Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Developing effective communication in health and social care Essay
To make my communication interactions with the service userââ¬â¢s in one-to one interaction and group interactions effective I did not use any slang or jargon with the service userââ¬â¢s because we were having a formal interaction therefore the use or jargon or slang was not suitable there. I had to use good communication skills to get my point across clearly and effectively just to make sure that each of them understood what I was talking about. I feel that there should always be a care worker-service user relationship between people in day care centreââ¬â¢s. Effective communications with the service users is related to positive outcomes. Tone of voice is a type of verbal communication. I had to have an appropriate tone of voice as this would enable the service user to feel comfortable with me while the task was proceeding. I used a clear and calm tone of voice as this helps create a positive atmosphere and assists the service userââ¬â¢s to ask each other or me any questions they have and it helps them to understand what to do, whereas if my tone of voice was loud and aggressive then the service userââ¬â¢s would not felt comfortable with me and they would got scared of me, this may well have led them to getting upset and having to leave the interaction as soon as possible. My tone of voice was normal because I could not speak quietly and slow because the service users would not have got the message but it was not loud either. My tone of voice was very clear and the students who participated in the interaction heard my voice clearly. This tone of voice enabled the interaction between me and the three other service userââ¬â¢s to flow nicely and the message that I was trying to put across was interpreted by the service users in a positive way. I knew that they had received the message of what to do as they began to paint straight after my instruction before they had started the task. I was also being very talkative as when the service users would stop I would just talk to them during each stage of their painting and ask them how they are doing whether or not they are finding the task difficult, I was also making it fun and enjoyable for them to do because I was complementing their hard work and effort which they put in their paintings. Therefore their confidence would have increased enabling them in join in the interaction. If they were having any problems I would help them solve them. If I had not done that then questions may have not been invited, some of the service userââ¬â¢s may not be able to interpret the information and some may not have heard or understood the messages clearly. I encouraged the students to use more eye-contact because when some of the students were talking, they were looking at other distractions like their peers playing or talking. The messages that I gave to the service users in my group were all given objectively and they were factual and informative. I used signs such as thumbs up (meaning good) and open palm (meaning stop) during the interaction, as signs can often promote effective communication and reduce barriers to interactions. One-to-one communication- Reading a book with a service user With the one-to one and communication interaction that I had with Nicky out chairs were put opposite one another so that we were able to see and hear each other clearly. This enabled myself and Nicky to feel comfortable around each other has we had didnââ¬â¢t no each other well enough. If we were to close to one another we may have felt uncomfortable or shy with each other which then would have led to Nicky having a negative experience with me. I used verbal communication when I explained to Nicky what he had to do for the task. There should also be a little proximity between us because if there was not much space between each other, then the atmosphere might have become too hot and unbearable which might have caused Nicky to get bored and tired easily with the reading. Leaving enough proximity, between the both of us allowed us to sit and feel comfortable; this led us to talk properly to each other without anyone interrupting or distracting our conversation as we our personal space. I used good facial expressions and body language with Nicky so that he thinks I am a friendly person and so he becomes more comfortable with me. Most of the time, Each time he read correctly I would complement him on well he was doing and I also would put my thumb put and say ââ¬Å"excellentâ⬠to boost his confidence a little more. This helped create more of a positive atmosphere to be in. his tone on voice when he was reading showed me that he was trying his best and was really enjoying it. I used a lot of eye contact which actually showed Nicky that I was listening to him and that I understood what he was reading to me. I used appropriate eye-contact to enable him to listen and understand me properly. Eye-contact help a lot in a one-to-one basis because when listening to someone expressing their point of view, eye-contact is very essential and shows that the listener is listening and understanding what person actually speaking is saying. At the end of the reading session I spoke to Nicky about the level of reading ability he is on and I also asked him to speak to me about any difficulties and anything he is uncertain about in the book, this helped me to him more confidence to speak up loud and it also empowered him. I had to use interpersonal skills when I was telling Nicky he had made a few mistakes during his reading time which is why it lead to him ignoring that and getting embarrassed and wrong -footed. Interpersonal skills are people interacting with each other. Interpersonal skills involve the ability to work with others around.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in the Country
The advantages and disadvantages of living in the country Living in the countryside has a lot of advantages, but also many disadvantages. As the advantage we can consider the fact that the country is less polluted and the traffic isn't so heavy. You are fit and you don't need to worry about your health condition, because in the countryside the air and water are so clean. In the country there are many plant species. There aren't any huge blocks of flats, modern skyscrapers or bothersome traffic jams.In the country you are free to admire the breathtaking landscapes such as huge meadows, peaceful hills or forests. You can enjoy walking in the forest and picking mushrooms or hunting. Another advantage is that you may easily build a big house and the garden, because charges for ground are much lower than in the suburbs. Moreover, living in the countryside is cheaper than it is in the city, so you probably may afford many other things, because the prices are lower. What is more, you can in vite your friends to the barbecue organized in your garden.It would be great! The other positive side is the safety. In the rural area the crime rate is much lower. There aren't a lot of housebreaks and the possibility of burglary is also lower. In the countryside people usually and keep eyes on neighbour's estates. They always react when something strange is happening. Country life is very peaceful and silent. You will enjoy the feeling of peace. However, there are a lot of positive aspects of living in the country side, there are also some disadvantages.Living in the country is slower. People don't need to hurry and have a lot of time. People in the country don't have to work so many hours as they do in the city. On the other hand, they don't earn so much money. Moreover, there aren't such interesting things to do during free time. The unemployment rate is also much higher than in the city. The problem may be also the communication. If you don't have your own car, you may have pro blem how to commute to work.The same problem concerns the access to the hospitals, schools, police stations and shops, which are usually located far from the village. Last of all, there are some dangers connected with country life such as heavy snowfall or rainfall. To sum up, I think that living in the country may have a lot of advantages such as fresh air, breathtaking landscapes and comfort, but a lot of people decide to stay in the city, due to the fact that the life in the town is easier. The easy access to shops and other institutions are the great advantage.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Case Of Organizational Behavior Samples
In a very broad sense, organizational behavior refers to the study of how human individuals interact or behave within a group. These studies are conducted extensively to understand how to better integrate the employees and run a business more efficiently. At the core of this field of study lies the idea that scientific approach can benefit an organization through better managing the workers and, thus, making sure the individuals work more cohesively and as a single unit. Organizational behavior may be loosely described as the process of understanding and predicting of human behavior as a group member or as an individual in order to manage and maximize their output within an organization. Organizational behavior also studies the behavioral traits or patterns individuals show to one another within the organizational sphere. The effects of these interactions are also studied in depth. Organizational behavior is the study of every behavioral aspects of an individual who is a part of a bi gger organization, the interface of two or more individuals, or between the individual and the organization or of the organization itself. Organizational culture is the single most important aspect and parameter that decides how will the performance of the employees be as individuals or a whole group. Moreover, organizational culture is the conglomerating bundle of the assumptions, values, ethical considerations, ideologies and other organizational parameters that decide how would an individual or a group within the organization behave while their interactions and interfaces between themselves and the organization or amongst themselves (Alvesson and Sveningsson 2015). These parameters all have important and extensive influences upon individuals and modulate their behavioral patterns, dictate how they dress or act as a member or part of the organization. Organizational culture also often sets the bar that decides and measures how will the performance of the individual and the group is (Alvesson 2016). Every single organization has distinct and visible organizational culture that varies from each other and are unique in i ts nature. These organizational culture are developed over days and are maintained tirelessly to uphold the organizational reputation within the industry. This reputation is one of the biggest attributes for ensuring a successful business (Ehrhart and Kuenzi 2017). Organizational culture is primarily a very basic but overall guideline or boundaries as to how should the employees behave while representing the company. Organizational culture is the unification of the values, ethics and behavioral pattern of the employees that make up the unique environment for each organization (Ostroff and Schulte 2014). While these behaviors are often up-front and are very visible, it is also often the case that these are embedded psychologically. The very core beliefs and values are personified by the behavior of the organization and, in some cases, the employees as well. The managing authorities are the ones who decide how would the employees behave within the organization. Organization culture fl ows down from the senior authorities to the employees and not the other way around (Ashkanasy and Dorris 2017). à Also termed ââ¬Å"corporate cultureâ⬠, organizational culture is reflected through a few basic functions of the company. It is the guidelines and broad paths through which an organization functions and operates its business: how does the organization treats and interacts with its customers and employees as well as how does it serve or helps the wider social communities (Bortolotti, Boscari and Danese 2015). Organizational culture decides upon how much freedom is given to the employees to have inputs about the operations of the company and what contributions do they have in the decision making process, providing new ideas for development and benefit of the organization or how much leniency is tolerated for p3ersonal expression. The hierarchical construction, the flow of power and how free flowing is information within the organization are all decided by the organizational culture and work ethics(Barbera 2014). The organizational goals and purposes demand the employees to believe and be committed to them and organizational culture plays a pivotal and decisive role in this: the organization must be able to make the employees feel welcomed and a valuable part of the organization so that they want to work for the employers and help them to fulfil the objectives that were set out with in the first place of starting the company (Glisson 2015). If the employees are made to feel they are important and they understand that the company is taking their care, they will themselves take care of the customers. The whole functioning of the company will be much smoother and the higher authority need not be directly involved in the interaction with the customers, rather, they can be focused more on other more pressing issues. Customer care and services, post sales services, product quality are all results and/or shaped by organizational culture (Hogan, S.J. and Coote, L.V., 2014). Another very important aspect of running a business in the modern world is the environmental s ide of it. Every business, industry or organization must abide by the rules and requirements to protect the environment and reduce the process of global warming. A strong and ethical organizational culture helps to make sure that organizations keep this in mind and not cause any harm to the planet (Dubey et al. 2017). Virtually every single step of the operations of an organization is impacted by the organizational culture: how will the idea of a new product or service be conceived and shaped, how will the marketing tactics be planned, how to reach the potential customers and how to penetrate the market (Uzkurt et al. 2013). Organizational culture takes a lot of time to achieve and once established, it is so involved in every operation of the organization that it becomes almost impossible to change. That is why organizations must be very careful from the very beginning, having a concise and cohesive idea about what they want to achieve through the business, i.e. the motives of the company (Kangas et al. 2016). Employees and customers have to be able to identify with the organizational business operations or goals if they either want to work there or buy the products or the services of a particular company. Organizational culture is defined as an ââ¬Å"emergenceâ⬠of a state within an organization that is highly complex and is incalculable. This state results from a few very simple ingredients, though the final outcome is different for every organization. There are three parameters within an organization that can be controlled, moderated and managed: the employees, the work and the customers. These are the three basic pillars of any organization and every single operation is executed and planned with focus on any, or all, three of these. Organizational culture is almost always highly influenced by regional cultures (Modaff, Butler and DeWine 2016). The beliefs and ideals of different social community shape how an organization will behave, treat its customers and employees. These beliefs and values are deep inside the collective social mentality, and it is only natural that these will be some of the primary things to decide what will be the operations of the organization. The creation of any organizational culture is dependent upon the beliefs and values of its leaders. Workplace culture is entirely created by the leaders as they are the ones with a proper idea about what is to be done band the true motives of the organization (Asgary and Li 2016). However, it is not the final deciding factor: while most of the times leaders do shape the organizational culture, there are also times when organizational culture also decides what kind of a leadership is possible, or how will the leaders behave him/herself. An established culture influences and shapes a leader just as much as it being influenced by the leader (Fullan 2014). An effective organizational culture decides and governs the mentality and behavior of the employees and the authority that will ensure the employees reaching their goals while adhering to the collective motivations. When an employee feels that she or he is being assisted and helped by the leader to fulfil their personal goal, job satis faction also gets better and this, in turn, pushes the employees to work even harder. While a strong organizational culture will help the employees in the process of achieving its goals and grow together, a weak one will have disruptions in the work and functions of the organization. However, if individual employees are seen as to be more important than the organization itself, sustaining the operations and striving towards the organizational goals may become difficult as the company will be having a tough time trying to balance the priorities (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The market orientation and culture of an organization must be focused at generating a profit and should revolve around results. Competition within an industry must be kept up with, if the organization wishes to stay in the game and keep generating a profit. Having an adaptive culture can help organizations immensely. This means an inclusive work culture where all the employees are included in the decision making process of the company. An adaptive or inclusive work culture ensures that the company y will survive through time, simply because it will have all the employees looking after its interests. A flexible work culture is dynamic in nature and are focused upon risk-taking and innovation (Glisso n 2015). Power culture within an organization decides how would information flow within the organization among the different departments. It also determines the hierarchy of the organization and the power structure. This kind of work culture is spearheaded by a single leader who takes all the decisions on behalf of the entire organization and controls the marketing and other strategies of the company. A role culture is where the employees all know their specific jobs and roles in the organization and report to their seniors. Efficiency and accuracy are paramount in a work culture like this one. There are some basic characteristics of organizational culture, despite being unique to every organization. Some of them are elaborated below: The organizational culture is a self-sustaining pattern that gives an idea about how things are to be done in the organization. Organizational culture is mostly instinctive and repetitive and cannot be easily categorized or labelled. Corporate culture is always evolving: slowly, but surely (Katzenbach, Oelschlegel and Thomas 2016). While it is almost impossible to change the entire established work culture, it is possible to control certain emotional aspects of it to control the performance and outcome of some of the functions. Cultural inputs and catalysts help companies to make changes that last longer and have more positive impact on the performance of the employees (Modaff, Butler and DeWine 2016). There are some basic principles of the organizational culture that help companies to achieve long term success. These can be defined as follows: Now that a rough but cohesive idea about the basic tenets of organizational culture has been comprehended, further discussion would try to establish the same as an important of business running. To achieve this, three case studies are looked into in greater detail and discussed how did they manage to be so successful despite such fierce competition in the sector and what role did organizational culture had to play in it. It is not unknown that Google has a very strong work culture that is also the biggest reason behind it being recognized as one of the most sought after companies to work at. Even pictures from inside Googleââ¬â¢s offices make people chart their education and career plans so that one day they can achieve that. A company does not achieve such a status just like that. The very essence of the core ideals and beliefs of the company is forged within the organizational culture of the organization, that prompts its actions and every other strategy (Wei, Samiee and Lee 2014). The company has teams who are solely focused towards keeping the employees happy and making sure that productivity is consistent and regular. While it may seem intrusive to many, it is also true that great visions are often misjudged and/or frowned upon. It is understandable if some companies are weary of the organizational culture simply based on the fact that the industry of Google are absolutely different. While di fferent sectors do demand different work cultures, it is also true that some basic ideas can be used by every sector or organization within it. It has already been elaborated in the previous section about how can a greater employee integration help an organization to achieve higher degrees of success can happier employee circle ensure higher performance. This section will look into the different ways through which Google tries to achieve this aspect of organizational culture and, in turn, attain success. Google firmly believes in the fact that it is the employees behind the success of the organization. There are innumerable applications to work for the company and every single one of them are reviewed. The employee integration process begins at the very first step of hiring a person as an employee. In the interview process, the applicants are faced with odd situational questions and are asked to provide answers. The answers are not expected to be correct, rather the company tries to see which of the applicants have an aptitude for imagination and can come up with innovative ideas under pressure. This gives the organization an insight about the inner capacity of each individual at the very beginning. Human resource department relies solely on scientific research and data analysis to understand an d measure the performance of each individual employee properly. Extensive application of algorithm based formulae help the company to predict when will an employee leave the organization; optimal size of tables is also assessed using scientific methods. Google discovered that female employees take twice as many leaves as the male counterparts and this led the company to revamp the entire leave plans, giving the female employees paid maternity leaves. All of these steps taken provided the company with employees who were happier. Retention of the employees was achieved through providing them with higher perks and better paid leave plans. Google gives its employees a lot of perks including the advantages of bringing the children to the office and availing day care right there, sleep pods, free food throughout the day and many more which make the employees want to stay at the company. Studies have also shown that the employees perform better as well under these conditions. Google has clearly written guidelines about what are the ideals and organizational values. These ten grounding premises serve at the very core of the company and help the applicants properly understand what the organization expects them to do, which skills to possess and what are expected of them should they be selected to work for the company. Google shares all of its information with all of its employees. This makes the operations of the organization clear and transparent. The company also takes care to resolve any questions an employee may have regarding the organization. This assures the employees with a sense of security and makes them understand the operations of the company properly and enables them to work for the company in a clearer and proper fashion. Keeping the employees informed and enlightened about which direction the company is headed enables them be aligned with the objectives of the company and cohesively work towards the collective goals. Every employee is given recognition for however small an achievement may it be, encouraging them to work harder so that they can achieve even more credit for their work. At the same time, failure on the part of any employee or team is also highlighted. This type of clear and open appreciation of their efforts make the employees want to improve their performance and ensu res an office culture which is fearless. Google encourages its employees to socialize even outside of office so that a sense of a bigger society can be formed where everyone knows each other. This gives the employees a level of comfort to be working among the people they know, and being relaxed they can work with better concentration. This case study reveals that Google uses some basic and very normal ideas to form an organizational culture through employee appeasing, based on the very core idea that happy employees guarantee happy customers. Another very important aspect of Googleââ¬â¢s work culture is that; it is never stagnated. The company is always changing and evolving its work culture, making sure any new aspect that would make the employees happier is not ignored. The company policy on employees is one of the most important things that ensure the employeesââ¬â¢ higher performance rate and establishes the organizational dominance in the overall industry. Google is evidently highly successful in being able to use organizational culture by means of integrating the employees within itself and making themselves a successful company. All of these steps have helped Adobe to become the successful company that they are today and enjoy a great market share. Companies and organizations invests billions of dollars and uncounted amount of hours only to ensure that innovation and creativity are boosted. To stay ahead of the curve, to ensure organizational leadership in the industry and grabbing maximum market share, there is no substitution for innovation. Creativity helps every organization to come up with new ideas that help to create a new product or develop on an already existing product and innovate something. The aspiration to do something, to create something new is a great driver for motivation to work harder. This improves performance by a huge margin and often boosts the overall company performance as a whole. To ensure that the employees are going to work hard, Adobe looks into the fact that their employees are having fun at work. The organization firmly believes in the fact that innovation and creativity can be ushered through relaxation, where pressure is not an issue. Culture is the conglomeration of ideas, customs, beliefs, values and behavior of a particular person or of group as a whole. Adobe, above all encourages the employees to creative and tries to establish a work culture within the company that will itself evoke creativity. It is an observed fact that the companies that take these steps can see higher growth rate as well as better revenue. Adobe is one of the biggest software companies on the planet and also one of the most lucrative places to work at. Creativity has helped the company to stay ahead of its competition simply by making sure their products offer something extra that the other products do not. Adobe believes that creativity is something that should start at the top and should be reflected through the behavior and the working of the senior authorities. The people at the top are expected to lead the way by displaying innovative thinking themselves. If the leaders fail to behave in the companyââ¬â¢s desired way, the employees would also fall short of their tasks. The leaders in the company are bestowed with the responsibility to unleash the creative capabilities of the employees. ââ¬Å"KickBoxâ⬠is a unique concept of the company that allows every employee to bring their imaginations and ideas through life using the companyââ¬â¢s own resources. These are funded by the organization themselves to encourage the employees to develop new ideas. The employees are not expected to submit any proposals for it: they just go ahead with the plans. Adobe has a corporate culture that embraces risk taking rather than shunning it away. Risk aversion is believed to be, by the company, the single biggest threat to innovation. Adobe gives out its employees the signal that they are open to new ideas and new interpretations of existing products so that they are encouraged to take risks. If the risks are worthy, the organization rewards the employees and credit is given elaborately. This is another way through which the company ushers in new ideas for products. The leaders again play a pivotal role here: they have to make the employees understand that risk taking is awarded and not something that would land them in trouble. The training and development program of Apple is very well planned and organized. The employees of Apple are treated as one of the key advantages in the departments of the research and development as well as marketing. In order to attract and retain skilled and competent employees the Apple Inc. provides effective training and development program (Shafie, Siti-Nabiha and Tan 2014). These employees will improve the ability and benefit of the company. To meet its transformational challenges, the company needs to train new and current staffs. The ways in which the employees learn and achieve reflect as well as transform how the company does its business. Thus, they engage the employees to work responsively and improve the products. On the other hand, they raise awareness about the employeesââ¬â¢ rights. To Apple it is not enough only to find and correct problems. Appleââ¬â¢s training programs are specially designed to educate employers about laws, rights, health and safety of the workers as well as suppliers (Cornelissen and Cornelissen 2017). Verità © and the Fair Labor Association ââ¬â two organizations recognized internationally, dedicated to human rights have worked with Apple to figure out the quality of the companyââ¬â¢s social responsibility training. It shows that the knowledge and awareness of the rights of the employees has been increased through Appleââ¬â¢s mandated training. They train supervisors and managers on their responsibilities, direct hire processes and even onsite management of foreign workers. Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program has been launched by Apple to enhance professional development opportunities. Here, the classes on finance, computer skills, and the English language are offered. The company also made a partnership with Chinese universities to allow workers to achieve associate degrees. Over 60,000 workers participated in their first pilot program in 2011 and came up with higher morale are promoted more often than other employees (Myers and Fellow 2014). Their final suppliers have onsite e-learning centers. In order to follow up and compute the employeeââ¬â¢s performance Apple audits. In 2011 the company conducted training sessions to prevent underage labor. This year, no cases of underage labor could be found in their audits. While the organization is encouraged by these results, Apple claims that they will continue regular audits and go deeper into their supply chain to ensure that there are no underage workers at any Apple supplier (Asgary and Li 2016). The company has decided to continue regular audits to ensure that there are no underage workers at any Apple supplier. Apple has made their training and development program intensively dedicated in order to bring out and sustain the competitive advantage. Apple frequently produces new products like computers, music devices, media sales, and telephones that require skill in completely different industries. Therefore, the expertise of its employees needs to change faster than at almost any other tech firm. Apple feels that the employees must be self-reliant. The reason behind it is that in a fast-changing environment, employee self-reliance gets weaken for providing target competencies and prescribing training. In order to develop the required skills, the employees need to learn continuously which employee ownership of development encourages. Instead of giving training how to sell a product, the employees are empowered which will shape them according to the companyââ¬â¢s requirement as well as the customerââ¬â¢s. Appleââ¬â¢s team environment helps to build cohesion within team. The cohesion strengthens when the different development teams work competitively. This healthy competition helps in their development and they learn from each other. Appleââ¬â¢s effective training and development programs motivate and encourage innovation and creativity of the employees. Apple has compensation policies and packages which is structured and prepared by a committee. The compensation committee prepares, review, and modify the incentive programs and policies. The board set the committee members and empower them to take external or internal counseling, advice and ask for any employee. Apple provides very good benefits like health and life insurance, Short- and long-term disability coverage, flexible Spending Accounts, disability coverage and employee stock exchange plans. As found in the official website of Apple, the company has built plenty of flexibility for the employees and their families. Appleââ¬â¢s executive compensation aims to attract and retain the executives with genius, creativity and entrepreneurial skill. To the company, the employees are their assets. It is the executives who are responsible to transform the company and bring success in the international market. The Compensation Committee examines the compensation program and determines the compensation for the executives. The distributes annual performance-based cash bonus program for the employees and follows pay system based on performance. Every executive is awarded with cash bonus equal to 100% of his basic salary. The compensation committee compensates fairly and adequately. In todayââ¬â¢s weak economy, Apple has taken advantage of job demand and provided a good ambience to work. It faces no difficulty to replace the employees who have resigned. Apple maintains a healthy work culture that helps the company to flourish and prosper internationally. From the above discussion and a good look into the cases of the three organizations, it can firmly have concluded that organizational culture does help an organization to be successful. Organizational culture has been seen to be one of the most important aspects of business running which can make pivotal differences between a successful organization and one that is not. A strong work culture is something that would enable companies to make its strategies in a way that would help them to achieve the collective organizational goals and would also enable to establish a strong sense of bond within the company as well. A strong organizational culture makes sure that the environment within the company is cordial and a homely atmosphere prevails. This is one of the most important things to make the employees feel relaxed, enabling them to work even better. The companies with a good organizational culture makes the employees feel welcomed and an integral part of the company. This sense boost s them to try and work better. Recognizing the employeesââ¬â¢ efforts and rewarding risk taking capabilities also ensure enhanced performance. Alvesson, M. and Sveningsson, S., 2015.à Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work in progress. Routledge. Alvesson, M. ed., 2016.à Organizational culture. Sage. Asgary, N. and Li, G., 2016. Corporate social responsibility: Its economic impact and link to the bullwhip effect.à Journal of Business Ethics,à 135(4), pp.665-681. Ashkanasy, N.M. and Dorris, A.B., 2017. Organizational culture and climate. Barbera, K.M., 2014.à The Oxford handbook of organizational climate and culture. Oxford University Press. Bortolotti, T., Boscari, S. and Danese, P., 2015. Successful lean implementation: Organizational culture and soft lean practices.à International Journal of Production Economics,à 160, pp.182-201. Cornelissen, J. and Cornelissen, J.P., 2017.à Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice. Sage. Dubey, R., Gunasekaran, A., Helo, P., Papadopoulos, T., Childe, S.J. and Sahay, B.S., 2017. Explaining the impact of reconfigurable manufacturing systems on environmental performance: The role of top management and organizational culture.à Journal of Cleaner Production,à 141, pp.56-66. Ehrhart, M.G. and Kuenzi, M., 2017. The Impact of Organizational Climate and Culture on Employee Turnover.à The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and Employee Retention, pp.494-512. Fullan, M., 2014.à Leading in a culture of change personal action guide and workbook. John Wiley & Sons. Glisson, C., 2015. The role of organizational culture and climate in innovation and effectiveness.à Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance,à 39(4), pp.245-250. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.à Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Hogan, S.J. and Coote, L.V., 2014. Organizational culture, innovation, and performance: A test of Schein's model.à Journal of Business Research,à 67(8), pp.1609-1621. Kangas, M., Kaptein, M., Huhtala, M., Là ¤msà ¤, A.M., Pihlajasaari, P. and Feldt, T., 2016. Why Do Managers Leave Their Organization? Investigating the Role of Ethical Organizational Culture in Managerial Turnover.à Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-17. Katzenbach, J., Oelschlegel, C. and Thomas, J., 2016. 10 principles of organizational culture.à Strategy+ Business,à 82(Spring), pp.1-7. Modaff, D.P., Butler, J.A. and DeWine, S.A., 2016.à Organizational communication: Foundations, challenges, and misunderstandings. Pearson. Myers, C. and Fellow, K., 2014. Corporate Social Responsibility in the consumer electronics industry: A case study of Apple Inc.à Resource document. Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. https://? lwp.? georgetown.? edu/? wp-content/? uploads/? Connor-Myers.? pdf. Accessed,à 10. Oââ¬â¢Reilly III, C.A., Caldwell, D.F., Chatman, J.A. and Doerr, B., 2014. The promise and problems of organizational culture: CEO personality, culture, and firm performance.à Group & Organization Management,à 39(6), pp.595-625. Ostroff, C. and Schulte, M., 2014. A configural approach to the study of organizational culture and climate. Shafie, S.B., Siti-Nabiha, A.K. and Tan, C.L., 2014. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PRODUCT INNOVATION: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW.à International Journal of Organizational Innovation,à 7. Uzkurt, C., Kumar, R., Semih Kimzan, H. and Emino?lu, G., 2013. Role of innovation in the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance: A study of the banking sector in Turkey.à European Journal of innovation management,à 16(1), pp.92-117. Wei, Y.S., Samiee, S. and Lee, R.P., 2014. The influence of organic organizational cultures, market responsiveness, and product strategy on firm performance in an emerging market.à Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,à 42(1), pp.49-70. Wiewiora, A., Trigunarsyah, B., Murphy, G. and Coffey, V., 2013. Organizational culture and willingness to share knowledge: A competing values perspective in Australian context.à International Journal of Project Management,à 31(8), pp.1163-1174.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Management Accounting Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Management Accounting Case Study - Assignment Example Lastly, this report looks at the financial position of the company and its capability to fund the project under consideration. The main strengths of Moonsnail Soapworks are: its unique selling proposition; high quality, all natural and handmade products; intensive product development effort; strong brand equity; and strategic marketing and location. Moonsnail Soapworks suffers from weaknesses which includes Ms. Ridgway's inadequate knowledge in management and the company's exposure to losses from product obsolescence. Opportunities abound for Moonsnail. The major opportunity for the company is the introduction of additional products to broaden and lengthen the product line and widen its customer base. As customers are becoming more and more concerned with having a natural lifestyle, it is expected that they will seek for product offerings like the ones provided by Moonsnail. The firm should also maximize the use of the internet to efficiently market its products. The major threat for Moonsnail is the unstable tourist arrival due to external circumstances. Another is the rising prices in oil prices which can further dampen the demand for tourism activities. Moonsnail is financially capable of investing in Moon Baby Cream. The company is records remarkable profitability, high efficiency, and liquidity. Its huge cash account can be utilized to introduce its new product. One of the biggest challenges faced by business organ... Conclusion 12 References 13 Appendix 14 I. Introduction One of the biggest challenges faced by business organizations is decision making. Through this feat, the company chose among a host of possible opportunities to take advantage of and shapes its future. In decision making, a firm critically assesses possible alternatives to determine which course of action will bring maximum benefits at the same time helping the company in realizing its vision. It is imperative that in coming up with a business decision, an organization looks at its competitive position to efficiently determine if it is ready to undertake a significant move. Another factor which is equally important to take into consideration is the firm's financial position and readiness as financial resources are always needed to back company projects like product introduction. This report will examine the most pressing issue faced by Moonsnail Soapworks-the introduction of a new product called Moon Baby Cream. As stated previously, the readiness of the company to launch a product can be assessed by looking at the competitive performance and the financial position of the business organization. The next section will then take a closer look at the company by employing frameworks which are designed to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of the Moonsnail as well as its external environment. The financial position of the firm will also be examined through ratio analysis. Lastly, the feasibility and profitability of introducing Moon Baby Cream is also analyzed through cost and benefit analysis. This report will conclude with its recommendations. II. Moonsnail Soapworks: Competitive Position SWOT Analysis SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Heritage tourism - The city Bath Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words
Heritage tourism - The city Bath - Essay Example The increasing heritage tourism of the city of Bath is directly providing huge revenues to the UK tourism industry. However, the attention was given to the city of Bath after its recognition as a World Heritage Site. In the last few years, a major portion of budget has been allocated to the promotion of Bath City tourism industry, which has positively contributed to its tourism industry. This is also supported by the previous studies. The year 2009 is going to be an important year in the history of tourism industry of the UK because Government has brought various changes in its tourism policy. Although because of financial global crisis, the tourism industry of the UK has faced a decline however, it is expected that with new tourism strategy the situation would get better. Hence, the heritage tourism of the city of Bath and urban tourism of the other cities of the UK provide great opportunities to boost profits of UK tourism industry.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Technology in Education in NYC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Technology in Education in NYC - Assignment Example This study highlights thatà the NYC local government should enhance the use of effective techniques such as the Learning Analytics to assess the progress of education. The learning analytics policy approaches facilitates measurement of various elements that affect education. Learning Analytics facilitates the collection of useful information about the students, parents, and the community that can be used to regulate the use of technology in schools.à In essence, the use of Learning Analytics facilitates impromptu research on learning institutions to evaluate the functionality of technology in the education field. In this regard, all the stakeholders in the education sectors should be involved in the research in order to decide the most effective means of solving the challenges facing use of technology in education.From this paper it is clear that the approach used to address the issue of hacking and damaging of education devices presently in the NYC presently is ineffective. Eve n though hacking is monitored via online platforms, the infrastructure is not convenient for complex soft-wares such as the eSpark. In addition, the mechanisms used to monitor the usage of learning devices are defective. For instance, parents are not involved fully in the monitoring devices monitoring process. Therefore, the NYC education sector should consider adopting the changes discussed above to improve the security of education documents and longevity of learning devices. à Ã
Friday, July 26, 2019
Marketing Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Marketing Communication - Research Paper Example The researcher states that some of the main benefits of an effective marketing campaign include market penetration, increased market share, increased market share, increased competitive advantage, and increased awareness among customers about the products of the company. However, in every marketing campaign, managers need to focus on finding an appropriate marketing mix in order to make the campaign successful and profitable for the company. In this, we will discuss the importance of the role of the marketing mix components in the success of businesses operating in todayââ¬â¢s competitive business environment. Implementation of an effective marketing communication plan and taking steps to monitor the actual performance of the plan are of significant value for any company to succeed in a competitive business environment. In order to successfully monitor and control the working of the marketing communication plan, companies use the marketing mix as one of the main marketing tools. A s Belohlavek states, ââ¬Å"The objective of a marketing mix is to establish the successive and simultaneous actions to influence the consumerââ¬â¢s or userââ¬â¢s purchasing decisionâ⬠. Finding the right marketing mix holds the central value for the success of any marketing campaign. Marketing mix helps managers in determining the best way to market their products and services. As Varey states, ââ¬Å"The marketing mix is seen as a collection of tools to be used to elicit desired responses from target marketsâ⬠. It helps a company in finding the target market, as well as in determining the price of the product by considering various external business factors, such as the price being offered by competitors, similar products being offered by competitors, and buying the power of people living in any specific geographical location. Proper analysis or evaluation of all components of the marketing mix, which include price, place, product, and promotion, plays a key role in making the marketing plan successful for the company. As McDaniel and Gates state, ââ¬Å"The mix is the unique blend of product, price, promotion, and place (distribution) designed to reach a specific group of consumersâ⬠(3). Companies usually develop their marketing strategies depending on the needs of the public and the market in which the product is to be placed. In highly competing firms, such as cell phone and automobile companies, the strategy regarding use of the marketing mix components does not remain the same forever. Managers of such companies review and change the nature of their marketing strategies continuously depending on internal and external business environments. For high profile brands, companies usually focus more on the promotion component of the marketing mix instead of price. Similarly, for a product which is to be placed in a market where there is a lot of competition, the company focuses more on price instead of promotion because customers like to b uy products of such companies that offer superior quality at a relatively low cost. Managers of high profile companies also analyze their marketing mix frequently in accordance with the level of customer acceptability regarding their product in order to make the required changes in the marketing strategies if needed.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Civil Rights Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Civil Rights Movement - Research Paper Example While on the other hand, same words even refer to the atrocities experienced by African American while they stood up for their rights. The most disturbing picture that comes to our minds when we talk of civil rights is the mass murder of black school girls who were killed while they were participating in Sunday school and a bomb struck the 16th street Baptist Church. Such images marks the movements made by the blacks to gain their rights and the aggressive response of the whites (Mertz, 2010). Through the Civil Rights Movement is said to have initiated during the 1950s, but its origins date back to the era when first Africans migrated to US. The base of the entire Civil Rights Movement was laid down by the fight for rights conducted by the early slaved African Americans. Body History During 1619, first ever slaves were transacted to America and the slavery of the blacks continued until Civil War broke out and the 13th Amendment was passed. Even after blacks gained their freedom, they were still not educated and had little or no ownership of property and were subjected to unequal treatment especially in the Southern region where the majority of the slave used to live. To solve the scenario and to help blacks adjust with the whites, several reforms were made during the 10 years period of 1865 and 1875, this ten year period was recognized as the Reconstruction era (McGuire, 2011). One of the major measures taken the government was the 14th and the 15th Amendment which provided the African Americans with the right to vote and to be considered as equal citizens of US. Drastic moves were made, but these moves and their effect existed for a very short period of time. The white population in the South made every move to ensure that blacks do not enjoy the newly rights given to them by the government. Blacks were subjected to harassing behavior, those who harassed them includes the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). The KKK inflicted pain due to which the blacks were not able to exerc ise their newly awarded rights. The rights assigned to the blacks were already being violated and during this period, all the efforts of the blacks to gain their rights experienced a huge setback due to the Supreme Courtââ¬â¢s ruling in the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson case. The ruling stated that if the facilities provided to both the races are equal in nature, then the blacks and whites can divided legally (Anderson, 1986). The problem was that the black population never enjoyed equal rights and the decision of the court provided the whites with the power of being an obstacle in letting the blacks enjoy their basic rights. The power of the whites led to the creation of Jim Crow laws, according to these laws different public properties were created for the blacks and whites, these properties include: public schools, parks, restaurants and vehicles. Due to these laws and the division of public property, black Americans stood against the strategies of the government that were unequ al and unjust in nature. A very prominent figure who stood up against these acts of discrimination was W.E.B Du Bois. This figure urged the black Americans to stand up for their rights and this followed the creation of NAACP
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Next Weapon of Choice by Terrorist Research Paper
Next Weapon of Choice by Terrorist - Research Paper Example Pakistan is a country which possesses nuclear weapons. Moreover, it is a country where some of the infamous terrorist groups took shelter when most of the other countries closed doors for them. The political instability and weak governance of Pakistan is a matter of concern to many people because of the fear that Pakistanââ¬â¢s nuclear arsenal may one day come in the hands of the terrorists. Pakistanââ¬â¢s soft approach towards terrorists is not a secret to the external world. Biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction are another option for the terrorists in the future. The article written by Matusiak and published in has mentioned the possibilities of chemical weapons which may use by the terrorists in futureà The author mentioned that the idea of a terror organization using a WMD is to strikes fear directly into its intended target population and to prove that the terror organization weapon of mass destruction is in its possession. More than 90% of the most danger ous facilities transport chemicals by rail. Over 80% of these facilities receive shipments of toxic gas chemicals, which is released can cause medical problems if inhaled (Matusiak, 2009). Low-end chemicals are mostly transported using rail or sea transport. Even though many safety laws and regulations are there for the manufacturing and distribution of low-end chemicals, no such laws are applicable or prevailing while transporting these materials. Rail and sea transport normally may not have much security compared to air transport. We have many recent incidents in which Somalia sea robbers capturing the control of commercial ships passing near the Somalia territory.à Ã
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
A report on Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups Essay
A report on Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups - Essay Example Individuals belonging to a group need to understand both the other people in the group but also how they themselves are perceived. If this kind of input is short-circuited, a group will fail and the dynamics will be off-putting. Every group is different and every individual who is part of a group has their own style and personality. But research has indicated that several things are required for a group to work well. One of the most important of these elements is trust. People in the groups need to know that they can count on the other members. They need to feel comfortable. If this isn't the case, the group can quickly degenerate. Building the kind of rapport that engenders trust is a key aspect of emotional intelligence and is not to be taken lightly. Another important element is identity. It is hard for members to feel much attachment to the group if they do not all share something in common. Finally, a third element vital the building of a successful group is a sense of efficacy.
The Merchant of Venice and Shylock Offering Essay Example for Free
The Merchant of Venice and Shylock Offering Essay Many different people can be good or bad or might seem good but actually bad or the other way around. In The merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, shylock, the money lending Jew, is seen more like a villain then a victim. Shylock is a villain because he cares more about his money then he cares about his daughter, he is not merciful towards shylock and hewants a pound of flesh from Antonio for hi revenge. First of all shylock is a villain because he cares more about his ducats then his daughter, Jessica. Shylock cares more about his money then his daughter because when Jessica left home with Lorenzo, that she planned to elope with, shylock was really mad because his daughter left but mostly he was mad because she left with a lot of money and his jewels. This shows that shylock is a villain since he cares more of his money then his family and family should always be more important than money. Solanio is saying what he heard shylock say in the streets: My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! Justice! The law! My ducats and my daughter! And jewels-two stones, two rich and precious stones, Stol`n by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl! She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats! In this quotation Solanio is saying to Salerio what he heard shylock saying in the streets of how mad he was of his daughter leaving with all his money. This quote is shylock talking to tubal about Jessica leaving ââ¬Å"I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and/ the jewels in her ears: would she were hearsed at my foot, /and the ducats in her coffin!.(III.i.79-81). Shylock is mad that his daughter left him with his money and would want her to be dead in front of him to get his money and have all her ducats from her coffin. This shows that Shylock is a villain since he would go to the extent to wanting her dead for his ducats. Shylock is also a villain because he was not being merciful towards Antonio. When Shylock wanted his pound of flesh from Antonio shylock was not being merciful he really wanted that pound of flesh from him. Portia disguised as a lawyer even tried to tell shylock to be give mercy but he did not want too. Shylock believed more in the justice but the Christians want mercy. This quote is shylock refusing to the duke of being merciful ââ¬Å" I have possessed your grace of what I purpose,/And by our holy Sabbath have I sworn/ To have the due and forfeit of my bondâ⬠shylock I telling to the duke that I will keep my bond and that no matter what this is his bond and he will keep it no one can convince him. Portia and Shylock are discussed about mercy: In this quotation shylock does not want to give mercy to Antonio and Portia says that you cannot receive mercy if you do not give some. As you can see Shylock is a villain since he is not merciful at all. Finally shylock is a villain because he wants a pound of flesh from Antonio since Antonio did not pay him back. The only reason the Shylock wants a pound of flesh from Antonio is for revenge and if you get a pound of flesh taken there are many changes you will die which were Shylock`s intention to get Antonio to die so he gets his revenge for spitting in his face and having to lend money to other people interest free and that made Shylock lose money. This is Shylock saying that Antonio miss treats him and he hopes to lend money from Shylock ââ¬Å"Fair sir, you spet on me on Wednesday last;/to you spurned me such a day; another time/you called me a dogâ⬠(I.iii.126-128) here Shylock is mad at Antonio and wants revenge so makes a deal that he makes the bond interest free but if Antonio does not pay back he will need to give a pound of flesh to Shylock. This quote is Shylock offering to Antonio the money interest free but under the condition of one pound flesh if he does not repay in time ââ¬Å"Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit/be nominated for an equal pound/Of your fair flesh to be cut off and takenâ⬠(I.iii.151-153). Shylock wanted revenge towards Antonio for what he had done so he made this bond this proves that shylock is a villain In conclusion, Shylock is a villain since he does not care about his daughter more then his money and he wants revenge on Antonio by getting a pound of flesh. Like you can see in the merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, Shylock is seen as a horrible man. People are good or bad those this mean they were born that way or you get bad or good later on in life.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Cosmic Race Essay Example for Free
Cosmic Race Essay The term ââ¬Å"Cosmic Raceâ⬠is also known as ââ¬Å"La raza cosmicaâ⬠which was based on the opinions of some Mexican Scholars in the 1920ââ¬â¢s who held that since the Latin Americans held the blood of all the races, the transcended the races of the ââ¬Å"Old Worldâ⬠. This term basically embodies the idea that traditional, exclusive concepts of race and nationality can be transcended in the name of humanitys common destiny (MacLachlan, 1980). While the idea of the origins or creation of the ââ¬Å"Cosmic Raceâ⬠has been attributed to other races, there is no denying that it was the Spaniards who played a major role in this. The open-mindedness, in this case the open philosophy and attitude of Spain regarding culture and society, was influential in creating this cosmic race. Spain realized that the key to being able to build a vital and flourishing economy in the colony was to build a common denominator for acculturation by both Indian and European races (MacLachlan, 1980). Spain was able to accomplish this by establishing and expanding the colonial political and ecclesiastical institutions, the economy, society, and the role of women in the Mexica Society. Further proof of this was the policies of Spain regarding women as they encouraged the women to participate in economics and politics by providing the women during that time with extensive legal rights (MacLachlan, 1980). These factors and the methods by which Spain cultivated the Mexica Empire are brought on by the characteristic of Spain as being ââ¬Å"open-mindedâ⬠, which in turn led to the creation of the ââ¬Å"Cosmic Race. â⬠References: MacLachlan, C. and Rodriguez, J. (1980) The Forging of the Cosmic Race: A Reinterpretation of Colonial Mexico. University of California Press,
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Petrochemical Industry Introduction To Chemical Engineering Assignment Engineering Essay
Petrochemical Industry Introduction To Chemical Engineering Assignment Engineering Essay Introduction Petrochemical industry is being chosen as our main topic for the introduction to Chemical Engineering assignment. Petrochemical is the second level products being derived from crude oil after several refining processes. These chemicals are typically extracted during the refining process asà crude oilà and gas are distilled or cracked, and they can be utilized in a wide variety of ways. Petrochemical can be used to manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is one of the oldest synthetic materials with the longest history in industrial production.à à Its early history is of multiple and accidental discovery in different places at different times as well as unsuccessful quests for commercial application. During the 1950s many more companies started to produce PVC and volumes increased dramatically around the world. PVC products rapidly became essential to the construction industry; the plastics resistance to light, chemicals and corrosion made it the best option for building applications. Improvement made to the materials resistance to extreme temperatures, allowed for PVC to be transporting water to thousands of homes and industries.à PVCs low cost, excellent durability and process ability make it the material of choice for dozens of industries such as health care, IT, transport, textiles and construction. The chemical process for making PVC involves taking the simplest unit, called the monomer, and linking these monomer molecules together in the polymerization process. Various additives including stabilizers and plasticizers need to be added to PVC resin to create a compound that meets the requirement of the end product and of the processing technology to be used.à Importance of Petrochemical Industry in Our Society The petrochemical industry is a complex industry that affects all spheres of life. Most items used in everyday life such as plastic products and soaps owe their existence to petrochemicals. The petrochemical industry connects downstream sectors such as pharmaceuticals with the upstream oil and gas industry. à The petrochemical industry converts feed stocks such as naphtha and natural gas components such as butane, ethane and propane through steam cracking or catalytic cracking into petrochemical building blocks such as olefins and aromatics. While olefins include ethylene, propylene, methanol and C4 stream such as butadiene, aromatics include benzene, toluene and xylene. The petrochemicals of commercial importance in the petrochemical industry include ethylene, propylene, benzene and xylene. These petrochemical building blocks are further processed to yield final products such as paints, polyester and plastics. Take ethylene for instance. It is processed into ethyl benzene, ethylen e oxide, ethylene dichloride, ethyl alcohol, acetaldehyde and polyethylene. These undergo further transformation to yield a wide range of products such as tyres, detergents, agrochemicals and plastic products. Originally, most plastics were made from the resins of plant matter. But it wasnt long before plastics were developed from petrochemicals. The packaging industry, the leading user of plastics, accounts for about one-third of total U.S. production. The building industry ranks second, which uses plastic to makeà insulation, moulding, pipes, roofing, siding, and frames for doors and windows. Other industries, including automobile and truck manufacturing, also rely heavily on plastics. The United States was hardly alone in its rising use of petroleum products. Throughout the world, increased industrialization and rapid population growth created new and greater demands for oil. By the late 1950s, petrochemicals became one of the largest industries, and control over the sources and transportation of oil became a major national and international political issue. The Supply and Demand The raw material used for the production Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) is Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM). Naphtha, which refers to a several different liquid mixtures of hydrocarbon, is the major feed stock used for the production of VCM. The global VCM supply capacity in the year 2009 was 40.0 million tons which 50.8 % of it is based on Naphtha as feedstock. 27.2 % of the global capacity was based on Natural gas for feedstock followed by 17.2% by coal while only 4.7 % of the global capacity was based on other feed stocks. In terms of region oriented, Asia- Pacific had the largest production capacity in 2009 with 18.1 million tons of production which stands 45.1% of the market share followed by Europe with a production capacity of 10.4 million tons and a share of 25.8%. The Middle East had the capacity of 2.0 million tons and a share of 5.2% while South and Central America were closely behind with 1.6 million tons of production capacity with a share of 3.9%. Based on the report Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) Global Dynamics to 2020, global VCM demand in the year 2000 was 20.7 million tons and it grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% from the year 2000 to 2009 in which the demand in the latter year had reached 29 million tons. The report has also indicates that there will be increase in demand of VCM with growth of are a CAGR of 5.4% from 2009 to 2020. This means if the reports expectation is correct, the demand of VCM this year will be 32 million tones and by the year 2020, the demand will be reaching 50 million tones. Out of the 29 million tons of VCM demand in the year 2009, Asia-Pacific has the highest demand in the industry with 16.4 million tons with a major share of 56.4%. The North America had a demand of 5.9 million tons and its share was 20.3% while Europe had a VCM demand of 4.8 million tons, followed by South and Central America with demand of 1.2 million tons. The demand share owned by Europe was 16.5% while 4.1% of demand market share is occupied by South and Central America. The Middle East had a demand of only mere 0.8 million tons along with demand share of only 2.7%. In conclusion, we can see that the major demand of VCM is in Asia Pacific and this is also where the production capacity of VCM is highest in a region around the world. Hence, we can conclude that the production capacity is usually closely related to the demand of the region. Prospect of the industry The production of PVC is a chemical industry. To be more specific, it is a synthetic material industry. It is considered a segment of overall chemical industry with manufacturers representing 20% of chemical industry. The plastic industry, which manufacturing of PVC is, stands around 70% of the whole synthetic material industry which also includes rubber and manmade fibres. The production of PVC requires a lot of process which in turn will require a big plant for the manufacturing as well as storing. The manufacturing process is complex which requires an expertise in the field. Hence, the industry requires the skill and knowledge of a chemical engineer to maintain the plant as well as solving problem that exists within the manufacturing process. Besides, transportation of raw materials is also needed to be coordinated by the manufacturer to lower to cost to yield more profit. From the supply and demand perspectives, both of it is growing from year to year basis which is thoroughly discussed at Supply and Demand section. The reason to the increase in demand is due to the usage of this PVC material, mainly in piping but also diversify to other utilities like plastic for manufacturing of table lamp. On the other hand , the supply of raw material increases due to the demand. The industry plays an important role to the consumer in providing them the product as well as to the economy in making profit and providing jobs opportunity. Impact on the Environment During the manufacturing of PVC process, wastes such as production residue sand installation waste which give impact on the environment will be released out. vinyl chloride monomer is used to produce theà polymerà polyvinyl chlorideà (PVC). VCM can be a carcinogen, can cause a rare form of cancer which known as angiosarcoma. Excluding its flammability potential at release, VCM quickly dissipates posing slight threat to human health in form of diluted form and quickly degenerates when exposed to normal daylight as in the open atmosphere. During the polymerization process, basically all of the VCM is changed into the inert polymer chains that form the PVC plastic. The possibility of residual unpolymerised VCM to stay on in the polymer and eventually transfer into food from PVC packaging is high. Some of the liquidà petroleumà hydrocarbonà will be released into the environment like theà oceanà orà coastal waters due to human activity, and is a form ofà pollution. In case the balance of ecosystem will be affected. In the process, the combustion of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants as by-products. In Addition, oil spill is a release of a petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to manufacturing PVC process. In other to reduce the impact on the environment, an capable waste management system will reduce the not being re-used and make the most of the use of economically and environmentally rational recovery schemes. Step of Incineration with Energy Recovery can be taken. Oil that used in PVC production can be utilised as a minimum twice, Incorporating PVC consumer products can be under controlled and reduces the amount of PVC going to landfill and reduces the pollutions. The modern incinerators are equipped with pollution control equipment and run to the highest standards therefore it can help to minimise the release of emissions to the environment. In addition,à mechanical and feedstock recycling can implemented Moreover, anything of the PVC recovery process, residual fraction of waste is contained which not recyclable. Controlled landfill still remains a disposal option in the limited fraction. The consumer product which containing PVC presence in landfill does not constitute a major risk to the environment is confirmed by finding of independent studies. .à Processes how PVC is manufactured (Electrolysis, Chlorination VCM Cracker) 1 Electrolysis: Electrolysis, is a method of using electric current to drive a non-spontaneous chemical reaction. In the production of the PVC, chlorine is produced by separating the chlorine and sodium ions of a salt brine using the method of electrolysis. The electrolysis of salt brine will produce hydrogen gas and chlorine gas. 2 Chlorination: Chlorination is the process of adding chlorine into ethene to produce ethylene chloride also commonly known as vinyl chloride. The chlorine is from the process of electrolysis of brine salt from previous process. In chlorination , chlorine is added to ethene to replace two H atom from the molecule without breaking the double bond in ethene to produce 1,2-dichloroethane. Iron (III) is used as catalyst in the process .à CH2=CH2 + Cl2 > ClCH2CH2Clà 3 Thermal cracking(VCM Cracker): The main purpose of this process is to obtain the chloroethene also known as VCM. This is done because VCM couldnt be obtained by simple chlorination of ethene. Hence, this process is carried out to removed one atom of chlorine from 1,2-dichloroethane as well as recovering the carbon-carbon double bond to obtain VCM. Basically the process is being carried out with condition of 500 à °C with pressure ranging from 15 atm to 30 atm. Under that condition, 1,2-dichloroethane decomposes to produce chloroethene (VCM) and hydrogen chloride.à ClCH2CH2Clà ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬â¢CH2=CHCl+HCl (Prepared by Lim Chung Kin, 0902959) (4 Quenching,5 cooling water ,6 purification) Cracking furnace effluent must be quenched, or cooled rapidly, to keep coking at a minimum. Therefore, the hot effluent gases are typically quenched and partially condensed by direct contact with cold EDC in a quench tower. Alternatively, the hot effluent can first be cooled by heat exchange with cold liquid EDC furnace feed or by vaporizing boiler feed water (BFW) to produce high pressure steam in a transfer line exchanger (TLX) prior to entering the quench tower. This arrangement saves energy by decreasing the amount of fuel needed to fire the cracking furnace and/or steam needed to vaporize the feed. Then it will undergo the Purification process. Water elimination in a VCM purification system is achieved through on condition that a separation of a liquid mixture which consist of water, hydrogen chloride, and vinyl chloride into a hydrogen chloride distillate stream and an essentially pure vinyl chloride product stream in distillation column; and a drying system is placed in fluid communication with the distillation column midsection at a connection point where the water reached sufficient concentration so that a water functional mass transfer flux from a withdrawn midsection stream into a drying agent is provided. The temperature control in this column achieves EDC-water separation control. The VCM produced in the pyrolysis section is separated in the VCM purification section. In the HCL column, temperature control is used to distil HCL off the top of the mixed feed containing mainly EDC, VCM and HCL. The bottom product is fed to the VCM column, where the temperature is controlled to purify VCM as overhead product and the recovered EDC is recycled back to the EDC purification section After the VCM purification process, it is ends up in the feed to the oxychlorination process. If acetylene is allowed to enter the oxychlorination reactor, the acetylene would be readily converted to perchloroethylene and other heavily chlorinated by-products, resulting in a significant HCL efficiency loss. Consequently, the HCL recycle stream is usually passed through a hydrogenation reactor to selectively convert the acetylene to ethylene, which makes more EDC downstream. Hydrogenation is generally carried out in a fixed bed reactor packed with catalyst made from a precious metal on an inert support. Hydrogen is added to the feed in stoichiometric excess to ensure conversion of acetylene to ethylene. The reaction is temperature dependant, with lower temperatures being preferable to maximize conversion to ethylene. If the temperature is too high, a fraction of the acetylene may be further hydrogenated to ethane. (Prepared by Hew She Luan, 0905291) (Stripping, Centrifuging, Drying and Sieving Process) 7 Stripping: In all of the processes used to produce PVC, unreacted VCM is present at the end of the reaction. VCM is a carcinogenic substance and its removal from PVC is very important for both avoiding downstream emission and for recycle purpose. Superheated steam is injected into the polymerization product in the reactor. The steam causes unreacted VCM to vaporize making it easy to remove. The temperature of the steam injected into the polymerization product should be 180 while the pressure should be 10 bar. 8. Centrifuging: During this step, PVC is separated from VCM. The water to the inlet of the centrifuge is filtered to prevent PVC from being contaminated by impurities in the water. Nexis T filters rated at 10m are recommended to filter the water. 9. Drying: Most of the water is removed when the slurry passes through the centrifuge. A damp cake of polymer leaves the centrifuge and is conveyed into the fluid bed dryer. Here, the remaining water contained in the porous grains evaporates as a stream of heated air bubbles through the polymer powder. In order to minimize the emissions, the moist air is wet-scrubbed before discharge into the atmosphere. à 10. Sieving: After the drying process, the PVC will go through sieving process where the PVC is separate into different sizes for further processing. (Prepared by Cody Yip Jun Kit, 10UEB00894) (Storage and Handling, Control Room and Polymerization) 11. Storage and Handling VCM must be stored in a tightly closed container in a cool, well ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, heat and incompatible materials .VCM can be stored in steel tanks at ambient temperature. The drums must be equipped with self closing valves, flame arresters and pressure vacuum. Consider installation of leak detection and alarm for storage and use area. VCM should not be stored below ground level. 12. Control Room A Control Room is the room where pumps, fans, blowers, mixers, mills and centrifuges are controlled by variable speed drives and soft starters. Minicomputers are used to control chemical reactors in the PVC production process. Computer control can bring advantages to a batch process, closer control of the process, major gains in safety and the opportunity to use larger, more efficient processing equipment. Under manual control, a polymerization cycle might take about 14 hours but computer control can cut this time to about 8 hours. Computer control also offers substantial gains in accuracy and safety. A typical computer controlled reactor stands about six stories tall and hold 30,000 to 50,000 gallons. While in manually controlled plants, each reactors capacity is between 2,000 and 7,000 gallons. Computer control enables PVC plants to meet new OSHA standards, effective April 1, 1976, that will limit the exposure of workers to VCM vapors. VCM vapor is a known human carcinogen. If inhaled or absorbed through the skin, it may be harmful. VCM vapors may be a reproductive hazard. 13. Polymerization The process of polymerization links together the vinyl chloride molecules to form chains of PVC. The PVC produced in this way is in the form of a white powder. This is not used alone, but blended with other ingredients to give formulations for a wide range of products.à In the polymerization process practically all of the VCM is processed into the inert polymer chains that make up the PVC plastic. It is possible for extremely low levels of any residual depolymerised VCM to remain in the polymer and eventually migrate into food from PVC packaging, but only at levels. Polymerization of PVC is divided into 2 types which is emulsion polymerization and suspension polymerization. Emulsion polymerization involves the polymerization of monomers in an aqueous medium containing surfactant and a water soluble initiator, producing PVC lattices. PVC lattices are colloidal dispersions of spherical particles, ranging in size between 0.1 and 3.0 ÃŽà ¼m. Most PVC lattices are spray dried and then milled to obtain fine powders, made up of agglomerates of latex particles. When mixed with plasticizers they disperse readily to form stable suspensions. During mixing most of the agglomerates are broken down into the original latex particles. Such dispersion of fine particles in plasticizers are known as plastisols or pastes, and the powder is called dispersion or paste polymer. The surfactant layer around the particle surface prevents their adsorbing the plasticizer at room temperature so they can be used as liquids and may then be spread on to fabric or other subs trates, poured on molds, or deposited on formers to produce flooring, wall covering, artificial leather, balls, toys, or protective gloves. There are other grades of PVC polymers, produced by emulsion polymerization, that do not form plastisols and that are used as blends with suspension PVC grades for extrusion application or in the manufacture of battery separator plates. These so-called emulsion polymers are of only minor economic interest. Sales in latex form are very limited; lattices are used in water-based paints, printing inks, and impregnated fabrics. (Prepared by A. Srinyanavel 0904742) (Packing and dispatch, compounding, converting and recycling) 14. Packing dispatch: In this process, soft PVC is packed on a semi-automatic snaking machine or manually, depending on the size, shape, and length and intended use of final product. The length of the roll cut on a stumble varies for fix packages form 10m to 100 m. However, other lengths are also obtainable upon appeal. Rolls are provided with 3 binding strips and marked with markets badges. Some soft PVC sizes are packed into polyethylene foil to provide appropriate security against incidental scratch or corrosion of their functionality. 15. Compounding: This process involves storage, conveying, metering, mixing, and cooling. All these operations occur prior to the actual melt compounding. The distribution becomes harder because the filler loading level is increased and the surface area of the mineral filler increases. The surface area increases rapidly due to the particle size decreases. These are important steps in the process that can affect the quality of PVC. If these requirements are not met completely, the final products physical properties will be affected. 16. Converting: This process is either makes final PVC products for sale or makes components for further uses. Different additives like stabilisers and plasticisers need to be added to PVC resin to create a compound that meets the requirement of the final product and of the processing technology to be used. Compounding may be carried out by the converters or by separate compounders who supply ready-made blends prepared for processing. The PVC compound is then converted by processes such as extrusion, moulding and calendaring. 17.Recycling: Polyvinyl Chloride can be reused; however the purity of the material tends to degrade with each time of reuse cycle. In addition, the separation of the different additives and compounds forming the plastic makes recycle a difficult process. The biggest problem with PVC recycling is that it is difficult to automate the sorting of plastic waste, and so it is labor-intensive. There are three ways of PVC recycling: mechanical recycling, mechanical recycling for mixed plastics and feedstock recycling. (Prepared by Cheah Kai Mun, 0904128) Role of chemical engineer in petrochemical industry Beneath all of the general responsibilities listed above, a petrochemical engineer must engage in numerous specific duties on a daily basis. The first duty which the petrochemical engineer is responsible for completing is research. The petrochemical engineer must take careful steps to ensure that what they are looking to manufacture and how they are looking to manufacture a product is the right avenue to pursue. The way to resolve this issue is by doing a lot of research on a variety of topics relating to petrochemical engineering. The petrochemical engineer is also responsible for designing a variety of items and this is a very important duty which they must complete. A petrochemical engineer must design various items such as measurement and control systems, petrochemical manufacturing equipment and petrochemical manufacturing processes. This is a major duty on the part of the petrochemical engineer and one which must be carried out with preciseness at all levels and stages.à A petrochemical engineer must also engage in a wide array of analyses. The things which the petrochemical engineer must analyze include test data, engineering design, design problems and research findings. The petrochemical engineer must take painstaking measures to adequately analyze these items as the outcome of the project could very well depend on the analysis which is undertaken by the petrochemical engineer.à One who is an engineer must develop certain procedures and policies as well so that there will be smooth operations all the way around the board. Various procedures and policies such as safety procedures, data tables and employment policies may all be in the hands of the petrochemical engineer. A senior level petrochemical engineer will have more to do with regard to developing policies and procedures within the company orcorporation.à The preparation of multiple reports is also in the hands of the petrochemical engineer. The petrochemical engineer must prepare data which specifically details the findings of certain tests and evaluations. These reports can be text or tables depending on the type of report which is needed.à A petrochemical engineer will also deal with other individuals a great deal. The reason for doing so is to relay the results and findings as well as oversee other petrochemical engineers and related workers in their field. From time to time, petrochemical engineers must lecture to their peers and the general public regarding their job and role in society. The Skills/Knowledge required by the engineer In the oil and natural gas industry such as PVC manufacturing industry, the Petrochemical Engineer is playing a important role. With all the products derived from crude oil it is practically impossible to imagine a world without them.à Act as a petrochemical engineer, several skills and knowledge are needed. Petrochemical engineers should be expert in analytical things. They need constantly putting their creativity to work, efficiently and on a large scale, transforming combinations of elements of matter, synthesizing new materials.à Besides, it is important to determine the most effective processes for normal production. For example, Design and develop newest and enhanced processes and equipment for converting the raw materials into products by using computers to simulate and control such processes. Other than that, creative and innovative thinking with excellent problem solving skills is important to a petrochemical engineer. In order to have an organized and high quality products being designed, engineers should always troubleshoot environmental problems in industrial processing and manufacturing plants. Just in the same way, efficient, safe and environmentally responsible plant operations needed to be ensured. Moreover, planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks skills across multiple projects are needed by an engineer. They acquire excellent both spoken and written, communication skills, and cooperate well in teams with people from different backgrounds and disciplines. Engineers, technicians, supervise technologists, and other involved in related activities. Additionally, participates aggressively in new product introduction are motivated, including influencing the design of the product to ensure manufacturability and quality conformance, testing the dependability of prototypes and managing the alteration into production.à Applying mathematical and scientific principles are needed too. Some of the processes such as catalytic cracking is developed by Petrochemical engineers to break down the complex organic molecules found in crude oil into much simpler molecules. Conclusion In a nutshell, chemical engineers need to possess skills, knowledge and experience in order to make the conversion of raw materials that enter the reactor into a useful product that leaves the reactor a success as well as minimizing the damage done to the environment. PVC production is still in demand worldwide even though everyone realizes that PVC takes a long time to decompose. However, the production of PVC will not be stopped as other industries still rely on plastics to manufacture or to pack their products. The industrial method to produce PVC involves 17 processes according to our group research and among the 17 processes some actually emit harmful materials or gases as a byproduct that causes damage to the environment. However, these processes must be made as environmentally friendly as possible to produce PVC without damaging the environment.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Alcoholism Essay -- Persuasive Argumentative Essays
Alcoholism Alcohol consumption was initiated on reservations when traders in the nineteenth century started to offer it to oppressed and depressed Native Americans. Natives represent, in fact, the ethnic group with the highest degree of alcohol consumption in the United States. Confinement on reservations after displacement brought for Native Americans identity conflicts and assimilation problems. This situation promoted the abuse of liquor to mitigate the psychological pain inflicted by the dispossession of the land and enclosure in a limited and controlled space. Both the stereotype of the ââ¬Å"Noble Savageâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"drunken Indianâ⬠are recurrent figures in mainstream literature of the US. Native American Literature of the 70s and 80s (American Indian Literary Renaissance) focused on restoring the tribal inheritance of mixed blood Indians who had been alienated both by whites and fellow Indians. Serving in the army during World War II or in the VIETNAM WAR, some tried to gain the respect of their fellow soldiers only to collapse completely and dive into an ocean of solitude after the conflicts ended. Partial consolation seemed to be found in drinking. Assimilation to white culture often times means drinking as whites, thus, CEREMONY, HOUSE MADE OF DAWN, WINTER IN THE BLOOD and LOVE MEDICINE, among others, introduced the topic of the alienated Indian destroyed by liquor. James WELCH, Louise ERDRICH, Leslie Marmon SILKO, and Scott MOMADAY deal with the issue of alcohol abuse in most of their novels; they express a true concern about the situation of their tribes due to alcoholism and propose the return to the ancient ceremonies and traditions to cure tribal members addi cted to liquor and restore their link with the earth. ... ...n Blues. New York: Warner Books, 1996 Brave Bird, Mary E.& Erdoes, R. Ohikita Woman. New York: Grove Press, 1993. Crow Dog, Mary E. & Erdoes, R. Lakota Woman.New York: Harper Perennial, 1990. Dorris, Michael. The Broken Cord Erdrich, L. Love Medicine (New and Expanded Edition). New York: Harper Perennial, 1984. Gunn Allen, Paula. The Sacred Hoop, Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Tradition. Boston: Beacon Press books, 1986. Mc. Farland, R. James Welch. Lewinston (IH): Confluence Press Inc., 1986. Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. New York: Harper and Row, 1968. Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin, 1977. Stookey, Lorena Laura. Louise Erdrich : a critical companion. Westport (Connecticut): Greenwood Press, 1999 Welch, James. Winter in the Blood. New York, Harper & Row 1974 Imelda Martà n-Junquera
Salespeople Motivation Essay -- Human Resources
Introduction Salespeople are often internally driven and self-motivated (Srivastava and Rangarajan, 2008), and are increasingly becoming consultants who sell value-added services (Smith and Rupp, 2003). Nowadays more industrial companies employ sales engineers (SE) and therefore they represent an emerging class of knowledge workers on sales (Darr, 2002). I will first discuss my experience in Festo, before briefly addressing some theories about motivation, related to it. Was there a mismatch between theory and business as I knew it? If so, I will try to identify it and to explain why Festo's incentives failed with me. Finally, I will suggest how Festo should have motivated its SE, based on the theory discussed. What is a SE? Although having studied engineering, I have mostly worked as a salesperson. Thus, I can ask: what is a SE? A salesperson with a strong technical knowledge on the field he/she is selling. Furthermore, a SE could be defined as a technical-consultant salesperson or a knowledge worker (Darr, 2002). These ideas somehow extend Lidstone's (1995) definition of a technical salesperson: someone who sells industrial products, equipment or highly engineered components, has a major emphasis is his/her technical know-how but are often worried with technical details and tends to forget his/her job is to sell. SE at Festo Festo Argentina had around 20 SE (2007) nationwide (from a workforce of 120), half of them farther away than 400 miles from main office. Needless to mention, every SE had a different emotional background (psychological characteristics), engineering field (industrial, electronic, mechanical), and socioeconomic situation (some married, some young and single; middle-aged, well-off, working class, etc.... .../2010]. Pritchard, R. and Ashwood, E. (2008). Managing motivation: a managerââ¬â¢s guide to diagnosing and improving motivation. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Smith, A. and Rupp, W. (2003). An examination of emerging strategy and sales performance: motivation, chaotic change and organizational structure. Marketing & Intelligence Planning, 21/3, pp.156-167. Smyth and Murphy (1969). Compensating and motivating salesmen. New York: American Management Association. Srivastava, R. and Rangarajan, D. (2008). Understanding the salespeopleââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"feedback-satisfactionâ⬠linkage: what role does job perceptions play?. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 23/3, pp. 151ââ¬â160. Steers, R. and Porter, L. (1987). Motivation and work behaviour, 4th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc. Stewart, G. (1994). Successful Sales Management, 3rd edition. London: Pitman Publishing.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Unequal But Not Separate :: Essays Papers
Unequal But Not Separate Enemy fire whizzes by, hitting the walls around behind me. The spent shells are scattered at my feet. The smell of death and gunpowder tantalizes my nose. In the distance I can hear the chopper hovering. All I can do is pray that it reaches us in time. Enemy fire begins again. I am lost in the smoke and confusion. Then Private Jackson falls to the ground behind me. He has been hit. Now his life is entrusted to me. The chopper is now hovering across the field about 100 yards away. I tuck my gun away and reach down to grab him. I try to put him over my shoulder, but I canââ¬â¢t lift him. I start to drag him toward the chopper. I struggle for about 25 yards. The pilot is waving me on, motioning me to hurry. I donââ¬â¢t have the strength. I canââ¬â¢t go any farther. The chopper has to go, it canââ¬â¢t wait any longer. I am alone with Private Jackson looking up at me in disbelief, knowing it is my fault we will both be dead in a matter of minutes. The military, the nation an d Private Jackson all had trusted me to make it and I had failed. Trust. It is the bond that holds our great military together. When this trust is broken our nation, as a whole will suffer the consequences. A soldier must have complete faith that his fellow soldiers, both male and female, will do their job so that he can focus on his. But what happens when double standards are employed for female soldiers? Can one expect a male soldier to completely trust her ability to complete her tasks as a soldier? The soldier knows full well that his female comrade didnââ¬â¢t have to perform the necessary physical tasks to the same standards that he did. How can one have confidence in her abilities if her performance would have been unacceptable had she been a male? The thread of trust begins to unwind once a soldier question anotherââ¬â¢s abilities. That is why one uniform standard had been in place throughout history. A soldier knew that the every other soldier could perform tasks to the same standard that he had. They had a common trust that held the m together. Now, with gender norming, the double standards used to ensure women pass the physical tests, we put the trust that held our military together in jeopardy.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Psychological factors that affect performance in sports Essay
Competition in sports and the general performance of athletes in various competitive activities results in increased stress among the athletes. This increased stress makes the athlete to react mentally and physically in a way that negatively affects the performance capabilities of the athletes. The athletes may tense, increase their heart beats, sweat allover as they agonize about the possible results of their performance. Such athletes find it difficulty to focus on the mission ahead. This aspect has resulted in many coaches and trainers to take more interest in the subject of sports psychology, specifically in the aspect of competitive anxiety. The attention has centered on factors that affect performance in sports, physical activity and exercise and on skills athletes apply in competitive environment. Ones the factors effecting performance are established, the skills required for succeeded in competitive environment are also taught to the athletes. This paper seeks to research on Psychological/mental factors that affect performance in sports, physical activity and exercise. To carry out this objective, the paper will proceed by highlight the issue under discussion, reviewing previous literature on the subject in details, and discussing the finding, the lastly make the concluding remakes based on finding of the researcher paper. The issue Sports participation by athletes places a lot of physical as well psychological stress on these athletes. Rushall and Potgieter (1987) explain that a serious competitive situation is whereby the outcomes of performance of the athletes are most crucial and strongest. Factors which affect the athleteââ¬â¢s view of this situation have been explained by Rushall and Potgieter (1987) as ââ¬Ësports stress checklistââ¬â¢. According to Teed, (1987) differences in these factors results in performance inconsistencies, while at the same time they also imply patterns which influence exceptional performance. In tough and serious performance circumstances, it has been established that performance based strategies of specific elements have significant impact on performance reliability and consistency (Syer, and Connolly, 1984). There is always need for particular preparations to be done in various fields such as performing arts, and business, (Goetz). Though, previous studies have established that there is always need for such psychological preparations to be undertaken in the field of sports, it is still being overlooked in many sporting setting by trainers as well as sports psychologists. In addition, when plans or strategies are drawn mainly by the athletes themselves, Syer and Connolly (1984) notes that they result in the following advantages, reduced uncertainty and interpretive disruption as well as stress brought by negative circumstances, improved performance consistency of athletes, better coping ability for difficulties, and lastly reduced performance declines. The following section takes a detailed look on psychological factors that effect performance. Literature review: Factors affecting performanceà Segmenting sports activity and other physical activities In case the event or activity to be performed is long, it is required that it should be broken down into shorter segments. The segments ought to be short enough so that the athlete is able to concentrate fully on what is required to be done and thought during that period. This helps the athlete to focus on achieving of successful competition aspects. Arranging competition is this way is termed as segmenting. Segmenting has originated from two main sources. One, the goal-setting past literature has indicated that far-off goals have got less effect on athlete performance compared to proximal goals (Syer and Connolly, 1984). A performance goal which are short-term and which, center on processes required for successful conduct improves performance. Two, people facing extensive assignments normally break the down to better manageable parts Stress Stress is major factor which affects athletesââ¬â¢ performance. Numerous studies have indicated that stress has directly effect athletes, though the extent of the effect is not various and it is hard to measure correctly. In a study to measure stress carried out by Jones and Hardy (1989), electronic gadgets were attached on athletes so as to directly measure the physiological arousal of the athlete using a process termed as telemetry. The gadget transmitted a radio signal into a receiver whereby physiological responses like the heartbeat can be assessed while the athlete is carrying out his/her normal activities and when he/she is involved in sporting action. The study revealed that athletes experience high degree of arousal when in sporting activities. However, the shortcoming with this method of measurement is that the results can not ascertain for sure which kind emotion is being felt by the athlete, it came be anxiety caused by stress, or it could be excitement caused by joy of participation in the sporting event. However, in another study by Jones and Hardy (1989) it revealed that sporting activities are not very much stressful for athletes particularly when compared to other physical activities in which the athletes are evaluated according to their performance. Nonetheless, it remains apparent that sporting situations are able to result in increased degree of stress for many athletes. Instead of the athletes finding competitive sporting activities challenging and enjoyable to take part in, a number of athletes certainly experience anxiety and threats in such a sporting situation. Jones and Hardy (1989) adds that anxiety together with fear resulting from stress are what many individuals would like to avoid, but this is exactly what effects a lot of athletes. Many athletes drop out off sporting activities because of these two aspects, as they find sporting activities to be threatening instead of being pleasant experience. A high number of individual also revealed that they would prefer to take part in sports and other physical activities by they fear that they will perform badly and if there is selection going on, they would even be selected to join the team. Thus, stress is a major factor which affects sports and can reduce the enjoyment of taking part in sporting activities Thought contents of athletesà Performance efficiency of an athlete is usually reduced due to distraction but it is improved by having relevant concentration. However, there are Holingen and Vikander, 1987) asserts that there are a number of exception to this opinion, for instance cognitive interference. But, Jones and Hardy (1989) say that, to perform well in tasks under stressful situation, the athlete has to focus his/her attention on the processes of completing the task successful in the best position. This specifically is true when it comes to sports. Cognitive concepts like attention focus and flow have a characteristic of a particular task orientation. However, this orientation differs in relation to the stage as well as the kind of activity being performed. Cappaert and Rushall (1994) explain that the objective of focusing on task-relevant information is to make sure that every resource is made available to the athlete in sporting activities. Athletes should be being able get focused and concentrate on the cues in a sporting activity so that they can effectively deal with the present task. These skills of focusing assist the athletes to maintain their individual mental intensity within a sporting activity. General techniques of concentrating comprises of avoiding distractions, skills to develop awareness (Syer and Connolly, 1984). Self statement This is your inner voice, what you an athlete says to him/herself. This aspect of self-talk relates to the manner athletes feel and also act. However, Jones and Hardy (1989) explains that changing ones self-statement and making it positive creates a positive mental position, which in term gives the body a positive approach to an a physically activities and makes the athlete to perform better in that activity. This observation is supported by Syer and Connolly(1984) who asserts that self-statement is as well associated with factors which are related to improved performance, for instance coping (Gibson and Heads, 1989), self-efficacy (Jones and Hardy (1989) and self-concept (Selkirk, 1980) In a study carried out by Cappaert and Rushall (1994) they established a direct impact of negative self-talk on swimmers performance. In another observation of 20 tennis players participating in a tournament, it was established that negative self-statement was linked to losing, those players who used positive self-statements and believed in its utility worn much more points as oppose to those with a negative self-talk (Holingen and Vikander, 1987). Positive self-statement was a crucial aspect of a game plan for improving results of basketball (Teed, 1987) and as Holingen, and Vikander (1987) explains for learning essential forms in ice-skating. And also for increasing the total number of wins by tennis players
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