Business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business report - Essay Example Abstract: This report looks at the influence culture has had on the world of business. The report closely examines the methodology used to conduct business between different companies with different origins of country. The report focuses on the communication barrier that is caused to due to the difference in the two cultures and the main issues that arise when conducting business. The report discusses the rules suggested when negotiating, the various phases of a negotiation and the steps that need to be followed while conducting business with organizations from different cultures. The report concludes stating that conducting business in a country according to the cultural norms of that country dramatically improves the chances of success. Foreword: With the concept of multinational business on the rise there is a need for many to effectively communicate with individuals from different parts of the world having different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. Organizations have to be pre pared when they conduct business in different countries. ... Aims: The main aim of this report is to discuss the various cultural and communication issues that arise while conducting business in different countries and particularly in UAE. The report also aims to provide various approaches that can be made to ensure success within the business world of the United Arab Emirates. Introduction: Effective communication is important for an organization to function and perform day to day activities smoothly. The expansion of business to different geographic locations around the globe has brought new challenges for the business world. The difference in customs and languages causes difficulty in effective communication within an organization. Cross cultural communication relates to an area of study that deals with communication between different individuals from different cultural and ethnic background. The main issue that arises in cross cultural communication is the different language being used in different countries. The second is proper advertisi ng and understanding the targeted audience of a particular country. The third thing to consider would be the norms of the culture. Fourth would be their customs. Last would be the political influences within a country. These five factors should be addressed when conducting business overseas or when employing individuals from different ethnic and cultural background. Issues: Language barrier Language barrier is a term used to describe the difficulties people face when they do not have a common language to communicate. To counter the effects of the language barrier either one of the two parties or both have to learn a new language. The services of an interpreter can be sought

World History College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World History College - Essay Example The condition of women within a particular society was dramatically impacted by the amount of socialization the central culture had developed. For example, India had a heavy caste system wherein women were viewed as weak, frivolous, unimportant, etc. (AUTHOR # 1 132). The fact that the social system perceived women in such a negative light, and was then too inflexible to accommodate change, resulted in women remaining in oppressive or inferior positions with no recourse. In fact, it was the very development of these types of systems that relegated women to a lower class structure. As AUTHOR # 2 states, "women enjoyed broader occupational options and a stronger voice within the family and in society as a whole before the emergence of centralized politics and highly stratified social systems (AUTHOR # 2 268). Not unpredictably, the more money a woman's family possessed, the better daily life she lived. A poor woman would be expected to work in the field or perform other menial tasks while a rich woman would be less likely to experience hardship.

Elements of a Good Nursing Report

Elements of a Good Nursing Report Introduction The mechanism of the nursing report is a comparatively ancient one. Certainly it was routinely used in the pre-Nightingale era of nursing and there are reports of such formal handover mechanisms in Chaucer and other medieval writings (Carrick P 2000). As the nursing profession has evolved over time, the requirements, expectations, demands and indeed the procedures employed in the giving of the nursing report, have also evolved and become more formalised. (Mason T et al 2003). The giving of the report can be a very useful procedure on many different levels. Obviously there is the imparting of information between members of the nursing team, but the report also has the potential of serving more subtle purposes such as increasing team bonding, team motivation, engendering of good working practices and increasing patient empathy amongst the whole nursing team. It also can serve the purpose of a forum for the interchange of ideas between professional members of staff. (Yura H et al. 1998) . Other sources suggest that the peer pressure experienced by the new or student nurse, can shape their own practice by observing the attention to detail (or otherwise) as the report is presented. (Fawcett J 2005) We note that the procedure has â€Å"the potential† for these purposes, as with all processes that involve human input, there is inevitably an inbuilt variability of process. It is seldom perfect and a number of studies have shown that its standard and content can vary across a spectrum from excellent to abysmal (RCN.2003) If we consider the evidence base for this statement, we can find support in two landmark studies that have been completed. The two authors (both Danes) coincidentally produced studies which were published in 1992 (Ljukkonen A 1992) (Kihlgren et al 1992). The latter study was structured in a way that analysed the functional components of the nursing reports in several large hospitals over a three month period, it then offered a period of training on improving the content and delivery of the reports, and then remeasured the staff performance using the same set of measurement parameters. The paper itself is both long and detailed as well as being particularly analytical. To condense (and paraphrase) the findings of the initial section of the paper we can cite the findings that the initial reports were found to be: Highly task oriented and (it was noted that) the staff often discussed the patients reaction in vague and general terms without imparting any specific or useful information. The authors went on to comment that structure was frequently absent or minimal and the nursing process was seldom in evidence. After the professional feedback sessions, the second analysis period showed a marked change to the fundamental nature of the reports to the extent that they now included the observation that there were: More messages per report after the intervention compared to the control ward and the messages with psychosocial content had doubled. This was reflected in a greater appreciation and satisfaction on the part of the receiving nurses and a demonstrable improvement in team empathy We note that the authors stated that in organising the mid-section training sessions they utilised the research work of Orlando (et al. 1989), who crystallised the essential elements of the nursing report into the basic concepts of â€Å"prioritisation, communication and presentation skills, together with instruction of the important ingredients of the actual nursing report.† The Ljukkonen (A 1992) paper has similar findings but was set in two nursing homes for the elderly where the authors found that the low turnover in patients was the prime reason for the decline in nursing report standards observed. The lack of trophic peer pressure was also considered to be a major relevant factor. The comments cited by Yura (regarding team building) earlier in this essay have their origins in this paper. Charboyer (2001) expands them further with the suggestion that a â€Å"vital part of the nursing process† is the ability to interact with all of the other members of the nursing team, both in terms of hearing (learning) and expressing opinions. These two papers effectively pose the unformulated question â€Å"just what elements are ideally required in the definitive nursing report?†. We can take the lead from the Kihlgren paper which considered the work of both Orlando and Dugan (1989) who analysed the essential elements of the nursing report and categorised them as: Prioritising care and patient needs. Communication Skills. Non-Judgemental Approach. The precursors of these elements were initially formulated in a paper published by Orlando in 1987 (Orlando I. J. 1987) who suggested that it was a fundamental function of the nursing process to prioritise the patient’s needs after elucidating them and use these perceived needs to instigate and plan an appropriate course of action which could be presented at the formal nursing report. He conceded that such an analysis was a function of the individual and unique interaction between patient and healthcare professional (by implication, the nurse) and that the nurse should ideally use their communication and analytical skills to present their assessment to the professional colleagues. These concepts eventually evolved into Orlando’s preposition that the â€Å"backbone of the nursing report† would be this analysis and prioritisation of the patient’s perceived needs and their presentation in a â€Å"logical sequence†. Orlando concludes his original paper with the comment that this plan should be enunciated and modified in accordance with the patient’s illness trajectory at each successive nursing report so that the stated goals can be achieved as expediently as possible. We have made earlier reference to the importance of good communication skills in the nursing report. It follows from our previous discussions that the communications skills must also ideally be in evidence between the healthcare professional and the patient in order for the nursing report to have maximal relevance (Arnold et al 2004). The importance of this comment can be judged from the fact that interpersonal communication is considered to be one of the six core attributes in consideration of optimum personal effectiveness in the â€Å"modern nurse managerâ€Å" (ICN 1998). The traits and deficiencies in the area of communication in general, identified by both Ljukkonen and Kihlgren, were studied in greater detail by Heinmann-Knoch (2005), who analysed the topic in direct relation to the nursing report in admirable detail and went on to suggest the mechanisms by which such deficiencies could be addressed. If we accept, as Davies (et al. 2002) enunciates, that communication is a skill that is seldom innate or totally intuitive â€Å"it has to be learned, acquired and actively practised.† Other authors point to the fact that other common failings of the nursing report include elements such as stereotyping or judgementalism. (Brechin A et al. 2000). When such elements are found to be present they clearly cross not only professional boundaries but also moral and ethical boundaries as well. (Stowers K et al. 1999) Eye contact is an often overlooked element of professional interaction either between nurses themselves or between nurses and their patients. Eye contact implies attention and respect and can signal perceived degrees of dominance and submission in the pecking order (Hurley R 2006). Similarly lack of eye contact can imply ignorance, confusion, indifference, and ineptitude (Fielder A 2000). As a communication tool it can be used to advantage by the skilled professional nurse both to elicit information from patients and also to ensure attentive listening in the nursing report situation. (Platt, F W et al. 1999) Body language is another often overlooked element in the art of communication. It has not received a great deal of overt scrutiny in the peer reviewed medical press but the majority of experienced healthcare professionals would attest to its value in both eliciting and conveying information (Edmondstone W M 1995). There is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that body language and nonverbal communication has a greater ability to impart information relating to the sincerity of the speaker than the words they are using (Trimboil A et al. 1997), equally it can be used to advantage when trying either to elicit or to suppress a response from the recipient (Tomlinson J 1998). Reflection is a vital part of the learning process. It has been described and modified by many authors. Taylor (2000) suggests that it should be an active process embarked on after the event so that memories and perceptions of a situation can be rationalised and appropriate strategies considered for more optimal outcomes. Palmer (2005) observes that reflection is both a professional requirement and also a dynamic process whereby the practitioner will be prepared for any similar occurrences and can build a knowledge base to enhance his or her practice, and therefore grow as a professional. On a personal note I find that the Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, G 1988 ) is both convenient, practical and useful It is beyond doubt that the nursing report, in its ideal form, should be carefully constructed, structured and prepared. It should address all of the needs of the patient – not only the medical and nursing ones, but as Hendrick, (J. 2000) points out – it should also address the more subtle needs of the patient such as their psychological, socio-economic or social needs as well, if they are appropriate. Its proper delivery is not just a matter of chance or the last item on the shift for the departing staff nurse, it is one of the fundamental tools of the nursing profession and needs to be prepared, considered and focussed before it is actually invoked. The messages that the nursing report conveys are not simply those messages that relate to the continued nursing care of the patients, but also those that speak to the professional expectations of the nurses. Those who listen to their peers delivering the nursing report in a professional and intelligent way are more likely to be indoctrinated with professional attitudes and ideals than those who view the report as little more than a nuisance at the beginning of their shift. (Clarke J E et al. 1997). The nurse who uses all of the tools of communication, including presentation, positive body language and meaningful eye contact together with clear unequivocal language is far more likely to make a positive and dynamic impression with her report than the nurse who simply puts together a few sentences relating to each patient. (Hewison, A. 2004) References Arnold Bloggs 2004  Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses  London : London Meridian 2004 Brechin A. Brown, H and Eby, M 2000  Critical Practice in Health and Social Care  Open University, Milton Keynes. 2000 Carrick P 2000  Medical Ethics in the Ancient World  Georgetown University press 2000 ISBN : 0878408495 Chaboyer, Najman , Dunn 2001  Cohesion among nurses: a comparison of bedside vs. charge nurses perceptions in hospitals.  Journal of Advanced Nursing 35 : 4, 526-532 Clarke J E Copcutt L 1997  Management for nurses and Healthcare Professionals.  Edinburgh : Churchill Livingstone 1997 Davies Fox-Young 2002  Validating a scope of nursing practice decision making framework  International Journal of Nursing studies 39 , 1 , 85-93 Edmondstone W M 1995 Cardiac chest pain: does body language help the diagnosis? BMJ , Dec 1995 ; 311 : 1660 1661 Fawcett J 2005  Contemporary Nursing Knowledge: Analysis and Evaluation of Nursing Models and Theories, 2nd Edition  Boston : Davis Co 2005 ISBN : 0-8036-1194-3 Fielder A Book : Sight Unseen BMJ , Jan 2000 ; 320 : 66 ;   Gibbs, G 1988  Learning by doing: A guide to Teaching and Learning methods EMU Oxford Brookes University, Oxford. 1988 Heinmann-Knoch, Korte, heusinger, Klunder Knoch 2005  Training of communication skills in stationary long care homesthe evaluation of a model project to develop communication skills and transfer it into practice Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2005 Feb ; 38 (1) : 40-6. Hendrick, J. 2000  Law and Ethics in Nursing and Health Care,  London. Stanley Thornes : 2000 Hewison, A. 2004  Management for Nurses and Health Professionals: Theory into practice. Blackwell Science : Oxford. Hurley R 2006 Ways of seeing BMJ , May 2006 ; 332 : 1219 ;  ICN 1998 International Convention on Nursing   Scope of nursing practice Geneva : ICN 1998 Kihlgren, Lindsten, Norberg Karlsson 1992  The content of the oral daily reports at a long-term ward before and after staff training in integrity promoting care. Scand J Caring Sci . 1992 ; 6 (2) : 105-12.   Ljukkonen A 1992  Contents of daily reports and nursing practice in 2 homes for the aged] Hoitotiede. 1992 ; 4 (5) : 194-200. Mason T and Whitehead E (2003)  Thinking Nursing.  Open University. Maidenhead. 2003 Orlando, I. J. 1987.  Nursing in the 21st century: Alternate paths.Journal of Advanced Nursing, 12 , 405-412 : 1987 Orlando, I. J., Dugan, A. B. 1989.  Independent and dependent path: The fundamental issue for the nursing profession. Nursing and Health Care, 10 (2) , 77-80 : 1989 Palmer 2005  Palmer in Learning about reflection from the student Bulpitt and Martin Active Learning in Higher Education. 2005 ; 6 : 207-217. Platt, F W Gordon G H 1999  Field Guide to the Difficult Patient Interview 1999 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, pp 250 ISBN 0 7817 2044 3 London : Macmillian Press 1999 RCN 2003 RCN Leadership Project 2003 Defining Nursing RCN Publication 001 983 : Apr 2003 Stowers K, Hughes R A, Carr A J. 1999 Information exchange between patients and health professionals: consultation styles of rheumatologists and nurse practitioners. Arthritis Rheum 1999 ; 42 (suppl) : 388 S. Taylor, E. 2000. Building upon the theoretical debate: A critical review of the empirical studies of Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. Adult Education Quarterly, 48 (1) , 34-59. Tomlinson J 1998 ABC of sexual health: Taking a sexual history BMJ , Dec 1998 ; 317 : 1573 1576 Trimboli A, Walker M B 1997 Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour Publisher: Springer Netherlands ISSN : 0191-5886 Paper 1573-3653 DOI : 10.1007 / BF00990236 Issue : Volume 11 , Number 3 September 1997 Pages : 180 190 Yura H, Walsh M. 1998  The nursing process. Assessing, planning, implementing, evaluating. 5th edition. Norwalk, CT : Appleton Lange, 1998.

Coming of Age in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn :: Tree Grows in Brooklyn Essays

Coming of Age in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn presents the problems of a child growing up, the coming of age when one meets challenges and overcomes obstacles. The protagonist, Francie Nolan, undergoes a self-discovery as she strives to mature living in the Brooklyn slum despite its poverty and privation. Thus, Smith's thematic treatment of the struggle of maturity has become for the reader an exploration of loneliness, family relationships, the loss of innocence, and death and disease. One of the challenges of growing up is loneliness. As a small child living in Brooklyn Francie had no friends her age, the kids in her neighborhood that would have been candidates for friends either found her too quiet or shunned her for being different. Betty Smith describes on page 106 how most of Francie's childhood days were spent: "So in the warm summer days the lonesome child sat on her stoop and pretended disdain for the group of children playing on the sidewalk. Francie played with her imaginary companions and made believe they were better than real children. But all the while her heart beat in rhythm to the poignant sadness of the song the children sang while walking around in a ring with hands joined." As time went by and Francie got older she began to get to know a different kind of loneliness. Betty Smith narrates her feelings on page 403: "Spring came early that year and the sweet warm nights made her restless. She walked up and down the streets and through t he park. And wherever she went, she saw a boy and a girl together; walking arm-in-arm, sitting on a park bench with their arms around each other, standing closely and in silence in a vestibule. Everyone in the world but Francie had a sweetheart or a friend she seemed to be the only lonely one in Brooklyn without a friend." Loneliness is one of the challenges we must all conquer as part of maturing and it helps us learn to be independent and overcome hardship. Family relationships are a second problem faced by all in their coming of age. Francie loves her Johnny Nolan, her father, more than anything, she adores the way he talks and the way that he sings.

Impact of Advertising on the Youth

Positive Effects Of Advertisement On Kids †¢Advertising makes the kids aware of the new products available in the market. It increases their knowledge about the latest innovations, in the field of technology as well as otherwise. †¢Convincing ads, which center around healthy food products, can help improve the diet of a child, if they are attractive enough. Negative Effects Of Advertisement On Kids †¢Advertisements encourage the children to persuade their parents to purchase the products shown in the commercials, whether useful or not.The little ones tend to get adamant, if they are not bought the product. †¢Children often tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed in commercials. They overlook the positive side and concentrate more on the negatives. †¢Many advertisements in the present times include dangerous stunts, which can be performed only by experts. Even though the commercials broadcast the statutory warnings with the ad, the kids often try to imitate the stunts at home, with fatal results. †¢The flashy advertisements broadcast in television generate impulse shopping in children. Children, after watching the glitter of commercials, often lose the ability to live a life without materialistic joy. †¢The kids usually get more attracted towards the costly branded products, such as jeans and accessories. They disregard the inexpensive, but useful, ones that are not shown in the commercials. †¢Advertisements have an indirect effect on the behavior of children. They might develop temper tantrums, when deprived of the latest toys and clothes that are shown in the commercials. †¢The personal preferences in clothing, toys, food and luxurious of children are altered by the advertisements, to a great extent. Junk foods, such as pizzas, burgers and soft drinks, are heavily promoted during children's TV viewing time. This develops a craving for fatty, sugary and fast foods in kids, thereby affecting their health adversely. Positive Effects of Advertisements on Kids 1) Advertising makes the kids aware of the new products available in the market. It increases their knowledge about the latest innovations, in the field of technology as well as otherwise. 2) Convincing ads, which center around healthy food products, can help improve the diet of a child, if they re attractive enough. Negative Effects Of Advertisement On Kids 1) Advertisements encourage the children to persuade their parents to purchase the products shown in the commercials, whether useful or not. The little ones tend to get adamant, if the product is not bought for them. 2) Children often tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed in commercials. They overlook the positive side and concentrate more on the negatives. 3) Many advertisements in the present times include dangerous stunts, which can be performed only by experts.Even though the commercials broadcast the statutory warnings with the ad, kids often try to imitate the stunts at home , with fatal results. 4) Flashy advertisements broadcast in television generate impulse shopping in children. 5) Children, after watching the glitter of commercials, often lose the ability to live a life without materialistic joy. 6) Kids usually get more attracted towards costly branded products, such as jeans and accessories. They disregard the inexpensive, but useful ones that are not shown in the commercials. ) Advertisements have an indirect effect on the behavior of children. They might develop temper tantrums, when deprived of the latest toys and clothes that are shown in commercials. 8) The personal preferences in clothing, toys, food and luxurious of children are altered by advertisements, to a great extent. 9) Junk foods, such as pizzas, burgers and soft drinks, are heavily promoted during children’s TV viewing time. This develops a craving for fatty, sugary and fast foods in kids, thereby affecting their health adversely.

Character Description of King Duncan and Macbeth Essay

One of the smaller, yet important, characters is King Duncan. Duncan is an intelligent, generous, trusting and simply, a good king. Especially his goodness contributed to the doubt of Macbeth to actually kill the king. Complimenting his companions for all their nobleness demonstrates Duncan’s love to the people around him and effects their compassion for him. â€Å"O valiant cousin! Worthy gentlemen!† (Act I, Scene 2) is Duncan’s response to someone he barely knows and just explains what had happened during the battle and how Macbeth saved Duncan’s kingdom. Of course it is logical that Duncan is very content with the news of a victories view on the battle. However, to call someone a valiant cousin and a worthy gentlemen if he does not know who this men with the news is, shows Duncan’s respect to a man who is of much lower class than himself. As well it gives the audience the feeling that Duncan is a man who rather lives in a peaceful country than in a country that often fights for land. Besides men he does not know very well, his appreciation of his noble follower Banquo is more than once expressed by Duncan. Firstly he â€Å"infold thee (Banquo) and hold thee to my heart† (Act I Scene 4) and not much later expresses again his thankfulness of Banquo’s loyalty when he compliments him (to the audience) by calling him truly worthy. And by naming Macbeth thane of Cawdor he demonstrates his generosity and appreciation for a, in his eyes, noble man. Duncan really is a loving and generous man; he wants the very best for his people and recognizes loyalty and the good side in people. Maybe that is his tragic flaw. Perhaps Duncan is naà ¯ve, or perhaps he wants to set the example for his country since he is the king, and by doing so he does puts his own status in a dangerous position. His real intentions for being the person that he is are not obvious. Although Duncan is too naà ¯ve to suspect anybody from hurting him, which is not necessary because he is well respected for his deeds, he admits his mistake. When Banquo and he are talking about the man that deceived him and fought the battle against him he explains that â€Å"there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face: he was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust† (Act I Scene 4). His intelligence, on the other hand, is a little bit more obvious. Duncan has  not shown any knowledge about a possible assassination, but still tells the people his son Malcolm is going to be the king after him (Act I Scene 4). Duncan is intelligent enough to understand that he will not be king forever. And although he has no real signs of diseases or death, there is something that drives him to the point where he officially announces that his son is going to be king before he departs to visit the person who caries the same title as his last traitor. It is ironic that the thane of Cawdor is his traitor and his murderer. Despite the fact that Macbeth wants to kill Duncan for his own sake, he acknowledges Duncan’s goodness and intelligence in his soliloquy in which he doubts whether or not he should kill Duncan. â€Å"This Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off† (Act I Scene 7). A completely different character is the direct half that murdered king Duncan. The direct half is the part of the conspiracy that actually murdered the king, the other half, the indirect part, is the person that helped thinking about and inspiring the assassination. Macbeth himself is the direct and Lady Macbeth the indirect half. Macbeth, a worthy warrior, deals with his ambition in conjunction with his conscience. His ambition leads him to think about ideas his conscience disapproves, but since his ambition is shared by the indirect part, Lady Macbeth, his ambition conquers his conscience. As soon as Macbeth has the chance to understand what happened to him after the three â€Å"witches† told him he would be thane of Cawdor and king, his imagination leads him to think it is possible that his sons could become king. â€Å"Do you not hope your children shall be kings, when those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me promis’d no less to them?† (Act I Scene 3) are his thoughts when he releases that the witches gave him what they promised, the title of thane. How great would it be if his sons could become rulers of the country? Soon his ideas about his sons change to the idea that he could become king himself if the king would die before announcing the next king. When Duncan does announce that Malcolm should be king after his dead, Macbeth demonstrates to the audience that this means he needs to fight him as well. He thinks that â€Å"in my way it lies† (Act I Scene 4), it is his destiny to become king. But a couple lines before that he tells the king that the victory was his duty to the king. Clearly he does not have any problem by wearing a mask over his thoughts, or as he states in Act I Scene 7; â€Å"false face must hide what the false heart doth know†. His ambition is there, he wants to be the king, now he knows he is destined to be king he feels more tendency to murder than to be loyal. However, his conscience is at some points stronger than his will. In his soliloquy he is persuading himself that he should not murder because of many reasons. The part where his conscience plays a huge role is concerning the fact that â€Å"we still have judgment here; that we but teach bloody instructions, which being taught return to plague th’inventor† (Act I Scene 7). Ironically, since he is the murder, Macbeth is the only one who doubts himself so often. The other characters know what they wanted; the king wants all the good for his country, Banquo wants all what is good for the king, and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s â€Å"dearest partner of greatness† (Act I Scene 5), wants to see her husband becoming the king. Macbeth admits that his greatest weakness is his â€Å"vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other† (Act II Scene 7). Having ambition is one of those things in life you can’t afford it too have too little, but neither can you have too much or it will work against you. In Macbeth’s case there is enough to make him consider killing his king, but not enough to actually act the murder out. He needs someone who can persuade him to do it. Lady Macbeth fits in this picture perfectly. She is supportive enough to ask Macbeth if he rather lives as â€Å"a coward in thine own esteem† (Act I Scene 7) or that he becomes king. If Lady Macbeth would not continue to push him and give him orders, he would probably not have done the job without big mistakes. Even after the â€Å"deed† Lady Macbeth needs to calm him down. She needs to tell him that he should â€Å"consider it not so deeply† (Act II Scene 2) when he was not able to pronounce the word â€Å"amen†.

buy custom PhD Admission Paper of Interest essay

buy custom PhD Admission Paper of Interest essay I have been working in the educational sector for over twenty years, which has made my experience in the field both enormous and versatile. Therefore, I plan to acquire more specialized knowledge and skills in the field of teaching, learning, and evaluation. Among other goals, my principal target lies in achieving solid expertise regarding proficiency in teaching because I hope to specialize in teaching education. My previous educational background in conjunction with the many years of practical activities will certainly be helpful in my future academic and professional efforts. What concerns my previous education, I hold a Bachelors of Arts in educational psychology. Moreover, I obtained a diploma in educational management and leadership with a very good GPA. Furthermore, I have also been awarded an MA in the field of education with an emphasis on educational administration with a very good GPA as well. Thereby, I managed to successfully complete my degree despite the fact that I am a mother of three children. My previous thesis was about teachers supervision. In view of the above, I would like to list several goals I plan to pursue in my PhD program: The goal of knowledge. According to Viv Ellis (2009), teachers knowledge of the subjects constitutes an appropriate characteristic in demands for the professional status (p. 29). Thus, my purpose is to accumulate as much knowledge in the domain of teaching, learning, and evaluation as possible. Hence, I am utterly determined to augment my knowledge about teaching strategies, conceptual frameworks, and the effective methods of teaching, as well as the contemporary issues particularly in teaching. Moreover, I am going to conduct the in-depth research featuring a critical review of different approaches, methods, and processes in education. Also, I am going to trace the complementarities and reciprocities of the research methodology. In particular, I intend to apply my mind to disadvantages of the contemporary teaching strategies. The goal of competence. According to Patricia A. Pugh (2008), the issue of competence is composed of the following components: facts, knowledge, attitude and behavior (p. 48). In conformity with that judgment, I strongly believe that my further education will enhance my professional competence, taking into consideration that I am already a practitioner. In the context of my studies, I am planning to grind my skills in teaching education. The goal of contribution. According to Reddy (2003), the teachers role is many-sided because they are required to perform teaching responsibilities, counseling measures, curriculum developments, public relations responsibilities and others as well (p. 1). In view of the above, my professional activities are conducted with the purpose of contribute to our society. I am going to augment our education in several ways. As far as my academic aspirations are concerned, my research will represent the brand-new opinions and suggestions in respect of the methodological basis of teaching, learning, and evaluation. I will illustrate both agreed upon and contentious issues in the current education. In addition, I would like to emphasize the domain of educational administration and management. Thus, my previous experiences in the field of educational administration are going to be very useful in my studies. Besides, my most important contributions will be made in respect of pupils and students. I plan to elaborate on the most reliable solutions which will assuredly improve the circumstances of learning, teaching and evaluation. Apart from the above, I would like to characterize my interests in the domain of education. They include a large number of issues connected with the processes of teaching, learning, and evaluation. I am placing a special emphasis upon the process of teaching which has given rise to my primary area of interest. Furthermore, I am very interested in the research education which may help me comprehend and apply research in real-life education. I am confident that a satisfactory research education consists of such significant components as topic investigation, critical reading, and overview of various types of practical research. Besides, I prefer to master teaching strategies in conjunction with methods of instructions. With the help of the aforementioned knowledge, I am going to examine how instruction reinforces student learning. I deem it my duty to ensure you that my educational expectations supported by my experience and high professional ambitions are great and undisputed. Thus, I am going to work diligently towards accomplishing those goals. My abilities are diverse: I may give undivided attention to what other people are saying, spend time to understand their points, and ask questions without interrupting them. I am capable of assessing performance by myself, my colleagues, and students. My speech is clear and the written language is expressive. I am proficient in both deductive and inductive reasoning. There is no problem for me to exercise day-to-day administrative tasks, analyze information, and evaluate results in order to select the best possible solution. To sum up, my previous educational and professional background combined with my goals and interests are sufficient grounds for embarking on a PhD program in teaching, learning, and evaluation, which is my naturally determined choice. Buy custom PhD Admission Paper of Interest essay

Watership Down Quotes

'Watership Down' Quotes Watership Down is a novel by Richard Adams. Its popular on many high school reading lists. The work is an allegory: a fantasy about a group of rabbits in search of a warren. Here are a few quotes from Watership Down. The Threarah doesnt like anything he hasnt thought of for himself.- Richard Adams, Watership Down Note: This quote refers to the chief rabbit, and it tells us a little bit about the leadership in the rabbit community. This is the type of example that the younger generations have to followthe leaders they have to look up to. Its very self-centered  and does not consider what is best for the community. El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.- Richard Adams, Watership Down Note: This quote reminds us of many of the trickster-like tales and legends. In Watership Down, the quote is derived from Dandelions myth. As in many of the other mythic tales were familiar with in literary history, gifts are given: intelligence (cunning), speed (runner), and strength (digger). Rabbits need dignity and above all the will to accept their fate.- Richard Adams, Watership DownTheyd altered what rabbits do naturally because they thought they could do better.- Richard Adams, Watership Down Note: Animals in the wild will act (and react) in certain ways that seem natural, but are also part of learned responses. When they learn that those behaviors are no longer required, some animals begin to act in unnatural ways. They could have comfortable burrows (for example), but buck rabbits wont (cant) dig. Their (natural) way of life has been changed. I think we ought to do all we can to make these creatures friendly. It might turn out to be well worth the trouble.- Richard Adams, Watership DownThe truth is, youre just a silly show-off.- Richard Adams, Watership DownWe all have to meet our match sometime or other.- Richard Adams, Watership DownI have learned that with creatures one loves, suffering is not the only thing for which one may pity them. A rabbit who does not know when a gift has made him safe is poorer than a slug, even though he may think otherwise himself.- Richard Adams, Watership DownIf a rabbit gave advice and the advice wasnt accepted, he immediately forgot it, and so did everyone else.- Richard Adams, Watership DownIf my authority goes, where will yours be in half a day.- Richard Adams, Watership Down

Benjamin Franklin Gender Roles

The autobiography is based around the age of reason and a time man was thought to be able to be perfected by means of science and invention. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is full of success, however, the male gender prevails much more than the female gender. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin begins In 1706, when Benjamin was born. He was the fifteenth of seventeen children. HIS father, , had intended that Benjamin go to school to become a minister. However, Benjamin showed a great love for reading and writing and soon enough the path to become a minister was abandoned.At age ten, he was soon taken out of school to begin work with his father . This work Included making candles and soap. During this time, Bens father taught him the importance of debate, which would stick with Ben for the rest of his life. Not long after, Benjamin began to work for his brother James, a printer. Ben signed an eight year work contract with his brother. Ben disliked his fathers trade and preferred working for a printer because it allowed him to read and hone his writing skills. This brief history of Bens childhood alone shows the importance of the male gender during the .A female would never have been given a Job at a printing press or put through school in the same way that Benjamin was. HIS success began right when he was born because of his father putting him through school and finding jobs for him. More importantly, his father teaching him the importance of debate is a groundbreaking moment. Benjamin Franklin is known as a political figure and scientist/inventor. Learning the Importance of debate at such a young age clearly served him in great and many ways. Benjamin Franklin spent his teen years practicing his writing. In 1 720,James started a newspaper known as the New England . According to Franklin, this was the second newspaper in America. Franklin worked as a delivery boy and would publish his own writings anonymously. Franklin often disputed politics and books with another bookish lad by the name of John Collins. One of their arguments speaks directly about the female gender during the . A question was once, somehow or other, started between Collins and me, of the propriety of educating the female sex in learning, and their abilities for study. He was of that It was Improper (Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Bantam Books, 1982, 14. ) Collins shares the same views and mentalities that many men of the shared. At the time, it was was it a waste but Collins specifically states that it is improper. l took to the contrary side, perhaps a little for disputes sake. (Franklin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 14. ) This statement, made by Benjamin Franklin, is of great importance. He goes against the general population, whether by choice or simply for the sake of argument.When he states that it was perhaps a little for disputes sake, e leaves room for the reader to assume that he was in fact for the education of women. That being said, this doesnt mean he is wishing their success in following the American dream like many women are more than capable of doing today. Nonetheless, the fact that Franklin promotes their educational well-being at all is a big step and is of significance. Benjamin Franklin doesnt mention too much about his own familys success. However, the beginning of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is written as a letter to his son, William. William did succeed however, quite well in fact. He went on to be the royal governor of New Jersey in 1771. Benjamin wife, Deborah Read, was never mentioned as being a very successful woman. In fact, together, they lost a son who was only four years old at the time. This death is only given a brief mention, most likely in order to not relive the tragedy. Within Franklins family, the male gender prevails. The most significant sign of this is with William Franklins rise to royal governor of New Jersey. However, there is also a great deficit within the male gender of Franklins family.The passing of Franklins second son wows that while the male gender succeeded greatly during the Age of Reason, there was also a great loss as well. The were designed for a male to succeed. From the beginning of the discovery of America, which was done by Columbus and mostly men, the male gender has taken leadership. It has taken nearly five hundred years for females to become as successful as they are today, and yet they still arent equal with men. In conclusion, even if it wasnt by choice, Benjamin Franklin and the male gender in general were much more successful than the female gender during the and the Age of Reason.

Please note the enclosed file inroder to find the topic Coursework

Please note the enclosed file inroder to find the topic - Coursework Example Multinational companies have previously enjoyed the benefits of competitive advantage in the respective markets as a result of their ability to position themselves in the market and exploit resources. However, the values of competitive advantage are under threat as a result of increasing competition, and also the volatility in the market. For example, clothing companies were able to exploit the low cost labour market in some parts of the world, but improved communication links and the Internet have resulted in public outcry over perceived exploitation. The countries involved in supplying these companies have also benefited from the infrastructure and equipment injection which has resulted in an increase in wages. This suggests that the competitive advantage of multinational companies can no longer be guaranteed which has prompted most to seek out sustained competitive advantage. Sustained competitive advantage is when the benefit of implementing value is prolonged, especially when value strategy is one which cannot be duplicated (van Zyl 2006). This would suggest that more and more companies are investing resources into researching value-creating strategies in a bid to maintain their market positioning and competitive advantage. This coursework aims to provide evidence that above-average performance in the long-run is the basis of sustainable competitive advantage. This will be achieved using the following objectives: Sustained competitive advantage is largely down to value creating strategies which serve to differentiate the organization and create a unique selling point for it. However, one must also remember that the success of any strategy will be determined by the efficiency and effectiveness of the application of organization-specific competitive resources and the exploitation of the potential capabilities they provide (van Zyl 2006). When one considers the nature or what

Water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Water - Essay Example My firm would therefore wish to bring this issue to your attention to get the attorney’s signature for quicker solution to the health risk faced by the big population of Manhattan. Besides, EPA has set enforceable regulation referred to as the maximum contamination level (MCL) which works closely with the MCLG to ensure that systems and equipment are put in place to detect and eliminate harmful agents using appropriate treatment technologies. However, considering that water contaminated with lead usually corrodes the pipes in the system, EPA has come up with an alternative treatment called the Lead and Copper rule which was embraced in 1991 where the system besides reducing lead levels, prevents corrosion too. Following recent research done by my firm in the Upper East Side for the past two months, it was discovered that most 93% of households have water supplier pipes that are highly corroded. Tests run on these plumbing pipes and water by certified laboratories confirmed the presence of lead and other chemical agents. This composition is of a higher health risk particularly to pregnant women and children(Troesken,2004) Such problems can be solved using the Lead and Copper rule where your town council can start a foundation and build up strategies to replace all the corroded plumbing pipes in every household. Furthermore, use of chrome-plated brass can be adopted in household that prefer cold to hot water. Finally, my firm is hopeful to work with your town council to see the lives of the people of Manhattan improved in terms of consumption of risk-free water .Please consider the strategies mentioned

Ploting the current yield curve Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ploting the current yield curve - Research Paper Example The yield curve shows a declining trend of Average Interest Rates for both the marketable and the non-marketable treasury securities in the US security market. It shows a negative gradient on the curve for a period of 13 years for the purpose of making qualitative comparison. For the entire period, the best period of interest for trading is 2013, since the interest rates are on the rise yet the results are for the yields for the first half of the year. It is a declining performance indicator showing that the interest rate is likely to continue falling in the coming years if all factors remain constant. The average rates of interest for the US Treasury Securities are computed using the total debts that are bearing interests, though they are not matured. There are certain US securities that are not included in the calculation of the average rates of interest, overall marketable and non-marketable debts as well as debts that bear interests. This is because these US securities do not hav e protection against the effects of inflation according to Fabozzi (2008). Question 2: Answer The description of the interest rates trend over the past many years is a derivative of the interest rates shown in the table below. Maturity Year Interest Rate 1987 5.78 1988 5.452 1989 5.164 1990 5 1991 4.6789 1992 4.548 1993 4.244 1994 3.94 1995 2.988 1996 2.132 1997 1.969 1998 1.827 1999 1.478 2000 1.432 2001 1.3979 2002 1.2 2003 1.177 2004 1.089 2005 1.054 2006 0.947 2007 0.859 2008 0.67 2009 0.36 2010 0.15 2011 0.134 2012 0.087 2013 0.04 2018 0.01 Figure 2: Interest Rates Interest rates in the curve are in a continuous trend of gradual decrease from 1987 to 2013, with a projected forward movement projected in the years after 2013. The period shows results for the last 28 years. The only year that indicates a drop is 2012, perhaps caused by temporary factors based on the market variables of the US Treasury Securities. The securities market is heading to a point where the rates are cons tantly reducing. The same trend is presented in the report by the head of research on securities and rates in the global scene. The research team explained that the rates of interests fell within ten years at a rate of 1.58 percent per year because investors turned to government debt in an attempt to salvage the future of their businesses (Slane, 2004). The decline in the interest rates and yields is caused by the increase in treasury prices. Interest rates proceeded to reduce further as years moved on and the global banks attempt to maintain rates at their lowest in order to encourage their economic growths and encourage more lending (Friedman, 2004)). Even so, the view of reducing the speed of growth of the globe moves the rates to lower values, considering the demand which investors have for trading with safer assets. Question 3: Answer The trend shows that the interest rates progressively drop by 1.58 percent every year. It implies therefore that in 2013, the interest rate will be: Interest Rate = ((100 – 1.58) / 100) * 0.04 Interest Rate = 0.039368 The calculation can only be justified theoretically, using the hypothesis that the interes

Mass Communications. Does the media give us the Truth Essay

Mass Communications. Does the media give us the Truth - Essay Example Because of this unique position, the media can be considered something of a ‘fourth branch of government’ as an informed citizenry is part of the checks and balances of a society. In many ways, society depends upon the media to hold our elected officials accountable. However, society also expects to be entertained creating some difficulty in ascertaining whether the media is capable of delivering the truth. Media acts as the link between people’s personal lives to events outside what they encounter in their everyday routine so truth is important, but can truth be defined in such black and white terms? It seems clear that while professional journalists do everything they can to deliver a truthful and verifiable report, truth is often more subjective than one might be tempted to believe. Television is a truly democratic mass medium that spreads information uniformly without regard to wealth, position or education and has clearly broadened our political dialogue. Its abilities as a mass communicator are rivaled only by the internet which has not yet caught up to the television in every home concept. The average community in the developed world now receives more than 30 channels of television with many areas receiving literally hundreds of choices at the click of a button. This diversity of programming presents perspectives regarding every conceivable characteristic of society. The viewing public has the chance to view Parliament in session and thus take a more active interest in the decisions that will have some bearing on their lives at home. Other channels or an internet search will enable them to become more informed about the issues under debate and this better-informed citizen can then make wiser decisions during the next election cycle. With all of these potent ial social conduits, there are now greater opportunities for political leaders to ensure

The Interests of the Educated Individual, the Employer, and the Assignment

The Interests of the Educated Individual, the Employer, and the Economy - Assignment Example In terms of the volume of employment, education and health are the two prime sectors in Australia. The Australian government spends a huge amount of its national income every year for supporting and promoting the educational institutions of the country. In the line of public policy, education is always given priority because in one hand development of education system plays a modern role for sophisticating the society while on the other hand an improved educational system is expected to absorb the unemployment by providing educated, thoughtful, intellectual and innovative human resources. For example, the mean of ‘Smart State’ vision of the government of Queensland was to develop technology-based industries and build up the skillful and flexible working people. In this policy, the Queensland government for the growth and development of the state in future has promoted innovative ideas in the field of scientific research and information and communication technologies. (Le nore Adie, 2008, pp 252-255). Besides the government of Queensland on the issues of social justice, has developed the reform strategy QSE 2010. This strategy was developed responding ‘the major challenges for education posed by the global knowledge economy in ‘new times’, characterized in particular by the global information networked society and increased inequalities and new forms of exclusion’. (Taylor and Singh, 2005, p 727). However, though the demand for education has risen tremendously in the recent past in Australia, the allocation of resources to education relative to the country’s GDP has not risen accordingly. In Australia, there have been seen changing and volatile policies towards the education. People in Australia are very much aware of what a good and proper educational system should be and regarding this, there are common as well as conflict views among the residents of Australia.  

Ploting the current yield curve Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ploting the current yield curve - Research Paper Example The yield curve shows a declining trend of Average Interest Rates for both the marketable and the non-marketable treasury securities in the US security market. It shows a negative gradient on the curve for a period of 13 years for the purpose of making qualitative comparison. For the entire period, the best period of interest for trading is 2013, since the interest rates are on the rise yet the results are for the yields for the first half of the year. It is a declining performance indicator showing that the interest rate is likely to continue falling in the coming years if all factors remain constant. The average rates of interest for the US Treasury Securities are computed using the total debts that are bearing interests, though they are not matured. There are certain US securities that are not included in the calculation of the average rates of interest, overall marketable and non-marketable debts as well as debts that bear interests. This is because these US securities do not hav e protection against the effects of inflation according to Fabozzi (2008). Question 2: Answer The description of the interest rates trend over the past many years is a derivative of the interest rates shown in the table below. Maturity Year Interest Rate 1987 5.78 1988 5.452 1989 5.164 1990 5 1991 4.6789 1992 4.548 1993 4.244 1994 3.94 1995 2.988 1996 2.132 1997 1.969 1998 1.827 1999 1.478 2000 1.432 2001 1.3979 2002 1.2 2003 1.177 2004 1.089 2005 1.054 2006 0.947 2007 0.859 2008 0.67 2009 0.36 2010 0.15 2011 0.134 2012 0.087 2013 0.04 2018 0.01 Figure 2: Interest Rates Interest rates in the curve are in a continuous trend of gradual decrease from 1987 to 2013, with a projected forward movement projected in the years after 2013. The period shows results for the last 28 years. The only year that indicates a drop is 2012, perhaps caused by temporary factors based on the market variables of the US Treasury Securities. The securities market is heading to a point where the rates are cons tantly reducing. The same trend is presented in the report by the head of research on securities and rates in the global scene. The research team explained that the rates of interests fell within ten years at a rate of 1.58 percent per year because investors turned to government debt in an attempt to salvage the future of their businesses (Slane, 2004). The decline in the interest rates and yields is caused by the increase in treasury prices. Interest rates proceeded to reduce further as years moved on and the global banks attempt to maintain rates at their lowest in order to encourage their economic growths and encourage more lending (Friedman, 2004)). Even so, the view of reducing the speed of growth of the globe moves the rates to lower values, considering the demand which investors have for trading with safer assets. Question 3: Answer The trend shows that the interest rates progressively drop by 1.58 percent every year. It implies therefore that in 2013, the interest rate will be: Interest Rate = ((100 – 1.58) / 100) * 0.04 Interest Rate = 0.039368 The calculation can only be justified theoretically, using the hypothesis that the interes

The Interests of the Educated Individual, the Employer, and the Assignment

The Interests of the Educated Individual, the Employer, and the Economy - Assignment Example In terms of the volume of employment, education and health are the two prime sectors in Australia. The Australian government spends a huge amount of its national income every year for supporting and promoting the educational institutions of the country. In the line of public policy, education is always given priority because in one hand development of education system plays a modern role for sophisticating the society while on the other hand an improved educational system is expected to absorb the unemployment by providing educated, thoughtful, intellectual and innovative human resources. For example, the mean of ‘Smart State’ vision of the government of Queensland was to develop technology-based industries and build up the skillful and flexible working people. In this policy, the Queensland government for the growth and development of the state in future has promoted innovative ideas in the field of scientific research and information and communication technologies. (Le nore Adie, 2008, pp 252-255). Besides the government of Queensland on the issues of social justice, has developed the reform strategy QSE 2010. This strategy was developed responding ‘the major challenges for education posed by the global knowledge economy in ‘new times’, characterized in particular by the global information networked society and increased inequalities and new forms of exclusion’. (Taylor and Singh, 2005, p 727). However, though the demand for education has risen tremendously in the recent past in Australia, the allocation of resources to education relative to the country’s GDP has not risen accordingly. In Australia, there have been seen changing and volatile policies towards the education. People in Australia are very much aware of what a good and proper educational system should be and regarding this, there are common as well as conflict views among the residents of Australia.  

Manus for example refuses to speak Essay Example for Free

Manus for example refuses to speak Essay The opening movement can be referred to as the gathering where the characters are introduced to the audience9. It is evident that the sequence in which Friel presents the characters to the audience on stage is significant. Primarily, an obvious observation to make would be the entrance of the Irish community to the stage, followed by the English. However, the entrance of the Irish community to the stage alone is equally important, appropriately starting with Manus, Sarah and Jimmy Jack. These characters are the least accepting of Englands colonialism, and refuse to acknowledge the inevitable changes (Manus for example refuses to speak English. ). It is quite fitting therefore that Owen is the last Irish member to enter the stage; for he has not only embraced the unavoidable changes, but he has joined forces with the English to enforce them. Unlike his brother Hugh, and the other Irish members, he fails to appreciate that the roots of the Irish culture are masked in language. Friel also has additional reasoning for such a pattern of entrance. Hughs entrance following his attendance at the baptism of Nellie Ruadhs baby for example enhances the importance of naming in the play. I strongly agree with the critic Leon Litvack who stresses It is not so much the naming and the changing of names, but what that signifies and what those names signify in a particular context10. In the second and third acts there is celebration and breakdown together. Effectively, Friel contrasts the first two celebratory acts with the final act of breakdown, to represent the scattering of the Irish people and the collapse of the Irish culture. Hughs return from the christening of Nellie Ruadhs baby in Act one and his return from the babys wake in Act three symbolises simultaneously Britains colonialism of Ireland, and the death of the Irish language. Baile Beag can be perceived in Translations as a microcosm of Ireland11. In a similar way, one could thus support the view that the desire of the English to make a map is itself a microcosm Englands desire to colonise Ireland. Therefore, Friel uses this to represent how the roots of the Irish culture are destroyed, through the destruction of Irelands place names. Lanceys blinkered statement that a map is a representation on paper reinforces this viewpoint. However, I disagree with critics such as Andrews who over historicize the play, claiming that Friel attempted to portray the map as an extreme act of colonialism. In order to correct Friels so called historical errors Andrews claims that the map was much more of a civil measure, rather than an oppressive military act. In support of Friels own words that the play has to do with language and language only it is important to highlight the relationship between names and identity. Friel maintains that names, culture and relationships (embodied in language), establish identity. He supports this theory through the character of Sarah, a girl with speech difficulties, silenced by the colonisers she knows she cannot. She closes her mouth. Her head goes down. In contrast to this, in A Passage to India Forster suggests that identity is found on a more spiritual level, and is only masked by names, culture and relationships. Ironically, while Forster focuses on the complexity of three different religions, places and seasons to emphasise the importance of the individual, Friel adopts the small hedge school of Baile Beag, and the personal relationships within the school to stress the significance of language on a larger scale, and its importance when considering Irelands loss of identity through colonisation. In A Passage to India Forster questions the importance of language, relationships and culture, illustrating the significance of the spiritual understanding of the individual. Forster achieves this primarily through the character of Mrs Moore, and the spirituality of Hinduism. However, the issue of colonialism is less important in A Passage to India, and plays a more prominent role in Friels Translations. Unlike Forster, through the colonialism of Baile Beag Friel demonstrates his belief that the core of a persons individuality is held in language, and without it their culture, relationships and names are lost.

Sustainable competitive advantage

Sustainable competitive advantage 1. Introduction to the Topic: Over the years, the understanding of how a firm can attain and maintain sustainable competitive advantage is major area of research in the field of management. Sustainable competitive advantage is an edge a firm enjoy over its competitors by offering superior values to customer that result in superior profit and growth. Building on these underlined assumption this dissertation the link between a firms success and the competitive advantage. The paper examine the role human resource strategies that leads an organization to enjoy competitive advantage that are sustainable, non-imitable, substantial and that adds superior values to the organization by providing opportunities to the organization to reap the benefits of super profit and market growth. An organisation is regarded as a unified organism that constantly learns and adopts to find better ways of doing its business processes in response to the dynamic environment it faces. Human resource management is a critical area of concern in today dynamic business environment, due to increased competition. It now more difficult to hire and retain highly qualified associates as the growth and profitability of the organization depends on how well the organization managed it human resources. According to Newman and Hodgetts, â€Å"human resource management is the process by which organization ensure the effective use of their associates in the pursuit of both organizational and individual goals† (Newman Hodgetts, 2005). In this paper efforts are made to analyze the varied human resource functions that an organization perform in pursuits of its goals and missions, and how these efforts might lead an organization to competitive advantage, as the success or failure of the organi sation depends on how best the organisation performs its functions as compared to a competitor (Competitive Advantage). In fact the long-term survival of the organisation depends on how best the HR department of the organisation performs its various functions that leads towards creating a competitive advantage over its rivals and how it sustains it. 2. Literature Review: Coff argues that human capital is the key to sustainable advantage because of causal ambiguity and systematic information creating them incomparable (Coff, 1994). According to Boselie and Paauwe (2004), top performing firms has HR professionals who have the main input in the strategic planning. These professionals make possible the change management, shape and manage organisation wide culture, contribute to strategic level decisions, and create market led connectivity of the business process (Boselie Paauwe, 2004). Researchers in the field of strategic HR have emphasised that human resource practices result in superior organisational performance and create sources for continued competitive advantages (Wright, Dunford, Snell, 2001). As the world has become a global village, competing in todays confused environment have posed additional challenges to the HR function in creating the anticipated value to shape and uphold competitive advantages. For effective functioning, HR executives must possess the necessary competencies. That is the possession of HR knowhow which comes from knowing the concepts, communication skills, judgment, research, and practices ofHR (Brockbank, Ulrich, Beatty, 1999) Du Plessis states that HR can play a vital role in the future of an organisation by enacting organisational change to get competitive advantage (Plessis, 2007). He is also of the opinion that resistance to change can serve as an obstacle for successful execution of planned changes, as it encompasses behaviours that may slow down or even terminate a planned organisational change. If the organisation uses an appropriate HR strategy during the period of change, an employee may feel that he is being treated and looked after by the organisation. If such sort of feelings arouse in employees it can change the employees attitude and their resistance towards the planned change. Peters and Waterman in their book â€Å"In search of excellence† says that all the excellent organisations that they have surveyed made efficient use of their HR, by employing sound HR strategies (Peter Waterman, 1982). According to Losey technology is advancing so rapidly that it is forcing organisations to c hange their strategies, in respect to product mix and the way HR is organized and delivered (Losey, 2005). 3. Overview of the Organization: Crossroads Inc. has been formed as a result of merger between Tradco and Hardpharm is a pharmaceutical company that is dedicated to the productions and marketing of quality pharmaceutical products. The merger that we have just is the largest transformation in the history of the organization and provides us with a platform, in terms of capital and other resources, to compete at a higher level. Crossroads Inc. is a medium-sized organisation, with 1,500 workers employed at three sites: one in Scotland, County Durham, and Kent. Crossroads Inc. develops and produces medicines for the global market in competition with industry giants such as Bosch, Pfizer, Lilly, gsk etc. 4. HR Planning Forecasting Planning forecasting in the modern age is a matter of life death for organizations of modern age. The same is true for pharmaceuticals industry. Each every consecutive day new research product is developed, deployed for trails testing. All these effort require skilful, trained and experienced workforce. It is for this reason organization plan and forecast for human resource so as to remain competitive. The HR manager of Crossroads Inc should use the planning forecasting procedures to cope with human resource requirement. The propose HR planning process for Crossroads Inco has been depicted Crossroad Inc can use the process for both short-term as well as long-term basis. Crossroad Inc should continuously monitor the availability of skill workers. For this purpose Crossroad Inc should scan internal environment to find out suitable employee and promote to fill the vacancy, if there are no such employees available, then HR Department should scan external environment for skilled and experienced employees. Once the internal environment along with external environment is scanned, a draft forecast should be prepared. 5. Recruitment and Selection: Once the forecast is developed and approved by the top management, the HR department of Crossroads Inc should start recruitment and selection process to fill the vacancies. Like all good plans, HR Manager of Crossroad Inc should builds employment plans on premises basic assumptions for employment requirement by forecasting three things: The supply of inside candidates; Personnel needs; The supply of outside candidates according to their company requirements. The HR department should first check that either there is any job placement or company is expanding their business so that new jobs are open for new candidates. These issues should be tackled by the HR Manger. If staff is required then the company should try to find them inside the company by upgrading their employees if it not possible then new jobs are created and fill by the outside market. The overall aims of the recruitment and selection process in Crossroad Inc should be to obtain, at minimum cost, the number and quality of employees required to satisfy the needs of staff requirement. The three stages of recruitment and selection in Crossroad Inc should be: Defining requirements: Preparing job descriptions and specifications; deciding terms and conditions of employment; Attracting candidates: Reviewing and evaluating alternative sources of applicants, inside and outside the company, advertising; Selecting candidates: Sifting applications, interviewing, testing, assessing candidates, offering employment, obtaining references; preparing contracts of employment. 6. Training and Development: Training is one of the most important tool any organization using to cope with the rapid change in technology and way of doing business. According to Newman and Hodgetts, â€Å"training is the process of providing associates with specific skills or helping them correct deficiencies in their current performance (Newman Hodgets, 2005). HR department of Crossroads Inc should be responsible for the training and development of existing as well as new coming employees. When a new employee is selected, an orientation of the new employees should be conducted Orientation is basically a one to two hour activity in which the new employees should be informed about the organizational structure, term conditions of employment, the duties of incumbent, the ethical behavioural requirement for the new employee and the so. New or existing employees are trained in HR department via three methods. Employees Handbook Training by concerned department Manager. Training visits to other pharmaceuticals. Tradco tends to largely focus on the needs of the technicians and scientists, and give them right to make decision of employ. However the training programs that HARDPHARM has traditionally used have some problems. In order to reduce the cost, employers are trying to hire labour in with low wage, and then what they have got is low quality staff. Ignoring the development of technology is the main problem. All these people will get together in the future, for the sake of the new company. The period of training should not be specified and should depend on individual circumstances. In some cases it should cover a week and sometimes it should be extended up to 6 months. The process of training should be initiated by first going through the process of training need assessments. The training needs assessment find out the deficiency in the current level of skills the employee possessed and the skills that a job required. For filling up the gape an organization designed its training and development programmes. A planning process is being implemented in which Crossroads Inc can ensure the proper training, awareness and competence development of people. The objective is to provide people with knowledge and skill, which, together with experience, improve their competence and capabilities. Crossroads should establish and maintains a procedure to ensure proper capabilities of personnel working. This includes: Identification of competency needs for personnel performing activities affecting quality. Providing training or take other actions to address identified needs. Evaluating effectiveness of the training provided. Ensuring that employees are aware of the relevance and importance of their activities and how they contribute to the achievement of the quality objectives. Maintaining appropriate records of education, experience, training and qualification. Training needs for Crossroads Inc should be based on the following different methods: Performance Analysis: What tasks the analyst is currently performing? how can the current performance be improved? Is training the best method? Job Task Analysis: What is the best way to do analysis? How can analysis process are broken down into small steps? According to Newman and Hodgetts development is the process of â€Å"providing associates with the experience and attitudes needed for success in the future† (Newman Hodgetts, 2005). The management of Crossroads Inc should constantly monitor the latest development in the field of pharmaceuticals and should design its various development programs accordingly. By this was the HR department will not only transmit the needed knowledge and skills to various employees but will also pave the way for the change management process. Training and development should serve as an investment in the form of human capital for Crossroads Inc. The process will not only facilitate the goal achievement but will also serves as potential source of loyalty across the organization. The new company should understand that the training and development program should be designed by utilizing the latest available methods that has proved its efficiency in the pharmaceutical firm. 7. The Pay and Reward: The pay and reward system of Tradco that was a family-owned business by MacHutton, was largely focus to meet the needs of staff, so the workforce regard as main stakeholders in the company, and to be an important role in the company as well. However, HaedPharm is a company that established as a facility of a group of venture capitalists. This firm put more attention to its various stakeholders including employee and management. They are trying to get maximum return and lowest cost. It is clear that these two organizations are stand on the different side of the point of view of benefit of staff. In the interest of the new company, all of these two should change their pay and reward system. The Crossroads Inc should use the proper remuneration system that is fair to both the company and employee. The organization should variety of remuneration system including monthly salaries, straight commission, combination of salary and commission coupled with monthly, quarterly and annual bonuses. When the organization will have a fair remuneration system it will ensure the proper motivation across the organization and the organization will be able to achieve its goals and objectives effectively and efficiently. 8. Union Relation: Unions serve important purpose by working as a link between the labour and the organization. Generally, trade unions are recognized for collective bargaining purpose, and communication between employer and employee. In Tradco, unions playing a good role between employer and employee, more than 50% workers are members of labour union. In the past 15 years, only one sympathy walk-out happened. On the contrary, unions in HardPharm are not as popular as Tradco. A very small number of employees are members of the unions as the company discourage unionization. After merger the unions will serve an important role in the new firm. Like what happens in former companies, if managers want corporation to manage the affairs of the company in appropriate manner, they have to adjust the relationship between unions and staff. The top management of the newly merged company must admit that union is a necessary and vital component of the organization process, they should talk with unions. If the organization failed to admire the role and relationship between the organization and union, the hostile relationship will serve as impediment for the company development. Contemporary, if there are no unions, or company does not recognize unions, then leaders would not know the needs of staff, they could not adjust the management detail. It will affect the development of company in the long run and the company will not be able to achieve its goals and objectives effectively and efficiently. 9. Career Management: Crossroads Inc should consistently monitor its employees and should proper strategic plan through which it increases the skill level of its employees. To achieve this objectives the company should arrange workshops, seminars, visit of key employees to other pharmaceutical industries training courses which will focus on injecting skills and professionalism into employees. These courses will help Crossroads Inc to improve the skills of their employees so that not only company can get maximum out of them but also employees can enrich their nature of job and life standard as well. Along with these training programs, Crossroads Inc should make their employees fully aware of their job requirements by mean of job descriptions so that they can develop a clear picture about at what are necessary requirement of their job and want are not. Indirectly the promotions, transfer to other department also plays a key role in employees job satisfaction. 10. Performance Appraisal: Employees job performance is an important issue for all employers. A performance management system consists of the processes used to identify, encourage, measure, evaluate, improve, and reward employee performance at work. Every functional department of Crossroads Inc should be responsible for carrying out and preparing its performance appraisal report. However these reports must be submitted to HR Department. The performance appraisal system in the company will help the organization to better focus its efforts on the attainment of the organizational goals and objectives by giving timely feedback regarding an individual employee that how best he is going to achieve his objectives. This will also help him to rectify his shortcoming. Moreover the use of appropriate performance appraisal system that is just, equitable and timely serve as a motivating factors and one of the vital component of the successful organization. 11. Conclusion: The Crossroad Inc is taking turning point towards a bright future in which a lot of opportunities might be available for the organization; however the organization still faces a lot of challenges. Crossroads Inc should focus on finding incremental change in its organizing process. The incremental change is change that the Crossroad Inc will undergo through in the natural evolution process. For Crossroad Inc the incremental change process may take the form of introducing new HR system and process (as proposed above) that will augment the organization performance further and help the organization to get competitive advantage over its competitors. But in order to experience this incremental change the organization must be able to constantly monitor and evaluate the environmental forces and take actions in response to change that will provide opportunities to the organization and minimizes its threats. The organization must possessed the needed intellectual capital (Human Resources), who should be able adapt the organization policies according to the demand of the environment. These manager and leaders are known as change agent. According to Robbins Judge, â€Å"change agents are individuals and groups who lead and support the change process by taking responsibility for changing the existing behavior patterns of other people or the social system (Robbins Judge, 2005)†. Furthermore Crossroad Inc should established fair paying and reward system that best on justice and efforts. The organization should also facilitate the creation and execution the labour union approach that will serve as joining link between the organization and its workers. Moreover the Crossroad Inc should invest in its corporate cultures that are going to be form through the merger of two opposite culture. The organization should see this as opportunity to form a strong culture by initiating the proper change. Though training and development could be in progress in short term, the purpose is difficult to achieve at once. Therefore Crossroad Inc should adapt the medium or long-term training and development program for various functional department of the organization. Crossroad Inc can create a positive impact due to the fact that formation of the organization is the result of merger between two different companies who have two different management styles, corporate culture, traditions and workforce management system. Hence, the HR department assume a leading role in shaping the values of employees by creating an organization-wide culture that is based on shared values that will help the organization to realize its mission in the most coherent way. Works Cited Boselie, P., Paauwe, J. (2004). Human Resource Function Competencies in European Companies. Journal of Management , 120-122. Brockbank, W., Ulrich, D., Beatty, R. (1999). The Professional Devlopment: Creating the Future Creators at the University of Michigan Business School. Human Resource Management 38(2) , 111-118. Coff, R. (1994). Human Assets and organziation Control: Implication of the resource-based view. John M. Olin School of Business , Washington University. Losey, M. (2005). Future of Human Resource Management: Leaders Explore the Critical HR Issues of Today and Tommorrow. New Jersy: John Wiley Sons . Newman, D. R., Hodgets, R. M. (2005). Human Resource Management: A Customer Oriented Approach. USA: Prentice Hall Publishers. Newman, D. R., Hodgetts, R. M. (2005). Human Resource Management: A Customer Oriented Approach. USA: Prentice Hall. Peter, T. J., Waterman, R. (1982). In Search of Exchellence. New York: Waner Books. Plessis, D. (2007). Change, Organziational Devleopment and Culture: Human Resource Managements Role in the Future of South Africa. International Review of Business Research Papers 3(1) , 1-10. Robbins, Judge. (2005). Organizational Behavior. USA: Pearson. Wright, P., Dunford, B., Snell, S. (2001). Human Resource and the Resource Based View of the Firm. Journal of Management 27 , 701-721.

Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines and Forester’s A Passage to India

Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines and Forester’s A Passage to India In British imperial fiction, physical setting or landscape commonly plays a prominent role in the central thematic subject. In these works, landscape goes beyond an objective description of nature and setting to represent â€Å"a way of seeing- a way in which some Europeans have represented to themselves and others the world about them and their relationships with it, and through which they have commented on social relations† (Cosgrove xiv). By investigating the ways in which writers of colonial ficition, such as H. Rider Haggard and E.M. Forester, have used landscape, we see that landscape represents a historically and culturally specific way of experiencing the world. In Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines, the landscape is gendered to show the colonizer’s ability to dominate over native territory. However, while the scenario of the male colonizer conquering a feminized landscape reinforces a legitimizing myth of colonization, it is later overturned by Forester’s A Passage to India. In this novel, the landscape takes on a complex, multifaceted role, articulating the ambivalence of cross-cultural relationships and exposing the fragility of colonial rule. In contrast to King Solomon’s Mines, A Passage to India uses landscape as a tool to expose the problematic nature of colonial interaction that might have easily been left obscured and unacknowledged. We can read the landscape as a type of secondary narrator in A Passage to India that articulates the novel’s imperial ideology. The African landscape of King Solomon’s Mines is clearly feminized. The treasure map shows that the geography of the travelers’ route takes the shape of a female bod... ...d the sky said, ‘No, not there’† (Forester 362). We would expect that the structures of colonial rule, such as the jail and the Guest House, would symbolically pull Aziz and Fielding apart. The presence of nature, the earth, the horses, the birds, with the sky itself dictating that they cannot now be friends is a deeper form of rejection to the notion of cross-cultural relationships. The only hope we are left with is the sky’s qualification of the â€Å"no†: not yet†¦ not there. Works Cited Cosgrove, Denis. Social Formation and Symbolic Landscape. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. Forester, E.M. A Passage to India. London: Harcourt, 1924. Ridger Haggard, J. King Solomon’s Mines, ed. Gerald Monsman. Ontario: Broadview Press, 2002. Suleri, Sara. The Rhetoric of British India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Fossil Fuels :: Energy Essays

Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are created from organic material that was created millions of years ago. Petroleum, a fossil fuel gets its name from two words, "petra" meaning rock and "oleum" which means oil. Petroleum is drilled in order to search for oil. Also to determine the size of a reserve, as well as to produce oil and gas at a controlled rate. There are different ways to recover Petroleum. One of which is primary recovery. In this method, all flows are from natural pressure or simple pumping. The maximum recovery is thirty percent of the oil in the well. Secondary recovery pumps water or gas into the well to force oil out. Through this, an additional ten to twenty percent can be recovered. On March 11, 2002 we learned the difference between gasoline engines and diesel engines. Gasoline engines give low power, low efficiency, are quiet, have an easy cold start, cause less pollution, controlled emissions, and easily converted. Diesel engines give high power, high efficiency, are noisy, difficult cold start, more pollution, and it is more difficult to control emissions. There are severe environmental impacts from fossil fuel use. These impacts are found in all stages, recovery, transportation, refining,storage,and end use. During recovery of coal, the earth suffers destruction of topsoil as well as acidic run off creating orange creeks and land subsidence. Petroleum production causes on land and off shore drilling as well as gushers and accidents. During transportation accidents can occur and are pretty much routine. This causes massive pollution of the seas. Preparation or refining creates refuse and sludge from coal cleaning plants. With petroleum air and water pollution are caused. In storage, gasoline leaks in underground tanks at gas stations are a threat. During end use, pollutants from combustion occur. Also, the release of sulfur and nitrogen oxides pose a threat. On March 18,2002 we learned of measures to reduce the environmental pollution from fossil fuel use.

Child Development Article Reaction Paper Essay

The article How Your Child Learns by Jeannie Ralston, in Parenting magazine’s September 2006 issue, addresses the different learning and motivation styles of children. According to Jeannie Ralston, there are three learning styles: by listening, looking, or doing. Most children will either rely heavily on one of the learning modes, or use a combination of the three. Children that learn by listening typically are not motivated by pictures, but by sounds and songs. Listening children learn through conversation and jingles. Auditory learners need quiet for concentrated tasks and do well when asked to repeat back ideas to reinforce what has been learned. Visual learners often are described as having photographic memories. Children that learn visually learn well from pictures, videos, maps, models, and charts. Visually oriented children often are so captured by pictures on a page; they have problems concentrating on any one thing. Kinesthetic or doing children learn by using their bodies. This can mean a child needs to move around while thinking or use his fingertips to absorb meaning. Kinesthetic children tend to not be able to sit still for long periods and prefer to act out stories rather than hear or see them on a page. Active learners are easy to spot because they always want to be shown how to do things. Jeannie Ralston posits that there are also three styles that motivate kids to learn: the desire to please you; perfectionism; and competitiveness. Earning praise is the strongest motivator for children with a desire to please their caregivers. The key is to teach the child that pleasing himself is just as important. Some children have a driven desire to master everything and be perfect. These children need to be taught that mistakes are inevitable and that productivity need not suffer in light of mistakes. Competitive children are driven by the ‘I’ll show you’ streak. These children need to be taught that there are different ways of learning and not everyone will do things the same way. Both learning and motivational styles need to be combined for an effective early childhood learning experience. Combining motivational and learning styles of children allows parents to effectively support their children. I agree with the basic premise of Jeannie Ralston’s article and feel that most parents do not spend enough time or have the knowledge to figure how children learn and are motivated. Within one family, several children can have completely different learning styles. Children and parents alike are frustrated when presented with the wrong method of learning or motivation. I posit that all children have a combination of the three learning styles, maybe favoring one over the others. In order for a life long passion for learning to be cultivated in a small child, the child needs to be continually positively motivated. Knowing a child’s learning style will allow the parent to formulate learning opportunities that will continually excite the child. If the wrong learning style is presented to the child, the child will quickly loose interest and seek motivation else where outside of the learning arena. With all the current early childhood development research, parents need to understand that learning starts at much younger ages than five when a child starts school. Parents need an awareness of learning styles so that early childhood learning can be maximized. Parents also need to consider that each child will differ and what works for one child, may not work for the next. Parents also need to have flexibility and insight into their children to know when something is not working for the child. Knowing motivational styles will allow parents to ease difficult situations into win-win situations for both the parent and child. In all, Jeannie Ralston gives a good over view of learning and motivational styles. Understanding how one’s child learns and what motivates them will make parenting and learning an enjoyable and bonding experience. Capitalizing on this research is essential for a life time of learning and bringing out the best in one’s child.

Human Resource Function Essay

How important is it for the organization to determine the effectiveness of the Human Resource Function? Why? The role of human resource management has evolved from merely handling administrative matters to being heavily involved in the company’s strategic planning. This is because more and more companies have recognised the key role that a skilled and competent workforce plays in creating, sustaining, and even increasing value for the organisation. Human resource management is embedded in every phase of an employee’s life cycle in the company, starting with recruitment. It is important for a company to hire new employees who will be able to address its business needs, are qualified, competent and motivated, and most importantly, whose values and principles are aligned with those of the company. It is also the role of the Human Resource (HR) department to market the company as the company of choice, especially for fresh university graduates, in order to get the best talents available. Another critical area of human resource management is talent retention. Sustaining the employee’s interest and promoting loyalty among the workforce can be achieved through a number of ways such as ensuring a healthy and safe working environment, providing competitive compensation packages and benefits, and rewarding outstanding employees who have significantly contributed to the attainment of the company’s goals. The idea is to ensure that the employees are generally happy with their work so that this will reflect on their performance. In addition, the HR department ensures that there are enough programs available to the employees for their training, development and upskilling needs. During and even after retirement, human resource management should also be present to ascertain that employees are satisfied and protected as they leave the organisation. Apart from looking after employees’ welfare throughout their stay in the company, the HR department handles a number of important functions such as internal communications, performance evaluation of employees, and managing an employee’s career development path. More importantly, though, human resource management ensures that the company abides by all national, and sometimes even international, labor laws and regulations. Measuring HR Effectiveness Gone are the days when companies simply believed that HR practices are working; they now want hard facts and quantifiable results to determine if HR is adding value to the organisation. However, measuring the effectiveness of a company’s human resources management should not be limited to its â€Å"people functions†; instead, it should also measure how HR best practices contribute to the attainment of the company’s business goals. In addition, the evaluation of HR’s effectiveness should strike a balance between cost (employee-related expenditures, both direct and indirect) and benefits or impacts on three levels – internal (employees themselves), external (customers, clients and other stakeholders) and business (financial outcomes). Metrics for determining the value of HR internally include manpower productivity which for a water company, for instance, can be expressed as staff per 1,000 connections; periodic performance ratings based on agreed targets and deliverables; turnover rate by age, rank and gender; compensation level against industry standards; training hours per person per year; number of employees who received awards and recognitions for the year; number of labor cases filed by union members; as well as health and safety indicators such as fatalities rate, injury rate, occupational diseases rate, lost day rate and absentee rate. A company can likewise establish the effectiveness of its HR practices by getting feedback from its stakeholders. This is particularly useful for organisations in the service industry. Customer / client satisfaction surveys can help determine how well (or poorly) the existing talent pool is equipped to carry out the company’s services, and how effective they are in addressing customer / client concerns. Results of such surveys will allow the company to evaluate the skills gaps, and consequently, the training and development requirements of its employees. Finally, financial information like revenue, market share, net income, and share price can broadly determine how strong the workforce is from top management down to skilled workers and rank-and-file staff. This is because all companies rely on their people to develop, implement and monitor business functions that should lead to the growth and profitability of the organisation. Importance of Determining HR Effectiveness As we have seen, HR serves as the guardians of employees who, in turn, are the cornerstone of any successful and stable organisation. This means that HR plays a critical role in ensuring the existence of a competent talent pool at any given time that can drive the company to attain its business goals. It is, therefore, important for a company to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of its HR functions. By measuring the level and magnitude of impact of its human resources management, a company may be able to establish whether it is putting in the right amount of investment through the right employee programs and for the right talents. Obviously, a company would not want to overspend on HR programs or processes that do not yield significant impacts or do not add value to the organisation. In addition, when good and comprehensive HR metrics or key performance indicators are in place, a company will be able to adopt a more targeted approach to people development. For instance, if after the annual performance appraisal the company finds out that most of its employees are poor in customer service, then it can develop a training module on customer interaction, negotiation and communication. Similarly, if employee assessment results show that some senior managers are not effective in their posts, then the company can make the necessary adjustments by moving these employees to another unit where their expertise will be maximised, and finding the most qualified talent to take their place. Evaluating the level of success of its HR department will also send a positive signal to employees especially when the company asks for their opinion. It will make them feel that the company is really committed to safeguard their welfare while working for the company and to hone their skills to become well-rounded professionals. More importantly, measuring the effectiveness of its HR programs and processes will allow the company to understand the kind of employees it has – whether highly skilled, average performers or mostly staff workers – and this will serve as an input to its strategic planning. Say, for example, the company wants to acquire a rival company or buy out a firm that went bankrupt, it will be able to clearly see if it has the needed talents to do so, or if they have available talents who can be seconded to the new subsidiary.