Best Practices for Social Science Writing Essay Example for Free

Best Practices for Social Science Writing Essay When social scientists write their research papers, they usually discuss the methods that they employed in gathering and analyzing their data and the results that they were able to generate using these methods. They however seldom concentrate on the writing process itself (Cuba, 1997). Writing in the field of social science requires the use of insight and research to better understand and make concrete observations and findings about the various behavioral elements. There are many methods of conducting social science studies namely through observations, interviews, surveys and case studies. However, when one starts writing the research paper that would embody these pertinent findings, the writer usually faces the challenges that many social science writers encounter. These problems include the complexities of achieving clarity, the potential for committing biases, writing in the first-person perspective, the use of quotations and in-text citations to support the analysis, and formatting styles particular to the field of social sciences. When writing one’s own research paper, it is important for a scholar in the field of social science to have a grasp of the basic writing techniques peculiar to social science in order to produce an academic paper that is relevant, informative and worth reading. The prevalence of search engines and the use of the World Wide Web have made it easier for scholars nowadays to conduct their studies and research with ease and in an expeditious manner. The libraries and other academic centers which make available to the public the latest references has also contributed to a great extent to achieving academic quality of various writings. Complexities in Achieving Clarity Like any other field of study, effective writing requires constant practice. This entails continuous process of writing, editing and rewriting ideas and use of words to convey these thoughts clearly to the intended audience (Cuba, 1997). Oftentimes, students of social science put off writing their research paper until they have completed doing all their research and compiled their bibliography. This practice however sometimes leads to insufficient time in writing the paper itself. In order to achieve clarity when writing a social science research paper, Hult (1996) enumerated the two components that must be considered: rhetorical question and organization. The components of a rhetorical situation include 1) the writer’s purpose; 2) the writer’s persona; 3) the potential readers or audience; 4) the subject matter and; 5) the appropriate language or tone (Hult, 1996). In starting the research write-up, the writer must determine the purpose of his paper and he must be able to define it clearly throughout the entire paper. The purpose need not be complex. A simple purpose will do so long as the readers can have a grasp of what the research is all about. Writers in the field of social science must also avoid writing in the first-person persona as this will affect the objectivity of their research. Identifying the intended audience will also help the writer in deciding what specific issues to discuss and what areas to avoid. For example, a person writing in the field of political science will have to consider political analysts as his potential readers. The subject matter is the most important aspect of the rhetorical situation (Hult, 1996). A writer must carefully select his thesis statement and decide from the materials gathered what facts must be included as well as those which need not be discussed. Furthermore, the research writer might also consider providing a glossary of terms when writing on a technical subject in order to make it easier for the readers to understand the language and tone of the research paper. Omitting Biases and Avoiding First Person Writing Style It is not uncommon practice in the field of social science to write using the first person persona. Writing from the first person perspective however indicates subjectivity in arriving at one’s own research findings and this in turn diminishes the objectivity of the research. In order to be more persuasive, the writer must couch his paper from a third person perspective so as to avoid the impression that he is impelled more by his own biases rather than reporting the facts gathered from relevant data. Omitting biases should be the foremost consideration of every social science writer because this field requires objectiveness and keen understanding of the facts and data. Unlike writers in the field of literature who have unbridled discretion to unleash their feelings and emotions in their papers, social science writers are bound by their duty to report the facts as they appear and not as they think it should be. The field of social science is primarily detail-oriented and must be supported by relevant, empirical, and reliable facts. In order to avoid biases, the writer must always dwell on the facts gathered and must use relevant sources to support his findings. Primary and secondary sources play an important role in the persuasiveness of one’s research work because the extent of the credibility of a research paper is to a great extent determined by the depth of research done by the researcher to support his study. The writer must also avoid labeling his chosen population or individual participants to avoid offending the readers. When dealing with a particular ethnic group or race, it is advisable to call them as they would like to be called. In order to avoid language biases, use the terminology applicable in the research itself. For example, when reporting on a study conducted on two types of participants, it is advisable to describe them according to how they were classified in the given study provided the labels are in themselves not offensive per se. Minimizing the Use of Quotations A writer’s source material must be in the form of paraphrases and summaries. However, paraphrased materials must still be properly documented either through in-text citations or footnotes or endnotes. Hult (1996) added that putting source material in your own words will improve the flow of your paper since the paraphrased style will blend with your own writing style and will thus contribute to its consistency. Minimize the use of direct quotations. The use of too many direct quotations distracts the reader and it also minimizes coherence of the writing style. It also leaves the impression that the writer knows little about his topic and is in fact relying heavily on what others have come up with (Hult, 1996). What the writer can do is paraphrase or summarize the portion of the materials used and document it properly. If using direct quotes cannot be avoided, the following principles are helpful in incorporating them smoothly in the research paper. First, when using quotations with four lines or less in length, enclose them with quotation marks and incorporate them in the text. Second, quotes should be introduced using the verb tense which is consistent with the tense of the quoted material. Third, change the capital letter to lower case and vice versa, within the quote if necessary. Fourth, enclosed in brackets the letter or words inserted inside the quoted material to separate them from the quoted material itself. Fifth, use ellipsis to signal that a material has been omitted from the quote. Sixth, punctuate the direct quote as it appears from the original. Seventh, a period or a comma which is part of the quote should be placed inside the quotation marks. Eighth, use a colon to introduce a quote which is more than one sentence or if the introductory material prior to the quoted portion is too long. Ninth, use a comma for short quotes (Hult, 1996). Using In-text Citations to Support Analysis A researcher who intends to make use on in-text citation in his write-up should keep in mind the American Psychological Association (APA) style which requires the use of past tense or present perfect tense when referring to earlier research materials. For example, it is incorrect to say â€Å"Smith (2008) states that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when referring to Smith’s research findings. Instead, the researcher must employ the past or present perfect tense; hence, the in-text citation should appear like this: â€Å"Smith (2008) stated/has stated that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In-text citations must follow the author-date format under the APA citation style, e. g. , (Smith, 2008) and a complete documentation of the source must appear in the reference list. Electronic sources are cited in the same manner as citing a printed document, e. g. , (Purdue University Online Writing Lab, 2008). For sources with no date available, place â€Å"n. d. † (meaning â€Å"no date†) after the author’s last name, e. g. , (Smith, n. d. ). Formatting Expectations A writer must see to it that his paper is professional in appearance. This is not to say however that attention to format should be every social science writer’s foremost consideration. It is also equally important to confer with your instructor as to what should be the appropriate format style for the particular paper. When preparing the paper, it is best to be conservative when it comes to formatting style rather than be ostentatious and vulgar, thus making the paper look less serious and informal. Hence, margin must not be justified on both side of the page but only on the left side only. The American Psychological Association (APA) is the most commonly used citation style format in the field of social sciences. The guidelines provided under the APA provides a useful tool in writing research papers, using in-text citations and reference page and using footnotes or endnotes. Under the APA formatting style, page headers are required to be placed in the upper right-hand of every page. This page header must contain the first two to three words of the title followed by the page number. The title page should already show include the page header. A running head must also appear on the first line of the title page flush-left. On the upper half of the page, centered, the full title of the paper, the name of the writer and university or affiliation must be indicated (Purdue University Online Writing Lab, 2008). Research papers are normally comprised of the title page, the abstract (if appropriate), the main body, the references, and the appendixes (if appropriate). The abstract need not be written for short research papers but for published research reports, an abstract is always required regardless of the length of the paper (Hult, 1996). Appendix may be used to include raw data and other information that need not appear in the main body but is likewise important in the research paper. It is located after the reference page and is labeled sequentially in letters. The reference page must include all the sources used in the research paper. The sources must be in alphabetical order by author’s last name and need not be numbered. Conclusion Writing is a necessary aspect of social research (Cuba, 1997). A good research means that the writer gave great effort in collecting and organizing his data as well as in organizing his findings in a coherent and scholarly manner suitable to the academic community he intends to present his study to. In preparing the research paper, every writer in the field of social science must consider the pertinent style guides applicable. The writing process is an analytic strategy that can only be improved through practice. This necessarily means that every social science researcher preparing his paper must open to revisions. The first draft must not be the final paper. Every writer must be also be willing to take constructive criticism from his colleagues because all too often, a writer cannot see the errors of his own work unless others point them out. Letting others read your research paper will help you in assessing some of the loopholes in your own arguments. Writing in the field of social sciences is an important aspect of the research itself because the manner in which a given study is presented contributes to the persuasiveness of the one’s findings and output. As such, it is important to be familiar with the writing techniques, styles, and formats applicable in your field of research so as to avoid mistakes and errors in presenting your research. The APA citation format style is a helpful tool in the social sciences and every scholar in this field must familiarize himself this formatting to avoid the inconvenience of revising and rewriting the research paper. The social science paper must be formal as to its structure and form and the writer must avoid using first person persona that is usually employed in the literary field. The sentences must be well-crafted and concise and must clearly reflect in a coherent and thorough manner the findings of the researcher without the need of extravagant words or details. Social science research writing is a challenging task for every writer. It requires practice and hard work just like collecting the data itself. It is an inevitable part of every researcher’s academic life and it cannot be avoided. Hence, every researcher must be familiar with the format and style peculiar to this field in order to increase the success of one’s research paper. References Cuba, Lee (1997). Short Guide to Writing About Social Science (4th Ed. ). Addison-United States: Wesley Educational Publishers Inc. Gerring, John, Yesnowitz, Joshua Bird, Stephen (2004). General Advice on Social Science Writing. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://people. bu. edu/jgerring/documents/Adviceonessaywriting. pdf Hult, Christine (1996). Researching and Writing in the Social Sciences. Boston, Allyn and Bacon. Hess, Diana (2007). From Banished to Brother Outsider, Miss Navajo to An Inconvenient Truth: Documentary Films as Perspective-Laden Narratives. Social Education 71 (4), 194-199. McDonald, Susan, MD. Social Science Writing Guide. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://www. emayzine. com/lectures/writing. htm Mullen, Carol (2006). Best Writing Practices for Graduate Students: Reducing the Discomfort of the Blank Screen. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://cnx. org/content/m14054/latest/ Przeworski, Adam and Salomon, Frank (1995). The Art of Writing Proposals: Some Candid Suggestions to Social Science Research Council Competitions. Social Science Research Council. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://fellowships. ssrc. org/art_of_writing_proposals/ Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (19 June 2008). APA Formatting and Style Guide. Retrieved August 2, 2008 from http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/560/01/http://Web address for OWL resource. Watts, Michael. The Holy Grail: In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal. Institute of International Studies. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://globetrotter. berkeley. edu/DissPropWorkshop/process/InPursuitofPhD. pdf

Airbus Case Essay Example for Free

Airbus Case Essay Individual Assignment Question 1. Why is Airbus interested in building the A3XX? What are its objectives? Airbus is interested in A3XX for a number of reasons. Firstly, Airbus did not have a product to compete with Boeing’s 747 in the VLA (very large aircraft) market. By developing the A3XX it can gain a share in the VLA market. Secondly, as A3XX has more space per seat and wider aisles, it can attract passengers especially on longer routes. Thirdly, by comparing to Boeing 747, Airbus has 35% greater capacity and provide almost 25% more volume for free. Though operating cost per flight for Airbus would be higher, it would need only 323 passengers to break even compared to 290 for Boeing 747. Lastly, from the numver of announced orders (32) of Airbus A3XX, there provides sufficient confidence for Airbus to build A3XX to meet the potential demand of customers. Below are the objectives for Airbus in building the A3XX. Firstly, as from the Airline Monitor suggested, A3XX will eventually replace the 747 as the ‘Queen of Air’, as every top international carrier will feel the need to have it. Secondly, from the fleet composition for the 15 largest Boeing 747 Operators, there’s around 44% of using 747 as a total of the Widebody Fleet. Thus Airbus can gain a significant market share in the Largest Operator segment by building the A3XX. Thirdly, Airbus would have operating margins of 15-20% after delivering the first plane in 2006, and reaching full production capacity in 2008. This will be much higher compared to the operating margin of 5. % in 1999 (896/16700). Lastly, by increased capacity after building the A3XX, Airbus can increase the market share of both Deliveries and Orders segment. From the market share of Deliveries and Orders segment (5 year average from 1995-1999), Boeing has 68. 1% and 56. 5% respectively while Airbus as only 31. 9% and 43. 5% respectively. Since entry by new airlines was unlikely, Airbus believes that capacity increase will lead to increase in market share of this segment.

Job Design And Key Factors In Job Analysis Management Essay

Job Design And Key Factors In Job Analysis Management Essay There are some techniques which are used for job design like job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation, and job simplification. Productivity level of an organization can be raised by offering non-monetary rewards like to enlarge the job of an employee by appraise him in the meeting and prepare him to face new challenges, this can be done through job design. Job design is basically the arrangement of work in order to reduce or overcome job dissatisfaction and employee isolation occurring in the result of repetition of the task. Job Analysis The process of analysis that involves diversified techniques in order to examine the important duties, task and responsibilities is called as Job Analysis. As the job analysis is a very difficult task to identify the required skills and competencies but the process helps to determine the demand of the job with other requirements to meet the local area and Universitys need. It also helps to make possible the appropriate recruitment and selection process, sets standards for performance appraisals and allows appropriate classification/reclassification of positions. Key Factors in Job Analysis Task identity: If the employees have the clear vision about the beginning and ending of the task then it will give more satisfaction to them by the completion of whole piece of work. It is also very obvious that employees want to know the result of the work whatever they have done or produced. Variety: Employees always want to do variety of work as they get easily fade up by the repetition of work. They may lose their interest and get dissatisfied with their task, so variety of task can improve their interest level, challenge and commitment to the task. Variety means more than simply adding an extra but similar task. For example, processing different forms would not make the work more meaningful as there would be no extra challenge. But employees can get frustrated with the plenty of variety so it must depend on the level of the position. Responsibility: Employees must know that their success and failure depends upon their performance. This is very important to make them feel about their responsibilities towards their task. The employee should understand the significance of the work and where it fits into the purpose of the organisation. Autonomy: Autonomy means giving more scope to employees to regulate and control their own work. They should know they also have some responsibilities of decision making within the framework of their job. Working environment: There must not be any type of discrimination and harassment in the job. It is also very necessary that job should provide a safe and healthy working environment and consider the types of work aids and equipment required to perform the role. Recognition and support: The moral of employees goes high when they got acceptance and recognition from their fellow workers and supervisors because it gives satisfaction to their self-respect. So encouragement to team work and individual relationships give them positive feelings about their task and the environment and the worker would never feel isolated within the environment. Outcomes performance measures: Employees must know about their identified targets and their outcomes according to their position and also they have the knowledge about how to relate all the operations of the organization. Performance measures can be identified through the standard of performance. An equitable capacity for ongoing learning and advancement can be provided by the feed back. Different Roles in an Organization Managers are building blocks of the organization. A manager performs five basic functions Planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. At different levels of management, a manger performs different managerial functions at a time and has the key function to achieve the effective utilization of resources. Manager is the person who delivers the vision of an organization to the employees of that organization. It is also included in the responsibilities of a manger that he takes part in the decision making process of an organization. Mostly managers have to perform functions at three different levels of management and they have different role according to their positions that are given below: Top Level Management: This is the administrative level management. Managers do executive coaching, change management, leadership, delegations and empowerment. Middle Level Management: It is the executor management in which managers have the responsibility of problem solving, team building, talent development and performance management. Low Level Management: It is also known as supervisor management and the managers are also known as first-line managers and their functions are emotional intelligence and coaching for performance. Strategic Objectives of Indus Motor Company Ltd The strategic objectives of IMC are as given under: Achieving market leadership by delivering value to customers Bringing Toyota quality to Pakistan Optimizing cost by Kaizen (need of continues improvement) Respecting our people Becoming a good corporate citizen Job Design and Job Analysis supports Strategic Objectives of IMC Employees of IMC have the clear vision about Customer First philosophy in their manufacturing and providing high quality vehicles in order to fulfill the needs of their customers. They also have had their customer insight and feedback that leads to the continuous corporate renewal by means of product development, service improvement and care for customers. IMC is also trying to improve its quality, reliability and durability through the utilization of newly entered technologies in the market in order to meet the Toyota Global Standards. Every employee is responsible for the implementation of Toyota Production System and does the operations in lowest cost quartile of the industry. Employees are considered as the most key element as sustainable competitive recourse and they are provided by the continuous learning environment in order to enhance their individual creativity and team work. Company provide them diversified task and equal employment opportunities and also build competitive value through mutual trust and mutual responsibility between the Indus Team and the Company. Every employee of IMC is restricted to follow the ethical business practices and the laws of the land, and also engaging in generous and social activities that contribute to the enrichment of Pakistani society, especially in areas that are strategic to both societal and business needs e.g. Road Safety, Technical Education, Environment Protection, etc. Importance of Competency Modeling in the Current Environment Enhanced manufacture expertise by tracking latest inclusive technological trends and publicize it to engineering industry after doing the Gap Analysis of Industries and carrying out investigation to discover weaknesses of native industry and their technological needs and adopt best practices, environmental and quality standards. Sector wise revelation to relevant trade fairs is being studied. There is a need to give International Exposure to local engineering industry through participation in local and international exhibitions. Approaches to Human Resources Management to aid the Development of Business Strategy The Human Resources Management (HRM) function involves different activities, and key among them is resolve what employment needs you have and whether to use autonomous service provider or hire employees to fulfill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices be conventional to a variety of system. Activities also include administration move towards employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Generally small businesses have to carry out these activities. Though, they should always ensure that employees have and are aware of personnel policies that match to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have. Assess the Effectiveness of Human Resource Strategy The Indus Motor Company puts together a vigorous attempt to promote a sagacity of belonging and a family feeling amongst its employees. It refers to all of them as team members irrespective of their work. IMC constantly motivates its employees through various techniques such as the reward system in Kaizen, leisure activities such as fun fair, meals and conventions. IMC tries to improve a team spirit and has done away with obstacle such as eminence dissimilarity. A practicable exhibit is the fact all the people in offices are made to sit in the same hall irrespective of their description. IMC strictly implements the Japanese practice of Participative Management. Every worker is allowed to make decisions related to his work and to make suggestions so as to improve it. Planning Process The strategic planning process involves the following steps, which are given below: Clearly define the target / goal in writing. It should be set by a person having authority. The goal should be realistic. It should be specific. Acceptability Easily measurable Identify all the main issues which need to be addressed. Review past performance. Decide budgetary requirement. Focus on matters of strategic importance. What are requirements and how will they be met? What will be the likely length of the plan and its structure? Identify shortcomings in the concept and gaps. Strategies for implementation. Review periodically. Manpower Planning Framework Manpower planning is the first step towards manpower management. It refers to the procedure of employ existing assets for the completion of the business plans. It also involves the procedure of synchronizing and scheming a variety of actions in the organization. An effective manpower planning requires a cautious evaluation of the future requirements of the organization. It engages the growth of approaches to match the obligation of workers and accessibility of positions at a regional as well as a national level. Those in charge of manpower planning need to have forethought about the business plans. They need to plan the activities for achieving business growth. They are required to estimate the business needs of the organization and plan for the resources needed to realize the business goals. We can refer to manpower planning as the process of reconsidering existing resources, envisaging prospect requirements and ensuring that the demand and supply of people and skills is balanced. M anpower planning is useful for both the employees as well as the organization. Principles Related to the Demand and Supply of Labour Affiliation between the amount of a product that manufacturers have accessible for auction and the amount that customers are eager and capable to purchase. Demand depends on the price of the article of trade, the value of allied merchandise, and customers profits and flavors. Supply depends not only on the price available for the commodity but also on the prices of comparable products, the practices of assembling, and the accessibility and costs of contribution. The gathering of the market is to balance demand and supply through the price device. If buyers want to acquire more of a commodity than is obtainable on the market, they will tend to bid the price up. If more of a commodity is available than buyers care to purchase, suppliers will offer prices down. Thus, there is a propensity toward a stability price at which the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied. The measure of the receptiveness of supply and demand to changes in price is their flexibility. Role of Legal and Organizational Requirements in Creating a HR Plan HRP is an energetic and continuing procedure. The process of modernizing is not very easy, since HRP is prejudiced by numerous aspects, which are as follows: Type of organization establishes the manufacture practice and amount and type of human reserve needs of an organization depend on the staff needed. Strategic plan adopted by it. For e.g. the enlargement of a business calls for engaging organization of additional labour, while mergers will need a plan for layoffs. Operates under different political, social environment and has to carefully express the HR policies and so the HR manager has to evolve suitable mechanism to deal with reservations through career developments, succession planning, HRP also depends on the time periods and consequently retirement schemes etc. The short and long-term plans are adopted. And this time span is based on the category and feature of information extent of environmental qualms used in making forecasting is an important factor manipulating HRP. Precise and appropriate human resource information system helps in receiving improved quality HRP is required to make sure that appropriate candidates should be personnel. Prearranged for the right kind of job. It is very difficult to determine future manpower requirements of an organization, as future is always indeterminate. It is a time countries that face the problem of insufficiency of human resources. It is advantageous in the organizations that overwhelming and costlier procedure. Accept a specialized method and at the same time are deliberate about the HRP is valuable where sufficient skillful manpower is altering environment. HRP is also made difficult in the organizations that have a very obtainable high labor precedes. Employee Personal and Managerial Effectiveness through a Process of Personal Reflection A positive, supportive, encouraging, and rewarding culture must be created, which motivates staff, facilitates the acquisition of knowledge and encourages innovation and creativity. Organizational arrangements and service procedures should be urbanized that assist, rather than hold back or dissuade, individual and team achievements. Cut through red tape, reduce bureaucracy and assist decision-making as close to the exploit as possible. Intimates must also be considered and cope as assets. This means preventing the dual criterion of valuable the staff that they are the enterprises supreme assets while telling the intermediate and speculation community that people are the greatest cost (which infers the greatest liability) to the organization. While the accounting statistics may show that staff-related costs do in fact represent the major item of expenses, predominantly in labor-intensive industries, the semantics and communication processes require considerable care. Organization Culture in Recruitment Process Using culture for recruitment requires identifying aspects of companys culture that make it different from other companies. In essence to identify the unique beliefs, behaviors and practices of company. A culture audit should provide the primary cultural attributes that set company apart. These themes will probably not be completely positive. However, culture tends to evolve based on a past or current need, and it is usually possible to find ways to word each attribute in a way that highlights its advantages. Methods and Tools of Recruitment A manager can recruit in two different ways: Internal recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce. External recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from any suitable applicant outside the business. The stipulation of selection tools in recruitment has happen to an industry all on its own. From psychometrics, verbal and numerical reasoning, assessment centers and competency based interviews. With so many surrogates it can be difficult for recruitment agencies to fathom what to use where. Here are some deliberations when preferring which tools to use and where. Creation of the Learning Organization through self-managed Learning, the Promotion of  Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management Managers need to give up power in order for erudition potentials to be improved. This will direct to superior business consequences by abolishing wasteful routines, and bring about the expansion of new business practices that lead to better results. And rational sculpts need to be observed. The restrictions that obstruct organizational learning inventiveness have a great deal to do with the mental models entrenched in the culture of an organization. For important change to lead to sustainability, hierarchical control must be put aside. The appearance and expansion of unperturbed system must be supported so that people can share their implied information and help one another. Communities of practice can be geared so that people continually learn to help each other. The dispersal of pioneering practices needs informal networks through which new ideas can extend in and transversely organizations. Such informal networks are almost always superior to hierarchical channels for spreading new innovations because these informal networks already exist; research with new ideas needs help and time to think in a safe circumstance; and because there is a strong element of trustworthiness with people whom we know. Without active internal societies of practice, an organization cannot anticipate thoughtful and continued change. Approaches to Employee Relations with a Focus on the Benefits of Partnership Involvement and Engagement The idea of some kind of employee influence in organizational decision-making is one that seems to attract much support amongst all the parties who are involved in the employment relationship; that is, employers, employees, trade unions and the state. Initially then the thread will consider this debate about how best to conceptualize the contemporary employment landscape. Conflict can be considered at a number of levels, one of which is the potential conflict of interests between trade unions and employers. However, the tourism and hospitality industry is often suggested as being one where trade unions have little or no influence. The veracity or otherwise of this view will be discussed, including why tourism and hospitality employees may or may not join trade unions. Having considered one mechanism for articulating an employee voice, that of trade unions, the thread moves on to consider a range of other mechanisms which seek to involve employees in the decision making process in organizations through the processes of employee involvement and participation. Purposes and Benefits of Performance and Reward Management Performance appraisal may be defined as a prearranged official communication between a assistant and administrator, that typically takes the form of a episodic interview in which the job presentation of the subordinate is looked at and talked about, with a sight to recognized weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for development and ability growth. In many associations but not all assessment consequences are used, either directly or indirectly, to help decided reward conclusion. That is, the appraisal results are used to identify the better performing employees who should get the majority of available merit pay increases, bonuses, and promotions. By the same token, appraisal results are used to recognize the shoddier performers who may require some form of therapy, or in tremendous cases, relegation, discharge or decreases in pay. Whether this is a suitable use of performance appraisal the task and validation of plunder and punishment is a very uncertain and contentious matter. Management and Reward Processes to Improve Organizational Performance. Performance Management (PM) is much additional than appraisal. In the broadest sense, its about translating goals to results. Performance Management concentrates not only on individual employees, but also on teams, programs, processes and the organization as a whole. Performance Management programs should have a long-term perception, accentuating worker maturity and procedure development. As such, optimal Performance Management programs are incorporated with an agencys leadership development, progression development, and guidance agenda. Legal Issues Involved in Grievance, Discipline and Dismissal Processes and Procedures A grievance is distinct in the policy as a criticism by a worker about an exploit, which his manager has engaged or is considering captivating in relation to him. The grievance process related to productive removal from office circumstances. Employers should ensure their disciplinary and grievance procedures are fully up to date and incorporate the minimum statutory procedures. Also, employers should be aware of and implement current best practice when dealing with grievance and disciplinary issues. The DTIs guidance on the new regulations and particularly, the updated Aces Code of Practice provide vital advice and practical guidance. Organizations Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures The HR department and managers at all levels need to be familiar with the regulations. All procedures and management guidelines affected such as guidance on record-keeping, the wording and structure of procedures, timescales, adjustments to standard letters, new arrangements for certain types of grievance where they do not already exist, and training need to take the guidance in the code into account. Training is important for both employers and trade unions. The code stresses the need for unions to ensure their officials are both experienced in performing this role, and are provided with periodic refresher training, and the same applies to managers. The code also emphasises the need for managers to know and be able to apply the rules and procedures, and suggests that organisations may benefit from joint management/trade union training. The code also emphasises the need for managers to know and be able to apply the rules and procedures, and suggests that organisations may benefit from joint management/trade union training. Deal with Problems Situations in a Timely and Effective Manner Many organizations have struggled with the concepts of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and taking effective corrective action, but doing a good job of RCA will lead to effective and lasting corrective actions. The need for corrective action can arise from many different sources including internal audits, external audits, customer complaints, employee complaints, injury reports and the requirements of regulatory bodies. The aforementioned audits may include quality management system (QMS), environmental management system (EMS), occupational health and safety (OHS), or any number of other requirements-based systems. The point is that all of these inputs to the corrective action process should be dealt with in a timely and effective manner. Where ISO/TS 16949 is concerned, the IATF expects that internal nonconformances, customer complaints and nonconformances issued by CBs are areas of critical importance, and need to have an effective root cause analysis done, followed by effective corrective actions taken to resolve the nonconformances. Stages of the Discipline Issues that  Result in  Dismissal The statutory disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures amounted to a minimum standard that all employers and employees were obliged to follow until 6 April 2009.   The main features of the procedures were: Three step statutory disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures   Failure to follow the statutory procedures by the employer prior to dismissal rendered that dismissal automatically unfair. Employers could have faced a potential increase in compensation of between 10-50% if the procedures were not followed. An employee may have been prevented from presenting some types of claim in the employment tribunal if they had not followed the grievance procedure first. These procedures applied in a wide range of circumstances which were not limited to issues relating to the capability or conduct of the employee but, for example, to dismissals which occured on the expiry of a fixed-term contract and in smaller scale redundancies. How to Identify and Involve External Agencies that could be involved in Grievance, Discipline and Dismissal Processes Disciplinary and grievance procedures provide a clear and transparent framework to deal with difficulties which may arise as part of their working relationship from either the employers or employees perspective. They are necessary to ensure that everybody is treated in the same way in similar circumstances, to ensure issues are dealt with fairly and reasonably, that employers are compliant with current legislation and follow the Acas Code of Practice for handling disciplinary and grievance issues. Disciplinary procedures are needed: So employees know what is expected of them in terms of standards of performance or conduct (and the likely consequences of continued failure to meet these standards). To identify obstacles to individuals achieving the required standards (for example training needs, lack of clarity of job requirements, additional support needed) and take appropriate action. As an opportunity to agree suitable goals and timescales for improvement in an individuals performance or conduct. To try to resolve matters without recourse to an employment tribunal. As a point of reference for an employment tribunal should someone make a complaint about the way they have been dismissed. Grievance procedures are needed: To provide individuals with a course of action should they have a complaint (which they are unable to resolve through regular communication with their line manager). To provide points of contact and timescales to resolve issues of concern. To try to resolve matters without recourse to an employment tribunal. Determine and Pursue all aspects of Best Practice The request messages contain data that will be used by the service to perform the business logic of the operation. These messages can also contain data that are more pertinent to system-level processing associated with the transaction, rather than business logic performed by the transaction. Examples of these data include: Identification of the service requestor application Service implementation version Dispatch and receipt timestamps Similarly, the response message issued by the service operation can contain system-level data, such as: Identification of the responding application (service provider) Receipt and dispatch timestamps Computed response time These system-level data have to be processed either by the service provider application, in addition to the business-level data, or by the enterprise service bus (ESB) infrastructure. In the context of building SOA solutions,

Realism Term Paper -- Political Science

Realism by definition is an approach to global politics derived from the tradition of power politics and belief that behavior is determined by the search for and distribution of power. [5] By using the concept of power it is easy to discuss basics of realism. Realist theories are based of beliefs that states are motivated by aggressive or defensive urges, the national interest is survival and states are unitary actors each moving towards their own national interest.[4] The first key feature of realism is statism. Statism is an idea that the state is an accurate representative of the will of its people.[4] The state is sovereign and therefore is able to govern itself as it wants. With this sovereignty that state is able to institute security. After a state has established security it is then able to continue with a communal culture. In international relationships however sovereignty does not supply security therefore a state must vie with its neighboring states to accomplish it. This can lead to a power struggle to ensure that state’s people can live in security.[5] A second key point of realism is survival. Survival to realists is rather simple; the state with the most power stands a better likelihood of survival. Naturally it is believed that survival is the definitive objective of realism. To guarantee survival a state may stray from their set of ethics because it cannot worry about moral issues. If state were to hold onto its set of beliefs, it may suffer at the expense of a more powerful state. In realism cases there are two conflicting segments, defensive and offensive realists.[5] A state with a defensive realist perspective believes they must obtain enough power to ensure security, but not so much power that their security... ... event. Works Cited 1. http://www.orsam.org.tr/tr/trUploads/Yazilar/Dosyalar/201229_ortadoguetutler_volume3_no2.pdf#page=11). Ozlem TUR. January 2012. ORSAM. 13 Apr. 2012 2. (http://www.laidi.com/sitedp/sites/default/files/The%20Arab%20Counterrevolution_0.pdf). Hussein Agha and Robert Malley. September 29 2011. The New York Review of Books. 13 Apr. 2012 3. (http://www.pomeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/POMEPS_BriefBooklet4_Syria-TEXT_WEB-1.pdf) Mona Yacoubian and Radwan Ziadeh. 4 May 2011 Project on Middle East Political Science. 13 Apr. 2012 4. Tim Dunne and Brian C. Schmidt, â€Å"Realism,† in John Baylis and Steve Smith, The Globalization of Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 162-183. 5. Mansbach, Richard and Kirsten Taylor, Introduction to Global Politics. New York: Routledge. 2008 Print

Analysis of Cooper Industries :: Cooper Industries Business Management Essays

Analysis of Cooper Industries OVERVIEW: Cooper Industries is a broadly diversified manufacturer of electrical and general industrial products, and energy related machinery and equipment. The company operates in three different business segments with 21 separate profit centers. These segments include electrical and electronic, commercial and industrial, compression, drilling and energy equipment. The product line is consisted of cheap fuses to $3 million compressor tribune sets along with products such as hand tools and light fixtures. The company bid a $21-a-share tender offer to acquire Champion Spark Plug, manufacturer of auto spark plugs, as a counter offer for the Dana Corp.'s $17.50-a-share bid. Also, in the mean time, Cooper Industries was considering a $700 million bid for Cameron Iron Works. Even though purchasing either or both companies will give operational and organizational advantages, there were high financial risks involved. Undertaking both acquisitions would result in a 55% to 60% debt to capitalization ratio. ANALYSIS: Cooper Industries acquired more than 60 manufacturing companies over a thirty year span in order to increase the size and the scope of the company. Most of the acquired companies made it possible for Cooper to be independent of the outside environment and giving full control of the manufacturing process concerning their business while avoiding anti-trust allegations. Cooper basically purchased every company that is vital to its energy industry and all the side industries that effect it. From tools to fuses to cables to the drilling equipment was manufactured and distributed by the corporation's divisions. Each acquisition is decided from a wish list that was closely examined and studied. At the time of the take over, the Management Development & Planning division would implement the corporate strategy in a period of three to five years. This involves diversification and elimination of the products that are poor sellers. In some cases the production plant is relocated and the staff is reorganized for the best efficient set up. In time all these companies are turned into profit centers. RECOMMENDATIONS: One of my first suggestions will be to consider Cameron Iron Works first since all the valves and other natural gas and petroleum products will be more beneficiary. Apparently there is more demand for Cameron's products than the Champions. Little adjustments in the production process along with the 'Cooperization' adjustment will have make the company efficient in a short period of time. In contrast, Champion is considered to have 1950's production techniques and only one product line, spark plugs, which will require tremendous changes within the company. The other option may be to purchase both of the companies, regardless of

Black Theology & Black Power According to James H. Cone Essay -- Black

I believe the best place to start this essay would be with an explanation of Black Power. Black Power according to James H. Cone â€Å"is an emotionally charged term that can evoke either angry rejection or passionate acceptance.† Critics see it as blacks hating whites, while advocates see Black Power as the only viable option for black people. Advocates see Black Power meaning black people are taking a dominate role in deciding what the black-white relationship should be in American Society. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. is preaching this right now. He sees that blacks need to go back to their blackness and no longer live their lives as the white society wants them to. What these two men are encouraging can be very difficult for most people to understand. Most of us see this as a call to violence. What Cone is really saying is that Black Power means the complete emancipation of black people from white oppression by whatever means black people deem necessary. The methods to reach this can include selective buying, boycotting, marching, and even rebellion. Black Power means black freedom, black self-determination, where black people no longer see themselves as without human dignity, but as people, human beings with the ability to carve out their own destiny. Paul Tillich’s analysis of â€Å"the courage to be† further clarifies the meaning of Black Power. He says that â€Å"the courage to be† â€Å"is the ethical act in which man affirms his being in spite of those elements of his existence which conflict with his essential self-affirmation† Black Power is then a humanizing force because it the black man’s attempt to be recognized as a â€Å"thou† in spite of the â€Å"other,† the white power which dehumanizes him. The courage they feel gives them the... ... What it really means is that your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body are where the dispossessed are. Your mind, soul, and heart need to be reconciled to God. Cone ends his book, Black Theology & Black Power with this thought, â€Å"The real questions are: Where is your identity? Where is your being? Does it lie with the oppressed blacks or with the oppressors? Let us hope that there are enough to answer this question correctly so that America will not be compelled to acknowledge a common humanity by see that blood is always one color.† We need to put aside our pasts and try to find the common ground we share in Christ and become reconciled to each other that neither black or white is superior, but we are just the same in God’s eyes and we all bleed in the same color. Work Cited James H. Cone . "Black Theology and Black Power" Orbis Books, 1997

How Is the Power of Dreams and Dreaming in the Novel of Mice and Men Essay

The idea of moving from one place to another, working hard and trying to raise the quality of life for you and your loved ones is known as ‘The American Dream’. Steinbeck invites us to understand how having this dream keeps them going despite the challenging life that each character faces. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes this ‘dream’ the main focus of the story for both the reader and characters. George’s dream is to have independence and to â€Å"go into town and get whatever I want† but most importantly he dreams of being â€Å"somebody†. On the other hand, Lennie aspires to be with George and to â€Å"tend the rabbits†. Ultimately, George and Lennie both wanted to â€Å"have a little house and couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs† however, George only tells Lennie about their dream to comfort Lennie. This is shown when Lennie says â€Å"No†¦ You tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on†¦ George. How do I get to tend the rabbits. † It is only after they all realised that together, â€Å"this thing they never believed in was coming true† Even though the dream is very important to George as well, Steinbeck portrays Lennie as someone who wants the dream a lot more. This is shown through Lennie’s angry or upset feelings when he feels like he has done something that would jeopardise their dream. George uses this to his advantage to threaten and control Lennie by blackmailing him, â€Å"If you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits. † Consequently, Lennie tries to please George and to gain his approval as much as possible. Another way in which Steinbeck shows the power of dreams and dreaming in the novel is through how much they want it. Steinbeck portrays each character’s desperation through their lifestyle. The dream that each character has reflects what is missing from their life. George and Crooks are both very desperate about this dream because they both want their current lives to be like their past. This is shown when, for a second, George loses track of the present and says â€Å"we’d keep a few pigeons to go flyin’ around the win’mill like they done when I was a kid† which is referring back to his childhood. Similarly, Crooks wants to return to his past. â€Å"The white kids used to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them. † This shows that Crooks used to be well respected and equal within his community. After all, Crooks â€Å"ain’t a southern negro†; however, he is not treated well at the ranch, therefore, the dream provides comfort for Crooks. Although George wants to return to his childhood, there is a deeper meaning to his dream. George wants to â€Å"just say the hell with goin’ to work† because unlike Candy, George doesn’t want to stay at the ranch too long so he would get ‘canned’. For George, the dream means that â€Å"nobody could can us† Furthermore, George doesn’t want to have to keep moving because he would â€Å"jus’ live there† and â€Å"belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. † This suggests that he’ll be his own boss. A result of being a migrant worker, no one at the ranch has any friends, which is why Crooks was surprised to hear that Lennie had George. For George and Lennie, the dream of having their own land provides a stable home that will eventually gain them friends and family. On the other hand, Crooks is very pessimistic about the possibility of a dream becoming a reality because he has been segregated in the ranch for as long as he can remember. His cynicism has led him to believe â€Å"It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head†. This suggests that his past experiences have affected his power to dream. Steinbeck reinforces the power of dreaming within the novel, as he shows every character’s reaction when they all realise that there is a possibility of George and Lennie’s dream becoming reality. â€Å"They looked at each other, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. Once they believed that the dream is a possibility, the tension is ramped up. Suddenly there is something to lose and something to fight for. This massively enhances the power that the dream has over each character and for a while the feeling of doom is lessened. The reader wants to know if each character can escape the curse they seem to be under and reach their goals. For Lennie and candy the dream would provide an exciting o pportunity, as both characters are not worth much in the real world. The dream would provide them a chance of appreciation. To Lennie, the dream is an antidote to disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite the description of the farm to him for comfort. Like a child, he loved the hear George telling him to â€Å"tend the rabbits† correspondingly for Candy it would make him feel more important as he can â€Å"cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some† Even though Curley’s Wife was the reason that the dream fell apart, she had big dreams to be in â€Å"pitchers† Unsatisfied by her surly husband, she constantly lurks around the barn, trying to engage the workers in conversation. However, although she may come across as very flirtatious, she only flirts with the men for attention. Which is what her dream would have provided her if she didn’t marry Curley. Shes so lonely, and so desparate for the attention of the men at the ranch that she even flirts with Lennie as she leans â€Å"closely† at him to â€Å"see if she was impressing him† To look in more detail about how Steinbeck shows the power of the dreams, take each individual character and how they all act to their dreams ending. For example, Steinbeck has made Curley very bitter after the realisation of his dreams ending when Candy’s wife is killed by Lennie. His bitterness shows how much the dream meant to him and how he needed it because he is old and disabled so he will probably get ‘canned’ soon, He shuffles out of the barn which that he has given up all hope, almost given up on life.