Investigation for Magnesium Oxide

Hypothesis – The idea I aim to test in this experiment is the relationship between the mass of magnesium and mass of oxygen once the magnesium has been heated and reacted with the oxygen. There will be 3 variables in this experiment. The independent variable will be the mass of magnesium ribbon as different measurements will be taken and used for each trial. The dependant variable will be the mass of Magnesium Oxide, this is a measured variable as the mass of oxygen can be calculated and will enable us to determine the formula for Magnesium Oxide. The controlled variable is that the Magnesium used is possibly from the same ribbon and after being cut into lengths was stored in the same way in plastic containers. Preliminary – I originally did a preliminary test with Iron wool where we used a similar method but Testthe iron wool was held over the flame by tongs and not contained within a crucible. We learnt from this experiment the importance of the crucible to contain all of the metal for an accurate test because the iron wool broke off as it heated and we were left with a lot of the iron wool on the bench mats around the Bunsen burner so our calculation of the mass of iron oxide was not accurate as we had not contained all the wool and couldn’t accurately collect the pieces around that had come away, therefore no giving a true mass of Iron Oxide. Prediction – I predict that when the magnesium and the Oxygen combine and react together the magnesium will oxidise and become heavier. I expect to see a straight line pattern from these results as I believe the more Magnesium there is the more Oxygen it will take on to form the Magnesium Oxide and so believe the results should gradually get heavier and heavier as the Magnesium gets heavier and heavier. The equation for this investigation would be Mg + O2 ?MgO which would balance as 2Mg + O2 ? 2MgO. This is done as the Oxygen has two molecules which would need two Magnesium molecules to balance it out. The physical changes I expect to take place are heat and light as I expect the Magnesium to change colour as it is heated up and reacts with the Oxygen. The Chemical changes I expect to take place are that a new substance will be made and a new formula will be formed. A new substance will be made in the form of smoke and the new formula will be MgO. Apparatus – *Goggles*Crucible and Lid *Bench Mat*Tongs *Tripod*Varied lengths of Magnesium ribbon *Bunsen burner*Scales *Pipe-clay triangle*200g weight Method – All the apparatus was set up to ensure that the experiment was carried out safely. Goggles were worn and the bench mat was put in place in case any sparks or parts of the experiment went wrong to protect our eyes and the work surface. The tripod and pipe clay triangle were used to keep the crucible safely above the heat. The Bunsen burner was used to heat the magnesium and was set to a fierce blue flame. The crucible held the Magnesium above the Bunsen burner, and the lid contained as much smoke as possible to help the reaction to take place. The crucible lid and tongs were used to occasionally let in the oxygen and then replace the lid safely. The apparatus was set up as above and as per the diagram to being the experiment. I first checked the scales using a 200g weight to check their accuracy. When I weighed the 200g weight on the scales prior to the experiment the scales weighed in at 1. 038kg however, as this was a large weight by comparison to my crucible I didn’t account for this slight measurement in my results as I decided it would make the calculations too low as my crucible was only a fraction of the weight of 200g and so for the purposes of this experiment wouldn’t alter my results enough to justify it. I then measured the crucible without the lid to find out its mass (22. 27g), once recorded I then measured the Magnesium ribbon (0. 9g) I then measured the two together to check the accuracy and got a mass of 22. 56g which meant my previous measurements were reliable. The next step was to put the crucible with the magnesium inside and the lid on onto the pipe clay triangle above the fierce blue flame of the Bunsen burner. The lid remained on only except for occasionally lifting it and quickly replacing it to let more oxygen into the magnesium but to t ry and keep as much smoke in as possible. Once the Magnesium Oxide stopped smoking when the lid was lifted the experiment was complete and I turned off the flame and left the crucible to cool. Once cooled I weighed the crucible with the newly formed Magnesium oxide (22. 72g) and then was able to subtract my previous figure of 22. 56g from this to give a difference of 0. 16g. This 0. 16g was my mass of Oxygen. Results – It can be seen from the results that there is a direct relationship between the mass of Magnesium to start with and the mass of Oxygen in the Magnesium Oxide. Using my results I worked out the ratio between Magnesium and Oxygen, from these results it suggests that the ratio is 1. 2 moles of Magnesium to 1 mole of Oxygen. However you cannot have 1. of an atom and so these results can be rounded up to a ratio of 1:1 which would reflect the equation I had predicted of MgO. Conclusion – The mass of Magnesium got heavier in my experiment by 0. 16g because the Magnesium joined with the Oxygen. Other students’ result ranged from 0. 09 – 0. 46 and apart from one anomalous result the heavier the Magnesium was the higher the mass of Oxygen was. Each measure of Magnesium was only tried once and each measurement was done by an individual and so this may account for the random errors in our findings as shown on the graph, but overall our results were fairly evenly spread. From the results I was able to plot a straight line graph by using a line of best fit; which ran parallel to the theoretical line of best fit. My predictions for this experiment were right as the results show that the more Magnesium ribbon that was used the more oxygen was needed to react with it and so the gradient was steady at about a 450 angle gradually increasing in mass as the Magnesium mass increased. I would say there was one anomalous result as it was significantly below the line of best fit but this can be put down to a number of things such as different scales being used, different people doing each result or simple human error. Our line of best fit was slightly below the theoretical line of best fit for this experiment and I mainly believe this could be due to a systematic error such as the scales we used not being precisely accurate. This may however account for the systematic error of the line of best fit being lower than the theoretical line as that slight change along with random errors may have lowered the results; but the results were still valid as the line of best fit was parallel to the theoretical line meaning we had a constant of the scales being slightly light. As can be seen from the results of our Spearman’s rho and Chi Tests our results were within % of the theoretical results and so this suggests we did an accurate and valid test. We did the Spearman’s rho test as this is a measure of the linear relationship between the two variables and shows us that there is a connection between our results and the theoretical ones. The Spearman’s Rho test shows the accuracy of our res ults and our calculation came in at 98. 7% so it proves our results were very accurate. We did the Chi squared test as this determined whether there was a significant different between the theoretical frequencies and the observed/practical frequencies comparing the validity of the results. At least 95% result in the Chi-squared test would prove to be valid and our result was 99. 99% so it shows our results were definitely valid according to the chi-squared test. We did the Spearman’s and Chi-squared tests via the Excel calculations as shown on the table of results. Evaluation – Overall our results were very accurate but there were some random and systematic errors which could be reduced or resolved if we did further experiments. We could have done re-tests for all the Magnesium masses and taken a mean average of those results to get a more accurate reading this would possibly have reduced any systematic errors. I made the test fair by taking the measurements of the crucible and lid and keeping them the same so that I can compare the results between the Magnesium and Oxygen. Also if the same person had carried out each experiment instead of each student doing a different measurement it may have been more accurate as the method may have changed slightly between each student, for example, one person may have lifted the lid a lot more frequently of for longer periods than another. The difference in the scales will also account for the systematic error as shown on the graph. Also the amount of smoke which was let out during each experiment will have varied between each student as the results were being gathered individually and the amount of smoke which escaped may account for some random errors within our results which is why our results are not all as in line as the theoretical results. And e had to find a line of best fit rather than a clear line which went through each individual result as the theory would suggest. If I were to do this experiment again I would repeat the tests with each mass of Magnesium and take a mean average so as to achieve a more accurate result I would also ensure that each mass of magnesium was the same; as in our experiment some students coiled the Magnesium up in the crucible and others ripped it into little strips. By placing the Magnesium in the crucible in different ways it may affect how much oxygen can get to the ribbon, if it is coiled up for example it may need to be prodded and moved to allow all the Magnesium to have exposure to the Oxygen whereas the smaller strips may be more exposed without as much intervention. On both accounts though if you do need to prod the magnesium in that time you may be letting a lot of smoke out as the lid would obviously need to be off the crucible and so this would also need to be taken into consideration. This is why if the magnesium was placed in the crucible in exactly the same way it would make the results more accurate. To take it one step further you could time the lifting of the lid to make it more accurate, for example, lifting it every 30 seconds for a period of say 2 seconds would mean that each mass of Magnesium would be getting the same time exposed to the oxygen and so a more accurate reading of the amount of Oxygen it gains would be achieved if this was carried out with a stop watch. Also if I were to improve the investigation for next time I would increase the number of Magnesium Masses used to gain a more accurate result and having more results would also make any anomalous results stand out and also expose more random and systematic errors which could be dealt with.

Confidence in third world countries

BLOSTERING INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIESThe history of world has been interposed by a cryptic series of roars and slacks. Historians have singled out the experience of the early 1930 ‘s as the ‘Great desperation. ‘ This undeniably amazing event damaged the so promising economic stableness in Europe and badly broken consumer and investor assurance around the World. Similarly the universe debt crisis of the 1970 ‘s and 1980 ‘s besides brought with it its ain storm effects that overcame both developing and developed states. The debt place of developing states became peculiarly upseting when as Stambuli ( 1998 ) comments it became clear that there was a lifting disparity of external liability and the capableness of states to serve their debt. This terrible disagreement was in the terminal described by several debt agreements and more notably states saying non-payment. ( Stambuli, 1998 ) In retrospection there have been many givens that have wanted to explicate the causes of this crisis, nevertheless this paper will research in peculiar whether developed or developing states should be held responsible for doing and by extension relieving this crisis and how investor assurance can surely be boosted in 3rd universe states. In order to wholly understand the thought of answerability we must foremost understand the common fortunes under which 3rd universe debt became disputing. Many development economic experts view the considerable addition in oil monetary values in 1974, which saw the cost of oil rise from $ 2.70 in 1973 to an intimidating $ 10.00 per container, as a chief footing. This rise immediately elevated the excess on the current histories of oil bring forthing states from $ 7 billion in 1973 to $ 68 billion in 1974. These big excesss twisted the status soundly documented by Stambuli ( 1998 ) that encouraged oil-exporting states who had more foreign exchange than they required invest in western Bankss. In a command to depute the consequent liquidness these Bankss so sought to recycle the excess of ‘petro-dollars ‘ with developing states that had experienced neglecting current histories. The most important charge confronting developed states was their overzealous and careless lending process after the first oil monetary values hurt that occasion small due procedure in set uping the recognition virtue of the recipient state. As the crisis became more evident in early 1980 ‘s international Commercial Bankss began to see some of the negative impacts of their actions. Due to the alteration in financial policy of developed states Bankss began imparting at bit by bit high and variable involvement rates. Bernal ( 1997 ) , reports that involvement rates moved from 12.1 % in 1978 to 17.4 % in 1981 and so to 12.9 % in 1985, therefore Bankss had begun to reexamine what Stambuli ( 1998 ) documented as the ‘Sovereign Risk Hypothesis ‘ , which assumed that states were protected by their built-in character from default Risk. The image farther deteriorated as developed states besides reduced direct assistance and investing to developing states and increased protectionist policies that strictly exploited Less Developed Countries chances for obtaining foreign exchange to go on serving their debt. ( Bernal, 1997 ) Consequently Less Developed Countries Governments have surely contributed in altering the job of debt into a catastrophe. Brown ( 1986 ) carries this competition farther since he comments that in Jamaica for illustration, the Government ‘s finding of fact between 1976 and 1980 to protect an overrated exchange rate and to promote communist policies influenced investor assurance and sudden capital flight. The authorities so found itself holding to borrow non merely to finance the current history shortage but besides increasing degrees of net capital escapes. Brown, 1986 It should hence be clear that both Most Developed Countries and Less Developed Countries should bear the incrimination of doing the Debt Crisis. Less Developed Countries nevertheless unsteadily could hold reduced these effects if they had managed their debt more professionally during the short period. Investing in Third universe Countries makes good concern sense while there are pools of planetary fiscal resources in hunt of chances for variegation and higher returns. Besides, investing chances in such states are reported to offer some of the highest rates of return on investing, even on a risk-adjusted footing. Most Third universe Countries authoritiess have over the last 15 old ages taken important stairss to make an encouraging concern atmosphere. These steps include far success macro economic betterment that have condensed budget shortages and rising prices degrees to individual figure degrees and fueled economic development. A figure of authoritiess have besides taken actions to reenforce the legal and judiciary system and regulative establishments such as those for venture support. While sufficient investing controls and fiscal tools are important to capital flows, most Third universe states have underdeveloped trade good and capital markets. Similarly, basic imitative and warrant instruments that enable investors manage hazard are partial. In add-on, undertaking supports rely chiefly on bank funding, given the inadequacy of Third universe states capital markets, where market capitalisation of most of the states ‘ equity capital markets is less than a 3rd of Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) . Despite the growing made by many states to undertake the defect highlighted above and the anticipation for higher returns in Third universe states than in other parts of the universe, most investors have non taken the clip to reexamine the investing opportunities available in Third universe states. In acknowledgment of the significance of reliable economic information, the Bank Group is taking a programme to better informations quality, aggregation, and direction in all Third universe states. The Group is lending more than half of the entire undertaking cost of USD 40 million and expects that the undertaking will help coordination and regional integrating, and fuel capital flows by back uping investor assurance. The Group ‘s attempts to back up good control should besides beef up investor assurance. In add-on to financing institutional support undertakings that improve the capacity of legal and regulative bureaus, the Bank provides resources to bureaus such as the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa ( OHADA ) , whose authorization is to make conditions that assure legal security for concerns. Similarly, the first theoretical account investing jurisprudence of the African Law Institute ( an institute sponsored by the Group ) , has been certified by cardinal regional establishments. This will further regional integrating and farther fuel investings and capital flows to Third universe states. To reason, I believe that each one of us has a critical function to play, every bit good every bit much to derive in increasing capital flows to Third universe states. It makes good concern sense, it makes good unselfish sense. Through due diligence and partnerships, you will be rejecting the doomsday scenarios of Afro pessimists, which leads to a vision of fatalism and hopelessness for Third universe states. You will alternatively be back uping a vision of Third universe states that are genuinely affluent offering moneymaking chances for investings.MentionsAyittey, George B.N. ( 1993 ) , Africa Betrayed.Stambuli, ( 1998 ) Sovereign Risk Hypothesis, New York.Bernal, ( 1997 ) , peripheral Debt, ChicagoBrown, ( 1986 ) , within the trigon of deflation & A ; InflationWorld Bank databases and UNCTAD World Investment Report, 2003

Barriers to Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention

Barriers to Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention Redante Castro Introduction: There are many factors that interfere with health equity and the ability of the patients to get their healthcare needs met. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. There are challenges that a patient and healthcare providers encounters in securing and providing health services. These social determinants of health, such as income, education, transportation, housing, and race or ethnicity, have powerful influence on a patient’s life long before they arrive at a hospital or clinic. According to literature, persistent social exclusion and inequities in wealth distribution and in access and use of services are reflected in health outcomes. Social exclusions and inequity are obstacles to human development. It poses barriers to poverty reduction strategies. It hinders social unity and improved health conditions of the populations. Social exclusion and inequity are further compounded by racial and gende r discrimination. There are health disadvantages due to differences between segments of populations or between societies. There are health gaps arising from the differences between the worse-off and everyone else. Lastly, there are health gradients relating to differences across spectrum of the population. Studies have shown that the poorest of the poor have the worst health. This is also a global phenomenon, seen in low, middle, and high income countries. Within countries, studies showed that a person with low socioeconomic position has worse health- this is the social gradient of health. The poorest have the highest mortality rates. Improvements in income and education has a positive effect on health. One’s occupation is also relevant to health in terms of workplace risks exposure and its role in positioning the person along a society’s hierarchy. There is also demographic transition to consider that affects health, i.e., increasing life expectancy, increasing number of youths, growing number of elderly persons in the population, increased migration, and rapid urban growth. Population distribution and population age structure are crucial determinants of social, economic, and health-related services. For example, people in poverty are likely to be exposed to higher level of stress, economic uncertainty, and unhealthy conditions than their wealthier countrymen. It was recognized by some policymakers and stakeholders that the population’s health cannot be sustained by focusing solely on the financing and distribution of medical services. A more comprehensive and integrated strategies are necessary to foster health in all policies. An approach that integrate considerations of health, well-being, and equity in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies and services. Determinants of health are being acknowledged and incorporated into health reform processes and policy changes are made. Examples of these policy changes are: reg ulation of alcohol and tobacco products, the expansion of healthier transportation systems (bicycle paths, pedestrian-friendly roads, and pathways), improvement in air and water quality, expansion of primary health care services, and improvements in nutrition programs. This new focus has helped divert the emphasis away from individual lifestyles and from a focus on disease towards broader determinants and actions that created a big impact on population health. However, it is probably fair to say that all community issues are political to some degree. For example, if a factory is poisoning town water system with its effluent and poisonous waste, local officials are faced with the choice of not dealing with the actual cause of the problem, i.e., the dumping of waste and endangering citizen’s health, or addressing the dumping and endangering citizen’s job. Differences of political opinion can have enormous consequences in the health of the community.

Final reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final reflection - Essay Example As while attending this class, I was literally flushed with images and visual representations of the surrounding culture, this class really redefined and reshaped the visual literacy I possess. It endowed me with the ability to interpret the physicality of things and brought me to the realization that a work of art not only happens to be a conveyor of information in a wide variety of manners, but also helped me understand the fact that a visual approach towards things imbues the consciousness with multiple meanings that are hitherto oblivious to the human perception (Leppert 178). It also helped me get a hold over the varied nuances associated with the mediums that are used to contrive art. The impact of this class had been so intense that now when I approach a work of art, I am not only enamored by the physicality of it, but have also discovered that my art appreciation abilities have been immensely enhanced by attending this class (Davies 156). Now I have come to respect the raw po wer inherent in the works of art and their capacity and ability to facilitate a complex physical and sensual experience. The onus of drafting discussion board posts on a regular basis matured and refined my capacity to analyze and criticize the works of art. This class has bolstered my visual literacy in the sense that it has enhanced my capacity to think and furthered my talent for creating and communicating graphically. I must acknowledge that hitherto my attitude towards art was not that mature and well contrived. My basic understanding of the role of art in life was limited and constrained. In that aspect this class has expanded my overall vision towards art. It has helped me understand that art not only stands to be an all embracing notion, but it has also played a pivotal and important role in the advancement of the mankind (Bennett 92). I have come to know that art tends to have multiple functions and that it is literally impossible to overestimate the relevance of art in lif e. Art has and will continue to play an important role in the enhancement of human consciousness (Bennett 92). Art not only helps an individual make a sense of the world surrounding one, but also much helps answering eternal questions pertaining to the nature of beauty and love. I have realized that not only the language of art happens to be universal, but art also pivotally helps in shaping the human notions of harmony and beauty. Art stands to be utterly important in the sense that it helps in linking human lives, ideals, values and interests. It goes without saying that commensurate with the refining of my innate capacity for art appreciation and my enhanced respect for the visual phenomenon, I experienced many breakthrough moments. I experienced many moments when I simply stood back and experienced many new things in the works of art that were hitherto familiar to me (Carroll 151). For instance only a few decades back I was looking at the black and white photographs by Ansel Ada ms. Earlier I looked at these photographs as just being merely black and white pictures. However, courtesy this class, when I look at these photographs now I am not only able to decipher the meanings hidden in the dark and light variations, but I am also able to appreciate the varied interplay of tones and texture contrived at by the artist in these pictures. Thereby now I have more of ‘wow’ moments when I look at a work of art. My approach towards art

Philosophical Thoughts and Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Philosophical Thoughts and Issues - Essay Example I am an existentialist, and I highly regard people’s choices and decisions. I listen to other people’s views and I am flexible when making decisions. I value my interests greatly. With regard to reality, I believe that it is subjective, and determined by an individual. Reality is the existence of things in a certain state. This does not involve imaginations, instead, real things are things which are there at the moment, or have been there in the past. They can be observable or not observable. Moreover, reality involves things that can be easily comprehended and those that are difficult to understand (Hay 41). Individuals must be free to make their own decisions and choices in life. As an individual, I do not live by the predetermined choices of other people. I make my own decisions depending on my conscious, subconscious and unconscious mind. Epistemology gives us a basis for discussing the nature as well as the scope of knowledge. It helps us to know how knowledge is acquired (Hay 5). We acquire knowledge through experience. As people grow up, they face many situations some of which are happy moments whereas others are sad moments. Results from these situations help people to uncover the knowledge presented by these situations. We cannot claim to know everything with absolute certainty, because we only believe some things to be true. We have no complete proof that they are true; for instance, we believe that we will die but we do not know our fate after death. We use our senses to make assumptions of what is certain, but we cannot claim to know everything. Ethics or moral principles that guide society, an organization or professionals, are essential in life. Ethics is mainly concerned with leading individuals towards doing good things for colleagues or peers. They are seen as universal, with acceptance from all the people governed by them. Ethics affect people’s behavior as well as judgments and decisions. Ethics guide people on  how to establish and lead good lives. They also teach us our rights and responsibilities as members of a certain community (Hay 57).  

Non-fiction and Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Non-fiction and Style - Essay Example In addition, he argues that it is not immoral to refuse to obey unjust laws. Finally, he indicates that the levels of frustration among the black community are reaching such proportions that something must be done now, while peaceful means are still possible, before this frustration reaches its boiling point and explodes into violence before he criticizes the church leaders for failing to recognize this and helping him to channel this energy more positively. He makes these points by arguing for morality and appealing to human ‘goodness’. One of the first points King makes in his letter is that the white people have not heard or perhaps even noticed the desperate no-win situation in which the black people were placed following the Emancipation Proclamation. Now that they were free, they had to support themselves, but the segregation laws that had been enacted in the intervening years effectively prevented black people from escaping the extreme poverty in which they found themselves. By staging nonviolent protests, King realized that he could finally force the nation’s attention on the situation in the South. â€Å"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.† If the rest of the nation realized the escalating situation in the South, they would pressure their politicians to take some action on the unconstitutional laws that had been devised and repeal those laws that continued se gregation. This argument is also a plea to the politicians to uphold their moral principles as he reminds them that â€Å"past promises have been broken by the politicians and merchants of Birmingham and now is the time to fulfill the natural right of all people to be treated equal.† Answering the contention by the other ministers that

Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Health Care - Essay Example As a result of this, there are cases where treatment for some seemingly incurable diseases was successfully done in this institution. Weaknesses - Though superb in providing health care, the Mayo Clinic had been allegedly accused of "defrauded the United States by misapplying certain grant funds from the National Institutes of Health and its parent agency (Harsh Criticism for the Mayo Foundation's Accounting Practices)." High medication fees cost is another weakness of the company. Opportunities - With its state-of-the-art medical facilities and research, Mayo Clinic has capability to dominate its market share. It is also a world leader in achieving breakthroughs and improvements in health care technology. Threats - Bioterrorism is one of the threats that infests medical institutions nowadays especially in distinguished medical institutions like Mayo Clinic. The incompatibility of applying modern IT technology to Mayo Clinic's system is another threat. 2. Leadership is a very vital component in any organization. ... Decisions come from a committee with a multi-departmental representation. Its principle in incorporating teamwork in its design is clearly reflected in its management system. Mayo Clinic has been very successful under this management system. In fact, it has been hailed numerous times for its world-class quality medical service. However, at times when snap and urgent decisions are needed, a single capable leader should do the job. Mayo Clinic should address this topic to avoid any cases where prompt and immediate action is needed. They should add a policy in the by-law stating that when cases of this nature happen, they should give the chairman the power to decide on and to implement emergency regulations. 3) There are various conditions where alliances are very risky between the parties involved. One of these is when a party's business or interest belongs to a totally different nature than that of the business nature of the alliance being formed. An example of this is when two businesses form a biotechnology firm where one party belongs to the field of health care services that has no background on medical research and the other is from the realm of software development that has no previous product line that caters to medical services. The lack of familiarity of one or both of the parties is very risky for the partnership or corporation, especially now that competition is very fierce and speed of technological improvement, very rapid. Though we can say that the learning curves of both parties are very high, still the risk of delivering quality results are high considering the time spent on learning the trade and the necessary operational know-how and wisdom that the

War on Drug Crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War on Drug Crimes - Essay Example They are mostly the cause of many social problems we are facing these days in our society such as; rape, assault, reckless driving est. These drugs are mostly illegal drugs and when used often can lead to very server addiction, which is very difficult to overcome. Example of such drugs include cocaine, heroine est. The problem of wiping out these drugs from the system has become a global concern since trades in these drugs are now done even across. Many governments therefore are trying so hard to structure out very effective ways of preventing their countries from being used as trading grounds or safe passes by people trading in these illegal drugs since it poses a great to their country. These drugs have very negative effects both on individuals and the society and the society at large. These effects include addiction on the part of the individual. As mentioned earlier on, these drugs have very addictive potentials. Therefore when one takes these drugs two or three times, it is possible for that person to become addicted to them. Addictions to these drugs cause a lot of harm to the human body. Once people get addicted to these drugs, they will risk anything; either their education, job est. in other to get these drugs to take.

Development of a Multimedia Application Literature review

Development of a Multimedia Application - Literature review Example Thus, while making the selection or incorporating media to their web pages, web designers should think about the basic theme and nature of our materials. Moreover, web designers should incorporate animations, images, video, or sound into the web pages simply when they match with web site’s message (Lynch & Horton, 2004), (Martinez et al., 1998) and (Rahman 2002, p.232). Furthermore, web designers should also keep in mind that there are also several technical restrictions to the deliverance of audiovisual content through the web. For instance, large-size videos and videos demanding flat movement or understandable information would need huge amount of bandwidth to be transmitted from one computer to another as well as can charge the playback capability of the user's computer. In this scenario, web designers can utilize the techniques of down-sampling and data compression to produce a file that is of minimum size and small enough to be transported through the web. However, in man y scenarios, this compromised data and information can be too important to demand more effort. In addition, when web designers are deciding to incorporate multimedia to the web pages, they must confirm that the technology is able to convene the requirements of web content. Moreover, web designers should make sure that the users spend minimum time and energy in downloading files that would be the best use of the technology (Lynch & Horton, 2004), (Martinez et al., 1998) and (Rahman, 2002, p.232). Web Design Web design is the process of planning and developing the websites. This process consist of various elements such as data and information structure, site structure, user... This essay approves that at the present MUDPY methodology is applied for the semantic web by building ontology for it. MUDPY ontology is considered as a theme designed for the domain of multimedia planning and design. Additionally, it outlines the ideas which exist in this domain along with their features and associations among them. In addition, this ontology directs the system developers throughout design and planning stages of a project in a systematic style by permitting them to produce a project proposal, make out the practical system development requirements, formulate a decision on the navigational structure and produce a storyboard intended for the project. Moreover, multimedia project developers are able to make use of MUDPY ontology to map out and design their projects; as a result they can produce high-quality projects This report makes a conclusion that at the present, innovative user interfaces holding different kinds of media categories are utilized for different purposes, for example in training or simulation software as well as in various other types of applications. Web design is the process of planning and developing the websites. This process consist of various elements such as data and information structure, site structure, user interface, web layout, navigation, fonts, colors and pictures. Multimedia Design and Planning Pyramid model is a meta-design structure that helps web developers in development of multimedia projects. Additionally, the MUDPY model is established on the semantic web by formulating ontology for it. This literature review has presented a detailed overview of website design, Multimedia technology and MUDPY methodology. This paper has shown MUDPY methodology is helpful for the designers in designing an effective web site.

Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

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

Work Of Barney J Contribute To Hrm Management Essay

Work Of Barney J Contribute To Hrm Management Essay In 1991, Jay B. Barney authored a journal entitled Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. The literatures main argument is that sustained competitive advantage can be obtained if the firm effectively and efficiently utilize its resources and capabilities that are valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable (Barney 1991). This view of strategic analysis was regarded as the resource-based view (RBV) and different from what has been the customary external environment analysis which was exemplified in Porters five forces of competition (Porter 1979). Thus, focus was given to the strengths and weaknesses of a firm as much as the opportunities and threats of the external environment as the source of competitive advantage and foundation for creating strategies (Grant 2008). The RBV has been considered by many authors as contributing to the wider fields of study about resources and sustained competitive advantage (CITE) including human resources management. Hence, the focus of this literature is on the above mentioned work of Jay Barney and its contribution in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) and the relationship of Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) with sustained competitive advantage. The essay will be presented accordingly in three parts. First is a discussion of the theories presented in Barneys work as regards RBV. Second are the ramifications of the RBV theory to the concept of HRM and SHRM. And last is a reflection on the limitations or critiques regrading RVB and the things to come for the study of SHRM. THE RESOURCE BASED VIEW OF THE FIRM At the onset, literatures regarding strategy and sustained competitive advantage were focused mostly on the external analyses of opportunities and threats in the environment of the industry for some time (Barney 1991). Porters five forces of competition exemplifies this focus of a firms position in relation to its external environment. Accordingly, strategies and sources of competitive advantage were made based on the analysis of the firms competition within its industry, the threats of new entrants, the threat of substitute products, the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers (Porter 1979). However, Peteraf (1993, p. 186) acknowledges that competitive advantage is not the product of varying industry attractiveness alone and that the RVB is a factor that contributed to such an understanding. Competitive advantage as described by Pralahad and Hamel (1990) is the product or result of several years of building core competencies that are superior to its rivals, and applying these compe tencies more effectively than its competitors and that the length of time to build core competencies and obtain competitive advantage is also relative to the capacity of firms to learn and apply learning more effectively. The foregoing explanation of CA thus foresees that resources intrinsic to a firm or firm resources are sources of SCA. With Barneys work, emphasis was given to a varying perspective towards strategy in which sustained competitive advantage is achievable if the firm takes advantage of resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable (Barney 1991). According to Barney (1995, p. 50), resources of a firm include all the financial, physical, human, and organizational assets used by a firm [and] human resources include all the experience, knowledge, judgement, risk taking propensity, and wisdom of individuals associated with the firm. Grant (2008, p. 131) further classifies resources into three: 1) tangible resources these are the financial and physical assets of a firm; 2) intangible resources which are the technology, reputation and culture possessed by the organisation; and 3) human resources which encompass the skills, knowledge, capacity for communication and collaboration, and the motivation that exists within the firm. All of these resources with the aforementioned characteris tics, when utilized effectively and efficiently through a firms organisation, systems and knowledge can be a source of sustained competitive advantage (Barney, Wright, Ketchen 1991). Based on the rationalisations mentioned, human resources are likewise potential sources of sustained competitive advantage. THE RESOURCE BASED VIEW AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT In his work, Barney consequently recognizes the importance of the RBV theory in the field of HRM, and that human resources can be valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable, and therefore become sources of sustained competitive advantage. Aside from specific human resources, policies and practices in HRM are valuable and inimitable since these resources cannot be easily replicated and requires a substantial period of time to get established (Barney 1991; Boxall 1996). Another characteristic of human resources is that of being rare or unique individually and as a group, for which Grant (2008) stresses that the key to competitive advantage is to exploit the firms unique resources, since strategies purely based on industry selection and positioning results in similar strategies among firms in an industry. These characteristics which epitomize RBV theory in Barneys work has been instrumental in providing the appropriate attention deserved by human resources in strategic planning, which leads to the notion of Strategic HRM (Wright, Dunford and Snell 2001). Further explanation provided by Pynes (2009, p. 31) is that SHRM is based on the assumption that in a dynamic environment, organizations need to be dynamic as well, this necessitates the need to acquire realistic information on the capabilities and talents of their current staff-in essence, their human resources. However, while RBV theorizes that competitive advantage can be sourced from the firms human resources, it is not solely the foundation from which profitability can be obtained in as much as a firms position in an industry cannot also be the sole source of competitive advantage. Competitive advantage and sustained competitive advantage can be attained by combining the customary external analysis, industry positioning and attractiveness with that of the analysis of the organizations internal resources (Collis Montgomery 1995). Through SHRM in particular, organizations can be better equipped to plan their human resource requirements in accord with the current needs within the organizations as well as with the present situation in the external environment (Pynes 2009). In essence, Barneys work has become a foundation from which HRM and SHRM gained prominence in the study of strategy and sustained competitive advantage. (Wright, Dunford, and Snell 2001) THE RVB, ITS LIMITATIONS AND CRITIQUES Priem and Butler (2001), provides a well acknowledge critique of the RBV literature offered by Barney about the RBV a theory. The critique is summarised in four areas wherein Barney offered counter arguments for each. Barney categorises Priem and Butlers (2001) assessments as: 1) the RBV theory is tautological; 2) failure to recognize that the composition of resources however diverse can generate similar value for a firm, and as such, cannot be a source of competitive advantage; 3) the 1991 article failed to give emphasis to the role of product markets; and 4) the theories derived has limited prescriptive implications. (Barney 2001, p. 41) These critiques, limitations, and assessments relating to various RBV literature, and in Barneys work in particular, has led to the increasing popularity of concepts such as knowledge management, learning organisations, flexible workforce and teamwork (Hartel, Fujimoto, Strybosch, Fitzpatrick, 2007, p. 14) Thus, giving groundwork from which further and more intricate study has evolved. CONCLUSION To sum up, the foregoing discussions presented Barneys 1991 work emphasising on resources that are rare, valuable, inimitable, and non-substitutable as foundations of sustained competitive advantage. More importantly, it has provided a backdrop from which due importance was given to the human resources of a firm in strategy formulation and contributed immensely to the notion of strategic HRM. Wright, Dunford, and Snell (2001) considers Barneys propositions on the sources of sustained competitive advantage as an influential in making or shaping the RBV premise significant in the context of strategy and in SHRM as well. For the future of RBV and SHRM, the articles critiques and limitations have instigated further study of the RBV theory and likewise opened new horizons for research in the field of HR and SHRM. Thus it is adequate and appropriate to say that the RBV theory which was emphasized in Barneys work contributed in the shift from strategy based on external factors and brought t o view the internal competencies and human resources of a firm in formulating strategies (Hartel, Fujimoto, Strybosch, Fitzpatrick, 2007, p. 14). There is a great depth of field for study and research in HRM and SHRM for which the RBV theory is relevant and a vital resource, future researches is definitely and will be very important to further appreciate and understand the relevance and essence of human resources in an organization. Annex A: Summary and Assessment of critiques to the Resource-Based View (RVB) (Kraaijenbrink, Spender, and Aard 2010, p. 360) Critique Assessment 1) The RBV has no managerial implications. Not all theories should have managerial implications. Through its wide dissemination, the RVB has evident impact. 2) The RBV implies infinite regress. Applies only to abstract mathematical theories. In an applied theory such as the RBV, levels are qualitatively different. 3) The RVBs applicability is too limited. Generalizing about uniqueness is not impossible by definition. The RBV applies to small firms and start-ups as well, as long as they strive for an SCA. Path dependency is not problematic when not taken to the extreme. The RBV applies only to firms in predictable environments. 4) SCA is not achievable By including dynamic capabilities, the RBV is not purely static, though it only explains ex post, not ex ante, sources of SCA. Although no CA can last forever, a focus on SCA remains useful. 5) The RBV is not a theory of the firm. The RBV does not sufficiently explain why firms exist. Rather than requiring it to do so, it should further develop as a theory of SCA and leave additional explanations of firm existence to TCE. 6) VRIN/O is neither necessary nor sufficient for SCA. The VRIN/O criteria are not always necessary and not always sufficient to explain a firms SCA. The RBV does not sufficiently consider the synergy within resource bundles as a source of SCA. The RBV does not sufficiently recognize the role that judgment and mental models of individuals play in value assessment and creation. 7) The value of a resource is too indeterminate to provide for useful theory. The current conceptualization of value turns the RBV into a trivial heuristic, an incomplete theory, or a tautology. A more subjective and creative notion of value is needed. 8) The definition of resource is unworkable. Definitions of resources are all inclusive. The RBV does not recognize differences between resources as inputs and resources that enable the organization of such inputs. There is no recognition of how different types of resources may contribute to SCA in a different manner. Lastly, Kraaijenbrink, Spender, and Aard (2010) have summed up the critiques as regards the RVB and offered evaluation and counterarguments to each (see Annex A). Among the eight critiques cited, three of which were acknowledged as not easily dismissible as the other five. The three assessments were concerned about the nature of resource and value as being indeterminate and the narrow explanation of a firms SCA. Another weakness in the RBV theory was the prominence of the attention given to individual resources compared to the importance of the conglomeration of individual resources and, which according to Kraaijenbrink, Spender, and Aard, does not reflect the real meaning of competitive advantage. (2010, p. 359)

Charles Mingus Essay -- Biographies Biography Mingus Essays

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus was born on 22 April 1922 in Los Angeles, California. His father joined the army in 1915 after a frustrating career in the post office. His mother died only five months after Mingus was born. The times were hard in Los Angeles, as more and more poor people migrated into the city, and the small suburb of Watts turned into a black ghetto inside of a single decade. But young Mingus was pretty much protected from all the social pressure. His family was basically middle-class. His father has remarried, and Mingus’ step mother had soon taken an active role in his education. Mamie Carson Mingus encouraged her step-children to take an interest in music. This has soon taken shape in the form of violin and piano lessons for Mingus’ older sisters. Apart from the sound of his sisters practicing, the only music allowed in the house was religious music picked up through the radio. But the radio also opened Mingus for African-American music, namely Jazz and Blues. The trips to the local church were also musical as well as spiritual. The yelling and shouting in the church were actually not so different from the sounds of a big band. Mingus had also taken to the piano, just by lifting the lid and trying the keys, and it had become clear to his parents that he had a good ear. At age six Mingus was given a trombone. After a few years of frustrating musical experiences, it was suggested that Mingus pick up the cello. As his interest in Jazz grew, especially after listening to Duke on the radio, he became convinced that the bass was his instrument. Mingus’ first bassist role model was Joe Comfort, who played with Lionel Hampton and Nat King Cole. Comfort lived in the same neighborhood, and was playing gigs with the musicians that Mingus grew up with. However, true inspiration came from meeting Red Callender, who came from the East Coast and played with the likes of Louis Armstrong. 16-year old Mingus became a devout follower and good friend. The sound that would later identify Mingus, full yet sharp, comes from directly from Callender’s influence. Another major influence on all young bassists of that period is the work of Jimmy Blanton with the Duke Ellington orchestra, which had broken new ground in terms of the exposure of the bass as a solo instrument and its unique role in Ellington’s compositions. Arou... ...es Two, with George Adams on tenor and avant-garde pianist Don Pullen. The full power of Mingus’ music with its frequent tempo changes and structural irregularity was finally completely realized. Especially the two center pieces in both albums, Sue’s Changes and Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blue, show this clearly. Although the bass part is less pronounced then in earlier years, owing to Mingus deteriorating health, the other players more than make up for this, and render his music in a way which is true to his aesthetics. Mingus died on 5 January 1979 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. In the last two years of his life he has lost the ability to play and later the use of his whole body. Mingus last works as a composer are songs he composed for Joni Mitchell by singing into a tape recorder. He was honored by many tributes after his death from his fellow musicians. Of special notice is the Epitaph project, led by Gunther Schuller which, while in my humble opinion is not very successful, tries to recapture the special spirit in Mingus’ music. Today the music of Mingus is still being played by the Mingus Big Band, formed by his widow Sue Graham Mingus.

Mary Warren :: essays research papers

Mary Warren is an important character in Arthur Miller’s play, THE CRUCIBLE. Much of the action in Act III revolves around Mary’s testimony in court. She is a kind and basically honest girl who tries to do the right thing, saving her friends from harm. However, throughout Acts I and II, Mary is a follower who allows Abigail Williams to negatively influence her good judgment. To make matters worse, Mary is terrified of Abigail’s threats. Because of her weak will, the reader isn’t certain if Mary will maintain the courage to help John Proctor to win his court case in Act III. Mary Warren’s basic goodness is demonstrated on many occasions. She has been hired by John Proctor to help his wife Elizabeth with household chores. Mary proves to be a kind girl who gets along well with Mrs. Proctor. Although Mary has become a court official in Salem, she still gets up early in the morning to clean the Proctors’ house. While in court, Mary passes the time by making Goody Proctor a present of a small rag doll called a poppet. Upset by the court proceedings, Mary tells Mr. Proctor that she is "all shuddery inside" because Goody Osburn will hang. When the poppet becomes false proof of witchcraft against Elizabeth, Mary willingly explains that the poppet is hers. She also makes a vain attempt to comfort John Proctor as the court officials drag his wife away in chains. A basic sense of honesty is another of Mary Warren’s traits. In Act I she goes to Salem to convince Abigail to tell the truth about what really happened in the woods. When the witchcraft scare gets out of hand, Mary joins Abigail and the other girls in falsely accusing women of being witches. These false accusations are motivated by hysteria. There is evidence that Mary really believes that the women in court are bewitching her. She tells the judge that she thought she saw spirits. The other girls were screaming, and before she knew it, Mary was screaming with them. When she realizes that there are no spirits, Mary is willing to be truthful. After Elizabeth Proctor’s name is brought up in court, Mary Warren defends her against the accusation. At the end of Act II, the reader hopes that the basic sense of honesty will remain strong enough to allow Mary to testify on behalf of the accused women in Act III.

E.E. Cummings: The Birth of Modern Poetry Essay -- Poetry Analysis

â€Å"The greatest poets are those with memories so great that they extend beyond their strongest experiences to their minutest observations of people and things far outside their own self-centeredness.† This quote said by Stephen Spender depicts a great poet as someone who utilizes their past observations to increase their knowledge about people, nature, love, and life. Like a great poet, E.E. Cummings employed his past experiences in his poetry and life. Known as one of the preeminent poets of the 20th century, E.E. Cummings poetry has received an array of both positive and negative criticism. Nonetheless, Cummings’s poetry has inspired many poets and authors with his liberal views on love, nature, and religion along with his modern writing style. Although many criticized his contemporary style, E.E. Cummings modernized the traditional views of love, nature, and religion in poetry by emphasizing his contemporary beliefs, while incorporating a uniquely modern w riting style. As a strong advocate of individualism, E.E. Cummings ignored biased critics throughout his career and developed a contemporary writing style. From the beginning of his career, Cummings emphasized imagination and individuality in his poetry. He believed that humans had the ability to think for themselves and imagine beyond what was rational (Kidder 7). In believing so, E.E. Cummings refused to take advice or criticism on his lifestyle and poetry. Cummings also disliked organization, but rather believed in allowing the mind to imagine (Thompson 4). He saw imagination as the greatest tool for writing and rarely threw out bad poems because he did not see the waste basket as his ally (Webster 4). He firmly believed that with imagination anything was possible.... ...ury Poetry. New York: Wiley-Blackwel, 2003. Thompson, William E. "Intensity: An Essential Element in e. e. cummings' Aesthetic Theory and Practice." University of Windsor Review. 16.2 (Spring-Summer 1982): 18-33. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 137. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 18-33. Literature Resource Center. Gale. OLD TAPPAN HIGH SCHOOL. 16 Mar. 2015. . Webster, Michael. "E. E. Cummings: Romantic Ideology and Technique." Reading Visual Poetry After Futurism: Marinetti, Apollinaire, Schwitters, Cummings. New York: Peter Lang, 1995. 111-140. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 137. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 111-140. Literature Resource Center. Gale. OLD TAPPAN HIGH SCHOOL. 16 Mar. 2015. .

What dreams and visions motivate the characters of “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck?

No matter how well we plan the future, things often go wrong. ‘Of Mice and Men', a novella by John Steinbeck, highlights the despair and misfortune of the American citizens in the 1930s. Following the collapse of the New York Wall Street stock market, the US entered a prolonged period of economic depression. During this period of failed business, harsh poverty and long-term unemployment, thousands of migrant workers came to California in search for work. In attempts to escape the ‘dust bowl' (a series of droughts and failed crops) workers migrated west, but to find themselves in no better state; slaving in ranches from day to day, poorly paid, poorly fed with nothing to loose but their hopes of pursuing â€Å"The American Dream† and indeed, as Steinbeck illustrates, these hopes can be lost. Having lived and experienced this lifestyle, Steinbeck presents his views of society in the 1930s in the form of the characters of this book. He shows that the simplest elements of identity can be the reason of the shattering of one's dream. The luxuries of â€Å"The Promised Land†, the dream of being rescued of fear and loneliness and the desire to live a happy life are but visions of a supernatural future for the characters of this novel. Loneliness is a common quality that a ranch- hand would possess, however, weather or not it is an advantage can be argued. In the 1930s, Workers were never in one place long enough to even make friends; these men would grow impassive and often set aside their ambitions. Characters like Carlson and Wit have no emotional depth; they are not touched or motivated by anything. Steinbeck doesn't describe Carlson's feelings, but instead just the way he is ‘thick-bodied'. Carlson's first conversation in this book is one where he plots to kill Candy's dog. Here we immediately recognise Carlson's indifferent nature. He is one of the best survivors at the ranch because of this; he wastes no time in planning out ‘dreams' for himself. Steinbeck uses Carlson's character to model a typical ranch- hand, loneliness a key for his survival. However, in contrast to Carlson, Lennie and George are the main pursuers of the â€Å"American dream†. Their vision of their future motivates them every day; and has become the reason and main influence of their decisions. Together, George and Lennie carefully plan their dream and work hard on the ranch to earn money for their future. George has repeated their plan to Lennie so many times that Lennie has actually learnt the dream off by heart. George tells Lennie of how they are each going to get what they want; George freedom and Lennie â€Å"gets to tend the rabbits†. The two characters believe that each cannot seek their dream alone. Evidently, George says, â€Å"We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us†¦ ecause I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you,† and for Lennie especially, it has been the main reason for their survival. The recollection of this dream is met several times throughout the novel. This shows that even the weakest of people can be stimulated by the image of their â€Å"perfect life†. Even George, though he seems quite tough, weakens when he visualises their future, his voice becomes â€Å"deeper† when he tells the dream and he â€Å"repeats his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before†. Steinbeck's use of language here convey George's feelings, his rhythmic tone and deep voice suggest that he is in an almost trance- like mode, fantasising about his dream. This is very ironic however, seeing that George actually ends this vision himself. He prevents his own dream from coming or ever being able to come true. There is a strong moral-thread in this story, generally identified as the concern for the â€Å"underdog†. Steinbeck sympathises with any â€Å"out of the normal† character, weather physically or mentally disabled, racially or sexually different, â€Å"diverse† people in the 1930s were considered outcasts. Crooks for instance, both physically disabled and of a different (inferior) race, illustrates the social pressure that is cast upon those in his condition. He represents Steinbeck's thoughts and what he thinks of life for these men. Like Crooks, Steinbeck sees dreams as useless fantasies, this is shown by the fact that Crooks does not actually have existing dreams, he is well aware that dreams will never come true for men like them; disabled, poor, â€Å"black†. Through the years, Crooks has come to his senses, he has realised that his race is a huge obstacle which stands between himself and his happiness. Crooks illustrates the need of a partner in order to be able to dream. He only starts to dream when he is around other characters. Being left out and ignored has driven Crooks to separate himself from the community, disabling him from planning any dreams. â€Å"He whined,' A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. ‘† Here Steinbeck blames the social attitudes, we pity Crooks by the way he â€Å"whines† telling us how his dreams have almost been beaten out of him and which now have been reduced to memories. In contrast, George and Lennie's dream represents one's success if accompanied by a partner. This dream was the closest to becoming true as there seemed to be no faults in it. However, when Lennie dies, the dream becomes impossible to achieve. Perhaps like Crooks, this dream will become but a memory to George. Crooks' memories of his childhood mirror George, Lennie and Candy's dream, both similar in the way they were based on being free, happy and being around people; â€Å"The American Dream†. Also, both dreams similarly extinguished due to the effects of the people around them. When Lennie dies, George's dream becomes extinct, likewise, Crooks' dreams end when he is separated from his family, left with no motivation, ambition or vision to look forward to every day. This injustice, however, might be seen beneficial to some characters. For example, at the ranch, Curley has the upper hand; power, money and a wife. This is because, the prejudice society of the 1930s allowed offenders like Curley to take advantage of less valued people, enjoying some benefits of the â€Å"American Dream† at the expense of the weaker characters. Another view would be that on the contrary, Curley, though mighty and powerful demonstrates the suffering caused by prejudice. He is silenced when a weaker character, Lennie, takes a stand (when Lennie crushed Curley's hand). Steinbeck shows yet another dream shattered when justice starts to appear. At Lennie's shooting, George is more pitied because his dream is not fulfilled, and now he has to live with the same misery and solitude Crooks endures. â€Å"George's voice was almost a whisper. † Again, a dream extinguished, showing that justice has no place in this society. Steinbeck shows George's helplessness, how this was beyond his control and how this is how things should end. Obstacles in this novel are never overcome; they are barriers separating fantasy from authenticity. Lennie's obstacle in this story is clearly his mental disability. He places himself in problematic situations which in return pull him further away from his dream. An example of this is that when he kills Curley's wife, Curley becomes determined to seek revenge and kill Lennie which disables the latter from fulfilling his dream. However, Lennie is not aware of his actions, he simply lives by what George trains him to do, motivated by the vision George has built for him, looking forward to tending his beloved rabbits. He does not understand what obstacles are and does not see the ones he faces. When Curley's wife dies, Curley is only determined to seek revenge, like Carlson, Curley has become a lonely man with no ambitions. â€Å"He worked himself into a fury† this clearly shows how Curley has also become impassive and insensitive, the same way Carlson is, the same way George will be when he loses Lennie. Moreover, Lennie's death shatters Candy's dream too. Candy's hopes of a better life rebuild (as do Crooks') when he meets Lennie, he starts planning and preparing himself as if he was to relive his life again: â€Å"†He just sets in the bunk house sharpening his pencils and sharpening and figuring†Ã¢â‚¬  Candy is very enthusiastic about this dream, he has always found that his age and physical disability have prevent him from having a happy ending. He knows that, just like his old dog, he will be gotten rid of because he is of no use anymore. There is a pattern here which Steinbeck emphasises; he tells us that the strong and admirable will never have a happy ending at the ranch. Candy's brilliant sheepdog was shot because he became old and useless, Candy is going to be thrown out of the barn for the same reason and Slim is predicted to end up this way too. Your position in the community depends on how much you are accepted by society, which is based on cultural attitudes. It is ironic how Candy is helpless due to his old age whilst Curley's wife's helplessness is due to her young age. Steinbeck hints at prejudice here which is purely society's model man against the other types of people. Women, for instance were meant to be seen and not heard. They seemed to have no rights. Curley's wife is an example of this prejudiced idea. She is expected to stay at home and entertain her husband, regardless of her desires. No one cares about her ambitions to be a movie star or her longing for company. Even her mother tried to prevent her from achieving her goals because it was clear that women were weaker and less outspoken because of their sex. Curley's wife is a highly ambitious character, she says that she wants to make something of herself, she wanted to be like â€Å"in the movies†; rich, famous and glamorous. Her attempts to fulfil her wishes backfire on her every time. She was disrespected and called a â€Å"tart† when she merely tried to find company. This is ironic as the ranch hands repeatedly talk about going to the â€Å"cat house† and having â€Å"a hell of a lot of fun†. This illustrates the way women were considered property, men could think of them as they liked. They were not to have dreams but if they did their dreams were known not to have come true, simply because they are women. â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is indeed a tragic story of how prejudice, racism, sexism and intolerance of the weak prevented people from achieving their dreams. In this novella Steinbeck demonstrates the disturbing effects of rejecting those who are not seen worthy enough in the community. He blames society and, as I see it, mainly the physically and mentally strong white men for perpetuating with this concept. These men are even blamed for their own pathetic ways of life, they are the reason no one can achieve â€Å"The American Dream† because the â€Å"weaker† beings are part of this dream too. Steinbeck shows us how society is the main influence on people's lives. If one is not accepted in society, then their hopes and dreams will perish despite the injustice and immorality it may bring. He disgraces society for its prejudice ways and holds it responsible for the suffering of all of its members, weak or strong.

Importance of Friends Essay

â€Å"The silver friend knows your present and the gold friend knows all of your past dirt and glories. Once in a blue moon there is someone who knows it all, someone who knows and accepts you unconditionally, someone who is there for life.† This is a quote I read once in an article by Jill McCorkle in my cousin’s house. McCorkle’s description of a â€Å"gold friend† describes a friendship that I have with a group of girls who mean the world to me. These friends are the pearls of my life. This word bears its great meaning to me and only to those who could understand the greatness of its meaning. It’s something sacred, it needs to be cherished and build up for many years with much care. It’s a complex, magical process, which must contain fluid that will start spinning the wheel. Let me tell you something about my friends.When I was a freshman in high school, I became friends with these girls-Guia,Krisha, Carla, Magz, Cj, Jian, and Chantel. Since the beginning of that year, we have all been best friends. There were many times we rode around together. However, this particular Jeep ride was very significant because I realized what friendship is all about. One Tuesday night, we all went to Greenwich in SM, except Chantel, and eat there with the parents of Guia because it was the celebration of her birthday. This experienced will remain and will never be erased from me because it was one of the happiest things that had happened to me. Friendship like ours was something many people had never experienced. To me, the significance of our relationship is a unique bond that I feel with these ladies. They are like sisters that God did not give me. They have been there for me at times when my world was falling apart. As I finally drifted off to sleep that night, I thanked God for allowing me to have them in my life. These eight girls, including RIchel of course, have been my guardian angels. I have always been able to count on them, no matter what the situation is. They have helped me face the next day when I did not know if it was possible. We have been through everything; we have laughed, cried, and then laughed at ourselves for crying together. There have been many times when I have been lonely and I reminisce back to the experiences I had with them. It reminds me that there are people who care about me and accept me for who I am. A true friendship is a magnificent thing and as Talbot Jennings said â€Å"Friend is the finest word in any language. Life without friends is a life I could not imagine.

Compare Microsoft and VMWare for virtual computing Essay

There are two types of firewalls, there is the in-bound firewall that protects against all things that come into your computer. Then there is the two-way firewall. With this firewall it protects both inbound and outbound threats. This type is used quite often these days. Many computer only have a one-way firewall, but many of them like Zone alarm are two way firewalls. Firewalls are used to block or accept information into your computer that is not a threat. It will either send it to where it needs to be or it will block it if the potential of the file is threatening to your device. A type of firewall is your basic McAfee, which works with Microsoft Corporation on your basic computer it is a program that is already installed into your device. It is a virus protector that works with your computers already installed firewall to keep out and potential harmful viruses or threats to your computer. You can do basic setting for the firewall or you can put it to your liking to make sure of no type of threats can enter your computer. With the security of a computer it can get very complicating. You have to make sure you are aware of what you are using and how it operates in your system. In today’s society there are a million anti-virus software programs. Many of them have free versions and some just have trail versions you can test drive before buying the full version. McAfee and Norton have trail versions you can sample before getting the full version. With Panda, AVG, and other anti-virus programs they have a free version and full upgraded version you can use. When it comes to viruses and the types that get put onto your computer there are many of them. For example: the Trojan Horse, it is put into your computer by saying it is good for file converting or cleaning a system out, when it is really putting bad programs into your computer along with spyware and other potentially harmful programs. Just like when you go into your email and you see an email with a suspicious name, you click it and it automatically downloads something into your computer and you computers starts to malfunction. When it does this it is because the files that were put on your computer are basically eating up you memory. It is extremely important to keep your computers malware and anti-virus programs up to date to prevent any type of program getting into your system. When you back up a system you have different types of backups you can use. For instances you have your full back up which is where you can back up all your information onto a DVD-R or DVD-RW, so you can recover your system at a later time is it crashes or is lost. You should also look at your back up disks periodically to make sure they are in good form if needed to be used. You also have your deferential back up is where you can select certain things to back up and incremental back up is where your computer sets up a certain time after you have put so much into your system to back it up for later use if needed. Checking back up disks are extremely important to check as well to make sure that they are able to be used on the future. Also it is really important to burn your files to a disk not on your hard drive in case they are lost or damaged. Five passwords that are good to use in the way of remembering and using are, â€Å"Bab1eg1r!†, â€Å"Crazy8ight$†, â€Å"GoP!a1†, or â€Å"Playf00!† They can be used to help protect your passwords by replacing a letter by a number and capitalizing some of the other letters that you choose to use, along with using symbols of some sort. Another way of using passwords is using movie titles and shorting them to remember for instance, the day I left your mother to make our love stronger could be shortened by using the first letters of each word like this, â€Å"Tdilymtmols.† Also I can count the ways I love you, â€Å"Icctwily.† Many times the world went around, â€Å"mttwwa†. Honey I shrunk the kids,†Histk†. I love the way you love me, â€Å"iltwylm.† Many of my passwords were very strong in the aspect of how I wrote them. Passwords are very important and they have a good use to them. To keep people out of your system and protect you information as well as identity you really need to choose wisely and carefully on what ones you use.

Police stress Essay

Introduction Stress is a psychological factor and a common feature of almost every kind of work. But it is important to note that it was only in the mid-70s that industrial psychologists focused their attention on the importance of stress in the workplace. â€Å"To serve and protect,† is the law enforcers’ motto as he works to accomplish the goals of his job which is primarily to provide protection to the citizens of his state. There accompanies with the work the kind of people whose shady and dark characters pursue the primary purposes in life which are to commit a crime and study ways to evade the long arm of the law. In policing work, stress is not underestimated but rather an important and critical aspect of the job (â€Å"it goes with the territory,† so to speak); stress comes in different forms. It is a given then, that police work is pictured as a form of service where the challenges are not the same as the regular kind of job; more so when the person is in active post or duty and expected to meet the most difficult types of experiences but usually on a regular basis. It is this scenario that this paper explores and presents to the reader the nuances of the job, the stresses a police officer regularly encounters, possible consequences on his personal and home life, as well as probable interventions. Significance of the study Two reasons are suggested why there was a growing recognition of the importance of stress on the job. First, there is the general awareness that stress-related diseases have reached epidemic proportions. More people die or are disabled today as a result of stress than at any other time. Because stress is so physically damaging and pervasive in people’s lives and because it is primarily psychological in nature the discipline of psychology as a whole and especially the specialty area of health psychology is interested in studying and treating stress and other psychosomatic disorders (Chang et al. 2006). The second reason for the growing awareness of the importance of stress at work is practical. The effects of stress on the job are costly and are reflected in a lower productive efficiency. Stress has been known to reduce drastically employee motivation and the physical ability to perform the task well thus, increasing absenteeism, turnover, and tardiness (Cahill 2003; Chang et al. 2006; Williams 2003). Statement of the Problem What is stress at work and how is this demonstrated in a particular individual worker like the police officer? What has personality trait or individual differences do with the development of stress as well as how do people cope with stress when the source is the place of work? This paper attempts to define, describe and explain the nature of stress, factors that contribute to the development of stress in an individual, and in particular what job stress or stress in the workplace can do to an individual. Discussion ~ The Nature of Stress Inside the body, dramatic physiological changes take place under stress. Adrenalin, released from the adrenal glands, speeds up all bodily functions. Blood pressure rises, heart rate increases, and extra sugar is released to the bloodstream. The increased circulation of the blood brings additional energy to the brain and muscles, making us more alert and stronger sp that we can cope with the sudden emergency (Landy 1985). A stressful situation mobilizes and directs one’s energy beyond its normal level. But if a person remains in that state of supercharged energy for too long, the body’s reservoir of energy will dissipate. Rest is needed to replenish the energy supply (Williams 2003). Prolonged stress leads to psychosomatic disorders. Remember that psychosomatic diseases are not imaginary. They are real and involve specific tissue and organ damage even though their cause is psychological. In prolonged stress, the body may suffer physiological damage and the person may become ill (Landy 1985). A. Individual Differences in Vulnerability to Stress One factor that affects vulnerability to stress on the job is social support, one’s network of social and family ties. The person who is alone physically and psychologically is more vulnerable to stress than someone who has strong social relationships. Social support on the job is also important to reduce stress and to have better health (Cahill 2003; Chang et al., 2006; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). One’s physical condition also relates to one’s vulnerability to stress effects. Persons in better physical condition suffer fewer effects of stress than those in poor physical condition (Cahill 2003; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Level of ability to perform a job can make people more or less resistant to the stresses of that job. Employees with a high level of the skills needed for the job finds the work easier and less stressful than employees with a lower ability (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Personality seems to be related to one’s ability to tolerate stress. This is particularly apparent with those of apparent with those of Type A and Type B personalities and their susceptibility to heart disease, one of the major effects of stress (Landy 1985). The Type A personality is highly prone to heart disease by middle age, independent of physical factors or their type of work. The two primary characteristics of a Type A personality are a very high competitive drive and a constant sense of urgency about time. Type A personalities are hostile people although they successfully hide it from others. That is why Type A personalities are always in a state if tension and stress (Landy 1985; Williams, 2003). Persons with the Type B personality never have heart attacks before the age of 70, regardless of their jobs or their eating and smoking habits. Type B people may be just as ambitious as Type A people, but they have none of their characteristics. They function under far less stress in all aspects of life including work (Landy 1985). B. Stress at work There are occupations that are considered very stressful. The following twelve are those that engender highest levels of stress: law enforcer, labourer, secretary, inspector, clinical lab technician, office manager, first-line supervisor, manager or administrator, waiter or waitress, machine operator, farm worker, miner, painter. This is taken from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Other occupations considered to be in high stress are the fire fighters, computer programmer, dental assistant, electrician, fire fighter, social worker, telephone operator, and hairdresser (Landy 1985). Survey is also found that among working women, the most stressful jobs are in the health care industry. For example, nurses, medical, dental, and lab technicians and social workers (Cahill 2001). Psychologists renamed the concept of overwork into the term overload and have identified two types: 1. Quantitative overload 2. Qualitative overload Quantitative overload is the condition of having too much work to do in the time available. Qualitative overload involves not so much work to do but work that is too difficult (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Another stress factor in the workplace is change. Many changes occur in the workplace. The introduction of a new work procedure may require employees to learn and adapt to different production methods (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Performance appraisal is a source of stress for a great many people. Few people like the idea of being evaluated whether at school or work. An employee’s role in the organization can be a source of stress. Role ambiguity arises when the employees’ work role is poorly structured and ill-defined. Role conflict arises when there is a disparity among the demands of a job and the employees, personal standard and values (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Problems of career development may lead to stress at work. Stress can arise when an employee fails to receive an anticipated promotion (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Being responsible for other people is a major source of difficulty for some supervisors and managers (Landy 985).   Contact with a stress carrier is also a cause of stress. A person free of stress can be infected by someone who is highly stressed (Landy 1985). Assembly-line work has been associated with stress because it is characterized by repetition and monotony (Landy 1985). Overall, then, each person must confront and deal with a large and recurring number of stress-producing events everyday both at home and at work. Although most people experience at least some of the harmful effects of stress at one time or another, most people, fortunately, do manage to cope (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). One effect of stress on the job resulting from overwork is called burnout. The employee becomes less energetic and less interested in the job. He or she becomes emotionally exhausted, apathetic, depressed, irritable, and bored; finds fault with everything about the work (Cahill 2003; Chang et al, 2006; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Figure 1.0 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Model of Job Stress (Source: NIOSH, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html) Burnout develops in three distinct stages: 1. Emotional exhaustion, with a feeling of being drained and empty (Cahill 2003; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). 2. Cynicism and the lack of sensitivity toward others (Cahill 2003; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). 3. Futility, the feeling that all the effort put forth previously was wasted and worthless (Cahill 2003; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Employees with burnout become rigid about their work, following rules and procedures blindly and compulsively because they are too exhausted to be flexible or consider alternative solutions to a problem (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). There is a price to pay for such overwork over a long period of time. Stress accumulates and leads to the psychological and physiological ailments described earlier. These people work so hard that they burn away their energy faster than the body can replace it. Such persons have been described as workaholics, or employees addicted to work (Cahill 2003; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Nature and Dangers of Police Work Studies done by Malloy and Mays (p 177 1984) point to the importance of understanding the kind of job that policing involves. The authors not only examined the stress levels within the workplace but a comparative study was made as well with the amount of stress experienced by law enforcement officers and other workers in other organizations or institutions particularly in government entities. The findings show that few jobs can equal the kind of stress that police work entails; fire fighters may come close though the frequency of negative or distressful events or occurrences become a regular fare for law enforcers contributing to the overall danger and threat to their personal well-being. Reports of suicide or attempted suicide have reportedly been high despite increasing awareness to the stresses of the job (Brown 2008). Symptoms may be there already but the few people close to the person refuse to recognize or identify the signs. These include irritability, lowered sex drive, digestive upsets, fatigue, muscle aches like backaches, insomnia or restlessness, overeating or drinking too much, muscle tics or rashes, a pounding heart, headaches and light-headedness may be evident on the individual. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or mental health issues can be some of the effects when prolonged stress is experienced and may even affect the immune system’s ability to protect the person’s body from everyday illnesses. Because an officer regularly deals with stress and anguish experienced by people they meet on the job, emotions can easily be bottled up, or set aside and compromise one’s health or in many instances, affect the officer’s ability to deal with the issues and problems in his own personal and family life.   Studies self-management skills program for the police officers show that there is a great difference when police officers go through programs that help them understand the emotional upheavals that go with the job. There was the reduction of signs and symptoms of imminent distress or physical and psychological manifestations of stress (McCraty et al 1999). Other techniques specifically used in other studies make use of films as tools to help debrief these individuals (Mann 1973 p 63). C. Interventions and organizational techniques The techniques for dealing with stress on the job involved both the prevention of stress and its reduction and elimination. Techniques that individual employees can practice on and off the job include relaxation training, biofeedback, and behavior modification. Some methods provided by organization include altering the organizational climate, providing employee assistance programs and treating victims of stress-related illnesses (Cahill, 2003; Landy, 1985; Williams, 2003). Industrial/organizational psychologists have proposed several organizational techniques for managing stress at work especially with police work: 1. Emotional Climate Control. Because of the stressors of modern organizational life is change, the organization must provide sufficient support to enable employees to adapt to change. This can be accomplished by providing a climate of esteem and regard for employees and by allowing them to participate in all decisions involving change in their work and in the structure of the organization (Chang et al. 2006; Landy 1985; Williams 2003). 2. Provision of social support. Social support can reduce one’s vulnerability to stress. Organizations can enhance social support by facilitating the cohesiveness of work groups and by training the supervisors to be supportive of their subordinates (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). 3. Redefinition of employee roles. To reduce the stress caused by role ambiguity, managers must clearly state to their subordinates what is expected of them and what the precise scope and responsibilities of their jobs are (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). 4. Elimination of work overload and work underload. Proper selection and training, equitable promotion decisions and fair distribution of work can do much to eliminate these causes of stress. 5. Provision of assistance to stressed employees. More and more organizations today are recognizing the harmful effects that stress can have on employee health and productivity. As a result, they are providing in-house counseling programs that teach individual stress-control techniques and supplying facilities for physical exercise (Landy 1985; Williams 2003). Some stress is necessary for normal functioning. The nervous system apparently needs a certain amount of stimulation to function properly. But stress that is too intense or prolonged can have destructive physiological and psychological effects. The actions of autonomic nervous system that prepare the organism for emergency can, if prolonged lead to such physical disorders as ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Severe stress can also impair the organisms’ immune responses, decreasing its ability to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. It is estimated that more than half of all medical problems are believed to be related to emotional stress. Psychosomatic disorders such as allergies, migraine, headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers and even acne are among the illnesses that are related to emotional stress (Hilgard, et al., 1983). Conclusion Frustrations occur when progress toward a goal is blocked or delayed and when two motives conflict, satisfaction of one leads to the blocking of the other. For as long as a human individual is alive and functioning in whatever milieu he is in, these forces are at work, often straining and draining him. Coping and defense strategies oftentimes become indispensable but later become debilitating for most if no longer controlled and regulated. The severity of stress depends on the situation’s predictability, the potential for control, the individual’s cognitive evaluation, his feelings of competency, and the presence of social supports (Halonen and Santrock, 1996). Works Cited: Atkinson, R.L., R.C. Atkinson, E.E. Smith, D.J. Bem, and S. Nolen-Hoeksema, Introduction to Psychology, 13th ed. (1993). New York: Harcourt College Publishers. Brown, Hal. Introduction to Police Stress. Accessed February 27, 2008 Cahill, C. A. 2001. Women and stress. In Annual Review of Nursing Research, 19, 229-249. Chang, E. M., Daly, J., Hancock, K.M., Bidewell, J. W., Johnson, A., Lambert, V. A., & Lambert, C. E. 2006. The Relationships Among Workplace Stressors, Coping Methods, Demographic Characteristics, and Health in Australian Nurses. Journal of Professional Nursing, 22(1), 30-38. Landy, F.J. 1985. Psychology of Work Behavior. 3rd Ed. Dorsey Press. Malloy, Thomas E., G. Larry Mays. â€Å"The Police Stress Hypothesis: A critical evaluation. Criminal Justice and Behavior. 11 (1984): 197-224. Sauter, Steven, et al., â€Å"Stress at Work† NIOSH publication. Retrieved December 20, 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html Williams, C. 2003. Stress at Work. Canadian Social Trends, Autumn, 7-13. Halonen, J.S. and J.W. Santrock. 1996. Psychology: Contexts of behavior, Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark, p.810. Hilgard, ER, RR Atkinson, and RC Atkinson, 1983. Introduction to Psychology. 7th ed., New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, Inc. Mann, Philip A. â€Å"Stress Training.† In Psychological Consultation with a Police Department: A Demonstration of Cooperative Training in Mental Health, by Philip Mann, 62-64. Springfield Illinois; Charles C, Tomas, (1973). McCraty, Rollin, Dana Tomasino, Mike Atkinson, Joseph Sundram. â€Å"Impact of the HeartMath Self-Management Skills Program on Physiological and Psychological Stress in Police Officers.† Institute of HeartMath, Publication No. 99-075. Boulder Creek, CA. (1999). Morris, Charles G. & Albert Maisto, 1999. Understanding Psychology. 4th ed. Prentice Hall, Inc. P. 73.

Importance of employee performance management Essay

Importance of employee performance management - Essay Example 72). â€Å"Given the current challenges of the economic climate and high rates of unemployment, performance management and employee evaluation is likely to remain a hot topic† (Gliddon, 2004 cited in Newman, 2008, p. 172). In simple words, performance management of employees is a process of getting the most out of employees. In order to achieve this, organizations need to work on a range of factors that include but are not limited to employees’ motivation, continued learning, skill improvement, allocation of right jobs to the right people, fostering teamwork, and providing the employees with an environment where they can thrive with their capabilities. Performance management has probably never been as important in the organizational context as it is today since the workplace is more dynamic than ever before with new kinds of technology surfacing and being integrated into the work setup so frequently. Managers in the contemporary age not only face the challenge of keepin g updated with the latest advancements of technology and integrating them into the workplace, but they also have to take the required measures to enable the employees to make effective use of those technologies. This makes it a continuous process with great margin of trial and error, requiring great knowledge and experience to handle the intricate issues with respect to performance management. â€Å"If you are a manager, the progress principle holds clear implications for where to focus your efforts. It suggests that you have more influence than you may realize over employees’ well-being, motivation, and creative output. Knowing what serves to catalyze and nourish progress—and what does the opposite—turns out to be the key to effectively managing people and their work† (Amabile and Kramer, 2011). Discussion Why is performance management important? Performance management of employees in an organization derives its importance from the fact that it is a way to reinforce the decisions related to organizational personnel like those related to transfer, promotion, compensation and reward, training and skill development, planning of human resources, and development of the organization as a whole (Bhattacharyya, 2011, p. 58). The level to which each of these factors is considered important may vary from one organization to another but all of these factors govern the performance of employees in any organization. Besides the primary importance of the different factors in different organizations, performance management strengthens the relationship between the management and the subordinates, and improves motivation and flow of communication in the organization, thus improving its overall performance. From the perspective of human capital, performance management plays a very important role in the development of the human capital of an organization (Smither and London, 2009). The importance of performance management of employees in the organizat ions is elaborated with the help of some case studies below: Case Study 1 One of the prime motivations behind conducting performance reviews is eradication of bad performers from the organization. This is a case in which performance management helped in the identification and weeding out of a bad leader. Usually organizations tell their managers to establish a paper trial to justify the termination of an employee that is deemed a poor performer. In such cases,