Should College Students Have Credit Cards Essay on Debts

Flextime Memo Essays

Flextime Memo Essays Flextime Memo Paper Flextime Memo Paper The Current Problem County Government offices are currently open from game to pm. Employees have limited flextime in that they can come in half an hour early or leave half an hour late. However some employees want to start at am so they can leave at 2 pm; a few others would prefer to start at 1 lam and leave at pm. In the past few months, we have had an increase in the attrition rate from 10% to 25%. Feedback from our survey indicates the main reason for this is the limited flextime. Proposed Solution I recently met with the HER directors from SST Charles and Jefferson countless and learned that they had the same problem, as well as the same request for expanded flextime from their employees. By Increasing the flextime they have noticed a major drop in the attrition rate from 20% to 5%. Potential Disadvantages The following are the disadvantages 1. Staff Meetings: How to hold staff meetings or supervise our staff members if everyone works different hours. Solution: Regardless of their start time, all the employees will be present In the office from pm 2 pm; we can hold our staff meetings during these hours. 2. Service to Customers: How to ensure that we are available to serve the public if our employees work on sun nacelle mourn? Solution: Expanded flextime would actually allow us to expand our open hours (E. G. , am pm), which would be helpful for taxpayers who also have to work am pm. 3. Cost: There will be a minimal increase in the usage of electricity by 200$ per month due to longer working hours. : Solution: This can be nullified when compared to the additional hours/day customer service without an increasing overtime or employee pay. Potential Advantages The following are the advantages 1. Decreased Attrition: A drop in the attrition rate with an anticipated savings of 70% on the training and recruiting of new employees. 2. Enhanced Customer Service: We will be available to the public longer each day, reducing delays at the counter and by phone, with an anticipated increase in efficiency of 30% per day. 3. Improved Customer Satisfaction: Customer calls will be answered promptly. Queries that can be resolved on the phone, which will save the customers traveling time and reduce employee counter time. The Human Resource directors of the other counties conducted a survey, which showed that their employee satisfaction has improved 70% after flextime was expanded. If we do the same we can Apart from this we can have savings by 70% at no increased cost.

The Social, Economic, Technological and Cultural Impact of Video Games Essay

The Social, Economic, Technological and Cultural Impact of Video Games on True Art - Essay Example Entertainment is one of the core recreational activities in the world today. Previously, many people could be seen filling movie theatres to the brim in their endeavor to unwind and gain infotainment through cinemas. Cinemas illustrated real people images devoid of simulation and interactive participation of the audience. This is turning out to be a past practice as the world is embracing a new digital age brought about by the emergence of various computer applications such as the video games (Nichols, et al 133). This venture is finding its way in the lives of many young generation peers who are finding solace in it away from the hard economic, social and cultural society practices which many consider to be boring and outdated. Notably, the youth are the most affected by the video games industry with most of them spending to the last penny to attain the modern and latest video games. This is in their push to achieve an orchestrated physiological and emotional satisfaction as though were the true characters in the dramatic competition illustrated by the video game (Jenkins 4). ... Thesis Globally, story telling and interactivity forms the core concern of a true art. Every audience will be attracted to an art that illustrates a well organized and vividly analyzed and sequential story. It is every ones concern to follow a narrative that will develop to a given plot with ultimate objectives to be attained. Every masterpiece must achieve a great sense of humor and at the same time provoke our inquisitiveness, pleasure and critically trigger off the desire to explore further (Jenkins 2). An interactive tale which prompts the curious participation of the audience gives a more gratification as they simulate the characters to attain a conceived objective. Video games are designed to ignite the imagination of the perceived audience captivating them on heroic quests to new extraordinary and fantasy worlds (Jenkins 3). True art balances the economic, social and cultural status of the society as it attains its infotainment objective. It creates various opportunities that will enhance the economic gain of the audience and the characters presenters, with an equal maintenance of the societal social and cultural values. The purpose of this study is to investigate the social, economic and cultural factors of video games that influence true art. The report will provide its findings on the impact of the video games being developed in the world today to the true art. Literature Review Corneliussen, & Walker (114) says that there is a continuing interest in the study of the forces that influence the impact of video games on the true art particularly that which can be harnessed to provide a clear conformity to the objectives of a true art. The ideas that came in the early 1970s explicitly depicted video games as a killer of the true art illustratively

Does the impact of higher education have large effects on an Essay

Does the impact of higher education have large effects on an individual's income - Essay Example e most supportive in respect of offering the individuals with maximum earning level in the aftermath of the completing their formal and professional education. The study will be supported with Labour Theory of Value developed by David Ricardo and Income Distribution Theory of contemporary era. The researcher aims to choose the culturally diversified society of the United Kingdom as the universe of his research, where the people belonging to different education and income levels will be taken as the units of analysis for the present study. In addition, being demographically diversified city, the individuals belonging to divergent cultural, religious, social, economic, racial and ethnic groups and communities could be selected as the sample of the present study. The researcher will select both the genders as well as different age groups by applying quota sampling in his study in order to justify the complete presentation of various groups of society. It may take approximately three months in the completion of the entire research work. After the gathering of the data, the findings would be tabulated and the statistical tests would be applied in order to interpret the results, on the basis of which the hypotheses were either accepted or rejected subsequently. This part of the dissertation has been dedicated to all those who have made their valuable contributions at any level during the completion of the present research. First of all, the researcher pays his humble gratitude to his Lord, Almighty God the Omnipotent, Who has blessed him with the power to accomplish this arduous task of writing the dissertation and displaying his gifted abilities in the field of research and writing. Secondly, the researcher also feels happy in paying his sincere thanks to his compassionate parents, who provided him with the shelter of their unwavering love, affection and kindness as well as a very comfortable atmosphere during the conducting of his research work. Moreover, the

International Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Economics - Essay Example The major elements of the transition process comprise macro-stabilization, price and market liberalization (including international trade), restructuring and privatizing state enterprises, and redefining the role of the state" (IMF, 2002, pp. 90-91). The major problem of more and more interdependent world is the interaction of world structures, which are characterized not only by different levels of development, but also by different extent of an involvement in the world division of labour and the world economy. Waltz on expressing his neorealist conceptualization of the determinants of international behaviour claims, "International structure emerges from the interaction of states and then constrains them from taking certain actions while propelling them toward others" (Waltz, 2000, p. 11). The analysis of modern economic and integration processes allows allocating two basic tendencies. One of them is quantitative growth of countries incorporated in the various international economic unions and other international economic alliances that is the evidence of increase of globalization of economy. The other tendency is continuous perfection of forms and methods of realization of world economic integration that speaks about deep qualitative changes occurring in this process. At the present stage the international economic integration has reached global scales. Globalization of economy represents the maximum form of the international economic integration. It is expressed in formation and activity of interstate and international economic associations, and also in occurrence and development in modern community of the international economic institutes and trans-national corporations. The changing global economy is also "providing challenges to the European Union. Globalization of production, procurement, and distribution; e-logistics and e-transport; and outsourcing of what traditionally had occurred internal to a company or country have caused many government and private sector officials to rethink what types of investment and at what levels are necessary to remain competitive" (Caldwell, 2002, p 7). Each state is expressed in "structural and quantitative characteristics. For the world economy the international monetary system (IMS) will be considered as a structural characteristic. The growth rate of the gross national product of countries participating in international economic relations will be regarded as a quantitative characteristic" (NATO, 2006, p. 101). If early stages of the international economic integration have had only one form of its realization - the international trade, the stage of globalization alongside with it assumes moving of labour, capital, scientific and technical knowledge, and information in planetary scale. Thus, at a stage of globalization the international economic integration gets not only more significant quantitative char

Relationship Between Employer and Employees | PEL, Pakistan

Relationship Between Employer and Employees | PEL, Pakistan Every business is looking for a key that unlock their success and satisfy their employees. Employers need employees who go the extra mile and do their best work and employees need jobs that fulfil their needs and encourage them. Simply it can be said that employers need an engaged workforce. Employee engagement can be said to be a combination of commitment to the organization and organizational citizenship (willingness to help out colleagues) (CIPD, 2010). The purpose of this research is to understand the role and importance of employee engagement and to identify the causes of employee disengagement at PEL in Lahore, Pakistan. In todays competitive business environment it is very important for every business to improve productivity and sustain competitive advantage to survive in the market. Marchington (2001 cited in Bratton and Gold, 2007) state that employee engagement is a key dimension of employee relations and plays a central role in the development of higher performance system. Most organisations expect employees to perform well and follow rules and regulations of the work place engaged employees can fulfil such expectations of employers. Similarly employees have some expectations of job security, growth in future career, to be paid well and be recognised in response from an organization. A positive attitude held by an employee towards the organization and its value employee engagement defined by Robinson et al (2004) cited in Markos Sridevi (2010). An engaged employee is aware of business context and work with colleagues to improve performance within job for benefit of the organization. PEL must work to develop and nurture engagement, which require a two-way relationship between organizational goal and employee. Company Profile The research will be carried out in PEL (PAK ELEKTRON LIMITED), based in Lahore, Pakistan. Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) was established in 1956 in technical collaboration with AEG of Germany and is a part of Kohinoor Industries Limited. PEL is the pioneer manufacturer of electrical goods in Pakistan with approximately 7000 employees all over the Pakistan. In October 1978, the company was taken over by Saigol Group of Companies. Since its inception, the company has always been contributing towards the advancement and development of the engineering sector in Pakistan by introducing a range of quality electrical equipment and home appliances and by producing hundreds of engineers, skilled workers and technicians through its apprenticeship schemes and training programmes. PEL export many products to other countries like Afghanistan and Bangladesh. PAK ELEKTRON LIMITED spends a considerable amount on employee training and development to improve their performance and to boost organisational productivity (Company History, 2010). There are two main divisions in PEL Power Division and Appliances Division. PELs Power Division manufactures Transformers, Switchgear, Electric Motors, Energy Meters, Kiosks, Compact Stations, Shunt Capacitor Banks, etc. of highest quality and of latest international Standards.ÂÂ  PELÂÂ  is one of the major electrical equipment suppliers to Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), and Karachi Electrical Supply Corporation (KESC) which are the largest Power Companies in Pakistan. In additionÂÂ  PELÂÂ  is also supplying to major projects in the private sector. The PEL Appliances Division was established in 1980-81 when the Company launched the first consumer product to its production range i.e. Window TypeÂÂ  Air conditionersÂÂ  of 19000 BTU. PEL is also manufacturing Refrigerators, Deep freezers, Microwave Oven, Split Air Conditioners andÂÂ  Colour Televisions. This research was carried out in the switchgear department of power division. Approximately 1000 employees are working in this department. Organisational Context Pakistan has been facing both economic and political instability over last few years in parallel to the global financial crisis. PEL is a manufacturing company that contributes a major part in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. Manufacturing industry is badly influenced by the recent flood and power shortage problem in Pakistan (Statistics Pakistan 2010). Purchasing power of the customers is also adversely influenced by inflation in Pakistan. The direct competitors of PEL are Dawlance, Waves, LG, and Haier. The Dawlance is market leader in the refrigerator followed by PEL. But PEL is dominant in market with maximum share in window room air conditioner (WRAC) in Pakistan. Statement of Problem: PEL Annual and monthly production reports show production targets were not achieved in time. After discussion with a PEL HR representative it understood that the production gap is possibly due to low level employee engagement. Some other important factors that can influence production are machinery faults, poor materials, poor logistics, unavailability of material, falling demand due to recessionary pressures and labour faults such as unskilled worker, skilled workers and low/no employee engagement. Significance of Research This research focuses on current employee engagement in PEL. Causes of employee disengagement will be identified that can help organization to choose appropriate strategy. PELs mission statement says To focus on personal development of our employee to meet the future challenges. PEL is committed to employee engagement and selection of practise according to employees needs and wants is very essential to achieve the organisational goal. An organization with an engaged workforce can perform better and employee can be engaged by different factors such as; job security, future growth, appreciation, motivation etc. This research helps PEL analyse the level of employee engagement, empowerment, satisfaction and causes of disengagement. This research will be helpful to the organization to review the current employee engagement practices and importance of effective employee engagement practices. Research Aim and Objectives Aim: To identify the effectiveness of employee engagement in PEL Pakistan Objectives: To investigate current levels of employee engagement in PEL. To critically evaluate the perceptions of employee engagement by different worker groups in PEL. To recommend an improved set of practices to aid employee engagement in PEL, Pakistan. Chapter 2:Â  Literature Review Employee Engagement: Employee Engagement is defined by Corporate Leadership Council (2004) cited in Lockwood (2007, p11), The extent to which employees commit to something or someone in their organization, how hard they work and how long they stay as a result of that commitment. Employee engagement concerns employees beliefs about organization, leaders and working conditions. Employee engagement is not only simple job satisfaction and loyalty with employer but it is a passion and commitment with job, willingness to help colleagues and discretionary effort for success of the organization (Macey and Schneider, 2008). Rutledge (2005) also explains truly engaged employees were attracted to and inspired by, their work, committed and fascinated. Organizational success depends on engaged employees along with other resources like material, machinery, finances etc. If an organization has disengaged employees it may likely suffer because people can be a source of competitive advantage or disadvantage Catlette Had den, (2001). There is no universal definition of employee engagement but according to some authors employee engagement can defined as: According to Kahn (1990, p694) engagement means in engagement people express themselves physically, cognitively and emotionally during role performance. A positive attitude held by an employee towards the organization and its value an engaged employee is aware of business context and work with colleagues to improve performance within job for benefit of the organization Robinson et al (2004) cited in Markos Sridevi (2010, p90). Kroth and Boverie (2003) said engaged employees feel passionate and energised by their work. Excitement, enthusiasm and productivity come with passion. Erickson (2005) referred Kroth and Boverie employee engagement definition cited in Macey Schneider (2008, page number) employee engagement is a desirable condition, passion, enthusiasm, commitment, loyalty for organization, focused effort, energy and connotes involvement this definition also supported by Katzenbach (2000), engaged employees are committed motivated, energetic, enthusiastic and enjoy problem solving. Saks and Rotman (2006) argued that commitment is different from engagement, commitment refers to a persons attitude and attachment towards the organization whereas engagement is not merely an attitude it is the degree to which an individual is attentive to their work. Employee engagement has both physical and behavioural components. If employees work under all these physical and behavioural conditions the consequences are thought to be valuable for organizational effectiveness depending upon the nature of the organization. Importance of Engagement: There is a psychological relationship between business performance and employee engagement (Harter et al, 2002) and it has a positive impact on both employees and on the organization (Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004). Managing the workplace in such a way that promotes engagement, employees are said to be happier and organization benefits as a result Harter et al. (2003) cited in Rich (2006). Along with all other factors like labour, machinery, materials and finance etc two important factors; lack of commitment and motivation can lead some organizations to poor performance (Harter et al, 2002). An organization that wants to keep valued workforce, employee engagement is critical for them. Engaged employees look for challenging work in the organization because they are in a cycle of building skills and knowledge so they are finding work according to their abilities (Csikszentmihalyi Hunter 2003). Engaged employees think innovatively for the growth of the organization. Engaged employees perform better than others they think about organizational not personal goals. Employee outcomes, financial performance and organizational success predicted by employee engagement (Saks and Rotman, 2006). There is a link between employee engagement and profitability engagement leads to employee retention that leads to customer satisfaction, a satisfied customer use products again and again that boost organizational profitability. There is also a physical relationship between engaged employees and the organization, engaged employees express themselves physically in their roles (Kahn 1990). Engaged employees build an emotional relationship with the organization: emotions play a vital role in ones performance; emotions energize an employee psychologically for an appropriate action (Rich 2006). They put their emotional commitment at work that enables them to make or deliver better services that can constitute as a competitive advantage (Katzenbach, 2000). Their attitudes reflect care for organizations customer thereby it improves customers satisfaction. Key Drivers of Employee Engagement: Along with the definition of employee engagement many authors define several key drivers of employee engagement. Research shows that there is a relationship between organizational strategy and employees job, employee understanding that how important is his work for the success of the organization is the most important driver of employee engagement Lockwood (2007). Some of factors that not only aid employee engagement but also provide means for measuring current level of employee engagement in an organization such as organizational culture, leadership and communication. In the past, many researchers worked on employee engagement and contributed their ideas in form of models and explained factors that influence employee engagement in the workplace. There are two most important factors that drove employee engagement explained by Hosford (2007) cited in West (2008); awareness about operational and organizational goal, policies and procedures. Other is their participation to drive these goals depending on their knowledge. McCoy (2007) criticised these factors as it is difficult to communicate organizational goals, policies and procedures throughout the organization to foster employee engagement. Gallup (2009), contributed to employee engagement by providing a set of 12 questions that drive engagement (1) expectations at work (2) availability of material and equipments (3) opportunity to do what an employee do best every day (4) any recognition or praise for good work (5) care from supervisor (6) encouragement for development (7) participation in decisio n making (8) importance of an employees work for organizational mission (9) co-workers commitment (10) friendly environment at work (11) discussion about employees progress (12) opportunities to learn and grow. Little Little (2006) also referred to these factors. Robinson (2004) describe following characteristics of employee engagement Involvement of employees in decision making Value for employees ideas and their contribution Opportunities of growth for employees and job security Organizations concern about employees heath and well being Following are some important factors that can influence employee engagement in an organization. Organizational Commitment: Organizational commitment has a significant importance in the study of employee engagement. Organizational commitment is an individuals psychological attachment to an organization and desire to remain part of it (Encyclopaedia, 2006). Meyer et al (2002) defined three component model of commitment; affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment. Affective Commitment means positive emotional attachment of an employee with the organization. William (2004) also agreed to Meyer and Allen (1991) commitment concept and defined three types of commitment affective, continuous, and normative commitment. Affective commitment refers to employees perceptions of their emotional and psychological attachment to with the organization. Continuance commitment means employee is committed to the organization because he doesnt want to leave organization. In Normative commitment an employee remains commits because of his feelings of obligation (Meyer et al, 2002). If an employee can find opportunities for growth and job security he would be more committed (Robinson, 2004). Organizational commitment is directly linked with employee engagement few benefits to employee engagement by organizational commitment are demonstrated here: organizational commitment increase job satisfaction (Vandenberg and Lance, 1992), it decreases employee turnover, decrease intension to search for other employers and decrease absenteeism (Cohen, 1991), Balfour and Wechsler (1996) also said that organizational commitment decrease employee intension to leave the organization. Organizational Culture: Organizational culture has a significant influence on employee engagement. It is a concept that explains values, attitudes, beliefs and experiences of an organization (WiseGEEK, 2011). Every organization consists of formal and informal dimensions, it is simply impossible to understand organizational working without understanding its informal characteristics. Organizational culture is critical to any organization which distinguish individual of one organization to the other organization (Hofstede, 1997). Most of the organizations believe that managers have the power in the organization/employee relationship but that is not true always. Employee engagement is the key to capture the employees mind, hearts, intensions and attitudes (Fleming and Asplund, 2007). The culture of a group/ organization is defined by Schein (1993) cited in Shafritz and Ott (2001) as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learned to solve internal problems and problem of external adaption after valid ation that assumptions taught to new members. Martin (1992) defines that there are three different perspectives of organizational culture: (1) Integration perspective mean employees share a common set of values and basic assumptions that facilitate them to understand organizational environment. (2) Differentiation perspective explains that organization consist of different subcultures based on power and areas of interest. (3) In fragmentation view organization is a web of individuals which are interconnected loosely (Martin, 1992). One of the employee engagement key drivers is organizational environment if there is a friendly environment in organization employees would be more engaged. Secondly healthy relationship with other colleagues and managers also facilitate employee engagement. Organizational culture provides an environment for employee engagement and it helps in strengthen the employee commitment. Organizational Leadership: Effective leadership motivates employees to stay with the organization become responsible and engaged. Leadership is defined by Stodgill (1950) cited from Huczynski and Buchanan (2001), The process of influencing the activities of an organised group in its efforts towards goal setting and goal achievement Organizational culture directed by the leadership style. Leadership means to guide, to influence, course, action or opinion. Goleman (2000) explained the emotional aspect of leadership that leaders motivate, inspire, guide and persuade employees to achieve organizational goal. Burnes (2004) said management is about today and leadership is about future. An important factor that influences employee engagement is employee and leader relationship (Lockwood, 2007). Organizational Communication: An effective organization knew how to communicate its goals and objectives to its workforce (Hoffman and Tschinda, 2007). If leaders want to effectively lead a group they should have efficient thinking and communication. Organizational communication can maximise employee engagement along with organizational commitment and organizational leadership. If an organization is communicating organizational goals and objective clearly and successfully that can improve employer and employee relation which leads to better engagement (Lockwood, 2007). Effective organizational communication can create engaged employees that can improve organizational performance by providing better services and creating loyal customers (Blanchad and Bowels, 1998). These characteristics support the Kahns (1990) and Maslach et al.s (2001) psychological condition of employee engagement in the workplace as discussed before. All these characteristics include physical and psychological attachment with the job and with the organization. Engagement Models: In the literature there is a dearth of research on engagement (Saks and Rotman, 2006). However research work done by Leter (1997) and Maslach (1999) provided in-depth analysis of engagement. There are two main streams of research that provide models of engagement first one is Kahns (1990) meanfulness, safety and availability theory and second Maslach et als (2001) six areas of work life (Saks and Rotman, 2006). According to Kahn (1990) there are three psychological conditions which relate to engagement or disengagement in the workplace; meaningfulness, safety and availability. He argues that an employee in the workplace thinks of these three factors (1) how meaningful is to perform at this level? (2) Is it safe to do so? (3) Am I available for this job? He found more engaged employee when conditions were psychologically meaningful, safe and workers were psychologically available. May et al (2004) empirically tested Kahns (1990) and found that engagement is significantly related to meaningfulness, safety and availability. According to Maslach et al (2001) six areas of work lead to burnout and engagement at workplace; workload, feelings of choice and control, rewards and recognition, community and social support, perceived fairness, meaningful and valued work. He argued that job engagement is associated with sustainable workload, feeling of choice and control enables employee to think openly, reward and recognition motivate employees, supportive and friendly work environment help to enjoy the job, equality at work, employee understand value of its work to the organizational success. May, Gilson Harters (2004) research also support Maslach et als (2001) meaningful and valued work is associated with engagement. Both models discussed here are explaining the psychological conditions that are required for engagement but both models are not explaining how an individual will react depending upon his level of engagement (Saks and Rotman, 2006). Social Exchange Theory (SET) can explain employee engagement theoretically in a better way. SET argues that obligations are generated when two parties are reciprocally linked which each other. A relationship between two parties can be strong trusting, loyal and mutual commitment over time as long as they abide by certain rules of exchange (Cropanzano and Mictchell, 2005). Rules of exchange mean give and take, if an employee getting something from an organization in return he will try to benefit the organization. Robinson et al (2004) refers to social exchange theory as description of employee engagement is a two-way relationship between employee and employer. Chapter 3:Â  Research Methodology Introduction An investigation has been conducted after literature review in chapter two regarding employee engagement and motivation with the help of theories. At this point for the selection of appropriate research method a clear understanding of research philosophy and methodology is essential so that trustworthy results of research objectives can be find out. Continuum of ontological assumptions Objective 2 Objective 1 Reality as a concrete structure Reality as a concrete process Reality as a contextual realm of symbolic discourse structure Reality as a social constructivism Reality as a projection of human imagination POSITIVIST REALIST INTERPRETIVIST Source: Morgan and Smircich, (1980) cited in Longwe, (2010) Research Philosophy Importance and significance of research philosophy and methods would be different for different researchers who are carrying out their research on the same industry but with different perspective. For example, if a researcher is concerned with requirement of resources for manufacturing process, will adopt a totally different philosophy and method for research, from a researcher who conducted a research to find out feelings and attitudes of employees towards managers Saunders et al. (2007). Use of research philosophy may be significant with reference to the research methodology. It helps the researcher to be specific and refine the research. Understanding of research philosophy enables researcher to choose the right methodology and leave the inappropriate at the early stage of the research Easterby-Smith et al. (2002). According to Saunders et al (2007) there are three different ways of thinking about the research: (i) Positivism (ii) Interpretivism and (iii) Realism. Positivism Research undertaken by this approach will be on quantifiable observations and results in statistical analysis. Positivism approach in social sciences used biology and physics Nwokah et al. (2009). Doing a research on human beings without considering their social context is impossible, researchers bring their own values and interest in research results in positivism approach, measuring the complex phenomena in a single measure is misleading Hussey (1997). Interpretivism Some researchers argued that Interpretivism is highly appreciated in business management particularly in the field of human resource management, marketing and organizational behaviour (Saunders et al. 2007). Interpretivism is known as anti-positivism because it takes the view that scientific methods are inappropriate for the study of society (Abbott 2010). Realism Realism says that reality is totally independent of the researchers mind. According to this philosophy existence of an object that senses of researches shows is real and independent of his mind (Saunders et al 2007). Realism has some aspects of positivism in it as it develops knowledge with scientific approach. There are two types of realism Direct Realism and Critical Realism. Direct realism means that things should be considered as they appear. Critical realism says that what we experience are sensations, images of the real world not actual things (Saunders et al 2007). Selection of Research Philosophy: All the approaches have been used in majority of management researches depending upon the nature of research. First objective is investigation about current level of employee engagement. Level can be measured (positivism) but perhaps causes of (low) level of engagement are rooted in interpretivism. Both philosophies cannot be adopted so the position adopted will be realism. This is highly dependent and influenced by social process that exist inside the organization. Organizational culture and leadership play an important role in improving employee engagement. Second research objective is related to perceptions of employees which makes it social construct which can be determined by what employees say it is. This objective refers to an interpretivist approach. According to the aim and objectives of this research realism is likely to be used in this research. The research is based on understanding perceptions rather than any statistical analysis also according to aim and objectives phil osophical position of this research work is that of realism. Research Strategy There are several strategies available for doing a research but this researcher adopts a case study (of PEL) strategy. Case study strategy involves observations, empirical results and multiple sources of evidences (Robson 2002). Case study can also include interviews, questionnaires, observations and documentary analysis (secondary data). This strategy usually used in explanatory and exploratory research. An advantage of using case study strategy is to use multiple sources of data collection that is useful for triangulation (Saunders et al. 2007). Case study strategy enables researcher to challenge existing theories and provide source of new research questions. Research Methods Research is a systematic method of finding solutions to problems. Following three methods will be used to achieve the results according to the research objectives: Secondary Data Analysis Self-Administered Postal Questionnaire for Workers Telephonic Structured Interviews with Executives Secondary Data Analysis These data can be analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. According to Ghauri and Gronhaug, (2005) cited in Saunders et al., (2007) secondary data are very useful and it provides saving in time, less expensive and it can be of higher quality data than could be obtain by oneself (Stewart and Kamins, 1993), it is helpful in triangulation, it can be useful to compare research results. There are disadvantages in that secondary data may differ from research objectives of this research; it may be too old; it may be unobtainable. There may be fewer resources available (Saunders et al 2007). Sometimes it is very difficult to find secondary data related to research work. Self-Administered Postal Questionnaire for Workers Questionnaires can be used in case study research strategy in order to collect primary data (Saunders et al. 2007). Questionnaires are more objective then interviews. It is relatively a quick, easy and cost saving way to collect information using questionnaires; information can be collected from a large group of peoples at the same time (Kirakowski, 2000). The most important thing in questionnaires is design of questions because reliability, validity and response of participants totally depend on that. Questionnaires normally require fewer skills to administer than semi-structured interviews or in-depth interviews (Jankowicz, 2005). There are few disadvantages of questionnaires it tells only users reaction as user perceives situation, questionnaires usually designed to fit certain situations thus it cannot tell what is right or wrong in the organization (Kirakowski, 2000), there is a possibility that a one person complete all questionnaires which would not answer research objectives effectively. 758 workers are working in switchgear department at PEL in 7 different workshops i.e. Quality Control, Maintenance, Health and Safety, Paint, Design, MV Equipment Workshop and LV Equipment Workshop. Simple random sampling has been used to select the samples. In random sampling few important issues can be a problem such as how long is the employee working with organization, what are personal issues of workers and management, a new employee may not be aware of organizational engagement practices. N = Total population = 758 N = Sample size =190 n/N = 190/758 (y sample size is 190?) A pilot research Questionnaires will be sent to 20 workers so that result of those questionnaires can be compared against the research objectives. Improvements will be made after pilot test if required any. Final questionnaires will be sent via e-mail to person who is coordinating with researcher from PEL he will print out all questionnaires for researchers time saving purpose. These questions are specially designed for workers who are important entity of this research, questions would be closed. So that workers can easily answer that without hesitating and without wasting anytime. Telephonic Semi-Structured Interviews with Executives In this research third method for data collection is telephonic semi-structured interview with executives so that they can discuss every aspect of employee engagement related to asked questions. Semi-structured interviews are non-standardised interviews and are often referred to as qualitative research interviews (King, 2004). 24 executives are working in Switchgear Department at PEL. One executive from each section of Switchgear Department will be interviewed telephonically who has minimum one year experience in PEL. There is a flexibility in semi-structured interviews that researcher can ask more questions or omit some questions in particular interviews. No need to encourage interviewee because they can ask questions from interviewer. Semi-structured interviews not only provide answer to research questions, but the reasons for answers. Individual interviewee can discuss sensitive issues easily and freely depending on how sensitive the issue is. There are also some disadvantages of semi-structured interviews such as it is difficult to collate more, difficult to control interviewee it can bring a lot of unnecessary information and it can be time consuming (Saunders et al, 2007). It might be difficult to evaluate nonverbal behaviour of interviewee. Response from interviewee may be very quick and interviewer has to be very quick to record all discussion. Triangulation Combination of different methods to collect primary data effectively can be said triangulation (Bryman, 2004). Use of more than one method to understand one phenomenon broadly and more clearly (Veal 2005). Three different methods have been used for the effectiveness of triangulation, validation and reliability of data in research secondary data from the organization, questionnaires from worker and semi-structured interviews from executives. Validation and Reliability of Data:

Giorgione: the Adoration of the Shepherds Essay -- Italian Art Paintin

Artist: Giorgione (*1477/1478; † 25.10.1510) Title: The Adoration of the Shepherds The Adoration of the Shepherd about 1505, oil on panel, 35 4/5" x 43 4/5" (91 x 111cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA This essay attempts to describe analyze and evaluate the famous painting "The Adoration of the Shepherd" by Giorgione (originally Giorgio Barbarelli). In the following essay there will be three main sections: 1 Inventory - (WHAT?) 2 Formal Analysis - (HOW?) 3 Interpretation/Meaning (WHY?) The Inventory (I) will include: a.) subject matter b.) function/intention c.) description The Formal Analysis (II) will include: a.) Pictorial Elements i. Line ii. Form and shape iii. Colour iv. Space b.) Pictorial Elements i. Balance ii. Emphasis iii. Contrast iv. Pattern The Interpretation/Meaning (III) will be written without any guideline points, the aim of this part will be to determine what the painter wanted to express with his piece of work and what it tells us in a symbolic or not instantly clear way. This part will also handle why the artist drew the painting the way he did it and why he chose various techniques or tools. 1. About the Painter Giorgione or Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco was born in 1477 or 1478, the exact date is not known, in Castelfranco. Even though there were no more than about twenty paintings officially associated with him, of which only about six are attributed to him without doubt, his originality was so powerful that these few works have come to represent not only the first stage in the Venice High Renaissance, but a new trend in Italian art as well. Surviving documentation of his life and work is sparse. Giorgione d... ...aw the background so detailed? Giorgione "loved to paint landscapes." Especially in "The Adoration of the shepherds" you can see how much effort he invested in painting a detailed background in form of a piece of coast and part of a village. When isolated this part takes on a life of its own (If concentrating you can see tiny details such as two persons standing at the edge of the coast. Why is there a cow in the back of the cave? This cave is a stable and Jesus was born in a stable. This is the place where the messiahs saw daylight for the very first time in his life. The houses in the background are probably part of Bethlehem. What's the meaning of the completely blue sky in the background? Blue is the colour of hope and the birth of Jesus is the beginning of hope. Bibliography Discovering Art History; Gerald F. Brommer; Davis Publications, Inc.

Proposal “Violence Against Women”

Shantel Jones Professor Sara Yu Eng. 121-111 15 April 2013 â€Å"Violence Against Women† The research proposal I am preparing is going to be addressing violence against women and the challenges they face when children are involved in the household. The aim of the research is to view how these challenges are overcome and give way to women rights and their political rights (nineteenth amendment). In the early 1990’s over half a million American women were raped.In 1994 congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which forbids the state from interfering with women’s citizenship and political rights. Starting from domestic abuse to rape as a weapon of war, violence against women is a gross violation of their human rights. Global issues of violence against women not only does it frighten women's health and their social and economic health, violence also hinders global efforts to reduce poverty. Violence against women falls in several different categories.Do mestic violence occurs between man and women. Domestic violence is one of the main issues in most parental abduction cases. The article also talks about custody battles and how visitation should go when it comes to the children. Domestic violence has been defined in various ways in the legal, social science, and psychology fields. Within the legal field alone, the term carries a different meaning depending on whether state or federal law governs and whether a case arises in the criminal or civil sphere.According to Deborah Goelman under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), â€Å"domestic violence includes the following: [F]elony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction rece iving grant monies, or by any other adult person against a victim who is protected from that person's acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies. † This topic is of interest to me because as a woman studying the laws on women’s right helps you to become more knowledgeable in society. If the world does not address the issue, it stands to suppress the enormous potential of women and girls. When they feel safe, when they are empowered, women and girls can be game-changers. What I hope to gain from this research project is different ways to deal with domestic violence if I was to ever come in contact with a violent individual.

Free Essays on War On Cancer

In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon declared the â€Å"War on Cancer.† Despite the huge amount of funds dedicated to the research, little progress in actually finding the cure for cancer has been made. Since President Nixon launched the nation's war on cancer [more than] 25 years ago, [over] $25 billion has been spent fighting the disease. While scientists' understanding of the biology of cancer has greatly expanded, cancer incidence and mortality rates of the majority of the cancers have continued to climb. Lack of success to cure the illness is due to the complexity of the disease in addition to the money in the politics. Despite the fact that a cure hasn’t been found, there are no grounds to be able to say that significant progress has not been made. The scientific community has made leaps and bounds in the direction of finding the cure. Cancer is feared like no other illness. It is not racist or judgmental; its victims have no distinct characteristics. It strikes the young, the old, the healthy, the weak, and in virtually any bodily tissue. The only real cure today is prevention, and ignorance to the disease only allows it to grow stronger; sometimes even this isn’t enough. It not only crosses racial boundaries, but the limits of science. Cancer cells divide without restraint, cross borders they were meant to respect, and fail to display the characteristics of the cell lineage from which they were derived. With the death rate from heart disease going down and the cancer death rate rising, cancer is expected to become the nation's leading cause of death in less than a decade (Advances in Cancer Research). At first, cancer was believed to be the result of environmental factors such as pollution, second hand smoke (also known as environmental cancer smoke), radon in the home, and benzene in the air. Then, it was believed that by avoiding these environmental factors, and obeying certain behavioral factors, one wo... Free Essays on War On Cancer Free Essays on War On Cancer In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon declared the â€Å"War on Cancer.† Despite the huge amount of funds dedicated to the research, little progress in actually finding the cure for cancer has been made. Since President Nixon launched the nation's war on cancer [more than] 25 years ago, [over] $25 billion has been spent fighting the disease. While scientists' understanding of the biology of cancer has greatly expanded, cancer incidence and mortality rates of the majority of the cancers have continued to climb. Lack of success to cure the illness is due to the complexity of the disease in addition to the money in the politics. Despite the fact that a cure hasn’t been found, there are no grounds to be able to say that significant progress has not been made. The scientific community has made leaps and bounds in the direction of finding the cure. Cancer is feared like no other illness. It is not racist or judgmental; its victims have no distinct characteristics. It strikes the young, the old, the healthy, the weak, and in virtually any bodily tissue. The only real cure today is prevention, and ignorance to the disease only allows it to grow stronger; sometimes even this isn’t enough. It not only crosses racial boundaries, but the limits of science. Cancer cells divide without restraint, cross borders they were meant to respect, and fail to display the characteristics of the cell lineage from which they were derived. With the death rate from heart disease going down and the cancer death rate rising, cancer is expected to become the nation's leading cause of death in less than a decade (Advances in Cancer Research). At first, cancer was believed to be the result of environmental factors such as pollution, second hand smoke (also known as environmental cancer smoke), radon in the home, and benzene in the air. Then, it was believed that by avoiding these environmental factors, and obeying certain behavioral factors, one wo...

Creating High-Quality Content With Geoffrey Keating From Intercom

Creating High-Quality Content With Geoffrey Keating From Intercom There are some companies that have extremely high standards for the industry that they’re in. When it comes to content teams, one of the best is Intercom. Today we’re going to be talking to Geoffrey Keating, an editor for the Intercom content team. He’s going to let us in on his secrets when it comes to the jobs-to-be-done theory, how to create unique content, and how keep yourself on schedule by planning and prioritizing. Some of the highlights of the show include: Information about Intercom and what Geoffrey does there. Thoughts on crafting a message that reaches the readers where they are. The types of content and marketing collateral produced by Geoffrey’s team. How a small team gets all of the work completed that needs to be done. Why Geoffrey shies away from calling himself a content marketer. What Jobs-to-be-Done is and how it can help people create better content and better reach and engage with their target audience. The four main â€Å"buckets† that the Intercom team draws its ideas from when developing unique content. Geoffrey’s best advice for marketers who are not happy with the status quo. Powered by PodcastMotor Actionable Content Marketing powered by By AMP040: How To Create Exceptionally High-Quality Content With Geoffrey Keating From Intercom 00:00/00:00 1x 100 > Download file Subscribe on iTunes Leave Review Share Links: Geoffrey on LinkedIn Intercom Jobs-to-be-done method BaseCamp Groove HQ Priceonomics If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Geoffrey: â€Å"I like to think of us as the internal journalist of the company. We’re always digging for our latest scoops.† â€Å"When someone buys a drill, they’re looking to drill a 3/4 inch hole you want to make progress in your life. That’s what Jobs-to-be-Done is. It’s about understanding the emotions that drive people to buy the products.† â€Å"My main advice for anyone working content marketing or starting at a content team is make sure that you have a really, really clear opinion about the world.†

Customer service questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Customer service questions - Essay Example Visibility is a largÐ µ part of gÐ µtting thÐ µ mÐ µssagÐ µ of Ð µthical compliancÐ µ out to a concÐ µrnÐ µd public. This is a complicatÐ µd issuÐ µ bÐ µcausÐ µ of thÐ µ split bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn Ð µthics-as-institutional-policy and Ð µthics-as-individual-consciÐ µncÐ µ, but a sÐ µnsÐ µ of balancÐ µ can at lÐ µast bÐ µ sought by thÐ µ institution of PR campaigns strÐ µssing thÐ µ importancÐ µ of corporatÐ µ Ð µthics as an impÐ µrativÐ µ, and I was happy to bÐ µ a contributing tÐ µam mÐ µmbÐ µr in such a campaign. WhÐ µn thÐ µ campaign startÐ µd, thÐ µ company bÐ µgan by strÐ µssing sharÐ µd vision and Ð µthical unity among thÐ µir Ð µmployÐ µÃ µs and put forth its codÐ µs of Ð µthics and Ð µthics rÐ µviÐ µw boards in thÐ µ Ð µffort to focus company attÐ µntion on thÐ µ importancÐ µ of Ð µthical bÐ µhavior in thÐ µ workplacÐ µ. This is anothÐ µr bÐ µnÐ µfit of making crÐ µativÐ µ dÐ µcisions in managÐ µmÐ µnt through ut ilizing tÐ µamwork. YÐ µt anothÐ µr bÐ µnÐ µfit is that thÐ µ unity that binds thÐ µ group togÐ µthÐ µr will furthÐ µr idÐ µas of Ð µqual participation. ThÐ µrÐ µ arÐ µ plÐ µnty of pÐ µoplÐ µ who arÐ µ contÐ µnt to bÐ µ a tÐ µam mÐ µmbÐ µr, but this Ð µxpÐ µriÐ µncÐ µ taught mÐ µ how Ð µffÐ µctivÐ µ lÐ µadÐ µrship and Ð µffÐ µctivÐ µ tÐ µamwork pattÐ µrns can hÐ µlp Ð µnsurÐ µ that Ð µvÐ µryonÐ µ involvÐ µs bÐ µcomÐ µs a rÐ µal tÐ µam playÐ µr.

The Change in Business Office Manager - Problem Solving Case Study

The Change in Business Office Manager - Problem Solving - Case Study Example There could be diverse reactions from the business office staff upon hearing of the change that ranges from anxiety, confusion, relief, and a lot of questioning. Changes are often met initially with resistance as new processes or, in this situation, a new business office manager, could be perceived as threatening to disrupt equilibrium and the status quo. 3. What do you believe would have been the level of stress among the department’s staff before the change was announced and immediately after the change was announced? Why the difference, if any? I believe that the level of stress among the department’s staff before the change was announced was significantly high because lack of information would cause anxiety and fear on their job security and status. However, immediately after the change was announced, the level of stress is potentially lowered, especially when it was noted that a new manager is ready to assume the position. 4. What can the two working supervisors do to help control the stress level in the group during the week spent waiting for the new manager? The two working supervisors could assure the group that a new manager would already meet them on Monday and so, in the meantime, they could advise the staff to prepare to complete all responsibilities and tasks, as expected. This is important so that when the new manager comes, their department is ready to address whatever issues or concerns that could possibly be asked by the new manager within their department. The problem with the situation is the increasing workload within the department. The facts that were noted are increasing workload causing stress within the current staff; one staff is currently on leave making them undermanned; and the present number of personnel trying to keep up with the expanding workload. This is the identified problem because the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and growing work demands all come from this root cause.  Ã‚