Chinese grassroots living situation in China big cities Research Paper

Chinese grassroots living situation in China big cities - Research Paper Example The country has a relatively large number of people that are extremely disadvantaged in the socio-political and socio-economic status, with their living condition being extremely poor. Despite the available social amenities and the improved social facilities through the urban cities, the grassroots population that comprises of mostly the peasant workers, have had little benefits to enjoy (Mars & Hornsby 129). The paper thus studies on the living conditions of these Chinese grassroots people, why they live in these situations, explaining the reason why China housing prices are much higher in big cities and measures the Chinese government is devising to change the situation. The Chinese grassroots is the groups are unfortunate individuals that live in the un-humanized society. The Chinese farmers are traditionally the most inferior in class, who are the ideal representatives of the Chinese grassroots. These grassroots groups live the hardest life and work the hardest in order to feed the other ‘brilliant’ people in the big cities (Wang & Murie 93). The Chinese farmers are the ones that cover the largest portion of the population in China and thus play a critical role towards promoting social development. The economic pressures force these grassroots people into moving to cities in search of better jobs, but instead end up working as peasant workers. These people end up living in destitute conditions, which even poses risks to their own health, in order to keep on surviving in cities (Nielsen & Smyth 65). The World Health governing bodies have able to raise concerns about the living conditions of these grassroots Chinese population, hence pr ompting the government to take some actions to solve the problem. It is apparent that a number of reasons contribute to the kind of living conditions that the Chinese grassroots have to live within these cities. The first challenge is the problems of

The Omnivore’s Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The Omnivore’s Dilemma Essay This book by Michael Pollan wishes to illustrate to the reader’s several eating â€Å"dilemmas† that we humans experience. Since we are considered as omnivores, we basically could eat anything, from meat, vegetables, to processed foods. Because of this we are faced with the problem of choice, what we should eat, how much we should eat, when we should eat it. This book wishes to address the eating problem that the society experiences today. This book tackles the complexity of us humans, wherein the choice that we make when it comes to our meals tells us what kind of person we are. What makes the situation more difficult is that we are faced with various choices with the advent of technology and advancements in agriculture. This book tackles the sad reality of the American diet, wherein most Americans are said to be dysfunctional eaters, as a result of a fast-paced lifestyle. For people on the go, fast foods is a convenient source of their meals, thus creating a fast food diet for most of the Americans. This was, according to Pollan’s diagnosis, was the â€Å"national eating disorder,† wherein the abundance of the possible food sources becomes a problem. Because of this abundance, people often make the mistake of choosing the inappropriate meal for him (Hutson, 2006). Unlike other animals, man has a lot of choices. The koala for example, has no problem in choosing what to eat because it only nibbles on eucalyptus leaves. As for humans, we could eat meat, vegetables, fruits, and other foods. We can’t eat all of these foods at once, that’s why we have to make a choice on what to put in our stomach. Mixing this dilemma with the lifestyle of the modern man often leads to choosing the wrong set of meals. Time is of the essence for most of us, wherein we choose to spend more time working than concentrating on what to cook, what would be healthy, nutritious or delicious. We often rely on fast foods like McDonalds for our meals. But eating fastfood doesn’t mean eating the right food (Kamp, 2006). Pollan has given emphasis on the three principal food chains that we humans usually engage in. These include the Industrial, Organic and Hunter/Gatherer meals. Industrial. The Industrial types are those who thrive on corn. They usually have corn on their diet, whether or not they are aware of it. These people are usually those who live on fast foods. Corn binds the ground meat of the McNuggets, and used as sweetener for soft drinks and sodas. It is also used to obtain fat, plump meats for your meals. When you are an industrial type, you are considered to be as partially fossil fuel, because of the fact that corn requires a lot of nitrogen from the soil and is usually cultivated with fertilizer in order to get the necessary amounts of nitrogen. It is also an effective food supplement for the cows, wherein they’re supposed to eat grass. Organic. Another type is the Organic eater, which are mainly made up of grass. These are the ones who eat mostly vegetables in their diets. But then the problem that arises with this was the transportation of these goods. Transportation entails large costs wherein we are spending much not for the food alone but for the shipping expenses. This is impractical albeit nutritious, that is why it is advisable to grow organics in your own backyards, which is impossible for those living urban lives. Hunter/Gatherer. Another menu was the hunter/gatherer, wherein it consists of ingredients that came from animals shot dead or foraged. This tackles the constraints of taking away the lives of animals in order to feed and suppress your hunger. The book presented these facts to a reader in a conversational-persuasive manner. He wishes to impart to the readers the various eating patterns that we are presently observing and the underlying consequences it has to offer. This book tells us of the eating habit or pattern that has resulted through the years and then supplies the downside of every concept. This is a fair illustration of the real situation that we are facing now. Taking for example its take on the Industrial foods, it elaborated the culprit of the â€Å"fattening† of the American population which was the corn. It showed the readers where corn might be in their diets, and then gave the possible negative effects it poses. It also showed that it is a cheap source of calories. But at the latter part, he also emphasized that it has major contributions on the fattening of the people, leading to obesity (Alter, 2006). This book is significant to the readers because it promotes awareness. It gives us the fair share of knowing what we’re eating. It is like deconstructing our meals, looking closely at its compositions and ingredients, analyzing the positive and negative effects it could bring to the human body. Awareness is a step in which everyone could take in order to live a healthy life. This book doesn’t impose what to eat; it merely suggests or shows what could be the underlying effects the meals we are eating could bring us. This book is a clear illustration of what could be the most important things that we often disregard or neglect when it comes to our meals. This is essential for our well being, especially now that the we are living in a fast-paced world, wherein we don’t have the luxury of time to eat and decide what we should intake. Most of us could learn a lot of new things in this book, and this is highly recommended to all readers, not only for those who are concerned with their health, but also to those who value every aspect of their lives. References: Alter, L. (2006). Book Review: The Omnivores Dilemma. Retrieved March 8, 2007, from http://www. treehugger. com/files/2006/05/book_review_the_1. php Hutson, S. (2006). Michael Pollan. Retrieved March 8, 2007, from http://www. michaelpollan. com/omnivore. php Kamp, D. (2006). Deconstructing Dinner. Retrieved March 8, 2007, from http://www. nytimes. com/2006/04/23/books/review/23kamp. html? ex=1303444800en=3c0958f57a4112b7ei=5088partner=rssnytemc=rss

Love and Death in Cocteaus Film Orpheus Essay -- Movie Film Essays

Love and Death in Cocteau's Film Orpheus In Jean Cocteau's Orpheus, death is personified through the character of the Princess. The Princess is an extremely powerful figure, although she ultimately succumbs to the power of love. Cocteau uses her actions, clothing, and dialogue to show her as a contradictory mix of being both very powerful, yet still very vulnerable to the power of love. The main tool used by Cocteau to demonstrate this are her actions. Although she claims that she is not allowed to love, she is in fact in love with Orpheus. Through her actions she attempts to bring Orpheus closer to her and hopefully have him fall in love with her too. At the beginning of the movie, they are gathered at the Cafe de Poets. Cegeste is killed, and the Princess demands that Orpheus help get him into the car and to her place. While in the car, he insists on knowing what is going on and where they are going. The Princess is very controlling and forces him to be quiet and listen to the messages being broadcast over the radio. She knows that this is something that Orpheus will be very interested in and can help lure him to her. They arrive at her castle and she is very mysterious. She does not let Orpheus know what is going on, she only lets him see just enough to get him more curious and interested in her. The next morning Orpheus awakes on the side of the road and returns home with the Princess's chauffeur Heurtebise. Here he spends most of his time in the garage listening to more mysterious messages on the car radio. In fact, he is so obsessed with the messages that he completely ignores his wife, and is now more preoccupied with findin g out about the Princess. Orpheus is then summoned by the detective, who wants to interrogat... ...e that give death's orders. Here she is very vulnerable. She cannot lie and must admit that she killed Eurydice and is in love with Orpheus, two punishable offenses. She is a very harsh figure, but love changes her to a more tender tone. She talks with Orpheus telling him that she loves him, and she will do anything to get them back together. Throughout the movie, the Princess's clothes change color. Usually she is wearing black, a sign of death, but sometimes her clothes change to white, a sign of love. This shows how she is vulnerable to love, since death should always be in black. In this film, Cocteau is making the claim that love is more powerful than death. The princess, who represents death, is vulnerable to the power of love. She even ends up breaking the rules of the underworld and getting herself in trouble because she succumbs to the power of love.

Communication Theories Paper Essay

Communication theories are important to learn and understand. Learning these theories helps us apply the theory to our own life. It helps our critical thinking skills as well as benefits one to understand the value of research that has been accomplished in this field. Understanding communication theories can help us make sense of our daily life experiences. There are three Communication theories that I have studied that have touched on my personal and professional life. These theories are Communication Privacy Management, Social Penetration Theory, and Organizational Culture Theory. One theory that reinforces the importance of communication is the privacy management theory. This theory has applied to my personal and professional life in many ways. There are three examples on how this has affected my daily life. It has affected me in my social networking, at my job, and when using my personal mobile device. In the communication and privacy management theory it explains that disclosure in relationships requires managing private and public boundaries (West, R. , & Turner, L. H. 2010). This theory tells us that people use this to manage the relationship between screening and revealing their private information (West, R. , & Turner, L. H. 2010). This theory has had an impact with my social networking. I use the popular networking cite called Facebook. On Facebook I have to be really careful on what information I reveal on my profile. I don’t want just anyone knowing something that could hurt me. On Facebook I have learned that if you are not careful with the pictures or information you reveal about yourself it could hurt your job, your reputation, as well as relationships. I have eliminated this from happening to me by using the privacy management theory. I have chosen to set up certain privacy settings on what people can and cannot see on my profile. Protecting myself makes me feel more secure of what others can see or know about me. I am a pretty private person so there is not much to my Facebook. Having public and private boundaries makes me enjoy using this social networking site. I have used this theory by only accepting close friends that I know very well on my Facebook. I also chose who can see my pictures and who can’t. There are many different privacy settings that protect ones confidentiality. The second example of how this theory applies to my life is at my job. I work in a medical office. We have to be real careful of what information we give out about our patients. We have HIPPA that protects our patient’s private information. One of my main duties at my job is answering the phones. Each phone call I take I have to be extra careful of what information I reveal to the caller. If I was to give out information to someone that should not be receiving the information, I could get terminated or worse even go to jail. It is crucial for me to follow this theory in my profession. In my profession I am also careful about what I tell my coworkers about my personal life. As a professional it is not always good to tell your personal information to coworkers. You never know if they could use any of your private information against you. This is why I modify the information I give out to my coworkers. The third example of how I use this theory in my daily life is when I use my personal mobile device. I use my cell phone every day. This theory applies to me when using my cell phone in many ways. Text messaging is something that my family and friends do throughout the day. This is a fast and convenient way to communicate with one another. In text messaging one has to be careful of what they reveal to another because it can be used against them. Once you text someone something it is always there. They can save it and share it with others. It may be something that you do not want anyone else to see. I have to think about that before I send a text to the other person. Out of all three of my examples using this theory in my daily life, I would say that my communication was effective in my first example in using Facebook. My private information is secure now because of the privacy setting offered to me on the site. This is effective for me because it protects me against anything that can be used against me in my profession or even relationships. Taking that step helps me feel comfortable to have control over what others can or cannot see. Taking these steps has made me feel more secure on the information and communication I have with others. This effective communication that I do reveal shows to my friends what type of information I want to be revealed to them. In my second example I talk about giving out too much information to your coworkers. I have learned from the past of what is appropriate to discuss with others at work. If I can continue to strive to do this, than my communication will be more effective. In the future I might communicate differently in using my mobile device. I have had friends get in lots of trouble by saying too much through text messaging. Someone ended up using things the other person said through text against them. In knowing this, I have learned to communicate differently when I use my text messaging. I screen what I say so that I don’t send something to someone else that I will regret. The Social Penetration Theory explains why as relationships develop, communication moves from less intimate levels to more intimate, more personal levelsI can apply this theory to my professional as well as personal life. Three examples that I can give how this has been practical in my daily life are through my relationships, work, and my primary care giver. In a particular relationship I was in, we started off as good friends. I did not reveal my most private personal information to him in the beginning. I waited until time went on. When we were in a committed relationship, I eventually little by little shared with him more information about myself. This theory allows one to be more honest with one another. In some cases it helps one be more careful in the relationship because you learn what the others sensitivities are. In my workplace overtime I have been aware of who to share certain information with and who I should not. At work I try to speak of only work and stay very professional. There is one particular coworker that I know I can trust. I do share a little bit more with this person. This is someone that I have learned overtime I can confide in. Lastly my primary doctor is someone that at first I felt awkward talking to or asking questions to. Overtime we have formed a personal relationship. I am now comfortable with talking to her about my health. I also don’t feel strange asking her questions that can sometimes be uncomfortable around just anyone. In my first example I feel the communication was effective overtime by building on a strong, trusting relationship. It made me more comfortable to share more about myself with him. In my second example I could be more effective by even with my close coworker to try and not talk too much about work if we go out to lunch. On my last example I could communicate differently with my provider by writing down my questions that I have for her. This would also help if I felt like I was going to forget something that I needed to ask her. There are always ways we can improve on this theory. These are just some examples on how I use this theory in my daily life. Organizational Culture Theory explains meanings for routine organizational events, thereby reducing the amount of cognitive processing and energy members need to expend throughout the day (West, R. , & Turner, L. H. 2010). There are three examples I can think of that can apply to my personal as well as professional life with this theory. They are through my work, through my church, and though school. An example of not having this was my last supervisor. She hardly was ever in the office. We never had monthly meetings like we do now with our current supervisor. We never expanded like she wanted because of lack of this theory. We now have monthly meetings with our new supervisor as well as have rules and regulations we have to follow. We have a certain dress code we have to abide by each day. We also come together on certain holidays and have a tradition where everyone one brings their favorite food dish. Having all of these routine organizational events has helped us expand as a more successful organization. My second example of how this theory has applied to my personal and professional life is through my church. We have certain customs and symbols that we use at church that we use on each Sunday. We have a routine service. For example when we first arrive, we start singing then have announcements, followed by the sermon. At the end we all sing again, and pray. This is something that our congregation is used to each Sunday. We also, have a certain time our service starts and ends each Sunday. The third way this theory applies in my life is through school. At University of Phoenix we have certain rules and regulations we have to follow. For example, we have attendance policies we have to abide by. We also have certain dates that our assignments are due. If we do not follow this, there will be consequences. If we didn’t have organizational structure, we as students would not know what to do in order to be a successful student. There are certain questions I can ask myself to take a look deeper in my examples of this theory. Through my example of school this communication is effective to me because we have pretty much the same rules and standards to go by in each class. Having this structure makes each student understand how to become a successful student in their current class. In my example of church I feel like there is always ways to be more effective. The church could send out bulletins before each Sunday. This would help update the congregation on what the next message will be about. In my example of work to have better communication in the future, my old supervisor could have done this by having monthly meetings. Having monthly meetings addresses questions and concerns that other employees have for the office manager. This way she can better the organization. In conclusion I can see how important communication theories are to my personal and professional life. Now knowing these theories I will be more aware of how much these are a part of my daily life. References West, R. , & Turner, L. H. (2010). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application (4th ed. ) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader. aspx? assetMetaId=299dcc53-f1c8-4924-a9b0-b8ff6d645a5f&assetDataId=0cdf2509-a90a-4f76-a84b-7cb7098cc897&assetpdfdataid=076561d1-57c7-472c-9712-6f5644b9ebd7

Marketing Essay

Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010), what did you find most interesting about services marketing and why? Answer:In this chapter, the most interesting about services marketing is the growth of the service economy. In numerous countries, increased productivity and automation in agriculture and industry, combined with growing demand for both new and traditional services, have jointly resulted in a continuing increase over time in the percentage of the labor force that is employed in service. In recent years, the development of technology, especially IT and telecommunication, has became more crucial in services. The opening up of the service economy means that there will be greater competition. In turn, more competition will stimula innovation, not least through the application of new and improved technologies. Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010), what concepts or ideas relating to services marketing did you find most difficult to understand and why? Answer: In my opinion, the most difficult to understand concept is â€Å"People are often part of the product†. The difference between ones service and another often lies in the quality of employees who serve the customers. Service firms need to devote special care to selecting , training,and motivating those employees who will be serving customers directing. At the same time, firms have to manage and shape customer behavior, as the type of customers who patronize a particular service business can shape the nature of the service experience. I think it only proof that the people is very important in doing service. Why people are part of product? It make me confused. Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010) outline four generic differences between good and services. How do these differences impact on the marketing of service products? Answer: there are 4 generic differences between good ans services. First, goos are tangible while services are intangible. As a result, services can not be inventoried, easily patented and readily displayed or communicated. In addition, pricing is more difficult. Second, goods are standardized while services are heterogeneous. So service delivery and customer satisfaction depend on employees and customer actions. Service quality depend on many uncontrollable factors. Third, for goods, production separate from consumption, but for services, simultaneous production and consumption. As a result, people participated in will affect each other. Fourth, goods are nonperishable while services are perishable. So it is difficult to synchronize supply and demand with services. And services can not be returned or resold. Having read chapter fourteen of the prescribed text – Armstrong et al (2012) – what did you find most interesting about socially and ethically responsible marketing and why? Answer:The most interesting about socially and ethically responsible marketing is the marketing’s impact on society as a whole. There are several impacts, such as false wants and too much materialism, too few social goods, cultural pollution. For false wants and too much materialism, critics have charged that the marketing system urges too much interest in material possessions, and that the Western world’s love affair with worldly possessions is not sustainable. People often are judged by what they own,rather than by who they are. The critics do not view this interest in material things as a natural state of mind, but rather as a matter of false wants created by marketing. Marketers stimulate people’s desire for goods and create materialistic models of the good life. Having read chapter fourteen of the prescribed text – Armstrong et al (2012) – what concepts or ideas relating to did you find most and why? Answer: the most difficult to understand relating to socially and ethically responsible marketing is that critics charge the marketing system with creating cultural pollution. Commercials interrupt serious programs; pages of ads obscure magazines; billboards mar beautiful scenery; spam fills our inboxes. However, why say these interruptions continually pollute people’s minds with messages of materialism, sex,power or status. Most ads have its culture of products or companies, and some of them can bring a good culture value about consumption to people. In addition, advertisers are making their ads more entraining and informative. Outline and discuss four social criticisms of marketing. How would adopting a societal marketing orientation help to overcome these criticisms? Answer: the societal marketing orientation is the idea that the organisation should determine the needs, wants and interests of target markets and deliver the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than competitors, and in a way that maintains or improves society’s wellbeing. Sustainable marketing calls for products that are not only pleasing but also beneficial. Products can be classified according to their degree of immediate consumer satisfaction and long ran consumer benefits. Marketers should take the whole society into account when they doing marketing. Deficient products have neither immediate appeal nor long-run benefits. Pleasing products give high immediate satisfaction but may hurt consumers in the long run. What the society wants is desirable products, which give both high immediate satisfaction and high long-run benefits. Concentrating more on social interests can help to overcome these criticisms. Based on your own experiences, what are the advantages for marketers in using social media as part of their marketing communications strategies? Answer: there are several advantages for using social media marketing. First, it is much cheaper. Traditional advertising methods can be costly for businesses while It’s free for businesses to sign up for popular social media networks, so it’s an affordable way to promote products and services, while building relationships with customers. Second, instant. With social media, you can announce a sale or special event as soon you finalize plans. Social media gives business owners the ability to share information, such as blog posts, tips and ideas and coupons instantly. third, interact. People can interact with consumers directly through social media, and social media marketing enables people to provide them with assistance on-the-spot. Social media networks also gives people a chance to interact with other entrepreneurs and leaders in their industries. Fourth, using social media marketing can get a huge database of ideas. On the social sites, there are many looking for answers to their problems. People are looking for solutions and one of the places they are looking is in social media where they might be following one of their teachers such as a blogger or mentor. Based on your own experience, what are the disadvantages or risks for marketers in using social media as part of their marketing commuications strategy? Answer: there are several disadvantages of using social media marketing. First, the wrong online brand strategy could put people at a viral social disadvantage and may even damage people reputation, i. e, when person makes a mistake offline, a few will know but when he make a mistake in front of hundreds or thousands of his online audience, most of them will know. Second, in order to get social media’s full effect, you need to understand how it works, when and how to use it and which channels to focus on depending on your end goal of using social media. Third, social media can have a negative influence on worker productivity. Employees may waste valuable time using social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. They can also use social media to attack the company’s reputation. Fourth, when social media is used excessively or in the wrong way, it could have serious detrimental outcomes on both mental and even physical health of individuals. In addition, social media may open possibility for hackers to commit illegal crime such as fraud, spam and virus attacks. People falling prey to online scam may also increase, resulting in data or identity theft.

Understanding Neurons

Understanding Neurons Neurons are the messengers' of our body, by using electrical and chemical messages to move information throughout our entire system (National, 2005). Neurons are so important, everything that we think, feel and do would be impossible without the work of a neuron.Within the Neuron there are several parts; the axon and the dendrite. The axon transmits messages from the cell, and resembles a long tail. Dendrites receive the messages for the cell; they resemble the branches from a tree. There is a nucleus within the body which controls the cells activities and contains the cells genetic material (National, 2005). The neuron to me sounds like a large computer system that takes the information in through the dendrites, processes it and then releases it through the axon to were the information needs to go.There are several types of neurons: The neuron that carries information to the eyes, ears, brain and other sense organs are the sensory neurons.English: Very low mag. Image:Medulla oblonga ta - p...The neuron that carries information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands are the motor neurons, these have long axons in order to communicate these long distances. The interneuron communicates between the sensory and motor neurons, they have short axons in order to do this (Feldman, 2008). Our sensory neurons pick up stimulation from our eye's, nose, mouth, and skin, these cells help with our sight, hearing, touching, smell and taste as well as feeling our muscles and joints, along with keeping our balance. Within the neuron, Pain receptors will respond to the chemical that is produced when you damage your skin, there are receptors that respond to all situations within our body and stimulation from outside sources (Boeree, 2006). Neurons also relate to psychology and our behaviors, Neurons effect how we behave, learn and...

Special Effects essays

Special Effects essays When you see a commercial, and animals are talking to each other and having human expressions you think, how did they do that? The answer is special effects. When you look at commercials, movies, cartoons, all of them have some sort of special effect. With the technology becoming better we begin to see more and different types of special effects. As with the movie Toy Story, being created all by computer, it was the first of its kind. As the times and movies progressed we have seen the increased usage of special effects and the steady improvement of the quality of the special effects. If we did not use Special Effects the revolution of movies would be really slow and boring and movies would be really basic. With Special Effects in movies we can create endless possibilities and bring dreams, illusions, and fantasies to life. Using special effects, we have brought dinosaurs, aliens, and other monsters to life. We have destroyed cities, people, and planets with special effects also. With computers we are able to create sceneries we would never think possible. With the help of computers we can create people, buildings, animals, monsters, aliens, and many other creations. Our creations in the computers can come out to life with a touch of a button. Special Effects are both an art and a science. The "science" part involves the complete understanding of how the audio-visual sensory parts of our body and brain perceive the world around us, while the "art" part involves the strategic use of this information to fool the sensory system. Without knowing what special effects is, it would be hard to understand what is necessary and needed to produce a good movie with special effects. Now there are two basic kinds of effects, computer generated and humanized effects. Computer generated effects consist of the Blue Screen/Matte, Computer Animation, and Composting. A blue screen/matte is when the foreground and backgro...

Relational Databases, Normalization, and SQL

Relational Databases, Normalization, and SQL A database is an application that can store and retrieve data very rapidly. The relational bit refers to how the data is stored in the database and how it is organized. When we talk about a database, we mean a relational database, in fact, an RDBMS: Relational Database Management System. In a relational database, all data is stored in tables. These have the same structure repeated in each row (like a spreadsheet) and it is the relations between the tables that make it a relational table. Before relational databases were invented (in the 1970s), other types of database such as hierarchical databases were used. However relational databases have been very successful for companies like Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft. The open source world also has RDBMS. Commercial Databases OracleIBM DB 2Microsoft SQL Server Ingres. The first commercial RDBMS. Free/Open Source Databases MySQLPostgresSQLSQLite Strictly these are not relational databases but RDBMS. They provide security, encryption, user access and can process SQL queries. Who Was Ted Codd? Codd was a computer scientist who devised the laws of normalization in 1970. This was a mathematical way of describing the properties of a relational database using tables. He came up with 12 laws that describe what a relational database and an RDBMS does and several laws of normalization that describe the properties of relational data. Only data that had been normalized could be considered relational. What Is Normalization? Consider a spreadsheet of client records that is to be put into a relational database. Some clients have the same information, say different branches of the same company with the same billing address. In a spreadsheet, this address is on multiple rows. In turning the spreadsheet into a table, all the clients text addresses must be moved into another table and each assigned a unique ID- say the values 0,1,2. These values are stored in the main client table so all rows use the ID, not the text. A SQL statement can extract the text for a given ID. What Is a Table? Think of it as being like a rectangular spreadsheet made up of rows and columns. Each column specifies the type of data stored (numbers, strings or binary data - such as images). Unlike a spreadsheet where the user is free to have different data on each row, in a database table, every row can only contain the types of data that were specified. In C and C, this is like an array of structs, where one struct holds the data for one row. For more information see Normalizing a database in the Database Design part of databases.about.com. What Are the Different Ways of Storing Data in a Database? There are two ways: Via a Database Server.Via a Database File. Using a database file is the older method, more suited to desktop applications. E.G. Microsoft Access, though that is being phased out in favor of Microsoft SQL Server. SQLite is an excellent public domain database written in C that holds data in one file. There are wrappers for C, C, C# and other languages. A database server is a server application running locally or on a networked PC. Most of the big databases are server based. These take more administration but are usually faster and more robust. How Does an Application Communicate With Database Servers? Generally, these require the following details. IP or Domain name of the server. If it is the on the same PC as you, use 127.0.0.1 or localhost as the dns name. Server Port For MySQL this is usually 3306, 1433 for Microsoft SQL Server.User Name and PasswordName of the Database There are many client applications that can talk to a database server. Microsoft SQL Server has Enterprise Manager to create databases, set security, run maintenance jobs, queries and of course design and modify database tables. What Is SQL?: SQL is short for Structured Query Language and is a simple language that provides instructions for building and modifying the structure of databases and for modifying the data stored in the tables. The main commands used to modify and retrieve data are: Select - Fetches data. Insert - Inserts one or more rows of data. Update - Modifies existing row(s) of data Delete - Deletes rows of data. There are several ANSI/ISO standards such as ANSI 92, one of the most popular. This defines a minimum subset of supported statements. Most compiler vendors support these standards. Conclusion Any nontrivial application can use a database and a SQL-based database is a good place to start. Once you have mastered the configuration and administering of the database then you have to learn SQL to make it work well. The speed at which a database can retrieve data is astonishing and modern RDBMS are complex and highly optimized applications. Open source databases like MySQL are fast approaching the power and usability of the commercial rivals and drive many databases on websites. How to Connect to a Database in Windows using ADO Programmatically, there are various APIs that provide access to database servers. Under Windows, these include ODBC and Microsoft ADO. [h3[Using ADO So long as there is a provider- software that interfaces a database to ADO, then the database can be accessed. Windows from 2000 has this built in. Try the following. It should work on Windows XP, and on Windows 2000 if youve ever installed MDAC. If you havent and want to try this, visit Microsoft.com, do a search for MDAC Download and download any version, 2.6 or higher. Create an empty file called test.udl. Right click in Windows Explorer on the file and do open with, you should see Microsoft Data Access - OLE DB Core Services. This dialog lets you connect to any database with an installed provider, even excel spreadsheets! Select the first tab (Provider) as opens by default at the the Connection tab. Select a provider then click Next. The data source name shows the different types of device available. After filling in username and password, click the Test Connection button. After you press the ok button, you can open the test.udl with file with Wordpad. It should contain text like this. [oledb] ; Everything after this line is an OLE DB initstring ProviderSQLOLEDB.1;Persist Security InfoFalse;User IDsa;Initial Catalogdhbtest;Data Source127.0.0.1 The third line is the important one, it contains the configuration details. If your database has a password, it will be shown here, so this is not a secure method! This string can be built into applications that use ADO and will let them connect to the specified database. Using ODBC ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) provides an API based interface to databases. There are ODBC drivers available for just about every database in existence. However, ODBC provides another layer of communication between an application and the database and this can cause performance penalties.

Peer review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Peer review - Article Example The broader goal of public health officials is to ensure health information is communicated in a way that various individuals and the society at large, easily interpret it (Kass, 2001). The health departments as well as the state public health agencies, have customarily disseminated their findings, especially those that threaten the public health, and surveillance data through reviewed public journals and reports. The particular study has focused on establishing a basic foundation of academic knowledge that relates the extent to which public health officials are effective to promote health information among the community and thereby, improve community’s welfare. With the help of this literature foundation, the researcher will get in depth knowledge in enhancing research area and will be able to understand critical perspective as well. According to (Goodman et al. 1994), public health communication is a technique of influencing, informing and motivating public audience about the important health issues and sufficient solution. The IOM defines public health as â€Å"what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the condign in which people can live a healthy life†. Further, Arendt (2008) opined that, public health communication is a scientific approach that provides strategic dissemination and critical evaluation to communicate health related information. Public health communication includes numerous disciplines such as, mass speech communication, public relation, informatics and ecological perspective. Public health officials, in exploiting there communication roles, can also act participate in advocacy and persuasion efforts. The officials have compelling responsibilities within their various jurisdictions to involve in bureaucratic activities that guarantees public safety and health. In addition to advocacy, public health officials are mandated with the task of promoting and

ROSACEA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ROSACEA - Assignment Example It will also note triggers to avoid, and alleviating factors to use for relief of symptoms, on which you can educate your patient. The condition may affect all segments of the population. However, it is most likely to affect people with fair skin that tend to flush easily (National Rosacea Society, 2015). It is also most likely to be found in women. The disease may also develop severe symptoms that are most evident in men (National Rosacea Society, 2015). There are various symptoms of the disorder. The symptoms sometimes are periodic. The primary symptom is where the skin turns red (NHS, 2014). However, there are other symptoms that develop as the condition progresses. They include burning and stinging sensation, long lasting redness, spots, and visibility of small blood vessels in the skin (NHS, 2014). The condition has no known cure. Treatment entails self-help measures and some form of medication. The most effective way is to avoid known triggers for the condition such as hot drinks, alcohol, and exposure to sunlight (NHS, 2014). There are medications that are used in relieving symptoms. Hence, the patient needs to be well educated on how to use such medications. Some forms of medication such as the use of creams and gels may help in reducing spots and redness. There is also some oral medication used in relieving severe spots (NHS,

Corporate social responsibility plan. Royal Dutch Shell Corporation Research Paper

Corporate social responsibility plan. Royal Dutch Shell Corporation - Research Paper Example In exploring this subject, I wish to shed light on the significance of creating a timely and strategic corporate social responsibility program that strengthens and nourishes the corporate identity and image of Shell. I like to end this paper by presenting specific executions for the CSR program. Company Background: As a corporation that positions itself as the â€Å"leading innovator for the energy future†, Royal Dutch Shell or Shell aims to maintain sustainable development by delivering its short-term and long-term business interests with economic, environmental, and social considerations (Royal Dutch Shell A, 2009). Through sustainable development, Shell believes that it is able to: firstly, govern the way it develops new oil explorations and projects on alternative energy; secondly, manage its downstream supply chains; and lastly, share its benefits to society by delivering quality products and by spearheading community projects. Shell is present in more than 90 countries worldwide, has 93,000 full-time employees, and maintains a fuel retail network of around 43,000 service stations. In 2010, Shell was able to produce 3.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day while it generated earnings of $20.5 billion. It spent $23.7 billion on net capital investment while it spent over $1.0 billion on research and development (R&D). The business operations of Shell are classified under three major categories—upstream, downstream, and projects and technology. Firstly, Shell Upstream is involved in the search and recovery of oil and natural gas; and the extraction of heavy oil from oil sands for conversion into synthetic crudes. (Royal Dutch Shell C, 2001). Secondly, Shell Downstream is involved in the manufacturing, supplying, and marketing of oil products and chemicals worldwide. Businesses under manufacturing and supply include refineries, chemical plants, and the supply and distribution of feedstock and other products. On the other hand, businesses under marketing sell a range of products including fuels, lubricants, bitumen, and liquefied petroleum gas for home, transport, and industrial use. Lastly, Shell Projects and Technology manages and drives the research and technology development programs for major projects of Shell. It provides technical services and technology capability to the Upstream and Downstream businesses. At this point, it is crucial to highlight that the company engages in business activities that have direct impact on the environment. For one, most Shell upstream operations need elaborate technologies that would guide the extraction of oil from the sea bed. As for its downstream arm , Shell recognizes the volume of carbon dioxide being emitted by its refining plants. Therefore, there is a strong and direct link between profitable business and responsible waste management. II. Climate Change and Managing Carbon Dioxide Emissions. Shell recognizes its significant role in halving the carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change. However, the company believes that the actions needed to alleviate the impacts of climate cha

Managerial leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managerial leadership - Assignment Example ee engagement refers to increasing the motivation, and enthusiasm of employees, so that they are absorbed in their work, they make meaningful contributions to improve the work processes, and take they take positive action to increase the work level quality (Menguc, 2013, p. 2164). Organisations with higher levels of employee engagement experience high employee involvement in the work processes (Truss, 2013, p. 2659). Consequently, such organisations outperform other similar firms, where employees work to the rule (Mone, 2014, p. 43). This paper examines the role of leadership in increasing the level of employee engagement, the methods, and drivers to increase the engagement and examines important predictors, intellectual, social, and emotional capital, which helps to achieve higher employee engagement. While employee engagement, and a motivated workforce, that takes on extra responsibilities, while volunteering for extra work is desirable, the main task for the leadership is to obtain and channelize the employee interest and motivation, so that the organisation objectives are met (Saks & Gruman, 2013, p. 158). The second task of directing and focussing employee motivation to meet organisation objectives is facilitated by using structured work allocation, problem identification, brainstorming, group discussions, suggestion box, discussion forums, and by using work collaboration software (Shantz, 2013, p. 2613). However, the first task of motivating the staff, and increasing employee engagement is more challenging (Guest, 2013, p. 223), and, this topic remains the focus of this paper. This section critically reviews the literature on the subject of leadership responsibility and increasing employee engagement. In the discussion of employee engagement, three contexts become important, and these are intellectual, social, and emotional capital (Mone, 2014, p. 161). Intellectual capital refers to the intellectual property of an organisation, and it has two components

Training of Employees in Call Centers Case Study

Training of Employees in Call Centers - Case Study Example Call centers plays an important role for Currys proving customers with immediate support and assess to information (Currys Home Page 2008). The main effects of training on the performance in Currys are improved service level delivered to customers and job satisfaction of all centers employees. At call centers in retail environment, employees who are effective at work, who can handle difficult tasks such as those illustrated above, possess particular attributes (Bateman & Snell 2004). Technically, it is referred to as expertise. These are the employees from whom others seek advice about how to approach a difficult task. Their attributes set them apart from less experienced workers and are also the qualities that other workers aspire to and employers wish more of their employees possessed. These attributes represent the kind of outcomes that should be developed through workplace training. In order to assist the development of expertise, retail organizations like Currys need to understand the attributes that constitute expert performance at work (Armstrong, 2000). In Currys, this enables the identification of the goals for workplace training and selecting particular strategies to most effectively generate expertise in workers. Understanding these attributes can also help establish bases for guiding the development of and judgments about the effectiveness of workplace training arrangements (Bateman & Snell 2004; Call Center Performance 2008). In Currys, the main effects of effective training comprise the ability to respond effectively to both the everyday and new work tasks encountered in the workplace. Being effective with everyday workplace tasks is essential, but it is not sufficient for expert performance at work. It is also important and necessary to respond to new and unanticipated tasks. For individual employees, the ability to transfer their vocational knowledge within the retail organization like Currys as new tasks arise and to other work situations is an important attribute one that opens up options and opportunities for their vocational advancement. Employees' ability to accomplish new tasks as well as the everyday ones enhances the prospect of the enterprise being able to respond successfully to new work challenges and changing environments. Such responses require workers to have expert attributes (Bateman & Snell 2004). Therefore it is important to understand these attributes and how they can best be develop ed in the retail sector. Because training is a product of everyday thinking and acting, it is inevitable that not all training will be desirable or appropriate. Currys supposes that training that might be considered undesirable and inappropriate is not quarantined in some way in Currys. Some of these outcomes are likely to be associated with unsafe working practices, or with the failure to use the requisite amount of checking and monitoring required for work tasks. In addition, there may be work practices that encourage exclusiveness and intolerance in the workplace. Inappropriate knowledge, including attitudes and values (e. g. dangerous work practice or exclusive views about gender/race), might well be learnt if it is practiced and/or rewarded in the workplace. Inappropriate training outcomes can arise from incomplete preparation (Armstrong, 2000; Currys Home Page 2008). Differences in the requirements for work extend

Managerial leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managerial leadership - Assignment Example ee engagement refers to increasing the motivation, and enthusiasm of employees, so that they are absorbed in their work, they make meaningful contributions to improve the work processes, and take they take positive action to increase the work level quality (Menguc, 2013, p. 2164). Organisations with higher levels of employee engagement experience high employee involvement in the work processes (Truss, 2013, p. 2659). Consequently, such organisations outperform other similar firms, where employees work to the rule (Mone, 2014, p. 43). This paper examines the role of leadership in increasing the level of employee engagement, the methods, and drivers to increase the engagement and examines important predictors, intellectual, social, and emotional capital, which helps to achieve higher employee engagement. While employee engagement, and a motivated workforce, that takes on extra responsibilities, while volunteering for extra work is desirable, the main task for the leadership is to obtain and channelize the employee interest and motivation, so that the organisation objectives are met (Saks & Gruman, 2013, p. 158). The second task of directing and focussing employee motivation to meet organisation objectives is facilitated by using structured work allocation, problem identification, brainstorming, group discussions, suggestion box, discussion forums, and by using work collaboration software (Shantz, 2013, p. 2613). However, the first task of motivating the staff, and increasing employee engagement is more challenging (Guest, 2013, p. 223), and, this topic remains the focus of this paper. This section critically reviews the literature on the subject of leadership responsibility and increasing employee engagement. In the discussion of employee engagement, three contexts become important, and these are intellectual, social, and emotional capital (Mone, 2014, p. 161). Intellectual capital refers to the intellectual property of an organisation, and it has two components

Management project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management project - Research Paper Example This however, never changed how other charity organizations viewed the group even though exotic dance is a legal profession (Edbermac, 2007). The exotic dancers hold an annual event to raise funds to donate to the charity societies. The groups hold the event in remembrance of their former dancer who died due to breast cancer (Edbermac, 2007). Trina Rickettes, the former dancer had said a mail sent notified her that the society declined to collect that years’ donation (Edbermac, 2007). The society pointed out that its major donors never approved the connection to the exotic dancers. The group fells discriminated due to rejection of donations done to help the cancer-affected patients in the society. Many organizations view the dancers as strippers hence prostitutes and they term their earning as dirty money (Edbermac, 2007). Charity organizations fear to associate with the exotic dancers unless the group agreed to be anonymous. The raised money end up in less discriminating charity organizations and the organizations benefits from the thousands of dollars from the exotic dancers (Edbermac, 2007). Edbermac. (2007, February 07). Breast Cancer Society rejects donation from exotic dancers. Retrieved may sunday, 2014, from democratic underground:

Final Report Essay Example for Free

Final Report Essay Information need not be passed down through physical means like mail or newspapers. It can be done through SMS (short messaging service), a phone call or even an email. Underlying such great inventions is the use of electronic devices to transmit and receive signals. Due to the demand for faster and larger data flow, complex systems such as Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) have been developed. This project is confined to the fundamental concepts used in digital communication. These key concepts include sampling, quantization and frame synchronization. The circuit designed is meant for one-way dataflow. It supports transmission by one user from any analog input. Hence, it is not necessary to select between multiple analog inputs using the frequency-division multiplexing technique. In transmitting wirelessly, a laser and photodiode are used instead of antennas. This choice is made because it is complex to build a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) circuit. Without FSK, an antenna would need to be 75km long in order to transmit a wave of 4 kHz. 1. 2 Problem Identification In this project, a laser pointer is used to transmit analog signal wirelessly. In order to realize digital transmission, the analog signal must be converted into digital form using a Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) encoder. Before the signal can be decoded at the receiver end, frame synchronization must be achieved. Hence, a training sequence must be sent to synchronize the receiver and transmitter. Next, a Digital Phase Locked Loop (DPLL) is needed to lock on to the transmitted signal and generate clocks at the receiver end. In the final stage, the digital signal is converted back to an analog signal. This signal is then played through a speaker. 1. 3 Constraints Availability of Manpower Our main constraint lies in the shortage of manpower. Due to the complexity of the DPLL Circuit and Training Sequence Identification Circuit, more members should be allocated to these two subgroups. However, this is not possible as our group consists of only eight members. This constraint will be addressed in the implementation section of this report. Components The design of any combinational logic circuit is confined to the availability of chips (gates). In this project, we are not provided with AND and NOR gates. Hence, knowledge of Boolean algebra will aid us in realizing any logic with the universal NAND gate. In addition, the design of logic circuits also depends on the space of breadboard. Hence, minimizing the number of chips used takes higher precedence over the simplicity of design. This is to achieve compactness on the breadboard. Time A short time frame of seven weeks is given to build a laser communication system. Apart from building the prototype, our group must submit design and final reports for grading. Hence, it is critical that all group members adhere to the schedule. Further, since there are no extra lab sessions provided for testing and debugging, subgroups must build the circuits before going for the lab session. . System Design 2. 1 Project Requirements 1. 2. 048 MHz Master Clock, 64 KHz Bit Clock and 8 KHz Frame Synchronization: with rising edges aligned. 2. Clock signals into PCM encoder, training sequence generator and multiplexer. 3. Coder and decoder chips are needed for analog to digital conversion and digital to analog conversion respectively. 4. Model the photodiode as a voltage source. 5. Yield minimal noise in the photodiode circuit. 6. DPLL: Determine the value of K, N, M and constant phase difference between local clock and data sequence. 7. DPLL: Design a divide by N Counter. 8. Frame synchronization must be achieved. 9. Training Sequence must be generated. 10. A D flip-flop is required to switch training frame to data frame at the correct instance. 11. A logic circuit must be implemented to identify the training sequence at the receiver end. 12. Implement a â€Å"Divide by 8† counter to yield 8 KHz Frame Synchronization Receiver from the 64 KHz Bit Clock. 2. 2 Design of System The system consists of two functional components. They are the transmitter and receiver. In the discussion of this system, the transmitter side will be first discussed followed by the receiver end. 2. 3 Design of Transmitter The transmitter consists of several sub-blocks. These sub-blocks include the clock and counter networks, training sequence generator, switch, encoder and the laser link. 2. 3. 1 Clock and Counter Networks In this system, 2. 048MHz Master Clock (MCLK), 64 KHz Bit Clock (BCLK) and 8 KHz Frame Synchronization Signal (FSYN) are required. BCLK and FSYN are required by the training sequence generator and multiplexer (MUX) switch respectively. The encoder chip requires MCLK, BCLK and FSR. As such, the breadboard layout shown in Figure 1 is adopted. Figure 1: Breadboard Layout (Transmitter) Master Clock (MCLK) The Master Clock (MCLK) is obtained from the signal generators available in the lab. As a high speed clock is needed by the PCM encoder to function, the value of 2. 048 MHz is chosen. MCLK provides the timing signal to synchronize the other clocks in the system. In this manner, the rising edge of the generated BCLK and FSR will coincide with MCLK. Bit Clock (BCLK) The Bit Clock (BCLK) frequency is 64 KHz. This is generated by inputting MCLK into the Counter (74HC191) followed by a D Flip-flop (74HC74). BCLK is required because the frequency of bits generated by the encoder is 64 KHz. The BCLK allows the bit stream to be synchronized with the clock network. Frame Synchronization Signal (FSYN)

Challenges of change facing British airways

Challenges of change facing British airways Chosen Question: Select a London-based organisation and analyse the challenges of change facing it and how it is approaching the process of change. Where possible do so by reference to theories of change management. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT: Executive Summary: Airline business is a difficult company. It has been well-known in the direction of being the mainly economical company in all over the world. Marketing executive must also be ready for action on the way to manage through the challenges of this variety of business. British Airways is one of the market influential within the airlines industry in U.K. The corporation has it huge opportunity. The airline is dedicated towards quality-service. In count, it has its aggressive advantages. British Airways has enormous opportunity of increasing and getting better of its services. In this we discuss about the various challenges of change faced by the British Airways and in what way it is approaching the procedure of change. Introduction: British Airways is one of the leading airlines in the world. This case traces the airlines history and discusses the process of turnaround during the 1980s under the leadership of Lord King and Colin Marshall.   The case also discusses the subsequent turbulent period under CEO Bob Ayling and the challenges faced, including recession, competition, terrorism and the Gulf war. The case closes with an outline of the tasks ahead of the incumbent CEO Rod Eddington. The case can be used to illustrate the importance of leadership in bringing about cultural change. Challenges faced by British Airways: The economic conditions that prevailed throughout 2009/10 were the most severe they have ever encountered. As a result of the worst recession for 60 years, their industry has faced a series of permanent structural changes that have drastically reduced their revenues in the short term and have permanently changed the economics of running a premium airline. These problems are in themselves formidable. But, in addition, British Airways faced a list of daunting challenges of its own. These included the need to: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Raise finance at a time of continuing crisis in the debt markets; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Radically reduce their historic cost base; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Change working practices; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Complete their planned merger with Iberia; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Win an acceptable anti-trust agreement to cooperate with American Airlines and Iberia on North Atlantic routes; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tackle their  £3.7 billion pensions deficit successfully. Twelve months on, they can feel satisfied that on every one of these issues, they have either tackled or made significant progress in overcoming the challenges they faced. Permanent change They entered the recession financially strong and with their fleet replacement plans fully financed to 2013. In August 2009, they successfully raised  £350 million through a convertible bond issue, providing them with the finance to keep investing in their business and maintain their focthem on excellent service as the recession runs its course. Over the year they reduced their unit costs by 6.5 per cent. Their fuel bill fell by nearly  £600 million, accounting for a large element of this decrease. Unit costs excluding fuel also fell by 1.8 per cent. This was truly a remarkable achievement. It is hard enough to cut costs when capacity is rising; to do so when capacity is in sharp decline is very difficult indeed. Their cost base is now far more competitive, meaning they are well placed to achieve more profitable growth in the future. They successfully carried the majority of their workforce with them in making changes to working practices, including their pilots and engineers. A number of staff have left the Company on voluntary terms. They have succeeded in introducing permanent cost reductions across the airline, including reductions in crew complements. Regrettably, these changes were met by unjustified strike action by Unites cabin crew branch. BASSA misrepresented the Companys position to its members, failed to represent the views of the majority of cabin crew and has been intent on a confrontation with the airline. The vast majority of their employees recognise the need for permanent change and have shown great commitment to British Airways during this difficult year. Their relationship w ith Iberia is very strong and they have now signed a merger agreement that they know will bring real benefits to their respective customers and shareholders and protect the brands of the two airlines. If remaining technicalities are successfully dealt with, as they fully expect, the merger should be concluded by the end of 2010. Similarly, all the signs are that they can win anti-trust immunity from the THEM Department of Transportation along with regulatory approval from the EU competition authorities, to operate a joint business with American Airlines and Iberia over the North Atlantic. When in place they will be able to operate on equal terms with Skyteam and Star Alliance that already enjoy immunity. Their agreement will mean more competition not less, and greater choice for travellers on these busy routes. Finally, they are progressing with negotiations to agree a way to fund their  £3.7 billion pension deficits that satisfies the Trustees and meets their requirement that they will not have to increase their contribution to the schemes in the short term. Whilst the valuation has been agreed with the Trustees, it is currently under review by the Pensions Regulator. If they can keep the schemes open for existing members it will be a significant achievement and one that has eluded many other businesses in recent years. I hope you can see how huge an agenda of change they have tackled. In that sense, 2009/10 was a year of great achievement. Financial results Their progress is all the more remarkable at a time when all their principal business customers changed their travel olicies at the same time, turning their back on premium shorthaul travel and reducing their revenues by  £1 billion. Against that backdrop, they recorded another year of heavy losses in their business. They recorded their biggest ever half year loss of  £292 million. Early and far-reaching action on costs began to show through in the second half of the year and they were even able to post a small operating profit in the third quarter. For the year as a whole their pre-tax losses stood at  £531 million compared with a loss of  £401 million in the preceding year. They cannot afford to lose sight of the scale of their losses in the last two years, even though they came on the back of record profits in 2007/08. Their business simply will not survive long term unless they stop losing money on this scale. Dividends and executive pay The programme of change they are pursuing in the business is all about making sure they have the resources to deliver outstanding service to their customers, secure and rewarding employment to their staff and strong returns to their shareholders. Given the state of their market they have frozen pay across the airline for two years. They have once again decided it would be inappropriate to pay a dividend or executive or staff cash bonuses. Customer focus Their primary focthem must remain on their customers no matter how severe the economic conditions they face. The customer is at the very heart of their plans to build an efficient global premium airline and to achieve lasting and sustainable profitability for this business. During the year, they continued to outperform in their punctuality scores, not just at Terminal 5, but across the network. Maintaining that record has involved some magnificent work by people right across the business and they take immense pride in their achievements. Their customer service scores remain strong despite significant operational disruption. An industry in transition Consolidation will be a growing theme for their industry for the foreseeable future and they are pleased with their own progress in building new partnerships and alliances. But progress on liberalising the global industry remains painfully slow, nowhere more so than in the recent protracted Open Skies negotiations between the THEM and Europe. They had hoped that the conclusion of the EU-THEM second stage negotiations would have resulted in the immediate removal of THEM restrictions on ownership and control and the protectionist Fly America policy. Unfortunately, instead of the ambitious agreement that had been promised by both sides that would have acted as a template for further global liberalisation across other trading blocs, they have ended up with an agreement that fails to deliver a truly open market for aviation. This represents a missed opportunity to create a healthier and more efficient industry for the future. Indeed, the only hope for progress may lie in moving the issue to a more powerful arena such as the Trans Atlantic Economic Council where Europe could offer wider trade concessions, i n sectors such as agriculture, in return for progress on air transport. These restrictive ownership and control requirements that prevent cross-border airline mergers, need to be consigned to the history books and fast. Only then will they see the true benefits that normalisation of the industry can achieve as is already the case with other sectors of the global economy. Climate change As a company they have led the way in searching for real and radical ways to tackle climate change. Not only have they set ourselves industry-leading targets to cut their own emissions, they are also strong advocates of carbon trading and believe aviation should be part of a global emissions trading scheme. The Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December presented the industry with an ideal opportunity to come together and make this a reality. For many reasons the outcome from the summit was disappointing not least as no reference was made to the airline industry. However, it is clear the governments of the world recognise the airline industry is taking a responsible position and is indeed ahead of its regulators in wanting to tackle climate change. The industry continues to work closely together to develop and promote its position. Its now down to the regulators and Governments to show commitment to the industry and to allow them to play their full part in contributing to the gl obal reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Economic outlook The worst of the recession seems to be over. Unemployment in the UK, for example, seems to have peaked and at lower levels than had been feared. In their own business, February saw them record the first increase in premium traffic since August 2008. But recovery is precariothem and it would be foolish to assume they are out of the woods yet. The new UK Government will be forced to make some very unpopular decisions in the weeks and months ahead. Tackling the deficit remains the biggest priority. The new coalition Government plans to make immediate cuts in the deficit, they believe this threatens real dangers, not least that increased taxes and hasty spending cuts could throttle consumer confidence and trigger a double dip recession. It is vital that the UK develops a credible, measured plan to reduce the deficit, spelling out the reductions that are needed and the timescale in which they will be achieved. With election grandstanding now out of the way, this must be a priority for the new administration. A tremendothem effort Its been an immensely difficult year for my colleagues across the business and I want to thank them for the tremendous work they have done. The spirit theyve shown in supporting the business through one of its most difficult periods has been unbelievable. Its involved a lot of hard work and considerable personal sacrifices. Their prospects Their own recovery depends very much on how fast the general economy returns to growth. They remain cautiothem on that. They expect the climb out of recession to be a relatively slow one. However, I am convinced that the work they have done over the last 18 months to restructure their cost base and the progress they have made on the challenges they faced at the start of 2009/10, mean they are a far more resilient business today. That means they can be confident about surviving through further economic uncertainty. More importantly, it means they will be in a position to achieve higher levels of sustainable profitability when conditions improve. That is very good news for their customers, their staff and their shareholders. Approaches for the variothem challenges faced by the British Airways: One of the significant ways to distinguish one airline from another is in terms of the quality of its decisions. They use operational systems to run the business and business intelligence, delivered by Business Objects query and reporting tools, to manage it. British Airways Improves Customer Relationship Management and Maximises Revenues with Information Delivered by Business Objects The airline market is fiercely competitive with strong demand for lucrative business traveller routes due to capacity restrictions at major European airports and low cost entrants offering cheaper flights for the leisure passenger. Leading UK airline British Airways, is underpinning its strategic operations with business intelligence (BI) delivered by Business Objects solutions. British Airways use BUSINESSOBJECTSà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢, the integrated query, reporting and online analytical processing tool (OLAP) to access, analyse and share information stored in British Airways data warehouse. British Airways is also currently in the process of extending the decision making process worldwide via WEBINTELLIGENCE ®, the internet BI solution from Business Objects. Strategic Decision Making British Airways is one of the worlds most successful airlines, carrying over 48 million passengers a year. Peter Blundell, Knowledge Strategy Manager, British Airways, says One of the significant ways to distinguish one airline from another is in terms of the quality of its decisions. They use operational systems to run the business and business intelligence, delivered by Business Objects query and reporting tools, to manage it. BUSINESS OBJECTS is used throughout British Airways, with dozens of applications taking information from a central data warehouse. These cover all aspects of the business from CRM applications supporting the frequent flyer programme, through yield management and revenue analysis to catering supply chain management. Blundell explains, With BUSINESS OBJECTS they have been able to provide any line manager with the capability to assess relevant business information without requiring an army of data specialists. British Airways primary challenge is to make the airline as a whole and each route profitable. This is complicated since the company is unable to change product offerings very quickly. With the capacity restrictions in many airports, routes have to be negotiated and published some six months in advance. BUSINESS OBJECTS supports their long term planning, analysing the number of flights per day, routes and aircraft types that are most appropriate, says Blundell. This drives their negotiation for capacity constrained routes. Maximising Yield Every airline has to achieve a balance between availability of higher priced business seats and filling the flight with cheaper leisure fares. British Airways is using BUSINESS OBJECTS to analyse customer behavitheir and flight sales to maximise yield on each route. The business and leisure traveller have very different needs, with the business traveller looking for frequency of flights, punctuality and good customer service, while the leisure traveller is looking for value for money. Customer service also provides an area of differentiation. British Airways promotional activity tailors offers based on customer preferences and travel history. The costs the market will bear are different on each route, at different times of the day and week and depend on the level of competition on that route. BUSINESSOBJECTS enables them to better understand booking and customer profiles and use that information to maximise yield on each flight by creating the right promotional offer to each customer group. British Airways Leads Punctuality League Two of the most successful BUSINESS OBJECTS applications have addressed punctuality and baggage handling. Analysing sources of delay, by type, route and reason has enabled British Airways to significantly improve its position in the punctuality league of European airlines. For business passengers, punctuality and efficient baggage handling are critical factors that drive the choice of airline. British Airways wanted to improve its punctuality and BUSINESS OBJECTS was part of that solution. By analysing any problems with BUSINESS OBJECTS they have become one of the top rated European airlines for punctuality. A similar analysis using BUSINESS OBJECTS to look at baggage handling enabled the company to highlight reasons for baggage failing to connect with the right flight. While there was time for passengers to make the connection it was not always possible for their luggage to make the same journey. They have overcome that problem and significantly improved our baggage handling as a re sult, says Blundell. Worldwide Business Intelligence Having created a business intelligence infrastructure that is underpinning decision making throughout the British Airways head office, the company is now looking to broaden its user base from one thousand to potentially ten thousand worldwide via its intranet. Blundell explains, They plan to use Business Objects WEBINTELLIGENCE internet BI solution to deliver the business intelligence functionality they have developed to airports and offices around the world. By leveraging the intranet and WEBINTELLIGENCE, they can deliver key business information in a cost effective manner. Using WEBINTELLIGENCE, British Airways will be able to provide local managers with secure access to the local information pertinent to their operation, underpinning the drive to maximise revenue and market share and minimise costs across specific routes. Blundell explains, British Airways business goal is to broaden the decision making ability by providing pertinent information. Empowering people to make decisions on behalf of the company leads to better customer relationships. By making information available via the intranet they can ensure improved consistent customer service worldwide. By analysing any problems with BUSINESS OBJECTS e have become one of the top rated European airlines for punctuality. Conclusion: British Airways remains cautiously optimistic about its future prospects. However, it is certain that considerably more work lies ahead if the airline is to succeed. The FSAS plan incorporated by BA resulted in considerable cost savings, and divestments also raised funds to pay off debt. The goal of the FSAS plan was to achieve a 10% operating margin and hence more recent cost cuts and job loses have been made by Willie Walsh order to accomplish this.

Wilfred Owens Poetry and Pity of War Essay -- Wilfred Owen War Poems

Wilfred Owen's Poetry and Pity of War Through his poetry Wilfred Owen wished to convey, to the general public, the PITY of war. In a detailed examination of three poems, with references to others, show the different ways in which he achieved this Wilfred Owen was born in Oswestry, 18th March 1893. He was working in France when the war began, tutoring a prominent French family. When the war started he began serving in the Manchester Regiment at Milford Camp as a Lieutenant. He fought on the Western Front for six months in 1917, and was then diagnosed with War Neurosis (shell shock). Because of this he was sent to Craiglockhart Hospital for treatment. In his stay at Craiglockhart Hospital Wilfred Owen met Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon was also a poet, and the two became good friends. The two friends compared and edited their poems, and Sassoon introduced Wilfred Owen to some publishers. Whilst he was in Craiglockhart he wrote such poems as "Dulce et Decorem Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth." He used his poems as a cathartic experience to help him forget and overcome his experiences on the battlefield. Through a detailed examination of the poems Dulce et Decorem Est,Disabled and Anthem for Doomed Youth with reference to other poems by Wilfred Owen, it can be seen that, although he uses different political forms, styles, and devices, and he addresses his readers from different authorial stances, evoking feelings from great anger and bitterness to terrible sadness; the end result is always the same: he shows the pity of war. Dulce et Decorem Est was written by Wilfred Owen whilst he was having treatment at Craiglockhart, it is one of his most famous poems. Stanza one sets the scene. Owen takes his ti... ...there is no glory involved. This poem gets across the madness of war, and that it must not be continued. Owen expresses feelings of bitter hatred for the war, and he lets those feelings out in Dulce et Decorem est. He is angry that war is allowed to be continued, that the public are lied to, and the conditions the soldiers have to cope with. He was in the war himself, he knew what he was talking about. Owen has a very strong use of imagery, which I think helps get across his message. Although sometimes I feel he can be a bit too bitter, and lose the plot slightly, his poetry is extremely effective. He is asking his reader just to take some time to think about the war, ignore the propaganda and see what is really happening. All of this put together conveys the pity of war, by using graphic imagery, metaphors and similes, and often use of onomatopoeia.

Motivation Case Study on Gp Essay

When people join an organization, they bring with them certain drives and needs that affect their on-the-job performance. Sometimes these are immediately apparent, but often they not only are difficult to determine and satisfy but also vary greatly from one person to another. Understanding how needs create tensions which stimulate effort to perform and how effective performance brings the satisfaction of rewards is useful for managers. Several approaches to understanding internal drives and needs within employees are examined in the chapter. Each model makes a contribution to our understanding of motivation. All the models share some similarities. In general, they encourage managers not only to consider lower-order, maintenance, and extrinsic factors but to use higher-order, motivational, and intrinsic factors as well. Behavior modification focuses on the external environment by stating that a number of employee behaviors can be affected by manipulating their consequences. The alternative consequences include positive and negative reinforcement punishment, and extinction. Reinforcement can be applied according to either continuous or partial schedules. A blending of internal and external approaches is obtained through consideration of goal setting. Managers are encouraged to use cues—such as goals that are accepted, challenging, and specific—to stimulate desired employee behavior. In this way, goal setting, combined with the reinforcement of performance feedback, provides a balanced approach to motivation. . : . Additional approaches to motivation presented in this chapter are the expectancy and equity models. The- expectancy model states that motivation is a product of how much one wants something-and the probabilities that effort will lead to task accomplishment and reward. The formula is valence X expectancy X instrumentality = motivation. Valence is the strength of a person’s preference for an outcome. Expectancy is the strength of belief that one’s effort will be successful in accomplishing a task. Instrumentality is the strength of belief that successful performance will be followed by a reward. The expectancy and equity motivational models relate specifically to the  employee’s intellectual processes. The equity model has a double comparison in it a match between an employee’s perceived inputs and outcomes, coupled with a comparison with some referent person’s rewards for her or his input level. In addition, employees use the procedural justice model to assess the fairness of how rewards are distributed. Managers are encouraged to combine the perspectives of several models to create a complete motivational environment for their employees. Motivation: Motivation is the set of internal & external forces that cause an employee to choose a course of action and engage in certain behavior. A Model of Motivation : Although a few spontaneous human activities occur without motivation, nearly all conscious behavior is motivated or caused. Growing hair requires no motivation, but getting a haircut does. Eventually, anyone will fall asleep without motivation (although parents with young children may doubt this), but going to bed is a conscious act requiring motivation manager’s job is to identify employees’ drives and needs and to channel their behavior, to motivate them, toward task performance. The role of motivation in performance is summarized in the model of motivation in Figure 5.1. Internal needs and drives create tensions that are affected by one’s environment. For example, the need for food produces a tension of hunger. The hungry person then Environment Opportunity Needs and drive Tension Effont Performance Rewards Goals and incentive Ability Need satisfaction FIGURE 5.1 A Model of Mitivation examines the surroundings to see which foods (external incentives) are available to satisfy that hunger. Since environment affects one’s appetite for particular kinds of food a South Seas native may want roast fish, whereas a Colorado rancher may prefer grilled steak. Both persons are ready to achieve their goals, but they will seek different foods to satisfy their needs. This is an example of both individual differences and cultural influences in action. As we saw in the formulas in Chapter 1, potential performance (P) is a product of ability (A) and motivation (M). Results occur when motivated employs are provided with the opportunity (such as the proper training) to perform and the resources (such as the proper tools) to do so. The presence of goals and the awareness of incentives to satisfy one’s needs are also powerful motivational factors leading to the release of effort. When an employee is productive and the organization takes note of it, rewards will be distributed. If those rewards are appropriate in nature, timing, and distribution, the employee’s original needs and drives are satisfied. At that time, new needs may emerge and the cycle will begin again. It should be apparent, therefore, that an important starting point lies in understanding employee needs. Several traditional approaches to classifying drives and needs are presented first; these models attempt to help managers understand how employees’ internal needs affect their subsequent behaviors. These historical approaches are logically followed by a discussion of a systematic way of modifying employee behavior thought the use of rewards that satisfy those needs. Achievement Motivation Achievement motivation is a drive some people have to pursue and attain goals. An individual with this drive wishes to achieve objectives and advance up the ladder of success. Accomplishment is seen as important primarily for its own sake, not just for the rewards that accompany. A number of characteristic define achievement-oriented employees. They work harder when they perceive that they will receive personal credit for their efforts, when the risk of failure is only moderate, and when they receive specific feedback about their past performance,. People with a high drive  for achievement take responsibility for their actions and results, control their destiny, seek regular feedback, and enjoy being part of a winning achievement through individual or collective effort. As managers, they tend to export that their employees will also be oriented toward achievement. These high expectations sometime make it difficult for achievement-oriented managers to delegate effectively and for â€Å"average† employees to satisfy their manager’s demands. Affiliation Motivation : Affiliation motivation is a drive to relate to people on a social basis. Comparisons of achievement-motivation employees with affiliation-motivation employees illustrate how the two patterns influence behavior. Achievement-oriented people work harder when their supervisors provide detailed evaluations of their work behavior. But people with affiliation motives work better when they are compli9mentions of their work behavior. But people with affiliation motives work better when they are complimented for their favorable attitudes and cooperation. Achievement-motivated people select assistants who are technically capable, with little regard for personal feelings about them; those who are affiliation-motivated tend to select friends and likable people to surround them. They receive inner satisfactions from being with friends, and they want the job freedom to develop those relationships. Managers with strong needs for affiliation may have difficulty being effective managers. -Although a high concern for positive social relationships usually results in a cooperative work environment where employees genuinely enjoy working together, managerial overemphasis on the social dimension may interfere with the vital process of getting things done-. Affiliation-oriented managers may have difficulty assigning challenging tasks, directing work activities, and monitoring work effectiveness. Power Motivation Power motivation is a drive to influence people, take control, and change situations. Power-motivated people wish to create an impact on their organizations and are willing to take risks to do so. Once this power is obtained, it may be used either constructively or destructively. Power-motivated people make excellent managers if their drives are for  institutional power instead of personal power. Institutional power is the need to influence others’ behavior for the good of the whole organization. People with this need seek power through legitimate means, rise to leadership positions through successful performance, and therefore are accepted by others. However, if an employee’s drives are toward personal power, that person tends to lose the trust and respect of employees and colleagues and be an unsuccessful organizational leader. Managerial Application of the Drives Knowledge of the differences among the three motivational drives requires managers to think contingently and to understand the work attitudes of each employee. They can then deal with employees differently according to the strongest motivational drive that they identify in each employee. In this way, the supervisor communicates with each employee according to that particular person’s needs. As one employee said, â€Å"My supervisor talks to me in my language.† Although various tests can be used to identify the strength of employee drives, direct observation of employees’ behavior is one of the best methods for determining what they will respond to. HUMAN NEEDS When a machine malfunctions, people recognize that it needs something. Managers try to find the causes of the breakdown in an analytical manner based on their knowledge of the operations and needs of the machine. Types of Needs Needs may be classified in various ways. A simple classification is (1) basic physical needs, called primary needs, and (2) social and psychological needs, called secondary needs. The physical needs include food, water, sex, sleep, sir, and reasonably comfortable temperature. These needs arise from the basic requirements of life and are important for survival of the human race. They are, therefore, virtually universal, but they vary in intensity from one person to another. For example, a child needs much more sleep than an older person., . Needs also are conditioned by social practice. If it is customary to eat three meals a day, then a person tends to become hungry for three, even  though two might be adequate. If a coffee hour is introduced in the morning, then that becomes a habit of appetite satisfaction as well as a social need. Secondary needs are more vague because they represent needs of the mind and spirit rather than of the physical body. Many of these needs are developed as people mature. Examples are needs that pertain to self-esteem, sense of duty, competitiveness, self-assertion, and lo giving, belonging, and receiving affection. The secondary needs are those that complicate the motivational efforts of managers. Nearly any action that management takes will affect secondary needs; (here/ore, managerial planning should consider the effect of any proposed action on the secondary needs of employees, Here are seven key conclusions about secondary needs. They: 0 Are strongly conditioned by experience 1 Vary in type and intensity among people 2 Are subject to change across time within any individual 3 Cannot usually be isolated, but rather work in combination and influence one another. 4 Are often hidden from conscious recognition 5 Are vague feelings as opposed to specific physical needs 6 Influence behavior in powerful ways Whereas the three motivational drives identified earlier were not grouped in any particular pattern, the three major theories of human/needs -presented in the following sections attempt to classify those needs. At least implicitly, the theories of Maslow, Hertzberg, and Alerter build on the distinction between primary and secondary needs. Also, there are some similarities as well as important differences among the three, approaches. Despite their limitations, all three approaches to human needs help create an important basis for the more advanced motivational models to be discussed later. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs According to A. H. Maslow, human needs are not of equal strength, and they emerge in a definite sequence. In particular, as the primary needs become reasonably well satisfied, a person places more emphasis on the secondary needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs focuses attention on five levels.This  hierarchy is briefly presented and then interpreted in the following sections. Lower-Order Needs First-level needs involve basic survival and include physiological needs for food, air, water, and sleep. The second need level that tends to dominate is bodily safety (such as freedom from a dangerous work environment) and economic security (such as a no-layoff guarantee or a comfortable retirement plan). These two need levels together are typically called lower-order needs, and they are similar to the primary no discussed earlier. Higher-Order Needs There are three levels of higher-order needs. The third level ia the hierarchy concerns love, belonging, and social involvement at work (friendships and compatible associates). The needs at the fourth level encompass those for esteem and status, including one’s feelings of self-worth and of competence. The feeling of competence, which derives from the assurance of others, provides status. The fifth-level need is self-actualization, which means becoming all that one is capable of becoming, using one’s skills to the fullest, and stretching talents to the maximum. Interpreting the Hierarchy of Needs Maslow’s need-hierarchy model essentially says that people have needs they wish to satisfy and that gratified needs are not as strongly motivating as unmet needs, Employees are more enthusiastically motivated by what they are currently seeking than by receiving more of what they already have. A fully satisfied need will not be a strong motivator. Interpreted in this way, the Maslow hierarchy of needs has had a powerful impact on contemporary managers, offering some useful ideas for helping managers think about motivating their employees. As a result of widespread familiarity with the model, today’s managers need to: ‘ Identify and accept employee needs 7 Recognize that needs may differ among employees  8 Offer satisfaction for the particular needs currently unmet 9 Realize that giving more of the same reward (especially one which satisfies lower-order needs) may have a diminishing impact on motivation. The Maslow model also has many limitations, and it has been sharply criticized. As a philosophical framework, it has been difficult to study and has not been fully verified. From a practical perspective, it is not easy to provide opportunities for self-actualization to all employees. In addition, research has not supported the presence of all five need levels as unique, nor has  the five-step progression from lowest to highest need levels been established. There is, however, some evidence that unless the two lower-order needs (physiological and security) are basically satisfied, employees will not be greatly concerned with higher-order needs. The evidence for a more limited number of need levels is consistent with each of the two models discussed next. Hertzberg’s Two-Factor Model On the basis of research with engineers and accountants, Frederick Hertzberg, in the 1950s, developed a two-factor model of motivation. He asked his subjects to think of a time when they felt especially good about their jobs and a time when they felt especially bad about their jobs. He also asked them to describe the conditions that led to those feelings. Hertzberg found that employees named different types of conditions that produced good and bad feelings. That is, if a feeling of achievement led to a good feeling, the lack of achievement was rarely given as cause for bad feelings. Instead, some other factor, such as company policy, was more frequently given as a cause of bad feelings. Maintenance and Motivational Factors Hertzberg concluded that two separate sets of factors influenced motivation. Prior to that time, people had assumed that motivation and lack of motivation were merely opposites of one factor on a continuum. Hertzberg upset the traditional view by stating that certain job factors, such as job security and working conditions, dissatisfy employees primarily when the conditions are absent. However, their presence generally brings employees only to a neutral state. The factors are not strongly motivating. These potent dissatisfies are called hygiene factors, or maintenance factors, because they must not be ignored, They are necessary for building a foundation on which to create a reasonable level of motivation in employees. Other job conditions operate primarily to build this motivation, but their absence rarely is strongly dissatisfying. These conditions are known as motivational factors, motivators, or satisfiers. For many years managers had been wondering why their custodial policies and wide array of fringe benefits were not increasing employee motivation. The idea  of separate motivational and maintenance factors helped answer their question, because fringe benefits and personnel policies were primarily maintenance factors, according to Hertzberg. Job Content &Context: Motivational factors such as achievement and responsibility are related, for the most part, directly to the job itself, the employee’s performance, and the personal recognition and growth that employees experience. Motivators mostly are job-centered; they relate to job content. On the other hand, maintenance factors are mainly related to job context, because they are more related to the environment surrounding the job. This difference between job content and job context is a significant of is. It shirrs that employees are motivated primarily by what they do for themselves. When they take responsibility or gain recognition through their own behavior, they are strongly motivated. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators The difference between job content and job context is similar to the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in psychology. Intrinsic motivators are internal rewards that a person feels when performing a job, so there is a direct and often immediate connection between work and rewards. An employee in this situation is self-motivated, Extrinsic motivators are external rewards that occur apart from the nature of work, providing no direct satisfaction at the defter the work is performed Examples are retirement plans, health insurance, and vacations. Although employees value these items, fey are not effective motivators. Interpreting the Two-Factor Model Harrier’s model provides a useful distinction between maintenance factors, which are necessary but not sufficient, and motivational factors, which have the potential for improving employee effort. The two-factor model ‘ broadened managers’ perspectives by showing the potentially powerful role of intrinsic rewards that evolve from the work itself. (This conclusion ties in with a number of other important behavioral developments, such as job enrichment, empowerment, self-leadership, and quality of work life, which are. discussed in later chapters.) Nevertheless, managers should now be aware that they cannot neglect a wide rare. go of facers that create at least a neutral work environment. In addition, unless hygiene factors are reasonably adder; their absence will serve as significant distractions to workers. The Hertzberg model, like Maslow’s, has been widely criticized. It is not universe applicable, because it was based on and applies best to  managerial, professional, an; upper-level white-collar employees. The model also appears to reduce the motivation* importance of pay, status, and relations with others, since these are maintenance facto; This aspect of the model is counterintuitive to many managers and difficult for them k , accept. Since there is no absolute distinction between the effects of the two major factors the model outlines only general tendencies,† maintenance factors may be motivators to some people, and motivators may be maintenance factors to others. Finally, the model also seems to be method-bound, meaning that only Hertzberg’s approach (asking for self-reports of favorable and unfavorable job experiences) produces the two-factor model. In short, there may be an appearance of two factors when in reality there is only one factor. Alderfer’s E-R-G Mode: Building upon earlier need models (primarily Maslow’s) and seeking to overcome some their weaknesses, Clayton Alderfer proposed a modified need hierarchy—the E-R-G model—with just three levels three levels. He suggested that employees are initially interested in satisfying their existence needs, which combine physiological and security factors. Pay, physical working conditions, job security, and fringe benefits can all address these needs. Relatedness needs are at the next level, and these involve being understood and accepted by people above, below, and around the employee at work and away Growth needs are in the third category; these involve the desire for both self-esteem at self-actualization. The impending conversation between the president and the marketing manager could be structured around Alderfer’s E-R-G model. The president may first wish to identify which level or levels seem to be satisfied. For example, a large disparity between their salaries could lead the marketing manager to be frustrated with his existence needs, despite a respectable salary-and-bonus package. Or his immersion in his work through long hours and heavy travel as the stores prepared to open could have left his relatedness needs unsatisfied. Finally, assuming he has mastered his present job assignments, he may be experiencing the need to develop his no marketing capabilities and grow into new areas. In addition to condensing Maslow’s five need levels into three that are more consistent with research, the  E-R-G model differs in other ways. For example, the E-R-G model does not assume as rigorous a progression from level to level. Instead, it accepts the likelihood that all three levels might be active at any time—or even that just one of the higher levels might be active. It also suggests that a person frustrated at either of the two higher levels may return to concentrate on a lower level and then progress again. Finally, whereas the first two levels are somewhat limited in their requirements for satisfaction, the growth needs not only are unlimited but are actually further awakened each time some satisfaction is attained. Comparison of the Maslow, Hertzberg, and Alderfer Modes The similarities among the three models of human needs are quite apparent,but there are important contrasts, too. Maslow and Alderfer focus on the internal needs of the employee, whereas Herzberg also identifies and differentiates the conditions (job content or job context) that could be provided for need satisfaction. Popular interpretations of the Masiow and Herzberg models suggest that in modern societies many workers have already satisfied their lower-order needs, so they are now motivated mainly by higher-order needs and motivators. Alderfer suggests that the failure to satisfy related-ness or growth needs will cause renewed interest in existence needs. Finally, all three models indicate that before a manager tries to administer a reward, he or she would find it useful to discover which need or needs dominate a particular employee at the time. In this way, all need models provide a foundation for the understanding and application of behavior modification. BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION The models of motivation that have been discussed up to this point are known as content theories of motivation because they focus on the content (nature) of items that may motivate a person. They relate to the person’s inner self and how that person’s internal state of needs determines behavior. The major difficulty with content models of motivation is that the needs people have are not subject to observation by managers or to precise measurement for monitoring purposes. It is difficult, for example, to measure an employee’s esteem needs or to assess how they change over time. Further, simply knowing about an employee’s-needs does not directly suggest to managers what they  should do with that information. As a result, there has been considerable interest in motivational models that rely more heavily on intended results, careful measurement, and systematic application of incentives. Organizational behavior modification, or OB Mod, is the application in organizations of the principles of behavior modification, which evolved from the work of B. F. Skinner. OB Mod and the next several models are process theories of motivation, since they provide perspectives on the dynamics by which employees can be motivated.