Opportunities of Graduates in the Educational Field Assignment

Opportunities of Graduates in the Educational Field - Assignment Example Just like other graduate of my era, I also have an ambition of life. Starting from university days, I always wanted to be a college or elementary level teacher. By the blessing of God, I got several opportunities to serve in different schools and now looking for a respectable teaching position in some highly reputable organizations to stay in touch with this field as a professional. The teaching and education field has a variety of opportunities for fresh graduates not only within country but even across the cultures. 1.2 Terms of Reference This report elaborates the opportunities of graduates in the educational field. 1.3 Methodology The report reveals that educational and teaching networks are growing throughout the world and provide attractive opportunities to the skilled and capable graduates. In order to highlight the career opportunities for graduates in teaching line, different renowned setups of Beacon House School System and City School System were visited. Further research reports, interviews and statistics were collected through different websites to prepare this report. It includes the interviews of heads of BHSS (Beacon House School System) and CSS (City School System), the newspaper reports, survey reports of NACE and Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-11. 1.4 Findings 1.4.1 General Employment Trends. Despite of global recession, still the education market shows continues improvements for college graduates. The latest hiring index of NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) illustrates that the improvement trend has increased from 87.2 in November, 2009 to 127.7 in next 12 months. Similarly the data indicates that unemployment trends in college graduates have declined from 8.8% to 8.6% (http://www.naceweb.org). 1.4.2 Recent and Future Trends. By 2018, almost 15% increasing trend is estimated for college and university teachers. This trend is faster than the average trend of all other occupations. The major cause behind this growth is the enrollment rate of students in higher studies in the upcoming years. U.S. News and World Report has declared that teaching profession will keep a higher ranking among best 50 careers in 2011 (http://money.usnews.com). Large numbers of academic experts and teachers are expected to retire over the next decade; therefore, positions for part-time educators will grow further and become ever more competitive. 1.4.3 Remuneration. Latest statistics indicate that average annual earning of graduate level teachers is about $58,830. The instructors or teachers of lowest working grade are even getting more than 28000 dollars per annum while the highest paying teachers are getting more than 120,000 dollars.

Explain the events and circumstances that led to the construction of Research Paper

Explain the events and circumstances that led to the construction of the Berlin Wall - Research Paper Example Approximately 2.5 million people had migrated to West Berlin since the year 1949. The wall was hence constructed mainly to stop the migration from GDR (German Democratic Republic). The Berliners woke up on August 13 only to find themselves alienated from family, work, friends, and even homes. In the weeks and months which followed the barrier got strengthened with guard towers and concrete walls. The entire wall comprised of a concrete section of 66 miles and a height of 3.6 meters. It also had 41 more miles of a barbed wire fence and over 300 manned watch towers. The wall did not just passed through the city center but it circled West Berlin completely which was encircled by GDR communist (Sky news par.2). The document below analyzes the events as well as circumstances that contributed to the construction of the berlin wall. There several circumstances and events that took place prior to the construction of the berlin wall which contributed to its construction. These events which gave rise to the construction of the Berlin wall started in the Second World War. The Nazi Germany was allied originally with the communist Russia against the United States, Britain and France that were also allied. Adolf Hitler, however, violated his treaty with Josef Stalin, the Russian ruler, and invaded Russia. This pushed the soviets into an uncomfortable alliance with other allies. The soviets, however, had varying ideologies with its allies even though they were on the same side in the battle field. The Soviet Union could be referred as a communist nation. This was a system whereby the individual rights were subverted for the nation’s benefit. It was a totalitarian system as well that meant that the government was in control of everything and no elections that were held. Germany finally surrendered the war in the year 1945 while Hitler had just killed

Coming Of Age In Mississippi History Essay

Coming Of Age In Mississippi History Essay 1) In the autobiography of Anne Moody, she had joined two major groups for the rights of the colored people, the NAACP and the SNNC. She had thought about joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, but she never did until she found out one of her roommates at Tougaloo college was the secretary. Once she went to a meeting, she became actively involved. She was always participating in various freedom marches, would go out into the community to get black people to register to vote. She always seemed to be working on getting support from the black community sometimes to exhaustion. Anne started hanging out with other students who were also fighting for black rights, and soon she became an active member of the SNCC. Through these organizations, Anne had become actively involved in the civil rights movement. She soon realized, though, that there were a lot of preconditions that were needed to achieve significant social change in the black community. Many of the projects Anne worked on, lacked support from the black community. Many black people tended to ignore the efforts of the SNCC because they were afraid of change. It took a lot of work to convince the black community to support the various projects the young people of SNCC were doing. An example of a project that the black community supported extensively was Freedom Summer. This project would not have been successful if the black community did not support this. The Freedom Summer project proved to be a success because the black community went out and vote. Throughout her book, Anne Moody talked a lot about the difference between older and younger black people because the younger generation was the ones that were actively involved in the civil rights movement. The role the federal government had during the civil rights movement did not always help black people achieve their rights. The first major break for civil rights came in the Supreme Court case Brown versus the Board of Education. The ruling that segregation was unconstitutional seemed like a major break through for the black community. Anne Moody was very optimistic about the desegregation cases. She always tested the Supreme Court decision of Brown versus the Board of Education numerous times by doing sit-ins and freedom marches. She was determined to fight for her rights, despite numerous threats against her life. When Kennedy was assassinated, she was devastated. Anne really thought that Kennedy was the answer that she and other members of SNCC were waiting for. After exhausti ve work, Anne concludes that the movement has not improved the lives of people in Mississippi. It has focused too much on voter registration and even political theater, such as the Freedom Vote, a mock vote intended to protest disenfranchisement of blacks. Instead, Anne wants the movement to focus on economic issues, such as helping black farmers buy their own land. At the end of her memoir, twenty-three-year-old Anne is getting on a bus to Washington. The bus is filled with volunteers who all seem far more high-spirited and younger than she. As they sing Anne wonders if blacks will ever really overcome racism. http://www.customessaymeister.com /customessays/Civil%20Rights /7653.htm Coming of Age in Mississippi Anne Moody s Coming of Age in Mississippi, talked extensively about the civil rights movement that she had participated in. The civil rights movement dealt with numerous issues that many people had not agreed with. Coming of Age in Mississippi gave the reader a first hand look at the efforts many people had done to gain equal rights. Anne Moody, like many other young people, joined the civil rights movement because they wanted to make a difference in their state. They wanted their freedom and the same rights as the white people had. Many other young people joined the civil rights movement because they felt that a change was needed in the way black people were treated. They felt that this change would not come if they did not join the civil rights movement. Anne Moody was a strong believer of black rights and felt that it was important for her to help black people fight for equal rights. These civil rights workers felt that their freedom would only come if most of the black community supported the efforts of the civil rights workers. Anne Moody, and other young people, thought that the only way that they would get equal rights for black people was to prove that they really wanted them. These civil rights workers, for example, showed that they really did care by joining various civil rights organizations and engagi ng in Freedom Marches. These Freedom marches were very organized, and they occurred all over the United States, which proved that black people wanted the same rights as the white people had. Anne Moody, and many other young people, joined the civil rights movement because they felt a change was needed and that it was their duty to fight for equal rights. Anne Moody had thought about joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), but she never did until she found out one of her roommates at Tougaloo college was the secretary. Her roommate asked, why don t you become a member (248), so Anne did. Once she went to a meeting, she became actively involved. She was always participating in various freedom marches, would go out into the community to get black people to register to vote. She always seemed to be working on getting support from the black community, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. Son after she joined the NAACP, she met a girl that was the secretary to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Anne started hanging out with other students who were also fighting for black rights, and soon she became an active member of the SNCC. Through these organizations, Anne had become actively involved in the civil rights movement. She soon realized, though, that there were a lot of preconditi ons that were needed to achieve significant social change in the black community. Many of the projects Anne worked on, lacked support from the black community. She did not realize how much she would be harassed by the white people because she was fighting the rights of black people. The main preconditions for social change in the 1950s and 1960s, was getting the black community to support the various projects SNCC and the NAACP were working on. The black people they were fighting for did not always like the projects that Anne, and the other young people in SNCC, had been doing. Many black people tended to ignore the efforts of the SNCC because they were afraid of change. It took a lot of work to convince the black community to support the various projects the young people of SNCC were doing. An example of a project that the black community supported extensively, was Freedom Summer. This project would not have been successful if the black community did not support this. The Freedom S ummer project proved to be a success because the black community went out and voted. This proved to the federal government, that black people were interested in gaining voting rights. Anne Moody had thought about joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), but she never did until she found out one of her roommates at Tougaloo college was the secretary. Throughout her book, Anne Moody talked a lot about the difference between older and younger black people. She mentioned this difference extensively because it was mainly the younger generation that joined the civil rights movement. The older generation of black people did not participate in the civil rights movement not because they were not uninterested, but because they were afraid of what might have happened to them if they achieved equal rights. The older black people wanted the same rights as the white people had, but many of these people were brought up thinking they could not change their status. To them segregation was the way they were supposed to live their lives. Another reason why younger people joined the civil rights movement was because they did not have as much to lose as the older blacks did. Many of the older black people had a family to raise, and they needed to support their family financially, so therefore they could not afford to risk their lives, and the lives of their families. They were afraid to come out and participate in various civil rights activities because there were numerous black people that had been fired for participating in the voter registration drive. The older blacks did not want to risk everything to get the same rights as the white people had, so they decided not to participate. Most of people that joined the civil rights movement were students because they felt that a change was needed, and they had plenty to time to devote to the civil rights movement. They felt that it was their duty to fight for equal rights for all Black Americans. Throughout her book, Anne Moody talked a lot about the difference between older and younger black people because the younger generation was the ones that were actively involved in the civil rights movement. The role the federal government had during the civil rights movement did not always help black people achieve their rights. The first major break for civil rights came in the Supreme Court case Brown versus the Board of Education. The ruling that segregation was unconstitutional seemed like a major break through for the black community. The only problem with this decision, was that Chief Justice Marshall said that desegregation should happen with all deliberate speed instead of immediately. Many southern states did not voluntarily desegregate their schools, but this seemed to only be a minor set back for the civil rights leaders. In 1955, many congressional representatives and senators passed the Southern Manifesto, which said that the Supreme Court decision of Brown versus the Board of Education was unconstitutional. Numerous freedom marches were held all around the country, and in Washington, D.C. These marches were held to try to get the government to hear them, but the government ignored them. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed ending segregation. It also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that prevented discrimination in the workplace. Anne Moody was very optimistic about the desegregation cases. She always tested the Supreme Court decision of Brown versus the Board of Education numerous times by doing sit-ins and freedom marches. She was determined to fight for her rights, despite numerous threats against her life. When Kennedy was assassinated, she was devastated. Anne really thought that Kennedy was the answer that she and other members of SNCC were waiting for. She walked around in a daze wondering what would happen next. Governmental leaders were essential during the civil rights movement. Without the help of government officials, black people would not have had the same rights they have today. Anne Moody s Coming of Age in Mississippi, talked extensively about the civil rights movement that she had participated in. The civil rights movement proved successful in achieving equal rights for Black Americans, despite strong opposition. Black Americans got equal rights because of the untiring efforts young people, like Anne Moody, had. Without the efforts of these young people, the role of Black Americans in society may have been different today. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/comingofage/summary.html Plot Summary: Conclusion After exhaustive work, Anne concludes that the movement has not improved the lives of people in Mississippi. It has focused too much on voter registration and even political theater, such as the Freedom Vote, a mock vote intended to protest disenfranchisement of blacks. Instead, Anne wants the movement to focus on economic issues, such as helping black farmers buy their own land. At the end of her memoir, twenty-three-year-old Anne is getting on a bus to Washington. The bus is filled with volunteers who all seem far more exuberant and younger than she. As they sing à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"We Shall Overcome,à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  Anne wonders if blacks will ever really overcome racism.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

The character I chose to do my essay on from the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; is Tom. If I had to pick three words of the top of my head that best describes him those words would be: fanciful, trickster, and adventurous.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason I chose fanciful is because; Tom reads a lot of fiction books and books about fantasy. Whatever he reads he tries to live out in real life. Since Tom reads fiction and fantasy books he lives by the laws of fantasy not reality. He also told Jim that he had to have a coat of arms before he gets out the shack. Tom said in all books the person escaping always left behind a coat of arms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason that I chose trickster for my second choice is because he showed examples through out the whole book of being a trickster, like when he snuck out the house with Huck and looked into the window and saw Jim sleeping so Tom decided to go in the house and take of his hat and hang it on the tree outside. So Jim thought that witches did it. Also when Jim was locked in the cabin and Tom knew that he was free but he didn’t let Jim know and made Jim think he wasn’t free and somehow they were going to have to break him out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last word I chose was adventurous the reason I chose adventurous was because all Tom had to do was steal the key and get Jim out but he said it was to easy and to boring he wanted it to be harder. Also Tom was willing to dig Jim out with spoons even it took weeks and years. The last thing that showed me he loved adventures

Unemployment and America

Unemployment Rates Daniel Park March 28, 2013 America continues to have a high unemployment rate that causes many Americans to move out of homes, while South Korea has of the lowest unemployment rate. The U. S. has struggled with continuous rise of employment rates since 2008. The main focus to the issue is creating jobs. America believed that creating jobs would be able to help the economy because people would be able to get jobs. So the government tried to add as many jobs they would be able to create. The government even created bills to help people find work so that they would not be unemployed.Although an abundant amount of citizens found jobs, it was not easy to lower the unemployment rate. Many of Americans citizens are mental or disable and it is difficult for them to find a job that treats them equally. This is an issue out of many other troubles that are the reason for high unemployment in the United States. America needs to be able to help and support the creation og jobs because America has one of the highest unemployment rates. Unemployment is important in the US because people are forced to move out of homes.The Great recession has caused people to move to a lesser home instead of going to get a bigger house or for a high-paying job. Before the economy crashed, 41. 3% moved locally to own a home or settle in a better neighborhood. But during the recession; only 30. 4% moved for those reasons. The percentage of people who moved to settle in a better neighborhood or moved locally to own a home was less than half the population. But the Great Recession caused an 8. 7% difference between the people who moved for their benefit. Roderick Harrison, a demographer at Howard University in Washington D.C. said it is going to be year before African-Americans return to their pre-recession trajectory. He said this because unemployment and foreclosure rates are higher among blacks than whites. The different unemployment rates vary by ethnic group, which makes on e ethnic group to get jobs because of an abundant amount of people are trying to get work. During the 2007-09 recession, 9% of Americans (which is about 4 million) and more moved to cheaper housing or doubled up with family and friends according to an 2013 analysis. The US fails to address the unemployment issue because hile they try to cut government spending, jobs are cut too. Between 2008 and 2009, there a sharp rise of the unemployment rates, 8,924,000 to 14,265,000. The government has cut 719,000 jobs since President Barack Obama took office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. During Obama’s office during 2008, there was a sharp rise of the unemployment rates from 5. 8% to 10. 2% during the years of 2008 to 2013. There are job losses even though the goal for the government was to create them. The unemployment rate hits 10. 2% which is the highest in 26 years and reaching double digits for the first time in 26 years.The sharp rise in unemployment caused to lose 190,000 net jobs which intensified pressure on the Obama administration to show results from the $787 billion package of spending unleashed early this year to spur the economy. South Korea is able to do a better job than America because South Korea uses a system called â€Å"chaebol† that was able to help South Korea during the global financial crisis and help people with disabilities. For people with disabilities have less minimum wage, even though America’s policy for employment said it would give â€Å"special† employment wage.South Korea on the other hand gives many benefits for people with disabilities. South Korea has a system called Chaebol (jaebol in Korean) which is a cluster of many companies around one parent company. The companies usually hold shares in each other and are often run by one family. The system was able to help South Korea during the global financial crisis and recovered faster than any other rich country. South Korea laid great store by education and hard work and South Korea meets above the standard rankings in Math and science; while America is below average.America is ranked 17 in the developed world of education. While South Korea tops the list of the top 40 education countries. South Korea does not have a high rate of birth like America which allows South Korea not to create many schools like America. South Korea spends about $1,000 dollars per student while the US spends about $5,000 per student. South Korea is considered a country where they spend a small amount of money but have high achievements with other countries such as Hong Kong. America on the other hand is a high spender but has low achievements.South Korea is able to do well because of three reasons, one is that they have a better education system, two they are hard workers, and three they use the chaebol system. South Korea believes that teachers should have great respect among their students. This is one example that America should do because a respected teacher helps ensure a good education. The US must create better education, reword the employment policy to be able to help people that have disabilities, and help lower the crime rates.America needs to put 2,220 hours of work a year because that’s how South Koreans lay great store by education and hard work. South Korea develop types of occupations suitable for their employment, expand opportunities for vocational skills development, provide employment information and take other necessary measures for the aged, the disabled, and etc. But America only gives special minimum wages for disable people; the thing is that many people who are disabled are not getting jobs. It is said that South Korea has a low crime rate, which means that many people have jobs or an education.But America has a high crime rate which means many people did not get the proper education or could not get a job. It is said that having high unemployment could increase crime motivation, and most ca ses have similar patterns such as burglary, larceny, and motor theft. South Korea has a low crime rate, and most cases are usually assault. There are rarely cases which involves burglary and theft. So America needs to give better education in order for employment rates to go high and crime rates down.South Korea does not need to worry so much in the police department because of not too many crimes that involve burglary and motor theft. South Korea can use statistics that show since they have a very good education system, committing crime is the least of their worries. On the other hand, America knows it needs to step it up to decrease the unemployment rate. In order for that to happen, America need to have better education so that it can ensure that people will have jobs or even create because they have the education they need.Change is possible but America would really need to take big leap in education but also towards to create jobs. But creating jobs might not be that helpful be cause even though America adds more jobs, it does not lower the employment rate by a high margin. In July 2012, Labor Department statistics show the US economy added 80,000 jobs, a figure below economists’ modest expectations of 90,000 jobs and the fourth in a row of underperforming employment growth. The issue is America is already falling behind employment rates compared to other countries.The unemployment rate is decreasing very slowly but it will not be enough to take the economy back on track. Education plays a big role considering how people will get jobs. South Korea has one of the top education systems which may guarantee a job in the future. America will need to increase their education system in order to improve children’s future for the better of America. From the continuing pattern of issues for American citizens, they are forced to cope with the struggles of getting a job and receive little help from the government.During the past 5 years, the unemployment rate went up which affected the citizens. When the government created more jobs, the amount of work produced were below what the economists expected. America needs to improve their education so that it may improve the chance for people to get jobs. South Korea was able to be recognized by the world because of their great education system and their low unemployment rate. America needs to realize that they need to stop with the rising unemployment and start giving the citizens the jobs in order to take America towards a greater future.References â€Å"Americans on the move start moving down, not up,† USA Today, February 20, 2013. Blank, Rebecca et al. , eds. , â€Å"Statistical Abstract of the United State: 2012†: U. S. Department of Commerce (Washington D. C. : Government printing office), 2012. Goodman, Peter S. , â€Å"Unemployment Rate Hits 10. 2%, Highest in 26 Years,† New York Times, November 6, 2009. Kamalick, Joe, â€Å"US at tipping point,† ICIS C hemical Business, July 16, 2012. Kavoussi, Bonnie, â€Å"Government Fails To tackle Unemployment, As sequestration Looms,† Huffington Post, February 1, 2013.People with Disabilities, AngloNFO, 2000-2013. Phillips, Julie, and Land, Kenneth, â€Å"The link between unemployment and crime rate fluctuations: An analysis at the county, state, and national levels,† Social Science Research, no. 41 (May 2012): http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=4&sid=b487b940-219c-4323-8f76-1b6bb64785b4%40sessionmgr4&hid=26&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=73762358( accessed March 5, 2013). What do you do when you reach the top? , SEOUL, November 12, 2011. Who is Covered, United States of Department of Labor, September, 2009. ——————————————- [ 1 ]. â€Å"Americans on the move start moving down, not up,† USA Today, February 20, 2013. [ 2 ]. â€Å"Americans on the move s tart moving down, not up,† USA Today, February 20, 2013. [ 3 ]. Blank, Rebecca et al. , eds. , â€Å"Statistical Abstract of the United State: 2012†: U. S. Department of Commerce (Washington D. C. : Government printing office), 2012. [ 4 ]. Bonnie Kavoussi, â€Å"Government Fails To Tackle Unemployment, As Sequestration Looms,† Huffington Post, February 1, 2013. [ 5 ]. Goodman, Peter S. â€Å"Unemployment Rate Hits 10. 2%, Highest in 26 Years,† New York Times, November 6, 2009. [ 6 ]. Goodman, Peter S. , â€Å"Unemployment Rate Hits 10. 2%, Highest in 26 Years,† New York Times, November 6, 2009. [ 7 ]. Who is Covered, United States of Department of Labor, September, 2009. [ 8 ]. What do you do when you reach the top? , SEOUL, November 12, 2011. [ 9 ]. Ludger Woessmann,† Why Students in some Countries Do Better,† Education matters 1, no. 2( 2001): [ 10 ]. What do you do when you reach the top? , SEOUL, November 12, 2011. 11 ]. People with Disabilities, AngloNFO, 2000-2013. [ 12 ]. Phillips, Julie, and Land, Kenneth, â€Å"The link between unemployment and crime rate fluctuations: An analysis at the county, state, and national levels,† Social Science Research, no. 41 (May 2012): http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=4&sid=b487b940-219c-4323-8f76-1b6bb64785b4%40sessionmgr4&hid=26&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=73762358( accessed March 5, 2013). [ 13 ]. Joe Kamalick, â€Å"US at tipping point,† ICIS Chemical Business, July 16, 2012.

Pakistan Elections Essay

Whilst the tenure of a democratically elected government comes to an end, political parties in Pakistan are gearing up for elections. Almost all significant parties have ruled the country one way or the other during the past five years. Perhaps, Elections 2013 are going to take place at the most critical time in the history of country. On the verge of selling their story to the public, the anti-status quo parties will have to produce a revolutionary and out of the box solutions to people’s problems, or to befool the masses yet once more. The energetic and aggressive media in its present capacity remains a major factor to influence minds. Still there is a big question mark on whether media can play their role positively and constructively. At the moment, media is the only institution which has the power to make or break the future of the country. Now when elections are just around the corner, any possible equation hinting at the postponement of elections is out of questions. Several attempts have been made and number of rumors has been floating but recent developments suggest that any such effort to derail the electoral system will not be supported by establishment. It is believed that three major factors will decide the outcome of the upcoming elections. First and foremost is an international issue, i.e. withdrawal of US and ISAF troops from Afghanistan. Three major parties (PPP, PML (N) and PTI) are on a serious quest of convincing US officials that their leadership will be the right choice to handle Afghan borders when US withdraws their troops. Two other factors will be internal but international community is keeping a close eye on it, namely economy and energy crisis. These elections will be dominated by these issues and any party who can provide solution for these problems can ultimately dominate the election results. This is slightly an idealistic statement; given the electoral process in Pakistan has its own dynamics. Yet these issues will affect the outcome of these elections a great deal. Country’s economy is severely jolted by poor economic decisions and terrorism. IMF has already declined any further assistance on economic revival. Terrorism and mismanagement of resources have coupled to shatter the economy of the country. More alarmingly, next budget is to be prepared by care taker government which is not likely present a popular budget. They will also be hesitant of making any tough decisions with little mandate. Looking for a next installment in terrorism support fund or Kerry-Lugar package will be the ultimate desire as the care taker government will not be in a position to bargain for a bail-out package from the international community. No political party has been able to assure USA that they have the most viable strategy to facilitate US exit from Afghanistan, establish peace in the region, resolution to the border issues with Afghanistan & India and controlling the growing militancy in the country. Other issues that will be of immense importance for next government include controlling the law and order situation in Karachi, de-weaponiza tion in the country, establishing the writ of state in Balochistan and FATA, a cohesive national agenda, new provinces, minimizing corruption, land reforms, farmer-friendly agricultural policy and importantly for a common man; the inflation. It will be little unfair not to discuss Tahir-ul-Qadri factor for electoral reform in these elections. Regardless of what TUQ achieved with this entire exercise, it is imperative that he certainly had an impact on pushing election commission for strict electoral reforms. All of a sudden, election commission approved rules of qualification for contesting elections and party elections etc. This is more for self-survival than for any sincere efforts for transparent elections. Elections in Pakistan have their own dynamics. This is why parties enchanting slogans of change have to get the ‘electable’ candidates in each constituency. Not only PML(N) has to embrace the once Musharraf’s supporters and PPP has to break into PML(N) and PML(Q) but a party like PTI also had to get the feudal lords, Musharraf’s supporters and infamous politicians. Fortunately for the people and unfortunately for the political parties, there has been significant awareness about electing the right candidate regardless of any party, race, prejudice, cast or other factors. In this tricky scenario, parties are trying to portray themselves as righteous and honorable entities; at the same time, they are playing their cards on the other front very effectively, i.e. dirty politics! Thanks largely to vibrant electronic and print media in Pakistan. Next few weeks will give a clearer picture of which political party is going to utilize this opportunity. But one thing can be stated with conviction that these elections will be unlike all previous elections in Pakistan. As mentioned earlier, media have the most crucial role to play. These are no doubt the most crucial elections in Pakistan after 1970. These elections will decide Pakistan’s destiny in next few decades.

Why We Need Paragraphs

Why We Need Paragraphs Why We Need Paragraphs Why We Need Paragraphs By Sharon Reading a blog post or a web article should be easy. Some web pages have large blocks of text with very few breaks between them. When I see those, my brain does the TMI (too much information) dance and my eyes move on until they find something easier to look at. When you try to process an unbroken block of text, its like trying to eat a whole apple pie in one gulp. You may be able to do it, but youll probably get indigestion or choke in the attempt. Thats why paragraphs are important. Getting Attention Web readers have a short attention span. Thats why you need to make it easy. As you write, remember that you are taking your readers on a journey from point A to point B to point C. Paragraphs are just one of the ways that you do this. Web Usability When I worked as an editor, I spent a lot of time making long paragraphs shorter and making sure that each paragraph had a point. This also works for web content writing. All the advice I read on web usability suggests that you make one main point or cover one key idea in each paragraph. Then you expand on it a bit, then move on to the next one. That makes it easy for the eyes and the brain to process – and makes it more likely that people will read your blog posts. Using Subheadings Theres one more way to improve the experience for web content readers. Subheadings serve as navigational markers to tell readers whats coming in each paragraph. They can skip to the part that interests them, or get an idea whether they need to read the article or blog post at all. Use subheadings and small paragraphs and your readers will thank you and come back for more. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and TimesHow to Punctuate with â€Å"However†45 Idioms About the Number One

Free Essays on Hemmingway - Review

Hemmingway’s characteristics: no dialog tags, realistic, lifelike speech, uses some figurative language, easy to understand, simple yet deeper meanings, lots of sarcasm- hard-boiled, masculine style, lots of ands, very blunt, downplays death, emphasis on violence and war, contrasts, deals with common man, descriptive imagery, uses nature, reversed order, repetition and parallelism, staccato Hemmingway Short Stories Clean Well-Lighted Place: Characters: Old man, two waiters Themes: money is the only thing of importance, Old waiter is the Hemmingway hero, he doesn’t want to go to sleep because sleep=death. Short choppy sentences, no dialog tags. Lord’s prayer with Nada. Emphasis on cleanliness and light. Cat in the Rain: very few nametags, understatements, short, choppy sentences. Girl wants a different life; unsatisfied, wants children, wants femininity. Lots of tension. George is husband; not a bad guy. Hotelkeeper, maid. Indian Camp: short choppy sentences, no tags, old person vs. young person, emphasis on action, Father vs. Nick, distinction. â€Å"But her screams are not important, I don’t hear them because they’re not important†; â€Å"is dying hard?† â€Å"†¦he felt quite sure that he would never die† The Short Happy Life: Macomber, his wife, Robert Wilson. Married 11 years; Wife, Margaret. endorsed a beauty product which she had never used. Wilson-hunter, sandy hair, red face, Stetson hat. â€Å"Distinguished consideration†. Lots of tension. Wife kills him. Snows of Kilimanjaro: sarcasm and cynicism; Death, truck broke down, they’re on a plain; vultures waiting to eat them; she wants to comfort him but he’s not letting her; he is giving up; he is not a Hemmingway hero because they never quit; flashback to Christmas and blizzard; Harry, â€Å"He had loved too much, demanded too much, and he wore it all out†, â€Å"rich bitch†, â€Å"and just then it occurred to him that he was going to die†. 2nd fl... Free Essays on Hemmingway - Review Free Essays on Hemmingway - Review Hemmingway’s characteristics: no dialog tags, realistic, lifelike speech, uses some figurative language, easy to understand, simple yet deeper meanings, lots of sarcasm- hard-boiled, masculine style, lots of ands, very blunt, downplays death, emphasis on violence and war, contrasts, deals with common man, descriptive imagery, uses nature, reversed order, repetition and parallelism, staccato Hemmingway Short Stories Clean Well-Lighted Place: Characters: Old man, two waiters Themes: money is the only thing of importance, Old waiter is the Hemmingway hero, he doesn’t want to go to sleep because sleep=death. Short choppy sentences, no dialog tags. Lord’s prayer with Nada. Emphasis on cleanliness and light. Cat in the Rain: very few nametags, understatements, short, choppy sentences. Girl wants a different life; unsatisfied, wants children, wants femininity. Lots of tension. George is husband; not a bad guy. Hotelkeeper, maid. Indian Camp: short choppy sentences, no tags, old person vs. young person, emphasis on action, Father vs. Nick, distinction. â€Å"But her screams are not important, I don’t hear them because they’re not important†; â€Å"is dying hard?† â€Å"†¦he felt quite sure that he would never die† The Short Happy Life: Macomber, his wife, Robert Wilson. Married 11 years; Wife, Margaret. endorsed a beauty product which she had never used. Wilson-hunter, sandy hair, red face, Stetson hat. â€Å"Distinguished consideration†. Lots of tension. Wife kills him. Snows of Kilimanjaro: sarcasm and cynicism; Death, truck broke down, they’re on a plain; vultures waiting to eat them; she wants to comfort him but he’s not letting her; he is giving up; he is not a Hemmingway hero because they never quit; flashback to Christmas and blizzard; Harry, â€Å"He had loved too much, demanded too much, and he wore it all out†, â€Å"rich bitch†, â€Å"and just then it occurred to him that he was going to die†. 2nd fl...

How to Format a UK Business Letter

How to Format a UK Business Letter How to Format a UK Business Letter How to Format a UK Business Letter By Ali Hale I covered writing US business letters, but I know we have a number of readers in the United Kingdom too – or readers who might want to write to companies within the UK. I’ll just be covering the formatting here rather than explaining again why each element is included, so you might want to read the article on US business letters first. The UK format is similar to US full block format, with these key differences for UK letters: The return address is right-aligned The date is written as â€Å"15th May 2008† not â€Å"May 15, 2008† A comma, not a colon, follows the recipients’ name The subject (if included) is centred In the UK, a standard business letter looks like this: Just as with the US examples, I’ll break the letter down into the main elements, working from the top to the bottom. Your Address Your address, also known as the â€Å"return address†, comes first (leave this off if you’re using letter-headed paper). 123 Old Road Newtown London SW1 3AA Your return address should be right-justified. The Date Directly beneath this, the date on which the letter was written: 15th May 2008 In the UK, the day comes before the month, and it is fine to put â€Å"st†, â€Å"nd† or â€Å"th† after the day’s date, eg. â€Å"15th† â€Å"1st† or â€Å"2nd†. You can position the date on the right or on the left of your letter. Recipent’s name and address Beneath this, you should put the recipient’s name and address, just as it would appear on the envelope. If you’re using a window envelope, make sure it’ll show through when the paper is inserted. The recipient’s name and address should be positioned on the left-hand side. The Greeting After their address, you should leave a line’s space then put â€Å"Dear Mr Jones†, â€Å"Dear Bob† or â€Å"Dear Sir/Madam† as appropriate. Follow this with a comma. The greeting should be left-aligned. The Subject You may want to include a subject for your letter this is often helpful to the recipient, especially if they receive a lot of mail. If you do include a subject line, thsi should be directly below the Dear name, centered on the page, and can be in bold, uppercase or both to make it stand out. The Text of your Letter The main body of your letter should have: Single-spacing between lines A blank line (NOT an indent) before each new paragraph Each new paragraph should start at the left hand side. The Closing and Your Name and Signature After the body of text, your letter should end with an appropriate closing phrase such as â€Å"Yours sincerely† or â€Å"With best regards†, and a comma. Leave several blank lines after the closing (so you can sign the letter after printing it), then type your name. You can optionally put your job title and company name on the line beneath this. Joe Bloggs Marketing Director, BizSolutions The closing and your name and signature should all be on the left hand side. Still stuck? Try this letter writing exercise – it’s aimed at school-kids in the UK, but it’s good fun for adults too! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101The Four Sounds of the Spelling OUApostrophe with Plural Possessive Nouns

Philosophy, Enlightenment and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Philosophy, Enlightenment and Education - Essay Example curriculum is designed and committed to use learning as a tool to stimulate and encourage the best attainable academic progress and results for all students. However, as Aristotle argues, attaining high grades is not the only measure of successful learning. Students at the early learning stages should not be subjected to tests because moral values and character states cannot be assessed through exams. They should, rather, be encouraged to achieve character by practice before intellectual skills are taught. For every subject in each key stage, the study programmes lay out what the students must be taught while the achievement targets lay out the performance standards expected of the students. However, the performance standards do not give any provisions for students with their own views. It would not be right for students to score low marks, denoting a failure, simply because they gave their own views on their understanding of what they have been taught. The curriculum should give roo m for finding a relationship between the learners’ ideas and what is stipulated in the standards. Conversely, its rigidity may only succeed in creating a block of stereotyped knowledge, not considering the flexibility of the learners’ minds. It is only through training mental skills and giving ways of discovery that the aim of making achieving and progressive learners can be achieved. Otherwise, the curriculum is biased towards handing over instruction and thus, presupposed knowledge. It is then up to the teachers to organise their individual curricula and available technology to target individual students’ experience, interests and strengths. The aim of creating confident students, as per the curriculum, assesses confidence by the students’ ability to meet standards. However, confidence cannot be correctly judged by meeting preset standards. A display of confidence would be more accurate if students knowingly followed what they understood from the instru ctions given, rather

International Arbitration and Islamic Law or Sharia Law Dissertation

International Arbitration and Islamic Law or Sharia Law - Dissertation Example There may be also generation of stipulations attached with the confidentiality of the proprietary information, evidence, backdrop, number of arbitrators, issues attached with arbitration and so on (Kohler & Stucki, 2004). Among the various definitions of arbitration one of the definitions can be mentioned in this case which is as follows: â€Å" two or more parties, faced with a dispute which they cannot resolve for themselves, agreeing that some private individual will resolve it for them and if the arbitration runs its full course†¦.it will not be settled by a compromise, but by a decision† (Born, 2009, p.217). History of arbitration Arbitration finds its roots in the Greek mythology as well as in the Bible (Moloff, 2008, p.186). In the maritime industries of the pre-colonial England as well as within the merchants of diverse trade background, the process of arbitration found its profound utilization. Prior to the industrial revolution, the process of arbitrage was high ly predominant among the American colonies and the process was regarded as an inexpensive and highly private although a voluntary mode highly depending with the ties of the communities as well as pressures for the effectiveness of the policies. The first permanent board of arbitration was established in 1768, by the New York Chamber of Commerce followed by the implementation of the primal comprehensive clause of arbitration although the availability was limited to a restricted number of disputants (Wolfe, 2006, p.432). The scenario widened its horizon with the herald of twentieth century with the necessity of making the process of arbitration an alternative method of dispute resolution. The process strengthened with the creation of organized labor movement. In 1925, the United States Congress enacted the New York Federal Arbitration (FAA) with the notion that the agreements to submit disputes to arbitration should be as enforceable as of any other contracts (Brunet, 2006, p.36). Wit h gradual crawling of time, after 1950s, lawmakers stressed that the process of arbitration can be implemented as a device of resolving international disputes. In 1998, Congress enacted the Alternative dispute Act (ADA) which led to the mandatory equipment of every federal district court for authorizing by local rules, the utilization of the alternative dispute resolution process in all civil actions and also led to the designation of a judge or other employee to be knowledgeable in ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) practices. In today’s world of complex legal milieu majority of the lawyers and litigators find it compulsory for the application of ADR processes with arbitration in particular (Bennett, 2009, pp. 9-12). Basic foundation for arbitration The basic foundation on which arbitration rests is that of the consensual nature embedded in it. No arbitration procedure will take place with the without the express consent of each party. The prerequisite of a consensual arbi tration agreement can be inspected as an assemblage of procedures which directs to the avoidance of the default jurisdiction of the domestic courts and hence it must be clearly demarcated. In most of the cases, the agreement of arbitration will require

Non profit Organization in Anne Arundel County Research Paper

Non profit Organization in Anne Arundel County - Research Paper Example Although the present population diversity of Anne Arundel County (29.8%) is below state average (39.2%) but it has gained momentum (18.6%) since 2000. The median age for household (36.0%) is at par with the national average (36.4%). (2000, Census). As per 2005 American Community Survey data, the County was having 87003 married couples with children and 24525 single-parent households (5795 men, 18730 women). Teenage suicides have increased 8 percent over the previous year. The number of single parents has increased to 12.9 million. Postpartum episodes are estimated to affect 15 percent to 20 percent of mothers. These are astounding statistics having adverse implications. As per 2000 census, out of 2,69,772 employments, 7.8 percent were in manufacturing, 6.4 percent in transportation/ communication, 22.2 percent whole sale / retail trade, 4.5 percent in finance / income / real estate, 24.6 percent in services, 27.8 percent in Govt. and rest 6.7 percent in other sectors. However, out of 71.1 percent of total labor force above age 16 years 68.1 percent are in civil and only 3.0 percent are in army. Out of the total civilian labor force of 2,58,331, only 66.0 percent are employed and rest 2.1 percent unemployed. The median house hold income of 61,768 recorded a gain of 36.8 percent over 1990 census which was 47.09 percent higher than the nation average. The per capita income was 24,335 with 5.1 percent of the house hold "Below Poverty Line". Food stamps are available to families with income up to 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), about $19,500 for a family of three. House hold status: Out of total 1,86,937 housing units, 23.4 percent are occupied by renters with median rent of $700 which was much higher than state ($571) and national ($469) average. The median purchase price for home has also been fixed at $212,816. An increase of 19.8 percent of total households of 1,78,670 over 1990 was marked during last decennial. The median year householder moved in (1998) exceeded the median year structure built (1973). The rent shared of 24 percent of household revenue was disproportionate to the earnings. Income needed to qualify for purchase of house (MPDU) has been fixed to $35,000 or above a year and $20,000 or above a year to rent. This is because house prices normally require at least this amount of income to make the payment requirements. The minimum income required for renting a house with 2 bed rooms varies between $ 51,000- $58,000. As per SFY 2003, 429 individuals and 751 homeless families with children were detected. There is almost an even spilt between homeless men and women, which would represent 52 and 48 percent of the homeless population, respectively and majority are below 30.Besides this, 5835 people were in state prisons, 4964 in military barracks, 688 un group homes, 285 in college dormitories, 234 in mental rehabilitation centre, 22 in religious group quarters, 5 in agriculture workers' dormitories and so on. Disabilities: The count required affordable housing and supportive services to the developmentally disabled. An estimated 67,713 residents in the county are

Seating plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Seating plans - Essay Example Seating plans define the arrangements that teachers prefer to use to organize their pupils in class for easier management and with the intent to nurture perfect or near perfect peer relationships. This brings us to another aspect of children’s growing life: Peer Relationships (Ladd, 2005). Peer relationships refer to the connections that individuals in the same age group have and thus the influence that may occur as a result of these relationships. Among children, these relationships have a major influence in their development stages in life as they constitute the major influence in their behaviors, attitudes, skills and other various life skills that later come in to influence an individual’s adaptations during their life span. These relationships are very vital as they determine a child’s cognitive, emotional and social actions as the child undergo different growth stages in life. This is why when children aged between five and seven start attending school, the ir teachers should be very careful as to consider the factors that will ensure the children get good skills, and thus the aspect of seating arrangement comes in (Rose, and Rudolph, 2009). One aspect that the children’s teachers or handlers should ensure is that pupils with good relationships are close together while at the same time avoiding pupils with bad relationship sitting close together in a seating arrangement. This arrangement will ensure that the influence of bad norms or vices don’t spread further among kids, rather, good behavior traits will further spread among the children considered good and the same will start spreading in the children with bad relationships. This plays an important part in children’s growth as the development skills they eventually develop are keyed towards the brightness of the children’s future (Hastings, and Chantrey, 2002). Research indicates that childhood peer relationships mostly occur around activities like play an d other common doings associated to children. This brings us to another point in this essay of discussing about why children always prefer to play with the same gender. A theory that was once proposed by Sullivan in his theory, the Sullivan’s Theory of Personality Development, there comes a time when children develop stronger ties with peers of same sex or gender. This aspect in a child’s growth usually comes as the child is more determined to find his or her well being among his or her peers. The research states that this stage provides a validation period where the child is able to find out how the rest of the peers would rate him or her in form of caliber the child contains, kind of a validation as referred to a short while before. Incase this stage in a child’s growth is ignored, the child might not be confident enough in the future as he or she did not have the opportunity to know the competencies he or she had, or explained further simpler, didn’t h ave the opportunity to measure the acceptability he or she had from the peers as a small child. It is thus an important facet in the growth period of a child; the opportunity or choice of the child to play with same sex peer groups (Kernan, and Singer, 2011). Some of the advantages and disadvantages that would arise from predetermined seating arrangement by children handlers are here by outlined. These will help us have a judgment of whether this is a good act in

Two Important Virtues Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Two Important Virtues - Coursework Example However, he recommended that a virtuous trait is the one that is between deficiency and the excess of that trait. Braveness as a virtue will make an individual pursue all his or her dreams no matter the evident obstacles on the way (Macaro & NetLibrary, 2006). Industriousness is another virtue that Aristotle highlighted as important for the success of an individual. It entails working tirelessly so as to improve an individual’s life. If this virtue is put into practice, an individual’s life is liable to flourish or succeed remarkably (OToole, 2005). These two virtues are essential because they will keep the individuals in the right truck that is likely to lead his or her to success. Braveness will enable an individual to keep going no matter how hard the journey may be while industriousness will help people to keep working until he, or she meets his targets. Cowardliness and slothfulness are the contrast of these virtues. Any individual who would choose to pursue them will end up staying a life without trying anything, and hence he or she will never achieve anything and hence cannot flourish or succeed at all (Hibbs, 2001). Similarly, the excess of these virtues is disadvantageous. Rashness may make an individual find him or herself in the nasty ending when he or she will have overindulged, and he can easily lose everything. While over industriousness may make an individual to overindulge an aspect that may make a person face adverse effects in such aspects like health. This complies with Aristotle’s recommendation that the virtuous trait should be between deficiencies and excess (OToole,

Digital Signal Processing and Linear Algebra Essay

Digital Signal Processing and Linear Algebra - Essay Example To add on this, the use of linear algebra is focused in description of algorithms used in in solving tensors and structured matrices. In recent times, discrete data (digital) data is preferred in data transmission as compared to continuous data in computers to solve various engineering problems. The use of difference equations is accompanied by numerical solution that is as a result of combination of related difference equation. One important application of difference equation is in the discrete time-signals. Here, the definition of functions is only on integers and then visualized as number sequence. Linear signal transmission is a form of digital signal processing. Eigen value distribution is used in relating matrices in terms of frequency – selective channels and capacity of frequency flat in linear signal transmission. These are used in the linear precoding scheme. Linear precoding simply refers to linear transformation of signals. In linear precoding, the information used to carry bit sequence blocks is mapped onto signal sequence with transformational matrix. Using this scheme, a redundancy is introduced in the data to be transmitted before transmission. In cases where there arises some errors in the transmission, there is introduction of error correction codes to correct the erroneous bits. The use of linear precoding is essential in OFDM, Discrete multi-tone, Coded OFDM, among others. Moreover, linear precoding is used in the enhancement of the ergodic capacity within a given channel by altering the Eigen structure of the chosen channel, and in this, there is appli cation of linear transmission. An example of application of digital signal processing is seen in image compression. There are various methods that are utilized in image compression. The basic and most common way of signal processing is singular value decomposition method. Image compression is applied main to save costs, memory

Two Important Virtues Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Two Important Virtues - Coursework Example However, he recommended that a virtuous trait is the one that is between deficiency and the excess of that trait. Braveness as a virtue will make an individual pursue all his or her dreams no matter the evident obstacles on the way (Macaro & NetLibrary, 2006). Industriousness is another virtue that Aristotle highlighted as important for the success of an individual. It entails working tirelessly so as to improve an individual’s life. If this virtue is put into practice, an individual’s life is liable to flourish or succeed remarkably (OToole, 2005). These two virtues are essential because they will keep the individuals in the right truck that is likely to lead his or her to success. Braveness will enable an individual to keep going no matter how hard the journey may be while industriousness will help people to keep working until he, or she meets his targets. Cowardliness and slothfulness are the contrast of these virtues. Any individual who would choose to pursue them will end up staying a life without trying anything, and hence he or she will never achieve anything and hence cannot flourish or succeed at all (Hibbs, 2001). Similarly, the excess of these virtues is disadvantageous. Rashness may make an individual find him or herself in the nasty ending when he or she will have overindulged, and he can easily lose everything. While over industriousness may make an individual to overindulge an aspect that may make a person face adverse effects in such aspects like health. This complies with Aristotle’s recommendation that the virtuous trait should be between deficiencies and excess (OToole,

Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Essay Example for Free

Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Essay Throughout the novel the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Yunior tells the story of oscars family that is allegedly cursed by the Fuku. The dominican family that roots back to when Trujillo was in power has been tragical effected by the Fuku. The main character Oscar is an awkward Dominican that balms his failures on the curse of the Fuku. The curse started back in the Dominican republic when the oppressive dictator Trujillo convicted oscars grandfather Abelard who was a respected doctor for conspiracy. When oscars grandfather was put in jail he was tortured and beaten, this was the origin of the curse for the Waos. Like a gene the curse has been passed down the family to oscar. The author Junot Diaz uses the motif of the Fuku to illustrate how bani allows her awful past to dramatically affect her and children. Everyone that lived in the dominican was in some way negatively effected by Trujillo. Oscar Wao was a living example of the fuku and how not only Trujillo effected the dominican people of his time but even the people two generations later. For example (p.5)â€Å"wether I believe in what many have described as the great american doom is not really the point. You live as long as I did in the heart of Fuku country, you hear these kinds of tales all the time everybody in san domingo has a Fuku story knocking around in their family.† Yunior is expressing the fact that even if you are not a believer of the Fuku curse if you are dominican there is a good chance it has affected you or your family. When oscars mother was left an orphan she was put through unbelievably awful circumstances much like her fathers. This time in Banis life effect who she became and how she parented Oscar.(78)â€Å"From 1951 on, â€Å"hija† and â€Å"madre† running their famous bakery near the plaza central and keeping their fading, airless house in tip-top shape. (before 1951, our orphan girl had lived with another foster family, monsterous people if the rumors are to be believed, a dark period of her life neither she nor her madre ever referenced. Their very own pagina en blanco). This quotation refers to how oscars mother was effected by the Fuku. The reason she was an orphan was because Trujillo killed her parents. The events of her childhood were a direct result of Trujillo but Bani had the power to put the past in the past and parent Oscar the right way, because Bani did not do this the Fuku lives on. Many times in the book a Wao has been injured almost to the point of death. Once was when Oscar attempted suicide. Oscars Suicide attempt was not just because he lost the first girl he has ever loved it was also because of how Oscar had almost no self esteem. Even his own mother would belittle him from a young age. The suicide attempt went wrong and Oscar survived to live another day. (p.191) â€Å"Except that this one of the garden dividers that they planted shrubs on and he hit the freshly tilled loam and not the concrete.† Because he hit the fresh loam he survived with many harsh injures instead of plummeting to his death as planned. This was an incident in Oscar Waos life that was a result of his failures like his failure to love or be loved. This failure stems back to how his mother raised him with very tough love because of the her childhood. The novel clearly illustrated how the Fuku has effected all Dominican people even if they had immigrated off the island. To me this novel is not about dominican people and there history it is about how only one man effected millions of lives not only in one point it time but for generations to come. Junot Diaz shows the reader how we all have the power to stop horrible things like the Fuku from effecting the next generation but you must have the power to leave the past in the past.

Building Design Process

Building Design Process Any building, whether it is a high-rise skyscraper or minute cabin must have a design plan before it is constructed, without a design plan the builders constructing the building would be limited in knowing what it is they are going to build unless for example it was government funded for an institution like the NHS, this would suggest it is to do with healthcare such as a hospital or care home. Buildings can have very complex designs so a structured procedure for the design team to work from is essential to success, for a successful and high performance building it must be aesthetically pleasing, operational, productive, sustainable, easily accessible, cost-effective, secure and safe to be in. The main factors that influence the design process are; finance, the clients needs the design, timing and estimated delivery of the project. The Architect that is designing the new factory unit must take into the account the financial limits that the client has and design the factory unit accordingly making sure it can be achieved realistically on the budget provided. The architect tasked with designing the factory unit is able to evaluate whether the build is realistic on the funds available by comparing the design to previous builds they have designed in the past or by calculating building costs per m^2 and volume per unit. It is important that the Architect ensures the build is feasible so the budget of the client is not exceeded although 10-15% of projects costs are paid in fees the Architect must still make the project cost effective for the client. In the design process one of the most important factors is the site that the project intends to be built on and the surrounding environment (for environmental concerns) as there could be hidden threats to whether the project can go ahead or not concerning the foundations of the ground or the location itself. Obtaining planning approval from the local council is the first stage after acquiring the land to build on so the project can progress. Having a Site Investigation report undertaken of the land proposed to build on will give an analysis of the subsoil composition, bearing values (maximum pressure on foundation soil that provides adequate safety against rupture of soil mass), risk of contamination and the presence of water that could cause damage under the building such as underground stream and rivers. Understanding the topography of the land to determine whether it is sloping, the actual size, shape and understanding the undulation are important to know before building because t hey could pose serious threats and changes to the original design. Desk top studies can be obtained to show the land history on ordnance survey plans dating back to the 1800s and the NCB (National Coal Board) can be contacted for mining records of the land. The Architect could also look on the Flood Risk Environment Agencys website and use the postcode of the land to see whether the area is prone to flooding, previous Ordnance Survey plans and drawings are other methods the Architect could use to understand the area better. There would be no point in building the new factory unless the Clients needs were not going to be met so it is essential for the Architect and the design team to deliver for the client exactly what they are paying them for. As the building is a factory unit it will most likely be being built for industrial use therefore requirements such as parking spaces must be made relative to the required amount. The Client may also want their new factory unit to be sustainable and want to reduce the amount of pollution created in the building process so that should try to be kept to a minimum by the workers. Special requirements may be needed by the client such as functions rooms for meeting, welfare facilities and a canteen for employees working at the new factory unit. The Design of the new factory unit must be structurally stable and have fire integrity with materials appropriately selected meaning it is equipped with fire fighting and preventing equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire doors which can hold back a fire for up to half an hour. As part of attaining planning permission for the build the council must deem that it blends in with the surrounding structures which is usual dependent on whether the building is of a similar size, scale and height to others nearby whilst complementing the streetscape. Environmental impact can be estimated after taking an E.I.A. (Environmental Investigation Agency) assessment which determines the impact on the local and natural environment of building work taking place, biodiversity issues such as flora and fauna (animals in a specific region or area) can also be addressed after the assessment. It is likely that the Client will want the new factory unit completed as soon as possible however this creates pressure on the design phase so an agreement must be came to as to when the project can realistically be completed after all initial issues in the design process have been addressed so the building is near perfect. A lack of planning in the design phase as a result of haste from the client means an unrealistic timescale is created and the building fails to deliver along with the failure for the work load to be scheduled effectively. It can take up to three months for the design and approval to be made along with another month for tenders to be submitted (contractors estimates of costs), depending on the scale and complexity of the design it can take anything from 6-24 months for the build to be completed. P2) Explain the roles and responsibilities of the design team In a typical design team the Architect is the main leader and is pivotal to the success of the project, the other members of the design team include the Client, Interior Designer, Landscape architect, Building services engineer, Clerk of works, Structural Engineer, Resident engineer, Quantity surveyor and the main contractor paid to carry out the work. In a design team, communication is paramount to having a successful project which is why all members should be transparent with the exchange of information pulling in the right direction at the same time to ensure the project work is carried out as intended to minimise mistakes. An Architects responsibility in the design team is primarily to satisfy and understand the Client whilst communicating effectively with the rest of the team so that the project will be completed in a suitable timescale and cost effective to the client. The Architect is paid to understand the clients brief and develop a plan on how to meet the needs of the client whilst maintaining the new development is sustainable for the good of the environment. It is important for the Architect to produce a design that can realistically be constructed which does not infringe anyones health and safety. An understanding of Health and Safety legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is essential so there is a prevention of accidents in the workplace. They are responsible for the management of the design process and select specialists in their specific areas; the architects must co-ordinate the input from the design team and ensure it works together. A Civil Engineers role in the design team is concerned with what is happening below the ground, the foundations and the final touches. How these factors can affect the new factory unit that is being built there is determined by the Civil Engineer who will have a good understanding of them. It is the Civil Engineers responsibility to undertake the Site Investigation report which then allows them to analyse the sub soil complexity in turn determining what foundations and substructures are needed for that particular area before building work begins. The groundwork structure is approved by the Civil Engineer so it is suitable for the new factory unit alongside including essentials for the employees that will use the building such as roads, footpaths, parking spaces, under passes, tunnels and bridges for ease of access to the unit. Drainage below the ground of the new unit is also accounted for by the Civil Engineer with traffic management taken care of after a highways and transportation s assessment of the surrounding area is undertaken. The CDM Co-ordinator is responsible for the design and construction safety issues associated with the factory unit, they have a deep understanding of the relevant Health and Safety legislation related to the project which helps them prepare and maintain a CDM file of all the Health and Safety incidents including accidents. An F10 form is produced which informs Health and Safety Executive that there is a new project going ahead, Health and Safety then have the right to turn up and visit a site, they can then advise as to what needs to be changed to increase safety, the Health and Safety inspectors also have the authority to hand out fines accordingly. Quantity surveyors are assigned their role by the Architect and are effectively accountants for the building work; it is their responsibility to estimate how much the materials needed for the building work to go ahead are going to cost the client. The Quantity surveyor can advise the Architect and the client on the cost of the job and re-evaluate the cost during the project in case it does not all go to plan. The Q.S. can help the client to keep within their budget perhaps by using cheaper materials opposed to the intended ones used in the initial design. A Bill of Quantities (BOQ) is prepared which is a document consisting of a list of materials needed for the construction work and their estimated quantities (costs). The Contractor tenders against the Bill of Quantities prepared by the tenderer giving their prices for what is listed, the offers are compared in order to see whether they are good or poor value and the eventual tenders are negotiated for the best solution. The Structural Engineer is tasked with making sure the building is structurally sound and safe for the inhabitants, safety is paramount to the Structural Engineer because if the structure of the new factory unit is not designed to withstand the forces that will be imposed on the factory it could prove disastrous for people working inside who are at a heightened risk of injury. It is essential for the Structural Engineer to make best use of the funds that are available to them in making the new factory unit cost effective; they must provide the correct materials that complement the design specification such as the right bricks, concrete and wood. Structural Engineers are employed by the contractor depending on the contract of the job and can work closely with the Civil Engineer to understand the feasibility of the building. (P3) The production team working on the proposed new factory unit will include the Main Contractor, Managing Director (MD) of the Main Contractor; the Managing Director is accountable for Head Office Admin, Contract Managers and the outside contractors and consultants. The Site manager is accountable to the contract managers but is accountable for the site personnel, sub contractors, trades foremen and the ganger. Site personnel such as the engineers are responsible for the planning and schedules of the project such as projecting when concrete pours will take place, they are usually housed in on site cabins with internet access for ease of communication with other members of the construction team. Alongside their planning duties, engineers are often turned to when a problem arises and are expected to resolve that problem as fast as possible in order to keep the project on-track for completion. Site administration making sure all necessary paperwork is completed and the security team are there to deter people trespassing or thieving from the site. Sub Contractors include plumbers, electricians, roofers, scaffolders, glazed glass fitters, cladders, road layers and sewage contractors. Trades foremen are in charge of bricklayers, joiners, plasterers and painters. Gangers are made up by the general labourers, concreters, drain layers and plant drivers (JCB diggers, excavators, dumpers and rollers). P4) Describe the legal implications that may arise from poor or miscommunications affecting the project In the Production Team it is very important that the members communicate so that legislation is obeyed and work is not completed incorrectly which provokes claims and slows progress in the build. As a result of miscommunication claims for misinformation or carrying out abortive work can be made if you can justify the extent and basis of reasons why, these could be for example, day to day errors that are uncovered which can now be rectified and clarified with instructions or variations orders. More serious breaches of negligence or failing to fulfil contracted obligations are a tort in law and will result in legal actions. Most professional people have indemnity against design risk and sometimes losses are recovered from insurers. Any client entering into a contract situation with builders must ensure insurance for loss is covered also; the builder has public liability insurances alongside insurance for their employees and for the works. M1) Explain how the RIBA plan of work provides an effective and structured framework for the design process in complex projects and how it is sometimes modified or not strictly followed The RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) plan of work 2013 provides a structured framework for the design process of new buildings; it provides both the stages for the design and construction phases of projects. Although Architects will have the necessary qualifications that indicate to clients and their employers that they are competent enough to head the design team and work on a project, the RIBA plan of work provides guidance for all the phases of the project including the design and construction. With a structured plan everyone involved in the project knows there role and can continue with it whilst the rest of the project continues to progress, the Architect will maintain full control of the plan but has a better understanding of who is doing what and what is being done at what time. The first section covers stages A + B which consist of the Appraisal and Design Brief. Clients needs + requirements are taken into account alongside the budget, purpose group of the building, numbers of people using the building, accommodating visitors, parking, site access, land suitability, site investigation reports, shape and whether there is a slope/undulation. Stage C is the Concept. Design proposals and concepts must be agreed before any construction work can go ahead and drawings are sketched on feasibility options. Stages D + E are the design development and technical design, final design proposals are developed and confirmed after consultation of previous proposals. The client has options now that they can see all of the detailed designs and are then able to decide on a final design which leads us on to the pre-construction phase of the RIBA plan of work. Stages F, G H being the production information, tender documentation and tender action; a design team is put together to produce documentation drawings and specifications ready for tender action. In stage F production information must be prepared and final decisions related to the design work can be made. Drawings, schedules and specifications are finalised after taking all of the new designs into account which are then sent to the Architects, engineers and Main Contractor who are directly involved. Stage G involves the Bill of Quantities and tender documents production under the NJCC (National Joint Consultative Committee) procedure for selective tendering outlined in stage H Stages I, J K revolve around mobilisation placing the contract for production of the building. Stage L is the final step of the RIBA plan of work and is simply the post construction phase of the project where it is completed and handed over to the Client for use. The RIBA plan of work is especially important for Architects when they are tasked with designing a building that will have a very complex structure; it is comprised into three sections containing the feasibility phase, the pre-construction phase and the construction phase. It is not only the Architect that must know the stages of the plan because when changes need to be made and accommodated, the other key players in the team need to be made aware of the developments of the design as it continues. If the key players are not communicating and do not fully understand the changes being made or how they will affect the structure it can be very detrimental to success. In the feasibility phase the Architect will work with the client in order to understand the requirements of the building and to recommend anything that can improve the building as a whole. It must incorporate buildability which is a term used to describe whether a building can be constructed easily or not and must be financially feasible. In the pre-construction phase the Architect can produce sketches of the layout, design and construction in order for the client to approve what the Architect has designed. Drawings to be submitted to the local authority building control will also be drawn and when the outline is approved final decisions can be made relating to the design, specification and construction. If changes need to be made they can still be accommodated at this early stage but will incur additional costs, these changes must be noted so that everyone can be informed of them therefore they are pulling in the right direction. The plan may not always be strictly followed when the re is a deadline that needs to be met and completing a particular stage may be ignored when it is not seen to be necessary to save time.

Comparing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Otway’s History and Fall of Caius Marius :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Otway’s History and Fall of Caius Marius William Shakespeare’s well-known play Romeo and Juliet addresses the ill-fated love of two young children from feuding households set in Verona. Over the centuries since the play was first published around 1595, many different versions have been produced and reproduced. While the basic story remains the same in these different renditions, certain aspects of the play are handled very differently. Thomas Otway wrote one of the most varied versions in 1680 entitled The History and Fall of Caius Marius. Set in ancient Rome this version focuses much more on politics than a story of true love. With this variation many of the characters are in much varied roles. One of the most obvious character disparities is found in the title character of Romeo, or Marius junior as he is called in Otway’s version. While both versions of the male lead go through little or no character development, Romeo and Marius junior are very different in their regard and understanding of filial duty and responsibility. Due to the political context of Caius Marius, Marius junior is much more aware and receptive of his filial and social duty, while Romeo rejects any sort of filial or social responsibility. Romeo and Juliet was first published around 1595. At this time in England the family was one of the most central and pivotal figures of social order. Children were expected to honor and obey their parents and seek their assistance in any decisions made. Especially in choices made concerning marriage. At this time children were finally able to take a more active role in choosing their husband/wife, but parents were essentially given the final decision (Amussen 94). Romeo and Juliet took it upon themselves to make such an important decision and hardly even considered their parents in the process. During the first half of the 17th century the average age for a woman to marry was 26 and for a man, 28 (Amussen 86). Shakespeare’s central characters are barely entering their teen years. As a son coming of age, and more importantly the singular male heir for the Montague family, Romeo should be entering University to prepare himself for handling the family fortune, not marrying in sec ret. This is merely the beginning of his show of irresponsibility towards his family and ultimately the role he is meant to play in society.

In Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte created a novel of social protest. :: Free Essay Writer

In Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte created a novel of social protest. Discuss why and how she did this. Step one -------- Social protest is †¦ Mainly Charlotte Bronte was protesting against the position of middle class women, social inequality between the rich and the poor and marrying above or below your status. These issues were very important in the Victorian times. Step Two -------- Charlotte Bronte was very critical of the Victorian society. To her every thing was not right (fair). The book ‘Jane Eyre’ is based on a true-life story. It is like a reflection of Charlotte Bronte’s life and the way she was treated. In the book, Jane Eyre is treated very badly because she is an orphan which means she has no money or savings. Jane Eyre lives with her aunt but because Jane Eyre is poor she is treated differently from her cousins. Her aunt feels that she or her children, who are wealthy, can’t be around Jane Eyre because she is a poor child. This is like the life Charlotte Bronte was living. Charlotte Bronte was born 1816 on April the 21st in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. Her father was Patrick Bronte (1777-1861), an Anglican clergyman. Irish-born, he had changed his name from the more commonplace Brunty. Charlotte Bronte’s mother was Maria Branwell Bronte; altogether she had six children including charlotte. Mrs. Bronte was awarded a rectorship in Yorkshire 1820. Soon after, Mrs. Bronte and the two eldest children (Maria and Elizabeth) died, leaving the father to care for the remaining three girls, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. Also a boy, Patrick Branwell. An aunt, Elizabeth Branwell, aided their upbringing. She left her native Cornwall and took up residence with the family at Haworth. In 1824 Charlotte and Emily, together with their elder sisters attended Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge, near Kirkby Lonsdale, Lancashire. The fees were low, the food unattractive, and the discipline harsh. They did not like it one bit. Charlotte always complained and made a fuss. Charlotte and Emily returned home in June 1825, and for more than five years the Bronte children learned and played there, writing and telling romantic tales for one another and inventing imaginative games played out at home or on the desolate moors. In 1831 Charlotte was sent to Miss Wooler's school at Roe Head, near Huddersfield, where she stayed a year and made some lasting friendships. In 1839 Charlotte declined a proposal from the Rev. Henry Nussey, her friend's brother, and some months later one from another young clergyman. At the same time Charlotte's ambition to make the practical best of her talents and the need to pay Branwell's debts urged her to spend some months as governess with the Whites at Upper wood House,

Minicase Prairie Stores Essay

What is the Rate of Return Percentage? In the mini-case, Mr. Breezeway indicated two kinds of percentage to determine the required return. One of them is the companies’ return on book equity (% 15) and the other one is the investment return percentage in the rural supermarket industry (% 11) which shows that investors in rural supermarket chains, with risks similar to Prairie Home Stores, expected to earn about % 11 percent on average. Since the companies’ rate of return determined by the rate of return offered by other equally risky stocks, then it should be % 11. The Rapid Growth Scenario Step 1: Being able to calculate the present value of the companies’ stocks, we should first calculate the present value of the companies’ dividends. Years 2016-2021= 0à ·(1.11) + 0à ·(1.11)2 +0à ·(1.11)3 +0à ·(1.11)4 +14à ·(1.11)5 +14.7à ·(1.11)6 = 8.31+7.86 = 16.17 $ Present value of the dividends between 2016-2021 Step 2 : In step 2, we should estimate the Prairie Stores’ stock price at the horizon year (2021), when growth rate has settled down. According to mini-case, after 2019 the company will resume its normal growth. Since the investment plan is going to continue 6 years, we should choose the year 2021 as a horizon year. Growth rate: plowback ratio Ãâ€" return on equity (Given in the notes) Plowback ratio = Retained earnings à · Earnings (2021) = 7.4 million à · 22 million = 0.33 % 33 Return on equity = Earnings à · Book value, start of the year (2021) = 22 million à · 146.9 million = 0.15 % 15 Growth rate = % 33 Ãâ€" % 15 = % 5 Div 2022 = 1.05 Ãâ€"14.7P2021 = Dividend 2022 à · r – g = 15.44 $ = 15.44 million à · 0.11- 0.05 = 257.33 million Step 3 :Being able to find the present value of total stocks ( at the beginning of 2016), first we should discount the 2021 total stock value by 6 years and we should also add the present value of dividends to this amount. P0 = 16.17 $ + 257.33 à · (1.11)6 = 153.75 million $ Present Value of the Stock Per share = 153.75 million à · 400,000 (Outstanding shares) = 384.37 $ If the company did go public, its share price should be $384.37 for per share with the rapid growth scenario. The Constant Growth Scenario: Growth rate: plowback ratio Ãâ€" return on equity (Given in the notes) Plowback ratio = Retained earnings à · Earnings (2016) = 4/12 = % 33 Return on equity = Earnings à · Book value, start of the year (2016) = 12 à · 80 = % 15 Growth rate = % 33 Ãâ€" % 15 = % 5 P0 = Div2016 à · r – g Per Share Value = 133.33 million à · 400,000 = 8 million à · 0.11 – 0.05 = 333.33 $ = 133.33 million If the company did go public, its share price should be $333.33 for per share with the constant growth scenario. Conclusion: If I were Ms. Firewater, I would recommend the rapid growth scenario because with the rapid growth scenario the companies’ present per share value higher than it could have been with the constant rate scenario. In addition, this investment decision depends on shareholders’ opinion. As we know, some of the shareholders are dependent on the generous regular dividends. As a result, these shareholders might have not wanted to choose the rapid grow scenario. On the other hand, the shareholders who have more interest with the companies’ future stock value, will probably choose the rapid growth scenario. Mr. Breezeway’s advise not to sell the companies’ per stock for $200 was right. Any price under $333.33 for per share will be not acceptable for me, if I am dependant on the dividend income. On the other hand, If I were not need the dividend income and want to sell my shares, I would not accept any price under $384.37 for per share.

Milpa Agriculture vs. Industrial Agriculture Essay

The Milpa agriculture and Industrial agriculture have many similarities and differences. Milpa agriculture is a form of swidden agriculture that is practiced in Mesoamerica. Traditional Milpa is planted with maize, beans, and corn. Industrial agriculture is a modern faming that produces a life stock, poultry, and crops. The methods that industrial agriculture use to techno scientific, economic, and political. In Milpa agriculture some farmers use a coa stick in order to plan their crops and industrial farming the farmers use different machines. Industrial agriculture makes their job easier and faster by using the machines and technology. In Milpa agriculture is the totally opposite thing they don’t use technology in order to grow their crops it takes them longer to plant their crops by using simple method and one of the methods is the coa stick. Milpa agriculture has more than one plant such as maize, beans, and squash. Industrial agriculture only focuses on one plant. For example if industrial agriculture wants to grow maize they focus only in that specific plant that is being planted. Milpa is traditional in Mesoamerica. What I mean by this is that when milpa is planted in Mesoamerica is passed down in the family generations. Mesoamericans try to keep their tradition of planting milpa. In industrial agriculture is not really traditional to pass it down into their families mostly it is done because of the money. Industrial agriculture uses lots of pesticides in order to keep their crops from danger. By using pesticides they won’t lose lots of their crops. Milpa agriculture doesn’t really rely on the use of pesticides. Milpa agriculture does have the advantage of losing crops because they don’t use pesticides. That’s the reason in milpa agriculture more than one crop is incorporated at the same time they have the other crops to rely on not just on the maize. If industrial agriculture loses all their crops they won’t have anything to rely on because they only focus on growing on type of crops.

Foundations of Organizational Structure Essay

TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 1 General Introduction 1. Ice-breaking session. 2. Self-introduction by tutor and students. 3. Briefing on course requirements. 4. Tutorial expectations and participation. 5. Briefing on Group Report & Oral Presentation (requirements and expectations). 6. Team formation for Group Report. (4 members per group) 7. Tutor assigns question and time for oral presentation & group report ** Oral presentation and group report submission will starts from Week 3 to 5** **Important note** Students are required to sit for one (1) online test on Week 3. Please make sure that you are registered under this course and be able to access to CEL to take the test. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 2 Topic 1 : Foundations of Organizational Structure Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) The ________ refers to the number of subordinates that a manager directs. A) span of control B) unity of command C) chain of command D) decentralization principle E) leadership web 2) A task that is subdivided into many separate jobs is considered to have ________. A) a high degree of departmentalization B) a low degree of decentralization C) a high degree of work specialization D) a low degree of structure E) a high degree of matrix structuring 3) Aeronautics Inc., a parts supplier, has departments for government aircraft and contracts, large commercial aircraft clients, and small personal aircraft clients. This is an example of ________ departmentalization. A) product B) function C) geography D) customer E) service 4) Stalsberry Company has employees in personnel, sales, and accounting. This division of an organization into groups according to work functions is an example of ________, the second element of structural organization. A) social clustering B) bureaucracy C) specialization D) centralization E) departmentalization 5) The unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom is termed ________. A) chain of command B) authority C) span of control. D) unity of command E) web of authority 6) Which one of the following is consistent with a simple structure? A) high centralization B) high horizontal differentiation C) high employee discretion D) standardization E) bureaucracy 7) Which of the following is a drawback of a narrow span of control? It ________. A) reduces effectiveness B) is more efficient C) encourages overly tight supervision and discourages employee autonomy D) empowers employees E) increases participatory decision-making 8) In an organization that has high centralization, ________. A) the corporate headquarters is located centrally to branch offices B) all top level officials are located within the same geographic area C) action can be taken more quickly to solve problems D) new employees have a great deal of legitimate authority E) top managers make all the decisions and lower level managers merely carry out directions TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 3 Topic 2 : Organizational Culture Part A: Discussion Question 1) Explain the primary methods of maintaining an organization’s culture. Once a culture is in place, there are practices within the organization that act to maintain it by giving employees a set of similar experiences. Three forces play a particularly important part in sustaining a culture: selection practices, the actions of top management, and socialization methods. a) First, the explicit goal of the selection process is to identify and hire individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the  jobs within the organization successfully. It would be naive to ignore that the final decision as to who is hired will be significantly influenced by the decision maker’s judgment of how well the candidates will fit into the organization. This attempt to ensure a proper match, whether purposely or inadvertently, results in the hiring of people who have values essentially consistent with those of the organization, or at least a good portion of those values. In addition, the selection process provides information to applicants about the organization.   Candidates learn about the organization and, if they perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization, they can self-select themselves out of the applicant pool. b) In addition to selection, the actions of top management also have a major impact on the organization’s culture. Through what they say and how they behave, senior executives establish norms that filter down through the organization as to whether risk taking is desirable; how much freedom managers should give their employees; what is appropriate dress; what actions will pay off in terms of pay raises, promotions, and other rewards; and the like. c) Finally, no matter how good a job the organization does in recruiting and selection, new employees are not fully indoctrinated in the organization’s culture. Because they are unfamiliar with the organization’s culture, new employees are potentially likely to disturb the beliefs and customs that are in place. The organization will, therefore, want to help new employees adapt to its culture. This adaptation process is called socialization. This is when the organization seeks to mold the outsider into an employee â€Å"in good standing.† Employees who fail to learn the essential or pivotal role behaviors risk being labeled â€Å"nonconformists† or â€Å"rebels,† which often leads to expulsion. But the organization will be socializing every employee, though maybe not as explicitly, throughout his or her entire career in the organization. This further contributes to sustaining the culture. 2) Explain how an institutionalized culture can be a barrier to diversity. Describe how an organization could utilize the three forces at play in sustaining a culture to help create a diverse workforce. By limiting the range of acceptable values and styles, strong cultures put considerable pressure on employees to conform. In some instances, a strong culture that condones prejudice can even undermine formal corporate diversity policies. Strong cultures can also be liabilities when they support institutional bias or become insensitive to people who are different. Hiring new employees who differ from the majority in race, age, gender, disability, or other characteristics creates a paradox: management wants to demonstrate support for the differences these employees bring to the workplace, but newcomers who wish to fit in must accept the organization’s core cultural values. Because diverse behaviors and unique strengths are likely to diminish as people attempt to assimilate, strong cultures can become liabilities when they effectively eliminate these advantages. The explicit goal of the selection process is to identify and hire individuals with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully. Taking diversity into consideration at this phase does not have to be antagonistic to the culture. The final decision, because it’s significantly influenced by the decision maker’s judgment of how well the candidates will fit into the organization, identifies people whose values are essentially consistent with at least a good portion of the organization’s. Looking beyond surface level differences at the selection phase will help create a diverse workforce. Through words and behavior, senior executives establish norms that filter through the organization about, for instance, whether risk taking is desirable, how much freedom managers should give employees, what is appropriate dress, and what actions pay off in terms of pay raises, promotions, and other rewards. Management actions should be inclusive and non-prejudicial to create a diverse and functional culture. During the metamorphosis stage of socialization management should use institutional practices to encourage person–organization fit and high levels of commitment. 3) What are the three stages of socialization through which employees become indoctrinated into an organization’s culture? The three stages of socialization are prearrival, encounter, and metamorphosis. a) The prearrival stage recognizes that each individual arrives with a set of values, attitudes, and expectations. These cover both the work to be done and the organization. b) Upon entry into the organization, the new member enters the encounter stage. Here the individual confronts the possible dichotomy between her expectations and reality. c) Finally, the new member must work out any problems discovered during the encounter stage. This may mean going through changes – hence, this is called the metamorphosis stage. 4) Discuss the difference between strong and weak organizational cultures and discuss the effect that a strong culture can have on an acquisition or merger. Strong cultures have a greater impact on employee behavior and are more directly related to reduced turnover. In a strong culture, the organization’s core values are both intensely held and widely shared. The more members who accept the core values and the greater their commitment to those values is, the stronger the culture is. A strong culture will have a great influence on the behavior of its members because the high degree of sharedness and intensity creates an internal climate of high behavioral control. One specific result of a strong culture should be lower employee turnover. A strong culture demonstrates high agreement among members about what the organization stands for. Such unanimity of purpose builds cohesiveness, loyalty, and organizational commitment. These qualities, in turn, lessen employees’ propensity to leave the organization. In recent years, cultural compatibility has become the primary concern. All things being equal, whether the acquisition actually works seems to have more to do with how well the two organizations’ cultures match up. The primary cause of failure is conflicting organizational cultures, when people simply don’t match up. Therefore, when considering an acquisition or merger, management would need to carefully evaluate the cultures of each organization. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 4 Topic 3: Foundations of Group Behavior & Understanding Work Teams Part A: Discussion Question 1) List and briefly describe the stages in the five-stage model of group  development. The five-stage group development model characterizes groups as proceeding through five distinct stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. a) Forming is characterized by a great deal of uncertainty about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership. Members are testing the waters to determine what types of behavior are acceptable. b) In the storming stage, members accept the existence of the group, but there is resistance to the constraints that the group imposes on individuality. There is conflict over who will control the group. c) The third stage is one in which close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness. There is now a strong sense of group identify and camaraderie. This norming stage is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what defines correct member behavior. d) The fourth stage is performing. The structure at this point is fully functional and accepted. Group energy has moved from getting to know and understand each other to performing the task at hand. e) In the adjourning stage, the group prepares for its disbandment. High task performance is no longer the group’s top priority. Instead, attention is directed toward wrapping up activities. 2) Design the most effective team to figure out ways to reduce the number of preparation hours for shipping products overseas for your company. Choose the type of team from one of the four principal team types. Describe your team’s context, composition, and process parameters. Answers will vary. A problem-solving team is probably the best type of team for this task. In a problem-solving team members share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods can be improved. The problem-solving team will offer ideas to management. Together they discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment. The team will need information on what products are being shipped and how  long each of them takes, as well as details on the current procedures. Adequate information is essential. A firm goal of reducing the hours spent must be established by a leader. The group should be comprised of workers and management with expertise in the shipping department procedures. The team should have five members, three management and two people from shipping and packaging. The process parameters should be clearly outlined, with goals of exactly how much time needs to be shaved off of packaging processes. 3) Explain the difference between groupthink and group shift. Give an example to support your answer. Groupthink is related to norms. It describes situations in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views. Groupthink is a disease that attacks many groups and can dramatically hinder their performance. Group shift indicates that in discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a solution, group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions that they hold. In some situations, caution dominates, and there is a conservative shift. More often, however, the evidence indicates that groups tend toward a risky shift. Students answers may vary. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 5 Topic 4: Motivation Concepts Part A: Discussion Questions 1) Compare and contrast a manager that implements Theory Y and one that adheres to the expectancy theory. How would each choose to motivate their employees? Theory Y managers assume that employees can view work as being as natural as rest or play, and therefore the average person can learn to accept, even seek, responsibility. Theory Y assumes that higher-order needs dominate individuals. Theory Y managers would contend that ideas such as participative decision making, responsible and challenging jobs, and good group relations are approaches that would maximize an employee’s job  motivation. A Theory Y manager believes that the employee is inherently motivated as long as the conditions respect his intellect and character. A Theory Y manager would work hard to include the employee in decision making concerning his job, to satisfy work environment preferences, and to make sure the work is stimulating. Expectancy theory proposes that employees will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when they believe it will lead to a good performance appraisal; that a good appraisal will lead to organizational rewards such as bonuses, salary increases, or promotions; and that the rewards will satisfy the employees’ personal goals. An expectancy theory manager would focus much more on the reward expectations of the employee, versus the psychologic expectations. It would be important for the manager to understand the personal goals that the employee strives to achieve so that he can be appropriately rewarded and praised. 2) Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs including the types of needs and how they become dominant. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs hypothesized that within every human being there exists a hierarchy of five needs. a) The physiological needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs. b) Safety includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm. c) Social includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship. d) Esteem includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement; and external esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention. e) Self-actualization is the drive to become what one is capable of becoming; includes growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment. As each of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant. So if you want to motivate someone, according to Maslow, you need to understand what level of the hierarchy that person is currently on and focus on satisfying those needs at or above that level 3) According to Two-Factor Theory, how might a manager motivate employees? According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job dissatisfaction. Therefore, managers who seek to eliminate factors that can create job dissatisfaction may bring about peace but not necessarily result in motivation. Conditions surrounding the job such as quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical working conditions, relations with others, and job security were characterized by Herzberg as hygiene factors. When they are adequate, people will not be dissatisfied; neither will they be satisfied. If we want to motivate people on their jobs, Herzberg suggested emphasizing factors associated with the work itself or to outcomes directly derived from it, such as promotional opportunities, opportunities for personal growth, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. These are the characteristics that people find intrinsically rewarding. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 6 Topic 5: Motivation: From Concepts to Applications Part A: Discussion Questions 1) List and describe THREE (3) different variable-pay programs. Be sure to include piece-rate plans, profit-sharing plans, and gainsharing. a) Piece-rate plans. In piece-rate pay plans, workers are paid a fixed sum for each unit of production completed. When an employee gets no base salary and is paid only for what he or she produces, this is a pure piece-rate plan. b) Merit-based pay. Merit-based pay plans also pay for individual performance. However, unlike piece-rate plans, which pay based on objective output, merit-based pay plans are based on performance appraisal ratings. c) Profit-sharing. Profit-sharing plans are organization-wide programs that distribute compensation based on some established formula designed around a company’s profitably. d) Bonuses. Bonuses can be paid exclusively to executives or to all employees. Many companies now routinely reward production employees with bonuses in the thousands of dollars when company profits improve. e) Skill-Based Pay. Skill-based pay (also called competency-based or knowledge-based pay) sets pay levels on the basis of how many skills employees have or how many jobs they can do. f) ESOPs. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are company-established benefit plans in which employees acquire stock, often at below-market prices, as part of their benefits. g) Gainsharing. Gainsharing is a formula-based group incentive plan. Improvements in group productivity determine the total amount of money that is to be allocated. By focusing on productivity gains rather than profits, gainsharing rewards specific behaviors that are less influenced by external factors. Employees in a gainsharing plan can receive incentive awards even when the organization isn’t profitable. 2) Compare and contrast the benefits of intrinsic rewards such as recognition and extrinsic rewards such as pay as forms of motivation. Organizations are increasingly recognizing that both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are important. Rewards are intrinsic in the form of employee recognition programs and extrinsic in the form of compensation systems. Intrinsic rewards range from a spontaneous and private thank-you to widely publicized formal programs in which specific types of behavior are encouraged and the procedures for attaining recognition are clearly identified. Pay, an extrinsic reward, is not the primary factor driving job satisfaction, however, it does motivate people, and companies often underestimate its importance in keeping top talent. No matter how much recognition a top performer gets, he will be tempted to leave if the pay scale is much lower than the market and another offer arrives. Recent survey data indicate most employees don’t see a strong connection between pay and performance. Variable pay structures, such as bonuses are often the best production motivators. When pay is tied to performance, the employee’s earnings also recognize contribution rather  than being a form of entitlement. Over time, low performers’ pay stagnates, while high performers enjoy pay increases commensurate with their contributions. An obvious advantage of intrinsic rewards like recognition programs is that they are inexpensive since praise is free. However, they are highly susceptible to political manipulation by management. When applied to jobs for which performance factors are relatively objective, such as sales, recognition programs are likely to be perceived by employees as fair. However, in most jobs, the criteria for good performance aren’t self evident, which allows managers to manipulate the system and recognize their favorites. Abuse can undermine the value of recognition programs and demoralize employees. Research suggests financial incentives may be more motivating in the short term, but in the long run intrinsic incentives will retain good employees if the extrinsic incentives are competitive. 3) What is employee involvement and why is it important. Give two examples. Employee involvement is defined as a participative process that uses the entire capacity of employees and is designed to encourage increased commitment to the organization’s success. The underlying logic is that by involving workers in those decisions that affect them and by increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organization, more productive, and more satisfied with their jobs. Examples of employee involvement include a) Participative management. Participative management programs use joint decision making. Subordinates actually share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors. b) Representative participation. Representative participation refers to worker representation by a small group of employees who actually participate on the board. The goal is to redistribute power within an organization, putting labor on a more equal footing with the interests of management and stockholders. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 7 Topic 6: What do Managers Do & Leadership Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Which of the following is most likely to be a belief held by a successful manager? A) Technical knowledge is all that is needed for success. B) It is not essential to have sound interpersonal skills. C) Technical skills are necessary, but insufficient alone for success. D) Effectiveness is not impacted by human behavior. E) Technical skills do not influence efficiency. 2) Which of a manager’s primary functions requires the manager to define an organization’s goals, establish an overall strategy for achieving these goals and develop a comprehensive hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities? A) controlling B) planning C) staffing D) coordinating E) leading 3) As a manager, one of Joe’s duties is to present awards to outstanding employees within his department. Which Mintzberg managerial role is Joe acting in when he does this? A) leadership role B) liaison role C) monitor role D) figurehead role E) spokesperson role 4) Jill is valued by her colleagues for her ability to perform effective break-even analysis on upcoming ventures. In this case, her colleagues value her for competencies that fall within which essential management skills categories? A) technical B) communication C) human D) conceptual E) education 5) Leadership is best defined as ________. A) the ability to influence a group in goal achievement B) keeping order and consistency in the midst of change C) implementing the vision and strategy provided by management D) coordinating and staffing the organization and handling day-to-day problems E) not a relevant variable in modern organizations 6) The two dimensions of leadership behavior identified in the University of Michigan studies are ________. A) coercion and motivation B) emotional and rational C) employee-oriented and production-oriented D) initiating structure and consideration E) initiation and completion Part B: Discussion Questions 1) Describe the three essential management skills that differentiate effective managers from ineffective ones. Provide a workplace example of how these skills could be used when dealing with the challenge of a workplace recession. The three essential management skills identified by researchers are technical, human, and conceptual. Technical skills are defined by the ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. Human skills are defined by the ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people. Finally, conceptual skills are defined by the ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations. In a time of recession human skills are essential to motivate fearful employees and to create a positive work environment. They would also be necessary in the event of workplace staff reduction. Technical skills could be applied in the area of expertise to raise production and, combined with conceptual skills, can be used to look for small market niches and ways to analyze the industry to continue to make a profit until times are better. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 8 Topic 7: Leadership Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Hersey and Blanchard developed which of the following? A) situational leadership theory B) cognitive resource theory C) managerial grid model D) path-goal theory E) cognitive orientation model 2) Hersey and Blanchard’s leadership theory differs from other leadership theories primarily because it ________. A) explores the role of the expectations of the leader for the follower B) focuses on the followers C) holds that leadership style should be dependent on the situation D) is normative E) deals strictly and exclusively with contingencies 3) What is the main principle of path-goal theory? A) Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style. B) Stress is a form of situational unfavorableness and a leader’s reaction to it depends on his or her intelligence and experience. C) Effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader. D) Leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers because of time pressures. E) The leader is responsible for providing followers with the information, support, or other resources necessary for them to do their jobs. 4) Which of the following is not a key characteristic of a charismatic leader? A) sensitivity to follower needs B) unconventional behavior C) vision and articulation D) task orientation E) willingness to take risks 5) Researchers are conducting a study of a company called Acme Corp, which they believe to be led by a transformational leader. Which of the following, if true, would most support the conclusion that Acme’s leader is a transformational leader? A) Acme’s top managers often conflict over defining the organization’s goals. B) Acme’s goals tend to be very ambitious and to hold personal value for employees. C) Creativity is discouraged among Acme employees. D) Acme managers are cautious and rarely take risks. E) Acme’s compensation plans are designed to reward short-term results. 6) Leaders who clarify role and task requirements to accomplish established goals exhibit a _________ style of leadership. A) transformational B) transactional C) charismatic D) self-initiating E) situational 7) Richard is a transactional leader who has just assigned a series of tasks to a project team. Which of the following is most likely to be true about the team’s performance under Richard’s guidance? A) They will set new standards of productivity for the department, exceeding Richard’s expectations. B) They will meet the goals set for them but are unlikely to go beyond those goals. C) They will tend to be unclear about the roles assigned to each team member. D) They will be highly motivated by what they view as Richard’s heroic or extraordinary qualities. E) They will tend to put their individual self-interest above the interests of the company. Part B: Discussion Questions 1)Compare and contrast Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory with House’s path-goal theory. Hersey and Blanchard’s situation leadership theory is a contingency theory  that focuses on the followers. Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which Hersey and Blanchard argue is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness. The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leaders. The term readiness refers to the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. SLT says if a follower is unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear and specific directions; if followers are unable and willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation to compensate for the followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to get the follower to â€Å"buy into† the leader’s desires; if followers are able and unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and partic ipative style; and if the employee is both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much. Path-goal theory was developed by Robert House. The essence of the theory is that it’s the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization. The term path-goal is derived from the belief that effective leaders clarify the path to help their followers get from where they are to the  achievement of their work goals and make the journey along the path easier by reducing roadblocks. House identified four leadership behaviors. The directive leader lets followers know what is expected of them, schedules work to be done, and gives specific guidance as to how to accomplish tasks. The supportive leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers. The participative leader consults with followers and uses their suggestions before making a decision. The achievement-oriented leader sets challenging goals and expects followers to perform at their highest level. House assumes that leaders are flexible and that the same leader can display any or all of these behaviors depending on the situation. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 9 Topic 8: Communication Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Communication serves all of the following functions within a group or organization except ________. A) motivation B) planning C) emotional expression D) control E) conveying information 2) Alejandro is annoyed that the new recruit, Ben, is working faster than anyone else in the group, making the rest of the group look bad. In the company cafeteria Alejandro teases Ben and calls him the ‘super recruit’ and imitates his style of working so rapidly. Alejandro wants to intimidate Ben so that he will work slower. Which function of communication is Alejandro using by making fun of Ben? A) motivation B) control C) expression D) information E) formal 3) Helena and Laura were talking on the phone. Laura’s two year old son fell and started crying and Laura could no longer hear what Helena said. This is an example of ________. A) transmitting B) decoding C) noise D) understanding E) analysis 4) The communication used by managers to provide job instructions is ________ communication. A) downward B) lateral C) formal D) directional E) diagonal Part B: Discussion Questions 1)Describe the communication process. Include the communication process model and explain the eight parts of this model. Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. It passes between a sender and a receiver. The message is encoded (converted to a symbolic form) and passed by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates (decodes) the message initiated by the sender. The result is a transfer of meaning from one person to another. The key parts of the communication process are 1) the sender 2) encoding 3) the message 4) the channel 5) decoding 6) the receiver 7) noise 8) feedback The source initiates a message by encoding a thought. The message is the actual physical product from the source encoding. The channel is the medium through which the message travels. The receiver is the object to whom the message is directed. The symbols must be translated into a form that can be understood by the receiver. This is the decoding. Noise represents communication barriers that distort the clarity of the message. The final link is a feedback loop. 2) Explain how the grapevine functions and why it exists in organizational communication. Describe the general direction of communication and the form of communication most commonly used in the grapevine. What can a manager do to limit the negative effects of the grapevine? The informal communication system is the grapevine. While it is informal it is still an important source of information. A survey found that 75 percent of employees hear about matters first through rumors on the grapevine. The grapevine has three main characteristics. First, it is not controlled by management. Second, most employees perceive it as more believable and reliable than formal communiquà ©s issued by top management. Finally, it is largely used to serve the interests of the people within it. Rumors emerge as a response to situations that are important to us, when there is ambiguity, and under conditions that arouse anxiety. The fact that work situations frequently contain these three elements explains why rumors flourish in organizations. The secrecy and competition that typically prevail in large organizations, encourage and sustain rumors on the grapevine. A rumor will persist either until the wants and expectations creating the uncertainty are fulfilled or the anxiety has been reduced. The grapevine generally follows lateral communication in which persons from the same hierarchical levels begin to relay messages. Very rarely does management participate in the grapevine. In fact, one study reported that management only relayed messages to the grapevine ten percent of the time. Generally oral communication is used to relay grapevine information, although written e-mail can be used as well, but is considered less safe for accountability reasons. Managers can not entirely eliminate rumors. What they should do is minimize the negative consequences of rumors by limiting their range and impact. The best way to reduce the negative consequences of rumors is to: 1) Provide information; 2) Explain actions and decisions that may appear inconsistent, unfair, or secretive; 3) Refrain from shooting the messenger; and 4) Maintain open communication channels. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 10 Topic 9: Conflict Management Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) The traditional view of conflict is the belief that conflict is ________. A) harmful B) natural C) necessary D) situationally-dependent E) neutral 2) Which of the following is not a cause of conflict, according to the traditionalist view? A) general poor communication between people B) lack of openness in the organization C) trust between people in the organization D) management failure to be responsive to employee needs E) management failure to be responsive to employee aspirations 3) The ________ view of conflict argues that conflict is necessary for a group to perform effectively. A) human relations B) interactionist C) traditional D) functional E) reactive 4) ________ conflicts are almost always dysfunctional. A) Task B) Job C) Relationship D) Process E) Functional 5) The first stage of the conflict process is termed ________. A) cognition and personalization B) behavioral manifestation C) potential opposition or incompatibility D) intention E) habituation 6) High job specialization can lead to ________ conflict. A) communication B) structural C) personal-variable D) job-related E) team 7) In which stage are conflict issues defined? A) potential opposition B) cognition and personalization C) intuitions D) behavior E) reaction and transference 8) The conflict-handling intention of collaborating is ________. A) assertive and uncooperative B) assertive and cooperative C) unassertive and uncooperative D) unassertive and cooperative E) affective and reflective 9) Angelina feels that her cubicle neighbor talks too loudly on the phone, but in other ways she is a great neighbor. Angelina gets annoyed every time her neighbor’s phone rings, but she has decided it’s simply not worth the trouble to talk to her neighbor. Angelina’s conflict intention is called ________. A) competing B) avoiding C) accommodating D) compromising E) collaborating 10) Which of the following is not a conflict-resolution technique? A) creating superordinate goals B) appointing a devil’s advocate C) avoiding the conflict D) exercising authoritative command E) generating additional resources 11) Stage II of the conflict process deals with conflict being ________. A) perceived and felt B) apparent and experienced C) expressed and perceived D) overt and covert E) internalized 12) Irma does not like a few of the standard operating procedures adapted for the new project. However, she discussed the items with the team and told them that she realized she was in the minority and that she would adapt the new procedures to maintain smooth operations within the team. This type of intention is called ________. A) sacrificing B) accommodating C) collaborating D) compromising E) competing TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 11 Topic 10: Power and Politics Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Power can be defined as ________. A) the ability to influence the behavior of others B) the actualization of the dependency of others C) congruence between the goals of the leader and those being led D) downward influence on one’s followers E) upward influence on one’s leaders 2) One reacts to ________ power out of fear of the negative ramifications that might result if one fails to comply. A) legitimate B) coercive C) punitive D) referent E) abusive 3) The power that the College Dean has been granted by the University over the faculty is termed ________ power. A) academic B) positional C) legitimate D) organizational E) balanced 4) Power tactics can be defined as ________. A) the only legitimate sources of power B) techniques for translating power bases into specific action C) strategies for gathering and maintain support D) organizational structural characteristics E) approaches for winning arguments 5) Vivian has not been handling one portion of her duties in a satisfactory manner. As a result, her manager threatens to withhold her promotion. Which power tactic is being used? A) exchange B) ingratiation C) pressure D) personal appeals E) inspirational appeals Part B: Discussion Questions 1) Contrast leadership and power. Power does not require goal compatibility, merely dependence. Leadership, on the other hand, requires some congruence between the goals of the leader and those being led. A second difference relates to the direction of influence. Leadership focuses on the downward influence on one’s followers. It minimizes the importance of lateral and upward influence patterns. Power does not. Still another difference deals with research emphasis. Leadership research, for the most part, emphasizes style. It seeks answers to such questions as: How supportive should a leader be? How much decision making should be shared with followers? The research on power encompasses a broader area and focus on tactics for gaining compliance. Power can be used by groups as well as by individuals to control other individuals or groups. 2) List and discuss the bases of personal power. Personal power comes from an individual’s unique characteristics. Two bases of personal power are expertise, the respect and admiration of others. a) Expert power is influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge. Expertise has become one of the most powerful sources of influence as the world has become more technologically oriented. b) Referent power is based on identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits. If I like, respect, and admire you, you can exercise power over me because I want to please you. 3) Distinguish between legitimate political behavior and illegitimate political behavior. Legitimate political behavior refers to normal everyday politics – complaining to your supervisor, bypassing the chain of command, forming coalitions, obstructing organizational policies or decisions through inaction or excessive adherence to rules, and developing contacts outside the organization through one’s professional activities. On the other hand, there are also illegitimate political behaviors that violate the implied rules of the game. Those who pursue such extreme activities are often described as individuals who â€Å"play hardball.† Illegitimate activities include sabotage, whistleblowing, and symbolic protests such as wearing unorthodox dress or protest buttons, and groups of employees simultaneously calling in sick. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 12 Topic 11: Human Resource Policies and Practices (Human Resource Planning& Forecasting, Recruitment) Part A: Discussion Questions 1) Define human resource planning. Describe the TWO (2) components in human resource planning. Human resource planning is the systematic process of matching the internal and external supply of people with job openings anticipated in the organization over a specific period of time. Human resource planning has 2 components: requirements and availability. A requirements forecast involves determining the number, skill, and location of employees the organization will need at future dates in order to meet its goals. The determination of whether the firm will be able to secure employees with the necessary skills, and from what sources, is called an availability forecast. 2) Describe human resource databases and how databases can assist in matching internal employees to positions. A human resource database contains employee information that permits management to make HR decisions. Information that might appear in such databases, includes, but is not limited to, the following: work history and experience, specific skills and knowledge, licenses or certifications held, organizational training completed, educational background, previous performance appraisal evaluations, assessment of strengths and weaknesses, development needs, promotion potential at present, and with further development, current job performance, field of specialization, job preferences, geographic preferences, career goals and aspirations, anticipated retirement date, and personal history, including psychological assessments. Databases are being used by organizations to enable human resources to match people with positions. 3) List TWO (2) methods are available to firms when either a shortage or surplus of workers is forecasted? Firms faced with a shortage of workers may use: 1) 2) 3) 4) innovative recruiting, compensation incentives, and training programs to fill positions. Lowering of employment standards Firms faced with a surplus of workers may use: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) layoffs,  restricted hours,  hiring freezes may be necessary, and  encourage early retirement and  the use of vacation time. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 13 Topic 12: Human Resource Policies and Practices (Selection) Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Which of the following is the most common method of initial selection? A) written tests B) background check C) performance test D) application form E) work-sample test 2) More than ________ percent of employers conduct some type of background check on potential employees during some point in the hiring process, usually either in the initial phase or the contingent phase. A) 25 B) 50 C) 65 D) 80 E) 95 3) The best way for an employer to find out if a potential employee can do a job is by ________. A) using the interview process B) using a written test C) having them spend a day in the office D) administering an IQ test E) using a performance simulation test 4) Work sample tests are widely used in hiring ________. A) unskilled labor B) skilled workers C) professional workers D) managers E) knowledge workers 5) The results of which of the following tend to have a disproportionate amount of influence on employee selection decisions? A) interviews B) written tests C) performance simulation tests D) work sampling methods E) personality tests 6) The behavioral structured interview is built on the assumption that ________. A) past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior B) technical knowledge and skills are the best predictor of job performance C) personality is the best predictor of job performance D) personality and mood are highly correlated E) technical knowledge and mood are highly correlated Part B: TRUE /FALSE Questions 1) As a selection device, written tests have decreased in usage during the past 20 years. (TRUE /FALSE) 2) A test that measures factors such as dependability, carefulness, responsibility, and honesty is referred to as a performance factor test. (TRUE /FALSE) 3) Work samples yield validities almost consistently superior to written aptitude tests. (TRUE /FALSE) 4) In assessment centers, job candidates are evaluated as they go through several days of exercises that simulate real problems they would confront on the job. (TRUE /FALSE) TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 14 Topic 13 & 14: Human Resource Policies and Practices (Performance Evaluation) Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Performance evaluations today are generally based on which three types of behavior? A) task performance, productivity, tenure B) productivity, efficiency, absenteeism C) task performance, citizenship, counterproductivity D) citizenship, counterproductivity, personality E) leadership, training, efficiency 2) Performance evaluations are used as a mechanism for all of the following except ________. A) monitoring the success of marketing strategies B) determining promotions C) pinpointing employees skills D) identifying training and development needs E) providing feedback to employees 3) Which of the following is not a weakness of the 360-degree evaluation system? A) artificially inflated feedback from peers B) insufficient training for performance evaluators C) discrepancies between evaluating groups D) provides a wide performance perspective E) difficulties in reconciling differing evaluations 4) Performance evaluations are used to ________. A) improve group cohesiveness B) define departmental structure C) help management make HR decisions D) identify how jobs are completed E) decrease conformity within organizations 5) Which of the following is the least predictive set of criteria used to evaluate employees? A) traits B) task outcomes C) behaviors D) personality E) mood Part B: Discussion Questions 1) What are the three most popular sets of criteria for evaluating employee performance? The three most popular sets of criteria for evaluating employee performance are individual task outcomes, behaviors, and traits. a) If ends count, rather than means, then management should evaluate an employee’s task outcomes. In many cases, it’s difficult to identify specific outcomes that can be directly attributable to an employee’s actions. b) It’s not unusual for management to evaluate the employee’s behavior. c) The weakest set of criteria, yet one that is widely used by organizations is individual traits. They are weaker because they are farthest removed from the actual performance of the job itself. 2) Who should perform employee evaluations? With many of today’s organizations using self-managed teams, telecommuting, and other organizing devices that distance bosses from their employees, an employee’s immediate superior may not be the most reliable judge of that employee’s performance. Thus, in more and more cases, peers and even subordinates are being asked to participate in the performance evaluation process. Also, increasingly, employees are participating in their own performance evaluation. In most situations, in fact, it is highly advisable to use multiple sources of ratings. Any individual performance rating may say as much about the rater as about the person being evaluated. By averaging across raters, we can obtain a more reliable, unbiased, and accurate performance evaluation.