspective to your own life events but do not be constrained by them. (1) During World War II my family underwent some great changes. My grandmother took a second job, working in the woolen mills making army blankets. My grandfather joined the marines and moved his whole family from Ohio to California†¦ It was during this time that my grandparents divorced. Divorces are higher during any period of dramatic economic change. Although I’m sure my grandparents blamed themselves, their divorce was a product of the economy and society. The same theory holds true for my parents. When they divorced, they blamed themselves, wondering what each had done wrong, as I did. When I look at what was happening in the economy, the similarities [with my grandparents] are easy to see. The nation- wide divorce rate was up dramatically and the economy was beginning to take a terrible turn for the worse. (2)When people ask me why I enrolled in college a year ago, I usually answered that I enrolled because I wanted to. I realize now that my answer cannot be quite that simple. Because my family doctor believed that the â€Å"pill† was finally proven safe in 1963, I was able to plan my family. In doing so, my son and daughter are nearly raised and I am still young enough to pursue a second career. More than any other factor, though, the women’s movement probably was the greatest influence on my decision. The successes of the movement in social equality have given me the necessary courage and confidence to attempt to be more than a mere shadow of my husband’s social position. Appendix 2: grading rubric Sociological Understanding (40%) The essay should apply key sociological concepts, ideas, theories learned in class correctly and properly to analyze related topics. Assertions in the essay must be supported by evidence (from texts or from data) that is logically related to the thesis. Coverage (30%) The essay must be clearly based on readings and topics related to the course. Essays that are simple summaries of sources are adequate, but will not get the highest grades. The essay should answer all the required questions in the essay guideline. If you fail to answer any questions, some points will be deducted. However, you should organize the essay in a way that it flows smoothly. Do not just list your answers to each question. Originality (10%) The essay should be original. Originality does not mean that you must be the first to think or write something, but that you take different sources and write about them using your point of view. Originality is entailed in taking your sources and forging them into an essay in your voice. Summarizing sources will be adequate, but not very original. Papers written by you and previously submitted to other courses are not original for this course. Such recycled papers will get a failing grade. Copying directly from internet without citing properly is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. What is plagiarism? Writing Quality (10%) Words and constructions should be chosen with care. Statements should be direct and clear.w The essay should contain no errors of sentence structure, spelling, word choice, or punctuation. If you have difficulty writing or English is your second language you should tell me at the beginning of the semester. I’m not a writing teacher, but I will do what I can to help you become a better writer. You should also seek help at the Writing Center. Every paper must have a title and the author’s name, either at the top of the first page or on a separate title page. All citations and references must be in ASA, APA or MLA format. The general tone of the essay should be academic and professional. Good writing often â€Å"sounds† like well-organized thoughtful conversation. I do not want you to imitate the turgid academic writing found in some sociology journals. I want you to write with a level of sophistication appropriate for well-educated college stu dents.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Current Trends in Restaurants

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION COVER SHEET Submission date: 10 October 2008 Abstract: This paper reports the trends in operation, targeted customers and design in restaurant around the world. CURRENT TRENDS IN RESTAURANTS OVER THE WORLD Contents {text:bookmark-start} INTRODUCTION {text:bookmark-end} Service style Operating hours Menu and Customer Site and Design Technology {text:bookmark-start} TRENDS IN SERVICE STYLES {text:bookmark-end} â‚ ¬Million Top 5 Foodservice Operators in Europe (2006) {text:bookmark-start} COMMON TRENDS IN OPENING HOURS {text:bookmark-end} {draw:frame} text:bookmark-start} WHAT IS HOT ON RESTAURANT MENUS AND MAIN GROUP OF CUSTOMERS {text:bookmark-end} As the population is getting older, the restaurant menus must follow the needs of the elderly whose sense of taste is no longer precise. By that way, there are a large number of menus containing strong-flavour foods, especially spicies. In beverage area, people now are coming back with beer. According to a survey by Gallup, in 2006, 41% of American drinkers said they drink beer most often. text:bookmark-start} DESIGN AND EQUIPMENTS {text:bookmark-end} {draw:frame} To satisfy the need of casual and warm place for eating of customers, nowadays, the naturally looking materials are being used for restaurant instead of glass and metal. Besides, warm colours like light gray or chocolate brown are also used to create warm and familiar dining room. In the kitchen, the multi-purpose equipments are the most famous style. 33% of chefs of American Culinary Federation thought that those equipments are the hottest trend in the year 2007 and in the future. text:bookmark-start} TECHNOLOGY IS A PART OF RESTAURANT {text:bookmark-end} Quick service operators are using technology to satisfy the demand of guest and optimize their efficiency. A recent survey by National Restaurant Association showed that 63% of customers want to get quick electronic service at their table. {draw:frame} The ever-rising price of food cost that went up 7. 2% in August presses the restaurant managers to find more solutions for cost saving. The most popular way is to use the high-technique cooking machine that can reduce the waste of energy. The modern and widely used gas fryer, for instance, can save up to 50% for gas and 80% for electricity. {text:bookmark-start} CONCLUSION {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} REFERENCE {text:bookmark-end} REPORT & SURVEY Rowe, M. (2007) Chew on this, Restaurant Hospitality Dining Insight Study 2007 National Restaurant Association, (2007) What’s Hot & What’s Not Chefs survey ARTICLES LaFave, C. (2008) Business: All Night Long, Restaurants & Intuitions Magazine Panitz, B. 2002) Food Trends: Tracking What's Hot and What's Not, Restaurants USA magazine Hamaker, S. S. (2000) Delicious by Design: Creating an Unforgettable Dining Experience, Restaurants USA magazine PODCASTS WEBSITES Horizons news, top 100 food service operators in Europe, horizonsforsuccess. com Foodservice Industry News, (2008) Food inflation continues to take its toll on foodservice margins, horizonsforsuccess. com (2006) Beer back on top, Realbear. com (2007) Current Trends in Foodservice, escoffier. c om (750 words)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Group Leadership and Conflict Summary Essay

I had started a thread for group discussion on Wednesday of this week. I did note to the team that I would not be on much due to a family memorial but I encouraged the team to start the discussion. A couple of days later Kimberly, wrote a small post and a charter. Tonight one other member wrote on the discussion. Other than this there was not communication at all within the group. There was discussion, per se, so there was no way for others to share their point of view. Now Kimberly did finally post her answers to the questions that were asked, but when I responded to her post there was no more discussion with me. In order for this team to increase group cohesion, there would actually have to be a group discussion. This team needs to start communicating and discussing what needs to be discussed. Because of the other members not actively participating in this discussion it made it hard to do this assignment. I will hope for a better team discussion next week. Planning a Playground While watching this video I noticed quite a few issues with this meeting. This committee got together without an agenda and without any planning. There was no cohesion in this team. At first, when they were introducing themselves, I felt they kind of isolated the lady that had just moved there. When she stated that she joined the committee to meet people, Dave made it clear that the rest of them were there to discuss a playground. This meeting was to be about discussing a new playground. No one had done any real research on playground equipment. Iesha stated that she had looked  at some playground equipment and let them know that price ranges. She had no real research to show the rest of the committee so that there was something for them to discuss. She then stated that she thought a good target price goal would be $35,000. She did not say why she thought that was a good price nor did she have any research on the type of equipment that could be gotten for that price. When the budget was being discussed the one guy thought that that they should aim for a higher budget, the other thought they should aim for a lower budget. There was no discussion on either part as to why they thought this. In fact, there was no discussion on this at all. Dave just decided that they would go with Iesha’s figure. Then when they were â€Å"discussing how they were going to raise the funds, again there was no real discussion. No one had a plan or any real ideas. When the new lady suggested a bake sale, they all just basically laughed at her. Iesha had brought up the idea of fund raisers, but she had no input on the type of fund raisers that should be done. Only the new lady had an idea, but the rest of the group wouldn’t even discuss it. They all basically made fun of her. Then the idea of fundraisers was not discussed again. Dave just brought up the ideas of grants and companies contributing. Again the only person in this group that had an idea was the new lady. If I were to have been on this committee, I would have sent out emails to each person on the committee explaining exactly what this meeting would entail. I would have set up an agenda for the committee to follow. I would have asked each person to research and make a proposal for the type and cost of the playground equipment. Also to make up a proposal for their ideas on how to raise the money for the equipment. Each person would be given a set amount of time to discuss their proposal. There would be a question and answer time at the end of each person’s proposal. After each person had their time and all questions had been asked, there would be more discussion on the subject so that each person could give their input. Politics of Sociology In this meeting the committee met to discuss which courses to eliminate and which courses to add. This meeting was doomed to fail from the beginning. There was no leadership, there was no agenda and everyone just talked over each other. This meeting was led by pure emotion. Each time the one guy tried to get the meeting back on track and get the other members to respect the perspective of the other members, he was just ignored. The only things that were done well in this meeting is that there was brainstorming done prior to this meeting. Also there was one person that did try to keep the meeting on track. I did noticed that the committee members did seem to have done some research and had the facts to back up their research. This was really not relevant because the other members did not want to see or even here about the research. I didn’t really see any constructive conflict in this meeting. It seemed that three of the members were only set on adding a specific class and cutting Trevor’s class. This immediately caused animosity amongst the members of this committee. Trevor refused to listen to anything that involved the cutting of his class and the other members wouldn’t discuss cutting any other class other than Trevor’s. Also, no body but the one lady wanted to talk about the issue of the enrollment numbers. To me this is relevant in determining which classes should be eliminated. Also, they needed to discuss classes that would attract more students so that enrollment would increase. If I would have been running this meeting, I would have made sure that each member had a list of classes they felt could be cut and a list that they would like to see added. They would need to explain why they felt that those particular classes should be cut and the reasons they felt that adding the other classes would benefit the school. Each person should have been given a specific amount of time to give their proposal. At the end of each proposal there should have be a set time limit for questions and answers. Nobody should have been allowed to interrupt another member while they were talking and nobody should have been allowed to put anyone’s ideas down or make them feel that their ideas had no merit. At the end of the meeting  they should have had a discussion where they narrowed down the classes that should be eliminated and narrowed down the ones that should be added. Reference Engleberg, Isa N., & Wynn, D. R. Working in Groups Communication Principal and Strategies (6th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_82303_engleberg_uop_pos/ http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_82302_engleberg_uop_pp/

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Education on Health Promotion Essay

â€Å"During an 18 month period, the researcher will design, implement and evaluate an HIV/AIDS health promotion program for inpatients in a non-profit hospital located in Los Angeles California. † The appropriateness of the applied research methodology is essential for the success of the research itself. In this section, we are going to review the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and formulate its application in the research subject. In the book of Creswell (2003 entitled, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches, Quantitative research approach deals on the systematic inclusion, observation and assessment of various events associated with numerical relationships. The researcher may compare groups on an independent variable to see it effect on dependent variable. Alternatively, the investigator may relate one or more independent variables to a dependent variable (p. 109). Qualitative procedures utilize various knowledge claims, strategies of inquiries and interventions of data collection and analysis. This approach relies on textual and imaginary data, and has unique systematic phases in data analysis and draw on diverse strategies of inquiry (p. 179). The above procedures are essentially appropriate in the whole study of the research. Numerical assessment is included especially in monitoring records, reading laboratory analysis as well as laboratory values that are obtained from the HIV/AIDS patient. The qualitative approach gathers textual data such as subjective and objective, which serves as one of the frameworks in health promotion planning. These data acts as the skeleton of the whole promotion plan.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Project management - sports pavillion at St. George's College Essay

Project management - sports pavillion at St. George's College - Essay Example PART A INTRODUCTION The project understudy is the construction work to extend and alter the sports pavilion at St George’s College and development of accommodation for Warden in and committee room. This project is taken as the critical opportunity mainly for the following reasons: The college is situated within densely populated area within city; hence, there is high risk associated with the construction work to be completed within defined frame. On-time completion is also critical as work is scheduled within holiday season. Project has high social value for the being provision of services to college. Successful accomplishment of the project is linked with the projects of two more schools. Hence, the project is taken with more responsibility orientation with client’s defined framework of task to be accomplished within time (most important), cost, quality and risk. PROCUREMENT ROUTES The procurement of the project is guided by three possible options which are as follows (Curtin University of Technology, n.d.): Traditional Approach Design and Construct Management Fee Each of the mechanism carries suitability for some while costing other. For the under study project; it is suggestible for the client to adopt the procurement route of Design and Construct with complete package by supplier variant. Design and construct entails hiring of the consulting firm (project manager) that develops design for the client’s requirement and further hires contractor for the construction services. It will facilitate client with a single point of contact as the management intend to have least involvement in overall construction process. It is also suitable for the college management based on their specification mentioned. Discussed below is the evaluation of the mechanism with respect to set criteria: Time: Fast tracked as the design and the construction can be carried in parallel. It also ensures the completion of the project on date which is very critical in th e case understudy. Cost: It also provides accurate estimate of the cost. Quality: This method is since not as quality oriented as management fee method but ensure quality construction according to the defined needs of required construction. Risk: aligned with the need of the college management, this method also carries minimum risk on part of employer and almost all risk is born by contractor. Given below is the reflection of methods and associated risk: (Curtin University of Technology, n.d.) Hence, the procurement method of design and construct can be justified as the most suiting method to the need of college management with facilitating of a single contractual firm that integrates design and construction expertise and accountability resting within one firm. RISK MANEGEMENT Success of the project is not only dependent on the accuracy of planning but is also dependent on level of consideration given to risk management. Simple to state, risk is the probability of not achieving the stated goal, since single aim of every objective is to accomplish it successfully; hence it requires projects to identify, analyse, asses and manage likelihood and impact

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Final Letter to the Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Letter to the Instructor - Essay Example Thanks to my instructor for facilitating smooth learning process by providing a healthy environment with equal opportunity for every student to learn something new. The experience of this class helped me become more aware of my writing strengths and weaknesses. The content learnt did not only help me identify my weaknesses in writing, but also provided me with tools to strengthen these weaknesses. I would really recommend this course to other students I know who have not been able to identify their writing weaknesses and strengths. Apart from the class teachings, involvement in group work and discussions even played a bigger role in helping me identify my skills. During the course, I worked with several groups on various projects. The group environment enabled me to identify areas that I was strong in and those that I had weaknesses. Through group projects, there was an opportunity to share ideas and opinions with other group members. Once in a discussion, you could be able to identi fy opinion of others that were widely accepted by the group members, which you were not familiar with and put them down as weaknesses. My own opinions that got wide acceptance in the group reflected as strengths to me. A lot of writing principles and elements learn in this class have changed my attitude towards writing and made me feel more attracted to the discipline. My writing skills before enrollment in this course were not as they are today. I could make many mistakes including grammar, styles and punctuation. In writing, there are various writing formats for different types of essays and business writing. I had prior knowledge on formats for such essays as argumentative, persuasive and research papers, which I had done some online research on before. I could write concisely and avoid relative terms but I later realized there was still more I was not familiar with in writing. It was difficult for me to write point of view essays and informative essays since I was not good on th em. Through such difficulties experienced, I was able to identify areas that needed improvement. Throughout the course, my aim has been to improve my writing skills and apply every principle and element learnt in this class. My guiding principle throughout the course has been having a positive attitude towards everything even when challenges come your way. By this, I was always motivated to make it even when faced with challenges. It was a great experience working with such an attitude, in an environment full of encouragement from the instructor and colleagues. I realized it is possible to learn a lot from anything one has interest in as long as he or she is ready to take criticism and understand that it is not personal but a way of helping. Out of the course work, most of my writings skills have changed positively. My writings are more effective because I have understood the importance of considering the target audience before working on any paper. Understanding the targeted audien ce helps one decide the structure and the language to use in writing it. From the acquired skills, writing well-structured professional papers has become easier for me. I have realized some of the major mistakes I used to make when drafting professional documents, for example, my resume had many mistakes and after getting these skills, I managed to make several changes to the document to make it attractive and professional. My confidence in writing memos and letters has improved.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Final exzam ( organazation theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final exzam ( organazation theory - Essay Example Cal Lutheran University believes that individuals who are strong in character, confidence, and judgment are able to meet global standards of work (California Lutheran University, 2012). This essay looks at some of the applications of the organization theory that are evident in the Cal Lutheran University. Organization structure Cal Lutheran University falls under the classification of a complex organization. This is because the management of the organization is beyond the ability of a single individual. Complex organizations are those whose management is beyond the ability of a single administrator because of their diverse structures. A review of the structure of the organization reveals some characteristics of Weber’s bureaucratic classical organization theory. Weber believed in the identification of work and the division of work into subdivisions. Each subdivision comes with an expected level of performance among all employees and managers who are involved. A manager or an e mployee in each subdivision has distinct roles and responsibilities that the organization is supposed to define clearly. The hierarchical structure of authority in Cal Lutheran University is such that all members of the administration are aware of their roles and responsibilities. ... The vice presidents are responsible for tasks such as enrollment of new students, student affairs, administration, finance and advancement of the university among others (California Lutheran University, 2012). Cal Lutheran University has the academic branch of authority that comprises of different schools and faculties, which are under the management of different deans. For instance, there is a dean who heads the college of Arts and Sciences as well as the chair of the Faculty. Therefore, the structure of authority in Cal Lutheran University displays the characteristics Weber’s bureaucratic organization theory. The university has divided its management responsibilities into distinct categories that are under the responsibility of a manager. The managers are aware of their roles and responsibilities, which is one of the propositions of Weber’s theory. Human resources in Cal Lutheran University Human relations theories define the relationship between employees, stakeholde rs and the management. Most of these theories suggest that successful organizations are those that value their employees by considering their pleas and motivating them. Taylor’s theory suggests that successful organizations are those that take care of the welfare of all their employees, stakeholders and the society. McGregor theory of Y helps in explaining the expected relationship between senior management and the subordinate staff. The relationship should be in such a way that each party is not afraid of the other, which facilitates cooperation among members of the organization (Tompkins, 2010). Cal Lutheran University has employees as well as stakeholders. The stakeholders are individuals or parties that get services from the university