Project Administration in Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Administration in Construction - Essay Example Good project managers attempt to make sure that the work is done right first time and that key accidents take place on the project. Whilst adherence to subsisting design decisions is the key concentration of quality regulation, there are exceptions to this standard. To begin with, unexpected circumstances, inaccurate design decisions or transformations needed by an owner in the facility purpose may need re-examination of design at the time of construction. Whilst these transformations might be influenced by the issue for quality, they stand for the occasions for re-design with all the attendant goals and restrictions. The other thing is that some designs depend on informed and suitable decision making during the building process itself. Since such decisions are founded on greater information regarding real site settings, the facility design could be more cost effective as a consequence. Safety during the building project is as well affected highly by decision made at the time of fore casting and design process. Some designs or building strategies are generically hard and hazardous to carry out, whilst other, comparable strategies possibly will minimize the likelihood of accidents. A range of distinct companies are possible for quality and safety regulation during building process. One widespread paradigm is to have a group accountable for quality guarantee and another group chiefly accountable for safety inside an organization. Supervisors and quality assurance personnel will be engaged in a project to stand for a range of distinct. Each of the parties directly concerned with project possibly will have their own quality and safety supervisors, including the owner and the architect. The inspector will be the contractor from the company. Over and above on-site inspections, samples of material will regularly be tested by a specialized laboratory to assure adherence. The supervisor to assure adherence with regulatory expectations will as well be involved. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regularly carry out site visits of work places alongside authorized inspection agencies. OSHA supervisors are expected by statute to give citations for all average infringements identified. Whilst the whole host of participants engaged in the building process will need the services of the supervisor, it cannot be stressed too boldly that the supervisor will just concentrate on formal check on quality regulation Quality regulation must be a key goal for all the members of this project team. Managers must be accountable for preserving and enhancing quality regulation. Worker engagement in quality regulation must be sought and awarded, including the introduction of novel ideas. Most crucial of all, quality enhancement will serve as a catalyst for enhanced efficiency. Provisions of work quality are an essential aspect of facility designs. Provisions of needed quality and components stand for the necessary documentation to illu strate a facility. Overall specifications of work quality are accessible in various areas and are issues in publications. For instance, excavation should proceed an adequate distance to allow inspection and other events. Concentrate pavements of greater strength amount to cost savings by delaying the time at which re-constructions are needed. On the contrary, concrete of substandard quality will require more regular covers or other re-construction processes. Contract specifications with modifications to the amount of a

Conquerors or Jinas Essay Example for Free

Conquerors or Jinas Essay Jainism originated in ancient East India by the birth and ultimate liberation of twenty four conquerors or Jinas. People of the Jain faith believe that Jinas are human beings who become divine by subduing their sensual desires and overcoming karma, which is the accumulation of good and bad deeds. Good deeds allow living beings to be reincarnated into superior forms, while bad deeds force them to accept inferior forms after death (â€Å"Jainism†). The Jains believe that the first Jina or conqueror was a giant living on earth 8. 4 million years ago. The last Jina was Mahavira or The Great Hero, born in 550 BC. Mahavira is known as the founder of Jainism, seeing that he was able to attract a large number of followers to his faith (â€Å"Jain Dharma†). Like Siddharta Buddha, Mahavira had belonged to the warrior caste and â€Å"renounced the world† at the age of thirty (â€Å"History of Jainism†). Also like the Buddha, Mahavira had sought spiritual reality in the solitude of asceticism. Ultimately he had found enlightenment, although it had taken him thirteen long years to get there. He had converted eleven Brahmans to his faith soon after. By the time of his death, he had founded a community of ascetics with fourteen thousand monks and thirty six thousand nuns. Mahavira is further known to have starved himself to death – a practice referred to as salekhana (â€Å"History of Jainism†). According to the Jains, Mahavira is one of the fortunate ones, as he has â€Å"conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed ‘his’ soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability (â€Å"Jain Dharma†). † The first and foremost principle of living taught by Jainism is called Ahimsa or non-violence toward all living beings. Thus, the followers of Jainism have never encountered a problem of violence in their history. The only issue that the people of the Jain faith have had to confront is disunity. Two hundred years after the attainment of nirvana on the part of Mahavira, the Jain faith was divided into two sects: the Digambar and the Svetambar. Both sects hold different views or beliefs about a number of issues. For example, Digambar monks of the Jain faith do not wear anything because of their belief that clothes serve as reminders of the world. Svetambar monks, on the other hand, are known to wear seamless clothes that are usually colored white. Moreover, the Digambars are of the opinion that women are unable to attain liberation while they are living as women on earth. Svetambars, on the contrary, believe that women may indeed achieve liberation seeing that one of the Jinas was a woman. Likewise, the Digambars and Svetambars have varied views about the prayers that are traditionally recited by the Jains (â€Å"Jainism†). The Jains do not believe in a creator of the universe. According to them, the world is without beginning or end. Furthermore, there is no single god of the universe (Sivananda). The following is a prayer of the Jains describing their unique concept of divinity, following by a brief introduction of the same: I bow to the Arahants, the perfected human beings, Godmen. I bow to the Siddhas, liberated bodiless souls, God. I bow to the Acharyas, the masters and heads of congregations. I bow to the Upadhyayas, the spiritual teachers. I bow to the spiritual practitioners in the universe, Sadhus. This fivefold obeisance mantra destroys all sins and obstacles, and of all auspicious repetitions, is the first and foremost (Welcome to Jainism. org). Jains believe that all living beings are the same essential soul, but those human beings that perfect or liberate themselves are turned into gods. These souls – part of the single soul of all living beings, albeit separate – are worshipped by the Jains. Furthermore, these souls are the only ones that do not have to deal with karma any longer. They have achieved salvation through enlightenment, abandonment of worldly attachments, and asceticism. By controlling their selfish desires, they have followed their spiritual teachers to the core. For them, Jainism is the only true religion. Additionally, by attaining the divine status, they have become omnipotent and omnipresent (Sivananda). Before becoming gods, the liberated souls were able to achieve death at will. On the other hand are souls that are so attached to life that they do not wish to end their lives on earth. Such souls die nevertheless. Their death is Akama Marana, the death of helplessness, leading the soul to return to earth in an inferior form (â€Å"Death in Jainism†). There are seventeen kinds of deaths in the Jain faith: â€Å"Avici-marana; Avadhimarana; Atyantika-marana; Vasarta-marana; Valana-marana; Antahsalya-marana; Tadhava-marana; Akama marana; Pandita-marana; Balpandita-marana; Chadmastha-marana; Kevali-marana; Vaihayasa-marana; Guddhapristha-marana; Bhaktapratyakhyana-marana; Inginta-marana; and Padopagamana-marana (â€Å"Death in Jainism†). † Unsurprisingly, all of these separate types of deaths lead to a different kind of life after death. Jains are believers in the reincarnation of all living beings. Thus, the soul that dies the Pandita-marana death is said to have left the earth in peace and with satisfaction (â€Å"Death in Jainism†). The best kind of death is, of course, the very last one, that is, the end that leads to ultimate liberation from the process of rebirth (â€Å"Jainism†). Besides Ahimsa or non-violence, which forbids actions that cause verbal, emotional or physical harm to living beings; the principles of human behavior that the Jains must adhere to include the principle of Satya or the command to speak the truth and avoid falsehood; Asteya, or the command not to steal; Brahmacharya, or the principle demanding all Jains to remain monogamous in their sexual relationships; and Aparigraha, which is the principle of detaching oneself from the world by a reduction of worldly desires and abstinence from hoarding of material wealth (â€Å"Jain Dharma†). The Jains do not convert people to their faith. Hence, anybody who is willing to follow the faith of Jainism must believe in these moral principles and follow them without compulsion (â€Å"Jainism†). Jains additionally believe that every living being has the potential to attain ultimate liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The perfect and liberated souls serve as models on the path of attaining liberation. However, all living beings are responsible for their individual good or bad actions (â€Å"Jainism†). In order to attain ultimate salvation, souls must also believe in the triple jewels, that is, â€Å"[r]ight faith, right knowledge and right conduct (Sivananda). † Right faith constitutes belief in the perfect and liberated souls as real gods, the Jaina Sastras (written by spiritual teachers) as the scriptures of the Jain faith, and the saints of Jainism as the real teachers. Right knowledge provides the follower of Jainism with an eye of certainty that sheds all doubts. Right conduct, of course, constitutes the five moral principles that all Jains must adhere to, including Ahimsa, which compels all Jains to live as vegetarians (Sivananda). Lastly, Jains believe in overcoming all biases and prejudices, and gathering the viewpoints of others, despite the fact that the followers of the faith are divided into sects (â€Å"Jainism†). Works Cited â€Å"Death in Jainism. † Answers. 2007. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. answers. com/death%20in%20jainism. â€Å"History of Jainism. † Religion Facts. 2007. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. religionfacts. com/jainism/history. htm. â€Å"Jain Dharma. † Religious Tolerance. 15 Aug 2005. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. religioustolerance. org/jainism. htm. â€Å"Jainism. † Answers. 2007. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. answers. com/topic/jainism. Sivananda, Sri Swami. Jainism. 17 Oct 2004. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. dlshq. org/religions/jainism. htm. Welcome to Jainism. org. 16 Nov 2007. http://www. jainism. org/.

Industrial Revolution :: essays research papers

During the Industrial boom of the early 1700’s, no one would have thought that these inventions and ideas could shape the world we live in today, especially then. You do not have to be a historian to know that, with new inventions comes more money; so economically this was revolutionary. For example, the lathe is the oldest and simplest known machine tool. Normally used by carpenters, these were used to make decorative table legs, columns, etc. It was late 17th Century when clockmakers, builders of scientific instruments, and furniture and gun makers began to use the lathe for other than cutting wood. They now made it possible to machine steel and very effectively. The development of precise machine tools, such as compass and telescope, greatly affected the art of navigation and help begin the process for the industrial machine tools of the late 18th and early l9th Centuries. These being the working class citizens, they began to make a little more money a bit easier. With the hard working class making money, their lives begin to brighten in this dim world, families expanding, and people begin to open their eyes. The huge gap between aristocrats and the working class is beginning to close but will not until much later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By opening their eyes, I mean in the literal sense as well as figuratively. With the printing press becoming more predominate, shooting out ink and paper with tremendous speed, we see people actually opening their eyes and becoming literate at a steady rate. People are beginning to read and forming their own ideas about the world. Everyday life is no longer spent contemplating how long one will work in the field, but on how he/she will spend some of this free time acquired by these efficient machines. Europe moved from a primarily agricultural and rural economy to a capitalist and urban economy. Now that these lathes, and agricultural machines and techniques are coming into play, great minds start thinking of ways to improve upon someone else’s ideas. An example is like the lathe; first started out as a wood-working tool, then moved on to machine metal, and then finally it turned into something blacksmiths and clockmakers used to machine gears within 1/10,0 00th of an inch! This in turn, made possible the great advances in standards of living for many people throughout Western Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Transportation made a huge leap with the steam engine, railroads, and machining metal to form boats as well.

Case Analysis_The University Art Museum Essay

Executive Summary This report was commissioned as a case analysis to examine why the last two directors of the University Art Museum were seemingly at odds with the university and failed in their mission to lead the museum into the future. Further it provides prospective on how to move the museum into the future through successful management. Case Analysis The University Art Museum was a generous gift donated by the son of the university’s first president, who was also a campus alumnus. The university took great pride in the museum and even highlighted the museum’s photo on campus brochures and catalogs for years. However, in recent years university was not exactly pleased with the direction the museum was headed under either of its most recent two directors. It became abundantly clear that the directors had a different vision for the museum than did the university faculty. There was so much tension amongst parties that the previous director had â€Å"sharply attacked the faculty as â€Å"elitist† and snobbish† and as believing that â€Å"art belongs to the rich,† (Daft, 2013). What we gather from the case for analysis is that university did not clearly outline the direction of the museum, provide a mission statement, or make any formal written policy about how to run the museum or move the museum into the future. We also gather that prior to 1998 the museum ran just fine without the university needing any formalities. This could partially equate to the fact that the original director and his successor were previous students of the university. As students of the university they may have already had a pretty good idea of how the university operated. Additionally, the original director was also the founder of the museum. Whatever the case may be it wasn’t until the university began hiring outside the university that there seemed to be a major disconnect. At this point it is clear that there are some design essentials that need to be incorporated before hiring another director. With that being said, organizations exist for a purpose and that purpose needs to be clearly defined. The university faculty should first decide the organization’s strategic intent which includes a clear and  specific mission, a vision, and the principles of the university. Additional aspects of strategic intent are competitive advantage and core competence. In knowing the competitive advantage of the museum and the core competence, the faculty will be better positioned to build a strategy. Once the mission and goals are established the university should be able to set clear operating goals. Additionally, the faculty members need to take a long look at what they consider the failures of the previous two directors and see how their attempts to move the university into the future can be adjusted to fit the needs of the university, the needs of the community and lastly, paint the university in a better light, one not viewed as â€Å"elitist† or â€Å"snobbish†. Simply returning the university to its previous state could prove to be detrimental. Lastly, the university needs to have some formal measure in place to assess effectiveness of the strategies set forth. Simply put, just because the faculty is happy with the direction the museum is headed, doesn’t make it a successful venture. Conclusion  In conclusion, it is clear why the previous two directors have failed to be successful in fulfilling the mission of the university. Quite simply, there was no mission defined, no goals, no formal policies or principles, and no vision. If any director is to be successful the university needs to take the appropriate measures in spearheading that success. First and foremost, a mission statement must be formulated. The organization needs to understand the competitive advantage and core competence of the museum and built a suitable strategy or strategies around these values. Lastly, there needs to be a formal measure in place to assess the effectiveness. Once the university has taken the necessary steps to lead the museum in the direction it wants for the future, they will be far more successful in finding the right director for the job. Most importantly, the director will do a much better job of meeting the goals of the university faculty. References Daft. R. L. (2013). Organization Theory & Design. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Colonial and Revolutionary Eras in America Essay

The colonial and Revolutionary eras in America are not so chronologically distant, yet they are two very different times for America. These two eras are very important parts of America’s history. The transformation of colonial America to Revolutionary America is quick but drastic. To be a colonial American would mean solely relying on God. An American at that time would center their whole life around God. They believed they did not personally own anything. For example, in Anne Bradstreet’s poem â€Å"Upon a Burning House†, Anne implied that it was wrong to feel sorry for the loss of your house or family, because the Puritan belief was that everything is owned by God. Anne considered herself lucky because she was left with the most important thing of all; her life (Chin 78). Anne Bradstreet most captured my attention with her writing style and her pure love of God. Puritans believed that â€Å"if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf† (Chin 103). It was easy for the British to keep people of the Puritan lifestyle under its crown because of their religious beliefs (Kiracofe) The Revolutionary era is when the colonists began to become more opinionated. The start of the Revolutionary era was when the British began taxing sugar. The sugar act lead to a boycott of buying all British imports. The Boycott put the British in great debt and was eventually repealed. At that point, the colonists discovered that they do have a say in their government. The people of America began relying on logistics and facts instead of their faith. This lead to the Revolutionary war, also called the War of Independence (Higginbotham). More and more people began speaking their mind, such as Phillis Wheatley, an African American who writes a Revolutionary piece of art, praising George Washington for fighting and leading in the Revolutionary war. The colonists began to become more and more individualized from the British. The whispers of rebellion turned into shouts after the Stamp Act. The farmers and merchants of America quickly transformed from strongly religious and peaceful men, into soldiers of the Revolutionary war. Colonial and Revolutionary Americans are two very different groups of people. The colonists were Puritans which means they were highly religiously dependent. Although the Revolutionary Americans did believe that there was a God and that he was on their side, they took their own initiative and fought for their freedom from Britain’s crown. If it were not for Revolutionary thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington, and the men who fought for this country, America would still be under the British laws and taxation. We would not have the rights and freedoms we have today. The Revolutionary war has made America for what it is today.

Educated Mothers essays

Educated Mothers essays Mother has a big role in family.They show very big self sacrifices for their family, for example they can leave their carrer because of their children.Although there are other members of family they do all of the housework.And here is the biggest role of mothers in family '' to educate their children''.So if the mother effecs the members of family or not? Mothers should be educated.They have a big role in family.We grow with them because they are the people who we see the most.We can say that they are our first teachers.Their behaviors are very important because our character is shaping by them.So mothers should be educated in order to know how that she can behave to her child.For example Research shows that educated mothers are more likely to use health clinics and are more likely to return to the clinic if their childs health does not improve. According to a United Nations study in 46 countries, a one percent rise in womens literacy is three times more likely to reduce deaths in children than a one percent rise in the number of doctors.With this example we cam see the difference between educated mothers and nomeducated ones.Educated mothers mostly know what to the in emergency situations.They can teach their childs lots of things like what to da im emergency or how to behave other people.So the child can start to live their life prepared. There is an other idea which defends that it does't matter if mothers educated or not.They think that ''everyone have their own lifes so it's not important if the people around you (for ex:mother) educated or not''.And we spend all of our lifes outside so our mothers doesnt effect us that much.We learn everything from outside. Our mothers are very important for us because we learn so many things from them so it's very important if they are educated or not.Because our character shapes when we are a child so mother is the only person who can do it.It's tr ...

Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming The WritePass Journal

Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming Introduction Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming ). This is clearly a violation of workers rights. Wal-Mart which was initially a corporate fortress seems to be headed to a downfall. Even its operations in the US indicate the possibility of a failure in the giant retailer. More recently, Wal-Mart warned its investors that its comparable store sales may be slightly negative after the third quarter. This is also evident in the huge layoff of 2300 workers at Sams club, one of its stores. The layoff was attributed to their poor performance. Whereas Wal-Mart still remains the corporate fortress in the retail sector due to its massive size, its underperformance in the US and emerging markets indicate the possibility of a failure in the near future. Walmart’s bad business practices Wal-Mart has on several accounts been criticized for poor wages. Why should employees suffer in one of the giant retail stores that make billions of profit annually? Wal-Mart is ranked among the best 100 corporations by Forbes magazine yet most of its employees take on average less than $250 a week. Full-time employees are paid between $6 and $7.50 an hour. A further a third of the employees who are part-time are limited to working up to 28 hours a week and are not eligible for benefits. Such pay scale places them and their families below the poverty line. The lack of rewards demotivates and discourages them from performing well. Perhaps Wal-Marts bad business practices are more evident with the Rana Plaza tragedy which led to the loss of over 1000 lives. The tragedy exposed some of the profound flaws in the industry. Rana Plaza produced private garments for some of the giant retailers including Wal-Mart. Evidence provided by the Bangladesh center for Worker Solidarity showed that Wal-Mart had been producing its garments in Ether Tex factory situated on the 5th floor of the building (Steven 2013). Some documents were found in the rubble detailing purchase orders for certain garments which were to be delivered to Wal-Mart. Further, at the time of the tragedy, Wal-Mart was already listed in Ether Texs website as one of the main customer. Although Wal-Mart denied knowledge of their operations at the factory building, it announced its plans to put in place new safety measures at some of their factories in Bangladesh. The corporate fortress, however, promised to stop production if urgent safety problems were uncovered at some of its factories. The company further assured the Bangladeshi government of their support and commitment towards improving workplace safety. But the company stopped short of committing to these improvements and distanced itself from the Rana Plaza tragedy. This is a clear example of bad business practice. Why these particular functions are considered to be underperforming Last year, Wal-Mart reported $11 billion in net income yet it has not been able to remedy some of its questionable workplace practices. Wal-Mart has been filed in over 5,000 lawsuits for poor employment practices such as inadequate health care, wage law violations, worker exploitation and their anti-union retailer stance. Wal-Mart anti-union stance can be seen in their recent threat to close one of its stores in Quebec after workers successfully unionized. Citing economic reasons; Wal-Mart announced their plans on shutting the store. However, this argument was rejected by Quebecs labor relations and Wal-Marts firings found illegal. Further, the move to extend operations to overseas markets including setting up factories in emerging markets such as Bangladesh and China was driven by the desire to take advantage of cheap labour. For example, Wal-Mart pays much less its employees in China compared to those in the US and the UK. A further criticism has been the lack of employment benefits. Part-time employees are limited to working up to 28 hours a week and are not eligible for benefits. While, workers who are eligible for benefits pay way over the odds to get health insurance and other benefits. The company has often come under criticism for not providing employees with affordable access to health care and employees are overburdened. For example, in 1999, 36% of the total costs were paid by the employees. In 2001, there was a 42% rise in employee burden. The health of its employees has been deteriorating at a faster rate. According to the companys internal memo discovered by New York Times, Wal-Mart workers were sicker compared to the national population. This begs the question: Why can’t such a giant corporation provide its workers medical retirement benefits given the huge profits that they make? This question was once raised by one of Wal-Mart’s managers only to be fired by the CEO and reasons of disloyalty cited as the reason for being quitted. (Jordan 2008). As Michael Porter (1980) once pointed out that a company would rely on three basic competitive strategies to maintain their edge in the market: differentiation, cost leadership, and focus strategy. Wal-Mart has obviously taken the cost-leadership strategy by reducing the cost of recruitment, providing low pay, no rewards, requiring overtime, and cheap children labors. It currently faces a barrage of lawsuits for extensive violations of labour laws. Wal-Mart also faces law suits for extensive violations of state regulations that require time for breaks and meals. In some instances, minors are forced to work late for the performance appraising. Outcomes for business Wal-Mart may be headed for a downfall. Its customer service is already low and their low-cost strategy has led to many cut offs of employees. Since recession, Wal-Mart has been cutting down on their staff. Without enough manpower for their retail operations and with workers on site underpaid, its merchandize remains stacked on pallets in warehouses instead of the shelves where customers can reach them. What then is the value of offering lower prices if the products are not accessible to the customers? Further, the check-out lines are painfully long and there seems to be a decline in the overall customer shopping experience. Customer shopping experience has been deteriorating due to the longer checkout lines, disorganization and less staff help. Last year, the giant retailer was placed last among in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a six year in a row in which Wal-Mart has taken the last spot (Ungar 2013). Lessons must be learnt from the experience of the other low end retailers. McDonalds earnings have fallen significantly due to their poor terms of employment. Similarly, Wal-Mart needs to consider the potential upside of their aggressive policies. Despite the poor employment practices, Wal-Mart still remains among the leading retail giants. Its remains ahead of its competitors such as Target and JC penny. However, Wal-Mart faces a threat from Costco, its primary competitor. Costco has been experiencing a fairly healthy 8% growth in annual sales (Ungar 2013). In fact, a significant number of customers are moving to this retailer for their shopping experience. Could this be attributed to the good employment practices at Costco? Unlike Wal-Mart, employees at Costco get a decent living and are paid in excess of the minimum wage. Given the aggressive HR policies employed by Wal-Mart, it begs the question: what then is the role of HR managers in this company? Since, as HR professionals, they are required to put in place strategies oriented towards the employees. To some point, however, employees seem to be encouraged to think of themselves as servant leaders. For example, employees are called associates showing that the company values their contribution. Such kinds of HR policies are employed in most of the best performing companies. These policies and practices serve to motivate employees to increase their performance and can aid in developing good corporate culture. However, employees may not feel appreciated if they are paid less than minimum wages and denied rewards and opportunities for professional growth. There seem to be no opportunities for enhancement and professional growth. Wal-Mart does very little training and developments of its human resources and as such, opportunities for enhancement of professions especially for women are limited. In fact, several claims have been filed against Wal-Mart for discriminating against women in terms of employment positions and the lack of opportunities for advancement. Improving employee motivation and employment practices at Wal-Mart As HR professionals continue to seek bright, talented and highly engaged workforce, motivational theories can provide insights on how Wal-Mart can improve employee motivation and engagement. Several motivational theories have been suggested including the Expectancy Theory, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory, Herzbergs motivator Hygiene Theory, Goal Setting Theory, and Equity theory (Lockwood et al. 2010) Herzbergs motivator Hygiene Theory is perhaps more applicable to the case of Wal-Mart. The theory suggests that two main factors must be met for employees to become satisfied with work. These are: the hygiene factors and motivator factors. The hygiene factors include meeting the basic needs such as adequate pay, comfortable working environment, effective supervision and good relationships with the core workers. On the other hand, motivation factors include advancement and professional growth, and rewards or opportunities for recognition (lockwood et al. 2010) Wal-Mart needs to consider applying the two-factor theory of motivation if they are to improve on the performance of their employees. They need to revamp their policies, increase the salary of their employees, and the safety and security of the employees. Further, they need to consider motivators that are intrinsic to the job which include providing rewards for achievement and increasing their growth opportunities. Pundits, policymakers and activists outraged by the companys low wages have been calling for protests. According to Robert Reich, a professor at U.C. Berkeley, Walmarts net income is estimated at $17 billion meaning that they can easily afford to give its workers a small pay-rise (Atner 2013). The Chancellor professor of public policy has in fact urged shoppers to boycott Wal-Mart since they do not want to share even a little bit of their income with their employees (Atner 2013). Conclusion In todays highly competitive marketplace, motivation of employees and employing the best employment practices is key to success. Underperformance in the workplace has recently been a major concern in Wal-Mart stores. Several lawsuits have been filed against Wal-Mart for violation of workers rights including low wages, lack of employment benefits, being required to work overtime and denied to participate in union activity. Bad employment practices are clearly evident in Wal-Mart. This has affects employee productivity as it demoralizes and demotivates them. Wal-Mart needs to consider applying the two-factor theory of motivation if they are to improve on the performance of their employees. Incentives are key to maintaining a motivated workforce and ensuring business success. Appraising and offering hardworking employee with incentives will motivate them to go the extra mile of putting the company first. Employee valuations need to be implemented and growth opportunities made plenty. HR managers at walmart need to understand the benefits of employee motivation and engagement. By sharing their profit, employees will feel appreciated and more passionate about their work. Ultimately, this will result in improved performance and greater customer satisfaction Reference Ciura, B., 2014. Is Wal-Marts empire about to fail? Viewed on 29th March 2014. Available from fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/01/is-wal-marts-empire-about-to-fall.aspx Covert, B., 2014. Walmarts labor practices backfire. Viewed on 29th March 2014. Available from http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/10/3271221/walmart-downgraded-understaffing/ Gusdorf, M.L. and Reed, S.M., 2009. The role of mission and values in strategic human resource management. Society for Human Resource Management. Jordan, T., 2014. The good, the bad and Wal-Mart. Workplacefairness Lockwood, N., Anderson, C., Fiester, M. and Samers, K., 2010. ‘Motivation in today’s workplace: the link to performance’. Research Quarterly. The Society for Human Resource Management Rasouli, R., 2013. ‘Modelling the impact of HRM practices on knowledge workers job satisfaction and intention to stay: re-examining the Herzbergs two-factor theory of motivation’. World of Sciences Journal Steven, G., 2013. As firms line up on factories, Wal-Mart plans solo effort. Viewed on 29th March 2013. available from nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/six-retailers-join-bangladesh-factory-pact.html?pagewanted=all_r=0 Thomasson, E., 2014. Bangladesh factory inspections highlight safety risks as anniversary of Rana Plaza tragedy looms. Retail Marketing. Ungar, R., 2013. Wal-Mart pays workers poorly and sinks while Costco pays workers well and sails-proof that you get what you pay for. {Viewed on 30th March 2014} available fromforbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/04/17/walmart-pays-workers-poorly-and-sinks-while-costco-pays-workers-well-and-sails-proof-that-you-get-what-you-pay-for/

Washington College Admissions and Acceptance Rate

Washington College Admissions and Acceptance Rate Only around half of those who apply to Washington College are accepted. Learn more about the admissions requirements and what it takes to go to this college. About Washington College Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College has a long and rich history. The college was recently awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its many strengths in the liberal arts and sciences. The Center for Environment Society, the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and the Rose O’Neill Literary House are all valuable resources for supporting undergraduate education. Popular majors include Business Administration, Economics, English, Biology, and Psychology. Washington Colleges location in scenic Chestertown, Maryland, provides students with opportunities to explore the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Chester River. On the athletic front, the Washington College Shoremen and Shorewomen compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. The college fields seven mens and nine womens varsity sports. Popular sports include basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, and rowing. The college also has a co-ed sailing team. Will you get in if you apply? Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex. Admissions Data (2016) Washington College Acceptance Rate: 49  percentWashington College has test-optional admissionsGPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Washington CollegeWhat these SAT numbers meanTop Maryland colleges SAT comparisonWhat these ACT numbers meanTop Maryland colleges ACT comparison Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 1,479  (all undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 44 percent Male / 56 percent Female99  percent Full-time Costs (2016-17) Tuition and Fees: $43,842Books: $850 (why so much?)Room and Board: $10,824Other Expenses: $2,990Total Cost: $58,506 Washington College Financial Aid (2015-16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 98  percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 98 percentLoans: 62 percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $25,533Loans: $7,671 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Business Administration, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, History, Political Science, Psychology, Environmental StudiesWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 86  percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 70 percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 73  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Lacrosse, Soccer, Rowing, Baseball, Basketball, Swimming, TennisWomens Sports:  Volleyball, Swimming, Soccer, Tennis, Softball, Rowing, Basketball, Lacrosse, Field Hockey Washington College and the Common Application Washington College uses the  Common Application. These articles can help guide you: Common Application essay tips and samplesShort answer tips and samplesSupplemental essay tips and samples If You Like Washington College, You May Also Like These Schools University of Delaware: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTowson University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphGoucher College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphAmerican University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDrexel University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTemple University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphHood College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBoston University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphJohns Hopkins University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStevenson University: Profile  Georgetown University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUrsinus College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Washington College Mission Statement mission statement from washcoll.edu/about/our-mission.php Washington College challenges and inspires emerging citizen leaders to discover lives of purpose and passion. Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

BUS401 Wk 3 Discussions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BUS401 Wk 3 Discussions - Assignment Example The analysis of the current market condition is critical in determining which marketing strategies work well in given situations. The assessment of opportunities is crucial in a strategic alternative bundle. This enables the management to spot and take advantage of new customer groups as well as to expand into other geographical markets. The strategic alternative plan also comprises of identification of the target market. The management must gather information to guide them in the potential consumer tastes and preferences (Nanjundaiah & Ramesh, 2010). The goals of an alternative strategic plan are important in the realization of greater revenue and efficiency. The strategies that transform the goals into results include pricing, promotional and distribution strategy. The strategic alternative bundles should be implemented in a given period. The time line devotes each department to the time limit for the implementation of a task. Companies that need good strategic alternative bundles should adopt a strategy that suits their budget. A contingency plan is the action that an organization implements in the event that an unplanned incident occurs (Nanjundaiah & Ramesh, 2010). The alternative plan is rolled out in case the expected outcome fails to materialize. The unfortunate happenings that hinder the materialization of plans are known as triggers. Companies that have contingency plans react quicker to disaster, stay ahead of their competitors, enjoy confident leadership and enables more accurate forecast on market trends. A good contingency plan should be time conscious. It should define the phase for the implementation of a plan. The plan should identify the trigger and determine the situations under which the plan can be implemented (Nanjundaiah & Ramesh, 2010). The plan should be plain and in simple language. The plan should be considerate of available resources as well as identify the

The Value of SWOT in General and Regarding Planning Case Study

The Value of SWOT in General and Regarding Planning - Case Study Example SWOT is essential in the planning stage of any management or marketing implement because it defines the internal and external environment of which the plan will be based. The efficacy of a plan depends on the accuracy of the assessment of the environment of which it will be applied as defined in the SWOT. SWOT provides a reality check in the execution stage of any management or marketing implement. It fine tunes the execution as SWOT considers the new realities in the internal and external factor of the organization. a) The extent to which the foregoing listed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are generic, ie. insofar as product and service providers are concerned? SWOT can be generic in terms of the internal assessment (strength and weakness) in terms of assessing the competency of its people. It is usually expressed in general terms such as â€Å"we have very talented people to execute the task†. In the weakness aspect, factors such as ailing equipment that ca n no longer perform the task adequately are expressed in general terms. With regard to external factors, competition is typically expressed in general terms in the threat aspect of SWOT. Assessment of opportunity in SWOT can be expressed in general in terms of growth of companies if they will be successful in the identified market. b)What SWOT considerations would you delete, change categorically, or add, if you were in the sports shoe industry and wished to be known as a socially responsible producer? The threat factor would be removed in the SWOT in order to be known as a socially responsible producer of shoes. It is because the competition must be ruled out in the consciousness of the business that compels it to compromise social responsibility in exchange for competitiveness.

Perpetuation of adolescence in the workplace Essay

Perpetuation of adolescence in the workplace - Essay Example In Nine to Five, the female protagonists certainly cause trouble and disrupt the office, but in a positive way, a way that is driven by a legitimate sense of injustice, and which ends up creating positive results in the office (Resnick and Higgins). There is little resemblance to the aimless, unproductive antics of the overgrown adolescent boys who comprise the rest of our examples. Even in the comparatively staid Dilbert, the random workplace shenanigans fall mostly to Dilbert and Wally, while Tina acts out of a sense of ambition and legitimate grievance. Of course, given Dilbert creator Scott Adams’ ideas about gender, he’s the last place we should look for nonstereotypical gender roles (Adams). This strict gendering is part of a cultural narrative, seen (among other places) on most sitcoms of the past 20 years, wherein men are immature wastrels with crude habits, and women are unfunny, joyless buzzkills. It is worth noting that the second-wave feminist hijinks of Nin e to Five were thirty years ago, and have not been significantly repeated. In this narrative, men must be the pranksters, and women the stern, disapproving â€Å"straight men,† like Margaret Dumont in all the Marx Brothers movies. This gendering arises partly from the cultural perception of â€Å"Peter Pan Syndrome,† so named in the 1983 book of the same name (Kiley). It describes men (and only men) who refuse to â€Å"grow up† and accept what are generally seen as adult roles and responsibilities. The role of women in their lives is to become â€Å"Wendies,† temporary surrogate mothers who enable this lifestyle. As a concept, it’s an old one; the Romans called Bacchus, eternally young god of wine and madness, the puer aeturnus, or â€Å"eternal boy.† (Kiley) Of course, all of this cultural context is really just â€Å"boys will be boys† in greater detail. There are cultural currents and narratives into which the office-adolescent con cept fits, but is that all there is to it? What if the puer aeturnus narrative is just a cover for something deeper? A closer look at some of the preeminent examples of the trope provide some interesting insights, suggesting that the gendering of the trope in narrative is just a cultural gloss on a deeper problem. Given its prevalence, an exhaustive review of examples of this narrative trope would be impossible, but it is worth examining a few in detail. The popular British sitcom The Office opens with a perfect example, as the character of Gareth is outraged to discover that his stapler, about which he is neurotically possessive, has been neatly encased in jelly. This is part of a campaign of similar pranksterism being conducted against him by Tim, the closest thing the show has to a direct protagonist. Other examples include gluing his phone headset down, sending him a series of romantic emails under the guise of an imaginary woman, and locking him in an office. Tim’s behav ior is presented partly as a semi-admirable effort to puncture Gareth’s self-important pretentions, but largely as an outlet for a directionless energy that his job does not channel into anything useful (BBC). The characters in Joshua Ferris’s Then We Came To The End face a similar problem; a job-related ennui that expresses itself in the most non-job-related activities possible. â€Å"Our boredom was ongoing, a collective boredom, and it would never

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health As Expanding Consciousness Assignment - 1

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health As Expanding Consciousness - Assignment Example In this theory, Newman redefines nursing as the means of understanding the person in connection to the environment and also as the manner of understanding of consciousness. It is the nurse who should help people to understand and use the potential within to acquire the greater level of consciousness. Newman also describes the relationship between time, space and movement. According to her, space and time are the secular patterns of a person. Both of them have reciprocal relationships. Human beings are continually evolving through space and time, and it displays a unique model of reality (Brown 2011). Newman states that human beings are open to the entire systems of energy in the universe and also regularly interacting with the energy. It is through such environmental interactions that human beings can develop their unique individual patterns. Newman emphasizes the importance of understanding individual patterns. The recognition of such individual patterns amounts to expanding consciousness. The symptoms of diseases depend on individual patterns. Therefore, the diagnostics of the illnesses exists before the signs appear. Thus, the removal of such signs does not alter the individual formation (Newman). In my opinion, Newman’s theory is about a new approach of seeing health and diseases as manifestations of the evolving patterns of the interaction of individuals with the environment. Therefore, diseases should not be seen as separate entities of people’s health. Diseases should be seen as part of the self-organizing process of expanding consciousness instead of viewing them as negative aspects of health. The treatment of diseases should, therefore, shift from the usual treatment of symptoms to a new approach of searching for patterns. The usual role of nursing is addressing the problems of diseases, but the new role should be helping people get in touch with their individual patterns of

Story from the bible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Story from the bible - Essay Example Judith is introduced in chapter eight as a wealthy widow woman of the city called Bethulia. Her husband died perhaps of heat stroke while he was overseeing a harvest and left her with all of his belongings. She is described as being very pious and wise and has the respect of the elders of the town. When they think they have no choice but to give up, she assures them she will do something about the invading general Holofernes, who is camped in the next valley. By Chapter 11, she has dressed herself in a way that is seductive but also very wealthy and classy so that she can get the attention of Holofernes, which is successful. She spends several nights praying for the right time for Holofernes to attack while he plans how he’s going to have her physically. Chapter 13 is the most exciting chapter of the story as it is here that she beheads Holofernes as he is passed out drunk and then passes out of his camp with his head in a bag unharmed because of the way she had arranged her s tay there. Although she is mentioned as late as the last chapter of the book, Chapter 16, her story is really finished by Chapter 14 after she tells her countrymen what to do with the head and how to frighten the rest of the Assyrians away. This story of Judith is central to the book’s meaning as it is her actions that attempt to teach the process of making oneself the instrument of God. The book has undergone a great deal of scrutiny in terms of its authorship and dating. The Women’s Bible Commentary points out that the book was mentioned in 1 Clement in the first century, so it had to have been written prior to that time. Others, such as the New Jerome Biblical Commentary have discovered references in the writings of Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Tertullian. The HarperCollins Bible Commentary suggests that the book is post-exilic and probably

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health As Expanding Consciousness Assignment - 1

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health As Expanding Consciousness - Assignment Example In this theory, Newman redefines nursing as the means of understanding the person in connection to the environment and also as the manner of understanding of consciousness. It is the nurse who should help people to understand and use the potential within to acquire the greater level of consciousness. Newman also describes the relationship between time, space and movement. According to her, space and time are the secular patterns of a person. Both of them have reciprocal relationships. Human beings are continually evolving through space and time, and it displays a unique model of reality (Brown 2011). Newman states that human beings are open to the entire systems of energy in the universe and also regularly interacting with the energy. It is through such environmental interactions that human beings can develop their unique individual patterns. Newman emphasizes the importance of understanding individual patterns. The recognition of such individual patterns amounts to expanding consciousness. The symptoms of diseases depend on individual patterns. Therefore, the diagnostics of the illnesses exists before the signs appear. Thus, the removal of such signs does not alter the individual formation (Newman). In my opinion, Newman’s theory is about a new approach of seeing health and diseases as manifestations of the evolving patterns of the interaction of individuals with the environment. Therefore, diseases should not be seen as separate entities of people’s health. Diseases should be seen as part of the self-organizing process of expanding consciousness instead of viewing them as negative aspects of health. The treatment of diseases should, therefore, shift from the usual treatment of symptoms to a new approach of searching for patterns. The usual role of nursing is addressing the problems of diseases, but the new role should be helping people get in touch with their individual patterns of

Early Intervention Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Early Intervention - Assignment Example Due to the increasing number of children who have development delays or problems, various strategies have been developed in order to address such problems. One of these strategies is known as early intervention. Early intervention has become one of the most popular and widely used strategies when a child faces developmental difficulties. Such strategy is hinged on the assumption that the earlier developmental problems are detected, the more it is possible to overcome. Early intervention applies to children of school age or younger who are discovered to have or be at risk of developing a handicapping condition or other special need that may affect their development. Moreover, it depends on in the provision of services that the children and their respective families need. These services are most often aimed at reducing the effects of the child's developmental condition. Early intervention may be taken from two contexts. It can be used either for remedial purposes or for preventive uses. Early intervention as a remedial strategy is aimed at lessening the effects of the child's condition on himself and his family while early intervention as a preventive strategy focuses on thwarting the occurrence. There are various types of early intervention programs. ... Early intervention programs may begin at different ages, but usually, it is best to begin as early as possible. Two examples of intervention strategies are play therapy and counseling. Each of these are used for a variety of purposes and aimed at achieving different goals. According to the British Association of Play Therapists, play therapy is defined as, "...the dynamic process between child and Play Therapist in which the child explores at his or her own pace and with his or her own agenda those issues, past and current, conscious and unconscious, that are affecting the child's life in the present. The child's inner resources are enabled by the therapeutic alliance to bring about growth and change. Play Therapy is child-centred, in which play is the primary medium and speech is the secondary medium." On the other hand, counseling is a commonly used term in psychology. Basically, counseling is aimed at helping the family deal with the problems that the child may be encountering. Since the problems of a child may be rooted to certain family issues, counseling will help the family resolve whatever issues that may cause the child problems. Why use Early Intervention According to United States Department of Education, there are three primary reasons why early intervention is utilized. There are three primary reasons for intervening early with an exceptional child: to enhance the child's development, to provide support and assistance to the family, and to maximize the child's and family's benefit to society. A study of human growth and development will show that it is during the preschool years that a child develops the fastest. It is during this stage that the child learns the most. If the most teachable moments or stages of greatest

Literary Devices Essay Example for Free

Literary Devices Essay While attending my course on â€Å"War and Literature†, and listening to the conversation, I found myself struck by an intellectual question presented by another student. This student asked, â€Å"When does paradox become hypocrisy?† Immediately afterwards I wrote the response, â€Å"A good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them.† At first I didn’t know if I had truly responded to the question. I analyzed both the question and response carefully through the literary devices and found myself satisfied with the responses standing. When analyzing the response I first had to return to the question. â€Å"When does paradox become hypocrisy?† Referring to this question I had to ask if my response held a paradox. â€Å"A good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them.† Considering that a paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory, and that â€Å"a good war† is the introduction to the response, suggested that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox. However, why is it that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox? War can best be defined as active hostility. Good can also be best defined as being well behaved. Considering these definitions and the response, â€Å"a good war† would certainly be a paradox because active hostility is contradictory to being well behaved. However, most would assume that â€Å"a good war† was the responses paradox, and to assume otherwise would be insulting to someone’s intellect. So then one has to ask how it is so commonly understood that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox? To conclude this question, one must consider that most of everyone was raised with the developmental understanding of good and bad. Most of everyone also would commonly agree that war is not good. So why do people still go, and why do we not learn from â€Å"it’s mistakes without someone having to live with them†? From statistics taken in the year two thousand fourteen, seven percent of America’s society is a veteran, and in that year there were near three hundred eighteen million citizens. That means that over twenty two million American citizens are veterans of foreign war. So how is it that we can convince over seven percent of our citizens to go risk their livelihood? We determined that war is wrong so how do we replace the ideas of good and bad? To better answer that question, it is better to replace the employment of a soldier with a painter. In order to make someone who is not a painter become a painter, one would have to go through a series  of tasks. First, cut off access to other mediums. Do not allow that person to work with anything other then painting. If they want to write a letter home, they paint it. If they want to create something three dimensional, they paint it. If they want to tell a story, they again, will paint it. Now there is no difference between the painter with their paintbrush, and the recruit with their rifle. Second, apply influences to praise the ideals. The same recruited painter now needs to be surrounded with people who share the same ideals. The painter cannot have the influences of sculptors, graphic designers, or any other ambassador of other art form. The painter needs the overall support of peers with the subject matter. This again, is no different from the soldier and their peers. Third, discourage all other ideals. The facilitator, who is regulating the transition between non-painters to painters, needs to openly degrade the ideals of all other art forms. The facilitator needs to make sure that th e recruits hear their passionate opinions about how other art forms are â€Å"wrong†. This will guide the recruits to also share the same ideals. This relationship resembles the relationship between Drill Instructors and their recruits. Fourthly, revival the title has a distinguished history of renowned individuals. For a painter, there are many distinguished individuals that made a dramatically difference within the realm of art. For some examples, there is Vincent Van Gough, Pablo Picasso, and Leonardo De Vinci. It is up to the facilitator to idolize these individuals in front of the forth-coming painters. This will give the recruited painters the expectations they need to become idolized into their new profession. This will also make the recruited painters strive to achieve the same honor. For the recruited soldier, they hear about the selfless actions of the Medal of Honor, Prisoners of War, and Purple Heart recipients. For them, they also strive to achieve that honor. Lastly, provide the graduate with a quote that brands them with honor. For instance, EARTH, Semper Fi, or Army of One. This will give the graduate something to display as pride and unite them forever with the other individuals who also have endured the same training. Now returning back to the question, â€Å"when does a paradox become a hypocrisy†, the response needed to be evaluated for the literary device of hypocrisy. Is â€Å"a good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them†, a response of hypocrisy. Through the development of good and bad, we have concluded that war is  wrong. To suggest otherwise would propose a state of insanity. Insanity is a derangement of the mind or not conforming. Since we have conclude that the popular choice is to say that war is wrong suggests that people who desire to go to war, miss war, or idolize war are insane. So are they insane? If the response, â€Å"war teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them† is true, than yes. However, the statement is hypocrisy and hypocrisy is the pretense of having. So reverting back to the practice of transitioning from non-painter to painter, the recruit became a painter. Now what if, during t he transition, the recruit never got the opportunity to paint. The entire time the recruit was given black ink to practice the techniques of painting, but never received oil or acrylic paints. The recruit sat through sessions where they viewed images of others painters and their colorful paintings, only to never receive color to paint with. After the transitions period, after the recruit was given the title of painter and hope to finally paint with color. However, the restriction continues and they again were never given oil or acrylic paints. They had practiced the trade for years without actual execution. The outcome is apparent. They will forever long to paint. This is the situation with the soldier. The soldier practices with blank ammunition for years, views images of warfare, practices the techniques of warfare, and never gets to execute their practices in war. The outcome is apparent. They will forever long for warfare. So in regards to the response, from the soldiers perspective, they would disagree because war cannot â€Å"teach itâ₠¬â„¢s mistakes without one having to live with them.† They themselves desire warfare. However, for sanities sake, they would suggest the response to be true in the company of other American citizens. This is the pretense of having and concludes the statement to be hypocrisy; at least from the soldiers perspective. So does the statement apply to other citizens of America? Again, the response to the initial question suggests that war is wrong and a sane response is to agree with the statement. This implies that American citizens do not see the statement as hypocrisy. However, how much money is accumulated over the showing of one Hollywood movie about warfare? How much money and time is spent reading through the stories about warfare? How often do people find excitement when sharing a conversation with a veteran where they can ask personal questions about their experiences? As peaceful people who agree with the statement,  American citizens curiously find something compelling about war. It is not my position to accuse the masses of being warmongers. However, to defend the integrity of my response, the response is hypocrisy. It cannot â€Å"teach it’s mistakes† if people live vicariously through the experiences of war. Without war that satisfaction is taken away and the entertainment lost, suggesting that the mistakes aren’t learned; they’re idolized. To propose other wise is the pretense of having or also known as hypocrisy. So can war teach â€Å"it’s mistakes†? Can the statement ever become true? Lets again look at the question, â€Å"when does paradox become hypocrisy?† and compare it to the response, â€Å"a good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them.† In order to make the response true we would have to rephrase the question. This time we will ask, when does paradox become integrity? We have concluded that the response to the initial question is both a paradox a nd hypocrisy, but we have overlooked one literary device. Personification. Personification is the representation of an abstraction in the form of a person. In the response we suggested that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox, and if â€Å"war teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them† is hypocrisy. However, the response also suggests that we have personified war. So in order to make the statement, â€Å"a good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them† true, we have to remove the personification and rephrase the response to â€Å"a good person is a person that teaches their mistakes without one having to live with them†. By removing the literary device of personification we have successful removed the other literary devices of paradox and hypocrisy, and gave the response integrity. If a good person were to teach others about their life’s mistakes, maybe others could learn from them. It is the gift from the veteran of foreign wars to express to others the mistakes of warfare. From that point forward, it is up to the recipient of the gift to learn from the veteran’s mistakes. War cannot teach it’s mistakes because war as a whole removes the personal aspect of warfare. It gives the individual a number instead of a valued story. However, the individual’s personal story, the veteran, includes the emotional toll of warfare. From that personal story, the audience can now begin to understand the dysfunction of warfare and that personal story can be identified as the gift.

Importance of Organizational Behaviour on Teamwork

Importance of Organizational Behaviour on Teamwork According to Keith Davis organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people act within organizations. It is human tool for the human benefit. It applies broadly to behavior of people in all type of organization such as business, government, schools, etc. it helps people, structure, technology, and the external environment blend together in to an effective operative system. Fred Luthans defines organizational behavior as understanding, predicting and controlling human behavior at work. [http://www.mbatown.com] Stephen Robins defines organizational behavior as a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have an organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge improving an organizations effectiveness. According to Stephen Robbins, four elements make up the Organizational Behavior life cycle. They are Leadership, Employees of the Company, Organization Behavior Guidelines and time frame, Organizational Framework. Organizational Behavior is an important aspect to maintain interaction levels amongst employees in the company and also to enhance healthy relationships between them. Other attributes like leadership qualities of the employees, openness to discuss problems between the top level and ground level employees, challenge-initiative are all embedded in to this basic concept of Organizational Behavior to help the business in achieving its strategic and sometimes its business objectives. What Case Study Says The General Electric(GE), the conglomeratecorporation incorporated in the State of New York, USA, is famous for its organizational culture. In GE, the management philosophy followed by the management is to Encourage employees to share their views in a collaborative culture, Vest greater responsibility, power, and accountability with front-line employees, Eliminate wasteful, irrational, and repetitive steps in the work process (which would come to light through employee feedback), Dismantle the boundaries that prevent thecross-pollination of ideasand efforts and they consider customers and community as the emperor. They gave former importance to team job and gave respect to each other. All these optimistic aspects helped the company to get strong faithfulness of millions of employees during the long 120 years since the Company was founded by Thomas Edison. Jeffrey Immelt managed the whole company in a well-known style that has been very legendary till now. In 2000 to till now, when GE passed away correspondingly, along with the obituary wordings it was noted by writers, that the founders legacy was not the reason for the huge growth of GE-but it was the one and only GE Way. But after the merger of GE with ITT Corporation,Ling-Temco-Vought,Tenneco, the things misrepresented upside down. Former GE people like former dissection heads, managers, engineers, and all the employees says about the GE Way as something special. General Electric usually visited the corporation halls, interrelate with community and staff about their projects, their troubles etc. They keep in mind that at time everybody valued everybody else. The actual issues started when John Francis Welch Jr, was hired from outside as GEs Chairman and CEO. He stuck hard to the productivity of the company. A background of fear started among the staffs which never be real before. The main complaints against him were valuing money more than people, maltreatment lay-offs and creating a culture which is inequitable to the staffs. His intentions didnt match with GEs visions. They saw revenue only as a bludgeon to achieve other objectives which are given equal value. The other objectives include welfare of the employees, customers etc. The above case was all about GE Way. It is a across the world held opinion that GE Way played a critical role in Companys achievement. Critics may say that to support an excellent corporate civilization, the company should be at its superior times. But people of GE who have experienced GE Way will never agree this because GEs most struggling times were also the times when GE Way was established at its best. [http://www.paloaltoonline.com] 1) The contribution, motivation, rewards and roles of individuals within these groups and teams According to Stephen P. Robbins, motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned by the efforts ability to satisfy some individual need. Fred Luthans views motivation as a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behavior or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive. Each and every function of life is accompanied with one or other type of motivation. There are two main kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Internal motivation is known as intrinsic motivation. When external factors compel the person to do something, then it is extrinsic motivation. [http://www.elmotivator.com/] [http://www.mbatown.com] Elton Mayo has the opinion that a employee having societal links at the place of work will be motivated more. Mayo believed that employees can also be motivated by acknowledging their social needs and making them feel important among others. This is what is done by General Electric in the case of GE Way. The employees who have skilled the actual GE Way says that everyone is valued by everybody else which means all the employees are given significance and also the opportunity to articulate their thoughts and views. Employees were given liberty to make decisions on the work and superior concentration was paid to relaxed work groups. This model is named as Hawthorne effect by Elton Mayo. [http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles] [http://ezinearticles.com/] In the case study, General Electric were very victorious in inspiring their employees by simply being down to earth. They never forget to visit their employees, to interact with them and to know their troubles and also to find answers. From all these illustration we can say motivation is what propels life. In everything we do motivation plays a major role. To care about output, learning, means, employment, achievement, victory, breakdown, etc motivation should be there An example for motivation, in management and organizational behavior: Example: Under-performing of employees which resulted in performance outcome A unexpected collapse in the profits was experienced by Company A. The companys management executive found out that this returns fall is as a result of under-performing of their employees. The performance of the employees was extremely much under the expectations of the management. This resulted in a rapid action from the companys part by firing about 6 employees and a new batch of people was hired. The company unsuccessful to understand in an earlier stage that the managers incapability was the basis cause of under-performance of the employees. The manager unsuccessful to provide them safer working conditions and this de-motivated the employees which resulted in decrease of productivity. This incident really opened their eyes which made them to execute strategies which help the company as well as employees to come from Under performance era. [http://www.org-behavior.com] The motivation process is demonstrated through several theories. They are as follows: Need-based theories: Need based theories include Maslows need hierarchy, McGregors Theory X and Theory, Herzbergs two-factor theory, Alderfers ERG theory and McClellands need theory Process based theories include Expectancy theory, Goal-setting theory, Reinforcement theory, Attribution theory Individual-organizational goal-congruence theories consists of Exchange, Accommodation, Socialization, Identification Maslows Need Hierarchy is all about a hierarchy of five basic needs which includes Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, shelter etc. Safety needs: security and protection from physical and emotional harm, Social needs: affection, belongingness, love, acceptance, and friendship, Esteem needs: internal esteem and external esteem, Needs for self-actualization: the drive to best realize ones potential. Alderfers ERG theory talks about three types of needs-Existence needs consisting of physiological and safety needs, Relatedness needs including the desire for maintaining important interpersonal relationships: social needs, and the external components of the esteem needs and Growth needs: an intrinsic desire for personal development: the intrinsic component of esteem, and self-actualization. McGregors theory X and theory Y Theory X has the assumption that employees dont like work, and they are lazy, not willing to take responsibility, and not motivated. Theory Y has the assumptions that employees like work, are creative, responsibilities seekers, and are self motivated. Herbergs two-factor theory talks about two contrasting views of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and it also talks about two factors-motivational factors and hygiene factors. McClellands Need Theory deals with the need for achievement. In other words it talks about a drive to excel, to set a higher goal, to seek higher responsibility, and to strive to succeed. All these theories more or less deals with what all factors create motivation in people and also the influence of motivation in an business. In the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE), earlier the company was very good in mounting employee morale and thereby improving the efficiency of the operations of the company. But after the merger, the things totally fell upside down. The new top level authorities intense only on the profitability and not on the employee morale. This paved the way for dissatisfaction in employees which negatively affected the productivity of the company. Reward system consists of financial rewards and employee benefits, which is collectively known as total remuneration. They also include non-monetary rewards such as appreciation, promotion, praise, achievement, responsibility and personal growth. Recent studies and researches on reward system shows that reward criteria of the organizations, both monetary and non-monetary rewards have great influence on the employees and performance and the performance of the employees. As an answer to the question, why reward system is required, we can find out a number of reasons like it can improve organizational effectiveness, it is capable of achieving integration, motivate the employees, compete in the labor market, increased commitment towards work, it can attract employees having fair and improved skills, improved quality, develop team working. Singh et.al. (1977) in a study of organizational culture and its impact onmanagerial remuneration concluded that the demands for money was significantly influenced by the quality of organizational culture and that it can substantially be reduced by improving the quality of organizational culture. Findings such as those suggest that satisfaction, task involvement, demand for money and commitment are largely determined by organizational culture. Steve Williams and Fred Luthans (1992) stated that, the choice of reward interacting with feedback had a positive impact on task performance. According to Theodore R. Buyniski (1995),Despite the tendency in recent years to down grade the importance of money as an organizational reward, there is ample evidence that money can be positively reinforcing for most people. Teams are also important in an organizational context because it bring together people with different skills and experiences that enable the organization to quickly respond to innovation, changes in the business environment, and changes in the customers need faster and more effectively. Teams also solve problems quicker because of increased communication (Katzenbach Smith, 1999). The positions that are defined by a set of expectations about behavior of any job incumbent are termed as Roles. A set of tasks and responsibilities that may or may not be spelled out is accompanied with each and every role. Since money is being paid for the performance of the roles, there is prestige attached to a role, and a sense of accomplishment or challenge, roles have a powerful effect on behavior. In the context of the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), even though reward plays a vital role, the morale of the employees was more affected by changes in the psychological environment of the organization and also sudden change in the culture of the organization. As they were practicing a different culture of informality, they find it difficult to a survive the new environment which is so formal and which gave no importance to their opinions. When an organization gives importance to the views and opinions of employees, they feel it better to work in such conditions because it is human nature to wish to be recognized. Better performance will be the result if the individuals are given some roles to perform. [http://www.indianmba.com] [Steve Williams Fred Luthans (1992), The Impact of Choice of Rewards and Feed Back on Task Performance, Journal Of organizational Behavior. Vol. 13, P: 653-666] [Katzenbach, J.R. Smith, D.K. (1999). The Wisdom Of Teams. New York: HarperBusinees] [http://www.nwlink.com] (b) Management and leadership relating to both groups and teams Alan Keith stated that, Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. Tom DeMarco says that leadership needs to be distinguished from posturing. Northouse says that leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Mary Parker Follett defined management as the art of getting things done through people. Setting a new direction or vision for a group to accomplish the objectives of that group is known as leadership. But management is the controlling body or directing body of people and resources available in a group according to already established values. Even the terms management and leadership are often confused, they are actually different, but interrelated. The GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) Way dealt with the legendary management style of two leaders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard who through their leadership skills and qualities, developed the organization as a single f amily giving respect to each other. It is evident from the growth of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) that they were very successful in managing the people. Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus (1997) said leadership is like the Abominable Snowman, whose footprints are everywhere but who is nowhere to be seen. Leadership is everywhere but no one seems to be able to determine or figure out what makes up good leadership. It has been discussed by Bass in his book a study by H.L. Smith and Krueger (1933) in which they researched various primitive cultures around the world and finally reached a conclusion that leadership exists among all people, regardless of their culture, race or beliefs. Even though if societies do not have established or elected leaders, chiefs, or rulers, someone always exists who initiates a process and plays a critical role in the decision making process of a group (Bass, 1990). Hewlett and Packard found out that leadership qualities are lying hidden in each and every individual and thus they developed a culture of respecting each other developing a sense of integrity in the organization. According to Hollander, leadership is a process that involves three main components. One is the leader, the second is the employees, and the third is the culture of the organization. If the relationship between these three components is not compatible then in a long term perspective leadership will fail and so will the team. The first component of leadership is the leader. A leader must possess certain beliefs, perceptions, characteristics, and skills for good leadership to occur in teams. A leader must hold the Wallenda factor closely. The Wallenda factor is the ability to only think about succeeding, and concentrating on the task at hand and not even thinking about failing. The Wallenda factor was named after a famous tightrope walker Karl Wallenda who fell to his death. Karl Wallenda was preparing for his most challenging stunt of his life. But what he could think for 3 months before stunt was about failing, instead of working hard for the stunt. Checking and supervising the const ruction of his rope, he has never done it before and due to the thoughts of failing he checked it for the first time. (Bennis Nanus, 1997). The willingness to share power and control with the team should be a quality of the leader. Acting like a traditional boss is not good for a leader; he should be like a player or coach to the team. As already seen in the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), leaders must be there for support and encourage employees to solve problems on their own. Hewlett and Packard were typical leaders in the sense that they regularly visited company halls to interact with people and to solve their problems. GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) Way, as the employees feel was a life and the leaders were like colleagues not bosses. They treat employees like equals and there were nothing that could be communicated only to managers and not to employees. [http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk] [Bass, M.B. (1990). Bass Stogdills Handbook of Leadership. New York, NY: The Free Press] [Bennis, W. Nanus, B. (1997).Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. New York, NY: HarperCollins] [www.sagepub.com] [Hollander, E.P. (1978). Leadership Dynamics. New York: The Free Press] RESOURCES QUANTITY GOALS OBJECTIVES SCHEDULE QUALITY Boundary Management Chart Harvey Robbins created a chart that helps leaders and the team members to know their boundaries specifically. This chart is having goals and objectives in the middle box, resources in the box above it and quality in the box below it. The quantity box is to the left of goals and objectives and to the right is the schedule box. When a team member becomes more skilled the leader will put his or her name in one of the boxes and then that team member will be responsible for that job. The other boxes deal with being in charge of the quality of the product produced, the quantity of the product produced, and in charge of the resources used to produce the product. Other responsibilities assigned to other employees could be added to the chart if needed. The only box, according to Harvey Robbins, that is not negotiable is the center box: goals and objectives. Leaders are not ready to completely give up control of goals and objectives because they must make sure the team members goals and objectives are matching with the organizations goals and objectives. But the team members will be given the opportunity to involve in decision-making (H. Robbins, personal communication, September 15, 1999) An important element of good leadership is trust. Trust can be earned through many ways. In case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), one way of creating trust was sharing of information and access to upward communication. A second was allowing team members to take risks without fear of punishment. Instead of firing or giving punishments the culture in GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) was to give reassignments of jobs from which they can learn their mistakes. c) Group structures, goals and objectives. The group structures are important since it plays a vital role in determining the productivity of a group. A group can do better than the collective effect of employees working independently. A successful group leader can lead a group to success. Different organizations structure their groups differently based on their goals and objectives. Groups should not be over crowded with skilled people, at the same time should not lack skills and talents. A group lacking skilled personnel may fail to achieve the said objectives. Goals and objectives provide the team members with the means of doing an act, and the end result will be their successful accomplishment. The groups goals, work plans, procedures, resources etc should be successfully arranged to get good results. When the work is carried out in well managed groups, the groups will enjoy operational and managerial freedom, which can increase their satisfaction towards work. The members of the group should be aware of his/her contribution towards the group and it is being valued, each individual starts viewing the group as an attractive entity. Well managed group structures enable the employees to work in co-operation. The statements that describe about the vision to be accomplished, or the results of any action that will be achieved in the future are known as goals and objectives. Goals provide a wide context of what the vision is and what is it trying to achieve. Objectives are more statements that describe in a narrow context i.e. specific, tangible products, deliverables and fruits that will be delivered as a result of the action. Compared to objectives goals are high level statements. Goals may include more than one objective to achieve since it is at a higher level. To be more precise, achievement of many objectives may result in the accomplishment of a goal. Generally goals cannot be measured. Goals are defined as long-term aims, in which validation is possible in the future while objective accomplishment is a step by step process and can lead to the successful accomplishment of a goal. What the action is trying to achieve is what that matters in objectives. The objectives are concrete statements which should be written at a lower level. Then only it will be possible to evaluate at the conclusion of a goal to check whether it was achieved or not. Compared to goal statements, objectives should not be vague. An excellent objective will be specific, measurable, attainable/achievable, realistic and time-bound. Even though goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, there is a main difference in their level of concreteness. Goals are less structured compared to objectives which are more concrete. In the case study Hewlett and Packard were having clear cut objectives and goals which never hampered the satisfaction of the employees and customers. They considered profitability as a tool to enable other objectives which are equally important to them. But the problems started when the management failed to align the objectives of the organization and the objectives of the employees together. [http://books.google.co.in/books] [www.askscs.com] [www.articlesnatch.com] CONCLUSION Organizational behavior is so important because it studies or investigates about the impact of individuals and groups on behavior within organizations and it is used for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving the effectiveness of the organization. Organizational behavior provides the managers and leaders of the organization, the way through which they should travel and also make their employees travel to achieve organizational goals and objectives. For managers to build up a better work related understanding of themselves and their followers it is important to learn about organizational behavior in todays business environment. As the definition says, a manager has to get his things done through others; the organizational skills become a valuable talent or asset for him. The role of the managers has become more sensitive due to the changing nature of todays business environment. It is now essential to be familiar with handling new work forces, dealing with the complication of new environment and so on. For this, business people have to develop their information about attitude and behavior of individuals, and groups in organizations. In any organization or company, motivation and communication are two important elements in determining the success of the company. Based on motivation itself many theories have been developed to study behavior and characteristics of employees. The internal theory focuses on the differences within the individual that give rise to motivation and behavior. There are also theories about relation between personal needs or desires and organizational needs. The process theory focuses on the relationship of the employees with the company. The external theories focus on the various components in the environment making it a basis explanation of the behavior of the employees at work. Communication is the so important since it is the basis of all activities and it is used by all the employees regardless of their position whether upper or lower for informing about what is going on in the organization or company. An important motivating factor for employees is harmonious relationship in Maslows th eory, which is a type of affiliation. The prior position in determining the satisfaction of the employees is occupied by working environment of the company. The employees when given roles to perform and rewards for their performance can perform better. This is the reason for many companies setting up teams to work and develops a healthy competition among the teams. Management and leadership also play an important role in the ultimate success of the company. Both these terms are essential because one without the other will make the operations of the business incomplete. Leaders can make sure that the team possesses clearly defined goals that match with the overall vision, goals and objectives of the company. Leaders and managers are concerned with effectiveness which will be reflected in the companys operations. Conclusively, OB can create an environment having happy moments of bonding together that can make each employee more intact that can help to maintain teamwork.

Computer Games and Artificial Intelligence :: Video Game AI

Computer Games and Artificial Intelligence Abstract Computer games provide a challenge for mankind. A way to demonstrate his mastery over the concept of intelligence and yet a way to test that mastery. It is through a continual need to improve the artificial intelligence in computer games that man also finds a way to examine his own creativity, to reach beyond what is possible and improve himself. Developments in the artificial intelligence of computer games have shown remarkable improvement as new genres of games have been created with new advances in the technology. Newer more complex and adaptable games demonstrate an increased understanding of intelligence and furnish entertaining benchmarks of our own ability. Introduction The idea of artificial intelligence is a daunting notion. That the very thing that distinguishes humanity from all other living beings, intelligence, is reproducible even improved upon presents a certain challenge to mankind: is artificial intelligence superior to human intelligence? To avoid the philosophical chicken-and-egg argument, man has created an ingenious way to test AI: games. What were once mere entertaining diversions, computer games have become a forum for man to pit his intelligence against an artificially intelligent computer program in an attempt to validate his own self worth. Such challenges provide not only a means of entertainment but also a path to self-improvement. Consider the controversy regarding the recent victory of IBM's Deep Blue over world chess champion Gary Kasparov. Headlines relating the story typically questioned the preeminence of human intelligence in favor of the artificial intelligence represented by Deep Blue. Now more than ever, the challenge presented by computer games and artificial intelligence has created a need. This need can only be met by tests provided by engaging, creative, and intelligent computer games. This has spurred an entire industry, which accounts for billions of dollars every year. The wide-scale development of computer games continues in a variety of formats: simulation games, action/adventure games, interactive 3D games, fighting games, and others. These are all ways for man to test not only his creativity but also his own intelligence and ability to improve himself. Computer Games Early computer games required mere physical reaction and not much intelligence as game programmers struggled to develop more realistic games that would provide an environment for more complex interaction. With this aside, the advent of modern computer games required game designers to develop programs that would simulate human behavior. Simulation, thus, while not representative of original thought, is a necessary place to start in order to examine the development of computer game intelligence.

Database Design

5. 1:DEFINITION OF DATABASE A database is a shared collection of interrelated data designed to meet the varied information needs an organization. A database has two important properties that it is integrated that it is shared. 5. 2: IMPORTANCE OF DATABASE The data resources of organization and its management are very important. The recognition by management that data or information is indeed a resource is a recent development. Information, which in essence is analysis and synthesis of data, will unquestionably be one of the most vital of corporate resources. It will be structured into models for planning and decision-making.It will integrate into product design and marketing methods. In other words information will be recognized and treated as an assets. By integrated mean that previously distinct data files have been logically organized to eliminate redundancy and the facilitate data access. By shared mean that all authorized users in the organization have access to the same data to use for variety of other activities. 5. 3: BENEFITS OF THE DATABASE APPROACH The database approach offers number of important advantages. 5. 3. 1:Minimal Data Redundancy There is not as much storing of multiple copies of the data as in manual system.Database Management System and DataIt is designed into the system improve performance and the system is aware of the redundancy. 5. 3. 2:Consistency of Data By eliminating or controlling redundancy in the database approach, it greatly reduce the approach, it greatly reduce the opportunities for inconsistency. When controlled redundancy is permitted in the database, the database system itself should enforce consistency by updating each occurrence of data item when change occurs. 5. 3. 3:Integration of Data Database data are organized into a single logical structure with logical relationship defined between associated data entities.In this way user can easily relate one item of data to another related item. 5. 3. 4:Sharing of Data A datab ase in intended to be share by authorized users in the organization. Most database system today permits multiple users to share a database co-currently; each functional department can access this data by using their own views of that database. 5. 3. 5:Enforcement of Standard Establishing the data administration function is an important role in the database approach. This organizational function has authority for defining and enforcing data standards.The database administrator will approve all data names, formats and data usage throughout the organization. 5. 3. 6:Data Accessibility & Data Responsiveness A database system provides multiple retrieval paths to each item of data giving a much greater flexibility in locating and retrieving data to user. 5. 3. 7:Reduced Program Maintenance A database system data are independent of the application programs that use them within limits. Either the data or the application programs that use the data can be hanged without necessitating a change in other factor. As a result program maintenance can be significantly reduced in a database environment.