William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay -- A Rose for Emily, William

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Rose for Emily,† is the remarkable story of Emily Grierson, whose death and funeral drew the attention of the town. The bizarre outcome is further emphasized throughout by the symbolism of the decaying house, which parallels Miss Emily’s physical deterioration and demonstrates her ultimate mental disintegration. Emily’s life, like the house which decays around her, suffers from lack of genuine love and care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The characteristics of Miss Emily’s house, like her physical appearance, are brought about by years of neglect. For example, the house is located in what was once a prominent neighborhood that has deteriorated. Originally white and decorated in â€Å"the heavily lightsome style† of an earlier time, the house has become â€Å"an eyesore among eyesores†(177). The description of her house represents a place side by side of the past and present and was an emblematic presentation of Emily herself. Through lack of attention the house has evolved from a beautiful representative of quality to an ugly holdover from another era. Similarly, Miss Emily became an eyesore; for example, she was first described as a â€Å"fallen monument†(177) to suggest her former grandeur and her later ugliness. She was a â€Å"monument,† an ideal of past values but fallen because she had shown herself susceptible to death and decay. According Fetterley, †Å"the violence implicit in the desire to see the monument fall†(194). Like the house, she has lost her beauty....

Gregor Mendel

Who was Gregor Mendel? Mendel was a scientist who gained a substantial amount of fame from his study of genetics. He studied the pea plant and its inheritance of certain traits. 2. What contributions did he make to science? His study of genetics led to an increase interest in the study of genetics. His biggest contribution to the study of science was his discovery of particulate inheritance, dominant and recessive traits, genotype and phenotype, and the concept of heterozygous and homozygous. . Which species did he work with? Mendel worked with the simple pea pod plant in his 8 year science experiment 4. State his 4 hypothesisThe first part, or law, states that, â€Å"Alternative versions of genes account for variations in inherited characters. † The second law states that, â€Å"For each character trait, like height, color, texture, etc an organism inherits two genes, one from each parent. The third law declares that, â€Å"If the two alleles differ, then one, the dominant allele, is fully expressed in the organism's appearance; the other, the recessive allele, has no noticeable effect on the organism's appearance. † The fourth law states that, â€Å"The two genes for each character segregate during gamete production. † 5. Explain the concept of independent assortment The concept of independent assortment states that the emergence of one trait will not affect the emergence of another.For example, a pea plant's inheritance of the ability to produce purple flowers instead of white ones does not make it more likely that it would also inherit the ability to produce yellow peas in contrast to green ones. 6. What conditions were overlooked by Mendel? Darwin’s theory that â€Å"if the wide variation observable in cultivated plants were caused by the changed conditions and increased nourishment experienced on being brought into cultivation, then this cause of variation must continue to act. †

Outsourcing – Pros and cons

Outsourcing is utilized to reduce cost, Increase quality, fulfill staffing resources, reduce fixed costs, and Increase profit margins. Any of the aforementioned reasons or combinations offers organizations variable costs (Noreen, Brewer, & Garrison, 2011). Outsourcing has become necessary for many organizations, The economy has changed drastically over the past few years Influencing more organizations to analyze the financial advantages or disadvantages of producing products and services in- house or outsourcing. Numerous components and variances contribute to the cost of doing business.The cost structure is the primary components of organizations. Some cost structures are fixed, variable, or mixed indicating a combination of fixed and variable. Variable cost is cost associated with activity, if activity increases variable cost increases. Variable cost warrant organizations to modify their business model. Some changes decrease expenses and increase return on investment (ROI). Profits are materialized when investments and expenses are maximized to Increase consistent residual Income. Residual Income â€Å"encourage managers to make Investment profitable for the entire company' (Noreen, Brewer, ; Garrison, 0111.The Investment of equipment, faculties, and labor Is related to fixed cost. Labor can be classified as fixed or variable, depending on the country in which the labor occurred. In other words, the flexibility of the management dictates the decision on whether labor is fixed or variable. Mixed cost components would be the monthly rent of a facility, labor, the overtime of production and services, and the increase in productivity (Noreen, Brewer, ; Garrison, 2011). The assignment and paper revolves around outsourcing of production or services.The article regarding outsourcing opens the mind to real life situation. Ford outsourced a portion of their productivity requirement to Visited because of Eviction's expertise. Eviction's client base was limited and may cause shareholders concern If his or her primary revenue was lost. Ford's agreement with Visited equates to 80% of Eviction's revenue stream (Higher, 2003). Organizations cannot depend on excellent revenue to continue generating the same amount of ROI or long-term client base. Materials, labor, fixed costs, and technological advancements, and taxes increase over time.The cost of tit geographic changes caused by wars, acts of God, the unemployment rate, and various other elements beyond control. The need to outsource Ford's business and capture new revenue became apparent. Therefore, Visited contracted with International Business Machines Corporation (MM) to relieve liability of potential revenue loss. IBM has changed directions and narrowed their scope of business. IBM started out manufacturing and selling hardware, mainframes, computers, typewriters, printers, and peripherals. Technology and economics have shaped the direction of most industries.IBM helped technology evolve and tr ansform changes within industries. Additionally, automation found in many organizations was started with IBM technology created more enhancements leading to rapidly deployed product or service offerings. The numerous changes forced industries and organizations to squeeze every area possible to shrink the cost structure. Profits keep the doors open and shareholders investing more money. Diversification is one way to generate revenue and profits. During the diversification process labor and material change organizations mixed cost.The variable cost elements are scrutinized and fluctuate until an organization solidifies direction. Sometimes diversifying includes outsourcing pieces of the business model. The outsourcing pieces vary, depending on the product or service the organization provides. The major focus in diversification relies on labor, materials, and sourcing (Noreen, Brewer, & Garrison, 2011). Labor for all industries have a wide range of wages based on Job descriptions and n umerous other elements. The same Job at another organization or location in the same industry may provide different wages.Labor is an expense requiring considerable analysis. Materials are another area similar to labor expense requiring exploratory analysis. Material and labor are key components to cost structure of organizations. Materials maintain fluctuating costs with location or source influencing the cost delivery timeshare, and expense of delivery. Each country, region, or states adds to the cost structure. Some countries have tax advantages and some have disadvantages depending on location (Eunuchs, Wallace, Wilson, Smith, 2004). Sourcing is an essential part of management duties and location of facilities.The task of developing and maintaining budgets contribute to the performance of an organization. Management's ability to carry out his or her Job duties in the best interest of the organization reflects on budgeting and management skills (Noreen, Brewer, ; Garrison, 2011). When outsourcing is under consideration an organizations core competencies determine the strength of their business model. Some companies have different opinions of a company's strengths. An exercise used in mapping out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SOOT) is useful to identify areas warranting attention.A representative from all management levels and business units should meet to form a consensus on all four fundamentals of SOOT (Mullions & Walker, 2010). SOOT will add validity to areas vulnerable, missing talent, merit outside engagement, and will benefit from cost adjustments. However, in this case generalities will establish objectives and mind shaping ideas. The strength of an organization is the people, which enhance the core competencies needed to succeed. The employee's skills are prepared to handle the workload.The gaps in delivering a product or service compose the preliminary area a third party vendor s the lack of skilled labor and gaps in deliverabl es to supply the product or service at a cost-effective rate. The labor and materials provided by a third party will increase profits without compromising quality. Opportunities will enhance an organization. The enhancements will deliver new revenue streams. The opportunities may open numerous situations resulting in potential profits. The opposite appears in threats. Threats Jeopardize the organization. Competition is the leading agent in extracting revenue.The operating expenses exceeding ROI, labor, and material can push expenses out of control. However, taking control of expenses by contracting out portions of the business to third parties will off-set expenses stopping the threats and potentially saving the organization from closure or bankruptcy. The decision to in-house or contract to a third party a portion of an organizations product or service depends on the financial outcome. The bottom line for any organization should influence management's decision. The areas of an orga nization requiring employees with skills and expertise demand higher wages.Higher waged Jobs absorb a large portion of the operating expenses. Operating expenses are a huge allocation of the financial structure and cash flow. Operating expenses influences an organizations ability to invest and profits. Therefore, organizations must contain expenses and explorer all options to reduce fixed costs. Labor and material are another part of the operating budget. Every aspect of the operating budget demands scrutiny, evaluation, and comparing in-house to outsourced. In most cases in-house expenses are higher because wages, benefits, and fixed costs are extremely high in comparison to third-party.Wages, benefits, fixed costs, and time enrich an organization adding alee to the mix helps to Justify outsourcing. Value-added components manifest positive results increasing revenue and production. Outsourcing to a third party should add value. A relationship with a third party must create an exten sion of his or her existing organization. The contract between both parties should set the terms, conditions, and expectations to ensure clarity. Additionally, outsourcing benefits the contract organization as well as the consumer. When products or services are outsourced a reduction of cost benefits all parties.Many people do not look at the big picture. Jobs are lost in the country outsourcing but in return the country receives a cost savings to consumer purchases (Gorge & Hanley, 2004). Many companies outsource customer service, information technology help desk functions, and manufacturing, or assembly of parts. Labor and materials in low income, less restrictive labor laws, tax credits, and lower liabilities make outsourcing extremely cost-effective. The reduction in labor, materials, and fixed cost entice management to outsource (Gorge & Hanley, 2004).Outsourcing in many peoples opinion is taking jobs away from one-country and moving them to another. In the United States volume s of research have been conducted with a range of 300,000 to a projected 1. 4 million will be lost to outsourcing. However, the research cannot identify the exact amount of Jobs lost to outsourcing or natural progression and technology advancements (Gorge & Hanley, 2004). A United Kingdom study reveals more than 68% of organizations outsource a portion of products or services offshore. The same study indicates more than 50% of information technological work outsourced was below par.Additionally, more than 10% of work outsourced hampered production rage businesses. Small businesses will not profit or meet standard criteria for outsourcing Jobs (Gorge & Hanley, 2004). Some of the concerns people have in the United States is India and China will continue to take away more Jobs. The Jobs in information technology currently outsourced primarily require a college education. India and China have an average of six percent attending college between the ages of 18 and 24. Nonetheless, less th an one percent of the six percent speak English.Other things to consider -outsourced IT hardware reduced cost on the average of 10 to 30% 70% of Jobs in the United States cannot be outsourced -outsourcing has added Jobs in the import of products -outsourcing has increased the number of live contact with organizations instead of digitized prompting and automated responses -the United States economy has a projected growth rate of 13% that will increase the products and services currently offered -even though IT support is outsourced installation and repair will require local technicians and management of infrastructures -outsourcing businesses produced more than $50 billion in revenue for 2004 (Gorge & Hanley, 2004)Outsourcing is an effective way to lower cost and deliver higher quality service at a more affordable cost. Outsourcing provides an increase in operating efficiency, higher return on assets, and increase in profits. Outsourcing can provide new revenue streams with fewer ris k and lower collateral investment (Eunuchs, Wallace, Wilson, Smith, 2004). The make or buy analysis is a fast way to determine whether to in-house or outsource. Make or buy decision method can use full costing, incremental analysis, or variable costing. Full and variable costing process occurs when income statements are prepared. Income statements are not quickly prepared. The main goal is to decide if making or purchasing a product or service is cost- effective.Another aspect of making or purchasing is outsourcing does not incremental revenue. However, it does allow incremental costs, reduction in fixed costs, and potential savings. The potential savings will materialize in direct labor, material costs, and variable overhead costs (Noreen, Brewer, & Garrison, 2011). The savings from fixed and direct material cost would be seen in reduction of employee salaries, smaller facilities, and smaller facilities should equate to lower utilities. Material cost reduction will be observed by m aking smaller purchases. The reduction of expenses will carry-on to various other organizational expenses (Noreen, Brewer, & Garrison, 2011).Astray supported more than one-third of the Fortune 500 companies before the financial scandal in 2008. Astray is a company headquartered in India with more than 50,000 employees in 66 countries. The company enjoyed nine percent growth rate until the scandal. Satyr's financial scandal devastated the family-owned business. Mr.. Raja managed the company and overstated financial. The inflated financial assets, revenue, and ROI amassed fraud o the level of Enron. Astray is among the largest outsourcing organizations based in India. Outsourcing in the information technology sector generated more than $63 billion in revenue for India. Customer service is the second largest revenue stream in India in the area of outsourced labor (Timings, 2009).India maintains the largest percentage of outsourcing services in the world. The average salary is $10,250, the average income $8,000, and the average unemployment rate is 10%. However, various industries relies on India and China to squeeze out every penny of profit (Timings, 2009). Variable costs peak creating an environment of inconsistent expenses and profits. Consistent revenue enables price hedging for materials and dependable profits. Shareholders and board members manage investment portfolios with higher probability. Revenue steers long and short-term goals with accuracy. The Astray scenario adds to the degree of accuracy in accounting practices.Astray provided outsourcing services creating added value to clients. Visited and IBM added value to Ford and outsourcing services. Astray, Visited, MM, and Ford contracted portions of products, services, or outsourcing skills to improve profits and apply quality expertise. Revenue projections strengthen analytical analysis shaping future stock predictions improving profits. The pros and cons of outsourcing take time and careful considerat ion before the answer is realized on the company's financial statement. The pros and cons have been highlighted and opinions formed. Those opinions have objectivity and a sense of clarity to establish the strategy or mind shaping events.

Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essays

Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essays Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essay Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essay the Q12 and Overall Satisfaction). These 13 items - which were selected because of their importance at the business-unit or workgroup level - measure employee perceptions of the quality of people-related management practices in their business units. The overall study involved 410,225 independent employee responses to surveys and 13,751 independent business units in 82 companies, an average of 30 employees per business unit and 168 business units per company. One hundred seven (107) research studies were conducted across the 82 companies. In this meta-analysis lot of different were selected so that each company was represented once in each analysis. For several companies, multiple studies were conducted. In order to include the best possible information for each company represented in the study, some basic rules were used. If two concurrent studies were conducted for the same client (where GWA and outcome data were collected concurrently, i. e. , in the same year), then the weighted average effect sizes across the multiple studies were entered as the value for that company. If a company had both a concurrent and a predictive study (where the GWA was collected in Year 1 and outcomes were tracked in Year 2), then the effect sizes from the predictive study were entered. If a company had multiple predictive studies, then the mean of the correlations in these studies was entered. In this meta-analysis Pearson correlations were calculated, estimating the relationship between business-unit average measures of employee perceptions and general business outcomes. Correlations were calculated across business units within each company, and these correlation coefficients were entered into a database for each of the 13 items. The researchers then calculated mean validities, standard deviations of validities, and validity generalization statistics for each item for each of the five business-unit outcome measures. These studies have indicated a directional relationship from employee engagement to outcomes such as employee retention and customer loyalty/engagement, and a directional and somewhat reciprocal relationship between engagement and financials. They expect that in most healthy business units, a reciprocal relationship exist, in which engagement fuels better management and better management fuels ownership and engagement (involvement and enthusiasm). These studies have also indicated that, there are differences across business units in the way employees perceive their work environments, environment and these differences relate to differences in performance. Such differences represent substantial utility to businesses and other organizations Hakanen et al (2006). Conduct a study to investigate the burnout and engagement among teachers. In this study the Job Demands–Resources Model was used as the basis of the proposal that there are two parallel processes involved in work-related well-being among teachers, namely an energetically process(i. e. , job demands – burnout ill health) and a motivational process (i. e. , job resources engagement – organizational commitment). In addition, some cross-links between both processes were hypothesized. In this study they used the Structure Equation Model to test the hypothesis. The basic focus of this research was to investigate the drivers that lead to burnout and engagement in Finnish teachers. They conduct a survey to collect the data from 2038 Finnish teachers. They used the questionnaire technique to collect the data. They used the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Scale (MBI– GS to measure the burnout. Work Engagement was assessed with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) in this study. Results of this study shows that job control, information, supervisory support, innovative climate and social climate were all positively related to work engagement. This study shows a positive relationship between job resources and work engagement. The results of this study also confirmed the existence of both processes, although the energetically process seems to be more prominent. More specifically, (1) burnout mediated the effect of high job demands on ill health, (2) work engagement mediated the effects of job resources on organizational commitment, and (3) burnout mediated the effects of lacking resources on poor engagement. Bakker et al. 2006) conducted a study to explore the success factors among female school principals in primary teaching. They conduct a study on burnout, engagement and performance. They used the survey method to collect the data through questionnaire technique from the sample size of 105 school principals and 232 teachers. They used the Structural Equation Model to measure the hypothesis among principals. Their study showed significant and positive associations between school principals’ work engagement scores a nd teacher-ratings of school principals’ performance and leadership. More specifically, results of structural equation modeling showed that engaged principals scored higher on in-role and extra-role performance. In addition, engagement was strongly related to creativity; the higher school principals’ levels of work engagement, the better they were able to come up with a variety of ways to deal with work-related problems. Finally, engaged school principals were seen as transformational leaders – being able to inspire, stimulate and coach their co-workers. Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework Theoretical Model Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance Theoretical Foundation A stronger theoretical rationale for explaining employee engagement can be found in social exchange theory (SET). Social exchange theory argues that obligations are generated through a series of interactions between parties who in a state f reciprocal interdependence. A basic principal of theory is that relationships evolve over time into trusting, loyal, and mutual commitments as long as the parties abide by certain â€Å"rules of exchange (Cropanzano and Mictchell, 2005). Rules of exchange usually involve reciprocity or repayment rules such that the actions of one party lead to a response or actions by the other party. For example when individuals receive economic and socio emotional resources from their organization, they feel obliged to respond in kind and repay the organization. This is the two way relationship between employee and organization. One way for individuals to repay their organization is through their level of engagement. That is, employees will choose to engage themselves to varying degrees and in response to the resources they receive from their organization. Thus in summery social exchange theory tells that the employees choose to engage more or less with the organization on the basis of what resources they receive form the organization. This theory provides the theoretical foundation and explains that employees are more likely to exchange their engagement for resources and benefits provided by their organization. Kahn’s personal engagement theoretical framework is helpful in better understanding the concept of employee engagement. According to Kahn’s (1990) personal engagement theoretical framework, people express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally in the roles they occupy; people are more excited and content with their roles when they draw on themselves to perform their roles; and people vary in their levels of attachment to 1-3 their roles. Furthermore, Kahn suggested that people vary their levels of personal engagement according to the meaningfulness of a situation (or perceived benefits), the perceived safety of a situation, and their availability based on resources they perceive they have. On the other hand, an individual can become disengaged and protect himself or herself by withdrawing and hiding his or her true identity, ideas, and feelings. According to Holbeche and Springett (2003), people’s perceptions of ‘meaning’ with regard to the workplace are clearly linked to their levels of engagement and, ultimately, their performance. They argue that employees actively seek meaning through their work and, unless organizations try to provide a sense of meaning, employees are likely to quit. The research findings suggest that many people experience a greater search for meaning in the workplace (70 per cent) than in life in general (ibid). There are numerous possible reasons for this, for example, it may be because people generally spend longer at work than on other parts of their lives. Holbeche and Springett (2003) argue that high levels of engagement can only be achieved in workplaces where there is a shared sense of destiny and purpose that connects people at an emotional level and raises their personal aspirations. According to Schaufeli et al. (2002, p. 4) explain that engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. † They further state that engagement is not a momentary and specific state, but rather, it is â€Å"a more persistent and pervasive affective-cognitive state that is not focused on any particular object, event, individual, or behavior†. Vigor is characterized by hig h levels of energy and mental resilience while working. Dedication refers to being strongly involved in one’s work and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, and challenge. Absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated and happily engrossed in one’s work, whereby time passes quickly and one has difficulties with detaching oneself from work. In short, engaged employees have high levels of energy and are enthusiastic about their work. Expectancy theory points to the importance of the individual’s expectations of his job in determining Employee Engagement. For individuals who have expectations that their job should give them opportunities for pay, challenge, a failure of the job to meet this expectation will lead to disengagement compared to a situation where no such expectation is involved. What expect expectation of individuals will have of a job may vary. For a large number of reasons, some is deriving from social others from individual causes. Another theory that has dominated the study of the nature of Employee Engagement is Herzberg? s famous â€Å"Two factory Theory? s of Employee Engagement. In this he claims that the factors which cause Employee Engagement are separate and distinct from the factors which job dissatisfaction. The factors causing Employee Engagement, which level factors such as their relating to satisfaction with the job itself. The factors which cause job dissatisfaction called hygiene factors are more concerned with conditions of work such as pay and supervision. At no time does Herzberg argue a job satisfactory, except may be for a short run. Chapter 4 Data Collection and Methodology. We chose the survey topic relating to the role of employee engagement on employee performance. To collect data, we adopted the ‘Survey Questionnaire Research Technique’. The questionnaire was solved by the sample size of 111 people working in different industries in Pakistan. We focused on interacting with people from all major sectors in Pakistan, including banking sector, academia, corporate aura and officials from the public sector as well. We used the questionnaire method to analyze the situation because participants’ responses to direct questions always are very revealing that adds value to the research purpose. The famous 5 point ‘Likert Scale’ designed by the psychologist Rensis Likert is used in the survey. This scale is widely used for the collection of data in questionnaire method. The respondents were asked to tell as to what level hey agreed or disagreed on different queries as the 1-5 likert scale ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree. After collecting the data from respondents we computed the questions into variables through the SPSS software. After computing the question into variables we found the descriptive statistics. In descriptive statistics we have found the maximum and minimum range of the data and we a lso have found the mean and standard deviation of the data. We used the histogram to check the normal distribution of the data. We used the scatter plot to check the relationship between our independent and dependent variables. After that we have done the correlation by using SPSS software. We have done the correlation to find the relation between independent and dependent variable to find that the independent and dependent variable have the positive or negative relationship. We used the regression analysis to find the relationship between dependent and independent variables. In regression analysis we found the coefficient of variable and here we check the significance level and the effect of independent variable on dependent variable. Using SPSS software we have done regression analysis to find the relationship between dependent and independent variables. In regression analysis we found the coefficient of each variable and here we found the significance of each variable and the relationship between the variable is weather positive or negative. We used the t-test to check the level of significance to select the null or alternative hypothesis. We used the R-Square analysis to find the on what percentage the independent variable has on dependent variable. We used the f-test to check the joint effect of employee engagement on employee performance. Chapter 5 Data Analysis and Interpretation In this part of the study empirical findings have been shown and interpreted. Table 3. 1 presents the descriptive statistics which show the overall picture of the variables. Figure 5. 1 [pic] In this histogram we have the frequency distribution on Y-Axis and the independent variable on the X-Axis. The bell shape in this histogram shows that the data is normally distributed. Figure 5. 2 [pic] Figure 3. In this histogram we have the frequency distribution on Y-Axis and the Dependent variable employee performance on the X-Axis. The bell shape in this histogram shows that the data is normally distributed. Table 5. 1 Descriptive Statistics | |N |Minimum |Maximum | |Employee Engagement |Pearson Correlation |1 |. 690** | | |Sig. (2-tailed) | |. 00 | | |N |111 |111 | |Employee Performance |Pearson Correlation |. 690** |1 | | |Sig. (2-tailed) |. 000 | | | |N |111 |111 | |**. Correlation is significant at the 0. 01 level (2-tailed). | Table 5. 3 Regression Dependent Variable: Employee Performance |Variables |Coefficients |Std. Error |t-test |Significance Level | |(Constant) |1. 582 |. 239 |6. 608 |. 000 | |Employee Engagement |. 619 |. 062 |9. 955 |. 000 | | | EP=C+B1(EEi)+ Ei EP=1. 582+. 619(EEi)+ Ei Table 5. 3 presents the results of the regression analysis. The results show that the independent variable employee engagement is significantly affect the employee performance as shown by the values of the t-statistic and the corresponding P-Values. t-test is used to test the significance of the individual partial regression coefficients. Null hypothesis in this test is set as the partial regression coefficient is zero. This test shows that the coefficient of employee engagement is statistically significant at less than one percent level of significance. As the coefficient of the employee engagement has the positive sign so the effect of the employee engagement on employee performance is positive. The magnitude of the partial regression coefficient of the employee engagement is 0. 619, which suggests that holding other factors constant an increase of one unit in this variable would raise the employee performance by 0. 619 units. Our independent variable is employee engagement and its significance level is 0. 00 which is less than 0. 05 its means the relationship of employee engagement and employee performance is positive and statistically significant. Table 5. 4 Necessary Statistics |Coefficient of |Adjusted Coefficient of |F-Statistic |Sig. (F-Stat) | |Determination (R2) |Determination (Adj. R2) | | | |0. 476 |0. 471 |99. 093 |0. 000 | Table 5. 4 reflects the joint effect of the independent variable’s on dependent variable. Coefficient of Determination R-Square is used to find the percentage that to what extent the independent variable’s affect on dependent variable. The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) is . 476. This shows that the 38 percent affect on dependent variable employee performance is due to the independent variable employee performance and the other 52 percent affect on employee performance is due to the other variables which are not included in our research study. In 3. 4 the value of F-statistic is statistically significant at less than one percent which exhibits that our independent variable is jointly affecting our dependent variable that is employee performance. Chapter 6 Conclusion and Summery These days Employee Engagement has become a very hot topic of the management in this global competitive world. Everyone seems to be on the path to get their employees engaged. The claim has been made that engagement is needed for higher levels of firm performance while, consultant studies estimate that only 14 percent to 30 percent of employees are really engaged at work. In particular, very little attention has been given to the engagement levels of people running organizations. But unfortunately the importance of employee engagement has been only recognized by the top multinational organizations. While, in Pakistan the importance of the concept is still not really understood. The companies operational here are yet not paying yield to improving engagement of employees. Organizations need to concentrate on optimizing employee productivity and available organizational resources. This study has investigated the relationship between employee engagement and employee performance in Pakistani context. It provides the ground basis to organizations that are working in Pakistan and want more productivity with their human assets to gain more productivity by engaging their human assets nd investing on them. This study has the significant implications for the Pakistani organizations to engage their employees on workplace to gain the competitive advantage and more productivity. For this study we use the employee engagement as independent variable and employee performance as dependent variable. To study the relationship of employee engagement on employee performance we used various statistic al techniques. We used descriptive statistics and here we found the minimum and maximum range of data and also found the means and standard deviation of variables. The measure of central tendency (Mean) of employee engagement is 3. 82 which show that most of the respondents agree that they are engaged in their companies. The mean of employee performance is 3. 94 which show that those employees who are engaged in their organizations are more productive. To check the relationship between dependent and independent variable a scatter plot was drawn, the line goes left to right upward which shoes that the independent and dependent variable have positive relationship; it means that independent variable influences employee performance. A Histogram graph was drawn to find the frequency distribution of data and it was found that the data is distributed normally because it gives us a bell shape. The correlation between employee engagement and employee performance shows that the employee engagement has the moderate positive correlation with employee performance and this relationship is also statistically significant. According to our research model it is statistically proved that employee engagement have a positive impact on employee performance. Like several other studies (Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004; Sonnentag, 2003) the results of this study suggest that employee engagement partially mediates the relationship between antecedent variables and consequences. The results of this study also suggest that employee engagement can be understood in terms of SET. That is those employees who receive higher organizational support are more likely to respond with greater levels of engagement in their job and in the organization. Further this study provides some implications for the companies who have their operations in Pakistan; a need to focus on employees’ engagement. This research suggests that the companies should engage their employees on the workplace so that they can be willing to apply extra effort for more productivity. This study demonstrates that the organizations should invest on the engagement of their human assets that will consequently yield more profit for the organization. Limitations: 1. First of all, there is a need for more research in the field of employee engagement and employee performance. Not enough research has been done in order to describe the rel

African Commonwealth Nations

African Commonwealth Nations The following alphabetical list gives the date at which each African Country joined the Commonwealth of Nations as an independent state. The majority of African countries joined as Commonwealth Realms, later converting to Commonwealth Republics. Two countries, Lesotho and Swaziland, joined as Kingdoms. British Somaliland (which joined with Italian Somaliland five days after gaining independence in 1960 to form Somalia), and Anglo-British Sudan (which became a republic in 1956) did not become members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Egypt, which had been part of the Empire until 1922, has never shown an interest in becoming a member. African Commonwealth Nations Botswana, 30 September 1966 as a RepublicCameroon, 11 November 1995 as a RepublicThe Gambia, 18 February 1965 as a Realm- became a Republic on 24 April 1970Ghana, 6 March 1957 as a Realm- became a Republic 1 July 1960Kenya, 12 December 1963 as a Realm- became a Republic on 12 December 1964Lesotho, 4 October 1966 as a KingdomMalawi, 6 July 1964 as a Realm- became a Republic on 6 July 1966Mauritius, 12 March 1968 as a realm- became a Republic on 12 March 1992Mozambique, 12 December 1995 as a RepublicNamibia, 21 March 1990 as a republicNigeria, 1 October 1960 as a Realm- became a Republic on 1 October 1963 – suspended between 11 November 1995 and 29 May 1999Rwanda, 28 November 2009 as a RepublicSeychelles, 29 June 1976 as a RepublicSierra Leone, 27 April 1961 as a Realm- became a Republic 19 April 1971South Africa, 3 December 1931 as a Realm- withdrew on becoming a Republic on 31 May 1961, rejoined 1 June 1994Swaziland, 6 September 1968 as a KingdomTanganyika, 9 December 1961 as a Realm- became Republic of Tanganyika on 9 December 1962, United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on 26 April 1964, and United Republic of Tanzania on 29 October 1964. Uganda, 9 October 1962 as a Realm- became a Republic on 9 October 1963Zambia, 24 October 1964 as a RepublicZimbabwe, 18 April 1980 as a Republic- suspended on 19 March 2002, departed on 8 December 2003

Adidas Marketing Plan

(Adidas Group Annual Report, 2008) This marketing plan will focus on the Adidas brand. While research indicates there’s a belief that Adidas makes better footwear than Nike (Vertical Ascent Website), it has been unsuccessful in penetrating the young hip-hop crowd. With a generation that has grown up with i-pods, blogs and video games, Adidas is looking to appeal to his younger generation through technology that they have become used to using. (Marina, 2009) Adidas 1, claimed to be the world’s first computerized smart shoe, went on sale March 18, 2005. Adidas has long focused on being the footwear for sports and high performance with its core base being sports. According to the Adidas Group 2008 Annual Report, the company targets three brands: sports performance, sports heritage and sports styles. It’s known for its technological innovation and cutting edge design, with its mission being to challenge and lead through creativity. Adidas has positioned itself as a leader in professional and competitive sports, notably soccer, basketball, and running. As the technology permeates everyday life, Adidas hopes to live up to their changing expectations and deliver the best consumer experience through using creative new initiatives including interactive fitting footwear for peak performance and fit. With that focus on technological innovation, Adidas is going high tech, with everything from high tech sneakers, high tech virtual stores, and high tech promotion. This high tech is not just for show or glitz. It has a purpose – to deliver the best fitting, and best performing footwear tailored to the consumer’s individual needs. Adidas is hoping the high tech approach will eliminate potential customer dissatisfaction through virtual fitting. This eliminates producing shoes that don’t fit properly or perform well. It also leads to the best fit for the best performance out of footwear, something desired by professional or amateur athletes, as well as anyone embarking upon a running or fitness program. Adidas is looking at the changing interests of the up and coming market who also have i-pods, video games, email, internet, youtube and other highly technological devises as a way of life rather than traditional television or print media. With this change in media delivery, there’s also a change from it being one way to two-way communication, and with rapid advances in technology, they expect new and different things, and new and different footwear and sportswear is a way to reach that market. With an emphasis on fitness in today’s world, Adidas must create an image that Adidas footwear excels for everyone who is looking to improve their health. The goal is to maintain its traditional base as well while developing a technological environment that will broaden appeal to a younger consumer. Adidas’ strategy is to come up with a technology that meets a consumer need – excellent fitting footwear that has top notch performance. By having technology where one is not just fitted for the footwear, but also can gauge them for exact pressure and running posture, the company continues to follow its positioning as being the world’s favorite footwear for sports, and setting the pace for their footwear to meet their customer’s performance needs. The company is taking that image to its traditional promotional use of television and print advertising, as well as its exclusivity banners at major sporting events, especially European soccer matches. It also has made deals with professional football players and the New York Yankees to endorse Adidas. The company is the official sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics that will reach millions, billions, and potentially open up strong Chinese Markets, and renew interest in sports performance which will lead to increased sales Adidas is distributed in corporate stores, throughout the web, high end sporting stores, the internet, and more limitedly in sporting goods stores throughout the US and Europe. It is also rethinking its distribution practices after last year’s purchase of Reebok and will close Reebok sports apparel and sneaker distribution centers in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Kentucky, and move those operations to an expanded center in South Carolina. Spartanburg was chosen for the two brands’ consolidated distribution center in part because it’s close to the two brands’ product shipping locations and to many customers (The Associated Press, 2008) Adidas high tech strategy is moving into its internal operations departments, adopting a better delivery system, increasing retail distribution, and taking customer service to a new level, beyond satisfaction to delight, thus trying to obtain return and possibly ifetime customers, something that would be very profitable for the company. The company can benchmark its success by measuring sales, web traffic to its innovative color based on-line advertisements that never mention the product, the number of downloaded pod casts and the number of visits to their Paris high-tech store. Works Cited http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/2005-03-02-smart-usat_x.htm Adidas Marketing Plan (Adidas Group Annual Report, 2008) This marketing plan will focus on the Adidas brand. While research indicates there’s a belief that Adidas makes better footwear than Nike (Vertical Ascent Website), it has been unsuccessful in penetrating the young hip-hop crowd. With a generation that has grown up with i-pods, blogs and video games, Adidas is looking to appeal to his younger generation through technology that they have become used to using. (Marina, 2009) Adidas 1, claimed to be the world’s first computerized smart shoe, went on sale March 18, 2005. Adidas has long focused on being the footwear for sports and high performance with its core base being sports. According to the Adidas Group 2008 Annual Report, the company targets three brands: sports performance, sports heritage and sports styles. It’s known for its technological innovation and cutting edge design, with its mission being to challenge and lead through creativity. Adidas has positioned itself as a leader in professional and competitive sports, notably soccer, basketball, and running. As the technology permeates everyday life, Adidas hopes to live up to their changing expectations and deliver the best consumer experience through using creative new initiatives including interactive fitting footwear for peak performance and fit. With that focus on technological innovation, Adidas is going high tech, with everything from high tech sneakers, high tech virtual stores, and high tech promotion. This high tech is not just for show or glitz. It has a purpose – to deliver the best fitting, and best performing footwear tailored to the consumer’s individual needs. Adidas is hoping the high tech approach will eliminate potential customer dissatisfaction through virtual fitting. This eliminates producing shoes that don’t fit properly or perform well. It also leads to the best fit for the best performance out of footwear, something desired by professional or amateur athletes, as well as anyone embarking upon a running or fitness program. Adidas is looking at the changing interests of the up and coming market who also have i-pods, video games, email, internet, youtube and other highly technological devises as a way of life rather than traditional television or print media. With this change in media delivery, there’s also a change from it being one way to two-way communication, and with rapid advances in technology, they expect new and different things, and new and different footwear and sportswear is a way to reach that market. With an emphasis on fitness in today’s world, Adidas must create an image that Adidas footwear excels for everyone who is looking to improve their health. The goal is to maintain its traditional base as well while developing a technological environment that will broaden appeal to a younger consumer. Adidas’ strategy is to come up with a technology that meets a consumer need – excellent fitting footwear that has top notch performance. By having technology where one is not just fitted for the footwear, but also can gauge them for exact pressure and running posture, the company continues to follow its positioning as being the world’s favorite footwear for sports, and setting the pace for their footwear to meet their customer’s performance needs. The company is taking that image to its traditional promotional use of television and print advertising, as well as its exclusivity banners at major sporting events, especially European soccer matches. It also has made deals with professional football players and the New York Yankees to endorse Adidas. The company is the official sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics that will reach millions, billions, and potentially open up strong Chinese Markets, and renew interest in sports performance which will lead to increased sales Adidas is distributed in corporate stores, throughout the web, high end sporting stores, the internet, and more limitedly in sporting goods stores throughout the US and Europe. It is also rethinking its distribution practices after last year’s purchase of Reebok and will close Reebok sports apparel and sneaker distribution centers in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Kentucky, and move those operations to an expanded center in South Carolina. Spartanburg was chosen for the two brands’ consolidated distribution center in part because it’s close to the two brands’ product shipping locations and to many customers (The Associated Press, 2008) Adidas high tech strategy is moving into its internal operations departments, adopting a better delivery system, increasing retail distribution, and taking customer service to a new level, beyond satisfaction to delight, thus trying to obtain return and possibly ifetime customers, something that would be very profitable for the company. The company can benchmark its success by measuring sales, web traffic to its innovative color based on-line advertisements that never mention the product, the number of downloaded pod casts and the number of visits to their Paris high-tech store. Works Cited http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/2005-03-02-smart-usat_x.htm

Essay on team communication and problem solving

On team communication and problem solving - Essay Example Conflicts always arise in families with a common blood running through their veins, between lovers who share intimate moments and even among friends who have the same interests. Therefore, it should be without wonder when conflicts arise among officemates or classmates. Nevertheless, the commonness of conflict should not make one simply shrug his shoulders in the presence of conflict. Resolutions such as communication should be sought. This paper looks deeper into the role of communication in conflict management among team members and suggests ways in which people would come to understand further the use of communication to improve team performances and relationships. Communication is very important in every relationship. Nevertheless, people often get exhausted in their communication with others because their expectations are not met. Instead of having the problems resolved, most people encounter more problems and so many times, the problems actually grow bigger. This is because the y fail to see that their communication is ineffective. ... When one listens, he is able to process what is being said more effectively and in effect, will be able to say the right words or respond correctly. Jeane Segal and Melinda Smith agree with Lay and they also suggest people in conflict to â€Å"listen not only to what is said but also to what is felt†. They emphasize looking deeper into nonverbal communication expressed through facial expressions, posture, gesture, pace, tone and intensity of voice. Indeed, these are very important because emotions are the strong driving forces that make people say the words they speak. Human beings are also emotional beings and they often react to words in accordance to how they feel. For instance, when a person points out to another individual that the dress she is wearing is not fashionable, the other person may take it as an insult toward herself and not as a harmless comment about the dress, although the latter was the intention of the speaker. As a result, a conflict may ensue. Therefore, in addition to verbal communication, non-verbal communication should also be given much attention. The aforementioned authors also suggest that conflicts should be managed through non-verbal communication as well. For example, in the illustration given above, when the person saying the dress is not fashionable utters such with contempt, it could be that she is jealous of the other person. Therefore, instead of being offended and angry, the other person may simply give a reassuring touch that tells the person she does not need to be jealous. In addition, when it comes to team conflicts, members should be open-minded to effectively resolve problems. Kenneth Wallace, a seasoned consultant, speaker