Compare columbus two letters regarding his voyages.how are they Essay

Compare columbus two letters regarding his voyages.how are they different in term of tone and diction.give specific examples that demostrate these differences and supply a reason for the difference - Essay Example This letter had a lot of exaggeration concerning the number of concurred islands and their wealth. Columbus wrote his letter to Gabriel while still on board the ship at the canaries (Winsor, 1891). Unlike the other letter, this letter described difficulties experienced in their voyage. This letter was also written to show the difficulties the crew had to endure in order to make a successful voyage. Unlike the previous letter, this second letter was written in a less optimistic tone. The second letter was also written from reality and, therefore it lacked exaggeration. The letter written to Louis contained many myths and hence unrealistic. In the letter written to Louis, Christopher talks about having discovered strange islands and communities. He talked of having discovered an island with fierce man-eating monsters. In his letter to Gabriel, Christopher talked about a storm that they encountered at the canaries and, this indicates the reality in the

A Description of the Attributes a Presidential Candidate Should Have Essay Example for Free

A Description of the Attributes a Presidential Candidate Should Have Essay The American President represents much more than an institution. To people around the world he is representative of their hopes and fears for the future and is the focus of intense feelings and emotions. The voting process represents an extremely significant period in American politics where US citizens vote for their President. Their votes are reflective not only of the candidate they like and respect the most, but are also an indication of the person that they predict will be the most effective once in office. Despite this, their decisions are based on the candidate’s performance prior to, and during, the election process. This performance that may not necessarily be a good indication of their actual ability to run the country; the qualities needed to become a President are very different from those required to be a successful President once in office. This paper will address the attributes that are commonly cited as being necessary for someone to become a President and will dispute a number of these, offering the opinion that they are not necessarily the correct basis on which judgments should be made. See more:  Masters of Satire: John Dryden and Jonathan Swift Essay The skills and methods by which an elective may become a President are explored and will be compared to those that are actually required and valued once in office. In the United States the absence of a monarchy entails that the President often becomes the object for nationalistic or monarchical type sentiments that people in countries like England would direct at their Queen. The President is undoubtedly the most important figure in the US and holds several roles including Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, Head of the National Party and Chief Legislator. However, like the Queen in England, his supreme court have opposing powers to him and thus limit his ability to carry out some of his roles. Many people recognize one of the most important attributes for a Presidential candidate to be is a good, strong decision maker with a clear vision and direction. Candidates often use the election process to discuss problems that are evident in the way in which the country is currently being run and make willful claims as to how they would do things differently. They swear that they will have the backbone to take decisions that Presidents before them have failed to take. These type of statements appeal to the American public as they provide hope for a better future and an expectation that things will change for the better. The truth, however, is very different. Congressmen have their own electorate, interest groups and opinions on how the country should be run. The President is actually very limited in his ability to command congress to do anything and thus, the implementation of his decisions is actually a very difficult thing to achieve. What is, perhaps, more important than an ability to make decisions is an ability to persuade and influence others. If you ask people if they would vote for someone who uses strong powers of persuasion to sway their vote they would probably say no, they would prefer to vote for some who have a strong direction and vision. They wouldn’t like to feel that clever vocabulary or some type of sales approach has influenced them. No, they prefer to consider themselves people who have made a good decision based on the facts. The truth, however, that they probably were persuaded and swayed during part of the election process. This is not such a bad thing. The ability to persuade others is crucial to a successful President as he needs to be capable, through whatever means necessary, to convince others to carry out the decisions he makes. It is therefore clear that, whilst a clear vision and direction is important, what is more important both in gaining the role and completing it successfully is an ability to persuade and influence. The person who manages to influence others will do the better job, once in power it will help him get things done and in becoming President it will help him win. A further attribute that the American public will look for when selecting a Presidential candidate is a consistency of purpose. People want a President who will have courage to commit to their course of action and achieve the plans they lay out during the electoral process. However, again this may not be an attribute that delivers success once a candidate is in power and we often see very different expectations of the President. President George Bush can be cited as a prime example of this. George Bush was clear and strong in his plan to rid Iraq of Saddam Hussain, so much so that he took the United States to war. However, he later faced a great deal of criticism for his actions and many camps argue that he should have admitted he was wrong and should withdraw US troops from the US. His commitment to action was no longer valued. This paper is not intended to debate this point and pass judgment on George Bush’s actions but is using this example to show that the attributes that people may look for when selecting a President; consistency and relentless purpose may not always be what they expect once they are in power. An attribute that features heavily in people’s decision when selecting a President is realism, they like a family man whose values and emotions may seem to reflect their own. They want to feel that their President, as much as possible, has the same feelings and fears that they do and will thus act in a way that is in their interests. Whether appropriate or not, the past and present personal life of a Presidential candidate features heavily during the election process and people look for someone who has lived their life in a good and true manner. Whilst such attributes provide an indication of a person’s character and may be seen to represent the way in which they will behave once they are in power, they are not necessarily what people look for once their President are in power. They are more concerned with a person’s ability to cut themselves off emotionally from any decisions they make, distancing themselves from a situation in order to look at a bigger picture. The phrase â€Å"don’t mix business with pleasure† could not be more appropriate for a President in power. Once in the Whitehouse people consider the figurehead to be an American institution; he works for them. Personal life is no longer to be considered to be of relevance and, in many respects; they do not wish a President to show feelings as these can be construed as a weakness. Other commonly cited attributes that people discuss when they are asked what they look for in a President include honesty, integrity, leadership and intelligence. These types of attributes entail that the opinions people form of candidates prior to their election, and thus the benchmark against which they are judged once they are elected, can never be met; they are all extremely subjective values. A candidate who is elected as a new President, a replacement for the incumbent, will always be heralded as the next big thing. The nation will feel strong hope for the future of America and will truly believe that things will change for the better. However, the likelihood is that these expectations can never really be met. Time will change the position that the President occupies in people’s minds; what people perceive as good leadership now will almost certainly change over the course of the four years between elections. As such, these attributes cannot accurately be used as representations of how well a candidate will perform once in office. This paper has addressed a number of the common attributes that people cite as important within a Presidential candidate. Through exploring the difference between winning an election and actually running a country, the flawed nature of the factors upon which many votes are cast is revealed. Whilst people recognize they are voting for someone who will run their country, they rarely seem to consider the attributes that will be valued in this role, instead focusing on those required to get there. Fighting a Presidential campaign is very different from being a President. Along these lines more emphasis should be placed on attributes such as attention to military threats and needs, the economy and American interests, both at home and abroad.

Knowledge in Name of the Rose Essay -- English Literature Essays

Knowledge in Name of the Rose Knowledge was one of the most powerful tools of the middle ages. It was highly valued by many kings and members of nobility, but the greatest procurer of knowledge through the middle ages was undoubtedly the church. Their motive for the capturing of wisdom was not for their own enrichment, but predominantly self-preservation. If the general public were to get hold of such a wealth of philosophical and scientific works that were withheld in the monastic libraries then they would almost certainly begin to formulate their own religious ideas, therefore releasing the societal stranglehold the church held so tightly at that time. To survive the church had to keep the knowledge from the masses, and this is something that Umberto Eco has incorporated with finesse into his novel The Name of the Rose. Intertextuality, postmodernism, allusions and an array of interesting characters help to explain the state of education and the availability of knowledge in the middle ages. The labyrinth is one of the most important aspects to the portrayal of knowledge in The Name of the Rose. Its design and purpose are a brilliant metaphor to the churches desire to keep knowledge from the poor and powerless. The story of the labyrinth goes right back to a Greek myth, which tells of a beast with the head of a bovine and the body of a man, who was conceived of a woman and a snow white bull. It was confined to a labyrinth from which there was no escape without assistance. The concept that Eco uses in The Name of the Rose is very similar, except instead of guarding the Minotaur, Eco’s labyrinth guard’s books, the knowledge that could be the destruction of the church’s vice-like grip upon society. The minotaur wanted seven young maidens and seven youths per year to quench it’s appetite, and one year the Greek hero Theseus became sick of the killing and offered himself as a sacrifice to the bull, with the intention of killing it. He went in with a ball of string and a sword, the ball of string he used to trace his path back to the start when he had killed the Minotaur. There are distinct parallels between William, and the hero Theseus. William entered the library with the intention of getting at the contents that it was protecting from society, which of course were the books, just as Theseus entered the Minotaur’s labyrinth to rescue the young men and w... ...uld lead one to believe that Jorge is simply following the attitude of the church. This being that works which use methods to make their concepts especially easy to understand are very dangerous, and therefore they above all others should be prevented from circulation into society. Umberto Eco has made the theme of knowledge a central subject within The Name of the Rose, and the literary techniques he uses as well as his highly complex characters are highly successful in conveying the way knowledge was treated in the era of great power that the catholic church held. The use of Sherlock Holmes in an intertextual sense and the consequent post-modern aspects of his amalgamation within the story are especially clever methods which serve to provide a very interesting tangent to the novel. The Name Of The Rose can be taken both on surface value as a typical crime story and from underneath as a wonderful political piece that embodies the attitudes of the time whilst still maintaining it’s ironic edge as a Sherlock Holmes murder thriller set in the early 1300’s, 500 years before Doyle’s work, and written in the 1980’s, some 100 years later than the Holmes mysteries were first published.

Essay examples --

QUES 1: â€Å"Good communication is key to success of any organization.† Justify your statement keeping in view the communication system followed by a bank. Communication is key for success for any organisation . Directing abilities of manager mainly depend upon his communication skills. That is why organization always emphasis on improving communication skills of manager as well as employees. Therefore communication can be defined as, â€Å" the process of exchange of information between two or more persons to reach a common understanding.†Communication is important and pervasive of all managerial activities . communication involves hearing which can’t be said. Communication is what listener do.It is the most important in leading any organization is crafting a strategic vision that achieves your organization’s goals and enhances its effectiveness. Turning this aspiration into a reality means creating and sustaining a unifying sense of purpose on the part of all people within your organization and communicating this vision to your outside audiences.Without effective communication, a message can turn to error, misunderstanding and hence it is interpreted wrongly.It is a process where we can accurately and clearly convey or thoughts and objectives.Communication is successful when both the sender and receiver understand the same information.Communication of ideas establishes a common ground of understanding. Ince the management is concerned with getting the work through others, it implies the manager must communicate with other people. To take decision communication is required.Communication is an exchange of facts , ideas and viewpoints which brings about commonnwss of interest , purpose and efforts.Communication is a sum of all things one p... ...hile conveying message to others , it is better to know the interests and needs of the people with whom you are communicating. 6. Ensure proper feedback- The communicator may ensure the success of communication by asking questions regarding the message conveyed. The receiver or communication may also be encouraged to respond to communication 7. Communicate for present as well as future- Generally , communication is needed to meet the existing commitment, to maintain consistency , the communicaton should aim at future goals of the enterprise also. 8. Follow up communications –There should be regular follow up and review on the instructions given to subordinates. 9. Be a good listener- Manager should be a good listener. Patient and attentive listening solves half of problems. Managers should also give indications of their interest in listening to their subordinates.

Exploitation of Indigenous Peoples Essay

The Native Americans were slaves from the north to the South of the Americas and right across the North American continent. The percentage of Native American slaves was larger than black slaves and they were enslaved far longer than Black slaves. Native Americans were slaves for about 500 years, from the 1400s to the 1900s. Native Americans slaves were for 200 years before African Americans made it to the new world. The slaves of Native American were shipped to several areas around the world, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. [1] Native Americans were slaves even after slavery was removed because they were not citizens and the laws did not apply to them, the first Native American group was under Columbus, about 200,000 natives were harshly enslaved by him. Only 500 survived by the year 1550 and the group were extinct before 1650. [2] When Christopher Columbus discovered the New World in the late 1400s, his goal was to take all it natural resources and take it to Spain, he named it the new resource for Spain. Columbus figured an opportunity to convert the natives to Christianity, to provide another trade point with his mother country, and to learn about a vast extent of the agriculture and animals, as well as interesting cultures that the Old World had ever seen. However, one of the strongest causes of this difference in objectives was Hernando Cortes. Hernando Cortes’s purpose for the occupation of present-day Mexico was the conquest of the native peoples. Through harsh force and dishonesty, he destroyed the native tribes, making the Aztec Empire his own empire. In Bartolome de Las Casas writing about the indigenous peoples, witnessed a massive murder of the original people of Cuba, and became an opponent to the violent conversion of the Native Americans. He is considered the Father of Liberation Theology, arguing with Juan Gines de Sepulveda. De las Casas argued that Native Americans should be treated as other Spanish subjects of the king. He suggested that instead of making the Native Americans slaves, the Spanish should ship Africans to the New World for use as slave labor. [3] Alonso Zuazo said in his writings about the native Americans that the. Indians would serve as slaves for the Europeans in the sugar cane plantation in the coasts of Northern Africa. The main thing he was focused on was when the enslaving of the natives was failing in the sixteenth century; they wanted to replace them with slaves from western Africa. He found out that Africans were better slaves than the Native Americans because they came from agricultural societies and they know about agriculture more than the Native Americans. [4] Native Americans interacted with enslaved Africans in every way possible. Native Americans were enslaved along with Africans, They worked together, lived together in the same houses, produced recipes for food, shared herbal remedies, myths and legends, and in the end they breed together. Because both races were non-Christian, Europeans considered them under the Europeans. They worked to make enemies of the two groups. In some areas, Native Americans began to slowly engage with white culture. Africans were not affected with the conditions and diseases. It was because the Africans were already in contact with the Europeans when they had started trading with one another. Europeans felt they could handle the climate because of their skin color. Many Native Americans started to die because of the diseases. A lot of the Native Americans also started to escape and fight back, and many of them died. They also felt that Africans were cheaper. The Native Americans were less resistant to the diseases that the Europeans brought with them. In North America, the conquerors at first weren’t thinking of taking take Native Americans as slaves because they lived a harsh life that needed to be at peace with the Natives to continue. There were more Africans available and the Europeans found it more meaningful to buy Africans from Africans than to attempt to capture Indians. [5] Bibliography: Ivison, Duncan, Paul Patton, and Will Sanders. Political Theory and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 2nd ed. publication place: Cambridge University Press, publication year. http://books. google. com/books? hl=en&lr=&id=JkqahTHpUmUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA36&dq=exploitation+of+indigenous+peoples&ots=DojNLSzhZd&sig=oW_5zCg8jDjBuKeOQbRVDVO9x9Q#v=onepage&q=exploitation%20of%20indigenous%20peoples&f=false (accessed November 23, 2012). Saco, J. A. â€Å"Alonso de Zuazo (1518). † http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu. http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/active_learning/explorations/spain/spain_zuazo. cfm (accessed November 23, 2012). TAINO-L. â€Å"Bartolome de Las Casas and His Defence of the Indians. † http://www. hartford-hwp. com. http://www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/40/186. html (accessed November 26, 2012). Columbus, Christopher. â€Å"Letter to King Ferdinand of Spain, Describing the Results of the First Voyage. † www. xroads. virginia. edu. http://xroads.virginia. edu/†¦ hyper/hns/garden/columbus. html (accessed November 26, 2012). ———————– [1] Duncan Ivison, Paul Patton, and Will Sanders, Political Theory and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2nd ed. (publication place: Cambridge University Press, publication year), 36-39, http://books. google. com/books? hl=en&lr=&id=JkqahTHpUmUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA36&dq=exploitation+of+indigenous+peoples&ots=DojNLSzhZd&sig=oW_5zCg8jDjBuKeOQbRVDVO9x9Q#v=onepage&q=exploitation%20of%20indigenous%20peoples&f=false (accessed November 23, 2012). [2] TAINO-L, â€Å"Bartolome de Las Casas and His Defence of the Indians,† http://www. hartford-hwp. com, http://www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/40/186. html (accessed November 26, 2012). [3] J. A. Saco, â€Å"Alonso de Zuazo (1518),† http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu, http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/active_learning/explorations/spain/spain_zuazo. cfm (accessed November 23, 2012). [4] Christopher Columbus, â€Å"Letter to King Ferdinand of Spain, Describing the Results of the First Voyage,† www. xroads. virginia. edu.

Essays for Dummies

Essays for Dummies Essay for dummies, is an article aimed to increase knowledge of writing a proper essay. The dummy series of the articles is written in order to help write a good essay. When using essays for dummies article – you may be sure you will get by far the best explanation of the essay writing process. In order to get good essays for dummies – you have to strictly follow all instructions, which are provided in essays for dummies, and make sure you understand the essays for dummies part and perform actions accordingly. There are different divisions of essays for dummies such as admission essays for dummies, college admission essays for dummies, college essays for dummies, high school essays for dummies, and university essays for dummies. All these subdivisions categorize according to the essays for dummies academic institution you need to write for. In order to use the essays for dummies – you simply have to follow the simple essays for dummies writing tips and essays for dummies guide. When wondering how to write essays for dummies, you simply have to remember to make a proper structure your essays for dummies, and make sure you have a good outline and clear algorithm of all elements in your essay. Some students have problems with the formats and referencing and citation. Students required something more like a MLA essays for dummies or APA essays for dummies. These publications help a student understand how to write essays for dummies, and how to format them properly in order not to get caught in plagiarism. Essays for dummies can clearly explain all the hardships of writing essays for dummies in MLA format and essays for dummies in APA format. By following these essays for dummies instructions – you may ensure yourself in writing a proper essay for school, high school, college and university. Essays for dummies are written in a manner that every student will be able to understand. If you are having difficulties and troubles with writing an essay with the help of essays for dummies, you might consider ordering a paper in order to avoid all hardships with the essays for dummies. The whole process of ordering a paper is very easy, and all you need is enough funds to order a good profound essay, and avoid using the essays for dummies. The custom essays for dummies are usually of outstanding quality, and all you need to do is get good instructions for the writer to understand them. If the writer misunderstands the point of your essay, he might write not exactly what you’ve been expecting. If you are having troubles with essays for dummies, you need academic assistance from someone who is able to provide quality essay help and help you understand what essays for dummies are all about.

9 Steps to Complete an Extended Essay that Meets All the Demands

9 Steps to Complete an Extended Essay that Meets All the Demands 9 Steps to Complete an Extended Essay that Meets All the Demands At the end of studying, every undergraduate student should write a definite number of academic papers of various origin. Amongst them is an extended essay. One of the most remarkable requirements for this assignment is its length, which makes 4,000 words. It counts towards your future IB Diploma. Accordingly, you cannot skip this assignment if you wish to obtain it. When a student composes an extended essay, he or she should conduct an independent in-depth research or investigation. The length of this academic assignment is terrifying. Nonetheless, it’s not that bad as you might think. Firstly, you should realize that this is a simple essay. It is just larger than commonly. Secondly, you are free to select the topic you wish. This is solely your choice. Therefore, you will not be forced to write on boring or too complicated topics. Remember your previous experience and compose this essay just as many others who have already dealt with. 1. Choose a Topic Correctly Depending on the discipline, you should choose a topic, which would be interesting to you. You have a huge advantage. You select the main theme on your own. See not to miss it! Choose something you enjoy. While making the final decision on your topic, be picky and careful. Your topic is supposed to be interesting but not overused. It should not be too broad or too narrow. Find the middle ground. The too vast theme will involve many sub-questions that might be too difficult to cover. If choosing a too narrow topic, you might get stuck with lack of information and utterly problematic terms of evidence to analyze. 2. Learn All the Demands It goes beyond all doubts that you are obliged to follow strict rules. The violation of any demand will cost you essential grades. Consequently, you should learn and memorize all demands to fulfill them correctly. 3. Prefer the Right Advisor It’s important to choose a suitable advisor. It would be perfect if you find a person who shares your ideas and interests. If you have a lot in common, your academic supervisor will provide you with reasonable solutions to your main issue. Moreover, the right advisor will be constantly encouraging you showing the best way of reasoning, planning, and fulfilling your research. 4. Mind the Outline You ought to be absolutely sure that your essay has a clear structure and flow. It should include the typical major sections – introduction, main body, and conclusion. Every section will require some special attention and heaps of energy. The best way to tackle these sections is to craft a proper outline. Your outline is expected to contain every part of writing. In such a way, you will have a visualization of your steps. You will know how and when to undertake this or that stage. Some students recommend creating a temporary outline because there may take place some changes during the writing process. 5. Express Your Originality Undoubtedly, you should illustrate the fullness of your creativity. You should have something original to say. Your style is restricted to the definite extent. Nonetheless, it’s compromise-free. Your supervisor will expect from you an authentic work. Therefore, everything is in your hands. 6. Write a Temporary Thesis It’s recommended to create a temporary thesis, just like an outline. This is a very long essay, which requires lots of time and efforts. You may dramatically change your final opinion on the researched question at the end of the writing. Therefore, it would be wise to create the thesis statement for a definite period of time. Afterward, you can easily adjust it. 7. Write the Rough Draft It’s essential to begin with a draft. It shouldn’t be perfect. Write it roughly to see the big picture and change it in the correct way afterward. Thus, you will avoid lots of mistakes. 8. Add All Necessary Elements After you write the main parts, add the title page, abstract, contents page, and cited works. Mind that they should be added and written in strict accordance with the assigned format. Afterward, revise your research. Find all errors and drawbacks. Eliminate them or replace. This is when you’ll be done with this complicated extended assignment. At you can buy extended essay online on any topic. Your extended essay will be written from scratch by academic experts.

The Crucible Act 1 Journal Entry Essays

The Crucible Act 1 Journal Entry Essays The Crucible Act 1 Journal Entry Essay The Crucible Act 1 Journal Entry Essay Essay Topic: The Crucible Journal Entry #1 Integrity is a virtue that has always been around and it is an important characteristic to have. In the play, The Crucible, Tituba finally confesses to who all saw the devil. When she fessed up, Betty, Abigail and Parris all Joined in and were being honest to Mr. Putnam. This started a whole other issue in now punishing those who encountered the devil. The virtue of integrity is still so present today in society. Integrity is to be honest about something even though it may hurt you. It is also doing he right thing even when no one is watching. In todays society, people have to have integrity. This makes other people want to trust you when you have a trustworthy quality. Sadly, it is less common now but there are still people who are full of integrity and it is such a great thing. Journal Entry #2 Abigail Williams exemplifies integrity because she admitted to Parris that she had danced and encountered the devil. She says, Uncle, we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it† and Ill be whipped if I must be. She is admitting to the fact that yes, she did dance in the woods and this could have contributed to Bettys sickness. Parris needed to know if she had danced because then Bettys sickness wouldnt have Just been that she was sick but that maybe she was possessed by the devil. This example of integrity was a very hard thing for Abigail to do but it was best for everyone for her to confess this sin. Journal Entry #3 Betty opened up at the end of the act as she wakes up and starts naming those involved in the devil dancing. The rest of the characters were so happy that she was wakened and the fact that she knew some of the women involved in the dancing and who was out in the forest that day. She said, l saw George Jacobs with the devil! I saw Goody Howe with the devil! I saw Martha Bellows with the devil I saw Alice Barrow with the devil This gave Parris and Mr. Putnam an idea of who all was involved the day they were dancing in the forest. Journal Entry #4 Mr. Putnam displays a great deal of integrity. He does not keep secrets and he is a very responsible man. As soon as he finds out who all was involved in the dancing, he decides to contact the marshal and to get these people taken care of so there will not be another incident like this one. He says, The marshal, Ill call the marshal, as Parris is thanking the lord for all the information that has been given to them. They want to punish these people before they get a chance to go dancing in the forest again and make anyone else ill. It is a dangerous thing that these people got involved in and the Integrity 0T Putnam wlll save many people.

Flavonoids - Critical regulators of seed development Literature review

Flavonoids - Critical regulators of seed development - Literature review Example It has been observed that the size of a seed has influence on the germination process as well as on how the plant survives and grows in the long run. Seeds that are large in size generally possess greater germination and survival power that smaller sized seeds (USDA Forest Service, 2010, pp.132-137). This reflects on the importance of the seed size in the development of the seed. Mizuno et al had mentioned that when hybridization is considered in relation to development of seeds, the speciation of hybrid can be learnt to be present in two classifications. These classifications depend on the ploidy level of the plant and thus can be either homoploid or polyploidy. Genetic incompatibilities might occur in the process of such hybridization that might be considered as barriers for the process. The barriers in the hybridization process might occur as a result of the abnormalities in the hybrid like the hybrid necrosis that includes a reproductive isolation in the plant development phenomenon (Mizuno et al, 2010). According to Thompson et al, flavonoids and transporters of flavonoids are necessary in the developmental process of seeds. The Arabidopsis flavonoid transporter plays a major role in seed development. The flavonoids protect the seeds from the ultraviolet light as well as pigmenting the flowers of the plants for the enhancement of pollination which is essential for seed development. The flavonoids regulate the transport of auxin in the seed. What is more important is the manner in which the compounds conduct their transportation in between the synthesis site to the necessary cell location and tissues (Thompson et al, 2009, pp.439-451). Studies of Fulton et al represent the fact that the behavior of a cell needs controlling measures that are efficiently conducted by intercellular signaling. The integument cell development has been observed in the Arabidopsis that presents the

Berkshire Hathaway Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Berkshire Hathaway Case - Research Paper Example As a result of this strategy, Berkshire Hathaway currently owns a diverse range of business organizations including home furnishings, retail, jewelry sales, uniforms sales, confectionary, and manufacturing of vacuum cleaners. As stated in the annual report (Berkshire Hathaway 2011 annual report, 2011), recently, on 12th February 2010, Berkshire Hathaway completed the acquisition of BNSF by purchasing the remaining 77.5% of BNSF common stock, and currently, BNSF is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. This paper will analyze the reasons for the BNSF acquisition and the principles relating to the finance course. BNSF acquisition The BNSF is North America’s ‘second largest freight railroad network’ and one of the seven Class I railroads (BNSF Railway, n.d.). On 3rd November 2009, Berkshire Hathaway announced that the company would acquire BNSF’s remaining 77.4% stocks that Berkshire Hathaway had not owned at that time. This deal was estimated a t $44 billion, making it the largest acquisition in the history of the Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett â€Å"agreed to buy Burlington for $34 billion or 100 a share† and â€Å"is also taking on about $10 billion of Burlington debt† (Morcroft & Barr, 2009). ... Referring to corporate press releases, the company is currently one of the North America’s leading intermodal freight transporters. In the context of the current economic environment, Buffet believes that this acquisition would contribute to the future growth of the company. He says that â€Å"our country’s future prosperity depends on its having an efficient and well-maintained rail system;† he adds that â€Å"conversely, America must grow and prosper for railroads to do well† (BNSF, Berkshire Hathaway Inc, n.d.). Buffett’s observation is based on the common fact that infrastructure development is a key element of an economy’s overall development. As Morcroft and Barr (2009) point out, through this acquisition, Buffett has invested in a business which is highly sensitive to a possible economic recovery in the United States. It is clear that the US has not yet completely recovered from the shock of the recent global recession. In this economi c environment, railway transportation can be an area that would promote its operations despite the impacts of the recession. Economists predict that BNSF would perform better and contribute to the expansion of Berkshire Hathaway once the economy is recovered. Some recent reports justify the decision of Warren Buffett. In November 2012, the Berkshire Hathaway announced its third quarter operating results. As per the company reports (as cited in Miller, 2012), a combined total of revenues of three segments (railroad, utilities, and energy) increased by 7.5% and reached $8.4 billion as compared to the same period a year ago; the report also indicates that BNSF contributed nearly 63% to this combined

Feedback from Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Feedback from Instructor - Essay Example In terms of the revenue earned it is the largest software producer in the world. The products of the company are widely used in every part of the world. Company History Microsoft is one of the leading US based multinational computer technology corporations. The organization develops, produces, supports and licenses vast range of differentiated products and services related to the computer technology. The organization is considered as the largest software developing organization in terms of revenue. The organization established in the year 1975. Microsoft was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates. The organization was established in order to develop process and sell the Basic Interpreters. This Basic Interpreter is required for the operation of Altair 8800. The Altair 8000 was developed in the year 1980 to control the market of personal computer OS with the help of MS-DOS. In addition to this, this Altair 8800 considered as the useful element of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Corporation ’s succeeding rise in share price and initial public offering in the year 1986 helped the organization to become one of the largest and successful software developing organization. Since 1990 Microsoft Corporation diversified its business practices. Slowly and gradually the organization started corporate acquisition to enhance significant market share growth. The organization acquired Skype Technologies in the year 2011 for 8.5 billion US dollar. This acquisition is considered as the largest acquisition of Microsoft Corporation till date. Vision and Mission Statement This part of report will determine the Mission and Vision statement of Microsoft. Mission Statement Microsoft Corporation’s value and mission is to help the businesses and people across the globe by realizing and understanding their full potential (Microsoft, 2013a). Vision Statement The vision of Microsoft Corporation is to develop innovative technology which is accessible to everybody. The developed tech nology will meet the need of the customers. Accessible technology eradicates the barriers with disability (Microsoft, 2013b). The software and innovative creation of Microsoft Corporation will enable people to take significant advantages of the capabilities. Strategic Elements of the History Bill Gates and Paul Allen are childhood friends. Both these individuals had the passion and interest in computer programming. The tried to develop a new business based on their skills in the year 1972. Bill Gates and Paul Allen established their first organization named Traf-O-Data. After effective hard work they succeeded to establish Microsoft in 1975. The organization entered in the operating system business in the year 1980. MS-DOS was developed by the organization in 1980 that solidified the dominance of Microsoft in the global technology industry. In 1984, the organization jointly developed new operating system collaborating with IBM (Ward, 2002). After this, the organization introduced Mi crosoft Windows. It is the graphical extension of MS-Dos. After successful business practices, the organization introduced Microsoft Office. This suite includes several key applications, such as MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel etc. both Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows dominated their representative operating years for a longer period of time. The organization expanded its product and service line into World Wide Web and Computer Networking in 1995. Successful business

Punishment and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Punishment and Society - Essay Example 108). According to Wendy (2005, p. 108), these authors vary in their focus on particular elements, there is a general agreement that the nature of punishment changes through the historical transition from primitive or early tribal law to the development of modern legal systems. Early tribal law is also called primitive legal systems is linked to small homogeneous and undifferentiated societies. This paper will assume a period in mid 19th century (1840s- 1860s) and look into how matters of theft, infanticide and rioting would be dealt with as at that time based on evidence from similar cases handled during this period. It is worthwhile to note that the period quoted in this question refers to a time in which the children and adults were treated the same in judgment (Centre on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2006, p. 6). Case of Jack Martin VS Lord Master Man In this case Jack Martin, a 10 year-old boy is convicted of the theft of two rabbits from Lord Master Man's land.  According to law in the 19th century this case would have counted as Petty Larceny especially if the value of the rabbits did not exceed a shilling. Also, it might be expected that the value of rabbits would exceed one shilling and in that occasion, this case would be counted as Grand Larceny. Either way, Jack would have a case to answer especially if evidence is sufficient. However, based on the case of Cooper Vs Walker, 1851, another consideration may arise. This case of Cooper Vs Walker relates to a market gardener of Beeston, Robert Cooper, an agricultural laborer John Walker and the theft of some onions. The census statistics of 1851 for Girt-ford near Sandy shows John Walker then a boy of 10 years old living with his parents William and Mary. John was the youngest of the four children, Thomas (15) Daniel (13) and Sarah (12). Records shows John to had been laborer at this age opposed to what would have been expected of him being a pupil. In 1861 however John had been accused of assault but was released after two months of imprisonment. He seems to have been set fair for a life of crime and indeed between September 1861 and March 1874 he had 14 convictions for petty offences (Victorian Crime and Punishment 2006, p. 18) There was noticeable difference however between Robert Cooper and John's family. The census statistics of 1871 for Beeston, also near Sandy, shows Robert to have been a young man of 27 years living with his 24 year old wife, Elizabeth and their three young children John (4), Charles (3) and Maud, a year old. The Coopers were rich enough to employ a living-in servant Jane Martin. They had wealth generated from their market gardening activities which were plasticized on a piece of 43 acres of land. On 13th September 1873 it is reported that as Cooper was sitting near the hedge bordering one of his fields where there were heaps of onions lying in the field, he watched as John Walker who, until the previous day had worked for him pick onions from these heaps . Walker picked about a peck from every heap and then smoothened out the heap so as to conceal the disturbance. He then used a sack to carry the stolen onions. This

Human resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Human resources - Essay Example Recruitment or employment is defined as a method of attracting individuals towards a vacant position in a company. When a post or job exists, employment is initiated (Billsberry, 2008). Selection is a method of engaging suitable person for a correct job or position at a correct time at an appropriate cost. The process of selection is followed by the recruitment process (Dale, 2003). There are various types of decision which are taken by the managers of Tesco Plc before the process of recruitment, which includes initially thinking about candidates from inside the division. Then they decide to consider the applicants from the University or college who shows their concern in the job. If the positions still remains unfilled then they consider selecting candidate from various sources beyond the University. Other decisions include job analysis, job depiction, and the selection criteria decided by the company (Yu and Cable, 2013). There are various recruitment approaches which are adopted by the companies as a part of their recruitment exercise. The two types of approaches are rational and processual approach of employment. Rational approaches are based on the grounds of selecting the most appropriate candidate in relation to their current and potential competencies. It identifies the abilities required to carry out a job in a proper way than just focusing on the personal characteristics (Leighton and Proctor, 2006). Processual approach involves several processes such as preparing job description, making advertisement of the vacancy, managing responses, arranging and conducting interviews, and making final decisions before selecting the candidate (O’Meara, 2013). According to Torrington et al. (2014), although rational approaches provides the organisations to customise their recruitment and selection processes in accordance with their individual requirements, processual approaches are more commonly use d because of an all

Punishment and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Punishment and Society - Essay Example 108). According to Wendy (2005, p. 108), these authors vary in their focus on particular elements, there is a general agreement that the nature of punishment changes through the historical transition from primitive or early tribal law to the development of modern legal systems. Early tribal law is also called primitive legal systems is linked to small homogeneous and undifferentiated societies. This paper will assume a period in mid 19th century (1840s- 1860s) and look into how matters of theft, infanticide and rioting would be dealt with as at that time based on evidence from similar cases handled during this period. It is worthwhile to note that the period quoted in this question refers to a time in which the children and adults were treated the same in judgment (Centre on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2006, p. 6). Case of Jack Martin VS Lord Master Man In this case Jack Martin, a 10 year-old boy is convicted of the theft of two rabbits from Lord Master Man's land.  According to law in the 19th century this case would have counted as Petty Larceny especially if the value of the rabbits did not exceed a shilling. Also, it might be expected that the value of rabbits would exceed one shilling and in that occasion, this case would be counted as Grand Larceny. Either way, Jack would have a case to answer especially if evidence is sufficient. However, based on the case of Cooper Vs Walker, 1851, another consideration may arise. This case of Cooper Vs Walker relates to a market gardener of Beeston, Robert Cooper, an agricultural laborer John Walker and the theft of some onions. The census statistics of 1851 for Girt-ford near Sandy shows John Walker then a boy of 10 years old living with his parents William and Mary. John was the youngest of the four children, Thomas (15) Daniel (13) and Sarah (12). Records shows John to had been laborer at this age opposed to what would have been expected of him being a pupil. In 1861 however John had been accused of assault but was released after two months of imprisonment. He seems to have been set fair for a life of crime and indeed between September 1861 and March 1874 he had 14 convictions for petty offences (Victorian Crime and Punishment 2006, p. 18) There was noticeable difference however between Robert Cooper and John's family. The census statistics of 1871 for Beeston, also near Sandy, shows Robert to have been a young man of 27 years living with his 24 year old wife, Elizabeth and their three young children John (4), Charles (3) and Maud, a year old. The Coopers were rich enough to employ a living-in servant Jane Martin. They had wealth generated from their market gardening activities which were plasticized on a piece of 43 acres of land. On 13th September 1873 it is reported that as Cooper was sitting near the hedge bordering one of his fields where there were heaps of onions lying in the field, he watched as John Walker who, until the previous day had worked for him pick onions from these heaps . Walker picked about a peck from every heap and then smoothened out the heap so as to conceal the disturbance. He then used a sack to carry the stolen onions. This

Federal Role in Healthcare Delivery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Federal Role in Healthcare Delivery - Essay Example The role of federal government in healthcare is to facilitate Medicare- a plan by the U.S government to provide health insurance to people that are 65 years and above, those below 65 with certain disabilities and those with final-stage renal disease. On the other hand, there is Medicaid- a co-operation tasked with providing cash benefits to welfare beneficiaries, mainly low-income mothers and children and disabled persons and the elderly. This is a responsibility undertaken by both the federal and state government. Nonetheless, there has been a long-time argument as to whether the federal government should be responsible for healthcare entirely (Bovbjerg, Wiener and houseman, 2005). Those favoring the federal government taking over the healthcare system argue that healthcare is essentially a right and not privilege as illustrated by the state government system. That the federal government considers healthcare as a service entitled to all Americans because they are citizens as opposed to the fact that they reside in a particular state. Ideally, it would promote the general welfare of all Americans thus the Universal Healthcare plan. Those favoring the state government taking over argue that it would be better suited to comprehend its citizen’s problems and recommend viable solutions (Bovbjerg, Wiener and houseman, 2005). In 1945, President Harry Truman, only seven months into his presidency, proposed to improve the state of the healthcare system by tackling five issues. The foremost issue was the inadequate number of healthcare professional i.e. doctors, nurses and other specialists in the low-income parts of U.S. He noted that the low earning capacity of healthcare professionals in these parts made it difficult for them to practice there. Coupled with this was the fact that the hospitals and clinics present in these areas did not meet the proper standards of quality. Therefore, he sought to access federal funding to

Growth Performance Management Essay Example for Free

Growth Performance Management Essay In this report I have given a lot of research into the relevant subjects. I think that the way I have looked at the possibilities will help Helen Marsh and Brian Taylor overcome some of the obstacles in their organisation in order to make there business successful. Suggestions on what you should be specifically looking at in order to make your business a success, in my view would be the try to improve employee attitudes and training for employees. I think I have covered all the points that you have given me in depth if I have not apologies on my behalf. Introduction- Aims of the Report The aim of this report is to show Helen Marsh and Brian Taylor the problems of their business in more detail than the report give (case study). I will outline and investigate further into the following matters: * Growth * Performance Management * Performance Appraisal Systems and Motivation * Motivation * Rewards * Employee Turnover/Retention * Training and Development * Communication Growth To consider the growth of Brian and Helens company, we will look need to examine into the PEST (Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors) and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis for this company, this will help us identify if the company should continue to grow. By understanding about the SWOT and PEST analysis this will show us key information and help us identify some of the problems with the business. SWOT Analysis: SWOT Analysis is a very effective way of identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses, and of examining the Opportunities and Threats you face. Carrying out an analysis using the SWOT framework helps you to focus your activities into areas where you are strong and where the greatest opportunities lie. SWOT Analysis is a strategic method for identifying your businesses Strengths and Weaknesses, and to examine the Opportunities and Threats. These are just some of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats there may be more if you feel that there are, pleases do not hesitate to call me we can discuss these further. By reading the report that you gave me (case study) I found more weaknesses than strengths. This is not bad as this shows you that you can improve on these to make your business a success. Read more:Â  Difference Between Performance Management and Performance Appraisal PEST Analysis: It is very important that an organisation considers its environment before beginning the marketing and decision planning process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. The SWOT analysis shows a lot of weaknesses in the business, the points that I have mentioned in the SWOT analysis affect the future growth of the business. I think that if you over come the weaknesses that are outlined in the SWOT analysis this will help improve and develop the company significantly because the employee would contribute to the full potential and would also create a good working environment which means less staff turnover. I suggest that you should postpone in growing for the moment and consider improving on the weaknesses that I outlined in the SWOT analysis. I suggest that you should consider growing in the future rather than now. I found out that: Weakness are not necessarily indicating bad things of the organization but showing a path to a better future. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR (1990) Northcraft. G page 437 You should consider improving the weaknesses into strengths as this would be beneficial in the future when you should consider to grow (it is not necessary yet) by improving weaknesses the business would function better and more advantages would be gained such as more share and profit. Performance Management In the report given to me (case study) I see that you have a problem on monitoring the field based staff. This is a important issue as the staff may or may not be doing what you have told them this would cause all sorts of issues with your company for example you may be losing money, valuable resources and time. Field based staff may be difficult to manage but there are ways. Staff that work in the office are easier to evaluate on what and how that are doing. When managing or monitoring employees you have to be aware of their privacy and not to breach that mutual line as this may inevitably cause conflict in the work place. But When you cant be present to observe employee performance, be sure that you have the right processes in place through which you can learn about how theyre doing this can be undertaken for field based staff also. These processes should be open, fair, and understood by everyone. Options for obtaining input about performance in your absence may include, but are not limited to, the following: * Evaluate the output and products of the employees work. * Have routine one-on-one meetings with your employee and include discussions of performance. * Every so often review and discuss with your employee the standards of performance for his or her job and your expectations. * Ask your employee to do periodic reports and share them with you for discussion. * Obtain feedback from customers in writing when possible. * Do brief stand-up check-ins or phone calls to field based staff as well as office based staff. * Ask an appropriate person who is present day-to-day to serve as a work leader or give the person authority to act in your stead, and ensure that everyone understands the persons role. * Perform routine spot checks of the employee at work. * Ask for confidential evaluations of employee performance by peers (or direct reports of supervisors). This process should be clearly understood by everyone and applied fairly to all. Performance Appraisal Systems and Motivation Performance appraisal systems are designed to serve the companys and employees interests. They are used to inventory the abilities and resources of employees and to let an employee know where he stands so that he will be stimulated to improve his performance. Employee motivation can be enhanced and performance improved with the monitoring of employees performance level and the use of feedback to advise those employees about their effectiveness. Performance feedback exchanges can be ongoing and informal, on a day-to-day coaching basis or on a formal basis, annually. I found this statement: ..Employers want to be sure their employees are doing a good job, but employees dont want their every sneeze or there trip to the toilet logged Managing People 2nd edition Tomson. R I think that employee monitoring is acceptable to a reasonable level but should nod be exceeded. I used to work at KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and the manager was constantly monitoring me and other staff that work there. I can understand this as people in other restaurants have tampered with food for example a Mc Donalds restaurant in USA Mississippi once was shut down because of food tampering. So to some degree a lot of monitoring needs to be undertaken. But I think you should use some of the procedures I have given for example I would recommend these: * Perform routine spot checks of the employee at work. * Obtain feedback from customers in writing when possible some sort of feed back sheet of possibly a questionnaire * Do brief stand-up check-ins or phone calls to field based staff * Ask your employee to do periodic reports and share them with you for discussion. Motivation Staff motivation is the one of the most significant factors in managing people. No one style is better than another for motivating employees, but it is essential that leaders are aware of their staff motivation style and are able to adapt for different circumstances. Some circumstances will call for a strong direction to inspire staff motivation other circumstances will call for staff motivation to be influenced by a more advice-giving approach. The necessary skill is in knowing what motivates people and satisfying the needs of individuals and groups at a given time. Staff motivation in regard to reward and recognition means taking account of and balancing the needs of the organisation and its objectives as well as the needs of the people expected to achieve those objectives. One of the worlds most successful Software and Hardware entrepreneurs stated: When we create a desirable workplace and find good ways to have work/life balance, well attract and well retain the best people and thats our competitive advantage. Lewis Platt, CEO, Hewlett-Packard (1001 Ways to Reward Employees 2000) Source: www.nelson-motivation.com/hpackard/ceo Hear is an example of a motivational theory: Douglas McGregor, was a American social psychologist, he proposed his famous X-Y theory in his 1960 book The Human Side of Enterprise . Theory X and theory Y are still referred to commonly in the field of management and motivation. Mc Gregors X-Y Theory remains a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management style and techniques. McGregors XY Theory remains central to organisational development, and to improving organisational culture. McGregors Theory X and Theory Y THEORY X THEORY Y 1. Workers must be supervised as closely as possible, either through direct oversight or by tight reward and/or punishment systems. 1. People usually do not require close supervision and will, if given a chance to control their own activities, be productive, satisfied, and fulfilled. 2. Work is objectionable to most people. 2. Work is natural and enjoyable unless it is made offensive by the actions of organisations. 3. Most people have little initiative, have little capacity for being creative or solving organisational problems, do not want to have responsibilities, and prefer being directed by someone else. 3. People are ambitious, desire autonomy and self-control, and can use their abilities to solve problems and help their organisations meet their goals. Creativity is distributed normally across the population, just as is any other characteristic. 4. People are motivated by economic factors and a need for security. 4. People are motivated by a variety of needs only some of which involve economics or security. Figure Obtained from: MANAGING PEOPLE R. Tompson, 2nd Ed, Pub: Institute of Management I think that employee motivation in regard to reward and recognition means taking account of and balancing the needs of the organisation and its objectives as well as the needs of the people expected to achieve those objectives. I think that motivation should also have been included in the SWOT analysis. I think you should also consider how you can motivate staff you could use the web site I have given above for more information. The more you motivate staff the better they will work, this will also help with the monitoring of employees. You should also consider looking at the various patterns used by managers to encourage motivation in the work place, for a good example see Appendix 3. Rewards There are a staggering amount of reward types and schemes, you just have to make sure you have the right ones chosen for your business because performance of staff is the key to the success of any organisation. One of the main rewards that I think is relevant for your business is PRP (Performance Related Pay) One of the key contributors to effective performance is a well-designed performance management process. Such a process should incorporate objective setting, the day-to-day management of performance, the review or appraisal of performance, and rewarding performance. Your employees are your most important asset, they are the people who shape and form the companys future. Rewarding staff can develop healthy in-house competition between individuals, teams or even departments. Another major factor in rewards are employment benefit packages. Reward and incentive programs are a popular part of employee benefit packages. Many employees value such offerings as flexible scheduling, tuition assistance, and child care in order to satisfy personal needs and professional development. I think that you too should consider re designing your employment package. Nowadays society, it is becoming more and more common to support these reward systems with the overall business strategy of an organisation in order to satisfy business needs and to improve shareholder value. In addition, many organisations are developing or restructuring their rewards programs based on employee performance. This trend is likely to continue as costs continue to increase and competition continues to thrive in a highly unpredictable economy. Some other useful reward types that can be used are as follows: Social Rewards: Which include praise, employee recognition, and social acceptance within the business. Psychic rewards: Which include self esteem, job satisfaction, and feelings of accomplishments You could also give piece-rate pay, commissions, merit pay and bonuses. When I was talking about the business and how it will grow in Conclusion of Growth in the first part I think that in order for the business to grow you need the best employees you can get. So you would need to have the reward schemes that the employees are looking for. I the way you are rewarding employees at the moment is not working in fact I know it is not working I think you should use the PRP (Performance Related Pay) method, and also consider giving annual bonuses. Also if you give PRP (Performance Related Pay) you will sort out the problem you have with the monitoring of Field based staff as they too will be attracting more customers for the business. You should also give bonuses if the company is making a stable profit as this would encourage more work to be completed. Employee Turnover/Retention One of the most difficult problems companies had to cope with in the increasingly volatile business climate of the 1990s was the high rate of employee turnover. When employees, particularly long-term employees leave a company that has made a substantial investment in them, they take with them training, skills, experience, and productivity. Output is inevitably diminished during the training process of new employees, no matter how qualified. additionally, a high level of workplace turnover rends the types of social bonds that encourage other employees come to work and maintain their normal levels of productivity. ..In todays workplace, employers are not only having a hard time attracting employees, but are also having a difficult time keeping them.. (Harkins, 1998) I found out that employees leave for a variety of reasons, including poor supervision, unchallenging positions, limited advancement opportunities, lack of recognition, limited control over work, perceived pay inequity, and the perception of more favorable opportunities in other companies. Measuring Absence Obtained from: MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES J. Weightman, 2nd Ed, (1996), Pub: Cromwell Press This overall figure, however, leaves many questions unanswered. For example, is the absence rate a reflection of a few employees suffering from long-term ill-health or are a substantial number of employees being regularly absent for relatively short spells? A more in depth way to monitor absence and retention is give in Appendix 1. Hear I found some of the ways in which to help with retention: * Align your employees with company goals and visions * Establish department goals and standards * Set employee goals and performance measurements * Conduct performance reviews that test the established goals * Train managers to effectively coach their staff * Identify barriers find strengths to build upon * Isolate key performance gaps and craft a plan to improve performance * Define the relationship between job satisfaction, goal alignment and individual performance growth I suggest that you should consider some of the points above in order to combat turnover/retention. You should regularly try to monitor staff absence. Try to make the rate as nearer to 8.5 % as possible if it goes over this may be critical to the business. You should have a maximum number of days for employees to comply by, for example I work as Safeway Petrol station in the Penn, employees there are only allocated 50 hours off of work (excluding sick or acceptable absence). You should check out Appendix 1 in how to measure turnover and retention in your organisation. Training and Development There are a number of advantages to training and development and this is another point that was added in the SWOT analysis that needed to be improved in order for the business to function properly and effectively. Training has become the most important feature of a successful organisation. Training is necessary because it improves profitability and/ or more positive attitudes towards profit orientation. Enhances the job knowledge and skills at all levels of the organisation. The work force gets a high morale. Due to proper training employees can identify with organisational goals, corporate image gets improved. Training fosters realism, openness and trust. A boss an the subordinates get to work in a better environment and relationship. Some typical reasons for employee training and development can be initiated for a variety of reasons for an employee or group of employees, for example: * When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is needed * To benchmark the status of improvement so far in a performance improvement effort * As part of an overall professional development program * As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned change in role in the organisation * To pilot, or test, the operation of a new performance management system * To train about a specific topic I found out some key topics for employee Training and Development they are as follows: * Communication- The increasing diversity of todays workforce brings a wide variety of languages and customs. * Computer skills- Computer skills are becoming a requirement for conducting administrative and office tasks. * Customer service- Increased competition in todays global marketplace makes it critical that employees understand and meet the needs of customers. * Diversity- Diversity training usually includes explanation about how people have different perspectives and views, and includes techniques to value diversity * Ethics- Todays society has increasing expectations about corporate social responsibility. Also, todays diverse workforce brings a wide variety of values and morals to the workplace. By giving the appropriate training and development you can gain a lot of advantages. The general benefits from Employee Training and Development are: * Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees * Increased employee motivation * Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain * Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods * Increased innovation in strategies and products * Reduced employee turnover * Enhanced company image, e.g., conducting ethics training (not a good reason for ethics training!) * Risk management, e.g., training about sexual harassment, diversity training I think that training aids in developing leadership skill, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes and other aspects that successful workers and managers usually display which we discussed earlier in the report. The quality of work is also increased and so is the productivity. Its cost effective as well, it cuts costs in different areas e.g. production, personnel, administration etc. it develops a sense of responsibility to the organisation for being capable and knowledgeable. Labor management is also improved, as workers instead of feeling ignored, feel taken care of which develops a sense of loyalty Communication Effective communication skills are vital for success in a business environment with most business people being engaged in some form of communication activity most of the time reading, listening, writing or talking. Business communication is, however, different from educational or literary writing and speaking it requires precision, clarity and efficiency since business people just do not have the time to savor an idea or an expression. Moreover, unethical behavior in the workplaces arising from the lack of ethical communication by the top management to the first-line supervisors proves the fact that employees are either directly or indirectly rewarded for unethical acts or harshly abandoned for going against the norm of practicing corruption (Zimmerman: Jansen and Von Glinow, 2001, p. 119). As explained in this text that I researched into, Jansen and Von Glinow through their in-depth study that encouraging counter norms in an organisation is also a form of promoting corrupt standards in a company in order to save the firms name or to avoid charges by this means reflecting the decreasing ethical communication in organisations. There are many factors that help establish an organisations ability and skill in maintaining the stability and organisation among its employees/members. One of these factors includes attaining an organisational communication process through effective communication skills. The most prominent forms used by most organisations are the development of verbal and non-verbal communication since these are the most obvious ways of communication that provide a dialogue for employees and the management in an organisation. However, what is not realized by both the employees and management is that listening is one important communication aspect that precedes verbal and non-verbal communication. I think that in order to attain effective communication verbally or non-verbally, communicators must first learn to listen in order to assess carefully the issues at hand and the required action that must be taken. If you have a look at Appendix 2 it shows you different types of communication processes. I would recommend that you try to focus on the complete network as this would make communications in your business better. Overall Report Conclusion and my Recommendations I think overall this is what we should be doing in order to maintain and run a successful business: * Growth- we should not be growing just yet as there are to many problems as indicated in the SWOT analysis. We should be improving on the weaknesses and consider to grow and expand in the future. * Performance Management- monitoring needs to be undertaken but only to some degree that is acceptable by you and the employees. But I think you should use some of the procedures that I have indicated in this previous section (please refer to Conclusion for Performance Management). * Performance Appraisal Systems and Motivation- Performance appraisal systems are designed to serve the companys and employees interests. * Motivation- You have to consider Douglas McGregor Theory X and Theory Y. to offer the best motivation go through the chart that I have drawn and consider what you can do to have a successful motivated staff. Look at Appendix 3 for patterns of managerial approaches to motivation. * Rewards- if you offer better rewards and better benefit packages then Turnover/Retention will be low, and employees will work more and contribute their highest potential. * Employee Turnover/Retention- you need to make sure that you monitor employees sickness and absenteeism and make sure it dose not go over 8% Check Appendix 1. * Training and Development- if you train and develop employees better the function of your business will be better, you should try to encourage more employees to gain different skills and knowledge. You should also try to offer recognised qualifications. * Communication- look at Appendix 2 I recommend that you try to bring in the process of complete network communication. There are numerous factors that help conclude an organisations ability and skill in maintaining the stability and organisation among its employees/members, one of these factors includes attaining an organisational communication process through effective communication skills. References I recommend that you look at the following text as this will help you improve on the factors mentioned in this report and also help you with difficult decisions about your business. I recommend looking at this text: ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR: INDVIDUALS, GROUPS AND THE ORGANISATION I. Brooks (1999) 1st Ed, Pub: Financial Times HUMAN RESOURCE STRATAGIES Salman, (1998) Pub: The Open University MANAGING PEOPLE R. Tompson, 2nd Ed, Pub: Institute of Management ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR: A MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE G.B.Northcroft M.A.Neale (1990), Pub: Ronda Colour PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT GA Cole, 4th Ed (1997), Pub: Ashford Colour Press MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES J. Weightman, 2nd Ed, (1996), Pub: Cromwell Press The following Web-Sites are useful also: www.bized.com www.hrmang.co.uk www.humanrecourses.co.uk/text/hrissues www.resourcemanage.co.uk

Education teaching and learning process education essay

Education teaching and learning process education essay Different literatures were studied to define and to justify the importance of the different keywords as they relate to the study as well as to have a good background on the body of knowledge. This surely will be beneficial to the understanding of the essence of ICT tools in Education as they are simply referred as Educational Technology Tools. Technology is becoming an increasingly influential factor in education. The use of computers and mobile phones as complements to educational practices are very up-to-date development in the area as we are talking about online education. The explosion of computer use in different economic areas brought about the ICT dimension in almost everything we do these days. The demand of new skills and understanding of students and Educators are imposing itself as a reality, also the environment in which teaching and learning is taking place is under constant change as well as the instruction of the students. It is important to note that, in order to set the context, generally speaking, there is no one accepted definition of what constitutes technology. Technology is the word associated with anything that aims to facilitate the human life through change. Ursula Franklin, in her 1989 Real World of Technology lectures: defines technology as a practice, the way we do things around here. The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a definition of the term as: the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area and a capability given by the practical application of knowledge. 2.2 Education, Teaching and Learning Process Education from the Websters 1828 Dictionary read as follows: The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties. Education is a concept in which Instruction, Teaching and Learning are major pillars: Instruction refers to the facilitating of learning toward identified objectives, delivered either by an instructor or other forms. Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor designed to impart learning to the student. Learning refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion. For, education is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another. However there has always been a discussion on the matter of assuring continuity of passing on knowledge and a matter of fostering creativity, which propels the learners to the world of unknowns and forces the coming out of it with innovation and ingenuity. Both of these functions relate equally to knowledge and attitudes, to understanding and behaviour. They are the essence of the teaching/learning process. We want creativity, but we want it to emerge from what is known and understood. We want continuity and that too from what is known and understood. Learning environments in schools typically involve one or more adult teachers connected with a number of students, usually in well defined physical settings. Physically it may be in a room, full of particular furniture and equipment. The place of computers in learning for the majority of children is most likely to occur in the classroom and, for an increasing number, at home. However, most experts in the field of educational computing would characterise computers as interactive and thus admit them a place within the relationship structures of the classroom learning environment, not just the physical environment. The curriculum is concerned with What is learned and taught: includes objectives, content, and learning outcomes (the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students are intended to demonstrate). How this learning and teaching occurs: concerns teaching/learning methodology, teaching strategies and media resources. Most teaching/learning methods and strategies involve the use of some equipment. Some teaching methods may only include the use of a blackboard and chalk while others may make use of a television or overhead projector. This equipment and its use within the curriculum are often referred to as educational technology. 2.3 Educational Technology and ICT Educational technology concerns the technology that is used to facilitate the teaching/learning process. As such it is included in the how part of the curriculum. We could consider educational technology as the tools of the teaching trade, part of the medium used to convey the curriculum. Thus the technology used is determined by the intended curriculum. Also part of the context of the curriculum concerns the role of the teacher, the physical setting and the general pedagogical views of the teacher and education system. These are likely to affect the technology used and may involve the use of computers. Technology can be seen to be affecting the curriculum both in terms of content and methodology, there are a number of instances where the curriculum has been changed due to changes in technology, invention of new technology has added content to the curriculum (e.g. technology based on electricity) or new technology has made parts of the content obsolete (e.g. using calculators instead of logarithms for calculation). Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a diverse set of tools and resources used to communicate, create, disseminate, store, and manage information. These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony. Nowadays there is an increasing interest in how computers and the Internet can improve education at all levels. Older ICT technologies, such as radio and television, have for over forty years been used for open and distance learning. There is a variety of terminology that describes the ways computers are integrated into the learning process and in the classroom: technology-mediated learning, computer-aided instruction, distance education, distance learning, educational technology, home learning technologies, computer-based education, instructional technology, multimedia, communications systems, Web-based learning, educational multimedia applications, and computer-mediated communication etc are just a sample of those. This variability in terminology is not a matter of disagreement among researchers, but simply implies that technology is a word that is used to describe different things to different people. Technology is a term that is used by many to describe, study, and evaluate the various ways computers are integrated into education, both inside and outside the classrooms. 2.4 Integrating Technology in Teaching Moreover, there is no consensus about what constitutes technology in learning or teaching. However, the common link tends to be some use of the personal computer to aid teaching or learning in some form or fashion. These technologies run the continuum of integration in education from entire courses put on the Web to technology integrated into a specific lesson. Though most research studies focus on computer-based technology, there are other teaching and learning technologies that are not computer-based. These can include overhead projectors, document cameras, laser pointers, robotics, television, VCR, DVD, demonstration equipment, sound systems, CDs, tape recordings, simulation machines, and models. Some researchers even consider the traditional piece of chalk and chalkboard a type of technology. Many educators have argued that the appropriate use of ICT by students can assist teachers in determining and catering for the prior knowledge of students. Further, it is usually also argued that ICT can assist students in engaging cognitively to a greater depth with knowledge domains. That is students are supported in employing the full range of thinking skills within authentic contexts. This is often discussed in terms of cognitive taxonomies such as that provided by Bloom (1964). Knowledge The learner must recall information (i.e. bring to mind the appropriate material). Comprehension The learner understands what is being communicated by making use of the communication. Application The learner uses abstractions (e.g. ideas) in particular and concrete situations. Analysis The learner can break down a communication into its constituent elements or parts. Synthesis The learner puts together elements or parts to form a whole. Evaluation The learner makes judgments about the value of material or methods for a given purpose. Generally speaking, there is an assumption that technology fosters learning merely by its use in the educational process. Ehrmann (1999) sums up this assumption very nicely: Technologies such as computers (or pencils) dont have predetermined impacts; its their uses that influence outcomes. This statement seems obvious, but many institutions act as though the mere presence of technology will improve learning. They use computers to teach the same things in the same ways as before, yet they expect learning outcomes to be better. (p. 32) In his essay, Clark (1983) said succinctly: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition (p. 445). if learning occurs as a result of exposure to any media, the learning is caused by the instructional method embedded in the media presentation. (p. 26) Further, he posited that different types of media could be substituted for each other, because media are not responsible for any learning that might take place. Media are not the causal agents in the learning process; rather, instructional method is the active ingredient or catalyst that causes learning to take place. In contrast to Clarks argument, Kozma (1994) believed that the more appropriate question was not whether media do influence learning, but will they influence learning. He also contended that simply because we have not established a relationship between media and learning does not mean that one does not exist. He believed that, since we do not fully understand the relationship between media and learning, we have yet to measure it, and the failure to establish this relationship is caused in part by our theories of learning, or more specifically, behaviourism, with its basic assumption that a stimulus causes a response. Therefore, if the stimulus is not present, there is n o possibility for response. Kozma (1994) explained that in Clarks view media are simply mere vehicles or conduits for an instructional method (stimulus) that elicit a response (learning). Kozma argues that learning is a much more complex process than just a series of stimulus-response connections. Learning, in his view, is defined as an active, constructive, cognitive and social process by which the learner strategically manages available cognitive, physical and social resources to create new knowledge by interacting with information in the environment and integrating it with information already stored in memory (p.8). Thus, in Kozmas view, since the definition learning has evolved to embody more of a constructive process, our measurement of this process must evolve as well. Still others have argued for a complete reframing of the debate over technology and its effect on learning. Jonassen, Campbell, and Davidson (1994) believed that the Clark/Kozma debates focused too much on instruction and media and not enough on the attributes of the learner who ultimately constructs the knowledge. With all the various opinions on the relationship between technology and learning, it begs the question: who is right? It appears that each theorist brings an important perspective to the table. Clark is correct that technology has not necessarily revolutionized the process of learning. Technology has not helped humans develop a new way to learn. Learning is still something that is performed by the individual. However, in Clarks view, all an instructor would need to do is embed the appropriate instructional method into his/her lesson and learning should take place. We know, however, despite many instructors best efforts and superior teaching abilities, learning does not always take place. Kozma is also correct that we must examine technology and learning beyond a behaviourist context. Learning is an intentional act (Jonnasen, 1994) and the human being doing the learning should not be discounted. Researchers have established that there is no significant difference between learning with technology in distance education courses and learning in a traditional classroom, but they do not discuss how human motivation is influenced by technology. This could be a very important missing element in the debate. Which side you take in this debate depends largely upon how you define learning. If you subscribe to more behaviourist views of learning, Clark will make more sense to you. If you conceive of learning as a more cognitive or constructivist process, you would be more likely to agree with Kozma or Jonnasen. From a pedagogical approach, Information-processing theories emerged from a branch of cognitive psychology that focused on the memory and storage processes that enable learning. Theorist in this area explores how a person receives information and stores it in memory. The structure of memory that allows the learning of something new, relate to and is built on something learned previously and also how a learner retrieves information from short-term and long-term memory and applies it to new situations. The well-known information-processing theorist, David Ausubel, proposed that the way a learner receives and stores information affects the usefulness of the information, for example, by transferring current learning to learning other skills. On the other hand, the model of the behaviourist B.F. Skinner, infers that part of the Educators job is to modify the behaviour of students through positive reinforcement, thus under laying behaviour modification techniques in classroom management and programmed instruction. To this we may say that, the stimulus-response interaction between student and technology can be introduced through computers so as to aid instruction, by providing drills and practices on previously learned skills, from practice and tutorial software. The cognitive constructivist, Jean Piagets theory has two major parts: one component that predicts what children can and cannot understand at different ages, and a theory of development that describes how children develop cognitive abilities. The key implications to these are: First, learning is an active process where direct experience, making errors, and looking for solutions is vital for the assimilation and accommodation of information. The presentation of information is important, when it is introduced as an aid to problem solving. It functions as a tool rather than an isolated arbitrary fact. Second, learning should be whole, authentic, and real. Thus, in a Piagetian classroom there is less emphasis on directly teaching specific skills and more emphasis is laid on learning in a meaningful context. Technology, particularly multimedia, offers a vast array of such opportunities, with the support of educational software on videodisks and CD-ROMs, Educators can provide a learning en vironment that helps to expand the conceptual and experiential background of the audience. The social constructivist, L. S. Vygotskys theory has much more room for an active and involved Educator. He claimed that the central point of his psychological approach is mediation. Through mediation human cognitive growth and learning as peers and other members of his community engages in relationships with the material and social environment. Thus the use of technology can be used to connect students to each other via email, forum, newsgroups etc. Now, from here, which approach to choose? Which is best suited to enhance learning? What hardware or software to use? There is no right or wrong answers to these questions, acquiring hardware and software packages will partly resolve the problem. It is up to the Educator, who knows the lesson objectives, the expected results and the students, to choose which approach to use and what technology should accompany the approach. However the determination of the technologys worthiness for a given lesson could be answered by the following questions: Is the lesson content worthwhile? (Are there clear objectives, connected to standards or significant questions, etc?) Do the lesson activities engage students? How does technology enhance the lesson in ways that would not be possible without it? Educators should then look for the best means to facilitate a diversity of learning styles, and need to be competent observers of the social milieu in which learners interact as well as knowledgeable about the content to which they wish to expose learners. Hence, educators development is absolutely essential if technology provided to schools is to be used effectively. Simply by placing computers in schools, providing internet facilities, spending on IT hardware and software, without financing the educator professional development as well, is wasteful. Educators training of the use and application of technology is the key determining factor to improve student performance for both knowledge acquisition and skills development enabled by technology. Information technology professionals have an axiom that an unsupported technology is an unused technology. In an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education titled When Good Technology Means Bad Teaching, Jeffrey Young made the case that a poorly supported technology is actually worse than no technology at all. He argued that giving teachers technology without training has often done more harm than good to teaching and learning. This is undoubtedly true. At the teacher level without proper training and support the educators are faced with: the fear of embarrassment in front of pupils and colleagues, loss of status and an effective degrading of professional skills (Russell Bradley 1997) classroom management difficulties when using ICT, especially where pupil-to-computer ratios are poor (Drenoyianni Selwood 1998; Cox et al. 1999) lack of the knowledge necessary to enable teachers to resolve technical problems when they occur (VanFossen 1999) Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own; it requires educators who can integrate technology into the curriculum and use it to improve student learning. In other words, computers can not replace educators, as they are the key to whether technology is being used appropriately and effectively. They need to understand a subject enough to convey its essence to students. While traditionally this has involved lecturing on the part, new instructional strategies put the educator more into the role of course designer, discussion facilitator, and coach and the student more into the role of active learner, discovering the subject of the course. Even if students could learn independently with little or no involvement from their teachers on how to use technology to enhance their learning and skills development, they are highly unlikely to have those opportunities if educators do not let them have access to the technology. The term computer-assisted learning (CAL) has been increasingly used to describe the use of technology in teaching. Educators also need professional development in the pedagogical application of those skills to improve teaching and learning. They should be empowered to develop their knowledge and skills actively and experientially, in a variety of learning environments, both individual and collaborative. This, include a variety of learning strategies, encompassing direct instruction, deduction, discussion, drill and practice, deduction, induction, and sharing. Thus emphasis in the courses should be on the ways technology can facilitate and enhance his profession lives. Educators preparation programs are essential and as described by Kook (1997) it is the crucial issue to be addressed (p.58). The teacher of the future will depend on the computer for both personal productivity and for instructional activities. Kook lists thirty-three primary computer skills for teachers, ranging from navigating the Windows desktop environment, to using IRC chat, to installing software. Kook suggests that these skills should be part of the required courses for prospective teachers and insists that in the next century teacher education will be forced to accommodate a considerable amount of transformation to allow teachers to function effectively in the Information Age (p.59). Computer technology cannot be effective in the classroom without teachers who are knowledgeable about both the technology itself and about how to use it to meet educational goals. The most common barrier to adequate training is the expense involved. Without training, however, other technology spending has a marginal effect (Boyd, 1997). Learning to operate computer hardware, growing comfortable with many different software applications, developing management systems for student computer use, and redesigning lesson plans to make use of technology, takes a great deal of time. When combined with frustrating hardware glitches and software bugs, the task can become daunting for even the most determined. Often, what stops people is one little thing that they didnt know how to do. If you have a room full of kids when something goes wrong, it discourages you from trying it again (Zehr, 1997, p.3). Leading to the question why school teachers dont use, and sometimes resist, the use of computers? Hannafin and Savenye (1993) list some research-based possible explanations for teacher resistance to using computers. These reasons include: poorly designed software, doubt that computers improve learning outcomes, resentment of the computer as a competitor for students attention, unsupportive administrators, increased time and effort required of the teacher, fear of losing control of center stage, and fear of looking stupid. in front of the class. Viewing the teachers role as a continuum, Hannafin and Savenye (1993) also put the role of traditional lecturer and imparter of knowledge at one end and the role of coach, observer, and facilitator at the other end. They then generalize that the traditional end of the continuum embraces an objectivist learning theory while the other end is likely to embrace constructivism. The teachers view of learning, then, could be another source of resistance to classroom technology. A teacher may be open to technology but resist the accompanying change in learning theory. This would suggest that in addition to providing training in technology, schools and districts need to provide information, training, encouragement, and support to teachers in moving toward a more constructivist view of education. The management should champion the change, policies has to be adopted as from the management level down to the students, everybody contributing and accompanying the reform for it to be successful and to be able to take out the maximum benefit. This issue is addressed with difficulty, because Principals, on average, are 50 years old. Weve got a generation of people who are actually barriers to the infusion of technology in school systems and are afraid of it themselves (Quoted in Trotter, 1997, p.1). It has become clear over the past decade that simple motivational and short-workshop schemes are vastly insufficient to enable veteran (and even new, computer-generation) teachers to teach differently, and to teach well with technologies (Hawkins and Honey, 1993). The evidence suggested that teachers who use technology in their classrooms are more effective if they have received training, if they have district-level support and if they have a network of other computer-using teachers to share experiences with. Swan and Mitrani state that computers can change the nature of teaching and learning at its most basic level (1993). We need to ensure that we are using our current knowledge about the application of technology in education as a basis for proceeding in the future. The management has also its part in the integration of the the educational technology in the school. Policies and support programs must be initiated from the top management and they must be part of and accompany the change. The most important barrier to this integration is the financial barriers. They include the cost of hardware, software, maintenance (particular of the most advanced equipment), and extend to some staff development. Froke (1994b) said, concerning the money, the challenge was unique because of the nature of the technology. The initial investment in hardware is high but the costs of technology have to part of the cost of instruction. The integration reveals the institutional support through leadership, planning and the involvement of teachers as well as managers in implementing change.