Cognitive approach Essay

The cognitive approach focuses on the way information is processed by humans. It looks at how we as individuals treat information and how it leads to responses. Cognitive psychologists study internal processes such as attention, language, memory, thinking and perception. The main assumption of this approach is that in when information is received it is then processed by the brain and this processing directs how we as individuals behave or justify why we behave the way we do. With the cognitive approach it is hard to view its constructions, though, some say that it is an example of theoretical constructs. This means that we cannot directly see processes such as thinking but we can infer what a person is thinking based on simply the way they act. Cognitive psychologists mainly focus on internal mental processes such as memory. Attention is put on how individuals learn to solve problem and the mental processes that are present between stimulus and response. This approach has been influenced by developments in computer science, such that the ideas are very similar. It gets its idea from how a computer works and how we process information. Based on the computer analogy, cognitive psychology is interested in how the brain inputs, stores and outputs information. Loftus and Palmers (1974) study of an eyewitness testimony demonstrates how the cognitive process of a person’s memory can be misled by other information provided after an event. This highlights that memory is a dynamic process which can be influenced by many events such as leading questions. The study also shows that memory is a dynamic process and changes to make sense of certain experiences. When individuals behave in a certain way towards another individual, it is likely that we challenge to understand how the other is thinking and feeling. Baron-Cohen’s (1997) study of behaviour and how it can be influenced by a cognitive process identifies a ‘theory of mind ’. This theory enables an individual to acknowledge grow understanding and respect for the fact that people have thoughts and beliefs that are different from their own. His study challenges to demonstrate that the main inefficiency of autism is a failure to completely develop the cognitive process of a ‘theory of mind’. This approach is different from other approaches in different ways. One way is that it adopts the use of scientific and experimental methods to measure mental processes. Another  difference is that the approach is the supporter of importance of mental processes such as beliefs and desires in determining behaviour unlike the behaviourist approach. One strength of the cognitive approach is that it uses a scientific approach through the use of laboratory experiments. These experiments are beneficial as they are extremely high in control, thus enabling researchers to recognise the cause and effect. In terms of being able to control, when Loftus and Palmers conducted their study they were able to control the ages of the participants and the location of the experiment. Every participant was asked the same questions. Furthermore, experiments such as the one discussed is easy to test for reliability. However, many cognitive studies that are carried out in laboratory settings/environment ca n lack environmental validity. It may be difficult to generalise the results/findings to everyday life if the cognitive process such as memory and theory of mind are studied in artificial situations. A further asset of this approach is the useful contributions that have risen from this approach. Understanding cognitive process allows us to help improve the way in which people execute their cognitive process such as memory or language. The Baron-Choen’s study on behaviour and how it is influential enables us to understand the behaviour of people with mental conditions. Similarly, Loftus and Palmer’s study highlights the limitations of an eyewitness testimony. Though the approach has many strengths, it also has some weakness’, one being that the cognitive approach relates to the validity of measuring cognitive processes. The approach relies heavily on a self-report and observation, meaning, we can only gather/interpret what someone is thinking. http://www.revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/psychology/themes-issues-and-debates/nature-nurture-debate/approaches-stance-nature-nurture http://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html Humanism Humanistic psychology is a perspective that highlights the study of a person as a whole, this is referred to as ‘holism’. Humanistic psychologists look at human behaviour not only through the eye of the observer but through the eyes of the person doing the behave. Humanistic psychologists believes that an individual’s behaviour is linked to their inner feelings and self-image. The approach centres on the view that each person is different and unique, and each individual has free will to change at any time in their lives. The perspective suggest that we as indivduals are responsible for our own happiness and well-being. As humans with have an inborn capaticy for self –actualization which is our desire to achieve our highest potential as people. The humanists regarded scientific methods as inappropriate for studying behaviour beacause of the focus on the person and their personal experiences and perception of the world. There are two very influential theorist s in humanistic psychology. These are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Psychodynamic perspective Who hasn’t heard of Sigmund Freud? So many expressions from our daily life come from Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis – subconscious, denial, repression and anal personality to name only a few. Freud believes that events in our childhood can have a significant impact on our behavior as adults. He also believed that people have little free will to make choices in life. Instead our behavior is determined by the unconscious mind and childhood experiences. Freud’s psychoanalysis is both a theory and a therapy. It is the original psychodynamic theory and inspired psychologists such as Jung and Erikson to develop their own psychodynamic theories. Freud’s work is vast and he has contributed greatly to psychology as a discipline. Freud, the founder of Psychoanalysis, explained the human mind as like an iceberg, with only a small amount of it being visible, that is our observable behavior, but it is the unconscious, submerged mind that has the most, underl ying influence on our behavior. Freud used three main methods of accessing the unconscious mind: free association, dream analysis and slips of the tongue. He believed that the unconscious mind consisted of three components: the ‘id’ the ‘ego’ and the ‘superego’. The ‘id’ contains  two main instincts: ‘Eros’, which is the life instinct, which involves self-preservation and sex which is fuelled by the ‘libido’ energy force. ‘Thanatos’ is the death instinct, whose energies, because they are less powerful than those of ‘Eros’ are channeled away from ourselves and into aggression towards others. The ‘id’ and the ‘superego’ are constantly in conflict with each other, and the ‘ego’ tries to resolve the discord. If this conflict is not resolved, we tend to use defense mechanisms to reduce our anxieties. Psychoanalysis attempts to help patients resolve their inner conflicts. An asp ect of psychoanalysis is Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. It shows how early experiences affect adult personality. Stimulation of different areas of the body is important as the child progresses through the important developmental stages. Too much or too little can have bad consequences later. The most important stage is the phallic stage where the focus of the libido is on the genitals. During this stage little boys experience the ‘Oedipus complex’, and little girls experience the ‘Electra complex’. These complexes result in children identifying with their same-sex parent, which enables them to learn sex-appropriate behavior and a morale code of conduct. However it has been criticized in the way that it over emphasizes of importance of sexuality and under emphasizes of role of social relationships. The theory is not scientific, and can’t be proved as it is circular. The sample was biased, consisting of middle-class, middle-aged neurotic women. Never the less psychoanalysis has been greatly contributory to psychology in that it has encouraged many modern theorists to modify it for the better, using its basic principles, but eliminating its major flaws. Perspectives Conclusion To conclude, there are many different perspectives to psychology in explaining different types of behaviour and give different judgments. The fact that there are many perspectives shows that human behave is in fact a very complex thing to analyse. A scientific approach, such as cognitive psychology or behaviourism, often tends to ignore the personal experiences that people have. Though, the humanistic perspective does in fact recognise human experience. The psychodynamic perspective concentrates  largely on the unconscious mind and childhood. The biological perspective reduces humans to a group of mechanisms and physical structures that are essential and very important, such as genes. However, the biological perspective fails to account for consciousness and influences of the environment and behaviour.

Positive Relationship with Children Essay

1.1. Positive relationships with children and young people are important because when children feel comfortable they separate more easily from their parents, and are more likely to participate in activities if they secure emotionally. Also when children have positive relationships they are less likely to show unwanted behaviour as we can recognise and meet their individual needs. Childrens language will also develop more quickly due to being confident to talk to us. Us as practitioners can also plan more accurately as we’ll understand childrens development and we will know their individual interests. It is also important as we will be able to respond to a Childs emotions due to their facial expressions and the way they are acting when we know them and have a bond with them. We also have to remember that we are to build professional relationships. The principles of relationship building and to keep them maintained are communicating effectively, identifying and sorting out conflicts and disagreements, being consistent and fair, showing respect and courtesy, valuing and respecting individuality, keeping promises and honouring commitments, monitoring impact of own behaviour on others, keeping confidentiality as appropriate and recognising and responding appropriately to the power base underpinning relationships. 1.2. Observation 1.3. My own effectiveness in building relationships with children or young people is that when you get to know each child individually i feel more comfortable, because i know they feel comfortable due to them knowing me and respecting them. I involve all the children in my activities no matter what the age gap unless the activitiy is un suiteable for that age group. I ensure in myself that i treat each child in the same way, as no child has higher priority than the other they all get treated fairly. I also feel like i have achieved building relationships with the children when you see them after a weekend or the next day because they smile and are excited to come to nursery again. 2.1. Positive relationships with people involved in the care of children and young people are important. Other people involved other than their family are organisational managers, carers, other visitors, colleagues from other agencies and services, external partners, official visitors, and colleagues. If we do not have positive relationships with these people involved in the childrens lives that attend nursery there is danger that information might be passed un –accurately and that it is withheld because we may not be trusted. It is important that we all work together to build trust with everyone and the benefits the child will get if we do so are children are given consistent care, childrens needs and interests are identified, plans for childrens care and education are more effective, childrens welfare can be properly monitored, and skills and ideas can be shared quickly between adults.

Johnson & Johnson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Johnson & Johnson - Essay Example To do so the details like the SIC code and the industry code have been discussed. Also details of the competitors have been discussed. A detailed analysis of the financial ratios and a financial analysis have been made. Finally based on the analysis, recommendations have been drawn out for the company. b) Benchmarks: The various benchmarks that need to be considered are: Bonds and other fixed income investment, The NASDAQ Stock market, Technology Stocks, International Stocks, Overall market, Japanese Market, and the Mortgage rates. The interest rate is the current interest rate that is offered. d) External factors: Events across the world and the economic conditions are two very strong factors that affect the working of Johnson & Johnson. Other factors like the cost of things in the country i.e. the inflation levels of the country also plays a very important role in the decision making of the company. The company faces major competition from Eli Lily, Novartis and Procter & Gamble. The market shares of these companies, based on their revenues are illustrated below to give a clear picture of the company’s position in the market and its customer base. It is evident that Johnson and Johnson has a considerable 30% market share; however it is imperative to note that Procter and Gamble takes the lead with over 40% of the market. Though Novartis has comparatively lesser share of the market, Eli Lily is continuously shown steady growth over these years and has control over 20% of the market. The market share also indicates the potential of the industry and that there is a lot of opportunities for Johnson and Johnson to exploit in terms of revenue and customer base. Another major opportunity for Johnson and Johnson is to enter into the segment of medical devices and diagnostics which will improve its customer base and diversify its activities. b) Products & Services: The products and services of the company are mainly focused on the health industry.

Haemophillia type A genetic disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Haemophillia type A genetic disease - Essay Example At times, there occurs a change in genes or mutation which alters the instructions present in genes for protein making. Then the protein either misses entirely or stops working properly, causing certain medical condition known as genetic disorder. So, a genetic disease refers to a disorder or illness that is caused by one or multiple defects and abnormalities present in the genome. It is particularly caused by a certain condition which is congenital (present since birth). Such disorders are usually rare to occur and, in several thousand, only one person is affected (Griffiths, Anthony; Wessler, Susan, Carroll, Sean, Doebley, John, p. 57). The genetic abnormality in many people may range from minor to major, or in other words, from a single base discrete mutation in the DNA of a single gene to a gross chromosome abnormality connecting the subtraction or addition of a set of chromosomes or chromosomes on whole. There are different types of genetic disorders; some are passed down to children from parents, while many other genetic abnormalities occur due to mutations or acquired changes in a preexisting group of genes or gene. It is usually due to the various environmental exposures that gene mutations occurs (MedicineNet). The disorders caused by mutation of genes may not be heritable sometimes, i.e., passed down to offspring from parents genes. The genetic disorders that are non-heritable as they may be defected by the new changes or mutations to the DNA. In these situations, if the defect occurs in germ line, only then, it will be heritable. On the other hand, the inherited genetic conditions in some people may be the reason for the occurrence of same disease, such as a particular type of cancer (Kuliev, Verlinsky, p.179–83). This happens mainly through the environmental reasons and also by new mutations in many other people. The inherited deficiencies of coagulation factors include Hemophilia A and B, also known as

Case Studies Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Studies - Case Study Example Nick Leason is opportunistic because he used his position in the bank to cover up his mistakes. He was also a dishonest employee. Instead of reporting the loss caused by other employees, he covered the loss in order to protect the employees and maintain the bank’s good reputation in the bank. Leadership styles had effects on Baring Brother’s leadership tea. Leissez-Fare leadership, which involved lack of supervision on employees led to the failure of the executive team. They could not make effective decision in time. The other leadership style that influenced the action of executive team includes autocratic leadership style. Leeson as the general manager made decisions without involving other management team members. The bank’s problem would be detected in time by the executive team if the bank leaders had made collective decision. Situation leadership affected the banks situation in various ways. Leaders of the organization employed less qualified staff in order to increase the profitability of the bank by paying them less money. This led to the bank’s loss. In addition, Leeson situational leadership style involved covering the loss in order to meet needs of investors and employees in the bank. This worsened the bank’s

LTE measurement parameters analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

LTE measurement parameters analysis - Essay Example The development of the long-term evolution is said to be the natural upgrade of the receivers. This receiver uses the CDMA designs that were established in 2000 and the GSM/UMTS set-ups to transmit signals (Rumney, 2013, 17). The long-term evolution is currently marketed as the 4G wireless technology service; LTE is not enough to fulfill the technical requirements that are adopted by the 3G. These necessities were initially accompanied by the ITU-R systems in its progressive specification in IMT (Korowajczuk, 2011, 29). Due to pressure generated by the market and the tremendous advancement that are associated by HSPA and the long-term evolution to the inventive 3G technologies, the fourth generation LTE technology was developed by the ITU. The major aim for the development of the LTE was to increase the speed and capacity of the wireless data networks through the use of digital signal processing modulations and techniques that were developed in the beginning of the year 2000. Some of the key reason that caused the development of the LTE was to simplify and redesign the network architecture to the current IP based system. The IP systems have a reduced transfer capability as compared to the 3G structural design. LTE wireless edge is usually harmonious to the 2G and the 3g network technologies. The technology must be worked on a different wireless spectrum (Korowajczuk, 2011, 77). In the long-term evolution, the following parameters are used on the location signal. The first one is the conventional signal power indicator (RSSI).It is used in computing the normal amount of power received and observed by the OFDM symbols which have the reference symbols for the antenna port 0.port 0 measures the bandwidth over the N source blocks. The second parameter is the reference signal received power. This is a form of measurement that is used in parameter RSSI. The parameters are transmitted

Marketing managemnet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing managemnet - Essay Example Many companies seek success in various factors. These factors include: excellent information systems, qualified workforce, and modern technology all contribute to business success. Nevertheless, successful companies, such as Coca Cola Company, McDonald’s foods, Starbucks, and other renowned companies have had a similarity: they have a strong customer orientation programs and have heavily invested in marketing on their products and services. Marketing Management In essence, marketing consists of strategies and tactics that are used to identify, create and maintain satisfying relationships with customers that results in value increase for the companies and the customers. Successful companies dedicate efforts to sensing, serving and satisfying the needs of customers in the unique target markets. Companies like Apple have attained brand equity through constant innovation an excellent customer service. Moreover, Apple products are built on advanced communication technology and addi tional feature like email and messages capabilities, which have increased the level of customer satisfaction. Basically, the Apple Company has been able to implement technology, and innovation in all the marketing mix elements (Boone and Kurtz, 2010). Marketers should always understand that business revolves around the creation and delivery of value to customers. The customer value is said to be the variation between the customers’ value gained from owning and using the products and the cost of obtaining the products. Of importance to note is that successful marketing managements entails identifying the right market for the products and services and designing the appropriate marketing communication messages, which are tailored to the particular market and target customers (Green and Keegan, 2012). Elements of Marketing Strategy The marketing strategy of any company is composed of various elements, which interrelate. The main element is the market selection and the product pla nning, which basically involves the product line and the product offering of the target market. A company can either choose a single market strategy or multi market strategy. In single marketing strategy, the company will concentrate its efforts in servicing the single unique market segment while avoiding competition with the dominant players. In a multi marketing strategy, the company will serves several distinct markets hence the importance of carefully selecting the target markets which are viable. In a total marketing strategy, the company will offer differentiated products to different market segments; hence it should utilize the marketing variables such as price, promotion, products, as well as, the distribution strategies in competing effectively in the entire market (Haberberg and Rieple, 2008). The company should ensure that thorough scrutiny should be able to decide and take up on the best marketing strategy that ought to be used. For instance, the Apple Company has been a ble to anticipate and bear the market risks including the effective promotion of the Apple products such as iPods and phones. According to Hartline and Ferrell 2010, a company may also choose an early entry where it brings into the market a new segment after the market leaders hence the company should ensure that it uses superior marketing strategies and sufficient resources to compete with the market leader. A company could also choose a laggard entry strategy where it enters in the market through imitation of

Style emitation piece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Style emitation piece - Essay Example His funding is diminished and he is now operating with the equipment previously provided by grants. The question must have nagged the Professor greatly. For years and years he toiled tirelessly checking the radars and other equipment for any proof of foreign intelligence or any attempt of communication from extra-terrestrial beings. In the process, the professor was mocked, even called crazy. Until one fine Sunday morning. A bleep on the radar. The professor was first in disbelief. He verified then reverified. It is indeed a bleep. He sent radio signals. It was sent back! The professor yelled with excitement, yes! It was a confirmation that the one who registered in the bleep was an intelligent being. For months Professor Z’s team worked to have a medium of language that they could understand. When it come to fruition, all doubts against the Professor was removed. Then the anticipated moment came, a meet up was finally decided. The aliens will visit the earth. It has to be the alien that should visit because earth has no technology yet to travel that far in space. Besides, some proof of alien existence is also needed to justify the funding for the professor. Preparations were made hurriedly as everybody was excited. The coordinates were set and the date was fixed. Then the awaited day came. Everybody was there. The President of United States, China, and other countries, as well as UN, G7 and other important personalities. The appointed time came. But there was no spaceship. Probably it is in invisible mode but there are no roaring machine to indicate a space craft. The professor nervously called on the radio. This professor of planet earth, alien visitor are you here? The radio did not immediately reply. Then it broke, Professor, we are currently defending ourselves against the monsters you sent us. Monsters? The professor quipped. â€Å"Yes† and there are too many

Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Project 2 - Essay Example alue and the book can be utilized to witness the beginnings of the business of running a church, while ascertaining fundamental principles that remain solid concepts in the current administration of church funds. The terms of success within the financial development of a church is based on sound money management principles. McGarrah lists â€Å"Honest payment of all bills and obligations incurred† [2] as the first responsibility in administering the finances of a church. Using this tenant as a basis on which to make decisions about how funds will be used allows for the church to be a solid representation of what is honest and good. Arranging for goods and services to be given in donation should be done before jobs are completed or goods are delivered. To accept an obligation without the intent to make good on the contractual promise creates a poor example to the community and diminishes efforts towards the community in bringing members into the church. As in all things, however the church conducts itself and the way in which it develops relationships is _____________________________________________________________________ Another issue that McGarrah addresses is the issue of the salaries the church pays to the pastor and other employees who operate the church. McGarrah suggests that to pay a pastor a â€Å"starvation salary†[3] is unacceptable and will also reflect poorly on the reputation of the church. A poor reflection will also result from improper allocation to budgets. If budgets are not large enough to meet the needs of the objects of those budgets, then programs and projects will suffer allowing the appearance of inadequate management of the church funds. It is a harsh truth that a church needs money, just like any other organization, in order to grow and provide ministering nourishment to its flock. McGarrah says that â€Å"History shows that churches which have persistently belittled stewardship and finances, which have not used money in their

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the story of Victor’s ambition to successfully create a life through the use of science. In the present times, this is closely known as genetic engineering or cloning, wherein a scientist or a doctor dabbles in the works of creating a new life or transforming a life through science and technology. Shelley shows in her work that Victor had successfully created a being, however it stunned him, not in amazement but in hatred and fear of the misshapen creature he has created. The creature that Victor created was adultlike like in its physique but childlike in its mind. Its innocence became its downfall as it slowly learned, the hard way, that it is not a normal human being but a reject of the society because of its appearance. This led to its violent rampage destroying the things that it desires, belongingness in the society, and created an even more fearsome aura that caused people, even its creator, a deeper terror and horror in its existence. This shows that such inventions and discoveries does not necessarily mean success in the world of science as such creatures do not play a significant role in making the lives of people better. This indicates that science and technology has a great power in playing with fate and lives that people tend to question its ethics, morals and values. Shelley successfully presents in her work that science has to consider certain ethics and morals with its inventions, thinking about the purpose and result of the work in the world of humans. Ethics and morals are the basis of how humans live and think. The society strongly against inventions such as cloning and genetic engineering because of these values. Although the value life is a strong motive for dabbling into the arts of creating or transforming human life, the society thinks immoral of such actions because it makes the creator play with life, which in a religious or ethical sense, humans cannot play with. Shelley’s Frankenstein shows that playing with fate and life has its consequences. Something that is created from the pieces of humanity cannot be entirely human on its own. Rejection is always present in society, and it cannot be blamed on the people when a creature, as misshapen as Frankenstein roams the streets without full knowledge of what life is. The lesson the Shelley leaves her readers is the importance of considering how knowledge is to be used for humanity and to improve human life. Another impacting thought that Shelley leaves is the significance of proper teaching of the masters to their students. When Victor showed an uncanny interest in modern science, his teachers dismissed his curiousity without explaining to him why such fascination is dangerous and not worth paying attention to. Victor turned to modern science because of the limitations of alchemy. He combined his knowledge of aggripa, alchemy and the modern science to turn create a new life that he later rejected and loathed. Both the educators and the students have a responsibility in what they do and the results of their actions. Before any scientific invention and discovery is pursued, ethical considerations, moral responsibility and purpose is to be weighed. Educators and students should look at their works with purpose and not just because they wanted to create something new. They have to consider the results of such actions, and if it will result to something that is not beneficial for human life and will endanger the morals and values of the society, then it should be discouraged. Science and technology is something that is to be used to improve human life not destroy it.

The Environmental Effects Of Drought Environmental Sciences Essay

The Environmental Effects Of Drought Environmental Sciences Essay Drought is a normal part of climatic conditions; extreme climatic events, often described as a natural hazard (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). Drought has long been recognized as one of the most dangerous causes of human misery. It has today the unfortunate distinction of being the natural disaster that annually claims the most victims. Its ability to cause widespread misery is actually increasing day by day. Drought differs from other natural disasters in its slowness of onset and its commonly lengthy duration. The severity of the drought depends upon its duration, the degree of moisture deficiency, and the size of the affected area. Drought is a hazard that requires many months to emerge and that may persist for many months or years thereafter. This type of hazard is known as a creeping hazard (Coppola, 2007). It is difficult to provide a precise and universally accepted definition of drought due to its varying characteristics, impacts, across the different regions of the world, such as rainfall pattern, human response and resilience and diverse academic perspectives (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). In general, drought is an insidious natural hazard that results from a departure of precipitation from expected or normal that, when extended over a season or longer period of time, is insufficient to meet the demands of human, plant and animal activities ( A Primer for parliamentarians, NDMD). In the literature, drought has been classified into four categories in terms of impact: Meteorological Drought Meteorological drought is defined as the deficiency of precipitation from expected or normal levels over an extended period of time. Meteorological drought usually precedes other kinds of drought. Meteorological drought is said to occur when the seasonal rainfall received over an area is less than 25% of its long term average value. Its further classified as a moderate drought if the rainfall deficit is 26-50% and severe drought when the deficit exceeds 50% of the normal. The following examples of meteorologic droughts from different countries at different times show why it is a poor idea to apply a definition of drought developed in one part of the world to another: United States (1942): less than one tenth inch of rainfall in 48 hours Great Britain (1936): fifteen consecutive days with daily precipitation totals of less than one hundredth of an inch Libya (1964): when annual rainfall is less than 7 inches India (1960): actual seasonal rainfall is deficient by more than twice the mean deviation Bali (1964): a period of six days without rain. (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998) Under any circumstances, meteorological measurements are the first indicators of drought. Agricultural Drought Agricultural drought, usually triggered by meteorological and hydrological droughts, occurs when soil moisture and rainfall are inadequate during the crop growing season causing extreme crop stress and wilting. Plant water demand depends on prevailing weather conditions, biological characteristics of the specific plant, its stage of growth and the physical and biological properties of the soil. Agriculture is usually the first economic sector to be affected by drought (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998). Hydrological Drought Hydrological drought refers to deficiencies in surface and subsurface water supplies. It is measured as stream flow, and as lake, reservoir and ground water levels. There is a time lag between lack of rain and less water in streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, so hydrological measurements are not the earliest indicators of drought. When precipitation is reduced or deficient over an extended period of time, this shortage will be reflected in declining surface and subsurface water levels (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998). Socioeconomic Drought Socioeconomic drought is what happens when physical water shortage starts to affect people, individually and collectively. Or, in more abstract terms, most socioeconomic definitions of drought associate it with the supply and demand of an economic good (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1998). Drought in India Drought gas a serious problem for India, and it has affected many part of the country intermittently. Certain regions of the country identified to be drought-prone. Increased climate variability has made rainfall pattern more inconsistent and unpredictable in the country increasing the recurrence of drought or drought like situation. A deficiency of rainfall causes depletion of both surface and ground water levels and adversely affects agricultural operations. In India, around 68% of the country is prone to drought in varying degrees. Of the entire area, 35% of the area, which receives rainfall between 750 mm and 1,125 mm, is considered drought-prone, while another 33%, which receives less than 750 mm of rainfall, is called chronically drought-prone. A further classification of Indias regions into arid (19.6%), semi-arid (37%), and sub-humid areas (21%) has been dealing with geographical spread of drought (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). In India, the occurrence and conditions of drought are influenced by a number of factors. Rainfall and cropping patterns are different across many geographical regions. It is not just the deficiency of the rainfall, but also the uneven distribution of rainfall across the season, duration of rainfall deficiency and its impact on different regions of the country that characterize drought conditions. Even though India receives abundant rain as a whole, disparity in its distribution over different parts of the country is so great that some parts suffer from perennial dryness. In other parts, however the rainfall is so excessive that only a small fraction can be utilized. Around 33% of the cropped area in the country receives less than 750 mm rain annually making such areas as hotspots of drought. Impacts of Drought Drought produces wide ranging impacts that span many sectors of the country. Drought has both direct and indirect impacts. One of the sectors where the direct impact of drought felt is agriculture. With the increased intensity or extended duration of drought prevalence, a significant fall in food production is noticed. The drought not only affects the food production at the farm level but also the national economy and the overall food security as well. Other direct impacts includes: depleted water levels, deficit in ground water recharge, land degradation, and damage to wildlife and fish habits. When direct impacts have multiplier effects through the economy and society, they are referred to as indirect impacts. These include a reduction in agricultural production that may result in reduced income for farmers and agribusiness, increased prices for food and timber, unemployment, reduced purchasing capacity and demand for consumption, default on agricultural loans, rural unrest, and re duction in agricultural employment leading to migration and drought relief programmes. The impacts of drought are classified as economic, environmental, and social. Economic Impacts Economic impacts refer to production losses in agriculture and related sectors, especially forestry and fisheries, because these sectors rely on surface and subsurface water supplies. It causes a loss of income and purchasing power, particularly among farmers and rural population dependent on agriculture. All industries dependent upon the primary sector for their raw materials would suffer losses due to reduced supply or increased prices. Drought thus has a multiplier effect throughout the economy, which has a dampening impact on employment, flow of credit and tax collections. If the drought is countrywide, macroeconomic indicators at the national level are adversely impacted. (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009) Environmental impacts Environmental impacts, such as lower water levels in reservoirs, lakes and ponds as well as reduced flows from springs and streams would reduce the availability of feed and drinking water and adversely affect fish and wildlife habitat. It may also cause loss of forest cover, migration of wildlife and their greater mortality due to increased contact with agricultural producers as animals seek food from farms and producers are less tolerant of the intrusion. A prolonged drought may also result in increased stress among endangered species and cause loss of biodiversity. Reduced stream flow and loss of wetlands may cause changes in the levels of salinity. Increased groundwater depletion, land subsidence, and reduced recharge may damage aquifers and adversely affect the quality of water (e.g., salt concentration, increased water temperature, acidity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity). The degradation of landscape quality, including increased soil erosion, may lead to a more permanent loss of biological productivity of the landscape (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009). Social impacts Social impacts arise from lack of income causing out migration of the population from the drought-affected areas. People in India seek to cope with drought in several ways which affect their sense of well-being: they withdraw their children from schools, postpone daughters marriages, and sell their assets such as land or cattle. In addition to economic hardships, it causes a loss of social status and dignity, which people find hard to accept. Inadequate food intake may lead to malnutrition, and in some extreme cases, cause starvation. Access and use of scarce water resources generate situations of conflict, which could be socially very disruptive. Inequities in the distribution of drought impacts and relief may exacerbate these social tensions further. (Dept. of Agriculture and cooperation, 2009) Drought in Kerala Drought in Palakkad The Palakkad district of Kerala State is the land of paddy fields and palmyrahs. It is considered as one of the rice bowls of the State.

Essay --

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC) The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children is designed by Alan Kaufman and Nadeen Kaufman in 1983 for assessing mental processing and cognitive development in children. It was revised in 2004 as the KABC -II. First edition is used for children between the ages of 2,5 and 12,5 whereas the revised edition is used for children and adolescents between 3 and 18 years of age. There are two theoratical models in KABC-II. They are the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) psychometric model of broad and narrow abilities and Luria’s neuropsychological theory of processing. KABC-II consists of 18 subtests of two types: core and supplemantary. These subtests are grouped into 4 or 5 scales according to age and model. Luria’s model has Sequential Processing Scale, Simultaneous Processing Scale, Learning Ability and Planning Ability. CHC model has same scales but it renames them. They are Short Term Memory (Gsm), Visual Processing (Gv), Long Term Storage and Retrieval (Glr) and Fluid Reasoning (Gf) respectively. Also it has one more scale which name is Know...

Religion in the Old Testament :: essays research papers

The Exodus of the Israelites is the equivalent to our present day Fourth of July or Bastille Day to the French. Israelite writers discuss the Exodus the most out of any other event in history. The story of the Exodus is one of the most famous stories of the Old Testament. Three of the most significant aspects of the story of Exodus are the call of Moses, the use of plagues as miracles, and the Passover. Moses was a Hebrew who was raised with Egyptian upbringing and education. As he grew he either knew that he was an Israelite or simply sympathized with Israelites in bondage. We know this by the action he took when he saw an Egyptian guard beating on a Hebrew slave. Moses interfered, killed the guard, and buried him. So Moses fled Egypt to Mount Sinai out of fear. This is the location in which God revealed his personal name to Moses and called upon him to lead his people out of the land of Egypt. Miracles are fore-facts of the future done on a small scale. There had been no appearance of God to anyone for more than four hundred years, so people probably thought the age of miracles was long gone. The people would not have accepted Moses as God’s spokesperson without some kind of proof. The miracle-plagues were just that. They are significant because of the number of them that were brought forth. There were ten. The number ten is significant to completeness. God said that he would execute judgment against all of the false gods of Egypt, and each plague was said to be directed toward a particular heavenly deity. So the ten plagues reveal the full wrath of God’s judgment on Egypt. The first nine Plagues were just God proving that he was more powerful than the Egyptian gods. They were simply tricks in comparison to the final one. The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, was the most powerful of all. This final plague brought death to all Egyptian homes, even the home of the beloved pharaoh, and ensured Israel’s release from slavery. After this calamity, pharaoh had no choice but grant Israel their demands and he even pleaded for blessings from them. This plague destroyed idolatry and showed that life and death are in the hands of God. The first Passover was a night to remember. In preparation for the tenth and final plague, Moses instructed the people to observe the first Passover.

Tennysons Poetry and Views Essay -- Alfred Tennyson Poet Poems Essays

Tennyson's Poetry and Views Alfred Lord Tennyson and his works have been an important part of canonical literature for over a century. He is as important as he is because his work is exceptional in many ways. One of these exceptional differences, in my opinion, is the conflicting view of women Tennyson portrays in his poetry, especially his poem "Locksley Hall." Tennyson's "Locksley Hall" is, in my opinion, a poem that would benefit greatly from an ideological discussion concerning Tennyson's views of women. This poem poses the questions: Are Tennyson's words describing a set of beliefs felt only by the narrator of the poem, or does Tennyson himself share these beliefs? Is the condescending, yet powerful view of women only the speaking character's view, or does Tennyson at least partly share that same condescending view? After all, Tennyson was a member of Victorian society. At the time Tennyson wrote "Locksley Hall in the 1800s," women's rights were just beginning to be questioned. Previous to this time of questioning, women were thought to be totally inferior to men: †¦it was argued that as a woman's brain was smaller in cubic content it was therefore inevitable that she was unable to reason or to generalize or to pursue a connected line of thought as well as a man could. It was the accepted belief that she was both mentally and physically inferior to man; that she was, in fact, a relative creature†¦ (Crow, 146) But at the same time, Victorian men were putting women on pedestals. Yet, this privilege of being put upon a pedestal was really more condescension than a privilege. Duncan Crow, author of The Victorian Woman writes, "They were not privileges at all, but a code of prison rules; and the women were not queens, ... ...all" as he did? Perhaps Tennyson never actually made known his opinion of women and the woman's place, but he did seem to think this jilted youth's rant was typical of his time. Tennyson was writing for a Victorian audience that could sympathize with this jilted youth. I believe for one such as Tennyson to even compose such a work he, at the very least, was very familiar with the conflicting Victorian view of women. This, to me, makes "Locksley Hall" somewhat of an extension of his own ideas and beliefs, concerning women, that had been thusly shaped and influenced by his own culture. Works Cited Buckler, William E., ed. The Major Victorian Poets: Tennyson, Browning, Arnold. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1973. Tennyson, Alfred Lord. "Locksley Hall." The Poetic and Dramatic Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson. Ed. W. J. Rolfe. NY: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1898.

Bilingual programs and language interventions: the challenges

INTRODUCTION: A large problem with bilingual education programs is they simply do not work. Most do not take into account the social and cultural factors the weigh heavily on being able to learn a second language (Berry and Williams, 2004). There is too much variability in the programs to be effective. The earlier the intervention takes place the more likely, the program will work. The goal is to develop a more uniform early grade intervention. Children are more likely to learn more languages as their cognitive functions are still in their primitive development stages and are therefore able to pick more information than an adult mind. The capacity to learn new words is higher in a child than in an adult (Franquiz, 1998). Therefore, any linguistic programs that are introduced in the early ages are more likely to succeed. Why Problem Exists There is a large discrepancy in the number and quality of English acquisition programs in the United States. Many teachers in these areas are not properly qualified and there are little resources available to them in this area. Teacher and peer interaction is vital in the development of English for both native and non-native English learners (Haworth et al, 2006). The lack of knowledge of English language is not only present in the foreign students or children with different mother tongue, but has also been seen in children of English speaking families. The lack of vocabulary is the single determinant cause of poor language development that can take place in any child. The lack of vocabulary may make it difficult for these children in language or knowledge acquisition.(Silverman, 2007) Children who are not used to story reading, read alouds, and good instructions on use of words are likely to suffer from poor language skills. Experiments have shown that good vocabularies improve language with almost equal speed in English speakers and non speakers alike. (Silverman, 2007) The role of teachers and their characteristics seem to have an important bearing on the quality of teaching that they possess. Many studies now prove the positive outcomes of a good teacher on a child. These positive outcomes are independent of the social or the home background the child may have(Franquiz, 1998). While in the past these studies were limited to other subjects, there are researches that have shown a somewhat similar outcome in language teachers as well. A good teacher is seen to improve the outcomes of children regarding the different language tasks such as phonation, letter and word use, grammar and composition etc. (Cirino et al, 2007) Many countries in the world look towards English speaking countries as the best places for education. Along side studies in these countries help in improving the proficiency of English language among these people, which in turn can help them advance in their professions. While this dream may be the best intentions of a parent, they are not ideal in nature. There seems to be a stigma placed on bilingualism and biculturalism. Children of different cultures when exposed to an English speaking environment may feel out of place to their social and cultural norms.   This can directly effect how a student performs in the classroom. The research carried out by Barry and Williams was aimed to identify the problems that many Hong Kong children face when they are exposed to international English speaking environments. The students surveyed outlined many issues that cause problems in the language learning. These included linguistic problems such as listening, speaking, writing, vocabulary and reading. Such children were in the listening end to understand what others were saying. (Berry and Williams, 2004) Many teachers need to know the benefits of having a bilingual classroom and the how to better support their students (Macrory, 2006). This lack of quality programs, ill prepared informed teachers, and high variability between programs produces very poor results by the students. Some studies show that almost a quarter of students in bilingual education do not become bilingual (Pearson, 2006). The goal of this intervention is to provide a more effective program for bilingual students. More so, interventions require teachers who are proficient in teaching children English and other languages properly (Ng, E.,1999). Language acquisition is an innate quality of an individual, and is an individual capacity of each human mind to learn it. There are many factors that govern the ability to learn a language. Apart from the innate ability of an individual to do so, metalinguistics, consciousness, teaching methods at school and acquisition of written system of language are also important deciding factors in the language learning.(Collier, 1995) Also of help in this area are issues such as phonology, vocabulary, the grammar, meaning and discourse etc. The acquisition of a second language is therefore a high thought process that requires a positive and continued quality feedback in order to be successfully learned. (Collier, 1995) The concept of provision of meaningful education among the children is an important concern for the educational boards. Yet the proper education teaching practices remain unknown. There are many reasons why these policies have been unsuccessful (Tencer Garrity, T. L. 2003). The first and the foremost problem was failing to identify language as part of the social context and social issues and that English may not be the mother tongue of many children.(Collier, 1995) Intervention The intervention will focus on trying to improve English ability at a young age. The goal is to try to increase the English ability of the students quickly and effectively. Research has shown that students learn faster in single language classrooms (Pà ¡ez, Tabors, and Lopez, 2007). For the purpose of this intervention, the classrooms will then be monolingual. The students will be taught all week in almost all Spanish. The intervention will be a daily English vocabulary lesson. They will lean the pronunciation, spelling, and meaning a few new English words every day. Since they will have a frame of reference since knowing the vocabulary in Spanish, they will be better able to process this information. A study by Silverman showed that English learner children can learn English at a similar if not faster rate than native English speakers. This intervention should be effective(Franquiz, 1998). Testing †¢ The intervention will tested on if the English ability of the students improved after the intervention. †¢ To do this the students will be given an English vocabulary pre and posttest. †¢ This will take part in three classroom at three schools †¢ The SES of each class and school will be roughly the same †¢ There will be two English learner groups and one Native speaker group †¢ Quasi experimental since you cannot control for a some variables such as some children being more familiar with English than other. †¢ The measure will test how much vocabulary the children in the program were able to learn. †¢ To be effective the English learner children should have learned the vocabulary at a similar rate as the native English speakers. DISCUSSION: These interventions in many ways depict the conceptual models that were introduced in the past, which comprised of essentially four components. Language in the past was not recognized as part of the cultural and social practices (Ng, E.,1999). This misidentification has led to the apparent failure of the language acquisition and language teaching procedures. According to Collier (1995), the acquisition and learning of a second knowledge is based on socio-cultural, linguistic, academic and cognitive processes, which in turn may be different for different children. These factors are so interdependent that examining one with out the influence of the other is impossible. (Collier, 1995) The sociocultural facet of language acquisition is in many ways similar yet dissimilar to the social factors of the society. Each individual has exposure to different societal influences, and thereby may have variable exposure to a certain language (Berry and Williams, 2004). In a class room environment, these exposures can lead to increase in confidence or increase in anxiety in the language development (Tencer Garrity, T. L. 2003). While those exposed to a certain language may feel at home with their own language studies and may perform well, others may feel anxiety and may not respond to it at all. The society’s pretext and manner towards the minority also causes many effects on the individual’s performance, for discrimination and prejudice may cause negative outcomes within an individual about his or her identity. It is in this context hypothesized that the introduction of positive environments may help in achieving results sooner, and thereby improves outcomes in language acquisition. (Collier, 1995) Language learning can also lead to affective problems in learning. These affective problems include lingual affective problems and social cultural affective problems as mentioned above. The confidence levels may not be very high in such cases, and this can affect their progress in their studies.(Berry and Williams, 2004) The role of a teacher under such circumstances becomes impirical, as it is them who will help build up the confidence of the children from different social and cultural backgrounds. (Berry and Williams, 2004) Language learning therefore is the method where proper learning also requires understanding and â€Å"learning† the culture of the language. If a person is to achieve bilingual competency, he or she must be able to carry out three processes. He or she must first learn the controls of linguistic rules of both languages. He or she must be able to encompass new cognitive dimensions associated with language. Finally he or she must be able to achieve the mental functions that are necessary for language acquisition. (Haworth et al, 2006) Yet simply labeling the mental faculties and predisposition towards learning languages and not considering the conscious efforts in learning it is not possible. It is through this manner that a teacher is able to confer this knowledge to his or her students. The teacher systematically helps a child in learning new methods of vocabulary and sentence learning, and thereby helps him or her in creating the foundations of the new language (Wright, S. C., & Bougie, É., 2007). Interventions such as those mentioned above can help in creating better bilingual students who are at ease in their social and cultural environments. The teachers play an important role in helping foreign students get over their anxiety of discrimination and difficulty in fitting in to a new society (Wright, S. C., & Bougie, É., 2007). Interventions at an early stage provide better results than those that are carried out at later stages. Understanding that culture and society are important factors in the acquisition of new language can help in improving the outcomes in students. References Berry, R. S. Y., & Williams, M. (2004). In at the deep end: Difficulties experienced by Hong Kong Chinese ESL learners at an independent school in the United Kingdom. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 23(1), 118-134. Paul T Cirino, Sharolyn D Pollard-Durodola, Barbara R. Foorman, Coleen D Carlson and David J Francis, 2007. Teacher Characteristics, Class Room Instruction, and Student Literacy and Language Outcomes in Bilingual Kindergartners. The Elementary School Journal, VOl 107 No. 4, 2007 Virginia P Collier, 1995. Acquiring a Second Language for School. Directions in Language and Education. National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Vol 1 No. 4 fall 1995 Haworth, P., Cullen, J., Simmons, H., Schimanski, L., McGarva, P., & Woodhead, E. (2006). The role of acquisition and learning in young children’s bilingual development: A sociocultural interpretation. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 9(3), 295-309. Macrory, G. (2006). Bilingual language development: What do early years practitioners need to know? Early Years An International Journal of Research and Development, 26(2), 159-169. Pà ¡ez, M. M., Tabors, P. O., & Là ³pez, L. M. (2007). Dual language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28(2), 85-102. Pearson, B. Z. (2007). Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28(3), 399-410. Silverman, R. D. (2007). Vocabulary development of English-language and English-only learners in kindergarten. The Elementary School Journal, 107(4), 365-383 Franquiz, M. I. (1998). The effects of bilingual education on academic achievement, language development, and self-esteem of hispanic children. US: ProQuest Information & Learning. Ng, E. (1999). The impact of heritage education on self-esteem and ethnic identity. US: ProQuest Information & Learning. Tencer Garrity, T. L. (2003). An investigation of the relationship between acculturation and academic performance, self-esteem, and ethnic identity with mexican-american children. US: ProQuest Information & Learning. Wright, S. C., & Bougie, É. (2007). Intergroup contact and minority-language education: Reducing language-based discrimination and its negative impact. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 26(2), 157-181.   

I Love Cooking Essay

In my life, I like to do lot of activities; those activities help me exercise and made me feel alive, and my favorite activity is cooking because cooking is very simple. I started to cook when I was about 10 years old, when I was home alone all by myself and I was pretty hungry, I just got some bread, some cheese and put it in a microwave oven for 30 minutes and made me a grilled cheese sandwich. Since then I had been cook my own food when I was home or I have a lot of free time, I . Cooking is my favorite activity because it is a way for me to reduce stress and I can be artistic about it and it never gets repetitive. First, it’s a great way for me to reduce stress. Cooking and eating always help me to reduce stress, when every time I got all upset or stressed up I can just cook something I want and eat it, the deliciousness of the food I cooked had help me to reduce stress, but it was after started cook good. And I can do it regardless of the weather. When it’s warm outside, I can fire up the grill. When it’s cold, I can use the stove top. Since I use cooking as a way to reduce stress, this is very important to me. Then I can be be artistic about cooking. To be real, I have no real artistic talent when it comes to drawing, painting or other things involve art. However, in the kitchen, I can use a variety of ingredients that add color and make the meals look as good as they taste. Also I can different kind of goods mix together to make my own original dish, but usually the original ones are Chinese food, sometimes I mix pasta with shrimps or broccoli once, those taste pretty well. And after I done, I can post my dishes online or bring to school to share with friends, it help to bond with my friends.. Finally, it never gets repetitive. One of the reasons people normally have problems keeping a activity is they usually get bored with it if they are doing the same thing all the time. But for me and cooking, I don’t have that problem because I can always change things up. Even if I’m making something I’ve made before, I can try a different spice or experiment with a different ingredient, like to cook squid with beef instead use some vegetables or cook shrimp with beans, mostly those some Chinese food recipes I made. Cooking had always been my favorite activity since I was a kid. It always a good way to reduce my stress, it help me bond with my friends with food I made, I always can be artistic when I cook and it can never get repetitive. Cooking is my favorite activity and I love it.

Ihrm, Describe the Main Challenges of International Staffing

IHRM Describe the mains challenges of international staffing. These years, international staffing has become a common setting for MNEs. Over the last decade, globalization and internationalization of marketplaces had brought companies to expatriate their resources on target countries and sectors. It naturally means that they will face lot of new challenges to succeed in their process. Expanding business operations beyond national boundaries while trying to stay effective on the domestic market requires complex and balanced strategies. The most critical determinants stay to keep an effective international esource management. So we will try to summarize the different challenges of international staffing. In a first part I will focus on the different international staffing issues to understand well the challenge dimension. In a second part I will highlight the different challenges raised by the central notion of expatriation. International staffing is the way that companies manage inter national resources, facing different limits like geographic distance or day- ­? to- ­? day relations with headquarters for example. The first challenge could be express through the possibilities for MNEs to choose a certain source f employees. First, the company can send employees and manager from its home country, more known as Parent Country Nationals (PCNs) or expatriates. Second, they can recruit directly Host Country National (HCNs) native from there. Third choice, they can hire Third Country National (TCNs) who is native from another country than the host or the home country. Companies use also different stages of internationalization and staffing strategies. We can observe that companies generally recruit the three types of employees and make them work together. We commonly call that a cross cultural management, illustrated y the idea to take good skills of each culture to bring them to global mind set with added value, in a aim to create efficiency. The success of cross cultural management seems to be a big challenge in international staffing in the way that it comes from the real difficulty to recruit top talents able to be efficient abroad, added to multiple legal issues. It seems also important to describe the four principal international staffing issues that seem to be a numerous challenge in the sense that it will condition your whole international management strategy. The MNEs can choose to use an ethnocentric staffing olicy that refers to the strategy of employ key positions managers from the parent headquarters instead of employing local staff. They will be use to transfer corporate culture to the foreign entity and insure an effective communication with headquarters. Limits are the adaptation of expatriates and relations with HCNs. Second option is the polycentric policy that describes an approach of recruiting HCNs to manage subsidiaries in their own country. So there are no language and cultural barriers and it’s far less expansiv e. But it results a less effective communication with headquarters and then difficulties o coordinate activities. In the geocentric issue the best people are sought for key jobs throughout the organization, regardless of nationality. It enables a multinational firm to develop a pool of senior international managers but it is the most expansive option. To finish, in the regiocentric staffing policy, employees are transferred to positions in subsidiaries in other countries, but stay within the same region (Mayrhofer and Brewster â€Å"In Praise of Ethnocentricity†). It permit to install a regional competition to success but it can also lead to identification and put global objectives on a second cene. Today, most of the international companies choose to expatriate top managers in foreign subsidiaries to control them. But expatriation seems to be the biggest challenge that they have to deal with for the simple reason that it the first reason of failure. The principal value of ex patriation is the quality of communication between PCNs and headquarters. PCNs don’t have any problem of language barrier with home country and actually know the home country top management. They understand their ideas, strategies and goals and by consequences can implement them faster. They also play a rule of knowledge ransfer and actually maintain a knowledge base (laws, politics, cultures, languages†¦) about the complexities of international operations (Downes and Thomas: â€Å"Knowledge Transfer†). Close to this knowledge transfer they serve a mission of corporate culture transmission. So they will implement the company’s culture, its values, believes, mission and follow a certain management style. One big challenge of international staffing is also to overcome the lack of qualified host country nationals because knowledge in special areas is needed and not directly available in some host countries. Erten- ­? Buch and Mattl ave studied the issue in 1 999 and they highlighted the idea of emphasis of expatriation as a means to overcome the lack of qualified host country nationals lies in compensating a long- ­? term lack of a skilled workforce. Expatriation has to deal with lot of difficulties that turn it out in a big challenge for international staffing. It is a big point to insure the well understanding of local business environment. It is also a big challenge to anchor the company in the local country by developing contacts and adjustment to local places, a kind of local emphasis. International staffing needs to face big ultural shocks. Expatriate managers arrive in a complete unknown environment; it creates confusion, disorientation and a certain emotional upheaval. It is a big challenge to cross it fast and with success. Staffing abroad means also deal with costs issues. The most obvious problem for a company when sending an expat abroad to be considered is the extremely high costs involved. The challenge is to measure the interest between insure this cost or insure the less effectiveness you will get by reducing your cost and employ a HCN. Employing an expat in a developed country for a certain period of time can cost p to four times as much as recruiting local staff and eight times as much in developing regions such as Asia Pacific. Failure rates are also a big challenge and a very important issue. Manager’s inability to adept, family related matters, lack of motivation are examples of failures. The rate of those being recalled to the headquarters is between 20 and 50% (Brewster 1991’s report). The major challenge of multinational and often missed by International Human Resources Management is the repatriation (Harvey, 1989). The professional transition into the home office cause a lot of difficulties that are most f the time neglected. It seems to be an unmeasured stage of internationalization. In conclusion we could say that the biggest challenge is to choose an adapted strategy of internationalisation and find out the correspondent staffing issue. Expatriates seem to represent an extremely expansive but not always necessary investment. Telecommunications and travel have made the human resources function of matching up employers and employees much easier over the years. The hiring of top talents will it be enough to cover good headquarters relations and eliminate geographic distance challenges in the future? 2

Big Fish

The Big Fish is based on a genre, Southern Gothic, where freak nature comes in a role in story telling. The Big Fish have three most common elements in Southern Gothic. Those elements are imprisonment, freakiness, and supernatural. The father would tell a story to his son about his life. However, his son thinks his father is full of lies. It brings the conflict between reality and fiction. In Southern Gothic, it doesn't matter because it combined reality and fiction into one story. Although, it is hard to see the reality behind it because in the movie, the father make up a lot of stuff even though it is almost true. Imprisonment is found in The Big Fish, because the father is imprisoned in his room and in the hospital. Also, the villiage kept all of its people until Ed left the villiage. Those people could've been there for years because they love their home so much. The giant was in his cave because he was shunned and feared by the people until Ed befriended the giant. Imprisonment is found in Southern Gothic, and is in found in the story as well. Supernatural is everywhere in The Big Fish, because there was a woman who turned into a fish during the movie. The twins were conjurned but at the end they were serparated. Also, the giant was a huge person who was isolated for a long time. The circus was filled with strange people. Even the headmaster is a wolf at night, and The Eye shows a person's future death. Also, the way the son was born was very There was a lot of supernatural involved with the movie. Freakiness is all around in the movie, because the villiagepeople had no shoes nor socks on. They walked around barefoot. Even the father was telling a story with his wild imaginations. He even made his death the way he saw in The Eye. He accepted his death from the beginning he saw his death. The father never once freaked out but rather looking foward to the day he dies. Everyone was there at his funeral. By everyone he knows in his life showed up for his funeral.

Cost benefit analysis report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cost benefit analysis report - Coursework Example By free wifi services, it means that the public should be in a position to access internet service while travelling. Since a great percent of the nation is learned, the government should come up with measures to help them access internet services. This will act in a way to improve knowledge in various market centers for those in business, schools or those planning to do business. The main situation on ground, is that majority of people in the country begin their days early to work and use public service vehicles. Many are usually bored because they all meet as strangers and find it difficult to start a conversation so as to break monotony and end up silent till they alight from the vehicles. The introduction of wifi will make passengers enjoy their commutation to work. Most people who use internet services are in business or in school. They need to discover new ways of increasing productivity and try beating the upcoming competition especially for those in business. Free wifi will allow most people after closing their businesses at the end of the day, be able to get new tips of improving their productivity on their way home. Cost benefit refers to, a systematic analysis that shows an approach in estimating the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives that make transactions, activities or functional requirements for business be considered to be of quality. Thus, David, Ngulube and Dude (2013), go ahead to explain that the technique is used to determine options that give the best approach for a business to be adopted and practiced. The benefits are looked in terms of lab our, time and saving costs. It will be practical to the free wifi that we are advocating for. In terms of time saving, the business persons will be able to get new tips on ways to improve attraction from customers without having to visit cyber cafes or areas where internet is available during their off days. It will be

Management Styles for Human Resource in Corporate Banks Essay

Management Styles for Human Resource in Corporate Banks - Essay Example The paper tells that theorists outline the major forms of management styles as autocracy, democracy, participative, and laissez-faire styles. The essence of management in banks and other businesses is to ensure proper planning and execution of tasks through the human resource towards the acquisition of the set goals and objectives. The acquisition of these variables is possible through proper leadership skills whereby the managers are bound to organizing the programs set to stimulate the workers towards the acquisition of the set businesses’ objectives. Northern Rock Bank operates in the UK market as a multi-billion organization serving over 50 million global clients. On the other hand, the Royal Bank of Scotland operates in the European continent and is seemingly a competitor to Northern Rock Bank since its capital base and clientele group seem to match closely. History depicts that the two banks’ performances endured in crisis since the edge of economic crisis in 2008 to the present. However, findings reveal that the banks are restructuring towards the acquisition of success and maintenance of their positions in the global markets. Arguably, the two banks crises emanated from top managements’ negligence to comprehend employees as important to the organization. Expert evaluations show that the Northern Rock Bank entered a streak of fallacies as financial accounts ascertained flaws. The bank’s top management concentrated on the surety that they had a large capital base thus the threat of failures in performances would not threaten the bank's abundance of operations. On the contrary, the bank’s application of laissez-faire (bureaucratic management style) threatened the abundance and prowess in the UK and global market platforms. The same case was evident in the Royal Bank of Scotland whereby the top management observed the bank’s performances as most crucial compared to the imposition of favorable strategies to ensure cl ose workmanship between the organization and the workers. Employees in the two banks realized the presence of ignorance from the top management and lost morale in operations thus the banks would eventually fall in continuous streaks of failures as the operations dwindled. Arguably, the top management in the two banks failed to ascertain that the banks would face threats from the employees since the tally in each entity ranged between 120,000 to 150,000 in the UK and other global branches. In account for the Royal Bank of Scotland operations, the evidence accrued revealed that the top management failed to support human resource programs since with the notion that such programs were insignificant to the acquisition of the bank’s goals since it was a competitive entity in the global banking industry. Herzberg’s hygiene theory depicts through the theory X and Y approaches that people may perform effectively under negative and positive motivation respectively.

Automotive need for gas vs. Hybrid vs. corn Assignment

Automotive need for gas vs. Hybrid vs. corn - Assignment Example D. Anderson & J. Anderson, 2010). Moreover, the use of fossil fuels has increased environmental dangers, thereby fueling global warming. Burning gallons of fossil fuels are increasing the amount of the greenhouse gases, thereby accelerating the global warming. Additionally, the greenhouse gases have subjected humanity to ill health and diverse environmental conditions that have affected the world’s economy. Numerous challenges have been brought about by fossil fuel; therefore, scientists have been searching for an alternative environmental friendly source of energy. Some scientists have suggested the use of hydrogen gas an alternative source of fuel. However, the doubt in the safety of hydrogen gas has slowed down its exploitation and subsequent use as an alternative source of fuel. Additionally, others have suggested the exploitation and use of the natural sources of energy including sunlight and wind. The exploitation of these natural sources of energy may not be quite relia ble due to the inconveniences and unreliable biodiversity and ecosystem. Nonetheless, the scientists in the renewable energy industries across the United States have settled in the use of hybrid biofuel (ethanol) and technology as the alternative to deal with the fossil fuels. Therefore, the scientists have arrived at the use of bountiful corn as a source of fuel for the hybrid transportation technologies. In United States, corn is used to produce ethanol, which is an alcohol. There are numerous ways of making the fuel grade ethanol. The most common process follows the dry mill method where the corn is grinded into powder and mixed with water in the presence of enzyme (Dalton, Hoyle, & Watts, 2011). The mixture is heated at high temperatures after which it is liquefied. The enzyme helps in breaking down grain compounds. The mixture is then taken under a subsequent liquefaction process. The liquid mash is poised, and other enzyme that converts starch in the mixture into sugar is adde d. The additional enzyme helps in fermenting the compound into alcohol. At this stage, yeast is often added to start up the fermentation process where sugars are broken down into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Ethanol is then extracted from the products mixture. The obtained ethanol gas is often mixed with a small quantity of gasoline to make the biofuel, ethanol undrinkable. Module 2: The History of Early Solutions The effects of the fossil fuels have led to numerous problems including global warming and affecting numerous vehicle parts. These problems marked the first intents of scientists to search for alternative fuels that would reduce the production of the greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere (C. D. Anderson & J. Anderson, 2010). The first countries to initiate the use of ethanol fuel were Brazil and United States. From these countries, the production and use of both biofuel and hybrid technologies did spread to other nations and continents. In the United States, t he United States Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) are the organizations that are partly funding the production of ethanol from corn and other hybrid technologies. Since the introduction of the ethanol gas or fuel, numerous economic sectors and the environment factors have registered some positive impacts. Notably, the use of the gas dramatically reduced the dependency of America on imported fuel. Moreover, the ethanol fuel consumers have undoubtedly benefited from reduced prices of fuel

Case Study Computers R Us Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study Computers R Us - Assignment Example In regard to the initiatives set up by the company to boost satisfaction levels of the customers, loyalty rewards came out as the best initiative so far with an average satisfaction level of 5.6452 out of 10 it was followed by the response time at 4.3714, both level of advice and communication level stood at below 4 out of 10. There was however no any association between age groups and the overall satisfaction level. The study could have been limited by the fact that the questionnaires were emailed and there was no direct contact between the researcher and the respondents to verify their answers. Computers R Us, a computer manufacturer and retailer recently launched a service and repair division, CompleteCare, for its portable/laptop/notebook computers. This division promised to provide a rapid response to customer’s technical enquiries and warranty repairs. As a result of this, Computers R Us has been receiving multiple complaints about CompleteCare at the Computers R Us call centre. To address these issues, a study was proposed and the research overseen by the management of Computers R Us. It was found that customer satisfaction was a contributing factor to the issues experienced in the CompleteCare division. Consequently, the management of Computer R Us developed several possible initiatives to improve customer satisfaction to a minimum level of 6 out of 10 To collect this data, a simple random sample of 500 customers was selected from a sampling frame. A sampling frame includes the actual list of individuals included in the population (Nesbary, 2000). Of the 500 customers that were sent surveys, 420 responded. The response rate was computed as follows; Structured questionnaire constructed in English language was used to collect data with a total of eight items six of which touched on customer satisfaction. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: Five ethical concerns as outlined by Crowhurst and Dobson (1993) were

Metabolic syndrome and its management in schizophrenia Essay

Metabolic syndrome and its management in schizophrenia - Essay Example Among other symptoms that are interrelated with schizophrenia is metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a complex of certain risk factors that are likely to cause a person to develop cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and it traditionally includes abdominal corpulence (with waist circumference more than 88 or 102 cm with women and men correspondingly), hypertriglyceridemia, high blood pressure, increased blood sugar level, and others. A patient's having the majority of these factors is considered a risk to the health, however it has not been discovered how each of the above mentioned symptoms influences the development of diseases. (Thakore 2005) People suffering from schizophrenia are said to be in more danger of cardiovascular diseases than the rest of the population. Taking into account that these diseases are affecting the life of the society the most, this problem is very topical. What is the connection between schizophrenia, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome With patients suffering from schizophrenia, there are certain risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, and many of them are of a metabolic character. Such elements of metabolic syndrome as high blood pressure, dislipidemy, increased blood sugar level, abdominal corpulence - all these stimulate the development of cardiovascular diseases, for example myocardial infarction.

Imagine that you are the owner of a small manufacturing company Research Paper

Imagine that you are the owner of a small manufacturing company - Research Paper Example The minimum wage workers, mostly in the assembly section, would be at the level where the basic needs have to be satisfied. The basic needs or the lowest levels needs are the physiological needs and unless these are satisfied, other needs will not even surface. This is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that explains what motivates people and the type of needs that cause action. Based on this theory, it is thus necessary that minimum wage workers are given wages that meet their basic needs. This is their primary concern and can motivate them to work. Moreover, it takes lot more than money to make people happy. People seek job security, recognition and status. Job security is particularly important for people that seek to satisfy lower order needs (Latham & Ernst, 2006). However, even though their basic needs are met, they also expect distributive justice. If an employee feels he is underpaid, it could adversely affect performance. This may also lead to feelings of hostility towards the management. Adams’ equity theory focuses on the motivational effects of distributive justice where the workers would compare the inputs and outputs of their own self versus those of others (Locke & Latham, 2004). To ensure low turnover, management should try to increase the link between efforts and performance evaluation, and performance and outcomes. Providing the right job role and training to fulfill the job role would motivate the minimum wage worker because they would feel recognized. This is the based on the Hawthorne Studies, which found that supervision, incentives and working conditions impact performance. Self-determination theory (SDT) is another theory of human motivation and development. One of the theories it focuses on is controlled motivation. Controlled motivation consists of external regulation as well as introjected regulation (Deci and Ryan, 2008). Once the basic needs of the minimum wage workers are provided, to achieve the desire productivity , they need some amount of control. Through control behaviour should be regulated by means of external contingencies such as rewards and punishment. Under control people are pressurized to think, feel or behave in particular ways. They may also try to give their best as this could bring them rewards and failure to do so could result in punishment. As far as employees from other sections (sales, technology and administration) are concerned, different set of motivation strategy can be adopted. Goal-setting theory by Locke and Latham focuses on the effects of conscious goals as motivators of task performance. Goal setting is a powerful motivation technique as it creates a â€Å"strong situation† (Latham & Ernst, 2006). The strong situation minimizes the effect of personality difference among workers. In sales and technology people with differing skills and personality are likely to be in the same team. Goal-setting theory states that setting high goals can lead to high performan ce, the higher the goals the higher will be one’s performance and variable such as participation in decision making and feedback enhance performance (Locke, 1968 cited in Locke & Latham, 2004). When people attain goals they feel satisfied. This will also ensure high quality work. To minimize the impact of individual differences, goal-setting should be based on individual talent and capabilities. At the same time, high but attainable goals could enhance productivity and performance. Organizational

History of Europe in the 20th century. Were conservatives responsible Research Paper

History of Europe in the 20th century. Were conservatives responsible for the rise of Hitler - Research Paper Example There is no denying the fact that the life for the ordinary Germans got quite difficult and worrisome after the culmination of this treaty. Germany was pushed to borrow considerably from the United States of America, to compensate the UK and France (Gibbons, 1982, p. 72). The Great Depression in the late 20s made it almost utterly difficult for the Americans to lend more money to Germany. The fall of the imperial Germany gave way to the rise of parliamentary parties interested in running the political affairs in the defeated nation. It goes without saying that a fair number of political parties and mainstream leaders in the war ravaged Germany were affiliated to a conservative frame of mind and political thought. The nation was already suffering from the guilt of defeat and national humiliation. Above it, it was required to pay heavily in terms of compensation. The political parties and groups supporting the infant Weimar Republic were they Democrats, Socialists or Catholics, were st rongly denounced by the Conservative Nationalists. Hence, it was in the background of a nationwide social and political crisis, that the German Conservatives resorted to political machinations, which led to the rise of Hitler. Economic Situation in the Post War Germany In the period 1924-1928, the economic situation in Germany was somewhat stable. However, this stability was deceptive and stood on hollow economic foundations. The German investments and economic recovery in a post war scenario relied heavily on the loans extended by the US. With the crash of the Wall Street in 1929, the Americans were simply left unable to support the German recovery and economic growth. As the impact of the US economic depression was felt universally, so Germans were utterly not in a position to check its fallout on the German society and economy. The industrial production in Germany plummeted threateningly, the wages crashed and the workers were left jobless (Goemans, 2000, p. 173). Such circumstances left the German masses weary, anxious and scared. The Germans resorted to the crisis by opting for a reckless printing of currency, resulting in a devaluation of currency and rampant and unchecked inflation (Braun, 1990, p. 39; Eubank, 2004, p. 9)). Political Situat ion in the Post War Germany Just when the Weimar Republic was in its nascent stages, Germany witnessed the rise of radical political thoughts in the form of communists, throughout the length and breadth of the Republic (Bessel, 1993, p. 57). The communists gained hold in many German towns and villages. The political atmosphere in Berlin was strongly in favor of a USSR style of governance. Still the Weimar Republic accrued immense support in the form of democrats, Catholics and socialists (Mueller, 2000, p. 46). The Weimer Republic managed to restrain the communists with a strong hand. The post war Germany faced a twin pronged problem. Both the communists and hardcore nationalists were in the favor of a radical solution to the German problems and issues (Kolb, 2005, p. 39). It was such a political environment marred by economic

Interview Essay Essay Example for Free

Interview Essay Essay Anthony Bryant Jr. is a man who is willing to sacrifice his free time in order to chase his goals. He started out watching the p90x infomercial late one night because he had nothing else to do and just wanted to see what it was like. He began to ask around and see if anyone he knew had the program and if it gave the results that were promised. Luckily, he ran into an old friend who had recently lost the motivation to stick with the program, and asked if he could try it out for himself. â€Å"I thought it would be a breeze because its just a simple home workout,† he smirked. Little did he know, he was about to challenge himself harder than ever before. This was only the beginning of his journey to understand what dedication and commitment truly meant. A. J. decided that we should meet at his local gym which he attends daily. I got there a little early and decided to check out the environment. Inside was a sizable room filled with machines and equipment built strictly for strength training, half of which I didnt even know how to use. Out of nowhere, I heard â€Å"hey man whats up† from the front of the gym, I smiled and turned around to see Anthony walking through the door wearing a Grey cutoff shirt that said â€Å"pain is weakness leaving the body† and a pair of light blue basketball shorts. He is a rather tall, lean guy with short, black hair, weighing in at about 205 pounds. We started talking as he laid down on the bench to pump some iron. After the first three or four minutes, I asked if we could go somewhere else to talk because I could hardly hear him over the sound of the weights rattling against each other. He agreed that it was a bit too loud in the gym for an interview; we went outside and sat at a round table and I asked my first question. I began by asking what his typical day was like through the week. He said he starts his day by getting to the gym before the owner at five in the morning to do cardio. After an hour of cardio he goes home to make his first meal of the day, which is always protein pancakes. Then he picks up his backpack and heads off to school for the next 5 hours. As soon as he gets home from school, he hits the books to make sure he gets all of his work done and has nothing to stress about at the gym. When his training partner arrives they eat a quick meal before heading out to the weight room. They get there and start their average two hour workout, depending on the day: Monday – Chest ; biceps, Tuesday – Legs, Wednesday – rest day, Thursday – Back ; Traps, Friday – Shoulders, Saturday – Arms, and Sunday – rest day. Upon completing the strenuous exercises they return home for their last meal of the day and go their separate ways until the next session. By this time the only thing left to do is get a good nights rest to let their muscles recover for the next day. I could not understand how they did this every day without giving in to failure. Mr. Bryant told me that there were three objectives to keep in mind when choosing to embark on a fitness journey, to decide, commit, and succeed. I asked what each of these meant individually; he leaned back in the chair and said â€Å"boy lemme tell ya, deciding to better yourself is the easiest part, you simply determine whether or not you are willing to go the distance. Anyone can say theyre going to get in shape right after they take a bite of a twinkie. † That is when I realized he was very passionate about physical fitness. Obviously, deciding to become fit was the easiest step, my next question was which one was the hardest. He told me commitment was the most important part of the challenge to become fit, he looked at me and firmly stated that we should never make a plan B because it only distracts from plan A. He told me if someone was to fully decide and commit to working out then the success would come on its own. After hearing him say that, I felt like it was possible for anyone to achieve what he has with the correct guidance. I asked him if he ever thought about personal training or motivational speaking. He nodded his head and laughed, until he saw that I was serious. Responding with, â€Å" not really, I mean I just planned on attending and hopefully winning competitions, I never thought I could be a help to others in achieving their own goals. † A. J. asked if I thought he would be a good inspiration to keep other people motivated and challenge themselves. I reassured him saying, â€Å"you have done this for so long now that it has become second nature to you, I am sure you would have no problem assisting people who need your help. † After the interview was over, I thanked him for giving me his time. he got up anxiously and simply walked back into the gym he has so long loved. I sat there in awe, at how a person can be so dedicated to improving his physique. Anthony Bryant went from watching infomercials of P90X to making the gym his second home. This is a man that has changed my view about what hard work actually means, and was only the beginning of my journey to understand the meaning of dedication and commitment.

Role of Women in Society Essay Example for Free

Role of Women in Society Essay Women’s Inequalities When you think of a CEO of a company or of world political leaders, do you think of a man or of a woman? Many, if not most of us, see these positions as being held by men. In this essay, I will explain why women are still not equal to men. In the first paragraph I will discuss inequalities that happen in the workplace. The second section will show the differences that occur within the athletic world. Thirdly, I will explain the differences in education and home life. The United States still seems to be reluctant, to grant true equality, even though we are approaching the twenty-first century, women are still not equal to men. In the workplace, women do not receive the same benefits that men do. Some women do the same job, for the same amount of hours, and still do not receive the same pay for their work. Is there a specific reason behind this? No, it is just one of the many inequalities that goes on the job. As pointed out in the essay by Susan Faludi, Blame it on Feminism, women earn less. The average women’s paycheck is twenty percent less than their male counterparts. Men with only high school education’s make more than some women who have graduated college. Most women are still working. Read more:Â  Role of Women in Modern Society Womens role in society A great deal of debating goes on concerning the role of women in society. How is it that in todays world, where everyone preaches about the value of equality, women still do not occupy the same social, economical or political position as men do? Women try relentlessly to mark their presence outside their kitchens and laundry rooms, yet in the same relentless manner they are being reminded of the true calling of their nature, which limits their perspective for a much more fulfilling life. Whether women ever stood equal with males on a physical and intellectual level in the eyes of society we dont know. Sure, in every era there are heroic and powerful women, but although equal of men, they became his inferior due to pregnancy, birth, etc., forcing them to look to men for protection and economic assistance This dependency, especially economic dependency, became the basis of womens slavery, which often existed, and still exists, after the dependent condition was long gone. In almost every family a man would be the sole provider for the entire family, and although this task comes with an enormous amount of responsibility.

Operations Management of Supermarket Retail Shops

Operations Management of Supermarket Retail Shops Operations are a primary activity for a supermarket retail business. As such, a business that wants to be successful needs to have a leading operating model. Staff plays very important role in this model. It is necessary to put a sustained focus upon how to develop best operational staff to ensure the supermarket industry is fit to embrace the significant future developments that are expected and to excel in customer service (Sramek, Mentzer Stank, 2008). As per Martyn (2010), operations must be viewed with the appropriate level of importance, so as to support an ambition to create a world-class operating environment, which consists of people, process, technology and organization. A good operational team staffed by good operational individuals can create a competitive advantage, keeping customers satisfied, having a company that is efficiently, economically and effectively run, and creating a band of loyal and committed employees (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). It is worth being ambitious for the operations function and the associated staff it will make a difference to the business According to Willis (1998), operational management is the systematic management and control of processes that transform resources into finished products and services. The operation includes support for a significant proportion of the workforce and material assets in most organizations. Managers are involved in each step in the operations. They determine what kind of equipment, labor, tools, equipment, materials, energy and information must go into the operating system and how these materials can be the best way to go and use to meet the needs of the market (Banker and Khosla, 1995). Managers are responsible for critical activities such as quality management and monitoring, capacity planning, materials management, purchasing and planning (Goodale and et al. 2010). Without the assistance of staff, these activities cannot be successful. Operations management is also known for production and capacity management and operations management area is a multidiscipline that focuses on operations of the organization (Lashley Taylor, 1998). Schniederjans Cao (2009) states that OM includes many decisions such as the scale of operations, including managements decision regarding the design, planning, and managing a number of factors that affect the operation. (Shin Collier, 2000). Operations Manager needs to apply the ideas and technology to increase productivity and reduce costs, increase flexibility to respond quickly to changing customer needs, shorten delivery times, improve product quality, and improve customer service. These are the important areas to be taken care of for the success of a company or a branch. There has been dramatic increase in the importance of operations management. Significant foreign competition, shorter product and service life-cycles, better-educated and quality-conscious consumers, and the capabilities of new technology have placed increasing pressures on the operations function to improve productivity while providing a broader array of high-quality products and services (Williams Anderson, 2008). With the globalization of markets, firms are recognizing that the operations function can be used to strengthen their position in the market place. Managers in operations management play a strategic and tactical role in satisfying customer needs and making their firms strong international competitors. Organizations should follow the competition. If an employee is away from work or not paying attention then the company will lose customers and its competitors are able to take this opportunity, the company can lose its popularity and profitability. For gaining efficiency quality is the key to success and which is an effective treatment, especially for continuous improvement (Soteriou Chase, 1998). Excellent customer service is essential to the success of any business. Officials must be monitored at all times, if they offer a good customer service or not, so they can better perform and can excel in customer service and their work should be assessed frequently. It takes time to really excel in customer service, but this ability can be learned with proper training. Employees should leave the bad attitude, family problems and personal issues at the door. Generally, customers will not see the owner or management f the company. Instead, they see that the customer service and this is how t hey judge the whole business. Employees are the mirror of the company so the employees should show their best services through their good attitude. Employees should sincerely welcome every customer with a smile, they are valuable. A participatory management and team work are major components of successful operations (Hays Hill, 2006). Motivation, leadership and training are essential too. In addition, materials management and quality, these are two important areas. Materials management is becoming increasingly important in many organizations as the cost of purchasing materials is more than 50% of the total cost products (Shin Collier, 2000). Quality management programs and quality products are essential to compete in todays business environment. The supermarket retail branch staff should have the qualities to win the heart of the customers by their services. For excelling in customer service employees should consider that customers are not easy to deal with but if employees have the patience and the people skills to overcome that, it would be easier for them to excel in it (Sramek, Mentzer Stank, 2008). Perhaps the most essential thing the employees should always remember when on a customer service job is to keep a positive attitude. For instance, if one works at a call center, the first thing the employee should expect from a call from online is a burst of angry customers (Soteriou Chase, 1998). Although sometimes this may not be the case but it is better if one is prepare for it. To develop that pleasant and relaxed attitude, it is best to smile even if one is only on the phone. The action of smiling automatically buffers the outbursts you are going to get from your client. In the case of working in a retail business, smiling will go a long way with the customers. When the customers are greeted with a friendly face, they will start t o give their interest. The next thing the employee must remember is how to respond at a time when they come into contact with customers. For a retail customer service, employee does not follow the customers around when they come into the store (Hays Hill, 2006). This is a common mistake made by the store customer service staff. Employees must make it possible for customers to have the freedom to explore the product without tailing behind him. They should let them walk around and check out the goods. When they are ready to ask questions, they talk to employees. Employee must comply with them if they seem to ask, is the signal for the employees can go up to them and ask how they can help them out (Sramek, Mentzer Stank, 2008). All this will result in having good reputation in the market. The working operations can output more than they would work alone as the organization has developed sophisticated systems and equipment that increase worker productivity (Horvathova, 2010). The company also provides education and training for their workforce to increase their knowledge and improve their skills. As a result of improvements in productivity and improved training, more outputs are produced and the standard of living increase for all. Employees should think of customers as individuals. If they think so, they realize that their business is their customers, not their products or services. Put all the attention for goods in shops, or companies offering their services, leaving the most important component: each individual customer. For good customer service, employees must go the extra mile. They should include a thank you note to the package to a customer, send a greeting card, clip articles, and write a note of congratulations when they get a promotion (Martyn, 2010). There are many ways for employees to stay in touch with customers and make them closer. An effective operations strategy can provide a competitive advantage. Managers must rethink many of the basic principles of good managers of operations who worked in the past (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). Companies should adopt a strategy for improvement that fits the specific needs of the organization at that point. Assigning a team to perform a task may not always be the best idea. Sometimes it is better to allow an individual to work alone. Foster Jeffrey (2008) believe that the main purpose of Operations Management is to plan, organize, direct, and control the process of bringing together people, equipment, materials, and methods to accomplish a broad range of operational tasks outlined below in the most cost-effective manner. The manager of the branch should understand how people think and act accordingly to motivate workers by creating a harmonious workplace. Proper management of the operations function has led to success for many companies. For example, in 1994 Dell Inc. was a second-tier computer maker that managed its operations similar to others in the industry (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). Then Dell implemented a new business model that completely changed the role of its operations function. Dell developed new and innovative ways of managing the operations function that have become one of two- days best practices. These changes enabled Dell to provide rapid product delivery of customized products to customers at a lower cost, and thus become an industry leader. As change is the law of the nature, the operations of the supermarket retail branch should be flexible so that they can adapt the changes in the future. For operations management to be successful, it must add value during the transformation process (Willis, 1998). The greater the value added, the more productive a business is. Activities that do not add value are considered a waste; these include certain jobs, equipment, and processes (Banker Khosla, 1995). In addition to value added, operations must be efficient. Performing well at lowest possible cost results in greater efficiency. An important role of operations is to analyze all activities by eliminating those that do not add value, and restructure processes and jobs to achieve greater efficiency (Goodale et al. 2010). Todays business environment is more competitive than ever, and the role of operations management has become the focal point of efforts to increase competitiveness by improving value added and efficiency. This can be possible by employing new methods, new technology and by training employees. As customers demand ever higher quality in their products and services, companies have been forced to focus on improving quality in order to remain competitive. With TQM everyone in the company is responsible for quality. TQM was practiced by some companies in the 1970s and became pervasive in the 1990s (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). Quality is the area of the operations management which can never be ignored by companies. The importance of this movement is demonstrated by the number of companies joining the ranks of those achieving ISO 9000 certià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). ISO 9000 is a set of quality standards developed for global manufacturers by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to control trade into the then emerging European Economic Community (EEC) (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). Today many companies require their suppliers to meet these standards as a condition for obtaining contracts. To have effective operations management, the company must employ T QM. Competition based on time is the one of the recent trends in the companies. It has many aspects like development of the new products and services and reaching the market first and meeting customer orders most quickly (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). For example, two companies may produce the same product, but if one is able to deliver it to the customer in two days whereas the other delivers it in five days, the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst company will make the sale and win over the customers. Time-based competition requires specifically designing the operations function for speed (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). Supermarket branch should cater to the needs of the customers more quickly in order to gain competitive advantage. Supply Chain management plays a vital role in appropriate operations management. Willis (1998) states that supply chain management (SCM) involve managing the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow of materials and information from suppliers and buyers of raw materials all the way to the final customer. Its aim is to reduce the overall cost and improving the quality and the delivery of the service. Team approach is essential in supply chain management. It requires the co-operation from all the departments such as marketing, purchasing, operations, and engineering. It will result in more satisfied customers (Banker Khosla, 1995). It has become possible with the development of information technology (IT) tools which assist in collaborative planning and scheduling. The technologies help to combine the supply chain execution and design collaboration, which enables companies to respond better and faster to changing market needs. The companies which have achieved great success through supply chain management are Dell Computer, Wal-Mart, and Baxter Healthcare (Banker Khosla, 1995). Today businesses must think in terms of a global marketplace in order to compete effectively. This includes the way they view their customers, competitors, and suppliers. Key issues are meeting customer needs and getting the right product to markets as diverse as the Far East, Europe, or Africa (Willis, 1998). Operations management is responsible for most of these decisions. Operations Management decides whether to tailor products to different customer needs, where to locate facilities, how to manage suppliers, and how to meet local government standards (Williams Anderson, 2008). Also, global competition has forced companies to reach higher levels of excellence in the products and services they offer. The use of best supply chain management should be used in supermarket retail branch for excellent management of the operations. There should be an effective, consistent and impartial way to benchmark service levels in all the supermarket retail branches, and Mystery Programmes can provide the solution. The employees should have thorough understanding of what the branch offers in order to win and retain the customers. Moreover, the employees must fully understand the position of the branch in the market and what is expected of them (Horvathova, 2010). Mystery shopping programmes support the management and development of service delivery in supermarkets, transforming an intangible asset into exactly what one promises to the customer a vital competitive advantage in todays uncertain market (Hays Hill, 2006) . This programme is very helpful for making improvements among the staff. It will help in identifying areas for revenue improvements, recognizing and rewarding employee and customer service initiatives Mystery shopping programmes should be developed to reflect own unique quality protocols. These systems wil l help to measure the staff performance. Continous monitoriting of the service improvements can be done through this programme. One can define and monitor staff in many ways. These programmes should be designed in such a way so that these can check variables like employee product knowledge, check consistently the quality check standards and uniformity, and monitor customer care and communication (Martyn, 2010). Benchmarking should also be employed in the branch in order to make the comparison among different branches. Otherwise, it is complex to identify the areas that need improvement. Employees should be rewarded on the basis of their performance and there should be incentive plans which will reward the employees when they outperform. This will be very helpful for effective operations management. At the end, it is concluded that for the success of the retail branch operations the employees should pay full attention rather than taking their personal performance for granted. The quality of the service will decline if they dont co-operate. The employees should be checked at all times whether they are providing good customer service or not and there should be training conducted from time to time so that they can learn to excel in this skill and their work should be evaluated frequently. They should also be trained so that they can acquire new skills. There should be an effective, consistent and impartial way to benchmark service levels in all the supermarket retail branches. Todays business environment is more competitive than ever, and the role of operations management has become the focal point of efforts to increase competitiveness by improving value added and efficiency. This can be possible only by employing new methods, new technology and by training employees. By behaving strategically, the supermarkets or companies can pave their way towards effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and prosperity.