Organisation and Management Essay

Today I will discuss about the different organisational roles at ANZ bank. The report will cover whole the process which are done daily by the organisation to maintain their position and to fulfil the needs of customers. I will elaborate the purpose of organisation and the roles of management for e. g. informational, decisional, and interpersonal. There are various types of professional skills which are used in daily management. It will include the process of task focus and efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. Moreover I will show different functions of internal and external factors which are related to the people and system We will discuss today about the change management framework that how it effects the entire organisation about ANZ bank New Zealand ANZ New Zealand is New Zealand’s largest financial services group and is a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited of Australia. ANZ New Zealand operates until 2012 under the legal entity ANZ National Bank Limited which was formed as part of the 2003 merger of ANZ and The National Bank of New Zealand. From late October 2012, the company was renamed ANZ Bank New Zealand as part of the merger of the ANZ and National Bank brands. ANZ New Zealand operates under a variety of different brands, such as ANZ, UDC Finance, EFTPOS New Zealand, Bonus Bonds and Direct Broking. It provides number financial services, including banking services, asset finance, investments and payment solutions. Purpose of Organisation and Role Management The purpose of ANZ bank is to providing finance which is involved in borrowing and lending money. Bank takes customers funds in return for an annual interest on their payments. Then bank use majority of this fund to lend other customers for a variety of loans. The difference between both interest rates is effectively the profit margin for bank. Bank also provides other facilities to consumers, such as instant access to cash advice on financial matters and methods to make international payments. Increasingly banks offer electronic transfer of money through systems. Bank provides Lending varies from unsecured personal loans to secured mortgage lending. Unsecured lending tends to be at a higher interest rate because of the risk factor. Secured mortgage lending is at a lower rate. Role of informational organisation in management Information management is used in organisations. Yet information is applied by individuals in those organisations. The counter point between the organisation and their individual members has particular same to information management because of its responsibilities to both the organisation at one level and to individuals at second level. This counterpoint means that we need to consider both the organisation and its members in information terms as a beginning level point for developing strategies for useful information management in small and medium size enterprises. The purpose of the paper is to develop some general view points for effective information management. Technical skills of management The skill is to apply expert knowledge or capability. All jobs want some specific expertise, and many people build up their technical skills on the work. Vocational and on the job tuition programs can be used to enlarge this type of talent. Human skills This is the capacity to work with, appreciate and inspire other people (both independently and a group). This requires kindliness towards others issues and concerns. People, who are talented in technical skill, but not with interpersonal skills, may face hard to manage their subordinates, To obtain the Human Skill, it is relevant to distinguish the feelings and sentiments of others, ability to motivate others even in difficult situation, and communicate own opinion to others in a positive and inspiring method. Conceptual skill This is a capacity to essentially analyze, diagnose a condition and forward a realistic solution. It requires creative idea, generating options and choosing the best available choice. A mark of a good leader is to be able to provide steady motivation to his team cheering them to attain excellence and quality in their performance. A good leader is always looking for ways to get better production and standards. Here are five management skills you can develop as a leader in working to create a quality effective team. 1. Observation his is an important part that often gets mistreated due the demand on a leader’s time and plan. Observation and regular visits to the job environment are a priority and should be scheduled into the chart. Observing workers at work, the procedures, interaction and work course is foundational to implementing adjustments to get better results. To have credibility, a leader desires to be seen and be known to be up to date with what is occurrence in the wor k place. 2. Monitor Employee Performance Employee performance needs to be monitored in normally accepted ways. Policies and procedures need to be comprehensible. Conferencing should be on a normal base and not just when there is a dilemma. Assessments and evaluations should not be only all requests or viewed a needed official procedure to be done and filed away. Individual and group firm decisions, joint with the eagerness and flexibility to get used to and alter decisions when needed, create liberty in the leadership conferencing should be undertaken not only to manager concert, but with the hope of ongoing specialized growth and support. There should be normal support and reasonable criteria for in progress goals both for the group and person. . Implementation of Professional Development Programs A good boss evaluates weaknesses and provides tuition and growth strategies to build up the weaker skills in the group. Demonstrates Working Knowledge and Expertise Good leadership comes from a position of strong information and knowledge of the manufacture and process leading to grades. If a leader does not have all the skill and information individually, then regular consultations with experts concerned in the departments should be assumed. This is vital in order to retain an perfect and knowledgeable overall image. . Good Decision Making Good leadership is categorized by the ability to make superior decisions. A leader considers all the similar factors before making a decision. Clear. Management philosophies and management practices The idea that customers won’t afford enough of the organisations products unless the organisation undertakes a large selling and promotion effort. Achieving organisational goals depends on the needs and wants of its focused market and delivering the desired satisfaction very effectively and efficiently than competitors.

Ema Essay

The main reason for this is the radical changes put in place so rapidly with immediate effect. This resulted in lack of structure and consistency throughout the whole chain stores, as you gave each store manager to much autonomy to change the store i. e. decor, food menu etc. , the business culture values as a whole was lost and that was what made the business a success before. I understand some changes had to be made but not so drastically. The loss of business culture and lack of dimension of structure had a lot negative effect in the business especially demographic and sociology factor wise as regular customers dislike the changes and constant change in staff router, the reason for this was staff/managers never has any incentive target to work towards so they would leave after short while which causes extra expenditure cost. Some good ideas drawn from the case study but presented in a quite unstructured way Part b) In Study session 1 we introduced a series a metaphors to describe a business one of them was business as a culture which is a pattern of belief and expectation shared by the organisational members. These beliefs and expectation produces norms that powerfully shape the behaviour of individual and groups within the organisation. As you recruited new staff with no experience and gave managers freedom to change each branch to their liking it took away the business identity and culture. The cause of this is inadequate training giving to new staff and lack of knowing the root/history of the business. A good example is how Disney world recruit and trains their staff, after passing the first phase the second is enrolling at university of Disney land where they undergo forty-hour apprenticeship programme, employee learn about the history and philosophy of Disneyland, and the regulation and procedures that govern work. The way Disney recruits is essential to keep hold of the business ethics and culture. OK but make sure the TMA maintains focus on the set question. Another example by Drennan (1992), who proposed 12 key factor that shape the culture of the business some of these are: The influence of a dominant leader-the vision, management style and personality of the founder or leader in a business often has a significant influence on the value that the business tries to promote The history of the business – how things has always been done The customers of the business who are they and what they expect The reward system and the measurement of performance c) These factor (above) could be useful to you to address your business problems vague and general in the future if put in place other suggestions are: Practices: These are the rites, ritual and ceremonies of the business. These can take many forms, and would include the annual office party, employees and inner site completion (what does this mean? ). (as mentioned before) Physical form: these include location, open plan or individual plan or individual office. Not relevant in a restaurant. Communication: Stories of notable events in the past tend to become part of the culture of the business and can influence behaviour explain how this relates to the case. A common language: jargon is common to many business. It is a convenient short hand form of communication, but is also effect behaviour. Disney employees are â€Å"cast crew† while McDonalds employee are â€Å"crew Members†. You have to be careful to hold on to the facts of the case, and not to go off at a tangent. Part 2 One of topics I found interesting through reading and taking part in discussion (book1 TMA01 Activity 1. 3) through TGF, which was the concept of business culture & whether a business culture can be changed. At first I thought how a culture integrates in a business metaphorically and the more I read and researched the more I understood the big role it plays in a successful business. Many cultural element of a business is not obvious, but there has been attempts in the academic literature to develop definition and identify influencing factors. It is possible to see, or feel, that one business is different from another, and that this involves more than just how it present itself to the outside world.. During our discussion on whether a business culture can be changed, I felt that as human we have to adapt to new cultures to understand each other so for a business is imperative for changes to be put in place to modernise the business culture where needed to evolve the business. Some key factors influencing culture are: Which industry or sector he business is in, and how much and what type of competition it faces The procedures and policies within the business – ever-evolving, but often a good indicator of underlying values. The reward system and the measurement of performance Good summary Where is your references list? Where is your word count? MARKING GRID Part I Maximum Marks Your Marks Question 1 (a) Identify the problems faced by Lodge Bistro that relate to the study session chosen Explicit identification of the study session chosen20 List of problems106 Why these are problems and how these affect Lodge Bistro1814 Total marks Q1(a)30 20

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Globalization - Essay Example The increase of emission of green house-gases to the atmosphere has been the current global environmental challenge since it is a reality that global temperatures are increasing and it is a fact that human activity has been a major cause of this environmental problem since the atmosphere is getting concentrated with green house gases (Kemp, 1994). Climate change is a fundamental issue that will continue to affect the health of the future generations. Most of the natural resources on earth are non-renewable while their demand is overwhelmingly high and as a result of increased human activity to balance this phenomenon; technology has been implemented to overcome the challenges presented by this threat but not without some consequences of green house gas emissions which have eventually resulted to global warming (Kemp, 1994). Recent research has proven that the world temperatures are rising due to the human-induced green house emissions especially carbon dioxide, which is emitted as a result of combustion of fossil fuels, agriculture, and land clearing (Hams, 2004). Even though this effect was discovered in 1824, it has with time increased to intricate levels thus raising an international environmental concern. The sensitivity of climate is commonly rated according to the response of the equilibrium level of the green house gases and it is usually measured according to the response of temperature with reference to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A minute increase in temperature can result to several global consequences like an increase in sea level as well as a dramatic change in precipitation patterns hence resulting to extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, draught, floods, tornados among others (Hams, 2004). As a result of environmental degradation, global warming is expected to continue even beyond 2100 and the rise of sea levels is also expected to continue past that time (Houghton, 1997). The effects of global warming negatively affe ct both the environment and human life through the rising sea levels, agricultural setbacks, ozone layer depletion, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions, as well as the spread of diseases. It has been observed that the intensity, frequency, and power of hurricanes have increased annually from the 1970s and there has been a strong direct correlation between the tropical sea-surface temperature and the strength of the hurricanes. However, the relationship between global warming and hurricanes is still under controversy. A report released by the IPCC Working Group II confirmed that the consequences of global warming as a result of globalization has caused several deaths through extreme weather events like heat waves and flooding (Houghton, 1997). Primary and secondary consequences of global warming have been observed to influence human activities as well as ecological systems since some species have been forced out of their natural habitats as a result of unf avorable conditions presented by climate change (Hams, 2004). The life timing patterns have also changed thus affecting migration dates which create a predator-prey balance. As a result of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the ocean PH is reducing and this eventually leads to severe negative effects on coral reefs. The thawing of the tundra is another global environmental problem which has been on the

Productivity and Cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Productivity and Cost - Essay Example â€Å"In the long run there is a positive relationship between improvements in labor productivity and the real wages paid to labor as a factor of production. Millions of employees in the modern labor market have some element of performance-related pay in their overall earnings package.†(Gain from Higher Productivity, Higher Real Wages). Productivity of labor is number of unit production per day. In a strategic production decision high production output with lover number of labor is more benefit for organization in this type of production strategy will helps both the organization and labor. Management firstly identifies each labor’s productivity to determine in which area they can work more effectively, and properly split the production process. Then they allot each labor the work of their area of expertise. This type of production method can help the organization to achieve maximum output and laborers can earn more wages. It will also help in increasing the marginal productivity of labor and marginal cost is decreased. Example: A clothing company has 10 labors each labors productivity is 3 shirts per day total productivity is 30 shirts in a day. When these jobs are split into different processes and allotted to each labor depending on their skilled area it will result in an increase in the total production a nd fixed cost incurred per unit will decrease. This production method helps to reduce the cost of production. Wage also depends on the demand and supply of labor. High availability of labor may cause a decrease in wage and higher demand for labor can cause increase in wage. Labor productivity also relates to organization’s total cost of production. Costs including fixed and variable cost also relate to labor productivity. A firm’s strategy for reducing their cost of production by resorting to high productivity labor can make

Did the FSA do enough to prevent the 2008 financial crisis Dissertation

Did the FSA do enough to prevent the 2008 financial crisis - Dissertation Example The primary factors that led to this economic downturn were the failure of the FSA to appropriately monitor various financial transactions; the failure of the Tripartite arrangement for financial stability amongst Treasury, the infirmity of liquidity management within the Bank of England, a lack of commensurate provisions for deposit insurance, and a banking sector with exiguous regulations for insolvency. This article will examine the nature of this economic crisis with special focus on exploring the contention that the FSA was major factor in causing this market crash owing to its policy of non-intervention where it did not do enough to prevent the 2008 financial crisis. 1 Introduction The financial crisis in 2007-09, which is the worst economic downturn since the times of the Great Depression, initiated in the US sub-prime mortgage market, from where it spread across the globe at an unprecedented rate, affecting almost all the markets in the world (Mohan, 2010, 3). In early 2007, the US investment banks and the mortgage backers operating within the sub-prime mortgage markets started feeling the tremors when they faced problems from the defaulting debtors who were failing to repay their loan owing largely to the spiralling interest rates. Soon these financial institutions comprehended the extent of their debt and the overshooting of their limits (Cable, 2009). This ripple soon spread to Europe, and in 2007 in UK, the Northern Rock faced with market liquidity crash, and failing to find any private takers was finally nationalised by UK government (Ibid). In US, the Federal Reserve started lowering the loan interest rates in order to avoid large-scale financial defaulters in the market. Despite this, by 2008, there were a large number of cases of failed banks, starting with the insolvency of Bear Stearns, an investment bank. This was soon followed by large-scale bailouts of the mortgage backers by the US government, for well know financial institutions like, Fre ddie Mac and Fannie Mae (Gamble, 2009). Within one year, by early 2008, it was evident that the financial crisis was not limited to just the subprime mortgage markets, but had affected the entire financial system (ibid), and had been primarily caused due to the manner in which financial debts were converted into an intricate web of various securities, and then traded with other financial institutions (ibid). Thus, what had started as a small crisis within the housing mortgage market, transformed into a catastrophic banking disaster, seriously affecting primary the financial systems of US and Europe (both at domestic and international levels). Though the crises the global in nature, it was noticed that despite the Asian and LATAM emerging market economies (EMEs) suffering bad setbacks from the crisis, the basic financial system of these countries remained comparatively stability. The economic crises failed to affect any of fundamental financial institutions in these countries, thus m aking the economic downturn as being more of a North Atlantic financial crisis instead of a global one. A press report in 2007 stated that it was necessary "to draw up radical proposals to improve transparency in financial markets and to change the way credit rating

Business Merchandising Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Merchandising Management - Assignment Example During spring-summer time, sunglasses would account for huge spend budget. Hence they are allocated the maximum amount of sales plan. During summers the demand for sunglasses goes up and hence it is important that a large percentage of media spend is on promotional activity for this particular product. These promotional activities would include fashion shows, different offers and schemes such as 'point-of-purchase promotion', discounts etc. The media spend has been allotted keeping in mind that the promotional activity would be spread over a period of 10 weeks from mid May until the end of July. However, not all promotional activities would be carried out for so long. Such as fashion shows would be held about 2 times over the period. Summer time is associated with beaches. This is time of the year when people go for long holidaying trips to various beaches across the globe. Clearly, this is also that time of the year when the demand for swimwear rockets up. Hence it is important to have well-defined promotional strategies to match up to the market demands of the product. The promotional activity would be carried out for a period of 10 weeks again which is from mid May up to end of July. ... The promotional activity would be carried out for a period of 10 weeks again which is from mid May up to end of July. This is because if people are planning for long holidays, they would mostly start buying somewhere in advance and hence mid of May is the optimum time to start the promotions of swimwear. Since summer time goes on for a good 2 and a half months, the promotional activity should be in full gear for the full of June and July, which is when the holidaymakers plan their visits to beaches. Fashion Accessory Promotional Activity Period (Duration in Weeks) Spend (in million ) Jewellery Fashion Shows, Exhibitions, Discounts, Mannequin display, Various offers and schemes. 6 7 Jewellery as a product does not really have a relatively high demand during any particular season and its sales depends mostly on occasions. Hence its promotional activities will not be targeted keeping in mind the spring-summer season, and rather the onset of any occasion or festival. The amount that has been allocated for the sales plan, 7 million, will be required for activities such as fashion shows, exhibitions, mannequin displays and other schemes and offers. The duration for which the promotional activity will be carried out is 6 weeks. Jewellery will not be much in demand during the summer, but in the spring season. Hence the promotions would take place from mid March up to the end of April. Fashion Accessory Promotional Activity Period (Duration in Weeks) Spend (in million ) Lingerie Fashion Shows, Discounts, Mannequin display, Various offers and schemes. 6 7 Unlike Jewellery, lingerie is a fashion accessory which is a must-have. Irrespective of the season, it continues to have a good demand and attractive promotional activities can

The prons and cons of using computer to work Essay

The prons and cons of using computer to work - Essay Example However, computer as a technology is faulted by the mere fact that the use is environmentally harmful adducing the waste produced by the continued use of the machines. Moreover, the use of computers has advanced from the past notion of the gadget being luxurious into a need that forces the world to rely constantly on their availability. The use of this gadget has increased the need to purchase the instrument since it gives the user more features that they make the individuals do a colossal amount of work in the fashion they need the machines to do the work. The fact that the computers do as the user commands gives the device an upper hand in the functional management of work, business among other uses. The computers have proven a daily use periphery, which has its own advantages (Wenglinsky, 2005). While using the computer might have its cons, the perquisites it comes with surpass the disadvantages that may be in the process of using one. The computer is a learning instrument in the society where the use has changed the classroom in terms of research and work in the modern schools. The use of the computers has reduced the use of paper work translating to the reduced amounts of paperwork in the classroom and staffrooms. In most cases, the work done on the machines is stored within giving better storage of the class work as compared to the old ways where the work done was very vulnerable to the natural laws (Richardson et al, 2005). Moreover, the convenience the work has seen in this technologically advancing world is another in favor of what manifests itself in the working system. The computer can connect the employee to the work required without the worker being there. This has improved the work travel performance making it wise to have to work from the point one is situated saving on the costs of travel (Cornick, 2006). Moreover, conference calls can be made on urgent clarifications connecting several business partn ers instead of them traveling and meeting at a central point. The use of computers has made possible to the business people acting as the central point of communication easing up the business processes. In contrast to the disadvantage involved is the idea of impersonation that can happen with the advanced technology in the market giving the use of these convenient a risk attached to the speedy connection and business transaction (Saunders, 2000). People can impersonate others and perform fraudulent acts to business parties without the parties noticing in an instant. The old way so sealing deals did not allow the fraudulent episodes that were unprecedented since the people would meet physically. However, the uses old techniques are do not guarantee safety since they had moments where the drifts would still happen. This means the presence of the schemes will never end as long as money is involved. The use of computers poses a lot of possibilities and advantages. However, to obtain the se one needs to purchase the gadget first to obtain these privileges. The ownership of these convenience costs one to give money to obtain the required software and hardware to enable the required functioning of the computer system (Richardson et al, 2005). For any person who needs better performance from the computers, the need comes with the costs to upgrade to the level they need to reach with the computers. This con is hidden and often no one seems to articulate its presence. Either way, the purchase of a computer may be expensive initially but when the gadget starts to deliver its duties the returns are more than the amount spent on the purchase making it more viable to implement the use rather than avoid because

English Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English Proposal - Essay Example Traffic flux concentration around the campus area has created a wedge between the neighborhood and the campus. The rising animosity of the social and environment protecting NGOs, for the university, owes to the damage to the environment caused by encouraged use of automobiles and the university catering to this cause instead of putting it to a halt. The construction of the parking areas, their operation and maintenance takes a large portion of the funds from the university authorities that can be brought to use for other reasonable projects. "The university has created opportunities to make capital investments in buildings supporting education instead of structures for cars." Says Peter Dewy, assistant director of transportation services. The reliance on automobiles can be set off by the proposal I suggest to the Office of the Chancellor/ Public Affairs. This proposal would help bridge up the gap between the neighborhood and the campus, help sustain the environment, maintain green society, narrow down the budget, abate the traffic flux and give the students a breathing- friendly atmosphere. Students are chauffeured to their schools but once they start off with universities they prefer driving to their campus on their own. In a survey, almost out of every 10 students 7 owned their own cars. The increasing reliance on automobiles has rendered students incapable of even walking from one side of the campus to the other. A few colleagues use their cars to drive from their dormitories to the classes, which are only a few minute walk away. Colleges and universities are somewhat unique in their access requirements, since they are made out of different schools, each having its own specific needs to secure its assets. This poses many challenges in the process of designing a parking and access control system for them. Designing an efficient and cost effective automated access and parking system for university campuses goes

Definitions of Property in English Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definitions of Property in English Law - Essay Example For instance, the Law of Property Act 1925 classifies property in terms of real and personal property, rather than defining it1. Therefore, the most common definition of property is derived from the case laws that emphasize the rights owned or enjoyed by a person that owns the property. This is the position in the holding of National Westminster Bank v. Ainsworth, where the House of Lords held that the right to a property must be definable, identifiable by third parties, capable in its assumption by third parties as well as have a certain level of degree of permanence or stability.2 This implies that property entails the idea of possession and control of particular rights by an individual. In England, there property may be defined into either private or public property. However, the common position is that property may be defined into the rights of a person with respect to a thing. In common law, which is practiced in England, this may be rights over real property, which is land, as well as personal property, which refers to the chattels. Within this classification, there may be the real property, which refers to the corporeal hereditaments that are the tangible real property and the incorporeal hereditaments that are intangible. The personal property on the other hand refers to any property that is tangible or intangible but excludes land3. One can only obtain the personal property through possession of a property interest on the property that excludes others. Similarly, the property may be obtained when an owner involuntarily parts possession of it through loss or abandoning it. The person to whom the property is transferred may also obtain it through confusion and accession as well as bailment. A person may also acquire the personal property as a bona fide purchaser for value.

Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove Essay Example for Free

Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove Essay \In Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, and Stanley Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove, the bureaucrats are illustrated as illogical and untrustworthy. Heller’s attention to administrations such as the hospital and the military-establishment are recognized for their unreliable rationality and logic. Similarly, in Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick mocks the absurdities of the nuclear arms race and of the officials of the United States and The Soviet Union as he conveys the malfunction of highly placed government bureaucrats. Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove, are two satirical and somewhat historical works that effectively comment on the corrupt and perhaps insane bureaucrats. The lives of Yossarian and the men in his squadron in Catch-22 are not determined by their own decisions but instead, by the decisions of the impersonal bureaucracy. The bureaucrats are absolutely oblivious to any attempt the men make to reason with them logically. Major Major, for example, will only see people in his office if he is not there and sends them away when he returns. Doc Daneeka refuses to ground Yossarian for his â€Å"insanity† because Yossarian’s desire to be grounded reveals that he is sane. Doc Daneeka elaborates in his discussion of Orr, Yossarian’s tent-mate. â€Å"Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.† (46) Yossarian and the others in his squadron find that what they say and do has little effect on their fate when the bureaucracy controls them. Their only option is to follow the illogical rules and use what is expected of them to their own advantage. Yossarian’s superiors are more concerned with getting a promotion than they are about winning the war. Colonel Cathcart, the colonel in command of Yossarian’s squadron, tries to impress his superiors by â€Å"bravely† volunteering his men for dangerous combat. Cathcart’s only concern is being promoted to general. Cathcart continually raises the number of combat missions required of the men before they can be sent home. Yossarian argues with Doc Daneeka who explains, â€Å"†¦regulations do say you have to obey every order. That’s the catch. Even if the colonel were disobeying a Twenty-seventh Air Force order by making you fly more missions, you’d still have to fly them, or you’d be guilt y of disobeying an order of his.† (58) Similarly, Dr. Strangelove also criticizes the malfunctions of bureaucracy and the inadequacy of officials. General Jack Ripper gives the command to attack the Soviet Union without permission from his superiors or the president. Instead of discussing the idea of an attack with is supervisors, Ripper orders the attack because, according to him; Clemenceau†¦ said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. -Criticizes the malfunction of bureaucracy. (Dr. Strangelove) Mr. President’s embarrassment about the issue demonstrates bureaucracy does not function appropriately because those lower in command should not determine the launch of nuclear powers. Further exemplifying the inadequacy of the bureaucrats, the Joint Chiefs in the war room show their unprofessional and blatant prejudice, especially toward the Russians. General Buck Turgidson clearly states, Im beginning to smell a big fat Commie rat, and later refers to them as a bunch of ignorant peons. The Germans are also referred to when Turgidson, upon learning Dr. Strangeloves original German name, passes it off as a Kraut by any other name. Dr. Strangelove, the character, also calls into question the reliability of people in power. Strangelove is clearly the Presidents scientific adviser in the war room whose appearance copies the mad scientist stereotype with his wild hair, black gloved hand, and his clearly brilliant yet insane mind. Through their presentation of bureaucracy, Heller and Kubrick display why officials and politicians are unfit to make important decisions concerning the safety of the country. Catch-22 conveys this notion through the bureaucracy’s enforcement of impractical rules and Catch-22’s on the eccentric men in Yossarian’s squadron. Kubrick suggests the same concept in Dr. Strangelove by frequently demonstrating the disorder, madness and prejudice of the officials. In either piece, the reader carries away the certainty of the instability of the men in control of important military and national decisions.

An Examination Of Explosive Compaction Environmental Sciences Essay

An Examination Of Explosive Compaction Environmental Sciences Essay 1.0 Introduction Explosive compaction has been used in various projects throughout the world over the last 80 years. Explosive compaction involves placing a charge at depth in a borehole in loose soil (generally sands to silty sands or sands and gravels), and then detonating the charge. Several charges are fired at one time, with delays between each charge to enhance cyclic loading while minimizing peak acceleration. Often several charges will be stacked in one borehole with gravel stemming between each charge to prevent sympathetic detonation. Explosive compaction is attractive, as explosives are an inexpensive source of readily transported energy and allow densification with substantial savings over alternative methods. Only small-scale equipment is needed (e.g. geotechnical drill or wash boring rigs), minimizing mobilization costs and allowing work in confined conditions. Compaction can be carried out at depths beyond the reach of conventional ground treatment equipment. Most explosive compaction has been driven by concerns over liquefaction, and has been on loose soils below the water table (and to depths of nearly 50 m). (W. B. GOHL, 2000) However, compaction also increases ground stiffness and strength, and explosive compaction has wide application for general ground improvement . 1.1 Backgrounds on explosive compaction In 1936, explosive compaction was first used for the densification of a railway embankment at the Svirsk hydroelectric power project in the former Soviet Union (Ivanov, 1967). Ivanov notes that up to 44cm of settlement occurred as a result of 3 blasting coverage, but the blasting caused extensive cracking of the overlying unsaturated soils and was not considered successful. The first successful application of explosive compaction was performed in the late 1930s to dandify the foundation soils for the Franklin Falls dam in New Hampshire (Lyman, 1940). Soon following the work at Franklin Falls dam, the effectiveness of this technique was confirmed by its successful performance for compaction an hydraulic fill dike on the Cape Cod Canal and by several tests at the Dennison Dam in Texas and the Almond Dam in New York. These cases concluded that blast densification could be widely used for compaction loose cohesionless soils that are substantially saturated. In 1967, Ivanov presented a ma nual on explosive compaction which provides guidelines for the placement and sizing of the explosive charges used in compaction. However, in most explosive compaction projects several short columnar charges are placed in each blast hole, and neither set of available guidelines appears valid. More importantly, these guidelines present no method to estimate the impacts from the blasting or final soil properties achieved. (Mitchell, 1995) 2.0 Cohesionless soil Explosive Compaction is conducted by setting off explosive charges in the ground often applicable to cohesionless soil. The explosive energy will caused cyclic straining of the soil. This strain process, repeated over many cycles caused by the sequential detonation of explosives, induces a tendency for volumetric compaction of looser sub soils. It is thought that shearing strains are responsible for this volumetric compaction, particularly at distances more than a few meters from a blast hole. In saturated soils, the overburden pressures are thrown onto the pore fluid and excess pore pressures develop during blasting, which caused a shakedown settlement of the soil. If strain amplitudes and number of cycles of straining are sufficient, this will caused liquefaction of the soil mass (i.e. pore water pressures temporarily elevated to the effective vertical overburden stress in the soil mass so that a heavy fluid created). The reconsolidation of the soil mass caused by the dissipation of water pressures is time dependent, generally happens within hours to days. This depends on the permeability of the subsoils and drainage boundary conditions, and is reflected by release of large volumes of water at the ground surface. Immediate volume change can happen and is caused by passage of the blast-inducted shock front through the soil mass. 2.1 Disadvantage Issue associated with explosive compaction is it results in large amount of gas being released into the soil water system, in the form of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Release of carbon dioxide may lower the PH of the ground water and this may increase the ammonia level. Both nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide are both poisonous substance in the air and venting is necessary if blasting is carried within confined areas. Hence, the chemical make-up of a particular explosive and its by-product should be reviewed for every project in order to assess its suitability for use at a particular area. 2.2 Blast hole pattern The blast hole pattern generally use a staggered rectangular grid of boreholes at spacing of 4 to 9 metres. This pattern is used to provide a pattern of two or more phases within the treatment area. The initial phase will destroyed any bonds existing between the cohesionless soil particles. Subsequent passes cause additional settlement after pore pressure dissipation. Once the area has been shot and pore pressures have largely dissipated, repeated applications of blast sequences will cause additional settlement depending on soil density and stiffness. Bore holes are drilled over the full depth of soil deposit to be treated, and 75 to 100 millimetres diameter plastic casing is installed. The casing will support the loaded explosive at one or more levels within the boreholes, with each charge separated by gravel stemming. The stemming will reduce the back blast and encourage the crater effect. The number of holes detonated in any shot will depends on vibration control considerations an d the effect of liquefaction and settlement on adjacent slopes and structures. The advantage of using multiple blast phases is the increase of settlement and more uniform densification. This is because local soil loosening can occur immediately around a charge, subsequent passes of blasting from surrounding boreholes are designed to re-compact these initial loosened zones. Therefore at least two phases are usually recommended for explosive compaction. 2.3 Instrumentation The instruments used for an explosive compaction projects generally includes the following: Surface geophones to measure vibration response at critical location. Pore pressure transducers to measure residual pore pressures generated by blasting. Hydrophones installed in water-filled casings near blast zones used to identify charge detonations. Sondex tubes to measure settlements with depth in a soil profile after blasting. Ground surface settlement measurements Inclinometers where blasting is carried out near slopes to measure slope movement. In some projects, additional confirmation of explosive detonations is required, electronic coaxial cables are installed down the blast holes and used to measure firing times of explosive deck using high speed data acquisition systems. Alternatively, high speed filming of the firing of non-electric delays can also be employed to monitor charge detonations. Standard Penetration Testing (SPT), Becker Penetration Testing (BPT) or electronic Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) is commonly used to assess the improvement in soil density after explosive compaction. For sand and silt areas, CPT is considered to provide the most reliable and reproducible results. 3.0 Cohesive Soil Explosive Compaction has been a method used in past decades for the compaction of loose granular soil. However, the use of explosive compaction for cohesionless soil, such as clay, is rare. A new explosive method for replacing soft clay with crushed stones by blasting has been development by Yan and Chu[8], which is called explosive replacement method. Meanwhile, this method has been used in conjunction with a highway construction in China. 3.1 Outline of the method There are three main steps described by Yan and Chu [6] to achieve the replacement method, which are: The explosive replacement is set up as shown in fig1. The explosive charges are first installed in the soil layer, and then crushed stones are piled up next to it on the side of the site that has been improved. When the charges are detonated, the soft soil is blown out and cavities are formed. At the same time, the crushed stones collapse into the cavities. In this way, the cohesive soil is replaced with crushed stones in rapid manner. The soil that is blown into the air will form a liquid and flow away after it falls to the surface. The crushed stones after collapsing from a slope of 1V:3H or 1V:5H, as shown in fig1(b). The impact of the explosion also causes an instantaneous reduction in the shear strength of the soil below the level of explosion so that the crushed stones can sink into the soft clay layer. The stones help the soil at the bottom to consolidate, and the clay itself will also remain part of its original strength after explosion. The explosion also has a densification effect on the gravel layer below the clay layer. More crushed stones are backfilled to from a leveled ground and steeper slope, as shown in fig1(c). Fig 1.(a)Before explosion; (b) After explosion; (c) After backfill 3.2 Ground-probing radar(GPR) tests GPR test is used to detect the distribution of the crushed stones in the soft clay. The radar system transmits repetitive, short pulse electromagnetic waves into the ground from a broad bandwidth antenna. Some of the waves are reflected when they hit discontinuities in the subsurface, and some are absorbed or refracted by the materials that they come into contact with. The reflected waves are picked up by a receiver, and the elapsed time between wave transmission and reception is automatically recorded.[Koerner R.M. Construction and geotechnical methods in foundation engineering. McGraw-Hilll, New York,1984] 4.0 Explosive Compaction Design Explosive Compaction Design is based on empirically methods, which had been presented by Narin van Court and Mitchell (refer 1). Wu (refer 2) developed the explosive compaction design by using the finite element model. His model applies dynamic cavity expansion theory and assumes that a charge detonation may be idealized by assuming a blast pressure-time input applied normal to the surface of a spherical cavity. The charge weight per delay is proportional to the size of the spherical cavity, thus larger charge weight could result in larger cavity size and larger detonation effect. Wus model also considers the non-linear shear stress- strain response of the soil and rate dependent viscous damping. Parameters used in the Wu model are calibrated based on initial estimates of the relative densities of the granular soils and analysis of single and multiple-hole test blasts at a site. Cavity expansion theory indicates: a) multiple cycles of blasting will be more effective than single cycles; (b) the zone of influence of a given charge detonation increases as the size of the cavity increases (c) charge weight should be increased as the depth increases. (Refer 3 Gohl et al, 2000). The design of explosive compaction often begins with Hopkinsons number (HN) and Normalised Weight(NW) as: Where Q is the charge weight in kilogram and R is the effective Radius in plan (metre). However, due to the infinite combinations of charge weight with radius, a suitable HN can be difficult to select. Meanwhile, explosive compaction typically uses columnar charge and a good correlation of energy attenuation by the square root method is demonstrated, so this attenuation function is used in the following analyses, and the energy input attenuation is derived as: where Wi is the weight of individual charges around a point in the soil mass(g), and Rvi is the minimum vector distance from a charge to a point in the soil mass(m). The distance between charges can be estimated as: Where, to allow some overlapping, should be taken to be less than 2. In those equations, HN, NW and E are constants. However, for a given value of HN, NW or E, the above relationships may provide infinite combinations of charge weight with radius. Furthermore, it is difficult to select suitable values of HN, NW or E1 in practice. Based on blasting mechanics, a new set of equation has been derived by Yan and Chu (2004) [6], and the finally radium could be govern as follow : Where Pk is a pressure constant in Pascal, is the density of the explosive in kilogram per cubic metre, D is the velocity of the explosive in metre per second, Pa is the atmospheric pressure in Pascal, Qis the mass of the explosive,is the unit weight of soil in Newton per cubic metre and hc is the thickness of the soil above a cavity in meter. The distance between charges can be estimated as: Where, to allow some overlapping, should be taken to be less than 2. In addition, Gohl has developed an equation to approximate the charge effectiveness in a given soil type and it is derived based on the Hopkinsons Number and it is given as the following: Where e is the fraction of maximum achievable vertical strain and k is a site factor related to the soil properties and damping. From past project, k was found to be 81 to 143. 5.0 Conclusion Explosive compaction uses the energy released by completely contained detonations within the soil mass to rearrange the particles into a denser configuration. This technique offers several advantages over other soil improvement techniques. especially with regard to the cost, soil type, and depth effectively treated. Moreover, explosive compaction is an effective and predictable method for both cohesive and cohesionless soil. In which explosive replacement method for cohesive soil is newly developed. Although this compaction method has been used for decades, under a variety of site and environmental conditions, explosive compaction has not achieved general acceptance in civil engineering. Therefore, further development is encouraged and due to the physical testing restrains, possibly numerical simulation will develop in future.

Essay --

Film Critic Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Just like most well received novels Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has its own film adaptation by Stephen Daldry. It is just as impressive as the book itself, keeping the main storyline which is the best a film adaptation should do but in the other hand it has some changes that are very hard to go unnoticed. The cast is probably the main reason for the great result of the film. For the main roles Daldry went for award-winning actors such as Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks and Max von Sydow who couldn’t have done a greater job at playing their characters. Sandra as Linda Schell played very well the distance Oskar feels she has to him, as well as the difficulty we can see in the book that she’s going through. Also Tom Hanks, who perfectly fit the image of an intelligent man who chose his family and family business over a more appropriate education for his level. However the big star is of course Thomas Horn who played the part of Oskar Schell. The talented young actor’s performance simply unbelievable, it is hard to believe how easily he played such a dramatic story. The screenwriters did a good choice maintaining the storyline: Oskar finds the key in his father’s closet in an envelope which has â€Å"Black† written on it, inside a blue vase and desperately starts an expedition in NYC to find the lock that fits the key. So far so good, however the three-narrators perspective we have in the book that’s gives the story an exciting dynamic, is completely ignored and we have Oskar as the only narrator of the story. The movie is told from Oskar’s point of view but it still is very poor in what refers to his longs internal monologues that are seen in the book. Another point that has been igno... ... on his emotional response, combined with the same melancholic music every time. However, the melancholy of the song would always change into violent, loud, confusing notes whenever Oskar was outside on the streets facing his fears. Here the use of various points of views from Oskar’s perspective was explored. Extreme close ups on objects like screws were often used to demonstrate Oskar’s panic. Although all the changes which are necessary but still bothers the readers of the original work, the film contained the same melancholy and excitement in the story. We learn in both works that the number of people who leave is high, but the one who stay is even higher and everyone has their own story and sadness to share. The filmic adaptation intensifies the literary work, and both of them can be studied and compared side by side and still have their own particular charm.

Stress Essay -- essays research papers

How to Deal With StressMany students go to school full time, and hold a part time job to earn money for school. Most students have about four classes, and each of the teacher’s of these classes gives an average of about an hour of homework each night; that averages out to four hours per night of homework, plus a part time job. School causes a lot of students stress because there are so many things to do, and so little time to do it. Stress is a normal part of everyone’s life; and is not a disease. It is not necessarily good or bad; however, reactions to stress can be harmful. Lack of time puts the stress on many students, and causes students to often procrastinate because they are constantly trying to meet deadlines and they don’t have the time to work on their assignments. Many students feel their grades are important; they need plenty of time to work on their work so they can do good. I can relate to them because if I get a low grade I get disgusted because I p ut a lot of time and effort in doing that assignment. But I think that a lot of the stress from school is caused, not only by the teachers, but also from the students to do well. Students put too much stress on themselves. A student just has to learn to manage their time well and just do as good as possible. Stress management involves the effort of that student to make emotional and physical changes. The degree of stress and the desire to make the changes will determine the level of change that will take place. If a student wants to change the amount of stress in their life, they have to be willing to work and manage their time properly, even if it means sacrificing hours from a job or a night out with friends to study for a test or write a paper. Many students feel an increase in stress and anxiety when writing a paper, meeting a deadline, or studying for an exam. This can cause twitching, trembling, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, irritability, fatigue, and even dry mouth (An xiety, Stress, and Tension). When talking about stress, there are many things that can influence a student. The five main topics that influence a student’s well being are attitude, physical well being, physical activity, support systems, and relaxation (World Book on Health, 235). Attitude: The attitude of a student can influence whether a situation or emotion is stressful or not. A student with a negative attitude will ... ...oolwork and go out with their friends. It is important that a student interacts with others because it boosts self-confidence and helps maintain social stability in their lives. Lastly, rule number five when dealing with stress is using relaxation techniques. There are many relaxation techniques such as: listening to music, daydreaming, sleeping, writing poetry and many others. Also a student dealing with stress should take time out of their schedule for personal interests and hobbies. Students need to take time from stressful situations and do what makes them happy and have fun. It is also good to take a mini vacation from time to time. This helps keep the stressful student’s mind off of things and allow them to retreat somewhere to think and relax. In conclusion, stress can be very harmful and have a lot of effects on a student’s body. Some stress is good, but a lot of it can be bad. The five ways a student can prevent and deal with stress can be very useful. The student dealing with stress just needs to relax and deal with their problems with ease, instead of making things hard on themselves. Things will fall into place; just have patients and life will be a lot less stressful.

Describe Two Opposite People

Describe two opposite people In the small community of Culmersville there are only two adults that I could spend time with and never be bored. One of which was a kind lady by the name of Ms. Kelly and the other was the funniest man in the world by the name of Mr. King. Ms. Kelly is a kind person. She always teaches me to help those people who are in need and she also never got tired of helping others. For example, one of my friend’s family financial situation wasn’t so good and therefore Ms. Kelly buys him breakfast almost every morning. She hopes that he will not feel hungry during the school time and knows it can help him to concentrate in his studies. Ms. Kelly is also a sympathetic lady. Although she was not high-educated, she always teaches her kids and me to help other people. During weekends she would visit the Children’s Hostel and help the workers to teach and feed the children. She also always invites me and my family to be a volunteer and join her to do social works. On the other hand Mr. King was the complete opposite. He was an electrician and one of the most selfish people I knew. Mr. King would have two bottles of water and would rather throw a bottle of water in the garbage or put it in his car before he would give it to you. But yet I found Mr. King to be a funny man and spent lots of time with him playing dominoes. I had the best relationship with Mr. King in Culmersville. This probably was because I never asked him for anything. But Ms. Kelly and Mr. King was the worst of friends. I would call them enemies. All of this started when Ms. Kelly asked Mr. King to donate some of his funds to the Children’s Hostel. Mr. King could have told her a simple ‘no’ but he loudly told Ms. King, ‘if you don’t get off my property talking foolishness about donating money I would throw you off myself’. This was where the commotion started. Ms. Kelly then asked, ‘Do you call homeless children foolishness? ’ Mr. King then said, ‘The children aren’t the foolishness. You are. ‘Mr. King then slammed the door in Ms. Kelly’s face like she was coming to rob his house. Ever since this day every time Ms. Kelly sees Mr. King she would start pointing fingers at him telling people he hate homeless children and unfortunate people. These are the two people that thought me that people with opposite personalities would never be able to be together. But, although Ms. Kelly and Mr. King are two completely opposite people I enjoy being with either of them.

Opening the Books for change at Norwest Labs Essay

Change at Norwest Labs In 1991, Jean Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, the CEO of Norwest Labs initiated a series of events which would significantly alter the face of his company. Norwest had reached a point where it could no longer grow without becoming prohibitively inefficient. The decision-making responsibilities, which up to now had been centralized in the hands of its CEO, would now have to be delegated to subordinates in order for Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin to address issues of a more strategic nature. With the help of external consultants, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin went on to modify his organisation with the hope of creating a decentralised, business-oriented company of empowered individuals. Unfortunately, by 1994, it was becoming quite clear that the transformation had not been entirely successful. The Symptoms Via the change process, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin had hoped to redirect certain behaviours to bring them more in line with his new company objectives. While the process did modify behaviour, it did not, unfortunately, lead to the desired ones. Worse, it even brought about undesired behaviours that had previously been absent. The clearest sign of the unsuccessfulness of the change process expressed itself in employee disorientation. Several behaviours attested this state including, confusion about the bonus system, new job descriptions, and Norwest’s relationship with a former partner turned competitor. There seems to also have been clear apprehension as to the future of the company and confusion as to interdepartmental as well as hierarchical relationships. Perhaps the most disturbing sign that things were not going according to plan was the appearance of animosity at Norwest. Following the company’s restructure, conflicts began erupting between the CEO and general managers who were clearly angry about losing some of their independence. Conflicts also appeared between the more business-oriented staff hired after the reorganization and the more technically oriented staff hired previously. At a broader level, the company even began to experience tensions across departments. The change process also seemed to have brought about increased employee apathy, as can be seen from declining morale, the indifference displayed towards any goals that gain sharing might serve beyond handing out pecuniary rewards, and the continued apathetic tolerance of an opaque bonus system, whose favouritism and unfairness had been widely criticized and yet accepted. Perhaps the most striking evidence that the change process had not reached its goals can be seen in the poor performance displayed by the employees who were promoted as a result of it. There seemed to have been a collective inertia among them as they refused to be empowered and continued to rely on Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin for decision-making. They even went as far as being cynical of the new employees who were more in line with company objectives. The Causes In order to correct the behavioural challenges identified in the previous section it is imperative that we determine what caused them. To that effect, we will analyse the situation at Norwest using the tools provided by the organizational behaviour theories of change, culture, leadership, motivation and empowerment. The Change Process As mentioned previously, Norwest underwent important changes in 1992. These changes, unfortunately, did not bring Norwest to the point where its CEO had planned that they would. We will examine the change process in two parts. First, we will try to get an understanding of why the change process failed. Later, we will try to see how the changes could have caused the undesirable behaviours currently taking place at Norwest. By understanding the direct causes of the undesirable behaviours we hope to be able to stop them. By understanding how the change process failed we hope to be able to devise a new course of action for Norwest that will allow it to become the kind of company its CEO had hoped it would become. Lewin’s Change Model Lewin provides us with a concise model for managing change. It consists of three steps: unfreezing, moving and refreezing that must be consecutively followed in order to maximize the chances for success. It is this model that we will use to understand what went wrong at Norwest during the months in which the changes were implemented. The unfreezing phase, according to Lewin, is the stage where the organisation is readied for the upcoming changes. In the case of Norwest, it appears that this stage was, at the very least, hurried through. It is unclear whether Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin even conducted a readiness assessment. While he clearly, had a good idea of what the driving forces of the changes were (increasing competition, desired growth and regulation changes), he neglected to consider what restraining forces might be working against him. Many of these resistance factors might have successfully been predicted, like the fact that some employees would reject empowerment and attempts to change the existing bonus program. Finally, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin clearly failed to arouse dissatisfaction with the status quo and to involve employees in the decision-making process. The second phase of Lewin’s model, the moving phase, is the stage where the actual changes are implemented. While Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin clearly had his own mental blue print for the upcoming changes, he failed to establish specific goals for the initial changes and, as a result, created, in his employees, unnecessary confusion about the company’s future direction. Most importantly, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin did not institute small, incremental changes. Instead, he created, all at once, a corporate services division where accounting, marketing, information systems and quality assurance were rounded up. This department was staffed by the promotion of employees and by externally hiring. Unfortunately, it soon became evident that many of the promoted employees were out of their element. Outside of corporate services, lack of openness and two-way communication led to significant conflicts between Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin and the general managers of the labs. The final stage of Lewin’s model, the refreezing stage, is the stage where changes are stabilized. In Norwest’s case, this stage was entirely skipped. Targets for change and company focus to meet them were not established and, as a result, no successful experiences were built. No system was put in place to reward behaviours that reinforce the changes, instead the old bonus system, which was seen as arbitrary at best and biased at worst, was kept. Finally, no structures, such as regular and objective performance reviews, were developed to institutionalize the changes. Overall, it seems clear that the change process at Norwest gave unsatisfactory results because it failed to address several significant steps of Lewin’s model for change. As a result, the changes Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin had hoped would occur never did and employees continued to come to him for decision-making. The Human Side of Change We saw in the previous section how the change process at Norwest was fundamentally flawed. We also quickly examined how its inherent weaknesses could have caused the undesirable behaviours we now see. We will now explore this link in more details. In this context, Kanter’s framework for managing the human side of change provides us with a powerful tool for understanding the mechanisms that triggered the employees’ reactions to the change process. In 1992, the creation of centralized corporate services at Norwest was a major source of conflict between Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin and the general managers. Research indicates that change is exciting when it is done by someone but threatening when it is done to someone. In the case of Norwest, while some general managers may have been involved the consultant’s review process of the organization, they were never involved in the recommendation process. As a the implementation of the consultants’ recommendations got under way, the general managers naturally started to feel that they were losing control over their position and responsibilities. This feeling of powerlessness leads people to try to reassert their control by rejecting other people’s ideas and even sometimes by behaving in â€Å"petty, territorial ways†, something that undoubtedly would fuel tensions with Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin. Another interesting dimension of Kanter’s model that may shed some light into this conflict is the idea of loss of face. The notion that the organization has to change and that general managers will lose authority can be inferred to mean that general managers were not up to the job. Resistance therefore becomes a way for them to oppose this conclusion and to save face. One of the major reasons why Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s culture change seems to have failed is because individuals who were promoted to corporate services did not want to be empowered. Kanter tells us that very often people tend to â€Å"resist change because of personal concerns about †¦ future ability to be effective after the change.† This seems particularly relevant in the context of Norwest whose scientists, according to Maurice, were â€Å"strong technical people, not strong business people† and who ‘did not consider â€Å"business empowerment† as being part of their job.’ Scientists may understandably have felt inadequate when entrusted with responsibilities for which they had no background or training. To a more limited extent, the more work factor is also interesting in explaining the outcome. Promoted employees may have resisted the change in their work description simply because it increased their workload beyond what they were willin g or capable to achieve. Unfortunately for Norwest, after gain sharing was introduced, the situation reached such a point that some employees began worrying that â€Å"Jean was taking the company down a path that would lead to its end.† This mistrust in Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin may have been the end result of too long a period of what Kanter calls excess uncertainty. Employees in companies undergoing changes need to be kept up-to-date at every step of the change process. They need to clearly know where they are heading. Although Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin may have clearly known where he wanted to lead his employees he may not have communicated that plan well enough. As a result, employees came to the conclusion that the continuous surprise changes were a symptom of improvised management and lost faith in their president. There seems to be a clear dichotomy at Norwest between the few employees embracing the changes (most of whom were hired after 1992) and those who do not (hired before 1992). Worrisomely, this dichotomy has led to tensions between the two groups. Tensions can, of course, be caused by the conflicting goals of both groups. It is also, however, an inevitable by-product of the differences brought about by change that has been studied and identified as the difference effect. When â€Å"different† individuals are introduced in a rather homogenous group, they make the group feel self-conscious and cause it to question its habits. This effort is burdensome and leads to irritability, which in turns leads to tensions. It is tempting to jump to the conclusion that employees are not interested in gain sharing from the reaction they displayed when first confronted with the possibility. However, a better understanding of the reaction can be achieved when studied in the light of Kanter’s past resentment factor. According to Kirk, there was clearly â€Å"a great deal of negativism surrounding [past] bonuses.† We know from research that people are more likely to resist change when they harbour unresolved past grievances. Culture and leadership In addition to the change process, it appears quite clear that culture and leadership played a significant role in the how the situation at Norwest unfolded. In a large sense, culture and leadership are bonded together by corporate blood. On the one hand, the leader impacts the company and its culture with his/her unique personality and leadership style; on the other hand, different forms of organizational culture demand and breed relevant and compatible leadership as well as resist and expel the outdated or incompatible ones. In Norwest’s case, the lack of supportive culture and appropriate leadership certainly share part of the responsibility for the failure of its first reform in 1992 and, could lead to the failure of the coming one in 1994. Looking at Norwest from a cultural perspective, we can see that it has deeply-rooted technical norms, values and beliefs. This culture was implanted and encouraged by Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin over the years and adhered to by Norwesters, most of whom were scientists. Because of the early success Norwest gained, we may deduce that this culture, if not supportive, was at least not obstructive to Norwest’s objectives. However, after the organizational changes were brought about, we can see that the old culture was now more or less obsolete. First, apart from Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, few focused on the external environment and what it meant for Norwest. Second, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s long-term plans alienated the employees’ whose focus was on the short-term. Third, morale was low. Fourth, cynicism was growing. Fifth, group relations deteriorated as animosity and conflict among departments appeared and finally, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, as the leader and the founder for Norwest and its culture, failed to play his role of being the hero of Norwest culture and, therefore, was objected and isolated by his subordinates with their negative reaction. Simply put, Norwest’s culture was, considering the degree of resistance, disadvantageously strong. It failed to support the mission, goals and strategy of the organization and, thus, became a liability. In order to successfully bring about changes in an organisation, effective leadership is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, in the case of Norwest, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin failed to achieve this. Not only did his leadership fail to mitigate the resistance to change, it may even have to some extent led to the undesirable behaviours currently displayed at Norwest. What Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin possessed was good business sense and charm derived from his personality and experience; what he lacked was the ability to selectively and discriminatively project his objectives/goals onto Norwest and its employees. To be fair, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s leadership was not always inadequate for Norwest. Considering that most Norwesters were scientists with little business sense and skills, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin tended to be more task-oriented and to tell them what to do instead of promoting self-leadership through empowerment and training. This pragmatic leadership style worked well until Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin himself realized its limit, as Norwest grew larger and larger. Unfortunately, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin could not adapt his leadership style to effectively implement his changes. Sadly, he failed in four major aspects of successful leadership. He could not inspire employees by creating a clear and understandable vision. He could not communicate effectively, especially in crucial moments. He could not empower his employees and finally, he turned a blind eye to his own personal weaknesses and, when others pointed them out, refused to acknowledge them and change. Unfortunately for Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, despite somewhat practicing a higher, more advanced form of leadership, he failed because he was not aware of the vulnerability of such leadership. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin unintentionally differentiated Norwesters by their business skills. He told most old Norwesters what to do, while he allowed more business-oriented people, such as Maurice and Kirk, to participate in policymaking and even delegated to them some decision-making power. This form of situational leadership, which balances between a task and relationship orientation, could have been beneficial to Norwest had Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin realized what he was doing and communicated it clearly to his employees. However, his inability to do so isolated the employees with whom he shared values and attitudes through spontaneous leader-member-exchange from the rest of the company who simply took Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s attitude towards these employees as â€Å"obvious favouritism†. Another element of Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s style that produced negative results was his quiet leadership. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin never seemed to bother to explain the reasoning behind some of his decisions, such as how he handed out bonuses, his corporate empowerment or gain sharing attempts. Although Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin was evidently being nobly selfless and, with hindsight, was leading Norwest the right way, his opaque style couldn’t help but spawn scepticism about his impartiality and professional capability. Needless to say, such doubts were devastating for morale at Norwest. Interestingly, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin was quite aware of the close relationship between culture and leadership. In fact, one of his main goal was what is called leader substitution, an attempt to have a new culture, as defined by rules, policy and values take over some of the work that was accomplished by his leadership. In that way, Norwest would stand more chance to survive were something to happen to him. Unfortunately, the culture change was not a complete success and ironically Norwest now finds itself in a situation where more than ever it needs strong leadership. Motivation By all accounts, the change process at Norwest exacerbated the decreasing employee motivation. Poor performances, general disinterest and, most of all, declining morale are all symptoms of this. Because motivation is so complex and because it is so crucial for the health of a company, it will be studied independently here. Employee motivation can be clearly explained by the individual process designed by Handy (Understanding Organizations, 1993, p.38). The process is based on the idea that we are self-activating organisms and can, to some degree, control our own destiny and our response to pressure, that we can set our goals and choose the path toward them. Each of us has some needs and some desired results (our own personal objectives). The decision to do or not to do something, and the energy we put into it (the ‘E’ factor), derives from a calculus we interiorise. Each calculus, however, depends on our personality and is operated within the limits of a psychological contract (coercitive, calculative or co-operative) – between the company and the individual. What exactly is missing then at Norwest Lab that prevents the motivation calculus from operating? If we apply Hertzberg’s two-factor theory prior to the first change in 1992, we see that hygiene factors were already not completely satisfied because of problems with bonuses that people felt were arbitrarily handed out. However, satisfaction from motivating factors compensated this shortfall. After the change, however, the motivating factors once satisfied no longer were, thereby deteriorating an already fragile situation. Not only did the change impact the employees’ satisfaction, but by changing the actual scope of the job, it also somehow modified what the desired or obtainable results were. It is even possible to go further in the analysis and see how the change impacted the contract itself, passing from a calculative to a slightly more co-operative one where the calculative contract is a voluntary one, with an explicit exchange of goods and money for services rendered, while the co-operative contract requires a major identification of the employee with the organization. In addition, while Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin changed the company’s people orientation (as defined by Holland) from realistic (practical jobs) to enterprising (business-oriented jobs), employees maintained a realistic people orientation. It is not surprising then that employees, finding themselves structured in an unknown contract, with different goals and low motivation, responded by reducing the ‘E’ factor in th eir job. A second element further complicates the situation. While it wouldn’t be fair to say that Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin did not truly do his best for both his company and its employees, he clearly failed in his application of theory Y. He presumed that his employees possessed those traits that make theory Y applicable: that they want job satisfaction, that they would seek responsibility and be self-starters. Unfortunately, he simply required them to be business-oriented and self-sufficient without providing them with adequate coaching and training. In order to increase performance and morale and to reinstate a sense of team-identity, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin must figure out a way to instil new confidence and motivation in his employees. There are two major activities to which Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin should devote his energies: 1) modify the employees’ motivation calculus variables to increase their resulting ‘E’ factor and 2) smooth his Theory Y approach to be more supportive. Though not an easy goal, this is certainly achievable if well planned and given the required efforts and resources available. Recommendations We have seen how the change process at Norwest was fundamentally flawed and how it triggered undesirable behaviours. We also saw how Norwest’s leader and culture not only failed to support the change process, but further aggravated the situation. Finally, we saw how motivation, as a result, was deeply affected. Fortunately, the situation is far from hopeless. Below are detailed a series of steps that will both reduce the actual conflicts and redefine a successful path for the company. Become a Transformational Leader Obviously, Norwest is not on course to reach the objectives set out by Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin. Therefore, any recommendation we will bring will involve further changes at Norwest. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin must learn from past mistakes. He must adapt his leadership style to facilitate the transformation. Not surprisingly, being a transformational leader involves the application of Lewin’s change model and therefore every recommendation that follows is done in this spirit. Improve Communication with Employees The first stage of Lewin’s model involves arousing dissatisfaction with the current state. Things cannot go on the way they are and Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin must communicate this to his employees. Given the current state of things at Norwest, it should not be too difficult. As a transformational leader, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin needs to form a vision and a plan for his company and he needs to explain them to his employees. As Lewin’s moving phase suggests, his plan must be made up of small incremental steps so that the change is less disturbing. It is important to underline how the implementation of the plan requires extra efforts from everybody and how, at the same time, it offers new excitement and opportunities for those willing to take them. A two-way communication channel should be defined during the change period, maintained and improved afterwards as an efficiency and transparency tool. This is absolutely necessary to counter the uncertainty created by change. Involve Employees in the Change Process Employees need to be aware of the change, of its reasons and of its goals. They must also see themselves as active agents in the change process. This is necessary to counter the loss of control that employees feel in times of change. It is also an integral part of Lewin’s unfreezing phase. For those employees willing to, a chance should be given to take part in change teams. The empowered teams, and the individuals that make them up, must be given well-defined goals and coached in how to accomplish these tasks. Doing this would increase motivation by matching results, needs, contract and orientation in each employee’s motivation calculus. A one-to-one communication will make the change process more effective and smooth and as a result establish more trust across the whole company. Enhancing the participation and cooperation will also boost the moving phase of the change process. Finally, the leadership role would be reinforced, implanting the idea of the leader as a chief advisor, chief guardian of principle, chief accountability officer and chief encourager of Norwest. Give Employees Greater Control over their Careers Employees should be given greater freedom in defining their role within the company. Forcing R&D guys to be business-oriented will help neither business development nor R&D. A driving message should be the empowerment of those wishing it, underlining that all the others will be able to continue their job as they did before. In such way Norwest would enhance motivation, allowing employees to retain their desired position inside the company. Following this approach and, again, communicating it to the employees will pinpoint the source of resistance and minimize it prior to change Provide Training to Employees In the change process, employees will be required to face new responsibilities and new challenges. It is absolutely necessary for them to be trained and coached; otherwise, as we saw earlier, employees will resist the change because of concerns about their ability to perform new duties. A good way to do this is through team building is to train the whole change-process team together. Training would enhance motivation, help employees understand gain-sharing more and generally smooth the overall change process. Rely on internal hiring External hiring should be limited to some few individuals recognized as bringing outstanding expertise in a field until such a time that unity and culture have been recreated. The few new-hires should be given a clear message about the culture of the company and should be trained on the internal policies and rules. Relying on internal hiring has the advantage of retaining top performers by giving them the chance for promotions. Internal hiring will also reduce the difference effect felt by employees. Define goals and performance evaluations Lewin’s third phase, the refreezing phase, involves building success experiences by setting change targets and having everyone work towards them. Consequently, each change-process team or any empowered individual should be given clear and objective goals. Goals should be set slightly over the reachable level and bonuses should be proportionate to the effort. Most important is that whatever bonus is defined for teams and/or individuals; strict rules must be set to let everybody know when and how they are evaluated. To implement such a change, coaching and evaluating processes that reinforce desirable behaviours with clear verbal and material messages must be defined. In such processes Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin could even credit the work that has been accomplished during the first change in 1992. Setting an appraisal and coaching process enhances corporate culture and cohesion; it helps to stabilize changes and to keep everyone on the right track in the new system. Define a Reward System Lewin’s refreezing phase also encourages the rewarding of the desired behaviour. In the case of Norwest, an inadequate bonus program is presently in effect. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin should first address the issue of the old bonus plan and recognize its major flaws. Doing so will address the past resentment of employees. Discussions concerning the timing and approach to a new reward system could be handed over to the change-process team. Gain sharing could certainly be an option. The important idea is that the choice of the reward system should involve the employees. In the end, the bonus plan could even be inserted in a cafeteria-style benefit plan, where employees can choose to opt-out or not in exchange for higher salaries.

The Uk Diabetes Problem Health And Social Care Essay

I have done the nursing occupation in my back place state Nepal and now I am making the attention helper for aged people in attention place. Most of the occupants are enduring from different diseases, such as diabetes, dementedness.In my unit most of occupant are suffered from diabetes. In my state Nepal I have seen many patients of diabetes, from where I got the more cognition about the diabetes. Not merely UK people but besides whole universe people is enduring from the diabetes. Many research are conducted on this instance, diabetes affects six per centum of the universe ‘s population and its prevalence is duplicating every coevals.There are presently over two and half million people diabetes in UK and there are more than half a million people with diabetes who have the status and do n't cognize it. Harmonizing to diabetes UK statistics show that over 80 % of people diagnosed with type2 diabetes and corpulence. Diabetes patient spend an norm of & A ; lb ; 4500 yearly on costs for handling their diseases in the universe. The cost of diabetes to the national wellness service stands at about & amp ; lb ; 1 million per hr and is increasing quickly a new study indicates ( www.diabetes.co.uk ) .Diabetes 29/04/2011 ) histories for about a ten percent of NHS budget each twelvemonth a entire exceeding & A ; lb ; 9 billion. The complications of diabetes are legion and deathly and include amputation, bosom disease kidney failure and sightlessness, the study highlights the facts that eight out of 10 people with diabetes dices of bosom disease and stroke.Goverment is passing tonss of money and has committed to guaranting there is greater focal point on speed uping the gait of betterment in diabetes attention. Increasing the diabetes patients evidently affect the system and economic system position of the state because alternatively of utilizing money in productive work, concern and building authorities is paying for diabetes which is straight influences the state. HEALTH Wellbeing AND QUALITY OF LIFE It is really complicated and difficult to specify wellness, there are 100s of positions from different writer and different organisations.As we know all of the accept the definition of universe wellness organisation, wellness is a complete, physical mental and societal well- being and non simply the absence of disease and frailty which means wellness is in relationship with different factors like single, physical, societal physiological, emotional, environmental and cultural it means wellness is non merely absence of disease. Person may go ailment with his mental and societal position and his milieus. Health is really of import factor in human life as we know the stating wellness is wealth. Same like wellness wellbeing is besides the of import factor of healthy and affluent life. Actually well-being is being healthy felicity, free from emphasis, mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. Health and wellbeing are the most of import constituents of healthy life. These are the constituent which determines the quality of life. Along with wellness and well-being quality of life is really of import which play large function in life of single. Quality of life denotes how the person is? His day-to-day life activities, his or her wellbeing. This is the term which determines populating status, installations, possibilities, security, satisfaction, income, employment, nutrient, instruction, quality wellness services, hygiene, public assistance and support. It is different from everyone. The chief thing determine quality of life is our ability to bask all that life has to offer for cases, the ability to walk, talk and experience all contributes to our all quality of life. ( journal.diabetes.org volume 30/04/2011 ) Diabetess During our life clip we know is likely to diabetes mellitus, better known as diabetes.Diabetes is found when the sugar in our blood is excessively high. It happens when something goes incorrect with the manner our organic structure uses the nutrient we eat. Our organic structure breaks down nutrient into sugar, fat, and protein. Our organic structure uses sugar for energy. A endocrine called insulin helps our organic structure turn sugar into energy. Insulin is made in the pancreas, which is located near our tummy. When we eat, our pancreas supposed to do the right sum of insulin to travel the sugar from our blood into our organic structure ‘s cells. When we have diabetes, we have no insulin or non adequate insulin, or our organic structure does non react to the insulin it makes. The sugar stays in our blood. When excessively much sugar builds up in our blood and reaches a certain degree we have DIABETES. Diabetes is serious, womb-to-tomb unwellness. It can do bosom and blood v as diseases, sightlessness, kidney failure, nervus harm, dentition and gum jobs, and toe, pes or leg amputations. ( www.handsonhealth-sc.org Idaho 1119 ) . If we can non command diabetes can perplex gestation, and birth defects are more common in babes born to adult females who have it. Understanding digestion and insulin Most of the nutrient we eat is broke down into glucose, it is the signifier of the sugar in the blood.it is the chief fuel for the organic structure. After digestion procedure, glucose base on ballss into the blood stream, where it is used by cells for growing and energy. For glucose to acquire into the cells insulin must be present. Insulin is a endocrine produced by the pancreas, pancreas is the big secretory organ behind tummy, people with diabetes do non do insulin, or they can non utilize insulin decently, or both. This causes glucose to construct up in the blood alternatively of traveling into the cells. As a consequence people with the status frequently feel ; thirsty, hungry tired.

Writing and Comprehensive Form

Description of Reading and Writing Measures Standardized Test Description KTEA II Reading comprehension and Written Expression The Reading comprehension and written expression subtests were given and scored. The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition is an individually administered measure of academic achievement for ages 4 and a half through 25. The test is available in two versions: the Brief form which assesses the achievement of reading , mathematics, written expression; and the Comprehensive Form which covers a wide range of achievement domains and an analysis of students’ errors.The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Comprehensive Form, Second Edition represents a revision of the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement Comprehensive Form. The KTEA –II Comprehensive Form has an expanded age range and has retained the five subtests from the original KTEA and has modified to allow for testing of children and adults from preschool-age through co llege-age. Nine new subtests have been added to allow for assessment of a broad range of achievement domains and skills. KTEA-II Comprehensive Form age norms are provided for ages 4 and a half through 25, and grade norms are provided for Kindergarten through Grade 12.KTEA III Comprehensive Form is curriculum-based it provides norm-referenced and error analysis systems, criterion-referenced assessment in reading, mathematics, written language, and oral language. The KTEA-II Comprehensive Form has two independent , parallel forms (A and B) and the KTEA-II Brief Form norms at ages 4 and a half through 90. These three non-overlapping batteries make the KTEA II useful for measuring student progress. The KTEA II Comprehensive Form make it an important tool for assessing academic achievement.The KTEA II measures achievement in reading, mathematics, written language, and oral language and allows the examiner to administer a single subtest or a combination of subtests to assess achievement i n one or more domains. All seven specific learning disability areas identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendment of 1997 (IDEA,1997)are measured: basic reading skills, reading comprehension, mathematics calculation, mathematics, reasoning, oral expression, listening comprehension, and written expression.The KTEA Comprehensive Form like the KTEA was developed from a clinical model of assessment. Curriculum experts defined specific sub skills measured by each subtest and the different types of errors students are likely to make on each subtest. Standardization data guided the final error analysis System. KTEA-II Comprehensive Form content has undergone bias reviews to ensure that students of either sex and ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds can be assessed. The KTEA II Comprehensive Form was normed using two separate representative, nationwide standardizations, one in the fall and one in the spring.The procedure accurately measures students’ perform ance both at the beginning and end of he year. The KTEA-II Comprehensive Form is conformed with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition. The KTEA II Comprehensive Form is a reliable, valid measure of academic achievement. The KTEA II allows the examiner to observe the student’s test taking behavior, motivation, and visual-motor coordination. The two parallel forms make it an ideal instrument for longitudinal studies. KTEA II Written Expression subtestDescription of writing task Students are administered an item set based on their grade. (3rd Grade) Following assessment directions from the KTEA II manual and easel, I provided the Level 3 booklet and a pencil to my student. The written expression booklet is titled Kyra’s Dragon. I explain to my student following the provided directions from the easel that this story is about a girl named Kyra and the dragon she has to find. As we go through the story, you’ll write some of the words and sentence s. This is similar to the â€Å"cloze† technique that was used in the informal assessment, The McLeod Assessment of Reading Comprehensions. ) I tell my student to write the best words and sentences he can and not to worry if he doesn’t know how to spell a word – spelling won’t count. The first item we starts with is #31 I say â€Å" Let’s start by writing your full name here† and I point to the to of the booklet. The next item #32, my student writes the sentence â€Å"The dragon carries people away. † That I dictate. Tets: Writing SkillsOn item #3 my student has to write one word to complete the sentence â€Å" The king says to Kyra, â€Å"Finding the dragon_____________ save us all. † For item #34, my student has to write one good sentence to complete a part of the story, â€Å" Kyra’s Dragon. This fill in the blank interactive story goes on with similar tasks inserting words, sentences, combining sentences, proper word usage of specific words and punctuation into the story booklet until my student gets item # 49. Item #49 is where my student must complete a timed retell of the entire story, pretending my student is the king’s scribe.My student must retell the story of Kyra’s dragon so that his grandchildren will know how people came to live in their new town. He is given 10 minutes to complete his retell. My task as administrator of this test is to follow the script on the easel, read the prompts, and point to the correct place for the student to write his answers. This took about 25 minutes to administer. I am allowed to repeat story segments and item instructions if necessary. I may also tell a student how to spell a word if they ask, since spelling is not scored in this subtest, but only if examinee asks for assistance.

Assessment Type

[pic] Westminster International College Module Title: Research Methodologies Programme: MBA Part Time Groups: 9,10,11,12 & 13 Module Period: 22 February 2013 – 23 March 2013 Lecturer: Dr. Lester Massingham Tutor: Dr. Kui Juan Tiang Date of Completion and Submission: 23 March 2013 Submission Method: Online via turnitin Assessment Type: A type-written assignment Assignment Question: The aim of the module is to equip students to plan and conduct a research project leading to the production of a Masters level dissertation. The general goal is to introduce and develop the skills needed to conceptualise a problem and a viable research topic.Students will make use of available literature, design a research strategy, evaluate, organise, and integrate relevant data (both existing and new), derive useful solutions, and communicate those solutions in an appropriate form to clients and colleagues. The module will prepare students to continue their own professional education and contribute to the development of the profession as a whole, at a standard commensurate with the current level of knowledge. The module surveys the basic processes of research methodology as practised in the social sciences.Underlying principles of science and logic are emphasised and special attention is directed toward the recognition of common sources of error and bias in the implementation and interpretation of research studies as it affects the outcomes of research utilisation. You are required to submit a research proposal. The content of the document produced by each student is required to cover the specific areas and to be within specific maximum word lengths (marks allocation and word lengths in brackets) as follows: 1. Title and Introduction. Form a clear title of a proposed research.Elaborate on the background of the industry and/or company to be researched as well as the problem or issue identified. Also explain the significance and rationale of the proposed research. (15 marks / 8 00 words maximum) 2. Research Questions. Construct the questions to be answered in the proposed research. (5 marks / 100 words maximum) 3. Research Objectives and Framework. State the research objectives in terms of the factors or causes identified (independent variables) and their relationships with the identified problem or issue (dependent variable).Following the stated objectives, construct a proposed research model or conceptual framework. (5 marks / 100 words maximum) 4. Literature Review. With reference to various relevant literatures, write a critical review and analysis of both the conceptual/theoretical and practical aspects of the identified problem/issue and factors/causes. (40 marks / 2,000 words maximum) 5. Research Methodology and Design. Elaborate the concept, types and approaches in research.Propose a research design for the research topic selected with detailed explanation on elements such as the sample, sample size, types and sources of information, collection met hods and operationalisation or measurement of variables. (15 marks / 800 words maximum) 6. Ethical Considerations. Identify ethical issues involved and steps taken to prevent breach of research ethics. (5 marks / 100 words maximum) 7. Timescale or Gantt Chart. Construct a Gantt Chart in weeks that includes the stages and milestones of the research tasks and their respective time allocations. 5 marks / 100 words maximum) 8. References. Using the Harvard referencing system, provide a comprehensive list of references. (10 marks) Assessment Requirements: †¢ The submission of your work for assessment should be organised and clearly structured in a report format as outlined in 1. 0 to 8. 0 above. †¢ Maximum word length allowed is 4000 words, which includes sections 1. 0 to 7. 0 in the report. The word count excludes section 8. 0. †¢ This assignment is worth 100% of the final assessment of the module. Student is required to submit a type-written document in Microsoft Word fo rmat with Times New Roman font type, size 12 and line spacing of 1. 5. †¢ The Harvard Style of Referencing system is COMPULSORY. †¢ Indicate the sources of information and literature review by including all the necessary citations and references adopting the Harvard Referencing System. †¢ Students who have been found to have committed acts of Plagiarism are automatically considered to have failed the entire semester. If found to have breached the regulation for the second time, you will be asked to leave the course.Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts, ideas or essays from online essay banks and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously. Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. Malaysian Qualifications Agency Learning Outcomes Module Learning Outcomes: †¢ Demonstrate the skills necessary to assess and interpret existi ng research as a prelude to carrying out further investigation and the knowledge and understanding of range of research designs and their appropriate utilization. Conceptualise a problem; formulate hypotheses and objectives; design a research strategy, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting both quantitative and qualitative data, including commonly encountered statistical procedures. †¢ Understand the theoretical principles underlying inferential and descriptive statistics. †¢ Integrate the findings of existing research to ask a new research question. †¢ Engage in critical thinking when reading and comprehending research articles. Choose the most appropriate statistical analyses, interpret results, and write up the results accurately and completely. Notes on Plagiarism & Harvard Referencing Plagiarism Plagiarism is passing off the work of others as your own. This constitutes academic theft and is a serious matter which is penalised in assignment marking. Plagiarism i s the submission of an item of assessment containing elements of work produced by another person(s) in such a way that it could be assumed to be the student’s own work. Examples of plagiarism are: the verbatim copying of another person’s work without acknowledgement †¢ the close paraphrasing of another person’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without acknowledgement †¢ the unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another person’s work and/or the presentation of another person’s idea(s) as one’s own. Copying or close paraphrasing with occasional acknowledgement of the source may also be deemed to be plagiarism if the absence of quotation marks implies that the phraseology is the student’s own.Plagiarised work may belong to another student or be from a published source such as a book, report, journal or material available on the internet. Harvard Referencing The structure of a citation under the Harvard referencing system is the author's surname, year of publication, and page number or range, in parentheses, as illustrated in the Smith example near the top of this article. †¢ The page number or page range is omitted if the entire work is cited. The author's surname is omitted if it appears in the text. Thus we may say: â€Å"Jones (2001) revolutionized the field of trauma surgery. †¢ Two or three authors are cited using â€Å"and† or â€Å"&†: (Deane, Smith, and Jones, 1991) or (Deane, Smith & Jones, 1991). More than three authors are cited using et al. (Deane et al. 1992). †¢ An unknown date is cited as no date (Deane n. d. ). A reference to a reprint is cited with the original publication date in square brackets (Marx [1867] 1967, p. 90). †¢ If an author published two books in 2005, the year of the first (in the alphabetic order of the references) is cited and referenced as 2005a, the second as 2005b. †¢ A citation is pla ced wherever appropriate in or after the sentence.If it is at the end of a sentence, it is placed before the period, but a citation for an entire block quote immediately follows the period at the end of the block since the citation is not an actual part of the quotation itself. †¢ Complete citations are provided in alphabetical order in a section following the text, usually designated as â€Å"Works cited† or â€Å"References. † The difference between a â€Å"works cited† or â€Å"references† list and a bibliography is that a bibliography may include works not directly cited in the text. †¢ All citations are in the same font as the main text. Examples Examples of book references are: †¢ Smith, J. (2005a).Dutch Citing Practices. The Hague: Holland Research Foundation. †¢ Smith, J. (2005b). Harvard Referencing. London: Jolly Good Publishing. In giving the city of publication, an internationally well-known city (such as London, The Hague, or New York) is referenced as the city alone. If the city is not internationally well known, the country (or state and country if in the U. S. ) are given. An example of a journal reference: †¢ Smith, John Maynard. â€Å"The origin of altruism,† Nature 393, 1998, pp. 639–40. An example of a newspaper reference: †¢ Bowcott, Owen. â€Å"Street Protest†, The Guardian, October 18, 2005, accessed February 7, 2006.