Managing the Work Environment Essay

The job of managing the work environment is a very important one. Human resources managers must consider several things when maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. There are many laws that regulate things that impact an employee’s safety, health, and happiness. But more than that, an organization should provide things concerning safety, comfort, and health for ethical reasons. An organization will likely have more productive employees if they provide a safe and comfortable work environment. It is very important to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for many reasons. One of the big reasons is, it is simply the right thing to do. An employer should always send their employer should always send their employee’s home in the same condition they come to work in every day. The practice of safety also brings finances to the table. A safe environment impacts a project’s bottom line both directly and indirectly. The cost associated with incidents, including lost costs, worker’s comp claims, insurance costs and legal fees are minimized in a safe work environment. The indirect costs of incidents include; the loss of productivity that occurs when people turn their attention to the incident and absences associated with safety incidents. On the other hand; a safe work environment boosts employee morale, which in turn, increases productivity, efficiency, and profit margins. When employees feel they have a good, safe work environment they feel like they ca n make a difference. Safety hazards are conditions in the work environment that have the potential to cause harm to an employee. Health hazards are characteristics of the work environment that more slowly and systematically, and perhaps cumulatively, result in damage to an employee’s health. An example of a safety hazard might be a poorly connected string of wiring that might result in electrical shock to an employee. An example of a health hazard could be a continuous and ongoing exposure to chemicals that may increase the risk of cancer. Occupational safety and health act. (OSHA) 1970. This law regulates organizations and may issue fines to organizations not in compliance. Hours at work, illumination, and temperature, office and work space design are all factors that impact the employee. All human being are subject to circadian rhythms, which tell our bodies when to eat and sleep. This rhythm is very difficult to establish for employees who work very long hours or rotating shifts. These types of working hours cause fatigue and increase the risk of accidents on the job. Lighting has proven to impact an employee’s attitude. Considerable evidence shows that extreme temperatures (in either direction) can affect both attitudes and decision making on the job. Another factor that has been shown to improve mood and productivity is music. Employees tend to be in much better moods when allowed access to a stereo at work. Stress is a person’s adaptive response to a stimulus that places excessive physical or psychological demands on him or her. The stimuli that cause stress are called stressors. Four general sets of organizational stressors are task demands, physical demands, role demands, and interpersonal demands. By nature some jobs are more stressful than others. For example; a surgeon’s position is more stressful than a general practitioner’s position. Stress within the work environment can impact an employee’s health. Overload is a task demand stressor. This is when there is more work to complete than can be handled. One thing that can impact the stress factors is an organization providing a wellness program. The program sometimes includes employee assistant programs which may offer psychologist for the employee to talk to. This is helpful because it is usually free of charge. A wellness program in the work environment provides many benefits to their employees. Wellness programs can help their employees deal with stress by offering gym memberships that provide physical exercise. The idea behind the wellness program is to prevent illness rather than just paying for it after it happens. A well designed wellness program can include counseling services for emotional stress. Employees report an overall widespread feeling of health when allowed to participate in a wellness program. Another benefit of the wellness program saves the company money on employee absences and lost time from other things that a wellness program catches before it causes lost time from work. Employees benefit from health assessments that catch problems with their health before it is a major concern. For example; blood pressures are regularly monitored, weight checked, and cholesterol regularly checked. Some organizations offer cheaper insurance premiums for employees that participate in a wellness program. This type of benefit is a win-win. In conclusion, there are many things to consider when providing a work environment. An employee’s safety, health, and comfort impacts finances of the organization, and the health of the employee. An organization that provides a safe and healthy work environment is likely to retain good productive employees. Health costs are usually less, and turnovers are experienced less often within a safe work environment. With OSHA having requirements that organizations must comply with, companies are likely to provide safety to avoid paying a penalty or fine. Besides being compliant, organizations will most likely want to do this because it’s the right thing to do.

A Reflection in Learning Essay

Introduction I am a registered nurse of twenty years of experience. After graduated from my three-year training in a nursing school, I had been worked in an intensive care unit (ICU) and a pulmonary unit of a public hospital. Now I am working in a non-government organization serving the mentally disabled. No matter which specialty I am working in or how senior I am, I found learning being crucial for professional competence, job satisfaction and personal growth. In this paper, I would like to reflect critically on my experience of learning in nursing with reference to relevant learning theories. Learning in workplace At the time when I started to work as a registered nurse in a new workplace after graduation from nursing school there was no structured orientation program like nowadays. As an enthusiastic beginner with an imminent need, my motivation to learn was very high. I clutched every opportunity to observe how other colleagues perform, to ask questions proactively and to study references from ward manuals and books by myself. In addition, the colleagues were willing to teach and finally I was able to meet the requirement of my new role quickly and smoothly. Formal learning With about a year of experience, I started attending formal in-service training courses. I was assigned to attend trainings of the specialty I was working with and some core management skills. Nevertheless, I got little satisfaction but I did not know the reasons at that time until I was studying my bachelor’s degree program and was promoted to Nursing Officer later on. As a new Nursing Officer I had to deal with a lot of problems which I had not come across before but some issues were the topics that I was studying at that time. I then tried to apply the knowledge and theories into practice. Not only could the knowledge solve my problems, but also the application of theories had enhanced my learning. I realized that putting theories into practice make the learning and working effective and interesting and vice versa. I felt the sense of satisfaction of learning by then. Advanced academic learning I started to pursue a master’s degree program last September. My motivation for advanced academic learning is both extrinsic and intrinsic. The academic requirement for professional nurse is increasing now and I need to upgrade myself so as to be synchronized with the pace of professional development. Academic study has made me more knowledgeable, more critical and more assertive. Moreover, the qualification enhanced my self-confidence directly. The program is actually imposing great pressure on me that I need to struggle for a balanced life between work, family and study. In order to up keep my motivation in learning, I tried hard to make the study more interesting and pragmatic by integrating theories into practice, sharing and discussing with colleagues as much as possible. Social learning My learning experience in the workplace when I was newly qualified was a kind of social learning which Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, Bern, and Hilgard (1990) described as learning by watching the behaviors and the consequences of others. Social learning is a human instinct and we learn by it consciously or unconsciously. When I was a newly qualified nurse, the need to learn was immediate. I consciously went into the learning process of attention, retention, reproduction, and also motivation. If the displayed behavior was perceived favorable to me, my motivation was particularly high. It was because of my active participation and my self-directed learning, I had a good learning outcome at that stage. Quinn (2001) believed that the quality of the model influence the result of learning. I am always aware of my behavior when I become a senior nurse, need to act as a preceptor or a mentor and especially when I have become the ward-in-charge which Fretwell and Melia (as cited in Hand, 2006) f ound to have an exceptional strong influence on colleagues in their studies. The reinforcement of the displayed behaviors has influence on individual’s motivation to reproduce the behavior. To ensure a favorable learning outcome, I intentionally give positive reinforcement for favorable behavior and negative reinforcement for unfavorable behavior. I value social learning because it is much safer than trial and error in clinical practice and it is a natural way to learn. Reflection and critical reflection From time to time, malpractices happen in every workplace. It is important for persistent reflections to improve nursing qualities. Reflection being described by Raelin (2002) is the practice of standing back to examine the meanings of things happen around us. Reflection helps to identify malpractice and makes improvement accordingly. By reflection, nurses identify areas for improvement and improve their â€Å"quality† as models. Besides, reflection makes us more receptive to the alternatives of reasoning and behaving (Raelin,2001). There is critical reflection which is a deeper and broader type of reflection and is a collective action to enhance organizational learning and change (Gray, 2007). Furthermore, it encourages learning at a more profound and transformative level (Mezirow, 1990). Now I have established the habit of periodical reflection and I am striving to achieve appropriate critical reflection. Critical reflection involves questioning long-established believes and attitudes but may lead to resentment of the staffs. It has to be carried out skillfully at appropriate time. I discovered that the practice of critical reflection would be more receptive if it is done immediately after a critical incidence. Andragogy A part of my learning journey had contradicted to andragogy. Knowles (1990) recognized that adults learn best when they are self-directed and assume responsibility for their learning. He also expounded the following six assumptions of andragogy: 1. Adults need to know the reason to learn. 2. Adults have a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions and need to have a self-directed learning. 3. Adults come to learn with rich experiences which are the foundation and resources for learning. 4. Adults are more ready to learn if there is a need to learn. 5. Adults’ orientation to learn is problem-centered. 6. Adults are responsive to external motivators and respond better to internal motivators. When going to formal professional trainings, I was assigned to attend some management workshops and lectures when I had only two or three years of experience. At that stage my job duty and responsibility did not include management and I was not interested in it either. So I did not know why I had to learn management. The knowledge I had learnt could not be applied into practice. Actually I was not ready to learn management at that time. It was not self-directed. I am sure that these learning would have been more fruitful if they were arranged when I needed to assist in ward management or if I had at that time a long term perspective of seeing the need to take up a management role one day. Then when I attended the ICU courses, many of the course contents could not be practiced in my hospital which was a rehabilitation hospital that the ICU was small and did not provide care as â€Å"intensive† as other large acute hospitals. A point I had to admit is that my attitude of learning at that time was passive and dependent. After attending a course or a lecture, I could actually discuss with the ward in-charge and give new ideas but I had not done so. My learning at that stage had several points contradicted to andragogy and was the reason why I did not feel satisfied with all that learning. Having got such experience, now when I do training and development plan for my staffs, I usually discuss with them about their needs and preferences. If they need to take some mandatory sessions as required by the hospital, I must make sure they know the reasons. When I coach or mentor new staffs or clinical placement students in my workplace, I would emphasis why they need to learn those things I showed to them. After my colleagues attending a course or a lecture, I usually ask them what they have learnt and encourage them to put theory into practice. Learning style Honey and Mumford (as cited in Penger and Tekavcic, 2009) categorized learning styles into four types as pragmatist, activist, reflector and theorist. My learning style can be described as pragmatist or activist. I enjoy trying new ways and test their practicability in work. I appreciate knowledge and theories that can be put into practice and solve problems. I understand that the characteristics of a reflector being favorable to listen, think and evaluate thoroughly and the characteristics of a theorist loves to see things globally are as valuable as other styles. Now I am trying to further develop my learning style because as remarked by Astin, Closs and Hughes (2006), no one learning style is regarded as the best and it is beneficial to use all four learning styles. From my point of view, different learning style is advantageous to different focus or context of learning. If the focus of learning is to acquire a hands-on skill, activist and pragmatist are more advantageous. If the focus of learning is to understand a phenomenon or a theory, reflector and theorist are more advantageous. Therefore, developing learning styles beyond our dominant types can strengthen our ability to learn. Conclusions This article reviews my learning experience in nursing. Starting with informal learning in workplace, then proceeding to formal in-service education and academic learning, I was being highly pragmatic and my orientation to learn can be explained by andragogy. I value social learning, reflection and critical reflection. My experience has impacted on my style of mentoring and coaching in clinical practice. I am striving to further develop myself to think more proactively and globally which is essential for on-going learning. References Astin, F., Closs, S.J. & Hughes, N. (2006). The self-reported learning style preferences of female Macmillan clinical nurse specialists. Nurse Education Today, 26, 475-483. Atkinson, R., Atkinson, C., Smith E., Bern D., & Hilgard, E. (1990). Introduction to psychology (10th ed.). San Diego, California: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Gray, D. E. (2007). Facilitating management learning: Developing critical reflection through reflective tools. Management Learning, 38 (5), 495-517. Hand, H. (2006). Promoting effective teaching and learning in the clinical setting. Nursing Standard, 20 (39), 55-63. Knowles, M.S. (1990). The adult learner: A neglected species (4th ed.). Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing. Mezirow, J.(1990). How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. In J. Mezirow (Ed.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning (pp.1-20). San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass. Penger, S. & Tekavcic, M. (2009). Testing Dunn & Dunn’s and Honey & Mumford’s learning style: The case of the Slovenian higher education system. Journal of Contemporary Management Issues, 4 (2), 1-20. Quinn, F.M. (2001). Principles and practice of nurse education (4th ed.). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Raelin, J.A. (2001). Public reflection as the basis of learning. Management Learning, 32 (1): 11-30. Raelin, J.A. (2002). â€Å"I don’t have time to think† versus the art of reflective practice. Reflections, 4 (1): 66-75.

Corporate Social Resposibilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate Social Resposibilities - Essay Example An intriguing observation regarding the ongoing debate about CSR reveals that the concept has been a topic of discussion for the past 75 years (Babiak 2013; p.35). This view postulates that scholars and analysts are yet to discover common ground on the concept which establishes the fact that corporate social responsibility still poses several questions and dilemmas which are yet to be resolved. Drawing from this understanding, the purpose of this essay is to analyze the factors and reasons which contribute towards the establishment of CSR as a contested concept. As stated previously, the contestability of the notion not only exists in the implementation and execution of the concept but is also observable in its foundations such as its meanings, significance and definitions. Henceforth, the scope of this essay focuses on the practice of CSR in its entirety and why the notion is termed as a contested concept. ... For example, while one organization may perceive the provisions of the concept in terms of its legal implications or liabilities, other businesses may view the stipulations of the concept in terms of ethical obligations or simply associate CSR with measures such as charity, donations and philanthropic efforts (Okoye 2009; p.613). The aforementioned example can be examined on the basis of the continuum of social responsibility strategies which outlines the degree of social responsibility on a scale of low to high. In accordance with this continuum the contestability of CSR can be comprehended by conducting a comparison between accommodation and proaction such that companies which initiate CSR strategies as a response to external forces supposedly perceive the concept as a legal obligation in accordance with the view presented by Okoye (2009; p.613) while, businesses following the strategy of proaction take the initiative of adopting a comprehensive framework of CSR by viewing the conc ept as a comprehensive measure which encompasses legal, social and ethical responsibility. The observations of this discussion are also reflected in the research which has been conducted by Shamir (2004; p.635) whose examination of the voluntary and self-reliant models of CSR provides a guideline for analyzing the factors which have contributed towards the establishment of CSR as a contested concept. Shamir (2004; p.635) understands that corporate actions for defining corporate social responsibility in recent years has been marked by a relentless effort â€Å"†¦to shape the notion of and practice of CSR as an essentially voluntary and nonenforceable issue.† This view postulates that organizations today hold the

Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Questions - Assignment Example The opening is to permit the channel of urine plus menstrual blood. Although women have to undergo this rite, they remain not socially recognized in the community. They must remain socially, sexually, as well as physically weak than the men. Although the Sudanese recognize the difference in sexes, display of the difference observable through distinctions in their abilities. The women should display fewer abilities than men should. During the time for circumcision, the female organs remain covered whereas for male the organs might be open (Erickson 314). Five Sexes Revisted_Fausto-Sterling There are different theories explaining the sex systems in human beings. Researchers such as Chase and Fausto-Sterling have made a significant contribution in establishing these sexes. A part from the commonly known sexes, that is, male and female, there are three other sexes identified. Herm is one of the extra sexes. It includes people born having both testis and ovaries, Merms including people wi th testes and, some characteristics of female genitals, and finally Ferms having ovaries though some male genital characteristics are evident. Research shows that about four percent of the registered births show intersexual results. Treatment of this abnormality is possible by undergoing surgery, but the scars remain (Erickson 317). What"s the political issue about space in the Nationalist Rhetoric of the Hellenic Republic, and the Republic of Macedonia ? Hellenic foreign policy has a number of issues such as complains in Aegian and the Eastern part of Mediterranean by Turkey, the dispute over what name to give to the earlier known Yugoslav to Republic of Macedonia and their relationship with U.S.A. Greece has continued rejecting the naming of its northern bordering country as â€Å"Republic of Macedonia† or Macedonia. The government of Greek has insisted that the name not worth granted due to lack of qualification. The government insists that its neighbor must continue using the old name until it qualifies. Another point of objection is due to the historic and defensive issues and the vagueness between the three names: â€Å"Republic of Macedonia†, ancient kingdom and finally, Greek region. These three words have differing Greek meanings. The crisis has broadened to the extent of attracting attention of mediators like United Nations. What are the political implications of space for indigenous people ? Although there have been no agreement so far on the name to use, the U.N member countries have agreed to honor the effect of the negotiations in process. A good thing to note from this crisis is the fact that the dispute has not affected the bilateral relations between countries. The countries continue enjoying close trade in all the investment levels. There are many political talks and several academic debates about the issue on the two sides. This gives us hope that there will be an agreement between the mentioned countries. A political science b ased research aimed at giving foundations to the indigenous people indicates their implications due to space. The case study area was Latin America with a wide area of disciplines studied. The space in liberty of expression has opened up the minds of many people. The advantages of social movements are evident. In order to have a broader view on the study areas, and improve on knowledge, a wider selection of cases is necessary for them to be involved in the

Qualitive Critique Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Qualitive Critique - Article Example However, as mentioned above that non probability sampling is more visible in the text, thus is applied the method seems apt for the study. f) Nothing specific about the demographic characteristics have been mentioned, apart from the fact that the profession chosen by respondents is ‘nursing’. No information regarding income, age, gender differentiation as such is provided. i) Yes the potential sampling biases have been identified, segregating the same into different concepts of manifest and latent content. However no exact biasness for selecting particular group of nurses has been mentioned. a) The research clearly defines the kind of data collected from respondents that includes ‘the images of the nursing profession’ and ‘the reasons for choosing nursing as a profession’. The data was collected through respondent’s interaction during classroom session; the respondent himself collected the data at the college level in the classroom. Exact time and date of the data collected is not mentioned though in the study. a) The research lacks a grounded platform as no signs of data collection methods have been indicated. Detailed description of data collection method is not evident from the analysis done, however a slight mention of narrative gathered through respondents is made in the study. b) In this study surely data analysis technique is focused but no details regarding data collection method is cited. The research questions are qualitative in nature, but the testing of the data collection tool, that is whether it is through questionnaire or observation or interview method cannot be defended. c) Certainly a physiological method would have been of great help in this study specifically where narrative strategy is used for data analysis and the author has also attached a self report defining the procedure in which the content analysis was undertaken. d) As such no particular

Baroque Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Baroque Art - Essay Example . The Roman Catholic Church endorsed the Baroque style because of the vitality and emotions that it could bring to the church. However, Baroque style was not just limited to the church; it was used in everyday life. Baroque style paintings were overly exaggerated and showed serious events in life. In terms of Baroque sculptures, Bernini was the most famous Baroque style architect. Baroque architecture stressed importance on domes and columns within a structure. Baroque theatre brought the viewing experience into a whole new era. The stage became much more of a focal point and would constantly change to fit the scene on hand. Many Baroque elements from the theatre are still in use today. Baroque literature gave importance to man and his role within the world. Music of the era relied upon the use of ground bass. Some famous Baroque composers were Handel and J.S. Bach. After the Baroque era, the Classical era came along. Music from this era was much less complex than that of the Baroque era and a variety of melodies and rhythms were used. In Classical orchestras, the music pieces were composed of smaller parts and did not place reliance upon an individual instrument as an the Baroque era. The Baroque genre originated out of Italy in the early 1600’s and spread throughout the rest of Europe. There were many different forms of Baroque in paintings, sculptures, architecture, literature, philosophy, and music. The Baroque genre is distinctive for evoking emotions in those who show an interest in it.

Food production and urban living with key challenges Essay - 1

Food production and urban living with key challenges - Essay Example This essay discusses that If thoughtfully implemented, community-based sustainable initiatives can open new doors of opportunities for women (IAASTD, 2009, p2). Women’s involvement in agricultural production ranges from 20 to 70% globally; their participation is rising in many developing countries, especially because of the popularization of export-oriented farming. Although such developments have benefited women, the still larger proportion of rural women faces deteriorating health and work environment because of a number of factors like low education, etc. A policy that takes into account interest of women while formulating sustainable agriculture can be very effective.In Canada, agriculture is a $50-billion-a-year industry, employing directly and indirectly 14% of Canada’s workforce and contributing about one-third of the nation’s trade surplus. According to IAASTD, the commitment of the government in implementing any project is of vital significance. In North America in particular, implementation of sustainable development would require mobilizing citizens and states to empower all forms of community capital. If sustainable community- based initiatives are applied creatively with the active involvement of stakeholders, misuse of natural resource can be reversed, leading to the judicious use of water bodies, land, and ecosystem as a whole. Any long-term strategy for sustainable development would require linking the ‘three pillars’ of ‘sustainable development,’ namely ‘economic, environmental, and social.’

Role of the FBI in the United States Criminal Justice System Research Paper

Role of the FBI in the United States Criminal Justice System - Research Paper Example Moreover, the FBI may also conduct investigations abroad but only if possible and if permitted by the government of the country in which it will conduct its investigation. The main concern of the FBI and the core of its mission is providing â€Å"criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners† (â€Å"Overview,† 2012). This means that the role of the FBI encompasses and overlaps that of any law enforcement agency of the United States provided such a case is of a federal or national concern. The history of FBI began in July 1908 when then Attorney General Charles Bonaparte called for a small group of investigators that will report directly to the Department of Justice. This small group became known as the Bureau of Investigation or the BOI, and the first types of cases handled by the BOI included land fraud, copyright violations, prostitution, auto theft and other less serious crimes. In World War I, President Woodrow Wilson ordered the BOI to include among its tasks he investigations of possible espionage, sedition and sabotage. In 1924, when the BOI was under Director John Edgar Hoover, there was intensive demand for strict professionalism within the organization and this system of discipline has been implemented until now. In 1935, the BOI was renamed as the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI, and it was then that its tasks included the investigation of kidnapping cases and the new provision provided for FBI officials to carry weapons and make arrests. In the 195 0s, the FBI became very active in the suppression and control of riots and organized crimes during the Civil Rights Movement. However, it was only in 1995, after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, that the FBI began its work against domestic and international terrorism for the purpose of national security of the United States. In December 2004, the DI or Directorate

Method of Data Analysis Essay Example for Free

Method of Data Analysis Essay The researcher made use of SPSS version 15. 0 to be able to compute for the statistics required. For the degree of importance and actual performance of Body Shop, the descriptive statistics of means, standard deviations, and frequency distributions were generated. The Pearson product moment correlation coeffiecients were likewise computed; the bigger is the magnitude of the r-value, the stronger is the relationship between two variables. The sign denotes the direction of the relationship – that is, whether they are directly or inversely proportional (Salkind 2000). 3. 1 Conclusion. The present study purposively selected 150 respondents for its telephone interviews. Secondary data were the basis for the literature review and the design of the questionnaire. The latter was both face and content validated. 5 respondents were used to pilot test the instrument to ensure clarity of questions. SPSS 15. 0 was used for the statistical computations. ? Chapter 4 Results and Discussion 4. 1 Introduction This chapter presents the statistical results gathered from the survey questionnaires, and a substantive discussion of these results, culling from the literature in Chapter 2. 4. 2 Results Table 2. Gender: Frequency and Percentage Breakdown. The table shows that all of the respondents were female, accounting for 100% of the sample. Table 3. Age: Frequency and Percentage Breakdown. When asked about their age, majority of the respondets (42. 7%) answered that they were between 21-25 years old. This is followed by the 26-30 years old category (36. 0%); 31-35 years old at 10. 7%; then by 20 years old and 35-40 years old both at 5. 3% Table 4. Have You Purchased a Body Shop Product in the Past 12 Months? All of the respondents likewise expressed that they have purchased at least one Body Shop product over the past 12 months. Table 5. Means and Standard Deviations: Importance of Factors which Affect Cosmetic Product Choice. When asked to rate the importance of the factors that affect their choice of cosmetic products, the items were rated as follows, in descending order: the degree to which the product is environment-friendly (X= 4. 52, sd=. 59); the customer service of the store personnel (X=4. 32, sd=. 65); the sales promotions used for the product (X=4. 31, sd=.65); the values espoused by the company who sells the product (X=4. 16, sd=. 67); Having a globally renowned brand name (X= 4. 16, sd=. 59); trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product (X= 4. 11, sd=. 64); recommendations or positive feedback I garner from my friends, family and acquaintances (X=4. 05, sd=. 68); competitive price of the product (X= 4. 05, sd=. 61); the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial (X=4. 00, sd=. 66); quality of the products (X=3. 88, sd=. 71); the convenience of going to the store location (X=3. 84, sd=.59); the variety of product offerings in the store (X= 3. 59, sd=. 59); Attractiveness of the packaging (X=3. 21, sd=. 52); information on the product’s label (X=3. 17, sd=. 80); and media advertisements of the product (X=2. 73, sd=. 86). Table 6. Means and Standard Deviations: Actual Performance of Factors which Affect Cosmetic Product Choice. On the other hand, when the respondents were asked to rate the actual performance of Body Shop through the same factors, the following are the results in descending order: the degree to which the product is environment-friendly (X=4.57, sd=. 49); The customer service of the store personnel (X=4. 48, sd=. 60); the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial (X=4. 37, sd=. 58); the values espoused by the company who sells the product (X=4. 37, sd=. 67); having a globally renowned brand name (X=4. 20, sd=. 69); quality of the products (X=4. 14, sd=. 74); recommendations or positive feedback I garner from my friends, family and acquaintances (X=4. 11, sd=. 78); the sales promotions used for the product (X=4. 05, sd=. 75); the convenience of going to the store location (X=3. 94, sd=.60); Trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product (X=3. 90, sd=. 72); the variety of product offerings in the store (X=3. 79, sd=. 52); competitive price of the product (X=3. 63, sd=. 70); attractiveness of the packaging (X=3. 58, sd=. 49); information on the product’s label (X=3. 36, sd=. 66); and media advertisements of the product (X=2. 73, sd=. 85). Table 7. 1 Paired Means and Standard Deviations of Factors. Table 7. 2. T-test Results of Pairwise Comparisons of Importance and Actual Performance. The following pairwise comparisons are significant at the . 01 level: Quality of the products (t=-5. 92, p=. 00), the customer service of the store personnel (t=-3. 85, p=. 00); the variety of product offerings in the store (t=-6. 23, p=. 00); the convenience of going to the store location (t=-4. 07, p=. 00); attractiveness of the packaging (t=-7. 69, p=. 00); the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial (t=-6. 12, p=. 00); the values espoused by the company who sells the product (X=4. 37, sd=. 00). In all these items, Body Shop has exceeded the degree of importance attached by the respondent on the factor. In contrast, the following factors are those in which Body Shop did not quite meet client expectations based on the degree of importance they have assigned to each: competitive price of the product (t=8. 66, p=. 00); trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product (t=3. 73, p=. 00); and the sales promotions used for the product (t=3. 98, p=. 00). There are no significant differences on the following items: brand (t=-. 816, p=. 416); the degree to which the product is environment friendly (1. 465, p=. 145); and positive feedback garnered from significant others (t=-1.070, p=. 287). These suggest that Body Shop has met expectations of the respondents based on the degree of importance they have attached to each factor. Table 8. Correlations among Patronage of Environmental Friendly Products, Social Responsibility of a Company, Patronage of Products and Companies that Care for the Environment, and Overall Satisfaction on Body Shop. The correlation results show that patronage of Body Shop products because of their being environment friendly is significantly correlated with their being a socially responsible company (r=. 397, p=.00). This means that patronage of Body Shop products increases as well with positive perceptions of their company as being socially responsible. Moreover, such patronage is also positively and significantly correlated with their expressed support for companies that espouse care for the environment (r=. 533, p=. 00). None of the statements were significantly related to overall satisfaction of Body Shop products, which suggests that there are other determinants of satisfaction apart from espousing environment friendliness and corporate social responsibility.

Educational Psychology study Essay Example for Free

Educational Psychology study Essay The study was done by Penny Clunies-Ross, Emma Little and Mandy Kienhuis, (2008). It is titled ‘Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior’. The study was done with primary school teachers in Australia and examined the teachers’ self-report on the behavior management strategies that they use in the classroom and how these affect their stress level and the students’ behavior. The literature reviewed for this study discussed research done in four areas which were used as the theoretical base for the study. One is the level of disruptive behavior in schools. The second is the teacher stress and its causes. Third is the relationship between the two. And fourth is the type of classroom strategies that teachers use which are categorized as proactive and reactive. The proactive strategies have been described as a more positive approach that is preventive. The reactive strategies are more negative and remedial. The proactive strategies have been found to be more effective. This study therefore aims to â€Å"investigate the relationship between primary school teachers’ self-reported and actual use of management strategies, and to identify how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behavior†. The hypothesis was that using reactive strategies would result in higher levels of teacher stress and lower on-task behavior of the students. Also that using proactive strategies would result in lower levels of teacher stress and higher on-task behavior of the students. The sample was obtained by contacting principals of the schools. First convenience sampling was used, and then random phone calls to ensure that five schools from each district in Melbourne were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires to all teachers and observations of those who volunteered to participate. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS. In general the results showed that hypothesis one was supported while hypothesis two was not supported. The study was generally well done. The literature review was comprehensive and discussed a wide range of studies from as early as 1986 to 2003, showing the range of research on the topic over the period of time. It was also well organized into sections. The sampling technique was straightforward. Persisting until each district was represented by five schools was good. However the final sample was ninety seven participants from twenty one schools. This means an average of less than five teachers from each school. It may have been better to have surveyed fewer schools but more teachers from each school. The culture of the school often affects teacher stress so that the small number of teachers from a large number of schools may not be reflective of the levels and causes of stress in any one of the schools. The effect of the classroom management strategies used in one school may not completely relate to the teacher stress at that school. The results were analyzed as one sample, rather than analysis by school. Therefore there is no examination of whether the difference in school culture, (if in fact any differences exist) affected the study. However, the study did an analysis of the multivariate effects of gender, level of qualifications and years of teaching experience and found that they were not predictors of teacher stress. These are important variables to include as possible effectors of teacher stress. The study presented a lot of detail on the sample and the materials. However there should have been more detail on the procedure- how exactly were the observations set up and carried out. The report only says â€Å"After the 30-minute observation had been conducted in the teacher’s classroom, observation and questionnaire data were matched using the four-digit code†. The analysis of data was another section that was well presented. This section was again well organized into sub- sections which made reading and following the results much easier. All the data were represented by well-laid out and well- labeled tables which were easy to read. This structure was repeated even in the discussion so that the reader was able to follow the analysis of the results and the discussion for each research question or issue. That was in fact one of the key aspects that made this study encouraging to read- that the subsections were repeated in each part of the study- literature review, data analysis and discussion. An important aspect of this study was the use of both questionnaires (self-report) for teacher behavior and observations. It was significant to educational research on the whole to examine the relationship between the two, since generally self-reports alone cannot be relied upon for accurate measures of behavior. The significant positive correlation between the teachers’ reported use of strategies, both proactive and reactive, and what the researchers observed helps to make self-reports a more reliable tool in educational research. The study ends with two important sections- methodological limitations and suggestions for further research. Discussions in these two sections show the researchers’ awareness of the limitations of the study despite the fact that it is a good piece of research and it helps the reader to understand why certain things were not done in a particular way. One example is this study is the mention that the sampling though it seemed random in fact was not completely random as the teachers who volunteered for the study may be teachers who are not particularly stressed, or that the stressed teachers may not have been so willing to participate. Secondly the number of teachers volunteering to be observed was quite small. The study does not mention the actual number. A section that I would have liked to see included in this study was one on ethical considerations. In general the study was a useful one, well conducted and reported. It investigated the effect of proactive and reactive strategies as classroom management techniques on teachers’ stress levels. The study did in fact find that the use of proactive strategies had less effect on teachers’ stress. This would be the most important benefit to teachers to help them to keep the stress of teaching to a minimum. They could be encouraged by these results to focus on implementing activities in the classroom that would prevent classroom disruptions, rather than having to use their attention and energy intervening in classroom disruptions and losing teaching time. The study also looked at the effect of these strategies on students’ on-task behavior, and again found that the proactive strategies fostered more on-task behavior. This is also useful to the teachers to keep students focused on their work and lessen the disruptions in the classroom. Reference Clunies-Ross, P. , Little, E. and Kienhuis, M. (2008) Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior, Educational Psychology, 28:6,693 — 710

HR Policies and Practices

HR Policies and Practices Motivating and Retaining a Multigenerational Workforce Through HR Policies and Practices Abstract In todays workforce management must learn to engage their employees who are of different generations and backgrounds. With roughly half of the workforce primarily Baby Boomers who are expected to retire within the next decade, management must learn to cope with loosing primary employees and training Generation Y and X employees on how to successfully complete Baby Boomers jobs. In the meantime, management must also learn how to keep each generation motivated and feel appreciated in order to produce the companys mission statement successfully. HR professionals will need to ensure management is aware of what the future holds by strategically planning and aligning employees to reach future goals. Introduction There are three generations that make up todays workforce: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. In order for management to successfully manage their organization, they must understand what drives and motivates each generation, what specific behaviors each generation posses, and what values they each perceive as important for their work environment. Since each generation is different, experts suggest that managers adjust their style of leadership in order to avoid problems (Crampton, 2006). The focus of the recommendations tends to be on Generations X and Y. Less attention is given to Baby Boomers and Veterans, because after all, they are about to retire (Crampton, 2006). As management begins to focus on what makes these generations different from one another, they will be able to maximize the organizations profits and prolong competitiveness in the future economy. To better understand each generation, we must gain knowledge about each one individually. Piktialis (2006) briefly describes each generation: â€Å"-Baby boomers, ages 41-59, make up almost half the U.S. workforce. They grew up during an era of economic prosperity and experienced the tumult of the 60s at an impressionable age. Baby boomers tend to be optimistic, idealistic and good team players. They are driven, love challenge and want to be stars and build stellar careers. Because they have had to compete with each other at every step of their careers, they can be highly competitive. -Generation X, ages 28-40, makes up just 29 percent of the workforce. This generation witnessed parents experiences with corporate downsizing and restructuring in the 70s and 80s. Raised in an era of two-earner households and rising divorce rates, many of them got a childs-eye view of work-centric parenting. They value flexibility, work-life balance and autonomy on the job, and appreciate a fun, informal work environment. They are constantly assessing how their careers are progressing and place a premium on learning opportunities. They are technologically savvy, eager to learn new skills and comfortable with change at work. They appreciate frequent and honest feedback from their managers and mentors. -Generation Y, ages 27 and younger, makes up just 15 percent of the U.S. workforce. Over the next two decades that percentage will grow to approach that of the baby boom in its prime. Generation Y tends to be well organized, confident, and resilient and achievement oriented. They are excellent team players, like collaboration and use sophisticated technology with ease. They are comfortable with and respectful of authority and relate well to older people. More than any generation that has come before, they are comfortable with diversity. They want to work in an environment where differences are respected and valued, where people are judged by their contributions and where talent matters.† (Piktials, 2006) As future managers, we need to analyze each generation separately and devise recommendations on how to fully engage employees to the commitment of the company. Here we will analyze Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y in more depth and learn what makes each one unique as well as how to properly communicate and achieve success. Baby Boomers Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and are predominantly in their 40s and 50s. They are well-established in their careers by now and hold positions of power and authority. This generation constitutes a large majority of corporate executives and other managerial positions of power. Their typical characteristics include optimism, politically conservative, and they are active, competitive, and focus on personal achievement and accomplishment. They work hard maybe too hard, and are often stressed out. They like to set and reach goals, continuously seek self-improvement, care for children and aging parents, and complain about things at work but accept them as part of the job. They are an idealist generation that has predominately experienced a world of peace (Fransden, February, 2009). With single-parent households, growing children, aging parents, demanding jobs, and approaching retirement, baby boomers cant find enough time to go around. Collectively they pushed the work week from a long-time standard of 40 hours up to 60, 70, or more hours per week. They often experience conflict with younger generations who do not share their values. Their primary work focus makes them the generation most susceptible to burnout and stress-related illness (Fransden, February, 2009). Baby boomers are characteristically loyal, work-centric, independent, goal-oriented and competitive. They believe that Gen-Xers and Ys lack work ethic and commitment to the workplace, and should conform to a culture of overwork. Baby boomers equate work and position with self worth; they are clever, resourceful and strive to win. Boomers are well suited to organizations with a strong hierarchal structure, and may have a hard time adjusting to workplace flexibility trends (Brazeel, 2009). Understanding the workplace differences between generations is more important now than ever. As companies look to hire over the next several years, they will interview and evaluate candidates spanning three age generations. Interviewers will meet with a multitude of candidates, and will come face to face with generational differences. Taking into account the foundational characteristics of each generation will add to a more robust assessment and selection of talent that meets organizational values and goals (Brazeel, 2009). In 2005, one in four workers was over age 50. By 2012, it will be nearly one in three, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, between 2002 and 2012, the fastest-growing group in the nations workforce will be the one made up of people between ages 55 and 64 (Cadrain, 2007). Labor statistics indicate that nearly 80 million Baby Boomers will exit the workplace in the next decade. These employees are retiring at the rate of 8,000 per day or more than 300 per hour. This is an unprecedented loss of skilled labor (Kane, February 2, 2010). As the shortage of workers escalates exponentially, future-focused leaders need to be strategic about how to keep t heir boomer talent engaged. The key, according to career counselors Beverly Kaye and Joyce Cohen, is to focus on the aspirations that middle-aged people in the professional workforce have developed overtime. Most senior boomers want to remain productive and to leave their mark on their company and their profession. Good managers will find ways to engage boomers interests and in so doing reduce attrition among their ranks (Anonymous, January 2010). Kaye and Cohen suggest that there are five strategies to engage baby boomers: Contribution: Encourage boomers to tap their unused talents. Help them explore their skills and interests and determine which ones spark creativity. How to begin? Ask each senior employee pertinent questions to discover their interests and talents. Ask questions like, â€Å"What are the favorite parts of your job?† and â€Å"What would you like to do more of?† or â€Å"Less of?† and â€Å"What would you like to learn in the next two years? H ow can I help you reach these goals?† (Anonymous, January 2010). Competence: Encourage boomers to raise their competence levels and quotients. In this era of self-management, employees must continually upgrade their skills and hone their behaviors. Besides content expertise, employees should develop their technical skills, be more aware of other generations, balance work and life, expand their language ability and cultural know-how, integrate new information, deal with change, and transfer knowledge. All of these are essential survival skills and abilities in the new workplace. Good management will help senior employees find a niche in the expanding array of new competencies (Anonymous, January 2010). Competition: Help boomers look internally and externally at whats happening in their professions. Managers need to coach direct reports to ensure they are aware of the impact of globalization, competition, deregulation, new technologies, and emerging skills that change the nature of their work. Employees should know how their current organization could be threatened in the not-too-distant future. At staff meetings or informal gatherings ask all employees, but especially boomers, questions like, What areas are growing within the firm? What are trends that could impact how we do our work here? What skills would it be smart to increase over the next three to five years? To get ahead of the curve in the profession, what could you and the firm be doing right now (Anonymous, January 2010)? Choices: Help boomers identify their desired type of work, level of commitment, and plan of action. Options like cross-training, rotational assignments, travel opportunities, short-term sabbaticals, temporary assignments, and transition management need to be carefully considered and implemented as needs arise. To begin, initiate a dialogue about their interest in each of these learning vehicles (Anonymous, January 2010). Changes and concerns: Encourage their ability to transfer knowledge and take ownership for making it happen. As baby boomers retire, the issue of knowledge transfer is essential and is everyones responsibility. Are experienced boomers working every day with younger people to help them understand problems and solutions? Legacy-leaving is a viable, cost-effective way to solve problems internally, escalate creativity and build the next leadership tier (Anonymous, January 2010). These five areas are fertile ground to launch and expand conversations. It doesnt matter who or what launches the discussion; what matters is that these conversations take place. Boomers have carried the ball for years. The shift to a new backup role will not be easy for many of them. But many others, with the capable guidance of firm managers, will realize that easy or not new responsibilities will be better than walking away (Anonymous, January 2010). There are skills shortages already among health professionals, teachers and public administrators. The average age of a registered nurse is now 47. There are upcoming shortages among scientists, engineers and manufacturing employees. Employers are beginning to take more notice and more action about the impending drain on talent and loss of knowledge, according to findings of a Society for Human Resource Management Weekly Online Survey of 483 HR professionals in March/April 2007, titled Future of the U.S. Labor Pool (Cadrain, 2007). Some examples of best practices for recruiting and retaining workers ages 50 and over are the Atlanta-based Home Depot and the CVS drugstore chain. Both have created a 50-plus employee brand: CVS promotes Talent is Ageless, and Home Depot promotes Passion Never Retires. â€Å"Both companies feature pictures of older workers on their web sites and have made their hiring and screening practices age-neutral (Cadrain, 2007). Some employers, such as Stanley Consultants of Muscatine, Iowa, have formal phased retirement programs that allow employees to move into retirement gradually by reducing their work schedules and permitting them to continue to receive a portion of their salaries as well as benefits such as health care and pension funds. Carondelet Health Network of Tucson, Ariz., has a seasonal worker program where older employees work fewer than three-, six- or nine-month contracts. Borders, of Ann Arbor, Mich., and CVS have snowbird programs aimed at retirees who split their time between homes in different climates. Home Depot offers benefits and tuition reimbursement for anyone who works more than 10 hours a week. The company provides annual wellness visits to identify and prevent chronic health conditions. Finally Baptist Health of South Florida (BHSF) has raised the level of its hospital beds to ease back strain on employees caring for patients (Cadrain, 2007). Generation X Generation X is the most interesting of today, being in between the Baby Boomer and Gen Y generations. This generation consists of those born between born between 1961 and 1976. They are mostly known as the â€Å"latch key kids, because they came up during a time when their mothers had to work and they had to stay home alone (Glass, 2007). Very different life events shaped members of Generation X the term coined by British authors Charles Hamblett and Jane Daverson in their 1964 book Generation X. Canadian author Douglas Coupland popularized this terminology making it part of the lexicon in his book of the same name (Glass, 2007). A growing body of literature suggests that this current group of young potential managers (also referred to as Gen X, Xers, and the Baby Busters) is a generation that appears to be significantly different from its predecessor (Sirias, Karp Brotherton, 2007). Born at a time when the divorce rate was twice the rate of Baby Boomers when they were children; there are far less members in Generation X than that of Baby Boomers. This is because there was easier access to birth control and also because people decided to have smaller families. There was no decision or way of controlling this during the Baby Boomer times (Glass, 2007). During the time of Gen X production, the US Social Security system began to come under scrutiny as potentially not being able to pay Gen Xers in their retirement years; an issue that still exists with Gen X and Gen Y today. This was also a time when it was popular for both parents to be working; something not at all common during baby boomer time. The term latch key kids stems from this, being kids who came home to an empty house, with a key literally on a chain (Glass, 2007). Glass suggests that its also important to recognize that these parents experienced one of the first rounds of mass corporate layoffs in the 1980s, which also shaped their childrens own work-related viewpoint (2007). This was a time when many factories were coming to an end and many people were being laid off. Mothers that were used to staying home and being housewives now had to go out and work to support their family. This is the cause for Gen Xers have little trust and faith in the organization they work for, and more so putting their family first. According to Sirias, Karp Brotherton, â€Å"Since an individuals work habits first develop in the early teens, the economic and political climate prevailing at the time of formation can strongly influence an individuals work values. Although a workers values do change as the individual matures, the generational experiences tend to influence work values more than age or maturation† (2007). The way the members of this group were raised, the things they saw and went through, are all contributing factors of them being the most criticized generation. Its critical for management to understand the different traits and styles of the generations. Generation X is characterized by many traits, but the most important being work/life balance, which is something they dont feel Baby Boomers have. Compared to baby boomers, they are often seen as skeptical, less loyal, and extremely independent (Glass, 2007). According to the SHRM study, there are three main areas where the generations differ: work ethic, managing change, and perception of organizational hierarchy. Xers tend to feel that if the work is done, it does not matter how it was done or where; they are much more concerned about the outcome than the process. They have a strong since of working on their own and become extremely irritated when micromanaged (Glass, 2007). Because they have been raised in the milieu of such things as computer-training, latch key social conditions, the shopping mall, MTV, video games and a myriad of other contributing environmental factors, current literature suggests that the Xers have demands, expectations, values and ways of working that are quite different from those who make up the current strata of management, particularly the Baby Boomers (Sirias, Karp Brotherton, 2007). With this being said, boomers and Xers are constantly at odds; and its managements job to break that barrier, by offering different forms of resources and ways of communicating. Members of Generation X feel that if they did not struggle for balance in their lives, all they would do is work; since due to the prevalence of PDAs and wireless technologies, they can and are expected to work everywhere. They are results oriented, and do not focus or care about the method used to achieve the results. Many Xers see baby boomers as resistant to new technologies and change. Also, when it comes to communication, they will use whatever form is most efficient, which is similar to the preference of baby boomers (Glass, 2007). Xers strive for balance in their lives, particularly between work and family, since they would be consumed by work given the technology to work anytime from anywhere (Beautell Wittig-Berman, 2008)). Another important trait for managers to understand about Gen Xers, is the fact that they truly enjoy feedback. Regardless of if its positive or negative feedback, they want to know how they are doing; which is contrary to baby boomers, who require little feedback. This can sometimes be a problem when an Xer is managing a Baby Boomer, because the Baby Boomer can become insulted due to specific instructions. This can also be a problem, because the younger managers sometimes feel intimidated by the boomer, making it difficult for them to give accurate feedback (Glass, 2007). So, how can management overcome this important trait within Generation X? Glass suggests simply asking the employer or employee what his or her expectation is regarding feedback and instructions, and then learning to adapt ones own approach to the answer (2007). A great manager will understand that some require more and less attention than others, just as well as some require different styles of feedback than others. There are several ways management can leverage everyone and win; and when doing so, there are four basic areas to focus on for overcoming generational conflict: changing human resource policies/corporate philosophies, ensuring an environment of effective communication, incorporating collaborative decision making, and developing internal training programs that focus on the differences (Glass, 2007). Glass states that, â€Å"Every generation wants to earn money, but that is not the only deciding factor in choosing and staying with a job. To better explain this, Xers are yet again compared to baby boomers. Boomers dont care to hear or learn about stock options, because they dont have time to exercise this type of benefit. On the other hand, Xers are greatly interested in this subject and trust when their companies actually teach about and offer this type of benefit (Glass, 2007). In terms of an example of how Gen Xers and Baby Boomers get along, one can bring up mentoring. Baby boomers tend to enjoy teaching or mentoring their younger generation. At the same time, Gen Xers seek the opportunity to learn and have extremely high standards for self-improvement (Glass, 2007). As mentioned earlier, the most important trait of Generation X is work/life balance. This is critical for management to understand, because a Gen Xer will pick a lower paying job if it offers less stringent work hours and far better benefits, in turn allowing for a greater work/life balance. Gen Xers will likely focus more on firms offering maternity leave and daycare benefits, which again, allow flexibility (Glass, 2007). They tend to focus more on the benefits, culture and flexibility of an organization when making a job decision. If a promotion is available, Xers will be more concerned about how everything else is affected before making the decision. They have begun to construct the strong families that they missed in childhood. Many organizations have not achieved the flexibility and work-family support that is consistent with their way of thinking (Beutell Wittig-Berman, 2008). Although its important to find a way to motivate and retain the other generations, this is a critical area to understand when trying to reach that goal with Generation X. The needs of most employees will change throughout their working lives; they may take on caring responsibilities, want to live in another country, or decide to embark on a completely different career. If one organization cannot meet these needs, they will not hesitate to look elsewhere for one that can (Deegan, 2009). Few companies adjust to these flexibility needs, but as Gen X becomes the new managers of companies in the future, this is likely an area that will change. Generation X brings a lot to the table, including a fresh perspective, effortless techno-literacy and an easy adaptability to change. As they take their places in the workforce, their ability to work effectively in teams will contribute directly to the success of their organizations. This is why its so critical for management to understand the different traits of the generations (Sirias, Karp Brotherton, 2007). Sirias, Karp Brotherton suggests that there are three variables that are important to gen Xers, which are: * Self-reliance Xers feel that individuals have to have the self-confidence to be able to perform their individual tasks. They strive to give 110 percent and if they do less than this, they are seen as a free rider or a burden to the team. * Competiveness Xers have a high level of competiveness, which should not be seen as an obstacle, but more so an opportunity. * The willingness to sacrifice yourself for the team To gen Xers, this represents a reflection as to the team should operate and that self-sacrifice is needed for team success. If management focuses on motivation in these areas when dealing with Generation X, success is prevalent. Its important to understand whats needed to retain the generation and its things like this that assist in that area (Sirias, Karp Brotherton, 2007). Gen Xers urge for individuality and have a higher potential for task effectiveness. As the workforce becomes more heavily populated by generation x, what needs to be considered are approaches in which organizations can modify team values and structures to meet the changing needs of the individual team members. Beautell Wittig-Berman suggests that Gen Xers value work-life balance, growth opportunities, and positive work relationships. They want challenging work that can be accomplished in a single day working flexible hours. They value flexibility and expect their employer to accommodate their work-family-life issues (Beautell Wittig-Berman, 2008). Work-family-life or what one can consider to be flexibility is by far the most important aspect of any company to Gen Xers. Although this may seem odd or overwhelming, companies that learn to adapt to this need can reap the benefits of this generation. The benefits that can stem from using flexibility as a motivating factor as follows: * Increased retention Employees are more likely to stay with a company that adapts to their needs and seems to care about their overall well being and not just the company. * Higher engagement and productivity Happy workers produce great goods or service. * Enhanced recruiting and competitive position When employers enjoy where they work, they have a habit of bragging to others about the company, which can lead to those individuals seeking the company when applying for new employment. * Reputation as an â€Å"employer of choice† Again, happy employees brag about the company, which leads to the word spreading of the company being one to work for. * Improved scheduling and coverage across time zones and continents This again stems from the employer feeling happy and content at work, which makes it simple for employees to work overtime when needed. This also makes it easy for everyone to learn to work together. * Reduced real estate costs Sometimes being flexible means allowing employees to work from home, which in turn saves the company space that would have normally been used. Employers that get the business case for flexible work arrangements will reap the rewards through increased employee engagement and loyalty, which in turn will drive their business to even higher levels of performance and productivity (Beautell Wittig-Berman, 2008). Managers should try to make work meaningful and fun for Gen Xers and understand their skepticism for what it is: a reflection of their honest observations about the relationship between employer and employee (Gibson, Greenwood and Murphy, 2009). Meeting employees needs does not mean compromising on performance; its about enabling employees to their full potential (Deegan, 2009). In sum, the relationship between the employer and employee is whats being judged. They dont just care about working, but more so about how work adapts to their personal life. Companies that pay close attention to the main motivating factor of Gen X will quickly run into understanding that flexibility is the key with this generation. Generation Y Although demographers often differ on the exact parameters of each generation, there is a general consensus that Generation X ends with the birth year 1977. Born in the mid-1980s and later, Generation Y legal professionals are in their 20s and are just entering the workforce. With numbers estimated as high as 70 million, Generation Y (also known as the Millennials) is the fastest growing segment of todays workforce (Rothberg, 2006, para. 1). According to the author of â€Å"Generation Y†, these folks â€Å"grew up with technology and rely on it to perform their jobs better† (Kane, 2008, para. 2). This generation prefers to communicate through e-mail and text messaging rather than face-to-face contact and prefers webinars and online technology to traditional lecture-based presentations. They always have cell phones and all sorts of other gadgets on hand (Kane, 2008). Some suggest that Generation Y people live on the fast track, and that they are â€Å"willing to trade high pay for fewer billable hours, flexible schedules and a better work/life balance† (Kane, 2008, para. 3). â€Å"While older generations may view this attitude as narcissistic or lacking commitment, discipline and drive, Generation Y legal professionals have a different vision of workplace expectations and prioritize family over work† (Kane, 2008, para. 3). Generation Y people are also achievement oriented. Just as mentioned on the article, the author describes this generation as one that has been: â€Å"Nurtured and pampered by parents who did not want to make the mistakes of the previous generation, Generation Y is confident, ambitious and achievement-oriented. They have high expectations of their employers, seek out new challenges and are not afraid to question authority. Generation Y wants meaningful work and a solid learning curve† (NA, 2006, para. 4). The authors of Leadership and the Future: Gen Y Workers and Two-Factor Theory describe Generation Y as being more idealistic than Generation Xers when it comes to the workplace but compared to Baby Boomer workers, they are described as being more realistic (Baldonado Spangenburg, 2009). They value teamwork and seek the input and affirmation of others. Part of a no-person-left-behind generation, Generation Y is loyal, committed and want to be included and involved. â€Å"Generation Y craves attention in the forms of feedback and guidance. They appreciate being kept in the loop and seek frequent praise and reassurance. Generation Y may benefit greatly from mentors who can help guide and develop their young careers† (Johnson Hanson, 2006, p.5). Rothberg states that those workers who are part of Generation Y workers â€Å"have a reputation for experiencing boredom and frustration with slow-paced environments, traditional hierarchies and even slightly outdated technologies† (2006). Dr. Larry Rosen, author of the Mental Health Technology Bible and TechnoStress: Coping with Technology @Work, @Home, @Play, argues that: â€Å"The biggest difference between members of Generation Y and those who came before them is that they have spent their entire lives surrounded by technology.†Technology just is for them. Its part of every aspect of their lives, unlike a lot of the people they will be coming to work for (Rothberg, 2006, p. 2). He suggests that the difference is more than a generational experience gap; its a difference in personality. Some state that the reason this generation is so different is because they grew up during one of the best economic times in the last 100 years, allowing them to grow with more luxuries than other generations (Rothberg, 2006). Baldonado Spangenburg point out that a survey was conducted in order to guide a descriptive study of Generation Y. It was designed to â€Å"explore motivational needs of Gen Y and their impact in the workplace† (2009, p. 2). Upon analyzing responses, several recommendations were provided in order for managers to be able to motivate this new workforce generation. The following is a list of suggestion provided by the authors in the article Leadership and the Future: Gen Y Workers and Two-Factor Theory: The authors suggest that companies should: 1. Support work/life balance in the workplace According to the article, Gen Y believes that their personal life is just as important as their professional life. It is recommended for companies to consider options such as fitness facilities/discount membership, education/training opportunities, flexible working arrangements, family leave policies, and childcare/eldercare programs. 2. Provide Gen Y workers with opportunities to grow in their job -Managers can provide Gen Y with challenging work as their skill and knowledge progresses. 3. Use achievement as a way to reward/motivate Gen Y workers Generation Yers are very interested in being recognized in their work environment. Suggestions include: employee of the month award and gift certificates among others. 4. Managers must clearly articulate safety and fun at work to employees. Having a fun and comfortable working environment can greatly motivate Gen Y cohort, according to the author. 5. Generation Y workers enjoy challenges. That is why the authors suggest increasing responsibility as a reward. This is considered a good motivator for this ever changing generation. 6. Finally, it is suggested for managers to create a fair salary/compensation package. (Baldonado Spangenburg, 2009, para. 14). According to the authors of the article Dont be so Touchy! The Secret to Giving Back to Millenials, constant feedback is an almost critical ingredient in performance and job satisfaction (Ferry Sujanski, 2009). The children of Baby Boomers, the Millennial Generation, have been raised in an atmosphere of high expectations, plenty of feedback and heaps of praise. They have received feedback on class assignments at each stage

Elian Gonzalez Should Stay In The U.s. :: essays research papers

Dear Rosa Delauro,After reading many articles in the newspapers and magazines that all state, 6 year old Elian Gonzalez has been in the middle of an international tug-of-war since he was found on Thanksgiving Day. Clinging to an inner tube at sea for two days drifting after his family and him were trying to escape from Cuba for freedom. I have decided that it is the right thing for little Elian to stay in the United States. The phone rings: "Your 6-year old son has just been found in the ocean, shipwrecked, clinging to an inner tube. His mother drowned. He is now in Miami hospital." Do you respond? "I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can." or "Send him back to me. I demand it." Elian’s biological father Juan Gonzalez was asked again and again. Why he didn’t go to Miami to see his son. He didn’t answer the question all he demanded was that his son be returned to him, finally threatening the Miami relatives with whom Elian is staying with. Juan says his son is the subject of not only kidnapping but also child abuse. If your son was kidnapped and abused, and the U.S. attorney general publicly said you were able to come see him. Would you stay home? Well Juan Gonzalez is staying home. Why does he lack true affection for the his son? Is he one of those political simpletons so colored with Fidelism that he would rather let his abused son fail than give the slightest political advance to the U.S. to see him. Should Elian be trusted to such a man like his father? Juan lacks the abilities to provide even the basics for Elian. That is, food, security, justice, freedom and the right to be happy. I think that Elian’s father should not be trusted with his son because he can’t even come to the U.S. to see how his son is. If any man in there right mind were able to leave Cuba to come see their child they would drop ever thing for them. Elian shouldn’t be trusted with a man who demands his son be brought back to Cuba and can’t give him food, security, justice, freedom and the right to be happy. When Elian was asked if he wanted to be with his father he said "He cares for his father but he would like his father to be here with him.

Segregation in the College Student Center Essay -- University Student

Segregation in the College Student Center As I walked into the University Student Center after my Issues in Public Policy class one August day, a disturbing sight immediately struck me. For a moment I thought I needed to pinch myself because I felt as though I was having a horrible nightmare. Then, I thought that maybe I needed to check my calendar to make sure that I had not traveled back in time to the sixties when segregation was still an accepted practice in the United States. Much to my dismay, I was not dreaming, and it was still in the year 2000. As I continued to look around at my fellow students, my stomach churned, and it was not because I was hungry. The sight that lay before my eyes was not only very disturbing but also very common at the University. Although the Supreme Court in 1954 in Brown vs. The Topeka Board of Education declared segregation illegal, our student center today probably looks the way diners looked thirty years ago. Blacks are sitting in a secluded section of the Student Center; while whites ar e sitting in their own self-designated section. The segregation between blacks and whites in the Student Center is simply a natural occurrence between the two races. The University does not have guidelines on what section blacks and whites are supposed to sit in; nevertheless, blacks and whites naturally separate because of years of legal segregation. Segregation in our society has become a natural occurrence even though segregation is illegal today. The question that needs to be raised is "Why?" Why is de facto segregation still accepted in the United States? Why is a prominent city like Lexington still facing many of the problems it faced thirty years ago? The answers lie in our culture and our horrif... ...en the noblest of people cannot contain. It is a haunting ghost that no one can see, and it is the devil of our cities that many do not even know exist. Racial profiling, inequality, and segregation will remain in cities as long as our culture allows it. As long as we allow white supremacy and black inferiority to be prevalent in our culture, we are going to continue to have problems in our cities. Works Cited Adams, Jim. "Study: Police Stopped Blacks Twice As Often As Whites." The Courier-Journal 29 Oct. 2000: Al, All. Bell, Derrick. And We Are Not Saved. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1987. Mills, Charles W. The Racial Contract. London: Corneff University Press, 1997. Ogburn, William "Social Change and Race Rehitions." Race Relations. Eds. Jitsuichi Masuoka and Preston Valiem. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1961. 201.

Discussion and Analysis Essay

Construct a good, solid essay of at least 3 full pages which answers one of the prompts below. In addition to consulting your lecture notes and textbook, you may find it helpful to consult the New Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. I, which may be found in the Walsh Library Reference Room, call number D117. N48. Essays will be graded on content (clarity and coherence) as well as mechanics (grammar and spelling). Late papers will be significantly penalized and any paper later than 24 hours will NOT be accepted. Drafts of papers are to be submitted as hard (printed) copies to both  your editing partner and me. Final versions of papers are to be submitted as hard (printed) copies to me; you will also  include  the marked-up version of your draft. All papers must have 1† margins, be double spaced, and in Times New Roman or Garamond, size 10-12 font. Do not double-space your initial, first page heading. In supporting your observations, you will certainly need to point to specifics in the texts. However, you should not rely on direct quotations and should use them very sparingly. You may not use any quote lengthier than two sentences. No block quotations. Any essay that consists of more than one-quarter direct quotations will receive a D. You should learn how to sum up examples in your own words, but be aware that changing only a few words of someone else is still considered plagiarism. Any time you use a direct quotation or paraphrase something, you need to cite the material. This includes anything from the Chronicle text. For this second essay, your goal is to analytically read primary source materials. As you read and begin to formulate your essay, consider some of the following questions: who is this author? Why are they writing? What is the obvious, surface purpose of this document? Is there a purpose or conclusion that the author reaches which is not so obvious? What fundamental assumptions does the author have about his subject material? How do these assumptions influence or appear in the work, either explicitly or implicitly? How do the attitudes or perceptions of the subject matter change or evolve over time? How does the historical context of each author influence his approach and treatment of his subject matter? These questions should be only the beginning of your inquiry and you certainly are not restricted to them. Use them to formulate your own questions, and then use those questions to help you structure your essay. Often the best essays are built around thesis questions, not thesis statements. Primary source excerpts can be found in your Rosenwein reader or online at the Fordham Medieval Sourcebook and google books. This is a 3 page paper; obviously you cannot use all the sources, however what you choose should make sense for your thesis. The Crusades Tactic I Using the documents listed below, explore what motivated people to go on crusade to the Holy Land in the middle ages. Did their experiences match their expectations? Were they fulfilled, disappointed? How important was morale and how was it kept up? Address strengths and weaknesses of the source material and be sure to make connections between the sources. Tactic II Using the documents listed below, explore what we can learn about memory and different groups’ interpretation of events. Address strengths and weaknesses of the source material and be sure to make connections between the sources.

Health Write Up Alcohol Essay

Alcohol is one of the most abused drugs in America. It is easily accessible, cheap, and perfectly legal to buy and consume. The way alcohol works is that it enters your bloodstream and moves into the biological membranes in your body. Up to 20% of alcohol consumed is absorbed through your stomach lining and 75% is absorbed in your upper intestine directly into the blood stream. Absorption rate is increased if you mix with carbonation, it is decreased with food, and if you drink higher concentration of alcohol (ie 80 proof or higher) absorption is also slower. The amount of alcohol absorbed along with factors of weight, body fat, sex, and in some cases race all depends on your blood alcohol concentration (or BAC). This is the ratio of alcohol absorbed to the rate of your metabolism. Alcohol is only metabolized through the liver, and cannot be speed up with the use of exercise, drinking coffee, eating certain food, or taking a cold shower. Alcohol has a generally negative impact on health. Chronic use of alcohol will have the user develop sever cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), higher blood pressure, various cancers, and major cognitive impairments, memory loss, including dementia. The constant abuse of alcohol or alcohol dependence will cause people to live shorter lives and they will have withdrawal symptoms when they don’t have a drink for periods of a time. However, there is help very readily available for those who are seeking a change in their drinking habits with many programs of all types.

Ethan Frome Lit Crit

Marxism is mainly about money and If you don't have money then your not happy and you will be unhappy because you wont have as much as you would like. The narrator needed a ride to his work and he couldn't find anyone someone told him about Ethan, that he will do anything to make a buck. The narrator asked Ethan and he ended up saying yes because he needed the money. When Ethan came back from law school, for good, his mother hired Keenan to take care of her but then people started talking and he felt obligated to marry Keenan In the end.When Ethane's mother died she was worried about money ND what Ethane's dad had done. Ethan worked In his lumber limb that he had and did anything to get a few bucks here and there. Since Keenan â€Å"always† got sick, since Ethane's mother died, she would spend most of their money to pay for her medical bills and medication. Instead of paying a maid to come and work for them Keenan was able to get Mattie to help her for free because Mattie didn 't have anyone after her parents died except her cousin Keenan. The first time Ethan picked up Mattie to him It felt like love at first sight when they first met her.Even though It was love at iris sight he TLD realize that It was going to be another person to feed even with the little money he was making from the lumber limb. Financially he had to make a way to provide to feed an extra person. Ever since Ethan met Mattie and when they would hang out he felt less stress about money. He kept wanting to leave with Mattie but never could because he couldn't leave Keenan just like that. He was afraid of what people might look at it. If Ethan was able to leave Keenan Just like the man who left his wife for his mistress he would.As much as he wanted to do so he felt bad to leave ere after all he did bring her to the house and now he's Just going to leave her with a house with bills that she couldn't afford to pay and she wouldn't able to sell it. The economy was down in town and people we ren't able to pay for or buy a house. The economy was down to a point where people were barely making it. Jobs were being lost. Some people couldn't afford a lot of food because they needed to have a house. This relates to Ethan From because Ethan was one of those people who couldn't make a lot of money.Ethan had trouble getting Just a little extra cash on the side Just o afford something for themselves. Ethan From Is a good example of Marxism because it shows that people of the lower class are always unhappy unless they have money with them. In this book it tells you that money is what makes people happy. If people didn't have money they would be stressing out and have house situations. The economy is based on money. Money keeps the economy going and when it goes down everybody struggles to make a living. Ethan From showed a form AT Marxism Decease social class. Outnumber ten story people Autocue mainly on money Ana t

Four Rightly Guided Caliphs Essay

Muhammad’s mission, like many other prophets, was to call people to the worship and submission of the one true God. After his death this mission was left to those whom followed his teachings. Those who truly followed in the Prophet’s foot steps were proclaimed The Rightly Guided Caliphs. They were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthman and Ali, and were the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, all of which were amongst the earliest and closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Each of these Caliphs contributed greatly to the development of Islam as well as the contradictory emergence of the Sunni and Shi’ite schism. Abu Bakr was the first of the four Caliphs and ruled from 632-634 A. C. Abu Bakr was unfortunate to have the burden of leadership placed on him during the most sensitive of Muslim times. Since the death of Muhammad was quickly spreading, many Muslims and tribes decided to rebel, refusing to pay Zakat. Also, many claimed that the prophethood of Muhammad had been placed on them, this only made the tribes revolt stronger. He had to deal with the threat of two powerful empires, the Roman Empire and the Persian, of which threatened Islamic state in Medina. Abu Bakr himself led a charge against the revolting tribes who attacked Medina and forced them to retreat. Although the threat of the Roman army still remained, Muhammad had already sent out an army and when he died, Abu Bakr took over. With fierce determination he said â€Å"I shall send Usama’s army on its way as ordered by the Prophet, even if I am left alone. † Throughout the rule of Abu Bakr, troops went from one victory to another from attacking Romans. Another contribution of the Caliph was that he encouraged many of Muhammad’s friends to commit his teachings to memory. Memories all of which were written down to form the Qu’ran. All together without his leadership; the people of Islamic faith would have gone riot. He helped restore stability to the Islamic people. On top of this, he contributed to the writing of the Qu’ran and the keeping of the people safe with all his military forces. During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar was his closest assistant and adviser. When Abu Bakr died on the 23rd of August 643 A. C, all the people of Medina swore allegiance to ‘Umar who became the second Caliph. Upon taking charge ‘Uman spoke to the people with conviction and said â€Å"O people, remain conscious of God, forgive me my faults and help me in my task. Assist me in enforcing what is good and forbidding what is evil. Advise me regarding the obligations that have been imposed upon me by God†¦ † ‘Umar did exactly that. He enforced the good and forbade evil. Within the first years of his leadership he completed Islam’s conquest of Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and Persia. During ‘Umar’s Caliphate, he was majorly responsible for the vast expansion of Islam and was considered a highly effective military leader. He also commanded the construction of the Mosque, also know as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. When ‘Umar returned to Medina from Hajj he raised his hands and prayed, â€Å"O God! I am advanced in years, my bones are weary, my powers are declining, and the people for whom I am responsible have spread far and wide. Summon me back to Thyself, my lord! † Before his death, ‘Umar went to a Mosque to lead in prayer where he was attacked and stabbed several time and fell under the assassins dagger. Before he died, the people asked him to nominate his successor. Umar appointed a committee of the Prophets followers to appoint the leader among themselves. ‘Umar died in the first week of Muharram, 24 A and Uthman was appointed as his successor. Uthman became the Third Rightly Guided Caliph in 644 A. C. From all the Caliphs he was the one more interest in religion than politics. During his Caliphate he completed the compilation of the Qur’an that still remains till today. Uthman ruled for twelve years, the first six years were marked to have been filled with peace and tranquility. The second half of his rule took a brutal turn. Rebellion rose, the Jews and the Magians were taking advantage of the whispers that were passing among the people and began conspiring against Uthman. Although with the size of his army he could have stopped all of them, he remembered the words of Muhammad, â€Å"Once the sword is unsheathed among my followers, it will not be sheathed until the Last Day. † Uthman didn’t want to be the first of the Caliphs to spill the blood of Muslims, so instead he tried to reason with them. This hardly did him any good and after a long battle the rebels broke into his home and murdered him. The last words Uthman spoke were that of the Qur’an 2:137, which speaks of God being all hearing and all knowing. He took his last breath on the Friday afternoon of June 656 A. C Ali, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad himself was the final Caliph. At first he was very much reluctant to take the position but after he was urged by the other companions of the Prophet he accepted. Ali was responsible for the tradition of scholarship, although he too was assassinated. During his Caliphate internal tensions in the Muslim communities came to surface which lead to a period of civil war and political conflicts which ultimately led to the split in Muslims allegiances. This now known as the Sunni and Shi’ite schism. The differences between Sunni and Shi’ia Muslims are not in the written word, but rather they have political differences centred around who should be recognised as the leader of the Muslim community. The Sunni’s make up an estimate of 90% of Muslims in the world today and they believe that the leader of Muslims should be chosen among the descendants of the tribe of Muhammad, the Quraish tribe but not necessarily from the family of Muhammad. The world ‘Sunni’ itself mean tradition and in turn means that they support the Caliphate of all the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs. The Shi’ites on the other hand only make up 10% of the Muslim population and the word Shi’ite means ‘the party of Ali’ and they believe that the leader of the Muslim community must be a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, the official term of a blood relative being ‘Imam’. This meaning out of all the Caliphs they only support the rule of Ali. Every single Caliph had an important part to play in the development of Islam and many people have them to thank for their religion and faith being as strong as it is today. Each of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs contributed to the safety and growth of Islam. Although with the split of Muslims that result of the Sunni and Shi’ite schism, everything was eventually kept under control. If conflicts do arise between the two, it will never result in another civil war as they have learnt from the past of the devastations it can cause.

Architecture and Challenges in Computing

The report will discuss in detail about the concept of cloud computing and how it impacts the business in a different manner these days. Therefore, in the process of understanding the power of cloud computing, it is important to have more clarity about streamlining the processes of IT which make the whole process more convenient. However, it is important to understand that it is not easier to rush into the whole process (Aljabre, 2012). Right before, making the changes, it is also crucial to ask some relevant questions and also understand the pros and cons of the process. Cloud computing is being used like never before, and there are organizations of every kind and sizes that adapt the newer technology which helps business to work in an efficient manner. Some industry-based experts who also believe that the system will only continue to develop even further in coming future. The concept of cloud computing is also very advantageous for some mid-size as well as big organizations. As discussed, there are certain disadvantages as well of the process with the opinion to assist many establishments completely understand the process in a proper manner (Aljabre, 2012). There is the detailed discussion of advantages as well as disadvantages of cloud computing with an opinion to assist these kinds of establishments by having complete clarity about the concept of cloud computing. The objective of the report is to understand the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing clearly. Since cloud computing comes with some advantages for the businesses however companies cannot completely depend on it, and there are some disadvantages as well, and it is crucial to completely understand the concept of business as well as technology which is based on service providers. The concept of cloud computing can be defined as the providing on-demand resources related to computing, and it is also important to understand that everything from some applications to a different base of data can be applied here on the internet. This is done with the help of on a pay for usage basis. Companies like Microsoft and the Amazon are some of the biggest names in providing cloud computing system and also offer the same kind of definition. This also means the concept can utilize the internet in the place of a hard drive in the computer to access the remote servers and also some effective processors that have the ability to perform an intensive storage functions over the internet (Subashini and Kavitha, 2011). There are different kinds of clod computing programs discussed in detail below: Infrastructure based service: this concept consists of the basic blocks that help in building cloud computing and information technology structure as well as also provides access to a number of networking based characteristics. It also consists of data based storage spaces as well as a number of computers. The system also provides companies with high flexibility level and overall control on management over a number of resources in IT, and it is also quite same to the present resources of IT that any department or developer can be familiar with at the present time. Platform as a main service: this kind of system eliminates the requirement for companies to manage the basic level of infrastructure that usually based on operating systems and hardware. Also, it also permits companies to pay attention to the process of deployment and also manage the application in an effective manner (Marston et al., 2011). This further assists them to be more effective as it doesn't require to take any tension about the resource based procurement process, or planning of the capacity, maintenance of software or any other different and heavy lifting which requires involvement in running the overall application. Software as the main service: this can be treated as a finished product that is managed by a number of different service providers. In many cases, it is important to refer the software as the main service that can be referred to software as the main service provider and it can refer to the end-user based applications. With this kind offers there is no requirement to think about how services can be maintained as well as the overall infrastructure can be properly managed. It is important that users only require basing whole research on the specific piece of software. There are some common examples of the system like website based emails. Here these emails are received and further sent without properly users that can manage characteristic in addition to the product and also maintain different servers as well as operating systems that is based on any program (Marston et al., 2011). Cover over data: while running any application that one can share the photographs with millions of mobile based users and also provide support to the critical kind of functions associated with the business. At the same time, the cloud providers are based on providing a rapid access towards flexible as well as low cost based IT kind of resources. The marketplace online and another kind of cloud provider said that the users usually don't need to make large investments in different kinds of hardware and also provide a lot of time on the heavy lifting of managing the hardware in a perfect manner. Rather, the concept of computing can be treated as a provision which is of the right kind and for the right size of computing the resources which require the power in the new as well as bright ideas that function in many IT departments (Han et al., 2011). When the cloud computing system is used in the right manner and to some extent, it is important while working with information in the cloud can be very profitable for every kind of business. Following are some of the main advantages of this system: Cost based efficiency: the concept of cloud computing is the most cost efficient system in using, maintaining and also upgrading process. While dealing with traditional desktop based software costs, companies spent a lot, and it is associated with finance. Also, the licensing based fees add different users, and this can prove to be quite expensive for the setting up in the concerned department. On the other hand, the cloud is present at an affordable rate and therefore, can lower the expenses of IT in significant manner. Also, there are some one-time payments where pay as one go and another kind of scalable point present that make it further reasonable for the organization (Han et al., 2011). Unlimited storage: storing the data in the cloud provides a lot of storage capacity. Therefore, one needs to worry about completely run out of the storage space or raising the present storage space and its overall availability. Recovery and backup: - all the data is stored in the cloud, and this is why proper backup and restoration of the same is easier than storing the similar kind of physical devices. Also, many cloud-based services providers are normally competent by nature to handle the overall recovery of data in an efficient manner. Automatic integration of software: in cloud computing, software based integration is normally associated with something which happens automatically. This also means that one need to some extra efforts to change and also integrate the applications as per the preference of the customers. These kinds of aspect generally take care of itself and not just that, the concept of cloud computing permits the company to customize the options with ease accordingly. This way, the company can handpick different services and software based applications that one can think of and it also suits the specific enterprise in a proper manner (Low et al., 2011). Comfortable access to data: - once companies get to register to the system, it can easily access the data from any part of the world where there is a proper internet connection. This feature will help in going beyond the present time zone and geographic based locations and related issues. Rapid deployment: Lastly, the process of cloud computing provides different advantages of rapid deployment. When the company goes for this method of operations, the entire system can be completely functional very quickly. At the same time, the time taken here will also depend on the same type of technology that company required for the business (Low et al., 2011). Despite of all above disadvantages, the concept of cloud computing also has some disadvantages which are discussed in detail below: Issues in technical aspect: the fact that information on the cloud can be accessed at any point of time and from any part of the world. However, at times the systems can create a lot of problems. Companies should be well aware of the fact that the technology is always based on many technical problems. In fact, the best kinds of service providers function into kinds of trouble and despite keeping some very high standards for maintaining it properly. The company also must have a strong internet connection to get logged onto a different kind of server at all possible times. The concept of cloud computing is an important characteristic of any big scale deployment. It can be taken as a method which leads a much tech-based organization to offer companies and people their personal space to store and also use the growing pile of information since some smart machines gather it. It is important to understand that not everything about storing information online can be an advantage when it is compared with older hardware ways (Janssen and Joha, 2011). Security based on a cloud: the other important issue while using the cloud technology is that there number of security-based challenges. Right before applying this technology; companies must understand that one will be completely surrendering all the sensitive information of the company to an outsider. This can be a great risk for the company. Therefore, companies require being completely sure that they choose the most trusted service provider who will protect the information correctly (Janssen and Joha, 2011). Attacks possibility: saving the data in the cloud can make the companies in the most vulnerable situation and can also impact many external based hacks like attacks or threats. It is important to understand that there is nothing on the internet which is completely safe and this is why there is always a risk of hacking of sensitive data. There are some disadvantages discussed above, and the best kind of cloud provider can claim complete immunity towards service based outages. Some cloud computing systems that are based on the internet and also mean the overall access is based on the strong internet connection. Therefore, it is important to understand that whether the business can absorb a continuous bout based on constant slowdowns. Also, there are some incidences in past where service provider like DropBox faced the similar situation for the longest period which is two days. It is very important to consider two crucial points like business based processes that can be halted if any service provider goes completely down and the internet connection which must be strong otherwise all business based application will also drop offline (Fernando et al., 2013).   The technology of cloud computing in the present time has become very crucial for every business users, and it further plans to move ahead and be more advanced. The kind of cloud has addressed many needs of organizations. This can be in public based cloud or private based cloud and in some case a hybrid kind of cloud where every category is sufficient to apply it effectively. The concept of cloud computing is that the business answers that every company can utilize properly. There are so many pros as well as cons of cloud computing, and it is important to be very careful while applying in business (Gà ©czy et al., 2011). Like every other process, the concept of cloud computing has its pros as well as cons. The technology can also prove to be a huge asset for the organization, and it can also cause some serious harm or threats if not executed in a proper manner. The concept is not evolving in a way it never happened before, and there are companies in all kind of shapes and sizes that can adapt to new technology. There are industry experts that have a belief that this fashion will only develop and grow further in future (Gai and Li, 2012).   This is why the concept of cloud computing is very beneficial for so many and different kinds of companies. Of course, as discussed it comes with number disadvantages specifically for small businesses.   In the present time, with proper planning and significant precautions, the disadvantages of the concept can be reduced tremendously. It is also true that the concept has transformed the business world completely and the advantages can easily outweigh the disadvantages of cloud computing. Minimum cost, as well as easy access along with proper data backup and centralization as well as security and rapid testing, are becoming more and more relevant (Jadeja, and Modi, 2012). Aljabre, A., 2012. Cloud computing for increased business value.  International Journal of Business and Social Science,  3(1). Subashini, S. and Kavitha, V., 2011. A survey on security issues in service delivery models of cloud computing.  Journal of network and computer applications,  34(1), pp.1-11. Marston, S., Li, Z., Bandyopadhyay, S., Zhang, J. and Ghalsasi, A., 2011. Cloud computing—The business perspective.  Decision support systems,  51(1), pp.176-189. Han, J., Haihong, E., Le, G. and Du, J., 2011, October. Survey on NoSQL database. In  Pervasive computing and applications (ICPCA), 2011 6th international conference on  (pp. 363-366). IEEE. Low, C., Chen, Y. and Wu, M., 2011. Understanding the determinants of cloud computing adoption.  Industrial management & data systems,  111(7), pp.1006-1023. Janssen, M. and Joha, A., 2011, June. Challenges for adopting cloud-based software as a service (saas) in the public sector. In  ECIS. Fernando, N., Loke, S.W. and Rahayu, W., 2013. Mobile cloud computing: A survey.  Future generation computer systems,  29(1), pp.84-106. Gà ©czy, P., Izumi, N. and Hasida, K., 2011. Cloudsourcing: managing cloud adoption. Gai, K. and Li, S., 2012, November. Towards cloud computing: a literature review on cloud computing and its development trends. In  Multimedia Information Networking and Security (MINES), 2012 Fourth International Conference on  (pp. 142-146). IEEE. Jadeja, Y. and Modi, K., 2012, March. Cloud computing-concepts, architecture and challenges. In  Computing, Electronics and Electrical Technologies (ICCEET), 2012 International Conference on  (pp. 877-880). IEEE.