Brochure

Brittany Laurenzo Gopher Tortoise Habitat An experiment was performed involving Gopher tortoises and determining whether tortoises are only found in abundant non-woody vegetation. This experiment was tested to see if there was validity to the statement. Gopher tortoises can be found in the Southeastern United States and prefer areas with abundant non-woody plants. These plants are what the tortoises eat so naturally there burrows can be found in areas with abundant food. The prediction was that Tortoises require non-woody plants as food; therefore tortoises will locate their burrows in areas with abundant food.The results of the experiment seemed to agree with the hypothesis. The average showed that 77. 5% of tortoises in an occupied area contained non woody vegetation compared to the 22. 5% of woody vegetation. When it comes to tortoises there are many issues when it comes to a tortoise’s habitat and the decline of a species. Many factors such as environmental pollution, glob al climate change, introduced invasive species, disease, and unsustainable harvesting contribute to these declines. As with amphibians, habitat degradation is the primary cause of reptile declines.There has not been much research performed when it comes to Gopher tortoises. The objective of this study was to confirm that where you can abundantly find the most Gopher tortoises is in abundant non-woody vegetation. Similar research shows that habitat use within gopher tortoises' home ranges was generally in proportion to the amounts of habitat available, except that gopher tortoises used swales and disturbed areas (e. g. , grassy, mowed road shoulders, pastures, citrus groves, and firebreaks) less than expected based on availability.For this experiment the study was done at the Preserve facility at Florida Atlantic University. Once in the preserve we worked in groups of three to five students. To perform the following experiment we selected PVC square in two different areas. A part of the experiment is to analyze the different PVC squares in both locations. Analyze the vegetation within your PVC square by estimating the percentage of non-woody and woody plants. Finally, we recorded the data as percentages of woody vegetation compared to non woody vegetation.The results showed that on average the tortoises in an occupied area were 77. 5% non-woody vegetation compared to a 22. 5% woody vegetation. In the areas that were not occupied by tortoises were 95. 5% woody vegetation compared to a 4. 5% non woody vegetation. Quadrat Type| % Woody Vegetation| % Non Woody Vegetation| Average| In tortoise occupied area| 75%; 20%; 10%; 15%; 5%; 10%| 25%; 80%; 90%; 85%;95%;90%| 22. 5% vs. 77. 5%| In area not occupied by tortoises| 90%;100%;2%;95%;3%;95%| 0%; 98%; 5%; 95%; 5%; 10%| 95. 5% vs. 4. 5%|The data does seem to support the hypothesis. The active tortoise occupied area was a majority between 80-95% non woody vegetation. I do not think this evidence validates the hypothesis because the research is limited. We did not actually see the tortoises in the active occupied tortoise area. Also some other questions to think about is how fresh is the vegetation, what type of vegetation do the turtles prefer, how many burrow are there actively occupies. Another useful tool that should have been used for this experiment is repetition.Each group should have had to repeat the experiment more than once and look at all 6 quadrants instead of everyone just choosing one quadrant to observe. In conclusion the data did support the hypothesis however there was not enough evidence to actually support the prediction that was made. References 1. http://www. fs. fed. us/database/feis/animals/reptile/gopo/all. html#BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS 2. http://link. springer. com/article/10. 1007%2FBF00056130? LI=true Brochure Brittany Laurenzo Gopher Tortoise Habitat An experiment was performed involving Gopher tortoises and determining whether tortoises are only found in abundant non-woody vegetation. This experiment was tested to see if there was validity to the statement. Gopher tortoises can be found in the Southeastern United States and prefer areas with abundant non-woody plants. These plants are what the tortoises eat so naturally there burrows can be found in areas with abundant food. The prediction was that Tortoises require non-woody plants as food; therefore tortoises will locate their burrows in areas with abundant food.The results of the experiment seemed to agree with the hypothesis. The average showed that 77. 5% of tortoises in an occupied area contained non woody vegetation compared to the 22. 5% of woody vegetation. When it comes to tortoises there are many issues when it comes to a tortoise’s habitat and the decline of a species. Many factors such as environmental pollution, glob al climate change, introduced invasive species, disease, and unsustainable harvesting contribute to these declines. As with amphibians, habitat degradation is the primary cause of reptile declines.There has not been much research performed when it comes to Gopher tortoises. The objective of this study was to confirm that where you can abundantly find the most Gopher tortoises is in abundant non-woody vegetation. Similar research shows that habitat use within gopher tortoises' home ranges was generally in proportion to the amounts of habitat available, except that gopher tortoises used swales and disturbed areas (e. g. , grassy, mowed road shoulders, pastures, citrus groves, and firebreaks) less than expected based on availability.For this experiment the study was done at the Preserve facility at Florida Atlantic University. Once in the preserve we worked in groups of three to five students. To perform the following experiment we selected PVC square in two different areas. A part of the experiment is to analyze the different PVC squares in both locations. Analyze the vegetation within your PVC square by estimating the percentage of non-woody and woody plants. Finally, we recorded the data as percentages of woody vegetation compared to non woody vegetation.The results showed that on average the tortoises in an occupied area were 77. 5% non-woody vegetation compared to a 22. 5% woody vegetation. In the areas that were not occupied by tortoises were 95. 5% woody vegetation compared to a 4. 5% non woody vegetation. Quadrat Type| % Woody Vegetation| % Non Woody Vegetation| Average| In tortoise occupied area| 75%; 20%; 10%; 15%; 5%; 10%| 25%; 80%; 90%; 85%;95%;90%| 22. 5% vs. 77. 5%| In area not occupied by tortoises| 90%;100%;2%;95%;3%;95%| 0%; 98%; 5%; 95%; 5%; 10%| 95. 5% vs. 4. 5%|The data does seem to support the hypothesis. The active tortoise occupied area was a majority between 80-95% non woody vegetation. I do not think this evidence validates the hypothesis because the research is limited. We did not actually see the tortoises in the active occupied tortoise area. Also some other questions to think about is how fresh is the vegetation, what type of vegetation do the turtles prefer, how many burrow are there actively occupies. Another useful tool that should have been used for this experiment is repetition.Each group should have had to repeat the experiment more than once and look at all 6 quadrants instead of everyone just choosing one quadrant to observe. In conclusion the data did support the hypothesis however there was not enough evidence to actually support the prediction that was made. References 1. http://www. fs. fed. us/database/feis/animals/reptile/gopo/all. html#BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS 2. http://link. springer. com/article/10. 1007%2FBF00056130? LI=true

Oedipus Trilogy Essay

It was Sophocles who wrote the Oedipus Trilogy. Although Oedipus Rex has always been a common oral story to the Greeks, Sophocles added different dimensions in his rendition of the tragic story of Oedipus. Antigone was the epilogue of the trilogy and the last part of the story but it was the first play to be produced. Oedipus the King was the beginning of the trilogy, where the fate of Oedipus was prophesied, and the rise and fall of Oedipus was chronicled. And Oedipus at Colonus is the middle of the trilogy where Oedipus dies and his sons murder each other thus continuing the eventuality of the prophecy. In Antigone, the final pieces of the tragedy unraveled, thus completing the prophecy of the oracle to Oedipus. In Antigone, the play focuses more on the battle between opposing primary views and concerns. Actually, it was more on opposing pride. Antigone was determined to give his brother an honorable burial despite the fact that the current king blatantly forbids it. She maintains that love is above law and hegemony. Creon, on the other hand, although Polynices is his nephew, forbids the burial on the grounds that it is the law to refuse honorable funerals to traitors. Although the central characters have opposing views, their attributes are very much similar to each other. Both are blinded by their own pride in their decisions. Antigone, when confronted by Creon, refuses to back down despite the fact that Creon threatened her that her sister will be penalized together with her. Antigone, sees her action as a form of â€Å"martydom†. In a way she sees glory in what she had done by â€Å"sacrificing† herself for the sake of his brother, which somewhat preposterous because of the fact that his brother is already dead. Creon, likewise, refuses to change his decision despite his son’s threat of suicide if he condemns Antigone. Although he perceives that his son’s words were not empty threats, he still refused to change his decision. This is because he distinguishes his action as strength of leadership. He mistakes pride for decisive command. Antigone represents moral ascendancy over political law. Creon, on the other hand, symbolizes the primacy of the rule of law above all else. The play attempts to stir the audience to struggle on which side should prevail. Athens, during the time of Sophocles was in its golden age. Democracy has been the highest point of the era. However, there are certain rules of law that exist to govern the democratic state. The play seeks to arouse questions from among the audience. Whether certain personal morals and filial duty should take over the rule of law when the situation calls for it. Or whether the rule of law should always prevail to maintain order in the society. However, Sophocles drives home the point that there are no extreme grounds. Moral ascendancy and the rule of law are invariably intertwined and should be taken into consideration in making a decision. In the play it was the comical messenger that best manifested the careful weighing of consequences of his actions when he pondered to and fro on what to tell Creon. It was him that provided a middle ground. His action was the very reflection of the thoughts of the audience. Towards the end of the play, both Creon and Antigone became so blind of their pride in their decision that they were no longer fighting for what they believe is right. Antigone sees her suicide as a form of sacrilegious immolation as if she was giving herself up for the good of her brother. Likewise, Creon perceives his decision to condemn Antigone as strength of leadership. He thinks that if he pardons Antigone, then he had let Antigone â€Å"win†, that Antigone will emerge to be â€Å"the man† in the battle. Creon’s and Antigone’s greatest folly is their tendency to oversimplify the situation. Antigone reduced the circumstance to moral ascendancy and Creon to the rule of law. Their pride made them blind that their decision will lead to conflict and deliberation. Like all characters of the play, Oedipus’ tragic flaw is his pride. In Oedipus the King, the rise and fall of Oedipus was accounted to his pride. His killing of his father was brought about by his pride, his desire to seek the truth of his identity was driven by pride, his edict of severe punishment to the murderer of Laius was brought about by pride and even is in his lowest moment when he eventually discovered the truth he still clung to the last pieces of his trappings as king. However, there is a great difference in Oedipus’ pride and that of Creon’s and Antigone’s. Antigone claims that it was for her love of her brother that she disobeyed Creon but in reality she puts herself in a pedestal with greater morals than Creon could understand. She masked her pride with proclamations of sacrifice and martyrdom for filial love. Creon, on the other hand, asserts that his actions are but mere implementation of law. However, in truth, Creon revels at the power that he holds upon the kingdom. This is evident even in the play Oedipus the King when Creon demonstrated his newfound power by curtly cutting off Oedipus while he was still mourning his fate. Oedipus pride, however, was disguised as his earnestness. This was exposed when he declared that he would seek all means to end the plague in his nation. He was so earnest in his demonstrations to the people of his intentions to save his kingdom that he himself cemented his doom. Furthermore, in seeking the murderer of Laius, in his earnestness to punish the criminal, he unknowingly condemned himself. More over, when the truth of his identity was slowly untangling, he was so earnest in wanting to discover the whole truth that he made a way for his ruination. In truth, Oedipus was earnest because he wanted to set himself apart from the rest. He wanted to be a great leader in his nation. His exaggerated demonstrations of his intentions to save his nation were masked pride. He clearly wanted to be the â€Å"savior† of his kingdom. He celebrates at the power that he holds upon the people. This is obvious that he dares insult the oracle when he came to his presence. Moreover, being royals, Jocasta and Oedipus had the tendency to invalidate the fate the gods have in store for them. They have countless times declared that the oracle is false. This is clearly a sign of their pride that they could not fathom that there are any other being that is above them. At the end of the play, Oedipus took responsibility of his actions. But even in his broken state he was still proud. It was him who commanded Creon to bury Jocasta as he sees fit and to banish him from his nation. Although he no longer has any real power, he still managed to hold on to his last bits of power as a former king. Oedipus the King ended with Oedipus as a broken man banished from his kingdom and disgraced from the society. In Oedipus at Colonus, we find just that, a broken man. However, his brokenness should not be interpreted as newfound humility. Contrariwise, his decent into brokenness left him embittered. In the play, he again questions his fate. He even questions his sons’ decision in remaining adamant in his exile. The initial scene of the play rightly sets the tone for the story. Antigone was describing their trespass on holy ground that must be corrected with prayers and libation. It is ironing that Oedipus and Antigone, with full knowledge of the wrongness of their action still proceed to commit the deed then proceed to rectify the iniquitous. This is the theme all throughout the play, the characters all seemingly commit an action that they are fully aware that is not correct but still proceed to do so nonetheless. Again all of which is because of pride. When Creon abducts Oedipus’ daughters, Theseus proceeds to rescue them. He pretends that he did so because of honor and duty. However, in reality, Theseus’ primary objective is to save his own kingdom. In this play, most of the characters have hidden agenda. In the first two plays that Sophocles wrote, the characters were forthright with their motives. Antigone and Creon were so brash and obvious in their thoughts and beliefs in Antigone. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus lack of blunt motives led to his destruction. But in the third installment, the characters were more masked in their intentions. Even Oedipus, when he refused to go back to his city, he maintained that it was on the basis of his newfound holiness but in truth it was his pride that kept him from coming back. Why would come back to a city that shunned him? Or to the people that eschewed themselves from him? Moreover, in a confrontation with Polynices, he begins to questions his sons actions on why they were apathetic of his exile. He failed to realize that it was him who commanded Creon to exile him in the first place. Just as he was physically blind, he was also blind from the truth. Even in his deprivation he still was not able to fully see the extent of his mistakes and his pride. In the end, Oedipus’ death was inconsequential. For a character such as him, it is but ironic that his death was portrayed as merely peripheral with only Theseus as witness. Even the lamentations of Ismene and Antigone were not impassionate enough. Sophocles merely pointed out that no matter how great Oedipus was in his former glory, like everyone else, his end is just merely death – a fate that no great man can escape from.

Management - Honeywell International Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management - Honeywell International - Essay Example This is done by producing high quality products at an efficient rate. Although this is a challenge to many companies, there are a couple of strategies that are used in order to improve the quality and also the production of goods and services. Using the case of the Honeywell International, the "Honeywell operating system" (HOS) will be analyzed and used as one of the many examples of the strategies that companies and organizations that want an increase in both their quality of goods and productions level apply. Summary The article â€Å"From Bitter to Sweet† is about the Honeywell International which is a factory in Lincolnshire that produces electronics. 8 years ago, it adopted a new production system which is commonly known as the "Honeywell operating system" (HOS) and was the reason for the transformation of the once known troubled giant into the successful company that it is known today (From Bitter to Sweet, 2012). HOS has proved fruitful from the results that have been w itnessed by the company. It is reported that there is an improvement in productivity. The sector has become more efficient. What they used to produce and deliver in 42days is now done within 10 days. Their sales have increased by 72% with a period of nine years and their profits have doubled over the years to $4 leading to an increase in revenue. The history of Howell dates back to 1999 where the original Honeywell was bought by a company known as Allied Signal and the joining of the two companies proved to be hard because of the different management structure. But when Mr. Cote took it over in 2002, he brought new cultures that included 12 behaviors and reshuffling of the portfolio and also introduced HOS. These improvements seemed remarkable. Today Honeywell is in a strong and stable position in the industry despite having many competitors like the Johnson Controls, United Technologies among others. Although there were some problems experienced in the implementation of the new str ategy like employees resistance to the changes, the company’s share prices has far outperformed the S&P 500 and has even opened other branches both country wide and worldwide (From Bitter to Sweet, 2012). Analysis of the topic Improving the quality and production of a company is an important undertaking for organizations survival. Therefore organizations strive in order to be the best at what they do and to outdo their competitors and also to maintain their customers. From the case of the Honeywell International, we can see how the organization changed its operating system and became a very successful company. The HOS is known to be a system that assures quality and is based on the Six Sigma principle. Its core elements are made up of an improvement process that is continuous that is there should be the workforce involvement in operation processes and all the production processes are required to be in a way that is synchronized with the customer's needs. Another aspect of HOS is it emphasizes control geared production strictly to match customer requirements. This ensures that stocks are minimized hence provide an increases in productivity that is substantial (From Bitter to Sweet, 2012). Another name for this policy is the pull system. This system is market oriented and saves organizations the cost of forecasting and researching the market to see which products they can produce. Through fault minimization in the production area, the results will be that the company

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights In Software Essay

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights In Software - Essay Example In addition, the rules which come under ‘intellectual property right’ offer various techniques for saving these rights of possession depending on their category. However, there are fundamentally 4 kinds of intellectual property rights which are applied to software, copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade secrets. Additionally, each type offers a specific legal defense. For instance, copyrights, patents and trade secrets are utilized to protect the technology itself. Moreover, trademarks do not protect technology; however they are used to protect symbols or names used to differentiate a product in the market (Freibrun, 2011; ZINNOV LLC, 2001; Locklizard, 2011). This paper outlines some of the important ways to protect intellectual property in software industry. This paper will discuss intellectual property rights which are used for software such as copyright, patent and trademark. Copyright Software copyright is a rule or regulation that affects anybody who makes use of a computer, and especially the companies; it is not rare for a company to face civil or yet illegal proceedings for software copyright violation. On the other hand, it is a difficult part of law that is not extensively recognized (Kerr, 2007; InnovAccess, 2009. In addition, software copyright is not fundamentally dissimilar from some other kinds of copyright. Though, there are specific scenario of copyright law that is explicit to software, for the reason that there are realistic dissimilarities among software as well as other aspects that can be copyrighted (poems, books, sculptures, drawings, etc.). Additionally, the copyright law offers a programmer (or in the scenario of a working programmer, that programmer's company) an extensive degree of power over the system/application/program that he or she develops. For instance, the proprietor of copyright in a part of computer software that has the right to stop others from making copies of the software, or some considerable fraction of the software, whether the copy right infringer creates the copy by pasting application on hard disk, floppy disk, CD ROM, or by printing out a hard copy of the code of the software (Kerr, 2007; InnovAccess, 2009). When somebody develops a unique piece of application/code/software, that individual then apply something known as copyright to that application. In addition, applying the copyright to application or software outlines that owner of that particular application has the security of the law thus nobody can attempt to take their software. Additionally, under copyright law, people are not allowed to: (Copley, 2011) Make a copy the application or software intended for other people Loan the software to some other individuals Offer the software on rent to other people Making an illegal installation of application on a network when other people are able to make use of its or access it Moreover, if somebody does not comply with the law or regulation of copyright, they could be pena lized with fines or even through imprisonment. The cause for this is that making software engages work of a lot of people and might take thousands of hours. It is simply fair that all this effort is protected (Copley, 2011). In this scenario, the US Copyright Office recognizes the software to be â€Å"a group of declarations or commands to be employed openly or not directly in a system to carry about a specific output.† However, copyright security is not implemented to thoughts, ideas, program logic, algorithms, techniques or layouts (ClickandCopyright, 2011). In addition, in software copyrights scenario the

Present-Day Egyptian Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Present-Day Egyptian Culture - Research Paper Example Agricultural practices have emancipated in Egypt since five thousand years and due to this the Egyptian community is considered to be highly deep rooted. Maximum level of cooperation can be observed in the Egyptian community and they have a central government that deals with regulating all types of issues amongst the community. The Egyptians take special care of their community members and assist all members who need help and assistance (Fahmy, 10). Egyptian people at the major level belong to the Eastern Hamitic Stock. There are four cultural groups present in Egypt. They are Egyptian peasants, the Copt, Nubians, and lastly the Bedouins. Each culture practices its own way of living and have different lifestyles. All cultures easily accommodate with others and this way harmony prevails in major regions of Egypt (Lane, 13). Egypt’s geographical position allowed them to be in link with the surrounding regions and hence they developed and adopted multitude types of cultures and experiences (Fahmy, 4). Values and principles of Egypt have emerged from the various religions worldwide. The main source of heritage in the cultural and intellectual areas in Egypt is the religion of the country. Egyptian Arabic is the main language of Egypt. French is understood by majority of the erudite classes in Egypt. French is usually taught as a second language in most of the schools and universities in Egypt (Fahmy, 6). Berber language is spoken in Siwa region of Egypt. As discussed above, there are four types of cultural groups present and due to the different practices, the languages spoken in some regions are different from the national language of Egypt. The Egyptians follow the religion Islam and this religion plays a vital role in the Egyptian society. All decisions in the country whether they are economic or political, personal or social are based upon the Islamic principles and practices (Lane, 69). The individuals in Egypt act as

In relation to one particular country, critically assess the claim Essay

In relation to one particular country, critically assess the claim that the roadmap progresses the EU gender - Essay Example But soon EU has realised the need also to improve the quality of lives among the constituents of the European Union. On May 1, 1999, the Amsterdam Treaty was enforced and that signaled EU's predilection to give importance to the rights of individuals as well as to render them justice, individual security and freedom. Suddenly EU felt it is its role to be at the vanguard for the protection of their human rights as well as to eliminate discrimination against them by reason of race, color, sex, religion and age (Eur-Lex 2008). Signing the European Convention on Human Rights then became a condition for membership to the EU and all member States must accede to the provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights which became enforceable when the Lisbon Treaty was formally signed on December 13, 2007 (Europa 2007). As an offshoot of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Roadmap For The Equality Between Men and Women was adopted by EU on March 1, 2006, which aim is to promote gender equality throughout the European Union. This Roadmap for Equality Between Men and Women must be fleshed out because equality between men and women is specifically provided for in the 1993 Treaty of Maastricht which established the European Community. This treaty provision must be enforced so as to give life to the Charter and thus make it a powerful document that rules the lives of the EU constituents and not merely inserted there for the heck of it or to serve as decoration to add words to the volume of the provisions of the Treaty (The Treaty of Maastricht 1993). Article 2 specifically provides "The community shall have as its task..to promote throughout the community..equality between men and women. Article 3 section 2 further provided, "In all the activities referred to in this article, the community shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women". Article 141 is more specific with its provisions as it exhorts "equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal v alue". It also defined the meaning of the provision"equal pay without discrimination based on sex". That it is imperative that the Roadmap must be established is clearly specified in article 141 section 3, whereby it stipulates that "the Council acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in article 251..shall adopt measures to ensure the application of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation, including the principle of equal pay for equal work over work of equal value". Article 141

Artwork Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Artwork Analysis - Research Paper Example This research paper not only describes Impressionism as a direction in French painting art, but also compares the artwork of two painting artists, which were Henri Rousseau and Camille Pissarro, who had contributed their skills and paintings in this period. Paintings, that are entitled Exotic Landscape and Landscape with Flock of Sheep were analyzed in details by researcher of the paper. First of the paintings of Henri Rousseau is entitled â€Å"Exotic Landscape† which was painted in the year 1910. Some visual elements of this work are duscussed, such as it's colors, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, straight lines and vertical lines, that were used to represent the plants and leaves. The meanings of the shapes and colors used by the artist are also discussed by the researcher. Second painting analyzed was by Camille Pissarro, and is entitled Landscape with Flock of Sheep. In visual elements of this painting, it is obvious that he didn’t used lines like Henri Rousseau but used colors in dots or patches. In the conclusion of the essay, the differences between the paintings are given. First, it is the way the two artist used their brushstrokes. For Pissarro, it can be perceived that his brushstroke was used in a quickly manner while in the work of Rousseau we can perceived that he uses his brushstroke in a smoothly manner. The colors of the two paintings are also very different. To sum up, the painting of Rousseau is more on imaginary tropical landscape but for Pissarro, it is more on the real image of the rural life of French.

The Dangers and Necessities of Industrial Agriculture Research Paper

The Dangers and Necessities of Industrial Agriculture - Research Paper Example Agriculture had, for thousands of years, been only a subsistence affair: people were only able to produce enough food to feed their own family or clan, with possibly a little extra for very short distance trade (Brothwell 368). Eventually basic agricultural techniques began to evolve and produce more food, leading to slight surpluses, which eventually grew and grew allowing the first civilizations with specialists such as soldiers, kings and bureaucrats to serve them (Diamond 34). Over time agricultural techniques have slowly advanced, leading to world populations that have, more or less, slowly advanced with them, leading to increasing population densities and further increasing food production (Diamond 97). This process all changed drastically with the most important process in human history, the industrial revolution. The introduction of steam engines, trains that could rapidly transport goods over great distances, and the ability to use powered machinery to plant, gather and process agriculture produce meant an explosion of population unlike what had ever been seen previously (Buckley 17). It took all of human history to the year 1800 for world population to reach one billion. It then trebled to three billion by the year 1950, and had doubled again to six billion by 1999, before adding another billion by 2011 (23). Obviously these population increases, a result of industrial agriculture, would have far-reaching effects on all parts of human society. Most of all, however, food production leading to higher populations leads to more intensive food production, in unsustainable cycle that needs to, somehow, be altered. The Problems There are myriad problems caused by industrial agricultural practices and the high populations it help support. The first series has to do with food security. Food security is essentially how secure one’s food source is – how likely it is to be disrupted and how dangerous any disruption would be. The combination of extremely high world population and industrial agriculture weaken food security in several important ways. The first is simply a lack of food stores. For the vast majority of human history agricultural peoples have built up large food stores, sometimes years worth, in order to be able to deal with any disruption of food security (Brothwell 370). This meant that if there were a massive war in which fields were burnt, or a year or two of drought, flooding or other disruptions of food pro duction, a population would have a store to lean on, minimizing if not completely preventing starvation. In this situation, only extremely prolonged conflicts or inclement weather to substantially shake the ability of a people to feed themselves, meaning that food security was relatively high. Now, however, the world has essentially zero food stores from season to season (Baarchers 188). Everything is eaten or consumed in some other way as soon as possibly can be, and there simply is not enough agricultural production to make a food stores big enough to feed the billions of people in the world for a matter of months, much less years. This means that any disruption, such as the widespread droughts that have been hitting the western end of Africa this past two years, leads to immediate starvation and death rather than giving a grace period of several years based on food stores (Lichtfouse 87). Industrial food production, along with the population explosion it has caused, weaken food s ecurity by nearly completely eliminating substantial food reserves of any kind on a world wide scale. The reduction and elimination of world-wide food stores is not the only way that practices of industrial farming have hampered food security. Another major way is food transportation

INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY - Term Paper Example These behavior expectations according to Dovidio have their roots in individual differences, in both social and cultural experiences. Through personal experiences and learning though observation, people learn about their group values in their society. Therefore, norms are learned through observations, experiences, with immediate situations contributing to learning and understanding, where social norms are more applicable, or elaborate to a particular situation. Though social norms are expected codes of action by individuals, and dictate what people should do across a range of situations, having personal standards relate to the ideals of an individual, and feelings of moral obligation. In this investigation of norms, I chose to walk in a full lift and directly faced the occupants, instead of facing the door as the norm or expected code of action in such circumstances. In this demonstration, I went to an office building at eight o’clock in the morning, which is mostly a rush hour when people are rushing to their offices and work places. The life had 5 occupants; 3 ladies and 2 men, and I was the last occupant as the lift had a safe load of six individuals. All the occupants were in their early thirties, guessing from their looks. As people shoved and pushed in rush to catch the next lift, I waited patiently and counted up to five occupants before forcing myself in as the last occupant. As I entered the lift, all the other occupants we re directly facing the door; they all had their eyes fixed on me. With a serious expression and oblivious to the people in the lift, the lift door closed and instead of turning around to face the door, I stood there just staring the other occupants, and did not en hit the button indicating my destination. I faced the occupants directly and gathered all my courage not to smile or blink in the short dash as the lift rapidly accelerated

Horoscopes and Astrology Essay Example for Free

Horoscopes and Astrology Essay Horoscopes are charts created by astrologers. A definition of a horoscope is: the illustration of the position of the sun, moon, and planets from a given location on earth, usually at birth. Which simply means, where everything in the universe was in relation to everything else when you were born. People have been finding their horoscopes for a long time now, its nothing new. The earliest known horoscope was from 409 B.C. where it started to spread in the East with the conquerors of the Roman Empire. From there, it started spreading all the way across to Western Europe, where it was almost considered a science itself by all learned people. Everyone has an astrological sign. There are 12 in all. They are called the signs of the zodiac. The 12 signs are called : Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each sign represents a set of human characteristics. They deal with certain area of a persons life, such as marriage, health, work, travel, and death. Astrologers believe that the position of the objects in the sky when you were born and their movements reflect the persons character and destiny. The horoscope also is divided into 12 houses. Unlike the zodiacal signs, which represent the annual cycle of the sun, the house represent the 24 hours of a day of the Earths daily rotation. Astrologers make predictions by studying the position of the objects with all of the 12 signs and of the 12 houses. You might see your horoscope in the newspaper today. Its based on the signs of the zodiac I mentioned, and where the Sun was located when you were born. It implies that all people born under the same sign anywhere in the world at any time share common characteristics. Today, even though only a small percentage of people believe in it, books and  columns on astrology rate higher than ever no one can say why! I think curiosity has a big effect on the overall popularity of astrology and horoscopes. Horoscopes are illustrated by circles, called the ecliptic. Its the way the earth orbits around the sun in a year. Every planet (including the sun and moon) has a sign, depending on where the planet is on the ecliptic when the horoscope was made to be for. The astrology that horoscopes are based on are criticised and questioned often, and although many scientists disagree with the science involved in getting your horoscope, millions of people continue to believe or practice it.

An Introduction To The Operations Management Concepts Business Essay

An Introduction To The Operations Management Concepts Business Essay Operations Management has been defined by Krajewski, et al. (2007) as the control and direction of the processes of the organization that changes its input materials to products and/or services for its customers. This report will compare how Mercedes-Benz and Honda manage their operations. The comparison might be useful because it would help identify various ways an organisation could be run in order to meet its goals and objectives. The report will give a brief background of the two organizations mentioned above and then would move on to the comparison of their marketing strategies and competitive priorities. Finally, the importance of frameworks such as capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain design, Total quality management and performance measures, would be discussed and how they could be useful in helping an organisation function efficiently and effectively. A) COMPANY BACKGROUND OF MERCEDEZ BENZ [MERCEDEZ-BENZ U.S. INTERNATIONAL, inc. (MBUSI)] and HONDA [HONDA MANUFACTURING OF ALABAMA, LLC. (HMA)]. MERCEDEZ-BENZ (MBUSI) Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (http://www.mbusi.com) was established for the main purpose of manufacturing the M-Class. The M-class was such a huge success that they decided in August 2000 to expand the facility not only to manufacture more units of It, but also to include the R and GL-classes to its product list. The expansion not only doubled the plant size but also the labor force. The plant consists of a body shop, paint shop and two assembly shops. MBUSI receives orders from their 135 worldwide markets. MBUSI uses the Just-in-Time (JIT) philosophy which implies that they do not stockpile large amounts of the inventory they use to assemble their cars. HONDA (HMA) HMA (http://www.hondaalabama.com) manufactures the odyssey, ridgeline and pilot models for the world wide market. HMAs investment in Alabama is over $1.4billion with the construction of a new Honda Engineering facility, on-site consolidation center and steel blanking operation. One of their goals is to be able to produce goods with high quality and sell at a reasonable price. HMA can be referred to as a Zero Landfill Facility due to the fact that they are committed to the principle of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. They have made efforts in curbing energy use during their production processes, and this has earned them an energy star award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A.1) OPERATION/TRANSFORMATION PROCESS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS MERCEDEZ-BENZ (MBUSI) The manufacturing process for both models begins in the Body Shop where the components that comprise the metal body are welded together. From the body shop, they are taken to the ultra-clean Paint Shop where the cars are painted. Finally, they end up in the Assembly where it becomes a new Mercedes-Benz M, R, or GL-Class ready for shipping. From beginning to end, these vehicles are created with style, functionality, and quality in mind (http://www.mbusi.com). HONDA (HMA) Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) has the largest output for Honda light trucks. It has the capacity to create over 300,000 odyssey minivans, pilot sport utility vehicles, Ridgeline pick-up trucks and V-6 engines annually (http://www.hondaalabama.com). A.2) COMPARISON OF THE ORGANISATIONS BASED ON MARKETING STRATEGIES The Ansoff matrix suggests four ways an organisation could develop strategically. The first one which is market penetration deals with going into the market yet further with existing goods, the next one, product development, has to do with developing new products for the existing market, the third which is market development deals with developing new markets and new segments for existing products while the final one which is diversification takes a radical step to create new products for new markets (Wood, 2007). The table below shows the similarities and difference in marketing strategies between MERCEDEZ-BENZ and HONDA. MERCEDEZ-BENZ HONDA PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MARKET DEVELOPMENT DIVERSIFICATION The marketing strategies mentioned in the table above will be discussed in the following paragraphs. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Product Development deals with producing new products or improving existing ones for the existing market. According to Mercedes-Benz (http://www.mbusi.com) and HONDA (http://www.automobiles.honda.com), below are some of the areas they have tried to improve their products. Mercedes (GL-CLASS/C-CLASS) and HONDA (PILOT/INSIGHT HYBRID) would be used as examples. MERCEDES-BENZ (GL-CLASS) HONDA (PILOT) SAFETY -12-Way protection of an 8-air bag protection -Electronic stability program(ESP) -Brake Assist(BAS) -Rollover sensor -Low tire pressure warning system -Active head restraints -Seat belts -Three-Row side curtain airbags with rollover sensor -Vehicle stability assist with traction control -Lower Anchors and Tethers for children(LATCH) Advanced compatibility Engineering(ACE) body structure -Tire pressure monitoring system(TPMS) SEATING/LUGGAGE CAPACITY -Room for 7 adults -collapsible seats for 2ndand 3rdrow, leaving more cargo space. -Room for 8 adults -collapsible seats for 2nd and 3rdrow, leaving more cargo space. 4-WHEEL AIR SUSPENSION 4-wheel air suspension which can raise its height by up to 3. This is useful for off road trips. TOWING CAPACITY -7500-ib towing capacity. -4500-ibs towing capacity. FUEL ECONOMY -Hondas variable cylinder management (VCM), which helps improve fuel economy. C-CLASS INSIGHT HYBRID ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS -Blue efficiency technology which is efficient at reducing CO2 emissions Reduced CO2 emission. From the table above, it can be observed that the two organizations have developed their products in various areas which include safety, fuel economy, environmental friendliness etc. product development could be said to be a good marketing strategy because many consumers are drawn towards goods they can derive good value for money from. However, the development of a product might result to an increase in its price. This price change might discourage certain consumers from purchasing it which could have a negative effect on the amount of sales of the product. MARKET DEVELOPMENT Market Development is concerned with creating new markets and segments for existing products. MERCEDEZ-BENZ and HONDA have registered their presence in many parts of the world. With respect to Honda, they have manufacturing companies in America, China, Japan, Europe, Indonesia, and India. When manufacturing automobiles in any region, the needs and values of the consumers over there should be put into consideration. This could help in getting the market to patronize you all the more. For example, according to (http://www.world.honda.com) because the European market is highly Eco-conscious, Honda manufactured and launched the Insight Hybrid and the CR-Z Hybrid in 2009 and 2010 respectively, in Europe. Honda also released the Accord Crosstour model in the African and Middle Eastern markets where the SUV category is widely popular in order to cultivate a new CUV (Cross-over Utility Vehicle) category that offers new added value. Mercedes-Benz also has markets in various parts of the globe which include; Africa, Asia, Australia/Pacific, Europe, North and Central America, South America. Apart from developing new markets in different parts of the world, Mercedes-Benz has also tried to look into new customer segments. According to (http://www.exampleessays.com), they are looking to expand their market base to youths. This is being done by using a more life-style marketing strategy which emphasizes a more fun loving, approachable and energetic side of Mercedes-Benz. This new message was obvious when they sponsored the Elton John concert in New York, and sponsoring of the professional tennis. Market development is a good marketing strategy in that it could help increase sales. However, when organizations enter into new markets without carrying out proper research on its suitability for their products, if it turns out that the market is not favorable enough due to reasons such as low purchasing power of consumers, then that product being introduced might not perform too well in the market. DIVERSIFICATION Diversification is developing entirely new products for a new market. Unlike Mercedes-Benz, Honda is into the production of different goods in different product lines. They manufacture Automobiles, Power sports (motor bikes and ATVs), Jets, Power equipments (Generators, lawnmowers, pumps, snow blowers etc), Honda Marines (Engines used for boats), and Honda Engines for (water pumps, agricultural equipments, forestry equipments, etc). Diversification is a very useful marketing strategy in that it helps expand the market base of the organisation and thereby increase the sales opportunities. However, for various reasons such as availability of substitute goods; strong competitors etc, certain brands might become weak or unprofitable and this could affect the organization negatively. A.3) COMPARISON OF THE ORGANISATIONS BASED ON COMPETITIVE PRIORITIES. MERCEDEZ (MBUSI) HONDA(HMA) CONSISTENT QUALITY VARIETY DELIVERY SPEED LOW-COST OPERATION DEVELOPMENT SPEED ON-TIME DELIVERY VOLUME FLEXIBILTY Some of the competitive priorities will be discussed below. CONSISTENT QUALITY Both Mercedes and Honda have consistent quality as a competitive priority. It may be argued that Consistency is being achieved due to the fact that production of cars is highly automated, and so the chances of error are slimmer. Honda and Mercedes for example have robots they use in their plants. These robots have been programmed to work in a particular which helps ensure consistency. VARIETY Both organizations have a wide range of goods available to customers. Mercedes has the A, B, C, CL, GL, S, SLK, E, R, M etc classes. On the other hand, Honda has different models of vehicles which include Accord coupe, crosstour, sedan, Civic coupe, hybrid sedan, si coupe, odyssey, pilot, Ridge line truck, etc. With this in place, the consumers have an array of choices. DELIVERY SPEED Delivery speed might be argued to be an important competitive priority to organizations because usually, consumers prefer going to places where they can get what they want when they want it. If an organisation can not deliver to its customers as quickly as possible, with time they might loose them. This could be one of the reasons why some companies decide to have branches all over the world just like Mercedes and Honda. The nearer you are to your market, the faster you can deliver. LOW-COST OPERATION Majority of Mercedes vehicles are luxurious and sophisticated. The materials involved in the manufacture of their cars are of higher quality and therefore could relatively cost more. This reflects in the price of the vehicle at the end of the day as Mercedes cars are usually very expensive. On the other hand, Hondas cost of operation might be a little lower because they manufacture vehicles that fall in the small car market; the raw materials used may not be as expensive as that of Mercedes. This is an area Honda and Mercedes differ. B.1) CAPACITY PLANNING AND THE EXPANSIONIST MODEL Capacity planning is employed to ensure that the processes in any given organisation run smoothly without any hitch. It would help identify the bottle necks, and then suggest ways of alleviating them. And also, through demand forecasts, it helps to guide the decision on whether or not to increase their capacity by buying more equipment, putting up more structures etc. There are a couple of tools used in capacity planning, and one of them is the expansionist model. The Expansionist strategy makes a forecast on demand and based on this, decides whether or not to expand capacity. The advantage of the expansionist strategy is that if the forecast is accurate, the chances of sales being lost to insufficient capacity becomes very narrow. However, if the demand does not increase as expected, the investment made in expansion might become a waste. Honda (http://www.world.honda.com) used the expansionist strategy when it forecasted that in 2004 they expected sales to increase by 36% of the previous year in the Asia-Oceania region. This made them increase the annual production capacity in India from 30,000 to 50,000 units. This decision to expand would have helped them reduce the chances of missing out on sales due to capacity insufficiency. B.2) INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND JUST-IN-TIME (JIT) Inventory management has to do with monitoring the in-flow and out-flows of the goods of an organisation in such a way that they do not have too much in store, and at the same time are able to meet up with their demand. There are different methods of managing inventory in an organisation, and one of it is Just-In-Time (JIT). JIT is a philosophy which states that products should be ordered for and produced only when needed, and that they should not be produced to store away. The advantage of the JIT philosophy is that it produces a lean system which is anti-waste. JIT also helps save on cost such as storage, handling, shrinkage etc. However, if suppliers fail to deliver on the agreed date, fail to deliver materials of acceptable quality and/or deliver materials that require scrap or rework, the organisations processes would be disrupted. Mercedes ( http://www.mbusi.com) uses the JIT philosophy for its operations. In their body shop, they have about one days supply of materials, and on the production line they have about 40 minutes of parts. Their team uses a computerized system whereby if they need more materials, a member of the team pushes a button which sends a signal to the screen on the forklift which will inform the forklift driver on which part is needed for what particular station. They use this system as opposed to stockpiling of parts on the line. It works for them because it helps them to be lean B.3) SUPPLY CHAIN DESIGN AND OFF SHORING Supply chain design has to do with the plan the organization has in place to ensure its supply chain does not hinder it from being competitive in the market. Supply chain design is both relevant to the service and manufacturing industries. In the service industry, it seeks to ensure that the resources needed to provide a service are always available in the right proportion, while in the manufacturing industry, it seeks to ensure that the organization does not have too much nor too little stock in its possession so they could meet up with their competitive priorities. One important aspect of supply chain view is off shoring. Off shoring involves establishing branches of an organization in one or more parts of the world. This could be done for various reasons one of which is to reduce the cost of logistics. However, if there is an over-estimation of the suitability of the intended location for the organization, and after setting up there for a while, they discover the prospects are not as bright as they thought probably due to insufficient power supply, they might have to fold up the organization which might be very costly because they would have invested so much in the project. It is therefore important for organizations to make sure it is absolutely necessary before embarking on an off shore project. Both Mercedes and Honda have off shore branches, and this can be reflected in the number of subsidiaries they have all over the world. One of the reasons why they do this is to be closer to their customers, so they can cut down on delivery cost. B.4) TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND 3 PRINCIPLES Total quality management (TQM) is used to ensure that the goods produced and services rendered by an organization are of good quality, and up to standard. The International Standard Organisation (ISO) sets the bar for all organizations. TQM takes into consideration three principles which include; level of customer satisfaction, degree of employee involvement and the rate of continuous improvement. Customer Satisfaction: This has to do with producing goods and rendering services that meet the need and satisfy the desires of the customer. It is important for an organization to satisfy their customers because they are the ones who keep them in business. If your customers are unhappy with your goods or services and they leave, then that organization might fold up in less than no time. Employee Involvement: This has to do with getting the opinion of workers on how to move the organisation forward. It might be argued that involving employees in some decision making processes is essential to the success of that organization because, it makes them feel useful and so they might want to put in their best in what they do. They are allowed to be innovative and to contribute their ideas to the organization which might end up taking the company to heights of greatness. Continuous Improvement: This deals with ensuring organizations processes are always efficient and effective. The competition in the market now a days is so stiff that organizations cannot afford to have a lackadaisical attitude towards the continuous improvement of their processes. If they do that, they would loose their customers to their competitors. It could be said that the application of the 3 principles to an organisation would be helpful for its survival. However, it might be expensive to handle especially when it comes to the continuous improvement bit because it might entail having to train staff on a frequent basis. Mercedes (http://www.mbusi.com) tries to continuously improve their processes by training their staff before and even after they commence work. B.5) PERFORMANCE RESOURCES AND BALANCED SCORE CARD Each organization need some form of benchmark to measure their level of performance. Kaplan and Nortons balanced scorecard could be used for this purpose, and it is discussed below. Financial Measures; this has to do with the measurement of the financial performance of the organisation. It takes into perspective concepts like Operating income, ROI, EBIT etc. Daimler AG, (http://www.daimler.com) the parent company of Mercedes had a net profit of C1.4billion in 2008 while in 2009, they recorded a net loss of C 2.6billion. This loss might be partly because of the economic recession. In 2009, (http://www.world.honda.com) Honda had an operating income of Y189, 643 millions while in 2010, it increased to Y363,775. Looking at these figures, one can tell at a glance their level of financial performance for those years. Customer-Relationship Measure; this deals with how well an organisation treats its customers. It considers issues such as customer satisfaction, customer retention etc. Mercedes is a brand which could be argued to be well known for making their customers happy because they produce cars with class. They try to meet the need of sophistication which their customers have. With the release of the CR-Z hybrid, Honda has also tried to satisfy a segment of its market which is the Environmental-conscious group. Business Process Measure; This tries to assess how well an organistion manages its operations. It includes measures such as Quality, cost etc. Using quality as an example, one could say it is necessary for both Benz and Honda to have it because consumers are willing to buy goods that are worth the value of their money. So if these organizations lack this requirement, very soon they would run out of business. Learning and Growth/Human Resource Measures; This deals with how the employees are treated in the organisation. Some measures for this include employee retention, employee satisfaction, training etc. Mercedes is having problems with staff retention due to the recession. As a result, they are retrenching workers because they want to reduce the amount spent on wages. Honda on the other hand has made efforts in trying to make their staff a bit comfortable. Honda guaranteed a sum of 31.7billion for employee bank loan so that if any of its employees take a loan a falters, that sum would bail them out. C.1) EVALUATION OF THE MIX The concepts in the mix might be argued to be essential to any given organisation. This could be because they each play very important roles in ensuring the operations of an organisation run smoothly. Capacity planning helps ensure they dont loose out on demand due to insufficient capacity. Inventory management ensures they have the right amount of stock at every given point in time. This is necessary because they do not want so much stored up away which could result in an increase in holding cost, and at the same time they want to be able to meet up with demand. Supply chain Design helps to ensure the suppliers do not serve as impediments to the organisation from meeting their competitive priorities. Total quality management and performance resources are in place to ensure that the goods and services being produced are of acceptable standard. Based on the functions of the various frameworks described above, it could be said that all the members of the mix are important to both Mercedes and Honda. C.2) IMPACT OF THE MIX ON COMPETITIVENESS It could be argued that capacity planning, supply chain design and inventory management are necessary for competitiveness. Supply chain design is necessary because you need suppliers whose emphases are; on-time delivery, consistent quality and low prices. This could help organizations meet competitive priorities such as low cost operation, consistent quality, delivery speed, on-time delivery, top quality. Having a good supply chain design would be necessary for Mercedes (MBUSI) because they practice a JIT system which is highly dependent on reliable suppliers in order for it to succeed. Capacity planning helps competitiveness in that it ensures the organisation always has enough products to meet its demand. This is essential because if customers seldom get what they want from an organisation, they might loose confidence in them and thereby stop patronizing them. Capacity planning would be useful to both Mercedes and Honda because theres a need to meet up with the demand for their products in order to build confidence in their customers. Inventory management might also be necessary for competitiveness because for an organization which has low cost operation as its competitive priority, having too much goods in store might not be useful in helping them achieve this goal due to holding cost. Therefore such organisations need to monitor the amount of goods they have in stock at a particular point in time. C.3) IMPACT OF THE MIX ON INNOVATION Performance resources and Total Quality Management could impact innovation. One of the metrics in performance resources which has to do with new product/service development could have an impact on innovation because its a benchmark that emphasizes product improvement. Also, the continuous improvement principle under TQM which states that organizations should try to deliver better goods and services on a constant basis could have an impact on its innovative skills. Mercedes and Honda use this mix. That is why it can be observed that each model of car they release is an improved version of the previous one. C.4) IMPACT OF THE MIX ON SUSTAINABILITY The mix contains important principles which include capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain design, performance resources and Total quality management. If these principles are being applied to both Mercedes and Honda, these organizations would most likely remain in the market for quite a long period of time because the application of the mix gives an operational and competitive edge, and being able to compete in the market is necessary for survival. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION This report has helped to highlight how important it is for organizations to manage their processes well by applying principles such as TQM, Capacity planning, inventory management etc because then, they will not only meet their competitive priorities, but they will be able to compete effectively against competitors in their target market.

In this essay, I am going to write about the social and historical

In this essay, I am going to write about the social and historical context of Of Mice and Men, and how the dreams of certain people in the ranch went wrong and ended in tragedy. In this essay, I am going to write about the social and historical context of 'Of Mice and Men', and how the dreams of certain people in the ranch went wrong and ended in tragedy. Most of the characters in 'Of Mice and Men' admit, at one point or another, to dreaming of a different life. Before her death, Curley's wife confesses her desire to be a movie star. Crooks allows himself the for the fantasy of hoeing a patch of garden on Lennie's farm one day, and Candy latches on desperately to George's vision of owning a couple of acres. John Steinbeck wrote this novel because he wanted people to realise the consequences of the great American depression between 1930 and 1940. It showed how people interacted with each other and it showed the misery of the economical depression and how poor and different race people were treated. In 'Of Mice and Men' Steinbeck describes how punishing and challenging the life of migrant farmers could be. Just as George and Lennie dream of a better life on their own farm, these farmers dreamed of finding a better life in their world. The state where they lived promised a climate for a longer growing season and it offered more opportunities to harvest crops. Despite these promises, very few found it to be the land of opportunity and plenty of which they dreamed. George and Lennie are migrant American labourers. George protects his friend from the insecure world and shares with him a dream of one day settling down and farming their own land to live a better life. The farm that George describes to Len... ... why, even though he has reason to doubt George and Lennie's talk about the farm that they want to own, Crooks cannot help but ask if there might be room for him to come along and hoe in the garden. However, his desires would never come true because of the time he lived, a time where such dreams for him were impossible to become a reality. All of these dreams were typically American dreams where dreamers wish for untarnished happiness, for the freedom to follow their own desires. George and Lennie's dream of owning a farm, which would enable them to sustain themselves, and, most important, offer them protection from an inhospitable world, represents typically American ideal. Their journey, which awakens George to the impossibility of this dream, sadly proves that Crooks is right that such paradise of freedom and safety are not to be found in this world.

Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights Essay -- Wuthering Heights Essays

Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emily Bronte wrote only one novel in her life. Wuthering Heights written under her pen name, Ellis Bell, was published in 1847. Although, Wuthering Heights is said to be the most imaginative and poetic of all the Bronte's novels, Emily's book was not as popular as her older sister, Charlotte's, new release, Jane Eyre ("Bronte Sisters" 408). In looking at Bronte's writings, the major influences were her family, her isolation growing up, and her school experiences.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and their brother Branwell lived with their father, the Reverend Patrick Bronte, in a parsonage high above the village at Haworth in Yorkshire, England ("Bronte Sisters" 408). The parsonage was amongst the largest houses in Haworth, though in comparison with the homes of clergymen in more affluent areas of Britain, it would have been considered small (www.bronte.org.uk). Patrick Bronte entered the church because it was the one career that offered to lift him out of his poor and Irish background. He was born in a cottage at Emdale, County Down, on the 17th of March in 1777. As a teacher in a boy's school at Glascar, as a tutor in a private family, and as teacher in the parish school at Drumballyroney, he made the grade and got a scholarship to St. John's College, Cambridge, in October 1802 (Scott-Kilvert 105). Years later, with the crisis provoked by the Luddite riots (1811-1812)- in which the role of the clergy in industrial districts became one of an active peacekeeping force- Patrick was among the first, and the few, to carry pistols in defense of his parishioners' property. Over the remaining fifty years of his life, he primed his pistols daily, di... ...ters. 1982 ed. "Bronte." Collier's Encyclopedia. 1996 ed. Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. United States of America; Barnes & Noble Inc., 2009. "The Brontes." http://www.bronte.org.uk/brontes/victorian.asp. 23 Jan 2014. "Bronte Sisters." The New Book of Knowledge. 2012 ed. "An Emily Bronte Chronology." http://lang.nagoy-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Bronte-Emily-chro.html. 23 Jan 2014. "Emily Bronte." The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2003 ed. "Emily Jane Bronte." http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/1380/emily.html. 23 Jan 2014. Gà ©rin, Winifred. â€Å"The Brontà «s.† British Writers, Vol. V. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982. Print. "History of Emily's Life." http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/4396/history.html. 23 Jan 2014. "Wuthering Heights." Cyclopedia of Literary Characters. 2008 ed.

Script on aboriginal

I have chosen to do my following script from when Molly, Daisy and Gracie have just been captured and are being taken to Moore River Native Settlement. The reason I have chosen to start my script from there is because there will be a range of emotions that will be felt by the girls at that time I and will develop on them and hopefully get a bit of understanding of the torment they must have been going through. Molly Daisy and Gracie are in the back of Mr. Neville's care on the way to Moore River. Gracie is crying and Daisy is shaking. Molly: (Whispers to Daisy) It's going to be all right Daisy, I will get us back home. Daisy: (Still shaking) OK Molly, I trust you. Molly: (Turns to Gracie and whispers) Remember the spirit bird Gracie, remember spirit bird†¦ Gracie: (Tears running down her face, wipes her nose with her hand) The spirit bird will guide us home. Where are we going Molly, I'm scared Molly, I want to go home. Daisy: (in aboriginal) Molly is going to get us home Gracie. I know she will. Mr Neville: (sharp cold tone) Oi! Enough of your filth language. If you are to talk, talk in English. (to himself) Bleeding half-breeds. Molly: (Now shaking herself) Where are you taking us? Mr Neville: (not even looking at Molly) You will see in due time. But first I need to stop And fill up the tank. (He turns to Molly with a frightening look on his face) if You even think about trying to run away, I will do something even your spirit Bird can't guide you through. Mr Neville exits the car to talk to the petrol pump attendant. We see Molly's Grandmother enter the scene running and screaming in aboriginal. She runs to the car and tries to open the door, but Mr Neville was too quick. He whipped his cane across the face of the helpless old lady. Molly: (in shock, speaking in aboriginal) Grandmother! Molly covers Gracie's eyes as she begins to cry. Daisy tries to open the door of the car, but Mr Neville gets back in. Mr Neville: (laughing) I don't suppose you girls want to go the same way as your Grandmother, do you? No I didn't think so. Now you know what the Punishment will be if you ever try to escape from under my nose. Gracie: (still crying) Your big nose! Mr Neville: (fury overwhelming him) What did you just say?! Molly: (quickly) Nothing Mr Neville, sir. Honest. Mr Neville: (deciding not to take any action) As I was saying, even if you do succeed in Escaping, you won't ever see your grandmother again. Daisy: (with courage) You an evil- Molly: (coughs loudly) Mr Neville: (evil sneer) Where your going will change you lives forever. And it will be all Down to me. Over the years you will realise how much good is doing†¦ They slow down as they approach there destination. Molly looks around, already thinking about how they were going to escape. This script shows elements of power, freedom and control throughout. Mr Neville who is one of the most powerful people in the process of biological absorption has control over the aboriginals. He mentions what would happen to them if they tried to escape because all they want is freedom. It was an important part of the play because it was the first time that they were being taken to the camp. Everyone in the scene had different feelings and they all showed them in different ways.

Does Technology Corrupt Society

Does technology corrupt society? (By: Gordon Turtle) Does technology corrupt society? That’s a commonly asked question. If you think about it, technology helps society more then it harms it. A lot of schools disallow the use of cell phones or laptops unless they are used for school it-self. How would students communicate without them? Through the one hour to an hour and forty five minutes of lunch? What about technology used for medical purposes. Also, technology used for electronics such as computers, lights, etc†¦ Lastly, technology used for communication, like cell phones, radios, etc†¦We use technology almost everywhere; we use it for medical to help people get rid of diseases and injuries. It also helps doctors train better, easier, and more efficiently. If we didn’t have technology then we would still be cavemen living in caves with no light, no way of surviving injuries or illnesses. If we didn’t have any medical abilities the human race would ha ve went extinct a long time ago. Technology gave us electricity and electronics. Without technology we wouldn’t have t. v. ’s, toy’s, game systems, etc†¦ If man evolved without technology then we wouldn’t have come this far, we wouldn’t be as smart as we are now.We also wouldn’t have any way of teaching our children or other kids about how to live life or how to be good responsible adults. Technology also gave us communication devices such as the cellphone, house phone, computers, laptops, etc†¦ If we didn’t have technology the military would have fast ways of communicating with its soldiers. Without communication we could think we are the only country on earth for all we knew. Communication devices gave us the power to talk to one another from one side of the earth to the other in seconds.Imagine a world without communication. Imagine you had to write a letter and have it read days or even months later, and then having to w ait days or months for a response. Communication devices are one of the most important pieces of technology ever made. Without them we might as well go live in a cave with the few people we know, thinking that you were the only ones that are on the earth. That’s why technology doesn’t corrupt society, and that technology is what brought us to where we are today. If you think about it, technology helps society more then it harms it.

Poetry and Nature Essay

Wordsworth is one among the best five poets in English. He wrote many poems and most of them are best known for its treatment of love for nature. â€Å"The Daffodils†, â€Å"Lines Written in Early Spring†, â€Å"To the Cuckoo†, and â€Å"My Heart Leaps Up† are very few of his poems in which the role of nature is predominant. By the close reading of the poems it is obvious that he is an ardent lover of nature. And he has the quality to heal all his deep sufferings by enjoying nature. And he insists his readers that to live in touch with nature and it will cure all their problems. Through his poems he gave such a healing power to nature. In most of his poems he considered nature as a living personality. He is a very sensitive to all changes occurred in nature. I WANTERED LONELY AS A CLOUD (THE DAFFODILS) His poem â€Å"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud† is one of the most celebrated poem. In which the poet describes about a time when he wandered like a cloud through vales and hills. From the first line of this poem it is clear that the poet feels lonely at the time of writing this poem. Finally he saw a group of daffodils which are â€Å"fluttering and dancing in the breeze†. This is all about the first stanza of this poem. In its second stanza he started describe about the daffodils. The flowers seemed never ending so he compares it with shining stars in the Milky Way. He assumes that he might see ten thousand daffodils at a glance. This shows that the flowers are countless or large in number. And they are â€Å"tossing their heads and sprightly dance†. Here the poet is depressed internally but he tries to find happiness from his surrounding nature. In third stanza he compares the waves of the lake and daffodils. But he says that daffodils have more â€Å"glee† than the â€Å"sparking†Ã‚  lake. And he says that a poet can’t do anything but enjoying it. Even in his loneliness he feels some happiness inside his mind. He says that â€Å"in such a jocunt company† a poet can only enjoy it nothing more than that. He starred at the scene for a long time and he couldn’t understand what he gained by gazing at it. Here he says that nature has a power to attract any man’s attention even if the man is in depressed mood. In its last stanza he describes about what he gained from this experience. He says whenever he feels â€Å"pensive† or â€Å"vacant† this experience fills happiness in the mind of the poet and he started dancing with that flowers. It shows his change of mood after take a look of those flowers. â€Å"They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.† The dancing daffodils have that much influence in the mind of the poet. This experience was capable to heal the inner sufferings of him. From this poem he tries to teach the reader about the importance of man’s connection with nature. Only nature can give utmost pleasure to man than any material possession. MY HEART LEAPS UP (THE RAINBOW) This poem is one of Wordsworth’s widely accepted poems. In which he depicts about his excitements when he saw a rainbow in the sky. This poem is well known because of its simplicity in theme and its treatment of nature. Through this poem he reveals to his readers that how childishly he keeps enjoying nature. He used to see rainbow in the sky from his childhood itself. Now he is a grown up man but still he didn’t lose his spirit towards nature. In short his love for nature is consistent. We can understand it by referring many of his poems. This poem is started with the line â€Å"My heart leaps up when I behold. A rainbow in the sky:† From the first line itself he started describing his cheerful experience when he saw a rainbow in the sky. According to him there is no age bound in enjoying nature. He used here present, past and future tenses only to denote his spirit of enjoying the nature. â€Å"So  was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old,† He says that when he was in his childhood the view of rainbow made the same effect which he feels now, in his manhood. And he wishes to continue like this in his future also. In his mind leading a life without keeping any connection with nature is worse than death. He says that in his future days if he is not capable to enjoy it then â€Å"let me die!†. He can’t think a life without nature because it is everything for him. And through these lines he also shows his consistent love towards nature. His love has same spirit throughout his life. And till his end he wishes to live in nature’s lap. Towards the end of this poem he says that â€Å"The child is father of the man;† which gives a paradoxical meaning here. Commonly we know that man is the father of child. But here he was not talking about its direct meaning. He only means that from the childhood begins manhood. Here the word â€Å"father† means one from whom something begins. The main idea of the poem lies in this line, i.e., the present is the outcome of past and like this future will be the outcome of present. And in its concluding lines he shows his deep desire to live in connection with nature by enjoying all its varieties. â€Å"And I could wish my days to be  Bound each to each by natural piety.† Through these lines he indirectly talks about his immense desire to go back to his childhood. In that age he was very cheerful. Now in his adulthood, because of the bitter experiences of his life, he wishes to attain his childhood once again and he finds that nature is the best mean to achieve it. The themes of â€Å"childhood† and â€Å"nature† are best described through this poem. â€Å"LINES WRITTEN IN EARLY SPRING†: It is a simple, lyric poem. The poet himself said in this poem that he wrote this when he sat under the shade of a group of trees. He was in a relaxing mood at that time and he sat there for a long time by enjoying the music or the sounds from his surroundings. Suddenly the music changes to a melancholy note when he started thinking  about humanity. â€Å"In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts Bring sad thoughts to the mind.† Personally the poet was in a depressed situation at that time. Because of the French Revolution there were problems concerning poverty and society. Moreover he was not take care by his uncle, who was supposed to take care of him since the death of his father, after his graduation. But when he sat under the trees he felt better and slowly it act like a healing balm of his sufferings. But suddenly things have changed. He says that the beautiful sight of nature is a bridge from human soul to god. According to him natural sights are enough to give a perpetual bliss to his mind. â€Å"To her fair works did Nature link The human soul that through me ran;† Through these lines the poet tries to spiritualize nature. He knows that spiritual life is happier than material life. Now his tiresome heart is in search for eternal pleasure. Nature is a perfect creation of god so worshipping it will also give bliss. But the thought of humanity again started disturbing him. And he thinks pathetically about the treatment given to a man by his fellow beings. â€Å"And much it grieved my heart to think What man has made of man.† From these lines he tries to say that all the sufferings of man are only because of the drifting away from nature. According to him nature is the mother of humans. From there only we get complete compensation from all our sufferings. So he indirectly says that men can’t exist without nature. Then he started describing about the flowers in that place. Primrose, periwinkle like flowers are well grown there. After gazing at them he realized that all the flowers are enjoying all their actions even their breathing. From his surroundings he wish acquire some happiness and thus feel an internal bliss. â€Å"The birds around me hopped and played, Their thoughts I cannot measure: — But the least motion which they made, It seemed a thrill of pleasure Secondly he started looking at the birds around him. They were â€Å"hopped† and â€Å"played† there. Then he says that he was not able to understand their thoughts but even in their small movements poet could feel â€Å"a thrill of pleasure† in them. Poet’s mind is wounded now. But the pleasant picture of the nature changes his mood and brings happiness slowly. In its fourth stanza he started describing about the trees around him. They were all spreading their leaves to breathe the fresh air. But their also he could see only happiness. He came to a realization that nature itself is blissful. All the creatures which are living in connection with nature are all blessed with peace and happiness. In the final stanza he concludes the poem with an important question that is â€Å"what man has made of man?† He became clear about the fact that drifting away from nature is the cause of all tragedies in human life. This realization ache him very harshly. â€Å"Have I not reason to lament What Man has made of Man?† According to him man himself is only responsible for their sufferings. Throughout the poem the pleasure which he describes is something spiritual or divine and the union of man and nature is also the plan of god. Here it is well expressed the poet’s capacity to spiritualize nature. Thus this poem is all about the relationship between man and nature. â€Å"TO THE CUCKOO†: This poem is one of the best poem in which nature is reflected. Throughout this poem the poet thus the speaker addressing a bird cuckoo. Through this poem the poet welcomes the spring season in the most elegant way. He from his childhood noticed that from the beginning of this season nature seems more beautiful with the â€Å"wandering voice† of the bird cuckoo. And in this poem he indirectly depicting about his belief in supernatural elements and he states that this earth is not only for humans but also for animals, birds, supernatural elements like fairies etc. He starts the poem by calling the bird cuckoo as â€Å"a BLITHE New Comer†. He was attracted by its double fold shouting than anything. The bird is not visible to the poet. So in utter confusion he asks the bird that, â€Å"shall I call thee bird, / Or but a wandering voice?† It  also shows his interest to see that bird. In its first stanza he talks about his happiness when he hear the voice of the bird. In his second stanza he describes about when he heard the shouting of the bird cuckoo. When he lied on grass he heard the voice passing through â€Å"hills to hill† but he couldn’t fix the bird and thus the shouting seems to him as a wandering voice. Even he became in confusion that whether the bird is shouting from far away or nearby place. Thus the twofold sound of that bird made him a wanderer. Wordsworth is best known as the poet of eyes and ear. In his third stanza he talks about his pleasure and his experiences after seeing that cuckoo. â€Å"Though babbling only to the Vale, Of Sunshine and of flowers, Thou bringest unto me a tale Of visionary hours.† The valley which was filled with sunshine and flowers seemed more beautiful with the voice of the bird. It gives a feast to his eyes and ears. So it made him to stay there for a long time. It brings happiness to his mind. So whenever he heard its voice his urge to see that bird increases. And in the next stanza he addresses the bird as â€Å"darling of the spring† and he welcomes it to the season. And he says to the bird that the bird is only an invisible thing to him. So he feels that the voice of that bird is something mysteries. Even an unknown sound from nature has profound influence in poet’s mind. That’s why it easily catches the attention of the poet. In its fifth stanza he describes about his childhood. Even in his childhood he wandered a lot to see this bird. He tried to see the bird by following its voice. â€Å"The same whom in my school-boy days I listened to; that Cry  Which made me look a thousand ways In bush, and tree, and sky.† He says that even from his boyhood age he was fully attracted by the catching beauty of nature. In his childhood also he used to listen its music but then  also he didn’t get a chance to see that bird. The bird stays by hiding itself and through its sweet sound it makes the nature more alive and thus it tries to increase its overall beauty. In his childhood he often searched it â€Å"In bush, tree and sky.† Still he keeps searching it with a hope of success. So these lines also show the theme of hope also. He didn’t tire with his thousands of attempt to see that bird. All his failures made him to search more and more. So by observing nature he got a hope for his future. He believes that one day he will meet the owner of that wandering mysterious voice. In its next two stanzas he depicts about his theme of hope and childhood. Even in his manhood also he is wandering for that bird. He has a spark of hope by the shouting of that bird. He keeps an ardent love towards the bird even if he didn’t see that bird yet. And he says that when he lied on the grass and hear the voice, it made a nostalgic effect  to his mind. He started thinking about his â€Å"golden time†, childhood. From the line, â€Å"And listen, till I do beget  That golden time again.†Ã‚  It is obvious that his childhood was full of happiness. That is why he referred it with the word â€Å"golden time†. The music of cuckoo had made this much influence in the mind of the poet. In its final stanza he gives a supernatural power to that bird. He calls it as â€Å"O blessed bird!†. From our childhood itself we heard about the stories of fairies. Fairies are some supernatural elements which help and give happiness to others. So to him the bird cuckoo also like this. It gives intense pleasure to the mind of the people. With its sweet voice it heals the incurable wounds of the mind. In his last stanzas he indirectly depicts about his believe in supernatural elements like fairy. â€Å"O blessed Bird! the earth we pace Again appears to be  An unsubstantial, faery place; That is fit home for Thee!† Through this line he says that this world is not only for humans but also for animals and other super natural elements. In his eyes the cuckoo bird is a  blessed one because it has the power to heal the inner sorrows of men and it fills eternal bliss in to the mind of the humans.

Informatie Management

Does Telework increase productivity? Assignment 2: The proposition Bachelor Thesis â€Å" Does Telework increase productivity† Erasmus University Rotterdam Boudewijn Schuitmaker348393bs Robin Kettenes335450rk Marlot Sep 337273ms Bachelor Thesis â€Å"Does Telework increase productivity† Erasmus University Rotterdam Team: Group 6 (BA-02-06) Assignment number: 9 Date: 13-06-2012 Disclaimer: â€Å"This document is written by Marlot Sep, Robin Kettenes and Boudewijn Schuitmaker, who declare that each of them takes responsibility for the full contents of the whole document.We declare that the text and the work presented in this document is original and that no sources other than mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating it. RSM is only responsible for supervision of completion of the work but not for the contents. † Index Summary of the research proposal4 1. Preface6 2. Abstract7 3. Introduction8 4. Literature review12 5. Methods17 6. Results 19 7. Discussion26 Appendix28 Bibliography35 * Summary of the research proposal In this chapter a summary of the research proposal can be found. Summary| | Name instructor| Dhr. Nick van der Meulen| Team number| 6| Name student 1| Robin Kettenes|Name student 2| Boudewijn Schuitmaker| Name student 3| Marlot Sep| Proposition| Telework will lead to an increase in productivity| Focal unit| Employees who perform their work at other places than at the office itself, for at least one day a week| Theoretical domain| All employees who work at other places than at the office itself, for at least one day a week, in the Netherlands. | Concept 1 | Telework| Concept 2 | Employees’ Productivity| Type of relation | Causal| Minimum size of the effect for having managerial relevance| The minimal size of effect for having managerial relevance is 20 % increase of productivity. Typical parameter of effect size used in previous tests| Items scales difference in productivity means is used between t eleworkers and non-teleworkers. | Range of effect sizes obtained in the replication history| In the replication history on average an effect of productivity increase of 20% is measured by teleworking. (Newman, 1989), (Dubrin, 1991) and (Hartman, 1992)| Preferred research strategy| Longitudinal survey| Actual research strategy| Considering the research time (two months time) and the context of this research (a Bachelor thesis project) a cross-sectional survey is chosen. | Population that is surveyed, or from hich subjects are recruited| Population that is surveyed are executive employees of the department of Operations & Services of the organization of TNT Express Benelux in Houten, the Netherlands. The number of subjects is 22. | Expected pattern (or â€Å"hypothesis†)| The expected pattern for the hypothesis â€Å"teleworking will lead to more productivity† is a regression of 0. 20, meaning that an increase in teleworking will lead to an increase of 0. 20 in an amount of productivity. The expected pattern for the hypothesis â€Å"distraction will have a negative influence on the relation between teleworking and productivity† is a regression of -0. 0, meaning that an increase in distraction will lead to an decrease of 0. 20 in a amount of productivity, when teleworking. | Observed pattern| The observed pattern for the hypothesis â€Å"teleworking will lead to moreproductivity† is a negative relation with a regression beta score of -1,311,meaning that if the degree of teleworking increases with one unit, the productivity will decrease with 1,311. The observed pattern for the hypothesis â€Å"distraction will have a negative influence on the relation between teleworking and productivity† is a positive relation with a regression beta score of 0,188.Thus, for the increase of one unit distraction, the productivity will increase with 0,188. | Test result| Teleworking has a negative effect on productivity and distraction has a posit ive relation on productivity. | Non-response bias assessment (worst case analysis)| The number of missing cases is 5. The worst case analysis show that if the five respondents joined the survey, and where very different form the obtained ones, a positive effect of teleworking on productivity (2,775) and a negative effect of distraction on productivity (-0,173) could be found. Your contribution to what is known about the proposition| Our contribution to the proposition â€Å"Telework will lead to an increase in productivity† is that teleworking does not always lead a positive change in productivity such as suggested in many scientific articles. In our research a negative relation is found on productivity when teleworking. | Most important recommendation for further research| The most important recommendation is, in order to do a replication study, a longitudinal survey.The longitudinal survey enables the future researchers to measure the change in productivity that takes place at a later point in time when employees telework. In this research the measure of productivity towards teleworking is only done once. | Preface This bachelor thesis is written as part of our studies Business Administration at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The main subject of this thesis is â€Å"Telework†. We selected this subject out of many other subjects because we wanted to write our thesis about a topical subject and teleworking has become a major hype in the last few years.Many businesses implement teleworking in their company for various reasons. So, is assumed that teleworking will lead to cost reduction, more productive employees and more satisfied employees. But, the main question is does telework provide all these benefits? In this thesis we will look at the effect of teleworking on the productivity of employees. Abstract The relation between teleworking and productivity is of critical concern for organizations that might be planning to implement teleworking o f for those who have already done.In this research the relation between teleworking and productivity is examined, controlling for age, gender and family status. The effect of distraction on the productivity of employees was also measured. A survey among 17 teleworkers at TNT express was conducted online to gather data. In result of different multiple regression analysis’, a negative impact of teleworking on productivity was discovered. Furthermore, a slight positive impact of distraction on productivity was found. The results look paradoxical, but there are several reasons to explain these results and shed a new light on the telework-productivity research.Introduction In the last few years there has been an increasing demand for flexible work and flexible organizations. The concept of teleworking offers a solution to this increasing demand. At this moment 20 to 30 million people in the U. S. currently work from home at least one day a week (Telework Research Network, 2011). I n the literature several definitions of telework are used. The most common definition of telework defines telework as work performed at home, a satellite office or other places than the office itself, to reduce commuting (Shin, 2000).There are several motives companies could have to adopt the concept of telework. Obvious motives are cost reduction and increased productivity. Additional benefits for teleworking employees are increased job satisfaction and a better work-life balance (Harpaz, 2002). In this thesis a proposition, regarding telework and productivity, will be tested. The proposition that will be tested is: â€Å"Telework will lead to an increase in productivity†. In general this means that this research measures if employees have a higher productivity if they telework, and thus have the opportunity to work besides the office, than if they are office-bound.The increase in productivity is often measured due the comparison of output produced by a given amount of input , often office hours. If the employee, who teleworks, uses exact the same time as an office-bound employee for a job, while delivering a greater amount of work, an increase in productivity due telework can be concluded. The first who formulated the concept of telework in 1973 was Jack M. Nilles from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He defined Teleworking as â€Å"any form of substitution of information technologies for work-related travel† (Madsen, 2003).The one clear motive for the expansion of teleworking, mentioned by Nilles, was the reduction of transportation congestion, particularly in overcrowded urban areas. Although these public benefits were not sufficient enough to implement teleworking. Economic benefits like cost reductions, space savings and reduced rental rates for office space ensured that companies were more likely to introduce the concept of teleworking. According to Nilles productivity will increase as a result of working harder and worki ng more hours per day, because of less distraction, interruptions and stress (Nillis, 1988).After Nilles formulated the proposition that telework increases productivity for the first time, it has often been examined. Some articles stated that telework increased productivity. For example at AT&T, a telecommunication company, telework increased productivity with almost 10 percent, according to AT&T's annual telework survey among 1,500 employees. Another example of increased productivity is IBM where 87 percent of the employees report that they believe that their productivity have increased significantly (Apgar, 1998).In fact several articles stated that the productivity of employees is higher when they work at home. Only one research shown a decrease in productivity. However this decrease was later followed by an increase of productivity (Bailey, 2002). Despite several articles have examined the relation between telework and productivity, it is dificult to measure productivity. Like m entioned earlier, productivity is based on the relation between input and output. There have been problems when measuring the productivity of today’s knowledge workers. First of all, most knowledge workers do not produce â€Å"units† per given period (e. . per hour, day or month). Because output is often measured in â€Å"units†, the productivity of knowledge workers is hard to measure. Secondly, there is not a direct correlation between units of labor and units of output for these knowledge workers. Extra input from one additional worker does not necessary lead to more output. The classic definition does not enable to measure knowledge workers’ productivity, certainly not when measuring besides the office (Gordon, 1997). In the research on the relation between telework and productivitity a number of methodological weaknesses have been discovered.Most studies use self-report suverys to collect data from teleworkers. These self-report surveys can result in false responses from teleworkers in their productivity evaluations. This so called self-response bias has not been taken into account in many productivity research. Data collection from both, teleworker and manager will be a better way to measure productivity. Next to that sample populations are selected under specific personality and task criterea, which could be related to a higher work motivation and therefore contributes to increased productivity.Another explanation for increased productivity could be the relegation of other tasks to office-bound employees. Higher productivity can also be explained by the increase in working hours, due less commuting (Shin, 2000). Due the difficulties of measuring productivity some articles falsly claim the fact that telework increase productivity. Like mentioned earlier, productivity measurement for knowledge workers has been a dilemma. In measuring input and output the term â€Å"productivity† is inadequate for knowledge workers.Theref ore this research measures â€Å"productivity† not only due the quantity of work, but due several concepts. The concepts used in this research to measure productivity are: quantity, quality, timeliness and multiple priorities. The questions how much can be done (quantity), how well it is done (quality), when it is done (timeliness) and how many things can be done at once (multiple priorities) are being covered. Using multiple concepts enables to put the quantity factor in the context of a bigger picture and not just simply focus on an increase in output (Gordon, 1997).As stated earlier, there are several definitions for teleworking. Most definitions focus on the fact that employees have the possibility to work everywhere and not as much on the fact that employees can work whenever they want. In this research the most common definition of Shin, Sheng and Higa will be used. Shin et al. defines telework as work performed at home, a satellite office or other places than the offic e itself, to reduce commuting (Shin, 2000). Figure 1 Causality Model The causality model of this thesis, shown in figure 1, consist of two concepts: teleworking and productivity.The independent concept in the causality model is teleworking and the dependent concept is productivity. The focal unit of this research theory is the entity of which the range of values of one or more variable attributes is explained by the theory (Hak, 2011). The focal unit consists of employees who perform their work at other places than at the office itself, for at least one day a week. The minimum number of days teleworkers work besides the office is chosen because several instances use this minimum, like the Telework Research Network.The national average number of days a teleworker works besides the office is 2,4 days a week (Telework Research Network, 2011). The productivity of teleworkers is measured due the comparison of their productivity when working besides the office and when working at the offi ce. There is not chosen for the comparison of the productivity of teleworkers and office bound employees, because this is not valid. The variation in productivity between teleworkers and office-bound employees should not necessarily come from teleworking, but can be explained by several other factors for instance by personal ifferences. The theoretical domain of this research, the universe of instances of the focal unit, consist of all employees who work at other places than at the office itself, for at least one day a week, in the Netherlands. Literature review After Nilles claimed that productivity increased as a result of teleworking in 1973, it has often been examined. In 1982 Olson researched the effect of telework on productivity. Although there were no measures of performance data, employees and managers pronounced that teleworkers are more productive than office-bound employees.The study also revealed that teleworkers are more responsible and conscientious about schedules, h ad better documentation and scheduled their time better. Employees felt that they worked more efficiently or produced higher quality work, when working at home. Few employees found the office very distracting and therefore could be more productive at home (Olson, 1982). This results are consistent with Olson’s later longitudinal study of three pilot teleworking programs, which revealed that teleworkers believed that their performance was enhanced due teleworking (Olson, 1989).In 1989 Bailyn also researched the effect of telework on productivity among 89 system developers, including 49 teleworkers. More than a quarter of the software developers reported that their most productive work times fell out of the traditional office days. Bailyn assigned this productivity increase to the fact that teleworkers have individual control over time and the ability to allocate work over all time periods, including the weekends. The survey also indicated that employees needed quiet and privac y to be productive (Bailyn, 1989).Bailyn also noted that only tasks that do not require extensive interaction will benefit from teleworking (Bailyn, 1988). One year later Newman stated that teleworking is ideally for those whose jobs require them to handle a flow of information, like programmers, engineers, speechwriters and business analysts. The personality of the teleworker must include being capable of handling autonomy. According to Newman, experienced workers make the best candidates for teleworking. Similar to Olson, Newman stated that the work-at-home programs often result in increased output from staff, naming eing less distracted meant being more productive. In Newman’s study at the Travelers Insurance Company productivity increased with 20 percent. Despite of the increased productivity, limiting the geographic boundaries of the company’s hiring pool due offering work-at-home arrangements to employees was the prime reason for teleworking (Newman, 1989). In Du brin’s research the reasons for teleworking were to solve staffing, space, and other business problems including keeping motivated employees away from the distractions of other workers (McKee, 1988).According to Dubrin an implicit assumption about teleworking programs is that employees who work at home will be equally more productive that office-bound employees. Dubrin’s observation of company records suggests that home workers increased their productivity from 5 to 100 percent (Dubrin, 1991). Dubrin tested the hypothesis â€Å" telecommuters are more productive than are employees performing comparable work on company premises† among employees of the NPD Group. The participants in this research were mainly women.The fact that only women are represented in Dublin’s studies makes it difficult to separate findings between males and females. The degree of distraction was measured due different statements in the questionnaires. The questionnaire items ‘B eing able to keep busy all the time’ show that telework has a positive influence on the productivity. The work-at-home group scored significantly higher (13. 81) than the group in-house workers (6. 36) at the t-value of 4. 20. The research found that productivity was increased by 30% when projects were moved from company premises to homes.The productivity was measured in transactions per hour, occurred when a project was shifted from in-house to at-home. The results are consistent with findings of Newman. In Dubrin’s research the productivity findings showed that people who worked at home part-time are more productive than those who worked at home full-time. It is concluded that productivity increases when work is structured, repetitive and measurable. In order to conclude evidence that telecommuting increases productivity, it is necessary to move in-house workers into their homes and then measure the productivity changing (Dubrin, 1991).Accoring to Frolick, Wilkes, Ur wiler productivity is expected to increase when teleworkers work according to a flexible schedule in an informal setting. The question whether telecommuters are more productive than office-bound employees was researched in a semi-structured telephone interview among 45 individuals in 10 organizations. The average time that each of the interviewees had spent in the telework programs was 2,3 years. The results of the interviews revealed that every teleworker and every telework manager reported that productivity had increased as a result of their telecommuting programs.In each case the respondents stated that teleworker productivity was higher than the productivity of office-bound employees. The average increase of productivity was approximately 20 percent. This result is consistent with other researches like Niles 1990 (Frolick, 1993). Frolick et al. attributed this productivity increase to lack of interruption and the ability of the teleworker to schedule his or her work in a flexibl e manner. In this study all the teleworkers cited ‘fewer interruptions’ as a contributing factor to their productivity and 17 of them cited ‘greater flexibility’ in performing their jobs (Frolick, 1993).Hartman, Stoner and Arora noticed two fundamental problems in the previous study, namely an extraordinary small sample size and maintaining a broad, non restrictive definition of telecommuting that leads to clouded outcomes and conclusions. In their study telecommuters were selected from 11 different organizations, both public and private, including telecommunications, insurance, banking, publishing, and city an state governmental units. The research was done due a self-report survey among 262 telecommuters.Telecommuting productivity was measured by the respondent’s feeling about how the output per hour was changed, working at the office versus working at home. An overwhelming 84 % reported that productivity was increase while working at home, 12 % re ported no change and just 4% reported a lower productivity. Hartman recognized that the self-reported perceptions of comparative productivity might be biased, but the outcomes were consistent with the productivity increase in other studies (Hamilton, 1987)(Moody, 1986). Neufeld and Fang focused on the influence of distraction, gender and family status on teleworker’s productivity.Their research assumed that gender and family status (defined as social factors) are negatively correlated with teleworker productivity. When working at home, the family status is important because family is often around. Therefore they may have a large effect on the teleworkers, and their productivity. The results of the study are obtained by semi-structured interview. For measuring the social factors, direct questions are used (such as do you have children at home? ). For measuring distraction, questions are used like; is your environment distraction free?The results showed that teleworker producti vity is not associated with family status and gender, but on the other hand, a distraction free environment was associated with teleworker productivity (Neufeld, 2005). Another study of Derrick J. Neufeld, which examined productivity among four different kinds of organizations, showed that claims of a higher productivity correlated to teleworking are overblown. In this study, productivity is measured among 200 Canadian employees, and the results show that the increase in productivity is statistically insignificant.Cynics predicted that distractions from working at home will reduce productivity. But despite these distractions, productivity is not reduced, but slightly increased. This study of Neufeld shows that teleworking is significantly more correlated with organizational flexibility than with productivity (Cassiani, 2000). Kelley Butler also looked at the relation between distraction and teleworker productivity. Butler stated that the top 6 distractions, while working at home, ar e household chores, television, pets, errands, internet and children.The data was collected from a CareerBuilder survey. Some of the teleworkers (17%) was so distracted by these factors, that the distraction costs one hour of their working hours (Butler, 2011). Thompson, Vivien and Lim examined the differences in gender on the perception of teleworking. Their data was collected from a questionnaire survey among IT professionals in Singapore. Results showed that males perceived that teleworking improved the quality of life and their productivity in a greater extent than females.Also, in this research productivity increases while teleworking, because an employee can plan the work schedule during the hours when one is most productive. But on the other hand, the study also shows that distractions at home may be harder to solve than distractions at the office. An analysis of the covariance was used to measure the difference between gender, and the relation to the advantages and disadvant ages of teleworking. The results show that there is no significant difference in gender (Thompson, 1998). Author| Literature effect found|Olson, 1983| Preliminary evidence from the exploratory study shows that individuals can be as or more productive when working at home| Olson, 1988| Telecommuting experts and practitioners regularly cite at-home productivity gains ranging from 15-25%| Newman, 1989| Work-at-home programs often result in increased output from staff| Newman, 1989| The Travelers Insurance Company productivity increased with 20 percent among 80 commuting staff| Di Martino, 1990| A two-year pilot project (†¦ ) reported productivity gains averaging 43 per cent per participant.Teleworkers (†¦) noted productivity increases varying from 12 per cent to 20 per cent. State employees working at home have been rated (†¦) as 3 to 5 per cent more effective than they would have been if they worked from nine to five in the office. | Dubrin, 1991| Productivity was incre ased by 30% when projects were moved from company premises to homes| Dubrin, 1991| Observation of company records suggests that home workers increased their productivity from 5 to 100 per cent| Hartman, 1991| A significant negative correlation between the ratio of telecommuting hours to total work hours and telecommuting productivity was revealed. Hartman, 1991| The full-time employed telecommuters reported higher levels of productivity (3. 59) in comparison with part-time employed telecommuters (2. 65). | Hartman, 1992| Telecommuters were asked whether they felt their productivity (output per hour) at home was higher or lower than at the office. An overwhelming percentage (84%) reported higher productivity while working at home, only 4 % of the telecommuters reported lower productivity, and 12 % reported no change. Frolick, 1993| The findings indicate a significant increase in productivity (20%) among teleworkers| Apgar, 1998| 87 per cent of employees (†¦) report that they bel ieve their productivity and effectiveness have increased significantly| Baruch, 2000| How teleworking influences the way people work after opting to telework were examined (†¦).Compared with previous arrangements of work effectiveness 34 per cent and 42 per cent felt it was much better or better (respectively), totaling a positive impact for 76 per cent, with just 5 per cent suggesting no difference and 3 per cent worse. | Pearlson, 2001| A survey in 2001 of 150 executives in large U. S. companies found that 36 percent saw no difference in productivity levels between telecommuters and onsite employees, while 26 percent felt that telecommuting could compromise job performance| Table 1 Reported effect sized of the effect of Teleworking on ProductivityAuthor| Effect| Olson, 1983| Some of the individuals interviewed cited problems with motivation and numerous distractions at home that made concentration difficult| Newman, 1989| Work-at-home programs often result in increased output from staff, naming being less distracted meant being more productive| Hartman, 1991| Family disruptions and their association with telecommuting productivity and satisfaction, the correlation with productivity is -. 20 (p = . 06). Frolick, 1993| Most claims of productivity to date have been attributed to a lack of interruption and the ability of the teleworker to schedule his or her work in a flexible manner. | Baruch, 2000| Better performance was attributed mostly to the elimination of distractions, which are typical at the workplace and subsequently the ability to focus on work. | Young Lee, 2005| The results indicated no significant effect of perceived distractions on perceived performance| Wilson, 2004| Could be more productive without such ‘distractions’. Fonner, 2010| Results show that working remotely the majority of the time alleviates forms of stress and distraction including acting as a buffer from workplace injustice which may provide a more productive and s atisfying work environment| Table 2 Reported effect sized of the effect of Distraction on Productivity Methods The research strategy is to test the proposition that assumed that teleworking will lead to an increase of productivity. The replication history research has indicated that this theory has empirically been confirmed for various populations.If the proposition is true in the domain, then it must be true for the population in the domain. In order to claim whether a proposition is true, empirical evidence is required to show its correctness. This research deduces a hypotheses regarding teleworking, distraction and increasing productivity by an empirical research. Ideally a causal relationship between teleworking, distraction and productivity is measured in a longitudinal survey. The longitudinal survey is defined as a research strategy in which a change in value of the relevant concepts is observed in all members (or in samples) of a population of instances of a focal unit.In a longitudinal survey it is possible to find a population of comparable cases in the theoretical domain in which the value of teleworking (named here as variable X) has changed over time. A causal relation â€Å"X influences Y† (variable Y is employees’ productivity) is observed in the cases, if the value of Y has changed after the change of value X. Considering the research time (two months) and the context of this research (a bachelor thesis), this research uses a cross-sectional design to measure the relationship between teleworking, distraction and employees’ productivity.A scatter plot is a useful tool to show a possible correctness of the proposition. The cross-sectional design enables to concentrate on variations of cases within one particular population. In this research the population is a department within an organisation. The population consists of all executive employees of the department Process ; Policies of TNT Express Benelux in Houten, the Nether lands. The number of employees/cases is 22. #| Name employee:| | | | | 1| Bert Schut | 14| Koos Jansen | 2| Corne Vroegh | 15| Marielle Sitskoorn | | David Roofthoofd | 16| Marina Elegeert | 4| Erik van Duin| 17| Martijn Otte | 5| Geug Leendertse | 18| Maurice Hidma | 6| Guy Gevaers | 19| Mette Kok| 7| Harrie Dasselaar| 20| Michiel Bierman| 8| Henk Jansen | 21| Tessa Koster | 9| Jack Beks| 22| Thomas Goossens | 10| Jan Harmen Hietbrink| 11| Jef Kleinschmidt | 12| John Meisters| 13| John van Oeffel | Figure 2 Employees of the Process ; Policies department at TNT express In the cross-sectional research, qualitative and quantitative data of respondents is collected more or less simultaneously.The self-report survey will be sent out to all cases at the same moment and held during the same time of period. The independent variable (teleworking) is a quantitative variable measured in percentages. The other independent variable (distraction) is a qualitative variable, measured in likert sch ales with categories like: never, sometimes, regularly, often and always. Productivity is a qualitative variable. The controlling variables are gender, age and family status. Gender is divided into male and female (0=male and 1= female).Family status is measured in four different values, namely single, single with children, married or co-habiting, and married or co-habiting with children. The conceptual model of this research can be found in Figure 3. To test the five different hypothesis based on the conceptual model, a multiple regression analysis will be used. Figure 3 Conceptual Model The hypothesis concentrates on the relation between teleworking and the productivity. Assumed is that teleworking lead to an increase in productivity. This means that employees can do more work, do their work better, schedule their own work and do multiple things at once.The hypothesis is formulated as following: There is a positive relation between teleworking and productivity if the ? is ? 0,20. In the conceptual model age, gender, family status are taken into account as controlling variables. Gender could have an influence on productivity. Women, for example, are better in multitasking and could therefore have a higher score on â€Å"multiple priorities†, which influences the productivity. Family status could have an impact on distraction, therefore it is also used as controlling variable. This also accounts for age. The assumption is that lder employees are less productive compared to younger employees, which are more involved with technology. Two different regression analyses’ with different variables are plotted. * The variables teleworking / gender / distraction / age / family status in relation to productivity. (nain regression) * The variables teleworking / distraction in relation to productivity The main regression model is shown below: Productivity = ? + ? 1 Teleworking + ? 2 Gender + ? 3 Family status + ? 4 Age + ? 5 Distraction + ? ? ~ iin( 0, ? )Th e regression analysis will show which variable will have the highest influence on the dependent variable productivity, corrected for the influences of the other variables. The expectation is therefore that the beta of teleworking will be the highest in the model. Results The data in this research is collected due a self-report survey among employees of the Process ; Policies department of TNT Express Benelux. The self-report survey was conducted online on the Belgian website of â€Å"enquetemaken. be†. A textual version of this survey can be found in appendix 2.A link to this survey was send to the 22 employees of the department by mail. This research chose for an anonymous survey in order to ensure that respondents could be honest about their answers. This would secure the reliability of this survey. Besides that the interview was conducted in Dutch because all employees at TNT are Dutch. The employees filled in questions concerning telework and productivity. Several non-rel ated questions, concerning job satisfaction and work-life balance, were added in order to cover the real purpose of the research.In order to guarantee the reliability and validity of this research, the questions of the survey are based on questions used in other research. The productivity measurement is divided into four determents that are each tested individually. These four determents are quantity, quality, timeliness and multiple priorities (Gordon, 1997). Lee and Brand used questions like â€Å"Compared to my typical work right now, I would rate the quality of my work as† and â€Å"Compared to my typical performance right now, I would rate my job performance as† are being used.In the survey of this research four questions are used in order to measure work productivity. The exact questions can be found in the appendix. The questions in the survey concerning distraction, were like â€Å"How frequently are you unable to concentrate because of interruptions from your family? †. These questions were extended to other factors, like distractions from colleagues, phone calls/e-mails/texts, sounds and other factors (Neufeld, 2005). According to Young Lee ; J. L. Brand, is noise one of the main distractions (Lee et all, 2010). Therefore, we devoted one question on noise.Also, the question ‘I am easily distracted from my work’ is used in their research, which we decided to put in our own survey. In the article ‘from knowledge to distraction’, written by Jonathan Spira in 2007, is stated that knowledge workers are often distracted by e-mails, phonecalls, instant messages etc. For this reason, there is decided to investigate the amount of distractions by these influences in the survey. In this article, also is stated that ‘colleagues popping in’ might be a factor of distraction. This factor is also added to the survey.The last question regarding distraction, is about ‘other distractions’. This is to make sure that there are not any parts of distraction missed. The non-response bias of this survey was 22,7 percent. Five employees did not fill in the survey because they were not available in the two weeks the survey was online. If the non-response bias is very high it can effect the representativeness for the population. A data grid of the results of this survey can be found in table 4. A detailed calculation of the degree of productivity and distraction can be found in appendix 3.Total Work hours| Telework hours| Degree of distraction (1=low, 5=high)| Degree of Productivity (1=low, 5= high)| Gender (1=male, 0=female)| Age| Family status * | 40| 20| 3. 2| 4| 1| 58| 3| 50| 33| 3. 4| 3. 75| 1| 40| 1| 50| 30| 2. 4| 3. 5| 1| 53| 3| 42| 7| 2. 4| 3. 75| 1| 54| 3| 40| 5| 2. 4| 4. 5| 1| 48| 4| 50| 25| 2. 2| 4| 1| 44| 4| 40| 15| 2. 2| 3. 75| 0| 40| 4| 40| 25| 2| 3. 75| 1| 28| 3| 40| 32| 2. 4| 3. 5| 0| 32| 3| 40| 8| 3. 2| 4| 1| 42| 3| 45| 8| 2. 4| 4| 0| 32| 3| 40| 2| 2. 4| 3| 1| 32| 1| 45| 8| 2. 4| 3. 75| 1| 51| 4| 60| 36| 2. 6| 4| 1| 31| 3| 45| 8| 2. 6| 3. 5| 1| 36| 4| 45| 35| 3. 8| 4| 1| 38| 4| 50| 5| 2. | 4. 75| 1| 40| 3| 44. 82353| 17. 76471| 2. 623529| 3. 852941| -| 41. 11765| -| *= (1= single, 2=single with children, 3=married or co-habiting, 4= married or co-habiting with children)| Table 3 Data Grid of the survey at TNT Express The expected pattern Hypothesis 1: Teleworking will lead to more productivity The expected pattern for the first hypothesis â€Å"teleworking will lead to more productivity† is a regression of 0. 20, meaning that an increase of an hour teleworking will lead to an increase of 0. 20 in an amount of productivity. In the literature review several articles reported that teleworking increase productivity.However, there are also articles that claim a negative effect of teleworking on productivity. A summary of the reported effect sizes can be found in table 1 in the literature review section. The effect sizes of the relation betwee n teleworking and productivity, found in the literature, vary from a negative relation to a positive relation. The majority of effects are positive, which means that productivity was increased due to teleworking. Although the majority of effects were positive, the claimed productivity increase ranges from 5 % to 20 %, up to 100 %.There is one article by Hartman (1991) that claims a negative correlation between telecommuting and telecommuting productivity. Derived from the literature review the expected pattern, in which the hypothesis is true, is a regression coefficient of 0. 20 or more. This means that if the degree of teleworking increases with one hour, the productivity will increase with 0,20. The hypothesis 2: Distraction has a negative influence on productivity The second hypothesis is aimed at the independent variable distraction on the dependent variable productivity.The correlation is expected to be -0. 20, meaning that an increase of one unit distraction will have a decre ase of 0. 20 in the amount of productivity. In the literature several effects of distraction on productivity are found. A summary of the reporter effects can be found in table 2 in the literature review section. The effects found in the literature review suggest that distraction has a negative influence on productivity. The effects vary from no significant effect on performance to being more productive when distraction is eliminated.The expected effect of distraction on productivity is expected to be negative in this research. The correlation is expected to be -0. 20, meaning that an increase of one unit distraction will have a decrease of 0. 20 in the amount of productivity. The observed pattern Hypothesis 1: Teleworking will lead to more productivity The results of the main multiple regression analysis show that 26 per cent of the variance is declared by the model. The correlation between the observed and expected values of dependent variable is 0,509. In appendix 4 the SPSS outpu t of this research is shown.Surprisingly, the degree of teleworking has a negative influence on productivity. This can be interpreted by the beta of the quantity of teleworking, which is -1,311. This means that if the degree of teleworking increases with one hour, the productivity will decrease with 1,311. The hypothesis 2: Distraction has a negative influence on productivity Another surprising output is the influence of distraction on productivity, which has a beta of 0,188, where a negative beta is expected. Thus, for the increase of one unit distraction, the productivity will increase with 0,188.A partial regression analysis, without the controlling variables gender, age and family status, shows that there is a slight difference in the variance declared by the model and the correlation between the observed and expected values of the dependent variable. These figures fall to 0,259 and 0,067. The betas of the degree of teleworking and distraction fall to -1,287 and 0,148. For this reason, the controlling variables will be added to the other regression analyses. There are several ways to explain the surprising betas of teleworking and distraction.First of all, the results are based on the answers of only 17 respondents. In the partial regression plot (with the variables distraction and productivity) is clear that because of a few amount of outliners, the R2 linear is climbing a little. Without these outliers, there is a large possibility that the distraction beta will be negative, which was expected. Another explanation is that the employees of TNT express do not relate distraction to their productivity. They tend to give themselves a high overall score on productivity, regardless of the degree of distraction and teleworking.Another possibility is that the amount of distraction actually does not influence the productivity. Figure 4: The relation between distraction and productivity Because of the little number of respondents, the few outliers pull the mean of the productivity up. These respondents have a small quantity of teleworking, but tend to give themselves high scores on productivity. Therefore, the linear line of the quantity of teleworking is declining, where it would have been rising without these three outliners. This can be an explanation for the negative effect of teleworking on productivity.But on the other hand, it might be possible that the teleworking does have a negative effect on productivity. In a worst-case analysis, the five missing respondents could dramatically influence the results of the regression analysis. This would be, if the respondents all would score low on productivity and on high distraction (or vice versa), or if degree of teleworking among the employees is high and their productivity is high too (or vice versa). Figure 5: The relation between teleworking and productivityThe worst-case analysis of the effect of telework on productivity shows that, when the five missing respondents would have been very d ifferent from the ones obtained, there is a positive effect (2,775) of telework on productivity. This positive effect is shown in figure 6. This in contrast with the results of this research, without the missing five respondents, where a negative effect was discovered. If the five missing respondents participated in this research and were very different from the ones obtained they could have a drastic impact of the results of this research.The expected positive effect of telework on productivity could be discovered in this scenario. Figure 6: Worst-case analysis of the effect of telework on productivity The worst-case analysis of the effect of distraction on productivity shows that, when the five missing respondents would be very different from the ones obtained, there is a negative effect (-0,173) of distraction on productivity. The worst-case analysis is shown in figure 7. This negative effect corresponds to the expected effect of distraction on productivity, but not to the observ ed effect in this research.This means that if the five missing respondents participated in this research, the outcomes of this research could be dramatically different and the expected negative effect of distraction on productivity could be measured. Figure 7: Worst-case analysis of the effect of distraction on productivity Overall can be concluded that if the five missing respondents participated in this survey they could have changed the outcomes of this research dramatically. The expected effects of this research could be found when adding the five missing respondents.Discussion The test results found in the multiple regression analysis? , claim roughly that TNT express should increase the distraction among employees, and decrease the degree of teleworking. But, as shown in the results chapter, the results only show a slight negative relation. Which can be easily influenced by the missing data, as shown in the worst case scenario analysis?. Therefore, the results should be interp reted as if distraction does not have a high influence on the productivity of employees.There is not a valid relationship in the test results showing that distraction has a positive influence on productivity, because of the very low negative beta (as a result of the regression analysis’) and the possible influence of the missing values on the test results. The relationship between teleworking and productivity did show a large coherency. This large coherency was interpreted as if teleworking is not productive for TNT express. Thus, in this research, distraction is recommended and teleworking is discouraged.But it is recommended to keep in mind that the worst case scenario analysis’ (showing the missing values can turn around findings as much as possible) presume a positive influence of teleworking on productivity, and a negative influence of distraction on productivity. For further investigation it will be recommended to use more respondents, as much as possible. When m ore respondents are used, the results will be less influenced by outliers. A very low response bias is also recommended, so that a worst case analysis’ are not necessary and therefore will not show complete opposite results compared to the research.In this research, the response bias was 28 per cent. Another recommendation would be to make a connection between distraction and productivity for the respondents themselves. In this research, the respondents did not link distractions to their productivity (which can explain the divergent relation between distraction and productivity). When questions are formulated with the factors of distraction and productivity in one sentence, the link is automatically made for the respondents. Theorems for example like ‘when I am distracted by phonecalls, I feel like I can do less work’.Besides that all respondents report that they were very productive, even if they suffered from a lot of distraction. A solution for this self-respo nse bias, that often occurs in self-report surveys, is to involve the opinion of the manager of the respondents in the research as well. Because of time constraints this was not possible in this research, but it will be a good way to eliminate the self-response bias in future research. In previous research, many positive effects of teleworking on productivity were found. This research contradicts this and reveals a negative effect.Although the worst case analysis showed that there could be a positive effect, when the five missing respondents were very different from the ones obtained, the observed negative effect could also be an indication that there really is a negative relation between teleworking and productivity. In 1991 Hartman also claimed a negative correlation between teleworking and productivity. Because the research of Hartman also reported this negative effect, it could be true that teleworking has a negative impact on productivity.This would generate a new insight into the telework-productivity research, in which was assumed that teleworking increased productivity. In contradiction to earlier research on the effect of distraction on productivity, this research shows a slightly positive effect of distraction on productivity. The fact that more distraction leads to more productive employees seems contradictory, but interruptions are not necessarily bad. Little interruptions, for example, could provide a fresh new insight into someone’s work.Therefore the observed positive effect could be real and is interesting to further investigation. Because the observed effect is slightly positive and in the worst case analysis slightly negative, it could also be an indication that distraction has no effect on productivity. This is supported by the research of Lee and Brand, which indicated that there was no significant effect of perceived distractions on perceived performance. This finding could also contribute to the research on the effect of distractio n of productivity.In conclusion the findings of this research do not fully correspond to the main findings in the literature. This is actually very interesting because a new insight in the research on teleworking and productivity is generated. It can be questioned if the main findings in the literature are true. Maybe teleworking is not good for the productivity of employees and distractions are not as bad as everybody’s thinking. In order to do a replication research towards the effect of teleworking on productivity in the future a replication strategy is useful.The preferred replication strategy for the future is a longitudinal survey. The longitudinal survey enables the future researchers to measure the change in productivity that takes place at a later point in time when employees telework. In the longitudinal survey all members of a focal unit can be observed over time. Additional theoretical insight is advised in order to determine how much time should elapse between th e change in value of productivity and the subsequent change in the value of teleworking. * Appendix Appendix 1: Several definitions of Telework and/or Productivity | Author(s)| Definition of telework| Definitions of productivity| 1| Newman (1989)| Working home with the aid of computers, modems and facsimile machines. | | 2| Dubrin (1991) | Performing job-related work at a site away from the company, then electronically transferring the output to another location| | 3| Frolick, Wilkes, Urwiler (1993)| | The number of tasks effectively completed in a given timeframe| 4| Hartman, Stoner and Arora (1992) | Work arrangement where organizational employees regularly work at home or at a remote site one or more complete workdays a week instead of working in the office. Telework managers reported using ‘deadlines’ or ‘agreed upon deadlines’, and ‘on-time work and quality’ to manage and measure teleworker productivity. | 5| Nilles (1975)| Telework is any form of substitution of information technologies for work-related travel| | 6| Mokhtarian (1991)| Telework is defined as the use of telecommunications technology to partially or completely replace the commute to and from work. | | 7| Sing, Sheng, Higa (2000)| Telecommuting is the reduction of commuting distance by working home, in nontraditional satellite offices, in telecottages, or in neighborhood offices. | * Appendix 2: Self-report survey at TNT express. Onderzoek Het Nieuwe Werken bij TNT express. Voor onze bachelor thesis, onderdeel van de studie bedrijfskunde, doen wij onderzoek naar Het Nieuwe Werken bij TNT Express. Dit onderzoek is onderdeel van ons afstuderen aan de Erasmus Universiteit te Rotterdam. Voor ons onderzoek willen we graag uw medewerking vragen door middel van het invullen van een vragenlijst. Het invullen van de vragenlijst zal ongeveer 5 minuten duren. Deze vragenlijst is geheel anoniem. Alvast bedankt, Robin Kettenes, Boudewijn Schuitmaker en Marlot Sep __ ________________________________________________________________________ Het Nieuwe Werken is een breed begrip voor het tijd en plaats ongebonden werken, als gevolg van het gebruik van moderne communicatie technologieen. In ons onderzoek spitsen wij ons echter alleen toe op het plaatsongebonden werken. Het plaatsongebonden werken houdt in dat u zelf kunt bepalen waar u werkt. ___________________________________________________________________________ 1) Hoeveel uur werkt u over het algemeen per week? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. uur 2) Heeft u de mogelijkheid om buiten  kantoor te werken? Ja Nee ) Hoeveel uur per week werkt u over het algemeen buiten uw kantoor ? †¦. †¦.. uur 4) Op welke plaatsen werkt u als u buiten uw vaste werkplek werkt? Thuis Onderweg Internet Cafe Elders 5) Waar vindt u het het prettigst om te werken? Op kantoor Buiten kantoor 6) Ik ben makkelijk afgeleid van mijn werk Nooit Soms Regelmatig Vaak Altijd 7) Ik word tijdens mijn werk afgeleid door geluid No oit Soms Regelmatig Vaak Altijd 8) Ik word tijdens mijn werk afgeleid door telefoontjes/e-mails/berichten etc. Nooit Soms Regelmatig Vaak Altijd 9) Ik word tijdens mijn werk afgeleid door collega’sNooit Soms Regelmatig Vaak Altijd 10) Ik word tijdens mijn werk afgeleid door andere factoren Nooit Soms Regelmatig Vaak Altijd 11) Ik zou de hoeveelheid werk dat ik kan opleveren werk beschrijven als Erg veel Erg weinig 12) Ik zou de kwaliteit van mijn werk beschrijven als: Erg goed Erg slecht 13) Ik heb mijn werk altijd op tijd af Helemaal juist Helemaal onjuist 14) Ik ben in staat meerdere taken tegelijk uit te voeren Helemaal juist Helemaal onjuist 15) Ik vind het erg fijn om op kantoor te werken Helemaal juist Helemaal onjuist 6) Ik vind het erg fijn om thuis te werken Helemaal juist Helemaal onjuist 17) Ik vind het prettig werk en prive gescheiden te houden Helemaal juist Helemaal onjuist 18) Het is makkelijk voor mij werk en prive gescheiden te houden als ik op kantoor werk H elemaal juist Helemaal onjuist 19) Kunt u een schatting geven van de verhouding tussen de tijd dat u op uw  op kantoor  werkt en de tijd dat u buiten  kantoor werkt? (Bijvoorbeeld; 40-60 / 50-50 ) †¦. / †¦. 20) Wat is u geslacht? Man Vrouw 21) Wat is u leeftijd? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. jaar 22) Wat is u burgerlijke staat? AlleenstaandAlleenstaand met kinderen Getrouwd/samenwonend Getrouwd/samenwonend met kinderen Appendix 3: Detailed calculation of the degree of productivity and distraction Calculation: The Degree of Distraction|   |   | 3| 3| 4| 3| 3| 3. 2| 3| 4| 4| 4| 2| 3. 4| 2| 3| 3| 2| 2| 2. 4| 2| 2| 3| 3| 2| 2. 4| 2| 2| 3| 3| 2| 2. 4| 2| 2| 2| 3| 2| 2. 2| 2| 2| 3| 2| 2| 2. 2| 2| 2| 2| 2| 2| 2| 2| 2| 4| 2| 2| 2. 4| 4| 3| 3| 3| 3| 3. 2| 2| 2| 3| 2| 3| 2. 4| 3| 2| 2| 3| 2| 2. 4| 3| 2| 2| 3| 2| 2. 4| 3| 2| 3| 3| 2| 2. 6| 3| 2| 3| 2| 3| 2. 6| 4| 4| 3| 4| 4| 3. 8| 3| 2| 4| 2| 2| 2. 6| 2. 647059| 2. 11765| 3| 2. 705882| 2. 352941| 2. 623529| Calculation: The Degree of Pr oductivity|   | 4| 4| 3| 5| 4| 4| 5| 2| 4| 3. 75| 4| 4| 2| 4| 3. 5| 5| 4| 2| 4| 3. 75| 4| 4| 5| 5| 4. 5| 4| 4| 3| 5| 4| 3| 4| 4| 4| 3. 75| 4| 4| 3| 4| 3. 75| 4| 4| 2| 4| 3. 5| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 3| 3| 3| 3| 3| 4| 4| 3| 4| 3. 75| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 3| 3| 3. 5| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 4| 5| 5| 5| 4. 75| 3. 941176| 4. 058824| 3. 294118| 4. 117647| 3. 852941| * Appendix 4: The SPSS Ouput Model Summaryb| Model| R| R Square| Adjusted R Square| Std. Error of the Estimate| 1| . 509a| . 259| -. 078| 1. 64400| a.Predictors: (Constant), SumDistr, Leeftijd, Status, MateTelewerk, Geslacht| b. Dependent Variable: SumProductiviteit| Coefficientsa| Model| Unstandardized Coefficients| Standardized Coefficients| t| Sig. | | B| Std. Error| Beta| | | 1| (Constant)| 10. 929| 3. 105| | 3. 519| . 005| | MateTelewerk| -1. 311| 1. 749| -. 212| -. 750| . 469| | Geslacht| . 288| 1. 177| . 071| . 244| . 811| | Leeftijd| -. 002| . 052| -. 013| -. 042| . 967| | Status| . 764| . 474| . 448| 1. 613| . 135| | SumDistr| . 188| . 193| . 287| . 972| . 352| a. Dependent Variable: SumProductiviteit| * BibliographyApgar, M. 1998, â€Å"The alternative workplace: changing where and how people work†, Harvard Business Review May- June, , pp. 121-136. Bailey, D. E. ; Kurland, N. B. 2002, â€Å"A review of telework research: findings, new directions, and lessons for the study of modern work†, Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 23, pp. 383-400. 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