Sustainable Development and its overall impact Assignment - 1

Sustainable Development and its overall impact - Assignment Example is an evident fact that the industrial development in one country of a region can create environmental issues in the region and thus the other countries of the region are equally affected by these activities (Muschett, 1997). Therefore one of the most important principles of sustainable development is formulation of international laws to protect the environmental impact beyond borders. The members of the international community should cooperate with each other to ensure better economic growth, which ultimately leads to the achievement of various goals of sustainable development; however this cooperation should not be limited to economic growth and nations must extend support to each other for ensuring global peace and security as it is also an important aspect of sustainable development (Guruswamy and McNeely, 1998). Another important principle of achieving sustainable development is creating awareness among the masses about the advantages associated with it. A large majority of people in the world is not aware about sustainable development; under these circumstances the efficient use of resources in the world is not possible. Measures should be adopted to clear the doubts in the minds of people about the advantages of sustainable development. The large initial cost which occur due to the incorporation of sustainable development practices in various industrial and construction projects stop investors from adopting them because they are unaware of the long term financial incentives thus creating awareness is of prime importance to ensure sustainable development. Social capital i.e. the role of people in sustainable development is not given the due importance in the principles mentioned in the document. People should learn to accept responsibility to preserve the resources and climate of the planet for future generations. Accepting responsibility is an important principle as, along with creation of awareness, it is the most basic step towards achieving the goals

Army Nurse Corps Essay Example for Free

Army Nurse Corps Essay All women in the Army served then in either the Army Nurse Corps or the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). All Army nurses were officers, and were Direct Commissions. That is, they became nurses first and then attended a ten day or so Orientation Course at (Ft. Sam Houston, Texas) to teach them how to be officers, the rudiments of military life, who to salute and when, etc. (There were a small number of male nurses who went through the same program. ) Nurses were assigned to Army hospitals, both Stateside and overseas, and were billeted separately from male officers. In Vietnam, Army nurses served exclusively in rear-area hospitals at major bases. The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) provided all Army female enlisted personnel and also had its own officers. Most WAC officers exclusively administered WAC units, but a handful received assignments to staff positions and other rear-echelon duties. In Vietnam, enlisted WACs performed mostly clerical duties, although some worked as medical technicians. Whatever their duty assignments, all enlisted women, on any base, even in the States, were billeted together as a single WAC Company in a guarded compound. (WAC officers had separate quarters, of course. ) Within this compound, in their barracks, WACs pulled their own guard, armed with baseball bats and whistles. (Neither WACs or nurses were issued weapons, and even those sent to Vietnam had only rudimentary firearms training. ) One tiny WAC unit (peak strength, 20 officers and 139 enlisted women) was assigned to Saigon, and nowhere else in-country. No WACs, even medical personnel, got any closer to combat than this. Eight US servicewomen died in Vietnam. Of these, four Army nurses and an Air Force flight nurse were killed in three separate, non-combat, plane crashes, and another died from disease. An older nurse died of a stroke. Only one woman, Army 1LT Sharon Ann Lane, was actually killed in a combat action, in a VC rocket attack on Chu Lai, in 1969. Besides nurses and WACs other American women would also go to Vietnam. TOD and China Beach covered most of the categories. American Red Cross girls, entertainers, civilian employees of the US government or contracting firms, newspaper correspondents, Christian missionaries, that about covers it. ARC girls made brief daylight visits (a few hours) to advance bases. The rest had rear-area jobs. (Christian missionaries were usually older, married women. ) American civilian women lived in major Vietnamese cities, which were off-limits to US troops, the exception being Saigon. Any women billeted on US bases also lived in guarded compounds. † Susan O’Neill served as an Army nurse in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. â€Å"Don’t Mean Nothing† is her first book, written nearly thirty years after the experiences it depicts. O’Neill tells us that, (O’Neill, p. 15) â€Å"Before I went, I just assumed that war would involve injury and death; thats why I was being sent there, after all. But its one thing to look at it from a distance, and form neat mental pictures. Once you step through the looking glass, as it were, into the reality of itonce your sneakers are full of somebody elses bloodyou look at the whole thing quite differently. The bloods no longer a metaphor; it goes through to your socks and into the skin of your feet. Into your soul. † O’Neill gives us a clearer definition of what Vietnam was truly like. She offers that it wasn’t a place where you played around because people’s lives were at stake. The author goes on to tell us that, â€Å"Back in the states, when I so glibly thought I knew what Vietnam and war, in general, was about, I had opposed it on some cool-headed philosophical basis, from some distant notion of empathy. Gradually, in Vietnam, I became horrified at how callow my ideas had been.

Schindler’s List: Movie Review Essay

Schindler’s List: Movie Review Essay Schindler’s List Set in the most horrific period of world history, Schindler’s List tells the real life story of Oscar Schindler. Set in Krakà ³w ghetto of German occupied Poland, Schindler’s List takes a look at the life and evolution of Oscar Schindler, a Nazi profiteer who changed the course of dozens of Polish Jews. Despite originally siding with the Nazis, Schindler goes on to save the lives of over a thousand Jews, who are deemed as essential for his enamel factory. The movie is an incredible epic of Schindler and the Jewish workers (called Schindlerjuden) he risked his life to save. Unlike in other modern movies, Schindler’s List is shot in black and white. While black-and-white film is not obsolete, few movies of our time period utilize it and those that do often do not use it to the best of their ability. This element is one of the reasons that make Schindler’s List stand out from other films. Steven Spielberg, the director of the movie, chose to use black-and-white to better set up the historical atmosphere World War II. I believe his did this because many people psychologically associate WWII and the 1930s without color films or photography. In making this choice, we as viewers are put into the right mindset of the era on screen. While this makes the violence and thematic struggle of the film more impactful, it also helps to accentuate any of the time shifts or vital scenes shot in color. Like the Wizard of Oz, this effect focuses the attention of the viewers and changes their psychological mindset. Clearly, the producers realized that Schindle r’s List would not have the same visual effect or cinematic presence in history if they had not chosen to shoot it in black-and-white. Another important film effect that Steven Spielberg put into Schindler’s List is the use of parallel editing. This effect, more commonly known as crosscutting, weaves several different scenes, and in a more larger sense feelings, together with one another. While this is of course a fun visual aesthetic for the average viewer to see, Spielberg does it to contrast the poverty and desolation of the Jewish people during the Holocaust with the luxury and wealth of the Nazis ruling over them. An example is the scene splice of the Krakow ghetto and Schindler’s new apartment. I believe Spielberg does this to show the irony of that portion of World War II; good benefits for Schindler come from another’s heartbreaking loss. This filming technique helps to accurately show us the bitter, paradoxical time period that of world history that cannot be forgotten but has been overcome. There is a scene in the film where the Schindlerjuden present Schindler a ring engraved with the Talmudic phrase: â€Å"Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.† This phrase perfectly represents one of the main themes of Schindler’s List: one person can make an impact. theme can be seen pretty clearly throughout the film. Primarily, we see this theme through the protagonist Oscar Schindler. After saving Itzhak Stern from a concentration camp, we know that Schindler goes on to save the lives of thousands of Jewish workers from mass extermination by the Nazi Party. Although we know that millions were killed by the Nazi Party at the time the Holocaust, if Schindler had not saved them, six times the amount of people who actually be lost (the number of descendants that came from Schindler Jews). Another example in the movie of one person making a difference is the girl in the red coat. Spielberg only uses color in four occasions in the film and one of them is on a smal l girl. Why would he do that? He did it to show the viewer that Schindler is starting to see the horror around him and grasping that what the Nazis are doing is evil. It is because of this young child, who even more astoundingly does not even have to speak to him, that all of Schindler’s actions and views are changed. Another important theme of Schindler’s List is the easiness of denial. This theme can be seen many times throughout the movie and in the history of the Holocaust itself. Looking at Oscar Schindler, we see that throughout much of the rising action of the film, he cares little to none about the misery and persecution that the Jews in Krakà ³w are facing. He cares only about the luxurious lifestyle and profits that he can get from swindling the Jews. It’s easier to turn a blind eye and bury himself in his own greedy thoughts than acknowledge the atrocities being committed around him. Schindler is not the only one, though. Many of the Jews working for Schindler and living in Krakà ³w refuse to acknowledge the horrors of their situation. Even when forced from their homes, shipped into cramped ghettos, many still insist on seeing the good of the situation, even as Jews just like them are being killed at random. Another example of denial is the scene where smuggler Poldek Pf efferberg’s wife worries aloud about the rumors of extermination camps. She’s heard how dozens of Jews are being gassed and cremated at Auschwitz. Instead of being comforted or reassured by her fellow sufferers, they angrily rebuke her and insist that would never happen. Deep down, I am sure they knew the truth, but it was easier for them to deny it than face the reality of the horror surrounding them. It’s quite easy to see why a film of this emotional depth about the Holocaust would make an impact on the world. Spielberg was motivated to make this film because he wanted to find a way to make Holocaust victims more than just tragic statistics. Traditionally, when we are taught about the Holocaust, we are truly overwhelmed by the horrors and atrocities that were committed and this overwhelming feeling tends to almost desensitize to it. We have so much disbelief that this could ever be allowed to happen that we can’t grasp the full emotional reality of it. It is that desensitization that Spielberg works (successfully) to overcome. Spielberg achieves his goal to communicate the fear and uncertainty the Schindlerjuden had, whether it was while they were in the ghetto, working for Schindler, or riding the train to his factory in Czechoslovakia. The audience feels like they are actively partaking in the action on screen instead of sitting passively by. We emotionally meet each character and devote ourselves to following their journey’s outcome. This viewer-to-character connection was goal Spielberg made the purpose of his film. By truly humanizing all of these characters, the audience is forced to deal with the atrocities that the screen and history show us. He needed every viewer to see and feel invested in each of the characters of Schindler’s List. He didn’t want them to walk out of their theater and return back to their mundane way of thinking. Spielberg wanted to remind the world of the horror of World War II and make it so that whenever genocide or discrimination was seen in the world, every viewer of this movie would not settle to passively sit by and do nothing.

Bugs Moran :: essays research papers

George â€Å"Bugs† Moran: The Gangster   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George â€Å"Bugs† Moran was not born in Chicago as thought by many people. He was born to Polish and Irish immigrant parents in 1893. Although, he was shortly moved to Chicago where it all started. Moran joined many different gangs throughout his childhood and teen years. He committed more than 20 known robberies and was imprisoned three times before he was just 21 years of age. He was soon very important to a man’s gang that called themselves the Dion O'Banion's North Siders. Moran eventually became the head man of the North Siders when both of his predecessors were shot by Al Capone’s hit men. While he was still involved in this gang, he was the gun-man that tried to knock off Johnny Torrio. Moran was also in the lead car in the famous car cavalcade that drove past Al Capone's Cicero headquarters, The Hawthorn Inn, firing over 1000 shots into the building. The gangs’ war ended with the St. Valentines Day massacre.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The St. Valentines Day massacre was an event that ended the whole war between the two gangs of Johnny Torrio and Moran’s North Siders. This event is probably the most well known mobster event in history. The North Side gangs was really getting on Al Capone’s nerves, so he sent his best hit men, â€Å"Machine Gun† Jack McGurn and others to make a new murder history. The men stole a police car, and drove to the place they were about to attack. There were seven men that belonged to the North Side gang. The hit team had all seven men stand up and face the wall. The seven complied, expecting a pat down search for weapons and identification. Then two of Capone's men opened up with Thompson submachine guns, peppering each victim with numerous rounds from the .45 caliber weapon. They acted as if they were police men arresting themselves as they walked outside and drove away. It was the perfect crime except that the main target, Bugs Moran was not ther e, and was still alive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The war between the gangs ended in a draw. Capone came closest to Moran in the Saint Valentines Day Massacre caper but Moran was late arriving that day and lucked out. Through the 1930's, Moran's power began to wane even though his nemesis, Capone, was now in jail. Moran’s crimes after this never amounted to much.

Money Can Buy Happiness: The Question of Choice in Dreiser’s “The Second Choice” Essay

The United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was undergoing a drastic change. A war between its states had just concluded, enslaved people were granted freedom, immigrants from all over the world flocked to the country, and a bitter divide between rich and poor was beginning to form. The literature followed the same trajectory of the country and, as does most literature, became a mirror of the happenings across gender, race, and class. Many telling insights about the new construct of country post-Civil War could be found within these works. One such insight about the United States concerned the relationship between women and choice. During this new chapter of American history, women were making their voices known. Writers like Margaret Fuller, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were some of the most prominent female writers during this time and were large contributors to this new wave of literature. They blended feminine perspective with a form of literature that became extremely popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: Realism. Feminine realism was so marketable that even male authors produced such writings. One such male author was Theodore Dreiser with his short story â€Å"The Second Choice. † Much can be inferred from this story, but mainly that while money can buy women’s happiness and the freedom to choose, true mobility and choice is something only accessible to rich, white men. The title of the work may give many readers the implication that Shirley, the protagonist, ultimately resigns to her fate and chooses Bart, her second choice for a mate. While that is a very valid interpretation, it certainly isn’t the only one. One reading into the title could suggest that Shirley is the second choice. Consider the opening pages of the story, which is Arthur’s, Shirley’s love, letter to Shirley. While Shirley is limited to her choices, Arthur has, and has made, many choices. He tells her, â€Å"But I’m too young to marry now. You know that, Shirley, don’t you? † He continues with, â€Å"Roxbaum–that’s my new employer–came to me and wanted to know if I would like an assistant overseership†¦ in Java (p. 1). † Within one paragraph of a letter, Arthur has already made two choices! Furthermore, the fact that he has even penned this letter to Shirley all the way from Pittsburgh shows the mobility and free range that he has. Dreiser perhaps was reminding his audience (which was largely composed of immigrant and/or lower class women) that despite the fierce feminist movement that had gripped the nation, equality between men and women was still grossly imbalanced. In the span of about forty pages, Arthur easily moves from West Leigh (the adjoining suburb), to Shirley’s town, to Pittsburgh to Java. However, for Shirley, West Leigh is the furthest she travels in the story, and even then, she was invited by a friend. It is only through another person that Shirley is able to move from one place to another. Another reading into both the title and plot is the question about class. Anatomy already puts half of the population at a disadvantage in attaining mobility, but class can also be a major hinderance to the freedoms of choice. In the beginning of the story, Shirley muses, â€Å"†¦ her parents, her work, her daily shuttling to and fro between the drug company for which she worked and this street and house–was typical of her life and what she was destined to endure always. † She continues her lament by comparing herself to other â€Å"girls [who] were so much more fortunate. They had fine clothes, fine homes, a world of pleasure and opportunity in which to move (4). † Shirley is very conscious of her position as a â€Å"have not† and yearns for that â€Å"world of pleasure and opportunity in which to move. † It is with this passage in mind that raises the question: Is Shirley really in love with Arthur or is she simply drawn to the opportunity and world he represents? A compelling case can be made for both, however, the question nor answer are as important as the result. Due to her gender and class, she will not have the chance to find out. Her gender and class are parts of Shirley’s identity that restrict her from movement. The choices that such confining circumstances allow are so limited, Shirley might as well have no choice at all. She can marry Bart, marry someone else, or spend her life alone. None of these choices include Arthur, so none of them will make her happy. Through this short story, Dreiser is making a statement about the position of lower class women in the feminist movement. Feminism does not include someone of Shirley’s status and gender. This was a movement strictly for the higher classes. Besides this, perhaps Dreiser is making an even broader statement about the suffrage movement. Indeed the suffrage movement was largely composed of genteel women, but much like Shirley, the only chance at more freedom and choice for any woman in this country is still through a man. Women’s right to vote and the right to make more independent decisions for themselves still must be approved by a federal government run exclusively by men. Regardless of any choice that Shirley (women) could have made, Arthur (men) still have the greatest mobility. Dreiser probably neither praises or condemns the feminist movement, but rather reminds his readers to keep things in their proper perspective and not to allow themselves to be carried away quite so quickly. No matter class or gender, true freedom is still only reserved to rich, white males.

MotEffects of Employees’ Motivation on Organizational Performance Essay

Abstract Many theories came along to show the importance of motivation. Motivators are the things that drive the employees to achieve; de-motivators are the opposite and would lead to deterioration on the job-level. Performance is directly affected by motivation, thus, a performance appraisal should be done where the manager measures the performance of an employee and acts accordingly. Motivation is the key to success in any given task or job. If not met, failure will most probably be the result. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the demotivators, the motivators of employees at work and the effect of these factors on employees’ performance thus organizational performance and the positive correlation between both latter concepts. Introduction Abraham Maslow once said, â€Å"If I were dropped out of a plane into the ocean and told the nearest land was a thousand miles away, I’d still swim. And I’d despise the one who gave up.† The drive for him to reach the land is a combination of ability, willingness, and motivation. Likewise in any organization, there is always a drive for employees to achieve. The heart of this drive that leads to positive organizational performance and thus success is motivation; it is this desire to achieve. Motivating employees is when the employer gets them to â€Å"want† to do what he/she knows should be done. It is also the third key performance indicator of Human Resources. The main assets of an organization are the employees; if not satisfied and motivated then progress and success are close to impossible. Thus, it is a conductive synergy; if dissatisfaction occurs employees would dock, procrastinate, sabotage the company, increase absenteeism, or even petition. Motivation could be of two kinds: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is based on the desire for external rewards, such as gaining approval of others, earning money, winning prizes†¦ etc. Usually extrinsic motivation tends to be more commonly needed among people who have low or poor self-confidence or those who lack internal goals. The internal  goals or the inner desire to do something or gain knowledge in something is what intrinsic motivation is based on. People who are led by intrinsic motivation are those who know what their goals are and are aligned with what they value most. Read more:  Which Factors Affect the Motivation of Employees Working Due to the highly competitive era that we live in, managers need to consider behavioral management theories to increase employees’ retention and increase organizational effectiveness. After the classical school of management came the behavioral school to speak out on the name of employees’ satisfaction and stated that they are driven by motivation and one could not possibly give them the job and ask them to yield good performance. According to Hawthorne’s theory, a study was conducted on employees’ performance in dim and bright light. Results were the same because in both cases they were given recognition and attention. According to McGregor, a manager should follow his â€Å"Theory Y† which states that people are good by nature and that they are ambitious and self-motivated. A theory Y manager believes that people will do well at work if they were given the right conditions. They are the managers that usually create the climate of trust that will l ead to the development of the human resource aspect in an organization. Following that came Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that divided the human needs into five categories: physiological, safety, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization. The first three are the lower level needs and the latter two are the higher level needs. Physiological needs are first and the most important; they are the basic requirements for the survival and function of humans and are met by having a hygienic environment at work. Safety needs are those concerning the security of the employment, resources, body, family†¦ etc. These needs are satisfied by having a sealed contract at work. Humans constantly need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups. Thus Maslow proposed the third level of needs: the social needs. The self-esteem needs as the name suggests, it is the need for confidence, achievement, and respect by and to others. Self-actualization which is the utmost level is met after mastering all prior needs one after another. It is portrayed as Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be. Another theory is the expectancy theory which st ates  that motivation is a function of expectancy, instrumentality, and value. The employee should know that the job or the task is not a â€Å"mission impossible†; moreover, he/she should also know that there is a means to achieving it and if so will be awarded in a valuable way. After the managers apply those behavioral theories into the workplace, the organization tends to become more productive. Performance therefore needs to be measured in a process called performance appraisal. It is one of the periodic HR’s duties in which the employee is examined and evaluated, objectively and constructively. Based on the results, which the employee should know by giving him/her feedback, key areas of improvement or praise are shed light on. Therefore, the manager will know who to promote, demote, train or even fire. There are three major steps in the performance appraisal process: identification, measurement, and management. With identification, the behaviors necessary for successful performance are determined. Measurement involves choosing the appropriate instrument for appraisal and assessing performance. Management, which is the ultimate goal, is the reinforcing of good performance and the correction of poor performance. What are the motivators and de-motivators? How do they affect performance and how they are measured? The answers will be further discussed in the literature review. Demotivators at Work What does really motivate employees? How can we boost employee’s morale? What can we do to increase the performance and the productivity of our employees? How can we know if the way our employees are doing things is right and doing the right things? †¦..  And the list continues.  We could really spend a day just talking about the concerns of organizations when it comes to securing its continuity in this ever-growing competitive environment. The key to success is definitely in the way we run our employees in such a manner to boost their morale and keep them motivated to excel in their jobs for it has as major positive impact on increasing productivity. When we talk motivation, we need first to align what  demotivates the employees. Demotivators are those nagging, daily occurrences that frustrate employees and cause them to reduce, either consciously or unconsciously, the amount of productive energy they use in their jobs. Demotivators are draining the life out of employees everywhere, undermining morale and wasting the most valuable resource we have – human talent and creativity. Demotivators can be a single factor or a group of factors that affect that employee’s morale and cause him to underperform. Not only do demotivators trigger negative emotions, but they also elicit negative behaviors – such as withholding effort, absenteeism, tardiness, extended breaks, criticizing management, theft, conflict, and even violence, vandalism and sabotage. First, we are going to consider â€Å"Micromanagement† as a demotivator: Employees have different needs, different expectations, and different ambitions. Following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the physiological, safety and belongingness are the most important needs that must be secured first to any employee. Only after his basic needs are met, will he focus on realizing his self esteem and his self actualization, thus he will go the extra mile to perform effectively in order to achieve now his growing needs for achievement and for power. Micromanagement limits the employee’s motivation and his potential growth, and also affects his morale eventually. He will feel that he‘s not getting recognition and room to grow professionally. Some managers apply the theory X type of management, being autocratic, never trusting their employees, nor delegating them: hands on, central and formal management are some examples. Any employee under these conditions will not sense a feeling of belonging to the organization, nor will he feel responsible to work effectively or to improve his performance. At the end of the day, he doesn’t see any potential to grow out of his current position, or that his efforts will be appreciated as the credit would go to his managers. â€Å"Hazy Job Profiles† is another demotivator that is very frequent in many organizations: Absence of a clear job description, absence of a realistic reachable goal, absence of a clear target, absence of performance appraisal and a regular evaluation telling an employee where he stands and what areas he needs to improve, are all classic reasons that define the hazy a nd unclear job profile that negatively affects the employee’s behavior. An employee needs to know what is expected from him, what his responsibilities are, what areas he is accountable for, his  reporting authority and who reports to him. All these are important for him to know how he will be judged and on what basis he will be evaluated and assessed. Even though some organizations do not spend enough time on setting the job profile, it is an essential part to be well prepared by the HRM to give the employee the kick he needs to evaluate and advance in his career. â€Å"Unclear expectations† represent another demotivator that must be taken into consideration. In fact, without realizing it, management often communicates wrong messages, or fails to communicate clearly what’s required of the employees. They ask them to maximize production, emphasize on quality, customer satisfaction, limit the interaction time with customers, work faster, then work safer, etc†¦ All these messages can be misleading to employees and they fail to target what is really important or to prioritize their tasks. Thus, communication is the game in everything. The result is that they lose time and energy on wrong or unneeded tasks, and they accomplish wrong results that would lead them consequently to frustration, demotivation and disinterest in the job. Let’s consider now the â€Å"Work Environment† as a demotivator: In any organization, it is highly important to check the internal environment, the external environment and the global environment. If the subject company has a poor working conditions and a not so pleasant environment, this wou ld kill the natural abilities of people to perform. Will they feel relaxed to perform? The answer is no because they will be too busy securing basic needs, again physiological and safety needs. The absence of team work means that employees will be looking to establish their own interests over those of the company. It is important to generate a healthy environment, and a positive competition among employees, the sort that would push for team work, creativity and new ideas, not job docking or demotivation. Politics causes a suffocating environment that kills the natural abilities of the people to perform. It is difficult to fight at every step and do things which you know is must for the growth of the company. A company will cease to exist when its employees favor their own interests to those of the company. Managers here are bound to integrate the employees in the discussions, and involve them to a certain extent in the decision making. Moving to the â€Å"Absence of Recognition†, we all look to achieve, we all look for power and we all want to fit in and belong whether socially or professionally. We do it in order to feel secured, satisfied  and self content. We also do it because we look forward to enhance our self-esteem and realize our self-actualization. We also do it because we expect to be rewarded for our efforts afterwards. Every employee expects something in return when he achieves outstanding results. The reward can either be monetary, a reward system, or anything positive. Not receiving any recognition for something that we really worked hard on can be, and will be frustrating. Sometimes, an employee would appreciate a â€Å"thank you† or â€Å"well done† or â€Å"good job† from his superiors in front of a group of a few people. This will mean a lot to him and will boost his morale and entice him to maintain his performance or push it a little further. Some companies just fail to realize that this is cheapest and most efficient form to keep the employees happy and motivated. â€Å"Workload† can also be considered to be a demotivator: Most companies are nowadays applying the downsizing policies to be able to reduce their costs and maintain their position in the market. It is off course a hard decision on any organization to decide to lay off some of its employees. Such a decision will not only have its toll on the employee himself, but it will also affect his health, his family, his colleagues and the company itself. As a matter of fact, the company will then have to redistribute the work on one or two other employees who will handle the relative tasks in addition to their current tasks. The result is too much work to complete with so little time, which leaves no possibility for the employee to explore his natural abilities, or to learn new skills. He will no longer be motivated to work, nor will he focus on achieving high results or performing effectively, as all he will care about now is how to finish the workload on time, and how he will cope with the extra work. Now, how can the â€Å"Salary† be a demotivator? A job should provide the minimum expected income to lead a normal life and be able to answer the important needs of a human being to live in dignity and live decently. This is the most prevalent reason but sometimes it seems that no one is happy with what they get. If the employee’s salary levels within and outside the company is not at par and good performance is not adequately compensated, the employee will first not be motivated to work, no more then he will be motivated to perform his tasks correctly and effectively. Thus, overall performa nce is affected. â€Å"Organizational Culture† may also demotivate employees. Employees look to fit the organizational culture and to be in harmony with their  supervisors. Being friendly with workers, offering assistance and help, how managers treat their teams, existence of healthy competition, type of language people use, the way of doing things, etc†¦ These are some of many factors that can reflect the company’s culture and environment. If the environment is not pleasant, the employee will be demotivated. He will not be in the mood to work, nor will he communicate with his colleagues to get the job done if it requires assistance. He will not look to achieve if his relation with his supervisors is not so great, for he thinks they will get the credit, whereas he will not advance in his career. If an employee is not happy he cannot work hard, and if he dreads to go to work every day, his productivity will soon or later on drop dramatically. â€Å"Organizational Policies† represent a major issue when talking about demotivators. Each company has its own policies but sometimes they are too many for the employee to grasp. The company also has to abide by the local environment policies that include those enforced by the government. Example of policies may include but they are not restricted by: Policies for women, Special si tuations, Conduct, Etc†¦ These policies impact the life of employees and their working atmosphere, and can prove to be demotivating once they don’t take into consideration the humanitarian view. You may not weigh it much, but people who have to travel a lot or cover a big of distance to their office know the importance of this factor in their lives. Therefore, â€Å"Distance† is another demotivator. The balance of life between home and office seem to evaporate in thin air. All travel and no time for themselves demotivates them to the core. Some â€Å"Meetings† can be unproductive and can be time consuming and exhausting for employees, with no results to be seen. They see it as a waste of time and energy, and it leaves them demotivated. Moreover, â€Å"Hypocrisy† usually involves superior comments or promises, followed by contradictory behavior. Many organizations say one thing and do another – leaving employees feeling angry, frustrated and betrayed. â€Å"Change† may also pose a challenge and is an important factor to maintain as well as to achieve organizational success. Companies need to unfreeze the status quo, run changes then refreeze the situation again, and that’s a very important cycle to be respected because constant change is extremely disruptive. Sometimes it can unplanned, b adly communicated and poorly envisioned. Employees have already a lot on their back to worry still about  unnecessary and unproductive changes. Many changes leave the employees feeling down, as they have to abide by what the management decides is right for now. â€Å"Hiding Information† from employees is demotivating. It can be interpreted as mistrust or a threat when the data is not communicated, leading sometimes to incoherent and incompatible efforts that are not aligned with the management vision and plan. When we don’t involve employees in what’s happening or why a certain decision has been taken, they will not be motivated to work nor will they feel responsible or accountable for achieving the required tasks. Let’s treat the issue from the â€Å"Low Quality Standards† perspective: Poor-quality work does not only include the cost of replacement, scrap and dissatisfied customers. It also includes the terribly demotivating impact on employees. Most employees look forward to achieve a work of high quality. It makes them feel good and satisfied on a personal level. However, due to growing competition and time and costs constraints some companies are prioritizing short production goals, thus lowering the quality standards. The result is that either the customers are left dissatisfied or the employees are left demotivated because they are involved in goal setting and process improvement. Both have devastating repercussions on the company. Why not to speak a little bit about â€Å"Favoritism†? Actually, Favoring one employee over another is very common in organizations due to stereotyping or the look like me effect when managers and supervisors usually falls in. When the least favored employee gets good results, the recognition is almost absent, but if he makes the smallest mistake the punishment is tough. The opposite happens with the favored employee, and his mistakes go sometimes unnoticed and unpunished. The rest of the employees will notice and feel discrepancies, which will lead them to demotivation. slide 5 of 13 From another point of view, â€Å"The Absence of a Benefit Package† or the existence of a weak one can be demotivating for employees when they compare themselves to what other employees are being offered in different companies.slide 6 of 13 1111111slide 8 of 13 Finally, â€Å"Violence and Harassment† can demotivate employees at work. There are different types of harassments at the workplace: sexual, racial,  personal, bullying, age harassment and disabled harassment. Issues like these can threaten the safe working environment that companies strive to insure. When employees don’t feel safe, they will not perform and they will start absenting, docking the job, etc†¦ which will affect the overall organizational performance. Adding to that the fact that such issues can lead the organization to court shall any of the employees decide to file a lawsuit case? What a bad toll that would have on the organization’s reputation and rank in the society and marketplace? Motivators at Work Employee motivation is a continuing challenge at work. It doesn’t only guarantee that work is done in time but it also ensures that quality of work is not compromised. Employees want to earn reasonable salary to support themselves and their families. Money is the only inducement as for nobody works for free; no other incentive or motivational technique comes even close to it with respect to its influential value (Sara et al, 2004). It has been known as a chief source of satisfying people’s needs. It has the power to attract and retain individuals. However, it doesn’t motivate; it only activates employees to do the minimum that is required in their job descriptions. Frederick Herzberg, the Behavioral theorist who conducted studies on worker motivation in the 1950’s and developed the Motivation-Hygiene theory of worker satisfaction and dissatisfaction, concluded that hygiene factors such as salary or pay can prevent dissatisfaction, but they do not motivate employees. According to Herzberg, hygiene factors work primarily as demotivators if they are not sufficient. As for the motivators, he believed that responsibility, recognition, achievement and advancement increase satisfaction and motivate people towards a greater effort and performance. Herzberg like many other behavioral theorists was influenced by the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs concept. The theory of Herzberg has shed the light on the importance of the intrinsic aspects of a job and their ability to motivate employees. It also generated the concept of job enrichment. He believed that removing some of the control over employees, giving them additional authority, increasing their personal responsibility and freedom in their own work and encouraging  them to take on new and more difficult tasks would enrich their job and positively motivate them. In addition, studies have shown that giving employees more responsibility and letting them feel a greater ownership in the business make th em more motivated to work harder and make the business succeed. Non-monetary incentives such as recognition can be as successful, and sometimes more successful, than monetary based plans. According to Maurer (2001) recognition is an essential factor in enhancing employee job satisfaction and work motivation which is directly associated to organizational achievement (Jun et al., 2006). This type of incentive works well with people who are intrinsically motivated. It can be achieved by simply asking employees for their opinions on specific issues or ideas. Such a criterion makes them feel that their opinion matters and is valued thus giving them an important role within the company. Recognition also includes acknowledging employees performance which in fact is really high on the list of employee needs for motivation. Managers should associate recognition in return with monetary gifts. Although employees would prefer money, but sometimes they might also appreciate praise, a verbal or a written â€Å"Thank you†. Appreciation is another form of non-monetary incentive. Even though its effectiveness isn’t stressed enough however it has a significant impact on e mployees. Employees would appreciate being involved directly with their immediate supervisors. The daily interaction builds good relationships. Discussing and sharing different points of view and ideas assist employees in getting involved thus motivated. And in return involved employees will start working beyond what is required from them in their job description and go the extra mile for the business. Furthermore the quality time spent with employees can be a huge enabler for understanding their current motivators. This relationship is the only and the most important factor in employees’ retention. Recent surveys have also found that flexible work arrangements improve employees’ motivation and retain them. In addition, having a clear staffing structure in the business with a scope for career development can expand both engagement and motivation. Likewise having a bonus or commission structure and creating a â€Å"Familial† atmosphere, in which everybody is treated fairly, can also maximize employees’ motivation and productivity. Similarly, as the p roverb says â€Å"With great power comes more responsibility†, empowering employees to take responsibility for their own  job and distributing leadership across all the levels in an organization can encourage, motivate and engage them with their tasks, especially if they can be left to work autonomously. David McClelland, like Maslow, also believed that people develop various needs throughout their life experiences. However, the only difference between McClelland’s theory and Maslow’s is that it assumed that different people have different patterns of needs. McClelland’s theory focused on the need for achievement which is the desire to do something better than it has been done before, the need for power which is the desire to control, influence, or be responsible for other people and the need for affiliation, which is the desire to maintain close and friendly personal relationships. According to McClelland, employees have all these needs to some extent but with different intensities. The relative strength of each need affects what will motivate each person. Managers through their daily interaction with employees can understand their behavior and the kind of motivation that best works. For example, employees with a strong need for achievement are more motivated by success than by money while employees with a strong need for power seek out advancement and responsibility whereas employees with a strong need for affiliation give ambition a back seat in exchange for approval and acceptance. Similarly, Vroom’s â€Å"Expectancyâ €“Valence† theory suggested that people are most motivated to seek achievable and worthy results. Meaning that, the strength of motivation is a function of the perceived value of the outcome and the perceived probability that the behavior will result in the outcome. Moreover studies have shown that making work more interesting to employees will make them give it their full attention and enthusiasm. This can be achieved by job rotation, enlargement, and enrichment. Job rotation gives employees more variety by moving from job to job and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills through cross-training. Job enlargement also assumes job variety by adding more duties to the job which in return makes it more satisfying and motivating. Job enrichment as explained by Herzberg gives employees more responsibility to make decisions and more recognition for good performance. Most of these motivation theories have one thing in common: Managers must consider individual differences while designing rewards. They should always keep in mind that what motivates one person may not motivate anot her. So they need to offer a variety of rewards and fairly distribute them to avoid  discrimination. Linking Motivation to Performance In order for us to study the implications of employees’ motivation on the organizational performance, it would be essential for us to start by defining the organizational performance and effectiveness terminology. Researchers do not agree on a specific definition for organizational performance. In fact, they look to it from different perspectives and they might adopt divergent views in defining it. Moreover, some of them have already created business models in an effort from them to explain and highlight this broad pillar concept in today’s business World. However, the grounds for defining the organizational performance and effectiveness are common among the majority of researchers. According to Mary et al, (1996), organizational performance is the ability of a company to attain its goals and objectives by the use of its resources. It is the maximum utility and efforts of the essential constituents of an organization in achieving the organizational goals and it reflects these constituents’ satisfaction in the input-output transformation process, as seen by Matthew et al, (2005). Finally, organizational performance is deemed to be â€Å"the process of locating targets and attaining them proficiently in spirited and energetic surroundings† (Constant.D, 2001). But, the breakneck challenge remains in creating such â€Å"energetic† surroundings in nowadays business environment in an attempt to reach the highest levels of motivation. Several studies conducted around the World and in different organizations assert that a positive relationship exists between the organizational performance and employees’ motivation. Thus, it becomes incontestable that when an organization tries to increase its employees’ satisfaction by motivating them, it will be increasing their performance and their effectiveness in achieving the organizational objectives set by the corporate level of management. And this is again verified by Matthew.J. et al, (2009), who consider the maximization of profits to be the fruit of a higher level of effectiveness and efficie ncy among workers in the business set, generated by satisfaction, delight and internal motivation. Many organizations, even unintentionally, found themselves enjoying a higher performance and effectiveness by increasing their employees’ degree of motivation. Many  researches were conducted in an attempt to explain the nature of the relationship between the Human Resources Management (HRM) practices and the organizational performance. In a study realized by Paul, A.K., & Anantharaman, R.N. (2003) and titled â€Å"Impact of people management practices on organizational performance†, the authors see that it is crucial for employees to be motivated, satisfied and committed in order for them to bring value and significantly contribute in the success of their organizations. Therefore, this reflects the indirect link between HRM policies and organizational performance through HRM output. On the other hand, controls (size, capital intensity, union intensity) which are all subtitles under the HRM policies section, may influence directly the organizational performance according to another study conducted by Huselid (1995). Thus, taking into consideration these studies, it is now clear that the HRM policies enjoy a duplicate relationship w ith the organizational performance (direct and indirect relationship), as they include motivation. And here, we should not forget to underline the importance of employees’ retention, one of the major Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the HR of every organization, in establishing the coherence of this relationship. If a company is unable to retain its internal customers (employees), then it will encounter difficulties in capitalizing on its human asset. Thus, it is important to set employees’ retention as an indispensable condition to be satisfied before discussing the implications of motivation on performance. In addition to that, it is important to shed light on the fact that organizational performance is a function of a multitude of variables that must be taken into consideration when measuring overall performance. A. Katou (2008) suggests that the performance is the big framework under which concepts such as effectiveness, efficiency, development, satisfaction, innovation and quality fall. And since these concepts are the basic components of organizational performance, thus it becomes steady that each one of them is directly related to performance. Therefore, anything that might positively affect any of these concepts might also be positively reflected on performance itself. Thus, when measuring the increase in organizational performance due to motivation, it becomes vital to take in consideration positive implication of motivation on each of these concepts. A high organizational performance might result due to a higher level of  effectiveness achieved in top management positions when setting the appropriate goals and objectives and communicating these objectives to all levels and departments within the organization. And motivation, once found among top managers, it will play a major role in increasing the effectiveness of these managers in setting the appropriate goals to reach. A motivated manager will put the interest of the whole organization as a priority and will work hard with his subordinates to achieve them. In a similar context, the Behavioral School of Management suggests that employees are more likely to express a high sense of motivation when they work with a motivated manager (Hawthorne studies). Staying within Katou’s study (2008) frame, motivation is directly related to efficiency, which constitutes the ability of firm to meet its objectives using the least amount of resources. Motivated employees are more likely to consider the costs that their organization incurs to achieve the expected goals and objectives. So, they think about squeezing the costs as a way to increase their revenues and profits, leading to a maximum efficiency and performance. Moving to the development, it is essential to say that an organization must always conduct a SWOT analysis, watching both its internal and external environment. Consequently, it must analyze any opportunity looming and try its best to make out of it the most profit it could. Thus, motivation here is essential key to performance since it leads to a proactive workforce that constantly analyzes the external environment for any opportunity, and that permanently trying to predict the future. Hence, motivation turned out to be res ponsible of the subsequent future of an organization in addition to its ulterior prosperity. Finally, adhering to Katou’s research (2008), motivation is at the root of every step forward in the innovation concept. Definitely, a demotivated workforce will soon suffer from the routine of the daily work and will never think of finding new ways in achieving the organizational objectives or manufacturing a product and so on and so forth. Thus, a huge role is attributed to motivation in this direction. And once motivation and innovation meet, a positive synergy is created among workers at all levels of management, driving the whole organization to realize and achieve high quality and standards in serving its customers, either by providing high quality products or offering high quality services in the business environment. This would definitely drive us to talk about the competitive  advantage that high quality and innovation would both create within the organization itself, leading to outperforming competitors and to the generation of core competencies that provide the organization with the power to overcome any threat imposed by the presence of any competitor. Thus, the outcome is a higher performance due essentially to motivation. In a recent study by Nicu Ioana Elena (2011), a motivated workforce will also ensure, in addition to all of the previous consequences discussed above, a better assumption of responsibilities in the organization leading to higher levels of performance. She also affirms in her study that organizations in which employees are motivated are more likely to witness small absenteeism rates, very low personnel fluctuations, a negligible Procrastination rate (Fatigue, Stress), and frivolous percentages of Sabotage and Docking among its employees, all of them associated with burnout that leads to modest levels of organizational performance. Finally, motivating employees might show to be of a certain intrinsic value to the organization itself. In fact, when an organization takes care of its employees, constantly trains and develops them and motivates them to work harder and achieve organizational goals in the most effective and efficient way, they would feel that they are treated as valuable assets in the company and they would feel the importance accorded to them by their supervisors. Thus, they will adopt a positive attitude towards the organization they work at, and this will be reflected by a better organizational reputation which may in a way or another have its own indirect implications on the organizational performance and on the way the organization is seen by competitors or other factors or players in the business environment. This point should be definitely treated in the light of the close working relationships that might unite employees from different organizations. A final point we would like to consider is the equity v/s inequity perception among employees. Usually, in the business framework, employees tend permanently to compare themselves to other employees in the same organization (Internal Equity), or in other organizations (External Equity). An employee who intuits a perception of inequity compared to one of his colleagues might face the situation with a fight, fright or flight reaction. And these reactions may increase the employees’ turn over rate, hence reducing the organizational performance. However, motivation is the only remedy in this case, reducing inequity perceptions (Internal &  External) among employees, contributing in employees’ retention and therefore increasing the overall organizational performance. Conclusion and Recommendations After we have discussed all of the factors affecting the employees’ performance in the work environment, either positively or negatively, and after having already examined the positive correlation between employees’ motivation and employee’s performance at work by showing the positive results and outcomes that may procure a motivated workforce to the organization, it becomes inarguable that focusing on employees’ motivation as a way to increase organizational behavior is vital in insuring the organization success and continuity. In fact, a lot of organizations nowadays consider enhancing the HR practices and orienting all of their HR efforts towards achieving a higher level of motivation among employees as important as any other financial or strategic business planning. Actually, employees represent the internal customers of the organizations and their importance to the organization is as equal as the importance of normal customers. Thus, they should be ta ken care of and they should be treated the same way an organization treats its customers. This issue has become a very hot topic in recent business and research studies as a considerable number of companies went out of business because of lack of motivation among employees in certain industries where motivation does really count. In addition to that, business planning has noticed a new trend, including a major consideration of employees’ motivation as a key factor leading to success. For instance, entrepreneurs are becoming more and more aware of employees’ motivation and they are including in their plans effective steps to implement in order to increase the level of motivation, even before starting the business. And this shows the relevance of such an issue in nowadays business world. Moreover, since reaching a high level of  performance in the organization is the common primary goal of the different functional departments, starting with the finance department and not ending with the marketing and sales departments, it becomes wiser to think of centering all the efforts towards increasing motivation as a way to achieve a higher level of performance, or even making it the common primary goal to reach among all of these functional departments. However, many questions can be addressed in this regard as motivation is relative to each employee and is a function of a multitude of cultural and societal variables. Therefore, it is not easy to achieve motivation among every individual element of the workforce and it is also not easy to reach perfection in realizing that task. Eventhough high motivational levels among employees might be reachable, it is almost impossible for executives in an organization to reach a level at which they can say: â€Å"Thank God our organization is blessed with a perfectly motivated workforce†. This may be witnessed due to the different human, psychological, social and cultural backgrounds of employees. Finally, another factor that may pose a challenge is the ability of the HR personnel to manage the issue between theoretical and practical discrepancies regarding motivation as nothing can be perfectly applied, and everything is subject to change due to an infinite number of reasons that deserv e further research and study. References Ali, R., & Ahmad, M. S., (2009). The Impact of Reward and Recognition Programs on Employee’s Motivation and Satisfaction: An Empirical Study. Baldoni, J., (2005). Motivation Secrets. Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders. http://govleaders.org/motivation_secrets.htm Beugrà ©, Constant, D., & Offodile, O. F., (2001). Managing for organizational effectiveness in sub-Saharan Africa: a culture-fit model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12 (4), 535-550. Danish, R. Q., & Usman, A., (2010). Impact of Reward and Recognition on job Satisfaction and Motivation. Honold, L., (1997). A Review of the Literature on Employee Empowerment. Huselid, M.A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 635-670. Katou, A.A., & Budhwar, P.S. (2008). Human resource management systems and organisational performance: A test of a mediating model in the Greek manufacturing context. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17, 1223-1253. Mary James, University of Cambridge. Dr Gordon Stobart †¦ 1.5 Relationship between assessment and aspects of motivation†¦ 14. 1.6 Differential †¦.. review findings and reference to current practice in the UK at the consultation †¦.. et al. ( 1996) Maslow, A. (1954) Impact of Motivation on Leadership Personality, a Journal of Socia Sciences, vol 9, pg 23-43, New York Publication Limited. Matthew, J., Grawhich, & Barber, L. K., (2009). Are you Focusing both Employees and Organizational Outcomes. Organizational Health Initiative at Saint Louis University (ohi.slu@edu), 1-5. Paul, A.K., & Anantharaman, R.N. (2003). Impact of people management practices on organisational performance. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14, 1246-1266 Rynes, S. L., Gerhart, B., & Minette, K. A., (2004). The Importance of Pay in employee Motivation: Discrepancies between What People say and what they do.

How to graduate to business - Emphasis

How to graduate to business How to graduate to business Youve spent the past three or four years writing essays and reports, and now youre in your first professional job and ready to start writing for business. But does your degree have you covered? Well, yes and no, writes Cathy Relf. The good news is that because youve developed good analytical and organisational skills, youll be well versed in sorting your ideas into separate sections or chapters, and supporting your arguments with facts, figures and evidence. The bad news is that the style and structure of academic writing varies hugely from the style and structure youll need to adopt for professional business writing. Whereas academic writing tends to be wordy, expansive and, well, a little dull, business writing needs to be lively, straight to the point and immediately engaging. Follow these three steps to shake off the academic shackles and bring out your business voice. 1. Engage your reader immediately The biggest difference between writing for university and writing for work is that, at work, no ones obliged to be interested. Interested though they surely were, your lecturers were paid to read your essays. However verbose the style or tenuous the argument, they had to pay attention to every sentence on every page, right through to the bitter end. In the professional world, no one will do that unless you hook them in at the start and keep them interested. You have to earn and then retain your readers attention at every step. Luckily, theres a radical yet simple change you can make that will instantly improve your ability to engage the reader. At university, you probably laid out all your evidence and information first, and followed them with a conclusion at the end. In business, you generally need to get to the point right at the start youre not discussing the topic, youre offering your expert opinion and backing it up with hard evidence. Heres a simple, four-point formula for grabbing your readers attention and getting straight down to business. a) Outline the context Establish the common ground between you and your reader, in no more than a line or two. b) Describe the trigger Explain why you are writing this now. What is it that has changed or must change? Again, keep this to just a line, two at the maximum. c) Ask a question Raise an action-orientated question, such as How do we prevent this?, How do we prepare for this? or How do we reduce the cost of this? d) Give the answer Answer the question with your recommendation or key finding, giving a complete solution in no more than 25 words. Now you have their attention. Use the rest of your document to explain how and why you have arrived at this recommendation. 2. Take your brain for a pint Remember all those student nights you spent trying to make your words of wisdom heard above the combined noise of a bad DJ, 30 drunken friends and the call of tequila? They werent wasted. The rest of your document should comprise organised sections or chapters that back up the recommendation you made in step 1. Before you start writing each section, imagine you had 30 seconds to tell it to a friend in a noisy pub. Itll help you do the following three things naturally: a) Use everyday words and as few as possible The more directly your reader can understand you, the better. So cross out ameliorate, expeditious, and promulgate and replace them with improve, fast and issue. And do you really need to say in order to, rather than to? Could you cut down in the field of to in? Is eliminate altogether really more effective than just eliminate? Go through your draft and remove any words that arent pulling their weight. The clearer your writing is, the clearer your message. b) Be active, not passive As a general rule, use active verbs, rather than passive. It keeps your writing lively, direct, personal and accountable. Just put the doer at the start of the sentence. So instead of writing it is hoped that the project will be completed in December, write we hope to complete the project in December. c) Prefer verbs to nouns Verbs are more direct than nouns. So when youre editing your work, cut out nominalisations such as achieve cost reductions and undertake the implementation of and replace them with reduce costs and implement or, simply, do. 3. Focus on your formatting Good formatting can make such a difference to the clarity of your document. There are few things as off-putting as pages of block text. Well-formatted text is kinder on the eye, easier to navigate and more memorable. a) Keep it short and simple Dont try to cram too much into your sentences. Break them down so that each sentence deals with just one idea, and link your ideas logically. Its fine to start a sentence with and or but if it helps clarify your message. Similarly, its not unusual to see suffocatingly long paragraphs in academic writing. But in business writing, youll need to be more succinct. Vary the length of your paragraphs, but try not to go beyond five sentences in each. And if you have a particularly important sentence, dont be shy of giving it a paragraph all to itself. b) Use engaging headings and sub-headings Use regular, clear headings and sub-headings to break up the text. Avoid label-style headings, and instead use explicit ones that sum up the section. This helps the reader find sections most appropriate to them, and also makes it easy for them to refer back to relevant sections later. c) Put a bullet in it When youre writing a list of points that can speak for themselves, use bullets or numbers. They will stand out much better than if you cram them all into a paragraph of text, and its easier on the readers eye. d) Would a graph work better? When writing about data, figures and processes, ask yourself whether a graph, pie chart or diagram could communicate the same information more effectively. Keep this checklist handy when youre writing your documents, and soon it will begin to become habit. And if youd like practical training in applying these techniques (and many more), why not get us in to train your team, or book a place on one of our High-impact business writing courses in London?

5 Non-Fiction Writing Tips for Authors - Writing Tips with Proofed

5 Non-Fiction Writing Tips for Authors - Writing Tips with Proofed 5 Non-Fiction Writing Tips for Authors It’s a little ambitious to talk about â€Å"non-fiction writing† in general. After all, â€Å"non-fiction† technically covers everything from school textbooks to deeply personal memoirs. But we’ve come up with a few tips that we think can help anyone who wants to become a non-fiction author. 1. Read, Read, Read! As with any kind of writing, the first step to becoming an author is to become a voracious reader. Heres a few books to get you started. Think about your favorite non-fiction books and what makes them great. Dip into some of the classic non-fiction works to expand your horizons. Find out what you enjoy reading, then use that as a starting point to develop your own authorial voice. 2. Types of Non-Fiction There are many different types of non-fiction. Some major varieties include: Academic textbooks Biographies and memoirs Manuals and technical guides Travelogues Recipe books Self-help guides Popular history and science books This isn’t a complete list by any means! If you want to write a dictionary, for example, you can do that too. The point is that, once you know the type of non-fiction you want to write, you should check out how other books in the same genre are written so you know what you’re up against! 3. Pick a Topic and Do Your Research Eventually, you’ll have to pick something you want to write about. Ideally, this will be something that you already know or care passionately about. This will make it easier once the hard work of doing research begins (e.g., reading existing books, searching news archives, interviewing people). But maybe you’ve always known that you want to write a book about toasters. And maybe you’re already an expert on heating bread. That’s a great start! But you still need to check your information and organize your research so you know what to include in your book. A basic model. Uneven browning. 4 out of 10. 4. Getting Creative? Non-fiction doesn’t have to be dry in order to be factual. In fact, some of the best non-fiction is exciting and emotive, making the reader feel like they are part of the action! The key to this is sticking to the facts, but also using a literary style to engage your reader. And you can apply creative non-fiction techniques to any genre, so if you want to style yourself as the Hunter S. Thompson of vegan recipe books, go for it! 5. Keep It Simple Unless you’re writing for a specialist audience, try to keep your language easy to understand. You might be an expert on your chosen topic, but the average reader won’t be. Think about who you’re writing for before you begin. And don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from non-experts while you’re working. It will make sure you get your ideas across effectively!

Admission Essay (Robin_Kim)

There are many incidents that continue to shape and guide us in our everyday endeavors. Each one helps us understand the complexities that life has to offer and at the same time provide us with an insight that challenges and hurdles may come along the way. As these events continue to shape us, it also bestows on us the skills to make us competent in our own respective fields. With this thing in mind, I would like to present my intention to apply in the foodservice and hospitality field. Though I do not have a particular person who has influenced my life, I believe that it is my experience and the intention to serve is the main reason behind this application. My understanding of service had contributed to this passion and intention to be educated and learn the necessary skills to be competent in my area. Moreover, I feel motivated and inspired by seeing people enjoying their time whenever a good service is provided. It is in here, that I absorbed the real elements of every service-oriented business; making customers happy and contented. Looking back at my education, even if I was not able to finish my bachelor’s degree in both fashion school and graphic design school, I considered it as a good training ground towards this application. With these, I can say that I have been blessed with a good creative mind that can facilitate for a good career in hospitality and foodservice field. I’ve have always known I would be involved with the creative aspect of things that is why I chose majoring in baking and pastries. In addition, I intend to be part of a beautiful, pretty, high quality product that will make people happy when they see it. Lastly, I intend to help people feel better and enjoy themselves, forget about worries and problems and enjoy the decadence of my creations. Also, I believe I have the necessary competence that can help me in this degree. I consider communication to be a vital part in the overall facilitation of service. With this, I had immersed myself in improving this skill to better adapt to the challenges in the profession. Demonstrating initiative and confidence in both individual and team-based environment is another condition that every student must be familiar of. By having this capability, each one can handle the relative setbacks given in the field. Lastly, I have the necessary proactive and tenacious approach to handle the complexities of projects and programs. The willingness to learn has been an important attribute towards achieving all these proficiencies. In the future, with this degree I hope I can contribute to the betterment of individuals by imparting to others the relevant concepts and theories that I had learned. With teaching, I aspire to give students the ability to understand the tenets of service and at the same time learn in the process. On the other hand, I also wish to be part of a restaurant family. It is in here that I can be included in a group where I shall use all my abilities for its relevant growth and development. Lastly, I wish to include the poor and needy in my profession. Relentless serving is only half-hearted if the intention is only focused on people I am comfortable at or to those who can afford. By also concentrating my profession towards charitable work, I can actively bridge the increasing gap between to the rich and poor. With all of these mentioned, I do hope you consider my application. With your capabilities, I can be trained and honed to adapt to the changing trends in today’s society. By doing this, not only can I improve as a professional but seek to provide a holistic growth as a servant for other people. My name is Robin Kim; an individual inspired by his experiences and ready to overcome all the obstacles and challenges this degree can give.

Ethics Application Paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics Application Paper - Case Study Example The teacher always strives to treat all of her students fairly and teach them the best that she absolutely can, but once in a while a questionable scenario arises that calls her ethics into duty. This is the case one day when she finds herself cornered at work. The school operates on the quarter system. During Week 10 of Quarter Four of last year, the school's Registrar approaches the teacher to tell her that she 'needs' to pass a particular student, regardless of his performance and the fact that did not attend class at all for the first 10 weeks. The Registrar informs the teacher that it is the student's final quarter and that he has a job lined up for him upon graduation that is going to make the school look really good. She also informs the teacher that the Director of Education has sent explicit instructions that the teacher is to pass the students with no questions asked per her demand. The teacher is in absolute shock, is confused, and has no idea what to do in this situation. If she were to pass the student, it would be completely unfair to the other students in the class. It might even be illegal. Certainly it would be against the school's accreditation standards. However, if she were to fail the student, the Registrar had made it clear that she would likely lose her job for making the school look bad if the student did not graduate and, thus, could not start working right away and the highly-regarded company in question. The Moral Agent The moral agent in this particular ethical scenario is the teacher. She is the individual who must make the moral decision. She has to choose between passing the student and being unfair to her other students and quite possibly disobeying the law and/or violating accreditation standards but pleasing the school's administration and keeping her job or failing the student and making the school look bad and possibly losing her job. Two of the Ethical Theories Discussed For the purposes of this paper, virtue theory and ethical relativism will be the theories that are applied and discussed with regard to the ethical scenario in question. "Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008, pg. 1), whereas "Ethical relativism is the theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one's culture. That is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced. The same action may be morally right in one society but be morally wrong in another. For the ethical relativist, there are no universal moral standards -- standards that can be universally applied to all peoples at all times" (Velasquez, et.al, 2008, p g.1). Since ethical relativism can go either way, the culture in which the teacher was raised will determine her actions. If she looks more at herself and her own desires than at those of others, she would probably choose the safest route that allows her to keep her job since it is in her own best interest. Making this decision, she would violate her other students, but could probably keep it quiet, satisfy

Power within Agencies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Power within Agencies - Research Paper Example In their pursuit of power, bureaucratic agencies seek assistance from interest groups. These interest groups also have their individual interests. In order to establish strong backing from various interest groups, administrative agencies resort to managing government programs, which are of interest to these supportive interest groups or constituencies. As such, agencies usually focus on controlling programs with strong backing from significant constituencies (Milakovich & Gordon, 2012). Governmental bodies (including agencies) actively participate in exercising power and decision-making process (Milakovich & Gordon, 2012). Institutions may perform as integrated bodies in pursuit of maximizing their influence on share of political benefits. Administrative agencies usually seek to balance off their capability and what they desire in order to achieve their programmatic welfare with the essentials for their survival. Agencies must have the capacity to study accurately and understand both long-term and short-term political predictions in order to maintain the balance (Milakovich & Gordon, 2012). In order to maintain power base within the government, administrative agencies must be able to maintain fundamental sources of bureaucratic power. First, the agencies must maintain proficiency in the area of specialization of their program accountabilities. They must also woo political support in order to retain influence within the

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY- - Essay Example The study will also discover the relation of these theoretical frameworks with the movie Lord of the Flies directed by Harry Hook in 1990, and the film Independence Day (1996) directed by Roland Emmerich. Consequently, the study will provide a critical appreciation of the above-mentioned theoretical frameworks by demonstrating their association with the international politics one the one hand, and with the films afore-mentioned on the other. First articulated by the American political-scientist Kenneth Waltz in his remarkable work Theory of International Politics in 1979, neo-realism perspective submits to state that the nation-states of the world appear to be the most dominant actors at international, which serve as sovereign in nature and hence introduce and apply the strategies in the best interests of their subjects (Baldwin, 1093, p. 26). Their ego-centrism does not allow them to work against their political, economic, cultural, geographical and strategic interests; as a result, the administrations of these sovereign states may take even unjust steps in favour of their own country, and against the rival states at large. It creates an anarchical state of affairs at global scale, because of the absence of any regularity authority that could play decisive role in order to maintain peace and dictate the states work within their geographical boundaries instead of meddling into the affairs of others through unjust and unnecessary interferences into the affairs of others (Keohane, 1994, p. 11). This anarchical state of affairs not only appears to be extremely challenging for the global peace and tranquillity, but also could pave the way towards conflicts and clashes between the states for the future years to come. As a result, the situation could create the circumstances similar to the ones that had ignited the European nations for standing against each other and for waging the horrible Great Wars eventually. Neo-realism approach is aptly regarded the expansion o f the idea of realism devised by the renowned sixteenth century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli in his illustrious the Prince (1532), where he had declared sovereignty and defence of the geographical and ideological boundaries of his state as the first and foremost obligation before a head of state (Machiavelli, 2009, p. 19). However, neo-realism approach also contradicts and suns the realism perspective due to the very reality that it lays stress upon the need for the maintenance of peace and stability at international scale with the creation and upsurge of a neutral and impartial regularity authority that could bring all sovereign states to terms during their entering into cruel and ruthless adventures against the sovereignty of other countries of the world. In other words, neo-realism looks for the appointment of international authority, in the absence of which the nation-states appear to be blowing their own trumpet and justifying even their unjust causes that look reall y challenging for the security of the comparatively weaker nations of the world; the movie under the title â€Å"Lord of the Flies† (1990) also draws out the same scenario. The movie

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

WritingAssignment - Essay Example He criticizes not only the photograph but also the artist. He wonders why the artist would go to such a length of mismatch the title and the photograph and rebuts him as wasting his ability and talent. But who is Charles Baudelaire? One may ask. Charles Baudelaire was once a government employee in the French government bureaucracy. Many thought that this would prepare him for success; however, he quit his job to become a professional writer and an art critic. He wrote many poems which became the foundation of French symbolist literary tradition. He worked closely with ancient revolutionary French painters such as Delacroix and Courbet, who shaped his understanding and perception of art. Therefore, it expected that such a lover of realistic art would be averse to photography. Arguably, Alfred Stieglitzs Portrait of Georgia OKeeffe (1922) would not be approved by Charles Baudelaire. A number of things disqualify Alfred Stieglitzs Portrait of Georgia OKeeffe (1922). To begin with, the portrait does not convey much information other than the fact that it is a portrait. Charles Baudelaire would anticipate an imaginary representation of a piece of art that brings the audience to a world of fantasy. The photograph is dull. Secondly, the photograph does not show any contrast of colors. The background has no color connotation. It would enhance the hue of the portrait and perhaps make it more beautiful. Moreover, it would fit into the world of industry but not artistic realism. Charles Baudelaire opines that photography best serves to aid man’s memory but does not represent the mental world of dreams, imagination and fantasy. For instance, the portrait shows Georgia OKeeffe staring blankly into the space. It does not relate any phenomena or any natural event. Nevertheless, photography is an essential part of the industry. Although Charles Baudelaire offers valid

Hans Delbruck is one of the most insightful theorist of the 20th Assignment

Hans Delbruck is one of the most insightful theorist of the 20th century - Assignment Example That is why the German historian Hans Delbruck became the voice of professional military history. His family and educational background had a tremendous influence on his interest in war and were key factors contributing to his writings on: ancient, medieval and modern warfare. Delbruck’s great works are not only for military men, but for those who know nothing about the military. Delbruck came from a household of educated parents and political influences. Family, political influences and education became the key factors that developed his personality. Hans was born in a bourgeois family; his parents gave him an opportunity to become an educated person. As a rule, historians apply two terms in order to characterize Delbruck’s family – â€Å"typical† and â€Å"extraordinary.† On the one hand, it was a typical bourgeois family. On the other hand, it gave the world a historian with extraordinary skills. The would-be historian studied at two educational institutions – Bonn and Heidelberg. Here he got the basic knowledge for his future researches. Being a soldier gave Delbruck an opportunity to participate in Franco-German War. After this event young Hans became Prince Waldemar’s teacher. Getting in touch with the German imperial family, participation in war and education influenced Delbruck’s point of view upon life. War contributed to his interest in military issues. Soon Hans became a member of the German Reichstag. Before this he had been a professor of modern history and delivered lectures that were very popular among the students. Being a member of Reichstag Delbruck always opposed the policy led by the Prussian government; especially it concerned its dealing with the Poles and the Danes. It is necessary to stress that Hans Delbruck applied the analysis of battles in order to get information he needed. Thus, The Sachkritik of battle analysis helped Delbruck take previous accounts of engagements and measure those limits of geography, and military craft. These points were discussed in Hans’s book History of the Art of War in the Framework of Political History (1900). In this work Hans Delbruck emphasized the connection between the nature of policy and armies during the battle. The basis for the book became a minute analysis of the Sachkritik. It should be noted that Delbruck’s observation of battles made him popular, both positively and negatively. First of all, Delbruck discovered the major reason for defeats in wars. He proved that everything depends upon the number of soldiers. Hans’s analysis of the battles helped him to draw a conclusion that only the army with more soldiers has chance to win the war. Moreover, the theorist persuaded the public that the number of people in armies was always exaggerated in historical documents. These facts explained a lot of things and filled the gaps in military history of ancient times. As for the negative impact of the theor ist, he tried to persuade the public that military history is the branch of general history and it is necessary to do something in order to match them. However, this means that people studying history are expected to learn military history. In this case, students may conclude that arms, wars and battles are just common things in people’s life. This knowledge may have negative impact and give birth to wars and violence. The scientist gave the world much information about medieval knights. However, it turned to be rather controversial. Here Hans separated a knight from

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY- - Essay Example The study will also discover the relation of these theoretical frameworks with the movie Lord of the Flies directed by Harry Hook in 1990, and the film Independence Day (1996) directed by Roland Emmerich. Consequently, the study will provide a critical appreciation of the above-mentioned theoretical frameworks by demonstrating their association with the international politics one the one hand, and with the films afore-mentioned on the other. First articulated by the American political-scientist Kenneth Waltz in his remarkable work Theory of International Politics in 1979, neo-realism perspective submits to state that the nation-states of the world appear to be the most dominant actors at international, which serve as sovereign in nature and hence introduce and apply the strategies in the best interests of their subjects (Baldwin, 1093, p. 26). Their ego-centrism does not allow them to work against their political, economic, cultural, geographical and strategic interests; as a result, the administrations of these sovereign states may take even unjust steps in favour of their own country, and against the rival states at large. It creates an anarchical state of affairs at global scale, because of the absence of any regularity authority that could play decisive role in order to maintain peace and dictate the states work within their geographical boundaries instead of meddling into the affairs of others through unjust and unnecessary interferences into the affairs of others (Keohane, 1994, p. 11). This anarchical state of affairs not only appears to be extremely challenging for the global peace and tranquillity, but also could pave the way towards conflicts and clashes between the states for the future years to come. As a result, the situation could create the circumstances similar to the ones that had ignited the European nations for standing against each other and for waging the horrible Great Wars eventually. Neo-realism approach is aptly regarded the expansion o f the idea of realism devised by the renowned sixteenth century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli in his illustrious the Prince (1532), where he had declared sovereignty and defence of the geographical and ideological boundaries of his state as the first and foremost obligation before a head of state (Machiavelli, 2009, p. 19). However, neo-realism approach also contradicts and suns the realism perspective due to the very reality that it lays stress upon the need for the maintenance of peace and stability at international scale with the creation and upsurge of a neutral and impartial regularity authority that could bring all sovereign states to terms during their entering into cruel and ruthless adventures against the sovereignty of other countries of the world. In other words, neo-realism looks for the appointment of international authority, in the absence of which the nation-states appear to be blowing their own trumpet and justifying even their unjust causes that look reall y challenging for the security of the comparatively weaker nations of the world; the movie under the title â€Å"Lord of the Flies† (1990) also draws out the same scenario. The movie

Hans Delbruck is one of the most insightful theorist of the 20th Assignment

Hans Delbruck is one of the most insightful theorist of the 20th century - Assignment Example That is why the German historian Hans Delbruck became the voice of professional military history. His family and educational background had a tremendous influence on his interest in war and were key factors contributing to his writings on: ancient, medieval and modern warfare. Delbruck’s great works are not only for military men, but for those who know nothing about the military. Delbruck came from a household of educated parents and political influences. Family, political influences and education became the key factors that developed his personality. Hans was born in a bourgeois family; his parents gave him an opportunity to become an educated person. As a rule, historians apply two terms in order to characterize Delbruck’s family – â€Å"typical† and â€Å"extraordinary.† On the one hand, it was a typical bourgeois family. On the other hand, it gave the world a historian with extraordinary skills. The would-be historian studied at two educational institutions – Bonn and Heidelberg. Here he got the basic knowledge for his future researches. Being a soldier gave Delbruck an opportunity to participate in Franco-German War. After this event young Hans became Prince Waldemar’s teacher. Getting in touch with the German imperial family, participation in war and education influenced Delbruck’s point of view upon life. War contributed to his interest in military issues. Soon Hans became a member of the German Reichstag. Before this he had been a professor of modern history and delivered lectures that were very popular among the students. Being a member of Reichstag Delbruck always opposed the policy led by the Prussian government; especially it concerned its dealing with the Poles and the Danes. It is necessary to stress that Hans Delbruck applied the analysis of battles in order to get information he needed. Thus, The Sachkritik of battle analysis helped Delbruck take previous accounts of engagements and measure those limits of geography, and military craft. These points were discussed in Hans’s book History of the Art of War in the Framework of Political History (1900). In this work Hans Delbruck emphasized the connection between the nature of policy and armies during the battle. The basis for the book became a minute analysis of the Sachkritik. It should be noted that Delbruck’s observation of battles made him popular, both positively and negatively. First of all, Delbruck discovered the major reason for defeats in wars. He proved that everything depends upon the number of soldiers. Hans’s analysis of the battles helped him to draw a conclusion that only the army with more soldiers has chance to win the war. Moreover, the theorist persuaded the public that the number of people in armies was always exaggerated in historical documents. These facts explained a lot of things and filled the gaps in military history of ancient times. As for the negative impact of the theor ist, he tried to persuade the public that military history is the branch of general history and it is necessary to do something in order to match them. However, this means that people studying history are expected to learn military history. In this case, students may conclude that arms, wars and battles are just common things in people’s life. This knowledge may have negative impact and give birth to wars and violence. The scientist gave the world much information about medieval knights. However, it turned to be rather controversial. Here Hans separated a knight from

Htc Introduction Essay Example for Free

Htc Introduction Essay HTC quickly emerged on the smartphone scene with the remarkable success of The Sense, one of its first models, and broke many industry sales records. People were asking, â€Å"Who is HTC? † Our research indicates that HTCs rapid rise to success was because of innovation and technological capabilities. Even though the HTC brand was not widely recognized, its smartphones were generating interest. In our primary research, we discovered that some people owned an HTC phone but did not know that HTC was the manufacturer. Obviously, brand awareness was relatively low. For HTC to stay relevant in the hypercompetitive smartphone industry, it needs serious revamping of its marketing plan. With smartphone market penetration increasing to more than 20 percent in the past five years and reaching 46. 8 percent in Q3 2011, HTC has tremendous opportunities to establish a solid market position. After examining the market conditions and current HTC performance in the U. S. , our team proposes that HTC position itself as a technological leader by targeting consumers ages 18 to 34. This promising segment has potential sales of $2. 5 million. We analyzed the industry and examined external factors that could impact HTCs bottom line. This analysis gave us crucial insight into the smartphone market. We also analyzed the competitive environment that includes Apple, Motorola, and RIM (Blackberry). HTC, which has a positive reputation on the merits of its technology, needs to boldly differentiate itself in the marketplace. Through market analysis, we discovered that HTC has a strong market size, market potential, and distinct target markets. We recommend that HTC take specific steps through segmenting, targeting, and positioning to execute its marketing plan. We are confident that our plan can increase HTCs market share by 2 percent each year. By the end of 2012, our marketing objective is to reach a 24 percent market share of the smartphone industry, which equals 18. 7 million HTC customers. The plan includes recommendations and precautions at distribution channels so that HTC differentiates itself from the other brands. We developed a budget for the marketing plan and devised procedures to monitor each effort in order to reach our projected market share increase. We are confident that our marketing plan can take HTC from an emerging brand to a dominant market leader.