Developing a procedurally Just performance appraisal process essays

Developing a procedurally Just performance appraisal process essays Developing a procedurally Just performance appraisal process When organizations make decisions about people, such as whom to hire or promote, appraisal ratings or merit raise to give, or how important that the decisions are seen as fair and just. Research has shown that at least two aspects of justice influence employees job satisfaction and organizational commitment and both must be considered in organization decisions. The first type is distributive justice, or the perceived fairness of particular outcomes. It has to do with the distribution of rewards and punishments across people. Distributive justice would exist if employees agreed that the best person had been chosen for a promotion, that the punishment fit the crime in a discipline case, or that the size of merit raises accurately reflected true differences in performance across the people involved. Distributive justice is specific to particular decision. We might agree that one promotion decision was fair, but that is no guarantee that we will think the next one is fair. This is because distributive justice doesnt include evaluation of the fairness of the merit or process by which the decision was made. The latter is called procedural justice. Presumably, a just policy or procedure should help assure equitable outcomes every time, whereas single instance of distributive justice could occur by chance, favoritism or some other unfair process. What makes an allocation procedure just following are six rules for procedural justice? Following are six rules for procedural justice Consistency Rule: allocation procedures should be consistent across persons and over time Bias Suppression Rule: personal self interest in the allocation process should be prevented; Accuracy Rule: decisions must be based on accurate information Correctability Rule: Opportunities must exist to enable decisions to be modified: ...

Personal Pronouns in Japanese

Personal Pronouns in Japanese A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. In English, examples of pronouns include I, they, who, it, this, none and so on. Pronouns perform a variety of grammatical functions and are thus heavily used is most languages. There are many subtypes of pronouns such as  personal pronouns,  reflexive  pronouns,  possessive pronouns,  demonstrative pronouns, and more. Japanese vs English Pronoun Usage The use of Japanese personal pronouns is quite different from English. They are not used as often as their English counterparts, though there are a variety of pronouns in Japanese depending on the gender or the style of speech. If the context is clear, the Japanese prefer not to use the personal pronouns. It is important to learn how to use them, but also important to understand how not to use them. Unlike English, there is no strict rule to have a grammatical subject in a sentence. How to Say I Here are the different ways one can say I depending on the situation and to whom one is speaking to, whether it be a superior or a close friend. watakushi ã‚ Ã£ Å¸Ã£  Ã£ â€" - very formalwatashi ã‚ Ã£ Å¸Ã£ â€" - formalboku (male) Ã¥Æ'•, atashi (female) 㠁‚㠁Ÿã â€" - informalore (male) ä ¿ º - very informal How to Say You The following are the different ways of saying you depending on the circumstances. otaku 㠁Šã Å¸Ã£   - very formalanata 㠁‚㠁 ªÃ£ Å¸ - formalkimi (male) Ã¥ â€º - informalomae (male) 㠁Šå‰ , anta 㠁‚ん㠁Ÿ- very informal Japanese Personal Pronoun Usage Among these pronouns, watashi and anata are the most common. However, as mentioned above, they are often omitted in conversation. When addressing your superior, anata is not appropriate and should be avoided. Use the persons name instead. Anata is also used by wives when they address their husbands. Omae is sometimes used by husbands when addressing their wives, though it sounds a little bit old-fashioned. Third Person Pronouns The pronouns for the third person are kare (he) or kanojo (she). Rather than using these words, it is preferred to use the persons name or describe them as ano hito (that person). It is not necessary to include gender. Here are some sentence examples: Kyou Jon ni aimashita.ä »Å Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£â€š ¸Ã£Æ' §Ã£Æ' ³Ã£  «Ã¤ ¼Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚I saw him (John) today.Ano hito o shitte imasu ka.㠁‚㠁 ®Ã¤ º ºÃ£â€šâ€™Ã§Å¸ ¥Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£ â€¹Do you know her? Additionally, kare or kanojo often means a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Here are the terms used in a sentence: Kare ga imasu ka.Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã£ Å'㠁„㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£ â€¹Do you have a boyfriend?Watashi no kanojo wa kangofu desu.ç § Ã£  ®Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã¥ ¥ ³Ã£  ¯Ã§Å"‹è ­ ·Ã¥ © ¦Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢My girlfriend is a nurse. Plural Personal Pronouns To make plurals, a suffix ~ tachi (é â€) is added like watashi-tachi (we) or anata-tachi (you plural). The suffix ~ tachi can be added to not only pronouns but to some other nouns referring to people. For example, kodomo-tachi (Ã¥ ­ Ã¤ ¾â€ºÃ© â€) means children. For the word anata, the suffix ~ gata (æâ€" ¹) is used sometimes to make it plural instead of using ~ tachi. Anata-gata (㠁‚㠁 ªÃ£ Å¸Ã¦â€" ¹) is more formal than anata-tachi. The suffix ~ ra (ら) is also used for kare, such as karera (they).

Employee Motivation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Motivation - Term Paper Example As such a firm therefore can take advantage of the diversified base of employees to better tap into the local knowledge and better equip themselves to face the challenges in the market. Promoting diversity therefore can effectively provide organizations a competitive advantage in terms of having a diversified workforce. One of the key benefits of the diversity therefore is that organizations can tap into the local knowledge and therefore can allow the flourishing of innovativeness and creativity within the organization. However, diversity can be difficult to manage due to cultural differences between the employees. The traditional hierarchy of the management within organizations therefore may not be able to completely comprehend the challenges posed by a rich cultural diversity within the organization. As such diversity can also result into the creation of different power structures within the organization based on ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the employees. For example, it may be difficult for a manager to manage employees belonging to different ethnic and cultural groups owing to the fact that the manager may be unaware of the cultural norms and practices of different groups of employees.

Dividend and Non-Dividend Stock Valuation Research Paper

Dividend and Non-Dividend Stock Valuation - Research Paper Example Third, the model can be applied in the process of determining the predicted growth rate of a dividend. After calculating the price of a share of stock, it is easier for investors to determine the growth rate of dividends that is expected for the company (Pinto, 2010). This is valuable if the estimated value of a share of stock is known so that it can be helpful in predicting the dividend price. The model reflects on rationality and not reality, and is established on the principle that investors invest in stocks that have got high returns. This is how investors are supposed to behave, despite the model not always reflecting how the investors should actually behave. Some investors purchase stocks of a company that happens to be more exciting and glamorous not considering its future financial position. This shows why there is a discrepancy between the actual market value and stocks value (Groppelli & Nikbakht, 2006). Furthermore, it is difficult to determine the variables that are to be use in the model; while the model is simple and easy to use, it presents difficulty in the prediction of figures to be used in its analysis. Often companies’ dividends are not predictable hence, forecasting them is difficult. This explains why it is difficult to estimate the future company sales, which directly influences a company’s capability to grow and maintain dividends. Dividends are not the only source of income for investors. The model primarily deals with the money that is paid back to the investor and not the overall cash flow of the company. As such, the model aids in the development of investor biases. Therefore, investors do conform to their own expectations; hence, developing a tendency of coming up with their own values for stocks since most of the inputs are subjective. Those that are objective are likely to get accurate variables for

Poem Analysis- Robert Fross; Robert Browning; Anne Bradstreet Essay Example for Free

Poem Analysis- Robert Fross; Robert Browning; Anne Bradstreet Essay Robert Frost, â€Å"Out,Out—â€Å" 1. In line 15, Frost describes the saw as being sinister. He infers that the saw has a mind of its own, by stating that the saw jumped out of the boy’s hand and cut the boy’s hand terribly. Frost also makes it seem as if the saw is in a way, like a friend. He does this by demonstrating that using the saw is an advantage for the boy because it is making his job ten times easier. Without the saw, the boy would spend hours cutting through the wood. 2. In Frost’s poem, the people that surround the boy must be his family. It could also very much be friends, or members of his community, along with the doctor and nurses working on his injury. The tone of the poem leads me to conclude that the â€Å"they† in the poem weren’t very surprised or moved by the boy’s injury, or death, because this might have happened before, or they just didn’t care for the boy. 3. Frost’s reference to Macbeth’ contributes to my understanding of â€Å"Out, Out-â€Å"that this poem’s theme is about death. From the reference to Shakespeare play, Macbeth, I can expect read about someone dying, an unexpected death. In my opinion, the theme of this poem is the cruel, emotionless, merciless relationships adults had with their children back then in America. Children weren’t given the opportunity to enjoy their childhood. They had many responsibilities and tasks to fulfill. 4. Robert Frost’s â€Å"Out, Out-‘† resembles the medieval folk ballad, â€Å"Sir Patrick Spence,† in its theme. Both poems are relaying a message about death. In Frost’s poem, the boy acknowledges the fact that he is going to die when he realizes he is losing a lot of blood. In â€Å"Sir Patrick Spence,† the sailor realizes he is coming face to face with death when he reads the letter the king has sent to him. Both of the protagonists in the poems are on the verge of dying a sudden, unexpected death. Robert Browning, â€Å"My Last Duchess,† 1. Throughout the entire poem, it is almost impossible allocate who the Duke is addressing. Towards the end of the poem, lines 49-52, it is disclosed that the Duke is speaking to a servant, or worker of a Count. This specific Count seems to have the Duke interest, because he wants to marry the Count’s daughter. The Duke appears to be hosting some sort of gathering in his home. I inferred this from lines 47 and 48. 2. Throughout the poem, the Duke emphasizes on his last Duchess, kindness and flirtatious attitude. In the Duke’s opinion, and observance, the Duchess was easily impressed, and fulfilled. Everything and anything made her happy. She would always say thank you to anyone, and everyone that would bring her things, or do things for her. The Duke interprets the Duchess’ kindness, and mannered behavior as flirtatious, which leads to his distrust in her. Based on the Dukes description, the Duchess, in my eyes was a well mannered woman. She wasn’t mean, or sought herself above anyone. Which is how he, the Duke wanted her to act. He wished she’d be a greedier or unfulfilled character. 3. In lines 34-41, the Duke explains why he never sought to confront his Duchess on her behavior. He states he didn’t have the eloquent skills to do so. He claims that he didn’t posses the speech to confront her. â€Å"Who’d stoop to blame/This sort of trifling? Even had you skill/ In speech-(which I have not)-to make your will/† This in my opinion is a lame excuse. I believe that he was simply afraid of confrontation. The Duke also states that if he had confronted the Duchess on her behavior, she would have made an excuse for her actions. 4. From this poem, I conclude that the Duke himself murdered, or gave orders to murder his Duchess. There is no clear evidence to support this, but I believe it is a clear interpretation. The poet should have included the Duchess’ fate in the poem. It would leave little room to assume her fate. 5. Robert Browning makes a direct connection between the Duke’s art collection, and the attitude towards his wife. The Duke has the portrait of his wife; his last Duchess displayed in his home, behind a curtain. A curtain, which only he can draw back, or remove. In other words, he, the Duke, controls the Duchess; or he wishes to control his Duchess. The Duke wouldn’t want anyone to see the portrait of his Duchess, with her blushed cheeks, unless he was there. The same can be inferred from the last few lines of the poem, line 54-55, â€Å"Notice Neptune, though,/Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,/ Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!† The Duke is implying, that he himself is Neptune, and his last Duchess is the sea-horse. No one could have imagined that a sea-horse could be tamed, but Neptune achieved it. Identical to the way that the last Duchess herself was tamed. Adrienne Rich, â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,† In her poem, â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,† Adrienne is describing the protagonist’s feelings towards her marriage. In lines 9-10, the protagonist feels that she is a prisoner of her marriage, and will only be set free when she dies. The protagonist uses the tigers as a symbol of who she wished she could be. In the first stanza of the poem, Adrienne describes the tigers as being un-fearful of the men. A trait she wishes she possessed. Sharon Olds, â€Å"Rite of Passage,† 1. The speaker describes the first-grade boys at her son’s birthday party as men. Their behavior is pure imitation of the men they have been around. Her description of them is ironic, because how can first-graders realistically be grown men? She also uses the concept of violence a lot in the poem. 2. In the last two lines of the poem, the author compares the first-graders to generals, and states that they are playing war. This is ironic, because she is inferring how (grown) men glorify war. The first-graders are innocent and naà ¯ve to the truth behind war. They don’t understand the sadness, and deaths behind it. To them, it is a reason to celebrate and rejoice. What is even more ironic, are the lines prior to the last two lines of the poem. The speaker quotes what the little boy has said. In line 22, â€Å"We could easily kill a two-year-old†. Little boys should not be speaking of death. But just like (grown) man boost up their ego by feeling superior to others and educing violence, these first-graders are doing the same. 3. From line 15-20, the mother describes her son as being innocent. She paints her son to be better than the other first-graders, because she seeks him out to be more mature than they are. Throughout the rest of the poem, due to the speaker’s description of her son, it can be inferred that the speaker’s on is the leader of the group. He is the mediator; the peace maker. Suji Kwock Kim, â€Å"Monologue for an Onion,† 1. The tone of this poem is mocking, and judgmental. It implies that humans live their lives chasing false hopes; searching for a truth that does not exist. The poet symbolizes this by using the analogy of shaving an onion to get to its heart; searching for a heart that does not exist. It depicts that humans are hopeless, and helpless. Humans are viewed as lost creatures. The speaker expresses hostility towards the human. It begins to mock humans by describing them as an idiot, thirsty (to find the truth), soulless, foolish, and destined to die. The speaker does this by comparing how a human cuts an onion over and over again, even though the onion makes the cutter cry relentlessly. 2. In line two, â€Å"I mean nothing† is projected to be interpreted on two ways, â€Å"intend†, and â€Å"signify. The poet is saying that the onion’s intentions aren’t to make the â€Å"cutter/human† cry. As the onion is cut, it forces the cutter’s eyes to fill up with tears. A reaction that is not intended, but occurs automatically. The poet also uses the phrase â€Å"I mean nothing† to symbolize that the onion feels like it is no one. It feels as if it has no value, or meaning of existence. 3. If someone said this to me, it would prove how close-minded and naà ¯ve they are. Poems generally convey a meaning far beyond what the poem explicitly reads. In poetry, you must read between the lines to understand the underlying significance of the poem. The poet is using the analogy of an onion’s (chemical) reaction to a human’s tear ducts to deploy how foolish human beings can be, and are. Continuing to cut through an onion, knowing that the onion will force us to cry is foolish. This simple action is identical to human life. Human’s cut through life searching for a truth they never attain. 4. I personally feel that the author is trying to give everyone a wake-up call in this poem. Suji Kwock Kim is trying to give her readers a few words of wisdom. She is exploring, and revealing a new approach on how one should view the world. Trying to encourage her readers to refrain from what an onion cutter is doing: cutting away at life causing them harm. Anne Bradstreet, â€Å"The Author to Her Book† Anne Bradstreet’s poem, â€Å"The Author to Her Book† is a complex narrative concerning the conflicting emotions and thoughts an author can have for a piece of literature he or she has written. Through metaphor and personification, Bradstreet examines the similarities between being a parent and being an author. The love, discouragement, and fear that all come into play when something is going to be revealed to the world at large are present in both a parent and a writer. Metaphor is used to relate authorship to parenthood in order to convey to the reader the complex emotions the narrator is feeling about sending a book he or she wrote out into the world. As the narrator points out, â€Å"Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain†, drawing the parallel between the author and a parent and all of the complicated emotions that go with it (line 1). The narrator refers to the book-child as â€Å"My rambling brat†, revealing the negative side of the emotion (l ine 7). As a frustrated parent with a child who will not behave, so the narrator feels towards the book because it is not as perfect as he or she would want and the narrator sees this as a reflection upon the author, just as a parent would see a naughty child as a reflection on themselves. But later the narrator writes, â€Å"Yet being mine own †¦ affection would thy/Thy blemishes amend† demonstrating the conflicting emotions associated with love (lines 10-11). The metaphor of the book as a child reflects the conflicting emotions of the narrator as the book is seen as an extension of the narrator, just as a child is seen as a reflection of a parent. Personification of the book as a child creates empathy within the reader and makes it easier for the reader to relate to the anguish and love felt by the narrator. â€Å"I washed thy face† the narrator writes, speaking to the book, giving it life even as the book’s qualities as an inanimate object are examined (line 13). The narrator cares for the book’s presentation to the world just as a parent would care for the presentation of a child to the world. â€Å"I stretched thy joint to make thee even feet† the narrator writes, emphasizing the care needed for the book (line 15). The personification of the book and the metaphor of the book as a child work together to give the reader a full and complete understanding of the complex emotions felt by the narrator towards the book. The understanding needed and the guidance required to make the book the best possible so that it reflects well on the narrator is cast in light of parenthood and the ways in which a parents must care for and bring up a child. There is shame and the love that go along with an imperfect child, but it all is ultimately overshadowed by the pride felt in the final product.

Topology :: Math Mathmatics

Topology Topology is a modern branch of geometry. It has been called qualitative geometry because instead of thinking about the traditional characteristics of an object (like angles, length, etc.), topologists study features that can’t be altered by stretching, twisting or shrinking the object. After any alteration all points in the object that were connected must still be connected and all points separated by a hole must remain separated. Topology also attempts to explain objects that cannot exist in three dimensions using mathematical equations, since it is nearly impossible to imagine such objects within our frame of reference. The dimension of an object can be thought of in two ways: intrinsic and extrinsic. The perception of a â€Å"creature† occupying, say a line, is one-dimensional, since he can only move in one dimension. However, we draw a line on a plane, so extrinsically it is two-dimensional (1). So how do objects occupying the same dimension diff er topologically? A doughnut shaped object, called a torus, and a sphere are topologically different. Both of these objects are extrinsically two-dimensional, since we only deal with the surfaces of the object. There is no â€Å"inside.† The reason for the topological difference is the hole in the middle of the torus. No permitted alterations (stretching, twisting, shrinking) can be made to the sphere that will transform into a torus. Topology emerged out of Euler’s work on graph theory in the early 1700’s. Leonhard Euler was born on April 15, 1707 in Switzerland. His father was a minister and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He sent his son to the University of Basel in 1720, when Leonhard was only 14. It was here that his interest and natural capabilities in mathematics really began to show. After completing his studies and showing very promising mathematical talent, Euler moved to St. Petersburg, Russia to teach mathematics, at the age of only 19. He remained in Russia for several years (4). And it was here that he made contributions to mathematics that would later be seen as the first steps towards topology. Graph theory studies how points are connected without giving any regard to the distance between them or the actual shape of the line connecting them.

Niche Marketing

1) What is niche marketing? The word ‘niche’ is defined as: A special area of demand for a products or service. The word ‘marketing’ is defined as: The opportunity to buy or sell. Niche Marketing means buying or selling a product or service in a special area of demand. All that really means product or service is being sold to the people who are most interested in that particular product or service and not to the world in general. Often time big businesses use niche marketing. For example, a company that makes computers and computers accessories might advertise all-in-one such as copy, printer and scanner to the home computer user while at the same time advertising single function machines to large businesses. One of the things that make niche marketing so attractive to sellers is that their advertising budgets go further. It costs less to advertise to a specialized market that it does to advertise to a broader market. Niche marketing must be designed to meet the unique needs of the targeted audience. Niche marketers must tailor their product to meet those unique needs. Example, I have design a product to make poodle grooming easy enough for the untrained professional to do it, those who own poodles will be most interested in the products. Those who own Blood Hounds or cats will not care so much. 2) As an automobile retailer, what would you propose to increase sales volumes through niche marketing? Toyota is a huge multinational company. At first glance, it appears that Toyota focuses on the auto business as a whole both from a marketing and production standpoint. Notwithstanding this fact, Toyota is excellent when it comes to niche marketing. Toyota will search for niches for which it can supply a product in need. Toyota was one of the first companies to realize there was a group of car buyers who would be very interested in environmentally friendly cars. To answer this need, it came up with the legendary Prius. The Prius is the first mass production hybrid car. Where other car manufacturers saw Toyota taking a huge risk, Toyota saw it as an opportunity to identify a new niche and establish its brand in that niche. In marketing, it is often the first brand on the scene that takes the day. Once Toyota took the plunge, it pursued an effective niche marketing plan. It didn’t promote the Prius in just any media. It focused on media outlets that were watched, read or listened to by people concerned about the environment. For example, it heavily promoted the car through environmental groups and their publications. As the only game in town at that time, Toyota not only dominated the niche. 3) Explain the role of RMI. RMI create brand awareness and communication tools which have been use from any company’s. They publish their own magazine naming Automobil. RMI also responsible for assisting its members with all matters surrounding the motor industry while ensure that members do comply with high level of business and offers a revenue generating device through its unique niche status.

Training in the Workplace

My research report is based around a questionnaire designed to analyse employee’s opinions on work based training. In particular apprenticeships, these are widely used by the government to increase knowledge and to train the current workforce in the work place increasing standards. Their aim is to raise the standard of education within the work place. â€Å"However research has shown that the UK lags behind other advanced countries in the quality and quality of the vocational skills held by its workforce† (Greehalgh 1999). Aim and description of mini project Does age affect employee’s perception of training?This research will show if the age of the employee has an effect on how they see the training, will the younger employees value the training more because they can see the benefits of possible career progression, training does increase the chances of promotion and job opportunities. The organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) supports that training does increase prospects. †Education and training may enhance the potential benefits that individuals can reap from participating in the labour market† (Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development 2004).Will the older staff feel this is a waste of time, they are coming towards the end of their careers and may not want to change? Will the answers help support the policy in France were they start the training at an early age. The research by (OECD) also suggests that training the young and highly educated demonstrates a clear impact on their wages and the older employees this helps in sustaining employment prospects. Are the skills learned actually transferred into the working environment? Using the qualitative approach (Grbich 2013) Carol suggests this is primarily an inductive approach.The data I will be using in my research to obtain the employees opinions on what has been gained from the training and what they feel are the major benefits. Do the employe es feel that there is a benefit at all? The government’s policy in increasing training is supported by Reith L, (2000) she reports that a significant improvement has been reported by several high street chains. Who benefits from apprenticeship training program? Although these staff have all undergone the apprenticeship training, will they use the training in their workplace? Is the training of the correct quality?This research will show if these employees believe if their training is relevant to their roles and if they feel they will be using it during their working day and how often they feel they will use it. The research process The first stage in my research process was to calculate what I wanted to find out, what were my aims and could I achieve them using a small research sample which may be too small to gain a true picture. I decided as all of the distribution staff who had undertaken the training should be asked to participate, thus giving me an accurate sample within our workplace.This however could not be multiplied to form an opinion of the whole population as the training provided to our employees was specific to our field and with such a wide range of course type’s opinions could vary extensively from sector to sector. I have considered a range of research ethics when compiling this research, confidentiality was a one of my main concerns however by informing each participant verbally and also writing a statement at the top of the questionnaire reminding them that this was anonymous.I considered age and as shown in the image 1. 1a I have a spread of age groups. All participants are male, the reason for this is that no females are employed within the sampled department. The reason I personally handed out the questionnaires was to encourage their return, each participant is a member of my distribution team and research has shown that the return rate can be very low unless monetary incentives are used. (Yu, Cooper 1983). I was not in a p osition to offer payment or reward.I provided a sealed box with a cut out so each employee could hand it in without me having the ability to read the questionnaires as they were handed in which would have removed the anonymity. By using a paper version this makes it accessible for all participants to take part and the immediate return to me via the box, thus removing the need to use a return date. This also gave me a 100% return rate and no one how was asked to complete the survey refused to do so although all participants were given a choice. Although I debated using a computer based questionnaire, with built in software to analyse the results automatically.This would have made the analysing part of my research easier, however may not have provided me with a true sample because the older generations within the proposed sample base are not as familiar with computers as the younger staff members. Thus increasing the possibility in their ability and willingness to take part. A report in Sweden suggests Technological advances tend to exclude older adults who grew up without these facilities (Berner, Rennemark et al. 2013) The use of dichotomous questions has allowed me to ask the question and get a distinctive response allowing me to analyse my questions easily.Likert scale questions have enabled me to gather responses based on the scale of opinion with more choices than either or, yes or no. One of my questions for instance is â€Å"How will your training be used in your day to day work? † this is impossible to gauge without the use of the scale. I would have had to rephrase the question and only had the option of used or not used. The dichotomous and likert scale questions have provided all of the information which is used in the results section of this report. All of my graphs and charts have been produced from these questions.The use of the open ended questions has provided me with qualitative responses which are not necessarily useful to create statis tics or prepare graphs, however they do allow me to get feedback and opinion I may not have been able to gather using other forms of questioning. Pilot Study I conducted a pilot study of my questionnaire with 3 other members of staff who would not be participants in the real questionnaire. This gave me the opportunity to evaluate my questionnaire, is it coherent and that the type and way I asked the questions could be understood.De Vaus (1993:54) cited in (VanTeijlingen 2001) suggests using this pilot study provides advance warning and this have proved to be the case so served its purpose exactly. One point that was highlighted was the question on educational levels, I was trying to gather what was their previous levels however the tester found this question was not clear and I amended the final version to include the word previous. A very simple mistake but would have rendered that section of the questionnaire useless, as I would have been unable to differentiate who had answered t he question based on previous or present after the training.Results and finding Image 1. 1a shows the age demographics of the sample As shown in image 1. 1 above there is a random spread of age groups within this sample. I do not have any employees in the department sampled under 18 years of age which would have affected the ethics. No employees are over the age of 65 which also gave me 0%. However the largest age group within the sample are between 26 – 33 years old, a 12% increase on the nearest group. Image 1. 1b below shows the mean, mode and median of the age sample. Image 1. 1b Mean Mode Median 4. 2 26- 33 4 Image 1.2 below shows that 52% have answered very relevant when asked about the relevance of the training in their employment. The mode shows that this is positive and the answers indicate that the training is worthwhile. 16% (4 responses) indicated that the training was not relevant, this can partially be explained by the fact that 2 members of this team are curren tly helping out within another department and most of the training is not suitable. None of the sample who indicated that the training was not relevant was from a particular age bracket, therefore suggesting that there is no correlation between the two and answering my first objective.From the sample used neither the younger or older age groups answered in one particular way. Had the sample been in the thousands this may have yielded a clearer correlation. Image 1. 2 shows the percentage on how relevant is the training. Image 1. 3 demonstrates how the employees feel they will use their training Image 1. 3 above suggests that the training received would be used more often than not. Again the 16 percent can be attributed to those who are currently carrying out other roles. The mode is I will use it every day. Altogether 84% are positive about the training and when they will use it.Not one respondent felt they would not use the training provided. Image 1. 4 below is very surprising, on ly 4 participants (16%) have indicated that English and Maths training would help them in their work. Thus suggesting that most employees already had the required standard and possibly suggesting that the government training is too low of a level for the majority and should be tailored to suit the individuals needs more specifically. (Steedman 1990) argued that NVQ level 1 is too low to constitute an adequate measure of skill for a worker in an advanced industrial economy.However the City and guilds training body states â€Å"Maths and English skills are surely the most valuable vocational skills of all† (City and Guilds 2013) 3 of the 4 (75%) who indicated that this training was useful also answered that they did not have any previous qualifications. Image 1. 5 shows all respondents previous level of education. Image 1. 4 Has English and Maths training helped you in your work? Previous Level of Education Answer Tally Frequency Percent Answer Tally Frequency Percent Degree hi gher education 1. 1 2 8. 00% A Level 0 0. 00% 0 Level 1. 1. 1. 1 4 16. 00% GCSE 1. 1. 1. 1 416. 00% Apprenticeship 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 8 32. 00% NVQ 1. 1. 1. 1 4 16. 00% No Qualifications 1. 1. 1 3 12. 00% 25 25 100. 00% Mean Mode Median 3. 6 Apprenticeship 4 With the exception of English and Maths training my findings show that the training was positive and that this will be used within the employee’s duties and will be useful in the workplace. This indicates that further investment in employee training would be of benefit. This provides the answers to my second and third objective. The question what is most important to you was seeking to clarify the employees main motivation.60% chose self-satisfaction in their ability to complete a qualification as their first choice. While showing your employer you are capable was their second choice and thinking they may get a pay rise was the last option for 87%. (Kovach 1987) supports my theory that monetary reward is not the highe st motivator. Abraham Maslow (Maslow 1948) hierarchy of needs also supports my findings as he demonstrates that self-esteem and self-actualizing needs are in the top layers of the hierarchical pyramid, personal worth and fulfilling one’s own potential are high on people’s needs.The majority also answered the question on whether their employer was correct to invest in staff training answered yes. Reasons provided for answering yes to this questions were provided from my open ended questions which provided me with qualitative data. Respondent A â€Å"because better drivers mean less crashes, so better for the insurance and also reduces fuel consumption† I felt this was answering the question as taught on the training, this is what it set out to achieve in part. Respondent B â€Å"investment in the future of the company†None of the above have mentioned the benefit to themselves and the possible motivational value. Reflection The initial intention of handing out the questionnaires would have worked to my initial planning had in not been for a last minute change to my working patterns. Although this could not have been foreseen, planning for any future questionnaire would now be altered and I would distribute these in the staff pigeon holes and the use of a return date would help, this might have reduced the responses hoverer it would have proved a faster return and not relied on me personally seeing each member of the team.The sample used was selected by me and therefore is classed and non-probability because this was not a random sample and could be a bias sample because of my position within the company I cannot verify if the answers are a true reflection and truthful, I did however allow these to be handed in anonymously and told each participant to be honest. Combining a mixture of qualitative and quantitative provided me with some advantages, the ability to obtain answers from different perspectives and enhancing the validity of my findings, this is suggested by (Grbich 2013).The use of the non-probability sample means that this research cannot be used as a representative sample for the population. Although I found this part of the task easier than expected I feel because of the all-male environment and the small research sample I would like to conduct the same research across multiple companies undergoing the same training and also with mixed sex. It would also be useful to compare my findings alongside those of the management. ConclusionMy conclusion on this research is that from those sampled I cannot find any trends that would suggest from an employee point of view, that the apprenticeship training has a higher value to the younger staff or the older staff. This includes who gains from the training, the employer or the employee. The main motivational reason was self-satisfaction, Demonstrating financial reward is low on most people’s agenda as previous research has shown. The research suggests that from an employee’s point of view the training is relevant and most would use it in the day to day roles within their work place.This is however with the exception of English and Maths, it identifies that the group who found this part of the training useful were the staff with no previous qualifications, the other 84% did not feel it would not help them in their work. This demonstrates that one solution does not fit all and a more tailored training approach with different levels offered to each employee this may benefit and offer a more suitable training approach in the future. To gain accurate results this study would need to be carried out on all apprenticeship trained employees and if done insubject areas this would provide a clearer understanding within a subject area. Does level 1 in maths suffice for a hairdresser who rarely counts compared to a warehouseman who counts daily? Their response to the maths question could have the potentially to vary. References BERNER, J. S. , RENNEMARK, M. , JOGREUS, C. and BERGLUND, J. , 2013. Factors associated with change in Internet usage of Swedish older adults (2004–2010). Health Informatics Journal, 19(2), pp. 152-162. CITY AND GUILDS, July 2013, 2013-last update, Putting Maths and English learning into context [Homepage of City and Guilds], [Online]. Available: http://www.cityandguilds. com/About-Us/Broadsheet-News/July-2013/Maths-and-English-in-context [24th Novembber 2013, 2013]. GRBICH, C. , 2013. Qualitative data analysis : an introduction. 2 edn. London: Sage. GREEHALGH, C. , 1999. Adult vocational training and government policy in France and Britain. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 15(1), pp. 97-113. KOVACH, K. A. , 1987. What motivates employees? Workers and supervisors give different answers. Business horizons, 30(5), pp. 58-65. MASLOW, A. H. , 1948. â€Å"Higher† and â€Å"Lower† Needs. The Journal of psychology, 25(2), pp. 433-436. ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION & DEVE LOPMENT, 2004.OECD Employment Outlook 2004. Revised edn. Org. for Economic Cooperation & Development. STEEDMAN, H. , 1990. Improvements in in workforce Qualifications. Improvements in in workforce Qualifications: Britain and France 1978 – 88, pp. 129. VANTEIJLINGEN, E. , 2001. The Importance of Pilot Studies. Social Research Update, 35, pp. 1-2, 3, 4. YU, J. and COOPER, H. , 1983. A Quantitative Review of Research Design Effects on Response Rates to Questionnaires. Journal of Marketing Research, 20(1), pp. 36-44. Appendix The Questionnaire Training In The workplace I would like to thank you in advance for participating in my questionnaire.You have been selected to take part because you have undergone apprenticeship training within the last 12 months. The reason I am asking you to complete this is to aid my research at Hull University where I am a part time student. The information provided is anonymous and confidential and will not be shared with any part of the business, you r responses will have no effect on your employment and I would appreciate if you could be as honest as possible with your answers. Age Group (circle one age group) 18 – 2526 – 3334 – 41 42 – 4950 – 5758 – 6565+ Gender (tick one answer) MaleFemaleWhat is your highest level Education / Qualification? (Tick one you’re highest only) Degree Higher Education A Level O level GCSE Apprenticeships NVQ No Qualifications How would you rate the following in the order of what means the most to you. 1 being the most important to you and 5 least important to you. (Please write the numbers 1 to 5 in the boxes next to each option). A Qualification that is transferable in the workplace Self-satisfaction in your ability to complete a qualification Showing your employer you are capable of passing A qualification which enables you to perform better at workThinking you may get a pay rise for passing How do you rate the relevance of your training in respect of your employment? (Tick one answer) Very relevant Somewhat Relevant Relevant Not Relevant How will your training be used in your day to day work? (Tick one answer). I will use it every day I will use it most of the time I will use it some times I may use it sometimes I will not use it Part of the training involved key skills maths and English, do you think this element of the training should be included? (Tick one answer). Yes No Would you want to undertake further training? (Tick one answer) Yes No Why did you attend the training?

Free Essays on Barb Burning

Barn Burning analysis William Faulkner presents several interesting characters in the story, Barn Burning. Sarty Snopes a lonely ten-year old boy is one of these characters. His father, Abner moves the family around constantly and is a very evil man. Sarty had a rough childhood. He deserves sympathy and respect because he is lonely, courageous, and has good morals. Moving from place to place constantly Sarty is very lonely. His father packs up and moves the family to a new place time and again. The Snopes family never stays in one place for a long time. This lifestyle was tough on Sarty because he was unable to make any friends. Sarty’s family is not much help either since Sarty does not get along with his sisters or his brother who was much older. Even him and his mother did not get along. Loneliness is problem for Sarty and for this he deserves my sympathy. Although Sarty has no real friends or role models, he manages to have very good morals despite his father’s abusive and criminal behav ior. It would be easy for Sarty to follow in his father’s footsteps, but Sarty turned his father in and left. He is deserving of respect since he has such good morals. Another reason to respect Sarty is that when he finally got sick of his father’s wrongdoing he had the courage to leave. Sarty took off when his father had his mother tie him up to prevent him from turning his father in. After escaping from his family and hearing gun shots Sarty just starting running. He didn’t look back until he could no longer see the farm in flames. Leaving home at ten years old takes a lot of guts. Having enough courage to run away, Sarty is deserving of respect. Sarty deserves a lot of sympathy and respect. . Loneliness was a big part in Sarty’s life. Sarty didn’t let this affect him, though, and he stuck to his morals. For a ten-year old Sarty was also quite courageous. Our sympathy and respect should be given to Sarty.... Free Essays on Barb Burning Free Essays on Barb Burning Barn Burning analysis William Faulkner presents several interesting characters in the story, Barn Burning. Sarty Snopes a lonely ten-year old boy is one of these characters. His father, Abner moves the family around constantly and is a very evil man. Sarty had a rough childhood. He deserves sympathy and respect because he is lonely, courageous, and has good morals. Moving from place to place constantly Sarty is very lonely. His father packs up and moves the family to a new place time and again. The Snopes family never stays in one place for a long time. This lifestyle was tough on Sarty because he was unable to make any friends. Sarty’s family is not much help either since Sarty does not get along with his sisters or his brother who was much older. Even him and his mother did not get along. Loneliness is problem for Sarty and for this he deserves my sympathy. Although Sarty has no real friends or role models, he manages to have very good morals despite his father’s abusive and criminal behav ior. It would be easy for Sarty to follow in his father’s footsteps, but Sarty turned his father in and left. He is deserving of respect since he has such good morals. Another reason to respect Sarty is that when he finally got sick of his father’s wrongdoing he had the courage to leave. Sarty took off when his father had his mother tie him up to prevent him from turning his father in. After escaping from his family and hearing gun shots Sarty just starting running. He didn’t look back until he could no longer see the farm in flames. Leaving home at ten years old takes a lot of guts. Having enough courage to run away, Sarty is deserving of respect. Sarty deserves a lot of sympathy and respect. . Loneliness was a big part in Sarty’s life. Sarty didn’t let this affect him, though, and he stuck to his morals. For a ten-year old Sarty was also quite courageous. Our sympathy and respect should be given to Sarty....

Using Spanish Gerunds Without an Auxiliary Verb

Using Spanish Gerunds Without an Auxiliary Verb Although the Spanish verbal present participle or gerund - that is, the form of the verb that ends in -ando or -iendo - is most commonly used with estar and a few other verbs to form what are known as the progressive verb forms, it can also be used by itself (without an auxiliary verb) to indicate that something is being done or occurring while something else is occurring. In most such cases, the present participle can still be translated using the English -ing form of the verb. There are several ways in which sentences using the gerund can be translated or thought of in English. One common way is for it to be used as the equivalent of the English while followed by an -ing verb: Here are some examples: Llorà © escuchando tu voz. I cried while listening to your voice. Ganaron cinco partidos, perdiendo trece. They won five matches while losing 13.  ¿Soy la à ºnica en este planeta que se durmià ³ viendo El silencio de los inocentes? Am I the only person on this planet who fell asleep while watching The Silence of the Lambs? Los participantes comenzaron el estudio comiendo una dieta americana. The participants began the study while eating an American diet. Note that in most of the above English translations, the word while can be omitted with little or no change in meaning. In some cases (including some of the above examples, depending on how theyre interpreted), the gerund is used much like an adverb to describe how the action of the main verb is carried out: Mi amiga salià ³ corriendo. My friend left running. Finalmente se fue sonriendo. Finally he went away laughing. Sà ³lo compraron Nescafà ©, ignorando el resto de las marcas. They only bought Nescafà ©, ignoring the other brands. When the gerund is used to describe how something is done, it can often be translated using the English preposition by: Usted puede darles el mejor comienzo a sus bebà ©s teniendo un buen cuidado de usted. You can give your babies the best beginning by taking good care of yourself. Podemos ahorrar tiempo usando la bicicleta. We can save time by using the bicycle. Estudiando mucho, tendremos à ©xito. By studying hard, we will be successful. Often, in the English translation, the word by can be omitted with little or no change in meaning, as in the second example above. Note that while it is sometimes done in imitation of English, as in news headlines, it is not standard Spanish to use the gerund to affect the meaning of a noun. You would not use fumando, for example, to talk about the smoking man. Normally, youd use phrase such as el hombre que fuma. In effect, the Spanish gerund fulfills the function of an adverb, while the English gerund can take the role of an adjective.

The French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The French Revolution - Essay Example This study outlines that King Luis XVI also escalated the need for a revolution because he was known to be indecisive. He also had the habit of letting the strong opposition bring him to a position where he could not make a decision on his own. In as much as he reduced the government expenditure, he often was not strong enough to prevent the opposition from thwarting his attempts to create and enact the most important reforms. Therefore, it was easy for those who were against the French monarchy to spread propaganda against the king, thus arousing resentment towards it. From this paper it is clear that apart from the above factors, other issues also led to the eruption of the French revolution. These include the resentment of the people towards the royal absolutism. The peasants and laborers were also driven by poverty so they thought with the monarchy and the church out of power, they would be able to improve their lives. The people also felt intimidated by the Catholic Church power over the public policies and institutions too. Others also advocated for freedom of worship, combined with resentment towards the French queen known for her extravagant style. These were just among other reasons as to why the French revolution occurred. The main goals of the 1789 revolution were to create a constitutional monarchy which would allow for liberty in the French society (Emmet 23-24). Some of the liberties that the French people wanted to have been for instance; sovereignty for the nation, right to speech and conscience, freedom of employment regardless the status, and most importantly, the rights to own property. The people also wanted to have a new constitution that stripped the church off their powers. The new constitution was not to oppose the king but make him as a part of the nation while the church was to be replaced as a source of sovereignty. The people’s goals were inclined towards the rights of the people against the government.