Perceived Stress and Academic Achievement a Comparative...

Introduction This research is an attempt to examine the perceived level of stress and academic achievement between boarders and day scholars. Increased technology, more competition, and schedule overload affect the quality of student’s performance due to inability to manage their stress levels. College students may neglect their physical and emotional well being due to pressure to perform well in their classes, and lack of time management and stress management practices.Although proper nutrition, physical activity, various coping techniques and practices can enhance academic performance as well as health and well being, education and awareness programs are essential to implementing these practices. For the last five decades the term stress†¦show more content†¦Their study took into account a variety of factors that can diminish a student’s academic performance. Factors such as fraternity and sorority activities, job responsibilities, or having a boyfriend or girlfriend taking away from valuable time. One extraneous variable that was taken into account was that at most universities students involved in activities such as fraternities or sororities, and also athletics, must maintain an acceptable GPA to participate. This factor by itself could attribute to these students GPAs being higher than the average college student. This study did not take into account a main factor that a lot of college students have to deal with, having children and families to care for. Today more and more people are deciding to return to college after being out in the work force. Coming back to college puts high demands on older people, who sometimes have family already. This factor of h aving a family could itself contribute to a lower GPA, but one study looked at this factor of family and found the contrary. What helped these students was the support they found within the University, support such as childcare services, and also courses in how to hone superior studying skills (Hammer, Grigsby, Woods, 1998). One extraneous factor in the study of family and school demands was that most of the students surveyed were only part-time students and therefore not a representative sample of the general college population. There are also a number ofShow MoreRelatedA Study On Need For Mentoring1814 Words   |  8 PagesMYSOREKAR (2012) made a study on Need for mentorship to improve learning in low-performers in which he investigated that failure in academics between undergraduate medical students is because of reasons such as stress, hostel accommodation and language barrier. It was observed that Lifestyle in a hostel likewise were a crucial stress-inducing aspect, from the view that day-scholars undergo the pressure of daily commuting among the university and home. Language problems can easily hamper proper understandingRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagesresponsible for the content of third party internet sites. ISBN: 978-0-273-73557-1 (printed) ISBN: 978-0-273-73552-6 (web) All rights reserved. Permission is hereby given for the material in this publication to be reproduced for OHP transparencies and student handouts, without express permission of the Publishers, for educational purposes only. In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanicalRead MoreService Innovation in Hospitality Industry18482 Words   |  74 Pagesamong them (from a linear model to a netlike model) where it injects Hotel Industry with new vitality. Both competitive advantage s and potential problems that might arise from the service innovation are subsequently discussed. At last, a further analysis is made on the China market in order to show the possibility of that business entering into China. I Acknowledgements Acknowledgements are given to all the people who supported me with the dissertation. First, I am deeply indebted to my supervisorsRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesmain issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysis The Pharmaceutical Industry could be used. However, if the purpose is more focused – illustrating the use of ‘ï ¬ ve forces’ analysis – the TUI case study or Illustration 2.3 on The Steel Industry could be used. Some cases are written entirely from published sources but most have been prepared in cooperation with

Gender and Relationships Essay - 935 Words

Gender and Relationships The history of courtship and dating has evolved over the years and there are major gender differences that impact personal relationships dealing with males and females. Focusing on romantic relationships, we will look into Stewarts and Arlisss distinctive theories on views, expectations, and desires of being in a commitment with an individual. Some believe the longer the courtship, the better chance of being in a real relationship, possibly the rest of your life with this person. Today we live in a fast paced society were things like â€Å"being steady† is not the norm anymore and everything has sped up since the 1950s. The Purpose of marriage has shifted from economic necessity to†¦show more content†¦In Science Directs journal article they conducted experiments to see what makes a relationship work and what can make them fail. â€Å"We argued that the social construction of more serious sexual involvements requires time, energy, and resources. These costs have th e effect of screening out individuals who are unwilling to invest in their partners. Alternatively, they encourage â€Å"we† identities and attachment in couples through social construction.† (Paik 749) My mother dated my father fourteen years before marrying him and making that commitment to be there through thick and thin. Another wise decision my mother made was to try living together before getting married, so they could both adjust to the different settings of home life together. When I came along my mom and dad worked opposite shifts so they could have the opportunity of taking care of me separately in the earlier years. Both of my parents worked full time jobs and challenged the stereotypical role of the â€Å"stay at home mother† and â€Å"working father†. â€Å"Aggression and Physical Violence is another appeal in Stewarts theory, which can lead to horrible emotion and mental problems.† (Power Point Stewart) When conflict arose between the two my father never used any physical abuse towards my mother and she knew how to just walk away and talk about the issue later when things had calmed down. â€Å"Stewart reports reasons why men and women encounter conflict when together that can result in breakup. HeShow MoreRelatedRacial Relationships And Same Gender Relationships1000 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Army values. Army fraternization policies are contained in Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy the two articles are Article 92 and Article 134. Article 92 covers â€Å"unprofessional† relationships and Article 134 covers fraternization. The Army fraternization policy s definition is that relationships between soldiers of different rank are prohibited if they Compromise, or appear to compromise, the integrity of supervisory authority or the chain of command. Cause actual or perceived partialityRead MoreThe Relationship of Gender and Language1812 Words   |  8 PagesAn interest in the relationship between ge nder and language use has sparked a wide array of studies since the 1960s . Researchers then began questioning the assumption that the different genders, as well as the language patterns associated with them, were biologically determined . While a vast part of the general public still adheres to the notion that there is a natural dichotomy between two completely distinct genders—male and female—it is now widely established in academic circles that this isRead MoreRelationship Between Gender Bias And Gender Essay2236 Words   |  9 PagesThis study focuses on the relationship between gender bias, gender ideology, and gender roles in everyday life. The study analyzes how differences in gender affect professors’ behavior in the classroom. My research question is how do men and women view professors’ treatment of students based on gender? Some basic guiding questions are: In your opinion and experience, do professors treat certain groups of students diffe rently? Who are these students? Specifically, do professors treat men vs. womenRead MoreThe Portrayal Of Gender Relationships2214 Words   |  9 PagesThe relationships between the characters are problematic due to their sometimes skewed moral compass. Despite their questionable behaviour in these relationships the reader’s been to use the novel as a mirror to make the reader question themselves in their identification with these characters. The portrayal of problematic interracial relationships works as a strength in The Lonely Londoners whereas the result of them in Small Island means the characters do not entirely garner our sympathy. In bothRead MoreRelationship Between Gender And Math1220 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Question What is the relationship between genders and math comfortability when controlling for class type? Hypotheses Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no statistically significant relationship between gender and math comfortability when controlling for class type. Alternative Hypothesis (HA): There is a statistically significant relationship between gender and math comfortability when controlling for class type. Variables Independent Variables (IV): Gender coded 0 = Male, 1= Female Read MoreGender Interaction and Relationships Essay731 Words   |  3 Pagescan be intense as girls, but they are based less on talking and more on doing things together(232). These social structures in our society have proven later on to end millions of American marriages. If at a early age boy and girls were not raised on gender segregation then the communication between man and woman later in life would be much smoother and possibly save a lot of marriages. The role that plays into a childs communication ability leads into how male and female interact with oneRead MoreGender Differences Of Romantic Relationships1722 Words   |  7 Pages Research Paper 1: Gender Differences in Romantic Relationships Elizabeth Medina Winona State University â€Æ' Research Paper 1: Gender Stereotypes in Romantic Relationships Monogamy is not realistic; at least that is what Amy learned from her father. As a little girl, Amy was drilled with the idea that monogamy is not realistic by her cheating father and she truly took that to heart. Amy portrays a happy, promiscuous women working in New York City as a men’s magazine writer. She goes throughRead MoreRelationships Between Communication And Gender1073 Words   |  5 Pagescommunicating might be perhaps the most difficult aspect of life and relationships. In this article we will focus and examine closely at relationships between communication and gender. We will consider three communications that misapprehend certain issues. â€Å"Language is one of our most complex symbol systems.† (Gendered Lives) We are taught a language that reflects and supports cultural values and opinions, involving those concerning gender. So much that it can become an existing feeling or habit. One commonRead MoreRelationship Between Gender And Jobs1521 Words   |  7 PagesResearch Question and Main Concepts To examine the relationship between gender and jobs which are pursued after attaining a graduate or post-graduate degree I would ask a question as follows: The purpose of this study is to examine whether, among college-educated individuals, there is a correlation between gender and the careers pursued following the conclusion of their education. By asking the question in this way, I introduce all of the concepts which are necessary to complete my study. By takingRead MoreSexuality And Gender Relationship Values1874 Words   |  8 Pages Sexuality and Gender Relationship Values in Young Adulthood Michelle Moreno Union Institute and University Human Growth and Development CPM 506 Dr. Andrew Vengrove August 16, 2014 Abstract This scholarly paper focuses on sexuality and relationship values in young adulthood. It will draw mostly on the relationship values of gender, marriage, and sexual orientation. Other than for procreation, very little research has been done that has not involved western cultures. Because of this lack of

The Effects of Social Norms on Society free essay sample

The Effects of Social Norms on Society In a world where routine is dominant and change is difficult to adhere by, social norms have become major assets for a smoothly functioning day. With the experiment of breaking normative behavior I wanted to do something subtle yet startling. Sometimes the smallest changes in behavior receive the toughest adjustments. First impressions have a strong influence on a person’s relationship with someone else. With that being said, I decided to change the way I went about greeting people. The opening greeting of shaking hands and smiling has become so common it has lost value and become routine. The subtle change I made to my greeting was that I decided to only say my name in a monotone voice and shake hands with the wrong hand, leading to responses of surprise, unease, and sometimes anger. With most people being right handed, I have made the assumption that this could be why the common greeting is to shake with one’s right hand. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effects of Social Norms on Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The â€Å"normal† greeting is to smile, say hello, and shake with your right hand. People have taken what use to be excitement to seeing each other to going through common motions repeated multiple times. This greeting is a sign that one may have come from a proper upbringing and family, possibly middle to upper class. It is also taken as a common sign of acceptance to strangers meeting for the first time. My sample size of people ranged from people of all ages and relationships to me. I decided I would greet with a plain face and state my name and reach out with my left hand with all introductions. People who did not know me well believed I was unpleasant and felt awkward. My new greeting was taken with surprise, as people who know me well believed I was in a bad mood or having a bad day. If I don’t do the norm I’m considered upset and negative. From the experiment I learned that people commonly receive me as joyful and energetic. In a way my own personal norm has evolved into me being upbeat whether my day has been good or bad. All people react to different stimuli in their own way. With that being said, I was surprised to find that out of the 20+ people I greeted against the norm, only one gave my greeting a â€Å"normal† response without interruption. The lone person was a 12 year old boy I see regularly and he just continued what he was doing without a hint of awkwardness. The older people would teach and try to correct what they took as my â€Å"ignorance† toward a common greeting. A few of these older experimentees actually refused to shake my hand unless it was a right handed shake. People around the same age as me were awkward with a sarcastic manner, laughed, or just went ahead and shook my left hand after a moment of hesitation. With all the immediate responses having large variance, the most correlated response was that people thought there was something wrong with my well-being and tried to cheer me up. The overall response to the experiment ended up being quite humorous. It also opened my eyes to how much the people in my life care about me. While I expected the awkward moments, I expected more people to just go along with it and not be startled. Even the slightest changes in one’s actions can affect the response and mood of how people interact with one another. In this case, it was subtle yet changed the entire complexion of the exchanges between the people I intercepted. With responses ranging from laughter to confusion, the smallest changes in normative behavior can have most astonishing results.

The Top Block free essay sample

My mom told me to think of this job as a building block to something better. It’s not my ideal job, but soon, maybe, I can work somewhere else. As I pulled up to the three story, hotel looking building, I couldn’t help but notice the color– gray. A dreary gray, a boring gray. How depressing. Serving food to old people in this gray building was not something that looked or sounded enjoyable. But I wasn’t in a position to decline. I felt like the color of the building. I was slow, and my questions were irritating. I knew I could do better, but for some reason I wasn’t. My mom told me it takes time to learn new things, but I didn’t want to take the time. I wanted to be as good as everyone else working there. I didn’t want to be slow and clumsy. We will write a custom essay sample on The Top Block or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But I guess my mom knew best, because I sped up and I got to know the people I served. They weren’t just old people anymore. They became Mary form the second floor who likes two cups of ice at every meal, so she can take them to her room. And Sy who, when impatient, taps his glass with his fork. And Dottie, who makes her grand entrance ten minutes late to every meal, and is always the last one to leave. I learned their quirks and their personalities, and suddenly, the job wasn’t so terrible. I didn’t notice the gray anymore. And I started to realize that this was the ideal job, and there weren’t anymore building blocks. This job was the building block—the top block. Of course, working in a nursing home has its downsides. Every so often, someone will disappear from the dining room, and their empty chair reminds us of the gray again. But other people take their place and it becomes normal, and the gray again recedes. After seven months of working here, I’m still the same in some ways. I’m still that clumsy server who drops silverware and the occasional plate. But my outlook is different. I try to not notice the gray in life, and when I do, I don’t dwell on it. Because the gray will eventually go away. And why does Mary take the ice up to her room? We’ll its been eight months and I still don’t know.

Essay on Student Advertising and Fallon

Essay on Student Advertising and Fallon Essay on Student: Advertising and Fallon Right from the start, Minneapolis-based advertising agency Fallon Worldwide set its sights on the global marketplace. In fact, company founders Pat Fallon and Fred Senn recruited employees from as far away as Australia, Europe, and South America. Fallon, Senn, and their associates built an agency with a reputation for creativity and innovations, winning praise-and major industry awards-for many of their ads. Then in 1999, with an impressive portfolio of successful homegrown advertising campaigns already making his company (then called Fallon McElligott) the talk of the industry, Fallon met business executive Robert Senior in London. Fallon had been searching for his first foreign partners in Britain, and Senior and his colleagues were quick to jump on board. Within a year, the Fallon London office had a dozen top clients and billings of $40 million. A year later, French media giant Publicis proposed a merger with the American firm. Although some worried that Fallon's reputation for highly innovative campaigns might be compromised by the presence of a new parent company, Fallon's founders knew that the only way to serve their clients on a global basis was to partner with a larger organization. In addition, rapid changes in the technological environment meant that ad agencies had to now search for new ways to serve their clients rapidly-yet with a personal touch. "It will take a new kind of branding communications company to succeed in the emerging worldwide digital economy," noted Fallon at the time,

12 Words with -join

12 Words with -join 12 Words with -join 12 Words with -join By Mark Nichol The root word join is the basis of a small group of words with some sense pertaining to unity, though many originally had a legal connotation (and some still do). Here are those words and their definitions. Join itself stems from the Latin word iungere, meaning â€Å"join together,† â€Å"unite,† or â€Å"yoke.† (In Latin, i could be pronounced as a vowel or a consonant; the latter sound was equivalent to y, which came to be pronounced like j in English.) Joint originally referred to a part of the body where two bones meet; this sense was later extended to any connecting point and to a cut of meat. Joint, as a slang term for a marijuana cigarette, might derive from the fact that it is often shared, but alternatively, it may be borrowed from earlier use of the term to describe a drug syringe, though the origin of that usage is obscure. The meaning of joint as a physical location where people met, initially in the sense of a disreputable establishment, probably derived from the idea of a smaller chamber adjoining a main room, where secret meetings, perhaps involving illegal activity, could be held. (This illicit sense probably inspired the use of joint as slang for jail or prison.) The adjectival sense of joint, meaning â€Å"sharing† or â€Å"united,† developed from the noun. Something disjointed lacks order and organization; the verb form disjoint is obsolete except in the mathematical sense of having no elements in common. A joiner is a carpenter who specializes in intricate woodworking, often involving joining pieces of wood to create boxes or furniture. The word also denotes someone with a proclivity for becoming a member of clubs or other organizations. Joinder is a word essentially confined to legal usage to refer to an act of joining together; it is also a rarely used synonym for the grammatical term conjunction. However, rejoinder, originally referring to a defendant’s answer to a charge, acquired a broader sense of a response, with the connotation of an angry reply to a critical comment. (Rejoin itself, which now means â€Å"reunite,† originally connoted a response in legal proceedings.) The similar-sounding jointure refers to a joint or an act of joining, although it is mostly used in the legal sense of settlement of an estate. Adjoin originally meant â€Å"ally† or â€Å"unite,† but the later sense of â€Å"be adjacent to† became predominant; the adjectival form is adjoining. To enjoin, usually used in a legal context, is to require or prohibit. Conjoin, meaning â€Å"come together,† is most frequently seen in its adjectival form in the phrase â€Å"conjoined twins,† referring to twins whose bodies are partially combined; conjoint is the basic adjectival form. Subjoin, meanwhile, means â€Å"add† or â€Å"append.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesHomogeneous vs. HeterogeneousEach vs. Both

Potential Opportunity for Samsung to Market in China and Vietnam Case Study

Potential Opportunity for Samsung to Market in China and Vietnam - Case Study Example In the current environment of highly competitive global business, it now needs to explore and analyze market potential for its tablet in China and Egypt. Criteria for assessing potential opportunities for Samsung Tablets in China and Egypt Sn. Factors for assessment China Egypt 1. Population/popn growth 1338 mn/nil 81 mn/1.8% 2. GDP per capita $7599 $6180 3. Poverty (%) 36.3 18.5 4. UN education index 0.623 0.560 5. Contribution of private enterprises to GDP More than 50% na 6. PDI (personal disposable income in urban area $2515 na 7. Inflation (1-7 taken from BTI, 2012) 3.3 11.3 7. Credit rating (S&P) (S&P, 2013) AA- CCC+ 8. Country risk factors Political Technological Economic Social low low low high high low low high 9. e-Business readiness yes yes 10. Business forecast for 3 years (growth rate) 2012 2013 2014 7.8 8.0 8.2 (IMF, 2013) 113.13 126.29 138.48 (HSBC, 2012) China China’s economic reforms since 1978 have opened the market for overseas business and created viable en vironment for FDI and multinationals. It has shown incredible advancement in economy to become second largest in the world in 2010, surpassing Japan and biggest exporting country in 2009 (bti, 2013). At the same time, the stimulus package of $586 billion has challenged its dependence on fixed asset and new credit of about $ 2.5 trillion in 2009-2010 could lead to inflationary trend. Though there is wide income disparity with GINI index at 0.475 and urban-rural gap widening from 2.79:1 in 2000 to 3.3:1 in 2009, per capita disposable income in urban areas being $2515 as against $755 in rural areas. South Korea is one of the most important trading partners of China with good bilateral relations. FDI at $ 105.7 billion in 2010 encouraging, especially when private enterprises contribute more than 50% of the GDP and create more than 80% of new jobs. It has relatively high disposable income which makes it attractive for overseas business, especially, tablets which have huge demand with 41% rise in its demand (Stanley Morgan report, 2011). Egypt The country is continually in a state of high political instability but surprisingly it has not affected its economic development and structural improvement. The economic reforms introduced during 2004 by the Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif have continued with focused approach. The economic reforms and liberalization has not addressed the problems of literacy and unemployment which has considerably increased poverty and income disparity across the population. 40% of 83 million population comprising of nearly 20 million people are between 18 and 29 years, most of whom are vulnerable to poverty due to lack of education and unemployment. With high inflation rate of nearly 12% and relatively low GDP growth of 5%, the most populous country of Middle East has shown negative growth in both its export and import trade (BTI, 2012). Despite market liberalization, lack of nepotism and law enforcement has adversely impacted growth of domestic and foreign businesses. There is also rampant gender discrimination and human development index has continually shown down trend. It lacks political commitment and institutional capacity to address the problem of growing illiteracy and unemployment. Recommendation for China China has stable socio-political environment with high growth in GDP which has also made it attractive for overseas business. With increasing disposable income

LAB8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LAB8 - Essay Example Take a walk of approximately one mile along a country road or walk at least 30 minutes in a city or town and record the trash that was improperly disposed of in the natural environment. (It’s a good way to get some extra exercise this week too). Use the same categories as in question #1 above, but be more specific (i.e., how many glass or metal cans, how many old tires, etc.) were found along your walk. Keep your eyes open for all sorts of waste, which could be defined as anything that is not natural in the environment. If you try to help the environment by picking up the refuse, please wear protective gloves. Recondition tires are retread tires; they are able to be repaired and can once again be used safely on a vehicle. Reprocessed tires are those tires that at are too damaged to be reconditioned or repaired are often reprocessed tires, can reappear and be repurposed for application as in asphalt and road ways. Firstly, coffee grounds can be added to compost when saved, they can purchase local fresh fruits and vegetables to serve at their cafà ©, they can use real cups, as opposed to paper or plastic, selling used and donated books is also a very helpful contribution that many coffee houses could make. Recycling the packaging and reusing shipping boxes can be both money saving and environmentally friendlier. Companies can also switch from traditional packing popcorn and switch to a new packing material that can be disintegrate with water when no longer needed, unlike Styrofoam. Motor Oil can be recycles and is very detrimental when simply dumped in the environment. CFCs, or Chlorofluorocarbons, found in cooling systems are environmentally damaging and should be collected. Finally, all of the cleaning solvents mechanics use to clean the working parts of vehicles, these should be collected. The Savemor’s reduce waste by maintaining household appliances and when they need replacing always invest in energy efficient

Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Marketing Strategy Essay 1. Social media advertisement such as Facebook and Twitter. Through this activity of creating advertisement, their business will be more visible to the public and will be known to the market. People would just hit share and likes, and a possibility to reach to the people who are in need of a dormitory. 2. Flyers and Print ads. Flyers will be given anywhere, like outside the school, crowded area, and offices, along the streets or in any event that the flyers could be distributed. Make sure that the flyers that will be distributed has the information that the consumer needs to know and noticeable to the market. They will post tarpaulins near schools, offices and on their designated target markets. So that people will notice and be aware of this area. 3. Commission based Referrals A form of payment to an agent for services rendered. 4. Word of Mouth Seeding a message or information to a lot of people. So that consumer has an idea were to go if they will find a Dormitory or they will refer it to someone. 5. Text Blast Forward text messages about the Dormitory of those in need and give information about the Dormitory. Action Plan 1. Product Improve services, like security guard. 2. Price Minimum of 2600, max 3500 (fixed price) Price must be affordable especially one of their target markets is students. 3. Place It has laundry area, cafeteria, rooms 4. Promotions Tarpaulin should be place near schools, terminals, along the streets. Flyers must have more specified information and must be given to students, offices, along the streets or crowded area.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher: Imagery And Parallelism :: essays research papers

The Fall of the House of Usher: Imagery and Parallelism In his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher", Edgar Allen Poe presents his reader with an intricately suspenseful plot filled with a foreboding sense of destruction. Poe uses several literary devices, among the most prevalent, however are his morbid imagery and eerie parallelism. Hidden in the malady of the main character are several different themes, which are all slightly connected yet inherently different. Poe begins the story by placing the narrator in front of the decrepit, decaying mansion of Roderick Usher. Usher summoned his childhood friend, the narrator, to his home by sending a letter detailing only a minor illness. After the narrator arrives and sees the condition of the house he becomes increasingly superstitious. When the narrator first sees his host he describes his morbid appearance and it arouses his superstition even more. Over a period of time the narrator begins to understand his friends' infliction, insanity. He tries in vane to comfort his friend and provide solace, however to no avail. When Roderick's only remaining kin, his sister Madeline dies, Rodericks insanity seems to have gone to a heightened level. Shortly after his sister's death, Roderick's friend is reading him a story. As things happen in the story, simultaneously the same description of the noises come from within the house. As Usher tries to persuade the narrator that it is his sister coming for him, and his friend believing Roderick has gone stark raving mad, Madeline comes bursting in through the door and kills her brother. The narrator flees from the house, and no sooner does he get away than he turns around and sees a fissure in the houses masonry envelop the house and then watch the ground swallow up the remains. In "The Fall of the House of Usher" Poe introduces the reader to three characters; Lady Madeline, Roderick Usher, and the narrator, whose name is never given. Lady Madelin, the twin sister of Roderick Usher, does not speak one word throughout the story. In fact she is absent from most of the story, and she and the narrator do not stay together in the same room. After the narrators arrival she takes to her bed and falls into a catatonic state. He helps to bury her and put her away in a vault, but when she reappears he flees. Before she was buried she roamed around the house quietly not noticing anything, completely overcome by her mental disorder. Roderick Usher appears to be an educated man. He comes from a wealthy family and owns a huge library.

Buddhism from a Philosophical Standpoint

When one attempts to put religion under the inquiry of philosophy, there is an important thing that must be clarified. One must be aware that philosophy is both a science of systematic thinking and a way of life. As a science, philosophy explores the ultimate causes and purposes of all things that exist. It entails adherence to rigorous logic and impassioned critique of nearly all things that may be put into question. Which is why, it is a strict rational science (if not the most rigorous one).However, one needs to equally remember that philosophy can also pertain to a principle about life, or a life-influencing belief system. To be sure, this second notion of philosophy enjoys more usage than the previous one nowadays. For instance, many self-help books promising to teach people new philosophies to help them emerge successful in life end up in bookstores as top-sellers and/or top-grosser. One can call both of them – the philosophic inquiry into things and the less rigorous ad herence to some principles about life – as philosophies in their own respects.Studying religion from a philosophical standpoint entails an inquiry figuring in two levels as well. Religion must be seen both as a subject that can be assessed, and a way of life that has to be lived. As an object of philosophic inquiry, religion must be evaluated according to the tenets it holds or the doctrines it teaches. As a way of life, religion must be seen in the context of ritual or ethical practices stemming from a belief system. Thus, in studying religion, one is able to gather philosophical analyses from certain practices and beliefs.In a way, it is the result of combining the two basic understandings of philosophy into a single framework. Rationale and Methodology The aim of this paper is to present Buddhism from the standpoint of philosophy. This means that some of the basic questions that philosophy asks shall be answered in the light of what Buddhism teaches. What could those basic questions be? First, there is a question about ontology. Under this specific inquiry, one looks at how Buddhism perceives all things that exist.Next, there is cosmology; an inquiry which enables one to ask: how does Buddhism understand the world? Other concerns include anthropology (read: how do they understand man? ) and ethics (read: how do they assess what could be morally acceptable or not). But ultimately, since Buddhism is acknowledged as one of the major religions of the world right now, a philosophic inquiry should include exploring their basic notions about God; and thus, theology. After all, religion is essentially about a â€Å"belief in Spiritual Beings† (McCutcheon, 2007, p.22) translated most frequently into a belief in a kind of God. Buddhism: History and Core Doctrines Buddhism is a religious movement which started approximately 500 years before Christ (Griffiths, 1997, p. 15). It first spread across most of the Indian peninsula, only to be dispersed outside the region later on. At present, its influence is embraced not just by Indians but also by those coming from countries which comprise the South and South East Asia region, a few areas in Japan and some provinces of China.It needs to be mentioned that Buddhism is a religious phenomenon characterized by diversity in forms and practices. Buddhism, says one author, is a â€Å"very differentiated† religion (Griffiths, 1997, p. 5). One may not find the same strain of Buddhism found, say, in South East Asia, and another one coming from, say, a southern province of India. Right now, there are a myriad of groups claiming to adhere to a unique practice of Buddhism on their own. In effect, it makes Buddhism a kind of religion that seems neither to teach nor require uniformity of doctrines from all its adherents.Buddhism is a religion that draws heavily from the inspiration lent by its recognized founder, Gautama Sakayamuni (later on to become Gautama Buddha) – a person who exempl ified for them a life of total freedom and perpetual meditation in order to arrive at an utterly blissful state called Nirvana. By and large, it is about an adherence to a lifestyle that seeks authentic enlightenment; and not about a longing for the Transcendent which most religions of the world are concerned with. For this reason, some thinkers are entertaining the idea that Buddhism is, after all, â€Å"not a religion but a way of life† (Humphreys, 1997, p.13). Buddhism, as many authors have noted, is a movement associated not so much with a set of doctrinal teachings as a â€Å"body of teachings with spiritual benefits† (Williams, 1989, p. 2). In fact, many Buddhism-inclined literatures encompass teachings not really about religious worship, but about way of living, ritual practices, devotional meditation (Mitchell, 2002, p. 1), among others. Owing much from the teachings which Gautama Buddha has left, Buddhism teaches that life is in a state of perpetual quest for enlightenment marked by a feeling of constant dissatisfaction (Williams, 1989, p.34). Buddha himself was a testament to this. After leaving home at an early age, Gautama ventured on a life-journey to seek for enlightenment; a precious state he could not seem to find in the world as he got to know it. As he tried to quell the gripping loneliness and instinctive drive to satisfy pleasures, Gautama sought answer and solace through meditation. His meditation led him to see that impermanence, dissatisfaction and a fluid sense of self constitute the basic truths of reality (Williams, 1989, pp.34-36). He further taught that a human person is really nothing, but only takes form as someone constituted by five different â€Å"aggregates† namely, â€Å"form (material constitution), sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness† (Williams, 1989, p. 37). One should now that one of the chief elements that defines the uniqueness of Buddhism lies in how they consider all things to be illusory, since they subscribe to the idea that â€Å"things are not what they seem† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20).Some of their other teachings about life include the following: value for the principle of moderation, belief in Karma and perpetual recurrence of everything that exists, belief in life’s four noble truths (life is suffering, the cause of suffering is cravings for pleasure, freedom from suffering is temperance from pleasures, and a way to stop suffering is by following the eight-fold path), and the practice of the noble eight-fold paths (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right conduct, right mindfulness and right concentration) in one’s life (Mitchell, 2002, pp. 45-47). A Philosophical AnalysisJudging from the ideas raised in the Introduction of this work, it is clear that one must consider Buddhism a type of philosophy – that is, as a way of life. Many authors have already proceeded to claim that this particular religious phenomenon is chiefly characterized by the numerous practical precepts which serve as guides towards an enlightened living. It is good to note that Buddhism, pretty much like philosophy, is concerned with the pursuit of enlightenment or truth. An enlightened self – immortalized perhaps in Western Philosophy by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – is surely the goal why one enters into philosophical discourses.In so far as Buddhism offers its own distinct ways to attain enlightenment as well, it is therefore with good reasons that one should classify this religion as philosophical in many ways. Buddhism however does not stop at stipulating suggestions for right living alone. As a system of belief, it also offers perspectives about the whole of reality. Like philosophical discourses, Buddhism is a belief system that speaks of its perspective about the ultimate realities like human existence, cosmology, human knowledge, ontology and theology.Sur ely, there is a need to look into these briefly Buddhism’s take on reality encourages an attitude of detachment on account of a belief that â€Å"everything is impermanent† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 16), and therefore in a state of constant flux. Much of Buddhism’s view about reality rests on the belief that the world is full of ‘diversity’, and the more is able to ‘reveal’ or appreciate it, the closer is one to the truth about the ever passing universe (Williams, 1989, p. 3).This idea is interestingly shared by an ancient Western philosopher that went by the name Heraclitus, who taught that â€Å"fire†- an element in a perpetual state of movement – is the basic element that constitutes reality. Buddhism, one need to remember, is not so much concerned with the rigorous definition of reality. But in so far it embraces an attitude of non-attachment in relating to all things, Buddhism has to anchor this belief system on a formidab le reason – that one’s attachment over things is futile given the fact that all things pass away.In fact, most of what Buddhism teaches is drawn from this ontological belief; and this doctrine of impermanence must be seen as a recurrent theme in its whole system of perspective. As far as Epistemology is concerned, the doctrine of impermanence is also maintained. Buddhism teaches that nothing can be known with exact certitude because all things are ephemeral and thus, as mentioned a while ago, â€Å"they are not what they seem† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 19). Everything is subject to change and passes away.Thus, one may not arrive at a definitive knowledge about things at all. Which is why, Buddha maintained that â€Å"dissatisfaction† is a constant theme that defines the feelings of all who search for knowledge or truth (Mitchell, 2002, p. 33). No one is able to know what reality is; and its appearance is often misleading. One may notice that this epistemology is actually consistent with Buddhism’s anthropology, or, its understanding of human nature. If one checks the teachings of Buddha about man, one can clearly see the doctrine of impermanence as patent in it too.Buddha believes that human nature is nothing but a constitution of events called materiality, sensation, conceptualization, volition and consciousness (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20). This type of anthropology views man not as an existing individual substance (which most of Western Philosophy have understood what human nature is), but an â€Å"impermanent self† constituted by personal events (Griffith, 1997, p. 20). Cosmology for Buddhism follows the same line of logic. Constant flux is patent in its belief that the world follows a rhythm of birth and rebirth, of cycle and current, of existence and passage.The bulk of Buddhism’s teachings therefore solemnly enjoin its adherents to develop an attitude of detachment. Anchored on a belief that nothing in this world ever remains the same over a period of time, Buddhism points that the path towards Nirvana – or ultimate sense of bliss – lies in a state of total freedom from what this world actually offers. Lastly, it is quite interesting to point out that Buddhism rarely engages in a question about the ultimate reality or God. Broadly speaking, the whole philosophy of impermanence is at odds with a concept of deity.The general theory about God stipulates that ‘It† is a Supreme Being defined by eternality, omniscience, omnipotence and changelessness. In a belief system where the central truth about reality rests on the ephemeral nature of all things, the concept of God is really something hard to conceive (Griffiths, 1997, p. 22). How can there be such a Being when the general characteristic of all things – supposedly including God – is change and flux? More importantly, one can ask: how can one consider Buddhism a religion at all if one is not willing to r econcile its theology with its ontology?Griffith believes that the metaphysics of impermanence makes Buddhism deny the existence of God all together (Griffith, 1997, p. 23). But the image of Buddha as the exemplification of their quest for a transcendent end, translated in Nirvana, is perhaps the only figure of deity Buddhism actually posses. Conclusion Buddhism is both a philosophy and a religious movement. As a philosophy, it offers its adherents a way of life observed in a tradition marked by meditation, introspection, constant purgation of desire and an unending quest for enlightenment.As a religious movement, it is concerned with the pursuit of â€Å"transcendent ends† (Slater, 1978, p. 6) they call Nirvana. Buddhism offers its own understanding of reality too. Its doctrines are highly influenced by the teachings of its founder Gautama Buddha. In this paper, it has been noted that their belief system can also be evaluated under the categories which Western philosophy use s – metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, anthropology and theology.These aspects are given meaning by a pervading concept of impermanence and dissatisfaction. Buddhism draws largely from a belief that everything in the world is impermanent, and that all people are enjoined to meet it with an attitude of detachment and self-control. The path towards true enlightenment happens only when one is able to see beyond what reality offers, and seek the true meaning of existence that lies only within. References Humphreys, C. (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Buddhism.Chicago: NTC. Griffiths, P. Buddhism. In Quinn, P. & Taliaferro, C. (Eds. ), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion. Massachusetts: Blackwell. McCutcheon, R. (2007). Studying Religion. An Introduction. London: Equinox. Mitchell, D. (2002). Introducing the Buddhist Experience. New York: Oxford University Slater, P. (1978). The Dynamics of Religion. Meaning and Change in Religious Traditions. San Francisco: Harper and Row. Wi lliams, P. (1989). Mahayana Buddhism. Doctrinal Foundations. New York: Routledge.

A Water Concessioners Porters 5 Forces Analysis Essay

1. Rivalry among existing competitors- Low to Non-Existent. Since it is under concession agreement, there is no other water utility company that can engage any business similar to A Water Utility concessioner, unless granted by the government under special agreement and with full knowledge and approval of A Water Utility concessioner. 2. Threat of new entrants- Low to Non-Existent. Companies that may want to apply for the concession must first comply with government requirements and also must have a substantial amount of capital investment (around 6 Billion Dollars starting capital), not to mention the technical expertise to run and maintain a water utility company. 3. Bargaining Power of Supplier- Medium. Although the primary raw material of A Water Utility concessioner is water which is basically free, the materials used for distribution line maintenance and expansion are quite few. Though this is the case, A Water Utility concessioner still has a slight control on the pricing of these materials unless the raw materials for these items like resin, steel, alum coagulating chemical used in treating raw water), etc. increases. 4. Bargaining Power of Customer- Medium. This is due to the regulated tariff by the government under the MWSS Regulatory office which deals directly with A Water Utility concessioner. 5. Threat of Substitute- Low. The small water refilling stations also get their water from A Water Utility concessioner. With regards to larger water bottling companies, this is just a small portion of the pie which A Water Utility concessioner can manage to absorb. Other than water for drinking purposes, there is no substitute for A Water Utility concessioner’s service. In summary, the water service providing business of A Water Utility concessioner is very viable with very little or non-existing threats of new entrants and rivals, with a very manageable bargaining power for both suppliers and customers and virtually no substitute. As a business strategy, A Water Utility concessioner’s main goal is to provide outstanding service to its customers for both water and waste water services and become a world class water utility company.

Gases - General Properties of Gases

Gases - General Properties of Gases A gas is a form of matter that lacks a defined shape or volume. Gases share important properties, plus there are equations you can use to calculate what will happen to the pressure, temperature, or volume of a gas if conditions are changed. Gas Properties There are three gas properties that characterize this state of matter: Compressibility - Gases are easy to compress.Expandability - Gases expand to completely fill their containers.Because particles are less ordered than in liquids or solids, the gas form of the same substance occupies much more space.   All pure substances display similar behavior in the gas phase. At 0 ° C and 1 atmosphere of pressure, one mole of every gas occupies about 22.4 liters of volume. Molar volumes of solids and liquids, on the other hand, vary greatly from one substance to another. In a gas at 1 atmosphere, the molecules are approximately 10 diameters apart. Unlike liquids or solids, gases occupy their containers uniformly and completely. Because molecules in a gas are far apart, it is easier to compress a gas than it is to compress a liquid. In general, doubling the pressure of a gas reduces its volume to about half of its previous value. Doubling the mass of gas in a closed container doubles its pressure. Increasing the temperature of a gas enclosed in a container increases its pressure. Important Gas Laws Because different gases act similarly, it is possible to write a single equation relating volume, pressure, temperature, and quantity of gas. This Ideal Gas Law and the related Boyles Law, Law of Charles and Gay-Lussac, and Daltons Law are central to understanding the more complex behavior of real gases. Ideal Gas Law: The ideal gas law relates the pressure, volume, quantity, and temperature of an ideal gas. The law applies to real gases at normal temperature and low pressure. PV nRTBoyles Law: At constant temperature, the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. PV k1Law of Charles and Gay-Lussac: These two ideal gas laws are related.  Charless law states at constant pressure, the volume of an ideal gas is directly proportional to temperature.  Gay-Lussacs law says at constant volume, the pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature. V k2T (Charless Law), Pi/Ti   Pf/Tf (Gay-Lussacs Law)Daltons Law: Daltons law is used to find pressures of individual gases in a gaseous mixture. Ptot Pa Pbwhere:P is pressure, Ptot is total pressure, Pa and Pb are component pressuresV is volumen is a  number of molesT is temperaturek1 and k2 are constants

3 Sentences Demonstrating the Power of the Comma

3 Sentences Demonstrating the Power of the Comma 3 Sentences Demonstrating the Power of the Comma 3 Sentences Demonstrating the Power of the Comma By Mark Nichol The three sentences that follow illustrate the importance of the inclusion or omission of a comma can have in easing comprehension of a sentence. 1. After two hours at the bar, Jones said Smith was too drunk to drive, and Smith insisted that Jones take him home. This sentence erroneously implies that two hours after Jones and Smith arrived at a bar, Jones made the statement (to Smith?) that Smith was too drunk to drive; it seems odd that after Jones confronted Smith, the latter would demand a ride home. However, Jones is relating, much later (and to another party), the fact that two hours after they arrived at the bar, Smith was too drunk to drive; his demand for a ride was not in response to a confrontational comment. Inserting a comma after said to make â€Å"Jones said† a parenthetical attribution clarifies that Jones made the statement later, not that night: â€Å"After two hours at the bar, Jones said, Smith was too drunk to drive, and Smith insisted that Jones take him home.† 2. Smith admitted that he knew about the design side, but he didn’t know a whole heck of a lot about the manufacturing side. As written, this sentence suggests that although Smith acknowledged aloud that he was familiar with design, he apparently kept to himself his ignorance of manufacturing. However, though the context is not clear in isolation, Smith gave both pieces of information. In order to communicate that fact, the two components of the sentence must be parallel (â€Å"he admitted this and that†), and the comma must be omitted: â€Å"He admitted that he knew about the design side but he didn’t know a whole heck of a lot about the manufacturing side.† (A repeat of that can be inserted after but, though it is optional.) 3. This is the final known image of actor Robin Williams posing with a fan. This caption accompanying a photograph of Williams and an unidentified person can be read two ways: It is the last one he took with an admirer before his death (and the appearance of another person in the photo is important), or it is the last photograph taken of him before he died (and it just happens that it was taken with a fan). Even out of context, the first interpretation is suspect; unless the article the photo accompanies specifically pertains to the distinction of Williams being photographed with a fan (not likely), it’s almost certain that the fan’s presence in the photo is irrelevant to the distinction of the picture as the last one known to feature Williams before his death, and the phrase â€Å"posing with a fan† should be treated as a dependent clause: â€Å"This is the final known image of actor Robin Williams, posing with a fan.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†Connotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleWhat Is a Doctor?

Derivative and Integral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Derivative and Integral - Essay Example Let a is a number in the domain of f and Lim/h->0 [f(a+h)-f(a)]/h exists, then f is said to be differentiable at a. This limit is called the derivative of f at a and is denoted by f’(a).For all x at which f(x) is differentiable ,f’(x) is a function called the derived function of f(x) .The domain of f’(x) is the subset of f(x).f’(x) is sometimes called as the derivative or the differential coefficient of f(x) at x.The process of obtaining the derivative of f is called Differentiation.f’(x) is sometimes denoted by dy/dx or Dy   or Df(x) or d/dx f(x).2. EXAMPLEIf f(x) is a continuous function of x and if x varies, f(x) also varies correspondingly. But the variation in the function may not be uniform sometimes slowly and sometimes rapidly. Geometrically, this problem is equivalent of that of finding a tangent line to the graph of the function.The function F(x) is called the anti derivative of the function f(x) on the interval (a,b) if at all points of this interval F’(x)=f(x)Definition:Indefinite Integral: If the function F(x) is an anti derivative of f(x), then F(x) +c is called the indefinite integral of the function f(x).It is denoted by ∠«f(x)dx. Since c is an arbitrary constant the integral is reasonably referred to as indefinite integral.Thus by definition ,∠«f(x)dx= F(x)+ C if F’(x)=f(x).f(x) is called the integrand and c is called the constant of integration. x is the variable of integration. The process of obtaining the integral is called as Integration.Definite Integral:... Let >0 |f(x) - (13)| < Substitute f(x) = 5x+3 |5x+3 - (13)| < |5x-10|2 (5x+3)=13 PART 2 1. DERIVATIVE Let a is a number in the domain of f and Lim/h->0 [f(a+h)-f(a)]/h exists, then f is said to be differentiable at a. This limit is called the derivative of f at a and is denoted by f'(a).For all x at which f(x) is differentiable ,f'(x) is a function called the derived function of f(x) .The domain of f'(x) is the subset of f(x). f'(x) is sometimes called as the derivative or the differential coefficient of f(x) at x.The process of obtaining the derivative of f is called Differentiation. f'(x) is sometimes denoted by dy/dx or Dy or Df(x) or d/dx f(x). 2. EXAMPLE If f(x) is a continuous function of x and if x varies, f(x) also varies correspondingly. But the variation in the function may not be uniform sometimes slowly and sometimes rapidly. Geometrically, this problem is equivalent of that of finding a tangent line to the graph of the function. For Example, velocity is derived from the position function and acceleration is derived from the velocity function. Each of velocity at a point, acceleration at a point etc., is an instantaneous rate of change ,but not the average rate of change, which relates to a finite interval of space or time .This is obtained by applying the limit concept to the problem of determining the instantaneous rate of change of a function. This is done by finding the

America Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America Identity - Essay Example   This essay focuses on the evolving nature of the American identity as well as discussing immigration issues, racial equality, diversity, assessing the nation’s failures and successes in these fields. While pursuing my undergraduate level, we were asked by our lecture if we were second generation Americans. The term â€Å"second generation Americans† had never occurred to me in my previous experiences, let alone connect with my individuality before, but it certainly applied to me (Foundation Kelley, 1). I learnt that, apart from out of roughly thirty students in my class only two of us were second generation Americans. The rest of the students were like the parental side of my family. A lot of American people perceive that the American creed as the key of American identity. The American Creed outlines the representation of the principles of liberty, equality, identity, representative government, and private property. Individuality is a complicated matter, particularly because it is such a flawed theory (Foundation Kelley, 1). Personal identities are always fluctuating and unstable as we have past familiarities and mirror upon our past and present circumstances. We do different individualities around different people and it becomes unbearable to agree. For instance, my name varies subject to what the crowd of people I am with. When am with my college friends, they know me with a different name from my High School and work friends. The most critical aspect with regard to my American identity is the fact that, my founding parents were immigrants. However, this has constantly made me feel more American. My founding parents move here from their place of origin have always made the melting pot more factual to me. I’m confident that if they had been immigrants to somewhere else, I would be a much different person compared to now. Growing up hearing, listening and knowing another language

Answering multiple questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answering multiple questions - Essay Example RFQ is that in an RFP the purchaser is looking for value (that is, operating efficiency, cost-saving measures, innovations and so on), rather than the lowest bid. EVM requires the use of a development model, such as spiral, waterfall or iterative development processes. It is therefore most useful for software development projects and assists in producing the project execution plan. D. You must have a baseline, including a good WBS, start and finish estimates for each task, and cost estimates for each task. The actual information includes when tasks actually started and ended and what they actually cost. You also need to estimate the earned value of tasks. The main purpose of the quality management plan is to describe how the project management team will implement quality policies as required by the client. It ensures that the project will satisfy the agreed-upon requirements. It includes quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. It is important to formally close all projects to keep good records and reflect on what can be learned to improve future projects. Closure consists of verifying and documenting project results, formalises sponsor or client acceptance of the projects

The Benefits Of Robotic Assisted Surgery Information Technology Essay

The Benefits Of Robotic Assisted Surgery Information Technology Essay Approaches to prostatecetomy include traditional open surgery, conventional laparoscopic surgery or robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. With traditional prostate cancer surgery, the incision is between eight to ten inches long and patients usually remain in the hospital up to five days after surgery. In addition, patients are catheterized for two to three weeks, and there is a risk of side effects. Minimally invasive, robotic-assisted prostate cancer surgery allows for small incisions, less blood loss and reduced recovery time. Preservation of the nerves necessary for erections can be an extremely important goal for patients. These nerves run alongside the prostate and are often damaged when removing the prostate. A nerve-sparing, robotic prostatectomy attempts to preserve these nerves so that the patient may be able to return to his prior erectile function. How does robotic prostatectomy work? The da Vinci Surgical System is a state-of-the-art surgical robot that gives surgeons more precise views of the prostate and surrounding tissue, as well as greater dexterity. The system uses miniature instruments to perform the procedure. A surgeon controls the robot from a remote console that precisely translates his hand, wrist and finger movements to the robotic arms inside the patient while providing a three-dimensional view of those movements. With the robot, the surgeon makes five keyhole openings rather than the single large incision made during a traditional open prostatectomy. These small openings result in less pain, and a shorter hospital stay. Patients who undergo robotic assisted surgery usually leave the hospital within two days, and some are able to return to normal activities within two weeks after the procedure. Using the robot, the surgeon removes the prostate and surrounding pelvic lymph nodes (if indicated) through the small openings. Patient benefits may include: Smaller surgical incisions of one inch or less Less intraoperative blood loss and need for blood transfusion Reduced postoperative pain and discomfort Shorter hospital stay (two days) Shorter catheter duration (seven to 10 days) Faster overall recovery Robots surgery advantages B: http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00760/Advantages%20of%20Robotic%20Surgery.htm Robots in the field of surgery have dramatically changed the procedures for the better. The most significant advantage to Robotic Surgery to the patient is the decrease in pain and scaring. By using cameras and enhanced visual effects, doctors can make the tinniest of incisions. The da Vinci and Zeus system each use arms to operate. In order for these arms to get inside the body and operate, they only need a few centimeters for an incision. In fact The San Matteo Hospital in Pavia, Italy performed a Cardiac Bypass surgery that included three incisions, each about one centimeter in length. Typically in that type of surgery the incision is about 30 centimeters in length. The smallness of the incisions also causes many other advantages that make Robotic Surgery worth the risk. Due to the small and precise cuttings, the patents hospital stay is greatly reduced. A person needs far less recovery time when they have 3-centimeter scars then when they have a scar almost 10 times as large. Also, the risk of infection or complications decreases as the incision size does. The patient mentioned earlier with the Closed Heart Bypass surgery is a terrific example. After his surgery, he was cleared by his surgeon Dr. Mauro Rinaldi and released from the hospital after only 12 hours of recovery. The next week he was actually able to join his family on a vacation.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides the obvious rewards to the patient, Robotic Surgery is also very advantageous to the surgeon and hospital. In the ZEUS Surgical System, an arm on the machine is dedicated to the Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning (AESOP). AESOP is a 3D camera used in robotic surgery. It can be zoomed in by either voice activation or pedals located at the surgeons foot. Doctors who have used this actually argue that AESOP gives a better image than in real life. This is particularly true with surgeons that have poor vision or in microscopic surgerys that deal with nerves. Also, by using the hand controls the surgeons can reach places in the body that are normally unreachable by the human hand. Finally, the clearest advantage to using robots in surgery is in long operations, particularly ones that deal with nerve or tissue reconstruction. Surgeons often tire easily after performing microscopic surgerys that last hours. However, by having the ability to be seated and have less strain on the eyes, doctors can control their natural flinching or nerves more efficiently. Robots surgery disadvantages C: http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2004_Groups/Group02/Group%2002%20Website/robodisadvan.htm Robotic surgery is a new technology, so its uses and efficacy have not been fully determined. Consequently, there are not many extensive long-term studies on the procedure to confirm or deny its effectiveness. There are, however, prominent disadvantages to robotics, including time, cost, efficiency, and compatibility with current systems. Time Robotic assisted heart surgery can take nearly twice the amount of time that a typical heart surgery takes, but this is variable depending on the surgeons expertise and practice with the equipment. In a longer surgery, the patient is under anesthesia for longer and it costs more to staff the procedure. Cost At this early stage in the technology, the robotic systems are very expensive. It is possible that with improvements in technology and more experience gained by surgeons the cost will fall. Others believe that with these improvements in technology the systems will become more complicated and the costs will rise. Another issue with costs is the problem with upgrading the systems as they improve. Only when these systems gain more widespread multidisciplinary use the costs will become more justified. Efficiency and Compatibility Another disadvantage is the large size of the system in an overcrowded-operating room. The robotic arms are awkward and bulky and there are many instruments needed in the small space. For robotic-assisted beating heart surgery, the space is even smaller because stabilizers are needed. For surgeons, this cramped area can interfere with their dexterity. There are two possible suggestions for improving this problem, however both are costly. Some suggest miniaturizing the robotic arms and instruments while others believe that larger operating rooms are needed. With either solution, robotics is an especially expensive new technology. Another disadvantage is that current operating room instruments and equipment are not necessarily compatible with the new robotic systems. Without the correct equipment, tableside assistance is needed to perform part of the surgery. There are also concerns about using a static model for beating heart surgery and concerns about technical glitches that might occur during the surgery. In Comparison to Standard Techniques Dr. Michael Argenziano at New York Presbyterian Hospital said that on average, the robotic-assisted heart surgeries costs $2,000 more per operation, but in the end, the costs come out even because the patients recover sooner with the robotic procedure. He also noted that money was saved on nursing care and pain medications. With time and improvements in technology, these disadvantages will hopefully be remedied. If not, then it is possible that the advantages of these systems will not justify their cost. D: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videoconferencing Whats video conferencing? A videoconference or video conference (also known as a videoteleconference) is a set of interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. It has also been called visual collaboration and is a type of groupware. Videoconferencing differs from videophone calls in that its designed to serve a conference rather than individuals. It is an intermediate form of video telephony, first deployed commercially by ATT during the early 1970s using their Picture phone technology. E: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website Whats a website? A website (also spelled Web site; officially styled website by the AP Stylebook) is a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed relative to a common Uniform Resource Locator (URL), often consisting of only the domain name, or the IP address, and the root path (/) in an Internet Protocol-based network. A web site is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network. F: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Top-Advantages-Of-Video-Conferencingid=282728 Video conferencing advantages Videoconferencing is rapidly gaining in popularity, and its hardly surprising. Basically, videoconferencing allows people to communicate in real time, no matter where they are located. It can be as few as two people, or it can be thousands. The participants can hold a meeting or conference, compare charts and generally do everything they could do if they were all in the same room together. This is all done via audio and video transmission through the wonders of the internet. The list of advantages gained from using videoconferencing is long, but here are a few of the main advantages. The most obvious advantage is the enormous savings involved when people dont need to travel. An average business trip usually involves at least one night spent in another place, and costs incurred include flights, transport, meals, accommodation, entertainment, and the list goes on. If you need ten people at a meeting, and add together all the costs involved, the total is staggering. Remember, too, that not only is travel costly, it takes time. So those ten executives have to take two days out of their busy schedule, for example, to attend a half-day meeting at head office. With videoconferencing, they can allocate the half-day, and spend the other day and a half doing productive work in their office. Using videoconferencing provides big savings in both money and time. G: http://www.tkoworks.com/video-conferencing/outsourcing.html Video conferencing disadvantages Months may be required to enable video conferencing capability within a large organization; this is including time required for designing the network and installing video conferencing equipment. Initial cost of equipment is higher than if an outside service organization were used. Using conference rooms for video conferences makes sense from a facilities perspective but this can cause video systems to be underutilized. Normally, in an organization, most meetings and conference room use are for local business without a need to communicate with other facilities or locations. Therefore, video equipment investment can be stranded during every day normal use of conference rooms for local meetings. Many organizations assign a central staff to run a video conference network without considering the needs of each remote site. Video conferencing requires at least two locations, each with its own system, network, conference or meeting room and operating instructions. Each location, therefore, normally should have a skilled operator of video systems to assist users in getting a conference started and keeping it running. Few organizations are willing to expend the funds to ensure each endpoint is staffed with a skilled technician and so this skill deficit can cause conference failures in some locations, particularly those that turn systems off daily or reboot frequently. Industry manufacturers understand this common problem and are providing software tools and remote management capability with the latest video conference equipment to allow for remote management of systems. Therefore, a well-run network requires either skilled personnel at each endpoint or some form of remote management in order to ensure systems operate well. Some combination of both is usually required to attain high levels of video network up time. H: Whats internet? The Internet, sometimes called simply the Net, is a worldwide system of computer networks a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers. It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the US government in 1969 and was first known as the ARPANET. AO2 USE RESOURCES: CHOSEN RESOURCES I chose NO RESOURCE REASON A The Benefits of Robotic Assisted Surgery I chose this information from the website because it explain clearly How does robotic prostatectomy work? B C Is technology good or bad? Introduction In this project Ill be talking about, whats technology and if technology is good or bad? The main question that I have chosen for my project is: Is technology good or bad? I will carry out my research using the three research method. I will explore internet, study different books and watch videos to discover more information on different peoples opinions on my questions. In this project Ill be concentrating on the good of using technology and the bad of using it. What is technology? Technology is a human innovation that has been developing from generation to generation, however technology is used to solve problems and make life easier to live such as computers, robots, airplanes, cars and phones etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. My objective in the end of this project is to understand and give a clear description of technology, why the people argue technology is good and the ethers argue technology is bad, what the good side of technology is and what the bad side of technology is. Is technology good? I think that technology is good and helps a lot in the daily life. Its used to discover and make life easier such as cars, airplanes, trains they help to travel from long distance and in short time, phones helps to communicate at any time and with the people around the world. Computers are used in education, creations, designing and also used in health sector all this technology helps to go forward in our life. Robots are used in the heath sector Whats robot surgery? Robot surgery is one of the advanced technologies available in this time been, it has been designed for operations. The (da Vinci) robotic system allows the precision, dexterity and control of traditional open surgery but requires only 1-2 cm incisions, decreased healing time, robots are used for hearts surgery with out opening patients chest. The benefits of this robot for patients are less complication, less pain, save time and faster recovery. The advantages of robots surgery Robots have change and helped a lot in the field of surgery. The most advantage of robots surgery for patients is pain, scaring and faster recovery by using cameras and enhanced visual effects, doctors can make the tinniest of incisions. The (da Vinci) and Zeus system each use three arms to operate. In order for these arms to get inside the body and operate, they only need a few centimetres for an incision. These robots have more advantages and benefits for users (doctors) and patients for example: Lower risk infection Shorter hospital stay Less blood loss and fewer transfusions Can zoom with camera and gives better image then in real life by using the hand controls the surgeons can reach places in the body that are normally unreachable by the human hand Faster recovery and return to normal daily activities Robots surgery disadvantages They are several disadvantages of these Robots surgeries such as cost; cost is one of the biggest disadvantages of these robots with the price of one million dollars. Some believe with the improvement in technology and as more experience is gained with robotic systems the price will fall. Another disadvantage of these robots systems is their size. Both systems have relatively large footprints and relatively cumbersome robotic arms. This is an important an important disadvantage because operating rooms are already crowded with the surgical team. It may be difficult for surgical and robots to fit in the operating room. And another disadvantage is the time. Robotic assisted heart surgery can take nearly twice the amount of time that a typical heart surgery takes, but this is variable depending on the surgeons expertise and practice with the equipment. How technology helps in business Technology is increasing and developing to make life easier to live it helped and still helping our daily life for example business. In business people used to travel to go for meetings and now most of businesses use video conferencing, in terms of airfares for staff. It saves time spent in travelling and money. Video conferencing Whats video conferencing? Video conferencing allows people to communicate in real time, no matter where they are located. It can be as few as two people, or it can be thousands. Its basically integrates users as if they were in the same room. Each user needs a web cam, computer, microphone, and internet broadband connection. Its usually used in businesses, healthcare, education ECT. Advantages of video conferencing Meet with people in remote locations without incurring travel expenses or other expenses associated with face to face communication Save time and money especially in business in terms of airfares for staff, night spent in another place, and costs incurred include flights, transport, meals, accommodation, entertainment ect.. Connect and see more than 11, 12 or even a thousand in the same time. Video conferencing disadvantages Takes time to design the network and install video conferencing equipment Expensive equipments Can cause video systems to be underutilized Skilled technician to keep video conferencing running. Turn the system daily can cause conference failures in some locations. Internet Whats internet? Internet is basically an electronic communication network that enables computers of all kinds to share information with permission and communicates directly. Internet advantages Studying ( make researches) Online banking Online shopping Publish information on your own website Have a conversations in chat rooms Send an email Apply for job Read a news papers Watch movies Make airplane reservation Get a direction and draw a map Socialising with the people around the world Internet disadvantages Personal information (your personal information such as your name, address, etc.) Pornography (especially for young children they are thousands of pornography websites that can be easily to get access into it) Internet addiction Hacking, get viruses Isolation from family and freinds

Comparison of Linguistic Differences in the Film and Novel of A Clockw

Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange - Linguistic Differences in the Film and Novel A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess, is experienced differently as a novel than it is as the movie directed by Stanley Kubrick. The heart of the difference between the two forms is expressed by Bakhtin: "The potential for [‘double-voiced discourse’ between the author and narrator] is one of the most fundamental privileges of novelistic prose, a privilege available neither to dramatic nor to purely poetic genres" (Bakhtin, 320).1 An entire dimension of the novel’s story is lost in the movie when Alex’s role is reduced from narrator to commentator. The ability of Burgess to speak indirectly to the audience through Alex is removed, and the perspective on the Clockwork world revealed through Nadsat, the language Alex speaks, is lost. However, this does not mean that the movie is less effective than, or an inferior medium to the novel. The main drive of the story remains in the movie form: Kubrick utilizes the means, such as a musical score and th e visual dimension, unique to the dramatic genre to find ways around the loss of Nadsat and first person narration. He also tries to maintain the twisted sense of humor found in the book while working to promote the audience’s understanding of Alex’s universe. Kubrick preserves the unusual opportunity A Clockwork Orange offers the audience—a chance to immerse itself in Alex’s character and actions, and have its "nastier propensities titillated" (Burgess ix)2 by Alex’s "ultra-violence", instead of being frightened away. In the novel, Burgess is able to speak indirectly through Alex’s narration, telling the reader about the novel’s political setting as well as revealing Alex’s (and perha... ... Nadsat, is lost. And with the loss of a large and comprehensive language such as Nadsat, goes part of Burgess’ voice. However, Kubrick does an excellent job of retaining the novel’s spirit and structure, even while offering his own interpretation. He takes advantage of the visual and auditory possibilities that the film medium presents to fill in the gap created by the removal of Nadsat, resulting in an accessible and satisfying movie. In both forms, A Clockwork Orange draws its audience into sympathizing with Alex and ultimately enjoying themselves as they "rape and rip by proxy" (Burgess ix). Works Cited 1. M.M. Bakhtin, The Dialogic Imagination (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981). 2. Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (NewYork: W.W. Norton & Company, 1986). 3. A Clockwork Orange, prod. and dir. Stanley Kubrick, 137 min., Warner Bros., 1971.

Diversity and Inclusion an Organization Emperical Study of Hul

ABSTRACT In the last few years, the focus of efforts in companies across the land has shifted from diversity to a focus on inclusion. This sea change has happened without fanfare and almost without notice. In most organizations, the word inclusion has been added to all the company's diversity materials with no explanation. This article is a short account of why this shift has happened and what it means. Probably the most widely-read article on diversity in organizations was Roosevelt Thomas's â€Å"From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity,† which appeared in the Harvard Business Review in 1990.Diversity, said Thomas, was no longer about complying with a legal mandate but about seeking to create a diverse workforce because it would be beneficial to the organization. Before 1990, most large companies had an Employment Equity and Affirmative Action Officer, usually a lower-level employee who worked in the bowels of the organization compiling statistics about how many employ ees were in targeted groups, eg, people of color and women. This project covers all the aspects of cross culture to the managing diversity by HUL. This project includes primary data analysis and the end of project recommendation also to be provided.Content Abstractii Signatory pageiii Topic approval letteriv Acknowledgmentv Approved thesis synopsisvii 1. Introduction 2. company profile 3. literature review 4. research methodology 5. finding and analysis 6. recommendation 7. CONCLUSION 8. Bibliography 9. annexure – questionnaire INTRODUCTION [pic] Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the world is submerged in a wide range of demographic trends which have the potential to radically change the demographic, cultural and ethical mixture of the population in many countries within just a few decades.Top managers often say that their company's people are its most important asset. In a tight job market and a global economy a company that puts people first – regardless o f their race, religion, gender, age, sexual preference, or physical disability – wins. Companies, especially big multinational players which have to deal with these changes, are growingly forced to react. Employees, once a homogenous group in many countries, are increasingly diverse and need to be integrated within and into working environments.Diversity can present an immense source of opportunities but it can also mean the opposite, a big threat. Diversity management is a managerial approach in response to these trends and can help companies to effectively and efficiently manage their personnel diversity, i. e. personnel made up of diverse and multifaceted people. The text argues that a diverse workforce can be regarded as an instrument of sales promotion, a marketing tool to induce customers to buy certain products or services.To be successful at creating workforce diversity program involves attracting and retaining the highest quality individuals in the talent pool. For t he HR professional it means looking beyond obvious recruitment methods and venues for good people, then learning how to manage human potential sensitively. It requires an ever-increasing awareness of how people from different backgrounds deal with authority, communication, overall business etiquette, and relate to their communities of affiliation. Promoting workforce diversity is a process that takes place in many stages and on many levels.It requires HR professionals first to recruit a competent and qualified staff, then to accommodate individual needs within the context of the work team and the organization. In today's world of cultural diversity, our business can't thrive unless we implement a workforce diversity initiative. Besides tapping into the unique abilities and talents of people from different backgrounds, we can improve our image in the community by opening up a place of business to anyone regardless of race, color, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability. What is diversity? Diversity to us means all aspects in which people differ from one another.This includes both the visible and relatively easily demonstrable personal characteristics such as gender, age and ethnicity, as well as the less visible personal characteristics, such as competencies, needs and wants, work styles and character traits. Each employee has his or her own, unique combination of such characteristics. Another definition describes diversity as creating high performing organizations through valuing and using all the talents of employees of different groups. Regardless of how diversity is defined, it is an issue that is sweeping the nation.If the corporate society does not address the issue by learning how to manage diversity, they will fail. â€Å"It is very helpful to suggest that diversity is not so much an end in itself as it is a condition of our society and the condition of the World in which we live. † Frank Wong Vice President for Academic Affairs Univ ersity of Redlan Diversity Management Managing diversity is one of the most important challenges faced by managers and their organizations. In today’s work environment, co-workers are likely to be of different gender, age, religion, cultural background, race and ethnicity.They also differ in terms of lifestyle, choices available, perspectives, attitudes, value system, beliefs, behaviors, expectations, skills and experiences. These issues are not just about discriminatory practices but they modify the nature and demands placed on leadership and management and bring into prominence the concept of diversity. How well or how prepared managers are able to invest in the concept of diversity will impact not just on work issues but also on sensitivity to customer’s needs, legal compliance, business’ ethical issues, profitability and even social cohesion.Diversity management is a strategic process to manage a diverse workforce-including the fight against stereotypes, pre judice and all kind of discrimination due to the individual perceptions and assumptions- in the manner to maximize the benefit and minimize barriers of different opinions, behavior and attitudes of human beings within a company. PRINCIPLES OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT [pic] Categorization of Diversity Management Diversity management can be divided into two categories- 1. The internal effect has an influence on organizational structural changes within the company. 2.The external effect concerns the environment of the company e. g. customers, stakeholders, suppliers etc. The concept of diversity management is extensive; there are various components of diversity as follows: Diversity of ethnicity, nationality and cultures Diversity of demography (gender, age and experience) Diversity of competencies (educational and professional backgrounds) Diversity of organizational functions and processes Diversity of networks (i. e. relationships and communications channels and/or patterns etc. ) Misce llaneous diversity (sexual preferences, occupational disabilities, i. . handicap or physical mobility, etc. ) Work Force as a challenge First, there is an increase in the cost of training. This increase comes from costs associated with seminars, programs and lectures given to promote diversity in the corporation. These types of training are given to all levels of staff within the organization. They teach employees others. These programs also teach one how to deal with conflicts and prejudice in a professional and civil manner. A disadvantage of diversity in the workplace is an increase in conflicts.Conflicts arise when two or more individuals or groups do not see eye to eye on a particular situation. In regard to diversity, conflicts arise largely due to ignorance. Prejudice feelings or derogatory comments cause a lack of acceptance. â€Å"This can produce negative dynamics such as ethnocentrism, stereotyping and culture clashes†. The most common conflict comes from one feeli ng superior. If management ignores such conflicts, the company's performance may suffer. If conflicts can be managed and controlled creativity and performance can be increased.Employers will work harder to gain acceptance by creating a solution or invention first. Increases in labor turnover and absenteeism are another disadvantage in having a diverse workplace. Research has shown that the turnover rate for African Ameri-Ongori and Agolla 075cans in the US workforce is 40 percent greater than whites. Another study by Corning Glass stated that between the years 1980 – 1987, the turnover rate for women in a professional job was two times higher than males. Women also have a 58 percent higher absentee rate than men.Yet, another study shows that a person, who is not a member of the â€Å"inner group†, will be one of the first to leave a company (White, 1999). Some research contradicts the idea that flextime reduces these rates; however absenteeism and turnover can cost a c ompany up to and over $3 million annually. Workforce diversity increases labor turnover and absenteeism in organizations on employee satisfaction and productivity. Employees who perceive themselves as valued members of their organization are harder working, involved, and innovative.Unfortunately, minority-group members often feel less valued than do majority-group members due to stereotyping, ethnocentrism, and prejudice. Mismanagement of diversity in the form of denied access or unfavorable treatment can have negative consequences, such as inhibiting workers' abilities and motivation. Work Force as an Opportunity Managing diversity can create a competitive advantage. Potential benefits of this diversity include better decision making, higher creativity and innovation, greater success in marketing to foreign and domestic ethnic minority communities, and a better distribution of economic opportunity.Organizations with a diverse workforce can provide superior services because they can better understand customers’ needs. Diversity enhances creativity and innovation (Adler, 1997; Jackson et al. , 1992), and produces competitive advantages. Why should we strive for diversity in personnel? An often heard argument to avoid having to put energy into diversity is that it only leads to misunderstanding, undesired formation of groups, communication problems and conflicts in the work force. When put like this, paying attention to diversity seems a useless investment.But demographic developments cannot be ignored. In situations like labor shortage, organizations cannot permit themselves to exclude a substantial part of the labor force. Diversity in personnel has different advantages pertaining to business economics: Attraction for a wider group of customers: more people can identify with the organization. This could increase your turnover; More creativity within the organization: diversity leads to innovative products and services, which is necessary to compete with other businesses; An improved business image: more people see you as an ’employer of choice’.Diversity covers a wide variety of issues, including communicating with employees, whose first language is not English, helping a diverse team cope with conflict, learning which rewards are valued by different groups, and dealing with discrimination. Managers can improve handling of diversity issues by following these eight behaviors. Embrace diversity: Successfully valuing diversity starts with accepting the principle of multiculturalism. Accept the value of diversity for its own sake — not simply because you have to. You need to reflect your acceptance in all you say and do.Recruit broadly: When you have job openings, work to get a diverse applicant pool. Avoid relying on referrals from current employees, since this tends to produce candidates similar to your present workforce. Select fairly: Make sure your selection process doesn’t discriminate. Particularly, ensure that selection tests are job-related. Provide orientation and training for minorities: Making the transition from outsider to insider can be particularly difficult for nontraditional employees. Sensitize all employees: Encourage all employees to embrace diversity.Provide diversity training to help all employees see the value in diversity. Strive to be flexible: Part of valuing diversity is recognizing that different groups have different needs and values. Be flexible in accommodating employee requests Seek to motivate individually: You need to be aware of the background, cultures, and values of employees. What motivates a si0ngle mother with two young children and who is working full time to support her family is likely to be different from the needs of a young, single, part-time employee or an older employee who is working to supplement his or her retirement income.Encourage employees to embrace and value diverse views: Create traditions and ceremonies that promote diversity . Celebrate diversity by accentuating its positive aspects. But also be prepared to deal with the challenges of diversity such as mistrust, miscommunication, and lack of cohesiveness, attitudinal differences, and stress. IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSE WORKFORCE Our Nation is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, customs and beliefs. It is those differences that contribute to the richness and strength of our society. Like our Nation, the workforce Is also becoming more and more diverse.As a result, in order to recruit, hire and retain the best people from every background and community, we must foster diversity in our workforce, manage it effectively, and value what it has to offer. A diverse workforce is critical for any organization that seeks to improve and maintain a competitive advantage. Focusing on diversity and looking for ways to achieve an inclusive environment is not just a â€Å"nice to have objective,† it makes a good business sense. A diverse workforce off ers greater productivity and a competitive edge.Diversity improves the quality of our workforce and offers a higher return on our investment in human capital. Our agency’s future depends on the quality of employees we recruit today. New employees often consider an organization’s diversity efforts when deciding whether to accept or reject an employment offer. Potential candidates are usually more attracted to employers that are committed to sustaining a diverse workforce. Moreover, diverse perspectives increase creativity as they offer different perspectives, ideas and solutions. BENFITSPeople have a lot of viewpoints and having people from many backgrounds and places in life brings a lot of those viewpoints into the mix. In some situations, a lot of viewpoints give us a lot of options. Plus, since there are many different viewpoints and environments in the workers, there are many opportunities for these different viewpoints to come into the planning of strategic initia tives, allowing the firm to serve a wider group of consumers and interests. The Various . advantages of having a diverse workforce are the following; 1.It helps motivating employees. 2. It enhances the innovation and creativity of employees. 3. It helps in reducing cost. 4. It creates flexibility in the organization. 5. Immediate access to problem solving. 6. Easy transfer of knowledge. 7. Better marketing structure. 8. Innovative work environment. 9. Immediate outcomes. 10. Fulfillment of social responsibility. 11. It helps attract and retain employees. Management of Diversity in leading INC’s A manager or the superior must be aware of the background, cultures, and values of employees.The motivation factors for a full time working mother to support her two young children are different from the needs of a young, single, part-time employee or an older employee who is working to supplement his or her retirement. COMPANY PROFILE Introduction Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), a 5 1%-owned subsidiary of Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever, has been prying its way into India since 1888. India's largest consumer goods company, HHL markets products such as beverages, food, and home and personal care goods. Its brands include Kwality Wall's ice cream, Lifebuoy soap, Lipton tea, Pepsodent toothpaste, and Surf laundry detergent.HUL markets atta (a type of meal), maize, rice, salt, and specialty chemicals, and its export division ships castor oil and fish. The company also sells bottled water and over-the-counter healthcare products. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company, with leadership in Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. HUL's brands, spread across 20 distinct consumer categories, touch the lives of two out of three Indians. They endow the company with a scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tonnes and sales of Rs. 10,000 crores.The vision that inspires HUL's 32,400 employees (40,000 including Grou p Companies), including about 1,425 managers, is to â€Å"meet everyday needs of people everywhere – to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life. † This objective is achieved through the brands that the company markets. Business nature HUL is India's largest marketer of Soaps, Detergents and Home Care products. It has the country’s largest Personal Products business, leading in Shampoos, Skin Care Products, Colour Cosmetics, and Deodorants.HUL is also the market leader in Tea, Processed Coffee, branded Wheat Flour, Tomato Products, Ice cream, Soups, Jams and Squashes. HUL is also one of the country's biggest exporters and has been recognized as a Golden Super Star Trading House by the Government of India; it is a net foreign exchange earner. HUL is India's largest exporter of branded fast moving consumer goods. The company's Exports por tfolio includes HUL's brands of Soaps and Detergents, Personal Products, Home Care Products, Tea and Coffe Market leading brands HUL’s brands have become household names. The company’s strategy is to oncentrate its resources on 30 national power brands, and 10 other brands which are strong in certain regions. The top five brands together account for sales of over Rs. 3000 crores. Some of the big brands in Soaps and Detergents are Lifebuoy, Lux, Liril, Hamam, Breeze, Dove, (all soaps), Surf Excel, Surf, Rin, Wheel (the number one detergent brand in India, and HUL's largest), 501, Sunlight (all detergents). HUL also markets the Vim and Domex range of Home Care Products. In the Personal Products business, HUL's Hair Care franchises are Clinic, Sunsilk and Lux shampoos; the company markets Nihar oil.In Oral Care, the portfolio comprises Close-up and Pepsodent toothpastes and toothbrushes. In Skin Care, HUL markets Fair & Lovely Skin Cream and Lotion, the largest selling Sk in Care Product in India; a brand developed in India, it is now exported to over 30 countries. It has been extended as an Ayurvedic cream, an under-eye cream, a soap and a talc, in line with the strategy to take brands across relevant categories. The other major Skin Care franchises are Pond’s, Vaseline, Lakme and Pears. In Colour Cosmetics, HUL markets the Lakme and Elle-18 ranges.In Deodorants, the key brands are Rexona, Axe, Denim and Pond's, while the Talc brands are Pond's, Liril, Fair & Lovely, Vaseline and Lifebuoy. Axe and Denim are HUL’s franchises for Men’s toiletries. SWOT ANALYSIS OF HUL STRENGTHS: ? strong brand portfolio ? consumer understanding ? R ability ? distribution reach ? high quality manpower WEAKNESSES: ? Increased consumer spends on education, consumer durable, entertainment, travel, etc resulting in lower share of wallet for FMCG ? limited success in changing the eating habits of people complex supply chain configuration and unwieldy nu mber of stock keeping units (SKUs) with dispersed manufacturing locations ? price positioning in some categories that allows for low price competition and high social costs in the plantation business. OPPORTUNITIES: ? market and brand growth through increased penetration especially in rural areas ? brand growth through increased consumption depth and frequency of usage across all categories. ? upgrading consumers through innovation to new levels of quality and performance. ? emerging modern trade to be effectively used for introduction of more upscale personal care products. growing consumption in out of home categories. ? Positioning HUL as a sourcing hub for Unilever companies elsewhere and leveraging the latest IT technologies. THREATS: ? low-priced competition now being present in all categories ? grey imports ? spurious/counterfeit products in rural areas and small towns ? Changes in fiscal benefits and unfavorable prices in oils, tea commodity, etc. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT HUL Diversity and inclusion is about creating a work force that represents the global communities in which we live and work and ensuring an environment in which every individual’s contributions are valued.A diverse and inclusive environment challenges our way of thinking by bringing together a variety of talents, backgrounds and experiences, and serves as a catalyst for new ideas and innovation. Discovering and developing the best ways to make our differences work – for the good of our enterprise, our employees, our vendors and our communities – is an ongoing process. We believe that these contributions and differences drive our competitive business advantage, stimulate personal growth and ultimately create success for the company.In our most recent employee opinion survey, ConocoPhillips maintained a high level of satisfaction for creating an environment where people with diverse backgrounds can succeed. [pic] |2009 Global Diversity Metrics – HINDUSTAN U NILEVER | |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leadership  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All Employees | |Women  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12. 4%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   23. % | |Non-U. S. Employees   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12. 9%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   33. 2% | |2 009 U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Statistics   | |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Officials and Managers  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Professionals | |Women  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15. 1%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   28. %  Ã‚  Ã‚   | |Minorities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   11. 9%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   17. 7% | Our diversity and inclusion statement captures our commitment to creating an inclusive work environment. Managers and supervisors are instrumental in developing and progressing global diversity and inclusion initiatives. In 2008, this was reinforced and renewed by communication from our CEO to employees about the importance of enhancing our focus on people through four key areas: Development – Providing career-long learning and development opportunities that maximize every employee’s potential and performance. †¢ Retention – Valuing all employees’ contributions; and providing challenging and rewarding jobs, as well as competitive compensation that is linked to performance. †¢ Recruiting – Hiring the best talent from around the world to support our global operations. †¢ Global Outreach – Partnering with professional organiza tions that can both help us in how we approach diversity and provide us greater access to diverse talent in our recruiting efforts.Our businesses and corporate staffs incorporate People Plans into their five-year operating plans. These plans include the strategies and tactics that are needed to ensure the optimum workforce size and capability over time. We monitor the progress on our People Plans twice a year to help drive accountability. We review demographic information on nationalization, recruiting, attrition, promotion, and the identification and development of future leaders. These metrics plus the efforts taken are used to assess progress and ensure that operating plans are successfully executed.The results of these metrics and efforts are assessed and tied to the performance-based incentives for managers and supervisors. Employee network groups exist globally and play an important role toward achieving the company’s long-term diversity and inclusion objectives. Each g roup is sponsored by a senior executive and is empowered to determine their key activities, while also providing input for the company's diversity and inclusion programs. For example, in our Houston headquarters, networks are established to support women, people of African descent, Asian-Americans and Hispanics.These groups meet regularly to network, develop professional skills and support community activities. Beginning in 2009, employee network groups will be integrally involved in the company's recruiting activities. To provide further access to best practices, innovative thinking and talent, in 2009, the company has formed strategic partnerships with five diverse professional organizations representing the African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and female professional communities. Arrangements also have been established with six new diversity job boards.We anticipate that these partnerships and arrangements will increase our access to a more diverse talent pool, and will su pplement existing external relationships already maintained by our businesses around the world. Ethnic background of the workforce in the companies [pic] Additionally, employees have participated in external diversity programs in order to enhance their professional development, and cultivate new ideas and share them with their colleagues. In July 2008, interested employees ttended the Black Woman’s Leadership Summit, which offered a unique networking opportunity with global decision-makers, challenged attendees to further develop critical skills, and defined specific tools to use to assure their career success. The 2008 Asian Leadership Summit was attended by employees who gained insight into how global companies are leveraging and growing their Asian leadership talent. The Summit also highlighted Asia’s expanding markets and work force, and several speakers addressed how cultural traditions impact their professional and personal life.To help employees achieve balance between work and their personal health and well-being, ConocoPhillips offers a number of programs in different parts of the world, including: flexible work schedules, corporate wellness, educational assistance, local volunteer programs, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and family-friendly corporate events. Individual locations also provide other programs based on local employee needs and cultural expectations. As an example, to promote greater diversity, inclusion and work/life balance, the Australian business unit created a work environment that provides increased employment flexibility.The program includes flexible work schedules and paid maternity and paternity leave provisions, and has been successful in encouraging more women to consider engineering, geoscience and geodata roles. In late 2008, HUL was recognized by the HUL Government with the Business Achievement Award for Outstanding Workplace Flexibility and internally with a SPIRIT Award for their efforts to promote a m ore inclusive workplace. Hindustan Lever created Shakti, a direct-to-consumer sales distribution network to reach millions of consumers in remote villages in India.Shakti taps into women's self-help groups and has been successful for both the company and women entrepreneurs. Started in 2003, the Shakti network has grown to over 45,000 micro-entrepreneurs selling products in 100,000 villages in India. The model creates profitable micro-enterprise opportunities. Armed with micro-credit, women from self-help groups become Shakti Entrepreneurs: direct-to-home distributors in rural markets. This micro-enterprise offers low risks and steady returns. The products distributed are some of the country's most trusted brands of consumer goods, nd include a range of mass-market products especially relevant to rural consumers. The company invests resources in training the entrepreneurs, helping them become confident, independent businesswomen. A typical entrepreneur earns a sustained monthly inco me of US$60 on average. As most of these women live below the poverty line in extremely small villages, this earning is very significant, often doubling household income. Further, this income is totally incremental as a woman entrepreneur spends about five hours a week on this initiative without compromising other economic activities.The company provides regular support to the entrepreneurs by providing on-the job and classroom training. Various social activities like medical camps and education programs are run with the intention of increasing the credentials of Shakti Entrepreneurs in the village and enhancing the standard of life of the rural community. After its success in India, the model was replicated in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as Joyeeta and Saubhagya respectively, followed by a similar initiative in Vietnam, as strategic and long term cooperation between Unilever Vietnam Foundation and the Viet Nam Women Union.Hindustan Unilever also started in 2003 the Fair & Lovely Found ation, which aims at economic empowerment of women across India by providing information, resources and support in the areas of education, career and enterprise. It specifically targets women from low-income groups. The Foundation awards scholarships to women with aptitude, drive and the ambition to carve a place of pride for themselves in society who do not have the financial strength to realize their dreams. Since 2003, over 500 scholarships have been awarded to women from across India LITRATURE REVIEWThroughout the 1990's, diversity continued to be about the numbers of different kinds of people in the workforce as a whole and at each level. Diversity staffs tried to increase the number of people of color and women in their organizations. They saw this primarily as a hiring task. During that decade, the definition of diversity expanded. Diversity came to include many dimensions beyond gender and race: age, class, disability, ethnicity, family situation, religion, and sexual orient ation. Companies started to pay attention to their representation of all these groups.It became clear over the years that it was not enough to focus on hiring alone. It became important to retain â€Å"diverse† workers, as well. Some organizations were astonished to learn that after years of effort, they had fewer African Americans than they had earlier. Companies became aware that for the most part the upper ranks of their organizations remained heavily white and predominately male. These were the years when companies offered diversity awareness training and diversity skills training to help their newly diverse employees work well together.It's the culture Today, in the 2000's, as organizations try to retain diverse employees in their workforce, companies have started looking at the quality of these employees' experience in the organization. Do employees in all groups and categories feel comfortable and welcomed in the organization? Do they feel included and do they experien ce the environment as inclusive? To answer these questions, diversity staffs need to assess their environment and identify the barriers to inclusion, whether they are practices, policies, or the informal culture of the organization.Having identified barriers, the job of the diversity staff is to change the company culture and to create an inclusive workplace environment. Systems and policies As inclusion becomes the focus of diversity work, the attention switches to the systems, policies and practices of the company. Several systems influence the degree to which the climate is inclusive: †¢ Communications †¢ Work assignment †¢ Training and education †¢ Performance management †¢ Mentoring †¢ Coaching †¢ Hiring †¢ Career development †¢ Flexible work arrangements; and †¢ Managers' accountability.Companies that are known for their inclusive climate do not rely on the goodwill of their managers but work hard so that each organizational sy stem is equitable. Once barriers are identified, they take action to address them. Each system is analyzed to determine the degree to which it provides equitable access and benefits to all employees. Creating an inclusive environment: a case study Here is an example of how one company addressed inclusion issues. A division of an institute in the defense industry had the reputation of not being welcoming to women.For years, they had experienced difficulty in both hiring and retaining female employees at all levels but particularly in the highest ranks of management. For years they clung to the idea that what they needed to do was to hire two or three high-level women. But to their chagrin, as soon as they would hire a new high-level female executive, it seemed one of the other high-level women would resign. At first they explained these recurrent departures in terms of the personalities of the women – â€Å"She has family problems,† â€Å"She is too aggressive,† or â€Å"She is too timid. Gradually it dawned on them that these resignations were not about the women, they were about the culture and the organizational climate. This led to a whole new strategy. The director of the division created a Diversity Task Force to suggest and implement changes that would create a more inclusive workplace in order to support the efforts to recruit and retain women. The Task Force was supported with resources and time for its work. Guided by an organizational consultant and working in small action teams, they first conducted a series of focus groups to identify the issues and concerns of women in the division.Then they moved into action, devising a number of changes and short-term projects to address the important issues. As soon as a team implemented a change or completed a project, they took on another. Here are some of their accomplishments over the first two years: †¢ They created a buddy system for all new employees †¢ Senior Managers hos ted a series of lunches to meet lower-level women engineers and learn about their projects †¢ All brochures about the division were revised to include pictures of women †¢ They created a ebsite where articles about women in the workplace were posted †¢ They developed a special relationship with a women's engineering college, inviting students from that college to come on-site for field trips and setting up summer internships for women undergraduate engineers †¢ They instituted networking and professional development events for women †¢ Senior managers attended two training programs, â€Å"Men and Women Working Together† and â€Å"Flexibility. Two of their learnings about creating an inclusive climate were: 1) It doesn't take huge amounts of money to make significant progress; and 2) Changing an organizational culture is about doing many small things, not one or two big things. In reality, as this story attests, creating an inclusive environment is ab out a hundred small changes. As you look at your own organization, ask yourself: What are we doing, in ways large or small, to move from yesterday's diversity to today's need for inclusion?In a knowledge economy, it is people—not capital or market—who make all the difference. As talent occupies centre stage in the Indian workplace, managing and retaining manpower is becoming crucial to an organization's success. To achieve this, companies across sectors are focusing on some of the more critical HR practices. We identify 10 such trends: Leadership Development Creating a pipeline of leadership talent is key to a business' future growth.Peter Cappelli, the George W Taylor professor of management and director of the Center for Human Resources, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, says it is imperative for the top level of an organization to make leadership talent management a priority, and put its money into long-term plans, as opposed to short-term ones. If com panies are worried about their talent pipeline, they have to develop their people, says Cappelli.Also, good bench strength helps companies deal with volatility in labour supply. â€Å"Companies including Hindustan Unilever, Procter and Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline have been able to withstand attrition in key executives because they have always invested in developing leaders,† says P. Dwarakanath, president, National Human Resource Development Network. Experts say succession planning should not be seen in isolation, but as part of overall organizational development. Work-life BalanceNo company or employee has found the Holy Grail of balancing work and life, but that is a work in progress. However, multinationals, information technology (IT) and IT enabled services (ITeS) companies have been able to promote the balance between career, family and leisure-time better. Other sectors have also been increasingly promoting a work-life balance. Interestingly, most companies in India use benefits such as flexible timings, telecommuting, creche facilities and concierge services as an attraction and retention strategy. We are yet to fully buy into the fact that employees become more productive and remain motivated when companies allow them to have a life beyond work,† says Prabir Jha, global head, human resources, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. Experts say companies should see the work-life balance as a business proposition since progressive companies carry business forward with employees and families. Inclusion and Diversity With higher numbers of Gen Yers joining the workforce in India at a time when companies across the world have an ageing workforce on their rolls, conflicts are to be expected. One of the challenges companies face today is resolving conflicts among different generations,† says Pavan Bhatia, executive director, human resources, PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. â€Å"An inclusive and diverse workforce is the future of the workplace,† he adds. Therefore, companies are investing both time and resources in ensuring that all age groups are comfortable working together. Organizations in India have also been focusing on making workplaces more representative.For companies such as ICICI Bank Ltd, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Vedanta Resources, PepsiCo India, Shell Companies in India and Bharti Airtel Ltd, gender diversity has become a critical area of focus. â€Å"Diversity is a business imperative since it brings diverse skills, ideas and approach to an organization,† says Pallavi Tyagi, general manager, human resources, EI DuPont India Pvt. Ltd. Health and wellness The work culture at globalized workplaces involves long working hours, frequent travel, multitasking and tight deadlines—and all this often leaves employees mentally and physically stressed. Employees are increasingly grappling with lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol, which can be checked by regular monitor ing and a healthy lifestyle,† says A. Sudhakar, executive vice-president, human resources, Dabur India. Companies have begun to realize that healthy employees contribute to higher efficiency and productivity. Apart from medical benefits, companies are also offering yoga classes and health camps and have doctors on campus. HCL Technologies Ltd, for instance, like many other IT companies, has 24/7 medical facilities in all its centres.DuPont has an Intranet-based tool, which assesses an employee's health through a questionnaire and makes recommendations based on the scores. Right Skilling Right skilling, or matching jobs with a particular level of training rather than hiring overskilled workers, is gaining currency. Companies use this strategy to tide over a manpower supply crunch and to broaden their talent base. â€Å"You don't need an IITian to supervise a car maker's shop floor or a management graduate from a premier business school to sell soaps, which largely has been the case,† says T.V. Mohandas Pai, head, human resources, Infosys Technologies Ltd. Apart from IT and ITeS firms, organizations in the banking and financial services sector, too, have been increasingly hiring graduates and training them. The upside? Lower attrition rates and wage costs. Pai explains that when you have an over-qualified employee, it is very difficult to meet her aspiration levels and, therefore, the chances of the employee moving on to something more challenging are higher. Managing Solid Citizens Solid citizens† are the second-rung performers who make up 50-60% of employees in any organization. They are the backbone of any company. Although they contribute significantly to the company's overall performance, they don't have the potential to become leaders. â€Å"Unfortunately, most organizations focus on the 15-20% key talent at the expense of solid citizens,† says Dwarakanath. Organizations which neglect their solid citizens are doing this at their o wn peril, say experts.Unlike star performers who are potential leaders, and therefore more likely to move out of an organization faster, this group provides stability and bench strength to an organization. Experts say companies need to take a fresh look at solid citizens and invest time and resources in managing and developing this group Instant Rewards Recognizing and rewarding performers is one of the most effective tools to attract and retain the right talent. Companies in India are looking at rewards systems more seriously, and are adopting total rewards practices that include compensation in both cash and kind.Apart from lifestyle perquisites such as a house, a car or a club membership, profit-linked incentives, deferred gratuity, and wealth-building programmes in the form of stock options and soft loans, companies are also including work-life balance programmes; competency pay packages where niche skills are compensated; and career opportunities, such as overseas assignments, new projects, etc. , to reward staff. These rewards can be tailored to suit the top performers' aspirations to achieve maximum effect. Measuring human capitalEvaluation of performance plays a key role, not just in rewarding an individual employee, but also in setting performance benchmarks. And hence, the need for a fair and transparent performance management system. A strong performance analysis helps make human resources both efficient and effective. â€Å"In today's business environment, where the focus is on increasing performance, companies must have robust systems to identify performers so that the best performers get identified, recognized and duly rewarded,† says Ganesh Shermon, partner and head, human capital advisory service, KPMG India.Shermon cites the example of oil and gas company Bharat Petroleum Ltd, which has instituted a balanced scorecard based on key result areas to measure performance. Managing Aspirations As aspirations of organizations grow, so do those of employees. And, with the changing lifestyles and profiles of the workforce, personal and professional aspirations of employees are not just varied, but are increasingly on the rise. â€Å"Since competitive advantage depends on competent people, knowing what employees aspire for could just be the way to have an edge over competitors,† says Kishore Poduri, head, human resources, eClerxServices Ltd. Experts say people as well as organizations have aspirations, and when the two get aligned, achieving business goals becomes easier. Dwarakanath suggests companies should be clear about goals of individuals as well as of the organization, and the role each needs to play. The firm should also communicate the goals, and have robust and reliable processes to execute them, he adds. 360 degrees feedback Finally, recognizing the need to make performance appraisal systems more effective, an increasing number of companies are using the 360 degrees or multi-rater feedback process.Unlike t he traditional appraisal system, which gives unidimensional feedback, this one allows an employee to give feedback to her reporting manager, peers, direct reports and others. â€Å"Multi-rater feedback not only reduces the risk of biased perceptions, but also gives you a holistic view from all the stakeholders within the company,† says Sanjay Bali, vice-president, HR, Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. While most companies started using this system as a means for performance appraisal, most of them now use the 360 degrees feedback system to identify the learning and development needs of employees.This section of the review of literature focuses on the concept of Social Style as developed by Merrill and Reid (1981). The section begins with the history of the development of Social Style through Merrill and Reid. The next section focuses on the progression of Social Style since its conception. The origins of Social Style theories are found among the American Behaviorists of the 1950s and 1960s. During this time the field of psychology underwent a shift towards behaviorism and away from psychoanalysis. This shift on the part of psychologists was an attempt to demonstrate that their research was grounded in rigorous cientific principles and worthy of serious consideration within the broader scientific community (Merrill & Reid, 1981). Behavior and interaction were easily observed, manipulated and, most importantly, quantified. The concept of Social Style developed from theories that were evolving during this time period (Merrill & Reid, 1981). In the 1950s the United States Office of Naval Research, working in conjunction with researchers from Ohio State University, articulated a theory of style as a result of their attempts to discover the components of effective leadership (Merrill & Reid, 1981).Researchers developed a list of descriptive behaviors, then asked various people to identify those behaviors they felt demonstrated good leadership. In the end, 1 50 behaviors were identified as characteristic behaviors of good leadership. Factor analysis was done to organize the terms into categories. â€Å"Next, several questionnaires were developed to determine which factor characterized the best leader, but no reliable results were obtained† (Merrill & Reid, 1981, p. 41). Fred Fiedler determined that the research was flawed because it examined eadership in a vacuum. He decided to take context into consideration. His research concluded that effective styles of leadership vary depending upon different situations (Merrill & Reid, 1981). From this background research Merrill and Reid began to study the concept of style in the 1960s. They borrowed a questionnaire that was developed in the early 1960s by James Taylor, a staff psychologist at a large corporation. Taylor developed his questionnaire by asking corporate employees to mark the adjectives that they felt described their own behavior.Through testing he narrowed his original list from 2331 adjectives to 150 adjectives. Through factor analysis of the responses to the narrowed adjective checklist, Taylor found a tendency for clustering of adjectives. He then developed five scales that took into account this clustering effect. The original five scales of human behavior were â€Å"1) self-confident; 2) considerate; 3) conforming; 4) thoughtful; and 5) rigid†. With Taylor’s permission, Merrill and Reid adapted his research and worked towards creating what is now known as Social Style.Conforming to the behaviorist thought of the day, Merrill and Reid altered the way that respondents answered the questionnaire. Instead of marking adjectives describing one’s own behavior, others were asked to report on the subject. This method would be more like clinical research in that it would provide only observable patterns of behavior. Another change Merrill and Reid made was to do a second factor analysis, where they found significant clustering around on ly three scales rather than five. The scales that would from then on determine Social Style were 1) assertiveness, 2) responsiveness, and 3) versatility.As defined by Merrill and Reid (1981) assertiveness is the tendency one has to â€Å"ask† or â€Å"tell† in an effort to influence the decisions of others; responsiveness is a dimension that indicates whether a person â€Å"emotes† or â€Å"controls† feelings. Assertiveness and responsiveness were then put together to become the two scales that form the Social Style Profile, a questionnaire designed to determine Social Style. It is important to note the third scale, versatility. This third dimension of human behavior is not affected by the other two. It often is tested separately.Merrill and Reid even provide a separate questionnaire for determining an individual’s versatility. Versatility is determined by the amount of endorsement, approval of behavior, that we receive from others with whom we int eract. Since it is a separate dimension that does not effect how an individual is plotted within the orthogonal Social Style matrix, this study will not look at the effects of an individual’s level of versatility. Further research may want to investigate the sex-role effects on an individual’s level of versatility.Psychometric properties: As discussed earlier, psychometric properties include an instrument’s reliability and validity. Because Social Style questionnaires have been used primarily in a corporate environment rather than an academic one, information regarding the psychometric properties of Social Style measures is limited and contradictory. Most corporations that sell these instruments make claims about the reliability and validity of the instruments that often are not confirmed by independent research.Although there has been little research regarding the psychometric properties of these scales, they continue to be used widely by corporations. With thi s deficit in mind I suggest that data gathered during the present study should be used to conduct tests for reliability and validity on the Social Style instrument. Only continued testing of these instruments will allow for certainty of their ability to do what they are designed to do. The next section will look at the applications of Social Style.With hot topics like globalization and cross-cultural opportunities in the Asia Pacific rim, one might think it would be easy to research the implications of cross cultural issues. Rather, what the writer found was a significant discussion all around the periphery but little in-depth analysis. Discussion prevailed on the socio-economic and technological ramifications. Others resources focused on the language issues but little work was intuitively available on the subtleties of cross cultural issues one may encounter.Based on experience working in the Asia Pacific rim for two years as a PMO Manager, and training PM’s in many European countries, I decided that understanding international socio-cultural issues encountered in business is essentially at the heart of the issues companies will encounter in globalizing operations. Therefore, the writer will approach the crosscultural issues from a personalized understanding based on his many months of first hand mistakes in understanding cultural issues encountered in Asia Pacific.I will base my observations of cross-cultural issues on my experiences in working most closely with individuals from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and India. Naturally there are more countries in the Pacific Rim but these mentioned provided the most opportunity for interaction. I want to also acknowledge the contributions of my wife, Helena Shiu Leung Chow Ballow, whom I initially met in Asia. Her wisdom, coaching, and meaningful insights on the many differences between Western and Eastern business and cultural practices were, and remain till this day, illuminating, h elpful and daunting.Clearly we all understand to some degree the impact of cultural issues in communications. If nothing else, we have encountered situations where language was the barrier. But language may be the smallest of the issues when dealing with other cultures. Even when we pull out our Translation Guides or employ translators we may get pass some of the language difficulties. But from the writer’s experience, language is the least of the issues. Ingrained and systemic patterns of cultural behaviours can be so subtle as to completely deny meaningful communications.I found a really good example of just how easily cultural variances can cause communications problems. In this case the issues was â€Å"psychological filtering† of appearance or gesture. I would think is would also be easy for the reader to extrapolate this example into some experiences that may have encountered even in the West. Timofeev (2002), in an article in National Concepts and Globalization, provided the following example: â€Å"The idea or rather the hypothesis that underlies this paper was stimulated by a trivial chat with a friend of mine.Being a linguist by trade, Russian by origin and living in Finland, she is well aware of cross-cultural discrepancies and provided me with a curious example. It was a TV commercial of an international brand of Persil washing powder. Two young ladies were shown sitting in a crowded place, some restaurant or a cafe. One of the ladies notices quite a peculiar manner her friend has chosen to wear her wristwatch. It was placed above the cuff of her blouse. It turned out in a second that the only reason for placing her watch there was to cover some stain that regular detergents failed to deal with. Oh dear, you should use Persil instead! † When multinationals develop into or with other countries there may be an assumption that because everyone within the company is working for the same goals and to the same values, they will autom atically communicate, think and view the world in the same way. When multiple cultures begin working together, problems or difficulties arise that many people within these companies are not skilled or adept enough to deal with effectively. This can simply be because they've never had to deal with the issue before. Language is often the least difficult barrier to breach.When we know there may be language differences, we have a greater awareness of the potential for problems. However, much more often it's a completely different way of seeing things and an inability, or unwillingness, to see what the other person is seeing that causes the difficulties. Misunderstanding is the norm At Impact Factory we say that ‘misunderstanding is the norm'. We assume that because the other person knows our language (or we know theirs) that we speak the same language. Often we don't. Even when our ‘Mother' tongue is the same, we don't speak it the same way.When we work with other cultures, it's easy to be influenced by common stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices about our new colleagues. Without realising it, we carry those misconceptions and stereotypes into meetings, conferences, trainings or even social gatherings that can make communication difficult and hard work. In our own culture (where we feel at ‘home'), we are all individuals with a host of differences; yet there are so many similarities that the differences can seem negligible. There appears to be more in common than may actually be so, but somehow we absorb and adjust to the differences.When we are abroad, or even in our own home territory working with others from abroad, the differences are far more apparent and it becomes much harder to see the similarities. ‘Home' is that place where we feel most comfortable. The landscape looks familiar and we know the signposts that tell us where we are. When we are away from ‘home' we may try to recreate that landscape: we surround ourselves with people who are like us; we join clubs where we're all similar; we may even try to get the ‘aliens' to be more like us so that we feel more comfortable.Not only that, if we start having difficulties with someone, it seems easier to focus on the differences and to start gathering ‘evidence' to support our case about how difficult they are, than to look for the common ground which might lead to a resolution. We might even create a hurdle out of a hillock! Changing you to change others Life would certainly be a lot simpler if other people would just shape up and see things our way! As ridiculous as that statement looks when written out, that is often what we think when things aren't going well, particularly when communication starts breaking down.We wait for the other person to change so we’ll be all right (‘If only he'd listen to me I'd be fine. ‘ ‘If only she'd be clearer I could get my work done more efficiently. ‘). All of us at some t ime or another have thought something similar. The reality is: the only person you can change is you. When you are the ‘interloper' you can't afford to wait for the other person to change and see things your way. If you are in trouble and it feels as though people won't meet you halfway, unless you change and do something different, communication will continue to disintegrate.Even if you aren't the interloper but are working at ‘home' with someone from another culture, waiting for the other person to change could mean a long wait. The really good news The really good news is that something can be done about these difficulties that doesn't require you to change everything about you. It is far easier to make small adjustments, tweaks and fine-tunings in order to become a more effective and aware communicator when working cross-culturally. On an Impact Factory Cross-Cultural programme delegates:Examine how to look after themselves whilst changing the outcome of difficult or complex communications. Practise how to be in charge of the way communication happens. Look at some of the things that separate cultures and create unnecessary misunderstanding. Discover how they can adapt their behaviour without being in conflict with who they are. A Cross-Cultural Programme looks at: †¢ Diversity of Difference Terms of Reference and Language Assumptions Projection and Perception Images (media, historical) Beliefs and Traditions Avoiding Avoidance Finding Common Ground Spheres of Influence Blame vs.What CAN I do Conflict Resolution and Negotiation (Creating Win/Win solutions) Dealing with Misunderstandings Getting what you want Delegate's specific situations and difficulties Companies that have asked us to include material on cross-cultural issues have been concerned that the vital work of their companies can get compromised (or at least, slowed down) if problems (or potential problems) are not brought into the open and addressed. For instance, Nokia Communic ations knows that there are communication issues between Finland and Britain, because in general Finns and Brits communicate differently sometimes very differently). People from each culture think they are making adjustments and accommodations to suit the other, but those changes are not necessarily the ones that are needed: they are often the ones that people assume are needed! Impact Factory would be pleased to provide a complete proposal with a more detailed outline of the course content. Naturally, a full day's training will provide a comprehensive look at the issues involved. However, Impact Factory is able to offer a Cross-Cultural Programme in a four-hour module to individuals who already communicate at a relatively high level.I will present the materials in a table format such that it may be easier to digest. A simple summary provided by Bhagat et al (2002 provides a good stepping-stone for analysis of the cross-cultural issues: Cross-border transfer of organizational knowle dge is most effective in terms of both velocity and viscosity when the type of knowledge (i. e. , human, social, or structured) being transferred is simple, explicit, and independent and when such transfers involve similar cultural contexts.In contrast, transfer is least effective when the type of knowledge being transferred is complex, tacit, and systemic and involves dissimilar cultural contexts. (p. 204) Table 1: Cross-cultural Implications – Asian (China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan) and the West [pic] †¢ [pic] [pic] Because most of the areas discussed in Table 1 also apply to Indian culture, we will only look at a few areas that are subtle variances in implications. This time I will ask the reader to think about the implications based on a review of Table 1. Let’s see if you have started to figure it out. [pic] [pic] Applications of Social StyleAt the time that Merrill and Reid developed Social Style they primarily focused on insurance sales agents as participants when developing their Social Style questionnaires. Since the development of the concept of Social Style, researchers have focused on determining other areas to which the concept of Social Style also would apply. This section will look at the applications for Social Style. Most research has looked at how Social Style can aid in organizational communication through training, consulting, and staff development. Other social science research has taken a more academic look at Social Style.This section will be divided into the areas of corporate application and social science research. Corporate application: The