Leadership Assessment Essay

Leadership can be best defined as beauty. One may say that is in the eye of the beholder. The best managers consistently allow different leaders to emerge and inspire their teammates. My prior organization, Comcast Corporation, a telecommunications provider, mission statement is to deliver a superior experience to their customers every day. Jason Biske, whom is Director of Sales and Operation, created an environment where Comcast is focused solely on customers by building relationships. When we would see him, he would always speak and ask how your day or sales was going. Jason was really big on keeping the sales floor informed of new promos or contests that were going on by sending constant email communications, ongoing training sessions, or holding focus groups on various processes of improvement in the sales process. When it came to leadership styles, Jason Biske demonstrated several. He embraced democratic, coaching, pacesetting, and authoritative. He initiated structure and created an environment that made you feel a part of something. Along with that he showed consideration. We felt like our opinions mattered and there was a concern for the employees. Leaders provide a sense of direction for the employees of the organization. Without this sense of direction (both strategic and ethical), the organization and its employees could easily lose their direction.In order for any leader to be successful all styles need to be incorporated. Leaders, therefore, are given the responsibility of creating and shaping culture. The organizational structure that has been created has positioned the company in the smartest way possible. † As the world changes, the culture of organizations must sometimes be re-shaped to better fit the environment and the overall strategy of the organization (Buhler)†.Comcast strongly believes in teamwork, integrity, creativity and commitment within the organization. Managers must be convinced of the benefits as well as higher performance for their teams if they are to become enthusiastic leaders of change. â€Å"Above all, senior executives should encourage managers to think big: the new world of work opens up new possibilities for how companies define their boundaries and organize work (Lund, 2012)†.Having such a strong team of leadership gives employees as well as potential talent something to look forward to in regards to a career. The positive thing about having a clear organizational structure is simply it allows you to see the formal relationship that exits between the departments. Jason Biske‘s job as director was to improve the sales process and increase revenue in the sales department. As a result he increased revenue by 24 percent. He also rolled out a process called Sales Pro which would make the sales process simpler by focusing on relationships. Even though his styles motivated employees, he used communication through m ass emails mostly. On a daily basis, you would receive several reports on how the company is profiting. At my career level no one understood how we were contributing to these successes. Jason would get you excited to make money but somewhere in there the leadership failed.† According to Moorhead and Griffin (1998) employee motivation and ability jointly contribute towards employee performance and the most challenging task of the managers is to motivate employee to execute the utmost of their ability†. (Iqbal)†. When you have middle managers that are not as excited about their jobs, it is hard to keep the customer service reps motivated to sale the product or meet numbers when the objectives are not clear. In an organization, an individual has to be seen as a contributor. Most importantly, you have to keep your employees motivated. Most people never make it to the top because they are successful at being a doer instead of being a leader. â€Å"Leadership is more about inspiration, about guidance, about communication and building trust among the team. Management is probably the day-to-day running of an organization. It is about developing and organizing aspects of your businesses and running those businesses (Toor, 2011)†. Some best pra ctices that organizational leaders can follow are 1. Accept feedback from the people that work with you. No one knows best other than the people that deal with the customers every day. Some of the most successful companies are profitable because the organizational leader listened to what the employees shared. There is value in shared values. Secondly, try a crazy idea every now and then. Employees like creativity and a challenge to keep them on their toes. Lastly, show courage. Effective leaders sometimes have to issue orders whether or not it means they are popular or not. If you are leading effectively then your team will support you. Leaders are made, not born. â€Å"I consider leadership as something long term with a clear vision of what to achieve. Management, however, is more about function; it’s short-term and involves setting a target and achieving it. Diversity is not only important to the work environment and the business but it can also have some legal ramifications if not followed properly.† Workplace Diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. The roots of diversity does not begin to range from race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, educational background etc., rather it begins from perception of the employees towards each other (Andrew Patrick, 2011)†. Ccompanies that embrace employees from different cultural backgrounds, experiences and even countries are better positioned to succeed in this century. Hiring a diverse workforce helps a company stay in compliance with employment laws and build workplaces that are more inclusive. It also assists employees in reaching their fullest potential. When hiring and managing employees from different cultures and backgrounds it can be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding. â€Å"Diversity is not a photo opportunity. Anybody can recruit anybody. Keeping people is the challenge (Sreedhar, 2011)†. Most corporations have diversity council which allows you to manage diversity globally therefore allowing others to learn from different perspectives and cultures. From a business perspective, companies have become more innovative requiring expansion into global territories. It requires them to move people as well as products around. With that being said, a company must be able to understand international customers, their commerce and their competition better than before. Works Cited Andrew Patrick, H. (2011). Knowledge Workers Demography and Workplace Diversity. Journal Of Marketing & Management, pp. 2(2), 38-73. Buhler, P. M. (n.d.). The evolving leader of today. Supervision. pp. 59(12), 16. . Iqbal, J. Y. (n.d.). EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION IN MODERN ORGANIZATION: A REVIEW OF 12 YEARS. Interdisciplinary Journal Of Contemporary Research In Business,. pp. 4(3), 692-708. Lund, S. M. (2012). Preparing for a new era of knowledge work. pp. Mckinsey Quarterly, (4), 103-110. Sreedhar, U. (2011). Workforce Diversity and HR Challenges. Advances In Management. pp. 4(10), 33-36. Toor, S. (2011). Differentiating Leadership from Management. An Empirical Investigation of Leaders and Managers. Leadership & Management In Engineering, pp. 11(4), 310. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)LM.1943-5630.0000138.

The Host Chapter 28: Unenlightened

It was disorienting to wake in the absolute dark. In the past months, I'd gotten used to having the sun tell me it was morning. At first I thought it must still be night, but then, feeling the sting of my face and the ache of my back, I remembered where I was. Beside me, I could hear the sound of quiet, even breathing; it did not frighten me, because it was the most familiar of sounds here. I was not surprised that Jamie had crept back and slept beside me last night. Maybe it was the change in my breathing that woke him; maybe it was just that our schedules had become synchronized. But seconds after I was conscious, he gave a little gasp. â€Å"Wanda?† he whispered. â€Å"I'm right here.† He sighed in relief. â€Å"It's really dark here,† he said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"You think it's breakfast time yet?† â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"I'm hungry. Let's go see.† I didn't answer him. He interpreted my silence correctly, as the balk it was. â€Å"You don't have to hide out here, Wanda,† he said earnestly, after waiting a moment for me to speak. â€Å"I talked to Jared last night. He's going to stop picking on you-he promised.† I almost smiled. Picking on me. â€Å"Will you come with me?† Jamie pressed. His hand found mine. â€Å"Is that what you really want me to do?† I asked in a low voice. â€Å"Yes. Everything will be the same as it was before.† Mel? Is this best? I don't know. She was torn. She knew she couldn't be objective; she wanted to see Jared. That's crazy, you know. Not as crazy as the fact that you want to see him, too. â€Å"Fine, Jamie,† I agreed. â€Å"But don't get upset when it's not the same as before, okay? If things get ugly†¦ Well, just don't be surprised.† â€Å"It'll be okay. You'll see.† I let him lead the way out of the dark, towing me by the hand he still held. I braced myself as we entered the big garden cavern; I couldn't be sure of anyone's reaction to me today. Who knew what had been said as I slept? But the garden was empty, though the sun was bright in the morning sky. It reflected off the hundreds of mirrors, momentarily blinding me. Jamie was not interested in the vacant cave. His eyes were on my face, and he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as the light touched my cheek. â€Å"Oh,† he gasped. â€Å"Are you okay? Does that hurt bad?† I touched my face lightly. The skin felt rough-grit crusted in the blood. It throbbed where my fingers brushed. â€Å"It's fine,† I whispered; the empty cavern made me wary-I didn't want to speak too loudly. â€Å"Where is everybody?† Jamie shrugged, his eyes still tight as they surveyed my face. â€Å"Busy, I guess.† He didn't lower his voice. This reminded me of last night, of the secret he wouldn't tell me. My eyebrows pulled together. What do you think he's not telling us? You know what I know, Wanda. You're human. Aren't you supposed to have intuition or something? Intuition? My intuition tells me that we don't know this place as well as we thought we did, Melanie said. We pondered the ominous sound of that. It was almost a relief to hear the normal noises of mealtime coming from the kitchen corridor. I didn't particularly want to see anyone-besides the sick yearning to see Jared, of course-but the unpopulated tunnels, combined with the knowledge that something was being kept from me, made me edgy. The kitchen was not even half full-an oddity for this time of the morning. But I barely noticed that, because the smell coming from the banked stone oven overruled every other thought. â€Å"Oooh,† Jamie moaned. â€Å"Eggs!† Jamie pulled me faster now, and I had no reluctance to keep pace with him. We hurried, stomachs growling, to the counter by the oven where Lucina, the mother, stood with a plastic ladle in her hand. Breakfast was usually serve-yourself, but then breakfast was also usually tough bread rolls. She looked only at the boy as she spoke. â€Å"They tasted better an hour ago.† â€Å"They'll taste just fine now,† Jamie countered enthusiastically. â€Å"Has everyone eaten?† â€Å"Pretty much. I think they took a tray down to Doc and the rest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lucina trailed off, and her eyes flickered to me for the first time; Jamie's eyes did the same. I didn't understand the expression that crossed Lucina's features-it disappeared too quickly, replaced by something else as she appraised the new marks on my face. â€Å"How much is left?† Jamie asked. His eagerness sounded a trifle forced now. Lucina turned and bent, tugging a metal pan off the hot stones in the bottom of the oven with the bowl of the ladle. â€Å"How much do you want, Jamie? There's plenty,† she told him without turning. â€Å"Pretend I'm Kyle,† he said with a laugh. â€Å"A Kyle-sized portion it is,† Lucina said, but when she smiled, her eyes were unhappy. She filled one of the soup bowls to overflowing with slightly rubbery scrambled eggs, stood up, and handed it to Jamie. She eyed me again, and I understood what this look was for. â€Å"Let's sit over there, Jamie,† I said, nudging him away from the counter. He stared in amazement. â€Å"Don't you want any?† â€Å"No, I'm -† I was about to say â€Å"fine† again, when my stomach gurgled disobediently. â€Å"Wanda?† He looked at me, then back at Lucina, who had her arms folded across her chest. â€Å"I'll just have bread,† I muttered, trying to shove him away. â€Å"No. Lucina, what's the problem?† He looked at her expectantly. She didn't move. â€Å"If you're done here, I'll take over,† he suggested, his eyes narrowing and his mouth setting in a stubborn line. Lucina shrugged and set the ladle on the stone counter. She walked away slowly, not looking at me again. â€Å"Jamie,† I muttered urgently under my breath. â€Å"This food isn't meant for me. Jared and the others weren't risking their lives so that I could have eggs for breakfast. Bread is fine.† â€Å"Don't be stupid, Wanda,† Jamie said. â€Å"You live here now, just like the rest of us. Nobody minds it when you wash their clothes or bake their bread. Besides, these eggs aren't going to last much longer. If you don't eat them, they'll get thrown out.† I felt all the eyes in the room boring into my back. â€Å"That might be preferable to some,† I said even more quietly. No one but Jamie could possibly hear. â€Å"Forget that,† Jamie growled. He hopped over the counter and filled another bowl with eggs, which he then shoved at me. â€Å"You're going to eat every bite,† he told me resolutely. I looked at the bowl. My mouth watered. I pushed the eggs a few inches away from me and then folded my arms. Jamie frowned. â€Å"Fine,† he said, and shoved his own bowl across the counter. â€Å"You don't eat, I don't eat.† His stomach grumbled audibly. He folded his arms across his chest. We stared at each other for two long minutes, both our stomachs rumbling as we inhaled the smell of the eggs. Every now and then, he would peek down at the food out of the corner of his eye. That's what beat me-the longing look in his eyes. â€Å"Fine,† I huffed. I slid his bowl back to him and then retrieved my own. He waited until I took the first bite to touch his. I stifled a moan as the taste registered on my tongue. I knew the cooled, rubbery eggs weren't the best thing I'd ever tasted, but that's how it felt. This body lived for the present. Jamie had a similar reaction. And then he started shoveling the food into his mouth so fast it seemed he didn't have time to breathe. I watched him to make sure he didn't choke. I ate more slowly, hoping that I'd be able to convince him to eat some of mine when he was done. That was when, with our minor standoff over and my stomach satisfied, I finally noticed the atmosphere in the kitchen. I would have expected, with the excitement of eggs for breakfast after months of monotony, more of a feeling of celebration. But the air was somber, the conversations all whispered. Was this a reaction to the scene last night? I scanned the room, trying to understand. People were looking at me, a few here and there, but they weren't the only ones talking in serious whispers, and the others paid me no mind at all. Besides, none of them seemed angry or guilty or tense or any of the other emotions I was expecting. No, they were sad. Despair was etched on every face in the room. Sharon was the last person I noticed, eating in a distant corner, keeping to herself as usual. She was so composed as she mechanically ate her breakfast that at first I didn't notice the tears dripping in streaks down her face. They fell into her food, but she ate as if she were beyond noticing. â€Å"Is something wrong with Doc?† I whispered to Jamie, suddenly afraid. I wondered if I was being paranoid-maybe this had nothing to do with me. The sadness in the room seemed to be part of some other human drama from which I'd been excluded. Was this what was keeping everyone busy? Had there been an accident? Jamie looked at Sharon and sighed before he answered me. â€Å"No, Doc's fine.† â€Å"Aunt Maggie? Is she hurt?† He shook his head. â€Å"Where's Walter?† I demanded, still whispering. I felt a gnawing anxiety as I thought of harm befalling one of my companions here, even those who hated me. â€Å"I don't know. He's fine, I'm sure.† I realized now that Jamie was just as sad as everyone else here. â€Å"What's wrong, Jamie? Why are you upset?† Jamie looked down at his eggs, eating them slowly and deliberately now, and did not answer me. He finished in silence. I tried to pass him what was left in my bowl, but he glowered so fiercely that I took it back and ate the rest without any more resistance. We added our bowls to the big plastic bin of dirty dishes. It was full, so I took it from the counter. I wasn't sure what was going on in the caves today, but dishes ought to be a safe occupation. Jamie came along beside me, his eyes alert. I didn't like that. I wouldn't allow him to act as my bodyguard, if the necessity arose. But then, as we made our way around the edge of the big field, my regular bodyguard found me, so it became a moot point. Ian was filthy; light brown dust covered him from head to toe, darker where it was wet with his sweat. The brown streaks smeared across his face did not disguise the exhaustion there. I was not surprised to see that he was just as down as everyone else. But the dust did make me curious. It was not the purple black dust inside the caves. Ian had been outside this morning. â€Å"There you are,† he murmured when he saw us. He was walking swiftly, his long legs cutting the distance with anxious strides. When he reached us, he did not slow, but rather caught me under the elbow and hurried me forward. â€Å"Let's duck in here for a minute.† He pulled me into the narrow tunnel mouth that led toward the eastern field, where the corn was almost ripe. He did not lead me far, just into the darkness where we were invisible from the big room. I felt Jamie's hand rest lightly on my other arm. After half a minute, deep voices echoed through the big cavern. They were not boisterous-they were somber, as depressed as any of the faces I'd read this morning. The voices passed us, close by the crack where we hid, and Ian's hand tensed on my elbow, his fingers pressing into the soft spots above the bone. I recognized Jared's voice, and Kyle's. Melanie strained against my control, and my control was tenuous anyway. We both wanted to see Jared's face. It was a good thing Ian held us back. â€Å"†¦ don't know why we let him keep trying. When it's over, it's over,† Jared was saying. â€Å"He really thought he had it this time. He was so sure†¦ Oh, well. It will be worth all this if he figures it out someday,† Kyle disagreed. â€Å"If.† Jared snorted. â€Å"I guess it's a good thing we found that brandy. Doc's going to blow through the whole crate by nightfall at the rate he's going.† â€Å"He'll pass out soon enough,† Kyle said, his voice beginning to fade in the distance. â€Å"I wish Sharon would†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then I couldn't make out any more. Ian waited until the voices faded completely, and then a few minutes more, before he finally released my arm. â€Å"Jared promised,† Jamie muttered to him. â€Å"Yeah, but Kyle didn't,† Ian answered. They walked back out into the light. I followed slowly behind them, not sure what I was feeling. Ian noticed for the first time what I carried. â€Å"No dishes now,† he told me. â€Å"Let's give them a chance to clean up and move on.† I thought about asking him why he was dirty, but probably, like Jamie, he would refuse to answer. I turned to stare at the tunnel that led toward the rivers, speculating. Ian made an angry sound. I looked back at him, frightened, and then realized what had upset him-he'd only just seen my face. He raised his hand as if to lift my chin, but I flinched and he dropped it. â€Å"That makes me so sick,† he said, and his voice truly did sound as if he were nauseated. â€Å"And worse, knowing that if I hadn't stayed behind, I might have been the one to do it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head at him. â€Å"It's nothing, Ian.† â€Å"I don't agree with that,† he muttered, and then he spoke to Jamie. â€Å"You probably ought to get to school. It's better that we get everything back to normal as soon as possible.† Jamie groaned. â€Å"Sharon will be a nightmare today.† Ian grinned. â€Å"Time to take one for the team, kid. I don't envy you.† Jamie sighed and kicked the dirt. â€Å"Keep an eye on Wanda.† â€Å"Will do.† Jamie shuffled away, casting glances back at us every few minutes until he disappeared into another tunnel. â€Å"Here, give me those,† Ian said, pulling the bin of dishes from me before I could respond. â€Å"They weren't too heavy for me,† I told him. He grinned again. â€Å"I feel silly standing here with my arms empty while you lug these around. Chalk it up to gallantry. C'mon-let's go relax somewhere out of the way until the coast is clear.† His words troubled me, and I followed him in silence. Why should gallantry apply to me? He walked all the way to the cornfield, and then into the cornfield, stepping in the low part of the furrow, between the stalks. I trailed behind him until he stopped, somewhere in the middle of the field, set the dishes aside, and sprawled out on the dirt. â€Å"Well, this is out of the way,† I said as I settled to the ground beside him, crossing my legs. â€Å"But shouldn't we be working?† â€Å"You work too hard, Wanda. You're the only one who never takes a day off.† â€Å"It gives me something to do,† I mumbled. â€Å"Everyone is taking a break today, so you might as well.† I looked at him curiously. The light from the mirrors threw double shadows through the cornstalks that crisscrossed over him like zebra stripes. Under the lines and the dirt, his pale face was weary. â€Å"You look like you've been working.† His eyes tightened. â€Å"But I'm resting now.† â€Å"Jamie won't tell me what's going on,† I murmured. â€Å"No. And neither will I.† He sighed. â€Å"It's nothing you want to know anyway.† I stared at the ground, at the dark purple and brown dirt, as my stomach twisted and rolled. I could think of nothing worse than not knowing, but maybe I was just lacking in imagination. â€Å"It's not really fair,† Ian said after a silent moment, â€Å"seeing as I won't answer your question, but do you mind if I ask you one?† I welcomed the distraction. â€Å"Go ahead.† He didn't speak at once, so I looked up to find the reason for his hesitation. He was staring down now, looking at the dirt streaked across the backs of his hands. â€Å"I know you're not a liar. I know that now,† he said quietly. â€Å"I'll believe you, whatever your answer is.† I waited again while he continued to stare at the dirt on his skin. â€Å"I didn't buy Jeb's story before, but he and Doc are pretty convinced†¦ Wanda?† he asked, looking up at me. â€Å"Is she still in there with you? The girl whose body you wear?† This was not just my secret anymore-both Jamie and Jeb knew the truth. Neither was it the secret that really mattered. At any rate, I trusted Ian not to go blabbing to anyone who would kill me over it. â€Å"Yes,† I told him. â€Å"Melanie is still here.† He nodded slowly. â€Å"What is it like? For you? For her?† â€Å"It's†¦ frustrating, for us both. At first I would have given anything to have her disappear the way she should have. But now I†¦ I've gotten used to her.† I smiled wryly. â€Å"Sometimes it's nice to have the company. It's harder for her. She's like a prisoner in many ways. Locked away in my head. She prefers that captivity to disappearing, though.† â€Å"I didn't know there was a choice.† â€Å"There wasn't in the beginning. It wasn't until your kind discovered what was happening that any resistance started. That seems to be the key-knowing what's going to happen. The humans who were taken by surprise didn't fight back.† â€Å"So if I were caught?† I appraised his fierce expression-the fire in his brilliant eyes. â€Å"I doubt you would disappear. Things have changed, though. When they catch full-grown humans now, they don't offer them as hosts. Too many problems.† I half smiled again. â€Å"Problems like me. Going soft, getting sympathetic to my host, losing my way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He thought about that for a long time, sometimes looking at my face, sometimes at the cornstalks, sometimes at nothing at all. â€Å"What would they do with me, then, if they caught me now?† he finally asked. â€Å"They'd still do an insertion, I think. Trying to get information. Probably they'd put a Seeker in you.† He shuddered. â€Å"But they wouldn't keep you as a host. Whether they found the information or not, you would be†¦ discarded.† The word was hard to say. The idea sickened me. Odd-it was usually the human things that made me sick. But I'd never looked at the situation from the body's perspective before; no other planet had forced me to. A body that didn't function right was quickly and painlessly disposed of because it was as useless as a car that could not run. What was the point of keeping it around? There were conditions of the mind, too, that made a body unusable: dangerous mental addictions, malevolent yearnings, things that could not be healed and made the body unsafe to others. Or, of course, a mind with a will too strong to be erased. An anomaly localized on this planet. I had never seen the ugliness of treating an unconquerable spirit as a defect as clearly as I did now, looking into Ian's eyes. â€Å"And if they caught you?† he asked. â€Å"If they realized who I was†¦ if anyone is still looking for me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I thought of my Seeker and shuddered as he had. â€Å"They would take me out and put me in another host. Someone young, tractable. They would hope that I would be able to be myself again. Maybe they would ship me off-planet-get me away from the bad influences.† â€Å"Would you be yourself again?† I met his gaze. â€Å"I am myself. I haven't lost myself to Melanie. I would feel the same as I do now, even as a Bear or a Flower.† â€Å"They wouldn't discard you?† â€Å"Not a soul. We have no capital punishment for our kind. Or any punishment, really. Whatever they did, it would be to save me. I used to think there was no need for any other way, but now I have myself as proof against that theory. It would probably be right to discard me. I'm a traitor, aren't I?† Ian pursed his lips. â€Å"More of an expatriate, I'd say. You haven't turned on them; you've just left their society.† We were quiet again. I wanted to believe what he said was true. I considered the word expatriate, trying to convince myself that I was nothing worse. Ian exhaled loudly enough to make me jump. â€Å"When Doc sobers up, we'll get him to take a look at your face.† He reached over and put his hand under my chin; this time I didn't flinch. He turned my head to the side so he could examine the wound. â€Å"It's not important. I'm sure it looks worse than it is.† â€Å"I hope so-it looks awful.† He sighed and then stretched. â€Å"I suppose we've hidden long enough that Kyle's clean and unconscious. Want some help with the dishes?† Ian wouldn't let me wash the dishes in the stream the way I usually did. He insisted that we go into the black bathing room, where I would be invisible. I scrubbed dishes in the shallow end of the dark pool, while he cleaned off the filth left behind by his mystery labors. Then he helped me with the last of the dirty bowls. When we were done, he escorted me back to the kitchen, which was starting to fill up with the lunch crowd. More perishables were on the menu: soft white bread slices, slabs of sharp cheddar cheese, circles of lush pink bologna. People were scarfing down the delicacies with abandon, though the despair was still perceptible in the slump of their shoulders, in the absence of smiles or laughter. Jamie was waiting for me at our usual counter. Two double stacks of sandwiches sat in front of him, but he wasn't eating. His arms were folded as he waited for me. Ian eyed his expression curiously but left to get his own food without asking. I rolled my eyes at Jamie's stubbornness and took a bite. Jamie dug in as soon as I was chewing. Ian was back quickly, and we all ate in silence. The food tasted so good it was hard to imagine a reason for conversation-or anything else that would empty our mouths. I stopped at two, but Jamie and Ian ate until they were groaning in pain. Ian looked as though he was about to collapse. His eyes struggled to stay open. â€Å"Get back to school, kid,† he said to Jamie. Jamie appraised him. â€Å"Maybe I should take over†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Go to school,† I told him quickly. I wanted Jamie a safe distance from me today. â€Å"I'll see you later, okay? Don't worry about†¦ about anything.† â€Å"Sure.† A one-word lie wasn't quite so obvious. Or maybe I was just being sarcastic again. Once Jamie was gone, I turned on the somnolent Ian. â€Å"Go get some rest. I'll be fine-I'll stay someplace inconspicuous. Middle of a cornfield or something.† â€Å"Where did you sleep last night?† he asked, his eyes surprisingly sharp under his half-closed lids. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I can sleep there now, and you can be inconspicuous beside me.† We were just murmuring, barely over a whisper now. No one paid us any attention. â€Å"You can't watch me every second.† â€Å"Wanna bet?† I shrugged, giving up. â€Å"I was back at the†¦ the hole. Where I was kept in the beginning.† Ian frowned; he didn't like that. But he got up and led the way back to the storage corridor. The main plaza was busy again now, full of people moving around the garden, all of them grave, their eyes on their feet. When we were alone in the black tunnel, I tried to reason with him again. â€Å"Ian, what's the point of this? Won't it hurt Jamie more, the longer I'm alive? In the end, wouldn't it be better for him if -â€Å" â€Å"Don't think like that, Wanda. We're not animals. Your death is not an inevitability.† â€Å"I don't think you're an animal,† I said quietly. â€Å"Thanks. I didn't say that as an accusation, though. I wouldn't blame you if you did.† That was the end of our conversation; that was the moment we both saw the pale blue light reflecting dimly from around the next turn in the tunnel. â€Å"Shh,† Ian breathed. â€Å"Wait here.† He pressed my shoulder down gently, trying to stick me where I stood. Then he strode forward, making no attempt to hide the sound of his footsteps. He disappeared around the corner. â€Å"Jared?† I heard him say, feigning surprise. My heart felt heavy in my chest; the sensation was more pain than fear. â€Å"I know it's with you,† Jared answered. He raised his voice, so that anyone between here and the main plaza would hear. â€Å"Come out, come out, wherever you are,† he called, his voice hard and mocking.

Alternative assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alternative assignment - Essay Example The essay hereby recounts these experiences and awareness of music and compared to the previous days when one was not actually aware of the diversity of sounds being heard within the daily course of activities. A concluding portion would highlight what has been learned appropriately from the experience. A Recount of the Musical Experience From the time one wakes up, it is a habit to turn off the first sound that is heard and experienced: the sound of one’s alarm clock as set from the cellular phone: the alarm sound was of Liszt. As one gets up, I am greeted by our pets at home, a family of Shih Tzus who happen to happily greet me with barks of excitement. Mother is already in the kitchen preparing breakfast and now, I am cognizant of kitchen sounds: the running of water in the sink to wash the utensils needed to prepare the meal; the fizzle of eggs and bacon in the pan; the opening and closing of the refrigerator to get water or juice; and the sound of making a good aromatic c up of coffee. I just realized that the sounds of preparing breakfast were music to my ear. At the background, I also hear my siblings preparing for their daily destinations. There was the sound of water in the shower, and one sibling opened the radio in his room to play faint background music. From what I remember and noted some of the songs that were played were as follows: Too Close by Alex Clare; One More Night by Maroon 5; and Lights by Ellie Gouldy. Also, at this early morning, I already hear vehicles rushing to work and the intermittent honking of their horns at the farthest location to warn pedestrians and other vehicles at intersections. It is at this point that I recognize the chirping of our pet Zebra Finch, all three of them, like sounds of little trumpets, as they happily hop from one branch to another in their bird cage. As the day goes on, turning the television, one could more audibly appreciate the television commercials and I tried to determine the background songs being played: there was the song in Coke commercial: Fountain Pour where Paul Riddick and The Sidemen apparently sing I’m a Criminal. Another commercial, Apple iPod where Willy Moon sang Yeah Yeah. Of course, just be looking for programs though different cable stations in one’s television would generate a barrage of sounds and songs and background music. While trying to locate a good television program after the morning news, one encountered Pepsi Max commercial where Jennifer Netties sang Your Cheatin Heart. I could not remember the songs for all the other commercials that were viewed, but one remembers JC Penny commercial and Sprint Girl to what I could recognize as Alexi Murdoch’s All My Days. Of course on the way to school, most of the sounds that one hears include the vehicles along the road and sounds people make: their chatter, conversation, walking (some people walk really noisy), and there are houses where children could be heard either crying, laughing , or just playing with car toys. There is a sound heard of a neighbor sweeping the front lawn and cutting the grass. At their respective houses, their radio playing background music of Justin Bieber’s As Long as You Love Me and Some Nights by Fun. I even heard the Korean singer Psy singing the famous Gangnam song. When night

Suicide after Combat in the Military Research Paper

Suicide after Combat in the Military - Research Paper Example The effects of this on the military personnel’s psychological well being has been adverse and contributed greatly to the military suicides since the inception of the missions. Discussion Military deployment negatively affects the lives of the military personnel and their respective families - their family life is altered forever- as it entails four distinct phases; pre-deployment, deployment, reunion and post deployment. The events in these phases affect the military official mentally as they have to deal with issues related to the changes occurring in their lives; they are shifting from their normal life schedules to others they have no idea how they are likely to turn out and if they would actually be back to their families or not. Pre-deployment issues include dealing with the separation from the social support network they are used to, dealing with the increased workload and the shift in daily duties. In the deployment, they may encounter issues like physical injuries, exp osure to traumatic events and lack of communication with their loved ones among others. The re-union and post deployment phases pose their own challenges as the individuals strive to readjust to their old lifestyles and social networks as well as deal with the reality of their experiences during the deployment (Hoge,  2006). The effect of the entire deployment experience is can be devastating and the individual is unable to effectively fit into the society and options of suicide make more sense to appease their conscience. Why does this happen? The deployment experience has negative impact on the military official’s mental health. Stressors and experiences related to the post-deployment, deployment, and post deployment experiences together put the service member at a risk of mental health problems such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression and drug and substance abuse. The experience in one way or the other impairs the service members quality of life; a decrease in the emotional well being, social functioning and the general health of the concerned individual. According to military surveillance data, mental health related concerns and behavioral health among the service members rise 3-6 months after deployment and sometimes it exerts a lasting effect on the military personnel. Other than the experience in the military deployment and combat, mental health is triggered by the interpersonal concerns and stressors throughput the four phases of the deployment. A study conducted on the 2008 OIF veterans showed that mental health was impacted by the post-deployment social support. The study participants reported not getting the desired family and friends emotional and instrumental support they desired during and after the deployment. The respective families experienced financial difficulties, spousal arguments, physical aggression and sometimes abuse of a spouse and child abuse during the post deployment period. Long deployment periods increase the s ervice a member distress levels and shows more psychiatric and physical health symptoms compared to the short deployments, however, the effect of the location and duration of deployment on the peoples’ mental health of depends on the types and severities of the stressors.

Role of Labor Unions in Modern States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Role of Labor Unions in Modern States - Essay Example Although post World War political scenario in the US witnessed remarkable growth of labor unions, their prominence has been diminishing for the past few decades. However, the existence of labor unions seems democratic and they have undeniable role in forming welfare policies in a modern state. To begin with, ‘a labor union is a group of workers who have chosen to band together to promote their common interests.’ (Mauer, 2001 p.5). Although the structure of unions varies, their common interests are almost same; they stand for pay rise, occupational safety; prevention of unfair dismissal etc. ‘Collective bargaining’ is the strength of a labor union which helps workers to negotiate their demands with their employers. Although the structure and decision making process vary from union to union, there are certain basic features that all unions have in common. â€Å"The heart and soul of any union is its members, and they are pulled together by a network of first-line union representatives† (Mauer, p.13). Some unions are independent and only involve in there own workplace issues. They choose their own leaders in workplace, design strategies, and take collective actions according to the circumstances. In contrast, there are many unions which have a ffiliation with big labor organizations.

Financing a Business Magazine Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financing a Business Magazine Article - Essay Example Even though, in common instances, credit has been rendered to the small businesses of developing countries such as India, Brazil, China, and South African states among others, the small businesses sectors in developed nations including the US and the UK can also be noted as major constituents of economic growth (Mahembe, 2011). Source: (Mahembe, 2011) Enthusiastically, based on these statistical findings and economic affirmations, small businesses have been connoted as the â€Å"powerhouse† and even as â€Å"most powerful engines of growth and jobs† within an economy (Banks, 2012). It is certainly for this particular reason that authoritative bodies, in the global economy today, intends to render greater emphasis and strategic support to these sectors, helping them to grow, sustain and compete. However, in the realistic scenario, these ‘powerhouses’ often have to face various hazards which are mostly concerned with the availability of adequate resources req uired to sustain the business in the long-run. Finance is an important requirement for the formation of any business allowing it to explore and take advantages of opportunities with the purpose of expansion and support to the daily operations. Literally stating, finance is a lubricant for any business to sustain their functions successfully in highly dynamic modern business circumstances (INFLIBNET Centre, 2010). As a matter of fact, without adequate availability of finances, business cannot grow which eventually results in its failure. In the current business scenario, operating environment for small business has become quite challenging fundamentally owing to the increasing complexities influenced by the rapidly altering external environmental elements. In recent times, the government bodies and the financial institutions have realized the importance of small businesses in the development of national economy and thereby have been focusing on rendering support to the sector with a greater motive to augment economic prosperity in the global platform. Contextually, several sources have become available to small businesses today, through which they can meet their financial requirements effectively, e.g. bank lending, mortgages, credit facilities and others (The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited, 2009). However, procurement of finance from various sources itself requires some expenses (Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts, 2011). Additionally, owing to the variances, raising finance for small scale businesses has become more sophisticated than it was earlier. Difficulties in Raising Finance for Small Scale Businesses There are various issues that contribute towards the challenges faced by the small businesses. In relation to this, one of the vital and common issues faced by the small businesses today has been their limited access to adequate finance (Soni, 2005). One of the potential explanations for apparent difficulties experienced by smal l businesses can be related with nominal credit risk management practiced by finance providers. It is completely rational for bank managers to take into account the various risk factors associated with pricing of loans. From the point of view of various banks, loans that have larger default risks or certain loans where borrowers are deemed to fail to meet interest payments have relatively lower chances to be approved. Even though, these requests are approved, lenders often attempt to mitigate such additional risks by issuing loans with shorter maturity period or by minimising the

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

534 - Essay Example Literature as the second tool helps a lot in the classroom through use of big books, environmental print and even showing illustrations to put across important information. Boards that work with felt pens on them help a lot in displaying some image in the classroom. Other features used include picture dictionaries and symbols. These two major strategies help in displaying of pictures and visual images for visual literacy. Visuals play a vital role in learning because they help the students in understanding and memorizing the lesson learned in class. When teachers use pictures to help students learn, the images sticks in the children’s minds and helps them in memorizing the lesson. Younger children are also more conversant with pictures that words, therefore, introducing visuals in learning increases their level of understanding the subject matter, increases their interest and motivation, helps in critical thinking and also in improving their comprehension. Advantages of visuals include the involvement of visual literacy within classrooms that offer help to students in terms of organizing their thoughts and understanding of information. Student using maps and timelines gain more information for the identification of certain areas that perhaps they need to explore. Putting information in form of a diagram makes it easier with the understanding of the factual statements, other than using theories for explanations. Visuals have enabled all these and therefore made the students work easier (Smaldino, Lowther and Russell, 2012). There are disadvantages of visual literacy and some disadvantages come with visual literacy; the number of respondents that are participating in the survey may fail to show up making the target number to decrease below average. The survey normally has a problem, as most respondents do not give full information, resulting into an incomplete data analysis, that generally disqualifies the survey process, and therefore making it a waste

Personal statement media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal statement media - Essay Example The media today is a powerful tool in this age of communication and its magnanimity is appealing to me. The growth in the media in the past few years has been immense as there have been ventures in coverage of all sorts of events and stories from world news, local news, politics, sports, art, music, culture and generally anything of human interest (Thussu 2009, Pg. 22). It is an exciting time to join the media especially due to the changes and the innovation that is going on at the moment; I would like to be part of this industry and inject my ideas into it as well. I have an ambition to start my business in media later on in life and entry into media school is the first great step in starting that journey. By studying media in the university, I will learn the fundamentals of media as well as discover means of channelling my passion of music and poetry into the media. I hope to realize my dream and would appreciate you granting me the chance to study media in your

Sexually transmitted diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sexually transmitted diseases - Essay Example The foremost factor that contributes to the pending problem is that people are not knowledgeable about the dangers and risks of sexually transmitted diseases. In-depth awareness of the causes, risks, and effects of STDs is clearly lacking in the public. Such lack of awareness is evident in the lifestyle that many Americans live today. Although people may have realized the need for safe sex, they continue to be uninformed about the other ways by which they can contract sexually transmitted diseases. Increasing awareness regarding sexually transmitted diseases has become a growing concern in today's society. Various means of educating the public have been continuously been explored. However, the most important public information source has yet to be fully utilized, the media. The media in the modern times has served as the primary means people gain knowledge about the various issues that are present in society. It is from the media that people get information about current issues ranging from politics, global affairs, economics, and public health. The media is the information resource that has the most extensive reach. Moreover, the influence of media in the lives of people is vast. It can sway public opinion towards one side. (Stoughton) With such great influence over public perception and opinion, media can easily promote awareness regarding important issues such as STDs just as it promotes awareness regarding violence so easily. This paper will discuss the role of one form of media, newspaper, in increasing the public's knowledge and awareness regarding sexually transmitted diseases. New articles found in the nationally-circulated newspapers that tackle the issue of STDs will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the issue is discussed. Furthermore, past researches and studies will likewise be reviewed. The primary objective of this study will be to determine the extent to which print news media informs the public regarding sexually transmitted diseases. Review of Related Literature In this section, previous studies will be discussed to determine what their findings suggest about the coverage that the subject of STDs receives from print news media. Also, news articles from nationally-circulated newspapers will be analyzed to ascertain whether sexually transmitted diseases received ample substantive news reporting from the newspapers. Furthermore, this section will discuss how print new media reports STDs to the public and whether such kind of reporting contributes to increasing the awareness of the public significantly regarding the problem. A study conducted by Davidson and Wallack (2004) involved a content analysis of articles from the leading American newspapers to determine the type of new coverage that print media outlets gave to the issue of sexually transmitted diseases. The results of the study revealed a lack of substantive reporting on the subject of sexually transmitted diseases. Davidson and Wallack found that less that one-fourth of the articles they reviewed contained anything that pertains to the causes, consequences, prevention, signs, or symptoms, screening, transmission, treatment, trends or rates of STDs. (2004). Most of the articles contained statistical information regarding sexually transmitted diseases. According to Davidson and Wallack (2004), statistical information may be what journalists perceive as newsworthy about STDs; journalists report that they are

Pharmacy Personal Statement Essay Example for Free

Pharmacy Personal Statement Essay I selected pharmacy as a career because I believe that it is caring, it is an art, a science, client centered, holistic, adaptive, concerned with health promotion, health maintenance, and health restoration and most of all I firmly agree that pharmacology is a helping profession. It is the pharmacist’s responsibilities to take care of the client who are in need of health attention. We should be able to help the client relieve his feelings of pain or in other words to alleviate the sufferings of the client. Moreover, the PharmD also further my learning in pharmacy that will make me more competitive and equip so I can serve my clients efficiently and effectively. On the other hand, I am an extremely goal – oriented person. I am a kind of an individual too who finds education very significant to man’s life. I set goals for myself in order to be successful in everything I do. I am not afraid to venture on new things as long as I know it is for my growth and development. If I am failure of something that I do, I do not pout in the corner and easily discourage. But instead, I try again and always think positive. I constantly remind myself that everything happens to me has a purpose and I should take things easily. I am not critical on things that are not on my side and even not critical with the people around. I would say that I am a hard- working, persistence, and patient individual. These characteristics have helped me to do my best to pursue my career goal no matter what difficulties have existed on my way. In addition, I make my baby girl as my inspiration to pursue my dream a pharmacist someday and later a pharmD. She is 10 months old now and I am hoping that before she starts schooling, I already obtain my desired degree because her future depends on it. Yes, I have a husband who supports our needs however he does not make much money and on top of that he likes to gamble on. So with these, I am more encouraged and determined to strive hard so I can help my family and my future clients/patients.

Characteristics of HRM Approaches

Characteristics of HRM Approaches HRM is the organisational function that emphasises on the intake, management and directing the people who work for the organisation. Main issues dealt with in the HRM include, but are not limited to, intake, monetary and non-monetary benefits, motivation, training, personnel development, communication, wellness and performance management. Characteristics of HRM approach The main characteristic of the HRM approach is to discover, polish and improvise the potential and talent that people working in the organisation have in them but are unaware of that, thus improving the quality, efficiency, productivity and satisfaction. HRM also aims to resolve any problems and conflicts that employees are facing. Moreover, maintenance of discipline is also characterised by HRM. Models of HRM: Following are some renowned models of HRM: Contingency model: advocates of this model believe that there is no ONE best way of leading an organisation. A style that is effective in one situation may not be of use in another and the best style to be applied depends on the situation being faced and that in turn depends on the internal and external constraints. The best practice model: suggests to identify best practice, give HR a high profile, get commitment from top management level, implement the best practice and then make that best practice a bench mark for rewarding employees. Harvard Framework: this model provides that HR policies are affected by situational factors and stakeholder interests. It also states that managers can affect numerous factors by the policies they choose which includes the four Cs i.e. competence, congruence, commitment and cost-effectiveness. Guests Model: discusses six factors which are HRM strategy, HRM practices, HRM outcome, behavioural outcomes, performance outcomes and financial outcomes. HRM Activities: Activities of HRM include the following: Staffing Planning (pipeline development) Benefits Planning Retirement Planning Compliance Performance Enhancement Consulting Employee Relation Labour Negotiations Executive Compensation Employee Development Management Development Recruitment Interviewing Payroll Benefits Administration Retirement Administration Employee Records Relocation Administration Recruitment Information Processing, and Employee Assistance Programs. Personnel and HR management: The difference in personnel and HR management is merely philosophical. Administrative nature to a far greater extent of personnel management than HR management makes it different from HR management. Personnel management mainly includes dealing in payroll, ensuring compliance to employment laws and other administrative tasks. However, in contrast to this, HR management considers the employees one of the most important organisational resource and deals with improvising it. HR Consultancy: HR consultancy aims to abridge the gap between the HR competence of the organisation and the complex HR needs. HR consultants main function is to provide the organisation with the adequate staff it requires. It is a kind of outsourcing. Role of HR practitioner: The role of HR practitioner is to develop a skilled work force that contribute to the organisational success, resolve the issues within the human resource and the between human resource and the organisation, to reconcile and align the individual and the organisational goals, to motivate employees and keep their morale at an acceptable level. Models of HRM roles: Legges Model: Legge has divided the models into four main types including normative, descriptive functional, descriptive behavioural and critical evaluative. Tyson and Fell: defined organisational role as a collection of activities representing a mode of functioning by managers and professionals in HR organisations. HR activities: HR activities include the following: Internal communication, Recruitment, Development of work force, Resolution of issues of work force, Alignment of personal and organisational goals, Training, Integration of organisational objectives, etc. Functions and roles of HR planning: Strategic Planning The rational process, frequently advocated in strategic planning texts and apparently by many practitioners, emphasizes purposeful activity through a logical formulation of goals, examination of alternatives, and delineation of plans prior to action. It tends to have long-term orientation and focuses on measureable forces affecting the firm, as well as quantitative activities and procedures. The process of the comprehensive strategic planning is topically composed of the following steps: Development of organizational philosophy and mission statement Environmental scanning Analysis of SWOT Formulation of strategic objectives Generation of alternative strategies for achieving objectives Evaluation and selection of the strategy Strategic Planning at Corporate Level Competitive strategies at business level are very relevant to human resources and the development of human resource strategies. Porters five forces provides good basis for understanding competitive strategies at business level. Porter has argued that there are five forces that can affect the potential profitability of an industry. The five forces are: The ease with which he new competitor can enter an industry Bargaining power of the customers Bargaining power of the suppliers Rivalry among the competitors Availability of substitutes for the industrys product and services In addition to these forces we also have the strategies that allow the firm to compete in the industry by applying one or mix of the following strategies. Low-cost leadership Strategy Differentiation Strategy Niche or Focus Strategies Planning in Strategic Business Unit Human Resource management can play an important role in strategic planning at the level of the strategic business unit and, as noted, is one of the in value chain analysis. The role may examine the context of human resource input in the development of strategic alternatives. It also called the planning at the different functional units of the organization like, Marketing, Finance, RD, etc. Recruitment methods: Recruitment methods involve setting of requirements for the individual to be hired, primarily. Such an individual may be present in the organisation, in such a case internal recruitment will be done. Thereafter these requirements are advertised. Advertisement: advertisement can be done in different modes that include giving advertisements in newspapers, journals, web sites. Application can also be made to the recruitment agencies of HR firms. Selection: once the advertisement has been made, selection is the next phase. Selection can be based on interviews, written tests, presentations, role playing, group discussions, report writing, etc. Human Resource Development Definition: Human Resource Development (HRD) is a framework to help employees develop personal and organizational skills, knowledge and abilities. Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as employee training, employee career development, performance management and development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization development. Organisational learning and learning organisation: It is the study of ways in which the organisation learns and adapts. Whereas learning organisation means an organisation that encourages its employees to learn (be innovative and dynamic) and transforms itself to changing requirements. Learning theories: Learning cycle: the learning cycle model is based on five Es, including engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation. Transfer of learning: it means that the skill and knowledge obtained during the training or the learning phase is implemented when performing job. Training methods: Effective training methods include the following: On the job training, Training courses, Seminars, Workshops, Job rotation, Secondments, Demonstration, Lectures, Conference, Role play, Simulations, Case studies, Projects, and Mentoring. Performance monitoring methods: Once the selection has been done and the candidates have been taken in as employees they are assigned specific tasks after initial training / orientation. Once an employee starts off with his routine work his performance needs to be monitored in order to ensure that he is delivering what in fact is expected out of him and to reward him as well. Performance can be measured in a number of ways out of which performance appraisal is the most commonly used method. In appraising performance of an employee people who interact with him are asked to comment on the benchmark criteria, generally set in advance. After the appraisal is done the appraised is provided feedback in both monetary and non-monetary terms. Most commonly used performance appraisal methods include the following: Management by objective, Graphic rating scales, Essay evaluation method, Paired comparison analysis, 360 degree performance appraisal, Performance ranking method, Behaviourally anchored rating scales, Behavioural observation scales. Reward management: The main aim of reward management is to establish a relation between pay and performance. Moreover, reward management defines the philosophy / rationale behind the remuneration or the benefits and employee is entitled to reap from the organisation after his performance has been measured. Factors determining pay: Following factors determine the pay: Productivity of employee, Comparative wages, Bargaining power, Demand and supply of employees, Condition of product market, and Business brought in by the employee. Job satisfaction and motivation towards working hard does not solely depend on the monetary benefits (hygiene factors) an employee is entitled to, personal growth, self actualisation, work environment and freedom has main contribution towards employees motivation and job satisfaction. If it is noted that the morale of the work team is not at the desired level then strategies should be put in place to ensure that dissatisfaction is removed which may include stringent discipline and grievance procedures after fully taking the employees in confidence. Frameworks like ACAS can be followed to remove grievances between employees and employers. Staff satisfaction can be measured from the behaviour they exhibit unintentionally that includes absenteeism, poor work quality and high turnover rate. The dissatisfaction can be eliminated in a number of ways that include improving the work atmosphere, increasing monetary rewards, counselling, giving reasonable autonomy to the employee, etc. For the purpose of this assignment, I selected the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) for the practical application of the theory. Investigation as to how HRM contributes to the achievement of organisational goals: Three main activities performed by SCBs HR department related to HRM were: Job analysis: Job analysis provides the foundation for good selection and identifying the knowledge skills abilities and other requirements that need to be performed on the job. Interviews: Interviews are the universal feature of selecting feature of selection system. Research has shown that interview can have substantial validity, particularly when they have shown more structure and are conducted appropriately, and, Redevelopment and retraining: With the increased rate of technological change and potential for skill obsolescence, retraining may become more important. As a result many companies provide retraining for manager those skills have become obsolete. A critical determinant in the success of such program is managers self-efficacy beliefs, or that they will be successful in mastering the new skills. Meeting Organisational Objectives: By careful job analysis it was observed that the people selected for the relevant posts possessed adequate level of skill and competence that is needed to fulfil the tasks of the job. Smart interviewing panel of the SCB ensured that only those people are selected for the jobs that are capable of performing the relevant tasks as required by their jobs. Systems and procedures are changing in with the development of technology and introduction of new and stringent risk management procedures. In SCB it was noticed that to equip the personnel with the latest job knowledge effective retraining procedures were in place that led to the employees continual professional development, thus generating a better level of service and performing in an up-to-date manner. Reference to HRM Models: Contingency model (that suggests there is no one way of leadership and management, a situational model) The best practice model (suggests to identify best practice, give HR a high profile, get commitment from top management level, implement the best practice and then make that best practice a bench mark for rewarding employees). Examination of HR planning and development methods: Human Resource Planning is the process of assuring that right type of people with right capabilities are available when required. HRD of SCB has to take care of all the important activities. It is engaged in the process of hiring, firing, training, development and all other related activities. HRD is also engaged in process of designing and evaluating the jobs and determining a pay structure for the jobs. During planning company analyze its goals, its current strategies, its external environment, and its strengths and weaknesses, in terms of whether or not they can be achieved with the current Banks human resources. Then Bank begins to look at what skills, knowledge and abilities are available internally and where shortage of terms of people skills or equipment may exist. This analyzes leads to the new planning phase and as a result Bank recruit people with specific skills Bank required to organizational development. Its HR department duty to create a link between the organizational goals and ensuring that the company can meet the objectives with which structure in determining skills, knowledge and abilities of jobholder. The employees at SCB are self-motivated and the reason for their kind of motivation is the working environment which has to be conductive for efficiency. The morale of workers in SCB is very high and this high morale is as a result of keen interest and careful supervision of the top management. It is all because of the healthy environment provided at all branches of the Bank and very kind and neat relationship among the employees, and very satisfactory compensation and benefit system. HR department of the company determine what jobs need to be done and how many and what types of workers will be required. At SCB several approaches are available for the development of workforce skills that are needed: Training Program SCB relates training with the productivity. Training solves the many efficiency related programs in the work place it may also involves the analytical and the thinking skills trainings that help to resolve the problems. These programs are for the middle level manager and the lower level manager. Training Methods The Bank continues to follow its strategy of hiring batches of young and energetic Management Trainees who are sent to Training and Development Center for training in all areas of banking. At the same time, short courses are continually conducted to not only enhance their skill level but also increase their performance potential. Training covers broad areas of human resource activities. Following are few very popular and common training methods: Orientation Coaching Mentoring Computer based training or instructional training Computer assisted instructions: Job Rotation: After planned intervals of time employees are transferred. To other locations according to the policy. On the Job training: Three types of employees are subjected to on the job training. Although other type of training programs are conducted for their grooming but the emphasis is gives for on the job training for them. The bank has the latest state of the training facilities and it has its own Training and development Centre. (TDC). Supervisors identify the individuals in the department whether the employee needs training in a particular field or for a particular job. Three types of employees are subjected to on the job training. Although other type of training programs are conducted for their grooming but the emphasis is gives for on the job training for them. Apprentices b) internees Off-The Job Training: The newly inducted officers are being trained to help perform their duties in full competence to avoid any error in bank transaction, and boost their efficiency. Evaluation of the planning and development methods: Proper HR planning has helped the bank to ensure that right people are on the right desks doing the work in the right manner. It has also helped the bank to identify the service gaps and hire people where shortages are evidenced. By planning the HR department has created a link between banks goals and the right people to pursue that. The development of HR has ensured that the staff is adequate and technically well equipped to serve that banks goals. Adequate training ensures that employees are up-to-date and possess necessary skill level to complete the assigned tasks. Analysis of ways in which performance of HR may be enhanced: Review of how HR performance is monitored and indicated: The only basic performance measurement tool SCB has is the performance appraisal system and they are continually making improvements in it to eliminate the bias. Performance appraisal is directly related to the performance description and the work standards. The process of reviewing the individual performance. First of all, bank sets some standards for different level of employees and direct to their employees to do work according to these standards and evaluating their performance. In SCB Performance appraisals are usually prepared every six months. Every employee is to be received and on the basis of this performance compensation and benefits are determined. SCB offers very competitive salaries and benefits to both fresh recruits and experienced bankers. Once part of the SCB family you can expect both monetary and non monetary rewards based on performance, some of our benefits are: Compensating and rewarding employees is very important to motivate the employees and to attain the consistent performance. Reward system provides the ability to reinforce desired behaviours and serve the traditional functions of attracting and maintain a qualified workforce. SCB compensation system is the combination of different practices which are discussed below; Traditional compensation system Traditional compensation system used by SCB is the combination of the factor comparison system and point system which uses the job evaluation manual to assign points to each job. SCB has the traditional compensation system as the basic salary which is fixed for every employee beside other compensations. Skill-based remuneration This is basically for the middle level management for learning and implementing new things which can be offered by the bank or chooses by the individual themselves. Employees know that it increases. The chances of the promotion and the increase in the compensation will increase as well as bank SCB have bonus for learning new skills and doing new management courses. Due to the rapid change in the todays business environment organization need to make-up the employee for the potential jobs and assignments to be competitive in the market. Broadbanding This approach contains some of the factors of the traditional pay based system but like skills based pay it is directed towards obtaining greater flexibility. With broad banding SCB increases the pay of the employee but dont promote them this is usually done for the more experienced employees to with low education they often are not promoted but they pay is increased. Team Based Pay Compensation system is needed to reward team members for behaviors that facilitate strategy implementation. SCB usually forms teams for some projects only. Compensation given to those teams is based on the compensation of the achievement of the objectives of the team. The compensation includes bonuses, stocks, holidays and promotions. In the project management teams employees are also cross trained. Executive Compensation Executive compensation system like other employees have the basic salary but that includes no of benefits besides that, which includes the wide range of conveyance allowance. But same like in many other organizations this is not well-defined in SCB. Ways to improve: The appraisals should be 360 degrees in order to ensure that what all different stake-holders feel about a particular employee. Appraisals should be carried every quarter so that improvements may be made on a timelier basis. The operations staff should not be appraised on the basis of how much business it has generated. Appraisals should also take into account the level of innovation an employee has brought in.

My Summer Vacation Essay -- Summer Vacation Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A few summers ago, my family and I took a vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada. We had planned this week long vacation for several months in advance. It had been arranged so that we could visit relatives who live in the area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The morning we were to leave for our trip was very sunny so I woke up a few hours early from the light shining through my window. So, I used this extra time to finish packing my belongings that I had forgotten to pack the night before. We left around 9:30 on a warm, July Monday morning. It was a long trip and when we finally got there we were exhausted. So we decided to just rest and start out early the following morning. We went on the Spanish Aero Car, which is a cable suspended observation vehicle that passes over the whirlpool, about a mile downstream fr...

walruses :: essays research papers

WALRUSES Walruses are one of the largest seals or related to the seal species living in the Arctic Circle. I researched the description, behavior, survival, and interesting facts that may come in handy. Walruses may have a social life but still be treacherous. The species of walruses can be gray, brown, or reddish depending on the weather. For example, when the sun is out and, stays out for a period of time they may be reddish. Walruses can weight 1,000-4,000 pounds. Walruses gain alot of their weight from what they eat and how much they eat. Walruses can be as long as 9-14feet long. My research animal has a small head and tiny black eyes you could hardly see. Walrus’s adaptations to survive in the cold are their tusks, blubber, and eating two times a day, which keeps them alive. The walrus’s most important survival tools are their tusks. Walruses live in the Arctic Region. Walruses can live on ice floes for a long period of time. When walruses migrate they start at the Chuckcki Sea and end at the Bering Sea. Unlike birds, female walruses do not lay eggs they give live birth. Walrus’s average life span is forty years, unless humans or natural enemies hunt them. Normally walruses eat 3,000-6,000 clams per eating. Their favorite foods are clams, snails, and mussels. Polar bears are walrus’s natural enemies. This is so because polar bears try to eat walruses. Walruses protect themselves from enemies such as polar bears with their tusks. Walruses are unique because they have a very social life. Although if they’re mad they are capable of damage a steady, sturdy boat or injure human. Walruses are some how related or one of the largest seals. Also walruses tusks are made out of ivory. So you can see, walruses have many social skills and tend to eat alot. Also, walruses can have a very long life span because how large they are. I really enjoyed researching on the walruses for many reasons.

Coyote :: essays research papers

The Coyote (canis latrans) ? Sharp fangs, mean growl, shrill cry. You may think I am talking about a new werewolf movie, but I am really talking about the coyote. It is not as fierce as it may sound, They are quite unique animals. Their ability to adapt to almost any enviorment is astounding. The Name The name coyote is a Spanish alteration of the original Aztec name coyotl. The Latin name Canis latrans, meaning barking dog, was given to it by Thomas Say, who published a description of the species in 1833. Since 1967, its official name in the U.S. has been coyote. In some parts of the U.S. coyotes are called "brush wolves.† Wolves are much larger and hunt in packs. Description The coyote's ears are wide, pointed, and stick out. It has a tapering muzzle and a black nose. Unlike most dogs, the top of the muzzle on coyotes forms an almost continuous line with the forehead. The yellow, slightly slanting eyes, with their black round pupils, give the coyote a characteristic expression of slyness. The canine teeth are remarkably long and can inflict serious wounds. The neck is well furred and looks oversized for the body. The long tongue often hangs down between the teeth. The coyote regulates its body temperature by panting like most dogs. The paw, more elongated than that of a dog the same size, has four toes withfixed claws. The claws are not used in attack or defense. They are typically blunted from constant contact with the ground and do not leave deep marks. The male coyote is about the same size as medium German Shepard. It weighs from 9 to 23kg, has an overall length of 120– 150cm (including the tail), and stands 58– 66cm high at the shoulder. The female is usually smaller. The fur is generally a medium grey, darker on the hind part of the back where the black-tipped hair becomes wavy. Legs, paws, and the back of the ears are more yellowish in color; the throat, belly, and the inside of the ears are whiter. The tail, is darker on top and lighter on the underside. The color also depends of the season, and healthiness of the coyote. The coyote's fur is long and soft and well suited to protect it from the cold. Habitat The Coyote prefers to be in a brushy wet area like a bog, or swamp, Because of the high amount of food found in such places. Coyote :: essays research papers The Coyote (canis latrans) ? Sharp fangs, mean growl, shrill cry. You may think I am talking about a new werewolf movie, but I am really talking about the coyote. It is not as fierce as it may sound, They are quite unique animals. Their ability to adapt to almost any enviorment is astounding. The Name The name coyote is a Spanish alteration of the original Aztec name coyotl. The Latin name Canis latrans, meaning barking dog, was given to it by Thomas Say, who published a description of the species in 1833. Since 1967, its official name in the U.S. has been coyote. In some parts of the U.S. coyotes are called "brush wolves.† Wolves are much larger and hunt in packs. Description The coyote's ears are wide, pointed, and stick out. It has a tapering muzzle and a black nose. Unlike most dogs, the top of the muzzle on coyotes forms an almost continuous line with the forehead. The yellow, slightly slanting eyes, with their black round pupils, give the coyote a characteristic expression of slyness. The canine teeth are remarkably long and can inflict serious wounds. The neck is well furred and looks oversized for the body. The long tongue often hangs down between the teeth. The coyote regulates its body temperature by panting like most dogs. The paw, more elongated than that of a dog the same size, has four toes withfixed claws. The claws are not used in attack or defense. They are typically blunted from constant contact with the ground and do not leave deep marks. The male coyote is about the same size as medium German Shepard. It weighs from 9 to 23kg, has an overall length of 120– 150cm (including the tail), and stands 58– 66cm high at the shoulder. The female is usually smaller. The fur is generally a medium grey, darker on the hind part of the back where the black-tipped hair becomes wavy. Legs, paws, and the back of the ears are more yellowish in color; the throat, belly, and the inside of the ears are whiter. The tail, is darker on top and lighter on the underside. The color also depends of the season, and healthiness of the coyote. The coyote's fur is long and soft and well suited to protect it from the cold. Habitat The Coyote prefers to be in a brushy wet area like a bog, or swamp, Because of the high amount of food found in such places.

Lydia Peelle †Mule Killers Essay

In this short story â€Å"Mule Killers† by Lydia Peele we meet three generations of a family, grandfather, father and son as well as the different women in the story. The story is told in present time by the son as a first person narrator, but almost everything in the story is a flashback of the father’s story about his youth. The story is constructed in parts; you get introduced to the lives of the father and the grandfather with no introduction of what has happened before, and then, the story jumps to the end in the present, without letting the reader know what has happened in between and what will probably happen after the story ends. The story takes place on a farm on the countryside near Nashville in the Southeast of United States. Though the story, you get an impression of an isolated society where the church is central and people has got quiet and ordinary lives while they work hard to make a living from their farms. The language in â€Å"Mule Killers† is observing, which we can see in the description of Eula: â€Å"(†¦)her hair swept up off her neck, thick purple-black and shining, the other girl’s hanging limply down, onion paper pale(†¦)† In the story we hear the father tell the son about the events that changed their lives: how he met the mother of his son and also had to give up on his dreams of love and how the lovestory of what should have been innocent turned out to be the thing that shaped his future. The tragic love story represents the way the farmland was changed in the future. Firstly, the shift from mules to tractors in the farming symbolises several things. For the grandfather, the shift to tractors and the following accident marks a new time that he does not accept and he does not take him. This we get an example of in this line: â€Å"you’re gonna see a future I can’t even stretch my mind around. Not any of it. I can’t even begin to imagine. † For the father, the loss of his mule Orphan, which was one of the things that he really cared about represents the end of his childhood. The mules is a symbol of the future and the killing of them is a bad sign for the future and also is the point of no return in this short story. The shift from child to grown-up is the main theme in this story, but also the fathers struggle to live up to his fathers ideals of what a man is, is an important aspect in the story. In his trying to be and act like a grown-up he supresses his fears and his sadness and also the things he love: music and the mules. So it’s like he cannot cultivate these interests any longer. Another important theme in the short story is time. During the story you get a feeling of time passing by. The father goes from being a young man to having a son, who is twice as old as the father was when the son was born, the farming changes and goes from using mulls to tractors.

Increase Petrol Price

Bad traffic and increasing pollution are thorny issues challenging every major city in the globe. To combat such problems, government encourages companies to mark up gas price in an effort to decrease car use and cut down waste gas. However it may temporarily alleviate the problem, but is doubtfully the optimal solution. First of all, consumers and economy would be victimized by such measures. The number of cars in a country directly depends on the proportion of the population affluent enough to own cars.As a result, raises in gas price could invoke hard feelings among this segment of people but would not drastically change their behavior in using cars. Even if the number of cars on road is reduced due to higher gas cost, this is not the best way to solve traffic problems. Such policy would hurt the auto industry, place higher costs on current and prospect car owners, and undermine the economy of a nation. In the long run, the final way out could be the construction of better roads a nd more effective use of available transport facilities.Secondly, there is evidence that waste gas from cars is not the leading cause of air pollution. The culprit may be the discharge of polluting substances into the atmosphere due to the rapidly growing manufacturing industry. As a result, reduction of the number of cars would not return us a blue sky and fresh air. We could better handle this problem if we could increase control over industrial waste discharge and adopt more environmental friendly materials and production equipment. Finally, other measures like the application of cheaper and cleaner energy resources could also be a better solution.For example, we now have the ability to make cell-powered or even solar-powered cars. Such energy is completely clean and plentiful. However we still have a very long way to go to turn such technologically possible into afford able and practical products. To conclude, it is not the best way to control traffic and pollution by increasing gas price because such action will hurt consumers and economy without achieving what it is aimed for. Measures such as construction of better transport facilities and development of new energy resources could be more effective solutions.

Debut albums Essay

High School. Those two words can either bring fear or happiness to anyone. Besides college, the most life altering period in one’s lifetime is the four years we must go through to finally reach that milestone of getting a diploma. High school is that time to find yourself. It’s that time where you’re expected to conduct yourself like an adult, but you still get treated like a kid, a time of confusion. Because I cannot speak for everybody’s opinions about high school, I will just share mine. I’ve realized that there is no other place in this world where you will find such a large array of people other than a public high school. You have your jocks, your honors students, your geeks, your goths, your skaters, your princesses (a. k. a. cheerleaders), your drama kids, and then you have those kids that don’t really fit into any other category but â€Å"you know, those kids. † Logically, you would think that there is absolutely no way all of those different types of people could get along, but for some unknown reason we do. School is like a whole other separate community, a business community. The C. E. O. and head honchos are the main office, the teachers are the workers, and we students are merely the entrepreneurs. With that said, I have figured out a reason on why we all get along. Every entrepreneur does what they do for all the same reasons, just like all of us students attend school for the same thing. Of course some of us attend more voluntarily than others but nevertheless, we all show up every morning for the same reason. We show up to learn, to prepare ourselves for the real world and what is to come. Most of us show up to better our chances of succeeding in education after high school. Another thing I’ve learned about high school is that for a place that is supposed to be all good and fun and educational, there sure are a lot of things that aren’t. The food isn’t good, the stressful work isn’t fun, and some classes might be educational but I sure don’t understand why the heck I have to take them, like Introduction to Animal Sciences for example. How is that helping me be prepared for the real world? However, because of these problems in the system of just about every high school, I’ve learned possibly the most valuable lessons of all: Life isn’t fair, you don’t always get what you want, and you can’t change people. The point of me telling you all of this isn’t to say what a great learning experience I’ve had or how I know that my way of life has been shaped by my experiences in school, but rather to point out that you can’t always focus on the differences, or the negatives in life, but instead to realize what you have in common, or what is good.

Strangers on a train

Big Ben had just struck midnight when Helen and her friends joyfully burst through the doors of the Westminster Academy. ‘What an amazing concert', she cried. ‘We should definitely go and watch another one soon!' replied Tom. ‘Guys, I think we should just forget about the concert for one split second and actually think about our journey home at such a ridiculous hour!' said Sarah. ‘True, look I'll go with you Helen and Jim, you go with Sarah' said Tom. As the couple waited anxiously for the last train to approach, they silently reminisced over what had really been a well and truly, unforgettable night. After a long wait of what felt like an hour, the last train clumsily slid along the rail tracks and hesitantly pulled up to a halt at Westminster station. Its rickety doors, lethargically slid open and wickedly beckoned the two friends into its carriage of mystery. As Helen looked directly in front of her to look through the pane of glass on the other side of the carriage, she caught a glimpse of a strange looking girl sitting in between two puny but psychotic looking boys. Helen always felt uncomfortable making any form of eye contact with strangers as she had heard of various incidents concerning people in the same situation as her. However, it was as if some strong wave of curiosity was encouraging her face to keep on studying these characters and as she did this, she noticed the vibrant blue veins ridged into the girl's skin and the trembling hands of the boys. All through this, the girl stayed unmoving. ‘Tom look over to the other side but try to make it as discreet as possible', Helen said to her friend. ‘You mean that dodgy looking bunch opposite us yeah?' he replied. ‘Yeah, they're really starting to creep me out; please do something!' ‘Ok,right I've got a plan.' he said, ‘Now, Helen listen to me very carefully, when I get off at my stop, come with me and pretend that it's also your stop and just try and cleverly change carriages ok?' When the train ground to a halt at Paddington station, the two got off and indeed executed the plan of action. ‘Are you sure you're going to be alright Helen?' Tom worriedly gasped, ‘you can always come back to mine and then I'll drive you back home instead.' ‘Oh come on Tom, when exactly are you going to stop treating me like a baby and realize that I'm a 25 year old grown woman' she proclaimed, ‘Look, I think I can deal with a couple of freaks who have nothing better to do than put fear into the hearts of innocent people!' However, as she settled into her new seat, three familiar faces could be made out from the far seats of the carriage and by now it was too late as the sliding doors banged shut. ‘Just keep calm', she thought but in reality she was extremely hysterical. As she subtly tried to gaze over to the far side of the carriage, the boys suddenly began to shift uncomfortably in their seats and almost seemed nervous. The boys with their eyes bloodshot and their faces flushed gave the impression that they were under the influence of drugs, alcohol or perhaps both. The boy on the right of the girl had on a crumpled white t-shirt that was stained with heavy blotches of brown. A bruise lay on his left eye and his lip had a small cut in it. He seemed the more nervous of the two and was literally trembling. However, the boy on the left of the girl seemed to be quite serene and composed in comparison to his companion who was quite the opposite. He had a severe expression and wore a thick jacket of fur. He had a heavy gash on his right arm and his nose was bleeding. Still. The girl stayed still, unmoving as a statue in a garden. Her face almost death like and as pale as a white sheet of paper. Her bright, vast, ginger bob of curls heavily contrasted with this strange and ghostly complexion. Her eyes, piercing like the rays of a bright sun. Her jaw, fully agape as though it were an opening into a mysterious cavern. Her shirt was slashed across the torso and her underwear lay exposed due to this. Great slashes lay from her upper arm right down to her wrist. The boys had entwined their arms around that of the girl's and seemed to be making a great effort to sustain her in a sedentary position. At this moment in time, Helen decided to turn her face away from this ghastly, frightening sight towards the other side of the carriage. She really didn't understand why these strange beings that she was trying to get away from had followed her into the new carriage. However, she then spotted a man that looked officious but overpowering at the same time moving over towards the seat next to her. By now Helen was really starting to lose her calm and collected aura.Suddenly,he started mumbling something but Helen felt that this was just another unfamiliar being that was just trying to get her attention. Nevertheless, he persisted and finally got through to Helen by writing something on the newspaper he was reading and showed it to Helen. ‘GET OFF AT THE NEXT STOP!' it read, ‘YOU'RE IN SERIOUS DANGER-THAT GIRL YOU SEE IS DEAD-THIS IS NO JOKE-I AM A DOCTOR AND I KNOW THIS FOR SURE, SO HELP YOURSELF WHILE THERE'S STILL TIME!!' By this time, Helen was well and truly in a hysterical state and it was almost as if her heart was about to leap out of her body. However she still managed to keep a cool cover as the train approached Hammersmith station. She then got up, stood, walked through the sliding doors and made her final exit off the train. As she did all these actions, she made sure that she acted as if she were the most innocent and unsuspecting creature in the whole world. When the train moved slowly away, she first of all turned around to see whether she could spot the man that saved her and give her his thanks, but the station lay empty. Lifeless. Dead. Before she even had time to think her legs had turned into that of a professional sprinter and carried her out of the station at the speed of lightning. Never again would she be so reckless and try to prove herself tough, by encountering such a life threatening ordeal at such a perilous hour.

Oracle vs. Google Lawsuit (Android and Java) Research Paper

Oracle vs. Google Lawsuit (Android and Java) - Research Paper Example Google’s Android infringes Oracle America’s copyrights in Java and Google is not licensed to do so. The seven patented technologies in question are: 6,125,447 (Protection Domains To Provide Security in a Computer System); 6, 192,476 (Controlling Access to Resource); 5,966,702 (Method and Apparatus for Preloading of Classes Through Memory Space Cloning of a Master Runtime System Process; RE38,104 (Method And Apparatus For Resolving Data References In Generate Code - A reissued patent; the original number was 5,367,685); 6,910,205 (Interpreting Functions Utilizing A Hybrid Of Virtual And Native Machine Instructions); and, 6,061,520 (Method And System for Performing Static Initialization) (EndSoft Patents 2012). The Java technology was developed by Sun Microsystems now called Oracle America, after its acquisition by Oracle. The deal, valued at $7.4 billion, strengthened Oracle’s objective to out-consolidate its rivals, which was already buoyed by previous acquisitio n of several large companies (Shankland 2010). Because of this, Oracle became a hardware company as well, with an integrated product being pitched to the customers as a combination of hardware and software solution. Android is a Google product, developed in its move to expand in the mobile computing market. It was originally created by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005. Today, Android is being maintained and developed by the Open Handset Alliance, which is a consortium of 86 hardware, software and telecommunications organizations led by Google. Legal Issues Oracle’s claims of code infringement had been modified in October 2010, which further specified its complaint against Android. In its amended claim filed before the court, Oracle alleged that Google flagship operating system is using or copying Java technologies in its class libraries and documentation, further stressing that approximately one-third of Android’s API packages are â€Å"derivative† of t he Java API packages, including examples of code that aim to prove its point (Lopez-Tarruella, 2012, 279). For Google’s alleged copyright and patent infringement, Oracle originally asked for over $2.4 billion in order to compensate for the damages, which, of course, Google countered as inflated (Latif 2012). Oracle has revised this figure as it amended its complaints several times. Today, it stands at $168 million. Google still think the figures as baseless. In a legal strategy designed to fend off attacks or at least protect its Android ecosystem from lawsuits such as that lodged by Oracle, Google has acquired Motorola Mobility its trove of patented mobile and computing technologies, in addition to the thousands acquired from IBP Patents. The rationale for this move is simple. With a comprehensive range of important mobile and future mobile technologies, Google is in a better position to protect the companies that use Android because it could threaten Oracle with counter lic ense suits. Also, Google could refuse to license technologies to companies such as Microsoft, Nokia and perhaps Oracle if it starts its own mobile computing program in the future. Finally, Google – through its newly acquired patents - could enter into cross-licensing deals with these companies in exchange for dropping the lawsuits or being amenable

Discussion 9- economics-tactics for competitors Assignment

Discussion 9- economics-tactics for competitors - Assignment Example Large scale entry-deterrence is evident in the airline industry (McGuigan, Moyer, & Harris, 2008). Some entry-deterring strategies include capacity expansion, limiting prices and predatory pricing. Incumbents in the airline industry adjust their prices to neutralize the threat of entry in the airline bsiness. Adjusting prices limits contestability in the market. Incumbents can charge low prices before entry, charge low prices to push new firms out of business and shape expectations of new firms towards competition. Competition from southwest airlines and other firms results in the reduction of fares in the airline industry. The approach of limiting prices is to deter new firms from entering the market. Entry of firms such as southwest and people express forces incumbent firms to develop entry-deterring strategies in order to reduce competition. The incumbents decide whether to adjust prices or enter the business with large scale carriers. In order for new firms to successfully enter the market, they need to analyze entry conditions into the market before making their decisions. Before starting business new firms must understand the extent of entry barriers, consequences of ent ry barriers and develop counter measures to these