The Women of the Aeneid

The Roman epic of Virgil's Aeneid describes the hardship and misadventures of Aeneas and the Trojans quest from Troy to Italy. Like Homer’s famous epics, the Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil’s narrative style and structure portrays similar attributes in the finding of Rome. Aeneas encounters several women on his journey who play a significant role throughout this epic in assisting or destroying his journey to Rome. His representation of female characters provides the readers with a better understanding of gender politics and reasons why some female leaders failed.Each of Virgil's female characters demonstrates a combination of traits throughout the epic; however, such behaviors of these women tend to develop unwanted conflict due to emotions. Like in every great story the female characters tend to have a enormous influence on the main character in both positive and negative ways. The first female that Virgil introduces is Dido, the queen of Carthage, in Book I of the Aeneid. V irgil provides evidence that Dido is a strong and powerful leader. â€Å"In her stride she seems the tallest, taller by a head than any At the door†¦Of the goddess' shrine, under the temple dome, All hedged about with guards on her high throne, She took her seat. â€Å". This statement illustrates just how supreme and crucial she is. Virgil portrays Dido with a goddess type of image. Not only did she rule Carthage with a strong hold, but she also provided fairness and equality. â€Å"Then she began to give them Judgments and rulings, to apportion work With fairness, or assign some tasks by lot†. This quote certainly demonstrates Dido’s type of rulership.Even though, she is commanding the people of Carthage to do their duties, which provides evidence that she is feared because the people do as she says without questioning her demands; she distributes the work evenly and fair throughout the citizens. Usually people would assume that the men go to the king for help or advice, but ironically, the men of Troy, leaded by Aeneas, were taken to Queen Dido for help. â€Å"When suddenly Aeneas saw approaching, Accompanied by a crowd, Antheus and Sergestus And brave Cloanthus,1 with a few companions†¦He was astounded, and Achates too Felt thrilled by joy and fear:† I feel as though Aeneas and his men did not know what to expect when they came forward to Queen Dido. They were nervous of what was going to happen. Until Dido laid eyes on Aeneas. In every great epic, love plays a key role in bringing people together but also destroying plenty in its way. Even though Dido is characterized as this powerful leader, she slowly starts to fall as her passion for Aeneas starts to grow.As Aeneas tells his story to all the people, Dido slowly starts falling more and more in love with Aeneas. Throughout this Book you slowly start to see the demise of Queen Dido. â€Å"Towers, half-built, rose no farther; men no longer trained in arms†¦ Projects w ere broken off, laid over, and the menacing huge walls with cranes unmoving stood against the sky†. Virgil provides images of how Carthage is being affected by the downfall of Queen Dido. Dido is so infatuated with love that she cannot see how she is running Carthage to the ground for the love of Aeneas.The goddess Juno, the queen of gods, saw this as an opportunity to keep Aeneas from reaching Italy. Dido even broke her vow of chastity and surrenders to her desires for Aeneas. â€Å"Dido had no further qualms as to impressions given and set abroad; She thought no longer of a secret love but called it marriage†. This statement demonstrates how she is becoming weak-minded. She is starting to trick her mind into making something that she knows is not moral in her eyes, into something that seems right. Only to find out that she will regret it in the end.When Mercury, the messenger god, reminds Aeneas that his destiny is not in Carthage and that he must leave for Italy imme diately, Aeneas is not too excited to leave Dido, but he knows he has to obey. Dido at first was furious and cursed Aeneas, â€Å"Midway at sea you’ll drink your punishment and call and call on Dido’s name!†¦ and when cold death has parted.. you will pay for this! †. As soon as Dido realizes that he is gone forever, her emotions transform from furious to depressed and lost. She decided to make an impulsive decision and goes to the extreme of commits suicide.The title for Book IV tells it all â€Å"The Passion of the Queen,†. Queen Dido was supposedly known for being this powerful, supreme, strong minded leader, but her passion for Aeneas turned her soft. She put her responsibilities before love and did not see that Aeneas did the complete opposite. He loved her but he knew what he had to do. I feel as though her importance in the epic was just a distraction for Aeneas to reach his goal. Book XI, Virgil presents another female character that holds pow er like Queen Dido. Camilla, the warrior queen of the Volscians, who just joined the Latins to provided assistance in the war with the Trojans.Camilla shows a lot of strong, composed, and leadership like qualities just like Dido in Book I. Vergil’s epic portrays Camilla’s true powers and strength, â€Å"Amid the carnage, like an Amazon, Camilla rode exultant, one breast bared for fighting ease, her quiver at her back, At times she flung slim javelins thick and fast, At times, tireless, caught up her two-edged axe†. Unlike Dido, Camilla is does not seek love or passion, she is aware of what her duties are and acknowledges that she has to complete such duties. Camilla remains powerful because she has no distractions.Before Aeneas came into Dido life, she had full control on Carthage and all her focus was placed on that; therefore, her land thrives under her leadership. However as soon as she encounters Aeneas, she becomes distracted and slowly starts to lose her c ommanding hand on Carthage. But no one is perfect. Camilla is given this pure and righteous image by Virgil until she also gets distracted. After slaughtering many opponents with her javelin and axes, Camilla’s eyes get caught onto this one Tuscan warrior named Arruns and was left dumbfounded. Camilla Began to track this man, her heart's desire Either to fit luxurious Trojan gear On a temple door, or else herself to flaunt That golden plunder Blindly, as a huntress, following him†¦ she rode on through a whole scattered squadron, recklessly, in a girl's love of finery†. As soon as Camilla laid eyes on this stunning man, her whole mindset changed. Arruns notices and takes advantage of the situation and slays her immediately. Both females were killed by love and lust. Another female that had a huge impact on Virgil’s Aeneid was Juno, the queen of gods.Juno despises the Trojans because of Paris’s judgment against her in a beauty contest. She is also an ad vocate of Carthage, â€Å"And Juno, we are told, cared more for Carthage Than for any walled city of the earth,† and knows that Aeneas’s descendants are destined to destroy Carthage. â€Å"But she had heard long since That generations born of Trojan blood Would one day overthrow her Tyrian walls, And from that blood a race would come in time†. This causes hatred in Juno towards both Aeneas and the Trojans.Throughout Aeneas’s journey, Juno releases her anger on him to make his quest more of a challenge. Juno was the cause of the storm in the beginning of Book I because she summoned Aeolus, the god of winds, to cause an enormous storm while Aeneas was at sea. Vergil provides example of Juno being a manipulative, grudge holding, evil Goddess. In order to stop Aeneas quest to Italy, Juno uses the love Aeneas has towards Dido to her advantage. Juno came up with a scheme to convince Venus to get Aeneas and Dido alone so they can marry and the Trojans and the Ty rians would inally be at peace, even though that was not her true intention. â€Å"Aeneas and Dido in her misery, plan hunting in the forest†¦ My gift will be a black rain cloud and hail†¦ As Dido and the Trojan captain come to one same cavern†¦ There I shall marry them and call his her, a wedding, this will be†. That plan failed when Jupiter found out of such horrid behavior and sent Mercury, the messenger god, to remind Aeneas of his true mission. The goal was to keep the idea of him leaving Carthage a secret from Queen Dido, but she eventually finds out.These get Juno even more furious towards Aeneas and his Trojan men, but she does not give up with her plans to halt Aeneas quest. In Book VII, Juno instructs Allecto, one of the Furies, to create a civil war between the Trojans and the Latins. â€Å"You can arm For combat brothers of one soul between them, Twist homes with hatred, bring your whips inside Or firebrands of death. A thousand names Belong to you , a thousand ways of wounding. † This statement demonstrates how badly she wants to end the Trojan empire and see Aeneas fail.The importance of Juno’s role in Virgil’s epic is that she is Aeneas mortal enemy and will do anything to stop him in his path. Not only does she dislike Aeneas but anyone that is from the Trojan descent. Virgil’s representation of female characters provides the readers with a better understanding of gender politics and reasons why some female leaders failed. Each of Virgil's female characters demonstrates a combination of traits throughout the epic; however, such behaviors of these women tend to develop unwanted conflict due to emotions.Dido was so possessed on the idea of her and Aeneas falling in love, that she did not see how she was burning her city, Carthage to the ground. Camilla, drowned in lust as she laid her eyes on Arrun, causing her to put her guard down and effectively getting killed. Juno is so blinded by hatred towar ds Aeneas and the Trojans, that she makes it her mission to delay his journey. Virgil demonstrates how a female ruler brings too much emotions with her ruling, while a male ruler can run things smoothly without any distractions.

Competency Differences between Associate degree Nurse and Baccalaureate Essay

This essay will explore the differences in competencies for nurses prepared at the associates and baccalaureate degree levels. Both degrees allow the nurse to enter in to the field of nursing as a Registered Nurse .The American Association of colleges of Nursing believes that education significantly impacts the knowledge base and competencies of nurse (AACN2010). BSN and ADN nurses have the same skills need to care for the patient’s, the BSN prepared nurse builds upon these skills. Educational preparation for both degrees includes a core curriculum focusing on preparing the nurse for acquired to in the clinical setting. There are the educational pathways for Registered Nurses. An associate degree nurse enters a two year community college program, earning a student in associate degree in nursing, a three year diploma program offered by hospitals and a four year university or college program, earning the student a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing. The associate degree program were first introduced in 1958 to relieve the shortage of nurses post world war. The program focused on providing direct care for a patient with a well- defined common diagnosis. Facilities have protocols which the nurse takes direction from and refers to for guidance. ADN curriculum is technical in nature focusing on task oriented clinical skill, while considering patient health conditions and need. ADN nurses understand the needs for standardized data collection and assist in obtaining data in a comprehensive manner Competencies set forth for AND’S intend to center on caregiver, councilor, and educator Activities (LUCY J HOOD 2009).ADN maintains accountability for her own actions and those of other health care peers for which she delegate task. ADN nurses assess, implement and plan patient care from admission to discharge. BSN NURSES BSN educational program last for four years. Baccalaureate curriculums include emphasis on critical thinking, research, leadership, management and community health . BSN nurses have excellent problem solving skills and have independent decision making capacities .The BSN program graduates assume the same responsibilities of the associate degree nurse yet their role is far  more expanded. The baccalaureate nurse incorporates the physical, social, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional components to address the overall health of the individual. Applying theory of nursing knowledge from evidence bases research in a holistic view of the individual, and their community. BSN nursing knowledge is based on theory and research which allows opportunities to teach, assume a leadership role in the health care environment. BSN nurses not only provide more complex aspects of daily care and patient education, but also design and co-ordinate a comprehensive plan of nursing care for the entire length of a patient’s stay from pre-admission to post-discharge , including supervising nurses’ aides and other unlicensed assistive personnel, designing discharge and teaching plans for patient’s and collaborating with patient Physicians, families and of the hospital departments and resource personnel. An example of differences in patient care, ADN and BSN nurse are as follows. (Patient situation) A 76 year old female patient admitted with the diagnosis of breast cancer to the oncology department .Cancer care technician arrives, providing daily care of a patient. An RN Arrives, welcome the patient, oriented the room, call bell, introduced staff, checks the vital signs, assess the skin, treatments given for the wound and evaluate the plan of care. A nurse with BSN degree is responsible for the co-ordination of all care provided, after assessing the patient and family needs. The nurse with a BSN collaborates with the physician, physical therapy pastoral care services, social worker and implement a plan of care for the patients based on their health care needs. The AACN â€Å"states the road to BSN, prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient setting† (AACN, 2010) .With the increase in complexity of today’s health care system, patient’s ,along with advances in technology, our health care requires more highly educated nurses. We as nurses embrace education that prepares us to provide the best care possible for our patients. References American Association of colleges of health of nursing (2010). The impact of education on nursing practice. Retrieved from American ASSOCIATION OF Nursing website: www.aacn.nche.edu/media/ factsheets/ impactednp.htm HOOD, L.J.(2010).

Staff Development and Performance Appraisal in a Brazilian Research Centre

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/1460-1060. htm Staff development and performance appraisal in a Brazilian research centre Cristina Lourenco Ubeda and Fernando Cesar Almada Santos ? Staff development and appraisal 109 ? ? University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil Abstract Purpose – The aim of this paper is to analyse the staff development and performance appraisal in a Brazilian research centre.Design/methodology/approach – The key issues of this case study are: the main organisational changes which have taken place over the last decades; the aspects of the organisational structure that have either contributed to or hindered competence-based management; the development of necessary researchers’ competences related to main projects and processes and the way of appraising the development of their competences.The analysis of this paper was carried out considering the following phases: strategic plannin g, speci? cations of projects and processes, competence-based management and performance appraisal of researchers. Findings – Although integration was found between the performance measurement and strategic plans de? ned by the research centre, competence-based management is still centred on individuals and based on their tasks. The link between researchers’ competences and their social context is not considered.Originality/value – Feedback from the results of research projects and recycling of organisational processes would allow the studied organisation not only to identify the individual competences necessary for each activity, but also to improve the relationship between professional growth and innovation brought about by competitive strategies of companies. Keywords Competences, Innovation, Human resource management, Performance appraisal, Research organizations, Brazil Paper type Case study IntroductionCurrent competitive markets are highly in? uenced by t he markets being globalised, technological innovation and stiff competition. Competence-based management appears in this scenario as an approach to human resource management which provides interaction between human resource systems and a company’s strategy (Santos, 2000; Schuler and Jackson, 1995; Meshoulam and Baird, 1987). Technological changes require companies to develop human competences as an important factor to achieve success and have competitive advantage (Drejer and Riis, 1999).The main objective of developing competences is to enable people to assimilate the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for their jobs (Sandberg, 2000). Strategic human resource management has attempted to link its practices to innovation strategies of companies which deal with changing, unpredictable and demanding markets (Hagan, 1996; Huselid et al. , 1997; Mills et al. , 1998; Jayaram et al. , 1999; Drejer, 2000a; Ray et al. , 2004). Human resource management consists of systems such as selection, staff’s performance appraisal, career management, compensation and motivation practices.European Journal of Innovation Management Vol. 10 No. 1, 2007 pp. 109-125 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1460-1060 DOI 10. 1108/14601060710720573 EJIM 10,1 110 All these systems may favour or hinder the development of competences which are necessary for a company’s strategy (Sandberg, 2000). The systems in human resources may help a company to increase its competitiveness by implementing competence-based management. Models for competence-based management have been widely used in order to align individual abilities with core competences of a company.A structure of competences is basically understood as a link between people’s development and a company’s strategy. Competence-based management uses a structure of competences to align its strategic objectives with its key processes in human resource management (Le Deist and Winterton, 2005). The aim of thi s paper is to analyse a Brazilian research centre by reinforcing the main challenges of implementing competence-based management in this centre which deals with innovation.Its mission is to develop solutions for sustainable development of Brazilian agribusinesses by creating, adapting and transferring knowledge and technology to bene? t society (Ubeda, 2003, p. 50). This research is relevant because: . it highlights the production and transfer of technology as a distinct factor in terms of innovation which allows companies to achieve a leading position in international markets (Fleury and Fleury, 2004); and . the development of competences which is directly linked to market demands is analysed (Mans? ld, 2004; Schroeder et al. , 2002; Hagan, 1996; Drejer, 2000a; Drejer and Riis, 1999). As a consequence, this analysis is based on a theoretical proposal concerning the development of individual competences which reinforces performance appraisal as a tool to identify and monitor staffâ €™s competences, as well as taking into account a company’s core competence and external demands. The paper is based on three relevant topics: (1) Working competitively involves placing high value on people, considering their experiences, ideas and preferences.Their participation in organisations is necessary because employees and managers have to discuss a company’s objectives together. (2) Encouraging employees’ participation means creating opportunities to offer people a collective perspective concerning the signi? cance of their professional practice and a way of being part of the future. (3) It is fundamental to consider not only the staff’s speci? c quali? cations needed for the positions in the organisational structure, but also their knowledge, experiences, skills and results for future innovations. Individual competences which are identi? d by performance appraisal in all the hierarchical levels of an organisation are important aspects concer ning the success of a company’s competitive strategy. Once the company is aware of the individual competences needed for each process, it can identify new ways of developing its human resources by changing the focus of its human resource systems. An integrated model for human resource management with a business-oriented strategy uses individual competences as a reference for the systems in human resource management, such as selection, training and development, compensation and career management.Taking this into account, Dutra (2001, p. 27) says that: . . . organisations and people, side by side, create a continuous process of competence exchange. A company transfers its assets to the people, enriching and preparing them to face new professional and personal situations, inside or outside of the organisation. Its staff, in turn, while developing their individual abilities, transfer their learning to the organisation, providing it conditions to cope with new challenges. Competen ce-based management Competence-based management has a direct effect on the future performance of its human resources (employees, managers and directors).It also considers attitudes, values, personal characteristics and relationships in teams which are necessary for innovation and not only the knowledge and skills required for completing their jobs (Conde, 2001). Therefore, competence-based management is a strategic practice which aims at increasing the global performance of a corporation by increasing the individual performance of its employees (Hagan, 1996). It is necessary to identify factors which produce differences between individuals according to the results of their jobs and experiences (Moore et al. , 2002; Drejer, 2000b).For this reason, every company which strives for competitiveness in its market recognises that competence-based management and performance appraisal are strategic functions, as this has brought about innovation by recycling companies’ processes and i ndividuals’ activities (Bitencourt, 2004; Drejer and Riis, 1999; Houtzagers, 1999; Baker et al. , 1997). Competence-based management creates opportunities for effective strategic human resource management. However, without performance appraisals, both for individuals and teams, a company can neither monitor its own development nor the progress of its staff’s performance.As a consequence, it cannot develop or manage its individual competences (Ritter et al. , 2002; Robotham and Jubb, 1996). Therefore, the main objectives of competence-based management are: . to guide managerial decisions related to providing employees with the resources necessary for them to carry out their work satisfactorily, as well as to meet their training needs; . to plan staff’s activities and identify the work conditions that in? uence their performance; . to guide the company’s human resource policies and guidelines; and . to reward, promote and even punish, warn or ? e employees. Development of individual competences When considering social interaction between people and objectives, competitive strategy makes use of a formal structure to exchange information and human resource management that provides guidelines for selection, job design and evaluation, performance appraisal and rewards (Devanna et al. , 1984). A competitive strategy formulation must be based on the strongest competences of a company. Constant progress of competences creates opportunities for systematic Staff development and appraisal 111 EJIM 10,1 112 re? ement and reformulation of competitive strategy and, by doing so, new ways can be identi? ed to develop competences (Fleury and Fleury, 2004). Developing individual competences is cyclical. According to environmental demands, companies de? ne their competitive strategy and core competences in order to channel their energy into their speci? c characteristics and, consequently, to adopt human resource systems that support the identi? cation and management of their individual competences. In this paper, development of individual competences is considered as a way of supplying information to other systems and processes.First of all, the company must: . establish what the strategy and organisational competences are; . de? ne the speci? cations of products and processes; . study the perspectives of necessary individual competences for each speci? c process; and . plan and carry out performance appraisal (Figure 1). When competence-based management is integrated into a company’s strategy, one can observe the relationship between identifying personal competences and main human resource systems: selection, training and development, compensation and career management.Companies which integrate competence-based management into strategic planning become able to make use of some tools, such as a balanced scorecard in order to measure the organisational performance in four balanced perspectives: ? nance, customers, internal processes and staff’s learning and growth. Kaplan and Norton (1997) highlight the importance of creating a strategic feedback system to test, validate and modify the hypotheses which are incorporated into strategic business units. When cause and effect relations are incorporated into the balanced scorecard, they allow executives to establish short term goals which re? ct their best expectations in de? ciencies and impacts and consequently affect performance measurements. From the feedback obtained by performance appraisal, supervisors and employees can identify what the necessary skills and knowledge are for activities to be developed, and what type of training is necessary to improve project management. Competence and human performance Individual competence associates explicit knowledge, personal skills and experiences with individuals’ results and judgement of organisational values which are obtained in ? their social context (Hipolito, 2001, p. 1; Fleury and Fleury , 2000; Zari? an, 2001; Sveiby, 1998). It considers the production and handing in of results which are linked to employees’ mobilisation, that is to say, it incorporates the value added by them to business, as shown in Figure 2. Ubeda (2003) emphasises that competence involves the individuals working closely in a team by doing practical activities, as well as their daily routine which results in a constant â€Å"know how to learn†. The individuals must be apt to take the initiative and assume responsibilities to cope with professional situations which they come across.This responsibility is undoubtedly the counterpart of decentralising decision making. Individuals will not give orders anymore, but they will individually assume the Staff development and appraisal INNOVATION 113 STRATEGY F F Mission Objectives E E E CORE COMPETENCES D B D SPECIFICATIONS OF PRODUCT AND PROCESSES A C E B A INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCES K C K PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Figure 1. The competence developm ent process Source: Ubeda (2003, p. 50) responsibility for evaluating a situation, the required initiative and the effects that will inevitably arise from this situation.Therefore, a person or a team (when accepting responsibilities) accepts to be judged and be appraised for the achieved results in terms of performance for which they are responsible. They commit themselves to producing and handing in results of their activities. Thus, it is not possible to consider competence without presenting the logic behind human performance, as performance appraisal guides the development of individual competences according to business needs (Moore et al. , 2002; Lawler, 1995). The use of competences means rethinking the procedures of staff’s appraisal because: . . each individual becomes aware of which result must be reached and how it can be achieved. The competences form the basis of the language used to de? ne the expected behaviour which enables performance and improvement to be car ried out (Conde, 2001, p. 80). EJIM 10,1 114 INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCE SKILL Know how to do something PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY Results ATTITUDE Intend to do something POTENTIAL Knowledge Figure 2. The individual competence concept Source: Hipolito (2001, p. 81) According to Dutra (2001, p. 33), one of the most dif? ult issues concerning people management is to de? ne and appraise performance in terms of the results to be handed in by a determined person, company or business. Performance appraisal makes it possible to identify three individual aspects that interact between themselves: development, effort and behaviour (Figure 3): Each aspect must be dealt with in a different way, concerning not only the way to appraise, but also the actions which follow the appraisal. In general, companies mix these three aspects and emphasise effort and behaviour.At the current moment, staff’s professional growth is the most important aspect of performance and it is worthy of special attention (Du tra, 2001, p. 35). Dejours (1997, p. 54) highlights performance appraisal as evaluating a job that can take place in two ways: evaluating usefulness and social relationships. Evaluating the technical, social or economic usefulness of the individual is linked to the workplace and the person who does it is generally in a hierarchical position (boss, manager or organiser) to appraise the usefulness.Evaluating social relationships is related to the alignment of the job and production with standards which have been socially established by peers in the same hierarchical level which enables the individual to belong to a collective group. This evaluation is related to the job and its activities. What is appraised and evaluated is the job and not the individual. From the perspective of the human factor theory proposed by Dejours (1997, p. 55), this is an essential point because an individual’s contribution to the job effectiveness makes recognition and compensation possible.PERFORMANC E APPRAISAL BEHAVIOUR DEVELOPMENT EFFORT Figure 3. The three aspects of performance appraisal Source: Dutra (2001, p. 35) Recent studies point out models of performance appraisal based on behaviour and attitudes, but not only the ones focused on the analysis of functional features of each job (Moore et al. , 2002). They reinforce the increasing in? uence of technology, functional requisites and organisational learning in terms of developing competences (Drejer and Riis, 1999). According to Zari? an (2001, p. 121), nobody can compel individuals to be competent.A company can only create favourable conditions for their development. Thus, motivation becomes a key element in terms of developing competences. It is necessary for the employees to feel useful and be able to assume responsibilities. The individuals will be more motivated as they consider that the practice of their competences also contributes to the development of their projects and perspectives. Performance appraisal as an i nstrument to identify employees’ competences Competence-based management is supported by organisational competences that directly in? ence an individual’s competences, which are necessary for carrying out tasks and processes and, then are considered in performance appraisals. Consequently, the feedback concerning the data from these appraisals enables the whole organisation to recycle strategies and competences. Many authors highlight the dif? culty of measuring the impact of developing competences regarding a company’s performance (Mans? eld, 2004; Moore et al. , 2002; Ritter et al. , 2002; Drejer, 2000a; Sandberg, 2000; Hagan, 1996). This situation is worsened if the individual metrics of each work process are thought to be measured.Becker et al. (2001) emphasise that performance appraisal systems are incoherent in terms of what is measured and what is important. When implementing a company’s strategy, human resource managers have to be able to understa nd exactly how people contribute to a company’s results by being valuable and how to measure this contribution. This situation only takes place if these managers really participate in the development of a company’s strategy. These authors state that satisfactory performance appraisal produces two types of results: 1) it improves the decision-making processes of the sector responsible for human resource management by focusing its activities on the aspects of the organisation that contribute to the development of a company’s strategy; and (2) it provides a better allocation of resources, de? ning direct relations between human resource investments and strategic assets of a company. Developing competences in a research centre Aiming at evaluating competence-based management in practice, a case study in a research centre located in Brazil was carried out.This organisation is a unit of a Federal public research corporation which consists of 37 research centres, three national service centres and 11 central unit of? ces and is present in almost all the States of the Brazilian Federation. This corporation has invested in training and quali? cations of its staff since it was founded. In 2003, there were a total number of 8,619 employees. Out of 2,221 researchers who work in this corporation, 45 per cent have a master’s degree and 53 per cent a PhD. Staff development and appraisal 115 EJIM 10,1 16 The studied research centre is responsible for developing new technology which can facilitate the life of producers and agricultural workers in the country. The organisation was chosen because it has implemented a performance appraisal system which aligns the development of its products and processes with human resource management. Methodology An empirical study was undertaken from February to November, 2003 using the following data collection instruments: interviews with opportunities for participants’ comments and analysis of documents.Sev en professionals from this research centre were interviewed: four employees of the human resource area, the associate head of the research centre and two researchers. The participative observation of the researchers, the interviewees’ comments and the documental analysis provided a personal and close contact with the organisation identifying institutional materials, norms, routines and programs developed by the professionals. The key questions of this case study focus on: . the main organisational changes which have taken place over the last decades; . he aspects of the organisational structure that have either contributed to or hindered competence-based management; . the development of necessary researchers’ competences related to main projects and processes; and . the way of appraising the development of researchers’ competences. The case study The studied research corporation experienced some organisational changes over time that had clearly de? ned its busin ess-oriented strategy. There is a real concern about integrating this strategy with human resource management, however, the performance appraisal system shows an irregular historical background.The investigated corporation was founded in the 1970s, a period of outstanding economic growth in Brazil. Moreover, the Brazilian government supported the training of experts in research in public organs and in the agricultural sector (Ubeda, 2003). At that time, the corporation did not experience either ? nancial or human resource problems because the objective of the Federal government was to form a vanguard institution in its ? eld. The research guidelines of research were de? ned by the corporation’s headquarters and then followed by the research centres.The corporation’s concern about integrating strategies with human resource management increased from the 1990s onwards, as well as plans to implement a structured performance appraisal system (Table I). The research centres were regionally located according to product lines and were set up to solve local problems. These units followed and carried out nationwide policies, as well as guidelines de? ned by the corporation’s headquarters. At this moment, there was no concern about performance appraisal.From 1988 onwards, due to the current Federal Constitution being approved, public institutions became more concerned about the strategic management of the appraisal of processes and results, not only of the organisation but also of the individuals. Period Institution’s organisational scenario 1970s Development and consolidation of the studied corporation Employment and development of human resources Availability of ? nancial resources for project development Modernisation of management Application of strategic planning Focus on resultsAnalysis of global scenarios Rede? nition of the research centre’s mission and vision Formulation of a global policy for the organisation consisting of res earch policy, businesses’ policy, and business communication policy Focus on the customers Organisational re-structuring of processes and projects 1988-1992 1994-1998 1999-2003 Source: Ubeda (2003, p. 69) Aiming to follow these changes of organisational and technological paradigms, the studied organisation started to adopt strategic planning principles in its institutional culture and drew up its ? st corporate plan for 1988-1992. In 1991, the corporation initiated a process of organisational change, using strategic planning techniques, focusing on their operations and processes in the market, guiding research projects towards solving social problems, and not only exclusively towards the progress of pure science, attempting to ? nd an increase in ef? ciency and effectiveness to continue being competitive and to guarantee its sustainability (Nader et al. , 1998).From 1994 onwards, a new system to appraise individual job performance was created and integrated with both strategi c planning and the institutional management system of the whole corporation, as well as with the operational plan of each research centre. To remain competitive and to guarantee sustainability, the corporation adopted a process of organisational change based on a management model drawn on results and customers’ requirements, as well as having been supported by the balanced scorecard methodology (Kaplan and Norton, 1997).From 1997 to 1999, the institution started implementing a new strategic management model in order to provide guidelines which really showed what was de? ned by the corporation. Therefore, the entire organisation’s staff would work in favour of the de? ned goals (Sentanin, 2003). Within its job structure, the institution manages its human resources by linking the achievement of the proposed goals of its annual operational plan to negotiating the proposed activities for each employee in the performance appraisal system.The performance appraisal system, be sides being an instrument to recognise achieved results, is also used to identify human competences, which are important for research, and is a basis for selection, training and compensation practices in research centres. Concerned about meeting the needs of its customers, the corporation de? nes its strategic objectives and conveys them to its research centres that incorporate them into the annual operational plan. These units establish important processes to ful? the proposed goals in the performance appraisal systems of researchers, and consequently, researchers develop new practices and technology (Figure 4). Staff development and appraisal 117 Table I. Organisational scenario of the studied corporation EJIM 10,1 118 Corporate Strategic Plan Plan of Each Unit Annual Operational Plan Figure 4. Performance strategic management process in the organisation studied Performance Measurement Strategic Planning F E E D B A C K Strategic Management Model Based on Processes Performance App raisal Source: Ubeda (2003, p. 82)In each research centre, there is an internal technical committee which co-ordinates research regarding themes and developed projects. This committee analyses pre-proposals and proposals of projects and processes of its unit with technical, operational and ? nancial criteria. Thus, each new project undergoes evaluation and approval of the committee. Once a project is approved, it can be developed, and after it is concluded, it is evaluated once again to re? ect on the results, assuring both the commitment of its staff and the quality of its technical projects and processes.The units’ type of structure is ad hocratic, according to Mintzberg’s (1983) terminology, because it consists of teams which develop the approved projects, as well as them being concerned with innovation and always centred on the development of new products and processes. The head of research of each unit co-ordinates and appraises the performance of the projects whi ch are carried out. The structure of this centre is the re? ection of its strategies, since it attempts to create an integration of specialties using its project teams with the aim of competitiveness and customer satisfaction.As for the job structure, there are two functional careers: research and support for research. Data analysis, results and implication of this research Research on competence-based management was focused on performance appraisal because it is an important instrument to identify human competences based on the innovation strategy of the studied centre. In this performance appraisal system there is explicit planning of the following activities: . what the results of the jobs are expected to be; . ow the product should be presented and what the standard of performance is expected to be; . . when the deadline for the product to be presented is; and feedback of the results of the jobs. However, since 1994 when it was implemented, the performance appraisal system has u ndergone modi? cations to improve its methodology, attempting to make its participants aware of the need for periodic dialogue and monitoring the activities, as well as for the impartial and speci? c appraisal of the activities planned in relation to the availability of means to carry out these activities.The planning of employees’ activities must be made according to the goals of its unit, area or sector, and to the projects under the responsibility of the studied research centre (Ubeda, 2003, p. 82). Performance appraisal must consider the employee’s individual competences and the results of the job which were de? ned in strategic planning. Competence-based management aims at guiding managerial decisions, the processes of professional development, as well as planning the human resource systems.An analysis of the development of competences in the Brazilian research centre was carried out by comparing the main theoretical issues of the literature with practices of the organisation which was studied (Figure 5). Firstly, the strategic objectives (item 1 of Figure 5) of the studied organisation were formulated according to the corporation and unit’s missions and the corporation’s objectives. A synthesis of the theoretical issues concerning organisational competences (item 2 of Figure 5) is presented as follows: . eveloping organisational competences is based on the internal abilities of companies (Wernerfelt, 1984); . these competences consist of skills, abilities and technology which enable a company to meet the speci? c needs of its customers, that is to say, to achieve a competitive advantage superior to competitors (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994); Staff development and appraisal 119 FORMULATION OF STRATEGY (1) Objectives are defined according to the corporation and unit’s missions and the corporation’s objectives PRACTICES OF THE STUDIED ORGANISATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCES (3) ISSUES OF LITERATURE ONORGANIZATIONAL C OMPETENCES (2) ISSUES OF LITERATURE ON INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCES (4) ISSUES OF LITERATURE ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL (6) F E E D B A C K PRACTICES OF INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCES OF THE STUDIED ORGANISATION (5) ITEMS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL IN THE STUDIED ORGANISATION (7) Core of this analysis: researchers Focus of the performance appraisal: researchers’university degree qualifications Figure 5. Analysis of the development of competences in the research centre EJIM 10,1 . . 120 they require an understanding of competitive advantage mechanisms which may be used over time.When competitive strategies are being developed, companies have to make the best use of their speci? c features (Grant, 1991); and a competence can be de? ned by considering four elements and their relationships: technology, people, organisational structure and organisational context (Drejer and Riis, 1999). The main features of organisational competences practised in the researched company (item 3 of Figure 5) were: . focus on the internal ability of research in agriculture and breeding; . support for competitive agribusinesses development in the global economy; . ncouraging the development of agribusinesses with the sustainability of economical activities and environmental balance; . diminishing environmental imbalanced aspects of agribusinesses; and . supplying raw materials and food which encourage the population’s health, improving the nutritional level and quality of life. Individual competence issues in the literature (item 4 of Figure 5) may be summarised as follows: . individual competence links explicit knowledge, skills and experiences of individuals to the results and judgements of value built within their social ? etwork (Hipolito, 2001; Fleury and Fleury, 2000; Zari? an, 2001; Sveiby, 1998); . individual competence can be explained altogether by the skills (to know how to do something), attitudes (to intend to do something), knowledge (to understand why to do something and sea rch for solutions) and results (to produce and come ? up with the solution) (Hipolito, 2001); and . in order to develop complex competences, complex systems involve not only many people in different areas of the organisation, but also interlocking technology.It is very dif? cult to understand and imitate them because they are very dependent on people and technology (Drejer and Riis, 1999). To develop individual competences in the research centre (item 5 of Figure 5), the following initiatives were carried out: . stimulating and rewarding creativity; . seeking effectiveness, developing actions with a focus on the achievement of results and solutions with compatible and competitive costs; . planning the company for the future by strategically positioning its resources and abilities; . eing committed to honesty and ethical posture by placing high value on human beings and dealing with all groups of society with respect; . attempting to meet the particularities of customers’ dema nds by following the principles of total quality; . stimulating leadership when creating, adapting and transferring knowledge, products, services and technology; . . . . encouraging partnerships with other organisations and individuals; developing partnerships in terms of science and technology in agribusinesses; striving for scienti? c rigour, using scienti? methods in research, caring about the exactness and precision of procedures in all the phases of the process, and not tolerating bias in results; and supporting teams which deal with problems in a systemic way in order to attain the ? nal objectives of their jobs. With regards to the issues presented in the literature on performance appraisal (item 6 of Figure 5): . the three main aspects of performance appraisal are people’s development, effort and behaviour (Dutra, 2001); . models for performance appraisal are based on behaviour and attitudes, and not only on the speci? functional analysis of each job (Moore et al. , 2 002); and . technology, functional requisites and organisational learning in? uence the development of competences (Drejer and Riis, 1999). However, the main items of performance appraisal in the studied organisation (item 7 of Figure 5) are limited to: . researchers’ ability of monitoring the projects being carried out; . researchers’ scienti? c publications, such as articles, proceedings of congresses and scienti? c journals, books and chapters of books; . production and transfer of technology; and . publicising the research centre’s image.Although there is integration between performance appraisal and strategic plans de? ned by the research centre, competence-based management is still centred on the individuals, and it is also based on their tasks and not on the individuals linked to their social context, as previously pointed out by Moore et al. (2002), Zari? an (2001), Drejer and Riis (1999) and Dejours (1997). The previous fact is also a result of the dif? culty in measuring innovation and the degree of the development of a research project. Until the moment the research project does not achieve the proposed objective, it is dif? ult to quantify how much this research has progressed over time. All the risks are assumed and the decisions are centralised by researchers who coordinate the project teams. These facts took place because of the studied organisation which did not manage to deal with complex competences in a decentralised way. Although this research centre is a reference in Brazil, the competence notion of this institution recognises only the scope of skills (to know how to do it) and knowledge (information and experiences), not considering the scope of the attitudes (to intend to do it).The organisation only recognises competences based on a university degree quali? cation, and does not include the initiative and the responsibilities necessary to cope with complex situations. It does not centre the development of individual competences either on speci? c projects or on integration and team work. Staff development and appraisal 121 EJIM 10,1 122 Project management and performance appraisal are centred on the main researchers’ skills and knowledge, minimising the importance of the competences of the other members of the research project team.However, it is important to mention that the quantitative criteria of performance appraisal do not only re? ect the concern about customers’ satisfaction, but also guide the distribution of resources and the human resource policies of the studied institution. Performance appraisal does not consider either the team aspect or the concept of feedback structured by 360 degrees appraisal in which all the staff appraise and are appraised by their superiors, subordinates and colleagues (Borman, 1997). Employees are appraised by their superiors in the studied centre.The results of the performance appraisal system contribute to strategic planning, however, the o rganisation and superiors are not appraised by the employees. In addition, an investigation into the organisational atmosphere was not made. There is not a channel for the feedback of performance appraisals which could result in both the development of researchers’ competences and the innovation process of this centre. The processes in which technology is transferred and research is carried out are not de? ned according to the guidelines and parameters of this research centre, but they are de? ed by the corporation. Regarding cultural aspects, there is a great resistance and incredulity of the performance appraisal systems and the development of competences, despite the employees being already familiar with the appraisal systems of the research projects. Considering this incredulity, the appraisers do not take the role of planning and monitoring individual jobs. â€Å"There is always something more important and more urgent to do than ‘to sit down with somebody to plan actions related to the individuals’ job and his/her respective performance† (Nader et al. 1998, p. 17). In Table II some theoretical references are compared with the investigated institution’s practice. This is an approach combining the presence of the aspects of: competence (skills, attitudes, knowledge, production and handing in), Competence-based management elements in the studied organisation Table II. Elements of competence-based management in the organisation studied Performance appraisal integrated with strategic planning Performance appraisal integrated with human resource systems Development of skillsDevelopment of knowledge Development of attitudes Consideration of the social context of project teams Development of competences according to production and delivery Performance appraisal based on results Use of balanced scorecard to establish and rede? ne goals Participation of all members of a research project team in the performance appraisal through 36 0 degrees performance appraisal Concern about employees and researchers’ professional growth considering all the elements of competenceFeedback of appraisals in terms of attitudes, opportunities of professional growth and social context to develop new strategies Source: Adapted from Ubeda (2003, p. 95) Present Absent X X X X X X X X X X X X the performance appraisal model, and the strategic integration of processes with human resource management. Conclusions When dealing with current competitive markets and needs for technological innovation, as well as stiff competition for new market niches, competence-based management is really a strategic practice adopted by companies to attain competitive advantage in order to serve the customers quickly and ef? iently. As a consequence, the alignment of human resource management practices and business strategies is of fundamental importance to company’s competitiveness, and it emphasises people as a distinct resource for success. Thus, competence and human performance help the development of projects and internal processes. Competence-based management is carried out based on identifying individual competences, using performance appraisal of results from an individual’s job.It is based not only on the competitive strategy and the organisational structure, but also on processes and projects of a company. It is also a reference for managers’ decisions concerning the selection, training and compensation policies of a company’s staff. To implement a consistent performance appraisal system which is capable of appraising the competences of each employee, it is necessary to check which knowledge, skills and attitudes should be developed in order to improve the internal processes of the organisation, without remaining focused only on jobs and tasks.In this case, the research centre is basically just concerned with its operational plans whose main reference is striving for productivity. However, it was observed in practice that the development of individual competences does not link the performance appraisal system to the collective and social approach of competence-based management, and it also does not include the scope of attitudes in order to integrate strategic planning, its monitoring, performance appraisal, the feedback of results of a research project and the improvement of processes.It is exactly this feedback, if well managed, that makes a difference, not only when identifying individual competences necessary for each activity, but also in the possibility of sharing professional growth concurrently with innovation and competitive strategy of companies. Feedback linked to the organisation’s strategy could increase the integration between all its organisational units and levels possible. New research to obtain greater understanding of the relationship between competence-based management and performance appraisal is necessary because the existing literature do es not speci? ally examine the development of individual competences. The main contribution of this paper is to present not only the dif? culty of managing human competences, but also a vision of the process of developing competences in a research centre by analysing its particularities and limitations. References Baker, J. C. , Mapes, J. , New, C. C. and Szwejczewski, N. (1997), â€Å"A hierarchical model of business competence†, Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 8 No. 5, pp. 265-72. ? ? Becker, B. E. , Huselid, M. A. and Ulrich, D. (2001), Gestao estrategica de pessoas com scorecard: ? nterligando pessoas, estrategia e performance, Campus, Rio de janeiro. ? ? Bitencourt, C. C. (2004), â€Å"A gestao de competencias gerenciais e a contribuicao da aprendizagem organizacional†, Revista de Administracao de Empresas, Vol. 44 No. 1, pp. 58-69. Staff development and appraisal 123 EJIM 10,1 124 Borman, W. C. (1997), â€Å"360 ratings: an analysis of assumption and re search agenda for appraising their validity†, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 299-315. ? ? ? Conde, L. P. (2001), â€Å"Gestao de competencias como pratica de recursos humanos nas organizacoes: studo de caso em uma empresa de tecnologia da informacao†, masters thesis, Faculty of ? ? Economics and Administration, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo. ? Dejours, C. (1997), O fator humano, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro. Devanna, M. A. , Fombrun, C. J. and Tichy, N. M. (1984), â€Å"A framework for strategic human resource management†, Strategic Human Resource Management, Wiley, New York, NY, in Fombrun, C. J. , Tichy, N. M. and Devanna, M. A. (Coords. ). Drejer, A. 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(2002), â€Å"Measuring network competence: some internacional evidence†, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 17 Nos 2/3, pp. 119-38. Robotham, D. and Jubb, R. (1996), â€Å"Competence: measuring the unmeasurable†, Management Development Review, Vol. 9 No. 5, pp. 25-9. Sandb erg, J. (2000), â€Å"Understanding human competence at work: an interpretative approach†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43 No. 1, pp. 9-25. Santos, F. C. A. 2000), â€Å"Integration of human resource management and competitive priorities of manufacturing strategy†, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 610-28. Schroeder, R. G. , Bates, K. A. and Juntilla, M. A. (2002), â€Å"A resource-based view of manufacturing strategy and the relationship to manufacturing performance†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 105-17. Schuler, R. S. and Jackson, S. E. 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Corresponding author Cristina Lourenco Ubeda can be contacted at: [email  protected] com. br ? To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protected] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints Staff development and appraisal 125

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Aristotle - Essay Example These are essentially two different systems believing and advocating in values that are quite different. They are not absolute systems, and hence might have their share of problems. Yet, Aristotle insists on comparing the voids between both theories as the same, by exemplifying that "all existing things do not have the same elements", thereby propagating the fact, that these two theorists may not have explained the concept in entirety. Precisely this last criticism by Aristotle also ironically becomes a criticism for his own critique. He questions in the book, "If forms are numbers, in what sense will they be causes. If ideas are numbers, how are they composed." This is precisely the point. The two theories are not compatible with each other, and hence their criticism on parallel grounds is also uncalled for. There is much more to their concept when taken individually, when taken both in forms of theory and practice even today. However, making a critical comparison of two notions, one of whom represents a numerical construct, while other propagates the concept of ideas as forms, seems harsh. The possible reason why this might have been done by Aristotle in the first place, is because he may be looking for 'voids' which have not been explained by these two great thinkers, so that when he would explain his own notions, they would be an 'addition' to the bank of knowledge, and not just a concurrence. Question 2 Both Aristotle (in Metaphysics Book I) and Lucretius (in On the Nature of the Universe), stress upon the usages of the sensory means for the processes and possibilities of gaining knowledge. They believe, that it is through the senses, that knowledge is gained, or simply, information about the... Both Aristotle (in Metaphysics Book I) and Lucretius, stress upon the usages of the sensory means for the processes and possibilities of gaining knowledge. They believe, that it is through the senses, that knowledge is gained, or simply, information about the outside world comes inside. The importance and value of every sense are unique in its own right, as elaborated by both, in that the domain of the eye cannot be overtaken by the ear. Aristotle puts forth the point that â€Å"all men naturally desire knowledge. [However there exist] degrees of intelligence, sense-perception, memory, experience, art, and experience†. This variation in processes of acquiring knowledge actually points out to the ability to gain, assimilate and reproduce knowledge. He went on to describe four kinds of ‘cause’, namely: formal, material, efficient and final. On the other hand, Lucretius also explains the nature of â€Å"vision, hearing, taste, and smell†, and the way things enter the mind and how the mind works. He explains at length the processes through which he believes information goes into the mental system, and also how each sense is performing their task in an exclusive way. However, there are certain variations between both schools of thought when it comes to the connotation of the truthfulness of the knowledge gained. Aristotle believed, that â€Å"wisdom is the knowledge of certain causes and principles†. He tried to present a rationale for the wise man, in that there would be an innate ability to reason better than the rest.

The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Essay Example The novel "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin Thus, in the novel, the author portrays the character of Edna who suffers from gender inequality, isolation, suppressed sexuality, racial discrimination, marital problems, motherhood and social customs. The reader can analyze various topics such as gender crises between Edna and her husband, Edna’s attitude towards motherhood, suppressed sexuality in Edna’s character, marital problems between Edna and her husband, social systems and racial issues that are depicted in the story in a structured way from a feminist perspective. Literary critics have often remarked that Kate Chopin’s novels have inspired the readers to find the glimpses of early feminism in 19th century American society. The whole novel describes the survival of Edna in a male dominating society that never admits women as equal to men. Feminist ideologies and theories always argue for female existence and survival. As Brown comments; â€Å"Some feminist argue that the sociology learnt today is socio logy of men stating men point of view and therefore the theories and ideas given are biased with the absence of women based theories and ideas† (Brown, 2011). Kate Chopin’s The Awakening provides some elements of feminism through the afflictions and awakening of the protagonist Edna. The story is based on the Pontellier family who come vacationing on Grand isle near Gulf Mexico. The Pontellier family includes Leonce Pontellier, a businessman, his wife Edna and their two sons. Considering the identity crises faced by Edna in the novel The Awakening one can clearly identify the underlying elements of feminism and feminist perspectives in the novel. Edna’s cry for independence and her fight towards male dominating society for existence always inspire the reader to create a feminist perspective. The protagonist Edna Pontellier is struggling to reconcile her ongoing unorthodox concepts on femininity and motherhood with the background of prevailing social attitudes. Th e problem of gender in equality is visible in Kate Chopin’snovel. Gender and awakening sexuality have shown their importance as underlying themes in the novel The Awakening. In Launce’s opinion women have no independence, no personal self realization, and she must live only for men. He complains that Edna is not well in her womanly duties and act as an irresponsible mother. Here the man shows extreme male chauvinism in its zenith. His never ending frustration and anger against Edna reveals his intolerance. During the time of 1800s, American society had believed that there was a definite disparity between the sexes. In this historical perspective one can see that man is considered as active, dominant, assertive and materialistic than women. Expected to act their personal duties and responsibilities for the health and happiness of their family members, the women in 18th and 19th century American society were blocked from searching the satisfaction of their own personal n eeds and desires. The eighteenth century American society, on the other hand, attributed its willingness to consider women as individuals who have some domestic duties and responsibilities. In Kate Chopin’s novel reader can find a shift in Edna’s character and attitudes; however, the society often fails to admit her new status. Edna creates an image in her mind about her freedom. Analyzing her conversation between Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz reveals this idea. Mademoiselle Reis

Engineering manager doing research and analysis Coursework

Engineering manager doing research and analysis - Coursework Example This will need conscious effort from the student but is very effective. Practices like switching to eco-friendly bulbs, switching off electrical appliances when not in use, use of eco-friendly alternatives in everyday life contribute to the conversation of energy. Also use of recyclable and reusable products are advised as this reduces the waste that goes into the environment. Products that cannot be reused must be boycotted on the campus by the students. Students must get actively involved making their campus greener ad eco-friendly. Plants can be grown on the rooftops of dorm and apartment buildings. Waste reduction and management will also help to keep the campus clean and greener. Conscious effort in commuting can also be an effective go green initiative. Riding bikes, using mass transport options, alternative vehicles and energy, etc will reduce the stress that transport puts on the environment. Video conferencing can be used as an effective tool for communication in the campus and wherever possible. Use of paper must be reduced and softcopies of documents must be used as an alternative to printouts. These practices as a whole will help reducing overall carbon footprint of the student body. Introduction With global warming reaching alarming figures, it has now become a major global concern. There is a need for immediate action in order to curb global warming and reduce its effects on the environment. The governments, organizations, companies, institutions worldwide have woken up to the fact that there needs to take measures sooner than later to fight global warming. Going green or eco-friendly is now the most important social responsibility. This report is a recommendation plan to the University of Greenwich on various green strategies that it can adopt to enable students studying in the university to go green. Various green strategies and practices have been analysed. There are numerous green strategies such as water and electricity conservation, acquisit ion of alternate fuel vehicles for communication inside the campus, recycling, water preservation, green building, green power, waste diversion, reduction of emission of green house gases, green space and ecosystems.etc. But in this report only those strategies are suggested that will enable the students studying in the University to go green. Practice Energy Conservation This is the most simple of solutions and the one that is most difficult and neglected. Students must try to conserve energy wherever possible. Use less energy wherever possible. Switch the old fashioned light bulbs to latest one which saves energy. Use alternate energy wherever possible. Small steps like switching off your computers, lights and other electric equipment when not in use when practiced by a large number of people, in this case students, make a huge difference. Even setting the computer in sleep mode when not in use can save a lot of energy. Products that have eco-friendly alternative must be purchased even if it would be a little costlier as it will pay off in a long run (Swallow, 2009). For example, energy start products contribute to the cause. Items that are not being used such as appliances, cell phone chargers must be unplugged. Even though they are not being used, they draw electricity from the outlets (Carnegie Mellon, 2012). All students must be introduced to the various ways on conserving energy on a day-to-day basis and must

Evaluating websites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluating websites - Essay Example For academic purposes however, khanacademy.org may not pass as a valid reference because it is not considered a scholarly site but rather just a tutorial. It could however, support as reference to scholarly journals. With Hulu.com, the films and clips that would be shown there can be referenced because it is the film maker that matters in academic citation and not the medium or platform. I chose to evaluate these two websites because they are very popular among teenagers like me and I would like to figure out myself if they are valid and substantive website. I also would like to know if they could pass for academic referencing. After studying that valid academic websites must be supported by scientific methodologies, I concluded khancademy.org may not qualify to be used as a primary reference even if it is very popular among students like me. Of course these websites are very helpful and easy to use especially Hulu.com. Who does not want to watch movies and tv anyway? It is also almost plug and play the moment we have chosen our desired film or tv series so it is very easy to use. It is also very helpful because the interface of the website is very easy to understand and navigate (hulu.com). With regard to khanacademy.org, the website is also extremely helpful with the basics in case we want to brush up with it. The site however is not much of use to college students and especially if the lessons that we are dealing with are quite complex. In addition, it cannot be used as a primary reference and not a site for research. With regard to its ease of use, the website is also easy to navigate and the subjects are logically arranged and categorized so that they can be easily located (khanacademy.org). There are things that could be learned from khancademy.org than Hulu.com. Hulu.com is an entertainment website and in academic sense, there is nothing much to be picked from it. But if we want to have a cost effective

Global and Domestic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global and Domestic Marketing - Essay Example (Cateora & Graham, 2002 13) The task of cultural adjustment, however ids the most challenging and important one confronting international, marketers; they must adjust their marketing efforts to cultures to which the re not attuned. In dealing with unfamiliar markets, marketers must be aware of the frames of references they are using in making their decisions or evaluating the potential of the market because judgments are derived from experience that is the result of the enculturative process. When a marketer operates in other cultures, marketing attempts may fail because of unconscious responses based on frames of reference acceptable in one's own culture but unacceptable in different surrounding. Unless special efforts are made to determine local cultural meaning s for every market, the marketer is likely to overlook the significance The foreign marketer should be a... operates in other cultures, marketing attempts may fail because of unconscious responses based on frames of reference acceptable in one's own culture but unacceptable in different surrounding. Unless special efforts are made to determine local cultural meaning s for every market, the marketer is likely to overlook the significance The foreign marketer should be aware of the principle of marketing relativism; that is, marketing strategies and judgments are based on experience, and experience is interpreted by each marketer in terms of his or her own culture. The market systems of different peoples, their political and economic structure, religions and other elements of culture, foreign marketers must constantly guard against measuring and assessing the markets against the fixed values and assumptions of their own cultures. (Brij Kumar & Steinmann, 1998 9) They must take specific steps to make themselves aware of the home cultural reference in their analysis and decision-making. The political environment No company, domestic or international, large or small, can conduct business without considering the influence of the political environment within which it will operate. One of the most undeniable and crucial realities of international business is that both host and home government are integral partners. (Cateora, 2002 152) A government reacts to its environment initiating and pursuing circumstances. Reflected in its policies and attitudes toward business are government's ideas of how to best promoting the national interest, considering its own resources and political philosophy. A government controls and restricts a company's activities encouraging and offering support or by discouraging and support or by discouraging and banning or restricting its activities

Modified Fingernails †Symbols of Social Essay Example for Free

Modified Fingernails – Symbols of Social Essay Western society has not been traditionally attuned to see body adornment as a form of social status. Thus over the years people in the West attribute it to less developed societies which lay emphasis on rituals. Thus body modification was seen as an articulation of values which were essentially non western. (Krakow, 1994). However this does not seem to be the case any more as a greater number of people are willing to modify their bodies thus making body beautification acceptable thereby giving a person social as well as individual identity in a society. Body modification is thus seen as enabling a person to exemplify and attenuate him or her personality through alteration of natural color, shape, tone and tenor. By decoration such as nail painting, gloss and enhancement, a person can project himself in the manner he wants others to perceive. Thus a girl with long nails, fully adorned with polish is seen as one who is in tune with the social image of somebody who has arrived in society. As greater numbers of people are adopting this mode, nail or other forms of body adornment is becoming an expression of actual position held by a person in society. Thus through external embellishments a person is able to define herself to others. Increased acceptance of this practice is indicated by forms adopted in nail adornment such as gluing of plastic to increase the length of the nails so that bright colors, paints and sparklers can be applied to these. (Andersen. Taylor. 2005) The reason for extension of nails is quite obvious, this is to enhance visibility through added length of the body object which is otherwise quite innocuous. By making it longer, the same can be decorated and made more noticeable. But the process also needs specialized treatment, which can come about at a certain level of monetary standing indicating the link between wealth and length or adornment of nails. As societies become more complex, they tend to provide opportunities to people to define their status through adornment of the body. Nails are perfect symbols of such social embellishment. The first requirement of a well kept hand is absence of manual labor. Thus there is obvious connection between a person of high society and well kept hands which indicates social as well as wealth status of a person. This has been ancient tradition and has been carried forth in the modern World. (Peters. Lock, Eds, 1999) Since a large degree of artistry of the body is now made by instruments as lasers, surgical and other tools by experts this has become expensive. Thus body art studios and fingernail manicure specialists have established high end shops, where they are able to manipulate your nails to the desired shape, size and color. By being exclusive in nature, they establish a distinction of economic status. As society has evolved thus body art has assumed proportions of social as well as wealth standing. (Jeffreys, 2000). Over a period this distinction is also translated from overall to individual social status. Thus a person who has manicured, well kept finger nails is associated with wealth as well as standing through a process of exclusion. This exclusion works first monetarily in that as it is expensive those who cannot afford it are denied an opportunity of being in the same class. In the second stage it is seen to work socially as shapes, colors and contours are so distinctive that a person wearing a superior shade of nail polish is easily identified as one who can afford it and hence ipso facto assumes higher standing. Thus from abhorrence as practices which were aboriginal to adoption of body adornment as a form of celebration of ones arrival in high society, fingernail manipulation has assumed a social symbol even in Western society today. Vantoch (1999) explored this evolution of the new American female by denoting the large number of nail adornments of different colors and shapes present in a pre teen’s room. The girl was sporting what can be described as talons, two inches long finger nails. (Vantoch, 1999). The fingernail was converted into a symbol of expression of the persona just like any other accoutrement at a very early age in life. The refined development of the art of the make up in modern times is also responsible for such an evolution. Thus nails have been converted into objects of art and ornamentation by using these for nail jewelry, nail art, air brush design, sculpturing of nails as well as providing green glitter. This has also provided a common touch thereby enhancing a wider number of females in society to higher standing. (Vantoch, 1999). Most interestingly it denotes how society has evolved, from considering these as a possible aboriginal practice to be abhorred by the West, more and more people are using it to express their state of social as well as economic evolution. The utilitarian view of nails as symbol of health has been known over the ages and is seen to continue even to this day. Thus fingernails are many times the first to be seen by a doctor. (Anatomy, 2005). Yellow or green fingernails invariably indicate ill health, a bronchial disease or other conditions which are diagnosed by the family physician. When nail problems persisted, these also indicated that the person required sustained treatment. The ultimate in nail care which has emerged is a combination of health, fashion and social status. Manicure and the higher forms of nail care and manipulation seen in advanced societies today is seen as a symbol of the rich, as one who has arrived in society and also some body who maintains good health. How long will this trend persist remains to be seen, for there are many periods in human evolution wherein short nails were as popular as long. Reference: 1. Anatomy. (2005) Anatomy of a healthy fingernail. Accessed at http://www. cnn. com/HEALTH/library/WO/00020. htmlon 23 March 2007 2. Andersen, Margaret L. Taylor, Howard F. (2005). Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont : Thomson. 3. Jeffreys, Sheila. ‘Body Art’ and Social Status: Cutting, Tattooing and Piercing from a Feminist Perspective. Feminism Psychology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 409-429 (2000) 4. Krakow, A. (1994) The Total Tattoo Book , New York : Warner Books. 5. Peters, Charles, R. Lock, Andrew. (1999). Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution. Oxford : Blackwell. 6. Vantoch, Vicki. (1999). Fingernail Fashion Choices. The Washington Post. December 28, 1999. Accessed at http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/style/feed/a41653-1999dec28. htm on 23 March 2007.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children Essay Example for Free

The National Association for the Education of Young Children Essay The elementary school teacher decided to integrate reading and writing into geometry lessons to improve the scores of students. In particular, the students had to use the names of geometric objects as well as their other attributes to write the poems. The experiment has shown a significant improvement in geometry scores. Making children more involved with the task at hand and making tasks more interesting were the main reasons for improvement in scores. The author confirmed my personal belief that the children will only learn school subjects better if they are personally involved with them on some level. In this scenario, they liked writing poems because they thought the poems were fun. They gladly extended their knowledge of geometry to use it in their poems. However, geometry is a difficult subject to learn for many people, not just children. I suspect the main reason is because it seems to be boring. By making geometry fun, we can easily enhance our learning and make our learning sessions more productive. Having been a student myself for many years, I agree with the author that the first priority in learning should be placed on getting a person to be more involved with the task. The best way to do it is to make the task interesting. The author proves that even the most â€Å"boring† school subjects can become suddenly interesting if we will tie them to some interesting activity. This experiment sheds some light on how effective learning occurs. It seems as if the most effective learning takes place when we experiment with different ways of looking at things, and we try to extend our observations beyond what we normally see. This article plays a very important role in understanding the learning process in our brains.

Dependence of man on the environment

Dependence of man on the environment The environment mainly consists of the earth and its surroundings which include the atmosphere. The life of man here on earth completely depends on the natural environment for its existence. It is from the environment that man ultimately obtains food or cash. Actually seventy percent of the earths surface is covered by water but due to mans activities; both domestic and industrial, most of this water is polluted. Actually it is true that out of all this waters covering the earths surface only 0.02% of this water is fresh. So as to control the impacts of water pollution which are hazardous to both human and marine life; several world environmental bodies have come up with lawfully regulated water quality laws based on its desired use. Changing the water sources designated purpose affects the allowed pollution levels in various ways. First one has to reason about the divergence between water for human consumption and water meant for agricultural usage such as irrigation or industrial utilization. This various water uses will require variable water quality standards. Water quality is observed by the water characteristics which may be biological, physical or even biological. Most frequently there are set reference of standards to assess the compliance of the water. The most used standards to determine water quality relate to water used for domestic purposes such as drinking and cooking, wellbeing of humans who get in touch with it and the safety of the marine life. A person contributes to water pollution when you flush a toilet, pour dirty water down the sink you are using water which has to be purified in a water treatment plant. Many countries do not have water treatment plants and merely pump the raw waste into the rivers or sea. Also agricultural runoff water which contains high amounts of washed off pesticides and fertilizer enter the rivers and streams resulting to pollution and distressing the local plant and marine wildlife. There are numerous benefits of the wind energy. First wind energy is clean and wind turbines generate electricity that does not release pollutants as compared to other energy sources. This means less environmental pollution thus combating with occurrence of environmental hazards such as acid rain and smog amongst others. Power plants contribute to air pollution by emitting a large amount of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxide resulting to global warming- this can be avoided by utilizing wind energy. In addition wind energy is renewable and has the less competitive cost as compared to the other sources such as natural gas. Also wind is readily available and it is in abundance thus it will not result to exhaustion of natural resources in the world. Moreover wind energy plants have a short construction period, involve minimal maintenance and require low operating costs as compared to the traditional power sources. Lastly wind power plants are very reliable as they genera te electricity all the time and are not affected by international conflicts making it defiant to supply troubles or price fluctuations (Global Wind report, 2008). In spite of this many pros about wind energy; it also has got some cons. The main disadvantage of the wind energy is the winds unpredictability factor. This is caused by the occurrence of too low wind strengths which cannot support the wind turbines. Also wind turbines generally produce less electricity thus requiring the construction of numerous turbines so as to generate an impact which leads to more initial capital cost. The wind turbines can be a source of noise pollution if they happen to be established close to residential areas. Thus there you got for yourself the pros and cons of wind energy and the extensive steadfastness of wind turbines (Clean energy ideas, 2008) REFERENCES Clean energy ideas, 2008; Energy articles- Solar, Wind and Geothermal, Retrieved May 25, 2010 From http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/ Global Wind Report, 2008; Adapted from information provided by the American Wind Energy Association, Retrieved May 25, 2010 From http://www.nrgsystems.com/AboutWind/BenefitsofWindEnergy.aspx Dependence Of Man On The Environment Dependence Of Man On The Environment An ecological footprint measures humanitys consumption of the natural resources. This technique is helpful because it shows how much of the natural resources human need for everyday life. However, the ecological footprint concept can be misleading as well. Ecological footprint does overlook renewable energy sources (sun, water) which reduce non-renewable sources (oil, coal). W. Cunningham and M. Cunningham (2008) add, These [renewable sources] increase the worlds carrying capacity for people [as well] (p. 79). 5. How might growing populations lead to solutions to societys problems? The only reason how population growth can be beneficial to societys problems is by creation and innovation. In other words, more people can lead to additional manufactured goods that serve millions. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [more] people boosts humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦intelligence that will create new resourcesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008 p. 77) 8. In which parts of the world are populations declining? The parts of the world that populations are declining are North America, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008 p. 79) Discussion Questions 1 and 6 1. Suppose that you were head of a family planning agency in India. How would you design a scientific study to determine the effectiveness of different approaches to population stabilization? How would you account for factors such as culture, religion, education, and economics? If I were the head of a family planning agency in India, I would want to know what type of birth control method is better for stabilization the India population. I would interview my clients to find out family size preferences and choice of desired birth control. However, to curb a fast growing population, I would offer a special incentive, such as higher education and/or cash for couples to wait a certain amount of time to have children. Since family plays an important role in India, I would still offer family planning alternatives to try to slow population growth. I believe this would be good start to stabilize population growth in India. 6. In chapter 3, we discussed carrying capacities. What do you think the maximum and optimum carrying capacities for humans are? Why is this a more complex question for humans than it might be for other species? Why is designing experiments in human demography difficult? I think this is a complex subject. Some people believe humans are considerably over their carrying capacities, which is the cause of poverty. While others say, our environment has the potential to carry humans despite of limited resources. Has the world reached its carrying capacity? I believe since the human population has a tendency to grow in an exponential way, the advancement of todays technology should increase our resources as well. [Some] believeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦technology and enterprise can expand the worlds carrying capacity [that would] allow us to overcome any problems we encounter (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008 p. 75). I also think this is a more complex question for humans than other species because humans have the advantage of reducing birth rates through family planning. Since demography is the study of a populations size and growth, experimentation may be difficult because according to (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008) every day [p]eople continue to be born and die (p. 79). Furthermore, I believe the purpose of a designed experiment is to rule out an estimation of human population. Unfortunately, due to some growing and shrinking populations, consistency will be impossible. Chapter 5: Text Practice Quiz Questions 1, 9 and 16 1. Why did ecologists want to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone Park? What goals did they have, and have their goals been achieved? Ecologists wanted to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone Park because of the rapid growth of the elk and deer populations. Since the elk and the deer inhabitants damaged the trees and shrubbery in the park, ecologists needed to minimize the elk and deer growing residents. Therefore, wolves became predators, which minimize the elk and deer population and the Yellowstone Park was restored. W. Cunningham and M. Cunningham (2008) adds, while wolves preyed on the elks, the wolves population grew, the elk figures decreased and the park was recovered (p. 95). 9. Define biodiversity and give three types of biodiversity essential in preserving ecological systems and functions. Biodiversity is a diversity or assortment of organisms in a specific biological community. W. Cunningham and M. Cunningham (2008) state that [t]he three types of biodiversity essential to preserve ecological systems and functions are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦genetic diversity (heritable measure of individual species), species diversity (description of diverse organisms within an ecosystem), and ecological diversity (a variety of species in diverse environments)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p. 108). 16. What is a flagship or umbrella species? Why are they often important, even though they are costly to maintain? A flagship or umbrella species is an appealing living thing used to protect its entire ecosystem. Even though it is costly to preserve flagship or umbrella species, a tiger for instance, will represent the entire feline environment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the protection of flagship or umbrella species would help more organisms in it ecosystem (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008 p. 121) Discussion Questions 1 and 5 1. Many poor tropical countries point out that a hectare of shrimp ponds can provide 1,000 times as much annual income as the same area in an intact mangrove forest. Debate this point with a friend or classmate. What are the arguments for and against saving mangroves? Mangroves advantage: A sheltered habitat for aquatic organisms such as fish, crabs, and shrimps. Since these organisms feed on the mangroves roots for nutrients, from a human perspective, fish, crabs, and shrimp can also offer economic benefits, which would lead to high efficiency. Mangroves disadvantage: Vulnerable to marine pollution such as oil spills and sewage leaks. W. Cunningham and M. Cunningham (2008) confirm the pros and cons of mangroves, Both marine speciesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and terrestrial speciesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦rely on mangroves for shelter and food [however, mangroves] are also poisoned by sewage and industrial waste near cities (p.105). 5. Many ecologists and resource scientists work for government agencies to study resources and resource management. Do these scientists serve the public best if they try to do pure science, or if they try to support the political positions of democratically elected representatives, who after all, represent the positions of their constituents? I think since science involves experimentation and detection, ecologists would benefit by supporting the political council. In other words, I believe ecological science is a political process because the ecologists research focuses on societys concerns such as biodiversity extinction. Since there are some organisms in the biodiversity community that offer specific benefits such as medicines and food supplies, the political government would help the scientists serve the public by sustaining the biodiversity ecosystem. Chapter 6: Text Practice Quiz Questions 2, 3 and 10 2. What do we mean by closed-canopy forest and old-growth forest? A closed-canopy forest is [when] tree crowns cover most of the groundà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.a old-growth forests are those that cover a large enough area and have been undistributed by human activities long enough that trees can live out a natural lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008 p. 129) 3. Which commodity is used most heavily in industrial economies: steel, plastic, or wood? What portion of the worlds population depends on wood or charcoal as the main energy supply? Wood is a product used frequently in industrial economies. More than half of the people in the world depend on firewood or charcoal as their principal source of heating and cookingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008 p. 129) 10. What was the first national park in the world, and when was it established? How have the purposes of this park and others changed? According to W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008), The first national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park, was established in 1872. The Yellowstone National Park along will a few others were established to preserve natural scenery because of the disappearance of scenic beauty due to the land being sold to railroad and timber companies (p. 140). Discussion Questions 1 and 6 1. Paper and pulp are the fastest growing sector of the wood products market, as emerging economics of China and India catch up with the growing consumption rates of North America, Europe, and Japan. What should be done to reduce paper use? According to (W. Cunningham M. Cunningham, 2008), a couple of ways to reduce paper consumption is to: Recycle paper Instead of printing copies, email the data (p.136) For instance, instead of paying bills by mail, register with e-statements and pay bills online. In additions, instead of buying newspapers and magazines from the store, sign up for online subscriptions. 6. Why do you suppose dry tropical forest and tundra are well represented in protected areas, while grasslands and wetlands are protected relatively rarely? Consider social, cultural, geographic, and economic reasons in your answer. I believe dry tropical forest and tundra are well represented in protected areas because of its vast diversity of organisms and valuable resources such as paper and lumber. Therefore, conservation would avoid logging and extinction. In contrast, I assume grasslands and wetlands are rarely sheltered because of lack of lumber. However, the particular biome offers income to humans, such as grazing. In this case, minimum protection is required. Basically, tropical forests and grasslands are utilized by humans- tropical forest areas (benefits from lumber for fuel and paper products)-grassland areas (benefits of large herds of grazing animals).