The Development Of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour

Katz (1964) proposed that for an organization to operate successfully, employees must be willing to do more than the minimal performance and specific technical aspects of their job (Rioux Penner, 2001). Out of this comes the development of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB). OCB represents â€Å"individual behaviour that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognised by the formal reward system, and in the aggregate promotes the efficient and effective functioning of the organization† (Organ 1988, p. 4). The study of OCB has become increasingly important as the prevalence, importance, and costs of counterproductive, or deviant, behaviour in the workplace have been increasingly recognised (Lee Allen, 2002). Theoretically, OCBs are of interest because they cannot be explained by the same mechanisms as those motivations that encourage people to perform within formal role requirements (Smith, Organ Near, 1983). OCB’s are not easy enforced by the possibi lity of punishment, as they are discretionary behaviours that are beyond in-role requirements (Smith et al. 1983). The recognition of the costs of deviant workplace behaviour, and the intrigue behind determining what motivates OCB warrant the ever-increasing studies in this field. Research has shown there are multiple determinants of OCB, not all of which will be discussed here. This paper attempts to synthesize the research on OCB only in relation to the predictor of job satisfaction, looking at whether jobShow MoreRelatedNursing and Social Responsibility1468 Words   |  6 PagesCitizenship for nurses Health professionals have obligations in regards of protection, promotion and optimization of health abilities to prevent from illness. It helps to guide in focusing the normal principals of care and justice and also motivates certain civic action. 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Sustainable Supply Chain - 986 Words

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY Role of reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chain in sustainability Implementation Manufacturing Strategy | AbstractIn this interim report, motive for doing this topic has been discussed and further, the methodology which will be used to reach the conclusion is also been mentioned. Finally, expected takeaway are also been highlighted. Kuldeep Jain - 1401083 Term Paper – Interim Report | Role of reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chain in sustainability Implementation Manufacturing Strategy | AbstractIn this interim report, motive for doing this topic has been discussed and further, the methodology which will be used to reach the conclusion is also been mentioned. Finally, expected†¦show more content†¦2. Distribution of publications per year across the period of the study (382 papers: 2007–2013). Fig. 2. Distribution of publications per year across the period of the study (382 papers: 2007–2013). * Evolution of reverse logistics and closed loop supply chain * Current scenario * Major contributors * Industry specific developments for e.g. Pharmaceuticals or E-retailers * Major Issue / Challenges * Future prospects Expected Takeaway(s) After this study, one should be able to understand the current state of reverse logistics in the industry and how it has been looked upon by organizations. Various issues will be highlighted and if possible, recommendations will be given to mitigate them. Future opportunities will be listed down and their feasibility check can be done. Finally, conclusion will be made on the role of reverse logistics for the development of a sustainable supply chain, and when we say sustainable, it means economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability. References 1. D.S. Rogers, R.S. 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Stephen King and Langston Hughes †Perspectives on Good Writing Free Essays

In How to Be a Bad Writer (in Ten Easy Lessons), by Langston Hughes, and Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully – in Ten Minutes, by Stephen King, the reader is advised on a variety of writing topics. Hughes, a product of segregation and racism, uses biting humor and sarcasm to rail against bad writing, whereas King, a former teacher and a product of the counterculture movement, uses folksy charm to instruct us. King cleverly prefaces his advice with a self-effacing story about learning to write in his sophomore year of High School. We will write a custom essay sample on Stephen King and Langston Hughes – Perspectives on Good Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now In essence, he says that if he could do it, then so can we, if we listen. King values brevity (remove every extraneous word) and warns us not to get on a soapbox and preach. King also has great respect for the process, from drafting to submission etiquette, and belittles those of us who do not know the markets. In conclusion, he states, â€Å"And if you listened, you can write everything and anything you want. † It sounds seductively simple, and that is King’s greatest success. He makes you believe. Hughes takes the gloves off in How to Be a Bad Writer (in Ten Easy Lessons). He scolds us with ten critical statements and leaves us to do the reverse engineering. Hughes places a premium on honesty, devoting half of his essay to that message. One example is, â€Å"Never write about anything you know, your home town, or your home folks, or yourself. † Hughes attacks dishonesty, verbosity, and affectation with, â€Å"Have nothing to say, but use a great many words, particularly high-sounding words, to say it. When you add Hughes’ instruction to use stereotypes of older stereotypes, his anger is evident. Sadly, Hughes’ race-related advice, if not some of his terminology, remains relevant. There is no universally correct way to be a successful writer and I find it comforting that neither author refers to his advice as rules or laws. King and Hughes have given us valuable reference tools to assist in developing our own techniques. It is up to us to choose how we wil l apply their advice. How to cite Stephen King and Langston Hughes – Perspectives on Good Writing, Papers

Relationship Bewteen Work-Family Balance and Employee Well-being

Question: Discuss about the Relationship Bewteen Work-Family Balance,Employee Well-being and Job Performance for Men and Women. Answer: Introduction As a consequence of the profound changes taking place in families and the labour market, balancing work, and family is an increasing workforce demand (Mercure and Mircea, 2010). In the last decades, labour conditions have changed; long working hours make it difficult to meet family responsibilities, and job insecurity has increased (Rhnima et al., 2014). Similarly, changes have also occurred in families, such as the increase in dual-earner households and in the number of families with dependent family members or single parent families. In this context, when work interferes with family, work-to-family conflicts (WFC) arise (Lin, 2013; Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985). Background Organizational efforts to improve employee well-being through the development of work-family policies may help solve this problem. Work-family policies include work practices aimed at balancing work, family (Lpez-Ibor et al., 2010), and personal demands (Felstead et al., 2002). Researchers have gathered evidence of a positive relationship among work-family policies and job performance in socially supportive companies (Biedma-Ferrer and Medina-Garrido, 2014; van Steenbergen and Ellemers, 2009; Anderson et al., 2002). In line with these findings, this study was seeking to analyse the impact that different work-family policies have on job performance. As such, we designed a model for identifying the effects that different types of work-family policies have on well-being of employees and, ultimately, on job performance. However, according to some authors, the mere presence of work-family strategies is not enough for employees to attain a work-family balance (Yeandle et al., 2002; Budd and Mumford, 2005). Based on this finding, a distinction was made in our study between the existence and employees awareness of work-family policies, and true access to these policies. Industry Background This study provides added value to the existing works on work-family strategies in various forms. First, the effects that the existence and employees awareness of work-family policies have on job performance were separately assessed from the effects that the actual uptake of work-family policies without reprisals have on job performance (Baxter and Chesters, 2011; McDonald et al., 2005). In the existing literature, a distinction is not made between the adoption and the actual implementation of work-family policies (McDonald et al., 2005). As stated above, it is not enough that work-family policies are available, but employees must be aware of their existence and be provided true access to them (Budd and Mumford, 2005; Yeandle et al., 2002) without reprisals (Gray and Tudball, 2002; Bond, 2004). True access to work-family policies requires a helpful work-life organizational philosophy (Las Heras et al., 2015; Sivatte and Guadamillas, 2014). Second, we present an unpublished model for determining the relationship among the existence of and access to work-family policies and job performance as mediated by employee well-being. In third place, the probability that WFC arise and work-family policies are implemented to solve them may differ across sectors (Allen et al., 2015). It would be interesting to analyse the influence of work-family procedures on job performance in the sectors such as the banking sector where employees are subject to more pressure in terms of results (Burke, 2009; Rosso, 2008), as they are more vulnerable to WFC and consequently more urgently require the implementation of work-family policies. The benefit of this study is that it examines the relationship between work-family policies and job performance in the banking sector, a scarcely studied sector (e.g. van Steenbergen and Ellemers, 2009). Finally, the decision to focus our study on the banking industry was based on the dramatic impact that the eco nomic and financial crisis had on this sector in Spain. The crisis was accompanied by major restructuring and downsizing, offices closing (Alam et al., 2015; Maudos, 2012), and increased working hours and pressure exerted on employees in a traditionally stressful sector (Ariza-Montes et al., 2013). An additional effect of the financial crisis is that organizations now devote fewer resources to the execution of work-family strategies (Miheli? and Tekav?i?, 2014). Research aim The focus of this research was to develop existing examination on work-family projects and employment fulfillment. The consequences of the review give a more noteworthy comprehension of the connections between these develops by tending to the overall research address for this review: What work-life adjust techniques accomplish revenue driven association use to expand the occupation fulfillment of affirmations agents Research questions The study main focus was to expand on the existing research on relationship between balancing work and family, well-being of employees and job performance for men and women. The study results will provide an understanding of the relationships of the research topic Does a relationship exist between work-family balance and employee wellbeing? Does the overall relationship between work-family balance and employee wellbeing different by gender? What work-family balance approaches have you used to increase job fulfilment of your employees? What work-family balance approaches appear to affect the job fulfillment of your workers in the most substantial ways? Research Objectives To determine if a relationship exists among work-family balance and worker wellbeing? To determine if a relationship among work-family balance and worker wellbeing differs by gender? To determine whether the work-family balance tactics that will be used to improve job fulfilment of your employees? To determine whether work-family balance tactics appear to affect the job fulfillment of workers in the most substantial ways? Hypothesis Based on the connection among work-family policies and work performance, and taking into account both the existence of and access to different types of work-family policies the following hypotheses was postulated: The more strongly an employee perceives that work-family policies based on working time flexibility exist, the better his/her job performance. The more strongly an employee perceives that work-family policies based on long paid and unpaid leaves exist, the better his/her job performance. The more strongly an employee perceives that work-family policies based on flexibility in the work location exist, the better his/her job performance. The more strongly an employee perceives that work-family policies based on employee and family support services exist, the better his/her job performance. Research Methodology Methodology is the procedures and how the study will be conducted in order to attain precise results. It points out the targeted population, selected population and how sample will be taken from the field i.e. sampling techniques to be used. It shows the data collection instruments used in the survey such as questionnaires and observations and gives reason why these were chosen and not the others. Sample and data collection Fieldwork was focused on the banking sector in Australia, a sector with a total of 192,265 employees. Collected of data were done using a closed-question, self-administered questionnaire. Respondents were sent an e-mail containing a link to the web-based questionnaire. Pre-testing was conducted to improve the efficacy and design of the questionnaire, prevent ambiguity, and improve measurements. Data were collected from three organizations. Organization representatives were requested to take part in the study and informed that the final aggregated results would be provided to them once they were available. A total of 1,565 questionnaires were returned by respondents, who were representative of the entire Australian population in terms of geography. In all, 54 questionnaires were withdrawn from analysis due to incomplete or missing data. Of the resulting 1,511 effective respondents, 42.4 per cent were female and 75.9 per cent had child or elder care responsibilities that required work- family balance. The mean age was 43.7 years (SD 8.9), and mean seniority in the company was 18.7 years (SD 11.2). Measurements The linkage between theoretical constructs and empirical data is described by the measurement model (Fornell, 1982). Two types of relationships are identified in this model: the common latent construct model (reflective indicators), i.e. when pointers represent an unobserved theoretical construct to which they are related; and the aggregated latent construct model (formative indicator), where construct modelling is based on indicators or measurements. Mackenzie et al. (2005) proposed four questions for distinguishing common latent constructs from aggregated ones: what is the course of causality between the construct and its indicators? Are construct indicators interchangeable in conceptual terms? Are indicators correlated among themselves? And, do all pointers have the same construct antecedents and consequences The application of these criteria to all constructs justifies the use of the reflective model, since all indicators are representations of the unobserved theoretical construct they reflect, they share a common theme, are interchangeable, and are strongly correlated. Except for job performance, multiple indicators based on respondents rating of a series of statements on a five-point Likert scale were used, where 1 represented strongly disagree and 5 represented strongly agree. First, to measure the existence of work-family policies in an organization, an adapted version of the Families and Work Institute (2012a,b) scale was used. The adapted scale consisted of five indicators of respondents perceptions. Thus, respondents were asked whether work-family policies were available, whether information on work-family policies was provided to them by the organization, whether they were aware of the work-family policies, whether they knew of someone who had used them and, finally, whether they had ever used work-family policies (e.g. I have the working time flexibility my personal and family responsibilities I need to be met). The respective coefficients for each group of work-family policies were: 1=0.836, 2=0.800, 3=0.884, 4=0.924 for flexi-time, long paid and unpaid leaves, flexi-place, and family support services, respectively. To measure the variable accessibility, a two-item scale (1=0.819, 2=0.792, 3=0.851, 4=0.885) based on the contributions by Anderson et al. (2002) and the Families and Work Institute (2012a,b) was designed. In this scale, respondents have to rate how they perceive access to work-family policies in their organization and they are asked whether they can use them without reprisals (e.g. If I used work-family support resources, it would have negative consequences for my career, with an inverse scoring system). Employee well-being was measured by use of an adapted version of the reflective four-item scale (1=0.962, 2=0.962, 3=0.974, 4=0.977 for flexi-time, long paid and unpaid leaves, flexi-place, and family support services, respectively) designed by Boshoff and Mels (2000) and Warr (1990). This scale was based on the respondents perception of work stress, job satisfaction, motivation to perform his/her tasks and organizational commitment (e.g. I often feel anxious and stressed inside and outside my workplace, with inverse scoring, or My main satisfactions in life come primarily from my job). Finally, respondents perception of their own job performance was measured by asking them to rate their job performance. In line with the recommendations of Boshoff and Mels (2000), the item My organization gets the better of me in terms of job performance was included in the questionnaire ( was not applicable, since it was a one-item construct). Methods Following the recommendations of Hair et al. (2014), hypothesis testing was performed by the use of a structural equation model based on the PLS-SEM approach. The methodology selected more specifically, the data collection methods employed and the constructs tested and the indicators used were appropriate for empirically examining the correlations among theoretical variables related to organizational work-family support (Casper et al., 2007; Chang et al., 2010). SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to perform data analysis (Ringle et al., 2014) and mean values were attributed to missing data using the criterion of replacement with average value. Although the parameters of the measurement model and the structural model were measured in a single step, as recommended by Chin (2010) and Hair et al. (2014) for the presentation of results were adopted. Accordingly, measurement model testing was performed first, followed by the evaluation of significance among parameters. As such, the validity a nd reliability of measurements was guaranteed before any conclusions were drawn on the relationships among constructs. Measurement model testing In this section, we examine whether the study variables (or indicators) measured the theoretical concepts correctly. Given that all constructs were reflective, reliability was analyzed first; i.e., whether the indicators actually measured what they were intended to measure. Next, validity was evaluated; i.e., whether measuring was consistently performed. In the reliability analysis, the reliability of each item was examined separately by assessing factor loadings (). For an indicator to be definitely incorporated in the measurement model of a construct, it must have a factor loading ?0.707. This involves the shared variance between the construct and its indicators being greater than the error variance. Some authors consider that this empirical rule (?0.707) should not be so rigid in early stages of scale design (Hair et al., 2014) and conclude that an indicator with a factor loading ranging from 0.4 to 0.7 can be deleted from a scale if deletion results in the average variance extracted (AVE) or composite reliability (CR) exceeding the minimum threshold value established (AVE=0.5; CR=0.7). Consequently, weak indicators can be occasionally maintained for their contribution to the validity of the content analysis measure. In any case, clearly weak indicators (?0.4) must always be discarded. In this study, all indicators of the measurement model were maintained, although two indicators did not reach the minimum threshold value established (?0.707). This decision was based on the fact that the AVE for all latent variables exceeded 0.5, which means that it was not necessary to delete these variables to reach the minimum threshold value for AVE. Therefore, as these two indicators contribute to the validity of the content, they were maintained. The reliability of the scale was assessed to verify the internal consistency of all indicators when measuring the concept. Scale reliability was evaluated using Cronbachs coefficient and CR. Nunnally (1978) considered 0.7 adequate for indicating modest reliability and a stricter 0.8 for basic research. All constructs comfortably exceeded the threshold established for Cronbachs and CR, all except Cronbachs for the variable Access 2, which was 0.792 and would be considered acceptable. Construct validity was assessed by examining convergent validity and discriminant validity. Convergent validity indicates that a set of indicators signifies one and the same underlying construct, which can be demonstrated through their uni-dimensionality (Henseler et al., 2009). Convergent validity is assessed through the AVE, which provides a measure of the proportion of variance that can be explained by its indicators with respect to variance accounted for by measurement errors. Fornell and Larcker (1981) recommend a threshold value for AVE0.5, which means that 50% of the construct variance can be explained by its indicators but not by the indicators of the other constructs. As shown in Table II, an AVE0.5 was obtained for all constructs. This means that more than 50% of the variance in the construct can be accounted for by its indicators. Discriminant validity examines to what extent a given construct differs from other constructs. Discriminant validity was assessed using the Fornell-Larcker criterion (Fornell-Larcker, 1981), which is based on the idea that, in a given model, a construct should share more variance with its indicators than with other constructs. Consequently, an effective method for assessing discriminant validity is demonstrating that the AVE for a construct is greater than the variance that the construct shares with other constructs of the same model; in other words, the correlations among constructs are lower than the square of the AVE. The study found out that the square of the AVE for all latent variables was greater than the correlation among variables. This means that all constructs were more strongly correlated to their indicators than to those of the other constructs. Conclusion This study makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to better understand the impact that the existence of and true access to work-family policies have on job performance, mediated by employee-well-being. More specifically, this study assesses the effects of different types of work-family policies on employee-well-being and job performance. The first group of work-family policies encompasses working time flexibility policies (flexi-time). The second group consists of long paid and unpaid leave policies. The third group includes policies providing flexibility in the work location (flexi-place). Finally, the fourth group embraces employees and family support services. Work-family policies were evaluated from two perspectives: the existence and employees awareness of work-family policies; and true access to work-family policies. The results obtained indicate that the existence of and access to work-family policies do not have a direct effect on job performance but an indirect one mediated by employee-well-being. This was found to be applicable to all groups except for employee and family support services. The existence of this type of work-family policies does not seem to have a direct or indirect effect on job performance or employee-well-being. Yet, once this type of work-family policies has been adopted, it is important that employees perceive they can use them easily, as this has an indirect positive effect on job performance. Timescale Week activity 1-4 Research 5-6 Questionnaire and Interview development 7- 9 Data collection and preparation (includes primary and secondary data) 10-14 Data Analysis and Interpretation 15 Presentation and Submission Resources Libraries Journals The Internet Past students' dissertations Film, tapes and interviews References Alam, L., Conesa, D., Forte, A. and Tortosa-Ausina, E., 2015. The geography of Spanish bank branches. Journal of Applied Statistics, 42(4), pp.722-744. Allen, T.D., French, K.A., Dumani, S. and Shockley, K.M., 2015. Meta-analysis of workfamily conflict mean differences: Does national context matter?. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 90, pp.90-100. Anderson, S.E., Coffey, B.S. and Byerly, R.T., 2002. Formal organizational initiatives and informal workplace practices: Links to work-family conflict and job-related outcomes. Journal of management, 28(6), pp.787-810. Baxter, J. and Chesters, J., 2011. Perceptions of work-family balance: How effective are family-friendly policies?. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 14(2), p.139. Becker, F.D., 1993. New Working Practices: Benchmarking, Flexible Scheduling, Staffing, and Work Location in an International Context. Cornell University, International Workplace Studies Program. Boshoff, C., 2000. The impact of multiple commitments on intentions to resign: An empirical assessment. British Journal of Management, 11(3), pp.255-272. Budd, J.W. and Mumford, K., 2005. Family-Friendly Work Practices in Britain: Availability and Perceived Accessibility. IZA Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit. Institute for the Study of Labour. Discussion Paper Series IZA DP, (1662). Budd, J.W. and Mumford, K., 2005. Family-Friendly Work Practices in Britain: Availability and Perceived Accessibility. IZA Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit. Institute for the Study of Labour. Discussion Paper Series IZA DP, (1662). Burke, R.J., 2009. Working to live or living to work: Should individuals and organizations care?. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, pp.167-172. Casper, W.J., Eby, L.T., Bordeaux, C., Lockwood, A. and Lambert, D., 2007. A review of research methods in IO/OB work-family research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), p.28. Chin, W.W., 1998. The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. Modern methods for business research, 295(2), pp.295-336. Cloninger, P.A., Selvarajan, T.T., Singh, B. and Huang, S., 2015. The mediating influence of workfamily conflict and the moderating influence of gender on employee outcomes. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(18), pp.2269-2287. Edgar, F., Geare, A., Halhjem, M., Reese, K. and Thoresen, C., 2015. Well-being and performance: Measurement issues for HRM research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(15), pp.1983-1994. Felstead, A., Jewson, N., Phizacklea, A. and Walters, S., 2002. Opportunities to work at home in the context of work?life balance. Human resource management journal, 12(1), pp.54-76. Ferrer, J.M.B. and Garrido, J.A.M., 2014. Impact of family-friendly HRM policies in organizational performance. Intangible Capital, 10(3), pp.448-466. Fornell, C. and Larcker, D.F., 1981. Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of marketing research, pp.39-50. Hair, J.F., 2014. A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), London, United Kingdom, London. Hale, JL/Householder, BJ/Greene, KL (2003): The theory of reasoned action, in: Dillard, JP/Pfau, M.(Hrsg.): The peruation handbook: developments in theory and practice, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp.259-286. Henseler, J., Ringle, C.M. and Sinkovics, R.R., 2009. The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. Advances in International Marketing, 20, 277-319. Hughes, J. and Bozionelos, N., 2007. Work-life balance as source of job dissatisfaction and withdrawal attitudes: An exploratory study on the views of male workers. Personnel Review, 36(1), pp.145-154. Ilies, R., Schwind, K.M. and Heller, D., 2007. Employee well-being: A multilevel model linking work and nonwork domains. European journal of work and organizational psychology, 16(3), pp.326-341. Las Heras, M., Bosch, M.J. and Raes, A.M., 2015. Sequential mediation among family friendly culture and outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 68(11), pp.2366-2373. Lin, A., 2013. The relationship between work/family demands, personality and work-family conflict. The Business Review Cambridge, 21(1), p.274. MacKenzie, S.B., Podsakoff, P.M. and Jarvis, C.B., 2005. The problem of measurement model misspecification in behavioral and organizational research and some recommended solutions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), p.710. McDonald, P., Brown, K. and Bradley, L., 2005. Explanations for the provision-utilisation gap in work-life policy. Women in Management Review, 20(1), pp.37-55. Mihelic, K.K. and Tekavcic, M., 2014. Work-family conflict: a review of antecedents and outcomes. International Journal of Management Information Systems (Online), 18(1), p.15. Montes, J.A.A., Gutirrez, A.C.M. and Casademunt, A.M.L., 2013. La implicacin emocional de los empleados de banca en Europa. Universia Business Review, 2(38). Rhnima, A., Wils, T., Pousa, C.E. and Frigon, M., 2014. Conflits travail-famille et intention de quitter dans le domaine de la sant. Relations Industrielles, 69(3), p.477. Ringle, C.M., Wende, S. and Becker, J.M., 2014. Smartpls 3. Hamburg: SmartPLS. Academy of Management Review, 9, pp.419-445. Steinmetz, H., Frese, M. and Schmidt, P., 2008. A longitudinal panel study on antecedents and outcomes of workhome interference. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(2), pp.231-241. Swody, C.A. and Powell, G.N., 2007. Determinants of employee participation in organizations family-friendly programs: A multi-level approach. Journal of Business and Psychology, 22(2), pp.111-122. Van Steenbergen, E.F. and Ellemers, N., 2009. Is managing the workfamily interface worthwhile? Benefits for employee health and performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(5), pp.617-642.

Trench Warfare Essays - Trench Warfare, Military Science

Trench Warfare World War I was a military conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. It was a modern war with airplanes, machine guns, and tanks. However, the commanders often fought World War I as if it were a 19th Century war. They would march their troops across open land into the face of machine guns and often slaughter. As a result of this action, a tactic known as trench warfare was implemented. The most recent use of use of trench warfare, before World War I, took place during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). This war attracted worldwide attention among military authorities that were interested in studying the latest technology used in war. Many viewed trench warfare to be an effective tactic against enemy advancement. Because of this view, trench warfare proved to be, in World War I, an ineffective and traumatizing experience for all. In September 1914, the German commander, General Erich von Falkenhayn ordered his troops to dig trenched that would provide protection from the allied troops. When the allies reached the trench, they soon realized that they could not break through the line that the trench provided. They also realized that the trench provided the Germans with shelter from their fire. Soon after, the allies began to dig their own trenches and, therefore, trench warfare began. Not very long, after the first trenches of the war were dug, a network of trenches arose. This network spread across France and Belgium for many miles. Within the network, there were three different types of trenches: front line trenches, support trenches, and reserve trenches. The first line of trenches was called front line trenches. These were usually two meters deep and had a zigzag pattern to prevent enemy fire from sweeping the entire length of the trench. In order to prevent the trench form caving in, sandbags were stacked against the trench walls. Between the trenches of opposing forces laid no man's land. This area between the opposing front line trenches was filled with barbwire and mines to prevent enemy crossing. If a soldier was ever injured in no man's land, he usually was killed because of his vulnerability to enemy fire. The second and third types of trenches were the support and reserve trenches, respectively. These trenches were constructed to easily move supplies and troops to the front trenches. All of the trenches were linked to each other by other trenches, underground tunnels, or telephone communications networks. Barbwire was also stretched across the line to protect from enemy attack. While the design of the trenches and the network of trenches seemed like a great tactic, the reality of the life in the trenches was a different story. Life in the trenches took its toll on the soldiers involved in the war. The soldiers in the front line trenches often stayed there for at least 10 days at a time, usually with very little sleep. Katczinsky is right when he says it would not be such a bad war if only one could get more sleep. In the line we have next to none, and fourteen days is a long time at one stretch(p.2). The main reason that soldiers on the front line could not sleep was to be on guard against enemy sneak attacks. Another reason that the soldiers were very tired is that night was used as a time for preparation and maintenance of the trenches. The trenches were constantly being destroyed, either by enemy shellfire, or water damage. Many times, soldiers would be buried alive by the collapsing trench walls. Paul, in All Quiet on the Western Front, states Our trench is almost gone. At many places, it is only eighteen inches high, it is broken by holes, and craters, and mountains of earth.(p.107). Along with very little sleep and the destruction of trenches, soldiers also had to worry about contracting trench foot. Trench foot is an infection of the feet caused by wet and insanitary conditions. Soldiers stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots. This caused their feet to gradually go numb and their skin to turn red or blue. If these conditions went untreated, they would turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Another major concern for

Dark Romanticism Essays

Dark Romanticism Essays Dark Romanticism Paper Dark Romanticism Paper 4. Define â€Å"Dark Romanticism† as you understand it by discussing two works by different authors. Account for the rise of this kind of writing in America and evaluate its appeal and significance then and now. The Dark Side of Romanticism Romantic literary texts focus on the expression of emotion. Authors during the Romantic period developed and integrated the idea of the individual being the main focus in life. Romantic authors focused on the individual being at the center of their own happiness and destiny and evil dwelling outside mankind. Dark Romantics believed that evil is not only found in nature and in other people but evil also dwells inside every human being. Dark Romantics argued that earlier writers had ignored the darker side of humanity. The Dark Romantics’ focus was to illustrate to readers what really makes up mankind. They present individuals as self destructive as opposed to writers in the past such as Puritans that focused on mankind prevailing over evil through the grace of God. Individuals in Dark Romanticism literature are often portrayed failing when they are trying to make themselves better people. Instead of focusing on the good of mankind, Dark Romantics wrote about the tragic and demented side of human life. This pessimistic and skeptic attitude makes way for murky, horrid, and inexplicable thoughts. But these demented thoughts are what make Dark Romantic literature so out of the ordinary and thrilling compared to literature of the past. Dark Romanticism is just that, very dark. Nature is deeply rooted in Dark Romanticism literature but in shady, sinister ways. Evil is found in the literary images of ghouls and ghosts and other creepy beings. For Dark Romantics, the world is cold and mysterious. Gothic fiction helped to inspire many Dark Romantic works. Gothic fiction can be described as a subgenre of Dark Romanticism. It shares many similar characteristics with Dark Romantic literature. Both include themes of darkness and mystery but Gothic fiction was more aimed to tell tales of horror instead of stories of mankind failing to make change for the better. Charles Brockden-Brown’s, â€Å"Somnambulism† conveys the inexplicable and horrific qualities of Gothic and Dark Romanticism literature through his features and styles of writing. The literary works of William Godwin and the suggestion of feminism inspired Brockden-Brown. Constantia personifies this in â€Å"Somnambulism†. She is not a weak and nervous character. Brockden-Brown portrays her as independent and strong by having her confidently journey home with her father at night in the dark and weary woods. This story is told from first person point of view, which really puts readers inside the sick mind of Althrope. This gives a first hand account of the events. This makes it easier for readers to understand the thoughts going through Althrope’s head and adds intensity and mystery to the story: And after all what is this groundless and ridiculous persuasion that governed me? Had I profited nothing by experience of the effects of similar follies? Was I never to attend to the lesson of sobriety and truth? How ignominious to be thus the slave of a fortuitous and inexplicable impulse! To be the victim of terrors more chimerical than those which haunt the dreams of idiots and children! They  can describe clearly, and attribute a real existence to the object of their terrors. Not so can I. The quick pace of the sentences in this story creates the feeling of paranoia. Althrope’s questioning of himself supports the Dark Romantic’s idea that this genre of literature focuses on the demented and unfortunate side of human life and mankind’s inability to change for the better. The main character of the story is not a vampire or ghost or ghoul often seen in Dark Romantic and Gothic literature. The killer is a regular member of society who snaps. Althrope is used to living within the constraints of society but he struggles with this. As a sleepwalker, he acts unconsciously on the obsessive thoughts filling his mind day after day. This is a clear image of the dark side of mankind. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† Edgar Allen Poe depicts a gruesome tale. His use of dark imagery and harsh words make this story an unmistakable product of the Dark Romantic period. Poe’s use of the first person narrator adds an important dimension to the story. The narrator’s thoughts are eating him alive and Poe clearly portrays this to readers by repeating words and having  the narrator constantly question himself: I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed I raved I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder louder louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! no, no! They heard! they suspected! they knew! they were making a mockery of my horror! -this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! This makes the narrator untrustworthy and unreliable. This also helps to illustrate Dark Romanticism’s questioning of mankind. Poe focuses on how unstable the narrator is and how the unconscious mind can destroy a man. The narrator drove himself absolutely crazy over the old man’s mysterious eyeball. He was obsessed with the eye and this caused the narrator to have extreme paranoia. The reader never finds out exactly why the creepy eyeball haunts the narrator. He explains that he does not know why he feels this anger towards the old man because the old man has never wronged him but he has built up hostility towards the old man and his eerie eye. This adds the element of distress and obscurity to the story. The narrator remarks, â€Å"And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses? † Eventually the eyeball haunts the narrator to the point that his disturbed thoughts cause him to murder the old man. He believes that this will help him escape the terror of the eyeball but in reality it does the exact opposite. The eyeball is no longer staring at him but his guilty conscious is shining a bright spotlight on him. This portrays the Dark Romantic idea that every human has a dark side. The dark side of a person can cause them to do things for no apparent reason. Dark Romanticism was quite different from the literature that emerged from the Transcendentalist and Puritanism period. Dark Romantics often concentrated on the tragic dimension of life. Instead of reading about characters that were one with nature, God and themselves, readers were hearing tales of corrupted individuals at war with their thoughts. Dark Romantics focused on the menacing side of mankind. They pointed out that humans have their flaws and things will not always go as planned. Dark Romanticism helped to illustrate the idea that evil not only exists in external forms but it also exists inside the mind of mankind. Unlike Puritans, Dark Romantics saw evil living inside of human beings, not something that God presented individuals with to help restore their grace with God. This suggestion was not explored until Dark Romantics took the reigns of literature and put a whole different spin on the way readers think about mankind and human nature. Dark Romanticism was a rejection of Transcendentalism’s sanguine outlook on life. The beliefs of the Transcendentalists were far too confident and narcissistic for Dark Romantics to identify with. The Dark Romantics did not believe that humans had perfection running through their veins at all times. They instead believed that individuals possess the ability to sin. They stressed the fact that no man is perfect. Many Dark Romantics understood that evil and terror lived inside the minds of people. People like Althrope and the delusional narrator from â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† personify the weakness and paranoia corrupting the thoughts of individuals that seem innocent on the outside. Dark Romantics looked past the beauty of things. They painted the portrait of darkness living in people’s unconscious thoughts. Evil takes shape in many shady and mysterious ways in Dark Romantic poetry and prose. For this reason, the literature of this period can definitely claim its sinister name.

In what ways can Hyundai increase profitability in the UK car market Essay

In what ways can Hyundai increase profitability in the UK car market - Essay Example Eventually, the researcher will conduct a literature review as a way of examining whether or not mergers and acquisitions contribute to the increase in Hyundai’s profitability in the UK car market despite the tight global competition. Also, the researcher will discuss the importance of organizational restructuring in Hyundai Motor right after its merger with Kia Motor and Asia Motor. Prior to the conclusion, the researcher will discuss the practical and ethical issues behind the success of Hyundai Motor Company. The fact that a total of ten automobile manufacturers are competing in the global market makes it even more difficult for any car manufacturer to implement a proper management in handling the company’s resources. Considering that Hyundai is a Korean-based company, issues related to the cultural differences in handling the business should be carefully studies. Aside from proper management and product strategy, the protection law on labor management should be considered in order to avoid operational damages caused by organizational conflicts with the labor unions. Merger – combination of two or more business entities into one via purchase acquisition or a pooling of interests (InvestorWords, 2008); A corporate law on joinging togather of two corporations wherein one corporation transfers all of its In line with globalization, Hyundai Motor won the acquisition contract with Kia Motors via public bidding. Prior to signing a contract with the Korean Development Bank, Hyundai Motor took over Kia group in November 1998. (Lee and Cho, 2008) In the process, Hyundai had to pay a total of 1.18 trillion won for the 51% shares of both Kia Motor as well as the Asia Motor. In general, a company is able to expand its business operations either through acquisitions or merger. The short-term effect of the merger and

Head & Shoulders shampoo SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Head & Shoulders shampoo SWOT Analysis - Essay Example This is making the brand to miss a large client base, which plays a major role in boosting the revenues of the company. In the rural areas, especially in India, most people lack of sufficient education in about the product. They are unaware of what the product is meant for and the company has not taken sufficient measures to introduce the brand to them. As such, the company is losing potential clients in the rural areas to competitors who have introduced the product in the rural areas. Furthermore, a large number of products are prevalent in the market, challenging clients on the best brands to choose (Rahman & Kazi, 2012). Due to this, the clients may end up missing the Head & Shoulder brand, which may address their needs effectively unlike the case of other brands. Opportunities: The major opportunities for Hair & Shoulders brand include the untapped rural market, growing income levels for the clients, huge domestic market in the entire country, massive export potential for the company, and considerable investment in clients towards consumer goods. In this case, the brand needs to focus its attention on the rural and domestic market, particularly because the income levels of consumers are rising at a rapid base. As such, the brand will attain a considerable market share in the economy, allowing it to boost its competitive advantage significantly. In addition, most countries around the world are introducing favourable FDI policies. In this case, the company is capable of investing its operations globally, allowing it to review the equity of its brand. Moreover, the brand focuses on individuals of all age groups, particularly middle-aged women. Here, the brand has managed to acquire a considerable market share, which has played a major role in r aising its revenue and profitability, allowing the company to become highly competitive in the global market (Rahman & Kazi, 2012). Threats: In terms of threats, the elimination of import

Management and change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management and change - Essay Example Since other workers are part of the organisation, their views are also important in the change process (Marglin, 1974). However, the management may decide to use an approach that does not involve other workers in the decision-making process. Consequently, other workers may feel short-changed, and this affects negatively on employee involvement. In essence, the approach that the change agent uses in implementing new ideas in an organisation also has an impact on the overall performance. Most organisations tend to fail in terms of implementing new changes due to applying an unpopular approach. On the other hand, an ideal approach for implementing changes in an organisation should consider all issues that are pertinent to an organisation (Marglin, 1974). In this regard, a rational or technical approach is ideal for situations where the decision-making process involves consideration of different alternatives. A rational approach entails a systematic process where the management in additi on to relying on their skills and experience, considers various issues prior to implementing organisational change (Marglin, 1974). This paper explores the strengths and limitations of a rational-technical approach towards managing change. In a rational-technical approach to managing change in an organisation, the change agent considers a number of factors that can influence the change process (Knights & McCabe, 2003). Such factors include skills and experience of the manager or leader, the demands by followers and the prevailing situation in an organisation. With regard to skills and experience of a manager or a leader, a rational-technical approach requires the change agent to have knowledge of how an organisation operates. For instance, the manager needs to understand the environment that the organisation operates, vision and goals of the organisation, systems in the organisation, the change plan and

Comparing Old And New Technologies And Their Impact On The World Business Essay

Comparing Old And New Technologies And Their Impact On The World Business Essay Technology is a broad concept that deals with human as well as other animal species usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species ability to control and adapt to its environment. [1] Technological change has become the driving force of innovation, productivity, growth and development of the economy.[1] Technology is all about using the technical and scientific knowledge we have to help solve problems (or) to make life better. Now a days technology that is already available and being used for example the internet, mobile phones and computers (or) you can also develop new technology. Developing new technology may be more difficult to do, but if you have an idea for this and it can be used to make public services also. [1] Examples to compare the Old and New technology: Laser printers vs. inkjet printers, landline services vs. cell phones etc. Our study analyzes industry equilibrium in a model with an incumbent and an entrant that have heterogeneous product offering capabilities: the incumbent can offer either or both types of products, while the entrant can only offer new products. Firms make capacity, pricing, or quantity decisions that maximize their ex-ante profit. Within this framework, we analyze deterministic games with perfect information and stochastic games with uncertain valuation of the disruptive technology.[2] New technology separates into two types: Sustaining technology Disruptive technology Sustaining Technology: Sustaining technologies tend to maintain a rate of improvement; that is, they give customers something more (or) better in the attributes they already value. It also relies on incremental improvements to an already established technology.[2] Disruptive technology: Disruptive technology means a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an established technology and lacks refinement and performance problem because its new technology.[3] A new technology that has a serious impact on the status quo and changes the way people have been dealing with something. The most disruptive technologies in history have been the telephone, computer and the Internet. [3] First, disruptive products are simpler and cheaper; they generally promise lower margins, not greater profits. Second, disruptive technologies typically are first commercialized in emerging or insignificant markets. And third, leading firms most profitable customers generally dont want, and indeed initially cant use, products based on disruptive technologies.[3] Theory: New technology which radically changes the way things have been done in the past is commonly referred to as disruptive technology. Whilst disruption has negative connotations, if understood and evaluated early on, such innovations can also provide tremendous breakthrough opportunities to invest in paradigm shifting technology, to drive growth and the Establishment a powerful future position.[4] Disruptive technology and disruptive innovation are terms used in business and technology literature to describe innovation that improve a product or service in ways that the market does not expect, typically by being lower priced or designed for a different set of consumers.[4] Disruptive innovations can be broadly classified into low-end and new-market disruptive innovations. A new-market disruptive innovation is often aimed at non-consumption, [4] whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers for whom price is more important than quality.[4] Disruptive technologies are particularly threatening to the leaders of an existing market, because they are competition coming from an unexpected direction. A disruptive technology can come to dominate an existing market by either filling a role in a new market that the older technology could not fill or by successively moving up-market through performance improvements until finally displacing the market incumbents.[4] Disruptive technology Introduce a very different package of attributes from the one mainstream customer historically value, and they often perform far worse along one or two dimensions that are particularly important to those customers. As a rule, mainstream customers are unwilling to use a disruptive product in applications they know and understand. At first, then, disruptive technologies tend to be used and valued only in new markets or new applications; in fact, they generally make possible the emergence of new markets.[4] In general, old products based on sustaining technology are perceived to be superior to the new ones based on disruptive technology. However, the latter have distinctive features that allow them to attract an exclusive set of customers.[4] Examples: 1. UPS is example of how new technologies can help a company to improve its operating performance. However it is using advanced technology to improve the way it operates its primary business and to leverage those skills and infrastructure to move into other related lines of business. UPS has developed software applications and mobile devices with the support of wireless networks for shipping and tracking services. Its software applications work on a common platform with a single database, enabling it to optimise the route and load plans faster in order to surpass its competitors. [5] UPS software applications generate reports for managers that allow them to better plan and control the delivery routes. Better planning and route control result in time saving and more efficient use of resources. 2. A team of robotics engineers have developed a system that makes pneumatic artificial muscles much quieter than those used in labs today.[6] Annoying noise produced by air pumps or electric motors in human-like robots is among the factors hampering their entry into consumer market. Researchers at the University of Nevada in Reno came up with an idea how to make artificial muscles work silently.[6] Instead of an air compressor the pressure is supplied by a sealed capsule with a metal hydride powder. The material can absorb and release large amounts hydrogen gas if heated and cooled down. The property makes them of much interest for hydrogen motor researchers, since safe storage of the explosive gas is one of the biggest challenges for the industry.[6] These are the examples for the Impact of Disruptive Technologies for Technology Businesses. Disruptive technology is significantly cheaper than current and is much higher performing, greater functionality and more convenient to use.[7] Disruptive technologies are scientific discoveries that break through the usual product (or) technology capabilities and provide a basis for new competitive paradigm Discontinuous innovations are products, processes, and services that provide exponential improvements in the value received by the customer much in the same vein. The definitions used by different authors to describe the business strategy focus they used to define disruptive technologies. These definitions are classified by a number of business strategy parameters used to describe disruptive technologies.[7] Disruptive technologies and discontinuous innovations present a unique challenge and opportunity for RD organizations seeking to decide on their RD investments and for Manufacturing organizations devising plans for their commercialization efforts and meeting the challenge to reinvent the corporation. These technologies do not have a proven path from scientific discovery to mass production and, therefore, require novel approaches although they are the wellspring of wealth creation and new competency generation for the firms that introduce such innovations. Many firms, especially the larger ones, seem reluctant to familiarize themselves with these technologies quickly. The trend seems to be that these firms prefer to react to a proven disruptive technology that has changed the Product market paradigm. As a result, the community of corporate customers does not readily accept them until they are proven, an event that usually means corporate customers are late entries into the market.[7] Sometimes, advocates of a new technology make grandiose claims about the new technology it will double productivity, save lives, cure cancer, end war, and eliminate spam and telemarketing. They produce all sorts of literature enumerating the advantages of the new technology. Invariably, the new technology is immature often available in prototype form, However, that doesnt matter, because:[8] Look at all the cool things the new technology can do. The current immaturity, instability, unreliability and other drawbacks of the new technology are mere implementation details that need to be worked out, whereas the drawbacks of the old technology are fundamental limitations which cannot be designed out or designed around. [8] What really happens is one of several things: 1. New technology becomes irrelevant. 2. New technologys features are subsumed by old technology. New technology may become a player in the market, or maybe not. 3. New technology really is a Disruptive Technology. All technology was once new technology. New technology has extended our life spans, raised our standard of living, augmented our understanding of the universe, etc. New technology has saved many of us.

never say never :: essays research papers

"Ok, so let me see if I've got this straight." I was on the phone with my friend Bob. I've known Bob for years. He's a former Navy guy who now does electrician work at Disneyworld. He's seriously bright, but doesn't know squat about computers. And he was trying, once again, to figure out what the heck I was doing with my life. "You're starting another Notes publication?" He stretched out the word "another" so it seemed that he was entirely incredulous of my actions. "Well, yeah," I responded with some enthusiasm. "But this one's on both Notes and Domino." "I think I understand Notes. It's this kinda email, database, group-think thing from IBM, right?" I hadn't heard it described exactly like that, but he was certainly in the ballpark. "But what the heck is Domino? Didn't Kim Basinger play Domino in Never Say Never Again? You're writing about a Bond girl?" I shook my head. Of course, he couldn't see that through the phone. "Uh, no Bob. We're not doing a journal on James Bond, as cool as that might seem. We're doing a journal on Lotus Domino, a very cool server technology, and on Notes. They work together." "So you're not writing about Claudine Auger, who plays Domino Derval in Thunderball. And you're not writing about Kim Basinger, who pretty much remakes the character as Domino Petachi in Never Say Never Again," Bob was spouting Bond flick facts with a scary degree of finesse. "You're just doing another techy journal on this Lotus Domino thing?" "Yep." "But haven't you done this before?" Bob was right. We had done this before. In fact, we'd created no less than four Lotus journals, and a book. Back in 1993, I wrote a book called Lotus Notes 3 Revealed! It was the second book ever on Notes and was quite popular. Based on the success of the book, we did our first journal, Workspace for Lotus Notes. Since we were new to the whole journal publishing business, we partnered with The Cobb Group division of Ziff Davis. Ziff, as you probably know, is the largest independent publisher of computer magazines, and Cobb is their division that produces journals and newsletters. The other part of the "we" in this, by the way, is Managing Editor and Vice President of Publishing, Denise Amrich. While I've been responsible for the overall direction and technical vision of the publications (the editor-in-chief), Denise has been responsible for making it all happen.