Saturday, August 31, 2019

Foundation and Empire 11. Bride And Groom

THE MULE Less is known of â€Å"The Mule† than of any character of comparable significance to Galactic history. Even the period of his greatest renown is known to us chiefly through the eyes of his antagonists and, principally, through those of a young bride†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica Bayta's first sight of Haven was entirely the contrary of spectacular. Her husband pointed it out – a dull star lost in the emptiness of the Galaxy's edge. It was past the last sparse clusters, to where straggling points of light gleamed lonely. And even among these it was poor and inconspicuous. Toran was quite aware that as the earliest prelude to married life, the Red Dwarf lacked impressiveness and his lips curled self-consciously. â€Å"I know, Bay – It isn't exactly a proper change, is it? I mean from the Foundation to this.† â€Å"A horrible change, Toran. I should never have married you.† And when his face looked momentarily hurt, before he caught himself, she said with her special â€Å"cozy† tone, â€Å"All right, silly. Now let your lower lip droop and give me that special dying-duck look – the one just before you're supposed to bury your head on my shoulder, while I stroke your hair full of static electricity. You were fishing for some drivel, weren't you? You were expecting me to say ‘I'd be happy anywhere with you, Toran!' or ‘The interstellar depths themselves would be home, my sweet, were you but with me!' Now you admit it.† She pointed a finger at him and snatched it away an instant before his teeth closed upon it. He said, â€Å"If I surrender, and admit you're right, will you prepare dinner?† She nodded contentedly. He smiled, and just looked at her. She wasn't beautiful on the grand scale to others – he admitted that – even if everybody did look twice. Her hair was dark and glossy, though straight, her mouth a bit wide – but her meticulous, close-textured eyebrows separated a white, unlined forehead from the warmest mahogany eyes ever filled with smiles. And behind a very sturdily-built and staunchly-defended facade of practical, unromantic, hard-headedness towards life, there was just that little pool of softness that would never show if you poked for it, but could be reached if you knew just how – and never let on that you were looking for it. Toran adjusted the controls unnecessarily and decided to relax. He was one interstellar jump, and then several milli-microparsecs â€Å"on the straight† before manipulation by hand was necessary. He leaned over backwards to look into the storeroom, where Bayta was juggling appropriate containers. There was quite a bit of smugness about his attitude towards Bayta – the satisfied awe that marks the triumph of someone who has been hovering at the edge of an inferiority complex for three years. After all he was a provincial – and not merely a provincial, but the son of a renegade Trader. And she was of the Foundation itself – and not merely that, but she could trace her ancestry back to Mallow. And with all that, a tiny quiver underneath. To take her back to Haven, with its rock-world and cave-cities was bad enough. To have her face the traditional hostility of Trader for Foundation – nomad for city dweller – was worse. Still – After supper, the last jump! Haven was an angry crimson blaze, and the second planet was a ruddy patch of light with atmosphere-blurred rim and a half-sphere of darkness. Bayta leaned over the large view table with its spidering of crisscross lines that centered Haven II neatly. She said gravely, â€Å"I wish I had met your father first. If he takes a dislike to me-â€Å" â€Å"Then,† said Toran matter-of-factly, â€Å"you would be the first pretty girl to inspire that in him. Before he lost his arm and stopped roving around the Galaxy, he – Well, if you ask him about it, he'll talk to you about it till your ears wear down to a nubbin. After a while I got to thinking that he was embroidering; because he never told the same story twice the same way-â€Å" Haven II was rushing up at them now. The landlocked sea wheeled ponderously below them, slate-gray in the lowering dimness and lost to sight, here and there, among the wispy clouds. Mountains jutted raggedly along the coast. The sea became wrinkled with nearness and, as it veered off past the horizon just at the end, there was one vanishing glimpse of shore-hugging ice fields. Toran grunted under the fierce deceleration, â€Å"Is your suit locked?† Bayta's plump face was round and ruddy in the incasing sponge-foam of the internally-heated, skin-clinging costume. The ship lowered crunchingly on the open field just short of the lifting of the plateau. They climbed out awkwardly into the solid darkness of the outer-galactic night, and Bayta gasped as the sudden cold bit, and the thin wind swirled emptily. Toran seized her elbow and nudged her into an awkward run over the smooth, packed ground towards the sparking of artificial light in the distance. The advancing guards met them halfway, and after a whispered exchange of words, they were taken onward. The wind and the cold disappeared when the gate of rock opened and then closed behind them. The warm interior, white with wall-light, was filled with an incongruous humming bustle. Men looked up from their desks, and Toran produced documents. They were waved onward after a short glance and Toran whispered to his wife, â€Å"Dad must have fixed up the preliminaries. The usual lapse here is about five hours.† They burst into the open and Bayta said suddenly, â€Å"Oh, my-â€Å" The cave city was in daylight – the white daylight of a young sun. Not that there was a sun, of course. What should have been the sky was lost in the unfocused glow of an over-all brilliance. And the warm air was properly thick and fragrant with greenery. Bayta said, â€Å"Why, Toran, it's beautiful.† Toran grinned with anxious delight. â€Å"Well, now, Bay, it isn't like anything on the Foundation, of course, but it's the biggest city on Haven II – twenty thousand people, you know – and you'll get to like it. No amusement palaces, I'm afraid, but no secret police either.† â€Å"Oh, Torie, it's just like a toy city. It's all white and pink – and so clean.† â€Å"Well-† Toran looked at the city with her. The houses were two stories high for the most part, and of the smooth vein rock indigenous to the region. The spires of the Foundation were missing, and the colossal community houses of the Old Kingdoms – but the smallness was there and the individuality; a relic of personal initiative in a Galaxy of mass life. He snapped to sudden attention. â€Å"Bay – There's Dad! Right there – where I'm pointing, silly. Don't you see him?† She did. It was just the impression of a large man, waving frantically, fingers spread wide as though groping wildly in air. The deep thunder of a drawn-out shout reached them. Bayta trailed her husband, rushing downwards over the close-cropped lawn. She caught sight of a smaller man, white-haired, almost lost to view behind the robust One-arm, who still waved and still shouted. Toran cried over his shoulder, â€Å"It's my father's half-brother. The one who's been to the Foundation. You know.† They met in the grass, laughing and incoherent, and Toran's father let out a final whoop for sheer joy. He hitched at his short jacket and adjusted the metal-chased belt that was his one concession to luxury. His eyes shifted from one of the youngsters to the other, and then he said, a little out of breath, â€Å"You picked a rotten day to return home, boy!† â€Å"What? Oh, it is Seldon's birthday, isn't it?† â€Å"It is. I had to rent a car to make the trip here, and dragoon Randu to drive it. Not a public vehicle to be had at gun's point.† His eyes were on Bayta now, and didn't leave. He spoke to her more softly, â€Å"I have the crystal of you right here – and it's good, but I can see the fellow who took it was an amateur.† He had the small cube of transparency out of his jacket pocket and in the light the laughing little face within sprang to vivid colored life as a miniature Bayta. â€Å"That one!† said Bayta. â€Å"Now I wonder why Toran should send that caricature. I'm surprised you let me come near you, sir.† â€Å"Are you now? Call me Fran. I'll have none of this fancy mess. For that, I think you can take my arm, and we'll go on to the car. Till now I never did think my boy knew what he was ever up to. I think I'll change that opinion. I think I'll have to change that opinion.† Toran said to his half uncle softly, â€Å"How is the old man these days? Does he still hound the women?† Randu puckered up all over his face when he smiled. â€Å"When he can, Toran, when he can. There are times when he remembers that his next birthday will be his sixtieth, and that disheartens him. But he shouts it down, this evil thought, and then he is himself. He is a Trader of the ancient type. But you, Toran. Where did you find such a pretty wife?† The young man chuckled and linked arms. â€Å"Do you want a three years' history at a gasp, uncle?† It was in the small living room of the home that Bayta struggled out of her traveling cloak and hood and shook her hair loose. She sat down, crossing her knees, and returned the appreciative stare of this large, ruddy man. She said, â€Å"I know what you're trying to estimate, and I'll help you; Age, twenty-four, height, five-four, weight, one-ten, educational specialty, history.† She noticed that he always crooked his stand so as to hide the missing arm. But now Fran leaned close and said, â€Å"Since you mention it – weight, one-twenty.† He laughed loudly at her flush. Then he said to the company in general, â€Å"You can always tell a woman's weight by her upper arm – with due experience, of course. Do you want a drink, Bay?† â€Å"Among other things,† she said, and they left together, while Toran busied himself at the book shelves to check for new additions. Fran returned alone and said, â€Å"She'll be down later.† He lowered himself heavily into the large comer chair and placed his stiff-jointed left leg on the stool before it. The laughter had left his red face, and Toran turned to face him. Fran said, â€Å"Well, you're home, boy, and I'm glad you are. I like your woman. She's no whining ninny.† â€Å"I married her,† said Toran simply. â€Å"Well, that's another thing altogether, boy.† His eyes darkened. â€Å"It's a foolish way to tie up the future. In my longer life, and more experienced, I never did such a thing.† Randu interrupted from the comer where he stood quietly. â€Å"Now Franssart, what comparisons are you making? Till your crash landing six years ago you were never in one spot long enough to establish residence requirements for marriage, And since then, who would have you?† The one-armed man jerked erect in his seat and replied hotly, â€Å"Many, you snowy dotard-â€Å" Toran said with hasty tact, â€Å"It's largely a legal formality, Dad. The situation has its conveniences.† â€Å"Mostly for the woman,† grumbled Fran. â€Å"And even if so,† agreed Randu, â€Å"it's up to the boy to decide. Marriage is an old custom among the Foundationers.† â€Å"The Foundationers are not fit models for an honest Trader,† smoldered Fran. Toran broke in again, â€Å"My wife is a Foundationer.† He looked from one to the other, and then said quietly, â€Å"She's coming.† The conversation took a general turn after the evening meal, which Fran had spiced with three tales of reminiscence composed of equal parts of blood, women, profits, and embroidery. The small televisor was on, and some classic drama was playing itself out in an unregarded whisper. Randu had hitched himself into a more comfortable position on the low couch and gazed past the slow smoke of his long pipe to where Bayta had knelt down upon the softness of the white fur mat brought back once long ago from a trade mission and now spread out only upon the most ceremonious occasions. â€Å"You have studied history, my girl?† he asked, pleasantly. Bayta nodded. â€Å"I was the despair of my teachers, but I learned a bit, eventually.† â€Å"A citation for scholarship,† put in Toran, smugly, â€Å"that's all!† â€Å"And what did you learn?† proceeded Randu, smoothly. â€Å"Everything? Now?† laughed the girl. The old man smiled gently. â€Å"Well then, what do you think of the Galactic situation?† â€Å"I think,† said Bayta, concisely, â€Å"that a Seldon crisis is pending – and that if it isn't then away with the Seldon plan altogether. It is a failure.† (â€Å"Whew,† muttered Fran, from his comer. â€Å"What a way to speak of Seldon.† But he said nothing aloud.) Randu sucked at his pipe speculatively. â€Å"Indeed? Why do you say that? I was to the Foundation, you know, in my younger days, and I, too, once thought great dramatic thoughts. But, now, why do you say that?† â€Å"Well,† Bayta's eyes misted with thought as she curled her bare toes into the white softness of the rug and nestled her little chin in one plump hand, â€Å"it seems to me that the whole essence of Seldon's plan was to create a world better than the ancient one of the Galactic Empire. It was failing apart, that world, three centuries ago, when Seldon first established the Foundation – and if history speaks truly, it was falling apart of the triple disease of inertia, despotism, and maldistribution of the goods of the universe.† Randu nodded slowly, while Toran gazed with proud, luminous eyes at his wife, and Fran in the comer clucked his tongue and carefully refilled his glass. Bayta said, â€Å"If the story of Seldon is true, he foresaw the complete collapse of the Empire through his Jaws of psychohistory, and was able to predict the necessary thirty thousand years of barbarism before the establishment of a new Second Empire to restore civilization and culture to humanity. It was the whole aim of his life-work to set up such conditions as would insure a speedier rejuvenation,† The deep voice of Fran burst out, â€Å"And that's why he established the two Foundations, honor be to his name.† â€Å"And that's why he established the two Foundations,† assented Bayta. â€Å"Our Foundation was a gathering of the scientists of the dying Empire intended to carry on the science and learning of man to new heights. And the Foundation was so situated in space and the historical environment was such that through the careful calculations of his genius, Seldon foresaw that in one thousand years, it would become a newer, greater Empire.† There was a reverent silence. The girl said softly, â€Å"It's an old story. You all know it. For almost three centuries every human being of the Foundation has known it. But I thought it would be appropriate to go through it – just quickly. Today is Seldon's birthday, you know, and even if I am of the Foundation, and you are of Haven, we have that in common-â€Å" She lit a cigarette slowly, and watched the glowing tip absently. â€Å"The laws of history are as absolute as the laws of physics, and if the probabilities of error are greater, it is only because history does not deal with as many humans as physics does atoms, so that individual variations count for more. Seldon predicted a series of crises through the thousand years of growth, each of which would force a new turning of our history into a pre-calculated path. It is those crises which direct us – and therefore a crisis must come now. â€Å"Now!† she repeated, forcefully. â€Å"It's almost a century since the last one, and in that century, every vice of the Empire has been repeated in the Foundation. Inertia! Our ruling class knows one law; no change. Despotism! They know one rule; force. Maldistribution! They know one desire; to hold what is theirs.† â€Å"While others starve!† roared Fran suddenly with a mighty blow of his fist upon the arm of his chair. â€Å"Girl, your words are pearls. The fat guts on their moneybags ruin the Foundation, while the brave Traders hide their poverty on dregs of worlds like Haven. It's a disgrace to Seldon, a casting of dirt in his face, a spewing in his beard.† He raised his arm high, and then his face lengthened. â€Å"If I had my other arm! If – once – they had listened to me!† â€Å"Dad,† said Toran, â€Å"take it easy.† â€Å"Take it easy. Take it easy,† his father mimicked savagely. â€Å"We'll live here and die here forever – and you say, take it easy.† â€Å"That's our modern Lathan Devers,† said Randu, gesturing with his pipe, â€Å"this Fran of ours. Devers died in the slave mines eighty years ago with your husband's great-grandfather, because he lacked wisdom and didn't lack heart-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, by the Galaxy, I'd do the same if I were he,† swore Fran. â€Å"Devers was the greatest Trader in history – greater than the overblown windbag, Mallow, the Foundationers worship. If the cutthroats who lord the Foundation killed him because he loved justice, the greater the blood-debt owed them.† â€Å"Go on, girl,† said Randu. â€Å"Go on, or, surely, he'll talk a the night and rave all the next day.† â€Å"There's nothing to go on about,† she said, with a sudden gloom. â€Å"There must be a crisis, but I don't know how to make one. The progressive forces on the Foundation are oppressed fearfully. You Traders may have the will, but you are hunted and disunited. If all the forces of good will in and out of the Foundation could combine-â€Å" Fran's laugh was a raucous jeer. â€Å"Listen to her, Randu, listen to her. In and out of the Foundation, she says. Girl, girl, there's no hope in the flab-sides of the Foundation. Among them some hold the whip and the rest are whipped dead whipped. Not enough spunk left in the whole rotten world to outface one good Trader.† Bayta's attempted interruptions broke feebly against the overwhelming wind. Toran leaned over and put a hand over her mouth. â€Å"Dad,† he said, coldly, â€Å"you've never been on the Foundation. You know nothing about it. I tell you that the underground there is brave and daring enough. I could tell you that Bayta was one of them-â€Å" â€Å"All right, boy, no offense. Now, where's the cause for anger?† He was genuinely perturbed. Toran drove on fervently, â€Å"The trouble with you, Dad, is that you've got a provincial outlook. You think because some hundred thousand Traders scurry into holes on an unwanted planet at the end of nowhere, that they're a great people. Of course, any tax collector from the Foundation that gets here never leaves again, but that's cheap heroism. What would you do if the Foundation sent a fleet?† â€Å"We'd blast them,† said Fran, sharply. â€Å"And get blasted – with the balance in their favor. You're outnumbered, outarmed, outorganized – and as soon as the Foundation thinks it worth its while, you'll realize that. So you had better seek your allies – on the Foundation itself, if you can.† â€Å"Randu, said Fran, looking at his brother like a great, helpless bull. Randu took his pipe away from his lips, â€Å"The boy's right, Fran. When you listen to the little thoughts deep inside you, you know he is. But they're uncomfortable thoughts, so you drown them out with that roar of yours. But they're still there. Toran, I'll tell you why I brought all this up.† He puffed thoughtfully awhile, then dipped his pipe into the neck of the tray, waited for the silent flash, and withdrew it clean. Slowly, he filled it again with precise tamps of his little finger. He said, â€Å"Your little suggestion of Foundation's interest in us, Toran, is to the point. There have been two recent visits lately – for tax purposes. The disturbing point is that the second visitor was accompanied by a light patrol ship. They landed in Gleiar City – giving us the miss for a change – and they never lifted off again, naturally. But now they'll surely be back. Your father is aware of all this, Toran, he really is. â€Å"Look at the stubborn rakehell. He knows Haven is in trouble, and he knows we're helpless, but he repeats his formulas. It warms and protects him. But once he's had his say, and roared his defiance, and feels he's discharged his duty as a man and a Bull Trader, why he's as reasonable as any of us.† â€Å"Any of who?† asked Bayta. He smiled at her. â€Å"We've formed a little group, Bayta – just in our city. We haven't done anything, yet. We haven't even managed to contact the other cities yet, but it's a start.† â€Å"But towards what?† Randu shook his head. â€Å"We don't know-yet. We hope for a miracle. We have decided that, as you say, a Seldon crisis must be at hand.† He gestured widely upwards. â€Å"The Galaxy is full of the chips and splinters of the broken Empire. The generals swarm. Do you suppose the time may come when one will grow bold?† Bayta considered, and shook her head decisively, so that the long straight hair with the single inward curl at the end swirled about her ears. â€Å"No, not a chance. There's not one of those generals who doesn't know that an attack on the Foundation is suicide. Bel Riose of the old Empire was a better man than any of them, and he attacked with the resources of a galaxy, and couldn't win against the Seldon Plan. Is there one general that doesn't know that?† â€Å"But what if we spur them on?† â€Å"Into where? Into an atomic furnace? With what could you possibly spur them?† â€Å"Well, there is one – a new one. In this past year or two, there has come word of a strange man whom they call the Mule.† â€Å"The Mule?† She considered. â€Å"Ever hear of him, Torie?† Toran shook his head. She said, â€Å"What about him?† â€Å"I don't know. But he wins victories at, they say, impossible odds. The rumors may be exaggerated, but it would be interesting, in any case, to become acquainted with him. Not every man with sufficient ability and sufficient ambition would believe in Hari Seldon and his laws of psychohistory. We could encourage that disbelief. He might attack.† â€Å"And the Foundation would win.† â€Å"Yes – but not necessarily easily. It might be a crisis, and we could take advantage of such a crisis to force a compromise with the despots of the Foundation. At the worst, they would forget us long enough to enable us to plan farther.† â€Å"What do you think, Torie?† Toran smiled feebly and pulled at a loose brown curl that fell over one eye. â€Å"The way he describes it, it can't hurt; but who is the Mule? What do you know of him, Randu?† â€Å"Nothing yet. For that, we could use you, Toran. And your wife, if she's willing. We've talked of this, your father and I. We've talked of this thoroughly.† â€Å"In what way, Randu? What do you want of us?† The young man cast a quick inquisitive look at his wife. â€Å"Have you had a honeymoon?† â€Å"Well†¦ yes†¦ if you can call the trip from the Foundation a honeymoon.† â€Å"How about a better one on Kalgan? It's semitropical beaches – water sports – bird hunting – quite the vacation spot. It's about seven thousand parsecs in-not too far.† â€Å"What's on Kalgan?† â€Å"The Mule! His men, at least. He took it last month, and without a battle, though Kalgan's warlord broadcast a threat to blow the planet to ionic dust before giving it up.† â€Å"Where's the warlord now?† â€Å"He isn't,† said Randu, with a shrug. â€Å"What do you say?† â€Å"But what are we to do?† â€Å"I don't know. Fran and I are old; we're provincial. The Traders of Haven are all essentially provincial. Even you say so. Our trading is of a very restricted sort, and we're not the Galaxy roamers our ancestors were, Shut up, Fran! But you two know the Galaxy. Bayta, especially, speaks with a nice Foundation accent. We merely wish whatever you can find out. If you can make contact†¦ but we wouldn't expect that. Suppose you two think it over. You can meet our entire group if you wish†¦ oh, not before next week. You ought to have some time to catch your breath.† There was a pause and then Fran roared, â€Å"Who wants; another drink? I mean, besides me?†

Friday, August 30, 2019

Copyright Infringement Research Paper Essay

We are well into the year of 2011 and technology is continuing to advance and a faster and faster rate. As technology advances there continues to be more of an opportunity for things to go wrong. The ability of our society to obtain information has been becoming as easy as it has ever been. I simple line into the google search bar and you are looking at millions upon millions of lings and opportunities to attain information. With this source and hundreds or even thousands of these resources just like it, piracy and copyright issues have never been more of a problem. And a very serious problem at that. Copyright is defined as a set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. The exclusive rights are however balanced for public interest purposes with limitations and exceptions to the exclusive right – such as fair dealing and fair use. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression . In most jurisdictions copyright arises upon fixation and does not need to be registered. Copyright owners have the exclusive statutory right to exercise control over copying and other exploitation of the works for a specific period of time, after which the work is said to enter the public domain (1). While piracy is simply defined as the unauthorized use of another’s production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright (2). The definition of these two is strongly correlated and leaves them both dealing with the same issues that have been plaguing the creative minds of many people in recent times. Copyright and piracy issues have had a huge effect on how we are able to access information on the internet. Information is going to continue to get more difficult to attain the further into the future we get, but how will this directly effect us? First a generalized overview over the types of copyright and piracy strategies. The most common types of piracy of copyright-protected materials concerns books, music, films and software. Books: Book publishing has the longest history of dealing with piracy. Any unauthorized use of a copyrighted work, such as a book, school manual, journal article or sheet music, represents an infringement of copyright or a case of copyright piracy, unless covered by a copyright exception. Piracy of printed works affects both paper copies and works in digital format. In some developing countries, trade in pirated books often exceeds the legitimate market. Educational institutions represent a primary target market for pirates. Infringing activities include both illegal commercial photocopying and/or printing and reproduction of books and other printed material in digital form, as well as distribution in hard copy or digital format. Music: Music piracy includes both traditional unlawful use of music and unauthorized use of music on on-line communication networks. Bootlegging (unauthorized recording and duplication of a live or broadcast performance) and counterfeiting (unauthorized copying of the material support, labels, artwork and packaging) are the most widespread types of traditional music piracy. The unauthorized uploading and making available to the public of music files or downloading such files from an Internet site is referred to as Internet or on-line piracy. On-line piracy may also include certain uses of â€Å"streaming† technologies. Films: As in the case of music, film piracy is either traditional or done over the Internet. It includes, but is not limited to, videocassette and optical disc piracy, theatrical camcorder piracy, theatrical print theft, signal theft and broadcasting piracy, and on-line piracy. Software: Software piracy refers to practices that involve the unauthorized copying o f computer software. Internet (on-line) piracy: The unauthorized downloading or distribution over the Internet of unauthorized copies of works such as movies, music, video games and software is generally referred to as Internet or on-line piracy. Illicit downloads occur through file-sharing networks, illegal servers, websites and hacked computers. Hard goods pirates also use the Internet to sell illegally duplicated DVDs through auctions and websites.While trafficking copyrighted works through increasingly sophisticated electronic means, such as peer-to-peer file trading networks, Internet chat rooms, and newsgroups, has an ever increasing negative impact on cultural industries, it is also argued that curtailing this phenomenon limits the right of access to information, knowledge and culture (4). The problem in trying to prevent digital copyright infringement is tied up in the problem of regulating the Internet – an almost impossible feat, considering the World Wide Web today comprises more than 100 million individual Web sites. Regulators have been severely tried in recent years with the rise of peer-to-peer networks, with the most infamous being Napster. The brainchild of a 19-year-old college student, Napster launched in 1999 and revolutionized the way music sharing was conducted online. However, with such a quick rise to success comes the inevitable problems; in this case, the problems arose in the form of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and copyright lawsuits. While users of Napster saw nothing wrong with sharing music, the RIAA, which represents the four major music labels, saw the situation quite differently. By late 2000, the courts had ruled that Napster must restrict access to copyrighted files, a death-blow to the young network, for all intents and purposes. The media industry probably thought it was in the clear after the Napster fall-out, and to a degree it was, until a new source of copyright infringement rose up in 2005 and became even more widely success than Napster.†¨The story of YouTube, an online video-sharing network, is reminiscent of the beginnings of its music predecessor, Napster. Founded in February of 2005 by two 20-somethings, the idea for the company arose due to difficulties in sharing home videos with friends. When the site launched in May 2005, it contained about 30,000 videos. As with Napster, word of mouth allowed the company’s popularity to spread like wildfire. Less than 20 months later, visitors to the site watched 100 million videos a day. While many visitors to YouTube go to see the homemade videos, the company shares another similarity to Napster: its success is, in part, due to the illegal sharing of copyrighted files. YouTube’s terms of service forbid sharing of copyrighted materials, and the company monitors content to limit the number of violations, but copyrighted material still gets through. With such material widely popular among users of the site, the companies whose videos were being shared on the site saw the situation differently. In March of 2006, NBC asked YouTube to remove a Saturday Night Live skit. Viacom soon followed suit, threatening action against YouTube if it did not remove clips from Comedy Central shows like South Park and The Daily Show. Many industry insiders speculated that YouTube’s fate would follow in the footsteps of Napster. Rather than sit idly by, however, YouTube took action. The company began signing licensing agreements with companies including Warner Music, Sony BMG and CBS Corp., allowing the content providers to supply the clips and share in advertising revenue. YouTube also attempted to assuage the companies’ concerns with a promise to develop new software capable of finding and removing copyrighted materials. The biggest hope for YouTube, however, lies in its acquisition by Google, the search engine giant worth approximately $130 billion, which paid $1.65 billion to purchase YouTube on Oct. 9, 2006. While this acquisition did not remove the threat of future lawsuits, most analysts believed the power of Google and its many existing media partnerships will allow YouTube to avoid Napster’s fate. Additionally, Google’s technological advantages in finding and removing copyright infringement threats go far in easing the minds of the media companies. In my opinion Google’s many existing partnerships suggest that these companies will continue to do business with a Google-owned YouTube, rather than following the legal path they did with Napster and its related music piracy companies (3). The example of Napster and YouTube is a very generalized and a very modern look at the issue of copyright and piracy issues but I also feel that they are very high scale cases that represent the problem at hand very well. There are millions of similar small scale websites such as these that are stealing information and making money off of other peoples work. But as stated by Jessica Vitak above, how could you possibly be able to monitor such a vast array of internet sites? It is almost impossible to even fathom. Now that these two giants have brought the issue of copyright and piracy into the general publics eye we need to explore how this will effect the collection of information in our lives. Following up Napster and YouTube the new revolution with high speed internet connections is the ability to go after movies. As we know and have seen there is a lot of power in Hollywood. It is a multi-billion dollar industry and is a point of serious concern. A movie is a large amount of information that takes a lot of time and internet speed to be able to download. But again with the advancement of technology getting this type of file is no long more than a 20 minute download period. Many argue to say that this can have great effect on our economy because of the amount of money that this industry brings in. The Motion Picture Association of America warned against a â€Å"growing global epidemic† of movie piracy over the Internet this week, citing a survey of Internet users in which nearly one in four respondents had illegally downloaded a movie online. The study, conducted by online research company OTX, queried 3600 Net users in eight countries, and was cited by the MPAA as the harbinger of the tough times the industry faces ahead in grappling with online piracy. Although the MPAA participated in delivering the survey results it did not fund the study, an OTX representative says, adding that the company undertook the survey independently. According to the survey, 24 percent of respondents reported that they had downloaded a movie online, and 69 percent said that they did not believe that online music piracy was a major concern. The study was performed in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S., and shows a direct correlation between broadband penetration and the incidence of piracy, the researcher says. In Korea, for instance, where broadband penetration is estimated to stand at 98 percent, 58 percent of respondents said that they had downloaded a movie online (5). These are clearly alarming numbers and much higher than I think any one would guess if they were asked but, now that we know how high those numbers are what exactly is the effect. Clearly there must be a large loss of money but how great? And is that a number that we can even guesstimate on? The economic impact of movie piracy equated to $1.37 billion in lost revenue to the Australian economy and 6,100 jobs forgone over the 12 months to July 2010, according to a new report from the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT). The report, carried out by IPSOS and Oxford Economics and surveying 3500 adults, also found tax losses to movie piracy amounted to $193 million, while direct consumer spending losses to the movie industry, local distributors, producers and retailers amounted to $575 million. As much as one third of the Australian adult population had downloaded, streamed, burned or otherwise not paid for movie content during the period. Some 92 million pirated movies were also estimated to have been viewed or obtained within the period. According to AFACT executive director, Neil Gane, the findings showed that movie piracy had a destructive impact throughout the economy. â€Å"The film community is no different than any other sector of the economy that relies on skill, investment and hard work,† Gane said in a statement. â€Å"The losses are significant and the report highlights the need for urgency in addressing this problem.† AFACT members include Village Roadshow Limited, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia, Paramount Pictures Australia, Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox International. In September the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said it had embarked on a major crackdown of counterfeit goods, including pirated software, computers and CDs and DVDs, in a move hailed by as a victory by software companies such as Microsoft and representatives of the music and film and TV industries. The arrests were the result of investigations which had stemmed from information provided by industry stakeholders such as Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI), the Australian Federation against Copyright Theft (AFACT), the Trade Mark Investigations Service and the Union of European Football Associations (6). To me these numbers are amazingly alarming and are clearly a huge issue. Though they are not numbers from the United States of America they make it very evident that this is a world wide epidemic. The way that our economy is these days we cant afford to be losing out on any amount of money, let alone billions.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Ethical Problems and Managerial Decision Making Research Paper

Ethical Problems and Managerial Decision Making - Research Paper Example Sometimes, making the right decision conflicts with the organization's goals. Conversely, resolving in favor of the organization may conflict with one's personal values. In recent years, both the Academy of Human Resource Development and the Academy of Management dedicated entire volumes of their journals to ethics and integrity (Veiga, 2004). The journals contain case studies about the ethical dilemmas professionals face and present guidelines for solutions. People in occupations without a formal set of ethical standards must rely on their own instincts, backgrounds, experience, and judgment to handle ethical dilemmas that arise in the course of their work lives. Leaders at various levels of organizations, large and small, face ethical dilemmas daily and must be prepared to make the right decisions for the organization and for themselves (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999). There is a void in the empirical literature with respect to ethical decision-making because the literature on ethical decision-making has been based on hypothetical dilemmas instead of on actual situations. Decision Making Models When managers are faced with ethical dilemmas in their employing organizations, they are not always in control of the situation and often must consider other factors (e.g., employees, organizational risks, organizational pressure) in their decisions. Most of the ethical decision-making models have stemmed from the cognitive moral development theory of Kohlberg (1973). Two models that were introduced around the same time are those of Rest (1986) (Four-Component Model) and Trevino (1986) (Person-Situation Interactionist Model). Both Rest and Trevino expanded on the work of Kohlberg, and their models have been tested multiple times. Kohlberg, a social psychologist, was the first to expand Piaget's concept of stage development to include moral judgment. Moral judgment is a process of reflecting on one's values and choosing among them. Piaget, a Swiss biologist, was interested in how children reason. From his qualitative studies, he concluded that the ability to reason is age-related, and he identified cognitive stages ranging from infancy through adolescence. He studied moral judgment only in children under the age of 12 and held that cognition and affect develop separately, but in parallel ways, and that moral judgment is a cognitive process. Kohlberg's (1968) theory focuses on the moral reasoning process - how people decide which course of action to take when faced with an ethical dilemma. Using a research instrument that he developed, Kohlberg conducted a longitudinal study of 84 boys ages 10 to 16, following up at four-year intervals from 1956 to 1976. In the moral judgment interviews, Kohlberg presented the subjects with three dilemmas and asked the boys to tell what the resolution should be and why. The "why" is the determining factor for stage identification. People at different stages might reach the same conclusion, but Kohlberg was interested in the reasoning process. He was looking for consistency of reasoning across the issues. From his research, Kohlberg (1968) classified moral development into three levels, within which there are six stages, and concluded that there is a relationship between maturity of moral values and maturity of action in ethical dilemmas. He also concluded, like Piaget, that moral

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

My personal philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My personal philosophy - Essay Example Personally, I have a philosophy that I have to make a difference in someone’s life on a daily basis. Nursing enables me to do that and give the comfort of life I need. I believe in quality healthcare. People should be provided with proper medical attention regardless the social status. As a nurse I aim at ensuring every individual has the efficient access to medical care. I do my best to ensure more lives are saved and people feel appreciated by my field of practice. In person I believe in changing the society in the capacity of my ability. Nursing as an indulging career, there is need for evolution in the field to make it easier and efficient for medical care provision (Frank, 2010). As a nurse I always aim at embracing positive change and disregarding setbacks. Nursing school provides the interested parties with a real picture of the nursing life. It is meant to prepare them for their professional lives. Nursing school is the pillar in the production of quality nurses (Leslie,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

600 case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

600 - Case Study Example Often patients with ischemic stroke develop should be assessed for a wide variety of medical physiological symptoms. Recent literature suggests that one of the greatest predisposing factors to ischemic stroke often related to cardiac problems and diseases; which as a result give rise to characteristic neurological problems. Symptoms of ischemic stroke varied and attributed to many factors. As Feigin (2005) points out, one or more of the observed risk factors may increase the chances of development of the disease, for most patients, there is no sure sign that a stroke would occur. Subsequently, Bharucha et al, (1988) also claimed that the most common risk of stroke is family history and age. Other studies also suggests that other important predisposing risk factors to the disease include, patients with high blood pressure, which has since then been reported in 70% of medical patients, high level of cholesterol in blood, frequent cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular diseases in patients with history of occurrence of heart attack, vascular malformation and alcoholics. (American Heart Association, 2009) Equally, Sridharan, (1992) notes that acute stroke is a severe disease and as such 40% of the patients with stroke especially in acute stage often develop symptoms that are associated with speech difficulties or even difficulties in food swallowing experienced in varying degrees. George’s diagnosis revealed that he had speech related problems that could explain why his stroke would were at an acute stage and such fell into a coma. Despite these physical complications resulting from damage to brain tissue, other resulting complications cause by stroke include constipation, blood clot formation in the lower limbs, depression, pressure sore, swallowing disorders among others. Besides looking at the clinical symptoms characteristic of the disease, an examining doctor will look at the presence of predisposing risk factors of the disease

Monday, August 26, 2019

Business Process Analysis and Measurement Paper (Wal-Mart is the Essay

Business Process Analysis and Measurement Paper (Wal-Mart is the organization) - Essay Example Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the major retail organization in the United States which has been given number one rank on the Fortune 500 Index by Fortune Magazine (Hayden, Lee, McMahon, & Pereira, 2002). The Wal-Marts massive and great size, makes it wields incredible power and economic king. It has driven lesser retailers out of commerce; forced companies to be well-organized, frequently leading these suppliers to move industrial jobs overseas; and changed the methods that up till now large and established organizations were using. Wal-Mart has existence or death decisions over all the customer supplies industries that survive in the US, for the reason that it is the number-one supplier-retailer of the majority of customer goods, they sell not only toys, clothes, and shoes as well as home applications, electronic goods, sporting products, food, bicycles, groceries (Anderson, 2003). Wal-Mart has long been attached in world’s economy. The stores have facilitated customers to carry ou t most of their shopping in one convenient place, for that reason cutting down the quantity of time needed to carry out our shopping contrasted to going all over city to shop for what customers want on everyday basis. In recent times, people have been arguing whether Wal-Mart is in actual beneficiary or not to the financial system, and regarding the method it delights its employees. One group of such type calls its self the Wal-Mart watch and they are a set of widespread persons that share similar visions on how Wal-Mart is damaging to the economy and how poorly it treats its workers On the other hand there are community who almost beg Wal-Mart to approach to their city or town and construct a Wal-Mart shopping center (Bianco & Zellner, 2003). This section is presents the detailed analysis of the main four processes that the Wal-Mart uses to determine process performance in their daily business. The basic and most important intention and Wal-Mart are not direct competitors for the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

How does sociology and psychology influence drug abuse in our society Research Paper

How does sociology and psychology influence drug abuse in our society - Research Paper Example The competition and struggle for existence and better living standards are growing day by day in the current societies which actually increase the stress levels of the common public. The current public is tied up with so many commitments both at their family, society and workplaces. It is difficult for them to avoid any of such commitments and hence the struggle for fulfilling such commitments is giving sleepless nights and restless efforts both day and night. Under such tremendous pressure, it is difficult for a lay man to stay calm or relaxed even if he gets some leisure time. Such people often use either alcohol or drugs in order to forget about their worries and to stay away from their commitments at least for a while. Thus social and psychological factors are equally prominent in drug abuse cases. â€Å"Societies define not only the meaning of drugs but also the meaning of the drug experience; these definitions differ radically among different societies and among subgroups and subcultures within the same society. Social groups and cultures define what kind of drug taking is appropriate. They define which drugs are acceptable and which are not. They define who takes drugs and why. They decide what amounts of each drug are socially acceptable. They spell out which social situations are approved for drug use and which are not. They define what drugs do, what their actions and effects on people will be† (Knopf, 1972). Drugs are normally used to cure diseases. Some drugs have the ability to change the moods of a person. Such drugs are utilized for treating mental patients in order to change their moods or bring back their mental equilibrium. Society has no objection in utilizing such drugs for treating mental patients. On the other hand normal persons who use same drug for getting some pleasant mood are misusing it as per the sociological perspective. Thus the same drug used on different occasions is

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Chilhood obsity Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chilhood obsity - Research Proposal Example On course of the research, the researcher introduces a healthy child to the study population strata to act as a control variable for validating the tests. The researcher then compares the test results obtained from the obese children and the healthy child through a comprehensive and analytic process. If the obese children’s research proves positive for the health-associated benefits, then the researcher drafts a conclusion that obesity results in the benefits. The first instrument essential for this study is the heart rate distribution recorders in the clinical set-ups in Tampa, Florida. The instrument helps in the measurement of heart rate to ascertain the health associated benefits. The device is an eight-register integrator that is applied in recording the heart rate over a long duration usually 24 hours and over. The data recorded helps in assessing the daily physical activity in children who are the target group for this research. The instrument records the cardiac beat-to-beat interval in seven registers with a range of 40 to 225 H4 per minutes. The researcher tests for validity of the instrument through simultaneous evaluation of a manual acoustic monitoring system, an established system. Comparisons of the results from both the instruments should concur thereby validating the chosen instrument for the research. The next instruments are the weighing balance and tape measure to measure the weight against an individual’s height that is usable in calculating BMI. The instruments help in the classification and identification of the obese members of the population in Tampa, Florida. The researcher validates the instruments by taking measurements using the instruments and then ascertaining credibility by checking against accredited instruments by the state. Obesity is a leading cause of deaths in America. The government strives to design and research on the best preventive measures to adopt to reduce the

Strategy Of Oil Spill Disaster In The Gulf Of Mexico Essay

Strategy Of Oil Spill Disaster In The Gulf Of Mexico - Essay Example In the month of April, the year 2010, a platform for deepwater drilling in the Gulf, located fifty miles from the Louisiana coast capsized and sank due to an explosion. Several attempts to seal the top the well continued to be futile necessitating huge volumes of oil to spill and spread to the shores. The spills reached as far as the marshes Louisiana. The company that was behind the oil-drilling venture was the British Petroleum. The effects of this disaster are tremendous and cut across several sectors ranging from the economy to the biological sustainability. The oil spillage threatened the livelihood of more than four hundred species of wildlife. The sea animals whose lives were most threatened includes tuna, whales, and shrimps together with several species of birds. The land animals most affected by the disaster were the white-tailed deer, gray fox several amphibians like the snapping turtle and the alligator. The economic costs arising from the spillage in the Gulf were huge (The Daily Green 2010, p.1). For instance, by June 2010, the government had paid $ 62 million as compensation claims to 26,500 the residents in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the insurers will likely spend up to $ 1.5 billion in compensation. Close to 12, 000 residents of Louisiana are now jobless due to oil spills in the Gulf (The Daily Green 2010, p.1). For instance, by June 2010, the government had paid $ 62 million as compensation claims to 26,500 the residents in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the insurers will likely spend up to $ 1.5 billion in compensation. Close to 12, 000 residents of Louisiana are now jobless due to oil spills in the Gulf (The Daily Green 2010, p.1). This is not the initial time the British Petroleum industry has had to confront a disaster. A refinery that the company owns in the city of Texas experienced a massive explosion in 2005.

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Meaning and Value of Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Meaning and Value of Work - Essay Example The morals of a business aim at expressing the vision of high-quality work, excellent workplace, preserve the conditions necessary to make work reasonable, just as well as benevolent. Work has a number of instrumental values such as; to make profits, feelings of fulfillment, get social rank, make a significant involvement to the society, get a sense of self-worthy, as well as self-esteem. The inherent value of work is to carry it out for its own sake. There are three theories about the nature and meaning of work. These include â€Å"The Convectional View of Work, Liberal Model and The Human Fulfillment Model† (Barry & Shaw, 2009). The best one is the Liberal Model. This is because; it is moderate and can be abided by both the employees as well as employers. This model gives individuals freedom to give views relating to the work being done. Therefore, employers can discuss with their staffs matters affecting them as well as payment agreements (Barry & Shaw, 2009). Work is there fore planned before execution, policies, as well as procedures that regulate employee’s behavior are set. In addition, a suitable workforce is recruited and workers are motivated through either incentives or encouragement to attain the organizations goal. Most preferred Model by the People In my view, I believe that most people accept the Human Fulfillment Model, which is viewed based on the operational conditions for the employees, the remuneration given to them, rights, as well as reimbursements.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Zlatas Diary Essay Example for Free

Zlatas Diary Essay Imagine yourself as a child again, your living life in a tiny, freezing cold house with no gas, electricity or water and insufficient food. You cant go anywhere outside because it isnt safe. There is no school for you to attend because there are too many risks and no one is willing to teach. You dont ever see your friends, and the thought of them in danger is always on your mind. You have played with all your toys and read all your books. You don’t make any loud noises because your house faces the snipers. Youre growing out of all your clothes and your shoes no longer fit. Your always scared, and frightened to death because people around keep getting killed. And you dont know how long this is going to go on for, or if it’s ever going to end, and when it’s your turn to be shot at†¦ That’s what Zlata had to live with. Zlatas Diary is a diary text written by a young girl named Zlata Filipovic. The Diary begins in September of 1991 as a typical fifth-grader excited and enthusiastic about starting school, she records the beginning of starting school in Sarajevo. Within six weeks of the diary, her hometown was involved in terrible war, and she was soon facing deprivation and the death of close friends and classmates. Zlata and her father were forced to haul buckets of water to their apartment building. Bombs were falling continuously around the house, and sometimes smashing through windows, sometimes forcing the family to move into their damp, dark cellar. Sometimes Zlata would be left by herself while both of her parents tried to work. Constantly worried about the safety of her relatives and her own well being, she feared that the war would never end and she poured her deepest feelings into her beloved childhood diary, which she named Mimmy. During the war, Zlata and her family lose almost everything. Zlatas mothers place of work is soon totally destroyed. Zlata cant go to school with any regularity at all. She almost forgets what fruit and vegetables taste like! Some of Zlatas friends are murdered horribly, innocent children caught in the crossfire of someone elses war. Sarajevo soon transforms from an educated center of culture and friends, to a destroyed blood-pit in which survival for people becomes very difficult. Zlata even contemplates suicide but tries to be strong, especially for her mother, who is finding it extremely hard to deal with the war and the loss of her close friends and relatives, and also her job. Zlata admits she is a child without a childhood who only wants peace for Christmas in 1993. This line in the book especially was upsetting, as no child should ever be stripped of their childhood and innocence. Despite the horrible cycle of devastation and death, the neighborhood becomes a bit of a family, all sticking together. There are good people who look out for the children and make sure that Zlata and the other children around still gets an occasional chocolate bar, some clothes to fit their growing bodies and small birthday presents. The new family tries to still celebrate the holidays and birthdays and marriages that still occur. Zlata’s diary is soon published, it’s published during the war itself, and it was the only thing to save Zlata and her family. It was their ticket out of Sarajevo. Luckily, Zlata has a happy ending, happier than some of her friends and relatives. And of course, Zlata has never forgotten the war. She still continues to speak about the war. Zlatas Diary is a personal and sad record of a childhood lost to war. It was a truly inspirational and emotional book with an author who I feel deeply for. I would read this book again. It helps me to realize how lucky I have things and how precious life is.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Creativity and Innovation Management in Restaurant

Creativity and Innovation Management in Restaurant SUKHRAJ SINGH CREATIVE AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT In this document I am going to discuss about the Sousa restaurant that located in the Auckland in CBD. This document is the further part of previous recommendation for innovation in Sousa. Mainly in this document discuss the innovation plan for Sousa. As well as focus on the how to increase the motivation of staff and stakeholder returns. Also talk about the key barriers and how to implement the new creative and innovation idea on the Sousa organization. Determine study on the key goals of Sousa and practice of reward management and performance of curve. Create a plan strategy to control the overcome barriers and how to evaluate the company overcoming barriers. KEY BARRIES TO INNOVATION AT SOUSA We all know that every company faces lot of barriers even if it is new entrant or an old company. Every company tries to develop new inventions and new ideas. When some new ideas implement on company system someone handle easily but some company face lot of barriers. RESOURCE BARRIERS Resource barriers are barriers which related to resource required for efficiently running business. For example: Finances, Human Resources, Technology. Sousa is traditional restaurant but it has some resource barriers which should be taken care for successful running of business. HR- Human resources at Sousa are working since its existence. But all of them lack skills that are trained and equipped with latest requirements of the market. Technology- Sousa is using traditional ways of working. Use of traditional cash register and order booking on memo pad are example of lack of latest technology. Leadership- Sousa has a traditional ownership and none of the past owners and future owners (sons of owner) have leadership skills or experience. Leadership generally directs the future of an organization. So, without skilled leadership, Sousa will experience hard times for innovation. Tools and processes- just looking for innovation and asking employees to do innovative way is not a solution of creating innovation in organization. However, without tools and processes employees find it difficult to generate new ideas. Overcoming the barriers While there are some barriers to innovation in Sousa, there must be some things to overcome these barriers. While overcoming these barriers to innovation; always dig deep to get better solutions to overcome barriers. Organizational culture and innovation Success of organization is so much depends on the culture of organization. Sousa has a very traditional culture of working without many efforts to do something new. Culture of organization impacts the employee’s performance, the interest of investors and suppliers behaviors towards organization. Alignment of the goals plans of organization with organizational culture is necessary. While, Sousa will need a big route level change to implement innovation in organization, culture change is necessary. Awareness of culture is necessary. At the moment, most of the employees are just working for day to day works without any future aspects worries about organizations future. They feel safe and secure with long term relations to Sousa, so making them feeling of new needs is necessary while providing them tools to enhance their interest and skills for innovation. Tools of creating culture of innovation: Increase passion- talk with employees, involve them in organization strategy, ask for solutions, and attach them to a mission of big organizational change and survival + growth of organization. Rewards – rewards and recognition culture should be aligned to involvement in organizational planning and implementation to new ideas. Each employee that comes up with some genuine ideas should be praised or provided some monetary rewards. Give confidence to employees- give confidence to employees to take decision to their own. Most of the employees take it difficult to decide on small issues by their own. Going to boss for every little decision decrease self confidence of employees. So, employees should be given confidence to take decisions which will enhance their ability and confidence for getting solutions to problems. Fail forward- give confidence to people who give ideas that ultimately results in failure when implemented. The main thing is to fail early and try something new, this will make it sure that time and resources are utilized properly. Think little- small organizations like Sousa thinks that they are not big enough to penetrate with new innovations. This mindset shouldn’t be encouraged in Sousa. Each large business started small some day in history. ATTITUDES In a practiced place of work location, bad attitude be able to influence everybody and reason clash with employees. In a number of cases attitude harms are capable to be unseen by the majority of workers and a creative employee through a small attitude difficulty is not a disruption. A boss needs to study how to identify increasing attitude problems inside the place of work to stop them as of suitable a disruption. Everyone face attitude in every place where they go like local area and where they work. In sample words attitudes are the way of thinking towards the person our work. This is also relating to the workplace and outside area. Mainly attitudes has three different components these are as Cognitive – it’s mean what we think, other one is Belief, Affective: the way how to dealing with feeling or emotions, Co native- this show that what action we will take towards something. According to the case study attitudes is the one of main barrier for Sousa, because Sousa used old methods of food making they can’t used new technology equipment so it’s hard to Sousa employee to used new food making equipment like new BBQ chambers. They fellows also do not know how they take order with new ipad and how the show the new deals to customer on ipad. Sousa management should provide proper training to front staff how they used this things. Otherwise this put negative attitudes on customers and become barrier for Sousa. Management know that if they can invest lot money on new food making machines but they cannot trained our employees it’s become big barrier towards the Sousa marketing. Sousa management try to fined the sample and easy way to how they trained our staff and staff should learn new skills and delivery service. REWARD MANAGEMENT Reward means that thing given to employee because of his contribution to company. Most of company gives rewards in incentives and some company give employee of month and some give like pay increments. Few companies design reward system regular with organizational goals, visions, missions and job performances. In other words reward systems define that total return given by an employer to a company staff. Simply reward management main motivate is to give motivation to our employees. According to Sousa case study they need to make a perfect reward management because Sousa implements lot of new things in our store. Sousa has 14 restaurant employees and 2 duty managers. Sousa management makes new reward policy when company any employee helps Sousa to achieve goal a reward often follow, but one thing management keep in mind because some time one employee feel jealous to other employee like cast, color and some other reason like harassment. When these type of happen seen in company and workplace area it also put bad impact on the employee work ability. PERFORMANCE OF CURVE The change curve model is originated in 1969 by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross to reveal the performance of people while they come to identify that they have sickness. These years this model is new to each challenge and emergency at what time an organization change their offered strategies or method of job. Likewise as among all models opinion, it has difficulty and debaters, on the other hand, it is a good equipment to use to understand anywhere individuals are in their tour during change. Thus this sympathetic can help director adapt approach and doing well communication to people organization the change, selection them through the move about effectively. Sousa restaurant follow the old traditional way to food making and order taking. But if they can want change in our restaurant then they can try to some changes in staff area like hire new employees those are well experience in food making area, they also know how they can used the new food making machines like they can know what food need how much time and how much temperature because every dish making style is different. Nowadays in Auckland there are lot new people arrive like Indian, Japanese, and European. FIRST STAGE Sometimes any change set up to people in early stages people get shocked and mostly someone are probably they just say straight way disagree to adopt this change. Sousa employee should be shocked when the owner represents the new plan like hire new employees and new technologies machines. SECOND STAGE Anger- is the next stage. The scapegoat, inside the structure of the business, group or exacting person, is often practical. Focus the fault through an individual or one item will let am additional room of the denial by generous one more importance for the doubts since fine anxieties the potential shock can be produce. THIRD STAGE Retaining the exacting commitment to working of individuals, facilitating these people from the change curve, it will eventually grow to be obvious how the change will be here to keep. It is not any fashion and also large changes into their day-to-day lives could possibly be ought to take place. At this stage, folks will frequently try to skimp on a good end result to the change. Communication plan for implementing innovation in Sousa Stakeholder: Stakeholders are someone who have any type of interest in the business activities of organization. Stakeholders of organization I am going to discuss the most important stakeholder of Sousa, that are customers. Customers in Sousa are long term customers and were very loyal till times, but due to introduction of new restaurants in Auckland and change in customer mindset forced them to change to other restaurants which results in falling sales for Sousa. Communication plan for stakeholders: Customers adapt new thing very quickly these days. They get bored very quickly and always look for something new that is convenient to use and interesting. So, communication of innovation in Sousa to customers is necessary. Strategic communication plan This is a planned strategy that is analytical to get par the challenges of getting innovation in Sousa. Communication plan pre requirements: Analysis of stakeholders analyse the customers and their needs for communication. Channel assessment which should be the best channel of communication. For example, advertisement is one of the ways to communicate to customers. Development of communication plan: Time of communication innovation should be communicated while implementation is in process and when it is fully implemented. So, communication with customers should be regular. Required changes in customer behaviour customers should be positively adapting innovation in Sousa. This should result in most customer visits and sales. Message of occasion message should be clear to customer. They must get that which innovation ideas are implemented and what is new in Sousa. Channels of communication best channel of communication to customers are one to one talks within the restaurant. Apart from that, social media and posters should be also used.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Techniques of Data Warehousing

Techniques of Data Warehousing Data Warehousing is the method for reporting and data analysis, also known to be the care component of business intelligence environment.   Data can be a wide range of things, form financial to management.   With everybody within the organization having access to some form of data; security and integrity is always at risk. A Transactional Database is where a database transaction might consist of one or more data-manipulation statements and queries, each reading and/or writing information in the database.   Ex. Gym memberships, credit card purchases and mostly every banking transaction in all countries are recorded in databases unless youre paying cash.   The risk and integrity of these transactions are always accessed.   Many insurance company take the risk that their customers may never need them but always pay the bill. Even though there are some laws regarding the disclosure of health and other private information.   But the legal protection of privacy regarding the disclosure of grocery shopping habits and other things for example is slim to none in the US.   Therefore, you are at the mercy of the self-imposed privacy policies of the individual companies you deal with along with your ability to stay out of those transactional databases in the first place. Within a data warehouse you have two systems in place; OLTP and OLAP.   OLTP (On-line Transaction Processing) is characterized by a large number of short on-line transactions (INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE). The main emphasis for OLTP systems is put on very fast query processing, maintaining data integrity in multi-access environments and an effectiveness measured by number of transactions per second.   OLAP (On-line Analytical Processing) is characterized by relatively low volume of transactions. Queries are often very complex and involve aggregations. For OLAP systems a response time is an effectiveness measure. OLAP applications are widely used by Data Mining techniques. Another important factor to consider is the use of Business Intelligence.   Business Intelligence or BI is the technology infrastructure for gaining maximum information from available data for the purpose of improving business processes.   Typical BI infrastructure components are as follows: software solution for gathering, cleansing, integrating, analyzing and sharing data.   Business Intelligence produces analysis and provides believable information to help making effective and high quality business decisions. Data across Borders have become more common and frequent in everyday business.   Over the last 20 years, patterns of global dataflow have evolved at a rapid pace due to developments in global communication networks and business processes. As data is moved from data center to data center and/or across borders, security breaches become a tangible risk. To effectively protect data you must consider its lifecycle. The main features of the data lifecycle are: Create/Capture: To Receive or create data, whether captured from a website, a file transfer or a physical acquisition, will affect handling. Every method of creation or capture is going to require a different form of protection to ensure the information is safeguarded. Index and Classify: Once the data has been securely acquired, certain rules must be applied. The first step is to identify the type of data acquired. Is it personally identifiable information (PII)? Is it an image or a document? What kind of document is it?   Categorizing the document will make the process mare efficient. Store/Manage:   Where the data is stored will drive what protection controls are applied. If the data consists of PII or potential PII, then the organization may be legally required to store the data in a disk-based encryption format and encrypt backup copies of the data. Retrieve/Publish: After securely transferring data across the border, enable availability for use by ensuring that data is encrypted at each stage when transferred, stored and displayed.   Data cannot be decrypted in countries where it is not being transferred to, and access to systems such as network paths which enable cross-border transfers must be controlled. Process: To ensure the data is only used for authorized purposes and in compliance with applicable laws, application controls and metadata tagging are helpful tools. Archive: Once Data in not nedded, issues of long-term storage in compliance with the applicable policies and legal requirements arise. Is the backup onsite or offsite? Do your backups cross international borders? Are the backups governed by other countries privacy and data protection laws? The answers to these questions will help ensure that all potential risk areas are mitigated. Destroy: Sooner or later data will be deemed unusable, in accordance with applicable legislation. Ensure the destruction of archives, files, physical copies and any other copies. However, processes need to be in place for data excluded from regularly scheduled destruction cycles. For example, data subject to legal holds and discovery requests, as well as data governed by cross-border privacy legislation. Even with the most robust policies, processes and systems, continuous vigilance is required. Organizations should; Monitor change to regulatory and security. References: http://www.howtovanish.com/2009/11/transactional-databases-what-me-worry/ http://datawarehouse4u.info/OLTP-vs-OLAP.html http://datawarehouse4u.info/What-is-Business-Intelligence.html http://www.globallegalpost.com/commentary/data-across-borders-96787229/

Monday, August 19, 2019

Experience of World War One Portrayed by Siegfried Sassoon and Erich Re

Whilst patriotism and romanticism initially called men to war in 1914, by 1918 the idealism soon changed with the reality of trench warfare. Soldiers from across Europe, and indeed the world, first entered World War One with innocent enthusiasm. The expectations of the young men who joined, however, were shaped by the culture of age. It was the romantic mood of the time which essentially reinforced the hope that war would be won in honorable battle and ‘be over by Christmas’. These expectations were far from reality. The experience of war at the Western front was marked with the realities of modern warfare. Indeed, the old methods of fighting yielded to a static war of attrition, characterized by great battles, such as that of the Somme in 1916. However, it was the periods spent in rest that most dramatically affected the morale of individuals over time. The ceaseless artillery bombardment and futile offences created uncertainty and frustration among soldiers in the tre nches. And it is their experience of disillusionment and war weariness, which is most poignantly reflected in the literary evidence of Siegfried Sassoon and Erich Remarque. Whilst such literary works are limited as historical evidence, collectively, they provide a telling review of the war experience in Britain, Germany, France and Australia between 1914 and 1918. Soldiers entered the war in 1914 under idealistic expectations. By mid-September, 500 000 men had volunteered in Britain, and by 1915 over one million had joined up. What precipitated these men to join was, essentially, the culture of age. It was war propaganda in Britain, Germany and Australia that most significantly shaped the romantic and idealistic mood of the time. More so than ever, the war ex... ... illusions of 1914. In a culture of age, which portrayed war in a patriotic and romanticised image, the soldiers flocked expecting adventure and heroism at the front. Then, there came the period of harsh reality in the trenches. In the great battles of 1916 the soldiers experienced attrition in battle and harrowing living conditions at rest. It was, therefore, the combination of physical and psychological factors that most significantly affected individuals over time in the trenches. And then later, there came the final agony of 1918. The frustration and bitterness which met the soldiers over time is most profoundly reflected in the literature of war. Simultaneous to these developments were the war experiences of women at the home front. In any case, by November 11th 1918 the armistice had ended the war. However, the difficult task of making peace still lay ahead.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

My Friend Essay -- describe a potential classmate

Question: Many students expand their view of the world during their time in college. Such growth often results from encounters between students who have lived different cultural, economic, or academic experiences. With your future growth in mind, describe a potential classmate that you believe you could learn from either within or outside a formal classroom environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is hard to think about specific qualities of someone whom I could learn from without examining my own background and surroundings. My hometown of Wayland, Massachusetts is probably much different than Austin, Texas. Wayland is a small suburban town about twenty miles west of Boston. It is not extremely crowded here, but there are probably enough people and buildings to generate at least a small sense of claustrophobia in someone who is used to an open landscape. Wayland is a very intellectual community, and virtually all of the adults are well educated and many hold a professional degree. Most of the high school students are diligent about their studies, and just about everybody lives a comfortable, safe life here. Unfortunately, there isn’t much excitement in this town, and unless one stays busy with a hobby, job, or other activity, it can be downright boring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My friend, Bob was much different than anyone I knew in Wayland. I’d have to say some of my friends from Wayland would probably think Bob is a hick because of his rural background, but he’s smarter than just about all of them. I met... My Friend Essay -- describe a potential classmate Question: Many students expand their view of the world during their time in college. Such growth often results from encounters between students who have lived different cultural, economic, or academic experiences. With your future growth in mind, describe a potential classmate that you believe you could learn from either within or outside a formal classroom environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is hard to think about specific qualities of someone whom I could learn from without examining my own background and surroundings. My hometown of Wayland, Massachusetts is probably much different than Austin, Texas. Wayland is a small suburban town about twenty miles west of Boston. It is not extremely crowded here, but there are probably enough people and buildings to generate at least a small sense of claustrophobia in someone who is used to an open landscape. Wayland is a very intellectual community, and virtually all of the adults are well educated and many hold a professional degree. Most of the high school students are diligent about their studies, and just about everybody lives a comfortable, safe life here. Unfortunately, there isn’t much excitement in this town, and unless one stays busy with a hobby, job, or other activity, it can be downright boring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My friend, Bob was much different than anyone I knew in Wayland. I’d have to say some of my friends from Wayland would probably think Bob is a hick because of his rural background, but he’s smarter than just about all of them. I met...

Macbeth :: essays research papers

"Macbeth Essay" In the play Macbeth we see many common themes that do emerge. One of which is the theme of ambition which will at the end eventually lead to the death of the main character. We see this in the eventual death of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In this essay I hope to show the dominant theme of ambition and how it leads to the downfall of the main characters in the play. We first start to see Macbeth getting his ambition to become king in his quote when he says "if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir"(I.iii.34-37). Here we see that Macbeth is growing impatient and eager to become the king. He just doesn’t want to sit back and wait for himself to be crowned and let destiny run it’s course, he wants to be part of it when it happens, and he wants to be king right now. And this is when it all turns downhill. He is starting to become very ambitious for the thrown. We will also soon see that he will stop at nothing short of killing the current king and he will even go so far as to kill one of his friends, and try to kill his son in order to try and become the new king. Next we see this theme again when Macbeth says "Me thought I heard a voice cry "Sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep," the innocent sleep"(II.ii.64-66). Here again we see Macbeth is starting to hear voices and he is starting to go a little crazy. Here is where things really start to head downhill, and they go down fast. Because of Macbeth’s ambition for king he has killed the current king. Now he thinks he is hearing voices that keep him from getting his sleep. And as we will later see, Macbeth will eventually die due to his over eager ambition to become the new king. The event of killing the king will set into play a whole chain of events that will soon show the downfall of Macbeth from his short lived thrown. On the other hand we can also see this ambition with Lady Macbeth. She also shows us the signs that she is getting over ambitious to become the new queen when she says "Thou wouldst be great; Art not without Ambition, but without, the illness should attend it"(I.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The health issues of obesity which is defined as an eating disorder and an associated serious health concern

With in this assignment I will discuss the health issues of obesity which is defined as an eating disorder and an associated serious health concern that is defined by excess weight Colditz & Dietz, (1999) I will also discuss the holist issues that may impact on an individual healthy lifestyle. I will identify one government policy that has been put in place to help alleviate the problem of obesity, and explore the nurse's role in relation to the policy. Using relevant evidence such as literature reviews and researched articles I will support my findings, and conclude by giving an overall summary of the main point of this essay. BMI is widely used to define obesity (WHO, 1998). And is calculated as BMI = Weight (kg)/Height2 (m). A person that is obesity has a larger amount of extra body fat and is more prone to the risks of serious health problems such as Heart disease, stroke, High blood pressure and Diabetes. (Cynthia Haines 2005). Obesity can be hereditary, but only develops from overeating, irregular meals and having a lack of daily physical activity Arne Astrup (2005) The Holism impact involves looking at every aspect of a person's life and wellbeing and trying to understand the reasons why they have developed theses holistic issues. This may involve there physical, physiological, social and spiritual impacts of there lifes. Kolcabu,R. ,1997 defines holism as the belief that a whole person can consist of these compartments and suggest that these compartments are intimately connected with a persons physical body. The psychological impact of obesity may consist of low self-image and lack of confidence, social stigma, reduced mobility and a poorer quality of life, obese children and adolescents face stigmatisation and discrimination in many areas of their lives. It has been assumed that their psychological well-being will be compromised both as a direct consequence of this social adversity, and indirectly through negative ‘reflected self-appraisal'. Wardle J. (2005) The holist social impact on obesity can result from an underlying pathological condition, e. . hypothyroidism which is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone, the current trends lie with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary habits, which are particularly seen in the lower socio-economic groups. (National statistics 2001) Research has also suggested that the main problem is the continual reduction in the amount of exercise people take and argued that many overweight children have overweig ht parent which is often a matter of a family's lifestyle. Dr Rob Hicks 2006). The spiritual issues of obesity may involve the lack of meaning and purpose of how they perceives there out look on life, It has been suggested that psychological classes and therapies sessions may provide individuals the opportunity to develop some insight into there old patterns of life and develop healthier skills which can in turn help and deal with there issues of obesity that can then increase there likelihood of restoring a healthier life style. Physical activity are also a major aspect on a person's life in the relation of body composition, it is suggested that weight gain is associated with periods of a lack of activity and argue that by increasing physical activity body fat can be reduced. Behnke, A. , (1974). The Royal College of GPs (2004) have stated that exercise needs to be made more affordable and accessible to people living in the UK as the Lack of physical activity is found to be the most significant factor to the contribution to childhood obesity and is contributed to inactivity's, such as watching television or sitting playing computer games. Ref I suggest that the over all spectrum of society must work to together to tackle the effects of obesity and may involves marketing less fast food outlets and giving people on low incomes free gym membership, I suggest with theses alteration in place the financial and health impacts on obesity would decrease considerably as according to The Health Select Committee has estimated that the costs of obesity is around i3. – i3. 7 billion per year and suggest if there were less obese people in this country 15,000 fewer people would develop conditions such as coronary heart disease, 34,000 fewer people would developing type 2 diabetes, and 99,000 fewer people would develop high blood pressure. (Department of health 2007) However measures have already been put in place to try and tackle theses health implication. The new NICE guidelines (2006) a government policy have clinical guideline on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children and covers how G. P's and hospitals asses whether people are overweight or obese as well as ways of helping people lose weight and stay healthy. However it is still considered that peolel in our socieit can sometimes find it very difficult talk about their weight issues as There is still a lot of stigma and shame connected to obesity Professor Thomas (2004) I suggest that the nurse role explored in this government policy is to help individuals try accept there obesity as a condition, establish family history and there views around there condition of obesity and consider some of the possible health reasons why weight loss is considered necessary for them, this may include changing there eating patterns and increasing levels of physical activities. NICE 2006) other Interventions may include encouraging the increase of fresh fruit and vegetables (five portions a day) a Government recommendation (Department of health2003). Confectionery firms have also been told to shelve some of their king size chocolate bars in a bid to tackle obesity however Z Linnell, Bucks, UK argues that It isn't the size of the chocolate bar that is to bla me for obesity but the frequency in which people eat it. The Department However there are May barriers that may discourage healthy eating such as cultural barriers ethnic minority populations wear them view obesity as a more positive with neutral value Kumanyika, s. K 1994. Other barriers may include the lack of knowledge, attitudes, motivation and skills that involve the buying, preparing and eating health foods. . of Health said the NHS already allowed GPs to refer patients to gyms for a subsidised membership I conclude that this may suggest that all the holistic issues of an individual can be an important aspect for long-term weight and body fat regulation and Good health and effective learning go hand in hand as a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. and agreement with the that by taking the ‘Small Changes of obesity such as promoting physical activity across the board can make Big Difference to people's long-term health (Caroline Flint 2006)

Friday, August 16, 2019

English Term Paper Essay

I. Introduction: Technology is people using tool, resources, and processes to solve problems or extend their capabilities. Technology has existed as long as people have existed. It is always changing and never tends to stand still. Through the use of technology, a student can easily get the corresponding feedback for his works. He makes use of technology in getting correct answers and start solving again. The integration of technology results to a more student-centered education. It serves as an instrument on gaining access and manipulating information where students become actively involved in the process of learning. It is very obvious that the people especially students of our generation are now attached to computers, specifically to those computer games that are famous nowadays. Instead of reading books or browsing the net for school reports, we can’t deny that student tends to go online or play the computer first. Computer games are video games played on a general-purpose personal  computers rather than a dedicated video game console or arcade machine. It is very evident that a lot of students are developing bad habits that are caused by those computer games with violence as the main theme of the game. Most of the time, students keep on spending large amount of time in front of the computer doing unnecessary things, specifically playing computer games which usually leads into being a computer addict. Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse dependency consequences. Computer games addiction has no physical component or objective diagnosis, but many of the consequences are similar to alcoholism or drug addiction. This type of addiction mostly affects the behavior of a person which may lead to a more serious case. Computer games addict mostly isolate themselves from normal human contacts. They change a lot and begin to ignore the others. An addict sometimes gets bankrupted or broke due to spending a lot for their vices. They also begin to be detached from their own families and violence is being spotted already. II. Objectives and Questions: This research aims to: 1. Know different computer games that the students are getting addicted to. 2. Identify the effects of computer games to the studies of the students. 3. Provide or suggest different ways to avoid computer games. This research aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the effects of computer games to the studies and characters of the students? 2. What are the possible solutions that can help the students avoid computer games? 3. What are the different computer games that the students are getting addicted to? 4. What are the ways to prevent computer addiction? 5. Why can’t students resist playing computer games? III. Significance of the Study: In this study, we can help the students know the effects of computer games to their study habits and also their daily lives. Also to let them know the effects of getting addicted to it, the time they spent in front of the computer may be reduced. The time for more productive activities will be recognized and study habits may be more successful. We also wish to let people learn in this study to control their computer addiction and let them have the knowledge to know the advantages and disadvantages of computer games. IV. Scope and Delimitation This study only covers students from the high school department of St. Mary’s College of Meycauayan, school year 2012 – 2013. Our group will be doing surveys from random students of the said department. This research only aims to help students reduce or prevent their unwavering love for those computer games which somehow distracts their study habits. We do hope that this research could help them. V. Terminologies 1. Technology – a capability given by the practical application of knowledge 2. Addiction – is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse dependency consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. 3. D.O.T.A – Defense of the Ancients (DotA) is a multiplayer online battle arena mod for the video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the â€Å"Aeon of Strife† map for StarCraft. The objective of the scenario is for each team to destroy the opponents’ Ancients, heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map. 4. Violence – the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. Chapter II: Review of Related Literature I. Related Literature â€Å"Nowadays, Googling and Facebooking are the most common daily activities in our society. 16 out of 16 first year students surveyed by the researchers at Mapua Institute of Technology said that they always do Googling and Facebooking. The huge time that collegestudents waste increases.Computer Addiction 4Students aside from doing school project also try to update with  the celebrity gossips andvisit the sites where they can easily find news about favorite celebrities and reading magazines.Sometimes they are obsessed with glamorous life of celebrities that make them forget what they should do as students. The addicted students always feel anxious or depressed when their computer time is shortened and they also easily become angry when being disturbed(Derevensky & Gupta, 2004). Students tend to surf the net first and gather many info on news,celebrity gossip, and organizing data, which is too much that not all of the information can beused (Derevensky & Gupta, 2004). Internet addiction disorder refers to the problematic use of the Internet, including thevarious aspects of its technology, such as electronic mail (e-mail) and the World Wide Web(American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Students nowadays do have a known disorder, whichis the IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder). They may not be able to know that they have thisdisorder until they realized that playing or using computer is more prioritized than doing schoolworks. Students get so obsessed with online gaming like Defense of the Ancient, Left for Dead,Cabal, etc. that they tend to sacrifice their academic sides just to go to computer shops and play,not noticing the time while using the computer (Sharples, 2009;Self-Help: Computer Addiction,2008). According to the survey conducted by the researchers at Mapua Institute of Technology, 9out of 16 students are at risk of being hooked with the computer games and have academicfailure for the first quarter of school year 2009-2010. They make conscious efforts just to be withtheir computers and continue failing. Also for the fact that they miss events or opportunities withfamily and friends also with non-computer related tasks because of the time spent on theComputer Addiction 5computer.† â€Å"Computer games addiction is not a physical disease or mental illness. It does not have an entry of its own in the DSM-IV. It describes a behavior that has become increasingly familiar with the rise of computer game popularity. A person with this type of addiction sets aside practically all other activities in favor of playing computer games almost endlessly.†

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Recruitment, Selection, Performance Appraisal Essay

Recruitment Finding the right people for the job is one challenge all managers and organizations share. While managers may have the ability to redesign or adjust jobs to fit the available people, the usual challenge is the reverse. Thus, a first important step in the recruitment, selection, and placement process is undertaking a job analysis. This helps ensure you know what the employee must know and do (job requirements) and under what circumstances. There are several common mistakes one can make in the recruitment phase, including: †¢Restricting the pool of qualified candidates by using a poor search strategy and/or approach. An example is exclusive reliance on either internal or external recruitment no matter the position or available candidates. Another is failing to include a good array of sources to ensure a strong â€Å"talent pool.† †¢Writing a position description that does not match the job. This happens most frequently when there has been no careful analysis of the job and/or when there is no second level review of the analysis to help ensure accuracy. †¢Writing position postings/advertisements that are overly broad or are inappropriately restrictive. An example is when everything in a posting is â€Å"preferred† or everything is â€Å"required.† For those who are hiring managers the issue of whether to recruit/promote from within (internal recruiting) will likely be a familiar one. There are numerous advantages, including development of â€Å"career ladders† that help with employee retention. Simply put, a career ladder is one that plans and enables advancement up the levels of an organization. Internal recruiting can also help organizations preserve and protect critical knowledge, values, and practices. Transitions can be smoother, with less negative impact on productivity. Look more:  recruitment and selection process essay One thing organizations can and should do when wishing to leverage internal talent is to inventory the knowledge, skills, experiences, interests, and abilities of their employees. When the organization has the needed financial and technology resources, these can captured electronically in a knowledge management or human resource information system (HRIS). Performance appraisals, when done well, can also prove rich and useful sources of information about employee  interests and potential. An exclusive reliance on internal recruiting has its potential disadvantages. One is that there may be no one in the organization who has the knowledge and skills for either new initiatives or those where there is no room for downtime or training. Another is that it may be difficult for the organization to refresh its talent pool and learn by recruiting those with diverse knowledge, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. Selection Selecting the best candidate for a position is both a critical management function and one that can be difficult. It is useful to begin by recognizing that there is no failsafe method of ensuring the right choice is made. Mistakes happen regularly and the consequences for all parties can be enormous. As Bohlander & Snell (2009, p. 254) report the average cost of a mismatch has been estimated at anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 for intermediate and senior positions. This is just the financial cost and does not consider the frequent emotional and even physical distress bad hiring decisions can have on the candidate, other employees, an organization and manager’s reputation, and beyond. As discussed in the section above, an important first step is to conduct a careful job analysis that provides as much information about what knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences, preferences, etc. will lead to success. Ensuring a good match between important organizational and candidate values is also a critical and sometimes forgotten factor. To illustrate this point, it is useful to envisage a candidate who is seeking an improved quality and balance in his/her personal life walking into an organization with â€Å"Whatever it takes!† posted strategically on the potential supervisor’s door. Cascio (2010) offers a good summary and discussion of the importance of ensuring reliability and validity of the information obtained during the selection and staffing process (see Chapter 7). The goal is to work to ensure sound and consistent judgments/results no matter the people, time, and/or tools used in the selection process. The risk in failing to attend to these concerns is not only a poor selection decision but also a possible legal challenge. You will find the overview on staffing and selection methods (Cascio, Chapter 7) and tools interesting and useful when preparing your week 5 assignm ent. Those who work for small firms might be surprised by the  array of tools and tests in current use. Some, like graphology (Cascio, p. 247), are not generally accepted by U.S. academic experts and others present sufficient problems (eg., polygraphs) they are either not used widely or are not viewed as reliable sources of information (eg., reference checks). Interviews remain an important selection method, with those that use a structured process viewed as most effective and appropriate. Those wanting a smile during your research and writing process should read the â€Å"Top Five Biggest Mistakes Candidates Make During Job Interviews.† And, of course, everyone will want to be sure to avoid illegal questions when conducting employment interviews. This resource serves as a useful reminder of what to avoid: http://employment.findlaw.com/employment/employment-employee-hiring/employment-employee-hiring-overview.html Employee Performance Appraisal Just these words can send a shiver down many if not most people’s spines! Even in modern organizations with well trained and resourced managers, it is safe to say that a large percentage do not like this part of their job and/or feel they do it poorly (on this, see Cascio citing Grensing-Pophal (2001) and Sandberg (2007)). One sad thing about this is that assessment and feedback are so important for improved performance and, ultimately, for creating a workplace where people want to be. Another is that so much is known about what to do and to avoid but this information does not seem to have found its way in a systematic or consumable format into the hands of practicing managers. Cascio provides a summary of what is known from the study of this subject and you can find much more in professional and scholarly management journals in the UMUC electronic databases. Of the numerous things to remember when evaluating the performance of an employee, three are critically important: â₠¬ ¢Evaluate only what is required to do the job †¢Ensure the employee has a written copy of expectations and standards at the beginning of the period when performance will be reviewed †¢Use observable and measurable standards – rely on evidence-based assessment AND maintain records (document †¦ document †¦ document!) (Bohlander & Snell, 2010, p.  369). Time is a frequent enemy of effective performance appraisals. There never seems to be enough of it to plan, prepare, meet, review, write, discuss, and follow up. Thus, it is common to cut corners. An example is waiting until the end of an evaluation cycle to discuss performance for the entire year. Sometimes that discussion never even happens and the entire process is handled as a paper/e-mail transaction. Imagine the message this sends to employees about their relative importance to the organization! Yet most of us who have been managers have probably both had this done to us and do it to others. Also often related to time shortages, managers and employees find themselves at the end of a review cycle with no concrete documentation to support their views. The potential for reliance on recent or certain events is great in such circumstances and this can result in unfair and/or inequitable reviews. Avoiding behavior is also quite common. Surprises are the consequence. Conflict, whether direct or indirect, is likely. A recommended standard is that there should be no surprises in a performance review discussion or document. Sometimes, this happens when those being evaluated are not good listeners but in many more cases, managers have not invested the time needed to plan for and then communicate expectations or provide timely feedback. Depending upon the method and process used, concerns about ensuring fairness and equity can occur and can serve as constraints on a good evaluation process and outcome. Imposed rating quotas and caps can cause this to happen, especially when they are either not known or are announced at the end of an evaluation period. As you systematically and critically analyze your performance assessment systems this week, you will find it useful to review carefully the information Cascio and other sources you find provide, being sure to objectively consider both strengths and possible limitations of the available alternatives. As you will see, there are no prescribed rules about who should be involved in the evaluation process and there is no single method that works for all organizations. People often think a 360-degree appraisal is optimal. If the organization and people are well prepared such a system can be great. If not, it can be, and often has been, a disaster. Speaking of which, there are numerous sources of potential error when conducting an appraisal. Cascio discusses some of them (halo error, contrast error, recency error) (pp. 356 – 357). If you have worked for a while in  different organizations it is quite likely you will have observed some of these in practice. They are both common and often difficult to avoid. Training, increased awareness, and self-management are important in avoiding and/or limiting the possible negative consequences of these rating errors. As Cascio writes, performance appraisal systems MUST have these characteristics: relevance, sensitivity, and reliability and SHOULD also be acceptable and practical (p. 335). A review of this discussion is strongly recommended. In my experience many systems fail on all counts. People are evaluated on factors not directly relevant to their success or that of the organization. It is difficult to differentiate between and among employees using the system and as a result everyone gets rated about the same. Different raters evaluating the same person and behavior arrive at different conclusions and the view of those more senior often prevails. Managers don’t really accept the system. And, finally, the system is so onerous everyone waits until the last possible minute to do this task hoping it will somehow make it more bearable. The three major types of performance assessment used in most organizations are those that focus on the following factors: a) Individual characteristics or traits b) Behaviors c) Results As Cascio explains, there are several methods that organizations and their managers use. You should discover the one that is the closest fit to the method used in your own organization. It is important to recognize that each method has advantages and disadvantages. While organizations may design and employ a hybrid, it is likely behaviors or results will be relatively more important when evaluating performance and determining consequences. It is common to hear arguments in favor of a results-based approach. There are, however, some essential preconditions for this to work. One is an understanding that this does not mean â€Å"results at any cost.† Another is to find a way to recognize those who may have a difficult time demonstrating how what they do on a daily basis contributes directly to organizational goals. This concern applies especially to those at lower levels in an organizational hierarchy. To summarize, designing and conducting effective performance appraisals is something all managers have to do, whether using a  formal or informal method. There are available alternatives and each has its pros and cons. The secrets to success are relatively simple: †¢Begin by establishing a common understanding of what is required to do the job. †¢Establish and carefully communicate expectations and standards for performance. †¢Set performance goals and milestones and monitor and discuss progress throughout the year. †¢Maintain good records.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Avoid surprises.   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Set aside sufficient time to plan and focus on each employee when meeting to discuss performance. †¢Treat employees with respect and remember to engage them in the process and recognize both accomplishments and areas needing improvement. †¢Use appraisal as an opportunity to examine and explore opportunities for future growth and development. †¢In other words, focus primarily on what will happen rather than what has happened. For those who are interested, this is a video that demonstrates what NOT to do during a performance review meeting: http://polaris.umuc.edu/cvu/amba602/home.html And here is one of several examples from the Web of a well organized and implemented appraisal meeting: ________________________________________ References Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. ( 2010). Managing human resources. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Cascio, W. (2010). Managing human resources: Productivity, quality of work life, profits. NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Written by: Christina A. Hannah, Ph.D.